Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
There is a clear-cut message in the Bible where the Lord reminds us that He is still in control of all the events of this world; and He says that if His people will do what He says and proclaim the Good News message that He wants them to proclaim, He will hold back world distress and war. The idea is that the devil can't wait to unleash another world war, but God has promised that He will send "four angels" to "hold" the "four winds" from letting loose with their universal cyclone of human hatred and passion:
"I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 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, saying 'Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God [in] their foreheads'" (Rev. 7:1-3).
By using symbolic language in Revelation, God can say an immense amount in a few words. "Four winds" throughout the Bible are a symbol of universal distress and violence; an "angel" is a symbol of a message to be proclaimed; the "sea" is a symbol of world population; God's "seal" is a symbol of a message that prepares a people to be ready for the second coming of Jesus (John 14:1-3).
Only if that "another angel" can proclaim his message and the "four winds" can be calmed down, can people be able to listen to what God has to say. Lord, please strengthen the grip of those "four angels"! And wake your people up!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 17, 2006.
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