End Game: The Lamb Wins; Earth is
Judged. Revelation 14:1- 13
One more comment about chapter 13:16, 17. This is
going to be a world-wide empire that is going to control all commerce, all
buying and selling on the earth, and the primary way in which this is going to
be done is through this identification that is some sort of visible mark that
can be easily seen by someone so that they know that their allegiance has been
given to the beast. They understand that the power of the beast comes from the
dragon, Satan. Several things have to happen before that transpires. There has
to be some sort of world-wide ability to control commerce. There is also the
indication that there is going to be some world-wide currency, just as there is
one empire. It is interesting that today (
Chapter 14 is really a survey
chapter within the flow of events in Revelation. The writer now stops, pauses
and gives an overview. This is a summary of what happens during the Tribulation
and what it reveals is future events, not just to the time of John and of us
but future in terms of flow of action. It is to bring us back to recognize that
God is going to win. John is going to see three things in this chapter. This is
marked by the initial phrase, “Then I looked.”
“Then I looked” is the same word in the Greek in all three verses but
the translators translate the word a little differently. We see the second
scene in verse 6, “And I saw another angel,” and the third in verse 14, “Then I
looked.” Each of those are the same Greek word, the aorist tense “I saw” for
looking at something. He is going to use these three distinct scenes to
summarize the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Then the next thing that is described to us is the fact that the Lamb is
standing victorious on
John is now bringing us to
show how things end. The readers are reminded that Jesus is ultimately
victorious. The 144,000 with Him seem to be functioning as some sort of special
honor guard with Him as they surround Him. In the second scene we see three
angelic heralds, angels who have announcements that they are making. There are
four announcements and the fourth one comes from an unidentified voice from
heaven. The first announcement is covered in vv. 6, 7 as that angels flies
through heaven proclaiming the gospel to the entire world. The second angel, v.
8, announces the doom of
Verses 14-20 is the section
which depicts the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who is overseeing the judgment
upon the earth through these angels—three more angels who carry out and oversee
these particular judgments. Remember, this is a whole series of judgments here
that are not part of the chain of three—three seal judgments, three trumpet
judgments, and we have yet to get into the three bowl judgments. These deal
with judgments that are different from those. The seal and the trumpet
judgments brings the first half to a close, and then there is the death of the
two witnesses followed by a huge earthquake resulting in 7000 being killed and
the rest are going to be giving glory to the God of heaven. This is when a
majority of Jews in
Revelation 14:1 NASB
“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb {was} standing on Mount Zion, and with Him
one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father
written on their foreheads.” The perfect tense of the participle there, “standing,”
indicates that this is completed action. This is his focal point, he sees the
Lamb of God surrounded by these 144,000 and they are standing on
What is Mount Zion? This is a
term that is somewhat fluid. There is some debate over this. Some think that
this is heaven symbolically and that Jesus is standing in heaven. But that
doesn’t really fit how the word is used in Scripture. The term “
Who are the 144,000? These
must be considered the same as those mentioned in 7:3-8. Unfortunately there
are some who try to make a distinction. John is very clear when he talks about
something different, he says “another,” and we see this several times in
chapter fourteen. He doesn’t say he saw another
144,000. It is such an unusual number that we must conclude that this takes us
to view the 144,000 that are first mentioned back in chapter seven.
There are several questions
that we ought to address here.
Answers: They are probably
saved very close to the beginning of the Tribulation. It could be saved after
the Rapture, between the Rapture and the Tribulation, but they are not saved
later than the very beginning of the Tribulation period. One evidence of that
is that chapter six which describes the six seal judgments focuses on what the
judgments are doing on the earth and then chapter seven takes us back to the
same point of origin and explains what is happening from God’s perspective,
what God is doing in providing for the nation Israel in terms of His grace
during the Tribulation period. One way in which that is substantiated by this
particular text and description here is at the end of verse 4: “These have been
purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” We don’t know
how the saving of these 144,000 is the middle of the Tribulation or the second
half could cause them to be firstfruits. Firstfruits indicates the very
beginning, the very first. So they would be the first Jews saved, we would
think, after the Rapture. This puts their salvation very early and they have a
very special mission, which is why they are described in such distinct terms. A
further support for this is that the verbs that are used to describe them indicate
that they are no longer through temptation: “These are the ones who have not
been defiled with women…” The fact that it is used in the past tense would
indicate that this could no longer be changed. Their characteristics are given
in v. 4: they are morally pure male virgins; they are spiritually pure and that
is the emphasis in the words that they are not defiled. This does not mean or
indicate that there is something defiling about sexual intimacy; it is only
defiling when it is outside of marriage. Cf. Hebrews 12:4. The unique word for
being defiled here has a religious connotation and so this would be sexual
immorality within the context of such as the fertility religions or some sort
of perverted worship. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes,
a statement that indicates their loyalty and perseverance in sticking with the
Lord throughout the Tribulation period. It is a summary statement indicated by
a present tense or a characteristic habitual use of the present tense verb
there. Then we see that they were redeemed from among men, and v.5 states, “And
no lie was found in their mouth.” So they are truthful and truth speakers; and
they are without fault before the throne of God. They fulfill their mission and
there is no criticism from heaven for their life and ministry. As a result they
are given a new song that only they can sing. Revelation 14:3 NASB
“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living
creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one
hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.”
