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The Tribulation Part 10: The Winepress of Wrath
In part 9 of the Tribulation study, we saw the Beast step out onto the world stage and make his full power and presence known to mankind, culminating in the dreaded mark of the Beast. We pick up our study now in Revelation Chapter 14:"Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless." (Revelation 14:1-5, NASB)
We first met these folk back in Revelation 7, when they were sealed by an angel; now, three and a half years after that event, we see them with the Lord on Mount Zion in a vision. The fact that they are standing before the Throne with the living creatures mentioned leads me to believe that they were martyred during the first half of the Tribulation, as well as up to this point in the second half. Certainly the Beast would have sought them out, and no special protection other than them not being targeted by the army of locusts was prescribed unto them.
Revelation 13 mentioned that the Beast would “overcome the saints”: "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints." (Revelation 13: 8-10, NASB, emphasis mine)
Seeing as that passage precedes John's vision of the 144,000 with Christ on Mount Zion, it's then reasonable to conclude from Scripture that they have died at the hands of the Beast. The descriptors of them being blameless, not having defiled themselves, and following the Lamb wherever he goes all seem to point out that they are in Heaven with Jesus, and are now the Lord's personal "entourage", in a manner of speaking. The term "Mount Zion" can be taken as the same meaning as "my holy mount", mentioned in Isaiah 56:7. This is their reward (amongst others) for being so faithful from the time of their sealing, all the way until their death at the hands of the Beast.
At this point, John sees three angels, one after another, fly through the air. The first one is described as follows:
"And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” (Revelation 14:6-7, NASB)
To gather what people may yet still come even at this late hour, and to provide no excuse for the remnant of those who are left on the earth, God does something unheard of: for the first time in history, an ANGEL preaches the Gospel to man! And in addition to the gospel, the Angel gives warning to those on the earth about giving God the glory due him. In essence, the essential message the angel gives is the antithesis of selfish man's desire: to give GOD glory, NOT himself.
Then we are told of the second angel:
"And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” (Revelation 14:8, NASB)
The second angel brings news that Babylon has been destroyed. Scripture will revisit this point, but for now, we are simply told that the event has happened. Babylon is no more.
"Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-12, NASB)
Now, we have to be careful here: Hell is specifically the one place in the universe where God does not reveal His presence at all. Humans who do not wish to be with the Lord are choosing to cut themselves off from Him and his presence. But being tormented in front of Him would seem to contradict that.
It’s my belief that when folks see the term "burning sulfur", they automatically assume it means hell i.e., the Lake of Fire. While those that reject God are indeed destined for the Lake of Fire, I think these verses are telling us of a very specific, additional punishment that those who have taken the Mark receive for having done so. During the bowl judgments, they end up with a foul sore that seems to be small compared to what their acceptance of the mark truly says. These aren't just people who denied the Lord or rejected Him, but they deliberately did do with all their hearts, and rejoiced in declaring Satan "their 'god'". This would be a particular slap in the face of the Lord Jesus. So, I'm led to believe that this punishment is specially meted out at the Great White Throne for those that willingly took the Mark.
"Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” (Revelation 14:12-13, NASB)
Here, the saints who remain alive on Earth are exhorted to persevere in their faithfulness to the Lord. Their lot will be far better than those who took the Mark; so much so that death in the Lord is a far better fate that living as one of the damned.
As we read, John receives another vision:, this time, of an angel sitting on a cloud;
"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped." (Revelation 14:14-16, NASB)
Here, we see a vision of one "like unto a son of man" reaping the Earth. But the clue here that it is not Christ is that the crown mentioned is stephanon, a derivative of stephanos (the victor's wreath), and not the diadem of authority that Christ would have. Also, an angel giving orders to the Lord Jesus Himself would be very out of character! For any of the heavenly host! In any event, this vision depicts symbolically the Harvest of Souls that has happened on Earth during the Tribulation. What this harvest represents is puzzling, until we see the next "harvest":
"And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” (Revelation 14:17-20, NASB)
This second "harvest" is described far more graphically, and in gory detail. At the length of 200 miles and with the depth of the blood mentioned to be “up to a horse’s bridle” (four to six feet, depending upon the horse), the amount of blood that comes out of that winepress is unspeakable. (You could calculate the total amount and then determine roughly the number of people, but I think it’s wise to leave that off: we have enough bloodshed today as it stands.)
This echoes the verses Isaiah penned:
"Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? "I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.”I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth." (Isaiah 63:1-6, NASB)
When we read this passage, and compare it with the previous one, we begin to see that the vision John saw was a symbolic representation of Armageddon. The Lord, his robe dipped in blood, would come and stain the battlefield with the blood of the armies of the world that would oppose him.
This verse from Revelation 19 further confirms this:
"From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." (Revelation 19:15, NASB)
In part 11, we bear witness as the most fearsome of God’s judgments strikes rebellious mankind
I bid you all peace.
YBIC,
-Sojo414
