And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2-3 NASB
This week we are celebrating Emmanuel – God with us. God came to earth in the form of a tiny baby, to save His people from their sins. And Jesus is coming again. Next time, He is not coming as a helpless baby, but as a conquering King!
Those are the two themes I have in mind as I am reading the book of Revelation this week. This devotion is third in a series where I am looking at the seals and trumpets in Rev. 5-11 as the first and second coming of Jesus Christ.
Last week I explored the first four seals that Jesus, the Lamb of God, opened in John’s vision. Each of those four seals released a horse with a rider whose symbolism pointed back to Jesus. Those four seals, and the fifth one where the Lord had a conversation with the martyrs under the altar, all take place in the throne room of heaven where the Apostle John had this vision.
The focus exploded onto the earth as the Lamb opened the sixth seal. A powerful earthquake shook everything that could be shaken, and many people ran to hide from the “wrath of the Lamb” (Rev.6:16). If these seals do represent the first coming of Jesus Christ, then this is where a tiny baby exploded onto the earth and changed everything!
What happened next in John’s vision is what really convinced me that these seals represent Jesus coming to save His people from their sins. John saw an angel ascending from the east. Let me pause right here to remind you that the Magi in the Christmas story followed a star rising in the east. The ascending angel in Rev. 7 had the seal of the living God. The angel and His army “sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” They went about sealing God’s people from every tribe in every nation. Does that sound familiar? This is exactly why Jesus came to earth; He came to save His people from their sins.
Bond-servants of God, you and I have been sealed for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). Our salvation is secure thanks to the tiny baby we are celebrating this week.
Merry Christmas!!