Three Reasons to Fear God and Give Him Glory – Revelation 14:6-20
14 (6) Then I saw another angel flying in mid-air, he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. (7) He said in 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 the sea and the springs of water.” (8) A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!—the one who caused the nations to drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” (9) A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, (10) he shall indeed drink the wine of God’s wrath, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” (11) The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; there is no rest day and night for those who worship the beast and his image, for whoever receives the mark that represents his name. (12) This calls for perseverance on the part of the saints, those who obey God’s commandments and maintain their faith in Jesus.*
(13) Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on.” “Indeed,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors; for their deeds will follow them.”
(14) I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone who looked like the Son of Man; he had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. (15) Another angel came out of the temple, and he cried out in a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap; for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (16) So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. (17) Another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, he also had a sharp sickle. (18) Still another angel, he who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the earth’s vineyard, for her grapes are fully ripe.” (19) Then the angel swung his sickle upon the earth, gathered the grapes of the earth, and dumped them into the winepress, the great winepress of the wrath of God. (20) They trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of it, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of about one hundred and eighty miles.**
*Literally, “and keep the faith of Jesus.”
**Literally, a distance of “one thousand and six hundred stadia” (a stadia is approximately 600 feet)
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
