The supplemental view of the rapture in Chapter 14 also helps us bring down another mountain that some have exalted in God’s end-time highway. Since the identity of the people present in God’s throne room is the same as those shown in Chapter 7, we know that this is the same event. This means that there are not multiple raptures as some teach. It also raises up a valley in this same highway, showing that there are multiple harvests and judgments, each at their appointed time.
      The rest of this chapter  highlights another harvest using figurative language. It happens to show us the “harvest” of the Antichrist. That is, how the Antichrist and his coalition of middle eastern armies is defeated and how Israel prevails. Each image highlights another aspect of this harvest.
         The first scene shows “One like the Son of Man” on a white cloud. John is seeing into the heavenly realm once again. Jesus is wearing a golden crown—a symbol of divine glory. He is holding a sickle, an instrument for harvesting and cutting down debris. Just then another angel comes out of the heavenly temple declaring God’s will for this moment. “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
          This first scene highlights the timing of the Antichrist’s downfall. Take note of verse 16 because it will help us understand another view of this significant moment in another chapter. “So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped” (emphasis added).
         The second scene shows another angel calling out to the One who holds the sickle, only this time to gather the grapes. The grapes are crushed in the “great winepress of the wrath of God.” The destructive scene is not surprising, given the coalition of armies that have gathered against Israel. This scene highlights the fact that the 3½-year war for Jerusalem coincides with God’s wrath against evil, the wrath of that Day.
       End-Time Lesson: What are we meant to see in this supplemental view? Note that the Antichrist is defeated AFTER the rapture, for the court is in Heaven. We do not come back down to this earth once we are in heaven. For God’s third heaven is the place of ALL authority, both in heaven and earth. As Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, we don’t fight like mere mortals. Our weapons are spiritual.
            Note that this war for Jerusalem is likewise AFTER the rapture, not before it. The war is not the tribulation; it is the wrath of that Day. Much of our end-time confusion has come by changing the definitions of the end-time events through our man-made views. Jesus taught that the tribulation covers
the entire 2,000 years (2 great Days) of the Church Age.  
            We don’t have to come back down to the earth to fight this Battle of the great Day of God Almighty because we have all authority in this spiritual warfare. Satan’s evil forces have already been pulled down from the heavenlies. Nor do we simply meet Christ in the air when He comes, and then together come right back down like a Ferris Wheel ride. No, we rule from God’s 3rd Heaven.
            Since we are definitely seeing the wrath of that Day again, it shouldn’t surprise us then that the next supplemental vision shows us the judgments of that Day in more detail. The trumpet and bowl judgments are the same. We like to call them “operation consume and destroy” as Daniel so aptly put it.  

      So far the supplemental visions of the same events seen in the overview have reminded us how both the Old and New Covenants are all part of God’s prophetic plan of redemption. Rev. 12 showed us how the peculiar births link us as saints set apart unto God. Rev. 13 reminded us how Satan is determined that his plan will work instead, but neither the Church nor the revived saints need to fear. God’s Word  and plan are true and cannot be changed (Is. 55:8-11).
        So it should not surprise us that the next supplemental vision in Revelation 14 gives us insight into the rapture of the Church and its seating as part of the immortal government of heaven. Once again John sees the innumerable company of the 144,000s (plural). Once again we see the raptured Church in heaven, the Head and the Body united as one new Man that shall execute judgment by virtue of having overcome death—resurrection (Acts 17:31).
        We know this is another view of the rapture because we see the same participants present in the throne room as in Rev. 7. We see God on the throne. We see the same four living creatures and the elders. We see Jesus, the Lamb of God. We see the same multitude who have not defiled themselves and have remained true to her Bridegroom. To make sure there is no doubt that this multitude represents the raptured Church, in this view we are told that the multitude were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb (Rev. 14:1-5, emphasis added).
        This phrasing comes from the Feast of Firstfruits, one of the three spring feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits) that were fulfilled with Christ’s first coming. It marks the day that Christ arose as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). This feast specifically speaks of overcoming death.
          The “first” part  of the firstfruits speaks of the first reaping of the first harvest that was dedicated to God. Rev. 1:5 describes Jesus as the faithful witness and the firstborn from among the dead—resurrection. This is why the rapture of the Church at the start of the last Day is a firstfruits resurrection.
         Here we see the “rest of the brethren” who were likewise born from the dead. That is the resurrection of His Body, the Church (Rom. 8:29). Washed in the blood of Jesus, forgiven, and clothed in His righteousness, we are without fault before the throne of God.
          The last Day is also called the Day of Judgment. As Christ’s Body, we are judged at the start of the final 1,000 year Day as being “in Christ.” Unlike this firstfruits harvest at the start of the Day, the rest of the saints who accept Jesus as a result of seeing the rapture or hearing the Gospel preached by the revived Jewish saints shall be judged at the end of the Day, as part of the final harvest.
          End-Time Lesson: You may recall that whenever we see another view of the same event in the Revelation, we should ask what we are meant to see this time around. Here the answer comes in the form of three angelic proclamations. The first angel releases the power to preach the Gospel to the world at this time—after the rapture of the Church. The message: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (v. 7). We shall see shortly who actually does the preaching.
           The second angel declares, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (v. 8). More on this in the next blog. The third angel warns the people not to take the mark of the beast. This warning confirms that not everyone takes the mark. Otherwise, what would be the point of issuing a warning?
          Then John repeats the same timely explanation. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (v. 12) on behalf of the revived Jewish saints and any others who accept Jesus as the Savior during the wrath of this last Day.
          Why is this so important? Because of the next voice that is heard. “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them” (v. 13). Any new believers from this point on (after the rapture) shall likewise be resurrected at the appointed time (the final harvest) to live eternally with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They will not be part of the Church, for that is a time-sensitive offer. But they will be part of the redeemed family of God. 

