Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Did you focus on the 144,000 or the word sealed, or that those numbers sealed come from every tribe of the sons of Israel? Israel is the later name of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham.

What we focus on will determine what we seek to understand. Many have focused on the number and play a numbers game.

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

The word begins in verse 1 with “after this”. Nothing of our understanding about Revelations 7:4 can be considered without having a proper understanding of what came before.

Revelation 7:14 (parsed) “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.”

Once again we find ourselves delving into prophecies which are spoken about with much discussion, confusion and arguing. No one, and I mean no one will come to a proper understanding of that event until after they have survived the “great tribulation”.

Let us back up for a moment and look at the naming of the tribes that contain 12,000 each. In the list Levi and Joseph are named. When Israel entered into the promised land God named each and every tribe that inherited the land. Levi and Joseph were not named among those tribes. Reuben lost his rights to a double portion as firstborn, as he had defiled his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22 – 49:3-4). His inheritance of double portion was transferred to Joseph, but he did not receive any land allotment directly, his two sons received their father’s land portion. Levi did not receive land because the Lord was their portion.

Ask any of your Jewish friends which tribe of Israel they come from. I have. They don’t know.

This isn’t about what we know or understand. It is about letting the Word of God play out by faith and not arguing about genealogies.

I understand the desire to know what is coming. I too was caught up in the signs and wonders of the future. What I discovered in doing that was that I wasn’t walking in the will of God.

There will always be those who are willing to tell you what Revelations mean.

We can listen to them or we can listen to the Spirit of Truth who speaks to us from the will of God for us for the here and now. How we exercise our free will speaks to our character, not God’s.

• Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
• Isaiah 47:13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.

My intention is not to do a bible study. This is not the right format for doing a bible study.

My perspective comes from a very damaged place. My experience might be worse than yours or heaven forbid, your life might have been harder. The intention here is to encourage new believers that there is a better way to live. What I did for myself is not the only way, just how I handled my problems.

I do not know what your needs are, God does. Believing in Him, trusting Him, and making decisions for yourself means you do not have to follow my roadmap. We come from a different place but are trying to find our way to the same goal. What I want for myself has changed as I have changed. It is very possible that the same can happen to others.

What do you want? At this moment in your life you may have a clear idea of what that is for now. Circumstances often change our focus on what is important and where our priorities lie. Back in 1965 I had no idea I would be where I am today. My wife of 37 years died in 2005. In my search for God’s will in my life it took nearly a year of signs and wonders to discover His will was for me to be married again to His choice for me.

That is my story, not yours.

My hope in bringing these last few posts into play is that someone might benefit from my witness and discover their own path to their journey with Jesus. We come from different places and sometimes our paths cross. Sometimes we walk the same path because God’s will makes that a necessary part of our lives in Christ.

Just remember this if you can. What you want isn’t always what you need. This is why I began this post with Proverbs 15:22. There are many people out there ready to help. Chose those who have your best interest at heart. That is what love does.

• Daniel 10:19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
• John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
• John 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.