& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 16 & & & Quarantine Day 67. Monday. Georgia is going back to work. Much of the NE USA and Calif. are still on lockdown but few deaths.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & & Revelation 16 New International Version The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; 6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” 7 And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. Footnotes Revelation 16:21 Or about 45 kilograms & & & Consider the Similarity to Exodus 10 Plagues
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo Bible Project Revelation 12-22 & & & The First Six Bowl Judgments Verse 1 1And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth.” Commentary: This great voice speaking is the voice of God. He holds the vials of wrath and gives them to his messengers for them to carry out his wrath. This first bowl is poured onto the earth (land) signaling the first of the final phases of God's wrath, and it affects man directly. The people affected with this bowl are those who have worshipped the Beast, thus they are punished with horrible sores. These people have rejected God and all his teachings and their time of judgement has come. They are punished with these ugly and painful sores for their misdoings. Many experts relate this first bowl's plague to the sixth plague put onto the Egyptians. In Exodus 6, the Egyptians and their animals suffer from horrible boils to threaten the life of the Egyptians. However, the purposes of the sores that God sends appears to be unparalleled suffering. The sores serve to warn the people who have not given themselves over to Satan. It is a call telling the people to surrender their lives to the Lord. Verse 2 2And the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and there fell a foul and loathsome sore upon those who had the mark of the beast, and upon those who worshipped his image. Commentary: It is interesting that the judgements are presented in the same order here as they are with the seven Trumpets. The following are affected in the same order: 1)the earth 2)the sea 3) the waterways 4) the sun 5)darkness comes 6)judgement from beyond the Euphrates 7)thunderous voices from heaven. This is a reference to the sixth plague (Exodus 9:8-12). The bowl poured unto the earth is for those who do not believe in Christ, but rather follow the Antichrist, or "the mark of the beast." The "foul and loathsome sore" could be paralleled to the plague of boils that befell the Egyptians during the great Exodus, although their purposes are not the same. In Egypt, the sores were the first plague that could cause death, whereas in this case, it seems that they are just meant to cause great suffering. Verse 3 3And the second angel poured out his bowl upon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul in the sea died. Commentary: This has major implications for the world’s food supply and all whose livelihoods are connected with the oceans, because all of the fish and sea creatures has died. It may be that the image of the sea turning to blood is not intended to be taken literally, but is a symbolic way of saying that the sea will be full of death. This judgment parallels the first plague (Exodus 7:14-25). Verses 4-7 4And the third angel poured out his bowl upon the rivers and springs of waters, and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of the waters say, “You are righteous, O Lord, which are, and was, and will be, because you have judged thus, 6for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, for they are worthy of it.” 7And I heard another voice out of the altar say, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.” Commentary: This is what is termed “poetic justice.” If the second and third bowls are taken literally, there is now neither salt water nor fresh. The rivers and springs were the sources of drinking water, and now they have no clean drink water. It has been said that this is only right to do since they shed blood, they must now drink of the blood they shed. It is important to take note of the author description of the angel as one "of the waters." This phrasing is very much in the tradition of apocalyptic literature and is consistent with other descriptions the author uses. In Revelation 14:18, there are angels that control the winds. This imagery is important because it allows the readers to see the world as the author might have. Regardless of which theory concerning the date of the Book of Revelation, everyone agrees that this piece of literature was written in ancient time. This means that John and everyone else was living in a pre-industrial world, perhaps a world that we would consider to be barely civilized. It is only after an industrial revolution that human beings began to truly dominate and exploit nature. Before industrialization, humans were able to use natural forces and resources to our advantage; however, we did not dominate those forces. As such, it may have seemed very logical that angels, messengers and representatives of God, might in fact have some influence or control, given to them by God, over the natural elements. The angel of water takes time to worship God with a song of praise and say that God is righteous. Often in this book we have encountered worship of God in the middle of judgments. Some may be offended by this. How can one praise God in the middle of all this blood? This is not the praise of the haughty gleefully delighting in the death of nonbelievers and destruction of the world. Rather it is praise of God’s redemptive-judgment. God’s holiness includes love and mercy, as well as righteousness and justice. The nonbelievers have been given every chance to repent. Even now, in the face of complete annihilation, they refuse to accept God. God would not be the God he claims to be if such