As chapter six ends, the destruction of the sixth seal has devestated and terrified the earth. However, before the seventh seal is opened, John sees another vision.
Chapter seven details this vision.
It begins with four angels, standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth.
They are holding them back to keep them from blowing on the “earth, sea or any tree.”
I read this chapter through several times and looked at several other commentaries, beside MacArthur’s notes on the passage to try and get a good understanding of what is happening here.
Some take the angels and winds very figuratively, some quite literally and others are kind of more in the middle.
After some prayer and study, here’s how the spirit is leading me. (Feel free to share your interpretation in the comments.)
The four corners of the earth, of course, are simply the four directions – north, east, south and west.
I believe the wind here is more of a symbol of all the natural disasters – the earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. – that have taken place so far during the opening of the first six seals.
The angels are holding back these torments for a time, which a separate angel tells us will be after the servants of God have been sealed.
Which brings us to the next question: Who are these servants of God?
Again, there are several different interpretations of who these people are and from where they come.
After reading several different interpretations and studying it for myself, the explanation I was taught both in my churches and in Bible school still make the most sense to me.
Some times, many times, we just need to take the Bible for what it says and not try to read something into it. It says quite clearly that these servant were taken from the children of Israel – 12,000 from each tribe.
Therefore, we can conclude that they are a corps of redeemed Jews who will be responsible for leading multitudes to Christ during the Tribulation period.
The seal of God will be upon them and they will be protected from the horrors of that time until God decides their mission is complete.
The many whom they will lead to Christ are discussed in verses 9-17.
These are people from every tribe, tongue and nation who though unsaved at the beginning of the tribulation will be gloriously saved through the witness of the 144,000.
They will be martyred and enter heaven, and that’s where they are pictured here, praising God for such great salvation!!
They are joined in worship by the angels, the elders, and the living creatures.
The chapter ends with a beautiful reminder of how our Saviour shepherds his people. These dear souls who suffered such great torment on earth and finally perished for their faith will be forever taken care of in heaven, with none other than God the father wiping the tears from their eyes for the last time.
Hallelujah!!!
Final Thoughts
We often talk about our Christian lives being a balance. Probably the greatest challenge for us is balancing our hatred of sin with our love of sinners. In this chapter, we see how our Father, perfectly balances his divine justice for the wickedness of this world with his unconditional love for souls.
Here his judgement has begun, but before He unleashes his greatest fury on this world, He makes sure to seal his corps of redeemed missionaries who will reach an unprecedented amount of souls with the gospel.
Even as his great wrath is raining down unspeakable terrors, his great love is accepting innumerable conversions.
Truly, how deep the Father’s love is for us!!!