Revelation 14:1-4
The 144,000. 14.1.
Reading:
Revelation 14:1-4.
1 Then I saw the
Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 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 mighty ocean waves or the rolling
of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This
great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before
the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 They
have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special
offering to God and to the Lamb.”
1 Then I saw the
Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his
Father’s name written on their foreheads.
2 I
saw another angel coming from the east. He was carrying the mark of the living
God. He called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to
hurt the earth and sea.
3 The
angel from the east said, “Do not hurt the earth or the sea or the trees until
we have put the mark of God on the foreheads of the servants He owns.”
4 I
heard how many there were who received the mark of God. There were 144,000
people of the twelve family groups of Israel.”
1. Finished transaction
Have you ever had something indorsed? Then you know
what it means to have something sealed (notary embosses/imprints seal). It is a
done deal, it is official! And when you got saved, God sealed the transaction! Praise
the Lord!
Think of it like a business transaction, God took all
your sins on your account: all the lust/greed/lies/impure thoughts/gossiping
words/habits/evil deeds, etc. God took it all and placed it on Christ’s
account. And Jesus Christ then paid for those sins when He died on the Cross, and
when He paid, He paid in full! Your sin debt has been paid, paid in full!
When Jesus said on the Cross “It is finished,”
He meant it is “fully paid.”
But it is not done, it is a 2-part transaction. God
not only takes your sins and places them on Christ’s account, but then He does
something even more wonderful, He takes the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and He
places that on YOUR account!
But legally, judicially, when you stand before God,
you have received the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, it is a legal
transaction that takes place, like money changing hands: your sins are traded
for Christ’s righteousness, and then to complete the transaction. He seals it with
the Holy Spirit! A finished transaction!
Remember the wax seal on Royal
documents by the old kings etc. Well God has sealed you, you belong to Him, and
by relationship of salvation, He is now your Heavenly Father.
The second meaning of “seal”
Reading:
Revelation 14:1-4.
1 Then I saw the
Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 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 mighty ocean waves or the rolling
of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This
great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before
the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 They
have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special
offering to God and to the Lamb.”
2. Ownership
Ephesus was the very center of the lumber business in
those days. It was located on a river, which was used to transport logs from
the logging camps to the mill, downstream. Each camp would have its own seal,
stamped on the end of the logs, so the mill knew whom to credit.
And my Bible says I am sealed/branded with God’s
signature (property of God), and even if I get away from Him, I am still one of
His sheep, I know His voice, and He comes after me, calling me, bringing me
back into the fold. I am sealed, it is a finished transaction, I am His
property.
Thirdly.
3. Security (indicated by “seal”).
Much like you seal a letter, but more. For instance,
in Matthew 27:66, the Romans put Jesus in the grave, rolled the rock
over the entrance, and then sealed it. History says they would take a string on
either side held by hot wax, and then the seal was pressed into the wax as it
dried and hardened.
Some might say, yes, but that seal was broken, it did
not last. That is right. “So, how long will the seal of the Holy Spirit last?”
Look at Ephesians 4:30 “Until the day of redemption” The seal that gets all 144,000 of them through the
Tribulation period, is the same seal that secures you now/makes you safe now!
It is a finished transaction/you
are His property/you are secure!
2 And
I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling
of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
3 This
great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before
the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 They
have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special
offering to God and to the Lamb.”
Revelation
14:6-8
The Three Angels. 14.3.
Reading: Revelation 14:6-8
6 Then
I saw another angel flying in the heavens. He was carrying the Good News that
lasts forever. He was preaching to every nation and to every family group and
to the people of every language and to all the people of the earth.
7 He
said with a loud voice, “Honour God with love and fear. The time has come for
Him to judge all men. Worship Him Who made heaven, earth, the sea, and the
places where water comes out of the earth.”
8 A
second angel followed, saying, “Babylon has fallen! The great city Babylon has
fallen! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her sinful sex life.”
