In The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, Christian and Hopeful found themselves held captive in the dungeon of the giant named Despair, and they were, well, despairing. They’d been through so much, there didn’t seem to be a way out, and so Christian was growing weary in doing good, when suddenly he remembered something. Bunyan writes, “Now, a little before it was Day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out I this passionate speech; What a Fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty? I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will I am persuaded open any lock in Doubting-Castle. Then said Hopeful, That’s good news, good brother, pluck it out of thy bosom and try.
hen Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that leads into the castle-yard, and with his key opened that door also. And he went to the Iron Gate, for that must be opened too, but that lock went very hard, yet the Key did open it. Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed; but that gate as it opened made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the King’s Highway again, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.”1
Bunyan was obviously making the point that when we go through times in our lives when we grow weary in doing good, don’t feel like we can continue to press on in obedience to our Lord, and are wondering whether steadfast obedience is really worth it, we should look to the promises of God. And Bunyan was right. The Lord does provide promises to his people so that we might draw strength to press on and persevere in obedience.
In fact, I think that’s what we see at the beginning of Revelation 14. I mean, think about what we’ve heard so far. It feels like every chapter the Lord is reiterating that his people are going to suffer. We’re going to go through persecution, attacks, and temptations throughout this entire age, whose aim is to get us to walk away from faithful obedience to Christ. So, there can be a great temptation to grow weary and ask, “Is this really worth it? Is following Christ really worth it when we’re going to bear the wrath of Satan in this age?” So, Revelation 14 begins with a promise of what is to come to those who hold fast to Christ. It’s the Lord’s means of aiding his people so that they’ll persevere. Using Bunyan’s terminology, these promises of what awaits the Lord’s people are a key that will release them the despair they might feel as they see the suffering they must endure in following Christ.
But unlike Bunyan’s story, Revelation 14 also provides another means of encouragement to press on in faithful obedience to Christ. Jesus also reminds us what awaits those who do not identify with him, do not hold fast in faith to him, and walk in tandem with this world. We might say that if the first is a promise, this is a warning. And the Lord gives both of them to us so that when we need strength to press on or to continue to fight against temptation, we might have two weapons at our disposal – a promise of what awaits the Lord’s people and a warning of what awaits his enemies.
Therefore, I want us to see this promise and this warning in the text this morning and then give us a word of application. First, we see:
In the first five verses of the chapter, John sees a heavenly scene of worship and blessing. He speaks of a group of 144,000 people gathered with the Lamb on Mount Zion, which is used in the Scripture as metaphor for being in the Lord’s presence, in a place of deliverance from Satan, sin, and death (e.g., Hebrews 2:18 ff.). And these 144,000 are all who have been marked by God the Father and Jesus Christ as their own. These belong to Christ. That is to say, as we saw earlier in chapter 7, these 144,000 represent not some special group but all believers. As John says earlier in this book, this is the group of the redeemed from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages that was such a great multitude that no one could number them (7:9).
And John sees them rejoicing, singing a song of victory. He says in verses 2-3a, “And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.” Now, when we think of harps playing, we typically don’t think of jubilant celebration of victory. No one marches back from defeating an enemy in our day and says, “Break out the harp.” Pep bands don’t have harpists. Harps as we know them are for elegant, formal occasions. They’re used to accompany elegant dinners and the like. But the kind of harps Scripture speaks of are a stringed instrument that would be used for producing joyous, celebratory songs. This is why the psalmist thinks it right in Psalm 150 to break out the harp and the loud crashing cymbals together. He’s rejoicing.
And that is the scene here. This is a picture of the redeemed people of God rejoicing and celebrating because they have triumphed. They have remained faithful and, thus, conquered in this age. And the reason no one but the redeemed could learn the song they were singing (v. 3b) is because you can’t truly sing and rejoice in the reality of redemption unless you’ve experienced it. And these have. They are the “redeemed from the earth.”
Do you see what’s going on here? Jesus, knowing that his people are in the midst of persecution and temptation and weariness, is giving them a picture of what awaits them if they’ll hold fast in faith to the gospel and their confession. He’s giving them a glimpse of the joy that is set before them (Heb. 12:2) and to the glory that Paul says is so much greater than our suffering in this age that it’s beyond comparison (Rom. 8:18). Jesus is holding this out to say, “So, press on in faith.”
But Jesus also gives us a glimpse into who these redeemed are. That is, if we ask the question, “What should our lives look like if we’re holding to Christ in faith and bearing the fruit of that relationship in this life?,” the answer is given in part in the description of the redeemed in verses 4-5.
First, we are told, “It is these who have not defiled themselves with woman, for they are virgins” (v. 4). Now, this obviously is not literal as if in order to be redeemed one must be celibate. Nor, for that matter, must you be a man to be redeemed. So, this is not to be pressed literally but functions as most else does in this book in a figurative fashion. So, what then does it mean that these are virgins.
