Revelation Chapter 14:
This chapter has six main points to consider:
The scene of the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mt. Zion is a heavenly scene. The highest mountain of Jerusalem was named Zion, and thus the name Zion was often used in Biblical writings to designate the city of Jerusalem. The writer of Hebrews said, “You are come unto Mt. Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels …” (Hebrews 12:22) It is obvious from the text that the Mt. Zion of our chapter indicates the heavenly city.
I believe this group of 144,000 is the same group we studied about in chapter 7 and again in chapter 12 (the manchild). They were sealed in chapter 7 for protection from the judgments coming on the earth at that time. In chapter 12, they are translated from earth to heaven. And now they have taken their place before the throne of God, playing harps (the musical instrument of heaven!) and singing a song that only they could learn. Obviously, this is a very special group of believers who have both the Lamb’s name and His Father’s name written in their foreheads. The description of this group as not being defiled with women, but being virgins, indicates their purity. I don’t believe this means that the 144,000 will be made up of men only; but, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:2), “…. 1have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” That reference uses the word “virgin” to indicate holiness and purity, and I believe this is also inferred here concerning the 144,000. It is also said that they follow the Lamb wherever He goes, showing their commitment and dedication to Jesus.
Then they are called the “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb.” As we have noted in our previous studies, this identifies the 144,000 as the overcomers of the nation Israel, which will be “born in a day,” accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Zechariah tells of this in Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Also, note Jeremiah 31: 33: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Israel, as a nation, will recognize Jesus as their Messiah at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus comes back in power and great glory. However, individual Israelites who accept Him before that time and “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” will be the “firstfruits” and will have a special place in heaven before the throne of God.
It is further stated that “in their mouth was found no guile.” This is in direct contrast to the lies of the anti-Christ that will abound on the earth during this time. Then it is also said that they are without fault. They are truly an overcoming group of believers at that time.
Verse 6 introduces the first of six angels who do God’s bidding. We are still, in point of time, at the middle of the Tribulation. The anti-Christ, along with the false prophet, has gained ascendancy over all the earth, with Satan giving them great power. They have no doubt attempted to silence the gospel from being preached—but the gospel of God cannot be silenced! It was angels that announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, and God will once again have an angel preach to all who dwell on the earth, telling them the good news of Salvation, and warning of the judgment that is to come. He will admonish them to worship God Who made the heaven, earth and seas, instead of worshiping the anti-Christ and his image. This is a fulfillment of Matthew 24: 14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Next, the fall of Babylon is announced by another angel. We will study more about this in chapter 17, but Babylon here refers to religious Babylon, or the false church. During the first half of the Tribulation, there will be a large ecclesiastical system that will have great power over all the earth. This system, known as the false church, will be exceedingly wicked and will cause all nations to partake of her wickedness. However, at the middle of the Tribulation, the anti-Christ will see that the false church is completely destroyed, in order to make room for himself to be revered as God.
Then, the third angel follows with a loud voice (so all can hear), warning of the consequences of worshiping the anti-Christ or receiving His mark. It is said that those who do so shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, bringing eternal torment, “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” The unbelievers of chapter 6:16 cried out for the mountains and rocks to hide them from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb, but these cannot be hidden and the smoke of their torment will ascend up forever and ever. There is an eternal hell! Jesus told us in Matthew 25:41 that it is an everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. It never was prepared for mankind. But when people refuse to accept God’s warnings and deliberately choose to reject the salvation that Jesus suffered and died to provide, then their eternal destiny will be with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire. Verse 11 says, “they have no rest day nor night.” Compare verse 13, which describes those who die in the Lord: “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they might rest from their labors.”
In verses 12 and 13, we again have words of comfort for those believers who have to suffer during this time of terrible tribulation; “Here is the patience (or a bearing up under, patient endurance) of the saints.” Many believers will be martyred for their faith, but they are far more blessed than the ones who choose to worship the anti-Christ. The believers will receive eternal glory, and the unbelievers, eternal damnation.
The remainder of this chapter describes the judgments that are still to come upon the world because of man’s rejection of God. The One Who sits on the white cloud is Jesus, the Son of man. John 5:27 says that God the Father has given His Son authority to execute judgment “because He is the Son of man.” That is, because Jesus became a man, took upon Him the sin of the world, paid the penalty for that sin by His death on the cross; therefore, He has authority to execute judgment upon those who reject what He so freely offers to all: salvation. So now that rejection is complete, and the harvest of the earth is ripe. That is, all nations of the earth are ripe for judgment; their wickedness has reached its fullness. However, note the fact that even at this point when Jesus is ready with His sharp sickle to reap the earth, He still awaits for God’s command (which comes from the fourth angel) before acting.
