Troublesome Topic: The Seal Of God

Revelation 7:2

Translation

Then I saw another angel coming from the rising of the sun;

he had 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 earth and the sea,

Paraphrase

Then I saw another agent coming from the most important direction, the direction from which life itself comes; he had with him the proof of ownership of the EVER-LIVING CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS; he called out in a loud voice to the four agents who had been given power to harm the dwelling places of all living things,

Revelation 7:3

Translation

saying, “Do not harm the earth,

or the sea,

or any tree, until we have placed

a seal on the

servants of our GOD,

on their foreheads.”

Paraphrase

saying, “Do not harm the places where man lives, or the places where strange unseen creatures live, and do not harm any form of life, until we put a mark of ownership on the servants of THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS whom we serve, in such a way that it is always right before their eyes.”

The seal serves to set them apart from others who do not have that seal, and to show ownership and the protection that the owner will provide for his people.

This seal need not be a physical thing; in fact, since we are talking about spiritual issues, it is most likely not something physical. God looks at the heart. If this seal were something visible, people would try to replicate it artificially. As something that distinguishes between groups, it can be an aspect of life and testimony that separates us from those who do not follow Christ. For instance, the fact that a believer is willing to take a stand for Jesus in the midst of threats and possible martyrdom marks him as different than those who are not willing to do this. Likewise, the purity that God gives, and which the believer maintains, is a type of seal; it sets him apart from those that do not exhibit purity.

Yet the idea of a seal is also about ownership and protection. This pledge of protection serves as an encouragement to the faithful believers. What might the seal be? Once again it could be the purity of life. This is what God looks for, and when He sees it He calls that person His own, and is committed to protecting His own. Such purity comes from God, but it requires effort, focus and discipline on our part to maintain it, along with help from the Holy Spirit.

Forehead

While ancient covenants required a sign of the covenant and that sign was often a mark on the skin in a prominent place like the forehead, this is for the benefit of the one being sealed, more than for others. Just like the phylacteries of the Old Testament, this is a reminder to the believer of his commitments and where his encouragement comes from. Recall that the sign of the Former Covenant was not something visible to others, rather it was circumcision, a reminder to one’s self of the loyalty he professed. While the mark mentioned here will be used by God’s angels to know the difference between the rebellious and the faithful, the use of the word “forehead” points to personal focus and various benefits such focus brings. The point here is that this difference, produced by the inner transformation only God can effect, and the believer’s perseverance, is itself a type of encouragement for the believer. The very thing that makes them different, the thing that attracts attention to them and draws the ridicule and persecution from their antagonists, is also intended to be a source of encouragement to the believer. He knows he is on the right track when such persecution comes. They opposed, persecuted and killed Jesus, so when they do the same to us we know we are heading the right direction. Someone once said, “if you haven’t met Satan face to face, you’re going the same direction he is.” So rather than wishing we did not stand out, we should be glad our purity stands out as something different. If we are striving to fit in with the world, that is when we are in trouble!

The next lesson is: The Sixth Trumpet Depicts Acts of God Not Satan

Footnotes

1

“The rising of the sun,” usually meant “the East.” The East was the most important direction for many ancient peoples. Not only did the sun come from the East, but they believed life itself came from the East. All their maps were oriented toward the East instead of the North like ours.

2: “the seal of”

This can be taken in one of two ways, either as proof that God is the owner and controller of life itself, or as the sign of protection that is placed on the followers of God. It is most likely the latter. However, we cannot ignore the emphasis on life since life is mentioned twice in the immediate context. Therefore, there may be a joining of the two ideas—it is proof that God “owns” life and that He will protect His faithful ones, giving them true life. This is not a promise that they will escape persecution, but that they will be rewarded with eternal life after death.

3

“The living God” would have made Jews of that day think of the Jewish name for God which they refused to pronounce out loud and refused to write without stopping to wash their hands. It was the most holy, most sacred name for God known to the Jews. It was the name that sounds like the Hebrew for “I am.” As such it emphasized His ever-living quality. Here that title is tied to the adjective “living,” making a double emphasis on His life-giving nature. Every ancient religion assumed that their gods were living; no one wants to worship a lifeless, powerless, inactive god. But by referring to our God as the Living God, the emphasis is placed on the fact that He is always living, from forever to forever, and He is, in fact, the epitome of life. He is also the source of life; He alone can give life and He alone has the right to take it away.