In the first chapter of Revelation, after the first vision the first thing Jesus says is “fear not”. Those words communicate, at the very begnning, an important part of the larger message of Revelation. The issue of fear is a big part of the human condition but the promises of Jesus give us a cause for courage. This is the message in Revelation 7. In Revelation 6 we were given a potentially scary vision of the troubles that will unfold throughout history, intensify in the end and culminate n the day of God's wrath. Revelation 6 ends with the question, “who can stand?” Revelation 7 gives the answer.

To get to the answer we have to work through some things that can be challenging and controversial. The best way to approach the vision in Revelation 7 is to first get a sense of what the whole vision communicates and the courage it gives. Then, if we need to, in weeks to come, we can go deeper into the details. It's also important to remember that the book of Revelation is highly symbolic so we have to look for the principles in the pictures. The reason many people are confused by Revelation or don't get anything out of it is because they focus on the pictures instead principles. There are three key truths or principles pictured here in the vision of Revelation 7. It is interesting in that even if you differ from me on some of the details of the vision these three principles remain the same and apply to us all. What are the three principles?

1. God seals his servants to protect them. 1-4

2. God's sealed servants form a holy army. 5-8

3. God's holy army will win a total victory. 9-17