|
THE LAMB OPPOSES THE TWO BEASTS I. COMPLIMENTARY TEXTS 1. 1 Peter 1:18-21 - the blood of the lamb, the sacrifice of Jesus, is what redeems us. 2. John 1:29,36 - Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 3. John 12:47-50 - Jesus is the one who speaks the words that will judge us in the last day. 4. Romans 8:37-39 - Jesus is the ultimate victor, giving God's love to those who follow Him. 5. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 - Christ's resurrection is the sign that He will be victorious over all. II. MAIN THEME: Revelation 14 - The sea beast (Roman Emperor) and the land
beast (Concilia) were Satan's forces on earth. The vision
now reveals God's forces led by the Lamb of God, the crowned Son of Man who
will sit in judgment, arrayed against the beasts. God's forces will be victorious over Satan. 1. Textual Discussion of Revelation 14 and related passages in Revelation. 1) 14:1 - To stand against the two beasts, God reveals the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. This is the same lamb seen by John (5:6) earlier. He was slain, but is alive - this is reality in contrast to the wounded head of the sea beast which appeared to be healed. 1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29. 2) 14:2-5 - The scene around the Lamb is painted showing 144,000 saints before the throne of God singing the new song and following the Lamb. The scene is not of panic or distress over the impending battle, but of a victorious procession following their glorious leader. 3) 14:6-7 - The first angel predicts the upcoming judgment and calls on all peoples to worship God as the creator. This is the gospel being preached. Philippians 1:27-30 4) 14:8 - The second angel predicts the upcoming destruction of Babylon (Rome) as if it has already happened. It is destroyed because of its idolatry. Exodus 20:3-6 5) 14:9-12 - The third angel predicts the punishment of all those who worship the beast (Emperor). Christians will suffer temporarily in persecution, but emperor worshippers will suffer an eternal punishment. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 Christians should be patient and faithful - this will happen! 6) 14:13 - A voice from heaven proclaims a blessing on all those who die. Obviously, this refers to those Christians who die at the hands of persecution. They will find rest. Matthew 11:28-30 7) 14:14-16 - Also, to stand against the two beasts, God reveals the Son of Man who is crowned as king and is given the right of judgment. The sickle is a symbol of judgment. The time was right for judgment, so the Son of Man began to wield his sickle in judgment against the beasts and their worshippers. 8) 14:17-20 - The judgment is shown in a vivid vision of the sickle being swung across the earth and the harvest being thrown into the winepress of God's wrath. The blood of those who are judged by God's wrath flows for a distance of 200 miles at a depth of 4 feet. This judgment is shown to be sure and it cannot be overturned. The Lamb and the Son of Man will be victorious over the two beasts. 2. Related Topics: 1) Who is able to defeat the two great beasts that are dominating the world? God has only one force to stand against the two beasts - Jesus. He is portrayed as the Lamb and the Son (King) in order to show the two characteristics which can defeat Domitian and his evil emperor worship. The Lamb reveals the loving. sacrificial character of Christ who gave himself for our sins. The Son (King) reveals the powerful and fearful judge who will defeat all His enemies. Love and authority are the two forces (both found within Jesus) that God will use to overcome Satan. 2 Corinthians 5:11-16; Hebrews 10:31 2) Proclamation of the Three Angels - The symbolism here is not of readiness for battle, but it reveals God's certainty that He will be victorious. The proclamations are for repentance, destruction, and impending punishment. God is not concerned about the battle - it is already won by Jesus. God is concerned about the many lost souls who stand opposed to Him. 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; John 3:16 3) The 144,000 who are redeemed - the number "144,000" is not a literal figure of how many will be saved. This figure symbolizes all of God's redeemed from both the old and the new dispensations. Twelve (12) is a number symbolizing God's organized religion (12 tribes, 12 apostles) and one thousand (1,000) symbolizes ultimate completion; therefore, "144,000" symbolizes the complete number of the redeemed. 4) Who are the redeemed? They have not "defiled themselves with women." This means that they have not gone to the worship of idols or other gods which is a form of prostitution/adultery. They remain pure by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:14) and they did not tell the lie - that Domitian was god. III. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS 1. Christ's Judgment - As we know from John 12:47-50 and 3:17, Jesus did not come into the world to judge the world, but to save us. However, Jesus will ultimately be the Judge. His life and His words will be the judging factors for our lives. Because of his resurrection, we can be sure of a judgment - Acts 17:30-31 2. Our Battle Hymn - it should be the new song which proclaims Jesus as victor because of His sacrifice. It should reflect the knowledge that we are saved/redeemed (2 Corinthians 5:1-5), not a lack of assurance because we know who has already won the victory - Revelation 19:1-2; Romans 8:1 3. We should not be afraid of death. Remember that God gives a blessing on all who die in the Lord - v.13. Death is not the victor, but we are already victorious in Jesus - 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Proverbs 14:32 4. God offers Seven Blessings throughout the Book of Revelation: (Seven is the perfect number) 1) 1:3 - a blessing on those who read, hear, and do the things written in the book. 2) 14:13 - a blessing on those who remain faithful and die in the Lord - they will rest. 3) 16:15 - a blessing on the watchful and those who remain pure in the Lord. 4) 19:9 - a blessing on those who are invited to come to the marriage supper of the Lord. 5) 20:6 - a blessing on those experiencing the 1st resurrection (faithful in Christ) - they will escape eternal death. 6) 22:7 - a blessing on those who keep (remain true to) the words of the book. 7) 22:14 - a blessing on those who are washed clean by Jesus so that they may enter the heavenly city. 5. Resting from labor is a great blessing. Remember because of the first sin, man was punished with a constant labor - Genesis 3:17-19. In heaven, the fruits of our labors will not be forgotten. We will not be judged by our own works of righteousness, but by our faithfulness in Jesus Christ; however, our deeds done in Christ will be remembered and rewarded. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:6-8; Phil 3:8-14, 1 Cor 3:14. IV. MEMORY VERSE - REVELATION 14:13 |