Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 14

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Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 14

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Quarantine Day 66.  Sunday.  This needs to end.

Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

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Revelation 14

New International Version

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

The Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 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.”

8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’[a] which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: 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.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 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.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 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.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 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.[c]

Footnotes
Revelation 14:8 Isaiah 21:9
Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo

Bible Project
Revelation 12-22

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A Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand Virgins
Verse 1
1And I looked, and a lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 having his Father's name written on their foreheads.
Commentary:

"a lamb": Christ is consistently represented as a Lamb throughout Revelation (a parallel with the unblemished lamb of Old Testament sacrifices).

"Mount Zion": Possibly Jerusalem, though Hebrews refers to Mount Zion as "the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:21-23).

"144,000": Chapter 7 speaks of 144,000 "of all the tribes of the children of Israel." This may refer to a separate group of 144,000, though it seems likely that the two groups are the same. If they are, it should be noted here, as with chapter 7, that "children of Israel" does not necessarily equate to "Jews." See notes on 7:1-8 [1]. The 144,000 may be alluding to God's army which we will learn about later in Revelation.

"having his Father's name written on their foreheads": In chapter 7, the 144,000 are described as being "sealed" in their foreheads (v3). For more on this, see notes on 3:12 [2].

Verses 2-3
2And I heard a voice from heaven like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of a great thunder, and I heard the sound of harpers harping with their harps, 3and they sung a new song before the throne, and before the four creatures, and the elders, and no one could learn that song but the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.
Commentary: The voice of many waters and of a great thunder refers to God. If the 144,000 are martyrs (see on 7:1-8 [3]), this passage appears to refer to a special reward set aside for those who have made that ultimate sacrifice, perhaps a song set aside only for them to learn. Perhaps the harpers are angels and saints that were previously accepted into heaven. Not everyone could hear these glorious tunes, only those who are true believers.

Verse 4
4They are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from among mankind, being the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
Commentary: In the first sentence of this verse, John seemingly asserts that the 144,000 are actually all celibate men. This is certainly problematic because it would mean that all the victims of persecution would be male. Consequently, scholars agree that this depiction should not be taken literally. Rather than an exaltation of celibacy, this verse should be taken metaphorically in terms of the sexual abstinence required before contact with the divine (Exodus 19:15). Also, John could be drawing on the sexual abstinence required of warriors entering a holy war (Deuteronomy 23:9-14; 1 Samuel 21:5; 2 Samuel 11:9-13). Instead of referring to a physical purity, John is likely referring to a spiritual purity. Babylon is seen as a great whore and the soldiers of Christ are not to be seduced by her wicked ways.This virgins here are the ones, not only men, who avoid the idol worshipping that is famous in Babylon, or Rome.

Verse 5
5And in their mouths was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Commentary: They are innocent of the only sin which Jesus did not forgive: religious hypocrisy. These men are perceived as perfectly pure because they were never married. God sees them as the purest of the bunch. It is said that the remaining people will be judges based on how they treated these pure men. This will decide whether they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven or be crushed.

Three Angels Make Announcements
Verses 6-7
6And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 7saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the springs of waters.”
Commentary: We have a cultural idea that angels are spiritual beings with wings. The Greek angelos literally means messenger, however, and it is translated both as angel or messenger, and refers to both heavenly and earthly beings. The Greek word for heaven also means sky. With that in mind, this angel may be a man or woman of God who travels the world preaching the gospel by "flying in the midst of heaven," which is possibly a first-century vision of modern air travel. God will send this Angel so that all may hear the good news of God and that no one has an excuse for not hearing the message of the salvation of Christ.

Again we see worship showing up, which serves as a reminder than proper worship of God is one of the key themes of the book. This chapter is at a crossroads of worship, in chapter 13 those who do not worship the beast are killed, but in chapter 15 the righteous are rewarded for their proper worship of God. This chapter is then about the outcome of each choice. Of course, there is no middle ground-either one worships God or one is in league with the beast. This reflects the outsider mentality of early Christians. Being unable to take part in many aspects of Roman life, it would be easy to be tempted to worship the Roman Gods and therefore partake in the benefits of Roman life, John views this as immoral. They are to worship God and only God.

Verse 8
8And there followed another angel, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Commentary: This "angel" truly is a messenger, for he or she brings the news of Babylon's fall.

The Greek “thumos” here translated as wrath can also be rendered passion. Some have preferred this because it seems to make more since that fornication would have passion rather than wrath. However, in verse 10, the same phrase is used clearly referring to wrath. The image of God’s wrath being like a drink of wine is frequent in the Old Testament (see Job 21:20, Ps 75:8, Isa 51:17, and Jer. 25:12). Wine causes stagger, just as following Rome (the woman) has caused people to do.[1]

Verses 9-11
9And the 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, 10the same will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Commentary: Just as the people of God have his name "on their foreheads" (see v1 above), Satan, in imitation of God, initiates his followers with his mark. In spite of his pretensions to divinity, he apparently will not be fooling anyone, because this verse indicates that those who follow him do so knowingly and willingly, and as a result will receive a stern punishment.

