Synopsis: In Revelation 14, John is given a vision of two kinds of people and two eternal destinies. One group is marked by the Lamb, redeemed by Christ, purified by grace, and destined to sing a new song forever. The other is marked by Babylon and the beast, seduced by the world, hardened by sin, and headed toward judgment. The chapter culminates in a final harvest where Christ separates humanity once and for all. This sermon explores the reality that every person is being shaped by what they worship, and one day the harvest of eternity will reveal who they truly belonged to.
Text: Revelation 14
Date: May 31, 2026
Introduction
Opening Illustration – Ranchers: If ever you have driven out west you have driven through some of the large ranches where cattle are bred. It is not uncommon historically for many cattle from many different ranchers to graze together in large open stretches of land. The different cattle are all branded according to their owner. But from a distance, you can’t see the branding. From a distance it just looks like one great big mass of animals. But at certain times of the year, the separation would occur. Cowboys would drive the herd through the gate one by one, and examine the marking. The cattle that belonged to one rancher would go off in one direction, and the cattle that belonged to another rancher would be sent in the other direction.
Personal: Right now, all of humanity looks intermixed. The righteous and the wicked live side by side. But the scriptures say there is coming a day of separation. When Christ returns we are told he will separate the wheat from the chaff. And the determination of where each of us will go to spend our eternity, has nothing to do with what we have accomplished or done right in this life. The single determining factor is whose brand we bear. There are those who belong to Christ, and there are those who belong to the kingdoms of this world.
Context: Today, we are continuing our sermon series in Revelation. Revelation is a genre of writing that is designed to use symbols and metaphors that must be interepreted. And Revelation is designed around seven cycles. A similar story, the story of the Church Age battling with evil and culminating at Christ’s return, is told seven different times and from seven different perspectives. Today we wrap up our fourth of seven cycles, once again glimpsing into our future, into the moment of Christ’s return when he brings this Age of the Church to its end.
Main Point: Everyone is marked by one of two eternities.
A People Marked by the Lamb
First, in this passage we see a people who are marked by the lamb, and their eternity is joy everlasting in the presence of the King.
Revelation 14:1–5 “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.”
Lamb: John looks and sees the lamb. Of course we have enconted this lamb in Revelation, and we know it is none other than Jesus Christ. Remember, this is a book of symbols. And so Christ is not actually a physical lamb. Christ is a fully human. Rather this is a metaphor of what he has accomplished. Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrificial offering of a lamb upon an altar. His perfect blood was shed on that cross, as atonement for our sins.
144,000: John doesn’t only see the lamb, but he sees 144,000 redeemed saints standing with the lamb. We encountered the 144,000 earlier in the book of Revelation. We discussed that, like other numbers in the book of Revelation, it is a symbolic number. Here it is referencing the Lord’s Church, all believers in Christ.
Name on Forehead: Written upon their foreheads is the name of God the Father. Last week we saw the beast mark his followers on their heads and hands. Here we take sweet refuge in the reality that if we are in Christ, we are marked by Christ with an eternal mark that cannot be removed. At the point of conversion we were branded as his. We were secured by him.
Virgin: Verses 4-5 describes those who belong to Christ as virgins, and blameless. I do not think that this means that only men will be included, or that only physical virgins will be included. This is symbolic language that is common in the scriptures to speak about about what it means to be in Christ. In Christ, we are cleansed from the stain of sin, that it is as though sinless, blameless. Though in truth, sin in one degree or another continues as we battle with the flesh, in the eyes of God, we are in such right standing with God, so pure because of what Christ has done, that we can be describe undefiled, blamless.
Singing: What are they doing? They are singing a song, collectively together. We’re told this song erupts out of heaven “like the sound of many waters and like the sound of thunder.” To be in this place is to feel the vibrations of the air around you humming and thrumming with glory of this song. The Church sings with one voice and it sounds like the sound of “many harpists.” The harp has always been considered a heavenly instrument because of its peculiar beauty of sound, and here heaven is erupting and vibrating with the voices of every saint, from every age, from every continent, singing before the Lord. What good news for guys like me with not so good singing voices here on Earth. I will sing like a harpist in heaven. Glory!
New Song: What is the song they sing? It is a new song. It is the song of the redeemed. Surely, John has in mind Psalm 98 which reads,
Psalm 98:1 “Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”
Psalm 98, written of course nearly a millennium before John’s Apocalypse, spoke of a day of triumph when the saints would sing a new song to celebrate the work of salvation their savior had wrought. Nobody this side of glory knows the words. Nobody who has failed to confess Christ as their Lord and Savior will ever learn the words. The words to this song are reserved for those who are in Christ.
Experiential: This is a sweet glimpse of heaven, just a foretaste, because in later chapters we will get a much fuller picture of heaven. But I want to pause here and reflect on this “new song” we will sing. How strange it will be for many Christians who have never really sung with their heart to God down here, to suddenly be an important part of a heavenly choir, singing to Christ up there.
A Slice of Heaven: I want to careful that I don’t overly add humor to something that is actually quite important. Every morning in the Chenery household, we gather with my children to read a small section of scripture together, to pray, and to sing a song worship to begin our day. And what we do in that moment is we turn our home into a little slice of heaven. I’m certain that tee angels that watch over my family are joining with us as we sing. Very often I’ll get my guitar, or one of my girls will lead on piano. What joy! Here’s the point. Worship like that ought not be a burden on a genuine follower of Christ; it ought to be quite natural. When we have tasted of the goodness of Christ, and the forgiveness of sin, there is a sense that the soul delights in joining with the saints in worship.
Wrap Up: Are you marked by the lamb? Do you bear the name of the Father upon your forehead? Have you been declared blameless because of Christ’s work on your behalf? If not, I pray you do not wait one second longer. Eternity is too great a reality to delay that decision.
First, we see a people marked by the lamb.
A People Marked By Babylon
The second group we see is a people marked by Babylon and the beast, and their eternity is restless agony,
Revelation 14:6–13 “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. 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.” 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.” 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, 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. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!””
This section is outlined by three angels. These angels functionally are preparing the world for judgment.
ANGEL 1 – THE ETERNAL GOSPEL (6-7)
Time is Short: The first angel comes with a warning. The message of his warning is very simple. “The time has come. There are only a few moments remaining before Christ the Judge returns. And at that point it will be too late.”
Eternal Gospel: We are told that the angel proclaims the “eternal gospel.” Why is it called “the eternal gospel?” Gospel means “good news.” The gospel refers to the message of Christ atoning work on the cross, where he bled and died to forgive us our sins, and establish a life with God. It is eternal because it will continue to be “good news” forever. The old hymn cries out:
“When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun. We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’ve first begun.”
Yes! But it is also eternal because it was planned from eternity past. Before the world was ever created, and before sin ever entered the story, God the father covenanted with God the Son to redeem a fallen people through the work of the cross.
ANGEL 2 – BABYLON IS FALLEN (8):
Babylon: The second angel we read of in verse 8 proclaims the end of “Babylon the Great.” This is the first of six times that the term Babylon is used in the book of Revelation to refer to the kingdoms of this world. Babylon was an ancient city, and at one point in Israel’s history, it was the arch villain that sacked Jerusalem in 586BC and took captives like the prophet Daniel back to Babylon. In the days of Jesus, it was not uncommon for Jews to refer to the Roman empire as Babylon. But I think here, “Babylon” is a general term that refers to all the all antiChrist kingdoms of this world. It represents powers of darkness and wickedness. We can refer to Chicago as Babylon, and be right in line with Biblical ideas.
