Revelation, Part 26 Series

Revelation, Part 26

Revelation 14:6-11

Introduction

Last week, we were treated with a great vision. We were treated to an opportunity to get to see how the rewards of living for God paid off in the lives of 144,000 souls who were faithful to Jesus Christ DURING the Tribulation.

These souls were not only worshipping Jesus for eternity – but they were preparing in their hearts to go to war again for the Lord. You see, worship is not just a thing you do now – it is something that you do to prepare to go tomorrow. Yesterday’s worship got your through today, so how has your day been so far?

These souls are demonstrating that even though they were killed (martyred) for their faith – that at the Throne of Grace those events no longer matter, as evidenced in the second part of verse 4 “They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb.”

So tonight, let’s delve a little farther into Chapter 14 (read verse 6-11)

Pray

Point 1 – Three ministering angels (v6-7)

In the 14th Chapter of Revelation there are 6 angels who are sent by God to warn His creation about the impending doom on the planet. They are sent as a wave of witnesses to tell of what is about to come, and again show God’s Grace and Mercy to those who would still not accept Him. Something of importance to note is that angels constantly work as the servants of the Lord, and they are often used by God to convey messages to this world in a physical manner that we can understand.

The Bible is loaded with examples of angels appearing to men and women (for example the angel that appeared to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus) – without this common belief, all of Christianity and the birth of Jesus falls apart.

These three angels that are appearing to men are for one purpose – to show mankind that they are being terribly deceived by Satan, and that they need to turn away immediately from this man they are calling “lord” and focus on the true and living God.

This first angel was proclaiming the everlasting gospel – which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has no beginning and no end. This is the same Gospel that we proclaim today, and that those living in the Tribulation have seen as well.

I want you to see that before God pronounces judgment, again His love and concern for this world is displayed in a manner that He allows us to repent. (Expound on Grace …)

The message is that we need to repent from our sins and turn to the Lord – and it is the same message that Noah gave for 120 years; that the angels proclaimed to Sodom and Gomorrah; that Jonah preached to warn Nineveh; that Jeremiah preached to Jerusalem; that Moses declared to Egypt, that Daniel read before the fall of Babylon’s wall, and that Jesus preached regarding the destruction of Jerusalem. You see, this message is universal, and without end!

Point 2 – Declaring the Falling of Babylon (verse 8)

This second angel preaches in a manner that the whole Earth can hear it at once – and the message is very prophetic. You see Babylon is thought of to be several different cities; it is either Rome, the future capital of the anti-Christ, or it refers to all the sinful age of man.

Satan is often referred to as the King of Babylon, and so this city either being his center of activity or the reference to all of sin is pretty common among scholars. God’s angels are declaring that those mankind have put their trust in will fall – and will be destroyed and for those hearing the message to turn away and repent!

Notes from Truthnet.org: Zechariah looks forward to a future day when wickedness will be built a home in the land of Babylon. (Zechariah 5:5-11) This future city will be the economic capital of the world (Rev 18). The world-wide focus on the re-building of Iraq could very well be a precursor to the fulfillment of this prophecy.

The US, UN, Europe and the world are involved in the rebuilding of Iraq. Part of this rebuilding is to make Iraq secular, an outpost of the west in the midst of a Muslim world. The wealth of the world will flow into the region to create stable oil rich region.

Cyrus the Great of Persia defeated Babylon, in 539 BC, but Babylon as a great city slowly disintegrated from its greatness. Alexander the Great died in the city in 333 BC. This Babylon was a foreshadowing of the coming Babylon that will one day rise to be destroyed by the Lord.