SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 14
MEMORY VERSE:
“Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Revelation 14:7)
THE LAMB AND THE 144,000 (vs. 1-5)
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 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. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they keep themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever the goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths, they were blameless.
THE THREE ANGELS (vs. 6-13)
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. 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.” This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH (vs. 14-20)
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 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.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “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 1,600 stadia.
THOUGHTS: (From Life Application Study Bible)
The Lamb is the Messiah. Mount Zion is another name for Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. The 144,000 represent believers who have endured persecutions on earth and now are ready to enjoy the eternal benefits and blessings of life with God forever. The three angels contrast the destiny of believers with that of unbelievers.
In the Old testament, idolatry was often portrayed as spiritual adultery. Their purity is best understood symbolically, meaning that they are free from involvement with the pagan world system. These believers are spiritually pure. They have remained faithful to Christ. They have followed him exclusively and they have received God’s reward for staying committed to him. The “special offering” refers to the act of dedicating the first part (firstfruits) of the harvest as holy to God.
The angel in the midair is proclaiming the Good news to the earth. Today God’s truth has been preached to the world. No one will have the excuse of never hearing God’s truth. The people of the world have their chance to commit their allegiance to God because God’s great judgment is about to begin. Have you joyfully received the everlasting Good News and accepted Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you confessed your sins and trusted Christ to save you? If you have, you do not have to fear God’s judgment because the Judge of all the earth is your Savior!
Babylon was the name of both an evil city and an immoral empire, a world center for idol worship. Babylon ransacked Jerusalem and carried the people of Judah into captivity. Just as Babylon was the Jews’ worst enemy, the Roman Empire was the worst enemy of the early Christians.
Those who worship the beast accept his mark on their foreheads and operate according to his world economic system will ultimately face God’s judgment. Our world values money, power, and pleasure over God’s leadership. To get what the world values, many people deny God and violate Christians principles. Thus they must drink the wine of God’s wrath.
The ultimate result of sin is unending separation from God. Sin always brings misery, but in this life we can choose to repent and restore our relationship with God. However, if in this life we choose to be independent of God, in the next life we will be separated from him forever. Nobody is forced to choose eternal separation from God and nobody suffers this fate by accident. Jesus invites all of us to open the door of our heart to him. If we do this, we will enjoy everlasting fellowship with him. Are you willing to accept His invitation?
God’s ultimate triumph will encourage God’s people to remain faithful through every trial and persecution. The secret to endurance is trust and obedience. Trust God to give you patience and strength to endure trials and temptations. Obey Him even when obedience is difficult and dangerous.
Money, fame and possessions are things that people want in this life. However, we have to consider what things that survive even death. The spiritual fruits (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control) that we produce will be remembered by God. Decide today to produce fruit that lasts forever.
During judgment, God will separate the faithful from the unfaithful like a farmer harvesting his crops. If you remain faithful to Christ, you will receive your long-awaited reward and you don’t have to be afraid of the Last Judgment.
The winepress was a large vat or trough where grapes were collected and then crushed. The juice flowed out of a duct that led into a large holding vat. The winepress is often used in the Bible as a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin.