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A
Call for Endurance
INTRODUCTION In
order to fully appreciate chapter 14, one must look at it in context of
the events that are transpiring around that time.
Chapter’s 12 and 13 provide background as to what events have and
are happening, that relate directly to chapter 14.
In chapter 12 we are
told that a war had occurred in heaven.
The reason for the war is quite clear. Satan, who is very sensible
and lives on the edge, knew that the end was near. The signs of the time
were unmistakable to him. Battling on one side
was the Devil and his angels, and on the other side were Michael and the
holy angels who represented God. In
the ensuing battle, as we know would happen, the Devil and his angels were
not successful in their campaign. They lost. Upon their defeat,
they were cast down to Earth with all access to Heaven now revoked. They
could no longer stand before the throne of God and accuse the brethren.
Satan is now confined to earth. Satan will now pull out all the stops. With that occurrence,
a pronouncement of woe is proclaimed to all on the Earth (vs. 12).
Satan’s wrath would fall on the men on the earth, due to the fact that
he knows for certain that his time is short. In heaven, there is
rejoicing, as now he that accused the brethren continuously is now gone. Due to these events,
the saints have ‘acquired’ a few things of benefit. The children of
God are now defined. It is stated that the children of God have been
protected by God and have been elected to salvation. They have endured. God’s children have
overcome Satan due to the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our
testimony to God. By all of the events it was also clear that the Saints cared more to be with God, obey God and do his will rather than save their lives. Salvation, strength, the kingdom of God, and the power of Christ are now attainable by us all. When the Devil was
cast down to Earth, he attempted to persecute the women that gave birth to
the Christ, but upon her removal and protection by God’s means, the
Devil turned his sights upon the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Chapter 13 continues
to show how Satan reacts to his certain knowledge that he is to be
‘taken out’. The major importance
of chapter 13 is the theme that the Devil, now locked out of heaven,
implements a last ditch effort to corrupt and hence destroy mankind. As was his goal in
heaven, he tries to get man to worship him, mimicking the things of God,
but perverting them. In
chapter 13, we see a few archetypes of the Trinity show up. He empowers
two immensely powerful warriors. Exactly as Daniel
predicted, the seven heads and ten horns monster, representing a league of
Nations and leaders that ultimately under the power of Satan comes to
view. John sees them in
reverse order since he is looking back over history. Satan of course gives
the first beast power. The
Dragon is the name given to Satan.
As we can see in verses 3 and 4, that the dragon gave power, his
seat and great authority to this beast, which led man to worship him. Note that men love to see someone with power and authority, who put themselves at the top of the pack. Men are so fully that they would fall this type of corrupt leader, for in fact they would love to see themselves in his place and long for the same type of power. This is what men really admire. That is why they do not intend to submit themselves to God and obey him. In verses 5 and 6, we
can see the direct opposition against God as the dragon and his beast
shout blasphemies and curses against God, his holiness, his Law, his
grace, and those holy angels that just threw these workers of people out
of Heaven. This is real frustration. Note that he has the
support of all the people living on the earth.
The only ones that he does not control are the saints of God, the
elect. Not only that but God
allows them to make a war against the saints, the Church of God, and in
fact he overcome them. He
wears them out. Many do not like to hear this and so they construct
strange but comforting theories that many of the saints of God, who just
by coincidence happen to be largely gentile, are spared from the trouble,
leaving only the Jews and some subsequently converted gentiles the bear
the brunt of vicious persecutions. They try to make these new modern
theories sound respectable and consistent by therefore preaching that
there are several resurrections. John warns,
emphasizing this in verse 9 that the Devil apparently has been given
dominion over the Earth so that he can make war with the saints, and as
the Bible indicates, he was able to overcome them.
Also, he has established full power over the nations of the Earth.
He demonstrates his power with some amazing exploits. He establishes a
second beast, a false prophet, whose job is to cause men to worship the
first beast. He is the
miracle worker, convincing men. But he is an arch deceiver. But remember that the
Scriptures previously warn us about signs and wonders. These miracles
should not be countenanced, as they are not of God. See also Matt 24:24.
These miracles are specifically designed to deceive the men on the earth,
and to enable Satan to have absolute authority over men. The beasts kill all
those who did not worship the beast. Note that a
“trinity” was set up. This
is similar to the relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit. Satan is mimicking God’s plans, and establishes something
that mimics God to facilitate his false worship system. Verses 16 – 18
indicate the strength that believers must have.
The beast introduced a mark, which will separate God’s people and
the people of the world from each other.
