And I saw another angel
flying across the sky
carrying the eternal gospel to tell to:
every nation
tribe
language
and people
among those who live on the earth.
“Fear God
and give Him glory,
because the time
of His judgment has come;
and worship Him
who made heaven and earth,
the sea and the water springs.”
And another, a second angel, followed, exclaiming:
“Fallen,
fallen is Babylon the great --
she who made all the nations
drink the wine
of the anger
provoked by her fornication.”
And another, a third angel, followed them,
exclaiming in a loud voice,
“If any one worships
the Wild Beast and his statue,
and receives a mark on his forehead
or on his hand,
he shall drink
the wine of God’s wrath
which stands ready, undiluted,
in the cup of His anger,
and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone
in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment
goes up for ever and ever;
and the worshipers of the Wild Beast
and of his statue
have no rest day or night,
nor has any one who receives
the mark of his name.
Here is an opportunity for endurance
on the part of the saints
who carefully keep
His commandments and the faith of Jesus!”
And I heard a voice speaking from heaven. It said:
‘Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord
from this time onward.
Yes,
says the Spirit,
let them rest from their labors;
for what they have done
goes with them.’”
The Proclamations of Three Angels
Son of Man’s Triumph
Triumph of the Gospel
Everlasting Gospel
1. The gospel will be preached
2. The harlot church will do down
3. Don’t take the mark of the beast
4. Promise of blessing for perseverance
14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to
those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people –
- ‘Another angel ‘ – is a link to the former visions (TB)
- ‘Flying in mid air’ – can be seen and heard by whole inhabited world (TB)
- His message is intended for worldwide proclamation (TB)
- It is a work fit for an angel to preach this everlasting gospel (MH)
- The angel proclaims from heaven the universal “eternal gospel” of God’s victory. It’s proclamation issues in a choice
of either salvation or judgment (TB)
- The gospel is the great means whereby men are brought to fear God, and to give glory to Him (MH)
- This verse seems to indicate that, for a brief period at least, the Gospel will be proclaimed after the tribulation
begins (W)
- The gospel which is preached to them calls for submission to God as Creator and Judge rather than faith in Christ
as Savior and Lord (Z)
References: Revelation 8:13; 13:7; Ephesians 3:9 (and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ); 1 Peter 1:25 (But the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the
word which was preached to you)
14:7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come;
and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
1. Fear God
2. Give Him glory – for the hour of His judgment has come
3. Worship Him – who made heaven and earth and sea and springs of water
4. Because – because the hour of judgment has come
- Its proclamation issues in a choice of either salvation or judgment (TB)
- The hour – implies a definite time (JFB)
- Salt water and fresh water are here distinguished; the Creator has power over both, as the second and third trumpet judgments
showed (Z)
- Then Revelation 14 comes along and God tells us: “I promise the body of Christ certain amount of things: I am
going to release the great harvest, I’m going to remember every movement of your heart towards Me in obedience, I’m going
to remember it and reward you forever.” And He says, “And I promise that those who resist My Son will have defeat on the
earth and eternal destruction.” So you really have to have Revelation 14 if you are going to read Revelation 13. If you read Revelation 13
by yourself, you’re left with a little bit of despair and you’re left with this evil leader called the antichrist with a
false prophet – a helper – whose message and power and effectiveness is that he has so much power and that he spends it
on this so-called wonderful leader. That is the power of this thing. If you only read Revelation 13 you wonder where this guy
came from and why. We know why. He is coming to express the war of Chapter 12. Even if we realize that a war is going on
from even before Adam and Eve – a long-term war in the spirit – well makes sense there is war and we could despair. But
Revelation 14 is really the key. God promises the harvest to be effective, that Israel is going to survive with a remnant and
the power of God – “I promise you that everything you do I will remember and reward – and I promise you that all of those
that come against you will have defeat on the earth.” There will be an earthly defeat. Jesus promises to come back
personally and will completely overthrow the evil empire and they will have eternal judgment and destruction after that. So
it is really an intense section of Scripture: Revelation 12, 13, and 14.
References: Revelation 11:18; Nehemiah 9:6 (You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the
earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.)
14:8 And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has
made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
- Babylon is everything that is not of Christ
- Babylon is political, economic, spiritual
- Babylon is identical with ‘the harlot’, the apostate church; distinct from ‘the beast’ and judged separately (JFB)
- The local seat of antichrist in Revelation is called by three names: it is called Egypt for its regard to her
idolatry, it is called Sodom in regard to her filthiness, and it is called Babylon in regard to her cruelty. (CS)
- Babylon is pictured as a prostitute whose illicit relations are achieved by intoxication (NIV)
- Babylon will be a very dangerous place for Christians to stay in because they will be hated by the sinners
there. They will be the only conscience in the city and the only ones to protest and stand for the things
of God. (DP)
- It’s spiritual aspect is most dangerous (its striving of the flesh to produce the things of the Spirit)
- The punishment of those who worship the beast
- In the sight of God, Babylon has already fallen. Its death blow has been dealt by the life, death, and resurrection of
Christ. It falls because the “eternal gospel” has undermined world power. (TB)
- The fall is described at greater length in Chapters 17 and 18 (TB)
- Wrath – passion (NAS)
- But when the Babylon system goes down – verse 8 – there is a new system that is coming – in verses 9-11. The
Babylon – harlot church – is being taken down to be replaced by a fully devoted antichrist worship movement. And he
cannot tolerate any kind of secretism, the combining of all religions – he wants full, devoted worship. He wants nothing to
do with Hindu, Islam, and Buddhism – because the harlot church has the gathering of all religions into this great synergism
– and when it goes down it will be replaced by a very passionate, focused, only one man be worshiped religion – the beast
to be worshiped. And that comes next. But it goes down too with eternal destruction.
