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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.
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