Revelation 14 - Victory Accomplished
It seems like God is losing. The key word there is 'seems.'
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Revelation 14 (ESV)
1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion
stood the Lamb,
and with him 144,000
who had
his name
and his Father’s name
written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven
like the roar of many waters
and like the sound of loud thunder.
The voice I heard
was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,
3 and they were singing a new song
before the throne
and before the four living creatures
and before the elders.
No one could learn that song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 It is these who
have not defiled themselves with women,
for they are virgins.
It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
These have been redeemed
from mankind
as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,
5 and in their mouth
no lie was found,
for they are blameless.
6 Then I saw
another angel flying directly overhead,
with an eternal gospel to proclaim
to those who dwell on earth,
to every
nation
and tribe
and language
and people.
7 And he said with a loud voice,
“Fear God and give him glory,
because the hour of his judgment has come,
and worship him who made
heaven and earth,
the sea and the springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,
she who made
all nations drink
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice,
“If anyone
worships the beast and its image
and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath,
poured full strength into the cup of his anger,
and he will be tormented
with fire and sulfur
in the presence of the holy angels
and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever,
and they have no rest, day or night,
these worshipers of the beast and its image,
and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints,
those who keep
the commandments of God
and their faith in Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying,
“Write this: Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord
from now on.”
“Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit,
“that they may rest from their labors,
for their deeds follow them!”
14 Then I looked, and behold,
a white cloud,
and seated on the cloud
one like a son of man,
with
a golden crown on his head,
and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 And another angel
came out of the temple,
calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud,
“Put in your sickle, and reap,
for the hour to reap has come,
for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
16 So he who sat on the cloud
swung his sickle across the earth,
and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel
came out of the temple in heaven,
and he too had a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel
came out from the altar,
the angel who has authority over the fire,
and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle,
“Put in your sickle
and gather the clusters
from the vine of the earth,
for its grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth
and gathered the grape harvest of the earth
and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city,
and blood flowed from the winepress,
as high as a horse’s bridle,
for 1,600 stadia.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 14 Summary
When we left off yesterday, things seemed hopeless for God's people. A giant dragon and deceiving beast were having their way and causing people to worship them and be marked with both their name and number.
But at the beginning of chapter 14, a much different scene appears. The Lamb, and all those who had been sealed in His and His Father's name sing a song of triumph and victory.
Angels are dispatched both to proclaim the gospel to all people and warn them against alignment with the Beast and Babylon (who we'll be officially introduced to later).
The fourth perspective of Christ's victory ends with a voice from heaven proclaiming a truth that we still often read at funerals, that those who die in the Lord are blessed.
But there's more of the story to tell, so in v14, the narrative shifts and a new perspective, relating to the same events we've seen now four times, begins. This perspective will focus on the judgment and wrath of God upon those who reject Him.
Dig Deeper
Most people go through life stuck in a cycle of hopelessness because all they can see is the apparent victories of the dragon and beasts in this world. This is why it's so important for you to be reminded often of what the Holy Spirit enabled John to see and write down for the future generations of the church, so that you can have confidence that Jesus Christ has been, is now, and will be victorious over all things.
Verse 12 is a really good synopsis for the entire gospel, and especially what you are to remember the next time life seems dark and hope seems gone:
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people
of God
who keep his commands
and remain faithful to Jesus.
Remain steadfast, with your feet firmly on the solid foundation of the gospel;
Remember that you are one of God's people, and you've been sealed into His covenant;
You are to keep all of God's commands, but especially His command to believe the good news (1 John 3:23).
Finally, keep your faith in Christ, even when (especially when!) it seems like the entire world is playing into Satan's hands.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Dear Father in heaven, you've written your name on my head (v1)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Please give me the strength and endurance I need to keep God's commandments and my faith in Jesus (v12)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
