After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” - Revelation 7
After the sixth seal of cosmic disturbances, then four angels will stand at the four ends of the earth holding back the wind. Another angel will appear, ascending from the east, giving instructions from God to the four angels. This angel commands the other angels to not harm the earth or sea until the servants of God are sealed. Who are the servants of God since the Church is already taken out and we are in Heaven? "One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed" (Revelation 7:4b). This is the moment in which God seals 144,000 Israelites from the harm the four angels have been given authority to do upon the Earth. Why weren't these 144,000 Israelites in Heaven with the rest of the Church and saints? Because they had not accepted Christ as their Savior before the rapture happened. It is during the first part of the Great Tribulation that these Israelites have become saved and will now be protected by God since they are still living on the Earth during this time.
Notice how there are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. This shows us that God's Word is true and His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is kept. Israel is God's firstborn, and He will bless them and protect them.
The white-robbed multitude who stand before the throne and worship and praise God are the people who accept Jesus as their personal Savior during the Great Tribulation and are now in Heaven with the Lord. This answers the question of "will people get saved during the Great Tribulation", yes! However, you shouldn't wait until that time to make your decision. Why?
We are not promised tomorrow. You could die tonight from a heart attack, stroke, or brain aneurysm, you could get into a car or plane accident. There are many things that could happen to you without any notice. Therefore, make your decision today while you are able!
During the Great Tribulation, there will be suffering as never seen before on the Earth. Remember the seals (the anti-christ, war and conflict, famine, widespread death, a great earthquake, no sun, mountains and islands moving...). Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be tortured and killed for their faith.
I love how this chapter ends, it gives us a glimpse into Heaven, "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:16-17).
Are you ready? If Jesus Christ came back today, would you go to Heaven with the Church or would you be left on the earth to go through the Great Tribulation? If Jesus Christ came back today, would your loved ones, family, friends go with you to Heaven or would they be left on this earth? This is the time to make sure you are ready for eternity and to witness to those you love and to those you meet so they will not have to go through eternal torment, but will live in eternal glory where God wipes away all tears and we live in perfect, sinless, holy beauty face to face with Jesus Christ forever.
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