Chapter Fourteen

A vision of the 144 thousand glorified virgins, singing a new song unknown to anyone else (1–5). A vision of an angel flying in the sky with the eternal Gospel and calling to repentance (6–7); a vision of two other angels with news of the fall of Babylon (8–11); the comfort and encouragement of the righteous (12–13). A vision of one like a Son of Man, seated on a cloud with a sickle in his hand. The harvest (14–16). An angel cutting the vintage with a sickle for God’s winepress of wrath (17–20).

Revelation 14:1. And I looked, and behold, the Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, whose names were written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:2. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of a loud thunder; and I heard a voice as of harpists playing on their harps. To pour more comfort into the hearts of true Christians, John sees and describes a new, not earthly, but heavenly joyful manifestation. The vision of Christians is raised toward heaven, toward the divine throne and the hosts of heavenly beings surrounding it. On Mount Zion, which is the heavenly temple, where the Lord dwells amid angels and glorified people, John sees the Lamb and with Him 144 thousand, on whose foreheads his name and the name of His Father are written. Who are these 144 thousand? They are not those mentioned in Rev 7:9-17. They are different. They are first of all glorified Christians, for they appear not on earth, but in heaven and together with the Lamb. On their foreheads is written the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father, as a reward for the preceding labors of their earthly life. Their earthly life, their Christian labors, their unwavering following and imitation of Jesus Christ—the Lamb without blemish—so permeated their entire being that they were, as it were, reflected on their foreheads and testified to their belonging to God and the Lamb, and therefore to their deserving of blessedness.

Revelation 14:3. They sing as it were a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. The heavenly blessedness of the glorified consists in listening to and participating in the heavenly hymn, which was heard from heaven, that is, from the same Zion mount, from the same heavenly throne. The voices in the singing blended into one wonderful harmony with the melodious and gentle sounds of harps. In content, the song is called new—new in the sense that it contains praise and thanksgiving of the 144 thousand for all the divine benefits which they were granted in their time. Therefore, no one could learn this song (Rev 2:17) and understand it except those 144 thousand who themselves were witnesses to all of this (1 Cor 2:9).

Revelation 14:4. These are they who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins; these are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were redeemed from men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, Revelation 14:5. and in their mouths was found no lie; they are without blemish before the throne of God. In praise and special distinction of the perfect is placed the fact that they were strict virgins. In the final times, these chosen and perfect in order to remain faithful to Christianity, amid terrible persecutions by antichrist and amid impossible conditions, had to completely renounce married life, which could bind them with unwelcome ties to the antichristian world. Their virginity is virginity in the broad sense of the word, as the highest Christian virtue or as a collection of all Christian virtues with complete chastity. They are the chosen, for, despising married life, all the benefits of family life, they dedicated themselves entirely to the service of God and in this sense follow the Lamb everywhere. They are first fruits in the sense of the best and most chosen; they are completely free from lies and fully blameless. Thus, these 144 thousand standing together with the Lamb on Mount Zion are the most chosen and most perfect Christians and especially Christians of the final antichristian time. Their number is 144 thousand, for the number was taken that expressed the fullness of all chosen and perfect Christians who have attained and will attain perfection.

Revelation 14:6. And I saw another Angel flying in the midst of heaven, who had the eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; From heaven, where the preceding manifestation took place, the seer’s vision from verse 6 is turned toward the earth. He sees another mysterious angel, who was for him a real angel, one of the multitude of divine servants, incorporeal messengers of God’s will. He flies in the midst of heaven so that the whole world hears what is proclaimed by him, for this is indeed of great importance to him (the world). In the hands of the angel is the eternal Gospel, that is, a certain scroll, book (Rev 10:2), containing a known content. It is called eternal Gospel because it contains the word of God, which is incorruptible, living, and abides forever (1 Pet 1:23-25). The Gospel is held by the angel as a sign that he is sent to preach to all living on the earth without exception and without distinction, not only to sinners and pagans, but also to the righteous.

