There is a gospel message that has gone into the world and it begins with the message of Jesus Christ. But there is also a message to avoid the false religion that offers false promises. And the last message, that is the hardest to hear, there is eternal judgement for those that sell their soul to be accepted. There is an end coming, when “the hour to reap has come” and after “the earth was reaped” by Jesus Christ. And in heaven are “those that conquered the beast” singing “righteous and true are your ways, King of the ages”. Then, everything that is left in the earth will be reaped and thrown “into the great winepress of the wrath of God”. Once this happens, the tent of the testimony in heaven is opened and no one can enter until the bowls of the wrath of God are poured out. And even as it happens, “they did not repent”.
Three Angels With Three Messages
Revelation 14:6–11
Here in Revelation 14:6-11 there are three angels with three messages. We often hear only the first message, but all three are necessary.
- Revelation 14:7 “Fear (reverence) God … worship the one who made heaven and earth”. Accept the work of Jesus Christ and be saved.
- Revelation 14:8 “fallen is Babylon” which is not described in detail and is “here first mentioned; identical with the harlot, the apostate Church”1
- Revelation 14:9-11 “if anyone worships the beast … he himself also … will be tortured with fire and sulphur … forever and ever …”
One Like A Son of Man
Revelation 14:12–16
Here in Revelation 14:12-13 is the end for “those who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus”, true believers in Christ. The harvest is ready, in Revelation 14:14-16 “one like a son of man”, Jesus, “swung his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped”. It is over in a moment and we are together with the Lord.
Harvest the Clusters of Grapes
Revelation 14:17–20
In Revelation 14:17 “another angel came out of the temple” waiting with “a sharp sickle”. And in Revelation 14:18 the “angel who had authority over the fire went out from the altar … saying, … harvest the clusters.” This is the same angel at “the altar—upon which were offered the incense-accompanied prayers of all saints, which bring down in answer God’s fiery judgment on the Church’s foes, the fire being taken from the altar and cast upon the earth.”
Then in Revelation 14:19-20 “threw the grapes into the great winepress of the wrath of God”. But there is no description of who does the pressing of this winepress. In Joel it says because of great evil, in Isaiah it says, ” have done it alone”.
Joel 3:13 (LEB) Send forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe! Go tread, for the winepress is full! The vats overflow, because their evil is great!
Isaiah 63:2–6 (LEB) Why are your garments red, and your garments like he who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and there was no man from the peoples with me. And I trod them in my anger, and I trampled them in my wrath, and spattered their juice on my garments, and stained all my clothing, 4 for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my blood-vengeance has come! 5 And I looked, but there was no helper, and I was appalled, but there was no one who sustains, so my arm came to assist me, and my wrath was what sustained me. 6 And I trampled peoples in my anger, and I made them drunk in my wrath, and I brought their juice down to the earth.”
Those Who Had Conquered
Revelation 15:1–4
John sees the seven angels with the last seven plaques in Revelation 15:1 but his attention is taken by the Revelation 15:2-4 “those who had conquered the beast … holding harps from God … singing the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb, saying:
“Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God All-Powerful; righteous and true are your ways, King of the ages! 4 Who would never fear, Lord, and glorify your name? For only you are holy, because all the nations will come and worship before you, because your righteous deeds have been revealed.”
These are likely the ones that gave up their life rather than accept the mark of the beast, the ones that were killed. But God calls them “those who had conquered the beast”.
The Tent of the Testimony
Revelation 15:5–8
In Revelation 15:5 we see the holy of holies, the “tent of the testimony”. In the earthly tabernacle, this was the place where God’s presence resided, the place only the high priest entered and only once a year.
“The word “temple” here – ναὸς naos – does not refer to the whole of the building called the “temple,” but to the holy of holies. See the notes on Heb_9:3. This was regarded as the unique dwelling-place of God; and it was this sacred place, usually closed from all access, that now seemed to be opened, implying that the command to execute these purposes came directly from God himself.”3
In Revelation 15:7 the angels were given “golden bowls full of the wrath of God”. Then in Revelation 15:8 “no one was able to enter until the seven plaques of the seven angels were completed”. This was not a judgement of man or carried out in any way by men.
The Wrath of God
Revelation 16:1–7
In Revelation 16:1 John “heard a loud voice from the temple saying … Go and pour out …”. So, in Revelation 16:2 “the first went and poured out … an evil and painful sore on the people that had the mark of the beast”. And we could easily imagine a physical reaction to an implant, even a seemingly innocuous one like those used in animals today.
Then in Revelation 16:3 “the second poured out his bowl on the sea … and every living thing that was in the sea died”. Again, this might easily happen as we have seen “Red tides … a result of high concentrations of … a microscopic marine algae that occurs naturally … its toxin paralyzes the central nervous system of fish so they cannot breathe.”
And, in Revelation 16:4 “the third poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water and they became blood”. The angel, in Revelation 16:5-7 explains, “they have poured out the blood of the saints … you have given them blood to drink”.
The Wrath of God (cont’d)
Revelation 16:8–14
In Revelation 16:8 “the fourth poured out his bowl on the sun… and people were burned up by great heat”. It isn’t necessary to explain the natural phenomenon that might cause this effect, but certainly an increase in solar flare activity could, or a change in the ozone layer could.
In Revelation 18:10-11 “the fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast … and they blasphemed the God of heaven”. This is different from the sores experienced by those having only the mark of the beast. For these, “they began chewing their tongues because of the pain”. It is easy to think with today’s technology that some would augment themselves, implant, to enhance themselves and what might go wrong? It isn’t unusual for science fiction to become science fact. And I caution here, that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
In Revelation 16:12-14 “the sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up … prepared for the kings from the east”. And China’s President has proposed the “Belt and Road Initiative” to boost trade and stimulate economic growth across Asia and revive the old silk road.
And He Gathered Them
Revelation 16:15–21
In Revelation 16:15 there is a reminder, “I Am Coming Like A Thief”, Jesus will come and harvest the believers before the final wrath. Then in Revelation 16:16 it says “he gathered them” before Revelation 16:17 “the seventh poured out his bowl on the air, and a loud voice came saying, … it is done”. Then in Revelation 16:18-21 “a great earthquake, as has not happened from the time humanity has been on the earth”. Not only is this Armageddon, but the destruction of “the great city”, Babylon.
I Will Show You The Judgement
Revelation 17:1–8
The woman “is that miserable attempt made in every age to counterfeit the true Church of the living God. Man does not like the religion of the cross, of faith, of self-denial, and each age has witnessed some false system from which all these objectionable elements are eliminated. Surely a meretricious system has revealed itself successively in Babylon, Jerusalem, Rome, London, New York, and other great centers. Fashion smiles on it, wealth bedizens it, human power unites with it, and in every age it has been drunken with the blood of martyrs.4
Rather than stand for righteousness and holiness, this false religion not only throws off all restraint, but teaches this as the way.
Study Verses
- Revelation 14:6–11
- Revelation 15:5–8
- Revelation 16:8–14
Today’s Reading
- Revelation 14:6-20
- Revelation 15:1-8
- Revelation 16:1-21
- Revelation 17:1-8
References
- 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 586). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 586). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- 3. Barnes, Albert (1847). Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- 4. Meyer, F.B. (1914). Through the Bible Day by Day