Revelation Study

Revelation Study — Chapter 14

Introductory remarks:

Chapter eleven brings us to a rather brief account of the final destruction of Jerusalem. Chapter twelve introduces us to the great battle between righteousness and unrighteousness. Chapter thirteen tells us of the Devil's ministers and the kind of warfare to expect and in Chapter fourteen we learn of the forces which fight against Satan. I guess we might say we are choosing sides in preparation for the great battle that lies before us. Remember, the battle began in the garden of Eden and the forces of Satan had prevailed until the coming of Christ. He fought the battle of temptation with Satan in the wilderness and won and further in his personal ministry we have this testimony in Luke 10:17-20: "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." We hear him again in Matthew 12:28-29 telling of the progress of the battle: "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." This would be the battle in the Gospel Dispensation.

Revelation 14:1-3 "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."

We have already concluded that the 144,000 was an indefinite but fixed number of Old Testament saints that had served God faithfully. Their sins had been remembered year by year because, the Hebrew writer says that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin but then he writes in Hebrews 9:15: "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." They, with the heavenly host, stand before the throne and listen enraptured to the new song, I presume, the song of redemption. Mount Sion or Zion is where the earthly temple stood but was no more, so this is the new Jerusalem. (More about that in the 21st chapter.) The digressive church of the 19th century used this verse as one of their proof-texts for instrumental music in worship, but remember, these are symbolic. Who can imagine material harps in a spirit world? Even if they have material harps in heaven, we have no authority to use them for worship in the church of our time.

Vss 4-5 "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."

I believe that their being described as "virgins" is a figure pertaining to their purity now as the "first-fruits" unto God and the Lamb. They were now without fault because they had been redeemed. So, the Hebrews writer says in Hebrews 8:12, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Under the Law their sins were remembered but now they will be remembered no more. The are pure and holy having washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb.

Vss 6-7 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

The Lamb had been slain. The atonement for sin had been completed. Now it was time for the New Covenant to come into force. This covenant would not be with a nation, it would be on an individual basis. "Whosoever will." So the gospel of salvation was ready to be preached. Isaiah had said, "... for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). "Fear God!" Why? The time of his judgment has come. This doesn't indicate the judgment day at the end of time. That judgment will be in harmony with that which was to be preached. Jesus had said in John 12:48, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." How we conduct our lives now will determine our destiny at the final judgment. People need to remember also that a rejection of the apostles' words would be equivalent to rejecting the words of the Lord.( John 13:20) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

Vs 8 "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

Babylon is Jerusalem. (More on this subject as we get to the 17th chapter.) She has been described as Sodom and Egypt because of certain characteristics of theirs she also possessed. Now she is described as Babylon with all Babylon's debauchery that caused her downfall. Always remember that Jerusalem stands for Judaism. When Jerusalem fell, Judaism fell. She, Jerusalem, was married to God but she had been unfaithful to her marriage vows. She committed spiritual adultery with the nations round about and now she has fallen because of her fornication.

Vss 9-11 "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

The third angel brings another message. This one is a warning to have no friendship or fellowship with the beast nor his image. Their friendship with such would put their mark of the beast upon them. God's wrath would be poured out upon them. This warning would hold true especially as the persecutions would begin all over again in the days of Domitian. Before the destruction of Jerusalem many Jews, both Christians and non-Christians, had bowed to the Caesars. After 70 A.D., during the reign of Vespasian and Titus there would be no persecution but it would come again under Domitian, so the warning.

Vss 12-13 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

Eternal anguish and torment would be the lot of those who worshiped the beast but those who didn't and kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, there would be eternal happiness. To "die in the Lord" means more than just being baptized into Christ; it has to do with their lives lived in harmony with his teaching and dying in that condition. The word "follow" does not mean that they will come later but that they accompany them, they go side by side. "Henceforth" would be anyone from this time on.

Vss 14-16 "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."

The King of kings is here on a peaceful white cloud, no wrath, no vengeance. The gospel is now made known to nations, kindred, tongues and people. The righteous ones are the fruit of the harvest. This is not necessarily the end of time but an adding of these ones gathered into the universal church. Probably a part of those we will see after a while reigning with him. It might also indicate his concern for those righteous people who would be caught in the holocaust of Jerusalem and his removal of them from the slaughter.

Vss 17-18 "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe."

Other angels come on the scene. I don't think that these angels have to be named as that would be of little significance. One has the power over fire which seems to represent anger or wrath. He is the reaper and the time has come for this reaping. "Her grapes are fully ripe."

Vss 19-20 "And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."

The winepress would be, figuratively, the Roman army. Their warfare against Jerusalem was nearly all from without or outside the city. They lay siege to the city and constantly besieged them with huge stones, arrows and various missiles, until they had shed the blood of just about all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The measure of blood is also figurative but indicative of much, very much, bloodshed. Verse 20 says, "And the blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six furlongs." Josephus put it like this: "the whole city ran down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men's blood." A thousand and six hundred furlongs (1600) was 182 miles and measured the land of Palestine. Blood was shed all over the land.