The Wrath of God {Revelation 14}
12:30 AM
December
19, 2017
I am continuing to use my Life Application Study Bible to share with you explanations of these verses.
“Then I looked, and there before me was the
Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who has his name and his
Father’s name written on their foreheads.” v.1 Chapter 13 described the onslaught of evil
that will occur when Satan and his helpers control the world. Chapter 14 gives a glimpse into eternity to
show believers what awaits them if they endure.
The Lamb is the Messiah. Mount
Zion, often another name for Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is contrasted
with the worldly empire. The 144,000
represent believers who have endured persecutions on earth and now are ready to
enjoy the eternal benefits and blessings of life with God forever. The three angels contrast the destiny of
believers with that of unbelievers.
“These are those who did not defile
themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and
offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.” v.4 These people are true believers whose robes
have been washed and made white in Christ’s blood (7:14) through his death (“purchased
from among mankind”). In the Old
Testament, idolatry was often portrayed as spiritual adultery (see the book of
Hosea). Their purity is best understood
symbolically, meaning that they are free from involvement with the pagan world
system. To remain spiritually pure means
resisting the seductions and idolatries of the present world – power, wealth,
and sexual immorality. To do so requires
daily application of God’s Word, for it has a purifying effect on the mind and
heart. It requires great resolution not
to give in to these temptations.
Following Christ, the Lamb, “wherever he goes” requires heroic effort to carry out Christ’s commission to face oppression and even death if required. Too many shrink back when the work is difficult or the future looks bleak. Join those who take their stand with Christ and against sin.
“Firstfruits”
refers to the act of dedicating the first part of the harvest as holy to God
(Exodus 23:19, see also James 1:18).
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair,
and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every
nation, tribe, language and people. He
said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who made
the heavens, and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” vs.6-7 Some believe that this is a final,
worldwide appeal to all people to recognize the one true God. No one will have the excuse of never hearing
God’s truth. Others, however, see this
as an announcement of judgment rather than an appeal. The people of the world have had their chance
to proclaim their allegiance to God, and now God’s judgment is about to begin. If you are reading this, you have already
heard God’s truth. You know that God’s
final judgment will not be put off forever.
Have you joyfully received the everlasting Good News? Have you confessed your sins and trusted in
Christ to save you? If so, you have
nothing to fear from God’s judgment. The
Judge of all the earth is your Savior!
“A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all
the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” v.8
Babylon was the name of both an evil city and an immoral empire, a world
center for idol worship. Babylon
ransacked Jerusalem and carried the people of Judah into captivity (see 2 Kings
24 and 2 Chronicles 36). Just as Babylon
was the Jews’ worst enemy, the Roman empire was the worst enemy of the early
Christians. John, who probably did not
dare speak against Rome openly, applied the name Babylon to this enemy of God’s people (Rome) – and, by extension,
to all God’s enemies of all times.
“A third angel followed them and said in a
loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark
on their forehead or on their hand, they, too will drink the wine of God’s
fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in
the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for
ever and ever. There will be no rest day
or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who
receives the mark of its name.” vs.9-11
Those who worship the beast, accept this mark and operate according to
his world economic system will ultimately face God’s judgment. Our world values money, power and pleasure
over God’s leadership. To get what the
world values, many people disown God and violate Christian principles. Thus they must drink the wine of God’s wrath
(see Psalm 75; Isaiah 51:17)
The
ultimate result of sin is unending separation from God. Because human beings are created in God’s
image with an inborn thirst for fellowship with him, separation from God will
be the ultimate torment and misery. Sin
always bring misery, but in this life we can choose to repent and restore our
relationship with God. In eternity there
will no longer be opportunity for repentance.
If in this life we choose to be independent of God, in the next life we
will be separated from him forever.
Nobody is forced to choose eternal separation from God, and nobody
suffers this fate by accident. Jesus
invites all of us to open the door to our hearts to him (3:20). If we do this, we will enjoy everlasting
fellowship with him.
“This calls for patient endurance on the part
of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” v.12 This news about God’s ultimate triumph should
encourage God’s people to remain faithful through every trial and persecution. They can do this, God promises, by trusting
in Jesus and obeying the commands found in his Word. The secret to enduring, therefore, is trust
and obedience. Trust God to give you
patience to endure even the small trials you face daily; obey him even when
obedience is unattractive or dangerous.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write
this: Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from
their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” v.13 While it is true that money, fame, and
belongings can’t be taken with us from this life, God’s people can produce fruit that survives even
death. God will remember our love,
kindness, and faithfulness, and those who accept Christ through our witness
will join us in the new earth. Be sure
that your values are in line with God’s values, and decide today to produce
fruit that lasts forever.
“I looked, and there before me was a white
cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold
on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to
him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time
to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his
sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” vs. 14-16 This is an image of
judgment: Christ is separating the
faithful from the unfaithful like a farmer harvesting his crops. This is a time of joy for the Christians who
have been persecuted and martyred – they will receive their long-awaited
reward. Christians should not fear the
Last Judgment. Jesus said, “Very truly I
tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life
and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
“The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.” v.19 A winepress was a large vat or trough where
grapes were collected and then smashed.
The juice flowed out of a duct that led into a large holding vat. The winepress is often used in the Bible as a
symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin (Isaiah 63:3-6; Lamentations
1:15; Joel 3:12-13) The distance of
1,600 stadia equals about 180 miles, approximately the north-south length of
Palestine.
To those unaccustomed to vivid descriptions of God’s anger in judgment, these are disturbing images. People dislike the idea of other people, even evil ones, being trampled like grapes. The depth and length of the blood flow provides a sickening scene of the immensity of God’s judgment. But unless we face the necessity of God’s judgment, we will never see our desperate need for his mercy. A God with only a grandfatherly kindness would not inspire our repentance, obedience, or worship. God has promised a harsh harvest for those who reject him. Those who know God well enough to fear his wrath know God well enough to desire his grace. The crushing wrath of God is coming. Blessed are those who have had their sins forgiven, and blessed are those who lead others to God’s mercy.
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