Introductory remarks:
This chapter constitutes an interlude after all the woes of the previous chapter.
"This whole chapter, therefore, is designed to relieve the gloom of the former representations. The action of the grand moving panorama is stayed that the mind may not be overwhelmed with gloomy thoughts, but that it may be cheered with the assurance of the final triumph of truth and righteousness. The chapter, viewed in this light, is introduced with great artistic skill, as well as great beauty of poetic illustration; and, in its place, it is adapted to set forth this great truth, that, to the righteous, and to the church at large, in the darkest times, and with the most threatening prospect of calamity and sorrow, there is the certainty of final victory, and that this should be allowed to cheer and sustain the soul" (Barnes).
After all the bad news in chapter thirteen John pauses long enough here to give all believers refreshment with words of encouragement. John doesn't leave his readers discouraged, but now gives them hope for the future. The Lord never allows His family to endure more than they can bear. The Word of God has all the answers to our daily problems if we but take time out long enough to search out the answers.
The Song of the 144,000
Verse 1, "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads."
LGT "And I saw, and behold the Lamb standing upon mount Sion and with Him a hundred (and) forty four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written upon their foreheads."
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on mount Sion,"
Mount Sion is none other than Jerusalem. "Mount Zion is the site of the new city of God (Heb. 12:22), the Jerusalem above (Gal. 4:26), the seat of the Messianic Kingdom whether heaven or the new earth (Rev. 21 and 22)" (Robertson).
The Lord is dealing with the nation Israel not the church. In chapter thirteen John gave us a picture of the two wild beasts in contrast with chapter fourteen where he now gives us a picture of the 'Lamb of God', none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In the KJV we read 'a lamb', whereas in the Greek it reads to arnion, 'the Lamb.'
"And with Him an hundred and forty four thousand,"
This is the 144,000 thousand Jewish evangelists that evangelized throughout the Great Tribulation Period. McGee says, "He started out with 144,000 and ended with 144,000, He didn't lose one." These are the same 144,000 as seen in chapter seven verses three thru eight.
"Having His Father's name written in their foreheads."
What a contrast from the last chapter where the mark of the beast will be placed on the forehead or the right hand on those who will follow the Antichrist all the way to hell. This mark on their foreheads was God's seal on them showing that He could not lose even one of them. This mark of God is a mark of ownership.
Verse 2, "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:"
LGT "And I heard a voice out of the heaven, as a voice of many waters and as a voice of great thunder, and the voice which I heard as of harpers harping with their harps."
"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder:"
John is on earth hearing the voice of God as loud crashing waves of the ocean on the shore, and as thunder breaking though the heavens.
"And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps."
Here we have a scene of wonderful songs sung by the angels in heaven accompanied by many harpers harping. "This is the elect angelic choir singing at the 2nd advent of Christ. A massive number of singers all singing a victory hymn of the tactical victory of the Lord over the ruler of this world - the devil. The singers are accompanied by magnificent playing of the harp" (Theime).
Verse 3, "And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."
LGT "And they sung [as] a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the hundred and forty four thousand, and the ones purchased out of the earth."
"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne,"
This new song is sung at a new occasion; this is the song of redemption, and is sung before the presence of God the Father.
"And before the four beasts,"
This is literally, the four living creatures. Theime calls these "angels of Seraph rank." We know from Scriptures that angels have ranks, but I am ignorant as to there rank.
"And the elders:"
The new song is sung before them, so must be by the redeemed of the Lamb.
"And no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."
John's vision now takes us back to Jerusalem on Mt. Zion where the 144,000 Jewish evangelists learn the song of redemption. No one is able to sing this song except the redeemed.
"None could understand it but the redeemed. That is none who had not been redeemed could enter fully into the feelings and sympathies of those who were. A great truth is taught here. To appreciate fully the songs of Zion; to understand the language of praise; to enter into the spirit of the truths which pertain to redemption; one must himself have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ. He must have known what it is to be a sinner under the condemnation of a holy law; he must have known what it is to be in danger of death; he must have experienced the joys of pardon, or he can never understand, in its true import, the language used by the redeemed. But of all the joy ever experienced in the universe, so far as we can see, that must be the most sublime and transporting, which will be experienced when the redeemed shall stand on Mount Zion above, and shall realize that they are saved" (Barnes).