Those people of God will know that this is just another trial and
to look as always to God for their strength to move past it. The world will receive
the mark, not only because it is a necessity for them in order to carry on
their daily business, but also because they are gladly deceived and really
hate God. They might think that
taking the mark of the beast is a perfectly logical and rationale act, but
then this is worldly wisdom, and they have forsaken true wisdom and
knowledge from the Father above, and hence a chance at eternal salvation
and the kingdom of God. Chapter 14 starts
strong with a scene of pure majesty. The Lord Jesus is on Mount Zion with the 144 000 saints with the mark of God upon them, singing a song only they know. This is a picture of the first fruits of what will be for all who follow Christ and serve God. Verse 5 is the typical attitude one can possess knowing that they serve the one true and Living God, as it says “And in their
mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of
God”. To be found without
fault before God is amazing. Only
the blood of the Lamb is capable of doing such a feat.
That is the reassurance that we get from following Christ. As chapter 14 unfolds
we go through certain concepts and topics dealing with the judgment, the
terrors that will certainly come when one has taken the ‘mark of the
beast’, the doom of ‘Babylon’, the wine of wrath, the torment of the
unjust, the patience of the saints, and finally the salvation of the
saints. We
can see, looking at Scripture, that all the prophecies made are coming
true, and that means time is running out for Satan.
These
conditions give Christians a serious warning about what it is we are doing
when we say we serve God. It
is one thing to look at attractive things in the world, but when we are
distracted to the point where we lose sight of God, then we have lost
everything of value. Dealing
with the world and Satan is a costly endeavour.
You must be completely anchored in God to withstand the wiles of
the Devil. Satan’s deception can and will be very thorough. He will
play one man’s natural aptitude or inclination to worship someone or
something. Along
this same line, we note that it is also a time of testing for the
Christian. Each type of
Christian will be tested. The lukewarm, the half hearted, the pretenders,
those attracted to idea of a glorious future but lacking the Holy Spirit,
all professing ‘Christians’, all will be tested.
Allegiances must be set.
For now sides must be chosen.
At
this point in history as presented in chapter 14 we all will be able to
see the total malignity of evil as it manifests itself in the horrors and
depravity of human thought and deed. We
must point out that the system that will finally emerge under the Dragon
and these Beasts is already in place. That false system of “Babylon”
has been around for a long, long time. Many churches have embraced that
system and are teaching their people to embrace it. The system of going
after wealth, power, and associating with the world, adopting the
standards and the attitudes of the world are commonplace in the church.
Frankly, their new churches can stand up to any rigorous analysis of the
word of God. We simply do not
want to obey the commandments of God, but prefer to make excuses for
lusting after the things of the world.
With
respect to the world we hear much talk of the New World Order, the new
world economic system, a one world government, and the spread of a common
anti- God behavior based on a rejection of the moral principles of God.
All of those signs of iniquity are certainly increasing, And
the people of God so-called are in the forefront of this disobedience.
The
question you as a professing Christian must ask, and be prepared to
answer, is what does God ask of His Saints to do? Be
ready. Be prepared.
Be anchored in the Lord. YOU MUST ENDURE.
It IS MOST STUPID NOT TO ENDURE. LET US NOT BE FOOLS.
THE TEXT
Verse
6. & 7 This
situation on earth is now so awful and terrible, and the saints are under
so much pressure, running from their lives, unable to buy or sell, that
God now has to entrust angels with a word of warning. Three angels now
come to earth to bear witness to the truths of God.
John
now moves to look at how the members of heaven deal with the situation now
unfolding and their role in pronouncing the judgments of God.
John
reveals to us an angel, not one that he has seen already, but a new one.
This one has a different task to accomplish.
The angel has been witness to the proceedings, but it is in what
the angel says that is of extraordinary importance.
He is to do what was before this entrusted to men, for conditions
are too harsh for men to do it. This is so extraordinarily bad it has
become. The
Bible says the angel has the everlasting gospel. What
is this everlasting gospel? When
the Bible speaks about the gospel, it refers to the message of salvation
through the sacrifice and redemption from Jesus Christ and his blood.
This everlasting gospel is the basis for every message of the
gospel and as is noted it is eternal. It
corroborates the fact that God has revealed himself to every single person
on the face of the earth, and that this witness of God is evident from
creation and from the work of the Holy Spirit.
Men by this time are aware that there is a God, and that his
judgment is now being manifested. All
men, every single person on the earth, from every nation, tongue, and
tribe, longed fear God, bow the knee to him, and accept him, worshipping
him for they know that he is the Creator of men, as well as Heaven and
earth. The
angel is really repeating to men the words of Psalm 1. God is begging them
not to continue to be so utterly foolish. This
gospel carries no good news for disobedient men. It is in definite
contrast to the gospel message known to us, one in which salvation is
given to men through Christ. This
message carries more woes. This
implies that the time for man to receive any forgiveness is at or coming
to a distinct end, where he can repent and find his way back to God.
