Revelation 7:1-3

Revelation 7:1-3

Overview of Chapter 7

Verses	Topic
1-3a	Judgment being held for a moment
3b-8	Sealing 144,000 out of the 12 tribes of Israel
9-12	The innumerable multitude before the throne
13-17	Identity of the great multitude

This is a beginning of many passages in Revelation where the angels have a direct role to play in the judgments against the enemies of the Lord. Between the 6th and 7th seals there’s a pause where two important events take place, one on Earth and the other in Heaven.

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

Revelation 7:2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

Revelation 7:3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."

·        Here John saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth.  We can understand here from John’s statement, the angels are standing in four sides that mean north, east, west and south.

·        All these four angels are given authority to harm the earth and the sea.

·        Why John mentioned here the angels are holding the wind against earth, sea and tree. We know that this period beginning for most tribulation period. Before starting the most tribulation period God wants to save the last time repenting people as He prophesied through prophet Jeremiah in 30-7.

Jeremiah’s Prophecy

 Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.

Why the angles are holding the wind?

If the angles leave the great tribulation period will start it was written in the book of Daniel 7:1-3.

  

Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.

Daniel 7:2 Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

Daniel 7:3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.

Revelation 7:2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,

From the rising of the sun

 Is a figure of speech that means the East.

The seal of the living God

Here John clearly mentioning that the angel coming with seal of living God. Because we can see two types of seals in the bible

·        One is belongs to God and

·        Another one is belongs to satan.

We know that what God doing satan also duplicate the same thing. We can see many example from bible. Here also we can see that God put His seal on His people’s forehead, in the same way we are reading in revelation chapter 13 and 14 the satan also putting his seal, on forehead of his people. The God’s seal or mark is to protect the Israel people from the tribulation but the satan’s seal or mark is to put the people into lake of fire.

Two incidents

We can see the two example previously happened in the bible. The first seal received from God was Cain.

First example for God’s seal

Genesis 4:15 Then the Lord said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

Second Incident

Joshua 2:17 The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.

Joshua 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household.

Revelation 7:3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."

We have sealed

"we" implies multiple angles are involved in the sealing process. Given the number to be sealed, this is understandable. The context clearly indicates what will be done. Each person will receive a special mark on his or her forehead, which will clearly identify said person as God’s property. The context also demonstrates what the purpose of the mark or brand is.

You and me are received the seal ?

Apostle Paul mentioned this in Eph 1:13.

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

In this context, the sealing is to prevent harm. It is a sealing of protection. Revelation 9:4

When the angel blowing the 5^th trumpet what is happening we can read from Revelation 9i:1-4

Revelation 9:4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

explicitly declares that those who have the seal of God are protected from the fallout of the fifth trumpet.

Conclusion

As Paul mentions we recived the sealed we pray to God we should sustain in that up to end of our age. Because bible says those who sustaining up to the end only saved and received the salvation of God.