Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

1 Then I looked, and behold, ¹the Lamb was standing on ²Mount Zion, and with Him ³one hundred and forty-four * thousand, having ⁴His name and the ⁵name of His Father written ⁶on their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like ⁷the sound of many waters and like the ⁸sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of ⁹harpists playing on their harps.

3 And they sang ¹⁰a new song before the throne and before the ¹¹four living creatures and the ¹²elders; and ¹³no one could learn the song except the ¹⁴one hundred and forty-four * thousand who had been ¹⁵purchased from the earth.

4 ¹⁶These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who ¹⁷follow the Lamb wherever * He goes. These have been ¹⁸purchased from among men ¹⁹as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

5 And ²⁰no lie was found in their mouth; they are ²¹blameless.

Vision of the Angel with the Gospel

6 And I saw another angel flying in ²²midheaven, having ²³an eternal gospel to preach to ²⁴those who live on the earth, and to ²⁵every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

7 and he said with a loud voice, "²⁶Fear God, and ²⁷give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who ²⁸made the heaven and the earth and sea and ²⁹springs of waters."

8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "³⁰Fallen, fallen is ³¹Babylon the great, she who has ³²made all the nations drink of the ³³wine of the passion of her immorality."

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone ³⁴worships the beast and his ³⁵image, and receives a ³⁶mark on his forehead or on his hand,

10 he also will drink of the ³⁷wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength ³⁸in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with ³⁹fire and brimstone in the presence of the ⁴⁰holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

11 "And the ⁴¹smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; ⁴²they have no rest day and night, those who ⁴³worship the beast and his ⁴⁴image, and whoever * receives the ⁴⁵mark of his name."

12 Here is ⁴⁶the perseverance of the saints who ⁴⁷keep the commandments of God and ⁴⁸their faith in Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, '⁴⁹Blessed are the dead who ⁵⁰die in the Lord from now on!' " "Yes," ⁵¹says the Spirit, "so that they may ⁵²rest from their labors, for their ⁵³deeds follow with them."

The Reapers

14 Then I looked, and behold, a ⁵⁴white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one ⁵⁵like a son of man, having a golden ⁵⁶crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

15 And another angel ⁵⁷came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "⁵⁸Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the ⁵⁹harvest of the earth is ripe."

16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel ⁶⁰came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

18 Then another angel, ⁶¹the one who has power over fire, came out from ⁶²the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "⁶³Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, ⁶⁴because her grapes are ripe."

19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into ⁶⁵the great wine press of the wrath of God.

20 And ⁶⁶the wine press was trodden ⁶⁷outside the city, and ⁶⁸blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

Revelation 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

Those faithful to Christ celebrate the praises of God. (1-5) Three angels; one proclaiming the everlasting gospel; another, the downfal of Babylon; and a third, the dreadful wrath of God on the worshippers of the beast. The blessedness of those who die in the Lord. (6-13) A vision of Christ with a sickle, and of a harvest ripe for cutting down. (14-16) The emblem of a vintage fully ripe, trodden in the wine-press of God's wrath. (17-20)

Verses 1-5 Mount Sion is the gospel church. Christ is with his church, and in the midst of her in all her troubles, therefore she is not consumed. His presence secures perseverance. His people appear honourably. They have the name of God written in their foreheads; they make a bold and open profession of their faith in God and Christ, and this is followed by suitable actings. There were persons in the darkest times, who ventured and laid down their lives for the worship and truth of the gospel of Christ. They kept themselves clean from the wicked abominations of the followers of antichrist. Their hearts were right with God; and they were freely pardoned in Christ; he is glorified in them, and they in him. May it be our prayer, our endeavour, our ambition, to be found in this honourable company. Those who are really sanctified and justified are meant here, for no hypocrite, however plausible, can be accounted to be without fault before God.

