Revelation 14:1-20 May 23, 2021 Last Week We Studied Revelation 13:1-18 Which Inclu

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Screen 2 “The 144,000, The Three And The Harvest” Revelation 14:1-20 May 23, 2021

Last week we studied Revelation 13:1-18 which included the first quote, “beast rising out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1-10) “the Antichrist”/ “the other Jesus” / “the opposite Jesus” / “the instead of Jesus” / “the false Messiah”; and the second “beast rising out of the earth” (Revelation 13:11-18) – “the false prophet.” Of course, the Antichrist speaks of the political. He will be a world- dominating ruler over all the earth, especially including a revived Roman Empire. He is believed to be a Gentile because he is from “the sea.” The false prophet speaks of the religious aspect of it. The false prophet will be his right-hand man and will enact the outright worship of the Antichrist by erecting an image of him in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He is believed to be a Jew because he comes from “the land.” So, together, we will have the marriage of the state and the church – a new world order (which is really nothing new at all). Rome did this 2,000 years ago with its Empire worship – that is the political aspect of it – and its state-sponsored religion – the state priesthood. That is the religious aspect of it. Almost everyone will fall for it, sadly! If Revelation ended right here, at the conclusion of Chapter 13, we would be thinking that Satan would win with his false trinity (666) – the dragon (False Father); the beast from the sea (the false Christ); the beast of the land (False Prophet). Thank God the book continues, and that God in Chapter 14 clears up this possible triumph of evil.

PRAY HERE and thank God that ultimately evil is defeated. We simply need to “stay the course.” Amen!

Chapter 14 is a discussion of God’s response to the diabolical attack from the three . . .

Revelation 14:1 “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, Screen 3 and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.”

“Mt. Zion” – Jerusalem is built on several hills, such as Mount of Olives, Mount Moriah, where the Temple area is, Mount Ophel, which was the original Jerusalem, and Mount Zion, which was David’s place and finally came to mean all of Jerusalem.

“stood the Lamb” – Hallelujah! Did you know that Jesus is indestructible today? He will never suffer defeat again – never die . . . the lamb of God stands – NO MATTER WHAT! And, he does not stand alone –

“and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” – These are the same 144,000 who first appeared in Revelation 7. God has intervened in the lives of his people to keep these 144,000 – 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes – Jewish/Christian evangelists alive and well through the Tribulation. The Father’s name and the Lamb’s name both are written on the foreheads which is the opposite of the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:17-18). This “mark” denotes ownership and also is an indication of protection. They stand with Jesus on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. This has been interpreted as an allegory by some to simply mean that they belong to God – that they have had Christ’s presence with them throughout the Church Age (preterist, G.K. Beale). Others have interpreted this verse, Mount Zion to be a “heavenly Mount Zion” (as

Heaven). The third way of interpretating Mount Zion is that it is actually that portion of the Holy City, Jerusalem, which is referenced as Mount Zion. [LEAN TOWARD THE LITERAL, ALWAYS UNLESS SCRIPTURES EXPLICITLY STATE OTHERWISE!] Not everyone (believers) is killed/martyred during the Great Tribulation. The beast is not completely victorious over all God’s people. In Revelation 7, the 144,000 are seen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation – in this chapter (Chapter 14) it shows them in triumph still standing with Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation. They stand on Mount Zion because this is the place where the Messiah gathers his redeemed and reigns over the earth (Psalm 48; Isaiah 24:23; Joel 2:32; Obadiah 17; Micah 4:1, 7).

Revelation 14:2 “And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters Screen 4 and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,”

“a voice from Heaven” – This is the voice of God like in”

Revelation 1:15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

It is a very loud voice, like the “roar of many waters” or “the sound of loud thunder” – super, almost deafening in volume “sound of harpist” the loud voice or the noises turns to music. Harps have a soft and soothing sound to them (very relaxing) “Heaven strikes up the band!” “Elders” in Revelation 5:8 have harps.

Revelation 14:3 "and they were singing a new song before the throne and Screen 5 before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.”

“they” – the 144,000 – quite a choir!

“singing a new song” – I love this (old Newsong Song)

“before the throne” – of God

“before the four living creatures” – as introduced to us way back in Revelation 4:6

“before the elders” – representatives of all the redeemed of mankind in Heaven. So, Billy, are you saying when people – the people of God – begin to sing praises unto God – God and all of Heaven come close to them and the Earth, literally? YES! God inhabits/dwells in the presence of His people.

Psalm 22:3 “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

“who had been redeemed from earth” – this unique group have been sealed – protected all through the Great Tribulation, while many others have not. (Others, arguably most all of the people who come to faith in Christ during this time period will be put into captivity and martyred - Revelation 13:10).

