What Else in Revelation 14 ?

Revelation chapter 14 is a unique chapter. It gives a synapses of the last three and one half years of this age.

The major events of the great tribulation of 3 1/2 years before the age are summarized in the 20 verses. Marvelous. Divinely inspired.

Much help can be rendered from footnotes for study in the Recovery Version of the Bible published by Living Stream Ministry.

For my part, my comments are intended to focus on Jesus Christ and God's purpose. That is what some posters call "mumbo jumbo" or "waffle".

Don't be discouraged though if you come to Revelation 14 looking for God. Maybe I can help. Maybe I can ask some questions as well as answer some ... some.

A proposed outline of chapter 14:
( slightly modified version of the RcV's subheadings)

1.) Verses 1 through 5 The reaping rapture of the Firstfruits.

2.) Verses 6, 7 The announcement of the "eternal gospel".

3.) Verse 8 the announcement of collapse of Christiandom

4.) Verse 9 -12 The rebellion of Antichrist.

5.) Verse 13 The promise to the martyred persecuted ones under Antichrist.

6.) Verses 14-16 The Harvest rapture of the Majority of Christians.

7.) Verses 17 through 20 The harvesting of the grapes of wrath at Armageddon.

This is my slightly modified version of the RcV's outline to Revelation 14.

If someone has another suggestion (serious,) of breaking up the chapter into sections, I would like to see it.)

Firstfruits means those who ripen early.
Harvest means those who ripen latter.

In this one chapter the whole question of rapture of the Christians is solved. A minority are raptured early in the last days as Firstfruits before the major events of the great tribulation.
The majority who were not prepared are raptured at its end as Harvest.

Early maturity rewarded with early rapture - Firstfruits
Latter maturity rewarded with latter rapture - Harvest.

A minority of believers living no the earth are raptured alive to be Firstfruits in God's crop. The majority pass through the great tribulation, having been caught unprepared, and are raptured at the end as the Harvest.

Compare now verses 1 - 5 with verses 14 -16.

The problem of how God will conduct the rapture of saints is solved in noticing that the crop of God is divided into Firstfruits taken to heaven (verses 1 - 5) early and Harvest taken to the air (verses 14-16).

In both cases the strong implication is GROWTH.
In both cases the strong implication is ripeness, readiness for reaping.

in both cases these are people with God's life in them which needs to grow, mature, ripen, and make ready for removal temporarily from the earth. Some early before the start of the great tribulation - "pre-tribulation" and the majority late at the end of it - "post-tribulation".

Therefore in Christianity both schools of pre-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture are partially right. Neither is completely right in itself. Neither can ignore the other.

In between the two raptures is the major events of the last three and one half years of this age - Antichrist, his empire, and the terrible persecution (which goes to RIPEN the Harvest).

During this time supernaturally, from the air, an eternal gospel is announced, not by man but by an angel/s. This is to COUNTER the terribly persuasive deception to fear the man Antichrist as god. He is not God. He is not the Creator of the universe.

"The eternal gospel" is not the church's Gospel of grace preached by the Christian church by man. (some caveat latter). This eternal gospel - (read of it) is proclaimed supernaturally by an angel's voice.

"And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to announce to those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and tribe and tongue and people,

saying with a loud voice, (in different languages) Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who has made heaven and earth and the sea and the springs of water." (verses 6-7)

We all need TIME to let Jesus get into us and grow.
That is if we want to be saved. If you do not want to be saved then there is no need to receive the Lord Jesus. We should receive Him and serve Him and enjoy His increasing in our hearts.

But time for growth of the divine life in a man or woman is needed for ripeness.

The Firstfruits ripened normally and in a timely manner.
They are raptured before the worst events of the great tribulation.

The Harvest could not avoid also being ripened. Yet they were left on the earth after the early rapture. The heat of the great tribulation aids to ripen them.

Christiandom as an organized world wide religion will be destroyed by Antichrist. This does not mean Christ is destroyed. This does not mean that the organic mystical corporate entity of His Body is destroyed. But as the great confusion of mixture and degradation (the ANITY) of Christianity will be destroyed by the sovereign will of God under the hands of his enemy - Antichrist.

And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the fury of her fornication!" (Rev. 14:8)

The inclusion of Revelation was controversial and bitterly opposed by some Christians. What were the arguments against its inclusion?

@sonship

Don't be discouraged though if you come to Revelation 14 looking for God. Maybe I can help. Maybe I can ask some questions as well as answer some ... some.

Philokalia, you have anything ready on the history of NT canon and Revelation?

@sonship said
Revelation chapter 14 is a unique chapter. It gives a synapses of the last three and one half years of this age.

The major events of the great tribulation of 3 1/2 years before the age are summarized in the 20 verses. Marvelous. Divinely inspired.

Much help can be rendered from footnotes for study in the Recovery Version of the Bible published by Living Stre ...[text shortened]... looking for God. Maybe I can help. Maybe I can ask some questions as well as answer some ... some.

@Rajk999

Christians that KEEP THE COMMANDMENT are the saints in Christ.

Sorry, my response (if I respond) to Rajk999 will skew the towards the subject in the OP.

This will sound forced or evasive to some of you.

He refers to this verse following the description of the things related to the Antichrist and his worshipers.

"And the smoke of their tormenting goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

Here is the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (vs.11,12)

"[Antichrist] Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or an object of worship so that he sits in the temple of God, [in Jerusalem] setting himself forth, saying that he is God." (Second Thessalonians 2:4)

Now the elect Jews are the ones "who keep the commandments of God" in verse in verse 12. And the Christians left on the earth are those have "the faith of Jesus".

Both are "saints". Some are saints because of the Holy Spirit within. And some are saints because they have been preserved to the end to turn and believe the coming Messiah. For the "saints" positionally in this regard you have to notice the 144,000 of the twelve tribes of Israel SEALED to be preserved during the great tribulation.

Having said this brief word which I can defend, this is NOT a teaching that Christians should disobey the commandments of Christ.

The same two classes are mentionedin Revelation 12:17:

"And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon became angry with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God [preserved Jews] and have the testimony of Jesus [preserved Christians] (Revelation 12:16,17 )

@sonship said
@Rajk999

Christians that KEEP THE COMMANDMENT are the saints in Christ.

Sigh. Here we go again!

Rajk999, Please cut and paste a statement by me that Christians DO NOT KEEP the commandments of Christ. Or that saint in Christ by definition do not keep Christ's commandments. OR that it is normal for saints NOT to keep the commandments of Christ.

Go!

@sonship said
Sorry, my response (if I respond) to Rajk999 will skew the towards the subject in the OP.

This will sound forced or evasive to some of you.

He refers to this verse following the description of the things related to the Antichrist and his worshipers.

[quote] "And the smoke of their tormenting goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who ...[text shortened]... uote]

In principle all monotheistic religions will be crushed by the Antichrist within his reach.