Revelation Chapter Fourteen

The Three Angels’ Messages

Revelation 14:1

“then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”

Revelation 14:1

“then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb “

• John now sees the Lamb (Jesus) standing on the mount
• “Mount Zion” represents “the city of the great King” (Psalms 48:2) which is the New Jerusalem

 “and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand”

• These are those who will stand faithful through the last days (Rev. 6:17)
• These are the sealed of God (Rev. 7:4)
• These are God’s people after the close of probation which occurs when all are sealed
• These are now described to compare to those who have Satan’s seal (mark) (Rev. 13:16-18)

 “who had his name and his Father’s name”

• The 144,000 will have Jesus name: they will have faith in Jesus (Rev. 14:12) as their Savior (Matt. 1:21) and will reject the false Christ
• The 144,000 will have God’s name or character: they will keep God’s Law (Rev. 14:12) including the 7^th day Sabbath and reject the false Sabbath (Sunday)

 “written on their foreheads.”

• Written in their hearts and minds
• This means they will have chosen to serve Jesus and God
• See comments under Introduction
• This means they belong to Jesus and to the Father

Revelation 14:2

“And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps.”

Revelation 14:2

“And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder”

• John now hears a “voice” or “sound” from heaven
• This voice resembles Jesus voice (Rev. 1:15) as the sound of many waters
• Thunder often implies divine presence (Job 37:4, Ps. 29, Rev. 4:5; 6:1) 
• However, the sound is probably the voices of the 144,000 (see next verse)

 “like the sound of harpers playing on their harps.”

• These sounds are very musical
• These are the sounds of triumph

Revelation 14:3

“and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.”

Revelation 14:3

“and they sing a new song before the throne”

• The 144,000 will sing a “new song”
• This song can only be sung by them because of their unique experience having come through the time of trouble (Dan. 12:1) or the great tribulation (Matt 24:21)
• They are seen singing this song before God’s throne (Rev. 4:2) which means they have overcome

 “and they sing a new song before the throne”

• This joyful singing of God’s people should be compared to what will happen to those with Satan’s mark (see Rev. 14:9-11)

“before the four living creatures and before the elders.”

• These are the 4 creatures around the throne (see Rev. 4:6)

• This connects this vision to the prior visions of Revelation 4,5,6,7,8, and 9 which relate to the throne room
• The “elders” are the 24 elders (see Rev. 4:4)

 “No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand”

• This is a unique song of experience

“who had been redeemed from the earth.”

• Greek “agorazo” means “to buy” or “purchase”
• They are bought by Jesus blood
• They were redeemed as the only living righteous at the 2^nd Coming
• They are not all of the redeemed (I Thess. 4:16,17)

Revelation 14:4

“It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb.”

Revelation 14:4

“It is these who have not defiled”

• Greek verb “moluna” means “to defile” “to stain” or “to soil”
• The tense of the verb suggests a specific time or period of time (the time of the mark of the beast)
• This is not referring to physical sex but to spiritual defilement
• This refers to an illicit relationship with a false religion or church)

• God’s people will not accept the false teachings of false churches during this time (see Ephesus church discussion Rev. 2:1-7)

“with women”

• Women represent churches: a pure woman represents God’s church (Rev. 19:7) and an impure woman (prostitute or harlot) represents an apostate church  (see Rev. 17:1-5)
• “Women” here represent any apostate church or religion at the time of the end when the 144,000 exist

“for they are chaste”

• Greek “parthenoi” means “virgin” or “chaste”
• Can refer to men or women
• This is symbolic of those who reject apostate religion at the time of the end

”it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes”

• They will follow the Lamb while here on earth
• They will follow the Lamb throughout eternity
• This is suggested in Rev. 7:15 where they are described as serving Him “day and night within his temple”

”as first fruits for God and the Lamb.”

• The Greek suggests they are a special “gift” or “offering”
• They will be representatives of God’s saved throughout eternity
• At the close of probation they are technically the first saved even though they have not yet been taken to heaven and in this sense they are the first fruits of the saved

Revelation 14:5

“and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.”

