The seventh seal won’t be opened until Chapter 8. Chapter seven is an interlude in the flow of John’s narrative, reminding the reader that the revelation is not necessarily arranged in chronological order. Chapter six introduced four horsemen, symbols of the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. In chapter 7, those who are faithful to Jesus – those redeemed by his sacrifice – are gathered before the throne of God. Chapters eight, nine, and sixteen will re-illustrate the calamities that the horsemen symbolized, using the imagery of sounding trumpets and the pouring out of seven bowls of judgments on the earth.
(*All Bible verses are from the NIV unless otherwise noted)
Chapter 7
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
Rev 7:1
I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth:
Notice what winds and storms represent in the following verses:
Isa 27:8 By warfare and exile you contend with her— with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows.
Isa 28:2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
Jer 18:17 Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster.”
Jer 49:36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go.
Dan 7:2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.
The Hebrew word for wind in these verses is ruwach, meaning breath, life, anger, and spirit (of a rational being)1. Ruwach is rendered as both “wind” and “spirit” in different translations of Zechariah’s vision:
Zech 6:5 [ESV] And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.
Zech 6:5 [NIV] The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.
In this context, the “winds” or “spirits” are emblems of commotion, trouble, and judgment. John sees that they are ready to descend from the four corners of the earth but are held back for a season until a “seal” is placed on God’s servants.
Rev 7:3
Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God:
The Greek verb used here is sphragizo (sfrag-id’-zo), meaning to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation, to keep secret, to attest to2.
Ezekiel received a similar command during his vision:
Ezek 9:3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
Those who give their hearts to God receive His “seal of ownership”:
2 Cor 1:21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Footnotes
*All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
