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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
September 14, 2025
◘The Lamb, the 144,000, and the Angelic Proclamation of the Gospel
Revelation 14:1-8
Introduction
Paul wrote in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” It is a simple agricultural self-evident truth he applies to life. If you plant corn, you will reap corn. If you plant beans, you reap beans. If you plant squash, you reap squash. In the same way, he points out in verse 8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” ◘That last part is extremely important, for man left on his own will simply follow his unrighteous carnal nature. He will not understand, seek God, do good or even turn aside from evil (Romans 3:10). Born in sin and confirmed in that sin by his own indulgence of the desires of the flesh, mind and pride, every human would continue in that path of walking according to the course of this world as a son of disobedience and reap the wages of that sin which is death and eternal punishment except for God’s mercy and grace. ◘God’s mercy is longsuffering of man’s rebellion giving him time to come to repentance instead of bringing immediate judgment. God’s grace extends to man the means of redemption to be forgiven, transformed and adopted as His own child through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We call this message the gospel because it is truly good news. We will see today the incredible length God goes too in extending that mercy and grace to rebellious man.
We continue this morning in our study of Revelation, but since the section we are in includes an angel that proclaims the eternal gospel to the world, I am also going to focus on the gospel as part of the sermon. ◘There is a lot of confusion in our nation about the gospel. A recent Barna poll indicates 70% of people who self identify as born-again believers think people are “basically good at heart.” Perhaps worse is that while 84% of Americans acknowledge the existence of sin, 52% do not believe there are absolute sins, and 33% do not believe they have sinned. Such people apply the “all” in the statement in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned” to others, but not to themselves. Breaking that down to subgroups: ◘26% of self-identified born again Christians and 40% of self-identified “Christians” reject their own sinfulness. That is a consequence of churches that proclaim a false gospel and sermons that are weak or without Biblical substance. Pew research reported in 2019 that only about 3% of sermons mentioned sin.
◘This morning we will be examining Revelation 14:1-8 which is part of the section that began in Revelation 12 that explains the background, characters and plot of what is coming in the final stage of God’s judgments that are expressed in the bowls of wrath in chapter 16. ◘Revelation 12:1-6 introduces and identifies the signs in heaven which are symbolic characters whose interaction becomes prominent in the last half of the tribulation period. The woman is the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. The great red dragon is Satan – the serpent of old, the devil, the deceiver of the whole world. The male child is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan continually failed to stop God’s plan of redemption which came through the Jews and reached utter failure after Jesus’ death atoned for man’s sin, and His resurrection from the dead proved the sacrifice was accepted and all of His claims and promises are true. Jesus’ ascension put Him out of reach of any further attacks by Satan. (See: Two Signs in Heaven)
◘Revelation 12:7-13:18 focuses on Satan’s response to his failures. In foolish prideful arrogance he and his demonic hoard will war with Michael the archangel and the good angels in heaven, but they will be defeated and cast down to earth and no longer have access to heaven. Satan’s evil attention will then focus on destroying Israel, but God intervenes to protect a remnant of the Jews who flee to the mountains in the wilderness. Now frustrated even further, he will make war with the “rest of her seed” which are the Jews that do not flee and the Gentiles “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (See: War in Heaven and Satan’s Wrath)
◘Revelation 13 introduces and explains the actions of the first of two symbolic figures that will by used by Satan in his war against followers of God. The beast from the sea is the antichrist foretold in the prophecies of Daniel, 7, 9 & 11. He will be vile, blasphemous and very dangerous after he becomes the head of the revived Roman empire and rules as the military and political dictator over the whole world. He will make war with the saints and seek the worship of himself and the dragon, Satan, by everyone in the world. (See: The Beast from the Sea)
◘The beast from the earth is the false prophet who at first will seek to persuade everyone to worship the first beast, the antichrist, through his speech and miracles, both real and deceptive. His tactics will change to compel worship of the antichrist by threat of death to those that will not, and by requiring the mark of the beast, which will be some sort of branding or tattoo on either the forehead or right hand, in order to participate in commerce. (See: The Beast from the Earth)
◘As I pointed out last week, there has been all sorts of speculation over the centuries about the nature of this mark and the meaning of 666, but the text and context actually makes this fairly simply. 1) The mark does not refer to an historical figure. It will be the name of the beast from the sea, the future antichrist. 2) The mark will be an easily visible sign of being a worshiper of the beast and being able to buy and sell. 3) According to the calculations of germatria in which the numerical value of the letters of a name are added together, the value of his name will equal 666. 4) The number 666 is the number of man. 5) Those who are wise and have understanding at that time will recognize the meaning of the riddle in verse 18.
