We Have in this chapter a series of visions that look ahead to events that will take place in the last half of the tribulation and after the tribulation ends. God gives us here a summary, a "panoramic view" of what lies ahead in Revelation. Note the events that are anticipated:

I. THE ESTABLISHING OF THE KINGDOM (14:11-5)

There is a disagreement whether this scene takes place in heaven (the heavenly Zion of Heb. 12:22-23), or on earth (the literal Mt. Zion of Ps. 2:6). It seems likely that we have an earthly scene, a picture of the coming kingdom. For one thing, John hears "a voice from heaven" in vs. 2, which suggests he is on earth. The "new song" suggests that there is a new experience; they have gone through the tribulation and are now reigning with Christ. But, even if this is a heavenly scene, it anticipates the coming kingdom on earth. Vs. 3 indicates that the church (elders) will reign with Christ on earth; and that the four living creatures will also be there.

The character of the 144,000 is now described. The terms "not defiled with women" and "virgins" are to be taken in a spiritual sense, as well as physical. The sin of the earth dwellers in that day will be spiritual fornication (14:8, see James 4.4 and Ex. 34:15). Marked with their Father's Name, and not the name of the Beast, these believing Jews will be spiritually separated and dedicated wholly to Christ. Instead of worshipping the Beast, they followed the Lamb. They will become the nucleus of the Jewish kingdom, the "first fruits" of the harvest to follow.

II. THE POURING OUT OF THE VIALS OF WRATH (14:6-13)

The angelic messengers are now seen, and each has a special announcement:

[1]. The everlasting Gospel (6-7)

Today, God uses men to give His message; but in that last period of judgment, He will use angels. "The everlasting Gospel" presents God as the Creator, not the Savior, and warns men that judgment is coming. It calls men to fear God and give Him the glory, not the Beast and Satan. The suggestion is that all men who will honor God will be saved. Sad to say, men worship and serve the creature, not the Creator. This is God's final call to a world deluded by Satan.

[2]. The fall of Babylon (8)

This occurs in chapters 17 & 18, although it is anticipated here and in (16:18-19). Babylon here refers to the apostate religious-political system headed up by the Beast, in conjunction with Rome. You will want to read (Rev. 17-18) to see the fulfillment of this prophecy. (Read also Jer. 21:15, 50:38 and 51:7-8).

[3]. The final judgments (9-13)

In the seven vials of judgment we have the pouring out of the wrath of God (Rev. 15-18). It will be "without mixture"; that is, there will be no grace or mercy mingled with His wrath (Hab. 3:2). This angel warns the world that all who wear the mark of the Beast will suffer eternal torments without rest or relief. There is a striking contrast between the destiny of the followers of the Beast and the destiny of the followers of the Lamb; for the believers will rest from their labors and be blessed. This is why (vs. 12) calls for "endurance" on the part of the saints who must go through trials; (see Lk. 21:19).

While (vs. 13) refers strictly to the tribulation saints, we certainly may apply it to believers today. The world looks upon death as a curse, and for the unsaved man, it is a curse but for the Christian, it is a blessing. The Christian experiences rest and reward; the unbeliever, however, experiences eternal torment and loss of everything!

III. THE FIGHTING OF THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (14-14:20)

John sees Christ on a white cloud, coming with a sickle to reap the harvest of the earth. It is a picture of judgment. When He comes in the flesh, He came as a sower of the seed of the Word (Matt. 13:3-23). Instead, men received Satan's lies, and now Christ must come as a Reaper, bringing judgment to the world. "The harvest of the earth is ripe!" calls the second angel. God knows just when to judge; He patiently waits for the seeds of iniquity to come to fruition (Jas. 1:14-15; Gen 15:16). This is an anticipation of the battle of Armageddon (see Joel 3:11-16).

At this point, we had better review the events leading up to Armageddon. During the first half of the tribulation, when the Beast is working with the Jews, Russia and Egypt attack Israel; and the Beast is forced to go to Palestine to keep his covenant with the Jews. God defeats Russia, the Beast sets himself up as the world ruler, reigning from Jerusalem. However, Russia and her allies continue to plan toward rebellion against the Beast. After Babylon is destroyed, the enemies of the Beast have their opportunity to attack. During the final 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, there will be a movement of armies toward Palestine (see 16:13-16). (Rev. 19:17-21) indicates that the sign of the Son of Man will appear at that time, and the armies will turn against Christ instead of fighting each other.

The picture is that of a man cutting clusters of grapes off a vine. The wicked world system is "the vine of the earth," while Christ is the True Vine (Jn. 15). Israel was planted in this world to be God's holy vine, to bear fruit for His glory (Isa. 5:1-7; Ps. 80:8-16). Sad to say, Israel bore bitter fruit. In fact, Israel rejected her true Messiah and accepted the False Christ, and had to suffer the bitter consequence. (Read Isa. 66:1-6 and Joel 3 for additional material on this final battle).

Verse 20 presents an awesome picture: the blood will run for 200 miles out of the city of Jerusalem, and be as deep as the distance from the horses' bridles to the earth! This is the winepress of God's wrath (19:15). (See Isa. 63:1-6).

We have, then, in this chapter a prophetic summary of the events to follow. There are some very practical lessons for us to learn from this chapter.

[1]. God will establish His kingdom on earth in spite of Satan's opposition. The Old Testament promises will be fulfilled literally.
[2]. Men who reject the Gospel of the race of God today are in danger of facing awful judgment tomorrow. It is better to die for Christ's sake and have eternal glory than to live for the devil and suffer eternally.
[3]. The nations of the world are today leading up to Armageddon. We see the rise of Russia and Egypt, and the African nations. We see also the coming Federation of Europe. But man's final war against God will end a dismal failure for Satan and his allies!