Do they survive the
Tribulation? There are good scholars who take different views. Some take the view
that they survive and that this seal protects them from everything during the
Tribulation period. Then there are others who believe that they are martyred.
The best argument we’ve seen for their survival is just from the idea of the
sealing, that the sealing means that they are completely protected by God’s
power. However, the best argument we could use for their martyrdom is that at
the end of verse 3 we read that these were “the one hundred and forty-four
thousand who had been purchased [past tense] from the earth.” All of the past
tense verbs indicate that by the time they are on Mount Zion the threat of
being defiled or failing is past and that they were redeemed from the earth,
using the preposition apo [a)po] in the Greek, which indicates separation, that they are saved away
from the earth and removed from the earth, supports that.
Revelation 14:2 NASB
“And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the
sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard {was} like {the sound} of
harpists playing on their harps.” Standing right next to a waterfall, like
Revelation 14:4 NASB
“These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept
themselves chaste. These {are} the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the
Lamb.” They have never had any sort of sexual involvement. This doesn’t mean or
imply that somehow sexual relations are defiling but it is a certain kind of
sexual relationship that is defiling, and that is one that is outside of
marriage, two people of the same sex, etc., because it is outside of the
boundaries of God’s Word. These are morally and spiritually pure, they are
devoted completely and loyal to the Lamb. [5] “And no lie was found in their
mouth; they are blameless.”
Revelation 14:6 NASB
“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to
preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue
and people.” This is the second viewing and starting in v. 6 we see three
angels who are going to make announcements to the human race. These
announcements are confirmations of judgment, what is about to take place. It is
stated as if it has already happened (but it hasn’t, we are still in the early
part of the second half of the Tribulation ) but it is confirmation of what
will happen. “Everlasting gospel” always relates to the fact that God provides
a solution for sin. In the Old Testament believers looked forward to God’s
provision; in the New Testament in the church age they look back to God’s
provision, but the gospel is always the same: faith alone in the specific
content of the promise, and that specific content of the promise will differ
whether before or after the cross. This gospel is proclaimed to all who dwell
on the earth, to every nation, tribe and tongue. This is directly in contrast
in context with Revelation 13:7 which states that the Antichrist is given
authority over every nation, tribe, tongue and people. So here we have God in
His grace once again proclaiming the gospel to those who are going to refuse
it. He continues to make the gospel clear, demonstrating His grace to everyone.
The content of what he says relates to this judgment that is coming.
Revelation 14:8 NASB
“And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is
Then we have a third angel
who announces the certain judgment on anyone who worships the beast and his
image. We believe that these three announcements of judgment occur early in the
second half of the Tribulation period, early enough so that once the Antichrist
and the false prophet begin to put the mark of the beast on people this will
inform the world that taking that mark is a sign of allegiance to Satan and is
irreversible against God, bringing about a judgment. It is a religious decision
to reject God and to worship Satan. Religion in the end times is certain to be
occultic and demonic. Revelation 14:9 NASB “Then another angel,
a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the
beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, [10]
he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full
strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”
When they are sent to the lake of fire they are guarded by a group of angels
who will overseer their judgment for eternity.
Revelation 14:11 NASB
“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day
and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the
mark of his name.” In recent years there has been a lot of discussion as to
whether everlasting punishment is eternal or just for a short time and then
there is the annihilation of their soul. But that is clearly not the case in
this verse, it is a judgment that goes on forever and ever with no rest day or
night. No believer in Jesus Christ will receive the mark of the beast, and
those who receive the mark of the beast are equivalent to the earth dwellers
who reject God, reject the gospel and will never respond to it.
The last two verses in this second section talk about the
life of these believers and how they must endure through the Tribulation.
Revelation
Starting in verse 14 we see
the overview of the divine judgment as it is being carried out by the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is pictured in v. 14 as the one who is sitting above the earth
on a cloud. Revelation 14:14 NASB “Then I looked, and
behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud {was} one like a son of man,
having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.” The picture
of the crown indicates that he is ready to assume His position as the King of
kings, Lord of lords and establish His kingdom. The sharp sickle indicates that
He is bringing about the end of judgment on the earth and upon the human race.
The phrase “son of man” is an important phrase to pat attention to here because
it emphasizes the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here His humanity is a
humanity of judgment. He is able to judge human beings because He Himself is
fully human. The interesting thing about this phrase in the Greek is that it
doesn’t have an article. In the English it says “the son of man.” It is a good
translation in English. In Greek many times there is a phrase or a title that
is given without the article but the absence of the article and the nature of
the phrase emphasizes its uniqueness, its distinctiveness, and that it is definite.
In several places in the New Testament the phrase “son of man” is used without
the article because it is stressing the uniqueness of this particular
individual. Cf. Revelation