Revelation 13:18
In Revelation Chapter 13 we have been
looking at detailed information concerning the antichrist and another beast or vicious
person who works with the antichrist who will later be called the false
prophet. One last piece of information given to us in Revelation Chapter 13
about the antichrist is recorded in Revelation 13:18. It says, "Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding
count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is
six hundred three score and six." Why is the number 666 associated
with the antichrist? Notice that there are three sixes. Three is significant
probably because the devil is always trying to create a substitute for the
worship of God, and the greatest attempt by the devil to create a substitute
will be during the time of the Great Tribulation. God is a trinity made up of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The substitute for the trinity will
be the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet. When Christ was on the
earth the devil tried to get Christ to bow down and worship him, and the devil
offered Christ the kingdoms of the world if only He would do so. Having failed
in getting Christ to change allegiance, the devil will raise up his own.
The fact that the number six is used is
also significant. We could not help but notice the number of times already in
the book of Revelation that the number seven was used in reference to the
things that God has done. We have read about seven spirits of God, seven
angels, seven churches, the book with seven seals that was in the right hand of
Him who sat on the throne, and seven trumpets that were sounded when the
seventh seal was opened. Later in the book of Revelation we will be told about
seven vials that will be poured out from God upon the earth. When we learn
about things from God, the number seven is used. Therefore, the number six is
used when speaking of the antichrist in order to be a clear reminder that the
antichrist and the false prophet are not of God. Six falls short of seven.
Those who will be on the earth during the time of the antichrist had better pay
attention or else they will risk the damnation of their souls. Only the truth
about God through Christ will take you to heaven. Any other substitute like 666
will take you to hell.
The Bible mentions negative things occasionally
because sin is real, the devil is real, and bad things happen. But the Bible
never dwells on that which is negative, because good is more powerful than
evil, and because in the final day God’s plan will win out. Grace will be shown
to be greater than sin, and love stronger than hate. Because of God, the day
will come when disease, death, and war will cease forever; and the wonderful
Revelation 14:1 says, "And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the
When Christ returns to the earth, evidently He will choose some privileged believers to have a
unique part in establishing His Kingdom. These are the 144,000. All the
believers will have a part in His Kingdom, but God will have different roles
and different rewards for each of us. The important thing is that we will be
there. Obviously, Revelation 14;1 is emphasizing the contrast between those who
have worshipped the antichrist during the time of the Great tribulation and
those who have instead worshipped the One True God through Jesus Christ His
Son. Revelation Chapter 13 told us about people receiving the mark of the beast
in their foreheads, but here we are told that believers will receive the
Father’s name in their foreheads. Ultimately, those who love God will always
want to honor the name of God. Those who do not love God do not understand the
importance of honoring His name. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount to
look up to God and to pray, "Hallowed be thy
name." Some believers have lost their focus, and they try to
elevate and broadcast their own name or the name of some minister instead of
the name of God.
Revelation 14:2-3 says, "And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of
many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps. And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders; and no man could learn
that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from
the earth." The important thing to note is that a song was being
sung and music was being played in heaven. In the last few verses of the book
of Revelation we have been told some horrible things that will one day take
place on the earth. But we are also told not to despair. After the sorrow will
come rejoicing, and after the sorrows of Jacob’s trouble will come the bliss
and the happiness of the
Before we are told about the music and the
singing in heaven, John said that he heard a voice from heaven. Undoubtedly it
was the voice of God. If you want to have joy, you need to hear from God. Some
people listen too much to the ideas of the world, and their joy is diminished
thereby. If you want to have joy, more joy, wonderful joy, then listen to the
Word of God. Listen to the old, old story of the gospel of Christ. It has a
meaning and a value that you will find nowhere else. When John heard the voice
from heaven, it was "the voice of many
waters" and "of a great
thunder." That is because it was a voice of authority, the greatest
authority of all. Of the many blessings to being a believer, one of the
greatest is the comfort of knowing that God is in charge. No matter what
happens, the world is on God’s timetable, and "all
things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are the
called according to His purpose."
John continued speaking about the 144,000
and he said in Revelation 14:4, "These are
they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they
which follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men,
being the firstfruits unto God and unto the
Lamb." The first thing that this verse says about this group of
believers is that they were virgins. Perhaps this is mentioned first because in
the end time it would be a very remarkable thing for such a large group of men
to be noted for their sexual purity. Even in our day there has been a great
increase in promiscuity and immorality. People are being brainwashed into
thinking that loose living is desirable, when the opposite is really true.
