Objectives in Studying this Chapter:
1) To examine the series of scenes depicted in this chapter
2) To appreciate how they would have provided comfort to the Christians of John’s day
A Brief Introduction
In chapter 14, the view is going to change once again. Of course Revelation is a book of contrasts, and we see here a significant contrast, a stark contrast, as we go from where we have been, dealing with a dragon, beginning in chapter 12, that dragon being Satan, the devil. And then in chapter 13, two of Satan’s allies, two of his cohorts are introduced, a beast from the sea, a beast from the earth, both having seven heads, and so on—both being the very personification of evil, of being against God and everything that is sacred, everything that is holy.
And then…the vision changes. The view changes from this scene of evil to the Lamb and His Own, those who belong to Him. They are standing in a…well, if you will…they are standing in a sacred place, a place that represented something special to these people who would have read this. So we go from this picture of evil, immorality, being against God, blasphemy, and so on, to this picture of tranquility and peace and safety and perfection and Oh, by the way, victory! That is the view, then, that John has.
We will see that there are three visions—three separate visions—that John will have here in chapter 14. We see that it starts out in verse 1 where John says, “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion….” And then in verse 6, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven….” And then over in verse 14, “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud….”
So, there are several different ways to divide this chapter. There are a number of different angels that we are going to be introduced to, and we will listen and examine what it is that they have to say. You could sort of divide the chapter that way, but looking and seeing what John is seeing, and the fact that he is going to see, or that his vision is going be of, these three things that are recorded for us here in this chapter, this is a better way to divide chapter 14.
A Reading of Revelation, Chapter 14
“Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’
8 And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’
9 Then a 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, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him Who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ 16 So He Who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who 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.’ 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”
THE 144,000 ON MOUNT ZION WITH THE LAMB (VERSES 1-5)
“Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
The 144,000 Standing With the Lamb (verse 1)
“Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written on their foreheads.”
So now, John has a vision, and he has a vision of a Lamb, or, the Lamb, as some translations have it, [verse 1]. This image, this depiction of a “Lamb,” is found throughout the book of Revelation. In fact, some 23 times in the book of Revelation, there is made mention of a “Lamb” and most of the mentions are a depiction of Christ, of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That is certainly the depiction that we see here. What John is seeing is the Lamb, and He is in the midst of a number of people; this is similar to what we saw back in chapter 1, where John sees the Lamb standing in the midst of the lampstands, and those lampstands represented the seven churches of Asia [“Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire…‘The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches,’” Revelation 1:12-14, 20]. In that depiction in Revelation, chapter 1, the Lamb, the Lord, is in the midst of His churches, in the midst of His people, that group of people, if you will. Here in chapter 14, He is in the midst of this 144,000.
To emphasize again, this vision that John sees is a stark contrast between what has been dealt with in the two preceding chapters, chapters 12 and 13. There we saw the dragon and the two beasts, and evil, and fear, and condemnation, and all those kinds of things. Here in this vision, verse 1, “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written on their foreheads.” Well, this is a view, then, of the 144,000 that were first identified in chapter 7, the redeemed of God of every age, and here this view that John has, not of a beast rising up out of the sea, or a beast rising up out of the earth, but rather, in contrast, John’s view is of a Lamb. This would be the same Lamb, the Lamb that, back in chapter 5, was worthy…worthy is the Lamb to take the scroll from Him Who sat on the throne [Revelation 5:9-10: “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.’”]. We understand the Lamb to be, of course, Jesus Christ.
Think again about the contrast—no, not the ugly dragon with the seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns, and no, not those beasts that would appear to be so ferocious and so mean and so powerful that they could conquer, that they could overwhelm, anything. But in contrast, here’s the Lamb, with His people, and the Message is and will be victory! The Lamb prevails and His people prevail.
Where is this vision seen? It is described, it is stated, as being “Mount Zion.” Well, what is that? What does the Holy Spirit have in view here? Clearly, Mount Zion is a reference, or can be understood as being a reference, to the city of Jerusalem. The temple mount in the city of Jerusalem, where the temple was built, was referred to as “Mount Zion.” Is it literally the city of Jerusalem? Well, no. We know that “Mount Zion,” or, the city of Jerusalem, was the citadel of David, it was the place where Solomon built the temple, it was the central point in much of the history of the children of Israel, and if we believe the children of Israel are a “type” of those who are redeemed of every age (and we believe that to be the case, going back to Revelation, chapter 7, where the twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes is mentioned there, making up the 144,000), then this is a place that would be familiar, that would be a place representing security and victory, and so on.