The fifth angel comes out of the temple, directly from the presence of God, ready to assist in bringing the judgments. Then the sixth angel comes from the altar. We studied about this altar in chapter 8:3-5. At that time, an angel took a censer, filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth. This was followed by the 7 trumpet judgments. So here we again see an angel having authority over fire, and he cries to the angel before him to thrust his sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, “for her grapes are fully ripe.” Following this action will be the 7 bowls of wrath which will be poured out upon the earth during the last 3½ years of tribulation.
The vine of the earth no doubt refers directly to Israel. Israel is called a vine, or vineyard in Isaiah 5; Hosea 10:1, and other references. The fully ripe grapes show that the fruit of Israel’s wickedness has come to its full fruition. This vine will be cast into the “great winepress of the wrath of God, and the winepress was trodden without the city… “What resistance do ripe grapes have against the treading of man? This is the picture portrayed by these examples. This is described in Isaiah 63:1-6 and Isaiah. 34: 1-8.
The winepress is said to be trodden “without the city.” The city is Jerusalem. Chapter 16:16 gives the location as Armageddon. Armageddon means, “Hill of Megiddo,” and is located about fifty miles NW of Jerusalem. Joel speaks of the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” which is the same as the Kidron Valley, located just SE of Jerusalem. “Bozrah” is named by Isaiah as the place where the Lord treads the winepress. Bozrah is in Edam, which is SE of Jerusalem. Between Megiddo and Bozrah is approximately 175 miles, or 1600 furlongs.
Verse 20 says that blood will come even to the horse bridles. This seems impossible to imagine, but when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, so great was the bloodshed that the historian, Josephus, said the whole city ran down with blood to such a degree that the fires of many of the houses were quenched by it. And that destruction was just a small foretaste of how it will be when all the nations of the world are gathered together to fight against Israel. Read Zechariah 14:1-6. This describes what is known as the Battle of Armageddon, which will be the culmination of God’s wrath poured out upon a Christ-rejecting world. Jesus Himself will come and fight for His people at this time. Oh, that men would give heed to God’s call today and accept His plan of salvation!
- Scene of the 144,000 with the Lamb, vs. 1-5
- Preaching of the gospel by an angel, vs. 6-7
- Judgment pronounced on Babylon, v. 8
- Judgment pronounced on those who worship the anti-Christ, vs. 9-11
- Comfort for believers, vs. 12-13
- Preview of Armageddon, vs. 14-20
The scene of the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mt. Zion is a heavenly scene. The highest mountain of Jerusalem was named Zion, and thus the name Zion was often used in Biblical writings to designate the city of Jerusalem. The writer of Hebrews said, “You are come unto Mt. Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels …” (Hebrews 12:22) It is obvious from the text that the Mt. Zion of our chapter indicates the heavenly city.
I believe this group of 144,000 is the same group we studied about in chapter 7 and again in chapter 12 (the manchild). They were sealed in chapter 7 for protection from the judgments coming on the earth at that time. In chapter 12, they are translated from earth to heaven. And now they have taken their place before the throne of God, playing harps (the musical instrument of heaven!) and singing a song that only they could learn. Obviously, this is a very special group of believers who have both the Lamb’s name and His Father’s name written in their foreheads. The description of this group as not being defiled with women, but being virgins, indicates their purity. I don’t believe this means that the 144,000 will be made up of men only; but, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:2), “…. 1have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” That reference uses the word “virgin” to indicate holiness and purity, and I believe this is also inferred here concerning the 144,000. It is also said that they follow the Lamb wherever He goes, showing their commitment and dedication to Jesus.
Then they are called the “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb.” As we have noted in our previous studies, this identifies the 144,000 as the overcomers of the nation Israel, which will be “born in a day,” accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Zechariah tells of this in Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Also, note Jeremiah 31: 33: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Israel, as a nation, will recognize Jesus as their Messiah at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus comes back in power and great glory. However, individual Israelites who accept Him before that time and “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” will be the “firstfruits” and will have a special place in heaven before the throne of God.
It is further stated that “in their mouth was found no guile.” This is in direct contrast to the lies of the anti-Christ that will abound on the earth during this time. Then it is also said that they are without fault. They are truly an overcoming group of believers at that time.
