Revelation 7 answers the question, “Who is able to stand (survive the Tribulation)?”. (Revelation 6:17) And it also tells of the 144,000 Jews who were sealed to protect them from the judgments of God and serve as evangelists throughout the world. They will have great success! However, many people who respond to their message of the gospel, will pay for their faith with their lives.
At the end of the first half of the Tribulation, the world seems like it’s about to be torn apart by just the beginnings of the judgments of God. The inhabitants of the earth are left wondering in fear, who will be able to survive this. Revelation chapter 7 answers that question (the 144,000 Jews), but continues to reveal the massive number of deaths that will mount during the relentless persecution of Christians.
Exactly what is the Tribulation and how do we understand it? Briefly, it is a period of seven years in which God in dealing with the Jewish people will also bring judgments upon the whole world. This prophetic unveiling is contained in Revelation chapters 6-19. It ends with the Return of Jesus in the 2nd Advent and the restoration of Israel and the blessings of the Millennial Kingdom.
The Tribulation is the 7 year period of God’s dealing with the Jewish people while at the same time bringing judgment to the Gentile world. It is during the first 3 1/2 years that the anti-Christ rises to power; and those judgments will be specifically aimed at his domain. So, in Revelation 6 the judgments begin as we enter the first half of the Tribulation with the rise of the Anti-Christ.
After Abraham’s victory of faith in chapter 22, we now transition our focus on Isaac. But before this, Sarah dies. This chapter serves two main purposes for us: It shows Abraham’s connection to the Land of Canaan (the Promised Land) as his home land; and it serves as a downpayment for God’s future fulfillment in the day that He gives Abraham all that He has promised him.
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