Revelation 14:5

“was found”

• The Greek verb suggests found at a certain point in time
• This does not mean that they had never sinned or erred but had overcome at a certain point

“and in their mouth no lie”

• Greek “dolos” means “deceit” or “fraud” however, textual evidence suggests that the Greek word “pesudos” meaning “lie” or “falsehood” is the better translation here
• Lying is significant at the end of time
• There will be a false Sabbath at the end of time which is a lie
• There will be a false Christ at the end of time which is a lie
• There will be false interpretations of Scripture by the false Christ which are lies
• The 144,000 will not accept any of these lies

 “for they are spotless.”

• The 144,000 will be “spotless” or “blameless” before God
• They will reject Satan’s lies
• They will keep God’s commandments and trust in the real Jesus

Revelation 14:6 

“Then I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”

Revelation 14:6

 “Then I saw another angel”

• “I saw” introduces another vision (the first 5 verses of Revelation 14 relate more to Revelation 13)
• John now sees “another angel”
• This angel represents God’s people who will carry this message that God’s judgment has come

 “flying in mid heaven,”

• This suggests a worldwide message
• This worldwide audience is confirmed in the  phrase “every nation”

“with an eternal gospel “

• This “gospel” is the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ
• This is an eternal gospel which will never be replaced

• This gospel will be challenged by the false Christ at the time of the end

 “to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”

• This gospel will be proclaimed worldwide: to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people
• The three angels’ messages are for those who live in the last days since their messages are followed by the 2^nd coming (Rev. 14:14-20)
• Therefore, this is the last days audience: “every nation and tribe and tongue and people”

Revelation 14:7

“and he said with a loud voice, ‘fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water.’”

Revelation 14:7

“and he said with a loud voice,”

• A “loud voice” suggests that the message is important
• A “loud voice” suggests that the message will be heard by everyone
• Also a “loud voice” in Revelation often is associated with judgment as is the case here (see Rev. 5:2,12; 7:2; 12:10; 14:9; 14:15,18; 16:1; 19:17)

“fear God “

• To “fear God” means to respect or reverence God
• To “fear God” also suggests loyalty and surrender to His will
• Reverence to the true God will be an issue in the last days when the false Christ claims to be God (II Thess. 2:4)

 “give him glory”

• Give God the glory and not false gods (science, money, the false Christ, etc.)

“for the hour of his judgment has come;”

• The reason to glorify God was because His judgment had come (time was running out)
• The “hour” means the “time” of His judgment, not a literal hour
• Historically, this text was fulfilled in 1844 when the investigative judgment began
• This judgment was described by Daniel when he saw “thrones placed” and “the court sat in judgment” (Dan. 7:9,10)
• This scene is also described in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 where the 24 elders are placed on their thrones
• This judgment process began at the end of the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14 that went from 457 B.C. to 1844 (Dan. 9:25)

 “judgment”

• Greek “krisis” meaning “the act of judgment”
• as compared to Greek “krima” meaning “the sentence of judgment”
• This “act of judgment” process is occurring in heaven
• This message of judgment was proclaimed in the early 1830’s to 1844 and continues today

• This is not the executive phase of judgment because it precedes the 2^nd Coming and it offers an appeal to repent

“has come”

• This judgment hour has arrived
• This investigative judgment began in 1844 to restore or cleanse the heavenly sanctuary (Dan. 814)
• To cleanse heaven of our sins transferred their with the Lamb’s blood
• To restore heaven to its prior state of total trust in God

 “and worship him who made”

• The first angel’s message is a call to worship the Creator God
• This call to worship the Creator was especially important in the 1800’s because of the Theory of Evolution
• This call will be important in the last days because the false Christ will claim to be God

 “heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water.”

