Certain Judgment; Certain Rest Revelation 14:6-13

As I kid I grew up watching Hogan’s Heroes reruns. Anyone else?

The sitcom follows Colonel Hogan and his band of soldiers in a POW camp during WWII. They have an entire operation where they smuggle people in and out of the POW camp to get them to safety.

In the show the operation is on the absurd side for the sake of comedy. They print counterfeit currency, manufacture parts, and a whole host of other things. They have a radio to communicate with an off shore submarine. and They have a radio that picks up the BBC. As they listen to the radio, coded messages are played that they decipher to be encouraged about the progress of the war, or else it contains instructions about what they are to do.

This aspect of the show has some degree of grounding in history. POWs really did work to listen to secret radios in order to get a sense of how things were really going with the war. The Nazi’s were prolific at circulating propaganda, and news from the outside was desperately sought after.

When things seemed dark and the evils of the Nazi regime was at its peak, tuning into the BBC provided a need morale boost because the prisoners heard key things:

the truth about the war

assurances of Hitler’s eventual downfall

an encouragement to keep resisting.

Our text today perhaps functions in a similar way for God’s people, both now and during the tribulation upon the earth that is yet to come.

Though evil may seem to reign unchecked, we are reminded of the truth about who we are and who God is, the surety of Babylon’s downfall, and an encouragement to persevere through trial to the end, knowing our God who sees all will reward.

Let’s read tour text for today

Revelation 14:6–13 LSB

Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who inhabit the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 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.” And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, and he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His rage, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Remember here the chronology is little muddied. We just saw a peak into the future day when Christ returns and stands on Mount Zion. Here time rewinds a little with the final declarations to the earth prior to his coming and leading up to the bowl judgements.

There are four key truths for us to absorb this morning, each coming in the form of divine proclamations, three through angels, and one directly from the Holy Spirit Himself.

Respond to the Most Foundational Truths

Explain details

Eternal Gospel - we might expect to hear about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Instead its more about God as creator and the proper response to him. The Word Gospel means good news. Even though judgment is imminent, there is one final chance to respond properly to the truth of who God is. This is a message of eternal significance and eternal relevance.

Proclaim - this is the verb euangalidzo - to preach good news. to evangelize.

those who inhabit the earth - every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. extensive message. Everyone will hear. No one will be left out.

Fear God

We have seen in our proverbs study the reality of the necessity of the fear of God:

Proverbs 9:10 LSB

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Fearing the Lord is the only way to make sense of the world. In fact, Solomon was so wise enough to recognize that the fear of the Lord was the key to everything, partly because he tried everything else.

In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon laments the failures of wealth, pleasure, philosophy, and everything else to make sense of the world. He finally has to come back to this reality:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 LSB

The end of the matter, all that has been heard: fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the end of the matter for all mankind. For God will bring every work to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

That the answer. Fear God. What does that mean?

Some have tried to soften the concept of fear. Say it just refers to worship and awe. Awe is definitely part of it, but the author of Hebrews says that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and that our God is a consuming fire. So it has to be more than just awe.

Years ago I remember visiting the Grand Canyon. Stunning and beautiful in many ways. Highly recommend. It’s beautiful. But deadly.

In many places there are not safety rails on the rim. People have fallen over the edge and plummeted to their deaths. Some people have gone hiking and died of heatstroke and dehydration. A place with such beauty also incredibly deadly.

This is the fear of the Lord. It’s awe, reverence, worship, but all with the knowledge that he could squash you so fast no one would even remember your name.

Fear Him. Give Him glory.

Give Him Glory - In Romans one, the failure to give God glory is connected to misdirected worship. Worshiping the created thing rather than the creator. Giving him glory would look like repentance, acknowledging our place before Him, and praising him for his mercy to you

Fear Him. Glorify Him. Worship Him

Only He deserves our worship. The world is going to be pressured to worship the Antichrist. While those pressures increase, this proclamation goes out: don’t do it! Worship the one true God!

We aren’t under tribulation level pressure, but we still face temptations to worship things other than the Lord.

We worship ourselves when we live selfishly and rebelliously.

We worship ourselves when we fail to steward our time, money, food, possessions, etc. well.

