Revelation 7:1 says, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding fast the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth nor on the sea nor on any tree.” This is the insertion between the sixth and seventh seals, showing how God cares for His people while He is about to execute His judgments upon the earth. The winds here are for God’s judgments (Jonah 1:4; Isa. 11:15; Jer. 22:22; 49:36; 51:1). The next verse says, “And I saw another Angel ascend from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and sea.” The “another Angel” here refers to Christ, as also in 8:3; 10:1; and 18:1. In the Old Testament Christ was called “the Angel of the Lord,” who was God Himself (Gen. 22:11-12; Exo. 3:2-6; Judg. 6:11-24; Zech. 1:11-12; 2:8-11; 3:1-7). Here in the New Testament He is again called the Angel.
Although I love Israel, I feel very sad for them because, according to prophecy and their present situation, they have returned to the land of their fathers in unbelief. They still cling to their old religion, and they do not believe in God according to His new testament economy. They are actually in rebellion against Him. When the Lord Jesus came, God changed the dispensation from that of keeping the law to that of believing in the Lord Jesus. But the Jews would not accept this change and they refused to turn from keeping the law to believing in the Lord Jesus. This was their rebellion, stubbornness, and disobedience. God has borne with them for centuries, and according to His sovereignty, they have returned and have been restored as a nation again, but they are still in unbelief. They do not believe in the Lord Jesus. According to some reliable information I have received, the government of Israel is doing everything possible to exclude any type of Christian activity. They do not want any Christian missionaries to carry on mission work. The prophecies regarding Israel indicate that they will remain in unbelief until the last day. God, however, is sovereign and He will always take care of the nation of Israel, not for their sake but for His economy. He knows that among the unbelieving Jews there are some faithful ones, and before He will actually judge the earth with supernatural calamities, He will seal them.
The first trumpet is to harm the earth and the trees (8:7), the second trumpet is to harm the sea (8:8-9), the third trumpet is to harm the rivers (8:10-11), and the fourth trumpet is to harm the heavenly hosts (8:12). Before the executing of the first four trumpets, God will seal His chosen Israelites to preserve them from the supernatural calamities which will be carried out by these trumpets.
The first four trumpets will harm only the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the heavenly hosts. It is the fifth trumpet that will torment men directly. God’s sealing of His chosen Israelites is especially to preserve them from the torment of the fifth trumpet (9:4).
In 7:4-8 we see that God will seal one hundred forty-four thousand “out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,” sealing twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribes. These are the Israelites who will keep the commandments of God during the great tribulation (12:17; 14:12). Altogether, one hundred forty-four thousand faithful Israelites will be sealed on their foreheads. I do not know what kind of seal this will be, but it will be a mark recognizable to the angels sent to judge the earth. This is God’s way of preserving His chosen Israelites while He is executing His judgment upon the earth.
In verses 6 and 8 we see that Joseph gains double portions (cf. 1 Chron. 5:1-2; Ezek. 48:4-5). Because Manasseh, one of the two sons of Joseph (Gen. 48:5), and Joseph (v. 8) stand for two tribes, Joseph will still have the double portion of the birthright (1 Chron. 5:1-2) during the millennium (Ezek. 48:4-5).
Reuben was the firstborn of Israel, but due to his sinfulness he lost his birthright and Judah prevailed above his brothers (1 Chron. 5:1-2). Hence, the tribe of Judah is mentioned here first.
In Revelation 7 Dan is omitted. In the account here, as in 1 Chronicles chapters two through nine, the tribe of Dan is omitted because of their idolatry (Judg. 18:30-31; 1 Kings 12:29-30; 2 Kings 10:29; cf. Gen. 49:17). However, Dan will still be counted during the millennium (Ezek. 48:1) because of Jacob’s blessing upon him, that Dan might still be one of the tribes by the salvation of the Lord (Gen. 49:16-18).