The End Time Bible Commentary

Chapter 14 continues the 'parenthetical section' of chapters 12 to 14. These three chapters fit between the seventh trumpet of chapter 11 and the seven bowls that start in chapter 15. It is as though the camera has zoomed out to give us a wider perspective of things happening in the early part of the Great Tribulation. In chapter 13, we saw the rise of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, portrayed metaphorically as two beasts arising out of the sea and out of the earth, respectively.

Jesus with the 144,000 on Mount Zion (v1-5)
Here in chapter 14, the camera turns to give us another brief view of the 144,000. These were introduced at the sixth seal, when an angel 'sealed' them for their protection before the start of the trumpet judgments (Revelation 7:3). We were told they are Israelites, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes. This time we see them with the Lamb (Jesus) who is standing on Mount Zion, which is Jerusalem (v1). We know from Zechariah 14:4 that Jesus makes an appearance on the Mount of Olives when Jerusalem falls to the Antichrist at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. His primary mission at that point is to provide an escape route for Jerusalem's refugees, enabling them to get to their place of safety where they will spend the rest of the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 14:5, Revelation 12:6). It seems that his appearance on earth is brief at that stage, and he is soon caught back up to heaven (Revelation 12:5). However, this second view of the 144,000 suggests that Jesus has a second mission to accomplish in his brief earthly appearance at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. He must reveal himself to the remnants of the twelve tribes. We also see in verse 1 that each of the 144,000 have the names of the Father and the Son written on their foreheads. This is the seal that the angel gave them in chapter 7. It contrasts with Antichrist's followers who have the name of Allah on their foreheads (see my commentary on the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:18). John says in 1 John 2:22, "Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son". The core doctrine of Islam is 'tawhid', a strict form of monotheism that portrays Allah as distant and transcendent, and which categorically denies God as Father, or Jesus as the Son of God. So the mark of the beast ('In the name of Allah') on the foreheads of Antichrist's followers is the polar opposite of the names on the foreheads of the 144,000.

How the 144,000 are present on Mount Zion at this stage is not explained. Perhaps those from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are among Jerusalem's refugees. Perhaps those from the other Israelite tribes come to Jerusalem as soldiers in Antichrist's invasion force (Ezekiel 38) but Jesus reveals himself to them and calls them out, like he did to Saul on the road to Damascus. According to 2 Kings 17:5-6 and 1 Chronicles 5:26, when the ten northern tribes were exiled by the Assyrians in 722 BC, they were settled along the River Habor, and among the cities of the Medes. The River Habor is known today as the Al-Khabour River and is a tributary of the River Euphrates, in north-eastern Syria. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people group located on the east side of the River Tigris. So today, the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel are most likely concentrated around Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey, and most of them are probably Muslims. But Jesus is able to reveal himself to Muslims. Angels are also involved in their salvation process and give each of them a seal of protection. Verse 4 tells us that the 144,000 are redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. In verses 6 and 7 we see that God plans also to save many more, with an angel proclaiming the eternal gospel to 'every nation, tribe, language and people'. Calling the 144,000 the 'firstfruits' follows the pattern proclaimed by Paul, that the Gospel is for the Jews first, and then for the Gentiles (Romans 1:16, 2:9-10).

Verse 4 also reveals that the 144,000 are young people, literally 'virgins'. Jesus reveals himself to these young people of Israelite descent, and they follow him wherever he goes. Verse 5 tells us no lie was found on their lips and they are blameless. Is this just how God sees them after they have been 'redeemed from the earth' (v3)? In verse 5 we see that these young people become like God's choir on earth. They sing a song that only they can learn. In verse 2, John hears a sound coming from heaven like the sound of many waters and loud thunder. This is like the voice of Jesus in Revelation 1:15, and of Almighty God in Ezekiel 1:24. Next he hears a sound like that of harpists playing their harps and a new song being sung before the four living creatures and the elders. We know from Revelation 5:8 that the twenty four elders each have a harp, but these harpists and singers are in addition to the elders, as they sing 'before the four living creatures and the elders' (v3). The song that the 144,000 learn comes directly from the throne room of heaven. The 144,000 are still on earth at this point. They act as prophetic worship leaders, receiving prophetic downloads directly from the throne room of heaven. In 2 Chronicles 20, when Israel was under enemy attack, Jehoshaphat appointed musicians and singers to march ahead of Israel's warriors and to proclaim God's praise. As they began to shout and praise, God suddenly attacked the enemy armies, causing them to turn on each other, and destroy each other. Also Isaiah 42:8-17 portrays God's people singing a new song, after which Messiah appears like a warrior and defeats Israel's enemies.