We may worship others if they have too much of our time and attention.

We may worship possessions if our hearts are controlled by those things.

We ought to be worshiping God! Why?

Two whys are given

The hour of Judgment Has Come.

This is similar to Jesus’ own admonition in Luke 12

Luke 12:5 LSB

“But I will show you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

This is it. There are no more chances. There is no more time. Choose this day whom you will serve, there are are no take backs!

He is the judge. He is the righteous judge. He will render a just verdict.

He is the Creator and you are the creature.

For those in rejection to this point, this is the last chance call by the Lord to respond in faith! There is no more opportunity after this. The 144k have served faithfully, the two witnesses performed signs and wonders, and now an angel from heaven comes proclaiming basic truth that everyone should be able to grasp: there is a God and you are not Him!

Everything in the world screams that there is a God and that we are accountable to him.

The call is to respond appropriately.

For those who do trust in him, this is a call that should encourage. It should remind of the most basic truths.

You all know that I love me some rich theology. I enjoy talking about the theological minutia.

But when all hell seems to break loose on the earth, what most of us need is not a treatise on the differences between infra and supra lapsarianism. Uh what’s that. exactly.

So often what we need are the most basic truths. The foundational truths. Fear God. Give Him Glory. Worship Him.

Many of you are familiar with the apostles Creed. Perhaps you’ve attended a church that recited it regularly.

I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord, who was conceived of the holy spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered un Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

And it goes on.

Great creed. Summarizes the most basic things we believe. Did you know that suffering and persecuted Christians used creeds like the apostles creed to help keep them grounded in a world that was keen on destroying them? You may not always have access to Bibles, to pastors, to a church. What will keep you grounded?

Reminding yourself of the most basic truths! Be reminded! respond with faith and persevere in that truth!

Because the reality is that the alternatives to God will all be destroyed. Vs 8

Recognize that Babylon’s fall is certain

vs 8

The Antichrist has sought to bring the world after himself, he has commanded worship, he has commanded immorality. But none of that is going to last.

Babylon - could be a coded reference to Rome. Could be more symbolic of the systems of the world. Babylon is emblematic of the systems of the world that stand in opposition to the Lord. Be that Rome or any other city.

The declaration of the angel is that the city has fallen!

Fallen, Fallen! Emphasizes the detail! Emphasizes the surety of it!

This hasn’t happened yet. In fact, even in Revelation it won’t full occur until chapter 18. But here her downfall is announced with certainty.

Today we think about cities that are known for certain things. Think of Vegas. Think of Hollywood. The name Hollywood communicates more than just a city in California. It speaks to the industry. It speaks to what it exports.

Babylon is functioning in that way. It’s not just a place. It’s the influence. Its the exports.

Babylon has exported sexual immortality and idolatry. All the nations are caught up in it. It’s Vegas everywhere.

But there will be a day when degenerating influence of Hollywood will be over.

There will be a day when Vegas will not spread it’s immorality.

There will be a day when Babylon is fallen.

Here is it announced. Chapter 18 will bring the actual end.

The Antichrist does all he can to amass worship to himself and bring the nations after him, and he appears to be successful! But the end is sure.

Sadly, many will go after him. And their end is likewise sure

Be warned: the Beast’s Mark comes at a Cost

As the message to fear God goes out, there are many who will reject and will take the mark of the beast. There are dueling interests here. God says fear me. the Antichrist says no, fear ME.

Those who follow the beast, the text says they will endure the full fury of God’s wrath.

vs 10 “he also will drink” places an emphasis on the individual. Could be translated “Even He Himself will drink” Each person is accountable to the Lord individually. There are no excuses. There are no valid reasons for idolatry. No matter the pressures that come against you, sin is NEVER the answer!

They have drunk of the wine of Babylon. Now they must drink the wine of the wrath of God mixed in full strength.

We have a bottle of concentrated mouthwash at home. Dr. Tichnors. To use for mouthwash you are supposed to dilute it 1 part Tichnors, 5 parts water.

