Revelation 14:11 Komentář

After an account of the great trials and sufferings which the servants of God had endured, we have now a more pleasant scene opening; the day begins now to dawn, and here we have represented, I. The Lord Jesus at the head of his faithful followers (Rev 14:1-5). II. Three angels sent successively to proclaim the fall of Babylon and the things antecedent and consequent to so great an event (Rev 14:6-13). III. The vision of the harvest (Rev 14:14, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 14 This chapter contains three visions; one of the Lamb on Mount Zion, another of the three angels preaching against Babylon, and the third of the harvest and vintage. The vision of the Lamb is in Rev 14:1, which is no other than Christ, described by his similitude, as a Lamb; by the place where he was, Mount Zion; by his position there, standing, and by the company that were with him, whose number were 144,000, and their character, his Father's name written on their foreheads; at the same time a voice was heard from heaven, comparable to the sound of many waters, of thunders, and of harps: and a song sung which none learn but the above number with the Lamb, Rev 14:2, who are described by their purity, chastity, and strict adherence to Christ; by their redemption through him; by their being the firstfruits of God and of the Lamb, and by their integrity and unblemished character, Rev 14:4; next follows the account of the three angels; the first comes with the everlasting Gospel, to preach it to all men, loudly calling upon all to fear and worship God, and give glory to him, since he is the Creator of all, and the hour of his judgment is come, Rev 14:6; the second proclaims the fall of Babylon, with the reason of it, Rev 14:8; and the third denounces the wrath of God upon the worshippers of the beast in the most public manner, and that for ever, Rev 14:9; and this vision is closed with some expressions, showing that, till this was done, the patience of the saints would be tried, and the true worshippers of the Lamb be discovered, and comforting them with an assurance of that rest that remains after death for the faithful followers of Christ, Rev 14:12; after this is the vision of the harvest and vintage of the earth. The reaper is described by his form, like the son of man; by his seat, a white cloud; by a golden crown on his head, and by a sharp sickle in his hand, Rev 14:14; who is called upon by an angel out of the temple to make use of his sickle, and reap, because the time of reaping was come, the harvest being ripe, Rev 14:15, upon which he thrusts in his sickle, and reaps the earth, Rev 14:16; after this, another angel appears out of the temple, with a sharp sickle, to whom another angel from the altar, that had power over fire, calls to make use of his sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine, since the grapes were fully ripe, Rev 14:17; upon which he thrusts in his sickle, and gathers them, and casts them into the winepress of divine wrath, which being trodden, blood comes out of it to the horses' bridles for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs, Rev 14:19.

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,.... That is, the smoke of that fire which torments them will for ever arise; or, in other words, there will be no end of their torment; hence their misery is called everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction, Mat 25:41 and smoke being very troublesome and distressing, is mentioned to set forth the very uncomfortable state of the wicked; and so it is used by Jewish writers: hence we read of , "the smoke of hell" (r), with which the eyes of the wicked will be filled in the world to come: and they have no rest, day nor night; the fire of divine wrath which tortures them is never quenched, and the worm of conscience which gnaws them never dies: this is directly contrary to a notion of the Jews, that the wicked in hell have rest sometimes; they talk of angels blowing away the smoke from them, so that they have rest an hour and a half; and which they say they have three times a day, and whenever Israel says Amen, let his great name be blessed (s); and particularly that hell fire never burns on the sabbath day, nor does the smoke of it ascend then, and that the wicked have always rest on that days (t); though sometimes they contradict themselves, and say they never have any rest (u), which is the truth: who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name; that is, whoever are the followers of antichrist, or the professors of the Popish religion; so far is salvation from being in the church of Rome, and only there, that there is none in it; and whoever live and die in the profession of Popery, shall surely be damned as this passage is true. (r) Targum in Psal. xxxvii. 20. T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 75. 1. Caphtor, fol. 109. 1. (s) Zohar in Gen. fol. 47. 4. (t) Zohar in Exod. fol. 36. 4. & in Lev. fol. 45. 3. & in Deut. fol. 115. 3. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 65. 2. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 149. 1. Nishmat Chayim, fol. 39. 1. (u) Zohar in Exod. fol. 62. 3. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 152. 2.

