Revelation Chapter 14 Verse 8

 I want to introduce something to you that we will cover more in detail

in Chapter 17. The angel says here a specific place. A proper nouned

name of a specific city, and yet the impact, the effect, the reach is

spoken of on a global and timeless scale. The angel says, “ALL

nations” have been infected with this Babylon.

 Remember the origins of this city. It’s all the way back in Genesis 10

and it was the first kingdom apart from the Kingdom of God. Prior to

this organization, this collective, the world had become exceedingly

dark. Before the flood of Noah, we read in Genesis 6:5, “The Lord

saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every

intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” So the

flood came, saving only 8, Noah and his 3 sons…

 Directly after that, almost like retribution or revenge from the god of

this world, (Satan himself), a man named Nimrod is born. And we

read in Genesis 10:8-9, “Cust begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty

one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore, it

is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.”” All of this

speaks of the glory of man in the place of the glory of God. And

then Genesis 10:10, “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel…”

The first kingdom apart from the Kingdom of God and in truth, the

only other kingdom than the Kingdom of God… This is the origins

and THE Babylon that has infected ALL nations, from all times…

 This angel says in the Greek, Babylon the megas polis…, Babylon and

all its people. Babylon speaks of man’s initial corporate open

rebellion after the flood against God…

 Here is the attitude of this kingdom. Genesis 11:1-4, “Now the whole

earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they

journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar,

and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us

make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and

they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build

ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make

a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the

whole earth.””

 And so, you see, this arrogance, this sin…, man focused on man, men

focused on self…, the very root of all sin and rebellion against God.

We will build for ourselves and what we build will be flood proof, god-

proof, God…, less…

 The great city, this kingdom, has never left the scene but it’s been

shrouded in a way. Hidden in capitalism and progressivism and all that

is not of God. But in the time of the reign of the Antichrist…, it’s in

your face, all out in the open…, a new one-world system that seeks to

unite the people in economy, in religion, in focus. Under the

authoritative and comprehensive rule of the new Nimrod until the

return of Jesus and the proclamation finally that the Great Babylon has

fallen… More on that in Chapter 17!

Revelation Chapter 14 Verses 9 – 11

 The clarity of this angel’s message is remarkable. Take the mark,

worship the Antichrist, you cannot be saved. The cup that Jesus drank

of for me and for you, and according to John Chapter 3, for all the

world, if that is rejected…, if Jesus is rejected, then that cup remains

an option…

 And the opposite of eternal salvation is eternal condemnation. Notice

the angel says, “The smoke of their torment ascends forever and

ever.” I know there has been a lot of talk lately about hell and is it

forever. The Bible does teach that it is. The way this is written in the

Greek, it’s been said that this is the “strongest expression of eternity of

which the Greek is capable.” You have to reject the scriptures in its

entirety if you reject the existence of a literal, eternal hell.

Revelation Chapter 14 Verses 12 – 13

 In contrast to those who take the mark and live, those who do not take

the mark are put to death. And the promise given here is to encourage

their hope through this process, hold out until the end, keep the faith.

 The statement of their works following them is not unique to the

tribulation saints. That is a theme and teaching you find several times

throughout the Bible. That what we do here for the Kingdom of God

preserves and follows us and is accounted for us in the Kingdom to

come.

 The Christian will stand in judgement. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is

appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” The

difference being those that have forgiveness of sin, their judgment is

not for their sins, for their bad works, but for their good works. That

judgment is not to determine if they go to heaven or not. Jesus’ blood

is all that determines that! Their judgment unto rewards in the eternal

Kingdom!

 1 Corinthians 15:9-14, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are

God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God

which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the

foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how

he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that

which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this

foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each

one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it

will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what

sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will

receive a reward.”

 So, every moment of every good we do on this side of eternity

matters more than just the life advantage it brings today… Every

service unto God in this life will endure into eternity. Your works will

follow you!

 Now, everything having this type of value, (this eternal value),

certainly almost ensures it won’t be easy (obviously, definitely worth

it in the long run, just difficult in the moment). Just like following the

Lord today. Choosing Jesus over the convenient. Over the moment

of fleshly, worldly relief. Notice the oddity of what this angel says.

“Blessed are the dead who die…”

 Jesus said in John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is

born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To be born again,

(which is the very moment and transaction of salvation), there is also

implied a death to the first nature. Put on display in the rite of

Baptism, that the old man, the old woman with all of the fleshly

leadership is laid to rest and the new man, the new woman comes

alive under the leadership of the Spirit. Dying to self is the beginning

and it is a continual process that we call Sanctification.

 So, understand and step into this today, dying to self is both a one-time

event and a lifelong process. A walk with God! Jesus said to take up

your cross daily, Paul said, “I die daily,” and “It is no longer I that

lives but Christ who lives in me.” “I must decrease; He must

increase.” We die to self when we give our lives to Jesus and come to

faith…, and then as we walk with Him, we die to ourselves over and

over again as we place and prioritize walking with Jesus over

walking in the flesh. As we grow in that, we grow stronger in the

spirit and more able to more readily walk in the spirit and not the

flesh, we have and create a wave-effect rest in our own hearts, lives

and the lives of others…

 It is terribly difficult to be a loving and joyful person when you are

busy and stressed. You may say I love you but there’s no time to just

be with someone…, too busy. But rest…some time margin created

intentionally by you…taking the time to be with someone…now that I

love you is meaningful and from that quality love…comes such great

joy… If you aren’t super loving may I suggest that at heart you are

not super restful…and rest comes from dying to self…choosing to

walk in the Spirit and walk with Jesus over the flesh.

 Here’s the kicker, it’s never portrayed in scripture as optional in the

Christian life. Jesus describes lukewarm followers who try to live

partly in the old life and partly in the new as those whom He is not in

communion with…, remember the church of Laodicea, the lukewarm

church? Jesus was on the outside of that church, knocking. Being

lukewarm is ultimately a symptom of being unwilling to die to self

and live for Christ…, and it is marked in the life of a person that is

not restful in spirit, graceful and loving in heart.

 What I just taught is tough and I acknowledge that. Setting yourself at

a lower priority than the Lord and others in your life is terribly

difficult and absolutely not in our nature and in many practical ways,

seems even dumb. But what if…just consider…what if the best thing

for you is to trust the Lord? Not so dumb when I say it like that,

right? So, trust Him! Take up your cross daily and follow Him… And

interestingly enough, you will find the truth behind this statement,

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, that they may have rest!”

More blessed are those that have died with Christ and by the

Spirit have risen with Him unto new life. Life alive in the Spirit!