You Are What You Drink
Thirst is one of the most intense of all feelings that a person can have, and with good reason. Hunger is an intense feeling as well, but with the fat stores a person has one can last many days or weeks without food, but good old H2O is required by the body much more often. The body is overwhelmingly water based, comprising 50 to 60 % of the body's composition, and is used to excrete waste products generated by the body's organs, transport food and oxygen, and more. In short, you can die of thirst a lot quicker than you can die of hunger.
Liquids are used metaphorically in different places in the Bible. Jesus made the point with the woman at the well in John 4 that she would again grow thirsty with water from the well, but that He had "living water" that would satisfy her forever. The Bible also speaks of wine quite often, sometimes in terms that are good but often not.
This being said, we see the three angels sent by God in Revelation 14 dealing with liquid products in a metaphorical sense. The first angel offers the living water of the Gospel message, the second angel speaks of Babylon and the vintage of wrath of her fornication and the third angel speaks of the wine of wrath that those that reject salvation will drink resulting in death, destruction and condemnation. This week, we will see that a person is indeed what they drink.
Everlasting Gospel, Everlasting Water
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people--saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." Revelation 14:6-7 (NKJV)
We have heard the saying "you are what you eat", speaking to healthy choices in food resulting in a longer, better life. However, there is a big difference between what you drink as well; excessive alcohol consumption brings alcoholism and it's resultant diseases. You are what you drink, at least in a spiritual sense; if you drink of "living water" you become saved.
In verse 6, we see that another angel (different from those seen prior) flying in the midst of heaven. This would be the "first heaven", in other words, the sky. "In the air; so as to appear to be moving along the face of the sky. The scene cannot be in heaven, as the gospel is not to be preached there; but the word must denote "heaven" as it appears to us—the sky. Prof. Stuart renders it correctly "mid-air"" (Vincent). This angel would have a duty that angels have never had before: preach the "everlasting gospel" (Greek euanggeleon, good news)
What does this mean, the everlasting gospel? "The gospel is called the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23), the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1), the gospel of God (Mark 1:14), the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), the gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:13), the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), and the glorious gospel (1 Tim. 1:11). Here it is described as eternal because it provides the means to eternal life". (John MacArthur). Primarily, it means that the gospel is permanent, that it refers eternal life found in Jesus Christ. We see in the Gospel of John: "...whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14, NKJV).
To whom is this message addressed? "to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people". There are some people that believe that the Rapture of the church will not occur until everyone on earth has heard the gospel; they point to Matthew 24:14--"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." However, Jesus was referring instead to this event; it is a final warning, a last chance, for people to come to faith in Jesus Christ. God still extends His grace and mercy toward unrepenting mankind in this evil time.
Reverence, Repentance and Regeneration
saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Revelation 14:7-8
Booming from the sky will the voice of the angel preaching repentance, of turning away from sin and toward God. So often today, we hear a gospel that is a different gospel, which is not another (Gal 1:6) as we discussed a few weeks ago. We can see quite clearly in this message from this angel a message of reverence, repentance and regeneration.
One that is saved fears God knowing He exists. While there may be a smidgen of fear, the overwhelming thought here is one of reverence and awe. Everyone on the planet, deep down, knows that God exists; self-proclaimed atheists for all practical purposes know God exists but suppress that knowledge. In fact, they are in a state of magnified rebellion; the more they are judged by God here in Revelation the more they rebel and curse God.
One that is saved worships God and gives Him the glory (putting emphasis upon God instead of self). The unsaved person that comes to God knows that judgment is coming; "godly sorrow that brings repentance" (1 Cor 7:10).
God is the creator and sustainer and judge. While this message is meant for all, the message is primarily for Gentile believers and not Jews. We can see this because John refers to "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (v. 6), but also because of the reference to God as Creator. It is a question of origins and this establishes God above any other 'god' that was worshipped in antiquity.
Everlasting Condemnation, Drinking of the Wine of Fornication (v. 8)
The second angel pronounces the fall of Babylon. It's kind of odd, but most people that I talk with do not know that a large part of Babylon has been rebuilt. We will talk more about this when we get farther along in Revelation, but a large part was rebuilt by Saddam Hussein in the time leading up to 9/11--in Iraq.
