Revelation Chapter 14
2025 – I think so much has changed based on the introduction and reinterpretation of events, as clearly outlined at the beginning of Chapter 13, that my best bet with 14 is to just flat start it over from the beginning. Work through it exegetically, from vs 1.
(((Below was my attempt to do what the 2025 note above says. The deeper I got the more bogged down I got. Therefore, this chapter is a work in progress. I don’t know what to do next, and I think it best just to be honest about that. What follows is not a smooth and coherent interpretation, but a search for what this “might” mean. This chapter is as far as I have gotten in my rewriting. Chapter 15-22 are older intepretations and I would doubt that 15 will make any sense if you read it in sequence. It might be pretty good if you just start in 15 and read on out. I don’t know what to do with this. But I am tired of holding everything else up while I continue to struggle with it. So here it is, for what it is.)))
This chapter starts with “Then…” except that the actual Greek word is “kai” which is almost always translated “And”. It is a foundational conjunction. It is translated “and” 8173 times, and second on the list, it is translated “also” 514 times. It is only translated “then” 20 times. KJV translated it “and” as does the ASV. “Then” goes back to 13:1b, where kai was also translated then. Next, in 13:11 kai is translated as then. So in 14:1, to keep that pattern going, kai is translated as then. The problem with this is that it implies that these events are all in sequence rather than simultaneous. We should examine these three and decide which seems more likely. The three “thens” are the first beast rising from the sea, the second beast rising from the earth – which is necessarily obviously sequential, and now the Lamb and the 144,000. So, we can say pretty certainly that the first and second beasts are in sequence, but we don’t really have anything to mandate that the Lamb and the 144,000 are not coincident with the second beast.
It does seem possible that as the mark of the beast is rolled out on the earth, that there would be some sort of counter to it. So we go with “then”, because of what is coming with the 144,000. At the end of 13 the second beast implements the mark of the beast. Look at what it actually says about this mark: “16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. [Rev 13:16-17 ESV]”. There is absolutely nothing in this verse that says mankind will have a choice about receiving the mark. Further, we understand that anyone who DOES receive it will be doomed forever to hell. There is no coming back from receiving the mark.
If everyone on earth receives that mark, including the Jews in hiding, then the promises to Abraham and to Israel cannot be fulfilled. There will be none that can enter the Millennial Kingdom under Christ if all are marked with a mark of loyalty to Satan.
This also tells us that the rapture is past. If it were not so, then the church – the bride – the saved in the hand of Christ – would also receive the mark, and taking it would pluck the saved right out of the protecting hand of Christ. This cannot happen! So the only way we can understand this is to see that it takes place after the rapture. In fact, that is where we think we are anyway. The AoD was seen standing where it ought not in the last chapter. The church sees this, as we know from 2Thess and Matt 24. Persecution begins in earnest, the worst the world has ever seen. The persecution is going so well that it looks like perhaps the whole world will be cleared of mankind. (Or maybe this means the whole world will receive the mark, which has the same result, but leaves man enslaved to the beast, and ultimately to the dragon!) So God puts a stop to it by rapturing his people out, AND with the sealing of the 144,000.
Immediately following the rapture, knowing that only the Jews are left on earth to oppose him, the beast implements to mark to try and starve them into identifying themselves. Many are in hiding in the desert, but a lot are also still living and trying to survive in the open. As I read it now, EVERYONE must take the mark. It is forced on people. Not taking it is a sure sign that you are a Jew in hiding, or disloyal to the Dragon, and you get killed immediately. This sign will work. It is an effective plan for Satan. It must be countered. So how does that happen?
By having the name of Christ and of Theos already preemptively written on their foreheads! These 144,000 will be immune from the mark of the beast – they cannot be sealed as loyal to Satan – because they are already sealed to God. This is exactly what we saw back in Chapter 7! We again have confirmation of where we are in the sequence. This verse: 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: [Rev 7:4 ESV]. This comes immediately after the opening of the Sixth Seal. We have repeatedly shown that the Rapture is somewhere within the Sixth Seal. Now we see that the AoD is also seen in Rev 13. Rev 13 and Rev 6 coincide. And now we see that Rev 14 and Rev 7 coincide as to the role of the 144,000! So it all ties together perfectly. We now have our explanation of WHY the 144,000 must be sealed, AND we see that the sealing is a response to the actions of the beast. We see that it is to protect the 144,000 from forced allegiance to Satan. The seal is not something people choose to accept or reject. It is forced on all but those who already have a different seal!!!
This situation is unique in Bible history. Never before in scripture has the conflict between God and Satan been so overt. This publicly visible sealing, this advertisement of one’s loyalty, has never been stamped on foreheads before.
So we know where we are in the chronology, and we recognize that these 144,000 are the same ones seen in Chapter 7. And we have sort of “breakthrough” as to why they were sealed. What else can we learn about them?
