← Contents Revelation 14:1–20 ←→

Revelation 14:1–20

1THEN I LOOKED, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

6Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7He 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.”

8A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

9A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

13Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

14I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Original Meaning

The Army on Mount Zion (14:1–5)

ONE CAN THINK of a number of Jesus’ name, contrasted with that of the beast just mentioned; whatever name comes to “666,” there is no dispute that the name “Jesus” comes to “888.” Nevertheless, Revelation mentions the name rather than a number, saving the import of symbolic numbers for the army of 144,000.1 The glorious fate of these martyrs contrasts starkly with the fate of those who took the beast’s mark and thereby opted to be damned (14:9–11). The warning against compromise is clear.

The action of judgments, finished with the seventh trumpet (11:15), is resumed with angelic proclamations of judgment in 14:6–12. Framed between these sections is a picture of the woman and her offspring persecuted by the dragon and his offspring. The dragon makes war on the woman’s seed (12:17), a war depicted in more thorough detail in 13:5–7, in the context of the world’s idolatry (13:1–18). Now the narration returns to the woman’s offspring, who preferred bearing the Lamb’s name to the beast’s (13:17–14:1) and who preferred obeying God’s commands (12:17) to the fake phylacteries of the worshipers of the beast (13:16). The 144,000 portray the woman’s seed not as persecuted saints but as a conquering army—now that they have overcome (15:2) by martyrdom.2 Like their Lord the Lamb, they have crushed the serpent’s head precisely by letting it strike their heel (Gen. 3:15; cf. Rom. 16:20).

Perhaps most significant for our observation here is the location of the 144,000. They are with the Lamb on Mount Zion, God’s dwelling in the present (Ps. 74:2; 76:2) and the future (Zech. 2:10; 8:3), a place of Israel’s hopes for salvation (Ps. 53:6; 69:35; 87:5; 102:13) and triumph (Ps. 110:2; Obad. 21; 2 Bar. 40:1). Although Jerusalem after A.D. 70 lay mostly in shambles and the nations were now trampling God’s sanctuary even in a symbolic sense (Rev. 11:2), John’s audience knew that the prophets had promised Zion’s restoration (Isa. 1:27; 4:5; 46:13; 51:3; 62:11; Mic. 4:2, 7). God would dwell in the midst of Zion as the triumphant warrior who delivered them (Zeph. 3:15–19). He would make war from Mount Zion (Isa. 31:4; cf. Zech. 14:4); Jewish apocalyptic tradition added that the Messiah would stand atop Mount Zion when preparing to make war (4 Ezra 13:35).

Other apocalyptists may seek perspective by standing on Mount Zion (2 Bar. 13:1), but in Revelation Zion is also the new Jerusalem, the holy city (Rev. 3:12; 21:2–22:2), the antithesis of Babylon, whose demise is about to be introduced (14:8).3 The Jews remembered Babylon of old for its destruction of Jerusalem and expected God’s judgment on her (Ps. 137; Jer. 50:28; 51:10, 24, 35); so with the new Babylon, oppressor of the spiritual children of Jerusalem (cf. Rev. 12:17; 18:24).4 Thus begins Revelation’s “Tale of Two Cities”—a contrast between the city of God and the city of the world.

After John sees the 144,000 on Mount Zion, he hears a voice from heaven (14:2). As his vision of the redeemed martyrs in 7:9–17 constitutes the interpretation of what he heard about God’s army of 144,000 in 7:1–8, so here his hearing helps to interpret his vision of the 144,000. The “sound from heaven” is the song of 144,000 taken from the earth and now in heaven (14:3). “The roar of rushing waters,” which may represent God’s voice (1:15; cf. Ezek. 43:2), in this context undoubtedly represents the sound of the innumerable heavenly multitude (Rev. 19:6; cf. the voice like a tumult in Dan. 10:6, or the cherubim’s wings like God’s hosts in Ezek. 1:24). The “loud peal of thunder” can also represent God’s voice (Job 37:5; Ps. 29:3), perhaps alluding to the Sinai revelation or to judgment (cf. Rev. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; also Ex. 19:16; Isa. 29:6), but here it surely represents the voice of an innumerable multitude (Rev. 19:6). “The sound … of harpists playing their harps” pictures the heavenly chorus of worshipers (5:8; 15:2), a priesthood that offers praise to God (e.g., 1 Chron. 25:1–6; Ps. 81:2).5

That the 144,000 are those “redeemed” (14:3) and “purchased” (14:4; both forms of the same Greek word, agorazo) from the earth and from among humanity reminds us that they stand for all believers (5:9). That the Lamb bought them more than makes up for the fact that, a few verses earlier, they could neither buy nor sell (13:17). That they are the ones who “follow the Lamb” (14:4) supports the position that they represent all believer’s (7:17); in this life they are the people led by the Spirit (John 16:13; Rom. 8:14). John’s audience will also understand that following the Lamb may mean following him to his sacrificial death (John 13:36–37; 21:19–22; Rev. 6:9). “Firstfruits” (14:4) is also sacrificial language, for Israel was to offer the first of their harvest to the Lord (Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Lev. 2:12; 23:10; Num. 28:26; Neh. 10:35). Greek business documents speak specifically of people as “firstfruits” when they were offered to a deity (e.g., as temple servants); these spiritual warriors are thus devoted to the Lamb.6

Why do the 144,000 sing this “new song”? They are probably portrayed as God’s end-time army (see comment on 7:4–8) and have just overcome the world (see 15:2–4, where this song is spelled out in more detail). It was customary for victors to celebrate after holy war (2 Chron. 20:27–28; 1 Macc. 13:51; 1QM 19.1–3).7 Here, however, the saints praise God for the victory of the Lamb (as in Rev. 5:6–14; 7:9–12), just as the Israelites praised God when he overthrew their enemies in the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1–21; cf. comment on Rev. 15:2–4). This new song is their unique experience shared by no one else in creation (14:3), just as believers have a new name known to no one else (2:17; 3:12).

