Gods army and the seven angels
Chapter 14 of the book of Revelation is one of the most puzzling chapters in the Bible and seems a bit lost and disconnected from the rest of the book. So we need to take a closer look at it.
The 144.000
The chapter picks up the Lamb standing from chapter 5, where it was worthy to receive the scroll and combines it with chapter 7, where the 144,000 are mentioned. Now they are gathered before the throne (the mention of Mount Zion in verse 1 could be a reference to the heavenly Jerusalem).
The 144,000 have the name of the Lamb and of God on their foreheads, which defines their identity and their belonging (belonging to God), so it is a different reflection of the sealing in chapter 7.
They are singing a new song, probably in the context of chapter 5, where this scene also describes the worship of the Lamb from the angels reaching out to the whole creation.
This passage comes right after the overwhelming pressure of the dragon and the two beasts. They conquer the saints, make everyone worship them, deceive the whole earth, and mark them as their own.
This is very intimidating, but God’s people are still standing. They have a song of praise (and victory) on their lips, and the devil is the real loser in the whole story:
- He fails to destroy the child.
- He loses his position in heaven.
- He fails to destroy the woman.
- His perception and suppression with the two beasts is a disaster.
- And his victory over the saints backfires.
Not only that, but they fulfilled the destiny of the little scroll. But what is their secret? It is written here:
“These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.”
- They are virgins: This sounds strange at first, but it does not refer to their marital status, but to their fidelity to Christ. There is nothing more precious to them than Him.
- They follow the Lamb: They don’t compromise. They are totally loyal to Him and they trust the Lamb.
- Because “they have been purchased”: They know that they were bought at a high price.
- No lie was found in their mouths: They were faithful witnesses like Jesus, who did not waver under pressure.
To summarize: They lived their witness in the footsteps of Jesus without compromise, enduring hardship and even martyrdom.
The first three angels
The first three angels reflect this tension:
- The 144,000 are faithful and resist the beast and are a testimony to the nations who come to Christ.
- People who give in to the stress and deception of the beast.
The first angel comes and proclaims the eternal gospel:
“he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth — to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’”
Eternal Gospel is a very interesting term and taken from Psalm 96: “Proclaim His salvation from day to day”. The term “basar” (salvation) in this verse is translated in the Greek texts as evangelion. The phrase “from day to day” can mean eternally, as in Proverbs.
Psalm 96 goes on to proclaim this to all nations and peoples. The content of this message is also part of this short psalm. Furthermore the psalm begins with “Sing to the Lord a new song”, which was the description of the 144.000.
The Psalm asserts that God is king and all nations are INVITED to worship Him.
The second angel proclaims the victory over Babel while the third angel brings a stern warning of judgment for anyone who gives in to the beast. This also mirrors the call to repentance and the warning judgments of the two witnesses.
The question is: What will be the result? Will the nations listen? We know from the story of the witnesses: They will.
The two harvests
After this proclamation four more figures appear: three angels and one like a son of man with a grain and a grape harvest. What do they mean? Are these both judgments?
They are based on Joel: “Swing the sickle, for the (grain) harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the wine press is full and the vats overflow — so great is their wickedness!’”
Both to judgment refer in Joel, especially the wine press, which in Revelation is called “the wine press of the wrath of God”, referring to the day of vengeance in Isaiah. This also reflects the judgment of Babel a few verses earlier.
But there is a big differences with the grain harvest:
- The 144.000 are called the first fruits, which are normally taken from grain (including a lamb offering). A first fruit was normally are a pledge of the full harvest, so the 144.000 redeemed from all the nations are a first from of all the nations. A first fruit could technically also be from grapes but that would be a strange interpretation (martyrs as the first fruit of God’s vengeance?).
- While the wine press includes the gathering AND the crushing, the grain harvest has ONLY the reaping. For the grain follows either the threshing, the burning of the staff or the blowing away, while the reaping is a symbol of bringing people into the Kingdom of God.
- The grain harvest is done by “one like the Son of Man seated on a cloud wearing a crown”. This is a reference to Daniel where he receives the eternal kingdom with all the nations worshiping him.
So the result is two options for the nations: Judgment or salvation. The story of the two witnesses ends with the majority giving God the glory, but here the point is left open — for a moment.
The song of Moses
The next scene invites us into the new exodus, signaled by the sea of glass (the parting of the Red Sea) and the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
The song of Moses describes the praise after the miracle at the Red Sea. But the words that are spoken are very different from what Moses said.
The Exodus is taken up in Isaiah and reworded as a new Exodus in two songs in Isaiah that also refer to Psalm 105 (which also speaks of the Exodus). The statement in this connection is that the nations are affected by God’s action at the Red Sea.
But if you look more closely at verse 11 of the Song of Moses, it also links to Jeremiah and Psalms 86 and 98.
All these links together span the content for the song of Mose and the Lamb. So the story presents it this way
- Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
- It is shown by doing miracles as an act of deliverance.
- It is demonstrating that he is the one God.
- It brings all nations to worship him.
The song is a proclamation that all nations will come to God and worship him. He does this by judging their enemies. The celebration is not about the salvation of the martyrs, but about the praise that God has brought to the nations.
So, with the bowls of wrath, we see God dealing with the nations that refuse to worship and are loyal to the dragon and the beasts.