They are standing with the Lamb. We know that the Lamb has just returned to heaven – to Zion – having gathered the church to himself at the rapture. We are pretty sure that we are right at the beginning of the second half of the 70th, so Jesus has not yet descended to take over. Therefore, this scene is in heaven. Further, some time has passed. The sealing of the 144,000 took place on earth. There would have been no reason to seal them after they arrived in heaven. But here in Chapter 14, they are in heaven with the Lamb. So they were either sealed, then raptured with the church, or they were sealed, and then martyred in the worldwide great tribulation that follows the implementation of the mark of the beast.
Chapter 14 tells us that the Lamb stands on Zion and the 144,000 are with him. Looking back at Chapter 7 expands the scene for us. Here are those verses: 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." [Rev 7:9-12 ESV].
So in addition to the 144,000, we also have an innumerable multitude in white robes, singing (as I see it) a song to God and to the Lamb. Then you have angels – ALL the angels – also singing their song, different than the one the white robed attendees are singing. So heaven must be pretty “full” as all this is going on, and God is being worshiped by men and angels in a way that has never happened before. The people are the church, called home, called from their graves, called from the persecuted lives in the time of the MoL. Only the church is promised the rapture that will save them from wrath. It is not the time for the Old Covenant saved to be raised. Then a second group, the angels, who are God’s first created beings. They have been with Him a very long time, and they are seeing the final days of man.
And we have this third group here in 14:1-3. We know these are Jews, representing the 12 tribes, equally distributed, 12,000 from each tribe. They are also singing a new song, and theirs cannot be learned either by men or angels. It is only theirs. Perhaps because they are “handled” differently than any other group?
We learn a few more things about the 144,000 also. They have been purchased FROM the earth, confirming the idea that these are in heaven. In Chapter 7, they are named before the raptured church, so they arrived in heaven at about the same time as the raptured. Why would this be?
Remember that just before the rapture, according to Matthew 24:21, the greatest tribulation/persecution/hounding of believers the world has ever seen is in progress. Christians are being tracked down and killed or imprisoned in huge numbers.
So there are two possibilities: Either the 144,000 were killed during this great tribulation and are martyrs, or they were raptured out of the great tribulation at the same time as the church was raptured. Perhaps the next verses will make it clear which is the case?
In 14:4 we are told about the character of the 144,000. They are not defiled with women – they are chaste. NASB95 uses the word celibate. KJV and ESV say they are virgins. The Greek word is “parthenoi”, which is used 14 times in the NT, including of Mary the mother of Jesus, and all 14 times this word means virgins. So we must conclude that these are male virgins.
We don’t see many male virgins in the Bible. In the Old Testament, we see none. In the New Testament, Jesus was never married and never sinned, so the term applies to him. In 1Co 7:8 Paul urges others to be celibate, as he is, if they can. And I found one reference that suggests that John, the writer of Revelation, is called a virgin in some historical documents.
So what is this telling us? The Old Covenant priests were not celibate, so we know that celibacy might be a New Covenant thing. Given the other two certain examples of Jesus and Paul, the best conclusion seems to be that male virginity represents an uncommon, almost a unique devotion to God that subjects even the strongest of earthly physical desires/temptations/needs.
I think this idea is borne out as the passage continues. We also learn that the 144,000 follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been purchased from among men as first fruits. They do not lie. They are blameless.
So far as I know, at the present time there is no Jewish sect restricted to chaste males. My expectation is that one is coming. Since these are in heaven at this time, I believe they were either raptured, making them a special subset of the church set apart in some way for a purpose, or they are martyrs who had dedicated themselves to Christ, again under the New Covenant.
Perhaps they had set themselves apart as the Temple was being rebuilt, and they recognized that this New Temple was designed to look back at Christ instead of forward to him, as we see in the description of Ezekiel’s Temple. Perhaps they see themselves as priests of the New Temple and set themselves apart for that service through celibacy?
They are also purchased as first fruits, the first of their kind. The first of the Jews who accept Christ as Messiah and dedicate themselves as his chosen people under the New Covenant? I know we have Jews today who are saved, so this must go beyond that. But surely men who are virgins, who never lie, and who are blameless makes these entirely unique among men.
A very deep and extensive AI search of available information yielded this as the most likely match to the description in Revelation 14, but notes that this sect no longer exists. Perhaps something like it is going to re-emerge:
The Essenes (ancient; not present as a living Jewish sect today) If you’re looking for a Jewish group whose profile resembles Rev 14:4–5 (celibacy/sexual abstinence + truthfulness/integrity language), the best historical parallel people point to is the Essenes (2nd c. BC–1st c. AD), often associated with Qumran/Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship. What sources consistently describe: • Monastic/communal life with property held in common, daily life regulated, and (generally) women excluded from the communities. Encyclopedia Britannica • Asceticism, strong ritual purity emphasis, and separation from public life/Temple-centered practice. Encyclopedia Britannica • Moral rigor: new members swore commitments including “justice toward men,” and explicitly hatred of falsehood / love of truth (that last piece maps closely to your “no lies” integrity emphasis). Encyclopedia Britannica • Celibacy appears in some accounts: Britannica’s celibacy article notes that in post-biblical times “some members” of the Essenes (per Josephus) rejected marriage. Encyclopedia Britannica” The name of the ChatGPT search chat is “Judaism and Celibacy in 2026”, and concluded that even historically “celibacy has played little role in Judaism, where marriage and raising children are treated as holy obligations, and even when celibacy appears it’s exceptional”.