Why are the 144,000 celibate? This passage does not emphasize their Jewishness as 7:4–8 did; it emphasizes instead that they have kept themselves from women.8 This may be part of Revelation’s portrait of God’s end-time army, because in ancient Israel’s armies only men could normally participate in holy war, and they were apparently required to stay away from women (Deut. 23:10; 1 Sam. 21:5; 2 Sam. 11:11).9 Just as biblical prophets often portrayed Israel as either an unfaithful prostitute or as a pure virgin or bride for God, so Revelation portrays unrepentant humanity as a prostitute (Rev. 17:1–5) and those faithful to Christ as his pure spouse (19:7; 21:2, 9). These 144,000 have refused to commit immorality with Babylon, the prostitute (cf. 18:3).10 The symbolism thus makes a strong point: Christians must be pure and faithful to Christ if they wish to be prepared for and engage in the Lamb’s holy war. Unlike the world (13:17), believers cannot indulge in divided interests.11

That “no lie [is] found in their mouths” (14:5) probably recalls the promise that among the remnant of Israel there would be no lie (Zeph. 3:13).12 This picture contrasts God’s faithful with the world’s liars, who slander believers (Rev. 3:9), who praise the false divine ruler (13:4), who embrace the lies from the spirit of antichrist that denies Jesus’ unique role (1 John 2:22), and whose fate is damnation (Rev. 21:8). Whereas the world issues false propaganda (Rev. 13:5–6, 11, 15), God’s saints speak the truth of the gospel and renounce idols regardless of the cost (6:9–11; 11:3; 12:11); this is part of what it means for them to be pure (14:4). That “they are blameless” (14:5) may reflect the image of holy warriors who, like priests, must lack all blemish (1QM 7.4); or it may simply continue a more literal explanation of the purity symbolized in 14:4.13

Bridging Contexts

BABYLONS. BABYLON MAY be Rome, but it is also the city of the “world” system; it thus encompasses the city of Sodom and Egypt and unrepentant Jerusalem in 11:2, 8. The world as we know it did not come to an end with Rome’s fall sixteen centuries ago, but for John’s audience Rome constituted the world system, the typical evil empire. Revelation uses the symbols of that day to send a message to the seven churches of Asia. Evil empires are those that abuse their power, multiplying the evil of personal sin and selfishness on a corporate scale.45 John’s oracles recycle the language of judgment against literal Babylon in earlier prophecies (Jer. 51:7); but if Rome is a revived Babylon, later empires can also be a revived Rome. The connection is not geographical location but the fact that an empire oppresses God’s servants.

The spirit of the Roman empire remains alive and well in today’s world—an empire that both claimed tolerance of many gods but suppressed dissent from those who preached the truth of the one God and his Son Jesus Christ. “It is all one by whatever name she be called—she is also Rome, Calcutta, London, New York—anywhere and everywhere that men worship something other than the true and living God.”46 Thus in Revelation, both the holy city and the prostitute Babylon share in wicked Jerusalem (11:8); the battleground is neither topographical Rome nor Judea, but the churches of Asia—and the world and churches of today—wherever the new Jerusalem and Babylon wage war.47

Specific details. We must determine how literally or symbolically to apply some details, and then determine how to apply these details. Does the text praise literal and lifelong celibacy in 14:4 (cf. 1 Cor. 7:8), or does it, as we have argued, apply symbolically the image of temporary abstinence? If we apply it as a symbol of disentanglement from the world, who determines which aspects of the society are really “worldly”? Some aspects of our culture, relatively distinctive against the background of history as a whole (such as respect for human rights), are compatible with Christian teachings and somewhat derived from them. But a basic distinction is that Christians should value what matters most to God (e.g., evangelizing the world, helping people made in God’s image) rather than what matters to the world but not to God (e.g., acquiring wealth and status for oneself). A spiritual celibate set aside for God cannot sleep with the world “on the side” and remain qualified for God’s triumphant army.

That “no lie” was in the mouths of God’s servants (14:5) also invites consideration. Sometimes the Bible presents a general principle with the understanding that it must be qualified in particular situations. In general, lying is bad, but what if the deception is to save a human life? In that instance, the Bible portrays godly people lying for a godly reason (Ex. 1:18–21; Josh. 2:4–6; 2 Sam. 17:20; Jer. 38:24–27) and never condemns it; sometimes it is even done at a divine command (1 Sam. 16:2–4; cf. 2 Kings 8:10). In this context the truthfulness of God’s agents (14:5) contrasts starkly with the deception and blasphemy of Satan’s agents (13:5–6, 11–15).

Understanding the rhetorical function of each text in its context is essential to apply correctly the vivid images of Revelation. Some may ask if we can really rejoice in heaven if we know the eternal fate of the damned (14:10–11). But the purpose of recording this announcement is to assure oppressed Christians of their coming vindication (14:12). For those of us who generally face a much lesser level of oppression, the image may not strike us as cause for celebration. To fully capture the spirit of the text, we need to enter into the sufferings of our oppressed brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world. If God chooses an angel by the altar as an agent of judgment (14:18) because of the prayers of the saints (6:9–11; 8:3–5), this text may remind us that judgment often comes as vindication of those who have been wronged.

