BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY

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Suzanna Logan
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1 BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY A Study of Revelation LESSON 35 Revelation 14:8-14:20 LOOKING AHEAD TOWARD HARVEST Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Revelation 22:7) LESSON 35 LOOKING AHEAD TOWARD HARVEST REV 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The first angel we saw in Rev 14:6 flying over the earth and preaching the everlasting Gospel of impending judgment. This second angel speaks of the triumph of the Kingdom of God over the Antichristian powers. All those that supported and promoted this power would suffer the wrath of God. 1 We will shortly see that it is God that will bring down this Babylonian system. The characteristics of the Antichristian power are like that of Babylon: proud, haughty, insolent, and oppressive. Babylon had carried away God's people into captivity and persecuted them. "Babylon" in this verse is therefore symbolic of the same type of oppression of God's people. 2 God dealt with Babylon. God will deal with this Babylonish beast system. This verse prophesies the complete ultimate collapse of the political, economic, and religious system of the Beast (read Revelation chapters 17 and 18). 3 It may be that Nimrod's Babylon will be rebuilt to become the Antichrist's headquarters. Certainly, the prophecy of the final destruction of Nimrod's city is yet to be fulfilled. Others believe that this Babylon refers to Rome. 4 Certainly Rome was a known empire at the time of the prophecies of Revelation. Still others believe that Babylon is New York City. All are tempting prospects. ISA 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. 22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. Seems to be referring to the actual Babylon in Iraq? Before his untimely end, Saddam Hussein had been diligently rebuilding Babylon on its ancient site with temples, palaces, and amphitheaters honoring the pagan gods of ancient Babylon. 5 Much earlier, Nimrod's "Babel" attempted to unify mankind in a religious, commercial, and political rebellion against God. 6 However, as an inhabited city, Babylon has never been rebuilt, other than as a tourist attraction. Accordingly, it seems that no one knows how this will ultimately be fulfilled. 1 Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, pp. 343, Phillips, EXPLORING REVELATION, p Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Jeffery, APOCALYPSE - THE COMING JUDGMENT OF NATIONS, pp. 170, 171. Duck, Richards, REVELATION: GOD'S WORD FOR THE BIBLICALLY-INEPT, p Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p Duck, Richards, REVELATION: GOD'S WORD FOR THE BIBLICALLY-INEPT, p

2 There are two Babylons mentioned in Revelation. One is the city, the historical Babylon. Another is the Great Whore of Babylon, representing the Mystery Religious System that will be used and then destroyed by Antichrist and his ten kings at some point during the Tribulation. 7 As a mystery, this Babylon is symbolic of the satanic religious system emanating from Nimrod s Babylon that has resulted in pagan religious belief and a pollution of Christianity. The priests of Babylon fled to Pergamum where Satan s seat is located. The Altar of Zeus of Pergamum is on display in Berlin, Germany. 7 Jeffery, APOCALYPSE - THE COMING JUDGMENT OF NATIONS, pp. 166, 167. Duck, Richards, REVELATION: GOD'S WORD FOR THE BIBLICALLY-INEPT, p Pentecost, THINGS TO COME, A Study in Eschatology, p

REV 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

REV 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. Some see modern Babylon as the city of Rome.

3 REV 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. God will destroy the Babylonian system causing the Ten Kings to do His bidding. REV 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. Some see modern Babylon as the city of Rome. In this scenario Rome thus becomes the seat of Antichrist's political and commercial power, and the seat of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. There are others that see the United States as Babylon, in particular New York City, the home of that modern Tower of Babel, the United Nations with its pantheistic meditation room. THE UNITED NATIONS PANTHEISTIC MEDITATION ROOM. 3

4 The UN Meditation Room was promoted by Theosophist Alice Baily, the Lucis Trust (Formerly Lucifer Publishing Company), and the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society, founded by Helena Blavatsky, promotes the idea that Lucifer is the good god, while Adonai is the bad God that enslaved mankind. According to Blavatsky supposedly it was Lucifer that freed mankind from the slavery of Adonai in the Garden (Gen 3). Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. This has been the root of the lie that man has succumbed to ever since this encounter in the Garden. REV 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. We see that the three angels follow one after the other. This third angel gives warning not to worship the Beast or receive his mark. No one can plead ignorance of what they do. The word "receiveth" indicates that those who received the Mark did so voluntarily. Those who worship the Beast do so voluntarily. It is clear that they will deserve their punishment (read Revelation chapter 13). 8 As an example, we know that Esau willingly sold his birthright (Gen 25:31-34). This was so serious that we find it again in Hebrews 12 and is a cause of hatred today. HEB 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. The punishment of God's wrath will be "without mixture," that is; it will be undiluted, full strength. There will be no mitigation in the severity of the punishment inflicted. The punishment will be severe, unrelenting torture, like eternal burning with fire. 9 GEN 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; Notice how Isaiah describes God s punishment: ISA 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Revelation 14:11 speaks of the punishment being eternal, without rest or ceasing (eternal fatigue). 10 This is an awesome awful thought. Even during the Inquisition the tortures were interspersed with moments of sleep. Not so the wicked in hell. Those who enter hell never leave and never again sleep, but continually suffer. GEN 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. That s why God provided a 2,000 years period of grace so that we all might be saved. The promise for this saved is rest. 8 Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, pp. 345, 346. Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p