For what does he say? And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night. To whom would one say this? "Is it, O man, to be tormented eternally and not suffer according to due merit?" For what? If someone is worthy of fire and darkness, and is condemned into darkness, and is punished merely in this, by not being in participation of God's goods, and is pained only by that, and not punished sensibly. But he says that the smoke of torment that ascends is the anguish of sinners, poured out below in weeping to the outside.

We must understand this smoke to be either the sighing of those being tormented, which arises from below along with their lamentation, or the smoke that comes from the fire that torments the fallen. It says that it “goes up forever and ever,” and by this we learn that even as the bliss of the righteous is everlasting, so also is the torment of the sinners.… He says “day and night,” not as though the condition of the future age in which the ungodly will have no rest will be measured by the sun, but he rather accommodates himself to the custom in the present time, which is reckoned in nights and days. Or it might be that the “day” is to be regarded as the life of the saints and the “night” as the torment of the impure, which those who do the works of the devil and blaspheme against Christ in the manner of the apostate beast will attain. For through the doing of these things they make an image [of the beast] and engrave his name upon their hearts as though it were precious.

And they have no rest day nor night, etc. They say that a lion spares a prostrate man, but this beast is fiercer than a lion, the more it is worshipped, the greater punishments it inflicts.

And if anyone receives the mark of his name. Saint Augustine interprets the beast as the impious city, its image as the simulation of piety, that is, the false appearance of Christians, and the mark as the sign of a crime, which he says is worshipped, submitted to, and consented to.

The Lamb on mount Sion, and his company and their character, Rev 14:1-5. The angel flying in the midst of heaven, with the everlasting Gospel, Rev 14:6, Rev 14:7. Another angel proclaims the fall of Babylon, Rev 14:8. A third angel denounces God's judgments against those who worship the beast or his image, Rev 14:9-11. The patience of the saints, and the blessedness of them who die in the Lord, Rev 14:12, Rev 14:13. The man on the white cloud, with a sickle, reaping the earth, Rev 14:14-16. The angel with the sickle commanded by another angel, who had power over fire, to gather the clusters of the vines of the earth, Rev 14:17, Rev 14:18. They are gathered and thrown into the great winepress of God's wrath, which is trodden without the city, and the blood comes out 1600 furlongs, Rev 14:19, Rev 14:20.

The smoke of their torment - Still an allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha.

THE LAMB SEEN ON ZION WITH THE 144,000. THEIR SONG. THE GOSPEL PROCLAIMED BEFORE THE END BY ONE ANGEL: THE FALL OF BABYLON, BY ANOTHER: THE DOOM OF THE BEAST WORSHIPPERS, BY A THIRD. THE BLESSEDNESS OF THE DEAD IN THE LORD. THE HARVEST. THE VINTAGE. (Rev. 14:1-20) a--A, B, C, Coptic, and ORIGEN read, "the." Lamb . . . on . . . Sion--having left His position "in the midst of the throne," and now taking His stand on Sion. his Father's name--A, B, and C read, "His name and His Father's name." in--Greek, "upon." God's and Christ's name here answers to the seal "upon their foreheads" in Rev 7:3. As the 144,000 of Israel are "the first-fruits" (Rev 14:4), so "the harvest" (Rev 14:15) is the general assembly of Gentile saints to be translated by Christ as His first act in assuming His kingdom, prior to His judgment (Rev 16:17-21, the last seven vials) on the Antichristian world, in executing which His saints shall share. As Noah and Lot were taken seasonably out of the judgment, but exposed to the trial to the last moment [DE BURGH], so those who shall reign with Christ shall first suffer with Him, being delivered out of the judgments, but not out of the trials. The Jews are meant by "the saints of the Most High": against them Antichrist makes war, changing their times and laws; for true Israelites cannot join in the idolatry of the beast, any more than true Christians. The common affliction will draw closely together, in opposing the beast's worship, the Old Testament and New Testament people of God. Thus the way is paved for Israel's conversion. This last utter scattering of the holy people's power leads them, under the Spirit, to seek Messiah, and to cry at His approach, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."

for ever and ever--Greek, "unto ages of ages." no rest day nor night--Contrast the very different sense in which the same is said of the four living creatures in heaven, "They rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy"; yet they do "rest" in another sense; they rest from sin and sorrow, weariness and weakness, trial and temptation (Rev 14:13); the lost have no rest from sin and Satan, terror, torment, and remorse.