Revelation 7 – the four winds, the 144,000, and songs of praise

Fascinating reference to the angels withholding the four winds of destruction to land, sea, or tree.  People have often wondered if Mars was once life-bearing, but now it has no atmosphere and winds of hundreds of miles an hour. A connection? Quite rightly John links bad weather with God’s plan. In their own stumbling way that is what Al Gore etc. are doing, seeing Global Warming as some sort of Gaia punishment for man’s greed and selfishness. Two weeks ago I heard Gov. Shumlin refer to renewable energy development as a “moral imperative” in part because of all of the storm damage we have suffered, and will suffer, as a result of global warming. It’s as if he and Gore are prophesying without knowing it and are missing the most important details. Repent ye therefore! C.S. Lewis says that fallen mankind cannot help but understand some of God’s plan, as in a glimmering reflection of the pure light of divine revelation, but neither do we ever get it right without reference to God’s word.  

The devil can only counterfeit. It seems that the Mark of the Beast (more on that in later chapters) is just a knockoff for the seal on the foreheads of the 144,000 servants of God, all Israelites. And because Christ rose from the dead, the anti-Christ will appear to do so as well. A roving copycat, seeking to destroy.

Revelation is one terrific book for personal and corporate Praise and Worship! We could do worse than just read the praise portions of Revelation as our own:

Multitude of the Redeemed:

Salvation belongs to our God

Who sits on the throne

And to the lamb

Angels:

Amen! Praise and glory

And wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength

Be  to our God for ever and ever. Amen!

See how they agree with each other – “Amen”  – but the redeemed sing of salvation (well, they would, wouldn’t they?) while the unchanging and holy angels sing of God’s unchanging and holy attributes. They do not “sing together” though – the text seems to have them separate, one after the other, and for what it’s worth the English translation of the Redeemed song is roughly 4:4 time, while the angels (translated in the NIV, anyway!) are in 6:8, more or less.