outright blasphemy were to continue unchecked, He has always been a virtuous God. This praise from the angels worshiping God is for being true to his nature – offering mercy to those who accept and then judging those who refuse it. [1] Verses 8-9 8And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and power was given to him to scorch people with fire, 9and people were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory. Commentary: There is much talk today about global warming, and this passage could be used by some as a sign that the events of Revelation are happening now. However, the intense heat of the fourth bowl judgment is presented as something which occurs suddenly, dramatically, and supernaturally, as an act of God. Although it is implied that there is an opportunity for repentance, none is given. Early in the book the various punishments seem to be designed to bring forth some kind of repenting, but that point has passed and now it is time for punishment. This leads to more blasphemy, which further justifies God's punishment. Time and time again they have not given him proper glory, and this is the price that they must pay. Verses 10-11 10And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain 11and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their deeds. Commentary: It is not quite clear what causes the pain in this instance, but experiments have shown that prolonged total darkness can have a damaging effect on the human psyche. The fact that the Beast's kingdom was turned to dark could be why people perceive Hell as a dim place. Even so, like Pharaoh before the Exodus, the hearts of the people are hardened to the point where even supernatural events will not move them. The fact that they refule to repent to God but rather speak blasphemy indicated they recognize their punishments but refuse to give up their rebellious ways. This judgments and the subsequent judgments of this chapter seemed aimed primarily at the beast and his Kingdom, whereas the previous judgments were of a somewhat natural nature and followed a similar structure to that of the Exodus plagues. Verse 12 12And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. Commentary: The stage is set for the greatest and most famous of battles: Armageddon, so named in Verse 16. The fact the Euphrates is identified specificially could be to emphasize that this is done by a divine source. Under normal circumstances, the Euphrates is too large to dry up by way of natural causes. It is also one of the most historically significant rivers in the whole world. It was the site of the first civilization in the area of Sumer and allowed travel between lands that were too far to travel to on foot. Preparation for the Battle of Armageddon Verses 13-14 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, 14for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Commentary: These demons may be understood as the spirits of the dragon, beast, and false prophet, themselves, or as emissaries for them which go out to deal with the nations. They are corrupt, for they are described as “unclean.” They have more than convincing words with which to manipulate the earth’s leaders, but go out performing “signs.” Whatever these signs may be, they are sufficiently compelling to bring the nations together for the world’s last and greatest battle. It maybe that frogs were a bad omen and thus an understandable image to utilize, or it may simply be that the author uses frogs to continue to refer to the plagues of Egypt, the second of which was a plague of frogs (Exodus 8:1-15). Verse 15 15“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” Commentary: This verse is strikingly similar to Revelation 3:3: "Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore you will not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." As noted in the commentary for that verse, these words have strong allusions to the words of Jesus, as seen in Matthew 24:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5, and 2 Peter 3:10. However, it is important to note that John does not specify whether these words actually come from Jesus. The Greek word "aschemosune" is translated here as "shame," but it is actually a euphemism for male genitalia in Jewish contexts. Ben Witherington III notes that this image of a person being found naked symbolizes the lack of preparation for the last day (Ezekiel 23:24-29, 2 Corinthians 5:3). He goes on to note, "Captives in war were led away naked as part of their shaming." The Lord provides some relief by saying that His day of return will come. He will come like a thief, meaning his return will not be known by any. All must wait, pray, and be prepared. Verse 16 16And he gathered them together to a place called in the Hebrew tongue: Armageddon. Commentary: The name is the Hebrew form of Mt. Megiddo, a location in northern Israel, though whether this exact location is implied is open to interpretation. The location and determination of Armageddon (which also may be written with a rough breath as Har-magedon) is one of contention. Witherington notes that some consider the location to be the mountain of Megiddo, or a mountain of "marauding or attack," or even Rome's seven hills. Witherington suggests that the final battle will take place at the city of Megiddo, but Beasely Murray suggests that we ignore textual indications and imagine it as an event, not a place. But if so, why has John even written a name? There is no meaningful answer. The Seventh Bowl Verse 17 17And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.” Commentary: The words, “It is done!”, remind us of Jesus’ last words on the cross (Jn 19:30). They are said here at the completion of the tribulation which is said to occur at the end of this age. The same words are repeated at the completion of the Last Judgment at the end of the