(Revelation 7:1-3) 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, having the seal of the living God; and he cried 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.”
God seals 144,000 Jews who have become believers during the Tribulation, who will represent all twelve tribes of Israel! These will be protected somehow in order to stay alive through the entire 7 years of the Tribulation, which are the last 7 years of the Jewish Age.
In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised the Israelites their land, seed, and blessings! For God to completely fulfill the covenants, there needs to be Israelites from every tribe represented - believers in Christ - who remain alive - in order to enter the Millennium and see their kingdom established.
These are not the only believers who will make it through the Tribulation, but these are the ones set apart for special distinction and service (these will be mentioned again at another time)...
(Revelation 7:4-8) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand 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, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
Today's takeaway: God is faithful and keeps His promises! But we should never take God for granted and think that we can just do what we want - and expect God to clean up all our messes. It is when we make an attempt at being faithful - trusting and doing the things according to His will - that we are rewarded and protected.
That is not to say that bad things won't happen to us even when we are being obedient, but as it says below, God "will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able..." It says "to be tempted" and not "to suffer" or "to be persecuted" - but if we were suffering or persecuted to such an extent that we might be tempted to go against God's will - then I believe this promise includes all things.
Our greatest example is Jesus, who knew what was to happen when He went to the cross, and so - just hours before this - He prayed...
(Mark 14:36) And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
We are not God. And we will certainly not have to go through what Jesus went through (going to hell to pay for all sins of all times). But we will face tests and trials. And there will be temptations. Being tempted is not a sin, but acting on the temptation is. We have a choice in that moment - sin - or do the right thing and trust God...
(1 Corinthians 10:1-13) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
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