Greetings! In our last post in our series on Revelation chapter 14, we saw the 144,000 servants in heaven. We discovered how the angel with the seal of God sealed the 144,000 on their foreheads. Then we learned how the 144,000 will be in service to our Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God. In this post, we’re going to look at the three angels who are dispatched to give earth’s inhabitants a warning to not worship the beast of take his mark on their foreheads. Let’s get into this!

Revelation 14

Second in a Three-Part Series
By Karen Thompson

Three Angels Dispatched to Earth:
The First Angel Preaches the Gospel

Rev. 14:6 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, 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.

The next activity we see coming out of heaven is that God dispatches three angels to earth with specific messages for the inhabitants. The angels’ messages are to warn the people about what is coming. Even though the people on earth are dwelling with evil, there is still time for them to receive salvation. It’s not too late.

In verse six, we see the first angel dispatched, and he comes “having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people….” He will preach the Gospel to those dwelling on the earth. He’s not going to preach the Gospel in synagogues or churches. He will fly in the midst of the heavens, meaning he will appear in the sky and declare his message. His message will be all inclusive in that he will be sent to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”

As the angel appears in the heavens, he will say 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” (v. 7). His message is three parts. The first part of his message is “Fear God, and give glory to him.” The words “fear God,” actually mean to reverence God. And the next phrase “give glory to him,” is how one reverences God, or gives Him honor.

The next part of the angel’s message is to tell them what time it is: “for the hour of his judgment is come….” In case there is anyone that doesn’t realize what time it is on the earth, the angel is sent to tell them that it is the time of God’s judgment, the day of His wrath. It’s that day the prophets of old all prophesied would come. Prophets Isaiah and Joel prophesied about God’s wrath as a day when He would shake the earth (Isa. 2, Joel 3:16). Isaiah, over and over, talked about how in the time of God’s wrath, the proud and lofty would be humbled. Both prophets Joel and Zephaniah prophesied about a day of thick darkness and gloominess. The angel’s message will be to let everyone know that this is it—the time of God’s wrath.

The last part of the angel’s message is “and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” He’s telling the people what their response should be after being told the hour of God’s wrath is come—they should worship Him. Worship the true and living God. Don’t worship Antichrist.

Then John identifies who God is: “that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” It is the God of the Hebrews that made the world—the heaven, the earth, the sea, and fountains of water. What is interesting about this statement is that when God pours out His wrath in the bowl judgments, He pours them out on the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The first bowl judgment is poured out upon the earth. The second bowl judgment is poured out upon the sea. The third bowl judgment is poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters. And the fourth bowl judgment is poured out upon the sun, which is in the heavens. (Rev. 16)

The Second Angel’s Declaration About Babylon

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.

A second angel is dispatched after the first angel with a message: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city.” It’s not so much a warning as it is a declaration: Babylon is fallen. Not just once, but twice the angel declares that Babylon is fallen.

The angel also tells us the reason why Babylon is being judged: “She made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Babylon is the reason for the nations having to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication! This will be explained in the chapter about the whore of Babylon.

The angel said the nations will be made to drink from the cup of God’s wrath. This expression “drinking from a cup” is used throughout the Bible. It’s an idiom used to express something that one must endure or experience, something of which one must partake. Jesus Himself used this very expression when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane right before He was betrayed. In prayer to the Father, He said, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Later when the Romans came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Jesus told Peter to put his sword away and then said, “The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). Obviously, Jesus was talking about having to go through the crucifixion. In His prayer to the Father, He wanted to know if it was possible for Him not to have to go through this experience. Is there any other way? Did He absolutely have to partake of this cup, meaning partake of that experience?

There are many such examples about having to drink from the cup of the Lord’s wrath. For example, Psalm 75:8 says, “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.” Those who are to receive the Lord’s judgment must partake of this drink. They must experience it. God, however, wants to spare as many people as possible from having to drink from this cup; that is why He will send the three angels to warn earth’s inhabitants.

The Third Angel’s Warning Not to Take the Mark

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.

In verses 9–11, we see a third angel is dispatched to the inhabitants of earth to warn them not to take the mark of the beast. With a loud voice, the angel will cry out, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation…” (vv. 9, 10). When the third angel is dispatched with his message, we see the mercy of God on display. The Lord wants the people to know that if they decide to take the mark of the beast, they should know what the consequences will be. Because of the angel’s message of warning, if they do decide to take the mark, their decision will be an informed decision. They won’t be able to stand before God and claim ignorance about the consequences of taking the mark.

Look at the angel’s warning: “the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation….” Both the second angel and the third angel speak of drinking from the cup of the wine of God’s wrath. The second angel said that Babylon will be the reason why the nations will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. Now here the third angel says those who receive the mark of the beast will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

When the angels speak of the cup of the wine of God’s wrath, they are referring to the bowl judgments. In the following verses, we will see of which the angels referred. There will be two harvests reaped. The first harvest will be reaped by Jesus, and He will reap the harvest of the earth. But after that, we see another harvest. This time an angel harvests the earth’s grapes. When the grapes are fully ripe, the angel reaps them and puts them into God’s great winepress to make the “drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” The drink that is “the wine of God’s wrath” will be the bowl judgments.

The angel tells earth’s inhabitants that if they take the mark, they will drink the wine of God’s wrath, they will experience the bowl judgments. But they don’t have to go through the bowl judgments. To miss the bowl judgments, they must heed the first angel’s message to fear God, give Him glory, and to worship Him. If they do that, they won’t have to drink from the cup of the wine of God’s wrath.

After the third angel warns everyone not to take the mark of the beast, he then goes on to say what the destiny will be for those who do take the mark of the beast: “…and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 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” (vv. 10, 11). What the angel is describing is an eternity in the lake of fire. That is the destiny for those who take the mark of the beast.

Patience of the Saints

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.

Here is the second time we see this phrase: “Here is the patience of the saints.” Believers in the Lord Jesus will have to hold steadfast to what they believe. It will take a great deal of strength and trust in God to resist the pressure to take the mark and to resist worshiping the image of the beast. They will be persecuted and tortured; many will be put to death. They will, most likely, suffer from hunger and thirst.

Then we see an extraordinary statement in verse 13: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.” It will be so severe that when a believer actually dies, it will be a good thing. Deliverance will come through death! That’s how dire the situation will be upon earth.

In our next and final post in our series on Revelation chapter 14, we will learn about two very special harvests that will be reaped at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week.

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