Last time I
spoke of the pure 144,000 sealed by God. Now we read
“her sinful sex life,” of Babylon. One group is of God, and
the other group is of Satan.
In his vision of Apocalyptic Judgments John sees many
angels at work. Here he sees one flying in “mid-heavens.” That is, in the heaven or atmosphere
that surrounds our earth. The mission of this Angel is to preach the “Everlasting Gospel” to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people on the earth.
Here is the first and only place in the Bible where an
angel is commissioned to preach
the Gospel. An angel could not tell Cornelius how to be saved, he could only
tell him to send for Peter for that purpose, see Acts 10:3-6. In this “Gospel Age” only redeemed men/women can
preach the Gospel.
First Angel
But at the “End Time,” just before the return of the Lord, an angel will go
forth to preach the “Everlasting Gospel,” or as the revised Version puts
it, the “Eternal Gospel.” The
word “Gospel” means “Good News.” Four forms of
the Gospel are mentioned in the New Testament, and we must distinguish carefully between them.
One. The Gospel
of “The Kingdom.”
Matthew 24:14.
“And this gospel
of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as
a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
This is the “Good News” that God purposes to set up a Kingdom on this earth over which
David’s Son, JESUS, shall reign,
as prophesied in Luke 1:32-33.
Two preaching’s of this Gospel are mentioned,
One in the past, beginning with the
ministry of John the Baptist, and preached by Jesus and His Disciples, but it
ended with the rejection of Jesus as King.
Two in the future,
this Gospel is to be preached again after the Church is taken out. It will be
the fulfilment of Matthew 24:14,
where it says: “This Gospel of 'The Kingdom'
shall be preached in all the
world for a witness to all
nations: and then shall the end come.”
This has no reference
to the Gospel that is now being preached. to the nations.
It is the Gospel of Salvation, but the “Gospel of the Kingdom” is not
for “Salvation” but for a witness, which is. it is the announcement that the time has come to set up the Kingdom of God.
Remember Israel rejected her King (Jesus), and so rejected the Kingdom of the
King.
It will be preached first by Elijah the forerunner (Malachi
4:5-6): and by others who shall be commissioned to bear the news to all
nations as a proclamation of the Coming of Christ as King to occupy the Throne
of David, and for the purpose of regathering Israel to the Promised Land,
Two. The Gospel
of the Grace of God.”
Acts 20:24.
“But none
of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I
may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received
from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
This is the “Good News” that Jesus Christ the rejected King died on the Cross for our Salvation. This form of the Gospel is
described in many ways. It is called the “Gospel
of God” (Romans 1:1), because it has it source in the Love of God John 3:16.
Its Character
is “Grace” Acts
20:24. Its subject is CHRIST
(Romans 1:16; 2 Corinthians 10:14), and it is the “Power of God until
Salvation.” It is also a “Glorious Gospel” because it speaks of Him who is
in the Glory, and has been Glorified, and who is bringing many sons to glory 2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:10; 1 Timothy 1:11. And it is the “Gospel
of Peace,” because it makes peace between the sinner and God and
brings peace to the soul Ephesians 6:15.
Three. “My
Gospel.”
Romans 2:16.
“In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”
This is the same as the “Gospel of the Grace of God,” or of
Salvation, with the additional revelations that were made known to Paul as to
the Church (Ephesians 3:1-7), and as
to Israel. Romans 11:1-36.
4. The
“Everlasting Gospel.”
Revelation 14:6.
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the “Everlasting Gospel.” to preach
to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.”
This is what the Angel preaches in this chapter. It is
neither the “Gospel of the Kingdom,” nor of “Grace.” Its burden is not Salvation but Judgment. “Fear
God and give glory to Him: for the hour of His judgment is come.” It is “Good News”
to Israel, and all who are passing
through the “fires of
Judgment,” because it
declares that their troubles will soon end in the judgment and destruction of
Antichrist.
