Translation
Then I saw another angel coming from the rising of the sun;
Go to footnote numberhe had the seal of
Go to footnote numberTHE LIVING GOD;
Go to footnote numberhe called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the earth and the sea,
Paraphrase
Then I saw another agent coming from the most important direction, the direction from which life itself comes; he had with him the proof of ownership of the EVER-LIVING CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS; he called out in a loud voice to the four agents who had been given power to harm the dwelling places of all living things,
Footnotes
1
“The rising of the sun,” usually meant “the East.” The East was the most important direction for many ancient peoples. Not only did the sun come from the East, but they believed life itself came from the East. All their maps were oriented toward the East instead of the North like ours.
2: “the seal of”
This can be taken in one of two ways, either as proof that God is the owner and controller of life itself, or as the sign of protection that is placed on the followers of God. It is most likely the latter. However, we cannot ignore the emphasis on life since life is mentioned twice in the immediate context. Therefore, there may be a joining of the two ideas—it is proof that God “owns” life and that He will protect His faithful ones, giving them true life. This is not a promise that they will escape persecution, but that they will be rewarded with eternal life after death.
3
“The living God” would have made Jews of that day think of the Jewish name for God which they refused to pronounce out loud and refused to write without stopping to wash their hands. It was the most holy, most sacred name for God known to the Jews. It was the name that sounds like the Hebrew for “I am.” As such it emphasized His ever-living quality. Here that title is tied to the adjective “living,” making a double emphasis on His life-giving nature. Every ancient religion assumed that their gods were living; no one wants to worship a lifeless, powerless, inactive god. But by referring to our God as the Living God, the emphasis is placed on the fact that He is always living, from forever to forever, and He is, in fact, the epitome of life. He is also the source of life; He alone can give life and He alone has the right to take it away.