Chapter 14
Verses 1-5 Read the Bible verses.
Christ, the Lamb, stands on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. With him are the 144,000 who have the “seal” or mark in their forehead.
There is a loud voice like many waters and thunder and sound of harps.
They sang a new song before the elders in heaven and the 4 creatures. No one could sing this song except the 144,000 who had been on earth. They are now in heaven.
These 144,000 are men who are virgins. They followed the Lamb. They have been purchased (bought) from among men as the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
They were purchased with the blood of Jesus, just as any believer is.
They are the first-fruits because they represent the Jewish people. These 144,000 believed in Jesus and accepted him as their Messiah.
When Jesus returns to earth, many more Jewish people will accept Jesus as Messiah. These 144,000 are the first group of Jews to be gathered unto Jesus, but there will be other Jews later.
Verses 6-8 Read the Bible verses.
Another angel preaches, “Fear God and give him glory. The hour of judgment has come.”
Another angel, a second one, said, “Babylon the great has fallen.”
Many Bible teachers think this “mystery Babylon” will be the Roman Empire to rise to power again.
The Old Testament Babylon is Iraq today.
This “mystery Babylon” seems to mean a world system. Just as the old Babylon was a great kingdom over a large area. And just as the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was a powerful ruler who forced people to worship an image of himself. So will this “Babylon” be a great system of power and its ruler will force people to worship an image of himself.
Just as the old Babylon was evil and did many wicked things, so this new “Babylon” will be evil.
Verses 9- 13 Read the Bible verses.
Another angel, a third one, said, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on their forehead or hand, they will go to the lake of fire.”
Here is a warning for believers—keep the commandments of God and keep faith in Jesus.
A voice in heaven said, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.”
They will rest from their labor (work and trouble). How they lived for God will follow them. God will see what they did for him.
Verses 14- 20 Read the Bible verses.
There was a cloud and the person sitting on it was like the Son of God. He had a golden crown, and a sickle in his hand. (A sickle is a knife shaped like a C. It is used to cut weeds or wheat, etc.)
Another angel came out of the temple (in heaven) saying to the Son of Man, “Put in your sickle and reap (cut). It is time.”
He who sat on the cloud, moved the sickle over the earth and the earth was reaped. Another angel came out of the temple (in heaven). He also had a sickle.
Another angel, the one who has power over fire, called “Put in your sickle. The earth is ripe–gather the “grapes”.”
The angel gathered the “grapes” and threw them into the “wine press” of God’s wrath.
The grapes are the unbelievers. They will be “pressed” judged in God’s “winepress”, God’s wrath and judgments.
This “pressing of the grapes” came in a war. In this war so many were killed that “blood came up to the horses’ heads for 200 miles”.
In the future, there will be a battle. It is not likely that horses will be used, but in John’s time he would not have known about modern tanks and such.
It is a “picture” showing that there will be much blood shed. Great numbers of people will be killed. Bodies will cover a large area. To those who see it, it will be amazing.