Verses 6-13 The progress of the Reformation appears to be here set forth. The four proclamations are plain in their meaning; that all Christians may be encouraged, in the time of trial, to be faithful to their Lord. The gospel is the great means whereby men are brought to fear God, and to give glory to him. The preaching of the everlasting gospel shakes the foundations of antichrist in the world, and hastens its downfal. If any persist in being subject to the beast, and in promoting his cause, they must expect to be for ever miserable in soul and body. The believer is to venture or suffer any thing in obeying the commandments of God, and professing the faith of Jesus. May God bestow this patience upon us. Observe the description of those that are and shall be blessed: such as die in the Lord; die in the cause of Christ, in a state of union with Christ; such as are found in Christ when death comes. They rest from all sin, temptation, sorrow, and persecution; for there the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest. Their works follow them: do not go before as their title, or purchase, but follow them as proofs of their having lived and died in the Lord: the remembrance of them will be pleasant, and the reward far above all their services and sufferings. This is made sure by the testimony of the Spirit, witnessing with their spirits, and the written word.

Verses 14-20 Warnings and judgments not having produced reformation, the sins of the nations are filled up, and they become ripe for judgments, represented by a harvest, an emblem which is used to signify the gathering of the righteous, when ripe for heaven, by the mercy of God. The harvest time is when the corn is ripe; when the believers are ripe for heaven, then the wheat of the earth shall be gathered into Christ's garner. And by a vintage. The enemies of Christ and his church are not destroyed, till by their sin they are ripe for ruin, and then he will spare them no longer. The wine-press is the wrath of God, some terrible calamity, probably the sword, shedding the blood of the wicked. The patience of God towards sinners, is the greatest miracle in the world; but, though lasting, it will not be everlasting; and ripeness in sin is a sure proof of judgment at hand.

Cross References

• 1. Revelation 5:6
• 2. Psalms 2:6; Hebrews 12:22
• 3. Revelation 7:4; Revelation 14:3
• 4. Revelation 3:12
• 5. Revelation 3:12
• 6. Ezekiel 9:4; Revelation 7:3
• 7. Revelation 1:15
• 8. Revelation 6:1
• 9. Revelation 5:8
• 10. Revelation 5:9
• 11. Revelation 4:6
• 12. Revelation 4:4
• 13. Revelation 2:17
• 14. Revelation 7:4; Revelation 14:1
• 15. Revelation 5:9
• 16. Matthew 19:12; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 3:4
• 17. Revelation 3:4; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 17:14
• 18. Revelation 5:9
• 19. Hebrews 12:23; James 1:18
• 20. Psalms 32:2; Zephaniah 3:13; Malachi 2:6; John 1:47; 1 Peter 2:22
• 21. Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19; Jude 24
• 22. Revelation 8:13
• 23. 1 Peter 1:25; Revelation 10:7
• 24. Revelation 3:10
• 25. Revelation 5:9
• 26. Revelation 15:4
• 27. Revelation 11:13
• 28. Revelation 4:11
• 29. Revelation 8:10
• 30. Isaiah 21:9; Jeremiah 51:8; Revelation 18:2
• 31. Daniel 4:30; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 18:10
• 32. Jeremiah 51:7
• 33. Revelation 17:2, 4; Revelation 18:3
• 34. Revelation 13:12; Revelation 14:11
• 35. Revelation 13:14; Revelation 14:11
• 36. Revelation 13:16
• 37. Isaiah 51:17; Jer 25:15f, 27; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 19:15
• 38. Psalms 75:8; Revelation 18:6
• 39. Genesis 19:24; Ezekiel 38:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10, 14; Revelation 21:8
• 40. Mark 8:38
• 41. Isaiah 34:8-10; Revelation 18:9, 18; Revelation 19:3
• 42. Revelation 4:8
• 43. Revelation 13:12; Revelation 14:9
• 44. Revelation 13:12; Revelation 14:9
• 45. Revelation 13:17
• 46. Revelation 13:10
• 47. Revelation 12:17
• 48. Revelation 2:13
• 49. Revelation 20:6
• 50. 1 Corinthians 15:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:16
• 51. Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:17
• 52. Hebrews 4:9f; Revelation 6:11
• 53. 1 Timothy 5:25
• 54. Matthew 17:5
• 55. Daniel 7:13; Revelation 1:13
• 56. Psalms 21:3; Revelation 6:2
• 57. Revelation 11:19; Revelation 14:17; Revelation 15:6; Revelation 16:17
• 58. Joel 3:13; Mark 4:29; Revelation 14:18
• 59. Jeremiah 51:33; Matthew 13:39-41
• 60. Revelation 11:19; Revelation 14:15; Revelation 15:6; Revelation 16:17
• 61. Revelation 16:8
• 62. Revelation 6:9; Revelation 8:3
• 63. Joel 3:13; Mark 4:29; Revelation 14:15
• 64. Joel 3:13
• 65. Isaiah 63:2; Revelation 19:15
• 66. Isaiah 63:3; Lamentations 1:15; Revelation 19:15
• 67. Hebrews 13:12; Revelation 11:8
• 68. Genesis 49:11; Deuteronomy 32:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Two early mss read "sing" something "like a new song"
• [b]. Lit "are chaste men"
• [c]. Lit "sit"
• [d]. Lit "Babylon...fell, fell, she who"
• [e]. Or "wrath"
• [f]. Lit "unmixed;" in ancient times wine was usually diluted with water
• [g]. I.e. burning sulphur
• [h]. Lit "if anyone"
• [i]. Or "steadfastness"
• [j]. Or "holy ones"
• [k]. Lit "the faith of"
• [l]. Or "the Son of Man"
• [m]. Or "sanctuary"
• [n]. Lit "Send forth"
• [o]. Lit "has become dry"
• [p]. Lit "cast"
• [q]. Or "sanctuary"
• [r]. Lit "Send forth"
• [s]. Lit "of"
• [t]. Lit "cast"
• [u]. Lit "from"
• [v]. Lit "sixteen hundred stadia;" a stadion was approx 600 ft

