1 Kings 3:8 & A Great Crowd that cannot be numbered
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 1:00 pm
Greetings to all:
Revelation 7:9 says,
"After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, and there were palm branches in their hands."
Many find the biblical expression shown above, namely "no man was able to number" the Great Crowd itself, very confusing. However, in our bible reading this week, 1 Kings 3:8 could probably help us to better understand this biblical expression.
1 Kings 3:8 shows Solomon using a very similar expression in describing the size of the nation of Israel, when he said to Jehovah,
"And your servant is in the middle of your people whom you have chosen, a multitudinous people that CANNOT BE NUMBERED or COUNTED for multitude."
Now, obviously Solomon did not mean the nation of Israel could not be "counted" or that an accurate census could not be taken of the nation because of the size of the nation, since that had happened on a number of occasions for Israel. No, he couldn't have meant that.
No, but instead this biblical expression seems to indicate Godly "blessings" of growth, showing Israel had indeed become a large amount of people, a sizeable number of people, to fulfill God's promised to Abraham. -- Genesis 22:17, 18
Therefore, if we compare Genesis 13:16 and Bible texts like Genesis 22:17 we will see a similar expression used to describe the blessed growth of the "seed" of Abraham, in the final fulfillment of the prophecy.
When we consider it from this perspective, then 1 Kings 3:8 helps us better understand the true meaning of expression the Great Crowd "cannot be numbered" by man, as mentioned in Revelation 7:9. Also, having this insight on this unique Biblical expression, helps us correctly identify who the "Great Crowd" is, of Revelation 7:9. Yes, this helps us identify the "Great Crowd" as being modern-day "Israel" of Bible prophecy, Jehovah's Witnesses, a remnant of which who have just "come out of Great Tribulation" or come out of the "Great Ordeal" as shown in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Therefore this scene then pictures the remnant of Jehovah's Witnesses who yes, eventually "come out of Great Tribulation" or Great Discipline from God's Own Hand and have now been restored to God's favor. -- Isaiah 30:26; Zephaniah 3:11-13, 18-20; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14
yorww
Revelation 7:9 says,
"After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, and there were palm branches in their hands."
Many find the biblical expression shown above, namely "no man was able to number" the Great Crowd itself, very confusing. However, in our bible reading this week, 1 Kings 3:8 could probably help us to better understand this biblical expression.
1 Kings 3:8 shows Solomon using a very similar expression in describing the size of the nation of Israel, when he said to Jehovah,
"And your servant is in the middle of your people whom you have chosen, a multitudinous people that CANNOT BE NUMBERED or COUNTED for multitude."
Now, obviously Solomon did not mean the nation of Israel could not be "counted" or that an accurate census could not be taken of the nation because of the size of the nation, since that had happened on a number of occasions for Israel. No, he couldn't have meant that.
No, but instead this biblical expression seems to indicate Godly "blessings" of growth, showing Israel had indeed become a large amount of people, a sizeable number of people, to fulfill God's promised to Abraham. -- Genesis 22:17, 18
Therefore, if we compare Genesis 13:16 and Bible texts like Genesis 22:17 we will see a similar expression used to describe the blessed growth of the "seed" of Abraham, in the final fulfillment of the prophecy.
When we consider it from this perspective, then 1 Kings 3:8 helps us better understand the true meaning of expression the Great Crowd "cannot be numbered" by man, as mentioned in Revelation 7:9. Also, having this insight on this unique Biblical expression, helps us correctly identify who the "Great Crowd" is, of Revelation 7:9. Yes, this helps us identify the "Great Crowd" as being modern-day "Israel" of Bible prophecy, Jehovah's Witnesses, a remnant of which who have just "come out of Great Tribulation" or come out of the "Great Ordeal" as shown in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Therefore this scene then pictures the remnant of Jehovah's Witnesses who yes, eventually "come out of Great Tribulation" or Great Discipline from God's Own Hand and have now been restored to God's favor. -- Isaiah 30:26; Zephaniah 3:11-13, 18-20; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14
yorww