Verse 4, "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
LGT "These are they who with women were not defiled, for they are virgins; these are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased out from among men [as] firstfruits to God and to the Lamb."
"These are they"
The 'they' are the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the Great Tribulation.
"Which were not defiled with women;"
The word defiled in the Greek is emolunthesan a first aorist passive verb from moluno, which means to 'stain' or to 'contaminate morally;' this would certainly rule out marriage, for marriage is a Divine Institution of God. It cannot in the proper sense be applied to celibacy (abstaining from marriage) as the church in Rome does; claiming celibacy is a righteous act. The statement is those who are saved are not defiled or unchaste. "During the Great Tribulation there will be an exaggerated emphasis upon sex, and obviously immorality will prevail. The 144,000 will have kept themselves aloof from the sins of the Great Tribulation" (McGee).
This simply means that they did not marry. These 144,000 did not marry and they did not commit spiritual fornication by worshipping the Antichrist.
"These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth."
To follow the Lamb is speaking of their discipleship, that is, they followed the teachings of Christ in His Word.
"These were redeemed from among men
They are there because they are redeemed.
"Being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."
As Christ is the 'Firstfruit' of the resurrection, so these 144,000 are the firstfruits of the Great Tribulation, and will hold a special place in the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. The meaning here is not that the 144,000 were the only ones who were saved, but that they are the prime representatives of all the redeemed. "They stood there as redeemed by Him, thus honoring Him as their Redeemer, and showing forth His glory" (Barnes).
Verse 5, "And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."
LGT "And in the mouth of them was not found a lie: for they are without blemish."
"And in their mouth was found no guile:"
The KJV uses the term guile, while in the Greek N.T. the word is pseudos meaning 'the lie.' These did not fall for the big lie of the Antichrist that he is the God. They would not succumb to the pressure to worship the Antichrist in order to be able to buy or sell.
"For they are without fault before the throne of God."
This phrase in the Greek is literally, for they are without blemish, "before the throne" is omitted; however, this is how we will all stand before the throne, so it is understandable why the translators added this phrase. These 144,000 are spotless because of the shed blood of Christ, just as you and I will stand before Christ. This is a beautiful positional truth that many Christians have no idea exists. We are completely spotless the moment you and I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
The messages of the Three Angels
Verse 6, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,"
LGT "And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having an everlasting Good News to announce to those who are dwelling upon the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people."
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,"
This angel is flying in the heavens above the earth, not God's abode. This might be rendered as Barnes has it 'mid air.'
"Having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,"
This is the final preaching of the Good News to those who are dwelling on the earth during the Great Tribulation. This message is a final confirmation to the message of the 144,000 evangelists. This Good News is God's final proclamation of His plan of the ages.
"And to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,"
No one is left out in this preaching, because everyone is involved in God's great plan.
Verse 7, "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
LGT "And he says in a great voice, Fear the God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment is come; and worship the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and fountains of waters."
"Saying with a loud voice,"
This angel speaks with a loud clear voice the (gospel) good news that follows; this is good news to the saved, but horrible news to the lost. This angel speaks loud enough so that the saved and the unsaved alike will hear.
"Fear God, and give glory to Him;"
This 'fear' of God to the believer will be the beginning of wisdom, but to the unbeliever the beginning of their eternal judgment and doom. The design of this 'good news' is to turn the hearts of the unbeliever from their worship of Antichrist to reverence Him.
"For the hour of His judgment is come:"
"His judgment on the beast and on those who worship him. The imagery here is substantially the same as in Dan. 7:9, 10, 14, 26, 27; and there can be no doubt that there is reference to the same subject. The main idea is, that when God shall be about to cause His gospel to spread through the world, there will be, as it were, a solemn judgment on that Antichristian power which had so long resisted His truth and persecuted His saints, and that on the fall of that power His own kingdom will be set up on the earth; that is, in the language of Daniel, the kingdom, and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Most High" (Barnes).
"And worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Here is a call for the entire world to worship God as the creator of the universe. The world has always looked to any other cause for their existence except God. A prime example is how in our time the world has tried to make believe they believe the dribble propounded by that fool Darwin and his theory of evolution; even after it has been proven to be silly and stupid, the world still clings to it as if it were the gospel. Whenever a natural disaster hits the news people refer to it as 'mother nature' in order to please everyone. All of this worldly dribble about 'evolution' and 'mother nature' will be brought to light when God's judgment comes; to the world it will be a time of horror, but to the saved it will be a time of unbelievable comfort.
