CHAPTER 14
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
SUMMARY
Following the troubling description of the beasts in the previous chapter, this chapter provides scenes which appear designed to reassure the saints to remain faithful to God. First there is the Lamb and 144,000 having the Father's name written on their foreheads, standing on Mount Zion. Singing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, the great company is described as redeemed from the earth, as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes, and are without fault before the throne of God (1-5).
Next comes three angels and their proclamations. The first angel and his proclamation may indicate that the gospel will continue to be spread despite the efforts of the dragon and the beasts. People should therefore fear God and worship Him, for the hour of God's judgment has come (6-7). The proclamation of the second angel announces the fall of Babylon, described later in great detail (8). The third angel proclaims the terrible judgment and eternal torment to befall those who worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark (9-11). The three proclamations are then followed by an explanation that the patience of the saints consists of keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, with a voice from heaven telling John to write of the blessedness of those who die in the Lord (12-13).
The chapter concludes with a depiction of two harvests. The first shows the Son of Man on a white cloud reaping the harvest of the earth (14-16). The second depicts an angel reaping the grapes of the vine of the earth, which are then thrown into the great winepress of the wrath of God, producing a river of blood almost two hundred miles long (17-20). These two harvests may be different ways of describing the same judgment about to come upon those who follow the beast, or the first may depict that Jesus will safely harvest His own while God's wrath is being poured out on His enemies.
OUTLINE
I. THE 144,000 ON MOUNT ZION (1-5)
A. STANDING WITH THE LAMB (1)
B. SINGING A NEW SONG (2-3)
C. DESCRIBED MORE FULLY (4-5)
1. They are virgins, who had not defiled themselves with women
2. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes
3. They were redeemed from among men, the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb
4. They are without fault before the throne of God, with no guile in their mouths
II. THREE ANGELIC PROCLAMATIONS (6-13)
A. THE FIRST PROCLAMATION (6-7)
B. THE SECOND PROCLAMATION (8)
C. THE THIRD PROCLAMATION (9-11)
D. A WORD OF WISDOM AND A BEATITUDE (12-13)
III. THE TWO HARVESTS (14-20)
A. REAPING THE EARTH'S HARVEST (14-16)
B. REAPING THE GRAPES OF WRATH (17-20)
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
2) What does John see standing on Mount Zion? (1)
3) What does John hear? (2)
4) What were the 144,000 singing, and where? (3)
5) Who could learn the song? (3)
6) How are the 144,000 described? (4-5)
7) What did the first of three angels have? What did it say? (6-7)
8) What did the second angel say? (8)
9) What did the third angel say? (9-11)
10) What does John say is the patience of the saints? (12)
11) What did a voice from heaven say? What did the Spirit say? (13)
12) In the first of two harvests, who did the harvesting and what was reaped? (14-16)
13) In the second harvest, who did the harvesting and what was reaped? (17-18)
14) What was done with the grapes? What was produced? (19-20)
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