Revelation 14:7. and he spoke with a loud voice: fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come, and bow down to the One Who made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters. If people, by the action of the devil, out of fear before his violence and under the influence of his schemes, bowed before the antichrist beast (Rev 13:7), then now, in opposition to this, they are called out of fear before God to give Him glory as the true Ruler of the world. The final hour has come for people of the possibility of repentance, for the final hour of judgment is at hand, after which there will no longer be this possibility 73. This vision of the angel serves as a complement to the manifestation of the two witnesses (Rev 11:3-12) in a second order; it may be that here are understood these very witnesses; but in any case these are persons like them; these are the preachers—apostles of the final time, as they were in the first time of Christianity.

Revelation 14:8. And another Angel followed, saying: fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, because she made all the nations drink of the wine of the fury of her immorality. The second call to repentance through another angel consists of an indication of the actual life of the antichristian world. This punishment is the fall of Babylon. Although it is said here that Babylon has fallen, it is represented as having fallen only in the vision, and only in the vision is this indicated to the people of the antichristian time. This fall of Babylon will be the beginning of judgment, the first stone cast at the world at its condemnation by God (Rev 18:21). In accordance with this, one must also explain the very name of Babylon. Babylon is a beautiful example for any godless city. And since in the final antichristian time the kingdom of antichrist aims to replace all that is holy and divine with what is human and antichristian, then the chief city of this kingdom will remind one as much as possible of ancient Babylon. Therefore, under the fall of Babylon, it is most natural to understand the fall of the future Babylon, the chief city of the future antichristian kingdom, even if not with the same proper name, then with the same character of its inhabitants and with the same property and tasks of the power of its ruler. The cause of the fall of the future Babylon is set forth as idolatry, named fornication. This fornication is named fierce wine in the sense of its power to inflame the human body, human passions. Moreover, the concept of fornication and harlots from Scripture is very often used in application to cities (Isa 1:21; Nah 3:4) and usually indicates all that corrupting influence which those or other cities exert on peoples through their commerce, their morals, and their idolatry. As if to strengthen the impression from the fall of Babylon, a third angel addresses with a threat all those who worship the beast and receive his mark. The threat is obviously addressed to those very people who, according to verse 8, grew drunk and were delighted with the fierce wine of Babylonian fornication, that is, luxurious antichristian life. Now, in opposition to this, they are threatened with the coming necessity of drinking the cups of God’s wrath. They will drink undiluted wine, which signifies God’s wrath, in no way softened by divine mercy. Sinners who worshiped the beast will be tormented in fire and sulfur, which is a characteristic of hellish torments. The expression that the torments will occur before the Lamb and before the holy angels, that is, as it were, in their sight, indicates the special intensity of the torments, the bitterness of which will be increased all the more from the fact that the tormented will be comparing their torment with the blessedness of the saints and constantly thinking of those, for enmity toward whom they became worthy of eternal punishment.

Revelation 14:9. And a third Angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: if anyone bows down to the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, Revelation 14:10. he will drink the wine of the wrath of God, wine unmixed, poured in the cup of His wrath, and will be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy Angels and before the Lamb; Revelation 14:11. and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, those who bow down to the beast and his image and receive the mark of his name. The torments of sinners will be constant; they will have no break, and the sinner who worshiped the beast, being tormented day by day, will not have a single moment of rest, not even the slightest time free from these torments.

Revelation 14:12. Here is the patience of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus. In the threat of terrible punishments to sinners, the saints should draw comfort and encouragement for themselves, to overcome despondency in their constant confession of Christian faith amid antichristian persecutions and to nurture firm hope that these persecutions will soon end.

Revelation 14:13. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me: write: blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on; yes, says the Spirit, so that they rest from their labors, and their works follow them. Another comfort is proclaimed to the saints by a new heavenly voice, which commands John to write: “From now on, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” The command speaks to the fact that the truth of this revelation must hold a prominent place and essential significance among other truths that have already been proclaimed to him and that will be proclaimed. Here by the dying are understood all Christians who die in true faith and in firm hope in His mercy. They in their very life prove that they are worthy of blessedness as a gift of God’s love, for they themselves have also loved the Lord, proving this by the fulfillment of His commandments, by their entire Christian life, which is a constant labor, constant work, and constant bearing of the cross.

