“Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth — to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water.” A second angel followed, saying: “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name. This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.” Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!” (Revelation 14:6-13 HCSB)
There are some things that happen to you as a child that are destined to live as a memory in your mind forever. Some days are simply not memorable, but others make such an indelible impression you could never forget them. Those that leave an indelible mark on you may not always be due to the fact that they are good days, either. What hair I have left has been gray for several years. I need hearing aids to help me hear certain sounds, and each day I am reminded just how many birthdays I’ve had by the ache in my joints. But I can still hear the voice of my mother as she steps out on the porch and calls me by my FULL name: “GARY BRADFORD NICKERSON, get in here. NOW!”
I had learned when her voice took on that tone and she used my full name, I was in trouble. My response was to blame one of my brothers, and their response was to put the blame back on me. We spent much of our childhood in the back end of a station wagon – the 60’s version of a minivan. My mother kept a long willow branch on the dashboard of that station wagon. When we boys got out of control, she would grab the willow branch and reach back and swing. Now some of you modern parents might consider this abusive, but you need to trust me on this – we deserved every bit of it. As she did this, one of us boys would shout “it wasn’t me” and Mom would respond – “I’m sure you deserved it for something else.” She was right, we did. Keep this in mind as we delve into our focal passage.
This week, we are going to look at some additional contrasts that John draws out in his revelatory vision. After seeing the Lamb and the Lamb’s host of 144,000 redeemed men and women, John looks and sees another angel flying directly overhead. This angel is announcing the eternal gospel “to every nation, tribe, language, and people.” The importance of this eternal gospel message is highlighted by where the angel is flying when he delivers it and by who receives it. He is flying directly overhead (apex – highest point) and delivers the message to every nation, tribe, language, and people. So this eternal gospel is of highest importance and is delivered to all mankind.
OK, this is obviously an important message, but what is the message? He tells them: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water.” In stark contrast to the lies of the second beast who is demanding that everyone take the mark and worship the first beast, God’s eternal gospel declares that He ALONE should be feared. He is the ONLY One worthy of glory and our worship. Why? Because He is Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water, and the hour of His judgment has come.
We don’t often associate judgment with the gospel message. We have a very strong tendency to highlight the love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, hope, and eternal life of Jesus’ message but not judgment. I know some folks think that hell, judgment, damnation, fire, brimstone, and eternal punishment are all Christians talk about when it comes to non-believers, but that’s really not the case. You can tell by asking people what Jesus talked about most and you’re likely to hear them respond: “Jesus talked about loving others.” Don’t get me wrong, He did talk about loving God first and foremost (greatest commandment) and loving others (second greatest). But listen to His own words: Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.” (John 9:39 HCSB)
John draws a VERY stark contrast between what the people are being challenged to do – take the mark of the beast and worship its image – and what they are charged with doing – fear God, worship Him alone, and prepare for His judgment. They’re being confronted by God and conflicted by their choices and so should we. Every day we are faced with decisions about who will have priority in our lives and how we will live in obedience to God and His Word. The choice of putting God and His will first in your life is not a “one and done” decision. It is a constant and ongoing choice we must make over and over again. So, the first angel announces this eternal message to ALL the inhabitants of Earth: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water.”
John is calling these churches in Asia Minor to recognize the siren’s song of their culture is a lie and to hear the ETERNAL GOSPEL message the angel declares: Fear only God, give Him and Him alone glory, because the time of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made you, not some false idol. That siren’s song is still being sung and many are still being lured by it into eternal death and damnation.
Next, the second angel declares: “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” This section on Babylon’s fall and her intoxicating wine of sexual immorality is starkly contrasted by the sexual purity of the Lamb’s 144,000 redeemed. Babylon is symbolic of all that God’s people have been called to leave behind as they faithfully pursue obedience and pure worship of God. Babylon is the perfect example of a world filled with false gods and cultural lies that promise the best that life can offer but can only deliver suffering and death. The classic example is the Tower of Babel (or Babylon) as found in Genesis 11. Everything God calls His people to be and do is in stark opposition to the very things Babylon symbolizes.
There is a Babylon in every era of human existence and for the churches of Asia Minor in the first century, she is undoubtedly Rome. The hedonistic allure and godless immorality of ancient Babylon is epitomized by the Roman Empire and everything it embraces and represents. While the declaration that she has fallen is given in the present tense, I believe it is intended to be seen by these churches as a divine promise so they will live as though it is their present reality.
