The Lamb on Mount Zion (14:1-3)

Chapter 14 contrasts chapters 12 and 13. John looks and he sees the Lamb standing on Mt. Zion. This is a contrast to chapter 12:1 where we saw the dragon take his stand on the seashore. With the Lamb are the 144,000. The 144,000 are the ones who had been sealed back in chapter 7. The 144,000 are the redeemed of the earth (14:3) and the servants of God (7:3). This is an image of security, comfort, and victory to the children of God despite the horror that has been witnessed in chapters 12-13. Though the dragon would invoke the beast to kill those who would not worship it, victory is shown because these saints are standing with the Lamb on Mt. Zion.

This is the first time that we have read about Mount Zion in Revelation. In fact you may be surprised to know that Mount Zion only occurs twice in the New Testament: here and Hebrews 12:22-24. So, for us to get an understanding of what Mount Zion should mean to us, we must read Hebrews 12:22: “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.”

Mount Zion mean represents the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem. Our focus has been removed from physical Jerusalem on the earth, for it has been destroyed, as we have seen in chapters 10-11. Now we have come to spiritual Jerusalem, with God the Father and Jesus. John then hears a sound from heaven like the sound of cascading waters, the rumbling of loud thunder, and the sound of harpists. Meanwhile, the 144,000 are singing a new song in heaven before the four living creatures and the elders. We have seen this imagery before in chapter 4 where all the hosts of heaven are before the throne of God, praising him day and night.

Description of the 144,000 (14:4-5)

The 144,000 has been the subject of much speculation, especially by some religious groups. Some want to take this literally, meaning that there are only 144,000 saved people that will be in heaven with the Lamb. However, we must remember the description of the 144,000 in chapter 7. The 144,000 are described as Jews and 12,000 are from each tribe. Further, let us notice the rest of the description of the 144,000 in chapter 14. The 144,000 are “not defiled by women,” are “virgins,” and are therefore only men. So this really limits who is in heaven if we are to take this passage literally. If we take this passage literally then no women can be in heaven and only Jewish men who were virgins are in heaven. Do you know who this would leave out? The apostle Peter, for he was a married man (Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38).

Again, the book has told us that we are reading symbols (Rev. 1:1), so we must understand the figure that we are reading. This is a description of the redeemed of the earth. For help in the figure, let us read 2 Corinthians 11:2, “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.” Paul applies the same symbols to describe the children of God in 2 Corinthians as John does in Revelation. The redeemed of God are spiritually undefiled. They are not sexually immoral, as was common in that day as people worship pagan gods through sexual immorality. The redeemed are those who follow Christ wherever he goes (vs. 4). The 144,000 are all those who have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb (vs. 4). We also see their purity of life (vs. 5) for they are found blameless. These are all descriptions of what God has called us to be in our lives as servants and as living sacrifices. These are also the ones who did not bow to the image of the beast in Revelation 13, the saints of God.

The First Angel (14:6-7)

Now we see an angel with the eternal gospel ready to make an announcement. The recipients of this message are all the inhabitants of the earth. This proclamation is a time marker for judgment. Once the eternal gospel had been proclaimed throughout all the earth, then this judgment could come.
Paul said in Colossian 1:23, “This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.� These words were written about 61 A.D. Therefore, fear, glory, and worship God and not the beast for judgment has come! The warning is given that judgment is coming and it is time to repent before it is too late.

The Second Angel (14:8)

Another angel appears saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, who made all the nation drink the wine of her sexual immorality which brings wrath.” To understand this declaration we need to know Old Testament prophecy. Isaiah 21:9, “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.” Notice also Jeremiah 51:7-8, “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. Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.”

This is a reference to the great world power Babylon and the destruction it would receive for its wickedness and for its captivity of God’s people. What is important to notice is that at the time of this prophecy, Babylon had not fallen yet. Babylon is declared to be fallen to show that the world power would certainly fall. The same is true for the current world power that is being addressed in Revelation 14. Babylon is currently in power as John writes this words in the first century, but its future fall is clearly seen and will happen.

