But Rene, Rev 22:4 is talking about the new heaven, not about the saints alive during the tribulation. And yes in Ezekiel God does send the angel out to mark certain men, a foreshadowing of the sealing of the 144,000? There too no other is saved from the wrath of God save those who were initially sealed.

And then what about the three harvests, barely, wheat and grapes? I think that based on what I have read in the Bible the barely gets raptured the wheat and grapes are saved but they are threshed and pressed first before transforming through martyrdom.

Rev is pretty clear that people choose to take the mark or worship the beast. The choice during the tribulation is not to choose for Christ so much as it is to not choose to worship the beast or take the mark. The struggle will be immense, but they must endure to the end to be saved. Matt 24:13

This whole discussion might seem on the surface to not be a big deal, but most assuredly it is. Many, myself included, have thought that it isn't such a big deal if our friends, neighbors and family don't go in the rapture, that they could believe after the rapture and be saved from wrath by being sealed or protected by God, but the Bible is pretty clear about this issue. They will go through the wrath, they will not be protected and they will in fact suffer unto death, though not the spiritual death. They will be martyred, or they will die in the plagues or the judgements. The one thing that is clear is that they won't die of old age, in peace.

It is therefore incumbent upon us that believe to make the issues clear to those who might otherwise scoff at us. Should we be out there scaring people into belief, no, but we also should be accurate in our efforts to educate others about the consequences of the decisions they make today. None of us is guaranteed any more time than the moments we enjoy right now. A wise man once said, your decisions today determine your future options. Good decisions, plenty options, bad decisions, limited options.

Your sister in Christ,

Jill