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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“Revelation: God's Vision of Victory” |
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I. Introduction.
A. After the terrible prophecies of the terrors to come, and the
terrible warnings of judgment upon those who worship
false gods, there comes another gracious, merciful promise.
Revelation 14:13 is one of those core verses that contain
eternal truths from Almighty God, like Revelation 2:10.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”1. Apostle Paul wrote of the “dead in Christ”
(I Thessalonians 4:16), and of “. . . those who have
fallen asleep in Christ . . .,” (I Corinthians 15:18).
Each of these statements, along with
Revelation 14:13, refers to those people who die
physically and have remained faithful to God and
loyal to Christ – despite what the world has done to
them, has challenged them with, or what
temptations have come to lead them to forsake the
Lord.2. Every generation since the church began has been
confronted with hostility toward it by a Satan-led,
Satan-dominated world.3. The merciful promise is of “rest from . . . . labors,”
and a legacy of love and example for next
generations (“. . . and their works follow them.”).B. The commentator, William Barclay, summarized the
meaning of this verse this way:“When you leave this earth, all that you can take with you
is yourself and your character. If you come to the end of
this life still one with Christ, then you will take with you
a character tried and tested like gold, a character which has
something of the reflection of Him in it, because you lived
with Him. And, if you take with you to the world beyond
a character like that, blessed are you.”C. The bulk of Revelation 14 is another of those “interludes,”
this one preceding the vision of God’s final judgments –
of Rome, and of Satan and of the world. Here, once more,
the emphasis is upon the holiness, and righteousness, and
sovereignty of God.1. There are seven angelic messages presented, only
three of which are specifically identified by John.2. Because of His holiness, righteousness, and
sovereignty, God determines to give all people
ample time to repent, and ample opportunity to
do so as well (see, also, II Peter 3:9).a. There is a tension between the justice of
God and His merciful nature. God is patient
and willing to forgive, but sin demands
punishment (that is justice).b. It is easy to forget (or to overlook) the
extraordinary loving kindness of God.3. In the angelic messages of Revelation 14, we
encounter this loving kindness, and patience,
available to an evil world – the world of the two
“beasts” of Chapter 13. The cries of the martyred,
persecuted saints (6:10) must be moderated and
balanced by an understanding of the holy,
righteous, and sovereign nature and purposes of
God.II. Angelic Messages.
A. The first angel brings the eternal gospel message to
“. . . those who dwell on the earth - . . .” (verse 6). It
summons all people to worship God. (READ verses 6, 7).
Those to whom the message is addressed are really in two
categories. First, it goes to “. . . every nation, tribe, tongue,
and people - . . .” regardless of their spiritual status. It is an
all-encompassing message for repentance. Then, number
two, it goes more specifically to those who oppress God’s
people and worship the false god, the emperor.1. There is here, as elsewhere, a sense of urgency –
as God’s ultimate judgment is certain.2. The urgency comes, also, from knowing that God
will restrain His judgment only for so long.B. The second message builds upon the first. Looking back to
the judgment of Babylon, there are quotations from
Isaiah 21:9 and Jeremiah 51:8-9. (verse 8). When these
statements were made by God’s prophets, Babylon was still
a powerful empire.1. The certainty of Babylon’s judgment was an
historical reality to those in the 1st century.2. Now, for the first time in “Revelation” we
encounter a symbolic reference to that past empire.a. In the New Testament, Babylon is referred
to 12 times in 11 different verses. Of these,
4 are to the actual Babylon of old. In the
remaining 7 (6 in “Revelation” and 1 in
I Peter [5:13]) it is a symbolic reference to
Rome.b. Rome, both because of its evil nature and its
eventual doom, is compared to ancient
Babylon. God has already judged Rome
with the same judgment He brought upon its
predecessor.
3. The warning to Christians, and to those who bore
the “mark of the beast” was clear: worship God
only!C. Message number 3 follows this same pattern: (READ
verses 9-11). God’s wrath will be “poured out”
undiluted as a judgment against Rome and its cult of
emperor worship. “Revelation” states the doom of the
apostate in the most terrible terms. This calls for the
“patience” (endurance) of the “saints” (14:12).D. The last 4 messages are not identified numerically, as are
the first 3. But, it is still possible to identify the messages,
and the actions they represent.1. The fourth is the blessing for the faithful of which
we spoke earlier.2. Number 5 is, once more, related to judgment. The
initial reference (14:14) is to Daniel 7, but it applied
to the “Son of Man”, Jesus, who is to judge the
world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31). This fifth
angel comes right from the throne of God, from the
“temple”, or presence, of God. The idea here is that
the message originates with God.E. Between verses 14 and 20, there are two common
metaphors for judgment used:1. First, there is harvesting (or reaping). In scripture,
this is often used to depict the judgment of God
(e.g. Joel 3:13); Mark 4:29; the parable of the
“Wheat and the Tares”, Matthew 13:24-30; 37-43).
The harvest forms a natural picture of judgment,
for, when a field is reaped, the good is kept and the
useless flung away.2. Second, there is the winepress. In ancient Palestine,
a winepress consisted of an upper and lower trough
connected by a channel. These troughs might be
hollowed out in rock, or possibly constructed of
brick. Grapes were put into the upper section,
trampled, and the juice pressed out. The juice
would flow down the connecting channel to the
lower trough.a. Often, in the New Testament, God’s
judgment is compared to the trampling of
grapes (e.g. Lamentations 1:15 or
Isaiah 63:3).b. But, notice, the “winepress” of
Revelation 14 is “. . . outside the city.”
In literal terms, this could refer to the city
of Jerusalem. There was a Jewish tradition
that the Gentiles would be brought to
Jerusalem and judged there, the holy city,
the center of worship of the true God. In
figurative language, such as is common to
“Revelation”, this could mean that God’s
final judgment of all nations and peoples
would be “outside” the spiritual holy city,
the “new Jerusalem”.3. Another interesting point arises in these verses.
There is actually two “reapings” and reapers
depicted here.a. The first is “. . . One like the Son of Man,
having on His head a golden crown, and in
His hand a sharp sickle.” (verse 14). Here,
possibly, the risen, victorious Savior and
Lord is “harvesting” His own people.b. The second figure is of “. . . another angel
came out from the temple which is in
heaven, he also having a sharp sickle”
(verse 17). This “angel”, also from God’s
presence, may be the one who gathers the
unrighteous for judgment.c. The Lord reaps those who are saved; the
angel reaps those who are condemned
(Matthew 13:41-42).F. The sixth angel (of verse 17) assists in judgment. And
another angel (verse 18), the seventh, gives the instructions
to begin that judgment (verse 18). The severity of that
judgment is symbolized by the amount of blood that flows
from the harvest, approximately 4 feet deep and two
hundred miles long. (It is interesting to note that the
distance is about the length of Palestine from north to
south.)III. Conclusion.
A. Trials and persecutions naturally bring a cry for vengeance.
And, as impatient human beings, we desire retribution on
enemies to be swift. These seven angelic messages make it
clear that such retributions will come from God upon evil
and those who do evil. But, it will come in God’s time,
according to His purpose, not ours.B. The delay is not for any reason other than God’s great love.
The delay is to give time for repentance.C. John’s vision could, rightly, have concluded here – God’s
people would have their salvation and victory, and those
who opposed them, and God, would be judged for eternity.
But, there is still more to tell. Chapter 15 takes us back to
the throne of God – and opens the visions of final
judgment and the triumph over evil.