◘This riddle is not given so that the beast can be identified for that will be painfully obvious by that time. Those paying attention to prophecy will be able to identify him when as the leader of a coalition of European nations he makes a covenant with Israel fulfilling Daniel 9:27. His identity will be broadcast to the world when he sets up the abomination of desolation and displays himself as a God (Matt 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4). The mark of the beast follows that as a coercive measure to force people to worship him, so his identity will be known.
◘The point of the riddle that the number of the beast is 666 is simply this. The beast demands to be worshiped as if he were a god, and in mimicking the name of God written on the foreheads of the 144,000 sealed servants of God (Rev. 7:4; 14:1), he demands his name be marked on the forehead or right hand of everyone. He wants it continually declared publically that he is a god they worship. ◘ However, his very name mocks that worship for the value of his name is that of a man, not a god. Those with wisdom and understanding will recognize the mocking irony. Worship of the beast is the worship of a mere man regardless of any miraculous signs done to deify him.
The primary focus of Revelation 12:7 – 13:18 is on Satan’s failure in his war against God and consequential war in the tribulation period against those still following God. If the victory of Christ’s kingdom had not already been declared after the sounding of the seventh trumpet at the end of chapter 11, the success of the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth will make it look like Satan will win. ◘Revelation 14 brings a forceful and contrasting change in focus with three new scenes. The first is the victorious stance of the Lamb and His followers. The second is of four angelic announcements concerning those live on the earth. The third is of the reaping of the wicked to be cast into the wine press of God’s wrath. Satan’s seeming victories are short lived.
◘Scene 1: The Stance of the Lamb & His Followers – Rev. 14:1-5
What John Saw. Revelation 14 begins “And I looked, and behold . . .” This is another vision John is given to explain detail of what will be given sequentially starting in chapter 16. Chapter 14 is not given chronologically with this first vision being of what will happen at the beginning of the millennium with the other scenes in the chapter occurring prior to that at the end of the tribulation. The whole chapter is proleptic in stating future actions as already completed. What did John see?
1 “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 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. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. 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. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.”
◘This is a drastic contrast to chapter 13 and so John calls special attention to it with “behold.” Neither beast is anywhere to be seen. It is the Lamb, the same one introduced in chapter 5, that has taken His stand on Mount Zion in victory. ◘Since Jesus does not physically return to earth until the end of the tribulation when He comes with His armies as conquering king, we know this scene is at the beginning of the millennium. Zechariah 14:3-8 states on the day of the battle at His return that “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” causing it to “split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.” The purpose of describing this scene of future victory is to counter the discouragement that might come upon those reading Revelation 13 who recognize that great suffering will come upon them at the hands of the antichrist and his false prophet which may well include martyrdom. This scene gives detail about the promised victory that follows.
There are striking contrasts between Jesus and Satan here. Satan, symbolized by the violent dragon who sheds the blood of countless millions in pursuit of his own desires, stood on the sands of the sea which are shifting. In contrast, Jesus, symbolized by the Lamb, shed His blood to redeem those who will believe and follow Him. The Lamb is firmly standing on Mount Zion which is a solid rock. This is a stance of victory since it points back to several prophecies.
◘Psalm 2, which Revelation alludes to in many places, points to the future victory and reign of Messiah over the kings of the earth with verse 6 stating, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” Psalm 132:13-14 states that Zion is the place Yahweh chose for His habitation, so Zion is a reference to Mount Moriah upon which the Temple was built. Micah 4:7 states that Yahweh would reign “from now on and forever” from Mount Zion over the remnant of Jews He would make into a strong nation. Paul refers to this time in Romans 11:26-27 stating “and so all Israel will be saved,” and he then continues on to summarize several Hebrew prophecies that “The deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Additional Scriptures describing Messiah conquering and coming to Zion in victory or reigning from Zion include Psalm 14:7; 53:6; Isaiah 24:23; 51:11; 52:8-10; 59:19-20 and Zechariah 8:2-3. While Zion could also be used more broadly as a reference to Jerusalem as a whole, this passage is specifically to Mount Zion and set in the beginning of the millennium, so it is referring to the temple mount and not a heavenly location as in Hebrews 12:22 which does not occur until after the millennium with the coming of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21.
