As this study nears its end we find ourselves approaching the seventh seal whose unsealing will reveal what is to take place during the coming DAY OF THE LORD–the year-long period during which God will inflict His wrath on sinning man. For the past 2 1/2 years (the Great Tribulation) Satan has been pouring out his rage on the earth’s populace. Now it is God’s turn. His actions will make the Great Tribulation pale by comparison. Those who survived the tribulation will have never experienced anything like what lies ahead of them. But before this period can be entered two things are prophesied to take place–the sealing of two groups of people.

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, HOLDING THE FOUR WINDS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BLOW on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given (had been ordered) to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have SEALED THE SERVANTS OF OUR GOD IN THEIR FOREHEADS.’ And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of ALL THE TRIBES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL'” (Rev. 7:1-4). See White Fields and Replacement Theology. Notice that before God pours out His wrath on sinning man He directs the four angels to wait before blowing their trumpets. Their “blowings” will result in WINDS that will cause the seven trumpets to sound. Each trumpet will usher in a terrible set of PUNISHMENTS to be endured by those on the earth. But this action must wait until God can seal His servants. First to be sealed are the 144,000 Israelites from the twelve tribes of Israel. This done, there remains one more group of saints to be sealed before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord arrives.

“After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude which no man could number of all the nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands …. And one of the elders answered saying to me, ‘What are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence are they?’ And I said, ‘Sir, thou knowest.’ And he said to me, ‘These are they which came out of the Great Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'” (Rev. 7:9,13,14).

Notice that a “great multitude” of people have come through the Great Tribulation–2 1/2 years of Satan’s wrath. They are now seeing God’s signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. At this point many of those tribulation survivors will realize that what God’s messengers had been warning the world about for generations was His Truth, and that this display of power and terror is God’s final warning. As a result, many of them will repent and turn to God in true repentance. Those who refuse will be forced to inter into the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. To be continued. L.J.