John’s image of God’s winepress (14:19–20) is from the Old Testament, but he does not tone it down. He is not afraid of scaring away mildly interested inquirers concerning the Christian faith; he intends to scare anyone sitting on the fence of indecision into radical obedience to Christ. The lines are drawn; the wicked will be destroyed, and those who are wise must make their choice for Christ now. Such images function more effectively in a community experiencing persecution and increasingly alienated from a society that represses them, but should we bother to translate images of terror for a more civil society, as we think our own is? In answer, note that Revelation was written not only for persecuted churches like Smyrna and Philadelphia; it was also written for compromising churches like Sardis, Thyatira, and Laodicea, and for some experiencing both like Pergamum. All of us need to be reminded that there are only two sides and that our actions will contribute to one side or the other.

Contemporary Significance

ON THE ROAD to victory. This passage offers numerous principles for application. For example, in 14:1–5 the text highlights the contrast between worshipers of the beast and of the Lamb, emphasizing the latter’s conquest by brave martyrdom; “following” the Lamb involves a cost for us. The glorious fate of the martyrs (14:1–5) contrasts strikingly with the fate of those who took the mark of the beast (13:16–18) and so were damned (14:9–11). This warns us to avoid the present world’s concepts of value and status: Rather than acquiring status symbols or other means to be comfortable in society, we should sacrifice ourselves and our resources to extend the kingdom. In the process, we may actually be witnesses to some of our neighbors as to why kingdom values are different from and more important than those of the world.

Following the Lamb promises us a glorious future as the people of the new Jerusalem if we persevere. The contrast between Zion (14:1), with its glorious future in the new Jerusalem (21:2–22:5), and Babylon (14:8), with its impending demise (18:2–19:3), warns us to invest in the future city rather than the present one (cf. Matt. 6:19–20). The new Jerusalem is visible only by faith now (cf. Heb. 11:10, 16; 13:14), but God will vindicate that faith just as he has vindicated the faith of the generations who waited before us.

The harps (14:2) remind us that heaven will be like a new temple, a place of worship (see comment on 4:8–11; 5:9–14). Though the world seemed to triumph over God’s people (13:7, 15–17), the saints who had overcome by failing to compromise with the world’s values praised God for victory (14:3). By faith we can celebrate that victory now, because it is rooted in the past victory in which the Lamb redeemed us (14:3; 15:2–4).

The text also invites us to sexual and spiritual purity (14:4); as God’s army we dare not compromise with the world or harbor divided interests. The spiritual chastity of believers contrasts with Babylon, full of adulteries (14:8); God is justly angry when we prefer other matters to him, the fountain of life. We could comment here on divided interests of many Christians today, but we have commented on these topics at other points in the commentary (especially on the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira).

Judgment on the world and its system. Revelation 14:6–20 also invites numerous application principles, most of them already familiar to the reader who has worked through the book to this point. Verses 6–13 underline the certainty of vindication for the saints, portrayed most graphically in the judgment of their oppressor Babylon, the world system. Babylon’s judgment likewise reminds us of the principle of judgment recurrent throughout the book: Babylon crushed others, but what goes around comes around.

The passage also summons us to an eternal perspective that guards against compromise with the evil system that oppresses the saints; the short-term advantages of the mark are not worth eternal damnation. That the tormented wicked view the Lamb and angels (14:10) warns us that everyone will have to face reality ultimately, later if not now. While the wicked have no rest, the righteous will experience eternal rest. The images of terror and bloodshed in the final paragraph (14:14–20) should evoke repentance; the passage offers no hope that any beast-worshipers will survive the final battle.

The idea of eternal torment (14:9–11; cf. 20:10) is so naturally revolting to most of us that modern readers have found a number of ways to circumvent it. Some teach annihilation, which seems to contradict a number of texts about eternal torment (Matt. 3:12; 25:46; Mark 9:43, 47–48; Luke 3:17), but which is not a pleasant alternative in itself.48 This view is not heretical, and it does not lessen the need for people to embrace Christ; but it is not likely correct.

Many today avoid trying to “scare” people into the kingdom. In a culture in revolt against authority and skeptical of threats, emphasizing God’s loving invitation may be a more strategic approach. But John had no such scruples against “scaring” people, and as long as we speak the truth and are able to reason with people (Acts 19:9; 24:25), there remain occasions when this approach is appropriate. A young atheist chose to consider the claims of Christ immediately rather than deferring the decision because the doctrine of hell made the stakes too high to ignore. Twenty-four years later that former atheist remains a committed Christian—and is writing this commentary.

Original Meaning

Four Heavenly Announcements (14:6–13)

JOHN OFTEN COMMENTS that he saw “another angel” (7:2; 8:3; 10:1), but 14:6 reports his first vision of an angel since the sounding of the seventh trumpet in 11:15. The heavenly proclamations in 11:15 and 14:6 frame the intervening section about the saints and the beast (12:1–14:5), with emphasis on the sufferings (12:17; 13:7) and triumph (14:1–5) of the saints. In 14:7–11 we have three announcements of judgment: general (14:7), on Babylon (14:8), and on the beast’s worshipers (14:9–11). Such announcements assure the saints of vindication (14:12) and are followed by an announcement of peace for the righteous martyrs (14:13).14

The “eternal gospel” proclaimed by the angel to all peoples (14:6) probably does not imply an angel literally spreading the saving gospel to all the nations before the end, which is the work of the church (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 6:9–11). Because angels in Revelation often correspond to earthly realities (12:5–7), the angel’s flight may correspond to the spread of the gospel through martyrs.15 Another sense of “gospel” is perhaps more likely here, however. In the prophetic tradition, “good news” is not just the announcement that God is restoring his people (Isa. 40:9; 41:27; 52:7; 61:1) but also the announcement of judgment on their enemies (Nah. 1:15); in context, this angel announces impending judgment (14:7).16

To be sure, the angel calls the world to fear and glorify God—a sign of praise (19:5) that may imply a future hope for the nations (15:4) and a call to repentance (11:13; 16:9). Yet given the evocative imagery of apocalypses and the other announcements in the context (14:8–13), the angel’s announcement is probably intended more for Revelation’s audience than envisioned as a voice heard by the unrepentant world in the end time.