◘Standing with the Lamb are the same 144,000 sealed slaves of our God introduced in Revelation 7. We are told here that this seal consisted of “having His name [the Lamb] and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” That seal protected them from the wrath of God that came in the trumpet judgments. Many commentators think that seal also protected them from the wrath of the dragon, and some also suggest they are the survivors of the tribulation that repopulate earth. However, the first part does not line up with them being at least part of the “rest of her seed” with whom the dragon will wage war and the “saints” that antichrist will overcome (Rev. 12:17; 13:7). The Scriptures describe a great slaughter during the tribulation period of those who follow Christ, but no text indicates how many will survive it. The second part ignores the remnant of Jews that God protects in the mountains of the wilderness, and also that these are only men of impeccable character which we will see in a few minutes. They will stand victorious with Christ on Mount Zion in triumph.
◘What John Heard (vs. 2). While observing this sight, John “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.” Since this voice is from heaven, it is neither the glorified Christ (Rev. 1:15) or the 144,000 for they are standing on Mount Zion. It is not the four living creatures and elders since verse 4 tells us that the song is sung before them, not by them. ◘This is a unified voice of a multitude since verse 4 states it is a new song “they sang.” The angels in Rev. 5:11-12 and the martyrs in Rev. 6:10 also sing with such a unified voice. A similar sound of many waters and peals of thunder will also occur in Rev. 19:6. The voice is melodic with a literal translation being it was “like the sound of harpists harping on their harps.” The harp was a common instrument used in the worship of God as has been pointed out the sermon covering Rev. 5:8 in which each of the 24 elders had a harp. In Rev. 15:2 those who were victorious over the beast, his image and the number of his name will be holding harps of God.
◘The Song They Sang (vs. 3). Verse 3 narrows down who makes up the unified melodious voice of this group in heaven for it notes to whom the song is sung and who can learn it. ◘ 3“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth.” So it cannot be any of the groups listed in this verse. So who can it be? ◘First note that this is a “new song.” which refers to lyrics that give praise to the Lord concerning something He has recently done. The possible groups left to sing this new song are the angels, martyrs of the tribulation, the church gathered to heaven at the beginning of the tribulation, or some combination of them. However, since only the 144,000 could learn this new song from those singing it, there must be something about it that connects those singing it and the 144,000, but excludes everyone else. What seems most likely is the personal praise due to God even when martyred for His name’s sake during the tribulation. That would also match the group with harps in Revelation 15:2-4 that sing the song of Moses.
◘The Character of the 144,000 – (vs. 4-5). The character of the 144,000 are described in verses 4-5. 4 “These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. 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. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” A couple of explanations are needed lest these verses be misunderstood and misapplied.
Verse 4 does not suggest women automatically defile men nor that the unmarried state is superior. This is actually similar to Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 7. ◘Physical intimacy in marriage is pure and holy and does not defile (Hebrews 13:4). It is God’s plan and command to mankind (Genesis 1:28; 2:24). ◘Physical intimacy outside of marriage is sinful and defiling being an abomination before the Lord (Leviticus 18). The tribulation period will be a time of gross sexual immorality (Rev. 9:21), ◘and these men avoid that by being and remaining pure and chaste single men. They do not marry because their priority is to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. The single state allows that, for as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 7:32-33, the married man must have some concern about the things of the world in order to care for his wife. The unmarried is free from those concerns to focus only on serving the Lord. The single man can also be much more intentional in being places and doing things that are dangerous because he does not have a family dependent on him being alive to provide for them.
The last sentence of verse 4 marks their consecration to God and the Lamb due to their redemption from men. ◘The purchase price of their redemption, as for all who are redeemed, is the blood of Christ shed to atone for sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). For the 144,000, this made them “first fruits,” ajparchv / aparchē, a “contribution” “to God and to the Lamb.” First fruits was a required offering of the first part of a crop to God (Deut. 18:4), but two thirds of the usage of this word refers to a contribution without reference to anything more that must follow, and that is the idea here. The 144,000 are an offering to God of a special group set aside by their sealing, redemption and calling to His service.
Their impeccable character was a demonstration of their special position. In a world under the oppression of the father of lies and marked by the deceptions of the false prophet, the 144,000 were a stark contrast to what would be normal. 5 “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” ◘They will be men of truth and blameless (a[mwmoV / amōmos) – no imperfection, without moral fault. That meets the Levitical standards of a sacrifice. Zephaniah 3:13 foretells that this remnant of Israel would have these very qualities.
◘Scene 2: Four Determinative Announcements – Rev. 14:6-13
The next scene John sees involves four announcements that occur before the end of the tribulation that will encourage faithfulness to the Lamb and warn against worship of the beast. ◘The first three involve angels that announce in succession the everlasting gospel (6-7), the fall of Babylon (8), and doom for those that worship the beast (9-12). ◘The final announcement is from a voice out of heaven concerning the blessedness of those who remain faithful. We will only be examining the first announcement today. Next week we will examine the rest of these and the harvest of the wicked to doom that occurs at the end of the tribulation.
◘First Announcement: The Angelic Proclamation of the Gospel – Revelation 14:6-7.
6 “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; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
This scene begins as with the previous scenes with John remarking “And I saw” or “Then I looked” depending on your translation, and then writing down what he saw. ◘In this vision he first notices “another angel flying in midheaven.” This is “another angel” of the same kind (a[llon / allon) as one he had seen and heard earlier. Since this angel is making an announcement with a loud voice, this probably refers back to the angel in Rev. 10 that also made an announcement speaking with a loud voice. The angels with Michael in Revelation 12 were waging war with Satan and the demons, not making announcements.
The midheaven, (mesouravnhma / mesouranēma), is the region of the sky directly above the earth. From John’s perspective, this would be directly overhead high in the sky. Revelation 8:13 records this is the area in which that the eagle that announced the three woes on the earth was flying. ◘Since the angel is flying, this is the position he maintains as he travels around the globe. It is a position from which he can proclaim his message to the world. John uses two expressions to emphasize that this message is preached to everyone on earth. The second expression, “to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” or a variation of it was used in Revelation 5:9; 7:9 and 13:7 to express a world-wide application. The first expression, “who inhabit the earth,” is similar to but not the same as the frequently used “who dwell on the earth” which in Revelation refers to those who remain rebellious against God and will suffer the consequences of His judgment. This phrase is broader using a different word, kavqhmai / kathēmai, which literally means “to sit,” “sit down” and hence to remain, reside, inhabit. This includes everyone both those rebellious against God and those that are not.
◘This angel has an eternal gospel, eujaggevllion / euangelion, a message of good news, which he is to preach, eujaggelivzw / euangelizō, proclaim good news. I will trace the eternal nature of that good news and the specific content of the good news this angel preaches in a moment, but first I want you to consider what this demonstrates about the amazing longsuffering patience and grace of God. ◘First, this fulfills Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:14 that “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The good news is not restricted to a select few, but will be publically proclaimed world-wide to everyone as specified in Rev. 14:7.
◘Second, as Paul states in Romans 1:18-20, creation itself leaves man without excuse in knowing there is a Creator who is to be worshiped. That is intuitive and should be obvious, but with the truth suppressed in unrighteousness such as it is with the pseudo-science of evolution, many people are taught to reject the obvious. The eternal gospel that is proclaimed is direct and detailed. Its message of the problem and solution are clearly stated.
◘Third, this will be done when mankind is at or reaching the apex of his rebellion against God with the universal worship of the beast. The only time comparable would be the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37) when the wickedness of man had reached a level in which “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genes 6:5). Yet even back then Noah was also a preacher of righteousness during the many, many years it took him to build the ark (2 Peter 2:5). And even after Noah finished loading the ark, they were still given seven more days to repent and get on the ark before the rain started and God shut the door (Genesis 7:4, 10-16). ◘God would be righteous and just to cease any further efforts to reach rebellious man and give him over to the stubbornness of their hearts, to walk in their own devices (Psalm 81:12), or as stated in Hosea 4:17, “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.” Instead, God will have an angel proclaim the eternal gospel one more time to everyone in the world before the end.
◘God’s longsuffering patience, mercy and grace are beyond human comprehension, but that will end as we shall see next week when we look at the rest of Revelation 14. What will be true for the world in the future is true for the individual in the present. If you have not yet repented to believe and trust Jesus Christ for salvation from your sin and its eternal consequences, today is the day of salvation, for you may not have tomorrow.
◘This is an eternal gospel because salvation and God’s holy calling stretches back to God’s own purpose and grace which was granted us from all eternity (2 Timothy 1:9). The plan of redemption was foreknown before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18-20), and God chose those predestined to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world that they might be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4-5). It stretches to eternity future because salvation from sin and its punishment through faith in Christ grants forgiveness and eternal life with God in heaven forever.
While there are many things that man would consider good news ranging from the birth of a child, a raise in pay at work, to what’s for dinner,◘ the eternal gospel is always a message of God’s provision of how to be right with Him set in a context of being estranged from Him because of sin against Him.
