They that keep the commandments of God

John now sees seven visions of events during the great tribulation, cameos of salvation and judgement designed to encourage believers to trust and obey God in days of persecution and martyrdom. They predict a final victorious outcome to our conflict with evil. All Christ’s followers will be vindicated, but all Satan’s followers will be judged eternally. How real and vital, therefore, are the issues whenever the gospel is preached!

In verses 1 to 5 John sees the 144, 000 Jewish witnesses of chapter 7 standing victoriously on Mount Zion in Jerusalem with Christ, the Lamb, entirely unharmed by the judgements and persecutions of the day. As they prepare to enter the millennial kingdom with God’s name written in their foreheads, they join with the inhabitants of heaven to sing a new song of redemption. They are virgins, untainted by the surrounding defilement, and the first instalment of many other believers. In verses 6 and 7 another angel flying in the mid-heaven proclaims the everlasting gospel in a last attempt to persuade men to repent before the judgements are consummated. A second angel then announces the fall of Babylon, both the literal city and the religious system, in two stages; see chapters 17 and 18. In verses 9 to 11 of chapter 14 a third angel proclaims the judgement of all who worship the Beast and receive his mark. Their fate is sealed: eternal punishment. Reader, on whose side will you be found?

In verses 12 and 13 the Lord comforts all tribulation saints who will suffer martyrdom. He calls them to patient endurance, since they die ‘in the Lord’, acknowledging His absolute Lordship. They are blessed, and join the martyrs of the fifth seal judgement to await final vindication. The parenthesis then concludes with two complementary visions of Christ’s judgement of unbelievers just prior to His second coming. The first likens the judgement to a grain harvest, which Christ reaps with a sharp sickle. It may refer to the bowl judgements of chapter 16. The grain is overripe, rotten with corruption. The second vision is of a grape harvest, also overripe, with rebellion against God. This anticipates the horrific carnage of Armageddon, when Christ will intervene to subdue His foes. Reader, be warned!