It calls on men to worship God as “Creator,” and not as “Saviour,” and so it is called in the
Revised Version: “The Eternal Gospel,” the Gospel that has been
proclaimed from Eden down by Patriarchs' and Prophets, and not an “Everlasting Gospel” in the sense
that it saves men for all eternity.
There is “Another
Gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-12), which is not
another, and which Paul rejected. It is an insult of the true Gospel and has
many seductive forms, and in the main teaches that “faith” is not
sufficient to Salvation, nor able to keep and perfect, and so emphasizes
“Good
Works.” Colossians 2:18-23; Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 9:14.
The Apostle pronounces a fearful “Anathema”
(something
that is considered completely wrong and offensive) upon its preachers and teachers. Galatians 1:8-9.
Our message is: “Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” Acts 16:31.
The Angel’s message is: “Fear God for the HOUR of His
Judgment is come.”
Men reject the human messenger, and they will also
reject the Angelic message; they will not believe even though the ONE (Jesus) rose from the dead.
Second Angel
Revelation 14:8.
“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.”
Here is proof that the City of Babylon is to be
rebuilt. For further proof see chapter
eighteen. As to the fall and destruction of the literal City of Babylon
this proclamation is expectant, but as a declaration that Babylon had fallen to fearful depths of
wickedness and apostasy, and had become “the
habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird,” as described
in chapter 18:2, it was already
true, for the City of Babylon will have been rebuilt at the time when this
Angel utters his proclamation.
The Angel's warning was that God’s people might hear
His voice saying: “Come out of her, My People, that you be not partakers of her
sins, and that you receive not of her plagues” Revelation
18:4.
Revelation
14:9-20
A
Vision of Armageddon 14.5.
Reading: Revelation 14:9-20
A Third Angel
9 Then
a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his
statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand
10 must
drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup
of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulphur in the
presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.
11 The
smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief
day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have
accepted the mark of his name.”
12 This
means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his
commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
13 And
I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die
in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for
they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
The Harvest of the Earth
14 Then
I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of
Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then
another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud,
“Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is
ripe.”
16 So
the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole
earth was harvested.
17 After
that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp
sickle.
18 Then
another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He
shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather
the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for
judgment.”
19 So
the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great
winepress of God’s wrath.
20 The
grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from
the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.”
The Third Angel
Verse 9.
9 Then
a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his
statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand.”
Going to a zoo is fun and safe, for you might be in
the presence of a lion, tiger, or a bear, but at the same time you are
separated from these fierce animals. The scripture teaches us that in the world
to come lost people will be separated from the glory of the Lord, which is part
of the horror of hell. Not just the fire, and darkness, but separation from any
hope.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 “In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.”
This has been the case for all who have died lost
throughout history and will be true for all who die lost in the future. But for
any lost people today who enter the Great Tribulation, it will be preceded by
something equally awful, in a much different way. Before they are separated
from God, they will be punished in His presence.
The cages are opened, it is like Jurassic Park, and
there is no way off the island, nowhere to run!
Verses
10-11.
10 must
drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup
of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulphur in the
presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.
11 The
smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief
day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have
accepted the mark of his name.”
These are among the most graphic of verses in the
Bible about life after death. The Lamb who came as a sheep to the slaughter is
coming back as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Here is a preview of the final judgment:
Verses
19-20.
19 So
the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great
winepress of God’s wrath.
20 The
grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from
the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s
bridle.”
A river of blood
4 feet deep and 180 miles long. All people are headed for judgment, all
of us, a day of reckoning/accountability/wrongs righted/we will all stand
before God and give an answer. A one-on-one interview!
The lost at the Great White Throne.
The saved at the judgment seat of Christ.
Verses
19-20.
19 So
the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great
winepress of God’s wrath.
20 The
grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from
the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s
bridle.”
