In our daily devotional on Revelation 14, we are given a powerful glimpse of the Lamb standing victorious on Mount Zion, surrounded by the redeemed, and the sobering imagery of the final harvest. This chapter serves as both a celebration of God’s faithful and a solemn reminder of the judgment to come. It asks us to reflect deeply on our spiritual readiness: are we prepared to meet Jesus if today is our personal harvest? To explore the mark of the beast, read the daily devotional on Revelation 13.
Revelation 14 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
In Revelation 14, we are going to read about the Lamb and the harvest on earth. There will be a last harvest. The question is, are you ready? Are you ready to meet Jesus if you die today? Do you know where you go when you die? Please read or listen to Revelation 14.
We invite you to watch the Great News Video on this page to find out how you can go to Heaven when you die.
What Are the Three Angels in Revelation 14?
In 1995, after reading Revelation 14, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, “Harpists play their harps. I want to learn to play a harp someday.” Then I wrote, “144,000 blameless, no lies.” I continued to write, “Angels, angels, angels everywhere carrying out the desire of God. I need to learn more about angels. He, like the Son of Man, comes on a cloud to reap his final harvest.” In my prayer time after reading chapter 14, I wrote, “For understanding of what I’m reading and for acceptance by faith.”
Who Are the 144,000 in Bible Revelation?
In 2008, I wrote, “The mark of the beast or the mark of His name and the name of His Father?” I was questioning verse 1. I continued, “144,000 purchased from the earth by Jesus, spiritually pure during persecution and tribulation,” referring to verses 3-5. I added, “Another angel preaches the gospel to every nation and tribe and tongue and people one last time. God continually reaches out to people. He also will judge evil, according to verses 9-11. God orders the final harvest.”
In 2013, I was actually traveling. I was on my way to Mobile, Alabama, and I did not take my normal Bible, but did read Revelation 14, and wrote, “Without footnotes. I don’t think I understand some of this like, who are these 144,000?” I continued to write, “Jesus harvests the earth. Souls are saved. Is this the last harvest? God give me understanding.”
There is no question these chapters in Revelation are difficult to understand. I look to my footnotes. I also look to my church. I depend on the teachings of pastors to understand these things. But I also read the Word of God myself to try to discern what the Holy Spirit would have me learn from these chapters.
As we look at Revelation 14, let’s start with the first verse, “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.” These 144,000, “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” (vs. 4-5). That makes them pretty special people. I refer to my footnote in my English Standard Version Study Bible about the 144,000, “Most dispensationalists see these 144,000 as the same group mentioned in 7:4: Jewish believers who have trusted in Christ as their Messiah during the great tribulation” (p. 2482).
What Does the Bible Say about Angels Preaching the Gospel?
Next, we see another angel giving people one last chance to be saved, “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 . . .‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth’” (vs. 6-7). Oh, the mercy of God, the love of God, the grace of God, that even before the last harvest, He gives people one more chance to come to faith in Him.
Do We Have a Choice to Follow God?
But those who do not, those who will not, hear from the third angel, “‘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’” (vs. 9-10). It is their choice, and it is our choice to worship the one true God who made heaven and earth or worship something else and suffer the wrath of God. Verses 12-13 say:
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!”
I hope we are among those who keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus.
What Is the Second Coming of Christ in Revelation?
Then, the moment most of us wait for, we long for, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Look at 14:14, “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.” It is time for the final harvest. “‘Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe’” (v. 15). The moment we wait for, the second coming of Jesus, the final harvest, the end of days, is coming. Are we ready? Are you personally ready?
If today you looked up, saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man, would you be ready? Whether it is the end of days or it is the end of your day or my day, the question still is, am I personally ready to meet Jesus? We said all along in Revelation, it is our choice. Are we those who keep His commandments and have faith in Jesus or are we those who will suffer the wrath of God? Make yourself ready today.
We invite you to watch the Great News Video on this page to find out how you can go to Heaven when you die.
Prayer
Father, we do not know when our going up day is coming. It may be the last days on earth, and it may be today, our last day on earth. The warning we get from Revelation is, are we ready? As we read through this last book of the Bible, Lord, cause all of our hearts to be ready to meet You face-to-face. For those of us who are ready, we look forward to the day. For those of us who are not ready, cause us to fall on our face before You, repent of our sins, and claim You as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Write our names in the Lamb’s book of life. Make us ready, Lord, and open Your arms to welcome us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