Verse 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."
LGT "And another angel, a second, followed saying, fell, fell, is Babylon the great, which out of the wine of the fury of her fornication she has given to drink all the nations."
"And there followed another angel,"
This is literally, another angel, a second. The Greek word for 'another' is allos meaning 'another of the same kind' of angel as the first.
"Saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,"
The prophetic aorist 'fell' is used here to describe the certainty of the fall of Babylon.
"Babylon was a well-known city on the Euphrates, and was, in the days of its pride and glory, the head of the heathen world. In reference to the meaning of the word in this place, it may be remarked, (1) That the general characteristics of Babylon were, that it was proud, haughty, insolent, oppressive. It was chiefly known and remembered by the Hebrew people as a power that had invaded the holy Land; that had reduced its capital and temple to ruins; that had destroyed the independence of their country, subjecting it to the condition of a province, and that had carried away the inhabitants into a long and painful captivity (this is another reason I believe the church will not be in the Tribulation; the use of term, Babylon the Great, has special significance to the Jews; of course the church in Rome will be here, because they are apostate). It became, therefore, the emblem of all that was haughty and oppressive. (2) The word must be used here to denote some power that resembled the ancient and literal Babylon in these characteristics. The literal Babylon was no more; but the name might be properly used to denote a similar power. We are to seek, therefore, in the application of this, for some power that had the same general characteristics which the literal Babylon had. (3) In inquiring, then, what is referred to here by the word Babylon, we may remark, (a) that it could not be the literal Babylon on the Euphrates, for the whole representation here is something future, and the literal Babylon had long since disappeared, never according to the prophecies, to be rebuilt (Isa. 13:20-22. (b) All the circumstances require us to understand this of Rome, at some period of its history: for Rome, like Babylon, was the seat of empire, and the head of the heathen world; Rome was characterized by many of the same attributes as Babylon, being arrogant, proud, oppressive; Rome, like Babylon, was distinguished for its conquests, and for the fact that it made all other nations subject to its control; Rome had been, like Babylon, a desolating power, having destroyed the capital of the Holy Land, and burnt its beautiful temple, and reduced the country to a province. Rome, like Babylon of old, was the most formidable power with which the church had to contend. Yet (c) it is not, I suppose, Rome considered as Pagan that is here meant, but Rome considered as the prolongation of the ancient power in the Papal form. Alike in this book and in Daniel, Rome, Pagan and Papal, is regarded as one power, standing in direct opposition to the Gospel of Christ, resisting its progress in the world, and preventing its final prevalence. When that falls, the last enemy of the church will be destroyed, and the final triumph of the true religion will be speedy and complete (see Daniel 7:26, 27). (d) So it was understood among the early Christians. Mr. Gibbon, speaking of the expectations of the early Christians about the end of the world, and the glory of the literal reign of the Messiah, says, 'Whilst the happiness and glory of a temporal reign were promised to the disciples of Christ, the most dreadful calamities were denounced against an unbelieving world. The edification of the New Jerusalem was to advance by equal steps with the destruction of the mystic Babylon; and as long as the emperors who reigned before Constantine persisted in the profession of idolatry, the epithet (label) of Babylon was applied to the city and to the empire of Rome,' (vol. I p. 263)" (Barnes).
"Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
This is spiritual and religious fornication. The church in Rome is built on this fornication of idolatry, which is evidenced in all their superstitious nonsense in the guise of religion.
"The idolatry of Babylon is a divine intoxication which will fascinate the entire world. This is the reason we are seeing so much experimentation in our day with Satan worship, exorcism, and all the cults, which are definitely satanic. Notice what the Old Testament prophets have said about it: Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad (Jer. 51:7). If you could get away far enough and look back at this earth, I am of the opinion that you would be disappointed in mankind and in the nations of the world. Then in the prophecy of Isaiah we read: And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible (Isa. 13:11). This brings down the wrath of God upon the world (see Jer. 25:15-26). And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' Excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 13:19).
This is a judgment on Babylon that we are going to see: judgment upon religious Babylon in chapter 17 of Revelation and upon commercial Babylon in chapter 18" (McGee).