◘The first gospel message occurs in Gen. 3:15 for in the midst of God detailing the curses that sin brought upon Adam, Eve, the serpent and the earth, hope is given that “her seed” shall bruise the serpent on the head. There would be a future deliverer. This was followed up by God killing an animal to make garments of skin to cover the shame of their nakedness. ◘The animal died as substitute for them. Animal sacrifice was the reminder that the wages of sin is death and the animal was offered according to God’s instructions as a substitute. It was done in faith of God’s promises including an eventual perfect sacrifice that would be sufficient since the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin (Heb. 10:4). ◘Abraham’s faith that “God will provide the lamb” when he was told to sacrifice Isaac illustrates this faith. The Mosaic law codified the types and manner of sacrifices.
◘John the Baptist and Jesus both preached a gospel message of “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” with John pointing to Jesus as “the lamb that takes away the sins of the world” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; John 1:29). ◘Even as Jesus gave greater detail of how He would do that through belief in Him (John 5:24), those two elements remained at the heart of the gospel – repentance from sin and belief in God’s provision for redemption. The gospel given in the epistles has also remained the same. All have sinned and its wages is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23; 6:23). The book of Romans is the most extensive explanation of the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel. ◘Paul’s presentation of the essential beliefs of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15 includes these elements – Man is sinful and Jesus died for those sins, was buried and raised physically from the dead on the third day proving all His claims and promises are true, and a fact confirmed by Him physically appearing to many.
◘Revelation 14:7 states the content of what the angel says which is in direct contrast to the requirements of the beast in chapter 13. “And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
◘This is a message meant to shock people from worshiping the beast and taking his mark. The messages that follow this one will add to that. ◘Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10) and requires humility to believe the reason for having that fear and then to surrender to the command in how to respond to it. The reason to fear is that God, who is the Creator, is about to bring judgment. The fear of God must be greater than the fear of man, and in this case, the beast. The two actions to be taken due to that fear are to give God glory and to worship Him.
◘To give God glory is an idiom of repentance which acknowledges God’s attributes, which here is specifically those of being the creator, which is also the reason to worship Him. Paul points out in Romans 1:18-20 that creation points to God’s invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature. The angel is pointing to truths in natural theology because by then religions will have been suppressed by worship of the beast and people will be largely materialistic and idolaters. ◘The specific elements of what God created listed here also point to God’s judgments on heaven in the sixth seal and fourth trumpet, on the earth in the first trumpet, the sea in the second trumpet, and on the springs of water in the third trumpet. Those previous judgments serve to heighten the proper fear of the judgment that is about to come from the Creator. ◘The threat of the beast to kill those what will not worship him would still be present, but as Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
◘Conclusions
The Lamb will be victorious. The 144,000 will fulfill their purpose during the tribulation, and then at the beginning of the millennium they will stand with the Lamb to serve Him. Before that happens, God’s final judgments will come upon the earth, and ◘before those judgments come, God in His mercy and grace will have an eternal gospel vocally proclaimed by an angel to everyone on earth. Creation itself is enough of a witness to leave man without excuse for not worshiping the Creator and vindicate the righteousness of God in condemning those who do not. Yet God goes farther in the effort to bring man to the point of repentance. The saved praise God for Him being longsuffering with them and bringing them to faith in Christ. To those not yet saved, beware, you do not know when God’s longsuffering patience with you will end. Today is the day of salvation. ◘Fear God your Creator and worship Him. Turn from your sin to believe and have faith in His provision to redeem you from sin – the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Notes – 9/14/2025
The Lamb, the 144,000 and the Angelic Proclamation of the Gospel – Revelation 14:1-8
Introduction
Man left on his own will follow his own ______________carnal nature and reap the consequences of his sin
God is ____________, merciful and gracious to extend the means of redemption for in the Lord Jesus Christ
There is a lot of confusion in our nation about the gospel due to failure to understand _______
Rev. 12:1-6 introduces & identifies the _________and plot of what is coming in the final stages of judgment
Rev. 12:7-13:18 focuses on ___________response to his failures – war in heaven, against Israel, on believers
The beast from the sea (antichrist) will seek _________of himself & the dragon and make war on the saints
The beast from the earth (the false prophet) will persuade, then __________worship of the antichrist
The “mark of the beast” is the _________of the antichrist required to be visibly branded / tattooed on people
The antichrist will already be clearly _____________by time this mark is required
The value of his name is 666 = the number of man – a mocking _______of a man who wants worship as god
Rev. 14 is an ______________contrast to the discouragement that can arise from Satan’s victories in Ch. 13
Scene 1: The Stance of the Lamb & His Followers – Rev. 14:1-5
What John Saw (vs. 1) – a vision of a scene that occurs at the beginning of the _______________
The beasts are gone and the Lamb is standing in victory on Mt. Zion – the _________mount in Jerusalem
