Chapter 14 is another parenthesis in the progression of the end times. We have seen the letters to the churches, the rapture of the church, scenes of worship from the throne of heaven, the seals broken, the trumpet judgments, a look at the role of Israel, the beast, the antichrist, the false prophet and now we come to a quick pause before proceeding to the final bowl judgments which will usher in the return of Christ and the final doom of Satan and his followers. Again in this chapter we fast-forward for a quick peek of Christ returning to Mount Zion and then back up to angelic messengers with warnings and then fast-forward again to judgment and Armageddon. So hold on to your seats as we again take a roller coaster ride better than any amusement park could ever offer.
Vs 1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Fast-forward to the coming of the Lamb, Jesus. He is seen by John standing on Mount Zion. He is not sitting on a throne but standing – standing because a war is at hand, the final battle of the ages. Standing because He has come to take back His world. And standing with Him is the 144,000 Jewish men ordained and commissioned by God. They have come to faith during the tribulation and sent as evangelists to proclaim the Truth during the most horrific time in world history. The right to stand with Jesus is an honor, it is a reward for their faithful service. Not their only reward but never the less a tremendous honor for them. They had been sealed by the Spirit and had the name of the Father and Son on their foreheads. Triple sealed – the Holy Spirit within, the names of the Father and Son on the outside.
Vs 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
What is this sound from heaven? It is ‘like’ the roar of rushing waters and ‘like’ a loud peal of thunder. It sounded ‘like’ harpists. It is the loud, beautiful sound of praise in heaven. It is not of the earth with its diabolical sounds but the sweetest, most joyful, music of creation.
Vs 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
The 144,000 are singing a new song before the throne of heaven. It is a song that only they could sing. For they alone knew the story of their personal redemption and what they had endured for the name of Christ. And guess what? I have a song that only I can sing before the throne. I alone have lived out the path marked for me and it is my song. And you have a song too that is uniquely yours. We will join in multitude songs of praise with the angels and believers in heaven but we will also have a solo to sing and it will be absolutely glorious.
Vs 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. Vs 5 No lie was found in their mouths, they are blameless.
These specially chosen evangelists kept themselves from being defiled by the world. During the tribulation period sexual sin will be so deviant and rampant that beyond what we can imagine even in this twisted era that we currently live in. It will be sin without borders. These men will not partake of such and will shine like stars in the night. They will follow Jesus wherever He leads. There is no middle ground with them. They are like 144,000 Daniels or Pauls. How we need them now!
These men proclaim the truth and keep the truth. They do not lie no matter how big or how small.
I like the quote from a Rwandan pastor on his way to certain death for preaching the gospel wrote. This is from Rebekyah’s website: In His Presence Daily: The Fellowship of the Unashamed
Vs 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. Vs 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The scene or vision changes and now John’s focus is brought to six specific angels each with a unique message or function. The first one will proclaim the gospel, the second pronounces judgment, the third one promises damnation, the fourth one brings the commission from God for the grain harvest, the fifth one also has a sickle waiting for the word the begin the grape harvest, the sixth angel emerges from the altar where the prayers of the persecuted and martyred have been going up like incense, and he gives the work for the fifth angel to swing his sickle. But between the third and fourth angels is one like the Son of Man – Jesus Himself! He is in the midst of the warnings and the judgments.
This first angel that John sees is flying midair – that term means at the apex of the sun so that would be noon – high noon I guess you could say. He is flying in the air above the grasp of Satan or his demonic following. Remember Satan has been cast down to earth and no longer has the power to roam the heavenlies. This angel proclaims the gospel to those on earth. They will all see and hear him. He gives a cut to the bone message – the eternal gospel which has not changed. Every one hears it in their own native language. Those who do not heed are without excuse.
This is a call to fear God, judgment is coming, worship God the creator. They are told to fear God which is to love Him, Respect Him, reverence Him, adore Him, hold Him in awe, and worship Him. That comes through knowing and loving His Son, Jesus. The message is loud and unmistakable.