The double “fallen” in the description of Babylon (14:8; 18:2) is emphatic and alludes to idolatrous Babylon’s prophesied fall in Isaiah 21:9, perhaps viewed as fulfilled in Revelation 11:13; 16:19.17 The Romans applied “Babylon” poetically to their archenemy Parthia (which ruled old Babylonia); but there can be no question that this text implies especially Rome.18 Early Jews often used Babylon as a code name for Rome, as did early Christians (1 Peter 5:13).19 Such allusions made sense; as Israel once experienced exile under the evil empire Babylon, now they are experiencing the captivity of a new evil empire in Rome. Both Babylon and Rome destroyed the temple. Other Jewish prophets, rooted in biblical perspective of divine vindication, also expected Rome’s impending destruction.20

Babylon is judged because she has made nations drink from “the maddening wine of her adulteries” (14:8). The word “maddening” here and in 18:3 (thymos) can refer to passion (hence her “passionate” adulteries), but normally in Revelation it refers to anger (God’s in 15:1, 7; 16:1; the devil’s in 12:12), including when it is specifically connected with wine (16:19; 19:15), as in the immediate context (14:10, 19). This verse may therefore either contrast Babylon’s own cup of “passionate” wine with the passionate wine of God’s anger against Babylon, or it may simply introduce that cup of God’s wine as anger against Babylon’s “adulteries,” which Babylon brought on all the nations with whom she committed such immoralities. Since she drinks double from the same cup she mixed for other nations (18:6), the latter interpretation is more likely. All the final plagues are poured from the wine bowls of God’s anger (15:7; 16:1), though Babylon is finally toasted and forced to drink the consequences of her sins most fully at the end (16:19), when God’s winepress is also overflowing (14:18–20).

Worshipers of the beast who have received his mark will face judgment (14:9–10). Idolatry had some temporal advantages in a world where idolatry was sophisticated and powerful whereas monotheists were a despised minority (13:17), but it promised only eternal death. Receiving that mark is, however, a symbolic act that does not make one incapable of repentance. The world (9:20–21; 16:9–11) and even false prophets (2:16, 21–22) are invited to repent, and many of those who ridiculed the witnesses will repent (11:13).21 The “burning sulfur” refers to the torment of those burned eternally in the lake of fire (19:20; 20:10; 21:8), but also spells a suitable judgment for the denizens of spiritual “Sodom” (11:8; Gen. 19:24; Deut. 29:23; Luke 17:29).22

Ancients normally diluted wine with two parts water to every part wine, except when they wished to get drunk.23 But God will administer this wine of his anger “full strength” (14:10). The “cup” is a standard symbol for God’s anger, both temporarily against his people (Isa. 51:17, 22; Ezek. 23:31–33) and against the wicked nations (Ps. 75:8; Jer. 25:15–17, 28; 49:12; Lam. 4:21; Hab. 2:16; Zech. 12:2).24 The primary allusion here is to Jeremiah 51:7, where Babylon was a cup in God’s hand, making the nations of the earth mad with drunkenness from her wine. The context is God’s warning of Babylon’s fall (Jer. 51:8) and his notice to those who will heed him to flee from Babylon, lest they partake of its judgment (Jer. 51:6, 9; see Rev. 18:4).

Those tormented will be able to look on the Lamb and the holy angels they despised (14:10), now unable to evade the reality they once ignored (1 En. 108:15; 4 Ezra 7:37). Some Jewish writers also envisioned the saints witnessing the torment of the damned (1 En. 27:3; 48:9; 108:14), but no such entertainment is in view here. The emphasis here is “the inescapability and finality of judgment, not the satisfaction it could afford to those who witness it.”25 That the smoke of their torture rises “for ever and ever” (Rev. 14:11; 19:3; cf. Isa. 34:10) must mean eternal torment rather than annihilation; this same phrase applies to God’s and Christ’s eternality (Rev. 1:18; 4:10; 10:6; 11:15; 15:7), to the reign of the saints (22:5), and to the eternal suffering of the beast (20:10).26 Whereas angelic worshipers in the heavenly temple never cease to worship God day or night (4:8), the damned never cease to suffer (14:11). Even more directly relevant in the context, the damned have “no rest” (14:11), but the righteous martyrs enter into rest (14:13).27

While the saints are not explicitly granted a vision of the torment of the damned, they are encouraged to stand firm in view of it (14:12). Either they should be encouraged because this judgment is their vindication (cf. 1 En. 104:3–4), or they should be exhorted to fill their role as martyr-witnesses so that more people may be spared from the agonies of eternal torment for worshiping the beast.28

Finally, a heavenly voice promises peace for the martyr-witnesses of Jesus; the Spirit then confirms this with a prophetic assurance (14:13).29 Jewish texts often speak of the righteous receiving rest from their sufferings (cf. 2 Thess. 1:7). Some texts promise a voice from heaven announcing end-time rest from suffering, as here (1 En. 96:3). Others promise peace or rest for the righteous when they are martyred (Wisd. Sol. 3:3; 4:7). Most significant is the standard Jewish tradition that also stands behind our traditional “Rest in Peace (R.I.P.)”: Jewish texts regularly promised rest for the righteous after death.30 “From now on” may refer to “from the time of the cross,” or it may be better read as “assuredly.”31 Everyone is judged according to “works” (Rev. 2:23; 20:12–13; 22:12; cf. 1 Enoch 41:1), but the righteous can be satisfied in theirs (Rev. 14:13). The key phrase is that these dead are “in the Lord” (14:13; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16).

