Revelation 14

1. Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with him. They all had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Unbelievers have 666 on their foreheads. These Jewish believers are not ashamed for the world to see that they belong to Jesus!

2 – 3

And I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of flooding water and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like people playing harps.

And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living things and the elders. The only ones who could learn the new song were the 144,000 who had been saved from the earth. No one else could learn the song.

The Jews now see how they missed the prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. They see how God choose them to show His ways to the world. They sing about things that others cannot understand. Today there are people who have suffered for Christ in a way that nobody else can understand.

4. These 144,000 are the ones who did not do sinful things with women. They kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb every place he goes. These 144,000 were saved from among the people of the earth. They are the first people to be offered to God and the Lamb.

These are people who have certain rules they live by and will not change. Do you?

5. They were not guilty of telling lies. They are without fault.

They have given themselves to God with no holding back. They now see through the lies of the world and false churches.

6. Then I saw another angel flying high in the air. The angel had the eternal Gospel to bring to those who live on earth, to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

Men have always said, “Why does God not show Himself? Then I will believe!” Here we see that God has opened heaven for men to see and they do not want it.

7. The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him praise. The time has come for God to judge all people. Worship God. He made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.”

The angel tells the world to stop following the devil. Everyone will see this angel. They will not be able to say that they did not get a warning.

8. Then the second angel followed the first angel and said, “She is destroyed! The great city of Babylon [Rome] is destroyed! She made all the nations drink the wine of her adultery and of God’s anger.”

The false world church is destroyed. Many Bible teachers say that Pete used a code word for Rome when he called the city “Babylon” (1 Peter 5:13).

9. A third angel followed the first two angels. This third angel said in a loud voice: “It will be bad for the person who worships the [antichrist] and his idol and gets the [antichrist’s] mark on the forehead or on the hand.

Some may think they can get the mark on their hand and hide it. Others will be proud to show it on their forehead.

10 – 11

He will drink the wine of God’s anger. This wine is prepared with all its strength in the cup of God’s anger. He will be put in pain with burning sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb.

And the smoke from their burning pain will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest, day or night, for those who worship the [antichrist] and his idol or who get the mark of his name.”

There will be no mercy for those who take this mark.

12 – 13

This means that God’s holy people must be patient. They must obey God’s commands and keep their faith in Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven. It said, “Write this: From now on, the dead who were in the Lord when they died are happy.” The Spirit says, “Yes, that is true. They will rest from their hard work. The reward of all they have done stays with them.”

Only what is done for Christ will last. The things we have done for Him will be all that we can bring to heaven.

14. I looked and there before me was a white cloud. Sitting on the white cloud was One who looked like a Son of Man. He had a gold crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

Many times the Bible shows God inside of a cloud and we cannot see Him clearly. Now men will see Him clearly.

15 – 18

Then another angel came out of the temple. This angel called to the One who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and gather from the earth. The time to harvest has come. The fruit of the earth is ripe.”

So the One that was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth. And the earth was harvested. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven. This angel also had a sharp sickle.

And then another angel came from the altar. This angel has power over the fire. This angel called to the angel with the sharp sickle. He said, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth’s vine. The earth’s grapes are ripe.”

Evil has now become completely full in the earth. There is no reason to let it go on anymore. Matthew 13:39–43

19 – 20

The angel swung his sickle over the earth. He gathered the earth’s grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s anger.

The grapes were crushed in the winepress outside the city. And blood flowed out of the winepress. It rose as high as the heads of the horses for a distance of 200 miles.

This is showing what will happen in the battle which is coming. This battle is also seen in Isaiah 63:1–6.