Revelation 14:8-14

(Rev 14:8 KJV)
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.

We will see more detail about Babylon in Chapters 17 & 18 but here we are given a single statement that Babylon has fallen. Babylon is a synonym for the kingdom of Satan. As God judged Babylon in the Old Testament, God will swiftly judge the kingdom of Satan at the end of time. There is nowhere on earth that the kingdom of Satan has not touched. Every single nation of this world has been under the evil influence of the kingdom of Satan. The fornication which these nations have been seduced by is the evil beast and the false prophet which had been responsible for seducing both governments of the world and the religious systems by creating false religions which bring only destruction to a person’s soul. When one drinks wine it makes them feel good until they realize that wine has led to their eternal destruction as in the case of the wine of the wrath of the fornication of Babylon. The unbeliever drinks the wine of Babylon thinking that it will be only innocent but will realize too late that it has set them up for eternal damnation.

(Rev 14:9 KJV)
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,

Now a third angel follows in this judgment section warning that if anyone has worshipped the beast and had his mark. In other words, those people who put their faith in the world system or in false religion are now being warned.

(Rev 14:10 KJV)
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:

Those who were of the world and drank the wine of Babylon believing that there would be no consequence will now drink the wine of the wrath of God. This means that those who were of the world, the unbelievers, will now be judged for their sins of fornication with the kingdom of Satan. Here the wrath of God is given a new description. Sometimes in ancient times wine was mixed with different ingredients to give it a special flavor or for a special occasion. Here we are told that the wrath of God is unmixed into his cup of indignation. This means that God’s judgment will be on every sin and will take into account every evil action. There will be no mercy or forgiveness mixed in with the judgment. There are not going to be any special ingredients added to this wine of wrath because it will come against all sin and its focus is on those who opposed God and persecuted His children. These people will be tormented in the fires of eternal hell in the presence of the holy angels and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Rev 14:11 KJV)
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.

Here is the end result of all those who remained unsaved and who fornicated happily with the kingdom of Satan. Those who followed Satan on earth will follow him into eternal judgment. There is not going to be any rest in hell nor will there be any respite. Those who will be sentenced to eternal damnation will be tormented forever. This verse should put to death the idea that there is no judgment after death and the notion that there is annihilation after death. When a person is sentenced to hell, it will be for eternity and the suffering will be for eternity.

(Rev 14:12 KJV)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

This verse is speaking of the patience of the saints and in this context, it is the fulfillment of that patience. The end has come and the believers no longer need any patience because the faith has now become sight. With the destruction of Babylon (kingdom of Satan) and the judgment of the unbelievers completed, now John switches to the Saints and their heavenly reward. No longer will the believer have to rely on faith and patience because the time has now come for them to completely inherit the New Heaven and New Earth.

(Rev 14:13 KJV)
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.

John is now seeing this from the vantage point of earth. He hears a voice from Heaven commanding him to write what he hears. It is a blessing for those true believers who die in the Lord and they are given eternal rest but their works do follow them. What works will follows us into Heaven? It will not be the tracts we handed out. It will not be the money we gave. It will not be the labor we put forth into our earthly ministries. It will not be our support of missions. Then what will it be? It will be the result of all these I just mentioned. The result is to send forth the Gospel on the earth to bring in all the Elect. The works which follows us are those who became saved through our ministry which the Lord gave us. We must realize that it is the Lord who does the saving but He has commanded the body of Christ to go forth into all the world with the Gospel. Those who became saved through our individual and corporate ministries are the works which will follow us. The time for rest is not on earth but our time for rest will be in Heaven, once we complete the ministry which the Lord gave us. (Luke 16:9 KJV) And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. This verse in Luke gives us a little insight that if we use money for the ministry, we will be using it properly and thus making friends with it and by using it, those who become saved through our proper use of money, will welcome us as the ones who gave so they could hear and be saved.

(Rev 14:14 KJV)
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.

In this verse John is seeing the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord is symbolically sitting on a cloud and as King of Kings He has a golden crown. John sees Him descending from heaven having a sharp sickle in his hand. (Mark 4:28-29 KJV) For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. {29} But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. In Mark we read that the sickle is put to the corn when it is full and then the harvest begins. In 14:14, the Lord is bringing His sickle with Him because it is time to reap the harvest of the earth because the end has come. If you notice that the sickle is sharp, so that not one ear of corn will remain in the field which means symbolically that not one believer will be left behind.