THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL Everything in the book of Revelation is a sequence. The seven trumpets flow out of the seven seals, the seven vials flow out of the seven trumpets. The book begins on the isle of Patmos, moves to the seven churches of Asia, and proceeds to the throne of God. It is a mighty stream of God, the river of life flowing out from the throne and flowing and flowing and flowing until all creation is watered, quickened by His life — all things made new! The seven promises to the overcomers are seven steps in the progression of our overcoming and receiving within ourselves the fullness of our inheritance. Some contend that there is no processing in God — everything was finished by the work of Jesus two thousand years ago. But the revelation, the unveiling of Christ within us, involves seven seals which are broken one at a time, and a work is wrought under each seal. Who can deny that that involves a process — and the work wrought in us through that process is processing! As each seal is broken there is a further activity of God in the soul and in the body, there is more light, more understanding, greater victory, maturity, glory, and power! Everything is sequential! And here in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel there is likewise a sequence — twelve precise steps in the progressive sealing of the mind of Christ in our foreheads! John was in the day of the Lord and from that vantage point he could see the end from the beginning, the whole process of God from beginning to end. Nothing was hidden from him, he saw in and by the Spirit the entire unfolding of the purposes, activities, and accomplishments of God within His elect and in all creation! The 144,000 are divided into classes called by the names of the twelve tribes of Israel — the twelve tribes of those who are the Princes of God! It is a common mistake to think of these as the natural, fleshly tribes of Israel, either of the Jews or the ten-tribed house of Israel. But the Revelation is a spiritual book and these are symbols! If the four angels, the four winds, the four corners of the earth, the seal of the living God, the earth, sea, and trees, are symbols, then the twelve tribes that are sealed are likewise symbols! Can anything be plainer than that? These are character names, indicating the various aspects of character developed spiritually in every son of God. It doesn’t indicate different groups or companies of God’s elect, each company bearing the characteristics of only one of the tribes of Israel. These twelve spiritual character traits represent twelve steps in our experience of Christ by which we progressively put on the mind of Christ and grow up into His mature nature and character — the nature and character of sonship to God! Twelve is the number of divine government, therefore these twelve steps bring us to the throne of God’s kingdom to govern the world in righteousness and reign with Christ over all things! Each step represents a new level of spiritual experience and maturity ordained for every one apprehended to sonship. Each tribal name reveals an attainment of the life and glory of God in our own experience until we find ourselves seated with Him in His throne. Twelve tribes speak to us of different dimensions of growth which all the Lord’s elect must pass through. The twelve tribes are twelve stages by which we move out of one realm into another, out of one level of consciousness into a higher level of consciousness, and out of one state of being into a more perfect state of being. The twelve tribes represent twelve steps of ascent to the throne of the universe! We cannot reach the throne in all it means and is until we have passed through them all in succession. Each experience is greater than the preceding one! Each step through the tribes brings us closer to incorruptible nature and immortal life and the authority and power of the throne! All who are called and chosen of the Father as king-priests are diligently climbing up that ascending pathway! We are daily applying ourselves to this walk! By the strength and power of the Christ within, we are pressing upward through one tribe at a time. The twelve tribes were not all birthed at the same time! The head of each tribe was born in his time, one after another, until all twelve had been birthed! This is a picture of our progression in spiritual life from one tribe to another! As we pass from tribe to tribe we experience within ourselves all that each tribe embodies. When we have arrived at the last tribe — Benjamin — we will be sons of the right hand! We will have experienced within ourselves all the authority, power, and dominion of God’s omnipotent throne! Once the reality of each of the twelve tribes has been progressively fulfilled within us, the victorious believer is then complete, mature, and has attained the first resurrection and the glory of manifest sonship. We will be able to rule over all things as sons of God! God’s promise to Abraham in the long ago will at last be fulfilled in all its glorious and eternal reality — “in thee, and in thy seed, shall ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED!” Before proceeding into our study of the twelve tribes of Israel, there is a very important truth which we should all understand in this connection. One of the tribes of Israel was omitted from the list of tribes given us by the Holy Spirit in chapter seven of the Revelation. That tribe is Dan. Dan means “judgment.” When the dying Jacob blessed his sons, he said of Dan, “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” (Gen. 49:17). Abrupt, fragmentary, and enigmatic as these words are, they startle us by the way they raise questionings within our minds about the nature and role of Dan. We are looking upon a specially sealed company, an hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of Israel. But Dan is not found among them! In Jacob’s prophecy over Dan, the patriarch’s first words concerning Dan imply a strange, dangerous, and low place — if not the lowest place — for him. When the tribes of Israel crossed the Jordan and conquered the promised land, Dan was given a portion on the extreme northern border of the land. He retained his place as part of the nation, but was far removed from most of the action. And if we naturally ask, Why? the answer is in the verse quoted above: “Dan shall be a serpent…an adder…that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.” Plainly these are negative characterizations which associate him in some way with the power of the adversary, and a dark, sinister role among the tribes. The word “serpent” denotes the idea of wisdom and cunning (Mat. 10:16). The serpent’s weapon has always been his mouth — specifically, the venom that comes out of that mouth! The word “adder” in Hebrew means “to snap at, thrust out the tongue” and fits the idea of spoken venom as a weapon of jealousy and anger. God gave Dan the commission to judge Israel righteously. Keen observation and spiritual discernment are necessary for a judge! These gifts were given to Dan, but instead of using them aright, he became a backbiter, a cruel critic, a condemner. The gift intended for a blessing, when perverted, became an injury, causing others to fall. The cruel critic, the one who always detects the evil in others and speaks of it first, has the gift of judgment misdirected. None who persist on that course can inherit the throne, for the manchild occupies the throne whereas the “accuser of the brethren” is cast out of the heavens of dominion! The most famous Danite was Samson who judged Israel for twenty years, but sold out his anointing to the Philistine seducer, Delilah. The history of the tribe of Dan is darker than the history of any other of the twelve tribes. Jeroboam, Solomon’s servant, set up a golden calf in Dan and put high places throughout Israel, causing Israel to sin. The spirit of unrighteous judgment, vindictiveness, and condemnation is the spirit of the church world today! The judgment preached and expressed in the church systems is the spirit of the serpent, for it presents God’s judgments as punitive, vindictive, destructive, and eternally tortuous rather than a loving, purposeful correction. That’s the serpent, it bites you when it shouldn’t, and its bite is deadly! Jesus crushed the serpent’s head, he has no more power to bite you, yet the preachers still put the deadly venom of condemnation, destruction, and eternal damnation into their proclamations of judgment, characterizing God as a vengeful, implacable tyrant ready to cast men into never-ending hell fire for the slightest offense. Dan does not represent the righteous judgment of the sons of God, but rather the unrighteous, heinous, hateful judgment of a maniacal despot. When we come to the sealing of the twelve tribes Dan’s name is left out. The omission is absolute — the tribe is cut off from its brethren and its name blotted out. This one tribe is deleted and another is added. In like manner there was a deletion from the number of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and an addition. Judas was cut off from his apostleship, and Matthias was added (Acts 1:15-26). God took something that didn’t pertain to the order of sonship, and added that which complemented or fulfilled the spirit of sonship. So when vindictive judgment was removed, Levi, the tribe of the priesthood, who had no inheritance in Israel, and was not normally included in the list of tribes, was added. Can you not see the mystery? The spirit of condemnation and vindictive judgment was removed, and mercy and reconciliation were added! “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:19). THAT is the spirit of sonship! Mercy, grace, reconciliation, deliverance, redemption, restoration, and life for all! Yet — that includes even Dan! People possessing the spirit of the tribe of Dan are not finally cut off from the goodness of God, for in Ezekiel’s glowing prophecy there is a portion for Dan (Eze. 48:1). No man is eternally cut off from God! But those of the spirit of Dan are not included in the company of the manifest sons of God!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:17:52 +0000
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