However, there were a number of different uses for the term, “Mount Zion,” in Scriptures. “Zion” is referred to as “the city of David,” 2 Samuel 5:6-7 [“And the king [Saul] and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, ‘You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,’ thinking, ‘David cannot come in here.’ 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).”]. That is a reference, of course, to Jerusalem.
Speaking of the Messiah’s triumph and kingdom, God says in Psalm 2:1-6 that Zion is “My holy hill” [“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’ 4 He Who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 ‘Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.’”].
The prophet Isaiah will say that the Word of God, which we understand, of course, to be the Gospel, will go forth from Zion, Isaiah 2:3 [“Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”].
We know, then, from Acts chapters 8 and 9 that, in fact, the Word did, the Gospel did, go forth from Jerusalem, a fulfillment of that prophesy, of course, when the first persecution by the Jews came upon Christians there in the city of Jerusalem—that’s where they all were when the persecution came upon them—and then they scattered, they went out from the city of Jerusalem. The record tells us that they went everywhere preaching, or teaching, the Gospel [Acts 8:1, 4: “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.”]. So, indeed, the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, went forth from Zion.
Those references clearly define “Zion” as the city of Jerusalem.
But “Zion” is also understood to be “the stronghold of God,” as it’s used in Psalm 48 [“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.
4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah
9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple. 10 According to Your Name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; 13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. 14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.”].
So, Zion has the understanding here of something that is secure, something that is firm, and carries with it also an understanding of victory, or, being victorious.
Other passages of Scripture concerning Zion and what it represents—a symbol of God’s faithful people, and a symbol of victory:
Micah 4: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. 2 Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the Name of the LORD our God Forever and ever.”
Joel 2:32: “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the Name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”
Isaiah 40:1-11: “‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ Says your God. 2 ‘Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.’
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the Way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’
6 The voice said, ‘Cry out!’ And he said, ‘What shall I cry?’
‘All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever.’
9 O Zion, You who bring Good Tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring Good Tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’
10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.”
So, what we have in view here in Revelation 14:1 is not the literal city of Jerusalem. I don’t believe that John is seeing a literal city, just like he is not seeing a literal Lamb when he says this. He’s also not seeing the temple mount, or the temple in Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, as we go down through this chapter, we see what he really has in view here is the throne room of God, isn’t it? If we look there in verse 3, “They sang as it were a new song before the throne….” So, we’re back to the throne room of God, a heavenly view, which John has had previously.
We see, then, that John continues using this illustrative language, this figurative language, the image of a Lamb to represent Jesus the Christ, a depiction of Mount Zion to represent power and firmness and victory—the throne room of God.
Then, we have the 144,000. We’ve read about them before. We’ve identified, of course, the 144,000. We know from our previous reading and from our previous discussion that these represent, no, not just the Jews who are going to be saved, but rather, the representation here is of ALL of those who belong to God throughout the ages. We see the explanation in verse 3b: “…and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.” So, again, we’re not talking about a literal number here; we’re talking about a group of people who represent the people of every age who are the people of God AND have, not the mark of the beast, not the certification that they have bowed down and worshiped the Emperor of Rome, but rather they have on their foreheads the mark of God, the identifying characteristics of God, Hebrews 12:22-24: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
This is, then, the view that John has. What a contrast between what he has previously viewed and described, and this depiction that he now has.
The 144,000 Singing A New Song (verses 2-3)
“And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.”
First of all, verse 3 clarifies where they are. If we have any doubts about whether or not they are literally in the city of Jerusalem that John sees, or if this is simply figurative, representing the place of the faithful of God and victory, and so on, we see that very clearly they are at the throne of God. That is where this is taking place—they are “before the throne [of God], before the four living creatures, and the elders,”along with the hundred and forty-four thousand. That is where this vision, this view of John, is taking place.