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO REVALATION 14

This chapter contains three visions; one of the Lamb on Mount Zion, another of the three angels preaching against Babylon, and the third of the harvest and vintage. The vision of the Lamb is in Re 14:1, which is no other than Christ, described by his similitude, as a Lamb; by the place where he was, Mount Zion; by his position there, standing, and by the company that were with him, whose number were 144,000, and their character, his Father's name written on their foreheads; at the same time a voice was heard from heaven, comparable to the sound of many waters, of thunders, and of harps: and a song sung which none learn but the above number with the Lamb, Re 14:2,3, who are described by their purity, chastity, and strict adherence to Christ; by their redemption through him; by their being the firstfruits of God and of the Lamb, and by their integrity and unblemished character, Re 14:4,5; next follows the account of the three angels; the first comes with the everlasting Gospel, to preach it to all men, loudly calling upon all to fear and worship God, and give glory to him, since he is the Creator of all, and the hour of his judgment is come, Re 14:6,7; the second proclaims the fall of Babylon, with the reason of it, Re 14:8; and the third denounces the wrath of God upon the worshippers of the beast in the most public manner, and that for ever, Re 14:9-11; and this vision is closed with some expressions, showing that, till this was done, the patience of the saints would be tried, and the true worshippers of the Lamb be discovered, and comforting them with an assurance of that rest that remains after death for the faithful followers of Christ, Re 14:12,13; after this is the vision of the harvest and vintage of the earth. The reaper is described by his form, like the son of man; by his seat, a white cloud; by a golden crown on his head, and by a sharp sickle in his hand, Re 14:14; who is called upon by an angel out of the temple to make use of his sickle, and reap, because the time of reaping was come, the harvest being ripe, Re 14:15, upon which he thrusts in his sickle, and reaps the earth, Re 14:16; after this, another angel appears out of the temple, with a sharp sickle, to whom another angel from the altar, that had power over fire, calls to make use of his sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine, since the grapes were fully ripe, Re 14:17,18; upon which he thrusts in his sickle, and gathers them, and casts them into the winepress of divine wrath, which being trodden, blood comes out of it to the horses' bridles for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs, Re 14:19,20.