So the most probable interpretation is that they are a group still future to us and dedicated to the study and veneration of scripture along the same lines as the Essenes in Qumran, and with a firm commitment to follow Jesus Christ. They will somehow show up during the 70th week or just before to fulfill this role. I think it is also worth remembering that they will appear for the sealing with God’s own name only after the AoD begins requiring the mark of the beast.
God makes it impossible for these to be so marked. He sets these Jews apart for himself just as he set Abraham’s descendants apart as benefactors of the Old Covenant. This seems to fit pretty well. Out of the whole world, Abraham and his descendants are chosen as God’s own. That was Old Covenant stuff. Now, the 144,000, a subset of the Jews living in the 70th week, are chosen from mankind as the “firstfruits of the last days” perhaps.
We think the church is raptured out between the appearance of the AoD and the implementation of the mark and before these appear, and that is the reason they are just pretty much incomprehensible to us. We will be gone, so we don’t need any insight into them beyond the few things we are told in Revelation 7 and 14.
Let’s see if we can pin down any more insight into the 144,000 by taking an up-close look at the events surrounding their description:
First, let’s look closely at Rev 6-7:
The sixth seal is opened. Kings hide in caves.
The 144,000 are sealed.
The great multitude around the throne is described. I believe they are the raptured church. So we see that this sealing is very close in time to the rapture. But we cannot pin down whether it is before or after.
Then, in Rev 13-14:
The second beast has an image built and gives breath to the image.
After the image is in place, the requirement of the mark is put into place.
The 144,000 are seen with the Lamb on the heavenly Mt. Zion. At this time they have been redeemed FROM mankind.
They are the firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
In these sequences, we know that the rapture can occur any time after the image is set up. The next thing we see in 13-14 after the image is the 144,000 in heaven with Christ, having been redeemed from the earth.
Neither passage allows us to precisely establish whether the 144k are sealed before the rapture occurs. We do see that between the opening of the Sixth and the appearance in heaven of the 144,000 is the great tribulation Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:21. This great tribulation starts in Matt 24:21, and then the church is raptured out in Matthew 24:22, “lest no human being survive”. It is cut short for the sake of the elect. Election would have to include those already saved at the time, and those who were to be saved during the remainder of the 70th week – if any.
My opinion, based on this discussion, is that there are three things on which we ought to focus: First, the sealing of the 144,000, second, their appearance IN HEAVEN, and then third, their classification as the firstfruits – the first of their kind in history. For lack of a better word, I would call them 70th Week Jews, the very first of those to whom all those promises to Abraham about his descendants and the land and the word in their inward parts will be realized. First in their absolute and total dedication to Jesus, the first to appear as God’s wrath that began with Manasseh is finally, doubly spent and over, and he begins to bless them as all the OT prophets said he would someday. They begin the culmination of all the OT prophecies about God finally restoring them to the place he always had in mind for them. These are unique, and remarkable, and can be seen as the flashing neon lights signifying the absolute and final end of God’s wrath toward the Jews.
One additional point should be made by referencing the verse below: 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. [Rev 9:4 ESV]. This verse is clearly and indisputably during the sounding of the 5th Trumpet. This is well before the assembly in Rev 14:1 and tells us that at least some of the 144K are still on the earth at the 5th Trumpet. So this indirectly corroborates that part of the time line. So far as we know, only the 144,000 have this seal. I think we had decided that they are already in heaven at this point, but this verse implies that some are still on earth. This is an important marker. Figured out what this does to the timeline if the 144K are all around the throne in Rev 14:1, which hasn't come yet. This is a corroboration then of the current timeline. This still fits.
In the next verse, verse 6, John says he sees “another” angel. We should take a minute to discuss exactly where this angel is seen. The last thing John saw was the 144,000 and we have firmly established that they are in heaven with the Lamb. So we know that John can see “the third heaven” at this point. He is looking up at it, so we again conclude that John is now standing on the earth. Several different words are used to describe the location of the angel, depending on which interpretation you use. Here are the examples: 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, [Rev 14:6 KJV]; 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. [Rev 14:6 ESV]; 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; [Rev 14:6 NASB95]; 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people. [Rev 14:6 NIV]. The common term in all but the ESV is a form of “middle”. ESV decides that middle means halfway between one horizon and the other. They see the angel where the sun would be at noon. All the other translations put the angel at the vertical middle, halfway between the earth and that third heaven where we saw the 144,000.
I think the vertical middle is the proper way to see this. It just fits better into the scene we have put together. Further, the angel has a message for those on the earth. I don’t think that angel would be delivering that message from heaven directly, but as a messenger, would have been sent to earth’s sky to proclaim the message.