Bridging Contexts

BABYLONS. BABYLON MAY be Rome, but it is also the city of the “world” system; it thus encompasses the city of Sodom and Egypt and unrepentant Jerusalem in 11:2, 8. The world as we know it did not come to an end with Rome’s fall sixteen centuries ago, but for John’s audience Rome constituted the world system, the typical evil empire. Revelation uses the symbols of that day to send a message to the seven churches of Asia. Evil empires are those that abuse their power, multiplying the evil of personal sin and selfishness on a corporate scale.45 John’s oracles recycle the language of judgment against literal Babylon in earlier prophecies (Jer. 51:7); but if Rome is a revived Babylon, later empires can also be a revived Rome. The connection is not geographical location but the fact that an empire oppresses God’s servants.

The spirit of the Roman empire remains alive and well in today’s world—an empire that both claimed tolerance of many gods but suppressed dissent from those who preached the truth of the one God and his Son Jesus Christ. “It is all one by whatever name she be called—she is also Rome, Calcutta, London, New York—anywhere and everywhere that men worship something other than the true and living God.”46 Thus in Revelation, both the holy city and the prostitute Babylon share in wicked Jerusalem (11:8); the battleground is neither topographical Rome nor Judea, but the churches of Asia—and the world and churches of today—wherever the new Jerusalem and Babylon wage war.47

Specific details. We must determine how literally or symbolically to apply some details, and then determine how to apply these details. Does the text praise literal and lifelong celibacy in 14:4 (cf. 1 Cor. 7:8), or does it, as we have argued, apply symbolically the image of temporary abstinence? If we apply it as a symbol of disentanglement from the world, who determines which aspects of the society are really “worldly”? Some aspects of our culture, relatively distinctive against the background of history as a whole (such as respect for human rights), are compatible with Christian teachings and somewhat derived from them. But a basic distinction is that Christians should value what matters most to God (e.g., evangelizing the world, helping people made in God’s image) rather than what matters to the world but not to God (e.g., acquiring wealth and status for oneself). A spiritual celibate set aside for God cannot sleep with the world “on the side” and remain qualified for God’s triumphant army.

That “no lie” was in the mouths of God’s servants (14:5) also invites consideration. Sometimes the Bible presents a general principle with the understanding that it must be qualified in particular situations. In general, lying is bad, but what if the deception is to save a human life? In that instance, the Bible portrays godly people lying for a godly reason (Ex. 1:18–21; Josh. 2:4–6; 2 Sam. 17:20; Jer. 38:24–27) and never condemns it; sometimes it is even done at a divine command (1 Sam. 16:2–4; cf. 2 Kings 8:10). In this context the truthfulness of God’s agents (14:5) contrasts starkly with the deception and blasphemy of Satan’s agents (13:5–6, 11–15).

Understanding the rhetorical function of each text in its context is essential to apply correctly the vivid images of Revelation. Some may ask if we can really rejoice in heaven if we know the eternal fate of the damned (14:10–11). But the purpose of recording this announcement is to assure oppressed Christians of their coming vindication (14:12). For those of us who generally face a much lesser level of oppression, the image may not strike us as cause for celebration. To fully capture the spirit of the text, we need to enter into the sufferings of our oppressed brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world. If God chooses an angel by the altar as an agent of judgment (14:18) because of the prayers of the saints (6:9–11; 8:3–5), this text may remind us that judgment often comes as vindication of those who have been wronged.

John’s image of God’s winepress (14:19–20) is from the Old Testament, but he does not tone it down. He is not afraid of scaring away mildly interested inquirers concerning the Christian faith; he intends to scare anyone sitting on the fence of indecision into radical obedience to Christ. The lines are drawn; the wicked will be destroyed, and those who are wise must make their choice for Christ now. Such images function more effectively in a community experiencing persecution and increasingly alienated from a society that represses them, but should we bother to translate images of terror for a more civil society, as we think our own is? In answer, note that Revelation was written not only for persecuted churches like Smyrna and Philadelphia; it was also written for compromising churches like Sardis, Thyatira, and Laodicea, and for some experiencing both like Pergamum. All of us need to be reminded that there are only two sides and that our actions will contribute to one side or the other.

Contemporary Significance

ON THE ROAD to victory. This passage offers numerous principles for application. For example, in 14:1–5 the text highlights the contrast between worshipers of the beast and of the Lamb, emphasizing the latter’s conquest by brave martyrdom; “following” the Lamb involves a cost for us. The glorious fate of the martyrs (14:1–5) contrasts strikingly with the fate of those who took the mark of the beast (13:16–18) and so were damned (14:9–11). This warns us to avoid the present world’s concepts of value and status: Rather than acquiring status symbols or other means to be comfortable in society, we should sacrifice ourselves and our resources to extend the kingdom. In the process, we may actually be witnesses to some of our neighbors as to why kingdom values are different from and more important than those of the world.

