>From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000
from the tribe of Gad 12,000
from the tribe of Asher 12,000
from the tribe of Naftali 12,000
>From the tribe of Menaseh 12,000
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000
from the tribe of Levi 12,000
from the tribe of Issaschar 12,000
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000"
BUT THIS IS A MISTAKE! It's been years since I studied Judaism, so I may
be wrong, but I am certain that this is incorrect. They are omitting
"Efraim" and "Dan" and are including "Joseph" as a distinct tribe.
CARR
That is right. 'Dan' is ommitted.
The early Christians thought the antichrist would come from 'Dan'
eg Irenaeus (Adv.Haer. 5.30.2)
"This, too, the apostle affirms: "When they shall say, Peace and safety,
then sudden destruction shall come upon them." And Jeremiah does not
merely point out his sudden coming, but he even indicates the tribe from
which he shall come, where he says, "We shall hear the voice of his
swift horses from Dan; the whole earth shall be moved by the voice of
the neighing of his galloping horses: he shall also come and devour the
earth, and the fulness thereof, the city also, and they that dwell
therein." This, too, is the reason that this tribe is not reckoned in
the Apocalypse along with those which are saved.
End quote.
Either Dan is one of the 12 tribes or it is not. You can't have more
than 12 tribes. The list in Revelation is just wrong.
Yoel
Btw, the J Witnesses say that they are the 144,000, in spite of the fact
that there are already much MORE than 144,000 of them. (I guess this is
because they are the "real Israel" too!)
CARR
Not all JWs are part of the 144,000. Onle a very few of the JWs who are
part of the 144,000 are left. I cannot get figures as to how many are
left. For some reason, JWs are not fond of admitting that their
prediction that some of the early JWs would not die is being proved
wrong, even as I speak. The very youngest must be 90!
-- Steven Carr steven@bowness.demon.co.uk Visit the UK's leading atheist Web page http://www.bowness.demon.co.uk/