May 25, 2024
We have spent a bit of time over past 2 weeks exploring Satan’s activities and rightly so. It is important for us to understand that He is real. He is active. He is out to destroy us if he can.
While Satan has been rampaging around the world “seeking whom he may destroy,” (1 Peter 5:8) God has been working too. He does so through those who have remained faithful to him. He has given them the responsibility to get the message out: God loves you. He died to save you. Please choose him before it is too late.
Why is this message so important? Because, in order for there to be true peace in the universe, SIN. HAS. TO. GO (including yours and mine). As long as Satan/sin exists there will continue to be death and war and heartache and pain. Sin must be destroyed and the instigator of sin along with it. However – and please get this – anyone else who is destroyed, perishes because they choose that ending rather than accept the ending Jesus offers. So, God’s people must get the word out ----
John’s gaze returns to heaven where he sees Jesus (the Lamb) standing on Mount Zion, surrounded by the 144,000, “who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”
In the Old Testament, Mount Zion stood as the center of God’s rule on earth where his people were safe from their enemies:
Psalm 48:1-3 - Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
Psalm 125:1-2 - Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
Isaiah 4:5-6 - Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
The 2nd thing to note is that the victorious 144,000 are not actually in heaven. They are represented as being there because, while they remain on earth, their home country is Heaven and their hearts are there.
They have both the Lamb’s name and his Father’s name on their foreheads. They have been transformed in thought and character and are a true representation of the One they love.
Revelation 14:3 - And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
What is this song that no one else can learn?
It is a song of deliverance and victory, much like the song Moses and the Israelites sang on the shore of the Red Sea:
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Yahweh, and they said,
“Let me sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted;
the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.
Yah is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him—the God of my father—and I will exalt him.
Yahweh is a man of war; Yahweh is his name.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he cast into the sea,
and his choice adjutants were sunk in the ?Red Sea?.
The deep waters covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
Yahweh, your right hand is glorious in power;
Yahweh, your right hand destroyed the enemy.
And in the greatness of your majesty you overthrew those standing up to you;
you released your fierce anger, and it consumed them like stubble.
And by the breath of your nostrils waters were piled up;
waves stood like a heap;
deep waters in the middle of the sea congealed.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide plunder,
my desire will be full of them, I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
You blew with your breath; the sea covered them;
they dropped like lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh?
Who is like you—glorious in holiness, awesome in praiseworthy actions, doing wonders?
You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
In your loyal love you led the people whom you redeemed;
in your strength you guided them to the abode of your holiness.
Peoples heard; they trembled;
anguish seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the chiefs of Edom were horrified; great distress seized the leaders of Moab;
all of the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
Terror and dread fell on them;
at the greatness of your arm they became silent like the stone,
until your people passed by, Yahweh,
until the people whom you bought passed by.
You brought them and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance,
a place you made for yourself to inhabit, Yahweh,
a sanctuary, Lord, that your hands established.
Yahweh will reign as king forever and ever.” ---- Exodus 15:1-18 LEB
No other group in earth’s history has been so targeted as this group. Yet, despite Satan’s unrelenting assaults, they have stood firm and endured. They have gone through the great tribulation and they are victorious.
Next, John describes the characteristics of the 144,000:
• First – “They have not defiled themselves with women.” Again, we need to understand this as a symbolic description. Revelation 17 and 18 speak of how the apostate churches will seduce the world into adulterous relationships with them. God’s end-time army, however, remain faithful to God. They have not committed spiritual adultery with the harlot or her daughters.
• Second – “They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” God’s end-time people are unwavering in their loyalty to him. They know His voice and will not follow another:
John 10:2-5 - The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.
• Third – “No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” This declarations echoes Zephaniah 3:13:
“The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”
The “lie” John is talking about is more than untruthfulness. While most of the world will choose to believe the lies of Satan:
John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 - The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
God’s people love the truth and speak the truth – they are blameless. Does this mean they are perfect? Sinless? No. The Greek word, “amomos” does not mean a state of moral perfection, but rather a faithfulness that is demonstrated in the life of God’s people – they are without blemish.
Noah was blameless (Genesis 6:9) – not perfect.
Abraham was blameless (Genesis 17:1) – not perfect.
Job was blameless (Job 1:1) – not perfect.
God’s end-time people stand in Christ’s righteousness, in his perfection. Their robes have been washed white by his blood; therefore, they stand blameless and spotless before God:
Psalm 15:1-5 - LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
That brings us to the 3 messages God’s end-time people have been charged with delivering to the inhabitants of earth:
1st Angel (14:6-7):
God’s end-time people have been tasked with telling “those who live on the earth,” the eternal, never-ending, Good News of the salvation that is offered to them through the sacrifice of Jesus. The only way out of the misery of sin is through Jesus and that way out is to be proclaimed to “every nation, tribe, language and people.” The message comes with 2 exhortations:
• The 1st is to fear God and give him glory, “because the hour of his judgment has come.”
Here we are talking about reverence, awe, an acknowledgement that God is God and we are not. It reveals a right relationship between Creator and created (11:13; 15:4).
These words echo Solomon’s final instructions in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
This declaration, “… the hour of his judgment has come.” announces to the world that the Pre-advent judgment, first revealed in Daniel (7:9-10, 26), has begun.
