1I looked, and there in front of me was the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion. With him were 144,000 people. Written on their foreheads were his name and his Father’s name.2I heard a sound from heaven. It was like the roar of rushing waters and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music of harps being played.3Then everyone sang a new song in front of the throne. They sang it in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000. They had been set free from the evil of the earth.4They had not committed sexual sins with women. They had kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among human beings as a first offering to God and the Lamb.5They told no lies. They are without blame.
The three angels
6I saw another angel. He was flying high in the air. He came to tell everyone on earth the good news that will always be true. He told it to every nation, tribe and people, no matter what language they spoke.7In a loud voice he said, ‘Have respect for God. Give him glory. The hour has come for God to judge. Worship him who made the heavens and the earth. Worship him who made the sea and the springs of water.’8A second angel followed him. He said, ‘ “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!” The city of Babylon made all the nations drink the strong wine of her terrible sins.’ (Isa 21:9)9A third angel followed them. He said in a loud voice, ‘There will be trouble for anyone who worships the beast and its statue! There will be trouble for anyone who has its mark on their forehead or their hand!10They, too, will drink the wine of God’s great anger. His wine has been poured full strength into the cup of his anger. They will be burned with flaming sulphur. The holy angels and the Lamb will see it happen.11The smoke of their terrible suffering will rise for ever and ever. Day and night, there will be no rest for anyone who worships the beast and its statue. There will be no rest for anyone who receives the mark of its name.’12God’s people need to be very patient. They are the ones who obey God’s commands. And they remain faithful to Jesus.13Then I heard a voice from heaven. ‘Write this’, it said. ‘Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes’, says the Holy Spirit. ‘They will rest from their labour. What they have done will not be forgotten.’
The harvest of the earth
14I looked, and there in front of me was a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was one who looked ‘like a son of man.’ He wore a gold crown on his head. In his hand was a sharp, curved blade for cutting corn. (Da 7:13)15Then another angel came out of the temple. He called in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud. ‘Take your blade,’ he said. ‘Cut the corn. The time has come. The earth is ready to be harvested.’16So the one sitting on the cloud swung his blade over the earth. And the earth was harvested.17Another angel came out of the temple in heaven. He too had a sharp, curved blade.18Still another angel came from the altar. He was in charge of the fire on the altar. He called out in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp blade. ‘Take your blade,’ he said, ‘and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth’s vine. Its grapes are ripe.’19So the angel swung his blade over the earth. He gathered its grapes. Then he threw them into a huge winepress. The winepress stands for God’s anger.20In the winepress outside the city, the grapes were trampled on. Blood flowed out of the winepress. It spread over the land for about 180 miles. It rose as high as the horses’ heads.
Revelation 14
English Standard Version
The Lamb and the 144,000
1Then 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. (Ps 2:6; Heb 12:22; Re 3:12; Re 5:6; Re 7:3; Re 7:4)2And 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, (Re 1:15; Re 5:8; Re 6:1; Re 15:2; Re 19:6)3and 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. (Re 2:17; Re 5:9; Re 19:12)4It 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, (2Co 11:2; Jas 1:18; Re 3:4; Re 17:14)5and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. (Ps 32:2; Isa 63:8; Zep 3:13; Joh 1:47; Jud 1:24)
The Messages of the Three Angels
6Then 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. (Re 3:10; Re 8:13)7And 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.” (Ne 9:6; Re 4:11; Re 8:10; Re 11:13; Re 15:4; Re 16:4)8Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion[1] of her sexual immorality.” (Isa 21:9; Jer 51:7; Jer 51:8; Da 4:30; Re 16:19; Re 17:5; Re 18:2; Re 18:3; Re 18:10)9And 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, (Re 13:15; Re 13:16)10he 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. (Job 21:20; Isa 1:22; Re 16:19; Re 18:6; Re 20:10)11And 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.” (Ge 19:28; Isa 34:10; Re 4:8; Re 14:9; Re 18:18; Re 19:3)12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.[2] (Re 12:17; Re 13:10)13And 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!” (Ec 4:2; 1Co 15:18; 1Th 4:16; Re 6:11; Re 20:6)
The Harvest of the Earth
14Then 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. (Re 1:13; Re 6:2)15And 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.” (Jer 51:33; Joe 3:13; Mt 13:39; Mr 4:29; Re 14:18; Re 15:6; Re 16:17)16So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.17Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.18And 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.” (Joe 3:13; Re 16:8)19So 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. (Re 19:15)20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.[3] (Isa 63:3; La 1:15; Heb 13:12; Re 19:14)