Verse 6 introduces the first of six angels who do God’s bidding. We are still, in point of time, at the middle of the Tribulation. The anti-Christ, along with the false prophet, has gained ascendancy over all the earth, with Satan giving them great power. They have no doubt attempted to silence the gospel from being preached—but the gospel of God cannot be silenced! It was angels that announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, and God will once again have an angel preach to all who dwell on the earth, telling them the good news of Salvation, and warning of the judgment that is to come. He will admonish them to worship God Who made the heaven, earth and seas, instead of worshiping the anti-Christ and his image. This is a fulfillment of Matthew 24: 14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Next, the fall of Babylon is announced by another angel. We will study more about this in chapter 17, but Babylon here refers to religious Babylon, or the false church. During the first half of the Tribulation, there will be a large ecclesiastical system that will have great power over all the earth. This system, known as the false church, will be exceedingly wicked and will cause all nations to partake of her wickedness. However, at the middle of the Tribulation, the anti-Christ will see that the false church is completely destroyed, in order to make room for himself to be revered as God.
Then, the third angel follows with a loud voice (so all can hear), warning of the consequences of worshiping the anti-Christ or receiving His mark. It is said that those who do so shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, bringing eternal torment, “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” The unbelievers of chapter 6:16 cried out for the mountains and rocks to hide them from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb, but these cannot be hidden and the smoke of their torment will ascend up forever and ever. There is an eternal hell! Jesus told us in Matthew 25:41 that it is an everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. It never was prepared for mankind. But when people refuse to accept God’s warnings and deliberately choose to reject the salvation that Jesus suffered and died to provide, then their eternal destiny will be with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire. Verse 11 says, “they have no rest day nor night.” Compare verse 13, which describes those who die in the Lord: “Yea, saith the Spirit, that they might rest from their labors.”
In verses 12 and 13, we again have words of comfort for those believers who have to suffer during this time of terrible tribulation; “Here is the patience (or a bearing up under, patient endurance) of the saints.” Many believers will be martyred for their faith, but they are far more blessed than the ones who choose to worship the anti-Christ. The believers will receive eternal glory, and the unbelievers, eternal damnation.
The remainder of this chapter describes the judgments that are still to come upon the world because of man’s rejection of God. The One Who sits on the white cloud is Jesus, the Son of man. John 5:27 says that God the Father has given His Son authority to execute judgment “because He is the Son of man.” That is, because Jesus became a man, took upon Him the sin of the world, paid the penalty for that sin by His death on the cross; therefore, He has authority to execute judgment upon those who reject what He so freely offers to all: salvation. So now that rejection is complete, and the harvest of the earth is ripe. That is, all nations of the earth are ripe for judgment; their wickedness has reached its fullness. However, note the fact that even at this point when Jesus is ready with His sharp sickle to reap the earth, He still awaits for God’s command (which comes from the fourth angel) before acting.
The fifth angel comes out of the temple, directly from the presence of God, ready to assist in bringing the judgments. Then the sixth angel comes from the altar. We studied about this altar in chapter 8:3-5. At that time, an angel took a censer, filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth. This was followed by the 7 trumpet judgments. So here we again see an angel having authority over fire, and he cries to the angel before him to thrust his sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, “for her grapes are fully ripe.” Following this action will be the 7 bowls of wrath which will be poured out upon the earth during the last 3½ years of tribulation.
The vine of the earth no doubt refers directly to Israel. Israel is called a vine, or vineyard in Isaiah 5; Hosea 10:1, and other references. The fully ripe grapes show that the fruit of Israel’s wickedness has come to its full fruition. This vine will be cast into the “great winepress of the wrath of God, and the winepress was trodden without the city… “What resistance do ripe grapes have against the treading of man? This is the picture portrayed by these examples. This is described in Isaiah 63:1-6 and Isaiah. 34: 1-8.
The winepress is said to be trodden “without the city.” The city is Jerusalem. Chapter 16:16 gives the location as Armageddon. Armageddon means, “Hill of Megiddo,” and is located about fifty miles NW of Jerusalem. Joel speaks of the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” which is the same as the Kidron Valley, located just SE of Jerusalem. “Bozrah” is named by Isaiah as the place where the Lord treads the winepress. Bozrah is in Edam, which is SE of Jerusalem. Between Megiddo and Bozrah is approximately 175 miles, or 1600 furlongs.
Verse 20 says that blood will come even to the horse bridles. This seems impossible to imagine, but when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, so great was the bloodshed that the historian, Josephus, said the whole city ran down with blood to such a degree that the fires of many of the houses were quenched by it. And that destruction was just a small foretaste of how it will be when all the nations of the world are gathered together to fight against Israel. Read Zechariah 14:1-6. This describes what is known as the Battle of Armageddon, which will be the culmination of God’s wrath poured out upon a Christ-rejecting world. Jesus Himself will come and fight for His people at this time. Oh, that men would give heed to God’s call today and accept His plan of salvation!