Devotional 24 February 2025
Revelation 7:1-3 ESV “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”
Even as judgment looms, God commands a pause. The four winds of destruction are restrained, not by the power of man, but by the sovereign will of the Almighty. In this moment, we see that Christ is not only the one who brings judgment but also the one who preserves His own. Just as God marked the faithful in Ezekiel’s day (Ezekiel 9:4) and spared Israel during the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 12:13), He seals His people before calamity strikes. This seal is not a physical mark but the unmistakable ownership of the Lord. “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19), and no force in heaven or earth can remove them from His hand (John 10:28-29).
This sealing is not a promise of ease but of endurance. The early church, though persecuted, was never abandoned. God preserved His people even as Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70, ensuring that those who heeded Christ’s warning (Luke 21:20-22) escaped the devastation. Likewise, in every age, God’s faithful are kept through trials, not from them. Jesus declared, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The storms may rage, but the Lamb stands sovereign over them all.
This passage is a powerful reminder that, no matter how chaotic the world appears, God’s people are never forgotten. Even amid tribulation, His plans remain unshaken. Though nations rise and fall, economies collapse, and persecution spreads, Christ secures His church. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). The same God who held back judgment until His servants were sealed is the God who sustains us today. We are not at the mercy of the storm—we are sealed by the living God, and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).