John has heard a number of voices as he has had these visions. Sometimes the voice is the voice of an angel. Sometimes the voice is not identified, as it is in this particular case. But it is clearly a heavenly voice. It is a voice of “many waters” and “loud thunder,” [verse 2a]. The depiction here is to get us to understand, to appreciate, the…well, as one writer put it… to appreciate “the absolute and utter clarity of what is being said.” It is very loud; it is very distinct; it us utterly understandable. John says that the sound of this is practically too wonderful for the ear. John describes this voice in terms that we can understand. He says that this “voice from heaven” sounded “like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder.”
He also “heard the sound of harpists playing their harps,” verse 2. Some people seize on that and say, “Look! Look you church of Christ people, you people that say we’ve got to have this a capella music. Look! There are going to be harps in heaven. So, that means that we ought to have harps in the church. Right?” Well…
Let me just share with you a little bit different rendering of this particular verse. You could turn to several sources for this. Actually, what is in view here is not the sound of harps, but it is the sound like a harp. That is what the original language is saying. Let me share with you this rendering. I mentioned this particular translation, the one that I refer to periodically, the English Study Bible, which is a translation of the New Testament done by Harold Littrell [1920 – 2001], who is a brother in Christ. He also includes a number of notes with his translation, and I like reading this from time to time.
Brother Littrell’s translation of Revelation 14:2 says, “And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and as the sound of great thunder. And the sound that I heard was like harpists harping on their harps.” Well, that says it, doesn’t it? And then he has a footnote that goes along with it that says, “The sound he heard was not harps being played, but a sound LIKE that of harps.”
And, then, let me also share with you Brother Hugo McCord’s translation of that verse, which is very clear, as well: “I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound which I heard was like harpists playing their harps.” Well, again, that is what we have in view here, not the actual instruments themselves being played by actual harpists. John was grasping for descriptive comparisons, trying to define or describe this wonderful sound that he was hearing. So, he associated it with the beautiful sound of rushing water, the very loud and very clear sound of thunder clapping, and the very peaceful, soothing, beautiful, sound of harpists harping.
This group, this 144,000, those who were assembled around the throne, sang a “new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders,” [verse 3a]. They are singing a NEW song. What makes it new? Well, it’s new because of the fact that it is being sung by this joyous, by this triumphant, group who have been redeemed—they have been saved, they have been taken out of this place that we’ve previously seen, dominated by a dragon and by beasts, and so on. And isn’t it interesting that “no one could learn” this song, no one could sing this song, “except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were the redeemed from the earth”?
This is not necessarily a depiction of the Day of Judgment. It’s a depiction to put into contrast the awfulness and the evilness of what has gone on before. But I couldn’t help but think about who is going to be singing on the last day. Is it going to be those who have worshiped the beast? Is it going to be those who are part of the world? No. They’re characterized as those who are going to be, if you will, “running for cover,” begging for the rocks to fall on them to hide them. Those who will be singing will be the “redeemed from the earth.” And won’t we have something to sing about on that day!!
The 144,000 Described More Fully (verses 4-5)
“These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit [no guile], for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
John is further describing the 144,000. There about six characteristics that he presents here about who these individuals were. First, they were “virgins”. Next, they “follow the Lamb.” Third, they were “redeemed.” Fourth, they were “the firstfruits.” Fifth, they had “no guile”—some translations say “no deceit.” And sixth, they were “without fault.”
Well, once again, who are we talking about here? Who does the prophet have in view, or what is he seeing? And how are these being described?
We continue to go back and say, these are the people of God, the redeemed of every age. They are, if you will, the church, as we understand the church today, and as presented on the pages of the New Testament. Well, how so?
The First Characteristic of the 144,000: What about them being “virgins?” This clearly is not a sexual reference. What it has to do with is purity. How did Paul characterize the church as he wrote to the church in Corinth that would be presented to God? He used a husband-wife reference. Look over in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11 and notice what Paul says there: “Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly — and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Clearly, the church in Corinth was not made up of people who were “chaste virgins.”But in a spiritual sense, in the sense of being as pure and undefiled as a “chaste virgin”, that is the figure here that Paul uses. That fits here when John speaks about these 144,000 being “virgins.” Again, not a sexual reference, but a reference to spiritual purity.
The Second Characteristic of the 144,000: They “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” We have any number of references in the New Testament that we can turn to, where Jesus will say, “Follow Me.” “My sheep hear My voice and follow Me,” John 10:27 [“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”]. Well, indeed, the church follows Christ, don’t we?