The
word “judgement,” makes me thing of Adam and Eve and their day of
reckoning, we cannot sin and get away with it. Someone has got to pay the
price, “For the wages = payment for sin is death.” God’s own Son Jesus
Christ paid the price for sin, “He that knew no sin became sin for us.” If
you do not except the free gift from God, you will have to pay your own price
for sin.
Over
the years I have been told a number of times, “When you are dead, you are dead.
And anyway, all my friends are in hell.” Well sorry to say this to you, the
Devil and his fallen angels, demons etc. are also in hell, and they are not
planning a party for you or your friends, just getting the flames hotter and
hotter.
Judgment was pronounced that day in Genesis upon the
serpent, the soil, Satan, nature, and upon the woman and the man. There was
eight simple words unknown to Adam and Eve until the fall: death, nakedness,
cursed, sorrow, thorns, sweat, sword, travail, yet in Genesis 2-3 these
words became a real part of their lives.
Judgment also makes me think of the days of Noah as
the world turned its back on God/widespread violence/disregard for marriage/pagan
idolatry and immorality rampant, but the world learned you do not thumb your
nose at God.
There is a price to pay, a day of reckoning. It was
too late once judgment began to fall.
Judgment makes me think of Sodom and Gomorrah, people
who said there is no absolutes, we can choose our own way, an alternate path.
(lifestyle). Like Noah’s day, they must have started screaming as their certain
death started falling from the sky, “We believe now!” Then it was too late once
judgment began to fall.
Judgment makes me think of several times in the Old
Testament, that God warned the people, to repent of face the wrath of God.
Judgment is coming to this world when we call evil good and good evil, as we
reject the true Gospel of Jesus.
Then make their own God and rules, more a God more to
their liking, a God who is ok with sin, is all love, and no judgment, who will
let everyone live forever in paradise. Not everyone believes in the God of
Heaven spoken about in the bible. But everyone wants to go to heaven. What heaven
are they talking about? The God of the bible is going to say to them “I know
you not.”
Judgment makes me think of the “Great White Throne”
of God found in Revelation 20, where all who reject God, will stand
before the same God, and give an account, then a final sentence will be
pronounced, and the final judgment will be eternal! It will then be too late
once judgment falls upon you to repent!
There will be a future judgment seat of Christ for
believers, which takes place during the Tribulation in the heavenlies. This
judgment is not for sin, (That was dealt with at Calvary). This judgement of
rewards follows the marriage supper of the Lamb.
There we will have a personal interview with Jesus
Christ and will give an account for our faithfulness to Him, our service, our
stewardship. We will receive rewards according to how we have lived for Him. If
we as believers think we can live a careless Christian life and not pay for it
in eternity we are sadly, badly mistaken, as our eternal rewards as well as our
positions in the millennium will be determined at this time.
Some judgments of God are past (at Calvary), some are
yet future, in our text, these verses are not referring to any of the above,
only for those left on earth at the end of the Great Tribulation, this judgment
will determine those people’s entrance into the millennium. That is the primary
interpretation of these verses, but there are some things we can apply to us,
today!
The Harvest of the Earth
In these verses, this judgment is
pictured as a harvest. There are three things about this final harvest/judgment
we can now look at:
One. The
Ruler of the Harvest.
Verse 14.
14 Then
I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of
Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.”
This refers to Jesus Christ, the reaper of the
harvest, because of the white cloud, a symbol of deity, the glory of God
(Israel followed glory cloud/Moses received law on Mt. Sinai in the
cloud/tabernacle filled with glory of God which was the glory cloud/Mount of
transfiguration in Matthew 17, the glory cloud illuminated the
mountain/His ascension back to heaven after the resurrection took place on this
cloud!)
Also, His title gives Him away “Son of man.”
And because of the crown He is wearing (Revelation 1:13/19:12) “Crown
Him Lord of All” the next time He comes it is not for a cross, but for a
crown! At this point in history, no longer will the question be, what will you
do with Jesus, but rather, what will Jesus do with you?
