This is most likely an allusion back to Ezekiel 9:4-6, where the faithful believers are marked by angels, because they had fled the idolatry of the rest of people (chapter 8-9). Thus the faithful are protected from the judgment of God. Osborne writes, “A brand or tattoo on the forehead of a slave was common in the ancient world as a sign of ownership, and there were also religious tattoos to show allegiance to a particular god. Similarly, God’s slaves had his sign on their foreheads to indicate both ownership and allegiance.”[1] While some commentators associate this “seal” with baptism, this is not the view of this author. Paul regularly refers to believers being sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22), but there is no mention of the Holy Spirit here or baptism into Christ. Moreover, angels are never said to carry out the baptism of believers; this is done by God himself. This is, therefore, a special kind of sealing for this specific dispensation in salvation history.
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Problem: Critics of the Bible note that John writes of “the four corners of the earth” (Rev. 7:1). They argue that this demonstrates that the authors of Scripture believed in a flat earth. Is this the case?
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Problem: John speaks here of the “four corners of the earth,” which implies that the earth is square. But modern science teaches that it is round. Isn’t this a mistake in the Bible?
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Problem: Throughout the Gospels Christ is presented as merciful, healing the sick, blessing the poor, comforting the sorrowing, and forgiving sinners (cf. Luke 9:56; 19:10). But the Book of Revelation speaks of “the wrath of the Lamb” (6:16) and the judgment of Christ on the whole world (Rev. 19:11–15).
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Problem: In this prophecy, Jesus is depicted as a Lion, the king of beasts. This fits with the fact that He will come as King to reign over all the earth (Rev. 19–20). However, the main symbol of Christ in the Book of Revelation is the Lamb, mentioned some 27 times.
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Problem: Who are these 24 elders? Humans or angels? There are two predominant views regarding the 24 elders:
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Problem: Jesus tells the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). Christian preachers often claim that Jesus is speaking to the “pew sitter” here, who neither wants to live radically for God (i.e. “hot”) nor wants to walk away from God (i.e. “cold”). Is this the proper interpretation?
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Problem: Jesus said, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). Students of eschatology debate how this passage relates to the rapture. Is this descriptive of the pre-tribulational rapture or not?
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