[Other Scripture References re: Following Jesus
Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’”
John 12:26: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
1 Peter 2:21: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps….”]
The Third Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 are the “redeemed—redeemed from among men.” Again, who are we? How are we described? What has been done for us? We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, 1 Peter 1:19 [1 Peter 1:17-19: “And if you call on the Father, Who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but [that you were redeemed] with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”]. As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he describes their condition, “in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” referring, of course, to Christ [Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace….”].
[See also Colossians 1:13-14: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”]
The Fourth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 are the “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” In James 1, verse 18, he speaks about the fact that we (of course, he is writing to Christians) are “firstfruits,” [James 1:16-18: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His Own Will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”].
This is a connection back to the Old Testament system of worship and of giving sacrifices, of giving not only animal sacrifices, but giving sacrifices of grain, of fruit, and of everything that came from the harvest. These sacrifices were to be, no, not the last things, not the middle things, but these sacrifices were to be from the first things. That was what was to be given to God. And so, we Christians, members of the church, are characterized as being the “firstfruits.” We are the BEST, and we are to give our best, aren’t we?
The Fifth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 have no guile, no deceit [“…in their mouth was found no deceit….”]. We could make “guile [slyness and cunning in dealing with others]” or “deceit [to lie; to cheat; to make a person believe what is not true; mislead]” antonymous—opposite in meaning—with “truthfulness,” “candor,” “frankness,” “honesty,” “sincerity.” Paul says that we are not to lie to one another [Colossians 3:8-9: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds….”].
We are to be like our Lord. As Christians, we want to attempt to follow Him as closely as we can. He left a pattern or us to follow, an example for us to follow, as Peter says. In 1 Peter 2:22, it speaks of Him not having any guile in His mouth [1 Peter 2:21-22: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.’”(NKJV); 1 Peter 1:21-22: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth….” (KJV)].
The Sixth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 “are without fault before the throne of God.” They are without blemish, without spot, without wrinkle. That’s how Peter describes the church, 2 Peter 3:14 [“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless….”]. And Jude will say that we are to be presented without fault, Jude 24 [Jude 24-25: “Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”]. Also, Ephesians 5:25-27: “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Once again, we are to be like our Lord, 1 Peter 2:21 [“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”].
We can see that we can make the connection between these characteristics of the 144,000 that are presented here in Revelation, chapter 14, verses 4 and 5, and the characteristics of the church—of ourselves as Christians, as members of Christ’s church.
THREE ANGELIC PROCLAMATIONS (VERSES 6-13)
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’
8 And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’
9 Then a 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, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”
The First Proclamation (verses 6-7)
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”
This section introduces a series of three angelic “heralds,” symbolizing things that are to be announced to men. The first proclamation that we have seen here in verses 6 and 7 is from an angel flying in mid-heaven, having the eternal Good News, the Gospel, to proclaim—to proclaim to a sinful world [“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people…,” [verse 6].
His Message is concerning the blessings that will come to those who respond to this Message, and who will be obedient to God’s call. We don’t know if this was the entire Message, but this is what the Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve for us [“…saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water,” [verse 7]. The contents of this rather brief Message are similar to the Message that Paul had for those in Lystra in the long ago, Acts, chapter 14. Paul calls upon those Gentiles in Lystra to “…turn from these useless [vain] things to the living God, Who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them…,” [Acts 14:15b]. This Message was presented by Paul to a group of pagan Gentiles in Lystra, and John presents, in effect, the same Message that this angel flying in mid-heaven has to share with the world.
The significance of fearing God and giving God glory is really, in effect, a call to repentance, turning men away from idol worship to the true Creator of heaven, and of earth, and the sea and all things that are in them. Here is a command, being given to the world, to “worship God.”
Make that contrast between what we saw in chapter 13 and verse 12, in the attempt to cause people to worship the beast, and what we see here in chapter 14, verse 7. It’s an interesting contrast, isn’t it? You have a choice—you can worship the beast, who, we said, was an ally of Satan, representing evil in the world, OR, you can worship God.
