Revelation 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

or the Apocalypse of John in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

of the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. The book is traditionally attributed to

John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...

, but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. This chapter contains the accounts of the lamb with 144,000 followers, the three angelic messages and the voice from heaven, as well as the harvest of the earth and the vintage of the earth. The

Three Angels' messages The "three angels' messages" is an interpretation of the messages given by three angels in Revelation . The Seventh-day Adventist church teaches that these messages are given to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sees t ...

in verses 6 to 12 form a central feature of the teaching and mission of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

: "Make disciples of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

who live as His loving witnesses and proclaim to all people the everlasting gospel of the Three Angels’ Messages in preparation for His soon return".

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

. This chapter is divided into 20 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing this chapter are among others: *

Papyrus 115 Papyrus 115, also known as ''P. Oxy. 4499'', is a fragmented manuscript of the New Testament written in Greek on papyrus. It is designated by the siglum in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts. It consists of 26 fragments of ...

(ca. AD 275; extant verses 1-3, 5-7, 10-11, 14-15, 18-20) *

Papyrus 47 Papyrus 47, also known as ''P. Chester Beatty'' III, is an early Greek New Testament manuscript written on papyrus, and is one of the manuscripts comprising the Chester Beatty Papyri. It is designated by the siglum in the Gregory-Aland numberi ...

(3rd century; complete) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

(330-360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...

(400-440) *

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, written on parchment. It is designated by the siglum C or 04 in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New ...

(ca. 450; complete)

Old Testament references

* : * : (and also ) * :

New Testament references

* :

The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1–5)

This part describes the army of the Lamb, ready for holy battle against the beast, consisting of adult males which 'keep themselves free of the ritual defilement incurred by sex ()'.

Verse 1

:''Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.'' Translated as "a lamb" in the King James and New King James versions, but as "the lamb" in many other translations. This lamb is, "of course, the same as the lamb seen in

chapter 5 Chapter Five refers to a fifth chapter in a book. Chapter Five, Chapter 5, or Chapter V may also refer to: Albums * '' Chapter 5: Letter'', a 2002 album by g.o.d. * '' Chapter V: Underrated'', a Syleena Johnson album, 2011 * ''Chapter V'' (Staind ...

",Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Revelation 14, accessed 14 November 2018 but there the lamb looked "as if it had been slain", whereas here it is standing triumphant on

Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...

: "probably the earthly one, ecausethe

heavenly Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the capital of the Mess ...

of chapter 21 has not yet appeared". The King James Version states that the 144,000 had "his Father's name" written on their foreheads but the majority of English translations refer to "his name and his Father’s name". This reading () is supported by Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Epraemi Rescriptus as well as most

cursive Cursive (also known as joined-up writing) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionality and m ...

s and the writings of the early

Fathers of the Church The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

.Pulpit Commentary on Revelation 14
accessed 15 November 2018

Verse 2

:''I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

s''.

Johann Bengel Johann Albrecht Bengel (24 June 1687 – 2 November 1752), also known as ''Bengelius'', was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it. Life and career Be ...

emphasises that the ''same'' voice was heard, "first as of many waters and of great thundering, and next as of harpers".

Verse 3

:''They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.'' *"A new song": compare to .

Three Angelic Messages and a Voice from Heaven (14:6–13)

The angels in this section 'symbolize the effect on the nations of the confrontation of the forces of the beast and the Lamb', and in contrast to the eagle in Revelation 8:13, 'their messages are positive'.

Verse 6

:''Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— '' *"Another angel": the angel who is called "another" is different from "the voice" heard in Revelation 14:2, although this angel is the first in appearance with respect to the following angels ( Revelation 14:8,).''John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible'' - Revelation 14:6
/ref>

Verse 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.'' *"A loud voice": or "great voice", is 'characteristic of all the heavenly utterances' ( Revelation 14:2; ,, etc.).

Verse 8

: ''And another angel followed, saying,'' :: ''“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”'' NKJV Cross reference: Isaiah 21:9, Revelation 18:2

The Harvest of the Earth and the Vintage of the Earth (14:14–20)

Two images at the end of this chapter are two different forms (cf. ) of 'the traditional eschatological image of harvest': the "grain harvest" (verses 14–16) and the "vintage" (verses 17–20), to follow the messages that the angels have given for the nations of the opportunity to respond to the witness of the martyrs in repentance ( 14:7) or to face the judgement of God (verses 9–11).

Notes

References

Sources

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate

''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Book of Revelation 14