The
second aspect of this angel’s message is that there is nothing
“Christian” about it, that is to say, there is no direct message about
Jesus Christ in it. There is
not simply a message of salvation what seems to be something more of a
witness that every one knows will not be heeded. Since
this is the only time it is noted in revelations that the word gospel is
used, it definitely marks some kind of turning point in the plan of
redemption. . The
angel had this task. namely, to preach (an action) this gospel to them
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people. No one was to be
exempted from this message, although, who is it that would hear this
message? The message given
was to “Fear God, and give glory to him”. The instruction is
simple. The
second half of the message from the angel is that “the hour of his
judgment is come”, signifying that time is coming to an end for man
to repent. Two ideas exist
here. The command to repent,
and the announcement that the kingdom of God is at hand and salvation is
near. This
means time is short for Satan and that is a compelling reason why saints
must be sober and vigilant. He
will attack us with increasing viciousness knowing his time is almost up.
John’s proclamation is that all the earth, to the four corners, all creation must bow to the Lord God Almighty. Men have no choice in this matter. Verse 8. In
this next section, another angel is mentioned.
Again, he has a different task to accomplish. The message is directed to the same audience, for we are told
that he follows the first into wherever he goes. The
message concerns Babylon. Babylon
is an ancient city and has always been linked to sin. This time it is personified as a woman, one that is immoral.
The tone echoes that of Isaiah 21:9 and Jeremiah 51:7 in that
Babylon is fallen, its gods are on the ground, shattered, and it likens
her actions to one that has always been giving poison to her lovers.
Note
that this “Babylon the Great” is a mysterious system which has existed
for a long time, and which is totaling corrupting. The seat of that power
in the time of John was obviously Rome and it continued its march in the
papal activities. It is linked to Sodom and Egypt. Note
that this city of evil is contrasted with the city of righteousness, the
New Jerusalem. They are both
diametrically opposed to each other. You
either belong to one or you belong to the other.
You cannot belong to both at the same time. The
new element in Revelation is that Babylon is linked to “the wine or the wrath
of her fornication”. In
upcoming chapter, more will be made of this, but Babylon has with its
adulterous behaviour drawn in those who have not held themselves close to
God. They have allowed the
pleasures of this world to sway them, in the face of obvious holiness
displayed by the actions of God and his people. That city has corrupted
the visible church. Another
aspect of the mention of Babylon is that there must be some a definite
connection between that city and the two Beasts. What exactly that
relationship is will be unfolded soon. Verse
9. The
third angel that appears gives a stern and clear warning. He connects his
message to the passages mentioned in chapter 13:15 – 16, regarding the
‘ mark of the beast’. From
that passage, it says that whoever does not take the ‘mark of the
beast’, shall be killed, such was the significance given to it.
This
mark clearly puts those who take it on the side of the Devil.
There is no one that is on the fence after this.
God
knows that the system of the Beasts will put immense pressure on people to
submit to it. After all those that do not take the mark with be under
constant threat of starvation and terrible loss, both of life and of
material possessions. The
warning that though the pain for not submitting to the Beasts might be
bad, the pain that will be inflicted by God before submitting to the beast
would be infinitely worse. God would have to judge those who refused his
gracious offer. He would allow rebellion to go on forever. No one could
trample on the blood of his Son, an infinitely terrible wickedness, a most
unimaginably gross iniquity, and be allowed to escape the wrath of God. Do
you think about how serious it is to reject the offer of salvation, a
salvation purchased by the infinitely valuable blood of Jesus? Can
you imagine the price that was paid for salvation of men? Do you
understand what Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, underwent for your
salvation? What kind of punishment must there be then for you, who mock at
God and his Son, rejecting everything that they hold dear and worthy? Do
you understand what it is like not to have the Cross acting as a buffer
between God’s anger and you? Do you really think that you do not thereby
deserve eternal torment? Frankly, eternal will be light a punishment for
you!
Those
who endure, and reject the ‘mark of the Beast” will find it difficult
and will survive only by having the strength of Jesus in your corner.
There
are different aspects to the concept of the wine of God’s wrath First,
there is the aspect of vengeance meted out by God. God sees the people who have mingled themselves with Babylon.
They have drunk deeply from the wine of Babylon, and have placed
themselves under the wine of that evil system.