world (21:6). Ben Witherington's commentary suggests that it is unlikely that the author of Revelation had the words of Jesus in mind, although there seems to be a parallel for the reader. Verse 18 18And there were voices and thunders and lightenings; and there was a great earthquake and so great. Commentary: These voices are coming from Heaven. It is announcing the victory. This emphasizes the violent natural events that are occurring because of God's wrath; in fact, the earthquake is so powerful that one of such a magnitude had not ever before plagued the earth. Lightning, thunder, and earthquakes were all believed to be caused by divine beings at the time this text was written, so it was natural for the people reading this to assume that God caused this natural event as well if one so powerful was to occur. Verse 19 19And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Commentary: The great city being split into three parts may be a parallel to Zechariah 13:8, “It will come about in all the land [of Israel], declares the Lord, that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it." It is thought that the great city is Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8). Maybe in accordance to Zechariah, the two parts will be destroyed and one part will remain. But, it is unclear why the third part will remain. Zechariah 14:2 refers to God leaving people in Jerusalem, and other nations will come together to destroy Jerusalem. However, Zechariah 14:5 says that God will empty Jerusalem of his people with His angles before His arrival for the battle of Armageddon. The destruction of Jerusalem will be occur in Revelation 17 and 18. If Jerusalem is this great city, the other cities of the nations are Gentile nations, making the punishment for Jerusalem not as severe as the punishment of the Gentile nations This is the second time that Babylon has been mentioned in Revelation. Perhaps, God’s wrath on Babylon will be the worst the world has seen. Verse 20 20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Commentary: This is a more extreme form of the sixth seal, where “every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (6:14). This could mean the seizure of seaport and fortified towns. Verse 21 21And there fell upon people a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent, and people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceedingly great. Commentary: Witherington finds some meaning in the fact that the people, when subjected to the plagues, continue in their blasphemy rather than repenting and praising god. Perhaps what these people should be doing is praying and worshiping their oppressor. A talent is equivalent to about 3000 shekels which weigh about one hundred pounds each. The use of this word may be employed to illustrate the greatness of the ongoing oppression. & & &
& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 15 & & & Quarantine Day 67. Monday. Georgia is going back to work. Much of the NE USA and Calif. are still on lockdown but few deaths.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & &
Revelation 15 New International Version Seven Angels With Seven Plagues 15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.[a] 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”[b] 5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. Footnotes Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts ages Revelation 15:4 Phrases in this song are drawn from Psalm 111:2,3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Psalms 86:9; 98:2. & & &
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo Bible Project Revelation 12-22 & & & The Sea of Glass Verse 1 1And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. Commentary: Chapter 15, the shortest in this book, serves as an introduction to chapter 16, where God’s wrath is fulfilled. The portent in this verse shows us that John is looking into the future. This verse shows the third sign that John is able to see into heaven, which is the last and final victory over the beast. The earth and the followers of the Beast are subject to punishment, while the seven angels will poor out the cups of God's judgement. Unlike other events he describes which may be in the past or present, the final judgment has not yet occurred. Also, the final judgment which this chapter introduces is that of the natural world. The judgment of the supernatural will come later. [1] These seven plagues can be considered an allusion to the ten plagues that forced the Pharaoh to release the Jewish slaves in the old testament. Verse 2 2And I saw a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. Commentary: Just as Satan looked out at the sea in Revelation 13, so God's people look out at the sea, watching the saints after the Heavenly harvest. And, just as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptians were drowned, so God's people stand before this heavenly mass of water and sing a song of Moses. Those standing here are the people who overcame the beast and are true followers of God. Those persecuted by the beast are now in Heaven and are considered martyrs because they have remained faithful to Jesus. This same imagery is pictorially depicted in Revelation chapter 4. The sea of glass is interpreted to identify a mass of humanity, in this case the believers within the church. Throughout the New Testament, fire is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The mingling of the two elements reveal the activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. John also describes victorious people who have overcome the Antichrist and his system. The first part of chapter 15 can be seen as a merging of two, until now, separate sets of images. The images of the beast, his spokesman, and his number have been readily present in recent chapters. First with the image of the sea of