Following the Lamb promises us a glorious future as the people of the new Jerusalem if we persevere. The contrast between Zion (14:1), with its glorious future in the new Jerusalem (21:2–22:5), and Babylon (14:8), with its impending demise (18:2–19:3), warns us to invest in the future city rather than the present one (cf. Matt. 6:19–20). The new Jerusalem is visible only by faith now (cf. Heb. 11:10, 16; 13:14), but God will vindicate that faith just as he has vindicated the faith of the generations who waited before us.

The harps (14:2) remind us that heaven will be like a new temple, a place of worship (see comment on 4:8–11; 5:9–14). Though the world seemed to triumph over God’s people (13:7, 15–17), the saints who had overcome by failing to compromise with the world’s values praised God for victory (14:3). By faith we can celebrate that victory now, because it is rooted in the past victory in which the Lamb redeemed us (14:3; 15:2–4).

The text also invites us to sexual and spiritual purity (14:4); as God’s army we dare not compromise with the world or harbor divided interests. The spiritual chastity of believers contrasts with Babylon, full of adulteries (14:8); God is justly angry when we prefer other matters to him, the fountain of life. We could comment here on divided interests of many Christians today, but we have commented on these topics at other points in the commentary (especially on the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira).

Judgment on the world and its system. Revelation 14:6–20 also invites numerous application principles, most of them already familiar to the reader who has worked through the book to this point. Verses 6–13 underline the certainty of vindication for the saints, portrayed most graphically in the judgment of their oppressor Babylon, the world system. Babylon’s judgment likewise reminds us of the principle of judgment recurrent throughout the book: Babylon crushed others, but what goes around comes around.

The passage also summons us to an eternal perspective that guards against compromise with the evil system that oppresses the saints; the short-term advantages of the mark are not worth eternal damnation. That the tormented wicked view the Lamb and angels (14:10) warns us that everyone will have to face reality ultimately, later if not now. While the wicked have no rest, the righteous will experience eternal rest. The images of terror and bloodshed in the final paragraph (14:14–20) should evoke repentance; the passage offers no hope that any beast-worshipers will survive the final battle.

The idea of eternal torment (14:9–11; cf. 20:10) is so naturally revolting to most of us that modern readers have found a number of ways to circumvent it. Some teach annihilation, which seems to contradict a number of texts about eternal torment (Matt. 3:12; 25:46; Mark 9:43, 47–48; Luke 3:17), but which is not a pleasant alternative in itself.48 This view is not heretical, and it does not lessen the need for people to embrace Christ; but it is not likely correct.

Many today avoid trying to “scare” people into the kingdom. In a culture in revolt against authority and skeptical of threats, emphasizing God’s loving invitation may be a more strategic approach. But John had no such scruples against “scaring” people, and as long as we speak the truth and are able to reason with people (Acts 19:9; 24:25), there remain occasions when this approach is appropriate. A young atheist chose to consider the claims of Christ immediately rather than deferring the decision because the doctrine of hell made the stakes too high to ignore. Twenty-four years later that former atheist remains a committed Christian—and is writing this commentary.

Original Meaning

The Harvests Have Come (14:14–20)

IN 14:14–20 THE action shifts from heavenly announcements (14:6–13) to visions of symbolic actions. Commentators debate whether the figure “like a son of man” in 14:14 represents Jesus, as the language may well suggest (1:13; Dan. 7:13), or simply an angel that appears human (Rev. 4:7; cf. 21:17). In favor of the former (the majority view), when Jesus appears in 19:12–13 his garments are spattered from treading out the winepress of human blood; in favor of the latter, one would not expect Jesus to act in conjunction with an angel’s command (14:15) or to parallel a mere angel (14:17). True, Jesus comes in the clouds (1:7), but clouds are not limited to him (10:1; 11:12); Jesus has diadems (19:12), but the term for “crown” here always applies to others (2:10; 3:11; 4:4; 6:2; 9:7; 12:1). Yet the clouds fit very well the image in Daniel that also provides for Jesus the “son of man” title, so Jesus is perhaps in the background here.32

The primary exegetical problem in this text, however, is whether to identify the grain harvest of the first vision with the grape vintage of the second harvest (a typical feature of Revelation is to have a second vision interpret the first), or to interpret them differently. Undoubtedly, the entire passage develops an image from Joel’s prophecy about judgment on the nations in the day of the Lord. God calls for the sickle to gather the ripe harvest and for the grapes of the nations’ wickedness to be trampled to fill his winepress (Joel 3:13; against Babylon, cf. Jer. 51:33; Jerusalem in Lam. 1:15).33 Whereas both harvests are likely parallel images for judgment in Joel, some commentators suggest that Revelation uses only the second image for judgment (14:17–20). The grain harvest, by contrast, includes the evangelism and gathering of God’s people, as the grain harvest is used in many early Christian texts (Mark 4:20, 29). Note too that the martyrs in 14:4 were the “firstfruits” from a godly grain harvest, that is, a sacrifice that foreshadowed the rest of the harvest like them (Lev. 23:9–14).34

This passage, in other words, may be continuing the contrast between the fate of the righteous and the wicked found in 14:6–13. But one convinced by John’s frequent repetition of parallel images can respond that in this apocalyptic image the 144,000 as the “firstfruits” may simply portend a harvest in general, and that even in images of the harvesting of the righteous the wicked are judged (Matt. 3:12; 13:40–42). In Revelation a second vision often reinterprets the first (Rev. 7:1–17). The matter is not easily settled, but it seems more likely on the whole that both visions involve judgment, as in Joel.

