The Proclamation of Three Angels

BY Guest Writer

The thundering voice from heaven.
The new song before God’s throne.
The proclamation of the eternal gospel across the globe.

In reading Revelation 14, we begin to hear the echoes of hope, when each mighty angel from the heavenly realms announces that the final hour of judgment has come. We’re told there will be harvests—first the reaping of ripe grain and then the gathering of clusters of grapes for the winepress, God’s wrath. And while the image of God’s wrath and judgment seems unimaginable and terrifying, it’s actually good news: Those who’ve worshiped the beast, the embodiment of evil, and carried out his vicious schemes will one day drink the wine of God’s wrath (14:9–11).

Wine is an image reverberating out from Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 51:17–23; Jeremiah 25:15–31; Habakkuk 2:16), through Psalm 75:7–8, and into the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26). It’s there that Jesus, knowing full well what was coming, prayed that the “cup” might be taken from Him. Then in utter and complete submission to the perfect will of His Father, He said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will,” and took in the full cup of God’s righteous wrath (v.39).

But as the redeemed, we have hope, and this is where our hope lies: with the victorious Lamb who takes away the sin of the world and rescues us from God’s coming wrath (John 1:29; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). Until that day, we are called to remain faithful and endure (Revelation 14:12). Death has not yet been dealt its final lethal blow, but in the meantime, we trust in the promise that those saints “who die in the Lord” will one day find “rest from their labors” (v.13).

Looking forward, the author of Hebrews assures us that we are headed for the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We are headed to the welcome of thousands upon thousands of the angelic host, as well as other believers, whose names are written in heaven. It’s there that Jesus, our perfect Mediator, faithfully intercedes for us, even today (Hebrews 12:22–24).

So let those who have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy—those gathered from all the lands, east, west, north, and south—give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! (Psalm 107:1–3). Let those from every nation, tribe, language, and people join in a mighty chorus of praise for the Lamb who has overcome. And let us join as a mighty chorus, praising and worshiping “the one who made the heaven and earth” and then redeemed them for eternity (Revelation 14:7).

Elaine A. Phillips received a BA in social psychology from Cornell University, an MDiv from Biblical Theological Seminary, and an MA in Hebrew from the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, where she and her husband, Perry, studied and taught from 1976–79. She holds a PhD in rabbinic literature, and teaches Biblical Studies at Gordon College. She also serves as a historical geography field instructor for Jerusalem University College. She has published a commentary on Esther in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary; a devotional book, With God, Nothing Is Impossible; and, most recently, An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts.