"And I saw"(Gr. kai eidon) signals another scene of this vision on earth. In this one John heard four announcements that provide incentives for remaining faithful to God and resisting the beasts. Angels made the first three announcements, and a voice from heaven gave the fourth.
14:6 John next saw another angel (cf. 7:2; 8:3; 10:1) flying between heaven and earth (cf. 8:13). He was "another"probably like Michael (12:7), the nearest specific angel in the context. This is the first of six specific angels who individually participate in the events recorded in this chapter (vv. 8, 9, 15, 17, 18). He was flying in midheaven, so nothing hindered people on earth from hearing his words.
He had an "eternal gospel"to preach to the worldwide population. "Gospel"means good news. What this good news is comes out in the next verse. It is "eternal"because it has eternal significance.
14:7 The angel spoke loudly revealing his urgency and concern. The loudness of his voice implies that everyone will hear his message. He called earth-dwellers to fear God (cf. Eccles. 12:13; Luke 12:5), to acknowledge their accountability to Him (cf. Rom. 1:32). To give God glory means to repent having acknowledged His attributes (cf. Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Matt. 4:10; Acts 14:15-17).470The positive response to this invitation appears in 15:4 and the negative response in 16:9, 11 and 21. The reason for fearing God is that the hour of His judgment has come. This is the very last chance that these unbelievers will have to change their allegiance from Satan to God before the final judgments of the Great Tribulation begin.
The angel referred to natural revelation in making this appeal.471God is worthy of worship because He is the Creator, and He has the right to judge what He has created (cf. Neh. 9:6; Ps. 33:6-9; 146:6). The four categories of creation encompass all of it. The first four bowl judgments will affect each of these four aspects of creation (16:2-9).
The fact that separate and succeeding angels make these announcements stresses their importance and their sequential relationship. A second angel followed the first with the message that Babylon had fallen. This is another proleptic message in this case given before Babylon falls. It anticipates that event (ch. 18; cf. 11:7 and 13:1-8).472The repetition of "fallen"is for emphasis, and the aorist tense of this verb stresses the imminence of Babylon's fall.
One popular view concerning the identity of "Babylon"is that it is a code word for Rome, which the Christians used to disguise references to Rome. That use occurs elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. 1 Pet. 5:13). The other view is that "Babylon"is literal Babylon on the Euphrates River. The second option is better in Revelation because in this book place names describe literal locations (cf. 1:9; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14) unless specifically identified as figurative (e.g., 11:8). Furthermore "the great,"Nebuchadnezzar's description of Babylon (cf. Dan. 4:30), always modifies the literal Babylon in Revelation. Viewing this place as literal Babylon does not exclude further implications of the religious and political systems that have arisen from the city, which become the focus of the revelation later (chs. 17, 18).473"Babylon"will epitomize ungodliness in the world during the Tribulation, as it has throughout human history since the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Like "Hollywood"the name represents the world system as well as being the name of a particular city.
The angel personified Babylon as a temptress who gives wine to a man to seduce him to commit fornication (cf. 17:2, 4). The man would not choose to drink this wine without her influence.474However what this man drinks comes ultimately from the cup of God's wrath that He gives, indirectly through Babylon, to those whom He will punish (cf. v. 10; Ps. 60:3; 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22). This wine not only leads all who drink it to commit sexual licentiousness but every kind of excess that expresses unfaithfulness to God (cf. 17:1, 2, 5, 15, 16; 18:3, 9; 19:2).475
14:9 A third angel followed the former two with a third message in this sequence warning the beast-worshippers of their judgment (cf. 13:11-17). The goal of this warning is to alert potential beast-worshippers to their doom, if they follow the beast, and to encourage believers to remain faithful (cf. Matt. 10:28).476
14:10 The beast will kill people who do not follow him, but those who follow the beast will receive worse judgment from God.477The combination of "wrath"(Gr. orges, settled indignation) and "anger"(Gr. thymou, vehement fury) stresses the reality and severity of God's hostility (cf. Num. 12:9; 22:22). Normally people added water to wine to dilute it, but God will not weaken His punishment of beast-worshippers. Their torment will be excruciating (cf. Gen. 19:24; Isa. 34:8-10), but this is not a reference to their eternal torment. Their final torment will be in the lake of fire removed from the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb (19:20; 20:10; 21:8, 27; 22:14-15; cf. Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:43; 2 Thess. 1:8-9).
"The opposite case is that of the overcomer who will receive open recognition in the presence of the Father and His angels (3:5)."478
14:11 An endless trail of ascending smoke is the constant reminder of the permanent misery of beast-worshippers (cf. 19:3; Gen. 19:28). The temporary judgments of beast-worshippers under the coming bowl judgments now give way to judgment that is eternal (cf. Matt. 25:46; Rom. 2:3-9; 2 Thess. 1:6-9). If the ceaseless praise of the Lamb by the living creatures is eternal (4:5), so must be the punishment of these unbelievers since the same phrase, "forever and ever,"describes both.
"The modern vogue of dispensing with hell has no counterpart in Revelation."479
"This is the most horrible picture of eternal punishment in the entirety of Revelation . . ."480
14:12 This verse contains John's word of encouragement to believers in the Great Tribulation (cf. 13:10b, 18; 17:9). It is better to experience the beast's punishment, even martyrdom, than God's punishment.
This verse is not saying that if genuine believers apostatize and worship the beast they will lose their salvation and suffer eternal punishment. It is saying that if they worship the beast they will experience temporal punishment from God along with beast-worshippers (v. 10). This temporal punishment is only the first phase of the punishment that unbelievers will experience (v. 11), but it is the only phase that believers will experience (cf. Rom. 8:231-39).
In view of their hope believers in the Great Tribulation should persevere in obedience and trust, good works and faith in God, plus ethical conduct and reliance on Jesus Christ. This is an encouragement to persevere, not a guarantee that the saints will persevere.481Obedience to God's commandments and continuing trust in Jesus will see the faithful through these days of tribulation successfully.
This "voice"was probably the Lamb's (1:10-11, 19; cf. 10:4, 8; 11:12; 14:2; 18:4; 21:3). The voice told John to record that it would be a blessing for the believers who live during the Great Tribulation to die as martyrs. They will receive a unique blessing reserved for no one else.482This is the second of seven beatitudes in the book (cf. 1:3; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). Here, as often in Scripture, the blessing assures a future reward for present obedience to God.483
"The faithfulness of the martyrs unto death is not a legalistic work which merits eternal bliss, but a manifestation of their devotion to Christ. These works follow them in the sense that there can be no separation between what a man is and what he does."484
Many believers will die as martyrs for refusing to worship the beast (13:15). They will die "in the Lord"in the sense of dying as their Lord did, namely, for His faithfulness to God.485"From now on"means from this time in the Tribulation on, specifically during the bowl judgments. They will thereby escape the intense persecution of the beast, which they would otherwise experience, if they remained faithful to Christ (cf. 12:17).
The Holy Spirit added (cf. 22:17) that they would also experience blessing because they would be at rest beyond the grave and because God would then reward their faithful deeds (cf. 1 Tim. 5:24-25; Heb. 6:10). In contrast, the beast-worshippers have no rest (v. 11) and receive punishment for their unfaithfulness to God (v. 10).
"God does not save anyone for his works, but He does reward us for our works. Our works (good or bad) are like tin cans tied to a dog's tail; we cannot get away from them. They will follow us to the bemaseat of Christ."486
This is a positive incentive to remain faithful that balances the negative warning previously given (vv. 9-12).