We should also note that John starts verse 6 with “And I saw another angel…” If we look back through the previous chapters, the last time an angel was mentioned was in 11:15 when the Seventh Angel sounded his trumpet. Does that angel, then, make sense with respect to where we think we are?
I think not. We know that as the very first trumpet sounds, wrath begins on earth. After that first trumpet, we are never again given any indication of salvation on the earth. We are told several times that despite what is happening, no one repents. Perhaps no one ever, from the first trumpet until the second coming. So I think John sees this angel in 14:6 earlier than the Seventh Trumpet.
I think perhaps these verses fit better with John’s description of “another angel” in 14:6: 1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, ... 6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. [Rev 8:1-3, 6 ESV].
What happens during this half hour? Pretty much nothing. Then immediately after the half hour is over, the seven trumpet angels take their places before God. And then “another angel”, not a part of the seven, appears and he brings attention to the prayers of ALL the saints by offering incense on the golden altar.
This incense is offered after the sealing of the 144,000 in chapter 7, and after the vast assembly around the throne that we believe describes ALL the raptured saints. It seems to me that the events of 14:6 are consecutive of the angel offering incense, and before the first trumpet sounds. I think this better fits the combined narratives of 6-7-8 and 13-14 because of the nature of the three messages that follow the appearance of this angel.
It seems to me that this point in time from Chapter 8, the quiet before the strom of wrath that will begin at the first trumpet with all its associated death and horror, would be a really good place for God to offer “an eternal gospel” to mankind ONE LAST TIME. The half hour of silence turns all eyes toward heaven. And a the end of that time, “another angel”, the first of three, appears. First the gospel is proclaimed, then the fall of Babylon is announced, and third, the fate of those who take the mark is stated clearly.
The three messages might be summed up like this: Here is the gospel, and this is the last time it will ever be offered. The earthly kingdom of the Dragon established via the MoL is about to come crashing down never to rise again. And third, to those who take the mark, the absolute unequivocal and eternal wrath of God is about to come raining down on you. Taking the mark is not going to help you, but will in fact reserve a place for you in eternal fire and sulfur.
In verse 12, John gives a sort of summary, warning, and exhortation to believers. He contrasts the purpose of the coming wrath on those who take the mark with its purpose for those who endure it in belief. 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. [Rev 14:12 ESV].
He encourages the Jews, the last remaining believers on earth now that the church is gone, by assuring them that this is the last great trial, the last great testing of God’s chosen people before they enter their rest in the Millennial kingdom. They must live their faith in the face of tremendous trials as the world government set up by the Dragon and the Beasts crumbles under the effects of God’s wrath on the whole earth. There will be a great temptation to escape this wrath by turning away from faith and TAKING the mark. John says “endure” and be saved. I think this interpretation is a much timelier place to put John’s “Then I saw another angel..” than at the end of the Trumpet judgments. Now that we have decided “when” these events are taking place, let’s look more closely at the messages these three angels deliver.
Here is what the first of the three angels announces to the world: 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 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 heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." [Rev 14:6-7 ESV]. This is a message that says it is time to choose sides. “The hour has come…” This is it. Last chance. Something unprecedented is coming – the Seven Trumpets – and this is the last chance to separate yourselves from those upon whom the judgment of God, undiluted, is about to fall. This is the gospel, even as it was offered under the New Covenant. First, the warning of the consequences of NOT converting, and then the call to submit, to repent and to worship the creator of all that is.
Then this announcement: 8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality." [Rev 14:8 ESV]. We have identified Babylon as the worldwide governmental system set up when the MoL, empowered by the Dragon and given great ability, comes forward at the end of the seals. We see that all commerce, all over the world, is controlled, approved, allowed by this government. This control is effected by requiring the mark physically imprinted on individuals. All commerce flows through this government and this government distributes wealth to those loyal to its aims.
If we stay with this being just before the Trumpets, then we attribute the coming fall of Babylon to the effects of the coming judgments. Their strategy to annihilate the church failed at the rapture. This was the Dragon’s last hope to save himself. So the world is left with a government that no longer has a purpose. Things are not going to just go on as before. It all going to collapse under the pressure of God’s wrath on all mankind. That government will be completely helpless in the face of what is coming.
Then the third angel delivers his message: 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [Rev 14:9-10 ESV].
This message seems to be appropriate for delivery as the 2nd Beast rolls out his plan. This warning is to apprise the world’s population of the consequences of taking the mark. The wording clearly implies that decisions about the mark will take place before God’s wrath begins, and I believe the wrath begins at the 1st Trumpet. So…this seems to confirm, or at least corroborate the idea that these three angels are speaking after the half hour of silence in heaven and before the First Trumpet.
I am much happier about the chronology after this second run through. I think it fits here. I think the aorist form of fallen tells us that Babylon doesn’t fall in a heartbeat, but falls pregressively as wrath unfolds. In fact, the aorist tense is used extensively of all three angels telling us that the precise time of these events is not the most important consideration.