Whatever the point of the first vision, the meaning of the second vision is relatively plain. It portrays the wicked as gathered grapes now crushed into wine in God’s winepress, responding to the cup of the wine of God’s anger poured out on them.35 Wine was sometimes called “the blood of grapes” (Gen. 49:11; cf. Deut. 32:14); and as the red wine of Passover provided a useful symbol for Jesus’ blood at the last supper, wine here deliberately evokes the gruesome image of human blood crushed out of maimed flesh. Some time around August or September workers collected ripe grapes in baskets and deposited them in long wooden or stone troughs. There, often to the rhythm of a flutist, workers trampled the grapes into juice with their feet.36 God had already promised that he would go out and trample the blood of the wicked like wine in a winepress until his garments were stained with their blood (Isa. 63:1–6); in Revelation Jesus assumes this divine role (Rev. 19:13, 15). John recycles images; the wicked must drink the wine of God’s wrath (14:10), which is ultimately their own blood (14:20; 16:6).

The angel “who had charge of the fire” (14:18) may allude to the Jewish conception of angels over various elements of nature (cf. 16:5).37 But since this angel comes from the altar, it is almost certainly the angel who keeps the fire of the incense altar (8:5). This image suggests that God again sends judgment in response to the cries of his oppressed saints (6:9–11; 8:3–5).

The blood flows high “outside the city,” vividly portraying a horrible end for Babylon (14:20).38 The image of blood flowing in terrible streams became standard in ancient descriptions of wars, both historical and fictitious.39 Others complained of rivers flowing with blood when people were slain in them.40 Some spoke of so many bloodstained birds feeding on a field of corpses that the trees dripped with dew and pieces of flesh dropped from the sky when satiated birds grew weary of carrying them.41

Naturally, apocalypses with their figurative license freely amplified such descriptions. Thus while blood flowed in streams (1 Enoch 100:1), horses would walk up to their chests in sinners’ blood and chariots would be covered (1 Enoch 100:3; 4 Ezra 15:35). Another source warns that corpses will fill deep ravines in high mountains and blood will sweep through the plains (Sib. Or. 3.682–84).42 Later rabbis, amplifying the slaughter of their people by the Romans at Bethar in A.D. 135, described horses drowning in blood and blood rolling huge boulders forty miles out to the sea; the blood filled the sea as far away as Cyprus.43 Sometimes the more extreme descriptions were merely figurative ways of expressing the horrific bloodshed (e.g., Ezek. 32:5–6; Jdt. 6:4).

The “1,600 stadia” (14:20) may be a rounded number with figurative significance, just like many others in Revelation. As 1000 is ten cubed, as 144,000 is twelve squared times ten cubed (a cube being the shape of the new Jerusalem—21:16), and as 666 is a double triangular number as well as the triangle of a square number, 1,600 is the square of the familiar biblical number forty.44 But while John rounds to a square number, its primary significance is to compound the grotesqueness of the image: None of the army gathered against God—none of the beast-worshipers committed to the world’s values—will survive. Some commentators also suggest a contrast here: Whereas the river of paradise flows from God’s throne (22:2) to a significant height (Ezek. 47:4–5), the wicked will drown in a river of their own blood (Rev. 14:20).

Bridging Contexts

BABYLONS. BABYLON MAY be Rome, but it is also the city of the “world” system; it thus encompasses the city of Sodom and Egypt and unrepentant Jerusalem in 11:2, 8. The world as we know it did not come to an end with Rome’s fall sixteen centuries ago, but for John’s audience Rome constituted the world system, the typical evil empire. Revelation uses the symbols of that day to send a message to the seven churches of Asia. Evil empires are those that abuse their power, multiplying the evil of personal sin and selfishness on a corporate scale.45 John’s oracles recycle the language of judgment against literal Babylon in earlier prophecies (Jer. 51:7); but if Rome is a revived Babylon, later empires can also be a revived Rome. The connection is not geographical location but the fact that an empire oppresses God’s servants.

The spirit of the Roman empire remains alive and well in today’s world—an empire that both claimed tolerance of many gods but suppressed dissent from those who preached the truth of the one God and his Son Jesus Christ. “It is all one by whatever name she be called—she is also Rome, Calcutta, London, New York—anywhere and everywhere that men worship something other than the true and living God.”46 Thus in Revelation, both the holy city and the prostitute Babylon share in wicked Jerusalem (11:8); the battleground is neither topographical Rome nor Judea, but the churches of Asia—and the world and churches of today—wherever the new Jerusalem and Babylon wage war.47

Specific details. We must determine how literally or symbolically to apply some details, and then determine how to apply these details. Does the text praise literal and lifelong celibacy in 14:4 (cf. 1 Cor. 7:8), or does it, as we have argued, apply symbolically the image of temporary abstinence? If we apply it as a symbol of disentanglement from the world, who determines which aspects of the society are really “worldly”? Some aspects of our culture, relatively distinctive against the background of history as a whole (such as respect for human rights), are compatible with Christian teachings and somewhat derived from them. But a basic distinction is that Christians should value what matters most to God (e.g., evangelizing the world, helping people made in God’s image) rather than what matters to the world but not to God (e.g., acquiring wealth and status for oneself). A spiritual celibate set aside for God cannot sleep with the world “on the side” and remain qualified for God’s triumphant army.

