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. 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. 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.
This passage refers to the victorious end. These 144,000 of the faithful (they are representative of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Jews who remained true to God through the tribulation). They are with the Lamb on Mt. Zion. The beast has not beaten them. In chapter 13 we saw the beast rise to power and he seemed all but unstoppable. But his power is repelled by Jesus and the faithful rejoice over this. In chapter 7 we began a journey. It showed us the beginning of the tribulation. Chapter 14 signifies the end.
Mt. Zion is where Jesus gathers his people and reigns over the earth (Obadiah 1:17, Micah 4:1). They have their father’s seal. The beast’s seal is a counterfeit of God’s seal (Rev. 7:3-4).
4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
This is a description of the 144,000. They are defined by celibacy and they follow Christ. These two indicators point to purity. They are followers of the lamb, meaning they are saved by a personal faith in Jesus, they are redeemed from the earth and there are no lies - they are blameless.
They are offered as first fruits. First fruits is the best of what we have offered to God. In the Old Testament we find many concepts of this idea. When the Jews sacrificed, they were asked to give the best of their flock to sacrifice. Why is this important? Because the alternative is to give God the rejects, the animals with a gimp, the ones that had no value. By giving God their best, it shows their trust in God to provide for them. In Revelation, these are the best given to God first.
in our life, how do we give the best of what we have to offer to God? You give your time, energy, focus and resources to Him. Remember, our job is to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind. That is love. Love is about giving what you have for another. If we give the best of our time, energy, focus and resources, then we are putting God first in our life. Everything else in your life flows from the foundation of that understanding. The Three Angels 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. 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 first angel is preaching the gospel. He is preaching the gospel to who? To all the people of the earth. To every nation, tribe and language. His directive: Fear God and give Him glory Worship Him who made the the heavens and earth, the sea and springs of water
This angel is making the truth known to the world; it is up to the hearer on how they respond. But the concept is clear: everyone will understand the truth.
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.”
The second angel speaks specifically about the fall of great Babylon. We can take this as a literal fall certainly. But is it also a spiritual fall. Babylon is a metaphor for the organized rebellion of people against God. It defines the evil political system that defines the culture. The angel also speaks of “Adulteries”. This refers to the spiritual fornication or the worship of other gods. It is the literal immorality that manifests in a society that has renounced God and worships idols instead.
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” The third angel speaks of the coming judgment on humanity. But here’s a question: can we be in both camps? Can we be both a follower of God and still be part of this society.
Remember, the mark of the beast is both spiritual and physical. The spiritual end is the spiritual marking of followers. God marks his followers (Rev. 7:1-5). Satans does as well. Satan continues a counterfeit campaign against God and his people. There is a physical mark as well. This allows the follower to conduct himself in society - in essence, continue to have a life.
So can we somehow follow God while accepting the mark of the beast and continue to have a life in this apocalyptic scenario? The answer is no. This is the definitive line God is asking us to line up against. Either we are for God or we aren’t. During the end times, there is a very obvious decision at this point. In our present life, we have the same daily decision.
Can we work for a place that produces something that is against God’s natural order? Can we work for a business that churns out pornography and at the same time rationalize our position there? Well, I work in the accounting department, so I’m not actually part of any of the smut that goes out. I just deal with the numbers. We can play this game all our life using a sliding set of parameters, but the truth is still the same: if you are part of the system, you are contributing to the system.
We can’t play both sides. God requires that we make a choice for him and learn, through our life, what that choice means. It takes years to develop and understanding of making choices for God, standing up for God, fighting for God. It isn’t easy, but that’s what God requires of us, both now and at the end-times.
God’s cup of wrath is spelled out in scripture 13 times. In this passage of Revelation the wrath is reserved for people who are forced to endure it. Wrath has two meanings. Thymus is a passionate anger. Orge is an indignation, a settled anger. In Revelation, thymus is used 10 out of 11 times. It is used in this passage. God’s wrath is passionate for those who willingly oppose him. It also suggest that God is not absent in Hell. The people this is directed at are experiencing God’s justice and wrath, not His love and mercy, which is reserved for those who follow Him.
12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
Our humanness always is searching for an end to pain, to attain a normalcy, even if it requires a compromise of morals. The Tribulation requires perseverance, not capitulation.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: 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.”
Rest comes from patient endurance. It comes through faithfulness to God and His word. Works follow them (they are remembered in Heaven).
Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress 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. 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.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
This passage refers to the harvest of the earth. The son of man (Jesus) with a crown of gold on His head (righteousness and authority) carries a sharp sickle in His hand (He has come to begin the harvest). Evil has brought the harvest to ripeness.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 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.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 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 1,600 stadia.
An angel comes from the altar. He is acting in response to prayers (Revelation 8:3-5). Gathering the grapes from the earth’s vine is a different metaphor of the harvest. It speaks to a certain time, an appointed time, that God has designated for the harvest. Once brought to ripeness via evil, they are thrown into the winepress, trampled, and turn into blood, rising high as horses’ bridles. The distance of 1600 stadia is also important: it is the size of the holy land north to south.