A Study of The Book of Revelation, Part #49

Earl Gillespie

A Study of The Book of Revelation

THE FALL OF BABYLON

Revelation 14:8:

The punishments seem somewhat brutal as we read these passages of the scripture, but ask yourself what would you do, if someone trashed your house and killed your son?  Now remember the God we are reading about now is an angry God.

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.

In verse 8 we learn that following the angel with the everlasting Gospel, there is another angel who is making an announcement. The angel with the everlasting Gospel is preaching judgment; the second angel announces what would, in our language, be an “Amen!” The angel cries, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! That great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  She led people and nations astray.  Babylon symbolizes the ungodly world-systems now and under Antichrist. We will study this more fully in Revelation 17 and 18.

THE DOOM OF THE BEAST-WORSHIPERS

Revelation 14:9-12:

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,

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:

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.

In verse 9 we see still a third angel. The first angel is preaching the Gospel of judgment. The second angel announces the fall of the colossal system of earth’s worst harlotry and corruption. The third angel announces the doom of the Beast-worshippers. The angel who preaches the everlasting Gospel admonishes the inhabitants of earth to worship God who created Heaven and earth. He is pleading with the people not to worship the Antichrist (the Beast) but the masses will pay no attention to his message.The doom of those who receive the mark of the Beast, or who worship The Beast, is clearly outlined:   The events prophesied in this book is not so far fetched, we are seeing a preview of things to come now.  Things will continue to get worst until God pour out his full wrath. 

In verse 10, they will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. They will be tormented with fire and brimstone. The torment will be in the presence of the Lamb of God whom they rejected. 

In verse 11, the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever . . . eternally, unending, and they have no rest day or night. Judgment is sounded out concerning those who receive the mark of the counterfeit messiah, or who worship the image of him. Money and power are the leading attributes of the beast.  This Scripture is very clear and understandable. These will be tormented with fire. Do you think that there will be real fire? Why should anyone think anything else? When the Word of God clearly says, “he shall be tormented with fire,” why should we spiritualize or symbolize that statement? It is real fire, just like the fire we know. Brimstone is added to the fire. If you look up that word in your dictionary, you will find that it means “burning sulphur”; that will add heat to the blaze and pain to the tormenting, which will be in the sight of the holy angels and the Lamb of God. Smoke will boil up as from a great furnace. This is not spiritual nor symbolic smoke - it is real smoke. But tragedy of tragedies, the torment is unending . . . it will last forever and ever and ever and ever, day and night, day and night, no rest, no rest, no rest!

There are those today who tell us that the wicked will be burned up, they say there is no such thing as an everlasting hell. The question is, If God is going to burn up the wicked, why He does not put out the fire. Why does the smoke ascend up forever and ever? Because there is no such thing as “soul-annihilation.”  There is no such thing as the annihilation of the wicked. If God burns up souls, then how many days or nights does it take to burn up a soul?

 In our present Scripture, these are burning day and night, continually, and in Revelation 20:10 the devil is cast into the lake of fire where the Beast and the False Prophet are. Please notice “where they ARE.” When the devil is cast in, it will be at the end of the Millennium when he is loosed for a little season. The Beast and the False Prophet were cast in at the beginning of the Millennium, and had been burning for one thousand years, and were not burned up. They are still burning - and they will burn forever and ever and ever. The rich man of Luke 16 is in hell at this very moment begging for one drop of water to cool his parching, blistering tongue.

Who believes in Hell nowadays, we say God is too good.  You may not believe in hell, but this Bible was here before you were, and it will be here when you are gone. What you believe about hell, what you have heard about hell, what the Hollywood scripted preachers preaches about hell does not matter. God has had His say, and that settles it. If there is an eternal Heaven with the glories described in the Bible, then there is just as truly an eternal hell with the horrors described in the Bible.  If you do not believe in hell this side of the grave, you will believe in it on the other side. 

BLESSEDNESS OF THE HOLY DEAD

Revelation 14:13

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 labours; and their works do follow them.

Verse 12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” And then the Holy Spirit hastens to say, “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 labours; and their works do follow them.” There are those who believe in soul-sleep unconsciousness of the soul. There are those who believe that the spirit, body and soul go to the grave and return to dust until the resurrection. It is a mystery to me how they read that verse, and preach such damnable heresy. The dead in the Lord are blessed. Blessed folks are happy - and the people in Paradise are happy. 

Luke 15:7 and 10 tell us there is joy in Heaven, rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents. (We are not told that the angels rejoice when a sinner is saved. The Scripture says there is joy in the presence of the angels, but it is the redeemed who rejoice.) Somehow, in some way, God makes known to a mother when her boy is saved here on earth. The mother who prayed many years for her boy, and went on to Heaven without seeing him saved, knows and rejoices when that boy is converted. There is joy in Heaven. The righteous dead are happy. They are at peace, they are resting, “their works do follow them.” What a refreshing verse! What a comforting hope! Happy are the dead who die in the Lord from this day forward! All believers who have died since the day of Pentecost have gone to the Paradise “far above all heavens” (Ephesians 4:7-11). The dead in Christ are with the Lord now, and will remain with Him until the Rapture.

When the Rapture takes place the bodies will be raised, and the spirit which is with the Lord now will reunite with the body. We who are alive will be changed and will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. (Study II Corinthians 5:1-8, Philippians 1:21-24, Luke 16:22.) There is no intermediate state of unconsciousness for the dead. The righteous dead go immediately to be with the Lord; the wicked dead go immediately into hell. Then someone asks, “Why the resurrection?” I will explain when we reach Revelation 20. If you have godly loved ones who are deceased, do not worry about where they are. They are resting in the presence of the Lord Jesus. If you are troubled at the thought of dying, if it scares you to think of a graveyard, remember that you are not going to the graveyard; your body will go there, but your spirit will “go back to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Do not fret; the moment you dose your eyes in death, that very selfsame moment you will open your eyes in the presence of God or lift up your eyes in Hell.  “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Where Jesus is, it is light-never dark. Where Jesus is, all is peace - never fear. Where Jesus is, is Heaven - and even to pass through the valley of the shadow of death is Heaven, because Jesus will be with you if you are born again.

If you are afraid of death, if it frightens you to think of dying, then you have not experienced perfect love (I John 4:18). “Perfect love casteth out fear,” and if you are afraid to meet God, then I am afraid you will spend eternity with “the fearful” (Revelation 21:8). Today is the day of salvation.

To be continued