In The Word
Read: Revelation 7
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
The 144,000
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;10 and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and aroundthe elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Not only is the earth wearing out, but also the judgment of God will further rip this old garment that brings great harm and heartache on the inhabitants of the earth. We are promised in the Scriptures to not be under the wrath of God, but that doesn’t mean we are promised to escape the wrath and wickedness of man. The enemy satan has now begun to unleash his wrath on God’s people. However, their sacrifice has become and will become honor before the throne. We Christians must endure the wrath of the world by keeping our faith in Christ our Lord and not denying Him, nor His teachings or name. We may end up with many tears of sorrow during this time, but they will be wiped away by the hand of our Savior. Our Father will strike back a blow to the deceived on the earth without harming those called to carry out His will upon the earth. It will be like in the time of Moses where the curses hit the people and land of Egypt, but did not affect the people of Israel. What does all this mean to us? We must be ready to play whatever role God may have for us. If it’s to die at the hand of evil or rule and reign as the hand of God; either way, we must be ready to be faithful until the end.