What is the 6th Seal?
The 6th Seal
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.
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 from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Revelation 6: 12-16)
The 6th seal announces the time of God’ wrath during which He avenges the blood of those who have been martyred because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. This occurs after the Great Tribulation. (see Revelation 16)
Catastrophic events mark this time: a severe earthquake, the sun turns black, the moon turns red, stars fall to the earth, the heavens recede like a scroll, mountains and islands are removed from their place. This will mark the time that God’s wrath has come. (Revelation 7: 1-8)
The 144,000
After 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. 5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000. (Revelation 7: 1-8)
This event is part of the 6th Seal. After the Great Tribulation, God will select and seal 144,000 people to be his special witnesses during the Day of the Lord (the time of the wrath of God). The 144,000 will be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The time of the Gentiles is over. Until this time, God had limited the understanding of the Jewish people so that they would not recognize their Messiah. Now, the scripturally blind and deaf will see and hear. They will begin to understand the scriptural prophesies about their Messiah. They will realize that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is their Messiah. (Isaiah 6: 9-10) (John 12: 37-41) (Luke 19: 41-44) (Isaiah 35: 5) (Zechariah 12: 10)
According to Revelation 7 and 14, the 144,000 will be Jewish men who are blameless in God’s sight. They are also virgins: they have never been intimate with women. They will be sealed by the Holy Spirit and will testify during the time that God’s wrath is poured out. They will be protected from the wrath of God. They will bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and their long awaited Messiah.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” (Revelation 7: 9-17)
This event is part of the 6th Seal. The Great Multitude in White Robes are the people who have been martyred because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. This scripture specifically refers to those who were martyred during the Great Tribulation.
Their robes are white because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ). They have a special place in heaven: before the throne of God, serving Him in His temple, and sheltered with His presence. In heaven, they will never again hunger or thirst, they will not be scorched by the sun (no pain), God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (no sadness), and Jesus will be their shepherd.
For more information, please read:
The Wrath of God takes place AFTER the Great Tribulation:
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