Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

  1Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

Verse 1___On Zion's Glorious Summit is one of if not my favorite song. In chapter 13 we had the horror of the "beast."

This Lamb is "standing," slain. He was standing on Zion the fountain of salvation (Psa.14:7). The "Zion" from which the Savior comes (Isaiah 59:50 and Romans 11:26). The same Zion of which God spoke when He said, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion (Psa.2:6). The Apostle Paul said that this message was about Jesus (Acts 13:32-37).
We have already discussed the 144,000 back in chapter 7 (7:1). This is the "church or people of God." They wear the name of the Lamb and His Father (3:12), even as the worshipers of the beast wear his mark. This is no common name. It is a name that endures forever.

This name carries power (Acts 4:12).

Everyone will bow before this name one day (Phi. 2:9-11).

This name is both used for cursing and praising.

And what is this name? Well that depends on what prophet and which passage you have in mind.

Isaiah 9:6__His name is Wonderful, it is Counselor; it is MIGHTY GOD, it is EVERLASTING FATHER, it is Prince of Peace.

Verse 2___And I heard a voice from heaven. __God is pleased with what we just read and what He sees (the 144,000).

Verse 3___And they sang a "new song." In ancient times when God did something for Israel they often wrote a "new song" (see Exodus 15 for an example).

But YHWH made other promises to Israel_________

18"Do not call to mind the former things,
         Or ponder things of the past. 
    19"Behold, I will do something new,
         Now it will spring forth;
         Will you not be aware of it?
         I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
         Rivers in the desert.  Isaiah 43:18,19

YHWH had delivered Israel from Egypt. He brought them out of that place into a desert. This time, God will deliver you even in a more remarkable manner. "I will transform the desert" is finally fulfilled in Jesus.

Now read 42: 9,10__

        Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you." 
    10Sing to the LORD a new song,
         Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
         You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it 
         You islands, and those who dwell on them. 

Sing to YHWH a new song and His praises from the ends of the earth. In this text, we have a new song because of a new manifestation of God's goodness. They sang a wonderful song because of being delivered from Egypt and now He will give a chance to sing even a greater song.

And No man can learn this song save the 144,000. Only the "blood purchased members" of the church can sing this song.

Verses 4,5__These are they that were not defiled by woman (they were virgins). So much for the JW's). We have already discussed this back in chapter 7 but the idea here is to inspire the saints to live heroic lives under persecution.

Vision of the Angel with the Gospel

  6And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;7and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."8And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."

Verse 6____This gets our attention. John sees another angel having an "eternal gospel." If we have an angel flying though heaven with the "eternal gospel" how do the Mormons justify their addition to the Gospel? And what about Islam and many more modern religions.

Verse 7__The hour of judgment is come_______ My first thought is what does judgment have to do with the gospel. It is obvious that the gospel judges.

The judgment here is the judgment on Rome though. The murder of Domitian is a clear and precise judgment on the resurrected beast who calls himself god. The god of the kingdom of Rome is now dead at the feet of the only true God. The second phase of this judgment will be the end of Rome.

We are told who to worship___not Domitian, but the only God.

Verse 8___Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great____Babylon is Rome. Rome is a harlot and all the nations wanted what Rome had.

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

  9Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will 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 goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."12Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.13And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."

Verses 9-12___ Here is a promise for those who worship Domitian. They

will drink wine___the wine of G0d's wrath. This wine is not even mixed with anything. There will be nothing but the wrath of God.

And he shall be tormented with fire and brime-stone___ Remember we are dealing with word pictures. God in ancient times destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimestone literally, and this became the model from that point to show how God destroys. Look at Isaiah 34:8-17. Sodom's judgment (the language) is used to speak of Edom's judgment. Notice that at the same time the land is burning day and night, yet the wild animals live there.

Verse 12___ This helps those being persecuted endure. There is relief on the way.

Verse 13___Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord___ There is great debate about the above translation. Notice, it says "from now on." Notice the below translation______

13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" English Standard Version_____

Reapers

  14Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.15And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe."16Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.17And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.18Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth,because her grapes are ripe."19So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.20And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.



Verses 14-16___ Behold a white cloud and one like the son of man............ Deity rides on clouds____see Psalm 18:9ff; Isaiah 19:1, and Psalm 104:3.

Verse 15__ Send forth your sickle and reap: for the hour to reap is come.....

 15and another messenger did come forth out of the sanctuary crying in a great voice to him who is sitting upon the cloud, `Send forth thy sickle and reap, because come to thee hath the hour of reaping, because ripe hath been the harvest of the earth;' Youngs Literal Translation..............

The metaphor is a wheat harvest. ....The protection of the righteous is often set forth in the Bible as the gathering of the wheat. See Matthew 3:12; 13:30.

Verses 17-20__And another angel came out from the temple.............The angel comes out of the place where God dwells.........

Verse 18_____Another....angel....has power over fire.

The one with the sickle leaves and is replaced by another angel. This angel is judging.

Verse 19___And gathered the vintage of the earth......Classic Bible. This is the classical figure for judgment on the wicked. They are "grapes" for the wine press of God.

Verse 20___The wine press was trodden without the city_________

The question here is what city? I am not sure there is any particular city in mind. The Saints are to suffer with Christ (Heb. 13:12,13) outside the camp or city but who can say that this thought is found here? Vineyards and wine presses were usually outside the city. Whole villages left their homes and lived in booths at vintage time (I.S.B.E.)

In Isaiah 63 God is represented as coming back to the city after having been to the wine press. It is true that He was "treading" on Edom. Perhaps we are not to look for an exact city.

Blood....up to the bridles of the horses___There will be incredible carnage. Most literalist people admit that this is not possible but the Marxist, Lindsey, measures in all out.

The Bridles of the horses, as far as 1600 furlongs___A furlong (stadion) is a little over 606 feet. Now get this. Here is a river of blood, 200 miles long and as deep as a horse's chest! Lindsey, the Marxist, measured from the Valley of Armageddon (Meggido) all the way to the Gulf of Aqabah,  "approximately" 200 miles. So this is a real literalist, but for some reason now he approximates. The entire valley of Jordan, including the dead sea area (how could he get that to be horse bridle deep) and south of that is to be filled with war materials and blood. There isn't enough blood in the entire world to do what he clams. The entire expression means that God will execute judgment on the enemy and the results will be frightening.

by Lane Rogers