part 32: The Mystery of the Four Winds
Puzzled About Revelation, july 21 2022
“And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
main text: revelation 7:1-3
Tonight:
1. To establish the GLOBAL nature of the events and judgments of the book of Revelation, and the necessity of a global sealing of the servants of God prior to that. This is important because there is a very sizable camp within evangelical Christianity that holds to some form of replacement theology or preterism. I believe the language of the Scriptures makes clear that the events of Revelation can not have been fulfilled in ONLY a limited way in the events of 70AD and the nation of Israel [Preterists, Amillennialists / Postmillennialists / Reformed (Replacement) Theology].
2. The teaching of the “four winds” - To establish a PATTERN of SCATTERING and GATHERING that exists in biblical history and prophecy that will come to fulfillment in the last days.
3. To begin to establish the IDENTITY of the “144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel” and the “great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language” in what the Bible calls the MYSTERY OF ISRAEL.
Revelation 7:1-3
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
1) John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds from harming the land or the sea or any tree (v.1)
The number FOUR is often associated with the earth, and FORTY (10x4) with times of TESTING or JUDGMENT (e.g. the rain fell forty days and nights during Noah’s flood, Israel’s wilderness wanderings lasted forty years, Jesus’ wilderness temptation lasted forty days).
2) These four angels are given power to harm the land and the sea with the four winds (v.2), which follows in the Trumpet & Bowl Judgments (Rev. 8,16). However, the angels are NOT ALLOWED to harm the land and the sea until the servants of God are SEALED (v.3). God is in COMPLETE CONTROL of His creation, and nothing happens apart from His sovereign will.
3) “The four corners of the earth” and “the four winds of the earth/heavens” are NOT references to “flat earth theory”! They are merely directional language and FIGURES OF SPEECH to indicate that these events and judgments are GLOBAL in nature.
1. The Bible is not a scientific manual and cannot be used to “prove” or disprove the shape of the earth. There are many passages that support a GLOBAL earth.
2. Observational science (the “real” science, not political pseudo-science) confirms the earth is shaped like a GLOBE: lunar eclipses, horizon, air & space travel, etc.
3. To accept verses like this as teaching a literal “flat earth” would require we also accept other poetic or symbolic passages and idioms as literal…
4) The “four winds” are referenced elsewhere in Scripture and always refer to events at the uttermost parts of the earth (in relation to the land of Israel):
The Four Chariots (Horsemen):
“I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. ”
The World Empires of Daniel and Revelation:
Dan. 11:4: “After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.”
Dan. 7:2-3: “Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.”
Rev. 13:1,3,7b-8: “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name… 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast…7 And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life…”
5) God threatened to scatter the people of Israel to the four winds (the nations) because of their sin and rebellion. This has happened several times in the Assyrian, Babylonian and Roman dispersions and captivity:
The Scattering of Israel in the Old testament:
Lev. 26:33-34: “I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.”
Deut. 28:58-59,63-64:“If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God— 59 the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. 63 Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.”
Jer. 49:36: “I will bring against Elam (“Israel”) the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them (the Israelites) to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s (Israel’s) exiles do not go.”
Ezek. 34:5-6: “So [my sheep] were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.”
The Scattering of the Saints (Israel):
Acts 8:1-4: “On that day (Stephen’s death) a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
Acts 11:19-21: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”
James 1:1: “James (Jacob), a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations…”
1 Peter 1:1-2: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”
6) The inhabitants of Jerusalem and the saints will once more be SCATTERED to the four corners of the earth (all nations) in a FINAL great persecution by the Beast/Antichrist:
Matt. 24:15-21: “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”
Luke 21:20-24: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Rev. 12:13-17: “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her [seed]—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”
Rev. 13:7a,9-10: “It was given power to wage war against the saints and to conquer them…9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
7) The PURPOSE of this scattering—the spread of the Gospel to all nations:
Matt. 24:9,14: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me… 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
See also Acts 8:1-4; 11:19-21
8) God promised that in the last days He would send the four winds to resurrect and regather His scattered people—the whole House of Israel—to the land and mountains of Israel. This final GATHERING (harvest) is the “rapture”, when all the saints—the whole House of Israel—shall be resurrected by the Spirit of God (“four winds”) and gathered by the angels to the mountains of Israel!
The Resurrection of Israel:
Ezek.37:9-12,21: “Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel… I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather (“rapture”) them from all around and bring them back into their own land.”
The Regathering (“Rapture”) of Israel:
Deut. 30:1-10: “When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather (“rapture”) you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Isaiah 11:12: “He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”
Matt. 24:31: “And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Ezek. 34:11-16: “11 ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather (“rapture”) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” (See Rev. 7:9-17)
Next Week:“The Seal of the Living God” (Rev. 7:1-3)