glass, the author brings back a scene set in chapter 4 that had been, relatively, moved on from. The sea of glass, the living creature, and the temple full of smoke reminds the reader of a setting established early on in the text. Verse 3 3And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvellous are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the saints.” Commentary: The song of Moses may be considered as an allusion to Exodus, just as in the last verse a sea was crossed. John finds similarities between this image of great liberation that the Jews met in the flight from bondage and God's final judgment on the oppressors of Christians. This chapter and the next are very closely tied to the events of Exodus, so much so that it has been called the Revelation of the Old testament. First, there is a sea that the faithful are apparently able to cross, which is reminiscent of the Red Sea in Exodus, and later there will be seven plagues that are very heavily reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt. The song of Moses is also called the song of the Lamb, which provides an even stronger link between the two stories. In each story there is a group of the faithful that is oppressed and outnumbered by the ruling forces, yet through belief in God they overcame their oppressors. However, the events of Revelation are of much greater magnitude since they encompass the end of time. This song of praise does not mention the trials and tribulations the people went through. Instead, their only focus is on worshiping and glorifying God. "Lord God Almighty" displays the great power that God has, and that he is able to instill on those believers that follow the Lord. Verse 4 4”Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy, and all nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments are made manifest.” Commentary: This verse creates many parallels to prophesy and letters to the churches. The term for “fear” in this passage is from the Greek word phobeo or reverence or awe. In the passage, the Saints stand in awe of the Lord it is a reference to Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” By using the term all nations come and worship before the Lord implies that all nations convert to following Christ (like in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20). This salvation of the Gentiles is prophesied by Isaiah, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth...” (Isaiah 45:22). Micah 4:2 records, "Many nations will go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths...'" In addition to Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Seven Angels Appear with the Seven Last Judgments Verses 5-6 5And after that I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened, 6and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having golden sashes around their chests. Commentary: "And after that I looked" is a transitional statement indicative of a change in imagery through John's revelatory vision. John is now seeing inside the temple of the tabernacle. This is important because within the holiest of holy areas inside the tabernacle is where "God resides." In this verse, God is using his messengers to execute his wrath. The angels are wearing white, clean linen, the symbol of holiness and purity. This is an interesting thought since these are the angels that are to execute God's wrath. The introduction of God's judgment is presented and carried out by seven angels. However, the propensity of these plagues have yet to be stated. The golden sashes the angels have on their chest emphasize their significance within the order of the heavenly beings.
Verse 7 7And one of the four creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. Commentary: Recall that the "four creatures" are the creatures first introduced in Revelation 4. This verse shows the four creatures giving the seven angels seven "phials," a Greek word translated here as "bowls." As Ben Witherington III notes, "[Phials] can refer to anything from a bowl used a saucepan for cooking to a bowl-shaped cup used for drinking." He goes on to note that Isaiah 51:17 utilizes the equivalent word in Aramaic to describe the cup of God's wrath, suggesting that John intends this word to be understood as "bowl-shaped cup used for drinking." These bowls are said to be full God's wrath. Revelation 16 shows these angels pouring the bowls onto the earth. These four creatures can be paralleled to the four creatures mentioned in another prophetic book of the Bible. In the book of Daniel, there are four creatures, believed to signify four kingdoms, but some scholars believe that they are a direct parallel to the four creatures mentioned in this passage. However, some scholars believe that the four creatures are related to creatures of the Beast and not of God. It is not known for sure. Verse 8 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Commentary: This verse tells of God's coming into his temple. The smoke is not only a symbol of God coming, like the smoke in Isa. 6, but that he is also going to act. It's interesting to note that in order for there to be a metaphorical smoke, there has to be a fire to cause it. Therefore, the fire can be compared with the sinful nature of mankind especially those that have not repented. This would mean that the smoke could also be God's wrath following it. God will not permit anyone to be in his presence until his wrath is finished. & & & 9th Century Spanish Commentary on Revelation
& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 14 & & & Quarantine Day 66. Sunday. This needs to end.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & & 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 & & &
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo Bible Project Revelation 12-22 & & & 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.