Three Angels and Three Messages (v6-20)

First Angel (v6-7)
As already stated, in verse 6 John sees an angel flying overhead, proclaiming the eternal gospel to 'every nation, tribe, language and people'. This expression 'every nation, tribe, language and people' comes originally from Daniel 7:14. Daniel foresaw the coronation of Jesus when he descends upon the clouds 'like a son of man', receives ruling authority, honour and sovereignty, and is worshipped by 'every nation, tribe, language and people'. Here in Revelation 14, John sees this same coronation event in verse 14, when a white cloud appears and seated on the cloud is one like a son of man. My understanding is that Christ's coronation and the rapture take place at the end of the 1,260 day Great Tribulation, and equate in time with the seventh trumpet when an angelic proclamation is made that Jesus has begun to reign over the kingdoms of the world (Revelation 11:15). So here in Revelation 14, if verse 14 is at the end of the 1,260 days, the three angelic proclamations of verses 6 to 13 precede this. Most likely, the first angel makes his Gospel proclamation at the sixth seal, for this is when we are first introduced to the 144,000 and to believers 'from every nation, tribe, language and people'. According to verse 7, he declares in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!" This proclamation also seems to anticipate the trumpet judgments, the first four of which affect the earth, the sea, the springs of water, and the heavens. The 'hour of his judgment' may anticipate the last three trumpets which are called 'the three woes', or possibly the seven bowl judgments. If this proclamation occurs at the time of the sixth seal, it also helps explain why unbelievers at the sixth seal call out to the mountains, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?" (Revelation 6:16-17).

The idea that the rapture occurs at the seventh trumpet (at the end of the Great Tribulation), that Jesus makes a brief appearance at the start of the Great Tribulation, and that there might be visible and audible angelic proclamations to unbelievers before the rapture, are all foreign concepts to a lot of Christians. Prophecy scholars who teach a pre-tribulation rapture identify Christ's 'thief in the night' metaphor with the rapture, and so expect the rapture to be the great surprise event. In reality, the Apostle Paul equates the 'thief in the night' metaphor with the 'day of the Lord' at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). He says, "For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night. Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape". So according to Paul, it is the start of the Great Tribulation that is the great surprise to most people, coming like a thief in the night. I'm sure there will also be an element of surprise about the rapture, second coming, and battle of Armageddon. In 1944, the Germans knew that the Allies were preparing for the D-Day invasion of France. But details like exact time and place were top secret, as the Allies still relied on an element of surprise. Similarly, Jesus has told us that only the Father knows the day and hour of his coming (Matthew 24:36). But it should not surprise or confuse us to read about a pre-rapture angelic proclamation of the gospel to the unsaved.

The expression 'every nation, tribe, language and people' appears five times in Revelation (5:9, 7:9, 11:9, 13:7 and 14:6) and is a repeated reminder of the breadth of God's end-time plan of salvation. Jesus is coming back to deliver Israel and to establish his earthly kingdom, but in the process he wants to save as many people as possible 'from every nation, tribe, language and people'.


Second Angel (v8)
John says that the second angel followed the first. So these angelic proclamations occur in chronological sequence. He declares, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” Chapters 17 and 18 deal with the fall of 'Mystery Babylon' in much greater detail, and this declaration "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great" is repeated in Revelation 18:2. It comes originally from Isaiah 21:9, in an oracle against Arabia. Isaiah 21 prophesies an attack on Arabia by the Medes and Elamites (parts of modern-day Iran). This results in an Arabian refugee crisis, with the people of Kedar in central Arabia fleeing to Dedan and Tema in northern Saudi Arabia. According to Isaiah 21:16, this Arabia crisis will last for one calendar year before Kedar (Mystery Babylon) is finally and decisively destroyed. It is significant that this second angelic proclamation places the fall of Mystery Babylon some time before Jesus returns upon a cloud (v14) at the seventh trumpet.

The second part of the proclamation, "She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral passion" has several possible meanings, which I will discuss in more detail in chapters 17 to 18. Spiritually speaking, her immoral passion is Saudi Arabia's passion for Allah, the false god of Islam. Biblically, worship of a false god is seen as a kind of spiritual immorality, like adultery or prostitution. By exporting Islam around the world, Saudi Arabia makes the nations drink the wine of her immorality. Economically speaking, her export of oil causes the nations to commit economic immorality with her. Their interest in Saudi Arabia's oil and in her trade causes them to overlook her oppression and human rights abuses. They sell her arms, knowing that she may use them to oppress and kill innocent people.


