The protection, symbolized in Revelation by the ancient practice of sealing (7:3–8; 9:4; contrast the antithetical marks/seals of the beast in 13:16–17; 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4), does not mean that the church avoids temptation and tribulation, but that it is protected from defeat by these inevitable realities. That is, it is and will be victorious—another major motif in Revelation (e.g., 2:7, 11, 26, 28; 3:5, 12, 21; 5:5; 12:11; 21:7).