Vs 8 A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
Immediately following that angel another one appears. He proclaims the destruction of Babylon with is the world religious, economic and political system. Babylon’s roots go all the way back to Genesis and the tower of Babel where man tried to build a tower to heaven not to reach God but to be a god. It was the cradle of idolatry. Revelation 17 and 18 will go into further detail of this topic. This angel’s declaration is confirmation of the previous angel’s message.
Vs 9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives the mark on the forehead or on the hand, Vs 10 he too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. Vs 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or of anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
The third angel gives is a last call to those who live on the earth. It is a call to denounce the antichrist and refuse to take his mark. There is no middle ground. You either take the mark and go along with the world dictator or you refuse it and face the death of him. However, this angel says to refuse the mark and avoid the wrath of God. This wrath is coming in full strength – it is undiluted. The God who made the sun and its 20,000 degrees, the planets, the stars and galaxies beyond our scope it the One who has stored up His wrath for sin and will pour it on those who refuse His last call for grace and mercy. What fools to refuse Him but the majority of the world will. They will be (continuously) tormented forever in the presence of angels and Jesus. He is omnipresent throughout all eternity. The shame they will also carry into their damnation will be awful.
Vs 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Those believers going through the Tribulation will need patient endurance. It will be a hard and terrible time. As they remain faithful to Jesus they will be easily spotted by the world system. It will be hard for them to blend into society. Many will be put to death or watch their children, parents, friends and other dear ones tortured and murdered.
Vs 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven, say “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. “Yes, “says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
But God says they are blessed who die in the Lord. Their sufferings are over, they will immediately be in the presence of the Lord. They will rest from the hard work they had done. Their deeds or their reputation will follow them. People will know they had been with Jesus and it will encourage other believers to fight on.
Vs 14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
This vision takes John into another scene. He sees two harvests: a grain harvest and a grape harvest. The one seated on the cloud is the Lord Jesus. He is about to swing His sickle across the world. This is not a harvest of believers but a harvest for the wrath.
“Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat
For there I will sit to judge
All the nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.”
Joel 3:12-13
Vs 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Vs 16 So he was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth and the earth was harvested.
The fourth angel comes out of the temple in heaven with a message from God for the Son to deliver His blow with the sickle. He swings His mighty hand, the hand that had formed the earth, had flung the stars into their places, had formed man from the dust of the earth, had touched the lepers and healed them, had given sight to the blind, had taken fish and bread and fed multitudes, had stretched out that hand on a crude cross and allow a spike to be driven through it… and now He swings it in judgment across a world that denied His love. There will be no delay.
Vs 17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven and he too had a sharp sickle. Vs 18 Still another angel who had charge of the fire came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.”
Then the fifth and sixth angels appear. The sixth angel emerges from the altar in heaven and gives a message to the fifth angel. That message is to swing his sickle and gather the grapes from earth’s vine. The message from the angel who attends the altar where the prayers of intercession are offered, the sweet aroma of God’s people as they poured out their cries before Him – this angel gives the word to harvest the grapes. This is the earth’s grapes not the grapes of the true Vine which is Jesus. These are the unbelievers and they are ripe for harvest.
Vs 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the winepress of God’s wrath. Vs 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1600 stadia.
These grapes are thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath. He tramples them underfoot.
Jerusalem is spared this bloodbath which will be discussed later in our study as the battle of Armageddon. But the blood from the grape harvest will span 200 miles and splattered up to 4 feet in height. God is not playing. He has given time and again the offer to repent and be saved and sin-sick world led by Satan himself will scoff in His holy face and choose their own destruction.
These will be terrible times, horrific and beyond what we can really see in our mind’s eye but they will occur. God’s word says it will happen and happen it will to the exact ‘t’. But in the midst of this awful period God’s love and grace shines through. He has sent 144,000 preachers, the two witnesses, angels flying with the gospel and warnings, and other believers with their own testimonies to spread the word to the world. There will be signs from heaven and on earth all pointing to the way of salvation – Jesus. Many will heed and be saved but the vast majority will turn their sinful noses toward heaven and continue to worship the beast in all his vileness. They receive his mark and thus seal their fate to eternal damnation. And the sad thing is that none had to go. There was a way of escape.
