| Author | Message | ||
| Brad_2 (Brad_2) |
Meanings of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel in Rev. 7: Judah: I will praise the Lord Ruben: He will look on me Gad: Give good fortune Asher: Happy am I Nepthali: My wrestling Manasseh: Making me to forget Simeon: God hears me Levi: Joined to me Issachar: Purchased me Zabulon: Dwelling Joseph: God has added to me Benjamin: I will be at His right hand With the meanings of these name put into a sentences, would read something like this: I will praise the Lord, for He has looked on me, and given me good fortune. Happy am I, because my wrestling, He is making me forget. God hears me, and is joined to me. He has purchased me, for His dwelling. God has added to me, I will be at His right hand. The tribe of Dan is not mentioned in Rev. 7. The half tribe of Manasseh Josephs son is in the place of the tribe of Dan. If you read in Gen.49 the prophesy spoken by Jacob you will find Dan was a serpent and a viper that bites the horses heel so that it's rider falls backwards. Does anyone have any other information on the 12 tribes that may have spiritual meaning? | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 50 Registered: 10-2002  |
Hi Brad, This is an old, old thread, six years old, in fact. But I recently wrote something about Revelation 7, and wondered on the same point about the two missing tribes. Here's the thread link: http://rtinker.powweb.com/discus/discus/messages/11/4253.html?1148496204 I'll look up the references to the tribe of Dan & Ephraim and let you know if I find anything. | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 51 Registered: 10-2002 |
oops, I meant *three* years old. *blush* | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 52 Registered: 10-2002 |
I looked up most all of the references to Dan & Ephraim at the BibleGateway.com search engine. There are lots of instances where Dan, Ephraim, or other tribes did some kind of idolatry or offense. So why are these two left out of Revelation? About "Dan and Ephraim"--- #1---Dan was the far north territory, the edge & border of Israel. Jereboam (first king of northern Israel) set up golden calf idols at Dan and Bethel (I think Bethel is in Ephraim) --1 Kg.12. Though the Lord had given Jereboam his kingdom, he was afraid that his people would return to David's house, so that's why he put up the idols. I think the spiritual lesson from this is not to be afraid of losing what the Lord's given you, and definitely not to set up "divine" reasons why they should stay with you. #2---During the revival under Judah's king Hezekiah, the Passover was celebrated as never before. Hezekiah sent messengers throughout Ephraim and Manasseh (all the north, basically). The messengers were largely ridiculed & scorned, but men from Manasseh, Zebulun & Asher did come. No one seemed to come from Dan & Ephraim. The lesson from this seems to be that when we've turned from the Lord, He sends us "messengers" to call us back to Him---back to the Lamb. We have the choice whether accept the humbling and "go", or to ridicule His messengers. Perhaps we ridicule them because we think they're too simple, too basic, that we've progressed "beyond that". About "Ephraim"--- The book of Hosea speaks *a lot* about Ephraim (it also talks about Judah). Again, although calls were sent to Ephraim, it seems like Ephraim did not return. I think "Ephraim" became a symbol of those the Lord loved intensely, but who did not return because of their pride and the spirit of prostitution in their hearts. "I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt. "Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD." (Hosea 5:3-4) And this text sounds A LOT like Revelation 3--- "Ephraim boasts, 'I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.'" (Hosea 12:8) So I think that's probably the meaning of Ephraim---those whom the Lord loved dearly and whom He begged to return, but they felt rich & sinless, and so they rejected His call. About "Dan"--- As for Dan, there is one thing that sticks out---no, *disturbs* me. It's in Judges 18. The Danites didn't have a place where they could settle because they hadn't yet come into their inheritance, so they sent spies to Laish---a peaceful and unsuspecting people with no one to rescue them (verses 27-28). So they attacked Laish, burned their city, and re-named it "Dan" after their forefather. (They also set up Micah as priest & his idols along the way, and they remained until Israel went into captivity). The thing that disturbs me is that Laish was "a peaceful and unsuspecting people, with no one to help them." In Deuteronomy 9, God said that He was driving out Israel's enemies *not* because of Israel's righteousness, but because of the wickedness of the nations. The Danites, however, had difficulty taking their inheritance (Joshua 19:47), so instead they attacked a peaceful people and claimed their land as Dan's inheritance. The name Dan means "vindicated" or "he provides justice". It seems, though, that the tribe took its inheritance in an unjust way. Instead of waiting for their "vindication", instead of trusting God for their provision & inheritance, they TOOK it from the innocent. To me, this story of "Dan" seems to represent abusive sin against agape love. Conclusion? "Love God, Love your Neighbor"--- Perhaps I'm stretching, but I think the omissions of Revelation 7 would be showing the results of forsaking the two great commandments: Ephraim -- I don't need God Dan -- My desires & my 'rights' are more important than my neighbor I'm sure the Spirit will reveal more as we get closer and closer to the end. |