NEXT TIME –
I MIGHT NEED A PARAGRAPH about how the blowing of the seventh trumpet signals the end of Babylon, though it has been falling apart since the first trumpet sounded. Really since the rapture.
Stopping here on 1/15/26.
This below might be condensed into the PARAGRAPH considered above. Previously, I placed the three angels of Revelation 14 after the Seventh Trumpet was sounded. If that was correct, it would mean that after wrath begins and runs through the first seven trumpet events, God sees fit to offer salvation to those still alive. It would mean that the result of the first seven trumpets is to cause the one world government to collapse and end the worldwide economic prosperity over which it had presided. And then that third angel would be warning about the mark put in place back before the sixth trumpet and long after it was put in place instead of immediately afterwards. But looking back, the place such an offer would best fit is after the Sixth trumpet. There, we find this “update” after fully 1/3 of mankind has been killed during the Trumpets: 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. [Rev 9:20-21 ESV]. So the distinct impression given is that the seven trumpets bring no one at all to repentance. The trumpets don’t change anyone’s mind about whether they want to serve the beasts or change over to God’s side. It seems like the time for an offering of the eternal gospel would be unlikely at this time. However, we have to remember that Noah continued preaching while he built the ark, despite the state of mankind at that time.
Would God offer the gospel to those who survived the Trumpets and yet still refused to repent as we saw after the Sixth??? Will there be anyone besides the hidden Jews on the whole planet that has not taken the mark at this time? He is God and He can do what he wants. But to me this time – at the end of the trumpets - seems an unlikely time to offer the gospel.
It seems more likely that a final offer of salvation would come before wrath begins. Wrath seems to be a demarcation during which the door will be absolutely closed, as when it started to rain in Noah’s day.
With this interpretation in mind, let’s consider where we are. The AoD, the talking statue we are warned will appear just before the rapture, is standing where he ought not and the church has recognized that the time is upon them. Satan also knows how critical this time is and sees it as his last window of opportunity. He has failed to complete his genocide of the woman and she is beyond his reach now for the last half of the seventh. So he turns to an attack on the church, forcing them into the open if they refuse the mark. This is the time of the greatest tribulation of the church in the history of the planet. It lasts until the rapture removes the church, lest all mankind be wiped out, pre-empting fulfilment of God’s prophecies concerning the end and establishing Satan as an equal to God.
The big question now is whether or not the church is still present as Revelation 14:6-13 unfold. Does the church hear the three angelic messages?
I think a first consideration is to note that if they are, AND we are right that the scene in Revelation 7:9 is the assembly in heaven of the raptured church, then Revelation 14:6-13 must occur not only before the First Trumpet, but before Revelation 7:9. This really seems to fit well. Let’s consider each of the three messages in light of this assumption.
As to the first angel speaking before the rapture, this would mean the church is still on earth when the very last ever offering of the eternal gospel is proclaimed. The gospel – the good news – is the new covenant, the one that brought the church into being. It makes sense that the church would still be “alive and well on the earth” when this gospel is proclaimed, else we get into a sort of “third covenant” that offers the gospel not to the church, which has been raptured out and no longer exists, but to some new and distinct group of people who were not saved at the rapture but have also not taken the mark. That would present a lot of new interpretational problems.
But look here: 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Mat 24:14 ESV]. Is this not tantamount to the message delivered by the first angel? Doesn’t this tie Mt 24 to Rev 14 pretty much indisputably???
And what comes right after this in Matthew? The AoD appears. So this must be resolved – the ORDER of OPERATION must be resolved – in a way that puts the appearance of the AoD and the messages of the three angels very nearly concurrent.
(So…Eternal gospel, AoD appears, pursuit of the Jews, Babylon falls, don’t ever take the mark…Some continuity problems here…need to resolve this timeline. This is a really big hurdle to get over…but if I can resolve this…wow!)
The second angel would be informing the still unraptured church that Babylon is fallen. Since this is aorist, this will be interpreted as the coming victory of Christ over the world as he establishes his kingdom on earth. This will culminate with the still coming 7th Trumpet where the kingdoms of the earth are declared the Kingdoms of Christ. The point here is to inform those as yet unsaved that the “power” they are counting on, the kingdom of Satan on earth, is about to be demolished. Let go of the world, accept the gospel, or burn forever.
Then the third angel’s message is a warning, TO THE CHURCH, to die rather than taking this mark. Taking the mark is an un-fixable act. Such a one will “drink the wine of wrath” in the “cup of his anger” AND suffer fire and sulfur”…though it does not say this will last forever. (Perhaps it will only be until the end of the Millennial? Perhaps this is about those who suffer “as through fire” when their works don’t stand the test? Wow. This is way out there but it can be “fitted in”…which doesn’t make it right, but doesn’t exclude it from possibility either.)
I think it is clear that the church may well be present as the three angels speak. Then the church will be taken out BEFORE the First Trumpet. Will it be before or after the Seventh Seal? Well we know the 144lk are sealed before the 7th is opened. Ahh…we also know that the assembly of the church in heaven is before the Seventh Seal is opened. So…the three angelic messengers are also before the Seventh Seal.
