The Three Angels (Revelation 14:6-13)
- What do your friends believe about hell?
EXPLORE IT
- What did John see? (Rev. 14:6)
- What was an angel dispatched to do? (Rev. 14:6)
- What did the angel tell the inhabitants of the earth to do? Why? (Rev. 14:7)
- Why was it important that people heed the angel’s message? (Rev. (14:7)
- What pronouncement did the second angel make? (Rev. 14:8)
- How was Babylon’s sin described by the second angel?(Rev. 14:8)
- What warning did the third angel give? (Rev. 14:9-10)
- What would be the consequence of taking the mark of the beast?(Rev.14:9-10)
- How is God’s judgment on those who worship the beast pictured?(Rev.14:10)
- What words are used to portray God’s anger over sin? (Rev.14:10)
- How is the future torment of the unbelieving described in this passage?(Rev.14:10-11)
- What does the future hold for those who do not believe? (Rev.14:10-11)
- How should Christians respond to this sober warning? (Rev.(14:12)
- What instructions did John receive from heaven?(Rev. 4:13)
- In what sense are the dead blessed? (Rev.14:13)
GET IT
16. What temptations and trials make it difficult to live for Christ in this society?
17. What does it mean to fear God?
APPLY IT
18. How can you cultivate faithfulness to Jesus in all you do each day
Commentary
Angels will play a major role in the end-time events. They will gather the non-elect for judgment (Matt. 13:41-42, 49-50), the elect for glory (Matt. 24:31), and accompany the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to earth in triumph (Matt. 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7). In Revelation, angels are involved in the outpouring of God’s wrath (8:6ff.; 11:15ff.; 16:1ff.). Unlike those angels, however, the three angels described in verses 6-11 do not bring judgment. Instead, they bring astounding proclamations from God concerning the consummation of the age.
The three angels do not appear in sequential or chronological order. Instead, they address issues and events that stretch across the Tribulation period. Their messages anticipate the judgment of the seventh trumpet (11:15; chaps. 15, 16), which includes the final, climactic, rapid-fire bowl judgments at the end of the Tribulation. The messages they bring are designed to produce a remedial fear (Luke 12:5; Heb. 10:31) leading to saving faith. God will graciously offer sinners another opportunity to repent before unleashing the terrifying bowl judgments (16:1ff.).
And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” (14:6-7)
Dramatically, the angel appears in the sky flying in midheaven. Mesouranēma (midheaven) refers to the point in the sky where the sun reaches its meridian, apex, or high point at noon (8:13; 19:17). From that point, the angel would be most visible to those on the earth. There he will also be beyond the reach of Antichrist, as well as Satan and his demon hosts, whose activity will by that time be restricted to the earth (12:7-9). The battle that currently rages in the heavenlies between the holy angels and the demons (Dan. 10:12-13) will by then be over. This preaching angel will be unreachable, the world’s view of him unobstructed, and his ministry unhindered.
As he flies through the sky, the angel will have an eternal gospel to preach. This is the only occurrence of the noun euangelion (gospel) in John’s writings, though the related verb translated to preach also appears in 10:7. Like a multifaceted jewel, Scripture describes the gospel in various terms, each looking at it from a different viewpoint. The gospel is called the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23), the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1), the gospel of God (Mark 1:14), the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4),the gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:13), the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), and the glorious gospel (1 Tim. 1:11). Here it is described as eternal because it provides the means to eternal life. It is the good news that God will forgive all the sins of those who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation, and by that repentance and saving faith take them into His eternal kingdom
The angel’s message is addressed to those who live on the earth—a phrase always used in Revelation to refer to unbelievers (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 17:2, 8). The all-inclusive phrase every nation and tribe and tongue and people (5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 13:7) stresses the comprehensive, worldwide nature of the angel’s proclamation. The angel will call out with a loud voice to all unregenerate people everywhere. His loud voice ensures that he will be heard and emphasizes the urgency of his message. The angel’s message to sinners is “Fear God and give Him glory.” He will call the people of the world to change their allegiance from the beast to the Lamb. He will urge them to no longer fear, reverence, and worship Satan and Antichrist, but instead to fear, reverence, and honor God by turning to His Son. As the sovereign ruler of the universe, God alone—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has the right to be worshiped (19:10; 22:9; Isa. 42:8; 48:11; Matt. 4:10).
Unbelievers will be called to fear and glorify God immediately because the hour of His judgment has come. Opportunity is fading fast; the bowl judgments are about to be poured out, to be followed shortly by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the unbelieving world (Matt. 25:31-46). This is the first occurrence of the word krisis (judgment) in Revelation. It will appear again in 16:7, 18:10, and 19:2. Up to this point in Revelation, the word wrath has been used to describe God’s judgment (6:16-17; 11:18); the two terms will continue to be used interchangeably (vv. 10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15). God’s righteous judgments are the outpouring of His wrath against the stubborn and unrepentant world.