• This call to worship the Creator God is linked to Revelation chapter 4 where God is seen participating in the judgment and is praised as the Creator (Rev. 4:11)
• This call to worship the true Creator is a call to reject the false Christ in the last days

• This call to worship the Creator is also linked to the Sabbath, which is a reminder of God as our Creator (Exodus 20:10,11) and therefore the first angel’s message is a reminder of the true Sabbath (7^th day)
• Each of the three angels’ messages will relate to the true or false Sabbath

• In the last days worship of the true God will be confirmed by worshipping on His true Sabbath (7^th day)
• In the last days worship of the false Christ will be confirmed by worshipping on his false Sabbath (Sunday)
• True Sabbath keeping is a safeguard against false worship and infidelity (P.P. p.336)

Revelation 14:8

“Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion.’”

Revelation 14:8

“Another angel, a second, followed”

• Now John sees a 2^nd angel with a 2^nd message for the last days

• The Greek word suggests either “to accompany” or “to follow”
• The 2^nd angel’s message will “follow” the 1^st angel’s message in time
• The 1^st angels message began in 1844 when the investigative judgment began and is still ongoing
• The 2^nd angel’s message will occur after 1844
• Also the 2^nd angel’s message will “accompany” the 1^st angel’s message since both messages extend to the time of the end

“saying”

• The 1^st and 3^rd messages are said with a “loud voice”
• This message is later repeated with a “mighty voice” (Rev. 18:2)

“Babylon the great”

• This is the same “Babylon the great” described in Rev. 17:5 and Revelation chapter 18
• This is the “mother of harlots” (Rev. 17:5)
• This is the “scarlet woman” (Rev. 17:3,4)
• She is seated on 7 hills (Rev. 17:9)
• This woman is also “the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:18)
• The city of 7 hills which had dominion over the world in John’s day was the city of Rome
• Papal Rome will again have worldwide influence and dominion in the last days
• Some have applied Babylon to all apostate religions
• Some have applied Babylon as a symbol of Satan’s false government or of evil as opposed to good
• Some suggest it means disbelief or defiance to God (Gen. 11:4-9)
• However, in the last days Babylon the great is Papal Rome (see Rev. 17:5,18)

 “fallen is Babylon”

• Babylon is fallen because she “made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion”

“drink the wine”

• Wine represents her false teachings
• Drinking the wine represents accepting or taking in those falsehoods
• This verse is connected to Rev. 17:2 where the “dwellers” on earth are drunk with the wine of her “fornication”
• Just as wine clouds the mind these falsehoods will limit their ability to accept the truth

“of her impure passion”

• This is the wine of her fornication
• Instead of this church having a pure relationship with God it will have an impure relationship (fornication) with the world
• This relationship with the world will lead to a church-state union
• This church-state union will enforce its false religion through legislation (Rev. 13:15-17)
• The 2^nd angel’s message will be fulfilled when “all nations drink” the wine of her fornication
• This will occur when the false Sabbath is mandated as law in the United States and then accepted by other countries in the world

 “all nations”

• “nations” refers to a portion of the last days audience which is “every nation and tribe and tongue and people”
• These “nations” will be those which claim a Christian heritage and support the false Sabbath
• These “nations” do not include those countries dominated by other non- Christian religions which will not necessarily accept the false Sabbath
• This text will be fulfilled after the image to the beast has been formed (Rev. 13:14,15)
• Natural disasters will lead to the enactment of the Sunday Law which will confirm the church-state union and form the image to the beast
• This text will be fulfilled when the Papacy (Babylon) succeeds in getting the world to accept its false Sabbath
• This text will be fulfilled when the universal Sunday Law becomes worldwide
• This event will be followed by the mark of the beast (the 3^rd angel’s message)

Revelation 14:9

“and another angel, a third, followed, saying with a loud voice, ‘if anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand '”.