Those who through sexual immorality have contracted aids, or gonorrhea, or
syphilis, or many other diseases have learned the hard way that there is a
practical value in sexual purity.
There is also a religious value. God
created sex between a man and a woman only for the marriage bond. To violate
that principle is to disrespect both your own body and that of another, and to
discount the principles that God has given for human behavior. When you live
among many loose people, but retain your own high standards you have
accomplished a great thing, and it has not gone unnoticed by God. Some people
take a vow of virginity the second time around. They ask Jesus to forgive them
for their past offences, and then they take a vow of purity for the time that
is still left for them. God allows this because with God it is not how you
start but how you finish that is important.
Even though the 144,000 were virgins, they
still were sinners. They were able to be followers of Jesus, not because of how
good they were, but because they were redeemed by Him. The word "redeemed" is used twice in this passage
of scripture. The end of verse three says they "were
redeemed from the earth," and the middle of verse four says, "these were redeemed from among men."
The 144,000 were virgins, but they were still sinners. They still needed to be
redeemed just like everyone else. Someone may be strong in one area of life,
but they are still sinners. Romans 3:23, "For
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
The word "redeemed"
comes from the Greek work “agoradzo” and it means to
buy out of the marketplace. In ancient
In Revelation 14:5 it appears as though the
144,000 have been taken off the earth. It says, "And
in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne
of God." Another good quality about this group of people is
mentioned: "in
their mouth is found no guile." In other words these are honest
people. They are not liars or deceivers. Honesty is a rare quality, but it is
an absolute necessity for serving God. In order to come to God for salvation,
one must be honest about one’s own sins. Your personal sins and failures of
course are perhaps the most private things about you. If you can be honest
about them before Jesus, then you can be honest about anything.
Concerning the 144,000 we have been told
that they were virgins, that they followed the Lamb wherever He went, and that they
were honest people. We are told good things about them. Obviously they were
sinners because everyone has sinned and because they were redeemed. That means
they were saved from their sins. This is an example of the grace of God. Their
sins are not mentioned. They have been covered by the blood of Christ. Just
like the rest of the redeemed, their sins will be remembered no more. And therefore the last part of Revelation 14:5 says that "they are without fault before the throne of
God." This is a wonderful picture of salvation and is another
reminder of how great is the grace and mercy of God. Once we have been redeemed
by Christ, we are viewed by God as having never sinned and of being without
fault. When Pontius Pilate judged Jesus He said, "I
find in him no fault at all." When we are redeemed, the
righteousness of Christ becomes credited to our account so that when we are
judged we are given the same righteous standing that Christ has, even though we
have not earned it.
God desires that everyone would come to
know His abundant mercy, and so the work of God in this world is the work of
spreading the gospel. The judgment is coming, and the only hope that anyone has
to escape condemnation is to hear the gospel and then be saved. One of the
things that God will do to spread the gospel during the time of the Great
Tribulation is found in Revelation 14:6-7. It says, "And
I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred,
and tongue, and people. 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 the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
Why does God send an angel to preach the
gospel in the end time? It is just like God to give people one more chance to
be saved before it is too late. Perhaps an extraordinary means such as this to
spread the gospel of Jesus Christ will help to wake people up and get their
attention. Perhaps God will use an angel to spread the gospel because there
will be no one else to do it. Wickedness will be widespread on the earth, and
the persecution for following Jesus will be severe. Jesus spoke of the end
times and He said, "When the Son of Man comes,
shall he find faith on the earth?" The reason that people should
listen to the gospel is the same reason that they should listen today. The
judgment is coming. People should get serious about their eternal destiny. The
gospel of Christ is the message of salvation that God has provided so that
humans can be saved from their sins and find an entrance into the Kingdom of
God.
But the judgment of God is inevitable.
Every human being will be judged by God, and the day will come when the earth
will be judged by Him. The systems of this world and the nations of this world
who have resisted the rule of God and have ignored the opportunities to turn to
Jesus, are all headed towards the day of the Judgment. Several aspects of the
judgment of God against the earth are described in the rest of Revelation
Chapter 14. Revelation 14:8 says, "And there
followed another angel, saying,
Evidently during the time of the Great
Tribulation there will be a great city that will win the attention and
admiration of the world for its riches and human accomplishments. But God will
know the true nature of this city, because it is called a city of fornication.
Perhaps this speaks of sexual fornication, or perhaps it speaks of spiritual
fornication which is turning from God to false religion. No one knows for sure
which city this is. Some people think it is the city of
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Copyright; 2000 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved