The most important question in Revelation 6 and 7 is not the identification of the 144,000 and the Vast Multitudes. Instead, it is John’s heartfelt, but worried, inquiry:

“…who is able to stand?”

Revelation 6:17b

Why would he ask this question? For context, let’s look at John’s vision in the last few verses of Chapter 6.

 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 

Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,  and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 6: 12-17

The events preceding John’s question are graphic! There is nothing to suggest the scenes are symbolic or related to anything other than the second coming of Jesus. God reveals to us, through John’s vision, the effects of the dramatic cosmic phenomenons on the earth and the lost who are alive at the second coming of Jesus:

• The sky rolls back like a scroll as it prepares for the entrance of Jesus and His entourage. It is a glorious scene! The sky is filled with the glory of Jesus, the Father, and all the holy angels:

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels,…

Matthew 16:27

• Every mountain and island is moved out of its place. A universal upheaval of the mountains, islands, and seas. The Old Testament prophet Amos, like John, describes the earth as trembling; swelling, heaving, and the people mourning:

Shall the land not tremble for this,
And everyone mourn who dwells in it?
All of it shall swell like the River,
Heave and subside
Like the River of Egypt.

Amos 8: 8

• This scene frightens men (mankind) who think they are powerful and rich…the so-called leaders of this world. They are contrasted with the powerful King of the Universe, who is making His way back to earth many of its inhabitants are shaking and mourning because the reality of their demise has arrived.
• All the lost of this world run to dark places (caves) and ask the rocks to fall on them so they won’t see the face of the Lamb. They recognize that the day of His wrath has come. The redeemed have a different response:

“Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Isaiah 25:9

• The lost ask the question: “Who is able to stand?” or, put another way, “who is able to survive the appearance and wrath of the Lamb?

Revelation Chapter 7 answers the question, “Who is able to stand?”

Author

Malachi asked a similar question:

“But who can endure the day of His coming?

And who can stand when He appears?

Malachi 3:2

Many today are confused about the second coming of Jesus, but the Bible has a multitude of verses clearly describing Jesus’ appearance. It is a destructive event that every eye can see (Rev. 1:7) No one will be wondering if He is coming or has come. It is not kept a secret. His coming is like the glowing light of lightning spreading across a dark prairie shining from the east to the west.

 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

Matthew 24:27

The lighting is not about its quickness but rather the light that all can see.

The first time Jesus came to this earth, he came quietly wrapped in swaddling clothes as a babe in a manger. But the second time, he comes like a Lion, as a conquering King. God’s prophets and Apostles describe the events as cataclysmic in nature. Here are a few from both Old and New Testament prophets:

They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty When He arises to shake the earth mightily. 

Isaiah 2:19

And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the Lord of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.

Isaiah 13:13

The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

Joel 2: 30-31

Our God shall come and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous (violent storm) all around Him.

Psalm 50:3

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (unexpected), in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 4:1

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The Answer:

Immediately after John asks the question, “Who is able to stand?” we are shown a cosmic scene of 4 angels, on the 4 corners (North, East, South, and West), holding back 4 winds:

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, Revelation 7: 1-2

These 4 angels have the power to harm the earth and the sea or let them be harmed. So they are holding back the winds of strife until given the order to do so. But a 5th angel cries out 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.”

Revelation 7: 3

This “loud voice” in Revelation is like Paul’s description of Jesus’ return Paul records a shout and the voice of the Archangel (1 Thess 4: 16)

 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

1 Thess. 4:16

This 5th angel appears to be Jesus. The One in charge. But this is another study for a different time.

The Seal of God

Thee harm, or destruction towards the earth, is held back so the 5th angel, who has the “seal of the living God.” can do the work of “sealing” the servants of God in their foreheads. The forehead (or frontal lob) is the seat of human thoughts, logic, and feelings. So this is a very real work of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, although symbolically presented. The purpose of sealing is to both protect and secure the person receiving this work of God the Spirit.

The prophet Ezekiel uses the same language and work when he talked about the people of Jerusalem being marked or protected before the destruction of Jerusalem:

“…and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it

” Ezekiel 9:4

It is interesting and revealing that the ones who had the “mark” on their foreheads (symbolic mark, not literal) were those who had sad feelings about the abominations done within its walls. They had a soft and humbled heart about the troubles and sins of the people. In the last days, those whose hearts hurt over the sin of this world will likely be candidates for the sealing taking place before the Lord comes. Jesus has recreated in them a new heart of flesh and, like Jesus, they seek the lost sheep to bring salvation.

Paul often talked about the Spirit that does the work of sealing, even today. Here are a few examples:

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1: 13-14

Notice the prerequisites for being sealed with the Holy Spirit:

• Hearing the word of truth. The gospel of salvation (Faith or trust comes by the hearing of the word. See Romans 10:17.)
• Believing is closely related to faith but is based on substance and evidence. It is not blindly believing; It has reasons to believe. This person uses the forehead to believe God-given logic and education in the word. (Hebrews 11:1).
• Trust (aka faith) is a result of hearing the word and exercising trust in Christ. Without this faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 1: 21-22

Through the work of God, we are established in Christ, sealed by the Spirit given to us. Be careful that you “assume” you cannot be unsealed. It can happen by grieving away the Holy Spirit:

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4: 30

At the same time, you can be assured that the evidence of the Spirit in you is sealed by a heart that has been changed.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8: 16

This mark on the forehead speaks of ownership, as does a seal. A seal on the document often identified the owner and protected the scroll’s contents. Hot wax was dripped on the outside of the document, and a signet ring or stamp was impressed into the wax.

It is a great thing to acknowledge God as your owner. This is beautifully stated by the prophet Isaiah:

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

Isaiah 43:1

In summary, the second coming of Christ is destructive for the lost, but those who look and wait for Him have a different response of joy and praise. Those who are sealed in their foreheads are protected from the wrath of the Lamb when Jesus returns with the glory of His Father and all the Holy Angels.

You can be sealed now IF you trust God and it is demonstrated and confirmed by His Spirit in you.

But what does all this have to do with the 144,000 and the Vast Multitude? Is the 144,000 a literal number and are only 12,000 from the 12 tribes sealed and saved? If not, what is the symbolism saying to us? This we will explore next time.