Revelation 14:4 “It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for Screen 6 they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,”

“they are virgins” – some commentators view the 144,000 as symbolic for all the redeemed during the Church Age – but to me personally, this makes no sense all

4 things considered. If this view is taken, though, this could mean that these true believers have not committed spiritual fornication – idol worship in the Bible. I understand the no idol worship angle, and believe it to be true as well, as they are literal virgins. The Great Tribulation will merit such vows to chastity from these Jewish/Christian evangelists so they can commit themselves totally to their faith.

1 Corinthians 7:8 “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.”

Mathew 19:12 “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

See also Genesis 3.

1. They are celibate/virgins. 2. “It is these who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” [My favorite!] This is true discipleship. The word “follow” means “walking the same road with someone.” When Jesus called his twelve apostles, he used this word and what he meant was “come and live with me. Come, let’s be companions every day, not just seeing each other once a week. Follow Me. Let’s share life together. Be my companion. Let’s walk together every day.” The twelve did it and so can we. The apostles had wives/families and

houses just like us – but they did what Jesus invited them to do and so can we. (Jewish/Biblical Discipleship is: Study = 50%; Doing = 50%)! 3. “These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” – premillennial dispensationalists/futurists view this as the firstfruits of the next age – the Great Tribulation and the Millennial reign of Christ – which do not belong to the current Church Age (Patterson).

Revelation 14:5 “and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.” Screen 7

4. “they are blameless” – blameless is a word used of sacrificial animals without defect, and these believers were free from lying in an age where lies are nothing but the NORM (sound familiar?). What an example these 144,000 are for us today – to follow the Lamb wherever He goes NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CULTURE/SOCIETY/WORLD. *Follow Jesus and have the character/morality that proves it!*

THE THREE ANGELS

Revelation 14:6 “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.”

This verse is a reason why more and more scholars deny that the book of the Revelation is strictly speaking as a book of apocalyptic genre. The genre of apocalypse seldom includes the gospel message and yet the good news of salvation in Christ and of the sacrifice of the Lamb – on behalf of all people occurs repeatedly in the book supports the argument that the book is actually a

6 prophecy that uses apocalyptic language and symbols throughout. (Revelation is prophetic of things to come!)

This is the only passage of Scripture where angels preach the gospel. This angel preaches the “eternal gospel” to the earth – some liken this angel to technology of today and the future (like Facebook, YouTube, etc.) – the gospel is going out 24/7 right now and has for years through various technologies (TV – before now - radio - before that printed page – before that). The Gospel must be preached to the whole world before Jesus returns, right?

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Revelation 14:7 “And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, Screen 8 because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.’”

*Even in judgment, God is merciful!*

“fear God” – respect Him and run to Him (not from him)

“give him glory” – the glory – “honor in great quanity” due his name

“judgment has come” – the gospel, Good News is always a two-edged sword:

1. It is Good News to those who accept it and received it and appropriate it 2. It is terrifying judgment to all wo reject it!”

“worship him who made Heaven and Earth and sea” –

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

God is the origin of all things and He owns everything – so worship Him (not the things He created). Fear God – give Him glory and worship Him. (Not the beast – not the state, not the leader of the state, not the false/fake instead of Jesus . . .)

Revelation 14:8 “Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Screen 9 Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.’”

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” – Chapters 17-19 of Revelation will discuss “Bablylon the Great” in detail. There are multiple ways to interpret Babylon:

1. Babylon is a symbol for the existence of an evil world system in rebellion against the creator God (or another picture of the beast from the sea.) There is no need for a literal correspondence. 2. A literal approach to Babylon, the ancient capital located on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern day Iraq. (A few years ago some scholars believed Saddam Husien was going to rebuild the empire back to its original power and influence – did not happen, obviously). 3. A cryptic speech referring to Rome. There were many ancient Christians outside of Scripture that referred to the Roman Empire as Babylon. Both Babylon and Rome were rampantly godless and immoral and both persecuted the people of God. 4. Combining elements of one and three (that is me – in “roclictic” in my interpretation of the Revelation). Here, I veer away, just a little bit, from the literal intreprepation of Babylon being in Iraq and I believe it to be a

symbolic description for Rome. From the earliest chapters of Genesis, the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) represents a false religion concocted by Satan that is synceretistic and inclusive of anything other than the legitimate faith and allegiance to God. Inevitably, it always weds church and state (as we will see in Revelation 17).

Revelation 14:9 “And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud Screen 10 voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,’”

Watch how clear God, through his angels, explains exactly to these end times people (people during the seven years, arguably the three and a half years of the Great Tribulation) what the worship of the beast and his mark will get them. Think about this irony about the people who worship the beast and receive his mark at first appear to be the ones who are safe – saved from the “captivity” and persecution/martyrdom. But,in the end, . . . .

Revelation 14:10 “’he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full Screen 11 strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.’”

“the wind of God’s wrath” – wine was almost always diluted in the New Testament times (three parts water – one part wine – to kill the bacteria in the water). Without that water, ancient wine was a heavily fermented drink – like Vodka or Everclear today. >There is no biblical precedence for drinking that, no way . . .<

“tormented with fire and sulfur” – just like Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in Genesis 19. This torment describes agony – the same word group that is used to describe the rich man in the torments in Luke 16.