Verse 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,"
LGT "And another angel, a third, followed them saying in a great voice, If anyone worship the beast and the image of him and receives a mark upon his forehead or upon his hand,"
"And the third angel followed them,"
Another angel of the same kind, allos, followed; literally, another angel, a third, 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,"
In chapter thirteen the people are warned that if they didn't worship the beast and wear his mark (666), they would starve to death. Now in fourteen the angel is presenting a warning to the opposite; I wonder which warning would a person be better off heeding? Of course we who believe know the answer, because we believe the Word of God.
Theime notes: "epi 'upon' is used twice in verse 9. Epi plus the genitive emphasizes 'contact'. Epi plus the accusative emphasizes direction. So the first epi indicates the brand is in contact with the forehead. Probably a mitre/headdress of some sort, and the clergy might have a tattoo on the forehead indicating clearly their rank if the headdress is removed. On the hand, is a mark for others. This could be a tattoo or an implanted chip or some such mark/id card."
Verse 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:"
LGT "And he shall drink out of the wine of the wrath of God, which has been mingled unmixed in the cup of His wrath and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone before (the) holy angels and before the Lamb."
"The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,"
The wine of the wrath of God is illustrated in Psalms 75:8: For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and He poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."
"Which is poured without mixture into the cup of His indignation;"
This phrase is literally: which has been mingled unmixed in the cup of His wrath." "From the universal custom of mixing wine with water for drinking, the word mingle came to be used in the general sense of prepare by putting into the cup, hence, to pour out" (Vincent). "A bold and powerful oxymoron, mixed unmixed" (Robertson). "In the day the Bible was written, grapes were taken from the vine and stomped with feet and fermented and served! They would have to dilute the wine to even be able to drink it by mixing in water. So 'pouring our concentrated wine from His wrath', is a picture of the intensity of the discipline that God will bring to the unbelievers at this point in human history" (Theime).
"And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone"
This is obviously speaking of the 'Lake of Fire' reserved for the devil and his angels.
"In the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."
These unbelievers will be sent to their everlasting doom in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29) whom they rejected.
Verse 11, "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."
LGT "And the smoke of their torment will ascend for ever and ever, and they will not have ant respite [relief] day or night the ones who worship the beast and its image and if anyone receives the mark of his name."
"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:"
The smoke ascends up from the residence of the unbelievers. Theime notes: "Smoke is used of their torment because the more the 'wood' resists consumption, the more smoke is generated. So this indicates the more an unbeliever resists God and His Word, the more smoke will be generated." The phrase 'for ever and ever' is literally: aionas - aionion, unto the 'ages of ages.' This implies that the suffering of these resisting unbelievers will be forever.
"And they have no rest day or night,"
How frightening this seems to this old man who enjoys his rest above everything else. The older I get, the more I appreciate my rest. How opposite this seems to the plea of our Savior in Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. This is a pivotal message of our Lord in His ministry offering to all the Christ rejecting nations, a salvation that includes eternal rest. "Those who desert Christ for Caesar will be victims of a remorse that never dies or sleeps" (Swete).
"Who worship the beast and his image,"
The word 'worship' is proskunountes, and in this context means to pay homage (service) to the Antichrist.
"The word (worship) may be used here to mean that homage or reverence, as to a higher power, was rendered to the 'dragon;' not strictly that he was openly worshipped in a religious sense as God. Can anyone doubt that this was the case under Papal Rome; that the power which was set up under that entire dominion, civil and ecclesiastical, was such as Satan approved, and such as he sought to have established on the earth? And can anyone doubt that the homage thus rendered, so contrary to the law of God, and so much in derogatation of his claims, was in fact homage rendered to this presiding spirit of evil? And they worshipped the beast, that is, they did it, as is immediately specified, by saying that he was incomparable and invincible; in other words, that he was superior to all others, and that he was almighty" (Barnes).
"And whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."
This includes all unbelief none are left out. "These are unbelievers in the tribulation, so this clearly indicates their conscious state in the lake of fire" (Theime).
Verse 12, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
LGT "Here is the patient endurance of the saints, the ones keeping the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus."
"Here is the patience of the saints:"
At no other time in history, even under Roman persecution will the saints of God be put to a greater test of their faith; and they will show exceeding patient endurance, guided by the Holy Spirit.
