Multitudes are Saved Before Jesus Christ Returns

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” [1]

Have you ever heard someone say, “Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better?” The Lord said to Jeremiah before the Babylonian captivity and before the restoration of His people back to Jerusalem, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” What transpired in the days of Jeremiah is similar to what shall happen in the last days. There will be a time of tribulation followed by a new Jerusalem where people love God and walk in His ways. [2]

During a surgical procedure, the surgeon makes a wound to reach the inner part that needs mending. Once the wound is closed up, better health follows. The Lord “wounds, but He also binds up; He shatters, but His hands also heal.” “Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has stricken, and He will bind us up.” [3]

Our Lord Jesus revealed to John four angels holding back the four winds from the earth. Governments have invested millions of dollars in climate control research. God only needs four angels to manage it. They are climate control experts. Winds of change are about to be released when a fifth angel shouts with a loud voice, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” [4]

God’s wrath is not against His servants. Remember what God did for Israel in Egypt? “Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So, there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail... And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt... Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” [5]

God told Moses to have people place lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their homes so that when the angel of death passed through Egypt they would be protected. The Lord, “delivered righteous Lot” from His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot “was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. His righteous soul was tormented from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” [6]

God ordered a SEAL to be placed on His servants before His angels released the four winds.

God sealed His prayer warriors in the days of Ezekiel as well. He told one angel, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” Then, to another angel, He said, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion.” [7]

“And I heard the number of those who were sealed. 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Gad 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Asher 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Levi 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph 12,000 were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 were sealed.” [8]

In the last days, God seals a 144,000 people from the tribes if Israel who profess and follow Jesus Christ. “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His Father’s Name written on their foreheads.” [9]

In the ancient world, a king or a property owner used a seal to show ownership. I believe the Name of the Father on their heads is invisible to the physical eye, but visible to those with spiritual eyes, namely, the angels of God.

The 144,000 are Messianic Jews. The saved remnant of Israel! Elected by God’s grace! Natural branches grafted back into God’s olive tree! God had mercy on them. These 144,000 Jews don’t come to God by their works. They come to Him by His grace in Christ Jesus. Their unique calling and abilities are God’s grace gifts to them and to the world. The Lamb makes them outstanding evangelists. [10]

In Revelation chapter seven, the names of Joseph and Manasseh are listed but the names of Dan and Ephraim are not.

The tribe of Dan introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel according to Judges 18:30. Some speculate that the anti-Christ will come from the tribe of Dan because of Jacob’s words in Genesis 49:17. Jacob declared, “Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward.” A viper that causes people to fall backward. The antichrist leads people to fall away from (abandon) faith in the true Christ.

Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Joseph. So, in essence there are 24,000 elected ones from the tribe of Joseph and none from the tribe of Dan.

Usually, Joseph, though one of the twelve sons of Jacob, is not listed as a tribe of Israel. His sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are listed as half tribes. Sometimes, Ephraim is used in the Old Testament to refer to all the northern tribes of Israel, just as Judah is used at times to refer to all the southern tribes of Israel. The northern kingdom’s capitol, Samaria, was located in the land allocated to Ephraim. Perhaps, the reason that the name Ephraim is not used in Revelation chapter seven is because of its double meaning.

The 144,000 are descendants of Israel. The Lord leads them not to marry. God also led Jeremiah the prophet not to marry. The Lord told Jeremiah not to take a wife to spare him from grief. The Lord told Jeremiah, “They shall die gruesome deaths... they shall be like refuse on the ground.” The last days before the Lord returns will be days of great tribulation. [11]

The 144,000 are not symbolic of the Church. Celibacy was never required of the Church as a whole. God gave Christians permission to marry in 1 Corinthians 7:1-6.

The 144,000 follow the Lamb. They are redeemed by the Lamb. In contrast to the anti-Christ and his followers, they do not deceive. “No deceit was found in their mouths.” [12]

The 144,000 are sealed for divine protection during the tribulation. In the days of wicked King Ahab and evil Queen Jezebel, God reserved 7,000 men who refused to bow to Baal. [13] These 144,000 are sealed by God so that they can complete their mission for Christ. They are His end times harvesters of souls. They are His gift to the world.

Can you imagine the harvest they will have? It only took 12 Messianic disciples to start the Church, but before the world ends, a 144,000 Messianic Jewish evangelists are harvesting souls for Jesus.

The 144,000 have God’s seal on them. God the Father set His seal Jesus. God’s seal is His Spirit. “Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The seal of the Holy Spirit assures us that we belong to God. “The Lord knows those who are His.” “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The angels of God know whom God has sealed. [14]

God seals 144,000 because He has a special mission for them to accomplish.

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen! Blessing, glory, and wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So, he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 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 dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” [15]

While I was in China, I had the privilege of having world renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke come and share with my group of Chinese disciples. Mr. Bonnke said that before the Rwandan genocide happened, the Lord opened a door for him to hold massive crusades in which tens of thousands of people came each night to hear the Gospel. Later, during a period of 100 days, nearly a million Rwandans were killed during a genocidal massacre. God graciously sent them Bonnke prior to the killing.

Jesus revealed to John a great crowd of people standing before God’s throne and before the Lamb. They are in God’s presence. They are from every nation, tribe and language.

Each of us will have a unique identity in heaven. During the transfiguration, the disciples knew that the men speaking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah. They never met them before, but God’s Spirit revealed to the disciples their identities. “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” [16] We will know one person from another.

The redeemed of the Lord wear white robes and have palm branches in their hands. Their white robes represent the righteousness of Jesus and priestly service. Palm branch waving symbolizes celebrating a king’s coronation. Remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Palm branches are emblems of victory. [17]

John sees a great crowd. Can you imagine the volume of so many voices shouting together, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” They say, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” When the angels, elders and four cherubim hear them, they fall on their faces before God’s throne and worship Him. God and people are united! Heaven and earth are one! What a glorious day! Multitudes of people are saved!

An elder asked John, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” John replied, “Sir, you know.” So the elder said to him, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” [18]

The presence of so many saints from the tribulation is a powerful statement of God’s grace and mercy. During a time of divine judgment, many are saved. This great multitude is a result of the Lamb’s 144,000 elect evangelists. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Those saved in the great tribulation are saved just like the rest of us, namely by the blood of the Lamb.

White by blood is an interesting phrase. We don’t think of things being made white by blood. But the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [19]

In heaven, there are no barriers, no waiting lists. Politicians don’t have the heavenly capitol barricaded. They enjoy being with God day and night. The abundant food of heaven contrasts with the famine on earth. The pleasant climate of heaven contrasts with the harsh climate on earth. God wipes away every tear from their eyes. Jesus shepherds them to fountains of living waters. Falling tears are replaced by fountains of joy.

Some wonder, “How can there be no sorrow in heaven if we have relatives or loved ones who perish in hell? The truth is that even relatives in hell do not want us there. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, as soon as the rich man realized that there was no escape from Hades, he beseeched Father Abraham, “I beg you father that you would send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” The prayers from him who is in hell is, “Lord, please don’t let my brothers end up here!” [20]

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He brings prodigal sons and daughters back home to the Father. [21] Have you asked Jesus the Lamb to save you? Are you His follower?

[1] Revelation 7:1-3
[2] Jeremiah 1:9-10; 31:31-34; Revelation 21:1-5
[3] Job 5:18; Hosea 6:1
[4] Revelation 7:3
[5] Exodus 9:23-26
[6] Ezekiel 9:4-5
[7] Exodus 12:12-13; 2 Peter 2:7-9
[8] Revelation 7:4-8
[9] Revelation 14:1
[10] Romans 9:27; 11:5, 24, 32
[11] Revelation 14:4; Jeremiah 16:1-4
[12] Revelation 14:4-5
[13] Romans 10:4
[14] John 6:27; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:19; Ephesians 4:30
[15] Revelation 7:9-17
[16] 1 Corinthians 13:12
[17] John 12:12-16
[18] Revelation 7:13-14
[19] Isaiah 1:18
[20] Luke 16:27-28
[21] John 14:6; Luke 15:11-32