Revelation 14:9

“a third, followed”

• The 3^rd angel’s message will also follow in time (occur after the 2^nd)
• The 3^rd angel’s message will also accompany the other two messages to the end of time

“saying with a loud voice”

• Loud implies everyone will hear it
• Loud implies it is an important message
• Loud also implies judgment in the book of Revelation

“if anyone worships the beast and its image’”

• This message is for those who worship the beast and its image

“the beast”

• Is described in Revelation 13:1-3, 5-8.
• Has ten horns and seven heads (Revelation 13:1).
• Had a mortal wound that healed (Revelation 13:3). This mortal wound to its head occurred in 1798, when General Berthier took Pope Pius VI captive. This wound healed in 1929 when Mussolini gave the Vatican City back the land on which it sits, which reinstated the Papacy as a church-state kingdom.
• Will rule during the last days for 42 months or 3-1/2 years (Revelation 13:5)
• Will exist at the same time as its image (Revelation 13:14).
• Will exist at the same time as the lamb-like beast (Revelation 13:12).
• Forms an image that will cause a mark to be created (Revelation 13:16)
• Is the leopard-like beast of Revelation chapter 13
• Is the Papacy

 “and its image”

• The image to the beast will be formed by the lamb-like beast (Rev. 13:15)
• The lamb-like beast is the United States of America with its two horns of religious and civil liberty (see discussion on Rev. 13:11,12)
• The original beast was a church-state union
• The image to the beast will be a church-state union
• This image will develop after the original beast’s wound has healed (Rev. 13:12)

• This image will exist along with the original beast since people will worship both of them at the same time
• This image to the beast is the United States of America after it loses its first horn (religious liberty) and becomes a church-state union
• Once the Sunday law has been passed by the United States of America, the United States of America will become the image to the beast.

“receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand”

• This mark is the beast’s sign or seal
• This mark is a sign of allegiance to the beast
• God’s seal in the last days is His Sabbath
• The beast’s seal or mark is his false Sabbath which is Sunday

• The initial passage of the Sunday Law is not the mark (see discussion on Rev. 13:16,17)
• The mark occurs once penalties are attached
• The initial penalty will be the inability to buy or sell (Rev. 13:17)
• The final penalty will be death (Rev. 13:15)

• This mark on the forehead represents a conscious commitment to and belief in the beast and its falsehoods
• This mark on the hand represents an action of expediency: an action to avoid the penalty even though there is no belief or commitment
• Keeping the Sunday Law after penalties are attached guarantees the mark regardless of belief

Revelation 14:10

“he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb.”

Revelation 14:10

“shall drink the wine of God’s wrath”

• John now describes what will happen to those with the mark
• Those who drink the wine of the scarlet woman (Rev. 17:1,2) will also drink God’s wine of wrath
• The scarlet woman’s wine is her false teachings
• God’s wine of wrath is the 7 last plagues (Rev. 15:1) which fall on those with the mark (Rev. 16:2)

 “poured unmixed into the cup of his anger”

• God’s wrath will be poured out unmixed with His mercy

“and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone”

• “and he” suggests this is in addition to the wrath of God (plagues)
• This fire and brimstone suggests a final destruction similar to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24)
• Fire and brimstone (or sulphur) are connected to the final destruction of the beast and false prophet (compare Rev. 19:20 and Rev. 20:10)

• This torment occurs in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb which also suggests the final destruction in Revelation 20:10,14,15
• This torment will occur at the 3^rd Coming when Jesus brings down the New Jerusalem from heaven

Revelation 14:11

“And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever 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.”

Revelation 14:11

“the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever”

• This text has been misinterpreted as meaning that God will torment the wicked for ever
• The Greek phrase translated “for ever and ever” means for a certain period until completed
• This text is saying that their smoke goes up until they are completely destroyed
• Also their destruction is eternal, meaning they will never live again

“they have no rest, day or night”

• The Greek word translated “rest” means “cessation” or “refreshment”
• This phrase means that there will be no cessation of this continuous torment until it is complete
• Neither of these two phrases mean that God will punish people forever

“these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

• This phrase reaffirms that those who will suffer this punishment are those who worship the beast or its image or have its mark
• The issue is false worship

Revelation 14:12

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Revelation 14:12

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints”