When I was a teenager, I didn’t know about the importance of diluting it. I figured, I need to use mouthwash, and here is some. So I launched it into my mouth, and the searing pain was instant. No amount of rinsing with water soothed the pain, quenched the fire, or anything else. It burned for what felt like hours. Only after that did I read the bottle and the process of dilution. Full strength it is used as an antiseptic! diluted it is suitable for mouthwash.

This text teaches us: for those who take the mark of the beast after all that God has done to show them truth, to them there is nothing left except the full undiluted fury of God’s wrath. God will hold nothing back from those who persist in their rebellion to the bitter end.

The beast will pressure the world. Worship me and take my mark or else I’ll kill you.

God warns. Take that mark, worship him, and you’ll have me to deal with.

It’s easy to struggle with the concept of the wrath of God. We’ve covered this before, but just reminders that God’s wrath is only ever proportional to the seriousness and severity of our sin, it is never over the top. If anything we deserve worse!

Friends, it is better to suffer the temporal pain of persecution and even martyrdom in this life than to face eternal torment under the wrath of God.

People will think they are preserving their life by their idolatry, but in reality they are giving up their souls.

We don’t face the beast, but we are faced with the pressures of this world on a daily basis. Pressures to give in for how we dress, talk, eat, where we go, what we do. The systems of this world are designed to get our eyes off of Christ and onto whatever we think is going to provide freedom for us that day.

We may even fear rejection from friends and family, we may fear mockery from co-workers. We may labor in fighting sin and temptation.

It is better to suffer now and remain faithful than to give in and face the judgment of God.

And for those who remain faithful. Great things ahead!

Be Encouraged: Perseverance Brings Rest

vs 12-13

Perseverance of the saints. They keep the commandments of God. They keep their faith in Jesus.

The saints persevere in truth. They maintain their trust in the Lord. They are preserved through the tribulation by the power of God and so persevere to the bitter end! Many of them will die for their faith! And they will be blessed for it.

The first three proclamations were issued by angels. This one has a special source.

For them, they get a divine proclamation. An angel doesn’t utter this. God the Holy Spirit does. Write! Mark this down John. Make no mistake. This is as certain as the judgment of the wicked!

Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on!

This is talking about those who die a martyrs death during the tribulation, or perhaps during the last 3.5 years.

Why are they blessed?

They will rest. Their battle has been long. They have fought the fight. They kept the faith. Finally, they get to rest. The fight will be over. No more temptation. No more pressure. No more persecution. Only Rest.

I think of Jesus’ words in Matt 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28–30 LSB

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus gives freedom! Jesus Gives rest. We get to rest from our labors to earn salvation. One day we will get to rest fully from all our strivings, all our battles that we face in this life.

They are blessed because they will rest.

Their deeds will follow them. They will be rewarded. Their deeds follow them. They will not be forgotten. They will be honored. Difference Scriptures speak of the rewards for those who are faithful to Christ. Scripture speaks of the judgment seat of Christ, which is for believers to receive their rewards for their service to the Lord. The Lord honors faithfulness. He will reward. They are blessed for the will be rewarded for their faithfulness even unto death.

Do you need rest today? Do you feel like you’re a in a battle for your life and the world and its temptations are just relentless against you today?

Persevere, brother! Persevere, sister! There is a day coming when you will find complete rest, and in through your perseverance as the Lord preserves you, your deeds will follow you and you will be rewarded for your labor!

All of us are locked into a battle seemingly to the death against our sin and against the temptations of the world!

Don’t give up the fight. You may be weary! You may feel run down. But do not give up! Glory awaits.

Paul reminds us

1 Corinthians 15:58 LSB

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Your striving is not in vain! Your suffering is not in vain! Your hardship are not in vain!

God see it all! God knows it all! God cares about it all, and his promise for those who endure is that you will find complete and perfect rest in Him. Be encouraged in these truths today!

Think on the words we will sing as we close our service this morning:

Don′t drop a single anchor, we're almost home Through every toil and danger, we′re almost home How many pilgrim saints have before us gone? No stopping now, we're almost home

That promised land is calling, we're almost home And not a tear shall fall then, we′re almost home Make ready now your souls for that kingdom come No turning back we′re almost home

Almost home, we're almost home So press on toward that blessed shore Oh, praise the Lord, we′re almost home