Revelation: Invitation. Warning. Consequences.

Revelation 14:6-13 

There are four main ways to interpret the book of Revelation.[1] In the upcoming Weekend Recharge, I will share what one writer believes these perspectives have in common. Today’s passage lays out two truths that every viewpoint agrees on: The Revelation of Jesus Christ gives us a clear invitation to trust in him and warns of impending judgment if we don’t. 

This passage includes three messages from three angels. Let’s consider each message.

First Angelic Message: An Invitation to worship God (Rev. 14:6-7).
John saw an angel “flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people” (Rev. 14:6). The eternal gospel is the good news about Jesus, the Lamb, who has purchased us out of our slavery to sin through his death and resurrection. I believe the angel is inviting everyone on earth to trust in Jesus. 

In proclaiming this eternal gospel, this eternal life, the angel cried out, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Rev. 14:7). To “fear God” is to show him reverence and adoration for who he is—the eternal God. We “give him glory” by showing respect and honor to the Creator of all things. To “worship” is to acknowledge him as the One who made everything; therefore, we surrender our lives to him. The apostle Paul reminds us that God’s power and divine nature are clearly visible in creation, so that “[people] are without excuse” when it comes to bowing before him (Rom. 1:20). 

Second Angelic Message: The fall of all godless systems (Rev. 14:8).
The second angel followed the first, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” The literal Babylon was an empire in the Old Testament led by Nebuchadnezzar. In 722 BC, the Babylonians conquered Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, and took the Jewish people captive. The prophet Daniel was among those taken to Babylon.

I see this reference to Babylon as representing all godless powers and governments.  While Babylon was historically an enemy of Israel, it also functions as a broader symbol for any political, economic, or religious system that opposes and defies God, leading people away from him.[2]

Let’s face it, many people, even Christians, rely on the government as their protector, an economic system as their means of provision, and an educational system as essential for learning. There’s no doubt that governments play a role in our safety (see Rom. 13). We need resources to support ourselves and our families, and we must develop skills to fulfill what God calls us to do. However, our trust should not be placed in a godless system but rather in the Almighty God who reigns sovereign over heaven and earth. 

Today, the ancient city of Babylon is about fifty-six miles from Baghdad, Iraq. In the early 2000s, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who had been in power for many years, tried to rebuild the city. He held “Babylonian festivals” and compared himself to Nebuchadnezzar. In a 2003 Time magazine article, there was a picture of Hussein sitting on a white horse, and the caption noted that Hussein wanted to be a leader like Nebuchadnezzar. The article stated that Hussein “has longed for his name to go down in Arab history alongside those of the culture’s great heroes, like Nebuchadnezzar, who drove the Jews into Babylonian captivity….”[3]

World leaders come and go. Nebuchadnezzar—dead. Hussein—dead. Jesus—alive! And he reigns as the King of kings and Lord of lords!

The first angel makes an invitation, the second offers a warning against embracing a godless system, and the third details the consequences for those who reject God. 

Third Angelic Message: Consequences for refusing God (Rev. 14:9-11).
The third angel said in a loud voice:

Revelation 14:9-11
If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.

God hates sin, and he must judge it. God loved us so much that he sent Jesus, the Lamb, to take the punishment for our sins. That’s what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Isaiah said, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isa. 53:5). Peter said that Jesus bore our sins “in his body” on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). Paul states that God made Jesus, who was without sin, “to be sin” for us (2 Cor. 5:21). John reminds us in his first letter that Jesus is the “propitiation for our sins,” meaning Jesus’ death satisfied God's judgment on sin (1 John 2:2). 

God has made a way for all of us to escape his judgment. The way is Jesus! Without Jesus, a person will face God’s wrath for sin forever in hell. John describes it as a place of eternal torment and “no rest, day or night.” The 14th-century Italian poet, Dante (1265-1321), depicted the inscription over the entrance of hell as this: “Abandon all hope, you who enter here!”[4]

That reality of hell should motivate us to share the gospel passionately.

The three messages from the angels—the invitation, the warning, and the consequences—conclude with this promise for all believers:

Revelation 14:12-13
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” 

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord! We can all say “Amen!” to that.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Revelation 14:6-13.

Talking to God: Are you relying too much on earthly systems, leaders, or comforts instead of trusting in the Lamb who reigns forever?

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