Some commentators point to this particular passage here and suggest that it has a connection with Mark 13:10. In that Scripture, a parallel account to what Jesus says in Matthew 24 [Matthew 24:14: “14 And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”], where Jesus is speaking about the signs of the end of the age, one of the things that He gives as a sign of the end of the age in Mark 13:10 is that “the Gospel must first be preached to all nations.” Well, that can be looked at in the way that the Gospel went out from Jerusalem to all nations. Paul could say that at one point, the Gospel had been preached to “every creature,” [Colossians 1:21-23: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight — 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”].
Here is the connection, then, that some commentators are making. That is, is this a sign of the end of the age—the fact that the Gospel has gone out and is reaching around the world more and more and more everyday through the medium of television, of radio, and now through the world-wide web? Of course, we know that the Gospel continues to go out, even to this day, but this is an interesting thing to think about. Of course, we know that every moment of every hour of every day of every week that goes by, we are closer to the end than we were before, but, nevertheless, as we think about the call of the Gospel that is going out around the world, maybe as the Holy Spirit has said here through John, the hour of judgment is coming very, very near [“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come,” verse 7.].
That term “hour” is not specifically meaning a period of 60 minutes, but rather, it is a definite or specific event. It’s sort of like saying, “The hour of worship.” We’ve come up with that phrase, and everybody seems to think that we can only worship for an hour, but we’re coming to know more and more that that is only a reference to a specific event, which is going to take place, that has a starting time, but it does not have an ending time that is published.
The Second Proclamation (verse 8)
“And another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’”
There’s an interesting statement. This second angel brings a different kind of good news. The first angel was bringing the Message of the Gospel. This one is bringing the news that Babylon the great has fallen. These words are very strongly reminiscent of what Isaiah says in Isaiah 21and verse 9: “‘And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!’ Then he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.’”There’s a similar reference in Jeremiah 51, verses 6-8: “Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He shall recompense [to repay or reward] her. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged. 8 Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.”
What is in view here as we read about the angel declaring that “Babylon is fallen”? Again, we are talking about something that is representative and figurative in its nature. But when we think about, and go back and look at, the Old Testament references, what was one of the great nemeses [anyone or anything that seems inevitably to defeat or frustrate one] of the children of Israel? Well, it was ancient Babylon, wasn’t it? Babylon had taken the children of Israel into captivity, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, had taken all of the articles from the temple, etc. Indeed, Babylon of old fell. They were crushed at the hand of the Lord, not directly, but the Lord used the Persians as His instrument to crush Babylon.
Nevertheless, there is a connection that we see here. It would seem that what is in view here is not ancient Babylon at all, but rather, the 1st Century city of Rome as it was seen and understood as the world power, the dominating force of the world in that day, and that one day it would be crushed, it would be destroyed, as was Babylon of old.
Now, when something is introduced as if it had already taken place, but it will really take place in the future, there’s a word for that. It’s “prolepsis,” a type of figure of speech in which something can be said as if it has already taken place because God knows that it will take place. And because God is connected with the event, it is certain that it will happen. That would seem to be what is being said here in this message from this angel. Yes, Babylon of old had fallen, and those who would have read this in the 1st Century would have understood that, would have known that. But if the message here, if the code here, if you will, if the figure, is of ancient Rome, then it’s as if the Lord were saying to the 1st Century Christians, “Put it in the bank! Rome is going to fall! Rome is going to be crushed!” “Rome is fallen, Rome is fallen” could very well be the message here.
Just as Babylon of old had overpowered, had overtaken people, had forced themselves, if you will, on other nations, had taken them captive, had occupied their areas, so would they be overpowered and crushed. And by the way, the children of Israel, the Hebrews, were not the only people who the ancient Babylonians took captive and forced into slavery, and took over their land and their cities, etc. They did that to many nations.
Here is this view of Babylon having made “All nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Well, that’s what Jeremiah said specifically in reference to ancient Babylon in the long ago [Jeremiah 51:6-8—see above]. So, indeed, what had Rome done at this particular point in the latter part of the 1st Century? What would Rome continue to do until about the 4th Century AD? As a world-dominating force, they were an occupying force; they were an occupying power. They forced people to do their bidding, to do their will, and many of the things that they forced upon people were evil, as it were, fornication, in the sense of being unfaithful to God, not necessarily of just physical fornication, although it’s not eliminated because of the type of sexual promiscuity and things like that that was practiced.