"Here are they that keep the commandments of God,"
This is not referring to the Ten Commandments. The commands of God are we must love Him with all our hearts minds and souls, and we must love the brotherhood. Before one can love God and the brotherhood, one must be a child of God.
"And the faith of Jesus."
Keeping the faith of Jesus is tantamount to keeping His doctrines. In order to be able to keep the doctrines of Christ a person must be 'Born Again.' Without the Word of God it is impossible to be able to keep sound doctrine. All of this is not a 'works salvation' because it is impossible to keep any of God's commands apart from the Holy Spirit. All the works that we do are simply fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, He works through us, and then rewards us for being responsive to His teachings.
Verse 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 labors; and their works follow them."
LGT "And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying, Write, Blessed (are) the dead, the ones who have died in the Lord from now on: Yea, says the Spirit, in order that they may rest from their labors, for their works follow with them."
"And I heard a voice from heaven"
This is literally: I [John] heard a voice out of the heaven.
"Saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:"
John is told to write what he is hearing at that time; this proves that he wrote the Revelation from The Isle of Patmos and not from memory. This phrase is an encouragement for those saints on earth during the Great Tribulation; John is assuring them it is better to die and go home to be with the Lord than to live. Brenda reminded me of the verse in Philippians where Paul makes this assuring statement: For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again (Phil. 1:23-26). The word 'henceforth' is in the Greek ap'arti, meaning literally, from now on; the future of the saints is eternity of bliss. Of course the restriction is put on the term 'blessed' gr. makario, in the phrase, who die in the Lord. Blessings are reserved only for the saved who die, and that includes every saved person, whether or not they recognize the blessing here on earth.
"Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors;"
This is assurance of the eternal rest awaiting the Tribulation saints. They will be assured of rest from their labors when they arrive at the heaven.
"And their works do follow them."
A person is not saved by his works, but his works will follow him to the Bema Seat of Christ, where he will be rewarded for them, or lose reward because of them. Nothing we do in this life will go unnoticed by the Lord; we will give an account of every act whether it is good works or useless works. I would like to make this very clear; when the word speaks of works, sin is not considered; the works that are tested by fire at the Bema Seat of Christ are 'human good' verses 'divine good.' Human good is accomplished in the effort of the flesh, whereas divine good is that which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit working through us. Human good will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble; Divine good will be gold, silver, and precious stones, are rewarded and sustained for eternity. I do not believe that we always recognize the fruits of the Spirit, because the Spirit works supernaturally beyond our human awareness. This is subject for another discussion when we have more time to explore all the possibilities.
The Harvest of the Earth
Verse 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."
LGT "And I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sitting like [the] Son of man, having upon His head a golden crown and in His hand a sharp sickle."
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man,"
This is obviously making reference to Jesus Christ; it is being revealed to John the coming of the Son of God in the clouds at the end of earthly time.
"Having on His head a golden crown,"
The golden crown speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as the king; this is further proof that this part of the Book is dealing with the Jews, because to them He is coming as their king; to the church, Jesus is our big brother, whom we will be joined in marriage for all eternity.
"And in His hand a sharp sickle."
The 'sharp sickle' speaks of judgment; God has given the authority to the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the nations. The righteous of the earth will be gathered in while the unrighteous will be cast away for judgment time.
Verse 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."
LGT "And another angel came out of the temple crying with a great voice to the One sitting upon the cloud, Send your sickle and reap, because the hour has come to reap, because the harvest of the earth is dried [over-ripe]."
"And another angel came out of the temple,"
This is the fourth angel in order and is said to come out of the temple, which is the dwelling place of God. The use of the term temple is to identify it as God dealing with Israel; in the Old Testament God dealt with the nation Israel from the tabernacle in the wilderness as His temporary temple and dwelling place; here the angel comes out of God's permanent dwelling place called the temple in order to show that He is still dealing with the nation Israel.
"Crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud,"
Notice the context here is that the angel is shouting out a command from God to the Son; in the Scriptures Christ is always subordinate to the Father in order, not deity.
"Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap:"
This is speaking of the last days on earth when the time has come for the Son to reap the ones who have responded to His Word.
"For the time is come for Thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
The time is ripe means that the Word of God has accomplished all that God had designed for it. God sent the Son into the world the first time at His incarnation to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of the world; now the Son is sent by God into the world to finish reaping the souls from the seed of His Word.
"For the hour is come to reapÂ…is in conformity to the words of Jesus, . . . the harvest is the end of the world . . . (Matt. 13:39). The time will come to reap, so let's sow the seed today, and lets not be so everlastingly busy trying to get somebody's hand up and have that one come forward to receive Christ as Savior. Let's make sure that we give out the Word of God, and the Spirit of God will take care of the results" (McGee).
Verse 16, "And He that sat on the cloud thrust in the sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."
LGT "And the One sitting upon the cloud cast out His sickle upon the earth and the earth was reaped."
This is the result of the seed of the Word of God, a glorious harvest of souls.
Verse 17, "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle."
LGT "And another angel came out of the temple in the heaven, he also having a sharp sickle."
Another (allos) of the same kind of angel, the fifth in order is sent out from the temple; this speaks, as it were, that he is commissioned by God. This angel also has a sharp sickle, but his sickle is for a different kind of harvest; he is commissioned by God to remove evil from off the earth.
Verse 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 cluster of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe."
LGT "And another angel [came] out of the altar, having authority over the fire, and he called with a great voice to the one having the sharp sickle, saying, Send in your sharp sickle and gather the bunches of the vine of the earth, because the grapes of it are fully ripe."
"And another angel came out from the altar,"
This is the sixth angel in order. The altar stood in front of the temple and was the place where the burnt sacrifices were offered. This speaks of judgment, but is also commissioned by God.
"Which had power over fire."
This angel has power over the fire; fire speaks of destruction, as this angel was sent out with the sickle to destroy the last vestige of wickedness.
"And cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle,"
This sixth angel came forth with an order from God to the one with the sharp sickle to go out with swift judgment upon the earth.
"Saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe."
"That portion of the earth which might be represented by a vineyard in which the grapes were to be gathered and crushed. The image here employed occurs elsewhere to denote the destruction of the wicked: Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth (Isa. 63:1-6)" (Barnes).
"This vivid picture is not of Christ at His first coming but of Christ when He returns in judgment. In Isaiah's day men would get into the winepress barefooted to tread out the grapes. The red juice would spurt out of the ripe grapes and stain their garments. The picture in this verse is of spectators seeing that there is blood on our Lord's beautiful garments as though He had trodden the winepress. When Christ came the first time, He shed His blood for them, but they have rejected it. Now He is trodding down the wicked, and it is their blood that is shed. He will gather them, as we will see in Revelation16:16, into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. It is not a single battle but a war - the war of Armageddon" (McGee).
Verse 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."
LGT "And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of earth and cast [the fruit] into the winepress of the fury of the great God."
"And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth,"
This angel cast in his sickle into the wicked parts of the earth; Theime notes: "All the areas where degeneracy, religion and pseudo-morality existed.
"And gathered the vine of the earth,"
The angel gathers all the wicked of the earth into one place.
"And cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God."
"That is, the winepress where the grapes are crushed, and where the juice, resembling blood, flows out, may be used as a symbol to denote the destruction of the wicked in the last day; and as the numbers will be immensely great, it is called the great wine-press of divine wrath. The symbol appears to be used here alike with reference to the color of the wine resembling blood, and the pressure necessary to force it out; and thus employed it is one of the most striking emblems conceivable of the wicked" (Barnes).
Verse 20, "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
LGT "And the winepress was trodden outside the city and blood came out of the winepress as far as the bits of the horses to the distance of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
"And the winepress was trodden without the city,"
The wine press was usually in the vineyard, and the representation here is that it was outside the Holy City Jerusalem.
"And blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses bridles,"
This would be about four feet deep; however, this is only a symbol that it will be a great slaughter.
"By the space of a thousand and six furlongs."
This is about 185 miles, the distance from Dan to Beer-Sheba. All of Palestine is the scene of this final war.
"The design of this, as of the previous representations in this chapter, is to show that all the enemies of God will be destroyed, and that, therefore, the hearts of the friends of religion should be cheered and consoled in the trials and persecutions which were to come upon it. What could be better fitted to sustain the church in the time of trial, than assurance that every foe will be ultimately cut off? What is better fitted to sustain the heart of the individual believer, than the assurance that all his foes will be quelled, and that he will ere long be safe in heaven?" (Barnes).
In the next chapter we will have the preparation for the Great Tribulation
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