Episode 20 – Revelation 14 – The City of God Vs the City of the World

 

You can watch the video version of this study on YouTube on Monday night between 8pm and 9pm AEST here.

144,000 thousand Jewish virgins are going to evangelize the world during the tribulation, and be part of God’s final plan to call God’s people back to him…

…that is an interpretation of this passage I have heard on many occasions. From both lay members of the church and prominent dispensational preachers. But is this what this passage teaches? Is this what Revelation or any other book of the Bible teachers anywhere? We will analyse this tonight and see how we can best handle chapter 14. In this chapter we will see a clash between the city of God and the city of this world. We will see God’s people lifted up and the apostate people of God brought low.

It is my contention that Revelation 14 is a summary of Revelation chapters 15-19. I will show a few indications of this in the passage tonight.

Others read this as the middle of the tribulation.

Others read this as summarizing the battle between the church and the kingdom of this world throughout history. We will consider these options as we go forward. Before we get into the text, I want us to consider some of the Old Testament imagery behind this passage, but also some of the New Testament imagery.

Of course. This is a fascinating and complex chapter that sits at the heart of Revelation's narrative. Here is an analysis of Revelation 14, focusing on its rich tapestry of Old and New Testament imagery, followed by an examination of the four primary identities of Babylon.

Analysis of Revelation 14

Revelation 14 serves as a divine countervision to the satanic parody presented in chapters 12-13. Where the beast demands worship and enforces a mark, this chapter reveals the true, protected people of God and the ultimate triumph of the Lamb. The chapter is structured in seven distinct visions:

1. The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion (v. 1-5)

• OT Imagery: "Mount Zion" is deeply OT, representing the place of God's dwelling, kingship, and salvation (Psalm 2:6; 48:1-2; Joel 2:32). The "144,000" first appeared in Revelation 7, alluding to the sealed and protected remnant of Israel (Ezekiel 9:4). Their purity ("they did not defile themselves") recalls the ritual purity required of priests and soldiers going to war (Leviticus 11:44-45, Deuteronomy 23:9-14). The "new song" is a common theme in the Psalms for God's redemptive acts (Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 96:1).
• NT Imagery & Crossover: The Lamb (a central NT Christological image from John 1:29) is now standing on the heavenly Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:22-24), not the earthly one. The 144,000 are now explicitly identified as those "purchased from the earth" and "redeemed from mankind," applying the Israelite remnant concept to the universal church, the true Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). Their purity is spiritual—"they are virgins"—meaning undefiled by idolatry (2 Corinthians 11:2). They are the "firstfruits," a term Paul uses for the first converts or the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20, James 1:18).

2. The Three Angelic Messages (v. 6-12)
This trio of proclamations is the gospel's answer to the beast's propaganda.

• First Angel (v. 6-7): The Eternal Gospel
• OT Imagery: "Fear God and give him glory" and "Worship him who made the heavens" echoes the call of the Psalms (Psalm 96:4-5, 115:15) and the Prophets (Isaiah 42:5, 45:22). The "hour of his judgment" is a major theme in OT prophetic books.
• NT Crossover: This is called the "eternal gospel," showing that the core message of repentance, worship of the Creator, and impending judgment is consistent from OT to NT, now proclaimed to every nation in light of Christ's finished work.
• Second Angel (v. 8): The Fall of Babylon
• OT Imagery: This is almost entirely drawn from the OT. "Babylon" is the archetypal enemy of God's people, a city of pride, oppression, and idolatry that took Judah into exile (Isaiah 21:9, Jeremiah 51:7-8). The phrase "made all nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries" is potent OT language for seducing people into idolatry and sinful alliances (Jeremiah 51:7; Jeremiah 25:15-16).
• Third Angel (v. 9-12): Warning Against the Beast's Mark
• OT Imagery: The punishment—"drink the wine of God’s fury... poured full strength into the cup of his wrath"—is directly from the cup of wrath imagery in Jeremiah 25:15-16 and Isaiah 51:17. "Fire and sulfur" recalls the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24).

3. The Blessing on the Faithful Dead (v. 13)

• OT Imagery: The concept of rest from labor is found in the Sabbath principle (Genesis 2:2-3) and promises for the righteous (Job 3:17).
• NT Crossover: This is a beatitude unique to Revelation. It offers profound comfort to those facing martyrdom, assuring them their suffering is not in vain and their reward is secure. It echoes the Spirit's witness in Romans 8:16 and the promise of rest in Hebrews 4:9-11.

4. The Harvest of the Earth (v. 14-20)
This final vision uses two distinct agricultural metaphors: the grain harvest and the grape harvest.

• OT Imagery: The "son of man" on a cloud with a crown and sickle draws directly from Daniel 7:13. The imagery of divine harvest is a common prophetic symbol for judgment (Joel 3:13, Isaiah 63:1-6). The "winepress of the wrath of God" is vividly depicted in Isaiah 63:3, where God treads the nations alone.
• NT Crossover: The "son of man" is clearly a Christophany—an appearance of the glorified Christ. The angel crying out to initiate judgment shows that Christ executes judgment at the Father's command (John 5:27). The horrific scene of the winepress outside the city ("outside the city" was where sin was dealt with, e.g., the scapegoat, crucifixion) completes the cycle of judgment foreshadowed by the angels.

As you can see here there is a lot of Old Testament and New Testament imagery behind this passage that helps us to understand it better. This will help us as we go through the questions. We might not be able to exactly place when this happens or how this happens, but we can at least see many ways to apply this to our lives.

