ACC ~ Revelation 7 v2 - 3

ELIJAH WILL CALL THE JEWS TO THE FAITH OF THE GENTILES. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: “I [saw] an angel descending from the rising of the sun.” He is speaking of Elijah the prophet, who was to come before the time of antichrist to restore and to strengthen the churches from the intolerable persecution. We read of these things in the opening of the book both of the Old Testament and of the new preaching. For through Malachi the Lord said, “Behold, I send to you Elijah, the Thesbite, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the heart of man to his neighbor,” that is, to Christ through penitence. “To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,” that is, at the time of the calling to recall the Jews to the faith of that people which follows them. And therefore he shows the number of those from the Jews who will believe and the great multitude of those from the Gentiles. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 7.2.

THE RISING OF THE SUN. OECUMENIUS: That the divine angel appears from the rising of the sun and not from its setting which brings on the evening is symbolic of the gospel and the promise of its blessings. For the prophet foresaw in the spirit that sealing that now is when he said, “The light of your face was lifted upon us.”Meanwhile he rightly commands that nothing be harmed until those from the Jews who are worthy of being saved should be sealed, so that none of the righteous should suffer any of these calamities along with the sinners. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 7.1-8.

THE FAITHLESS WILL BE SEPARATED FROM THE FAITHFUL. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: This was revealed long ago to Ezekiel concerning him who was clothed in a fine linen robe and who sealed the foreheads of those who mourned so that the righteous would not be destroyed along with the wicked, since the virtue of the saints is hidden and is unknown even to the angels. This is shown also here to the blessed [John], that a preeminent holy power encourages the avenging holy angels to do nothing until they might recognize the servants of the truth by virtue of their having been sealed. Although this has happened partially long ago when those who believed in Christ fled from the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans into very many destinations, the great James having showed to blessed Paul their great number, then, as has been said, this will especially occur at the coming of the antichrist when the seal of the life-giving cross will separate from the faithless the faithful who bear without shame and with boldness the sign of Christ before the impious. Therefore, the angel says, “Do not harm the earth of the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” Just as the creation, created for our sakes, shares in the torments with us who are being chastised, so too it will be made clean with the saints who are being glorified. Through these words we learn that the virtuous will require the power of angelic assistance before the arrival of the trials which come because of the seal of the Spirit which is given to us. [We learn further] that this seal will reveal its power to that extent that we add our own work to it, for everything remains without aid which by its own will wills not to be aided. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 7.2-3.

THE LORD WILL SEAL THE FOREHEADS OF HIS OWN. BEDE: This is the Lord born in the flesh, who is the “angel of great counsel,” that is, the messenger of the Father’s will, “who has visited us as the dayspring from on high,” carrying the standard of the cross, by which he seals the foreheads of his own. … The great voice of the Lord is that exalted proclamation, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” … For this purpose was the rule of the nations destroyed, that the face of the saints might in freedom be marked by the sign of faith which they had resisted. For even the figure of the cross itself indicates that the kingdom of the Lord is everywhere extended, as the ancient distichshows:

“Behold, the four-squared world, in distinct parts,

that you might show the sign of faith to encompass all things.”

Nor in vain was the four-lettered name of the Lord written upon the forehead of the high priest, since this is the sign upon the foreheads of the faithful, about which the psalm “for the winevats” sings: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth,” and so on, until he says, “that you may destroy the enemy and the defender.” EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 7.2-3.

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