The Lamb and the 144,000
The true Lamb and his followers starkly contrast...
The true Lamb and his followers starkly contrast with the evil trinity.
1Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
This great choir sang a … new song...
This great choir sang a … new song that only those who had been redeemed from the earth could learn. These people had died and were already with the Lord, which might explain why John did not include the content of their refrain for readers still in the battle of life (cp. 2 Cor 12:4).
2And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming 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 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
These warriors were ritually pure (unpolluted) and morally...
- These warriors were ritually pure (unpolluted) and morally without blame.
- They have kept themselves as pure as virgins: Referring to men as virgins is a metaphor for the faithfulness of God’s people. The image might refer to the church as the virgin bride of Christ (see 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25–27); it also suggests that the church constitutes soldiers in a holy war that are required to keep themselves chaste (see Deut 23:9–10; 1 Sam 21:5).
- These faithful people are a special offering (literally firstfruits; see Exod 13:14–16; 23:19; Lev 23:9–14; Num 3:40–51; 18:15–20; Luke 2:22–24) who have been purchased for God.
- They have told no lies: John teaches that liars will never enter heaven (Rev 21:8, 27; 22:15; see also John 8:44). The followers of Jesus speak and live the truth (see also John 8:32; 14:6).
4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.†
The Three Angels and Babylon’s Fall
Three angels are flying through the sky with...
Three angels are flying through the sky with messages from God.
The first angel proclaims the eternal Good News,...
The first angel proclaims the eternal Good News, which includes the message that God will sit as judge—the end is near, so this message provides a last-chance summons to repentance.
6Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 7And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”
8Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,† who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
The third angel announces God’s judgment (14:7) on...
- The third angel announces God’s judgment (14:7) on the counterfeit worship of the beast and his statue (see 13:12–18; 19:20; 20:4). God’s response to the rebellion against his reign is anger or wrath, pictured as a cup of bitter wine (see ch 16; 19:15).
- fire and burning sulfur . . . smoke: This description of judgment (see also 19:20; 20:10, 14–15) echoes God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:16–19:28).
- Those condemned to a fiery end will suffer in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb (cp. Luke 16:22–24).
9And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
The Harvest of the Earth
Two brief scenes portray God’s judgment.
Two brief scenes portray God’s judgment.
14And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man,† with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
The Temple and the altar represent God’s presence...
The Temple and the altar represent God’s presence (see 9:13; 11:19; 16:7).
15Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest, for the crop of the earth is ripe.” 16So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
The ripe... grapes (see Amos 8:2) that are...
- The ripe . . . grapes (see Amos 8:2) that are trampled in the winepress emphasize God’s power to judge (see Rev 19:15; Joel 3:13).
- Winepresses were built outside cities and towns; here, the city is Jerusalem. The bloody river of death stretched about 180 miles. God’s enemies stand no chance when the Son of Man comes in judgment. The carnage here is closely linked with the final battle in Rev 19:17–21; God is just and fair in giving people exactly what they deserve (see 16:5–7).
18Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”
19So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.†