What we are left with is that AoD is seen and recognized, persecution rages world wide, and then the Sixth Seal is opened. Unmistakable signs are seen in the heavens, signs that throw fear into the whole world – believers and unbelievers alike – and those who will not submit to God even in the face of these signs run for cover. This is the middle. The 144K are sealed here, but are not yet martyred. As the church realizes that its redemption draweth nigh the gospel goes out one last time, miraculously, delivered by an angel seen by the whole world. Babylon’s fate is announced. The church is warned to hang on just a little longer. They will be starving, they will be pursued, they will be unaided.
Tick, tick, tick…
The final offer of the gospel expires, Jesus appears in the clouds and the dead rise from their graves, first of the redeemed. Satan and his angels mobilize to try and prevent the souls of the raptured in their resurrected physical bodies from “escaping” earth, from defeating the death, the fear of which is Satan’s greatest weapon. But the church gets through to stand at the throne of God, assembled all together at last.
And then…wrath is imminent. The Seventh seal is opened and for half an hour, those left on earth, Satan, and his angels KNOW that the time has come. Wrath is coming, with the opening of that first Trumpet.
(I think this works! Now we will need to lay the sounding of the trumpets in with the two scythes. I still have to resolve whether harvesting what is ripe is the rapture – the gathering of the wheat – and the grapes are the tares. Wow. I really like the way this shakes out. Making it fit with the wheat and the tares cements this part of 14! It will be a pleasure to write it in the next session! Wow!!)
The two angels with scythes. I really don’t see any doubts here: The parable of the wheat and the tares: 24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."'" [Mat 13:24-30 ESV]
Jesus explains the parable: 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. [Mat 13:36-43 ESV] And the Rev 14: 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia. [Rev 14:14-20 ESV].
Two separate angels with sickles. The first sitting on a cloud (we don’t know where he came from) and commanded by an angel from the Temple to reap because the earth is “fully ripe”. No information is given about the results of this reaping.
Then a second angel comes out of the Temple itself. This one is commanded by an angel from the altar – the angel in charge of the fire. (What priest was that, historically? Gather from the vine because the grapes are ripe. This sickle causes blood to flow as high as a horse’s bridely. This is physical death on a massive scale.
YIKES!!! Look at chapter 15! 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. [Rev 15:1 ESV] This is going to put some or all of chapter 14 between the 7th Trumpet and the 1st bowl.
This puts the wheat harvest – which just about has to be the rapture – after the seventh trumpet. This is a really big problem. If the wheat harvest is the rapture – and what else could it be – and I have the rapture firmly tied to the sixth seal and Matt 24 and the signs in the heavens, then which one is wrong, or what is this about that I am missing?
What if the rapture of the church is before the first trumpet? Then what is this in 14 just before the first bowl? The gathering of the 144K? The gathering of the woman from hiding in the desert? Can’t be the woman because she hides for the whole last half. Could it be the gathering of the Jews to whom the final gospel is proffered, the fall of Babylon is prophesied, and the mark is prohibited? Are these the returning Jews – besides the 144K – who have not taken the mark but require one last testing, the trumpet tests, before they too are removed? I would need some pretty serious verses for this. A second “removal”? Lot of people don’t believe in just one. Surely there is a simpler solution. Rather than the rapture, maybe this is the straightening of the road, the leveling of the way home. Maybe this is the gathering back to Jerusalem of the Jews, and while it is going on the grapes of wrath are gathered, making all those left on earth afraid of the returning Jews? Yeah…I like that better. It allows the rapture to stay where it belongs. I don’t have to move it too far.
Go back over it and see if you can make it fit that way.
Back to the drawing board to see what I am missing here.
Does this go here? 11 "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. [Eze 34:11-14 ESV]. This is shepherding, not harvest, but the effect is the same. The good are gathered. And what happens after the good are gathered, what happens when the sheep are all together? 17 "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 20 "Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. [Eze 34:17-20 ESV]. Is this the sheep and goat judgment in different words. It comes I think at the end of the 70th and the beginning of the Millennial. Is this that same time? It sure seems to fit…Vs 22 says “I will judge between one sheep and another”.
Also this, which I read this morning: 24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. ... 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 "You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. [Eze 36:24, 26-28 NASB95]. Prophesy of the future response to the eternal gospel? Israel returning home during the last 3 ½?
LOOK AT Matt 24:14!!! 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, [Dan 7:21 ESV]
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Mat 24:14 ESV]
((((Hang on to this, from this year’s reading of Jeremiah 51. It makes good sense, though I may not need it until Chapter 18. 2026 - Vs 7 (Jeremiah 51) above might well be like Isaiah 7:14 in that the near fulfilment is just an example of what is to come in the future. As there would have been a baby born in Isaiah's time, and Ahab's, else it would not have been a sign, maybe the fall of the original Babylon is a foreshadowing of that Babylon in Revelation. Further, it seems to me today that the sexual immorality of future Babylon is indeed the indulgence of any urge, and it is likely a worldwide lack of sexual morality. LGBTQ is already expanding to include any and all sorts of immorality, and it is unlikely to stop. We have seen attempts to normalize pedophilia before, in France, in the Greek man/boy homosexuality and so on. Future Babylon may be fully populated with the worst kinds of sexual perverts, all patting each other on the back for their "freedom" from patriarchal mores that restricted what was just natural. That makes sense...until you ask what any of that has to do with the collapse of an economic system. Why would the merchants weep when such a place collapsed? Unless the immorality is based in and expands from Babylon, the seat of the world government at that time, which we already know is going to control all commerce with that mark. Of course it will be such a place and stand for such things as it controls the commerce of the world!)))