There are a few lines of thought in regards to the subject of this passage in of the Scriptures. First is that a reference to Babylon is a reference to evil in the world. Babylon is symbolic of evil, as this was the birthplace of pagan religion as seen in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel (Babel, a.k.a. Babylon). The second is that Babylon is a literal place, but not just one place but two. Religious Babylon--the center of the one world religion of the end times--being in one city, and the political, economic and governmental city being Babylon itself.
Pay close attention to the last part of the verse: because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Babylon is fallen (stated as a concrete certainty, as though it had already happened) because, instead of worshipping the One True God, they played the adulterer with the devil. The world will drink the wine of evil and Satan instead of the Living Water of Jesus.
The Mindset of the End Times Already Being Felt
And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." Revelation 14:8-11 (NKJV)
During the end times, the church--the salt and light of the world--will be gone. It will have been snatched up at the Rapture, and evil will dominate the earth. The restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit will be removed in the Great Tribulation, that is, the second half of the Tribulation period and evil and mayhem will explode and bloom forth like the hot contents of an exploded pressure cooker (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Unless the people receive the truth and love the truth of the Gospel message, they will fall for the lie of Antichrist and be doomed forever.
Our society is becoming more and more perverse. Some people will cast doubt upon that notion, saying "my parents said the same thing about our generation, and their parents said the same thing about their generation". Think about that statement for a moment, as it may very well be true. If it is true, as I do believe it is, it is proof positive that things are getting worse from generation to generation and is not a matter of constant generational perspective.
Our country is, right now, ripe for a one world leader that is charismatic, lovable, handsome and seems to have all of the answers. However, our country's citizens, by and large, want answers that make them happy not make them holy. Our country has changed because of the influence of media such as movies, television, music and music videos and Internet. People are becoming more sensual in wanting more sex and perversity and/or have tolerated such; more material things, the bigger and better home, the newer and faster car with better a better mpg rating than their friends, family and neighbors. We truly are living in a time explained by the Apostle Paul: "...and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32 (NASB).
With all of the problems that our world has, the vast majority of the people do not want to make the hard decisions to upright our country, and even the world. Greece and Spain have preceded the United States in the materialistic free-fall and now are bankrupt; people still wanting their "stuff" are rioting in the streets. And, after the calamity of the Rapture to the world economy, Antichrist will arise.
Drinking of the Cup of Judgment
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11 (NKJV)
Antichrist will have all the answers to the world's problems, at least in the beginning. Now you might say "how could the people of the world fall for this?" Quite frankly, for the same reason that citizens of our country re-elect corrupt politicians--apathy. People do not care, they vote for the person that they know instead of really looking at what that person has done. In addition, our mainstream media makes politicians--even the obviously corrupt politicans--look like saints. In 1945, after World War II, if you were to tell the men that fought in that great conflict that our country would make legal abortion on demand, homosexual marriage and the trampling on the Constitution of the United States as it has those men would have thought you insane.
The angel that flew and pronounced the Gospel message was giving the world one last shot at salvation. In fact, angels had never given the gospel prior to this event as it was a message given by redeemed humans only. This event will leave no man with an excuse that he did not hear the gospel and had his shot at salvation. But the cost will be repentance and bowing to Jesus Christ and people will be so self centered and sensually driven that they will have none of it. The will be drunk on the wine of fornication served by Satan, Antichrist and the False Prophet.
Those people that worship Antichrist (which is the same as worshiping Satan), and take the mark of the beast on either the right hand or forehead will not only be lost forever, but they will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. They will have drunk deeply of the sensual wine of the world of sex, greed, violence and a sin free-for-all and will then pay the price. They truly will become what they have drunk.
Next week, we will examine verses 9-11 ask the following questions:
What does it mean "full strength"?
What does "the cup of His indignation" mean?
Is Hell literal, or is it a figure of speech?
Does Hell last forever, or are those that accept the mark of the beast "annihilated", or wiped out of existence as though they never existed?
What does it mean "'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on'"? How is death a blessing?
