Revelation 14

Figure Five – The Church Triumphant

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. Revelation 14:1

Now as the final battle lines are drawn we are re-introduced to the 144,000. This is certainly not a new group but must be identified with the group in chapter seven. [22]

We saw the group in chapter seven as they were being sealed against the coming disasters. Now we see them with the Lamb, as they stand together on Mt. Zion. We learned earlier that these believers were sealed in their foreheads. Here we understand more about this seal. The seal is Jesus’ name and the Father’s name (14:1). We remember in Exodus 28:36 how the High Priest, Aaron, had an engraved seal on his forehead that read, “HOLY TO THE LORD” (cf. Psa. 91:14).

The name of God was so holy and so secret in ancient Israel that even its pronunciation was virtually forbidden and finally lost altogether. Now it is written on the foreheads of the faithful. It is displayed in their most prominent place. This is a picture of ownership; of witness; of complete victory, as the persecuted saints now stand triumphantly with the Lamb on Mount Zion. [23] But how interesting it is that God’s people and the Antichrist’s people are both sealed in their foreheads. The seals in the forehead obviously have something to do with the way these people are thinking.

As in chapter seven, we see again that the redeemed of God come from the earth (14:3) and “from among mankind” (14:4). This seems to preclude that this group is wholly from the nation of Israel in its natural sense, as many have thought. It is obvious that this group must be associated with the overcoming company we glimpsed earlier in Revelation chapters seven and twelve. These are said here to be virgins. This is likely a symbolic reference to purity regarding God’s temple servants. [24]

As we said before, it is very possible that this group is a picture of the “new man,” or part of the true Israel, made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles, the remnant of both. It should not surprise us that, just as there is a holy remnant in Israel, there is also a holy remnant in the church. Jesus himself said in Matthew 22:14: “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Barnes sees this group not as the whole of the redeemed, but as a representation of the redeemed, making up a holy offering to God and picturing the final triumph of the saints. [25] It is amazing how far removed we are today from the interpretations of scholars in recent centuries regarding this passage.

This remnant is totally dedicated to the Lamb and they follow him wherever he goes. It is said of this victorious group that they are “first-fruits” from among mankind (14:4). We remember in Israel that the beginning of the harvest, or first-fruits, was always considered as a holy offering to God (cf. Exo. 23:19). [26]

Truly, no group exactly like this has ever appeared before on the earth. These seem to have taken the instruction of James 3:2 very seriously. He says: “Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect…” Along with their other victories, the members of the 144,000 have won the battle of the tongue. As Revelation 14:5 states, “No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless” (cf. Zeph. 3:13). Of course, no lying would also include theological lies, false doctrine and even hypocrisy. [27]

These soldiers of God are arrayed in truth and stand ready with Christ, having their mighty spiritual weapons. They are ready to bring down earth’s strongholds, demolish lying arguments and everything else that stands against the knowledge of God. They are prepared to help make every thought on earth obedient to Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 10:3-6).

In Ephesians 6:10-11 & 13-18, Paul gives careful instructions to God’s soldiers who will stand on this last and evil day. He says:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Figure Six – Three Angel Interlude

…Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Revelation 14:7

Here we are introduced to three angels. The first of these three angels is said to fly in midair with the eternal gospel for every nation, tribe and language (14:6). Perhaps in these last days a great awakening will come about for many people (Isa. 26:9b). The prophet Joel does say of these last days that “…everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls” (Joel 2:32). Again, the angel warns humanity that he hour of God’s judgment is at hand. It is interesting that the Lord speaks once more about last-day “survivors.”

The second angel makes the announcement of Babylon’s impending fall (14:8). This is the first mention of Babylon in the book of Revelation, but it will not be the last. In fact, the subject of Babylon’s fall is a very prominent theme of the last days. The theme is taken up again in chapters sixteen, seventeen and eighteen.

