After this I saw ^afour angels stationed at the ^bfour corners of the earth, holding back ^cthe ¹four winds of the earth ^dso that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. Zech 6:5 2 Then I saw another angel coming up ^afrom the rising of the sun, holding the ^bseal of ^cthe living God; and with a loud voice he called out to the ^dfour angels to whom it was granted to have authority and power to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “^aDo not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we ^1bseal (mark) the bond-servants of our God on their ^cforeheads.” Ezek 9:4

4 And I heard ^ahow many were sealed, ^ba hundred and forty-four thousand; twelve thousand sealed from ¹every tribe of the sons of Israel:

9 After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, gathered from ^aevery nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages of the earth, standing ^bbefore the throne and ^cbefore the Lamb (Christ) , dressed in ^dwhite robes, with ^1epalm branches in their hands; 10 and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,“^aSalvation belongs to our God ^bwho is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance.” 11 And all the angels were standing ^aaround the throne and around ^bthe twenty-four elders and the ^cfour living creatures; and they ^dfell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,“^aAmen! ^bBlessing and glory and majesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. ^cAmen.”

13 Then one of the elders ^aresponded, saying to me, “These who are dressed in the long ^bwhite robes—who are they, and from where did they come?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” And he said to me, “These are the people who come out of the ^agreat tribulation (persecution) , and they have ^bwashed their robes and made them ^cwhite in the ^dblood of the Lamb because of His atoning sacrifice. Gen 49:11; Dan 12:1 15 For this reason, they are standing ^abefore the throne of God; and they ^bserve Him in worship day and night in His ^ctemple; and ^dHe who sits on the throne will ¹spread His ^etabernacle over them and shelter and protect them with His presence. Rev 21:3 16 ^aThey will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun ¹beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; Is 49:10; Ps 121:6 17 for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their ^aShepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the ^bwaters of life; and ^cGod will wipe every tear from their eyes giving them eternal comfort.” Ps 23:2; Is 25:8; Ezek 34:23; Rev 21:4