Revelation 14
CHAPTER 14
The Lamb on mount Zion
And I looked, and beheld the Lamb standing on mount Zion, and with him one hundred and forty four thousand, each having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers playing their harps. 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song save the hundred and forty four thousand, they that had been purchased out of the earth. 4 These are they that were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were purchased from among men to be the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no lie. They are without blemish.
6 And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good news to proclaim to those that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 7 He said with a great voice: Fear God and give Him glory! For the hour of His judgment comes, and worship Him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.
8 And another, a second angel, followed, saying: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great, that has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the anger of her fornication.
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives the mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, 10 he also shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of His anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard the voice from heaven saying: Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from this time forward. Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours. For their works follow them.
The harvest of the earth
14 And I looked and beheld a white cloud, and on the cloud I saw one sitting like a Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud: Send forth your sickle and reap. For the hour to reap comes. For the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth and the earth was reaped.
17 Another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, he that has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying: Send forth your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth. For her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great winepress of the anger of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside of the city; and there came out blood from the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as a sixteen hundred stadia.
Commentary
14:1 144,00- see on 7:4.
14:4 The true believers are engaged to be married to Christ; to unite ourselves with the world is to be unfaithful to Him and lose our virginity.
14:5 Was found- The believers have of course been sinful and blemished. But they are seen by Jesus as perfect; for love imputes perfection to the beloved, and the love of Christ is the ultimate love. He will see us as if we are perfect. We can rightly rejoice in His love.
14:7 Him that made- The silent reality of creation ought to be an imperative to both us and the world to repent and turn to our maker.
14:10 Fire destroys; it doesn’t burn anything for eternity. The allusion is to the destruction of Sodom with fire and sulphur; this is described as “eternal fire” in Jude 7. But Sodom isn’t literally burning today; eternal fire refers to total destruction which has eternal consequences. In this manner Jerusalem is described as having been destroyed with eternal fire (Jer. 17:27). The punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
14:15 When human sin has reached a certain point, Christ will come and judge it. That day cannot surely be far off.
