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THE TWELVE TRIBES


JUDAH


How are the one hundred and forty four thousand established and how do they
enter the gates into the city of the new Jerusalem? It is the 3 angels
messages and the angels which are sealing them that does this. But as
individuals, we have a part to play.


Revelation 7: 4-8. "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and
there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes
of the children of Israel. 5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe
of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7Of the tribe of Simeon were
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of
the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8Of the tribe of Zabulon
were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."


Ponder upon what we read, every name that is mentioned is significant. Its
not the twelve little tribes that were selected, but the true Israel.


These one hundred and forty four thousand were being sealed from the time of
the end. As they are being sealed, twelve groups are being identified. They
are being developed throughout the work of the sealing. From 1844 onwards,
they are being developed in the righteousness of Christ.


They washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. They made them white in
the blood of the lamb.


Revelation 14:5. "And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are
without fault before the throne of God"


Here is the end product.


The new Jerusalem identifies these twelve tribes.


Revelation 21:2. "2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."


Revelation 19:7,8. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."


The city is the bride. She is arrayed in fine white linen. The city
represents the people that have been made as white as snow. The gates are
made of pearl. Pearls are white.


How is a pearl created? From a grit of sand inside an oyster shell. The life
fluids of the oyster go around the sand. It grows bigger, and bigger.


What is the issue here? One irritating condition. Offending matter. Sin is
an offending matter. Christ engulfs us in his righteousness, his response
dealt with sin.


The twelve gates of the city are made of pearl and have a name on them.


Isaiah 1:18. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool."


Sin is a character trait. But a character trait can be altered into
something better. The twelve tribes had a irritating aspect. Our weaknesses
can become our strength. The very sin that becomes an irritation. Christs
life of righteousness developed from irritation. Offending irritable
suffering imparted his righteousness. Believers who understand that, no
matter how evil they feel, as the sinner looks to Jesus, life fluids cover
the sinner. The one hundred and forty four thousand have overcome as Jesus
overcame.


Revelation 3:21. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne."


Jesus speaks to the people of the judgement.


The twelve tribes come through twelve gates of experience. From the irritant
of sin to a beautiful pearl. Everything symbolic is real. The city is a real
thing full of symbols. Experience that develops purity.


The people that go through the twelve gates have an experience. The irritant
develops into a pearl. That city is a comprehension of Gods character. We
become a part of the body of Christ. Just twelve aspects of Christs
character.


1 Corinthians 12:12-20. "12For as the body is one, and hath many members,
and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is
Christ. 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to
drink into one Spirit. 14For the body is not one member, but many. 15If the
foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it
therefore not of the body? 16And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the
eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17If the whole
body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
were the smelling? 18But now hath God set the members every one of them in
the body, as it hath pleased him. 19And if they were all one member, where
were the body? 20But now are they many members, yet but one body."


Each person is a particular part of the body. But one person is not the
whole body.


Twelve traits of character make one complete character. The body is Christ.
Different experiences. Trace the experiences of each tribe from the sinful
beginning of each person. Figure out what tribe we fit into.


Which tribe do we start with? Judah. Why Judah?


What particular character develops why Christ could be born of this tribe?


Revelation 7:5. "Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand."


What were the cir***stances of the birth of Judah?


Genesis 29:30,31. "30And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also
Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. 31And when
the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was
barren."


Judah was from Leah. Jacob wanted Rachel. He had to work for seven years to
marry her. He was given Leah, and then finally, Rachel.


However, one was preferred more than the other. He loved Rachel and didn't
care about Leah. It wasn't Gods will that he should marry 2 women. Imagine
the kind of stresses in these women.


What happened when Judah was born?


Genesis 29"35. "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now
will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left
bearing."


Leah praised the Lord. Into this environment was Judah born. Praising the
Lord.


What happens when Leah praised the Lord?


Psalms 50:23. "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth
his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God."


God will show her the salvation of the Lord.


Patriarch's & Prophets page 118.2. "As a rule, children inherit the
dispositions and tendencies of their parents, and imitate their example; so
that the sins of the parents are practiced by the children from generation
to generation."


Judah was born to a mother praising the Lord, the legacy is passed on. The
Sons of Jacob, had a terrible struggle with envy as they grew up. All the
rest of those sons were malicious.


The conspired to slay Joseph.


Genesis 37:18-20. "8And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near
unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19And they said one to
another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20Come now therefore, and let us slay
him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath
devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams."


They went against Joseph but who first began to consider him?


Genesis 37:25-27. "And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit
was empty, there was no water in it. 25And they sat down to eat bread: and
they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites
came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going
to carry it down to Egypt. 26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit
is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27Come, and let us sell
him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our
brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content."


Judah's goodness protected Joseph.


SG Vol 3:14:1. "As Judah thought of Joseph dying in the pit, suffering a
lingering death by starvation, he was troubled. For a short time, he with
others of his brethren, seemed to possess a satanic frenzy. But after they
had begun to accomplish their wicked purposes to the helpless, innocent
Joseph, some of them were ill at ease. They did not feel that satisfaction
they thought they should have to see Joseph perish. Judah was the first one
to express his feelings. "He said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we
slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our
flesh; and his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites,
merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold
Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought
Joseph into Egypt."


Later we see the character of Judah. He offered to be a servant in Josephs
household rather than leave Benjamin there.


Genesis 43:8-9. "8And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with
me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and
thou, and also our little ones. 9I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt
thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee,
then let me bear the blame for ever:


Genesis 44:30-34. "30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and
the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;
31It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he
will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant
our father with sorrow to the grave. 32For thy servant became surety for the
lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear
the blame to my father for ever. 33Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy
servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up
with his brethren. 34For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not
with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father."


Judah says he will be a bondman. Judah had steadfastness.


TV4 page 353. "A man may not bear the most pleasant exterior, he may be
deficient in many respects; but if he has a reputation for straightforward
honesty, he will gain the confidence of others. The love of the truth, the
dependence and confidence which men can place in him, will remove or
overbear objectionable features in his character. Trustworthiness in your
place and calling, a willingness to deny self for the purpose of benefiting
others, will bring peace of mind and the favour of God."


Judah had trustworthiness and firmness of character.


Genesis 49 8:10. "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy
hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow
down before thee. 9Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art
gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who
shall rouse him up? 10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the
gathering of the people be. "


Patriarchs & Prophets page 236:1. "The crowning blessings of the birthright
were transferred to Judah. The lion, the king of the forest, is a fitting
symbol of this tribe, from which came David, and the Son of David, Shiloh,
the true "Lion of the tribe of Judah," to whom all powers shall finally bow
and all nations render homage."


Caleb was also of the tribe of Judah. He displayed courage.


Numbers 13:6. "Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh."


Numbers 13:30. "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us
go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."


Numbers 14:12. "24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with
him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he
went; and his seed shall possess it.."


Daniel was from the tribe of Judah. Bezaleel was the architect of the
sanctuary


Genesis 35:30. "I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah."


Genesis 36:1-2. "Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted
man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all
manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the
LORD had commanded. 2And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise
hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose
heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:"


Judah - The tribe God honoured. We may come from a failing sinful
cir***stance. We can become resolved firm and trustworthy. God blessed Judah
with a special beginning. The character of Judah eclipses all others.