5 HEB 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. There is no rest outside of Christ. MAT 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. If you are tempted to think that there is no eternal punishment, and that the damned are instead destroyed, consider the Law of Conservation. This law of physics states that matter and energy are convertible one to the other, but neither can be destroyed. If energy and matter cannot be destroyed, then what can we say of the more important soul and spirit of man? Every divinely created human soul and spirit will exist forever somewhere. 11 MAT 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? REV 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14:9 through 12 described the certainty of the punishment of those that support and follow the Antichristian system. 12 Revelation 14:12 says that those who become believers during the Tribulation will need patience. They will be tried. They must keep their eyes on Jesus and the eternal hope. It won't be easy. Those that do not compromise because of the persecutions, but die in the Lord, will find rest and will be blessed. Revelation 14:13 is the second beatitude in Revelation. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord They will rest. Their works do follow them, that is their rewards, or the consequences of their works, will follow them to eternal life. It must be clear that no one is saved by works, but they receive rewards, based on their works. 13 THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH We will now see the conclusion and the final overthrow of all the enemies of God. REV 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. In Revelation 14:14 John saw Jesus, the Son of man, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The harvest of the earth is about to begin (the first harvest). That the harvest is ripe (Gk: exeranthe) seems to indicate that the harvest is overdue and that the rotten immoral condition of the world is about to be dealt with. 14 DAN 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. In Matthew 13 we learn of tares (weeds) that were sowed in a field by an enemy about which Jesus said: MAT 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 11 Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p LaHaye, REVELATION ILLUSTRATED AND MADE PLAIN, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, pp., 338, 348. Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, pp

6 That harvest is about to begin. Notice, that the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. Remember that in Matthew 24:40-44 people were going about their business when we find that one in the field was taken to judgment while his companion was left to enter the Millennial Kingdom. This was told in parable in Matthew 13, where the tares taken were taken to be burned. Again, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus brings the Gentile nations to His judgment according to how they treated His brethren (the Jewish people. He separates them as Sheep and Goats and sends the Goat off to judgment. Notice that who they are is well defined in Matthew 25, but not well defined in Matthew 24. It seems that possibly, those taken to Judgment in Matthew 24 may be individual Jews since it is Gentile nations that are judged in Matthew 25. In addition, we see a parallel regarding the Jewish people in Ezekiel chapter 20. Ezek 20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. 36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. 37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. I personally believe that each of these events in Matthew 24 and 25; Ezekiel 20; together with Joel 3 that we will soon see, are referring to the same time period, after the Second Coming, after Armageddon, and including separation of the righteous from the unrighteous that determines who will be allowed to enter the Millennial Kingdom. Charles L. Feinberg seems to agree. He hesitates on the period, but comments that it is a personal Sheep and Goats Judgment for Israel. The key seems to be the determination of those found worthy to enter the Millennium. 15 REV 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:15 begins a second group of three angels whose purpose is to bring their message of judgment. The first three spoke of imminent judgment. These last three speak of implementation of that judgment, preparing for the great day of God at Armageddon. 16 The angel coming out of the Temple brings a message from the Father to the Son to begin the great harvest of the Wicked. 17 He (Jesus) that sat on the cloud (v.16) thrust in His sickle of judgment and reaped the earth. This reaping probably refers to the worldwide judgments of the second half of the Tribulation when the seven bowls of wrath are poured out as described in Revelation chapter REV 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. Looking ahead, Revelation 19:15 tells us that it is Jesus Christ who treads the winepress of fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. So, we are at a time when Christ has returned to earth and He is hot into the Battle of Armageddon. 15 Charls L. Feinberg, THE PROPHECY OF EZEKIEL, pp. 114, Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p

7 The angel of Revelation 14:17 represents the final judgment of God on the wicked (the second harvest). Walvoord writes that [I]t is probably preferable to consider the first harvest as the judgments in general which characterize the period and the second harvest as the final climactic one. 19 This angel (not Jesus) had a sickle to be used on the wicked, probably to be used on the Beast and his followers at Armageddon. 20 MAT 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The followers of the Beast are to be gathered together in one place into the valley of Jehoshaphat (thought to be the Kidron Valley along the Eastern wall of Jerusalem between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives). JOE 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Here again this appears to parallel the Judgement of the Sheep and Goat nations of Matthew 25. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Romans each scattered the people of Israel. Today, the United States and other nations desire to divide the land between Israel and the Palestinians. The division of the land is constantly in the news and is regarded as the primary requirement for peace in the Middle East. All the nations of the world will be gathered at Armageddon. REV 16:16 And he [God] gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. God will draw them to battle. 21 They will war against Christ at His return. REV 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. There will be many gathered in that day. JOE 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The adversaries have sinned willfully and will meet their judgment in the winepress of God. HEB 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. REV 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. This angel of Revelation 14:18 had power over fire, the usual emblem of destruction. This part of the harvest applied the full force of the destruction of the wicked. This angel cried with a loud voice to him (not Jesus) that had the sharp sickle. The term fully ripe (Gk: ekmasan) expresses that the grapes are about to burst. The harvest was gathered and cast into the winepress of the wrath of God. A great destruction is foretold represented by the juice flowing from the winepress. There is to be a great slaughter, covering a space of 200 square miles, a lake of blood. All the enemies of God will be finally destroyed Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p Barnes, NOTES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT: REVELATION, pp. 350, 351. Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p

8 The destruction will be so swift that the sudden spilling of blood will be like the spurting of the juice of millions of bursting grapes in a great winepress. This spurting will cover everything with blood. If 10 percent of the world's population gathered to fight at Armageddon it would conceivably amount to an army of 200 million. This number would amount to a sea of humanity, a mile wide and 200 miles long. Blood coming suddenly from such a multitude would drain toward the valley center were it could literally reach the horse's bridles Morris, THE REVELATION RECORD, pp Levy, REVELATION: Hearing the Last Word, p Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, p

THE LAMB AND THE 144,000 THE THREE ANGELS THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH REVELATION 14:1-20

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 THE LAMB AND THE 144,000 THE THREE ANGELS THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH REVELATION 14:1-20 http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: Revelation 14:1-20: THE LAMB AND THE