Not the end of verse14 “His head
and a sharp sickle in his hand.” The Saviour is a Sovereign, the
Redeemer is a Ruler, the Justifier is now Judge!
Verse 15-16.
15 Then
another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud,
“Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is
ripe.”
16 So
the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole
earth was harvested.”
A picture of harvesting wheat. Look at
Matthew 13:24-30, what is it talking about, we do not have to guess,
look at verses 36-43. In laymen’s terms: a farmer sowed wheat/an enemy
came and sowed tares (noxious, poisonous, looks just like wheat) among the
wheat/a hired hand realized someone had sabotaged them, asked farmer if he
should remove the tares?
Oh no said the farmer, you will likely root up the
wheat with the tares, let them grow up together to maturity, then we will
harvest the whole field, then separate them, put wheat into the barn and burn
the tares together in bundles!
The wheat are the children of God, the tares the
children of the devil which have been planted into the church, they look like
the real thing, may serve, may serve well! May be in the choir, teach, be an
usher, a deacon, or even the minister! But
they have not truly been saved!
We cannot assume to know the
difference, but Jesus said He will separate the two in the end!
That
is the ruler of the harvest
Two. The
Reaping of the Harvest.
Verses 17-20.
17 After
that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp
sickle.
18 Then
another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He
shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather
the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for
judgment.”
19 So
the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great
winepress of God’s wrath.
20 The
grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from
the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.”
Farmers and gardeners know three laws of the harvest:
you always reap what you sow/later than you sow/more than you sow.
All three laws are in effect in this passage:
1. You always reap what you sow:
If you plant corn, you get corn, you
do not plant apple seeds and get tomatoes! (Galatians 6 “whatsoever a man
sow”).
Verse 18.
18 Then
another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He
shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather
the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for
judgment.”
“The vines of the earth, what has the world been sowing
spiritually? Rebellion, ever since
Babel, and here in the 21st c. it is truer than ever!
This world which has reaped sin and rebellion for so
many years is going to reap corruption!
2. You always reap
later than you sow:
Verse 18b.
18 Then
another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted
to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the
clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for
judgment.”
“For her grapes are fully ripe” We look at the world and say, “why does
not God do something about this?” It is not time yet! God is waiting for the
grapes to become fully ripe; every farmer knows about waiting for the right
time! Do not let the slowness of God’s wrath deter you from knowing that it is
coming!
You always reap more than you sow How many
trucks will hold all the seed you sow this year? How many will it take to hold
what you reap? This passage tells us about blood of millions of soldiers
running 4 feet deep for 200 miles! A 200-million-man army from the eastern
coalition (Orient), not to mention the European Union, Gog, and Magog, Tubal,
Meshed, armies of the north (Russia), other nations!
All that blood and carnage! Why?
Because for far too long man has been shedding innocent blood, and you always
reap more than you sow! These are laws of the harvest! Just as the juice flies
from the grapes the blood will spurt in all directions!
It is from these verses we get the song, “Mine eyes
have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out the vintage
where the grapes of wrath are stored!”
The Ruler of the Harvest: Jesus Christ with the sharp sickle/the Reaping of
the Harvest: the world will reap what they have sown, later than they have
sown, more than they have sown.
Three. The
Results of the Harvest.
If you are not ready, get ready, you do not have to
face Jesus as your judge, if you will accept Him as your Saviour, but the only
chance to do that for you is now in this life, in these days of the church age,
before the rapture occurs, or death finds you.
God is not working in your life the
way He is just to benefit you, He is getting others in mind; else He would take
you on home, you are a means to an end!
This is the final, urgent hour, the grapes are almost
fully ripened! We are not trying to save the world from destruction, we know
the ship’s going down! We are trying to get as many as we can to get into the
lifeboats! Let this church be a lighthouse to those around us.