_______many prophecies: Ps. 2:6; 14:7; 53:6; 132:13-14; Isa. 24:23; 51:11; 52:8-10; 59:19-20; Mic 4:7; etc.
The 144,000 (Rev. 7) are standing with the Lamb – the _______of the Lamb & the Father on their foreheads
What John Heard (vs. 2) – a _________, unified voice of a multitude from heaven that was melodic
The Song They Sang (vs. 3) A ________________sung before the throne, 4 living creatures & 24 elders
A song giving praise to God of something He has recently done & ________the 144,000 could learn it
The Character of the 144,000 – (vs. 4-5).
Physical intimacy in marriage is _________& holy by God’s plan & command (Heb. 14:4; Gen. 1:28; 2:24)
Physical intimacy outside of marriage is sinful, ____________& abominable to God (Lev. 18)
These men will avoid the immorality of their time & remain ________to serve the Lamb (1 Cor. 7:32-33)
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, they become a __________________offering to serve the Lamb
Scene 2: Four Determinative Announcements – Revelation 14:6-13
The next scene John sees involves 4 announcements __________to the end of the tribulation
Three _______in succession announce the everlasting gospel, fall of Babylon, & doom for beast worshipers
A voice from heaven announces the ______________of those who remain faithful to God
The First Announcement: The Angelic Proclamation of the Gospel – Revelation 14:6-7.
John sees another angel like he has seen before flying in the “_____________” – high in the sky above him
From that position the angel could preach an eternal gospel to _____________on earth as he flew
This gospel preaching angel demonstrates God’s incredible _________________mercy & grace
It fulfills Jesus’ ________in Matthew 24:14 – the gospel is proclaimed to everyone worldwide before the end
Creation is ______to proclaim God, the Creator, to the world – but He also has a verbal message proclaimed
The gospel is proclaimed to a world at the apex of _________- Noah’s day was similar (Gen. 6; Matt. 24:37)
God would be righteous to abandon them (Ps. 81:12; Hosea 4:17), but He has the ______proclaimed instead
God’s longsuffering is beyond human comprehension – but it will end – are you ___________?
The eternal gospel begins in eternity ______(2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 18-20; Eph. 1:4-5) & goes to eternity ______
The eternal gospel is always a message of God’s provision of how ___________can be right with Him
The first gospel message is Gen. 3:15. In a curse, ______is given of a future crushing of the serpent’s head
Animal sacrifices pointed to the price of sin – ___________- and of a future perfect substitute
Abraham’s faith that “God will __________the lamb” (Gen. 22) is an example of this faith
John the Baptist & Jesus both preached a gospel message of “_______for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”
The gospels & epistles give greater _______on salvation from sin is by faith in Jesus & His atoning sacrifice
Essential gospel belief includes Jesus physically died to redeem sinners and He ______________rose again
The angel’s message is meant to cause _____that will result in the worship of God, the Creator, not the beast
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge & wisdom – __________is required to respond properly to it
To give God glory is an idiom of ______________- & worship of the Creator is included as a means to do it
The specific elements of creation listed point back to God’s ________on those things that already happened
Fear of those that can kill the ______(the beast) does not equal fear of God who can destroy the _____in hell
Conclusions
The Lamb will be ____________, but before that happens, God’s final judgments come upon the earth
Preceding those judgments will the proclamation of the eternal ________to everyone on earth – God’s mercy ______________ your Creator & worship Him – turn from sin to believe & have faith in Jesus’ the redeemer
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children: Draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times the “gospel” is mentioned. Talk with your parents about the meaning of the eternal gospel and its application in your own life.
THINK ABOUT IT! – Questions to consider / discuss with others. What is the state of our nation in understanding sin & the gospel? What is the purpose of the riddle about 666 in Rev. 13:18? What is the significance of the Lamb & the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion? When will that occur? Why is that placed at the beginning of chapter 14? What is the character of the 144,000? When does the angel flying in the med-heaven proclaim the eternal gospel? How does that demonstrate God’s longsuffering mercy & grace? What is the eternal gospel? What are its essential elements? What has to be believed about Jesus to be saved from sin?
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