Remember, we talked at some length in chapter 13 about emperor worship, and the requirement for people to bow down and to worship the emperor, to treat him as though he were divine, as though he were deity. Of course, a Christian could not do that, although some did. We will see a reference to those who did later on in this chapter. Nevertheless, in effect, there was a euphemism, a figure that was used, concerning the children of Israel of old when they took on the practices of the neighboring people—the Assyrians and others—and they began to engage in idolatry, as well as other things. How were they referred to? Well, they were referred to as “whoring.” They were whoring—they were unfaithful, to God—a spiritual fornication. So we have a similar image here. Rome, in doing what they did as a dominating world power, forcing themselves onto other people, and so on, and particularly when it comes to Christians—requiring them to bow down and worship the emperor—would be, in effect, causing them to be involved in a spiritual fornication.
The Third Proclamation (verses 9-11)
“9 Then a 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, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’”
The third angel follows the first two, announcing with a great voice the judgment of God upon those who have borne the mark of the beast and worshipped the beast and his image. In the previous lesson, we saw what happened to those who refused to worship the beast. That was in chapter 13:15-17. Now, the judgment of God is announced against those who have worshipped the beast and received his mark, or his stamp. As Babylon receives God’s judgment, these worshippers likewise receive the cup “of the wine of the wrath of God,” which is prepared unmixed in the cup of His anger. We’re going to see that passage when we get over to chapter 16, Revelation 16, and verse 19.
The wrath of Caesar and his agents was a terrible thing for faithful believers to endure, for it oftentimes meant cruel suffering—even death—many times death. But the wrath of Almighty God was even more terrible upon those who, in endeavoring to escape the wrath of Caesar, would worship the beast and his image. This is a kind of commentary on Matthew 10, verse 28 [“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”]. The expression, “which is poured out without mixture into the cup,” [or, “which is poured out full strength into the cup”] refers to the practice in actual wine drinking of mixing the wine with water. In this parallel, there is no mixing—no watering down of God’s wrath, but it is the full strength of the wine of the wrath of God!
Punishment in “fire and brimstone” is that which is reserved for Satan and his angels. But, those who have chosen his mark will likewise suffer the same punishment. It is interesting to note that this takes place in the presence of the holy angels, and of the Lamb, probably parallel to the idea that as Christians are themselves punished in the presence of the populace—that is, those 1st Century Christians and beyond were publicly punished, even put to death—so these shall be punished in the presence of a much more august, a much more important, company—namely, the holy angels, and the Lamb Himself. One is reminded in this passage of the story of the rich man and Lazarus, with that great gulf fixed between torment and glory, Luke 16, verses 19 through 31.
One important part of the punishment of the wicked is their remorse. “…they have no rest, day nor night” [verse 11]. To speak of their torment beginning in the presence of the angels, and the Lamb, is to emphasize that this punishment is so just and correct that the angles, and the Lamb, both acquiesce [to consent without protest] to it. Perhaps one of the most significant lessons we learn from this series of seven trumpets is that the judgments of God, by which He warns a godless world and expresses His wrath, are, in this world, always mixed with grace and mercy. In the end, however, the judgment will be with wrath unmixed, undiluted. The time comes when mercy is ended and judgment is meted out.
A Word of Wisdom and a Beatitude (verses 12-13)
“12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on[“from henceforth”].”’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’”
Many commentators consider verses 12 and 13 together. The word “patience” is the Greek word “hupomone.” It means “brave endurance that holds out under great afflictions.” It is here that the true value of the patient endurance of the saints—“those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”—becomes very clear. This “faith of Jesus” is the faith that concerns Him and His commands. It is a living faith, but it can never be separated from the keeping of His Will.
Verse 13 introduces the second of the great beatitudes in this book. In contrast to the judgment upon those that bear the mark of the beast, the dead who die in the Lord are “Blessed.” That is, they are happy, they are fortunate. The Holy Spirit adds His great “Yes” in this affirmation.
The term “from henceforth” can also be translated “from now on” and is characteristic of the way that John, in his other writings, expressed himself. For example, in his Gospel, John, chapter 13, verse 19, and again, chapter 14, verse 7.
