Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Revelation 14 (NIV)

The Lamb and the 144,000

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.

The Three Angels

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."

The Harvest of the Earth

14I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man"[a] 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.[b]

Footnotes:
a. Revelation 14:14 Daniel 7:13
b. Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles (about 300 kilometers)

4 comments:

cas said...

Rev 14

Amazing imagery. I try to picture this in my minds eye, but it can be pretty hard to do.

I took this next verse a little out of context, but thought it was appropriate for our group.

v12 (NLT) ...encourage God's holy people to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus

Pretty cool! I think the thing that starts to wear on me is how many times I have to remind myself to trust and to release control. It is definitely getting old and I am ready to fully submit for sure.

Father, change me from the inside out. Renew us all daily and help us to point everything to You and your glory. Without You we have nothing and we should remind ourselves that continuously. Give us the strength to admit our faults to each other and to pray for each other often. Bless these men today and watch over all of our families.

In Christ,
cas

trd said...

this passage has always cinjured up many questions for me...let me know what you think of these...some of this is pre-rapture/post-rapture stuff

1) if you assume this is post rapture, are the 144,000 people who became followers after the rapture?
2) If it is prerapture, 144,000 seems so small...do you think that number is figurative...or, is it possible, that some of us Christians wont qualify...that some of us, even though we have believed are still sinning, still not 100% pure?
3) the imagery is amazing...when i think of an angel on a cloud...do you think someone in Pennsylvania sees the same image as someone in Asia? i wonder how that is possible? is the same seen happenning all over the world at simultaneous times or do we all see the same angel somehow?

I know this is detaily type stuff, but i really wonder about these things. plus, i want to be able to answer these questions when i am challenged. thanks. Hope you all have a great day. also, i will be away for a few weeks as i am getting married...please pray for me and my future wife, SF - soon to be SM. thanks!

CRB said...

Rev 14
Very interesting chapter.

Also interesting comments:
first, cas, I struggle with not leaning on Him too. Almost Daily. I like to think that (a) it is a sign of God's grace over and over that he lets me back in each time I forget to lean on Him and it shows that he's holy, cause imagine how frustrated we get teaching our kids the same lessons day after day. and (b) its a sign that we really do get to choose, cause otherwise we would only get one chance to screw up, but instead that we get to choose God each time we struggle, almost getting to choose Him again. <--I know that reads confusing.

timmcd6,
First of all, know that you are in our prayers, and I can't wait to have you be post-wedding-stress-free. I remember that first few weeks after the honeymoon, where we were like, "Shouldn't we be planning something now?"
Anyway, here's my take on your specific questions, though it might not be perfect.
a) it must be 144,000 after the rapture, cause the rapture marks the start of revelation.
b) I believe that it is 144000 Jews who are being described here, 144000 of God's original Holy people who come to believe in Jesus after the rapture has begun. (12000 folk x 12 tribes of Israel)
c) It does seem like a small number, but I don't think that these are the only folk who are going to heaven. Again could be wrong.
d) (And I don't mean this derogatorily) We can only be saved by Jesus, therefore after that nothing that we do (as long as we still believe in Jesus) makes us saved or not saved. That being said, if we truly believe in Jesus, we should be TRYING not to sin, although our Humanity makes it inevitable. I don't know how all this plays into the 144000, but I know that we're saved regardless.

Father, help us to trust in You and grow in our faith. You are our only savior, the one and only Truth.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
crb

trd said...

thanks CRB, i appreciate the prayers and the answers to my many questions!