Revelation 14:14. And I looked, and behold, a bright cloud, and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man; on his head was a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. The measure of God’s patience has been exhausted; the hour of retribution for both the righteous and the sinners has come. John in a new vision sees in the midst of bright clouds one like a Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle. A bright or white cloud is, as it were, an essential feature of the future second coming of the Lord (Matt 24:30; Luke 21:27). Therefore, it is evident that he who appeared is Jesus Christ Himself, the Messiah in His image as the Son of Man, who is to come to judge the world.—The sickle in His hands is an instrument of harvest and speaks of judgment over the world.

Revelation 14:15. And another Angel came out of the temple and cried out with a loud voice to Him sitting on the cloud: send out your sickle and reap, because the hour of harvest has come, for the harvest on the earth is ripe. An angel coming out of the temple addresses the one seated with the sickle, addresses him as a messenger of the divine command, predetermined from eternity. Consequently, here it is not a matter of a command from the angel, but of a command through the angel. The command comes from God Himself; but Jesus Christ Himself has repeatedly testified that His activity as a Son was always in accordance with the will of His heavenly Father. The harvest, according to the word of the Savior, is the end of the world (Matt 13:39), and consequently the apocalyptic harvest is also the gathering of all the faithful (1 Thess 4:17) and their separation from the impious before the pronouncement of the final judgment after the terrible trial. It will be at the time when the world, in its development of both good and evil, shall reach the limit predetermined by God.

Revelation 14:16. And He who sat on the cloud cast His sickle to the earth, and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:17. And another Angel came out of the temple in heaven, also with a sharp sickle. Revelation 14:18. And another Angel, who has power over fire, came from the altar and cried out with a great cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying: send out your sharp sickle and cut the clusters of the vineyard on the earth, because the grapes on it are ripe. Further, John sees another new angel who comes out of the temple. It is obviously one of the simple angels, servants of God and executors of His will. Following this angel, another new angel appears. But he comes out not from the temple itself (Rev 11:19), not from the sanctuary, but from the altar and is called having power over fire. Consequently, this angel belongs to the number of those angels, God’s servants, who govern in the world certain elements. He comes out from the altar of burnt offerings (Rev 6:9), from which the prayer of the slain righteous was ascending for vengeance on the impious, that is, for judgment over the world. Now, as it were, in response to these prayers, from that altar comes an angel with God’s command to carry out judgment on the impious.

Revelation 14:19. And the Angel cast his sickle to the earth, and cut the grapes on the earth, and cast them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Revelation 14:20. And the grapes were trodden in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, for one thousand six hundred stadia. Undoubtedly, by the cutting of the vintage with the angel’s sickle, one must understand the judgment of God on the sinners. They, separated from the righteous, are subjected to the retribution of God’s wrath. And the vintage, cast into the wine press, was trodden, that is, the sinful world was subjected to punishment. The degree of punishment and the multitude of the punished is clarified by a comparison with the abundance of grape juice (called here directly blood), which, not fitting in the prepared wine press, flows over its edges. This is what the words of the text mean: “blood flowed from the wine press as high as a horse’s bridle for a distance of about two hundred miles.” The wine press, the place of punishment, is represented as being outside the city and serves as an indication of the place of judgment on sinners. This judgment will take place outside the city. By the city here is understood those who live in the city, that is, God’s saints, who, being gathered by the Lord from the four winds of the earth (Matt 24:31), will constitute the city of the living God. This their gathering into one whole after their final separation from the impious, condemned to punishment and judgment. The degree of this punishment is clarified by the abundance of the stream of blood of the punished, which will reach by its depth to the bridles of horses and will flow for 1600 stadia. The comparison is obviously taken from ordinary wars, when the horses of the combatants walk on bloodied ground. The number 1600 (40x40) speaks both of the highest degree of punishment and of the universality (4 cardinal points x 4 x 100) of this punishment (cf. Rev 14:10). * * * Cf. Hengstenberg, Suller.