Babylon is one of the deepest mysteries of the Bible. It was certainly more than just the locale of the Hebrew exile. It stands as a spiritual symbol and code word for spiritual bondage and defilement of holy things.

The third angel brings another stern warning about worshipping the beast and receiving his mark (14:9-11). This is an extremely important warning, for those who do these things must drink of the wine of God’s fury. Such fallen ones will be tormented forever in the presence of the angels and the Lamb. What a warning for God’s holy ones to be strong and endure suffering and death, rather than be marked by this beastly system!

Again, the angel gives us one great characteristic of end-day saints. It is said that these overcomers “…keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus” (14:12). We saw a similar qualification in Revelation 12:17. How very interesting that these last-day overcomers will maintain such a balance of law and grace in their lives. This group seems to manifest that which is best in Israel and also that which is best in Gentile Christianity.

The angel announces that from this point on, those who die in the Lord will be greatly blessed (14:13). In Revelation 20:4-6, John tells us that these will be raised in the first resurrection to reign on earth with Christ during the thousand-year Millennium. Like their Master, they will have died for the truth.

Figure Seven – Harvest Time On Earth

…Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Revelation 14:15

We see that the angels of God are in charge of carrying out the harvest of the earth, just as Jesus said they would be (Matt. 13:39). Some have felt that the one “like a son of man” is surely Jesus (14:14), but this identification presents major problems. [28]

This harvest, although in two distinct phases (14:16 & 18), cannot be interpreted as two distinct harvests, where the righteous will be removed first and taken to heaven, as some suppose. [29] We should note that this final harvest of the world is also reflected in Joel 3:13: “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so great is their wickedness!” We should be aware that both the reaping and the vintage clearly speak of wickedness in this passage.

Also, Jesus says in Matthew 24: 37-39: “ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For…they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Jesus assures us that the wicked will be removed first.

This harvest probably corresponds to the early grain harvest and the later general harvest of grapes and other produce in Israel. The Lord makes it abundantly clear that the tares will be gathered out first. He says: “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn’” (Matt. 13:30).

In most of our lifetimes we surely have observed an accelerated ripening of the harvest. While some of the heads of wheat are looking much more like wheat, the tares are certainly beginning to look and act like tares. As it is said of the last-day in Malachi 3:18, “And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Paul talks of these terrible times, or terrible people in the last days. He says in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them” (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-3; Psa. 37: 34).

Obviously, with this last remark, the apostle places the church right in the midst of the last days. The commentator, Farmer, remarks that in these trying times, the password of all true Christians will be: “Resist and stand firm.” [30]

The wicked are now gathered outside the city, likely Jerusalem, and cast into the great winepress of God’s wrath (14:19-20). There is an awesome flow of blood, even to the distance of 180 miles (300 kilometers). All this seems to be connected with the coming world-wide war and battle of Armageddon. This flow of blood sounds incredible, but it is of note that during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, blood ran down the streets in such volume as to actually extinguish the flames. [31] Of course, we must remember that this earlier flow of blood concerned only the judgment of God’s people, while this latter flow concerns the judgment of the whole world.

Once again with the figures in this interlude, we are brought to the end of the Great Tribulation with its massive destruction of human life. We can surely say that the end-days there will be a great offering up of sinful flesh. Multiplied millions and even billions of wicked people will die in God’s fiery judgment.

Purposes Of His Coming

The church appears confused today over the purpose of Jesus’ coming. We are often taught in the Gentile church as though his coming is solely for the benefit of Gentile Christians. Although we realize that he is returning to the Mount of Olives in Israel, we do not realize that his coming is for the purpose of delivering Israel from the rage of all the nations (Zech. 14:1-5). While it is true that he is coming for Gentile saints, this is not his main purpose.

