Revelation 14:9-11
The Harvest of the Righteous
By this point, we are into the Great Tribulation. It is also called
the time of Jacob’s Trouble and the Seventh Trumpet Judgment
Satan and the anti-Christ has achieved most of their goals. Satan has
either personally possessed him or allowed one of his chief demons to
do so. They have added the False Prophet as the counterfeit Holy
Ghost to their unholy trinity. Working together, the anti-Christ
will be the political and financial head of the world.
As the anti-Christ falls short of being anything like Jesus Christ,
so his counterfeit Holy Ghost, the False Prophet, falls short of
being anything like the Holy Ghost. To compensate for the False
Prophet’s inadequacies, the unholy trinity will create a Living Image
to help them in their domination of the world. At this point, I would
guess the Living Image will be some type of computer with artificial
intelligence.
Together they instigate a numbering system so that no person can buy
or sell without having the name of the beast, the mark of the beast,
or the number of the beast either on their right hand or on their
forehead.
That is important for in this chapter, God sends three angels, each
with a message for the world. Since God wrote their messages in the
Bible, they are and have already being proclaimed. I suspect the
saints that are alive during that time will make certain the
generation of the anti-Christ hear it as well. Note the message of
the third angel:
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.
To receive that mark is a sure sign of damnation, not because those
who receive it will lose their salvation; but because those who have
salvation would never consider receiving it.
If you want to learn a bit more about the Lake of Fire and Brimstone,
you can from this Bible passage.
1. From verse 10, we learn…
a. It is the place where God’s indignation is poured out.
b. We also learn it is a place of torment from the fire and
brimstone.
2. From verse 11, we learn…
a. It is forever and ever.
b. That it is a place of no rest.
c. And that it is continual, night and day.
I mentioned this already, but it is important enough to repeat. Many
are worried about receiving vaccines, especially one for the
coronavirus for fear that they will somehow receive this Mark of the
Beast. You do whatever you think best concerning that or any other
vaccine, but I don’t think the Mark of the Beast will be implanted
by a vaccine for two reason:
1. One, if we understand the Bible correctly, it isn’t time for
the mark. If we understand the Bible and prophecy, the mark
will not be given until the last half of the Tribulation.
2. I do not see the Mark of the Beast being giving secretly. It
appears to be a bold, brazen, brash move by the False Prophet
to find out who will not bow to the anti-Christ so that they
can kill them \\#Rev 13:15\\.
We divided this chapter up into sections last week, each section
being a harvest or a major slaughter.
1. \\#1-5\\ The first harvest - 144,000
2. \\#13-16\\ The second harvest - Righteous
3. \\#17-20\\ The third harvest - Wicked
We looked at the first harvest, the 144,000 last week. Let’s look at
the harvest of the righteous this morning. If you have ever wondered
what living in the Tribulation, especially the last half of the
Tribulation might be like, this parable may help you to understand
it. It will be deadly.
I. How do we know the harvest will be a slaughter?
A. Because of the words of Jesus.
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing where it ought not, (let him that
readeth understand,) then let them that be in
Judaea flee to the mountains:
1. Jesus was referring to Daniel’s prophecy of a ruler coming
into Jerusalem and desecrating the temple, the people,
and the priesthood.
2. That will be in the middle of the Tribulation, which we
just passed in this book.
3. Look at Jesus’ counsel to the people after that happens.
Mark 13:15 And let him that is on the housetop
not go down into the house, neither enter
therein, to take any thing out of his house:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn
back again for to take up his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter.
4. Take note as to why they need to flee.
Mark 13:19 For in those days shall be affliction,
such as was not from the beginning of the
creation which God created unto this time,
neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those
days, no flesh should be saved: but for the
elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath
shortened the days.
5. The reason Jesus told the people to flee to the mountains
was to get away from the affliction that if He did not
stop, "no flesh should be sparred."
6. Jesus began His warning by referring to Daniel. Listen to
what Daniel said about it.
a. Daniel 9:26
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:
and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and
the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto
the end of the war desolations are determined.
(1) He spoke of the time from the Abomination of
Desolations to the end as a war!
(a) War is a strategy to use the maximum force
and the maximum number of enemy to produce
the maximum results.
(b) Who is the war against? Perhaps it is the
anti-Christ against everyone, but I believe
it is the anti-Christ against the Jews and
the Christians.
(2) What Daniel referred to it as a war, John
referred to as a harvest, a slaughter of the
righteous.
b. Daniel 7:25 - What will the effects be?
Daniel 7:25 And he (anti-Christ) shall speak
great words against the most High, and shall wear
out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given
into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time.
(1) The word "wear out" means to afflict.
(2) The translators understood the idea of the text
was to afflict until there hardly anything left,
hence to "wear out."
B. Because it’s in the middle of two others slaughters, the
144,000 above it and the wicked below it.
1. That is really just an argument from the context.
2. It does appear that God is grouping like events together.
3. I mentioned last week that God had to bend the time line
to group all three of these in the same chapter.
a. In \\#1-5\\, God actually was not recording the
slaughter of the 144,000 but their welcome into
heaven.
b. By this time, they had already been killed.
c. So the record we have of the Harvest of the 144,000 is
of the harvest ending.
d. However, the second two harvests, the Harvest of the
Righteous and the Harvest of the Wicked, appear to
just be getting started.
e. The last two harvest will begin in earnest after the
anti-Christ achieves his goal of world leader and
sets in place his earthly helpers, the False Prophet
and the Living Image.
4. So from the context, we might assume it is like the other
two, a massive slaughter.
C. \\#16-17\\ Because it is pictured as a harvest.
Rev 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust
in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was
reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple
which is in heaven, he also having a sharp
sickle.
1. The image of a harvest is a parable, an earthly story with
spiritual meaning.
2. In our world, a harvest is a mass gathering of fruits or
vegetables.
3. This harvest is going to be a harvest of people.
4. Which people? I believe it is the righteous.
II. How do we know it is a Harvest of the Righteous?
A. \\#13\\ Because a blessing is pronounced upon the death of the
righteous.
Rev 14:13 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.
1. This is God’s way of preparing and comforting His people
as many will face a certain death.
2. I know it is going to be difficult, but I believe it may
be time for American Christians to realize we may not all
live to be full, fat, and sassy.
a. American Christians have gotten used to the idea of a
long, full, and blessed life.
b. We have lived in a country where it was possible to be
healthy, wealthy, and a Christian—even though that
has never been the rule for much of the remainder of
the world.
c. I’m afraid that country is disappearing right before
our eyes.
3. Two things we need to accept.
a. As long as we love life, the devil will have an
advantage over us.
(1) In chapter 12, God was revealing how Satan will
be evicted from heaven.
(2) From that point on, Satan will focus his all of
desperate wrath against the people of God, Jews
and Gentiles.
(3) But God slipped in a powerful verse with a key
truth to His people.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto
the death.
(4) This verse describes the three things those who
stay faithful to Jesus will do:
(a) They will be covered by the blood.
(b) They will be faithful (testimony).
(c) They will not love their life unto death.
i. Life is a gift and it is all right to
enjoy and even love the life God has
given to you.
ii. But to love life so that we fear death
will make us flinch and perhaps
compromise on our faithfulness to
Jesus.
(5) Death comes to everyone, EVERYONE.
(6) Don’t let your hold on what you cannot keep be so
strong that it costs you what you could have
kept forever.
b. Saints are being blessed when they die.
(1) All of those platitudes that we preach at
funerals are true.
(a) Death is the doorway to heaven.
(b) To be absent from the body is to be present
with the Lord.
(c) Christians don’t walk through the Valley of
the Shadow alone. Jesus does meet you and
walk you across.
(2) No matter how or when your death comes, your God
and Savior will be there to carry you across.
(a) Look for the angels.
(b) Expect the Shepherd.
(c) Anticipate the glory.
(d) Let go of the brass ring and grab the golden
ring.
B. \\#14\\ Because one like the Son of man greets them.
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.
1. As much as I would like to say that the one LIKE the Son
of man is Jesus, I am not sure I can.
a. I would like to say it because even though He is the
causing the death of the saints, I would find it
very comforting to know I was dying by the hand of
One who loved me so much.
b. That would give me comfort as I know He would make my
death as comfortable as possible.
2. However, I have my doubts that is Jesus. Why?
a. \\#15\\ Because he is called "another angel" \\#15\\.
(1) It is not the world angel that bothers me.
(2) Angel means messenger, and Jesus came with a
message.
(3) It is the world "another" that brothers me.
(4) Jesus is not another anything!
(5) He is the One and the Only.
b. Because the other angel told him what to do.
(1) Nobody tells Jesus what to do.
(2) Jesus is God, and God tells others what to do.
3. I think this one LIKE the Son of man is the Christian’s
death angel.
a. No Grim Reaper comes for the saved. He may come for
the lost, but not the saved.
b. No. It may not be Jesus who comes to collect the
dead in Christ, but it will be one like Him, one who
loves us, cares for us, comforts us.
We will find out next week that the Harvest of the Unrighteous will be
cast into the winepress, but where is the harvest of gains and
vegetables stored? The parable does not say, but it is into the
barn or silo. Why doesn’t this parable tell us that? Because it is
not a harvest of grain and vegetables. It is the Harvest of the
Righteous, and we are going to His barn, but to His house!
I hope you are ready.
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