It might surprise you to realize we have a Babylon in our own era. Like the churches of Asia Minor, we are called to live as though Babylon’s fall is a part of our present reality. What might surprise you even more is the fact that I believe our own nation, the United States of America, is the epitome of the decadent and immoral Babylon of our modern era. Don’t misunderstand, there has been much good that has come out of western civilization and American independence, ingenuity and might. But there is also an overwhelming sense of pride, power and self indulgence that dominates our culture. We believe it is our god-given right to pursue personal happiness, but we misunderstand the source of true happiness. If you think I’m wrong, I challenge you to go read Matthew 5-7 and evaluate your own pursuit of godly happiness.
Finally, the third angel spoke with a loud voice and declared that those who had worshiped the beast and his image, who had taken his mark on their forehead or hand, would drink the undiluted wine of God’s wrath from the cup of His anger. We like to hear about God’s love but we do not want to hear about God’s wrath and anger. The first angel had proclaimed the “eternal Gospel” to all mankind and it puts a spotlight on the truth regarding our relationship with our Creator and then the second angel follows with a pronouncement of judgment when we follow Babylon’s example. Now, the third angel tells us the details of God’s undiluted wrath: continual torment with fire and sulphur in sight of the Lamb and His holy angels with no relief, day or night, for anyone who takes that path.
I’ve never believed that fear is a good approach to sharing the gospel truth. However, I do know that a healthy fear can be a powerful source of motivation. When my doctor tells me, if you don’t begin to do this (fill in blank: _____) then you’re going to end up dealing with this (fill in blank: ______), then I tend to get motivated. This kind of honest conversation with your physician can motivate you to lose weight, eat better and make healthy choices, exercise more and cut down on carbs. Be honest, it works. Doesn’t it? Sometimes you’re also confronted with the honest assessment that you should have started doing this a long time ago.
The recipients of John’s letter face the very real threat of physical death if they refuse to take the mark and worship the beast. It seems the smart thing to do is to just take the mark, just bow down. Fear can be a big motivator, but it can also mislead you. Consider the Apostle Peter, for example. He was confronted with threats one night while he stood around a fire in the High Priest’s courtyard. A servant girl says: “I know you’re one of them, your accent betrays you.” Peter responds: “Not me, you’ve got the wrong guy.” A rooster crows. She continues: “I’ve seen you with Him.” Again, Peter responds: “It wasn’t me, you’re mistaken.” There’s that pesky rooster crowing, again. She persists: “No, I recognize you. You’re one of His followers.” Peter knows the threats are real, he considers his options and then says: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know that Man! I’ve never seen Him before in my life.” Then that rooster crows, a third time…
“Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62 HCSB)
Our focal passage is God’s prescription for avoiding an eternity of regret and suffering. 1) Listen to the truth of the eternal Gospel: God alone is worthy of glory and worship, we should fear His judgment when we fail to give it to Him. 2) The lies we’re being told about life and personal happiness have ancient origins, but they’re very alluring and only bring God’s wrathful judgment. 3) We’re being offered a cheap, temporary fix for a costly, eternal problem. The Great Physician is advising us against this temporary fix and calls us to take the path of perseverance and true healing. Listen to His advice:
“This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12 HCSB)
Our world tells us that the most important things in life are those things that make us happy, those things that make us feel good, those things that satisfy our wants and desires. It’s all about food, sex, success, power, money, toys, and entertainment and the more, the better. But John has one more admonition for us that flies in the face of the world’s advice: Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!” (Revelation 14:13 HCSB)
I grew up during the Vietnam War. I remember watching the news and seeing the protests. One image from those broadcasts has always stuck out in my mind. I saw a young man holding up a sign during one of those protests that read: “Nothing is worth dying for.”
The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed…
Blessed? It is the very same word Jesus used in the Beatitudes. It describes something that is of supreme benefit. Life doesn’t get any better than this. To die “in the Lord” is to be blessed, to receive the greatest benefit that you could possibly receive. Life doesn’t get any better than this! God’s Spirit concurs: “Yes, let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!” What works? Our perseverance in faith and obedience to Christ (see v. 12). We receive the greatest benefit when we are faithful and persevere in our faith and obedience. In other words, when we listen to the advice of the great Physician then we receive the greatest benefit, eternal life.
Listen up, people! Don’t believe the world’s lie. Listen to the Lord: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed! Stay faithful. Persevere. Be blessed!
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