Jesus is coming to firmly establish his eternal kingdom on the earth. As we have seen before, his victorious saints will exercise authority and rule for him in this kingdom. His kingdom will be complete and it will never cease. Paul expresses it well in Philippians 2:10-11: “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Second, his coming is designed to put a quick end to all other authority and especially the exceedingly evil kingdom of Antichrist (cf. Psa. 110:1-2). In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 we read: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” Jesus’ coming, as we have already seen, will also put a quick end to the work of both the Beast and the False Prophet.

A third purpose for his coming will be to permanently remove millions, even billions, of wicked and utterly rebellious people from off his earth. This is pictured by the harvest we saw earlier. Indeed, the whole tribulation period is one vast harvest of flesh and wickedness. John the Baptist spoke of the Lord’s coming in this wise: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12).

In Matthew 24:38-39, Jesus tells us that the end-day will be like the days of Noah. Jesus says: “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” In this passage we see all fleshly pursuits; a lot of eating, drinking and marrying, as if these were being done somehow to great excess. We must note again that it is always the wicked that are taken away from the earth.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 we read: “…This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

So the Day of the Lord will dawn for the wicked, bringing sudden disaster from on high. Ecclesiastes 9:12 states: “Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.”

There are several other purposes in his coming. He is coming to completely purge the earth of every sin and stain. He will in fact make a new heaven and a new earth. This probably does not mean that the present heaven and earth will be totally destroyed but that they will undergo more of a regeneration (cf. Ps. 78:69; Ecc. 1:4; Matt. 19:28).

The Greek word kainos, used in Revelation 21:1 for “new heaven” and “new earth” has the idea of “freshness” or “unused,” as contrasted with the old. The same word is used in Galatians 6:15, which describes those converted as “new” creatures in Christ. Obviously they are still the same people, although their outlook and lifestyle have become totally changed. The Bible scholars, Pfeiffer and Harrison, here quote from the Greek scholar, Swete, who describes the meaning as, “fresh life arising from the decay and wreck of the old world.” [3]

Jesus is also coming to institute the final judgment on people, nations, angelic beings, and the devil, as well as to fully save and reward his faithful people (cf. Isa. 26:19-21).

Footnotes

Several sources I have cited here are from the electronic media, either from websites or from electronic research libraries. Thus in some of these sources it is not possible to cite page numbers. Instead, I have cited the verse or verses in Revelation (e.g. v. verse 1:1 or vs. verses 1:5-6) about which the commentators speak.

22. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, p. 82.

23. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, p. 780.

Keener notes that most ancient readers would have quickly associated this figure with military conquest, because of the dreaded Parthians who were fierce warriors and excellent archers.

24. Peter Pett, The Book of Revelation, vs. 6:1-8. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/revelation-6.html.

“It should be noted that these horsemen are riding at the same time. While one follows another, building up to the worst one of all, each continues to ride. They ride together through world history, a continual reminder of the end. The beginning of the third millennium has already demonstrated that they are riding as bloodthirstily as ever, especially in the countries of the Bible.”

25. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 131.

26. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1956), p. 214.

27. Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website. Commentary on Revelation, vs. 7:4-8. https://www.ccel.org/ccel/barnes/ntnotes.xxx.vii.iv.html.

28. Pett, The Book of Revelation, v. 7:4. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/revelation-7.html.

“The fact is that we are continually liable to persecution, and while not all God’s judgments have yet been visited on the world, we have experienced sufficient to know that we are not excluded.”

29. Beasley-Murray, New Century Bible Commentary, The Book of Revelation, pp. 139-140.

“…that simple identification will not do. It would imply that Jews alone receive the seal of God, and that Gentile Christians have to get along without it.” He also adds that in Revelation 9:4, there is an assumption that the whole church has been sealed against the assault of the enemy. He states regarding this same passage that the time will come when men are divided under two allegiances. There will be ‘…those who have received the seal of God and those who have received the seal of the Antichrist.’”

30. Beale, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, p. 1076.

31. A. Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament, Vol V, VI, (Oak Harbor: Southern Baptist Convention & Logos Research Systems, 1993 & 1997), v. 7:14.

Continued

3. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 35.