In contrast to the wicked that have no rest day or night, the saints who have kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus do rest from their labors. The word “labors” implies sufferings and persecutions along with their other toil for the Lord. But their works, the deeds by which their influence for Christ has been known continue in the world, even after they have died. Contrary to some who want to make John set forth a contradictory doctrine of salvation through meritorious works, this simply refers to the fact that their godly lives continue to exert their power in the world. What a precious passage this is. Those who die in the Lord are those who are truly blessed. While today our labors may not include persecution and martyrdom as it did for these early Christians, it will include sacrifices and service for the Master.
THE TWO HARVESTS (VERSES 14-20)
“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him Who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ 16 So He Who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who 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.’ 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”
Reaping the Earth’s Harvest (verses 14-16)
“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him Who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ 16 So He Who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.”
Verse 14 introduces us to a new scene in which the prophet sees a white cloud, with One seated upon that cloud, “like unto the Son of Man.” One is immediately reminded of the prophecy in Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14, which describes “One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven!” [“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”]
He is wearing “a golden crown,” which is the common word for “the crown of victory.” In His hand He holds “a sharp sickle.”
Some commentators understand the entire scene from verses 14 through 20 to be simply one scene, referring only to judgment. But then, many other commentators see two separate viewpoints of the judgment represented here. The first viewpoint is that the harvest emphasizes the ingathering of the saved, while the gathering of the vintage and the treading of the wine press emphasizes the judgment upon the evil. There are two sides to judgment. The harvest of grain occurs in Jesus’ teachings as a symbol of the final judgment. For example, Mark 4, verse 29 [“But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”]; Matthew 13, verse 39 [“The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.”].
Both the harvest and the gathering of the grapes in connection with judgment are referred to in the prophecy of Joel. Joel, chapter 3, and verse 13, says, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.” The symbol of a winepress being trodden to indicate the wrath of God is drawn from Isaiah 63, verses 3 and 4 [“I have trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. 4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.”].
It would appear that the One Who is shown sitting upon a cloud symbolizes the coming of Christ as the victorious Lord to execute judgment and to receive His Own to Himself.
Verse 15 shows another angel coming out of the sanctuary, issuing with a loud voice the command to reap the harvest, “for the time is come for Thee to reap,” he says, “for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Some commentators have felt that this was strange for an angel to give a command to the Son of Man. But this is not strange symbolism if we remember that Jesus, during His earthly ministry, emphasized that no man knew the day nor the hour [of the Day of Judgment], not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father only, Mark 13, verse 32 [“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”].
The angel that comes forth from the sanctuary comes from the very presence of God, and the fact that he cries out with a loud voice emphasizes this. The world translated “ripe” in this verse means that “the plants are fully ready for the harvest.”
Verse 16 simply gives the actual account of the reaping. Christ carries out the command that comes from the presence of God. Christ is still the reaper, who accomplishes the harvest even though the angels, as reapers, may bring it in from the four corners of the earth, Matthew 13:39 [“The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.”] and Matthew 24, and verse 31 [“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”].
Reaping the Grapes of Wrath (verses 17-20)
“Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who 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.’ 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”
Here’s a contrasting view of the same activity. Once again, just to be sure that we understand what we see previous to this, that last section, verses 14-16, is the reaping, the harvest. In this section, verses 17-20, we’re going to see the destruction of the wicked.
John sees another angel coming out of the sanctuary that is in heaven (verse 17: “Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”). As he states there, the angel has “a sharp sickle.” This word “sickle” that’s translated here in this section of the 14th chapter is a Greek word which means “a sharp tool; a sharp instrument, which was consistent with that used by a vine dresser,” one who was in the business, in the practice, of keeping the vines—the grape vines, and so on. Of course, we know that the vines had to be trimmed and kept. In fact, there is a significant pruning process that goes on when one is involved in working with grapes. Obviously, one who did that work would have to have a sharp instrument, a sharp tool. That is what is in view here. The angel’s presence indicates that the harvest is ready to be gathered.
And then, we see that another angel comes out, this time from the altar [verse 18a: “And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire….”].
This is apparently the altar that we saw back in chapter 6, that altar under which the souls of those who had been persecuted were in view, and they were crying out, “How long, O Lord, how long?” Those who had been martyred are beneath the altar. This is also, probably, where the incense has gone up to heaven, or the fire for the incense has come from this altar.