Well, the answer to this question is found in the Old Testament imagery of harlotry and whoredom. In the Old Testament, as Israel turned away from the Lord and devoted themselves to other gods, they weren’t simply accused of committing idolatry but of committing adultery. More than once the prophets accuse Israel of playing the whore. The picture is of their God as their husband, and they are going after other men. And that imagery continues throughout this book. In fact, the book of Revelation ends with a wedding feast in which the Lamb’s pure, spotless (i.e. virgin) bride is presented to the Lamb. Simultaneously, those tempting the nations to walk in sin are compared to a harlot, trying to seduce people into joining her in sexual immorality.
Therefore, I think that the imagery of the redeemed being called “virgins” is suggesting to us that those who hold fast in faith to Christ are those who do not commit spiritual adultery, devoting themselves to the world and its system but to Christ. That is, we do not chase after and treasure what the world says we should chase after and treasure, but we chase after and treasure Jesus Christ.
We also see that of the redeemed that “It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (v. 4). Discipleship in the Bible is pictured as following Christ. When Jesus called the first believers to himself, he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). This means that we obey him, do what his says, and follow his commands.
John also adds, “These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” (v. 4). The idea of firstfruits can represent the first of more to come, but it is also used on occasion in the Old Testament to speak of a whole group who have been offered and committed to God. That is, the redeemed are those who offer up their lives as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2). For them to live is to live a life dedicated to the Lord.
And, finally, John adds, “And in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless” (v. 5). This is a people characterized by truth. They accept the truth and speak the truth, instead of suppressing the truth and spreading lies.
This is the call that Christ issues to us. Let us be people whose faith rests in Christ, and if it does, we’ll commit ourselves to him, follow him, offer our lives to him as living sacrifices, and live and speak truthfully. These things will bear witness to our faith. And if we hold fast in faith, we’ll dwell with the Lamb for eternity. We’ll be among those who die in the Lord and rest from our labors with the Lamb, as we read in verse 13.
So, first there is a promise. Those who hold fast in faith will dwell with the Lamb and know his blessings forever.
But there is also a warning, a warning to every unbeliever who wants to continue in his rejection of the Lamb and a warning to everyone who has professed faith but is tempted to walk away from that profession and thus show they never knew the Lord. This warning, I think, can be worded as follows:
Starting in verse 6, we have a series of angels delivering messages of God’s coming wrath. The first angel, we are told in verses 6-7, flies overhead with a proclamation of the gospel to every people, tribe, language, and nation on the earth. The idea is that all come under the demand of the gospel. The gospel must be obeyed. And in verse 7 we see the demand of the gospel as the angel says, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Now, what we’re going to see in this text is that the gospel is not a mere offer. We sometimes talk about the offer of the gospel. But when we think of an offer, we typically think of something that can be good for you, but you can pass on it as well. Salesmen make offers. If you pass on an offer, you don’t receive punishment. For this reason, the gospel should be thought of as less of an offer and more of as a demand. The angel in verses 6-7 is bringing the demand of the gospel that all men everywhere fear God, bow the knee, and place their faith in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. Then, in verses 8-11 we get a picture of the fate of those who do not obey the demand of the gospel.
First, we see in verse 8 that the world system which rebels against the Lamb is going to be judged. John writes, “Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.’”
Babylon was the nation in the Old Testament which held Israel in captivity, called upon the people to worship the king as a god, and exalted itself against God. Well, of course, Babylon is off the scene at the time that the book of Revelation was being written, but Babylon is consistently used as a symbol of any nation, institution, or world system that raises itself against the Lord and the Lord’s people. No doubt, this is how the churches to whom John was writing would have seen Rome. So, the Lord is delivering a message that this great world power will be judged.
Rome may have convinced many to live in sexual immorality, worship false gods, and deny the Lordship of Christ, but in the end, you must not put your trust in this world because it will be judged.
Then, in verses 9-11 we get a picture of what the Lamb’s judgment will look like. We are told that the one who identifies himself by denying Christ and identifying with the beast (i.e. oppressive states and social structures, like Rome) will drink of God’s wrath. Specifically, we are told that it would be “poured full strength into the cup of his anger” (v. 10).
It was common to cut wine in those days by diluting it with water. What the Lord wants his enemies to know is that in this life, they’ll witness his wrath against them. But it’s always cut or diluted. On that final day of judgment, however, God’s wrath will be poured out in full measure. They’re going to know his wrath like they’ve never known it.