(((Found this today 1/12/26 in Ezekiel 9:4: The one in linen is told by God to go through the city and put a mark on the forehead of these who "truly groan" about the abominations in the city. MSB says the one in linen was/could be the pre-incarnate Christ, marking the elect, so they could be preserved over/through what was coming. Same reason they are marked in the Revelation. Connection. The rest were to be killed in the siege. Much like Revelation also. This total destruction of Jerusalem, the removal of all of God's protection over them, is like a preview of the last days. Only the truly penitent are marked. Then the other six are told to follow the 7th and kill all unmarked, sparing none. Old, young, men, women, children. They do so. So this may be a “type” of the marking of the 144K. Worth a further look. In Eze, God has no pity on those – even Israel – who lack the mark. It will be like in Revelation. The 144K are marked and then wrath begins. Perhaps they are not martyrs after all, but collateral. In Ezekiel, the mark protects from the angels who are assigned to kill the apostate. In Revelation, it is a setting apart…but is it protection? Maybe it protects them from 666!)))
(((Here is an unexpected use of “firstfruits”. Here it seems to be about man as a different kind of created creature. A creation in God’s own image. Cognizant of the passing of time, of rational thinking, and so on. Here is the verse: 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. [Jas 1:18 ESV]. So again, with the 144k referred to as first fruits, we have to understand that nothing like them – nothing like their station or their handling or something like that, has ever come before)))
Primary question: Are both the angels from 14:14-20 doing the same thing or different things? Is the first harvest bringing home the Christians…the saved…which puts it at the 6th Seal? And then the grapes are Thunders and all the death and destruction that goes there? It might work…if “another angel” at the beginning of 14 is after the AoD and before the rapture. This reads like the wheat and tares. The time came to harvest the good and burn the bad. Read that again before you start all this on Tuesday! Can it fit somewhere into Matt24? That’s where it needs to fit!
PUT THIS SOMEWHERE USEFUL One of these for 2/2/26? In my daily reading for the last few days I have been in Daniel. I found a verse there that I've read a number of times before, but this time it felt like the key to a lock I haven't been able to open before. Here is the verse: 17 'These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. [Dan 7:17 ESV]. These words are spoken by an angel interpreting a vision (or maybe two visions) that Daniel had. Since it is an angel giving the explanation, we can pretty much take it as hard truth. The key is that beasts are men in this vision. It is all symbolic, maybe typological, but not literal. I think I can take this verse now and use it to better understand Revelation 13, and the first beast from the sea and the second beast from the earth described there. Those are also just men. Most people believe the first beast is the Man of Lawlessness, and the second beast is the False Prophet. I have previously tried to make them angels thrown down from heaven with Satan who take over earthly government and religion. With this key though, my previous interpretation seems unnecessarily complicated. Next, I have to figure out the difference between a beast "from the sea" and a beast "from the earth". Daniel's beasts, all four, were from the sea. So that last sentence is the problem. This is Daniel’s own description of his vision: 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. [Dan 7:3 ESV]…contrasted with how the angel interprets his vision… 17 'These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. [Dan 7:17 ESV].
This makes earth and sea the same. Doesn’t matter anymore. Present tense is sea, future is earth. Sea is source(spiritual), earth is substance (man). Sea is politics, earth is person. There was only water before creation, then earth divided the water.
Found this today! Oh my gosh the clarity it gives!!! Later (2/5/26) – Most of this goes between the sealing of the 144K and their appearance in heaven. So between Rev 7:1 and Rev 14:1. Going to make some new notes in the below and try to pin various parts to verses. So this period, on “The Names of the Times” spreadsheet, is the period labeled “This Interval not discussed in Rev 13-14. So it fills in a blank but needs to correlate to the chronology in Rev. 7:9 through the 7th Trumpet in Rev 11:15. Today, I note that the 7th trumpet is AFTER John is told to prophesy again. That puts it with the longer term events. The two witnesses are first mentioned AFTER the 7th trumpet.
2026 - This sequence of events is compelling: 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. This is 2Thess5 - setting up of the AoD. Looks just like it because it is in fact the ultimate AoD when the time of the end arrives. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Those who know their God. This is about the 144K and is the best explanation we will get about what they do. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. The 144K will preach to the Jews and inform them of the real intent of the MoL. For their trouble they will be martyred - executed, burned at the stake, overrun by the forces of evil. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, This is father against son, mother against daughter and so on. This is still to come. 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. [Dan 11:31-35 ESV]. This is the time when the signs of the AoD will deceive the very elect. This is the time of martyrdom for the 144K. At the end of this martyrdom, as the MoL believes he has annihilated the messengers, they are taken out and appear in heaven as in Rev 14.
