At the suggestion of a member of our church we watched the film, Left Behind. That, my friends, is a thought-provoking film!  As the man said, "You don’t want to miss the first train!"  This world will come under judgment some day.  When, none of us know … but this part of the Bible is as authentic as the 23rd Psalm and the Beatitudes.  So we study it too!

Revelation chapter 7 is an interlude between the 6th and 7th seals, and reveals the people who receive Christ as their Savior during the great tribulation.  Those who take their stand for God are both Jew (verses 3-8) and gentiles (or non-Jews) (verses 9-10, 13-15).  They accept the gospel proclaimed by the saints.
 

We used to teach that if you missed the Rapture all hope was gone … but we now understand things differently.  Why?  Not because God has changed, but because our understanding to His word has changed – and probably we better understand the heart of God.  "In the last days," God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)

The "Seal of the Living God" mentioned in 7:2 was a tool or ring that stamped an owner’s mark of identification on something.  God’s seal on a person identifies him or her as belonging to God and under His care.  Later on we will study about the mark of the beast. That mark you do not want to have!

The 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel are described as "Servants of God."  God puts the seal or mark on their forehead to indicate ownership.  Some Bible interpreters believe that these new believers from the tribes of Israel will be commissioned and empowered by the Spirit to preach the gospel during the tribulation days.  Their seals do not protect them from physical death or from martyrdom, which will result from Satan’s persecution.  However, they will be protected from God’s direct judgment and from demonic affliction.  Revelation 9:4, "They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads."

In Revelation 7:9 and forward, John describes a moving scene in heaven.  There is a great multitude of people from all nations who will come to salvation through faith in Christ. Verses 15-17 tell us that they will be with God and free from pain and sorrow.  Many conservative scholars believe that this multitude consists of  tribulation saints – i.e., those who are saved during the tribulation and become martyrs.  John writes in verse 14, "These are those who have come out of great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Think of it this way.  Those who accept Christ are special objects of persecution from Satan and evil people. (See Revelation 12:9-17)   Remember also that Satan is the god of this world!  2 Corinthians 4:4, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."  (The King James Version states, "The god of this world.")  In Corinthians, the god of this world has blinded people … in Revelation Satan is on a roll trying to destroy the work of God.  As we have said on other occasions, if you have problems serving God now, what are your  chances of making it during the tribulation?

The Great Tribulation is that time between the calling away of the saints and the 1,000 year rule of Jesus.  It is a time of divine judgment on an ungodly world that has rejected Christ, but it is also a time of satanic wrath and persecution against those who receive Christ and His Word during the tribulation.  
 

During this period many of the new saints will suffer terribly as objects of the wrath of Satan and the ungodly.  So intense is the conflict between righteousness and wickedness that it can only be called a "great tribulation."  This phrase in the Greek literally reads "the tribulation, the great" in the Greek language.  Repeating the article the makes a statement emphatic. 

Revelation 7:14b-17 shows the comfort that they will receive in heaven.  "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eye."

These are tough times for many people. When we took the Shoeboxes to Oklahoma City yesterday for shipment to Mexico for the poor children there who will get no other gifts our hearts were touched with the thought of so many people in need and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of those bringing many gifts. God takes care of us! Corrie Ten Boom who spent much time in prison camps because she was a Jew stated, “If God sends us on stony paths, he provides strong shoes.” Have you noticed that God often uses other people to provide the strong shoes? And if we don’t cooperate, it makes it difficult for the person in need!

We are in the Holy Season … we have celebrated Thanksgiving, and are heading toward a wonderful Christmas celebration.  But … there are problems in the world.  Two of our church families have lost loved ones to death.  So why do we look at the problems discussed in Revelation?  Because we need to know that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. We need to know that just as the promises of God are true, so are the warnings!  

A friend of mine once asked his pastor, "Why don’t you teach the things that Leon teaches?"  The pastor responded, "As long as there are good things in the Bible, I am not going to talk about the bad things."   I shudder every time I think about that – and it happened in 1972!  It reminds me of a patient I met in nursing school.  He was 9 years old and couldn’t feel pain. His body could not feel hot or cold.  Consequently he had many scars from cuts and burns that were not treated because he did not know he had a problem.  In his lack of awareness, he was often in great danger.  Any small problem soon became life-threatening because of the potential for infection. 

Let me offer a story to encourage any that might be having extreme difficulties today.  At one time J. Wilbur Chapman, a well-known pastor in the late 1800s, experienced a great sorrow that nearly shook his faith.  In addition, he was almost broke just when it was necessary for him to take a long trip across the country.  One of the elders of his church, a wealthy banker, came to his home to offer a word of comfort and encouragement.  As he left, he slipped a piece of paper into the pastor's hand.  Chapman looked at it and was surprised to find that it was a check made out to him and signed by this rich friend.  But the figures to indicate the amount of the gift were missing.  "Did you really mean to give me a signed blank check?" he asked.  "Yes," said the man. "I didn't know how much you'd need, and I wanted to be sure you would have enough."  Later Chapman commented, "While I never had to use that check, it gave me a secure feeling to know that thousands of dollars were literally at my disposal."  Someone has said, "God too has given us a signed check in Philippians 4:19 to provide for every genuine need that arises in our lives." 

Yes, God will take care of you!  Have you received Jesus Christ as your personal savior?  If not, why?   As an old saying goes, You can't start any younger!