"Saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of
same way, God put the seal into the Lord Jesus' hands. "He cried...to the four angels to whom authority was given to harm." From this we see that all the events that will happen to the earth originate from God. If God does not give the authority, the four angels can do nothing.
3. Revelation 7:3 "Saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God upon their foreheads." "The slaves of our God." Here God begins to acknowledge the Jews. He is returning to the position in the Old Testament. (In the church age, there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.) In the Old Testament, all the people were servants (1 Sam. 8:17; 17:8; 1 Kings 10:5-8). In Revelation the emphasis is God's throne. Servants do not have the position of children, but of responsibility. Revelation 7:1 through 3 mentions the wind; Revelation 8:6 through 9 mentions the fire. Wind and fire are very much related. To have a fierce fire, there must be a strong wind. 4. Revelation 7:4-8 "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel: out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed; out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand sealed." Who are the people mentioned in 7:4-8? They are not the church but the people of Israel. The Seventh-Day Adventists assert that they are this people because they keep the law and are, therefore, the real Jews. But we have ten reasons to prove that the people in Revelation 7:4-8 are Jews in the flesh. (1) If "the sons of Israel" in Revelation 2:14 are to be interpreted literally, then "the sons of Israel" in 7:4 should be interpreted literally also. (2) "The tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5 is interpreted literally, so "the tribe of Judah" in 7:5 should be also. (3) The names of the twelve tribes are unique to the Israelites. Of the people in the church, which denomination belongs to which tribe?