We have just witnessed the opening of the great tribulation with the opening of the first 4 seals on the scroll.  

With the opening of the 5th seal, we will see what happens next.  Now when the fifth seal is opened, this begins the last half of the great tribulation period, the last 3 ½ years before the end. 

 

Rev. 6:9-11
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 
10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

 

Remember it is the Messiah, Jesus, the Savior and the Son of God who is opening the seals on a scroll given to Him by the Father God.

   The altar spoken of here, is in heaven.  The same altar where Jesus offered His blood for the sins of the world.  Who are these people whose souls are resting under the altar?  They are the tribulation saints.  Just who are the tribulation saints?  They are the Jews who have been saved during the tribulation and have given their lives for believing in Jesus.  They are not in their raptured bodies yet.  In other words, the tribulation saints are to be included with the Old Testament saints in the second part of the resurrection.  But, they are given white robes.  So they must have some type of temporary body suited for their presence in Heaven.  A robe can’t hang on a spirit, or can it? We’ll find out when we get there.  Remember this, nothing can touch a child of God unless God permits it.  There is a definite plan for the life of every one of God’s children.  Martyrs are told to wait.  There is more to come.  Remember, also, that the church has been raptured and so these are not martyrs from the church age.  When the church is gone, God will deal with Israel.  Many of the Jews will turn to God during this tribulation period.  

The ministry of the Spirit of God is not removed at the Rapture.  His responsibility of restraining sin will be over, but when sinners call out for salvation, God will save them.  
SEAL #6 – Rev. 6:12-14
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 
14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

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      Sounds like a nuclear war to me.  The sky becomes black, the moon looks like blood, stars shoot to earth like meteors, mountains crumble into volcanic ash, islands disappear, clouds of volcanic ash and nuclear fallout spread across the sky.  Look at verse 14. “The sky receded like a scroll rolling up.”  This is exactly what happens when an atom is split.

Rev. 6:15-17
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 
16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us[a] from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 
17 For the great day of their[b] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

        Notice that the people cry out to the rocks to hide them from God.  What a prayer meeting.  They pray to anything and everything BUT God. Their first instinct is to hide from God.  Isn’t that what sin does to man? That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  They tried to hide from Him.  Tried to cover up what they had done.  Hide from what?  The wrath of the Lamb.  Then the question is asked in verse 17 – Who is able to stand? Who can survive these catastrophes and who can stand it without losing his mind?  God knows the answer.  And He gives that answer in the next chapter.

        Before the 7th seal is broken I want us to see some of the provisions for God’s protection during this awful time of tribulation.  A very important event happens next in chapter 7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                             CHAPTER 7- GOD’S SEAL OF PROTECTION

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 
2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

       First, He will send 4 angels to hold back the destruction of the earth until God is ready.  You see, He is in control and nothing happens until he is ready for it to happen.  Before the total destruction, He has something very important to do.  And it will give us the answer to the question which was asked in the last part of chapter 6 “Who is able to stand?” 

       Another angel – a fifth angel – gives orders to the other four.
       All heaven is holding its breath.  Everything is stone silent, waiting to see what the order will be, and what God will donext.  The anticipation builds.  What is God’s purpose going to be? Salvation for the lost?  This is always His purpose.  God 
would not permit any period to continue on this earth in which there were not some of the human family turning to Him, would He?

       There will be a multitude of His servants who will be sealed with God’s protection.  If He didn’t seal them, they would not
make it through.  I want you to notice something very significant here.  God gives His seal of protection to his followers BEFORE
Satan requires his seal on the people of earth.  God never Imitates Satan.  Satan always imitates God. 

      This is not the first time that God has sealed off some of His people from judgment.  The flood didn’t touch Noah and his 
family.  

       When God destroyed Jericho, Rahab and her household were sealed from judgment by the scarlet cord.  

       Lot and his family escaped Sodom before fire fell.  

      The first-born of all the Jews who were faithful by applying blood on doorposts

      During the Exodus were also sealed with God’s protection. 
It was common practice in those days for masters to seal or brand their slaves. 

     Now, what is the mark?  We have no clue.  But it is a visible, external mark in their foreheads.  Recognizable.  There will be
no closet Christians in that day.  These will be only Jews.  
Notice the tribes are listed in verses 5-8

Rev. 7:5-8
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, Reuben 12,000, Gad 12,000, 
6 Asher 12,000, Naphtali 12,000, Manasseh 12,000, Simeon 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Levi 12,000, Issachar 12,000, Zebulun 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
   Some things to notice about the tribes.  We can learn some lessons here.  The order of the tribes have changed a bit.
Judah heads the list but Reuben was first born. Because of Reuben’s gross immorality, he lost first place, but is still included.
When a Christian sins, he does not lose salvation, but he may loseHis reward.  Reuben lost the place of honor.
Gad
Asher
Dan and Neptheli are omitted from the list.

Both tribes were guilty of leading the nation into idolatry. 
(Judges 18:30 and I Kings 12:28-30)

The tribe of Dan is represented in the millennium, but are not sealed for Witnessing.
Manasses
Simeon
Levi – These were the priests, remember. Not allowed to own land.  However, he takes the place of Dan.
Issachar
Zebulon
Joseph – Takes the place of Ephraim.
Benjamin
God never leaves himself without a witness on this earth.
Many think that the whole world needs to hear the 
Gospel before Christ returns.  This is true, but not 
necessarily before the Rapture.  If the whole world
must hear the gospel before the Rapture, there would
Be no need for the 144,000.  There would be no Tribulation saints.  
More next week, precious friends, starting with 7:9.
Question for the week:  Who are the multitude in
Verse 9 of chapter 7?
Love in Christ,
Maggie

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