Clearly, what John is viewing here is not a flat earth with these angels at each of the four corners. Rather, this is an accommodative-type statement recognizing the fact that there are four points on the compass: north, south, east and west. There is not a suggestion at all here about the flatness or the roundness, either one, of the earth.

What John is viewing here are these four angels. These four angels have charge over four winds. Winds, in and of themselves, may be favorable—may be a good thing, or they may be absolutely devastating. There’s nothing quite like a cool breeze on a warm day. There is nothing quite like a favorable wind when one is out on a lake in a sail boat. BUT, winds can be a very destructive force—a devastating force, like a hurricane. We have, in our day, harnessed many things that are a part of nature—that are a part of God’s creation, but there are a number of things, like wind and raging water, and so on, that we are just helpless to do anything about, wind in particular. In that day, in that region of the world, wind was an extremely destructive force.

I was reminded, as I was reading this and thinking about the destructive nature of the winds in this region, that there are very flat areas, sandy in that region. I hearken back to some of the images that were given to us a few months ago during the war on Iraq. About the third day or so of the attack into Iraq, there was a horrific wind storm. I remember seeing on live television the eerie images that were shown as a result of this wind, and it’s blowing this desert sand around. It was orange! I, frankly, have never seen anything like that before. I was thinking about the fact that, indeed, wind is very destructive. The folks [saints] who read this in Revelation would have certainly been able to relate to that. It is evident that what is in view here in verses 2 and 3 has to do with God’s judgment.

In Revelation, we’ll see many references to angels. We’ve already seen several—we’ll see several more as we go through the study. Angels are given power. For example, in Revelation 14, verse 18, we will be introduced to an angel of fire who had power over fire [“And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire….”]. And in Revelation 16, verse 5, we’ll see an angel who had power over water [“And I heard the angel of the waters saying….”].

Now, we are talking about angels who have power over winds and its effect upon the earth. Four angels appear here in Revelation 7, having control of the four winds, again, reference to this being God’s judgment. The four corners are the nations, or the world. We have to get over to Revelation 20 and verse 8 before we see that the “four corners” are identified in that way. [Revelation 20:7-8: “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”]

Angels of God are withholding the winds, which represent destructive forces, be they destructive nations, empires, or even natural things [.”…that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.”].

[Verses 2-3: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”]

Another angel rises from the east, and he has the seal of the living God in his hand [verse 2]. We notice that there is a link, a connection; there’s a relationship to the work of this angel and to the four angels in verse 1. This “angel ascending from the east” uses the term “we”—“WE” must do this. “WE”… the implication being… “are involved in the same general type task” [verse 3: “…saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till WE have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”]. Even though the work of this fifth angel is slightly different than the other four angels, he, too, has been given an exalted mission. There is a relationship between HIS task and the task of the other four.

This fifth angel came upon scene “ascending from the east.” As I frequently say, we don’t want to make more of a point than the Lord intends to be made, but, is there a significance in this angel ascending from the east? I say, perhaps there is. There is a significance that we see in Scripture about the “east”—that direction.

Jesus is referred to, later in Revelation, all the way at the end, Revelation 22, verse 16, as “the bright and morning star” [the morning star rises in the east—Revelation 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”].

Jesus is “the light of the world” [as the sun rises in the east to light the world], John 8, verse 12 [“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”], and also John 9, verses 4 and 5 [“I must work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”].

In Ezekiel 11, verse 23, there was an occasion recorded by the prophet when God left Jerusalem because of their unfaithfulness. When He departed, He departed to the east [“And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.”]. And then, in Ezekiel 43, and verse 2, when God returned in His glory, from which direction did He come? He came from the east [“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.”].