Revelation 14

14 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps, 3and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. 4It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.

Here we have again the 144,000 people from Revelation 7:1-8. There, they were described as having been "seal[ed] on the foreheads," an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4, and a reference to the Sign of the Cross. Here in chapter 14, that seal is again mentioned, described this time as having the Lamb's name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. Again, this clearly represents the Sign of the Cross, as when at baptism and confirmation, and even when we make the Sign of the Cross in our prayers, we say "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as we mark ourselves (or are marked by the priest) with the cross. More is revealed about these redeemed ones--it is only they who learn the New Song, they are consecrated to virginity, they always follow the Lamb, they do not lie and are pure, and they have been redeemed as the "firstfruits" for God. This is an allusion to Jeremiah 2:2-3, and identifies this group as the New Israel, under the New Covenant.

Liturgically, their consecration to celibacy is striking, as it was a rarity in John's time, in the Middle East. Yet we find it plentifully in the Catholic Priesthood and Religious.

6Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water."

Again, with God's just judgement, there is an opportunity to repent, and be saved. His Mercy is always present.

8Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion."
9And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." 12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

V. 8: We'll discuss the identity and fall of Babylon when she reappears in chapters 17 and 18.

Those who have betrayed God and taken the Mark of the Beast are to be punished. They have made their choice with full knowledge, and there is no going back. Sadly, it is eternal punishment for them. This is why we as Christians must continue to endure, and never turn our backs on Christ.

Those who have died in Christ, at this point, are called blessed, because they can rest (a contrast to those "stalled in the sixth day" of work, as Scott Hahn writes about those who take the mark of the beast, in chapter 13). They are blessed especially because their good deeds which they have done go with them into Heaven.

14Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." 16So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." 19So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God; 20and the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for one thousand six hundred stadia.

This is a fascinating passage. Liturgically, as I've said, we have entered the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This passage, then, could be interpreted as the "Bringing of the Gifts", when the bread and the wine are brought forth to be consecrated. This scene is described throughout with the metaphor of harvesting the wheat and preparing the wine.

What is striking about it, though, is that the "wheat" and the "wine", are those on the earth who are to be judged! Rather than the familiar Eucharistic imagery, we are presented with a rather violent scene. But as we mentioned in Chapter 5, the Mass is a Court of Justice for us. We find forgiveness and the renewal of the Covenant through the Eucharist; but for those who refuse to repent, the Eucharist is also a punishment. In 1 Corinthians 11:28-32, St. Paul tells us,

Everyone is to examine himself and only hten eat of the bread or drink of the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. That is why many of you are weak and ill and a good number have died. If we are critical of ourselves we would not be condemned, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are corrected by the Lord to save us from being condemned along with the world (NJB).

Mass is serious business. Jesus Himself is present in the Eucharist. We must persevere in a right relationship with Him, and approach Him with due honour.

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