All Christians will be raptured or removed from the earth before the Tribulation begins (see the study “The Church Is Missing”). During the dark and painful period of the Tribulation some people will be become Christians, and God will rescue some of the Christians, just as He rescued Israel from the darkness and pain inflicted on Egypt, but not all. This is the message of Revelation 6:9-11. Which Tribulation Christians will suffer and who will not? That question is answered in this study.       First Scene in Heaven. Revelation 6 ends with the world in the horror of suffering, but Revelation 7 opens with a beautiful vision - a scene in heaven. This is the first of three scenes that occur between the seven trumpets, the seven signs, and the seven bowls. Each one is like a pause in a movie. The Holy Spirit seems to give us a break from the descriptions of darkness and suffering by giving us positive glimpses of the saints and God’s coming victory.       John’s vision of the seals closes at the end of Revelation 6. As Rev. 7 opens he sees four angels who were preventing the wind from blowing on the earth.     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 should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 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, 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.” (NASB) Rev. 7:1-3   These angels prevented winds from blowing from the north, west, south, and east. Still winds will cause the earth and the sea to be warmer and uncomfortable. Great portions of the earth will be without rain. The impact will be misery on the earth.       Then John saw another angel arrive who told these four angels not to harm the earth until the 144,000 bond-servants of God had been sealed. These are the ones whom God will protect from the darkness and pain of the Tribulation. The Greek word for “bond-servant” or “servant” in Rev. 7:3 is DOULOS. It means “slave.” These men are God’s slaves. The apostle Paul called himself a bond-servant or slave of God many times. Paul’s greatest desires were to know and to serve God. Paul wanted to serve God - to be His slave.       It is not true that pain and death come to a Christian only as the result of sin and disobedience. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged us when He said that Christians will suffer for simply being righteous - for following Him.         < Back   Next >
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