The angel gives one final reason for sinners to turn from Antichrist to God, proclaiming that people should worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters. The created universe both offers proof of God’s existence and provides grounds for worshiping Him.
And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” (14:8)
John saw another angel, a second one, who followed the first angel. Unlike the first one, this angel does not preach the good news of the gospel, but rather pronounces the bad news of judgment. Sadly, that implies that the first angel’s message was largely rejected. It is almost as if the second angel interrupts the first angel because no one is responding. The second angel’s equally brief and direct message is “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” The repetition underscores the finality, certainty, and comprehensive nature of Babylon’s judgment. Babylon’s yet future fall is so certain that it can be spoken of as though it has already taken place. The angel’s pronouncement will come as a shock to the unbelieving world. That Antichrist’s mighty empire, the most powerful in human history, could be destroyed will be inconceivable to his followers (13:4). It may be that a restored city of Babylon will be Antichrist’s capital city. But Babylon in this passage refers not just to the city, but to Antichrist’s worldwide political, economic, and religious empire.
As humanity was united in idolatrous false religion at Babel, so will it again be united in the end times under the aegis of the final Babylon. History will thus come full circle. The final Babylon, personified as a harlot (17:1-5), is described as she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality. The world will be intoxicated, deceived, and seduced by the Babylonian false religion headed by Antichrist. Thumos (passion) describes strong, consuming lusts and desires. As a result of their passion, sinners will engage in an orgy of rebellion, idolatry, and hatred of God. While sexual sin will be rampant, the immorality spoken of here is spiritual prostitution to Antichrist’s false religion; it pictures unfaithfulness to God. Having imbibed the wine of the seductive harlot, the nations of the world will continue their course of spiritual defection from God and end up drinking the “wine of the wrath of God” (v. 10). As the third angel reveals, this will prove disastrous.
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (14:9-11)
The third angel’s dire warning is addressed to anyone who worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand. As noted in chapter 5, everyone will be required, under pain of death, to worship the beast and his image. As sign of loyalty to Antichrist and to function in his world economy, everyone will be required to receive a mark on his forehead or on his hand. It will seem to the deceived followers of Antichrist who receive that mark that they are backing the winning side. But the angel warns that a terrible fate awaits those who, despite all of God’s judgments and warnings, persist in worshiping Antichrist. Once again, God graciously calls on sinners to repent in the final hour.
Those who drank the wine of the harlot Babylon also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. To drink of the wine of the wrath of God is to experience His wrath (Job 21:20; Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15). The full fury of God’s wrath, so long restrained, will be unleashed. Such wrath is not an impulsive outburst of divine emotion aimed at people whimsically. It is the settled, deliberate, merciless, graceless response of the righteous God against all sinners. John describes that terrifying reality by noting that God’s wrath will be mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. Mixed in full strength (lit. “mixed unmixed”) refers to the ancient practice of diluting wine with water. The wine filling the cup of God’s anger, however, is strong, undiluted wine. God’s eschatological wrath will be undiluted vengeance, unmixed with any trace of compassion.
The horrifying fate awaiting the person who drinks the wine of the wrath of God is to be tormented with fire and brimstone. The verb translated be tormented speaks of the ceaseless infliction of unbearable pain. The noun form of that verb is used in Luke 16:23 to describe the agony of the rich man in Hades. Those whom God will force to drink from the cup of His anger will know no lessening or diminishing of their torment; they will enjoy no moments of rest throughout eternity. Fire and brimstone are often associated in Scripture with divine judgment. God used them to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24-25; Luke 17:29). In Psalm 11:6 David wrote, “Upon the wicked He will rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.” Hell, the final resting place of the unregenerate, is described as the “lake of fire which burns with brimstone” (19:20; 20:10; 21:8).
That the unregenerate will be tormented in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb will add shame and embarrassment to their suffering. Unrepentant sinners will be banished from God’s presence relationally (21:27; 22:15; Matt. 7:23; 25:41; 2 Thess. 1:9); they will be forever barred from the loving fellowship with Him that believers will enjoy. They will not, however, be away from His presence in the sense of His sovereignty and omnipresence—even in hell. David wrote, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (Ps. 139:7-8). Those in hell will suffer eternal punishment at the hands of God because He is the One who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
The third angel concludes his message with a final sobering thought about the punishment of those who worship the beast, declaring that the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night. This angel would strongly disagree with those who deny the eternality of hell. His description of hell as the place where the smoke of the torment of the wicked goes up forever and ever (20:10) is consistent with the rest of Scripture. Isaiah (Isa. 66:24), Daniel (Dan. 12:2), John the Baptist (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17), and the apostle Paul (2 Thess. 1:9) also affirm that hell is eternal. But no one taught that sobering truth more clearly than did the Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke of hell as the place of “eternal fire” (Matt. 18:8; 25:41), of “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43), where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). And in Matthew 25:46, Jesus clearly taught that the torment of the lost in hell will last if the blessedness of the redeemed in heaven. Though human sensitivities may balk at the doctrine of eternal punishment, it is both the explicit teaching of the Bible and demanded by God’s justice and holiness.
