Do you ever feel insignificant? Unimportant? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then Revelation 7 tells you that you are so important to God, that He deliberately held back on judgment day until you came in! Revelation 7 gives us a picture of God holding back the storm of His judgment until He has “sealed” all His people.
A seal is a mark of ownership. It’s not a literal mark, but a way of God saying “they are mine”. A bit like the tag a farmer puts in her cattle’s ear. The angel marks Christians as “belonging to God”. Every believer in Jesus will be safe from judgment because they are marked as God’s people. It’s a bit like the Passover (Exodus 12), God’s people were marked by putting the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The blood showed that the family had taken God at His Word and trusted him, they were safe because the lamb had died as a substitute.
If you trust in the Lord Jesus then you have been “sealed”, marked as belonging to God. He’s given His Holy Spirit to live inside you, marking you as one of God’s people. Do you see how important you are! God delayed judgment until you were brought in! If you haven’t yet turned to Jesus, make the most of the time now, because God is still holding back the day of judgment, perhaps for you.
God will make sure all of His people are safely gathered in, that’s why we are told there are 144,000 sealed. This is shorthand for saying all of God’s people, we know it’s not a literal number, for when John turns to look at them, there’s too many to count (7:9)! The important thing is make sure you are among that crowd. These are the ones who are able to “stand” on judgment day. That was the question at the end of chapter 6, in light of the coming judgment “who can stand?” Here’s the answer, it’s those who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:17).
What does this mean? It’s picture language, the blood of the Lamb is Jesus’ blood. Whoever has recognised they have been a rebel against God and has opened the door to Jesus and welcomed him in, has been cleansed by His blood, all our sin has been washed away. As God looks at those who have trusted in Jesus He sees us as perfect—clothed in white robes, and able to stand on the day of judgment. Thank God that He delayed judgment day so that you can be safe, do you see how significant you are!
If you have trusted the Lord Jesus, not only are you marked as safe on the day of judgment, look what awaits you:
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (7:16-17).
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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