It’s difficult to make a direct comparison in every instance between the altar and some of the other things that were associated with, first, the tabernacle, and then, the temple in Jerusalem. There’s not an exact transposition which can be made here. But it is close enough that we can understand that that is what is being talked about— no, not the exact tabernacle itself; no, not the exact temple, but a replication of that, because, again, people would have understood—they would have been able to relate to the sanctuary, to the temple and to things that were in the temple.
This second angel who comes out from the altar gives the command to the angel with that sharp sickle, with that tool, that instrument, used by the vine dresser. His command is, “Gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe,” [verse 18b: “…and he cried with a loud cry to him who 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.’”].
Let’s look over, just briefly, to an Old Testament passage. You know, we like to make some “excursions” over to the Old Testament during our study of this, because there are many passages in the Old Testament that we use to support, to clarify, and there are a number of thoughts and ideas that have come out of the Old Testament that are related here. So, let’s look briefly at Isaiah, chapter 63, and see if this will help us to determine what is being spoken of here in Revelation 14.
Isaiah, chapter 63, verses 2 through 4: “Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 ‘I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. 4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.’”
No doubt, this is where this idea, this figurative language for the “winepress,” has come from. It is consistent with what the Holy Spirit has inspired Isaiah to write and to have in view, and consistent, then, of course, with what John sees and writes here.
I think we can see here that the “winepress” in Revelation 14 symbolizes the wrath of God. The treading of the winepress stains the feet, and it stains the garments of the ones who tread the grapes with the red juices of the grapes. And it looks like blood, thus, becoming a figure for the utter trampling down of the enemies of God and the judgment of God against those who are in rebellion to His Will.
We are reminded here, a sort of anticipation of the scene when we get over to Revelation 19, verse 11 and following, that it is the Son of God Who there treads the winepress. So here, we’re getting a glimpse of something that is going to be mentioned again and more fully developed once we get over to Revelation 19 and into chapter 20.
Note that the “winepress” here is located outside the city [verse 20: “And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”]. Note also that instead of grape juice flowing from it as it is pressed—that’s what one would expect to see—blood flows out
We see “the great winepress of the wrath of God,” [verse 19]. The figure is changed into that of warfare in which enemies are destroyed and their blood flows on the battleground. Joel, chapter 3 and verse 12 speaks there of the slaughter of God’s enemies in the last day, which takes place in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, near to Jerusalem [“Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow — For their wickedness is great,” [Joel 3:12-13]. But here in John’s figure, in his vision, there is no earthly city that is mentioned since scholars believe that what is in view here is the final Judgment. It’s not just the judgment against Rome; it’s not the judgment against another evil empire, but rather, it is the final Judgment.
John says that blood is in evidence, and it’s as high as the horses’ bridles [“…and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs,” [verse 20b]. Well, what does that mean? It suggests the volume, the depth—and he says that the distance of it is 1,600 furlongs (your translation might say “stadia,” or some other translation). I’m not really sure of the distance. I’ve seen from a couple of different sources that it could be anywhere from a distance of about 160 miles, all the way up to 200 miles, but it is suggesting a very large area—very long, very deep. In fact, one writer that I read suggested that it was the length of Palestine from Dan to Beersheba, a distance of about 160 miles. The suggestion is not that what is in view here is simply the destruction of Palestine, but it is putting sort of a [figurative/symbolic] “dimension” upon what is being said.
Here is another important statement of God’s righteous judgment that is operative—it’s operative in the natural world, but it’s also operative in the spiritual world. That principle is captured by Paul, Galatians, chapter 6, verses 7 and 8, when he says, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, he will also reap; for he that sows to his own flesh shall reap corruption, but he that sows to the spirit shall reap eternal life.” [Galatians 6:7-9 - NKJV: “7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”].
Once again, we see this figure, this figure of a harvest which is taking place. In the first place, there is the harvesting of the faithful. The supposition is that those who are faithful have been those ones who have “sowed to the spirit.” They are brought in [harvested]; they are redeemed; they are part of the 144,000; they are the saved of every age, of every generation. But then, those who have sowed to the flesh are the ones represented as being trampled, being trod, being crushed, in God’s “winepress of wrath.”
And so, once again, God is not mocked. Man reaps what he sows. I think that’s the principle that’s expressed here.