Sexual Immorality: The text says that Babylon
Revelation 14:8 “… made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
This is of course the opposite of what we saw in that first group who were marked by the lamb, and were kept pure. The kingdoms of this world are corrupt and polluted and filled with injustice and lawlessness and perversion. They seduce people to follow their
Imminence and Certainty: This angel makes it very clear that the end of those lawless systems and powers in this world is immanent and certain. Babylon rises. But Babylon will ultimately fall.
ANGEL 3 – PUNISHMENT AWAITS
The third angel carries a message of horror. We do ourselves no credit by glossing over this section too quickly. We must consider the details of what this angel says.
To Whom (9): First, verse 9 states explicitly who this angel is warning. This warning is for all who have received the mark of the beast. We studied that language last week, and what we saw was that each person is marked either one of two ways. You are either in Christ, forgiven of sin and right standing with God, or you are marked by the beast. No matter how decent a person you believe yourself to be, if you are not in Christ, you are the beasts, and this message is for you.
God’s Wrath: The angel says that they will “drink the cup of God’s wrath, poured full strength…” We find it easy to speak on God’s love and his mercy. But we do not speak of his wrath like we ought to. To fall underneath the wrath of God is a horrifying thought.
Egypt fell under the wrath of God when Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, but it was not poured full strength.
Sodom fell under the wrath of God when that city sinned horribly in the days of Lot, but it was not poured out full strength.
There is no more terrifying reality one could find themselves, then to have the full weight of God’s wrath bearing down on you.
Illustration – Unjust Judge: This doctrine of wrath is unpopular today. Culture has redefined God on their own terms, a God with no law and a God with no wrath. This is expected among those who bear the mark of the beast. Many believe that a wrathless God is a more loving God. That is absurdity. Imagine a court roomImagine if a man had committed a terrible crime, murdered somebody close to you. And as you went to the hearing, you saw the man was found guilty by the judge. But then the judge, rather than punishing the man, simply says “You’re free to go. It’s no problem.” Would that be a good judge or a terrible judge. You would scream out, “This is an injustice.” A good judge, would understand that crimes must have consequences, otherwise injustice wins. if God is not just, then he is not loving. If there is no judgment for sin, than evil wins.
Tormented Forever: Verses 10-11 are two of the most horrifying verses we can every read in Scripture.
Revelation 14:10–11 “… he will be tormented with fire and sulfur 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, and they have no rest, day or night… ”
We are dealing with a book full of symbols, and so we must be careful not to over-dogmatize anything about what Hell will be like. But whether we take those verse extremely literally, or we take them as somewhat symbolic, we arrive at one clear and obvious meaning. Hell is horrifying and it never ends. The agony of hell is just. There will be no rest from that agony. It is eternal, forever and ever.
Illustration – Dove Mountain: I once read a quote about eternity that said that we could imagine a mountain of stone reaching to the sky. And every year a dove flew by and grazed its wing against the mountian face. By the time that mountain had withered away to nothing to due to that bird’s wing grazing it each year, that would be but a speck in the pool of eternity. At the end of those billions of trillions of years, it has only just begun.
Rest: One of the key phrases is in veres 11. it says “They have not rest.” Hell is a place of agony, where there is no rest. If you comapre that to verse 13, we see that those who die in the Lord are blessed. Why?
Revelation 14:13 “…Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!””
Gospel: If you squirm when you hear of the horrors of Hell, that means you’re understanding it. I have had more than one sleepless night contemplating its horrors. And if you understand hell, then you can really begin to understand Christ’s work on the cross. Because on the cross, Christ endured Hell on your behalf. It looked different from the outside, but that is only because you and I could never fully understand the spiritual reality happening. Christ bore the full weight of sin on the cross for you, for me. The just judge has paid the penalty Himself. There is no greater love, no greater grace, than this.
