Revelation 7:1-4
The four winds
A wise man foresees danger and avoids it (Proverbs 22:3); this is why we are preparing ourselves in this season. In Revelation 7, Four Angels were holding back the wind from the four corners of the earth. There are winds which are held back by messengers at certain seasons. There are winds which bring destruction and there are the warm winds which bring healing. In this case, the fact that there was a holding back of the wind until the sealing of God’s people meant that the wind was destructive; A release of the move of God that will bring chaos and pain. Many will not understand. In Exodus 13:13-15, locusts were brought with the east wind, they destroyed and ate up every green plant that was in the land. They are an example of destruction coming with the wind sent by God.
The winds were held back so that God’s bond servants can be marked on their foreheads. In Exodus 21:5-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12, a servant who is a relative according to the law should serve for six years and in the seventh year be set free. But a bond servant is different from a servant. A bondservant is one who refuses to leave his master and has decided to serve and die with his master. He willingly refuses to go away from his master’s family because he wants to serve them forever. You become a bond servant when you choose never to leave God; when you choose to serve Him and become whatever He wants you to be.
What should you do to be branded a bond servant?
Adam’s sin sold the whole earth into bondage, and now we are to work for our master – sin, which took us and ruled over us. Jesus became our relative by flesh to qualify as a kinsman and set us free ( Hebrews 2:16-17, Leviticus 25:25-26, Galatians 4:4-7) . We have been set free from the bondage of sin but are called to be under Christ now (Romans 6:18). There is no freedom in its entirety where you run off and are not under any master, its either you are a slave to sin or you are subject to Christ, you can’t be none or both. The seventh year is a time to make choices. There will be freedom in the millennial reign when satan will be locked away (Revelation 20:1-3). Satan is a manifestation of sin and he has no power over you until you sin. He can only tempt you. You will have to be marked if you do not want the winds to come upon you.
After the marking, there will be a release of winds that will bring much crying and terror. Those who are not bondservants will be swept away with the wind. There is a time for marking, once the time is up there will be no more chance to be marked.
God allows us go through trials sometimes to lure us into a relationship with Him. He doesn’t want to rule over us with rigor and pain – He is a king who likes to talk and involve His subjects. Leviticus 25:47-55 talks about redemption of a poor man by his near kinsman, where he has been sold. This speaks of Jesus, who had to become our kinsman (Hebrew 2:14-18), in order to redeem us from the power of sin, who was our master. After He redeemed us, it doesn’t mean we can now go off on our own and have no master anymore. No. it means, we now have to serve our new master, the kinsman redeemer (Galatians 4:3-4, Romans 6:16, Leviticus 25:43, 53). The good thing is that He isn’t a compelling master like sin and He won’t make you do things that lead to death (Romans 6:21). But many people are almost allergic to that kind of relationship and that is why they take the new master for granted. It is wrong to do this. When He redeemed us, it was for Him to become our master, instead of the old master who made us carry out actions that led to death.
Many like to take their choices for granted and want to opt out. But then, at times God will override our choices and exercise His right and ownership over us. He has been waiting for us to tidy up. There is no more time. This is a bad time to maintain the habit of insisting on our own wishes and desires. We must yield to Him now.
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