Revelation 14
The first hearers of this
book would have understood persecution personally and individually. There were
few Christians who had not lost someone close to them to the enemy’s attacks.
They would understand the dragon’s attack on the woman and her child. They
would have felt the overt pressure of the first monster and the seductive
appeal of the second monster. At some point even the most faithful would have
asked the question, “Is it worth it?” To answer that question there are three
key messages in this chapter.
The first message is,
“Others have remained faithful and you can too”. The disciple who feels isolated
and alone is soon defeated. This chapter opens with a picture of all the
faithful being with the Lord, not one is missing. This is reminiscent of the worship we saw
back in chapter 4. The center of the
Universe is God and His people all of them are in that company. Those who are facing persecution have this
grand future in store. The message to
this is, “They have done it and you are part of this group. You belong to this
group you are an insider of a very elite circle." The first Angel who
shares the gospel sums up the first message.
The second message is a
literary foreshadowing. It alludes to what will be more fully explained later.
The sensual, self-serving life is extremely alluring. The life of a disciple is
made up of suffering and pressure and self-denial. A life of pleasure, ease,
and the satisfaction of any urge we may have is personified in Babylon. But in
one verse (8) the world's system of sensual gratification is described as a
fallen system. The world and its values,
promises, and invitations are in a state of collapse. That collapse may not be visible but it has
begun. Why invest or trust in something
that is already beginning to fall.
The third message is that
one day all accounts will be settled. Yes, there is immense pressure on disciples.
Yes, the world’s system of pleasure and satisfaction is very appealing at
times. But one day we will all give a strict account to a judge. This judge
will not be deceived by appearances. The righteous will have their works follow
them. The unrighteous will experience the horror of realizing their doom was
self-created when they conformed to the world's pressure or gave in to the
world’s seduction.
In our lives of relative
ease, comfort and freedom we have a hard time understanding the pressure that
is on the persecuted Church. But for early Christians that pressure was a daily
and indeed a moment-by-moment reality.
The disciple standing before the Emperor could, because of the
Revelation, see what the Emperor could not.
They would both be judged and the Judge was the Savior of the one the
Emperor was trying to destroy. The
pressure on the persecuted Christian was intense. But even in that pressure there remains this
truth, “Others have been faithful and you can be too.” Besides, it beats the alternative.
Questions to ponder
Of the three messages by the
three angels which do you think would strengthen you most in times of
persecution?
Can you identify places
where the world’s system of self, pleasure and rebellion is failing and
self-defeating?
Do you belong to any elite
group or organization?
How does it feel to be part
of a select few to which others cannot gain admittance?
