The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

The angel from the sun-rising would, we believe, represent our Lord Jesus Christ, and His
faithful saints. If this is the correct deduction, it is manifest at once that the four angels
who hold back, and then finally loose the four winds, cannot be the "little flock," for these
are engaged in the work of sealing, while the four angels are represented as having been
commanded by the angel from the sun-rising to do an entirely different work, namely to
hold the winds in check and to loose them after the Lord's servants have finished their
work of sealing. Again we inquire, What do the four angels represent? As assisting in the
elucidation of this point, we note that at a certain period in the vision these four angels
were about to let loose the winds, and were commanded to still hold on for a time. Be it
noted, too, that these four angels are therefore closely associated with the winds, indeed,
they cause the winds (whirlwind). Let us keep in mind what is represented by the
symbolic winds, and this will assist us to discover who caused them. It would seem that
these four angels must refer to those forces of evil called by one of the Prophets (Joel 2:2-
11), "the Lord's great army." The same troublous time is doubtless referred to by this
symbolic whirlwind. In this connection note the following interesting comment:
"Can it be that 'the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God' (Eph. 6:17), in the hands
of the people of God, who are filled with His spirit, shall accomplish the great work of
overthrowing all the kingdoms of this world and giving them to Christ? . . . It is evidently
not the saints who are to constitute the Lord's great army, referred to by the prophets, for
the overthrow of the kingdoms of this world: nor are the weapons of their warfare
sufficient to this end. Their weapons are indeed mighty, as the Apostle says, among those
who are influenced by them. Among the true people of God, who diligently apply their
hearts unto instruction, His Word is sharper than any two-edged sword; . . . but not so do
the weapons of this warfare operate upon the world. The army of the saints is, moreover,
not a 'great army,' but a 'little flock,' as our Lord Himself designated it.--Compare Luke
12:32; Joel 2:11."
The angels that arouse these tempestuous winds do not represent the "little flock," for this
is not their work; to overthrow the present order is not the work of the Church on this side
the veil, although their declaring the truth of God's Plan may be a factor in the "increase of
knowledge" (Dan. 12:4) which will bring about the discussions that cause these symbolic
winds. The four angels represent rather . . .
". . . the authors, the propagators of these opinions; the fomentors and directors of the
violence which they excite. That they are not to enter upon their work till the angel from
the sun-rising can seal the servants of God implies that though the elements of devastation
are already in existence, yet their being blown upon by a whirlwind is to be a consequence
of their sealing. It is by that process that the religious and political atmosphere is to be
brought into the requisite state for the generation of the great destructive tempest."
The four angels then represent all the powers that excite and direct the violent action of the
various elements, factions, and parties that will have to do with this great whirlwind of
trouble. In this symbolic picture the earth represents organized society; the sea, the
irreligious, restless, unsettled masses of men; and trees, men as individuals.