2023 - Vs 36, the mouth uttering blasphemy: 36 "And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. [Dan 11:36 ESV]. What in the world will he be saying? There is no doubt now that we are talking about the future. Many references to the words this one will spout. It would be good to compile them and put them in here, so that it is clear what is going on. 2026 - This is the mouth speaking blasphemous things. This verse gives us some chronological insight into when this will happen. It is AFTER desecration of the Temple, it is AFTER the AoD is set up, AFTER the martyrdom of the 144K. These words will be spoken in false triumph as the MoL believes he has won. But look at that las phrase of 36 in NASB...it is still to come at the appointed time. He thinks he's won, but he has certainly not.
2020-He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. Daniel 11:39 ESV This is how future Babylon is built, it is why the merchants will mourn. Favoritism and corruption will enrich those who follow the beast.
NEED TO PLACE THIS ON THE TIMELINE!!! Make sure it is occurring in the same order. It will certainly bridge some gaps.
Verse 1 again blows me away, because I have never taken notice of this before: 1 "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. [Dan 12:1 ESV] MSB says the phrase "At that time..." means during the time of Antichrist, the time of tribulation, in 11:36-45. Michael will intervene during the last 7 years to preserve Israel from the Antichrist. Only by his intervention will they survive.
2026 - This time of trouble might be that same as Jesus mentions in Matthew: 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. [Mat 24:21 ESV]. This is another timestamp as to where we are....
2026 - Daniel 12:11-12: 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. [Dan 12:11-12 ESV]. The MoL is given 42 months. The AoD is 1290 days before the end of the 70th, 30 days before the midpoint. Maybe he who waits doesn't take the mark and gets to 75 days before the AoD? Or maybe this is 45 days past the end of the 70th when the judgment is over. I think these are making more sense than they ever have before...but the 1335 is still giving me a headache.
Does Daniel fill in one of the “blanks”, either the blank in 6-10, or the blank in 11-14…15?
Read this today…does it tie to the wheat harvested before the grapes? 11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, When I restore the fortunes of My people. [Hos 6:11 NASB95]. It sure seems to. This would mean that harvest is not the rapture but God gathering his people Israel. 11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, When I return the captives of My people. [Hos 6:11 NKJV] 11 For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed. When I restore the fortunes of my people, [Hos 6:11 ESV]. All seems pretty consistent.
I noted this today in Rev4: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. [Rev 4:7 ESV] There is a passage in Revelation somewhere with an eagle flying overhead. I had wondered what that was, but I see now that it could well be this angel – cherubim I think – delivering a message from the very throne of God. (It was in 8:13.)
Today 2/7/26, in Joel 1: 2026 - I have missed this before. I think today that it is quite important: 9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD. [Joe 1:9 ESV]. In Daniel, two books ago, there was a definite time given for how long the offering would be cut off, presumably by the MoL. So my assumption was that there is always a way to sacrifice, and that the daily Temple sacrifices would always take place, unless they were prohibited by some great power - like AEIV or MoL. But according to this passage in Joel, sometimes there just isn't anything to sacrifice. So rather than require that the MoL is going to cut off Temple sacrifice, we might allow for the possibility that the ongoing seal and trumpet judgments have wreaked worldwide havoc to the point where sacrificial offerings cannot be obtained...or cannot be spared due to desperate conditions. 2026 - It might be worth looking at this kind of chronology in Revelation. It might be worth interpreting the 1290 day cutoff as the period of time between conditions in the world - or at least at the Temple - become so dire that sacrifices must be discontinued and the time enough order is restored to resume them.
Another on 2/7…I am finding so very much that fits perfectly into Rev 14! These verses: 12 Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 16 The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. [Joe 3:12-16 ESV]. This seems ABSOLUTELY to describe the very same sequence we see in Rev 14:14-20!!! This is the same judgment. Valley of Decision….this seems to be a prophecy of the time immediately after Armageddon. Can that possibly fit in as early as Rev 14 though??? The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the Kidron Valley, right outside the walls of Jerusalem. Megiddo is the Valley of Jezreel. This means Joel is not talking about the Battle of Armageddon in 3:14, which is far to the north of Jerusalem. This is something pretty much just outside the city itself. So you basically can envision something like armies surrounding Jerusalem, and God somehow wipes them out. There is an unprecedented slaughter. Could there simultaneously be an army assembled at Megiddo under the MoL, which is attacked by Jesus as he returns on his white horse, and then he moves to Jerusalem and wipes out the surrounding armies there, followed by the post-Armageddon judgment – the sheep and goat judgment? Reaping of the wheat as the tares are burned. Harvest of the grapes, crushed until the blood is as high as horses bridles? There has to be a way to fit this in???