The detailed description of Babylon in Revelation 14 tells us who Babylon is. The description is it is the “one who makes all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality.” The world power that was steeped in sexual immorality was the Roman Empire. Babylon the Great cannot be describing Jerusalem. Jerusalem did not force the other nations to be sexually immoral. Jerusalem was spiritual immoral and participate in sexual immorality, one of the causes of their downfall (Rev. 9:21), but did not cause others to sexual immorality. This also is the exact description of what we read the beast in Revelation 13 causing the people to do: to worship in the pagan temples and the emperor. In later chapters we will see further evidence that Babylon is Rome.

The Third Angel (14:9-11)

The third declaration by the third angel proves our previous point. This angel declares that those who worship the beast and his image will drink the wine of God’s wrath. Babylon the Great is the same as the beast of Revelation 13. Notice Jeremiah 25:15-16: “For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: ‘Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.’” Also consider Jeremiah 25:27-29, “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”‘ “And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “You shall certainly drink! “For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” says the LORD of hosts.’”

God is saying that his wrath will not be diluted. The recipient of God’s wrath, Rome, will drink full strength of the power of God for the sword is coming. We also read about the smoke of their torment, which is also language used by the Old Testament prophets. Notice Isaiah 34:9-10, “Its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone; its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; no one shall pass through it forever and ever.” God used fire and brimstone in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God now uses this image as historical symbolism of the coming destruction upon the nation. This imagery was used against Assyria, Edom, and Babylon. Now the image is used against Rome.

Endurance of the Saints (14:12-13)

The Roman empire will persecute the saints of God. Those who do not worship and participate in its evil practices and are faithful to the Lord will be victorious and are with the Lamb. Through these severe trials, the saints are called to endure, keep the faith, and keep the commandments of God. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” There is nothing to fear from the sword of Rome for those who refuse to worship the beast are the Lord’s.

The First Reaping (14:14-16)

Now we see One like the Son of Man seated on the white cloud. This is a common image of judgment upon a nation (Isaiah 19:1; Jeremiah 4:13; Matthew 24:30; 26:64). We often only think about the second coming of Christ when reading this type of language, but this is a more common image of the judgment that the Son of Man brings upon the disobedient. In this passage we see the Son of Man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle swinging his sickle over the earth and the earth is harvested. The sickle is a reference to judgment as well. Notice Joel 3:13, “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.”

Now some want to say that this is the final judgment, but this would not make sense since we are going to read about more events concerning judgment in this chapter and in later chapters. Even further, we must remember that the contents of Revelation “must quickly take place” and the final judgment has not quickly taken place. The first reaping of the Lord seems to depict the righteous being protected in the midst of the treading of the winepress that is revealed in the second reaping in verses 17-20.

The Second Reaping (14:17-20)

Another angel swings his sickle toward the earth for the grapes were ripe for harvesting. This matches the imagery in Isaiah 63:2-6: “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 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. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come…I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth.â€?

To be put into the winepress is to go through severe judgment because of wickedness. Just as we saw the partial judgments begin upon Jerusalem before its final destruction was announced and accomplished, so also we begin to see the judgments upon the earth to try to get the people to repent for their wicked ways. We will see this more fully described in the next three chapters. Verse 20 has lead to much speculation. If you have taken other numbers and figures literally, then one is forced to also take this image literally. But it is impossible for this to be literal. Blood four to five feet high for 180-200 miles is not possible. Again, it is an image of the severe destruction and bloodshed that would occur in this judgment. The destruction will be so severe that the blood will be flowing in every direction. Rome will fall if the people do not repent.

Taking the overall image from declarations of the six angels, we see these five key points: (1) a warning is given to the earth for judgment is coming; (2) Babylon will fall; (3) All the worshippers of Babylon (the beast) will receive the cup of God’s wrath full strength; (4) Blessed are the dead in the Lord for they are harvested from the earth and given rest in the Lord.; (5) The wrath of God is coming to the rest of the earth who are not in the Lord. They are trampled, tormented, and lack rest.