• This endurance is needed to endure the events described under the 3 angel’s messages
• The 1^st angel’s message involves the investigative judgment
• The 2^nd angel’s message involves the world’s acceptance of the Sunday Law and the reign of terror of the leopard-like beast (Papacy) (Rev. 13)
• This endurance is needed to endure the events described under the 3 angel’s messages
• The 3^rd angel’s message involves the mark of the beast which means the Sunday Law will be enforced using the buy-sell law (Rev. 13:17)
• Ultimately, a law will be passed that will “cause those who will not worship the image of the beast to be slain” (Rev. 13:15)

“keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”

• This means all of God’s 10 Commandments and especially the 4^th
• God’s 4^th commandment is involved in all 3 of the 3 angels’ messages
• The 4^th commandment (Sabbath) is linked to the Creator God in the 1^st angel’s message
• The 2^nd angel’s message describes the world accepting a false Sabbath (Sunday)
• The 3^rd angel’s message describes the mark which comes from enforcing the false Sabbath (Sunday)
• This text defines who God’s saints are in the last days:
• They keep God’s Commandments (all of them)
• They keep the faith of Jesus
• These two characteristics define those who are sealed (Rev. 7:3,4)
• God’s seal in the last days will be His Sabbath which is the 4^th commandment; Satan’s seal or mark will be his false Sabbath (Sunday)
• Faith in the true Jesus in the last days will be opposed to a belief in the false Christ (Satan) who will attempt to reign as Christ returned
• The saints adherence to these two truths (God’s true Sabbath and the true Jesus) is why the dragon (Satan) is “angry with the woman” (Rev. 12:17)
• Satan as the false Christ will attempt to force his false Sabbath on God’s people
• The saints at the end of time will be defined as those who refuse to accept Satan’s false Sabbath and thereby break God’s Law. The saints in the last days will be defined as those who reject the false Christ and keep faith in the true Jesus Christ, their Savior and Lord.

Revelation 14:13

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’”

Revelation 14:13

“`Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.’”

• This is one of the 7 beatitudes or blessings of the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; and 22:14)
• This blessing is on those who die in the Lord: those who refuse to give up their faith in Jesus
• This blessing is placed on those who will die during the 3^rd angel’s message (“henceforth”)
• These are the ones who will be persecuted and slain because they refuse to accept the mark of the beast or worship the beast or its image (Revelation 13:15).
• This blessing is on the “wise” who will fall prior to the time of the end (Dan. 11:35)
• The “wise” of Daniel 11:35 are those who “shall understand” (Dan. 12:10)
• They understand who the abomination that makes desolate is: Satan
• They understand who the 8^th king is: Satan
• They understand who the false Christ is: Satan
• The “wise” will fall until the time of the end (Dan. 11:31) which is the close of probation

 “blessed indeed”

• They are blessed because God will not forget them: “their deeds follow them”
• They are blessed because they can “rest from their labors”
• They are blessed because they can sleep thru the time of trouble such as never has been (Dan. 12:1)

 “rest from their labors”

• Death is described here as “rest”
• Jesus described death as sleep (John 11:11-14)
• Those of God’s people who die during the 3^rd angel’s message will rest from the persecution of Satan and his followers

Revelation 14:14 

“Then I looked, and lo, 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.”

Revelation 14:14

• Now John sees a new scene which is closely connected to the previous vision
• This new scene portrays the 2^nd Coming
• This close connection to the 3 angels’ messages suggests that the 3 angels’ messages are the final messages to the world just prior to Jesus return

 “one like a son of man”

• This Son of Man was described earlier (Rev. 1:13) and is Jesus
• This Son of Man is sitting on a cloud ( see Acts 1:9-11)
• He is wearing a crown of victory

 “a sharp sickle in his hand”

• Jesus is returning victorious to harvest His people
• This is the harvest of the good seed (Matt. 13:30)
• This is the harvest of those with God’s seal in their forehead
• This is the harvest of those who have rejected the false Sabbath and the false Christ

Revelation 14:15

“And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, ‘Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.’”