"He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels..." refers to the eternal torture the devil followers will face. They will be able to see the happiness of all in Heaven, but will never be able to attain this because they bare the mark of the devil. Instead, they will be in the heat of hell where everything constantly burns, but the people will never be consumed. Instead, they will be in pure agony.

This chapter in revelation is interesting because these three angels are no longer people to worship and cleave to God. Instead, three angels carry messages of judgment and punishment to the people of earth. The eternal punishment that is the price for bearing the mark of the beast is just the beginning of the divine justice that is inevitable.

The Son of Man Reaps the Harvest
Verses 12-13
12Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours and their works follow them.”
Commentary: This verse serves to bring edification and encouragement to the saints, telling them to remain faithful and continue their preservation. The identity of the voice from Heaven is not explicitly stated, but it is presumably the voice of God. The beatitude nature of the speaker's statement offers a promise of eternal rest, and ultimately life. The earthly struggles in comparison to the Heavenly treasures they will inherit and the sleep they will attain are minuscule. Since many people will take what these men have to say to heart, they will have trust in Jesus, and receive awards for their patients.

The phrase "blessed are the dead who die in the lord from now on," can be translated as "henceforth," if the Greek word is ap arti, or "assuredly" if the word is aparti. The difference is an issue of permanence or consequence.

Verse 14
14And I looked and saw a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Commentary:

The remaining verses of Chapter 14 are to serve as a preview of God’s final judgment over the “wicked earth-dwellers”. The appearance of a white cloud has appeared time and time again in both the Old and New Testament. In this instance, the white cloud is an introduction of a fourth event. Unlike other events, it is not introduced by an angelic being. Clouds metaphorically act as ambulatory "vehicles" to transport heavenly beings in heaven and on earth. In this case, one who is like a son of man. Some state that it is indeed Jesus, while others proclaim it is the angel Michael, as his name means "who is like God." Regardless of the identity of “one like the son of man” is a heavenly being because he is “like the son of man”, the fact that he rides on the white cloud, and the golden crown. A golden crown similar to this is worn by each one of the twenty-four elders mentioned in Chapter 4, the rider on a white horse in Chapter 6, and the locust cavalry wear golden crowns in Chapter 9. The golden crown on his head signifies that this being has authority and a great status. A sickle was a hand-held agricultural cutting tool typically used during harvest time. The sharp sickle signifies the new beginning of harvest.

Verses 15-16
15And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, “Thrust in your sickle, and reap, for the time is come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Commentary: In this sense, the sickle and reaping the earth is referring to the harvest of those ripe for judgment. Some believe that Christ will be the one to harvest the good while the other angel would be the one to harvest the wicked. The loudness of the angel's voice suggests a sense of urgency and also that the angel would want many to hear of his cry. The shear size of these angels must also be mentioned since they are sitting on the clouds yet have a sickle big enough to harvest the entire earth.

The Grapes of Wrath
Verse 17-18
17And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar who had power over fire, and cried with a loud cry to the one that had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
Commentary: This is the second angelic being with a sharp sickle, also ready to begin harvest. This being is like the one mentioned in verse 14. The third angel has “authority over fire”, a symbolic image of judgment. The fire shows the holiness of God. "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of earth” comes from Joel 3:13. This shows that this harvest is a grape harvest. The general idea of this passage is that the wicked get the punishment they deserve.

Some propose that this angels has come to harvest the wicked, just as Christ harvests the righteous.

Verse 19
19And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even up to the horses' bridles, for 1,600 furlongs.
Commentary: The angel is to gather the wicked of the hearth in the harvest and give them to the Lord for his judgment. This also shows the severity of the punishment. 1,600 furlongs is approximately 185 miles, also the length of Palestine and a horse's bridle is normally 4–5 feet off the ground. The blood could refer to grape juice, but is more-likely to refer to blood from a great battle that will occur outside the city.The point of the detail of blood is to show the severity and the vast people that were judged by the Son of Man. The fact this occurs outside the city is fitting because this is where people would have been executed. The only valley that fits this description is the Jordan Valley. It is also unclear whether this is a literal war or an event directly from God, comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Witherington argues that this vicious judgment must be interpreted as "God's justice tempered with mercy." But this mercy can be better described as vengeance, or the justice of a jealous autocrat without consideration of morality or forgiveness. This image of blood running like a river was presumably a hopeful on to Christian sufferers at the time of writing.

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Isaiah 21 New International Version (NIV)
A Prophecy Against Babylon
21 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

3 At this my body is racked with pain,
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered by what I see.
4 My heart falters,
    fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror to me.

5 They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!

6 This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout
    and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

8 And the lookout[a] shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
    lie shattered on the ground!’”

10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah[b]:

Someone calls to me from Seir,
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia
13 A prophecy against Arabia:

You caravans of Dedanites,
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
    bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee from the sword,
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

Footnotes:
Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.

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Daniel 7

Daniel 7 New International Version (NIV)
Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

9 “As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
    the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
    and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
    coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
    and the books were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The Interpretation of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[b]

26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Footnotes:
Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.

Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year

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Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

(c) Ben Witherington III, Revelation, Cambridge University Press: New York, 2003.

Witherington, Ben. Revelation. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Biblical_Studies/New_Testament_Commentaries/Revelation/Chapter_14

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