Concerning the locusts in Revelation 9:4: “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”(NIV) Does this instruction to the locusts only apply to the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel who receive the mark on their foreheads in Chapter 7? And does God still seal the new believers after the Rapture?
I believe the supernatural protection from the locusts applies only to the 144.000 who are sealed in Rev. 7:3-8. The phrase “seal of God in their foreheads” from Rev. 9:4 is a direct reference to the manner in which the 144,000 are sealed, and even during the Church age the sealing of believers is not described this way.
There’s no evidence that tribulation believers will receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. In fact Rev. 16:15 seems to indicate they will be responsible for preserving their own salvation as was the case with Old Testament believers. The seal of the Holy Spirit that guarantees our inheritance is a blessing unique to the Church.