“in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” – the Bible does teach that the wicked will see the reward of the righteous (again see Luke 16 – “The Rich Man and Lazarus”). God is present in Hell though those there wish He were absent. He will be present in Hell only in justice and wrath against sin (not in love).

Revelation 14:11 “’And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, Screen 12 and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.’”

If you have ever wondered about the unceasing perpetuity of Hell – this verse from the third angel’s preaching is clear that . . .

“no rest” – have you ever been so tired that you could not sleep? Imagine that misery for eternity! Rest and torment are polar opposites.

Revelation 14:12 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep Screen 13 the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”

John repeats what he said in Revelation 13:10 “Here is a call from . . .

“the endurance and faith of the saints” – but says it a bit fifferently. KEEP YOUR FAITH IN JESUS NO MATTER WHAT MADNESS, WICKEDNESS, SOCIETAL COMPLEXITIES COME! (NO MATTER WHAT! OCD ON JESUS!!!)

Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed Screen 14 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’!”

“rest” – in view here speaks of he rest that yet remains in Heaven for believers. It comes from the concept of Sabbath rest. When God rested on he seventh day did He just sit down and do nothing? No – He ceased creating. (Heaven will never get boring!!!)

“for their deeds follow them” – What is the only thing/s you can take with you to Heaven? Your deeds! They do not purchase your way to Heaven but they pursue to Heaven! What is following you, beloved? (look behind you . . .) So far, we have discussed the 144,000, the three angels and now. . .

THE HARVEST

Revelation 14:14 “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the Screen 15 cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.”

Theologians go back and forth as to whether or not this person is Jesus or one of his angels (an angel). The argument for him being an angel is that he is given instructions from a stated angel in verse 15, but I am going with the belief that this is Jesus, the Christ.

“a golden crown on his head” – a stephanos Greek victor’s crown.

Revelation 14:15 “And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud Screen 16 voice to him who sat on the cloud, ‘Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to 18 reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.’”

Things are not going to always continue as they always have! Jesus is going to judge the earth one day.

Revelation 14:16 “So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, Screen 17 and the earth was reaped.” 18

This action appears to come at the end of the Great Tribulation. The people on earth who are still alive and continue to follow the beast are now reaped and cast into judgment.

Revelation 14:17 “Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.”

Notice, there are three angels in Revelation14:6-12, and three angels in verses 14-18 and one Jesus = seven total heavenly beings.

The harvest of verses 14-16 is depicted in terms of the harvesting of wheat. In verses 17-20- it is from a vineyard, and the sickle is used to gather the clusters of ripe grapes.

Revelation 14:18 “And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who Screen 18 has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”

“the angel who has authority over the fire” – from previous accounts in the Revelation 8:5.

“its grapes are ripe” – literally over ripe or withered – God is patient and does not rush into judgment.

Revelation 14:19 “So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered Screen 19 the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

“The Grapes of Wrath” – John Steinbeck’s novel and 1940 movie with Henry Fonda. (Also, a line from the “Beatle Hymn of the Republic” – quoting this Scripture)

Revelation 14:20 “And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood Screen 20 flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.”

One day, when the earth is completely over-ripe and withered for the great harvest, God will reap the earth. This verse speaks of the battle of Armageddon (Valley of Megiddo) - Revelation 16:16; 19:11-19

“outside the city” – Jerusalem. the Valley of Megiddo or the Jezreel Valley is only 1.6 miles from Jerusalem. Dwight Pentecost believes that rather than it being one single , here it will be a series of battles fought in the Middle East.

“as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia” – 1600 stadia is approximately 184 miles (one stadia is about 670 feet). This figure corresponds roughly to the length of the land of Israel from the Wadi el-Arish in the south to the northernmost extremities of Israel. It sounds like a river of blood flowing for almost 200 miles

13 with a depth of five feet. This verse does not say there will be a river of blood that long. It says in this verse that blood flows like grape juice from an overflowing winepress and that it is found over an area of 1,600 stadia. The violence speaks to the Battle (of Armageddon) being so vicious that blood will flow like grape juice and will be splattered everywhere in 184 miles even as high as a horse’s bridle. Josephus describing the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. said:

“the whole city (was) run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men’s blood.”

The blood of men will, at places, flow five feet high – evidently just as it did during the fall of Jerusalem. But in the end – Jesus wins!

The powers of the earth – (1) Satan, his Antichrist/opposite Jesus (2) instead of Jesus / false Messiah and the false John the Baptist/ (3) Elijah / false prophet and all who follow / worship them LOSE.

Those who (1) follow the Lamb wherever He goes – WIN! Those who (2) endure and keep the (3) commandments and their (4) faith in Jesus – WIN!

Hallelujah!!!

INVITATION Screen 21 Salvation prayer Prayer for the saved