I’ve said this for a number of weeks now, but it really is the perspective of the book. If you want to identify with the Lamb, then you will face the wrath of the beast. Christians will face persecution as Satan directs governments, states, and individuals to torment Christians. We may face economic poverty because of our allegiance to Christ. We may face physical abuse. History shows many times over that believers have even but killed at the hands of the Lord’s enemies. Identify with the Lamb, and you’ll face the wrath of the beast. However, the reverse is true as well. Identify with the beast, and this life may afford you great blessings. However, in the end, you’ll face the wrath of the Lamb. You must identify with one and face the wrath of the other. But what’s the Lamb’s wrath like. Let’s see three elements:
We see this in verses 10-11. After saying they Christ’s enemies will drink of the cup of the wine of his wrath, we are told of Christ’s enemies, “He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (v. 10). You see, some have suggested that the wrath of the Lord is really nothing more than facing the natural consequences of our sins. Sin begets consequences, and that’s the Lord’s wrath. Well, that’s true that this is a taste of God’s wrath, but it’s wrath diluted. In the end, Christ’s enemies will face his wrath personally – in the presence of the Lamb. He will personally pour out his wrath on his enemies.
But note as well that it’s eternal punishment. Some have suggested that hell will be temporary, but you just can’t get that from the Bible. We read in verses 11, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
Do you see the idea? These have no rest day and night because they suffer the torment of the Lamb’s wrath day and night forever. It is terrible. You do not want to know the wrath of the Lamb, for it is personal and eternal. And we can add:
Some may well say that Christians have been talking about judgment to come for years, and yet we’re still waiting. This might be a cause among some for even mocking the teaching of the Bible that God’s wrath is coming. However, starting in verses 14-20, we see a picture of God’s wrath picked up from the Old Testament imagery given by the prophet Joel.
In Joel 3:13, the prophet spoke of the Lord’s coming judgment, writing, “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.” This imagery of judgment provides the picture John gives in verses 14-20.
He first takes the imagery of the sickle, reaping the ripe harvest in verses 14-16. We read of the Lord, seated on a cloud, with a crown, and a sharp sickle in his hand. It is a picture of the Lord readying himself for judgment. Then, we read of the angel, signaling that it is time for judgment, saying, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” Then, John adds, “So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped” (vv. 15-16).
There is a day coming. We don’t know when, when the Son will hear, “The harvest is ripe,” even as Joel predicted, and that will signal the time for judgment. It is certain and inevitable. And finally:
I simply know no other way to describe these last few verses other than “violently furious.” The metaphor is picked up from Joel 3:13, as I’ve mentioned, but it is a metaphor that would have been understood. As the grapes readied themselves for reaping, you’d reap the grapes, and throw them into a large winepress. Then, the workers would get in and stomp on the grapes so that their juice would flow out of the winepress, into an area to be gathered for the making of wine.
Look then at the way John describes this judgment of the Lamb. We read in verses 17-20, “Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.”
Everything reads like this is the harvesting and treading out of grapes until the end, then we read about blood flowing from the winepress. So, what’s going on here? What’s going on is a picture of the violently furious wrath of the Lamb. In the metaphor, the grapes are the enemies of the Lamb, gathered from the earth, and thrown into a winepress where they are stomped until their blood flows from the winepress in such abundance that it’s as high as a horse’s mouth for 184 miles. Imagery of the wrath of the Lamb simply doesn’t get more violently furious than what is scene here.
You see, the clear idea is that you don’t want to face the wrath of the Lamb. Instead, you should bow the knee now and be reconciled to the One who lived, died, and was raised for sinners. Repent of your sins and trust in him for salvation.
What then is the point of these images? I think it’s given right in the middle of the text. In verse 12 John writes, ‘Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God, and their faith in Jesus.” The point is this:
You see, Christ gives this picture of blessing and this picture of merciless wrath to be for us a promise and a warning. There’ll be times when you want to press on in obedience, and it’s hard. You want to keep fighting for purity and keep your standards in line with the Scripture, but it’s hard. In fact, you look around, and it seems like everyone else is compromising and finding great blessing, and you’re beginning to waver. What do you do in that moment to strengthen yourself? You remember the promise of God. Keep pressing on in faith and faithful obedience and endurance, and great blessing awaits you. You’ll spend eternity knowing the blessings of God in the presence of the Lamb.
And there’ll be times when you want to run headlong after sin. There’ll be times you’ll want to say, “Forget it, it’s not worth it.” I just want to know the joy the world knows, and how do you fight in those times? You remember what it is the unbelieving world will face in the end – the inevitable, personal, eternal, violently furious wrath of the Lamb. And let that warning steer you back.
Do you see what’s happening in this text? Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is graciously giving us a promise and a warning that each might serve as weapons in our fight for faith and faithfulness when the world is constantly attacking us and seducing us, trying to draw us away from our Lord. Let us then ponder this promise and this warning, and let them draw us to give thanks for Christ’s grace toward us and to proclaim this morning as we come to the table that we’re identifying with, marked by, in union with, and sealed by the Lamb, our great Conqueror who died and was raised. Amen.