 |
| Photo of Jon Tracy, by Jim Tracy |
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
The Lamb is Christ, of course. Those that have the mark of the Father are those who have accepted Jesus as their savior. This number 144,000 is likely symbolic, representing the Jews who accepted Christ in the first century. Later, this scripture mentions gentiles.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
A new song for a New Covenant.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
First means first, not those harvested at the end. The first people to accept Jesus were all Jews. The Bible records thousands of Jewish converts, especially in the book of Acts.
Paul (Acts 26:7) and James (James 1:1, 18) both speak to the 12 tribes of Israel as if they knew where they both were. Since all 12 tribes are mentioned in the scriptures discussing the return from Babylon (Ezra and Nehemiah) in the Old Testament, and history mentions them as well (the Egyptian king Ptolemais I asked for all the Jewish scriptures to be translated into Greek. The nation of Judah sent 6 men from each tribe to Egypt to do the work, equaling 72, shortened to Septuagint [70] for convenience sake.)
All the apostles always preached to the Jews in each city first. Thus all 12 tribes were easily included in this “First Fruits.”
The first converts had not been corrupted with the woman who sits on seven hills (Jerusalem.)
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Once we accept Jesus as our savior, all our sins are washed away and we have no more guile or fault before God. We are allowed to come before His throne at any time to worship and make pleas. We are his servants, standing before His throne waiting to do his bidding.
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
The spirit of God spread from Judah to the whole earth. Paul tells us that by his time the Gospel had been preached to the whole world.
Though tens of thousands of Jews were saved immediately after the Crucifixtion, millions of gentiles have come to God over the last 2000 years.
7 Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
8 And there followed another angel, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Earlier, John identified Babylon as the city where Jesus was crucified. This angel is telling the world that the great city Jerusalem has been destroyed.
The word “Jerusalem” means “City of Peace.” John never uses this word to describe the physical city in Palestine. It no longer fits. “Babylon” means “confusion,” a much more accurate description.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
“If anyone worships the emperor or Rome …”
10 “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:”
“He will be punished by God.”
11 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Finally those martyrs under the throne of God are avenged.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, “Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Jesus is come to harvest the world.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, “Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
First the Christians fled Judah, especially Jerusalem. They were gathered in Pella.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.”
It’s time to harvest the unrighteous Jews.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
AD 70
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Murder on the lake, in the rivers, villages, even in the Temple itself. Josephus mentions the Jordon being so full of dead bodies it couldn’t be crossed, as well as other bodies of water in Judea being full of blood. The entire land suffered a slaughter. He also records the rivers and lakes of blood in Jerusalem when Titus conquered it being enough to put out house fires.
The height of a horse’s bridle depends on where he is holding his head; anywhere from four inches to seven feet, but blood coagulates much too quickly for this to be possible, literally. Simply a physical impossibility.