Revelation 14:15

• John now sees an angel which comes “out of the temple”
• This is the temple where God reigns (compare Rev. 4:2,3; 8:3; 11:19; 15:8; 16:17)
• This is the temple where the investigative judgment went on (compare Dan. 7:10; Rev. 4:2-4; 5:6-8)

“him who sat upon the cloud”

• This is the Son of Man (Rev. 14:14)
• This is Jesus

 “Put in your sickle, and reap”

• Jesus is the Harvester
• The grain represents the righteous who are “fully ripe”
• The grain has been ready since the close of probation and is “fully ripe”
• It is now time to reap the righteous

 “for the hour to reap has come”

• This is the hour that no one knows not even the Son (Matt. 24:36)
• The world has reached the end of its time
• The world is about to self destruct (Matt. 24:22)

Revelation 14:16

“So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”

Revelation 14:16

“and the earth was reaped.”

• Jesus now reaps the earth of its grain (righteous)
• This represents the 2^nd Coming when Jesus returns to save His people
• Those alive are the 144,000 sealed
• The dead in Christ are raised at this time also      (I Thess. 4:16,17)

Revelation 14:17

“And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.”

Revelation 14:17

 “another angel”

• This angel also has to do with judgment

 “out of the temple”

• The temple is where God’s sits on His throne in judgment

 “a sharp sickle”

• This sickle will be used for reaping the wicked (grapes)

Revelation 14:18

“Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.’”

Revelation 14:18

 “another angel”

• This is the 6^th angel John has described in Revelation chapter 14
• The first 3 angels give God’s last message of warning to the world
• The last 3 angels are involved with the judgment of the righteous and the wicked: the righteous for reward and the wicked for punishment

 “from the altar”

• This is “the golden altar before the throne” (Rev. 8:3) where the saints prayers are ministered (Rev. 8:3,4)
• This is the altar where the saints were seen crying out for vengeance (Rev. 6:9,10)
• This angel is now sent in response to those cries

 “power over fire”

• This is the fire that Peter described in connection with the 2^nd Coming (II Peter 3:10-12)

 “a loud voice”

• Loud because it is heard worldwide
• Loud because it is the voice of judgment

 “gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe”

• The grapes represent the wicked
• These are those who worshipped the beast and its image (Rev. 14:9)
• These grapes are those who drank Babylon’s wine (Rev. 14:8)
• These grapes have already drunk some of God’s wrath in the form of His plagues (Rev. 15:1)

 “for its grapes are ripe”

• These grapes are now ripe for punishment
• God has completed the first five plagues
• The final two plagues are about to fall
• Satan’s reign in Jerusalem has ended and Armageddon is about to begin

Revelation 14:19

“So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God;”

Revelation 14:19

“swung his sickle on the earth”

• This angel is now seen swinging “his sickle on the earth”
• The earth represents the entire world
• This judgment is worldwide

“gathered the vintage of the earth”

• This gathering of the wicked correlates with Rev. 16:14,16
• The wicked are gathered together for one final battle (Armageddon)
• This battle will occur “outside the city” (Rev. 14:20)
• This same battle is described in Rev. 9:14-16 where 1/3 of mankind is killed
• This battle is also described in Dan. 11:44,45

“the great wine press of the wrath of God”

• This wine press is part of the wrath of God
• The wrath of God is the 7 last plagues (Rev. 15:1)
• This battle is the 6^th plague and is part of “the wrath of God” (Rev. 15:1)

Revelation 14:20

“and the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for one thousand six hundred stadia.”

Revelation 14:20

“the wine press was trodden outside the city”

• This is a description of the destruction of the wicked
• This battle will begin outside Jerusalem which is “the city”
• This same battle was described as fought in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:11,12)
• This same wine press is also described by Joel in the next verse (Joel 3:13)

• Joel is clearly describing the same events and they are associated with the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31)
• Joel also links signs in the sun, moon, and stars to this day of the Lord (Joel 2:10,11) which parallel the 6^th seal events (Rev. 6:12,13)

 “blood flowed as high as a horse’s bridle”

• This describes a massive loss of life
• This is the same loss of life described in the 6^th trumpet: “a third of mankind” (Rev. 9:15,18)
• This loss of life will involve large population centers worldwide