That “no lie” was in the mouths of God’s servants (14:5) also invites consideration. Sometimes the Bible presents a general principle with the understanding that it must be qualified in particular situations. In general, lying is bad, but what if the deception is to save a human life? In that instance, the Bible portrays godly people lying for a godly reason (Ex. 1:18–21; Josh. 2:4–6; 2 Sam. 17:20; Jer. 38:24–27) and never condemns it; sometimes it is even done at a divine command (1 Sam. 16:2–4; cf. 2 Kings 8:10). In this context the truthfulness of God’s agents (14:5) contrasts starkly with the deception and blasphemy of Satan’s agents (13:5–6, 11–15).

Understanding the rhetorical function of each text in its context is essential to apply correctly the vivid images of Revelation. Some may ask if we can really rejoice in heaven if we know the eternal fate of the damned (14:10–11). But the purpose of recording this announcement is to assure oppressed Christians of their coming vindication (14:12). For those of us who generally face a much lesser level of oppression, the image may not strike us as cause for celebration. To fully capture the spirit of the text, we need to enter into the sufferings of our oppressed brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world. If God chooses an angel by the altar as an agent of judgment (14:18) because of the prayers of the saints (6:9–11; 8:3–5), this text may remind us that judgment often comes as vindication of those who have been wronged.

John’s image of God’s winepress (14:19–20) is from the Old Testament, but he does not tone it down. He is not afraid of scaring away mildly interested inquirers concerning the Christian faith; he intends to scare anyone sitting on the fence of indecision into radical obedience to Christ. The lines are drawn; the wicked will be destroyed, and those who are wise must make their choice for Christ now. Such images function more effectively in a community experiencing persecution and increasingly alienated from a society that represses them, but should we bother to translate images of terror for a more civil society, as we think our own is? In answer, note that Revelation was written not only for persecuted churches like Smyrna and Philadelphia; it was also written for compromising churches like Sardis, Thyatira, and Laodicea, and for some experiencing both like Pergamum. All of us need to be reminded that there are only two sides and that our actions will contribute to one side or the other.

Contemporary Significance

ON THE ROAD to victory. This passage offers numerous principles for application. For example, in 14:1–5 the text highlights the contrast between worshipers of the beast and of the Lamb, emphasizing the latter’s conquest by brave martyrdom; “following” the Lamb involves a cost for us. The glorious fate of the martyrs (14:1–5) contrasts strikingly with the fate of those who took the mark of the beast (13:16–18) and so were damned (14:9–11). This warns us to avoid the present world’s concepts of value and status: Rather than acquiring status symbols or other means to be comfortable in society, we should sacrifice ourselves and our resources to extend the kingdom. In the process, we may actually be witnesses to some of our neighbors as to why kingdom values are different from and more important than those of the world.

Following the Lamb promises us a glorious future as the people of the new Jerusalem if we persevere. The contrast between Zion (14:1), with its glorious future in the new Jerusalem (21:2–22:5), and Babylon (14:8), with its impending demise (18:2–19:3), warns us to invest in the future city rather than the present one (cf. Matt. 6:19–20). The new Jerusalem is visible only by faith now (cf. Heb. 11:10, 16; 13:14), but God will vindicate that faith just as he has vindicated the faith of the generations who waited before us.

The harps (14:2) remind us that heaven will be like a new temple, a place of worship (see comment on 4:8–11; 5:9–14). Though the world seemed to triumph over God’s people (13:7, 15–17), the saints who had overcome by failing to compromise with the world’s values praised God for victory (14:3). By faith we can celebrate that victory now, because it is rooted in the past victory in which the Lamb redeemed us (14:3; 15:2–4).

The text also invites us to sexual and spiritual purity (14:4); as God’s army we dare not compromise with the world or harbor divided interests. The spiritual chastity of believers contrasts with Babylon, full of adulteries (14:8); God is justly angry when we prefer other matters to him, the fountain of life. We could comment here on divided interests of many Christians today, but we have commented on these topics at other points in the commentary (especially on the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira).

Judgment on the world and its system. Revelation 14:6–20 also invites numerous application principles, most of them already familiar to the reader who has worked through the book to this point. Verses 6–13 underline the certainty of vindication for the saints, portrayed most graphically in the judgment of their oppressor Babylon, the world system. Babylon’s judgment likewise reminds us of the principle of judgment recurrent throughout the book: Babylon crushed others, but what goes around comes around.

The passage also summons us to an eternal perspective that guards against compromise with the evil system that oppresses the saints; the short-term advantages of the mark are not worth eternal damnation. That the tormented wicked view the Lamb and angels (14:10) warns us that everyone will have to face reality ultimately, later if not now. While the wicked have no rest, the righteous will experience eternal rest. The images of terror and bloodshed in the final paragraph (14:14–20) should evoke repentance; the passage offers no hope that any beast-worshipers will survive the final battle.

The idea of eternal torment (14:9–11; cf. 20:10) is so naturally revolting to most of us that modern readers have found a number of ways to circumvent it. Some teach annihilation, which seems to contradict a number of texts about eternal torment (Matt. 3:12; 25:46; Mark 9:43, 47–48; Luke 3:17), but which is not a pleasant alternative in itself.48 This view is not heretical, and it does not lessen the need for people to embrace Christ; but it is not likely correct.

Many today avoid trying to “scare” people into the kingdom. In a culture in revolt against authority and skeptical of threats, emphasizing God’s loving invitation may be a more strategic approach. But John had no such scruples against “scaring” people, and as long as we speak the truth and are able to reason with people (Acts 19:9; 24:25), there remain occasions when this approach is appropriate. A young atheist chose to consider the claims of Christ immediately rather than deferring the decision because the doctrine of hell made the stakes too high to ignore. Twenty-four years later that former atheist remains a committed Christian—and is writing this commentary.