Revelation 6:7-8

7 When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature call out, Come! 

8 So I looked, and behold, an ashy pale horse [black and blue as if made so by bruising], and its rider's name was Death, and Hades (the realm of the dead) followed him closely. And they were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and with wild beasts of the earth.

In Revelation 7 we will study that the Four Winds are held back until our Father has called and chosen, or sealed, all of His children.

Notice what Jesus tells us here in these verses, that death and hades, the things that only He holds the keys to, Revelation 1:18, were allowed to only harm a fourth of the earth! These four horsemen are empowered to hurt men and nations, to take peace, to influence men to slaughter one another, to create great inflation, but yet they were only given power over a fourth part of the earth to kill and destroy. They were not given power over all of the earth, only a fourth part of the earth. And none of these things can happen until every chosen one of our Father is sealed.

AFTER THIS I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, firmly holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth or sea or upon any tree. Then I saw a second angel coming up from the east (the rising of the sun) and carrying the seal of the living God. And with a loud voice he called out to the four angels who had been given authority and power to injure earth and sea, Saying, Harm neither the earth nor the sea nor the trees, until we have sealed the bond servants of our God upon their foreheads. Revelation 7:1-3

  

Remember in Revelation 1, that John refers to Himself as a bondservant. Here we see that no wrath can come until the bondservants of Jesus are sealed. So let me ask you this, if we are raptured before the Great Tribulation, why would we need sealed, is our Father’s wrath going to extend into Heaven? The only reason that we would need sealed, is if we were still here on the earth.