References: Isaiah 21:9 (And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is
fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.); Jeremiah 51:7 (Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that
made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged.); 51:8; 1 Peter 5:13; Daniel 4:30
14:9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and
his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
- This is a solemn statement from heaven for anybody who takes the mark. It is not a plaything.
- The third angel warns all the people not to identify themselves with world power and describes the retribution upon
those who do so. (TB)
- It is a law of life that the object of a man’s devotion transforms him into its character (TB)
- This is the solemn statement from heaven for anybody who takes this mark. This is the most serious issue – the mark
of the beast – it is not a plaything. It is really solemn and real. That is why the riddle is there – to accept and bring a lot of
attention and dialogue to make it a centerpiece of concern in the body of Christ. Not because the Lord wants to hide it –
but just the opposite – He wants to highlight it and make it abundantly clear and that He has hidden it in this enigmatic way.
- a third angel spoke and said if anyone worships the beast or his image or receive the mark – that person shall drink
of the wine of the wrath of God. It is the wrath of God that is poured out in full strength – the cup of God’s indignation. This
person who worships the antichrist shall be tormented with fire and brimstone and the smoke of their torment will ascend
forever and ever. And these people will have no rest day or not – this is true of anyone who receives the mark. This is
where patience and perseverance of the body of Christ comes in – in the testing and the tensions related to this mark.
References: Revelation 13:14, 15; 14:11; 13:16
14:10 “he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength
into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the
holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
- Under no circumstance is anyone ever to take the mark – it is literal.
- If after the third angel proclamation if any should persist in their idolatry, they must expect to drink deep of the wine
of the wrath of God (MH)
- God’s wrath has been manifest throughout history very diluted – very restrained. But the wrath of God will be poured
out in full strength at the end of the age and throughout eternity.
- The effect of God’s wrath is here, and elsewhere, compared to a wine cup, which produces in those who drink it
reeling and madness (W)
- This is an allusion to the poisoned cup which certain criminals were obliged to drink on which ensued speedy
death. (AC)
- Fire and brimstone – an allusion to the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah for their unnatural crimes (AC)
- God’s enemies are regarded by the saints as their enemies, and when the day of probation is past, their mind shall
be so entirely one with God’s that they shall rejoice in witnessing visibly the judicial vindication of God’s righteousness in
sinners’ punishment (JFB)
References: Psalm 75:8 (For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall
all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down.); Revelation 18:6; 16:19; 20:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 (and to give you who are troubled rest with
us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.); Isaiah 51:17 (…You who have drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of
His anger; the chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs); Jeremiah 25:15, 27 (And you shall say to them, ‘thus says the Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel, “Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you.”); Ezekiel 38:22 (And with
pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with
him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone); Mark 8:38
14:11 “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night,
who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
- Forever and ever – unto ages of ages (JFB)
References: Isaiah 34:8-10 (For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Its streams shall be
turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone; its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend
forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; no one shall pass through it forever and ever)
The Purpose of Book of Revelation
14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus.
- This verse is a statement of the purpose of the Book of Revelation – calling Christians to endure trouble, pain,
suffering, keep God commandments, and to remain faithful to Jesus. (DP)
- Patience – perseverance – steadfastness (NAS)
- Here the people of God will need great patience to resist the blandishments, wiles, and threats of the beast; but they
should resist, even if it should cost them their lives (W)
- Faith of Jesus – the faith which has Jesus for its object (JFB)
References: Revelation 13:10; 12:17
14:13 Then I heard a voice form heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the
Lord from now on.’” “Yes”, says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works
follow them.”
- This message so critical – the voice says “Write”. Make sure the end time church gets it. Tell the martyrs they are
blessed – the antichrist and all the propaganda that millions have said they were cursed because they were anti-unity of
the good will of the people – they will go down as cursed and criminals of the state – but the Holy Spirit says you go tell
them they are blessed.
- Write – to put it on record forever (JFB)
- This prophecy came down from heaven, and not from men, and therefore it is of certain truth. It was to be preserved
and published – by writing; it was to be matter of record, that the people of God might have recourse to it for their comfort
upon all occasions. (MH)
- The seer is commanded to write down this beatitude for the encouragement of those who from now on suffer as martyrs
of Christ. (Z)
- Says the Spirit – The words of God the Father are echoed back and confirmed by the Spirit (JFB)
- The labor from which they rest represents the troubles they endured, not the works which they accomplished (Z)
- Tell the martyrs they are blessed – the antichrist and all the propaganda that millions have said they were cursed
because they were anti-unity of the good will of the people – they will go down as cursed and criminals of the state – but the
Holy Spirit says you go tell them they are blessed – they are not cursed – they are not against the good will of mankind.
They are for the goodness of God and the goodness of mankind. They are blessed people. Oh yeah – they’re in prison
and they’ve lost all their goods and all they’ve ever had. No they haven’t. Their works will follow them – their labors will
follow them – past the grave – everything they have ever done will be forever – it is opposite. Tell them that.
References: Ecclesiastes 4:1, 2 (Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: and look! The tears of the
oppressed, but they have no comforter—on the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter. Therefore I praised the
dead who were already dead, more than the living who are still alive); 1 Corinthians 15;18 (Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ
have perished); Hebrews 4:9, 10 (There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased
from his works as God did from His); 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Timothy 5:25 (Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite
evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed)