THE GREAT DIVIDE

Revelation 14
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
26 March, 2000
All Rights Reserved

There are only two possible eternal destinies for every person. Many people prefer not to think about the question at all, focusing instead upon the myriad of earthly outcomes possible for every life. "Time's a wastin'! There's money to be made! Fame to be achieved! Trophies to be collected! Conquests to be won!" There have been many young technology workers who have become millionaires recently because they had stock options in a new tech company. There are thousands of young people attempting to become the next musical or acting sensation, and some will succeed beyond their wildest imaginations.

But then what? It is only a trick of the mind that permits us to exclude the question of our destiny. In fact, the new tech millionaires are having trouble already. A new psychological problem has arisen called "sudden wealth syndrome." They find that their wealth changes things, and not always in a positive way. At least they can afford therapy! But no amount of therapy can alter the final determination which God makes of every life: we are one of his, or not one of his. For every person, it will be heaven or hell, joy or torment, eternal life or eternal death. There will be no arguing.

The fourteenth chapter of the book of Revelation contains a series of prophetic teachings about what we might call the great divide. God will take every person's life and thought into account as he determines his eternal destiny with utter fairness, and then he will send him to his fate. We will unfold the meaning of this rich chapter in the order the visions appear.

1. A VISION OF THE SAVED
   
   John confronts us with a vision of saved people, most likely those we have seen in the seventh chapter of Revelation: "And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless." (Rev. 14:1-5)
   
   The previous reference to 144,000 was clearly a reference to Israel, and the fact that these are meeting the Lamb (Christ) on Mount Zion makes it likely that these are the same Israelites. Their status is revealed by the distinctive characteristics of saved people of every race. First, they are said to be marked with God's name. I believe that all spirit beings know whether every person is saved or not. Holy angels are sent out by God to minister to those who will inherit salvation, and thus know the identity of the saved. Fallen angels are sent out by their temporary master, the Devil, to beguile and harass believers, so they also must know which of us are believers. This is more than we know! But it is a great comfort to all who believe to know that God is shepherding us through this life in a clear state of belonging to him. After all, that's why we mark the things which belong to us!
   
   Secondly, they are singing a new song, like the twenty-four elders, the angels, and redeemed arrayed around the throne of God in heaven (Rev. 5:9-14). Have you ever noticed that very few songs which truly glorify God ever become popular outside the church? Only the saved really want to sing this song because it expresses genuine faith in God.
   
   Thirdly, these Israelites are said to have been "purchased from the earth." There are only two deals being made for souls on the earth. The Devil tries to offer temporary earthly pleasures and satisfactions in exchange for our worship of him (cf. Mat. 4:1-11). This results in eternal death. God, on the other hand, makes a far better deal: Christ's death is offered as the payment for the sins of those who cannot pay, namely, all sinners. By faith we accept the terms of this transaction, and become God's possession by purchase. Theologians call this the substitutionary atonement, and no matter how much it is denied by some, it is a clear teaching of the Bible and the only way we will ever be able to satisfy God's righteous demands of restitution for our wrongdoing.
   
   Fourthly, these singing Israelites are said to be pure in their conduct and life. While these terms are expressed in terms of men and sexual purity (not celibacy), the prophetic use of such terms to describe the spiritual fidelity of both sexes to God is common and most likely here. Israel was often excoriated by God for "playing the harlot" with the pagan deities of Canaan. The same terms are used to judge those who have participated in the false world religion of the last days in Revelation 18:3, which says: "The nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her..." So the purity of life and thought of these Israelites is really a thoroughgoing fulfillment of the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me."
   
   They also follow the ninth commandment in their truthfulness of speech (:5). Perhaps fulfilling one commandment from each of the two tables of the law indicates that they follow the whole law, since they are said to be blameless. Their connection to Christ is the only way this has ever been possible for anyone, since as the Scripture says "all sin." Only through him is true cleansing of our hearts possible through the forgiveness of sins, and therefore we see that these Israelites "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Peter expressed this when Jesus asked him if he would abandon him like so many others, and Peter explained the logic of following the Lamb: "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.'" (John 6:68-69). In other words: "Our only hope is you! We're sticking with you!"
   
   These truths clarify the nature of a true Christian life with painful intensity, do they not? Many millions of people say that they are born again, but how many are sticking with Jesus by walking in confession and repentance, by controlling their tongues, by rejecting every false desire for earthly goods or pleasures (which is tantamount to idolatry), and by constantly singing the song of their redemption to the praise and glory of God?
   
   That these are not all the Israelites who will be saved at that time is shown by their being "first fruits." There will be many more redeemed Israelites who receive their Messiah than these. There will also be many non-Israelites who will be saved. God claimed many for himself before founding the nation Israel, he claimed many Gentiles who became proselytes (converts) in Israel, and has called out for himself many millions since the institution of the church in the first century. Reference to all these is made in verse thirteen: "And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, 'Write, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.'" While it may sound like a contradiction to say that martyrs who are slain by the Antichrist are blessed, such is the case! The earthly evaluation that death is always loss is based upon a false assumption that the only good things for us are in this life. For the believer in Christ there is a wonderful life in store beyond the door of death (1 Peter 1:3-5).
   
   People often sacrifice their entire lives in pursuit of earthly goals consisting of temporary wealth, fame, and accomplishment which vanish even as they are being attained. They are a mirage because the only true satisfaction for the human soul is the knowledge of God. That is why martyrdom will be a blessing, for it will be release from the temporary suffering of this life, and our ushering into the most overwhelming satisfaction of our deepest hunger: "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst'" (John 6:35). People seek this satisfaction in love, sex, money, entertainment, and accomplishment, but it will only be found by those who so entrust themselves into Christ's hands that they will give up their earthly lives to attain it.
   
   So the question is: do we want to eat earthly mud pies or heavenly bread?
   
   
2. A VISION OF THREE ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
   
   Verses six through twelve contain visions of three announcements made by angels, delivering the pronouncements of God on the subject of the great divide. These angels announce the gospel, the fate of the ungodly world system, and the fate of individuals who worship Antichrist and the Dragon.
   1. The first angel is sent to evangelize. While God has used people as his main instrument of spreading the good news of Christ around the world, here at the end will be angelic involvement in the process. I see this as God making sure that every last excuse for the rejection of Christ has been removed--he has used every means, he has done all: "And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.'" (Rev. 14:6-7)
      
      Some commentators (e. g. Jack Van Impe, et al) have argued, based on the theory that the church would be removed from the earth before the seventieth week of Daniel, that there is a special form of the gospel which will be preached then called "the gospel of the kingdom" (cf. Mat. 24:14). They theorize that the announcement given by this angel gives the content, and that receiving Christ will not be mentioned. The first reason why there can be no other gospel message is that it is called the "eternal gospel." Its form has been the same throughout all history, with different levels of revelation in different times. Its form is this: God is unspeakably great and has high standards for mankind; every person, including you, has hopelessly failed God's standards; your only hope is to cast yourself upon his mercy by faith and obedience; Christ is your sole provision for forgiveness of sin. This is the same form of argument Paul used in preaching to the Athenians in Acts 17.
      
      In earlier times, people of faith did not know that Christ's payment for their sins was being applied to them, but it was (cf. Heb. 9:15). Since the first century, the work of Christ has been revealed. While there have been different levels of understanding for salvation in different eras, there has only ever been one plan, one Mediator, who is Christ the Lord. Once the cross occurred in history, there has been only one name under heaven by which we may be saved, and that name is Jesus Christ. There can be no going back. So if this summary of what the angel proclaims does not explicitly mention Christ, we ought not therefore to imagine that another gospel is being preached. There is no other gospel! We ought therefore to consider whether we have today understated the judgment of God in our manner of explaining the gospel.
   2. The second angel announces the fall of "Babylon the great:" "And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality'" (Rev. 14:8).
      
      We will have ample opportunity to study the specifics of this in future chapters of Revelation, but here we will follow A. W. Tozer's advice and "give the book of Revelation some geography." Babylon was a world center of the evil and idolatrous world system, and is used as a symbol for that system in Scripture. What this angel is therefore announcing is that the interlocking political, academic, commercial, and religious systems of this world, with all their earthly glory, are built on a false foundation which will come tumbling down. The fire of God will strike them, and they will turn to ash and blow away in the wind. Remember that as you are being bullied here on the earth as an alien and stranger. The lost have locked you out of their power system, and the only way in is to compromise your faith. The ungodly world system portrays itself as the only game in town, because that is what its members think! They have no awareness of the kingdom of God which supersedes them in every way.
      
      The sweet Apostle John wrote to his beloved spiritual children: "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-18)
   3. The third angel announces the eternal conscious torment of the punishment of God on the ungodly: "And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will 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 goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.' Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Rev. 14:9-12)
      
      If people do not want to believe and follow God while they are alive on earth, he will give them their wish for eternity. Since heaven is a place utterly overwhelmed and defined by the presence of God, the place of punishment is defined by the utter absence of God. It is hard for us to appreciate that even the mere earthly enjoyment of camaraderie with others, for example, is an act of God's common grace for all people, both believing and unbelieving. Thus there will be no camaraderie in hell--no twisted enjoyment of bad company; no parties; no enjoyment of doing false theology together with the unBiblical theologians; no pleasure in scheming with others for personal advancement.
      
      No, the clear teaching is that the destiny of those who reject God is everlasting suffering with no hope of relief and unquenchable want. This is an unpopular teaching, even among some Christians! The question is not whether it conforms to our ideas, but is it the teaching of the Bible? And so it is. We are forced by the doctrine of eternal punishment to stop playing mental games with life, and admit the basic realities of the universe: all people are spiritual beings created by God to worship him, and those who choose not to worship him will exist forever with the consequences of that decision.
      
      
3. A VISION OF TWO ANGELIC REAPINGS [REV. 14:14-20]
   
   This great divide of all people into just two destinies is revealed by a vision of two angelic reapings of the earth's inhabitants.
   
   1. This first angel appears to be the "angel of the Lord," meaning Christ, because he looks like "a son of man" and is wearing a crown: "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.' And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped." (Rev. 14:14-16) This first reaping is clearly distinct from the second one, and thus appears to be a picture of Christ coming to gather his own at the rapture. Are you looking forward to meeting your Lord on that glorious day?
      
   2. The second angel is clearly reaping those who will enter punishment: "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.' And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles." (Rev. 14:17-20) Thus God disposes of his enemies. The reference to blood does not mean a pool of blood three feet high, but a region of bloodshed during the battle of Armageddon when the blood of combat will splash that high throughout the region. This is a grim reaping indeed, and woe to those who think there will be no reckoning for their actions while living on the earth. We who believe have the task of warning people as a part of preaching the gospel. Don't leave the frightening parts out, for that is just what may be needed to spur people to consider their destiny!
      
      
4. CONCLUSION
   
   One mankind--two destinies. The choice of eating mud pies or heavenly bread. A future filled with everything good, or one with abject and unending misery. God decides this for every person by taking his life into account. What will he decide when he takes your life into account?
   
   Let us undertake to help modern people who have tried to put the question of their eternal destiny out of their minds. Before that angel flies to proclaim the eternal gospel one last time it us up to us to be the messengers of the good news. Let's deliver it with zeal, for as our Lord said: "We must work the works of Him who sent [us], as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work" (John 9:4).