He has already judged them and intends to pour out his wrath on
them, which is likened to drinking wine from a cup. Verse
10-11. Psalm
75 tells us much about who God is and his nature and position. In verses
7-8 the writer explains for us this concept of the wine of wrath. It reads
like this: “But
God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. For
in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of
mixture; and he poureth out of the same: what the dregs thereof, the
wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” See
also Isaiah 51: 17, Jeremiah 25:15-17, and Job 21:20 for further verses on
this matter. This cup is not something that is at all nice or pleasant. Those
who drink of this cup of wrath, poured out without mixture, that is, pure
unrestrained wrath, will face eternal torment. One writer who easily
confounds the arguments of those who believe in the concept of conditional
immortality and annihilation comments on this verse: “First,
the word “torment”, as we have already seen, clearly refers to painful
torture. There is no way to make “basanizw” mean annihilation. No
conditional immortalist even tries to do this, because the meaning of this
Greek word is too obvious. In
verse 10, the ungodly “will be tormented with fire and brimstone
(sulfuric fire). This is clearly the terminology for eternal torment used
in Jewish apocalyptic literature. And we emphasize that “sulfuric
fire” in this text does not annihilate the wicked but torments them. This reveals at once the falsity of the annihilationists’ argument that “fire and brimstone” always refers to burning something into non-existence. Second,
“the wicked will be tormented by sulfuric fire in the presence of the
holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”. This scene echoes passages
in the apocalyptic literature, such as Enoch 27:2,3 etc. Third,
having described the nature and context of the punishment inflicted upon
the wicked, John now speaks of its duration. The words and phrases he uses
are so strong and emphatic that such commentators as A.T. Robinson,
Alford, Lenski, Lange, Hendriksen, Swede, Hengstenberg, etc. point out
that eternal torment is the only romantic interpretation possible…. The
annihilationists try to view the fire and smoke as literal.
As soon as the fire and smoke consumes the wicked, the smoke
ceases. Thus they ignore the
fact that the fire and smoke in 14:11 and 19:3 are merely metaphors for
eternal punishment. The
metaphors of fire and smoke are both called “eternal” because the
punishment which they symbolize is eternal in duration. It would make no
grammatical sense whatsoever to use such metaphors if the punishment is
not endless in duration.”
These who are punished have no rest day or night, but are tormented forever. It is a dreadful thing to receive the “mark of the beast”. It is much better to be destroyed or tortured by the Beast than to be punished by God.
Verse
12. God now encourages his people and gives them hope. He basically tells
them that this is the time when the promises of God would be fulfilled and
when he will avenge the blood of his people.
The
saints of God are called on to show patient endurance. That is all they
must do. There
comes a time, when persecution is rampant, that the only work that the
people of God must do is to wait.
They
must never yield, and most simply remain determined to be faithful to God.
Note
that patience is linked to those who keep the Commandments of God. They
know that they are required to keep faith in Jesus, do exactly as he has
commanded, and never deviate from anything required in the word of God. Deception
is so subtle and powerful that we can never depend on our own analysis to
know what is right and what is wrong.
We must simply follow the word of God without deviation. Evil is too smart and is too effective in mimicking and
disguising itself as the truth of God. Be warned. Half-truths mixed with good works is not what God wants.
He wants the full truth and the full labor of love. We
are told that if we love Jesus when we keep his commandments. See also
Matthew 19:17 and 1 John 5:3. Do
not be afraid when people call you names because you insist on keeping the
commandments of God. Tell them that we certainly know and believe that men
are saved by Grace alone, and that only this same Grace has always saved
men. The sacrificial system never saved men in the Old Testament era. They
knew that to obey is better than sacrifice, and they looked forward to the
coming of the Messiah to save them. But like them we know that we must obey the commandments of God, for he alone, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit knows the righteous way of life. Those who are disobedient will always come up with reasons not to keep the commandments of God. Verse
13. The words had come from
Heaven, and John was now told to write them, and leave a permanent record
for us. Those
at that time do not need to worry that God would forget them and save
others only. He knew them and remembered them and the persecution they
were under. When
they died they would go into rest. Their
service and labors would be remembered, and they would reap the reward.
They
had not sought ease and comfort and escape from the terrible pressures of
life. They had fought and did not hold back from giving their life for
Christ. The
special word of comfort was necessary for those saints who were going
through the Great Tribulations, being worn out by the Beasts, their
suffering ignored by their fellow men, watching the apostate church around
them, and their corrupted leaders living in peace.
CONCLUSION
WE
ARE CALLED ON TO ENDURE PATIENTLY. THAT IS THE WORD FROM GOD HIMSELF. THAT
IS THE ONLY SENSIBLE OPTION WE HAVE. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO DO OTHERWISE.
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