A central aspect of the book of Revelation we will be covering in upcoming weeks is the identity of Babylon. I have my views on this, as do other preachers. Here are some of the more common options.

The Top 4 Possible Identities of Babylon

"Babylon" in Revelation is a multilayered symbol. John uses the name of Israel's ancient oppressor to critique the powers of his day and to create a typology for any anti-God power throughout history. The four primary interpretations are:

1. First-Century Pagan Rome
This is the most direct historical (preterist) interpretation.

• Evidence: When John wrote, Rome was the dominant, idolatrous world power persecuting the church. It was the "great city" that ruled the kings of the earth (Rev 17:18). It was famously built on seven hills (Rev 17:9). It demanded emperor worship ("the wine of her adulteries") and was a center of immense luxury, trade, and moral corruption. Peter even uses "Babylon" as a code name for Rome in 1 Peter 5:13. The book's original audience would have immediately understood this reference.
• Challenge: While it fits the immediate context, many see the symbolism as too vast and cosmic to be exhausted by a single, historical empire.

2. A Future Reborn Global Empire / End-Times Political-Economic System
This is a common futurist interpretation.

• Evidence: The scale of Babylon's influence in Revelation is global ("all nations" drink her wine). Her description in chapter 18 involves a collapse of the entire world's economy. This suggests a system of even greater scope and integration than ancient Rome. Proponents argue that Rome was a pattern or type of a final, end-times Babylonian system that will unite political power, false religion, and global economics against God.
• Challenge: This view is inherently speculative, as it points to an entity that has not yet appeared on the world stage.

3. A Symbol of All God-Opposing World Systems Throughout History (Ideological)
This is a common idealist or spiritual interpretation.

• Evidence: Babylon's origins go back to Babel in Genesis 11—a human project founded in pride, rebellion against God, and the desire for self-glorifying unity. In this view, "Babylon" is not any one nation but the spirit of the world—any and every human system (political, economic, religious) that seeks to organize itself without God, inevitably leading to idolatry, oppression, and persecution of the faithful. Rome was just one manifestation of this timeless spirit.
• Challenge: Some argue this view can be too vague and fails to account for the specific, historical language of judgment and fall within Revelation.

4. A Corrupt Religious System (Often Identified as the Apostate Church)
This view, common in Protestant interpretation since the Reformation, distinguishes the religious aspect of Babylon from the political beast.

• Evidence: Babylon is called "the mother of prostitutes" (Rev 17:5), suggesting she is the source of religious apostasy. She is drunk with the blood of the saints, implying religious persecution. This view often sees a connection between the outward splendor, idolatry (veneration of images), and historical corruption of a specific religious institution and the description of Babylon. The "scarlet beast" she rides represents the political power she manipulates.
• Challenge: This view can be overly narrow and risk turning a profound theological critique into a sectarian attack. It also may not fully account for the primarily economic description of Babylon's fall in chapter 18.

Many scholars see these interpretations not as mutually exclusive but as layers of meaning. For John's first readers, Babylon was Rome. For later readers, it became a paradigm for understanding any power that assumes the role of Rome. Ultimately, Babylon represents the seductive and oppressive totality of the world in rebellion against its Creator, which will finally and utterly be overthrown by the Lamb.

Even though there is a solid argument for all of these identifications of Babylon, I am going to argue for a different identity as we go through these chapters. I will make some of the case tonight, and then come back to it when it is relevant to the passage. But I think it is a good idea that outline these possibilities because we can compare them to what the text says as we go through.

Let’s do the questions now.

Chapter 14

1. Who are these 144,000 people in verses 1-5. Are they the 144,000 from the chapter 7? If they are meant to be a literal number of people what kind of problem does this create for us? (compare to Hebrews 12:22-24). (Note Israel are called the virgin daughter of Zion in Lam. 2:13, Jer. 18:13. 31:4, 21; Amos 5:2). The idea of virginity being applied to God’s redeemed people: Jeremiah 31:1-6) James 1:18, we are a first fruits. (4 Esdras 2:42-48)

 

2. Are these literally 144,000 celibate guys? Are they Catholic priests?

 

3. What do verses 6-7 teach us about the rapture? Which gospel is this? (Gal. 1:8). Why is it called the eternal gospel (note the Birth of Caesar was called the gospel, it was a temporary kind).

 

4. If Babylon is fallen here in chapter 14:8, then why do we read about the fall of Babylon later in chapter 18? What does this tell us about the timeline of Revelation? (Jeremiah 51:7-8, Babylon has fallen, Isaiah 23:15-18, and 1-18). 

 

5. Who is Babylon the great? Is it the Catholic Church? Is it Isalm? Is it Judaism? Is it scientology? Or maybe feminism? Who do you think Babylon the Great of Revelation is?

 

6. According to verses 9-11 who goes to hell?

 

7. Is hell visible from heaven, and if so who to?

 

8. What does it mean to take the mark of the beast? Is the mark of the beast only an end times thing?

 

9. Ok, so dispensationalists argue that the church is not in Revelation from chapter 4 until the end of chapter 22. How does verse 12 disagree with that statement? Who was Revelation written to inspire, encourage and teach?

 

10. In the tribulation, how should we view death according to verse 13.

 

11. If the Spirit can speak, what does that tell us about the Spirit?

 

12. Who is the one sweeping the sickle in verses 14-16? Who is the one sweeping the sickle in verses 17-20? What is going on in this passage?

 

So, we are coming to the end of the tribulation, the end of history, the end of the world. Things get pretty brutal from here on in.