Experiential: Let me ask you before we look to this final section. Are you ready to face eternity? I’m sorry to put it on so thick today in this section, but the text demands it. Many I fear are casually enjoying Babylon, not taking any time to think about the matters of the soul. They are like a man driving a car playing his favorite music, with a smile on his face, heading straight for a cliff. This text stands like a great warning sign. Look up! Judgment is real, and if you do not repent and trust in Christ, your eternity is sealed. May it not be so for anyone in this room today. Flee to Christ. Not just to escape Hell. But flee to Christ because he is true, and he is righteous!
The second group we see is a people marked by Babylon and the beast, and their eternity is restless agony,
A Harvest that Reveals Every Mark
Third, this text shows us the final separation between the two people. The following passage describes the final harvest of the Lord,. when Christ returns and separates the “wheat from the chaff” as Jesus said.
Revelation 14:14–20 “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. 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.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 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.” 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. 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.”
This text is describing Christ’s judgment. When Christ returns he returns in a cloud of glory, wearing a victor’s crown. His return is described as a harvest. If you read this passage carefully, it actually describes two harvests: A harvest of wheat, and a harvest of grapes.
Wheat: The first, in verses 14-16, describes the Wheat Harvest. Wheat is not harvested the moment the stalk first appears rising out of the ground. It first matures. It grows from a seedling to a full head of wheat. Even then that wheat must sit in the field, through storm, wind, and sun, until it becomes ripe for the harvest. It is also worth noting that wheat and weeds in a field look remarkably similar when they first begin to grow. It is not until they have matured that you can tell what kinds of roots they have. This first harvest describes God’s gathering of the elect. This has not yet happened yet. But one day Christ will appear, and when he does those who have repented of sin, turned from Babylon, received the free gift of grace that Christ offers through his death and resurrection, will be included in that harvest.
Grapes: There is a second harvest described in verses 17-20. This harvest, if you look closely, is not a harvest of wheat, but a harvest of grapes.
Revelation 14:19 “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.”
This winepress imagery is terrifying here for a few reasons.
First, grapes are not merely harvested and then stored in barns carefully. Grapes are crushed are harvested and crushed immediately. In the old days, grapes would be placed in a large vat and folks would come and stomp on them to release the juice.
Second, it is an interesting symbol to use, because grapes grow in clusters. Babylon is not an individual, it is an entire system that individuals are wrapped around are a part of.
Third, grapes are harvested when they have become swollen with with juice. What a picture of sin. Indwelling sin swells in us, and grows in us. It corrupts us until we become fattened with it. But it also is a picture of God’s patience with us. He gives so much time for repenting, for turning to him.
We Are All Ripening: What does this passage teach us. It teaches us that we are all ripening into something.
The Lord: Those who belong to the Lord are ripening into their full form. They have been born again, and they may be just a small stalk that looks not much different than the weed in the field at the moment. But because they have experienced new birth in Christ, that stalk will grow into a full head of wheat.
Babylon: Those who belong to Babylon are ripening as well. Sin begets sin. As much as the world distracts itself from the reality of the great judge who stands over their life. On the day of harvest they will not escape his judgment. There is no moral neutrality. The number one question I get in evangelism is “What I’m just a good person.” And the answer is, “There has only ever been one good person. It was Jesus Christ. All of us are so riddled with sin, that on the day of the great harvest, nobody will find anyone’s judgment unjust. Every head will nod in approval when we see the reality of sin and all of its conseiquences.
There is quickly coming a harvest that will separate those who are marked by the lamb from those who are marked by Babylon.
Conclusion
Let me close by drawing our attention to an often repeated refrain in Revelation. It appears today in the middle of our text in verse 12.
Revelation 14:12 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
Everyone is marked by one of two eternities. If you are a Christian, and you know your fate is sealed, live now for Christ with all zeal and enthusiasm. Live now as those who are already experiencing the foretaste of heaven. Keep his commands because they give life. But if you are living for Babylon, flee while you have a chance. Christ stands with open arms to receive you. If he could save a wretch like me, he can save a wretch like you. Eternity is a very long time, make sure yours is prepared well.