Third Angel (v9-13)
In verse 9, John tells us that the third angel follows the first two, again emphasising the chronological sequence of these proclamations. The third proclamation is a long one, warning that if anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark of the beast (see Revelation 13), they will drink the undiluted wine of God's anger from the cup of his wrath, and be eternally tortured with fire and sulphur before the holy angels and the Lamb (v9-11). Not only does Mystery Babylon hold up a cup of wine and make the nations drink it (Revelation 14:8, 17:2 and 18:3), but so does God.

This wine of God's anger and cup of his wrath refers us back to Jeremiah 25. It symbolises God's coming judgment against all who sin, a judgment that will come first by the warfare of the Antichrist, and then by the fierce anger of the Lord himself (Jeremiah 25:38). The Lord appears from heaven like a roaring lion and shouts in triumph over all who live on earth, like one stomping juice from grapes (Jeremiah 25:30). Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be the first to drink the wine of God's wrath (Jeremiah 25:18), and it would come through Israel's invasion by the 'King of Babylon'. Then various Arab and Iranian nations would drink it (Jeremiah 25:19-25), and finally all nations would drink it as the whole world would be engulfed in war. Last of all, the King of Sheshach (the Antichrist) would drink it (see my commentary on Jeremiah 25). Although Jeremiah 25 had a degree of fulfilment in the 6th century BC, it is ultimately a prophecy about the end times.

Verse 12 tells us that this warning about the mark of the beast requires the steadfast endurance of the saints - those who obey God's commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus. We know that the 144,000 receive a seal on their foreheads that somehow gives them supernatural protection (Revelation 7:3). But Christians must endure, and many will be martyred for their faith (Daniel 12:7, Revelation 2:10, 7:9-17, 12:11, 20:4-6). Verse 13 gives an assurance that those who are killed will be blessed. Not only will death bring rest, but their deeds will follow them. In other words, they will be rewarded. Revelation 20:4-6 particularly identifies Christian martyrs as those who will reign with Jesus during the Millennium. In 1 Peter 4:17, Peter says, "For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?"


Jesus comes on the clouds (v14)
As already stated, verse 14 portrays Jesus, like a son of man, coming upon the clouds. He has a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. The clouds, the 'son of man', and the crown all point to this as the coronation scene of Daniel 7:13-14. That he is seated points to Psalm 110:1, in which God says to Messiah, "Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!" At his trial in Matthew 26:64, Jesus identified himself with both these prophecies when he said to the high priest, "…I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven".


Rapture of the Church (v15-16)
The sharp sickle in Christ's hand (v14) means that he has come to gather a harvest. As already noted, in verse 6 of this chapter an angel proclaims the eternal gospel to 'every nation, tribe, language and people', and when Jesus is crowned in Daniel 7:13-14, he is worshipped by 'all peoples, nations, and language groups'. So there is an great end-time harvest of believers to be reaped when he comes upon the clouds. In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly likened evangelism to a process of sowing the word of God and reaping a harvest of souls (Matthew 9:37, 13:1-23, 25:26, Mark 4:29, 12:2, Luke 10:2, 20:10, John 4:35). Also, in the parable of the weeds, he spoke of the rapture when the Church will be gathered and then judged, saying in Matthew 13:30, "At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn". Here in verses 15 to 16, an angel tells Jesus, "Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time to reap has come, since the earth's harvest is ripe!" Jesus then swings his sickle over the earth and the earth is reaped. So this is a picture of the Church being raptured when Jesus comes upon the clouds. The rapture is also associated with Jesus coming on the clouds in Matthew 24:30-31, and angels are seen to be involved. After the Church is raptured, Jesus then judges between the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), between the true believers, and those who are false believers.


Harvest of the Wicked (v17-20)
After Jesus has harvested the Church, an angel swings another sharp sickle over the earth, and this time harvests the grapes from the vine of the earth. This is a harvest of the wicked, for these grapes are thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God. Jesus is seen to stomp this winepress of the wrath of God when he fights his enemies in Edom (Arabia), which he does alone (Isaiah 63:1-6). After his Edom campaign, he arrives at the battle of Armageddon in clothes splattered with the blood of his enemies (Revelation 19:13). When he stomps the winepress of God's wrath at Armageddon, he is accompanied by the armies of heaven (Revelation 19:14-15). Here in verse 20, we are told that the winepress is stomped outside the city (Jerusalem), and that the blood is poured out up to the height of horses' bridles for a distance of almost two hundred miles. In other words, all over Israel, the blood of Christ's enemies is shed and splattered.

At his first coming, Jesus proclaimed the 'year of the Lord's favour' (Luke 4:19) in fulfilment of Isaiah 61:2a, and offered an amnesty to every sinner who would repent and believe in him. At his second coming, he will proclaim the 'day of vengeance of our God' in fulfilment of Isaiah 61:2b, and execute judgment upon everyone who rejects and opposes him.