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. (14:12)
The phrase the perseverance of the saints introduces one of the most important and most comforting doctrines in Scripture. It expresses the truth that all those whom God has elected, called, and justified will never lose their faith, but will persevere in it until death. That reality provides assurance, hope, and joy to every true believer in Jesus Christ and brings an end to fear and doubt.
Some refer to this as the doctrine of eternal security; others dub it the “once saved, always saved” teaching. While those definitions are accurate, they do not express this truth as clearly as the biblical phrase the perseverance of the saints. That statement emphasizes the reality that God keeps His own saints by sustaining their faith to the very end, no matter what occurs. True saving faith in its very nature is eternal and cannot be lost or destroyed.
The persevering character of saving faith is never more clearly and powerfully seen than in this passage. No group of believers ever has faced or ever will face stronger assaults on their faith than the Tribulation saints. This large group of believers (7:9, 13-14) will include both Gentiles (7:9) and Jews (12:17). They will be saved through the ministries of the two witnesses (11:3-13) and the 144,000 (7:1-8; 14:1-5). The Tribulation believers will endure the most intense persecution in human history. In Matthew 24:21 Jesus described this period as a time of “great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” So terrible will the conditions be that “unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matt. 24:22). God will set a limit on the Tribulation so that the elect will not suffer more than they can bear (1 Cor. 10:13). There is no stronger evidence that saving faith perseveres than the reality that the most tested believers in history will maintain their saving faith until the end.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” (14:13)
Having lived with perseverance, the Tribulation saints will die with promise. This is the sixth time in Revelation that John heard a voice from heaven (10:4, 8; 11:12; 12:10; 14:2); he will hear such a voice three more times (18:4; 19:5; 21:3). The voice (probably that of God, not an angel) commanded John to write. Twelve times in Revelation John is told to write (1:11, 19; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 19:9; 21:5); the apostle was under a divine mandate to record the visions he saw.
The heavenly voice ordered John to write, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” That includes martyrs such as Antipas (2:13), those seen underneath the heavenly altar (6:9-11), and the “great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes … the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9, 14). These martyrs are blessed not only because they lived life to the fullest in obedience and trust, but also because they died in the Lord. They will experience in death the fullest reward, because “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps. 116:15). With Paul, they will be able to cry out triumphantly, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55).First, the Spirit declares them blessed because they may rest from their labors. Kopos describes hard, difficult, exhausting toil. It can also refer to bother, annoyance, or trouble. Certainly, the Tribulation saints will experience the whole gamut of the word’s meanings. They will be filled with deep sorrow as they watch those they love—children, parents, spouses, and friends—suffer torment and death. Their lives will be a hard, difficult, dangerous struggle for survival. Not having the mark of the beast, they will be excluded from society, be unable to buy or sell, and live lives on the run as hunted fugitives. Death, granting rest from all the difficulties and sorrows of their lives, will come as a welcome relief. In stark contrast are the damned, who will know not a moment’s rest throughout all eternity (14:11).
The Holy Spirit also pronounces the Tribulation martyrs blessed because their deeds follow with them. Erga (deeds) refers to their service to the Lord. When these believers go to heaven, the record of their diligent labor will follow along with them. The Bible teaches that God will reward believers in heaven for their earthly service to Him. Hebrews 6:10 reads, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” Facing imminent execution, Paul triumphantly declared, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). First Corinthians 3:12-14 describes God’s testing of believers’ works. The “gold, silver, [and] precious stones” (v. 12) will be preserved, while the “wood, hay, [and] straw” (v. 12) will be destroyed. What is left will form the basis for believers’ rewards (vv. 13-14).
The dead who have lived in obedience and trust will be blessed with rest and reward after they die. Those who live now for wanton pleasure are dead even while they live (1 Tim. 5:6). Being “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), they face the horror of eternal damnation in hell. The sobering truth is that the choices people make in this life will irreversibly chart the course of their eternal destinies. A Christless eternity of unrelieved torment or the blissful rest and reward of heaven: that is the choice faced by every person.
THINK ABOUT THIS: How beautiful is the Bride of Christ! Amid a world of oppression, lies, and idolatry, the true church is salt and light. Though hindered by remaining sin, the godly take up their crosses, deny themselves, and follow Christ. They are devoted to Him and reject the spiritual adultery of the world. Do you belong to this church? This is not just a question of official membership, though that is important. According to this chapter, what are the marks of true, spiritual membership in the church of Jesus Christ?
Comments
Post a Comment