To the universe, judgment reveals Gods righteousness in his dealings with every human.
To God’s people, judgment means vindication and eternity with him. It means the verdict has been rendered in their favor. They were right to stand for Jesus.
To the wicked, judgment means condemnation and eternal separation from God. It may be a painful realization, but it is something they have repeatedly said they wanted – life without God. What they have not grasped or refuse to acknowledge is that the absence of God = the absence of life.
• The 2nd is to “Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
Again, to worship God as Creator acknowledges his place in and authority over the universe.
This call to worship God as Creator is placed within the context of the 4th Commandment – the Sabbath Commandment.
The observance of the 7th day Sabbath is a special sign of our relationship with God. It acknowledges our complete reliance on Him as both Creator:
Exodus 20:8-11 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
and Redeemer:
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 - Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.
Worship will be central in the final conflict. The people of earth only have 2 choices: worship God (Creator – Job 38-39; Is. 45:18) or worship Satan (created – Ez. 28:13-17). There is no middle ground.
2nd Angel (14:8):
The 1st Angel’s Message is a call to worship the true God. The 2nd announces the fall of Babylon the Great – the counterfeit Trinity – Dragon (Satan) Sea Beast (Religious Power) Earth Beast (Political Power).
• In Revelation, “Babylon the Great” is rooted in ancient Babylon. Right from the beginning, in Genesis, Babylon is equated with arrogance and rebellion against God:
Genesis 11:1-9 - Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved from the east, they found a plain in Shinar (that is, Babylonia) and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel (that is, Babylon) -- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
And in Isaiah, Babylon is equated with Satan and his attempt to make himself equal with God:
Isaiah 14:4-15 - you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon exult over you and say, "Now that you have been laid low, no woodsman comes to cut us down. The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you -- all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones -- all those who were kings over the nations.” They will all respond, they will say to you, "You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us." All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
“Babylon the Great” is judged because she made all the nations drink her intoxicating wine of spiritual adultery.
Jeremiah 51:6-7 - Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD's vengeance; he will pay her what she deserves. Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD's hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.
Revelation 17:1-2 - One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
The double announcement that Babylon has fallen provides assurance to God’s people that this Religious/Political system backed by Satan will not last long – it’s end is guaranteed. It also provides a warning to those who follow after the beast. The kingdom of Satan and the deception they have believed does not have a future – it has an expiration date (Rev. 18) – in contrast to God’s kingdom, which is eternal.
3rd Angel (14:9-11):
The final message is a serious warning to those who choose to worship the beast and its image and receive the Mark in their right hand or forehead. While the short-term consequences of dinking the intoxicating wine of Babylon, might feel good, the long-term consequences will be to drink the undiluted (no longer mixed with mercy) wine of God’s wrath that will be poured out on sin and those who choose to cling to it = the 7 last plagues (Rev. 15-16).
• Revelation 14:10b-11 - He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.
Fire and sulfur are a well known Old Testament symbol of judgment.
Genesis 19:24 - Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah -- from the LORD out of the heavens.
The concept of eternal fire and smoke comes from Isaiah’s prophecy against Edom:
Isaiah 34:8-10 - For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause. Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again.
Jude continues that theme in describing the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah in terms of “the punishment of eternal fire.”
What is going on? Is there an eternal burning hell? NO!
If we were to take a trip to the Middle East, would one of the stops on our tour be the burning cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? No. If we expanded our trip to include the former country of Edom, would we see nothing but flames? No.
Neither Sodom nor Gomorrah nor Edom are still burning BUT they ARE forever destroyed. Fire only burns so long as there is fuel. The fire of Revelation burns until there is nothing left to burn – it is complete and eternal annihilation.
Why use such strong language? Because the consequences are real and eternal. That’s why the message is so urgent. It is a wakeup call to the inhabitants of earth, “Please choose me before it is too late.”
There is a brief interlude in verses 12-13 calling for the endurance of God’s people, “who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” They are promised rest at the end of their great trial.
When the final message to humanity has been preached and Christ has finished his work in the Most Holy Place, the destiny of every person will be decided. Revelation 14:14-20 describes the separation between God’s people and the wicked as 2 great harvests: the Wheat Harvest and the Grape Harvest.
John sees Christ seated on a cloud. He is wearing the Stefanos crown and he has a sharp sickle in his hand, ready for the harvest:
Revelation 14:14-20 - Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Here is a symbolic portrayal of the great gathering of God’s people at the conclusion of earth’s history. The sealing is over and they are ready for the harvest. They will be gathered into God’s barn where they will be protected from the devastating effects of the 7 Last Plagues (Revelation 15-16):
Matthew 13:30 - Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.
Luke 3:17 - His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The Wheat Harvest is followed by the Grape Harvest. The angel in charge of the Altar of Incense signals the angel with the sharp sickle:
Revelation 14:18b-20 - … "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of about 180 miles.
The details of the Grape Harvest – for those who have irrevocably rejected God – will be described in the pouring out of the 7 Last Plagues. The language John uses points to the severity and scope of God’ wrath poured out on the wicked. The world will look like a vast battlefield.
The only way to escape the destiny of the Satanic Trinity is to choose God.
2 Peter 3:9-14 - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
