Rev 14 | EE | STEP | Then I looked again and I saw the Lamb. He was standing on Zion hill in Jerusalem. There were 144000 people there with him. The Lamb’s name and his Father’s name were written on the front of those people’s heads.

Revelation of John 14

The Lamb and the 144000 people

1 Then I looked again and I saw the Lamb. He was standing on Zion hill in Jerusalem. There were 144000 people there with him. The Lamb’s name and his Father’s name were written on the front of those people’s heads.

2 Then I heard a loud sound which came from heaven. The noise was like many rivers that were moving very fast. It was like the loud noise of thunder. The sound was like people who were making music with harps. 3 The 144000 people were singing a new song that they had learned. They sang it in front of the throne. They sang in front of the 4 beings that are alive and in front of the leaders. Only these 144000 people could learn this new song. They are the ones that God had saved from among the people who lived on the earth.

4 These 144000 people have kept themselves clean in their spirits. They are completely clean, like men who have not had sex with women in a wrong way. They follow the Lamb everywhere that he goes. God has saved them from among the people of the world and he has paid for their sins. They are the first people to become a gift to God and to the Lamb. 5 They have never spoken any lies. They have done nothing wrong.

The 3 angels with messages

6 Then I saw another angel who was flying high in the sky above me. He brought God’s message of good news that is always true. He came to tell this news to everyone who lives on the earth. He would tell it to people from every country, from every family group and from every language. 7 He said in a loud voice, ‘Serve God and agree that he is great! Now it is time for him to judge people. He made the sky and the earth and the sea. He also made the springs of water. So worship him!’

8 A second angel followed the first one. He said, ‘God has destroyed Babylon! It is no longer a great city! It has been like a prostitute who makes men become drunk. Then she leads them to have sex in a wrong way. Like this, she has caused people from every country to turn away from God.’ ^{▼▼14:8 Babylon was the capital city of a country that was the enemy of God’s people, Israel, many years ago. Babylon had ruled many other countries. The leaders in Rome ruled many countries when Jesus lived on the earth. John may really be talking about Rome here when he says ‘Babylon’. But ‘Babylon’ could mean any place that is against God and his people. That means a place where Satan rules.}

9 A third angel followed the other 2 angels. He said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the wild animal and its idol, God will punish them. If anyone receives that animal’s mark on their head or on their hand, God will be punish them. 10 God will be very angry with all those people. They will be like people who must drink God’s strong wine. When they drink from God’s wine cup, they will have very bad pain. Fire and sulphur will burn them. God’s angels and the Lamb will watch while God punishes them. 11 The smoke will rise for ever while they burn. They will have no rest during the day or during the night. This will happen to everyone who worships the wild animal and its idol. It will happen to everyone who receives the mark which shows its name.’

12 This means that God’s people must go on being patient and strong. They must continue to obey God’s rules. They must continue to trust Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice that spoke from heaven. It said, ‘Write this: From this time, people who continue to believe in the Lord and then they die will be very happy.’ God’s Spirit says, ‘Yes, they will rest from their work. God will not forget the good things that they have done.’

The earth’s harvest

14 Then I looked, and I saw a white cloud in front of me. I saw someone who was like a human person. ^{▼▼14:14 a human person or a son of man. See Daniel 7:13.} He was sitting on the cloud. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp knife in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out from God’s house in heaven. He shouted with a loud voice to the person who was sitting on the cloud. He told him, ‘Use your sharp knife and start to work. It is time to bring in the harvest. Cut down the plants and bring them in. The harvest on the earth is now ready.’

16 Then the person who sat on the cloud moved his sharp knife over the earth. He cut down the earth’s plants and he brought in the harvest. ^{▼▼14:14-16 The person like a human person seems to be the Lord Jesus. Jesus often called himself the Son of Man. He brings in the harvest of people from all the earth. He will bring all the people together. He will decide who is good. He will also decide who is bad.}

17 Then another angel came out from God’s house in heaven. He also had a sharp knife in his hand. 18 Again, another angel came from the altar where people offered gifts to God. This angel had authority for the fire on the altar. He shouted with a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp knife. He told him, ‘Use your knife and cut the grapes off the earth’s vine. The grapes are ready now to make wine.’

19 So the angel moved his sharp knife over the earth. He cut off the grapes which grew in the earth’s field of vines. He threw the grapes into a great hole in the ground. That is where God shows that he is very angry with bad people. It is the winepress where he makes the grapes into wine. 20 The winepress was outside the city. When the grapes were walked on, the juice that came out of the winepress was blood. The river of blood was very deep. It rose as high as horses’ necks and it went as far as 300 kilometres. ^{▼▼14:20 God is showing how angry he is. He is angry with everyone who will not obey him. The grapes are like a picture of bad people. At the time when John was writing Revelation, this is how people made wine. They put the grapes in a big hole that they had cut in the rock. This was called a winepress. Then they walked on the grapes, to squeeze them. Pipes went out of the winepress. The juice from the grapes went out through the pipes. It was red like blood. This is a picture of how God will punish his enemies. See also Revelation 19:15 and Isaiah 63:3.}