In this chapter, John sees 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. Another angel is seen coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He calls out in a voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea, “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." The number of those seals are 144,000. Many people have made the mistake of thinking that the 144,000 are the number of people who will enter heaven. That's not accurate because in John 14:2, Jesus tells His disciples that in His Father's house are many mansions. The number of mansions is enough for everybody on the earth, not just for a set number. The 144,000 are 12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. These 144,000 will be safe from the following judgements to come. They will most likely be evangelists sent out into the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The chapter continues as John looks to see a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands crying out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 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 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!" One of the elders asks John if he knows who this multitude is and where they come from. John tells him that that he knows. The elders tell him that the multitude are they who come out of great tribulation; they have 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 spread his tent over the. Never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 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."
Will it's true that many Christians will be martyred during the Tribulation, there will be many who will survive the seven years of terror. Once they come out of the Tribulation, they will be with God for all time. They will finally be able to rest from their labors.
The seventh seal is finally opened and there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. This is very significant because heaven is never quiet. With the sounds of the angels, the elders, the four living creatures, the thunderings, the lightnings, the redeemed saints giving praise to God, heaven is NOT a quiet place at all! The Bible is silent about why there is silence, but it is believed that the silence is a result of the seriousness of what will happen as seven angels are given their trumpets.
John watches as another angel, who had a golden censer, came, and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
We've always been told that the prayers of the saints go up to heaven in the form of incense. We're told to make sure that when we pray and worship the Lord, that it's in the form of a sweet-smelling fragrance, not a foul smell. God isn't pleased with prayers and worship that is a stench in His nostrils so let us all make sure that we always offer a sweet-smelling fragrance to Him because He is worthy. Isaiah 65:5
After the censer is thrown to earth, the seven angels prepare to blow their trumpets. The first trumpet is sounded, and hail and fire mixed with blood was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth, trees, and all the green grass is burned up. As we can see, the vegetation will be destroyed. The trees and grass give off oxygen so it's quite possible with a third of the oxygen and carbon dioxide disrupted, it's going to cause more than a few problems.
The second trumpet is sounded and something like a huge mountain ablaze was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea is turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The waters will no doubt be polluted. The blood I'm sure will make the sea stink and the dead sea animals will cause some sort of disease and pestilence as they wash upon the shores. Destroyed ships mean a loss of cargo which means a massive loss of income.
Those who own the ships will most likely take an even bigger hit because their ships won't be salvageable.
The third trumpet is sounded and a great star blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of the water. The star called Wormwood makes a third of the waters turn bitter and many people died from drinking the poisonous bitter water. A lot of water today is already polluted due to man's ignorance and arrogance in trying to be God. But this time, the waters will be poisoned due to the Wormwood star falling on the waters. Hopefully, those living in those times will have plenty of bottled and sealed water that hasn't been previously polluted by the nuclear fallout from World War III.
The fourth trumpet is sounded and a third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. A third of the day is without light and a third of the night. We all need the sun. While we do need to be mindful of the UV rays, the reality is we can't live without it. The sun not only warms the earth, but it also provides Vitamin D for us, helps things grow, and can improve our moods. In areas where the sun is lacking, some people suffer from Vitamin D deficiency which can cause a host of health and sometime mental problems. The moon and stars guide us in the dark so we can tell time and know where we're going. With these three compromised, there will be an increase in deficiencies, depression, mood swings, etc. It's not going to be a pretty sight.
As John is watching, he sees an angel flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" If the inhabitants think what they're experiencing is bad, it's only going to get worse.