Summary

• Revelation chapter 14 begins with a description of those who will not receive the mark of the beast (described at the end of chapter 13)
• This group is called the 144,000
• They will be unstained by the beast or its image
• They will reject the false Sabbath
• The 144,000
• They will reject the false Christ (8^th king)
• They will keep all of God’s commandments including the 4^th
• They will keep faith in the true Jesus Christ
• John then describes the last day’s message: the 3 angel’s messages

The first angel’s message:

• Describes the gospel of Jesus going to all the world
• Warns that the hour of God’s judgment has come
• This judgment must occur before Christ can come to reward the righteous and the wicked
• This judgment involves only those in the book of life (compare Dan. 7:9,10; Rev. 4;2-4; Rev. 13:8 and Rev. 5:2-7)

• Warns that the hour of God’s judgment has come
• This judgment is symbolized by the cleansing of the sanctuary in the Old Testament
• This hour of judgment began in 1844 (Dan. 8:14 compare Dan. 9:24-27)
• This judgment is called the investigative judgment because heaven is investigating the records of those who will be saved (the names in the book of life of the Lamb Slain)
• Tells the world to worship their Creator God
• This message was attacked first with theory of evolution in the 1850s-1860s
• This message will be attacked again in the last days by Satan claiming to be God returned as the false Christ         
• Reminds the world that true Sabbath worship was established because God is our Creator (compare Exodus 20:8-11 and Rev.14:7)
• The first angel’s message:
• Emphasizes: the gospel to the entire world, the beginning of God’s investigative judgment, that God is Creator, and that He established the true Sabbath as Creator

The second angel’s message:

• Warns that Babylon has fallen
• Babylon represents apostate Christianity and especially Papal Rome (Rev. 17:5,18)
• Warns that Babylon has fallen
• Babylon has fallen because she made all nations drink of the wine of her impure passion
• All nations refers to a portion of the last days audience (nations, tribes, tongues and peoples)
• These nations will form an alliance with Babylon by drinking her wine (accepting her falsehoods)
• This alliance or church-state union will enact a Sunday Law which will become law in these nations

• Emphasizes: that apostate Christianity led by Papal Rome has fallen by enacting a Sunday Law accepted by the world’s “Christian” countries
• This Sunday Law marks the beginning of spiritual control of the world by the leopard- like beast which will last 42 months (Rev. 13:5) 

The third angel’s message:

• Warns of a mark of the beast
• This mark will be enforced by the image to the beast, which is the United States after it becomes a church-state union and passes the Sunday Law
• This mark is not the enactment of the Sunday Law but occurs once it is enforced by the image with the buy-sell law (Rev. 13:16,17)
• Warns of a mark of the beast
• The mark will occur when people are required to accept the false Sabbath or lose all economic power
• Warns that God’s wrath will fall on those with the mark
• God’s wrath is the 7 last plagues (Rev. 15:1;16:1,2)
• Warns that those with the mark will also receive fire and brimstone which refers to their eternal destruction
• Emphasizes: the mark of the beast which occurs when the Sunday Law is enforced by the threat of loss of all economic power, the wrath of God which will fall on those with the mark and the eternal loss which will result

The saints are described as:

• Those who keep God’s Law: reject the false Sabbath (Sunday)
• Those who keep faith in the true Jesus: reject the false Christ (Satan as the 8^th king)

• The 8^th king will reign at the end of the leopard-like beast’s reign (Rev. 17:10,11)
• The 8^th king will reign after the Sunday Law has been passed (2^nd angel’s message) but before the mark occurs (G.C.p.624)
• Revelation 14 closes with a description of the harvest of the righteous and then the harvest of the wicked
• The grain represents the 144,000 and appear to be harvested first suggesting that once probation closes God’s people are secure
• The grapes represent the wicked which are seen destroyed outside the city which refers to Jerusalem, Israel
• This parallels Joel’s description of a battle prior to the 2^nd Coming
• This parallels the 6^th trumpet and the 6^th plague
• The grapes represent the wicked which are seen destroyed outside the city which refers to Jerusalem, Israel
• This battle is the battle of Armageddon
• This battle will be interrupted by the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