       A casual reading of Rev. 13 apart from the pointers given when we started this study of Revelation  can lead to a lot of fear and confusion. Yet we know from 1 Cor. 14:33 that this is not of God. We must admit that our confusion comes from our inaccurate man-made ideas.
         As believers, we need to rightly divide His Word of Truth by using the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures. This is why the Holy Spirit inspired the men charged with recording God’s truths to use the similar wording and images that we’ve been following.
          Paul said as much about rightly dividing the truth from the false notions of the world in 1 Thess. 5. Those who understand the biblical times and the seasons know the timing of the last Day, the Day of the Lord. We need not fear the wrath of that Day nor the exaggerated hyperbole that is used to describe it because we are not appointed to go through that wrath (1 Thess. 5:9).
          Instead, we have the assurance of Rev. 13:9-10, of those who have ears that hear. Verse 10 assures us that God’s plan shall come to pass at the appointed time, and only at that time, no matter how things seem to looks to us.
          End-Time Lesson: The wrath of that Day is the snare that awaits those who follow the world’s deception that there is no God and there is no future judgment. They have been taken captive by Satan’s lies. We know from John 10:10 that Satan only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
       As saints under the New Covenant, we need not fear God’s vengeance against evil for we shall be gathered to Christ and seated with our Lord as the heavenly court, executing that vengeance!  It is what Scripture calls the hope of our calling.  

       The supplemental vision we see next in Rev. 13 is the instant replay of the rise of the Gentile coalition that we saw in the overview. It is the beastly coalition that goes to make war against Israel. It has ten horns and seven heads. Once again we know this is the final manifestation of the oppressors because it has the ten horns that represent the ten toes on the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of the times of the Gentiles.
         In this more detailed supplemental, we find that the  seven heads are marked by a blasphemous name (remember Mr. Big Mouth from Daniel?). John notes that the beast is like a  leopard, with the feet of a bear, and a mouth like a lion. This Spirit-inspired wording is meant to connect us back to Daniel 7, which just so happens to describe four beasts stirred up from the sea by the four winds of heaven.
         Daniel explains that “the first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it” (Dan. 7:4-6).
          “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7). It is this fourth beast to whom the dragon gives his power, his throne, and great authority for 42 months (3½ years) (Rev. 13:2, 5).
         When Mr. Big Mouth, aka the Antichrist, opens his mouth in blasphemy, notice whom he scorns and speaks against (v. 6). He not only blasphemes against God, but also His tabernacle (His presence), and those who dwell in heaven—Christ and His Body now seated as the heavenly court! Again, this confirms that the Church remains in heaven. We don’t have to come back to the earth to establish God’s rule. After all, in our own time, Satan influences our world affairs from the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12).
           Again, John diligently records that this beast is granted to make war with the saints to overcome them. This confirms that John is seeing the onset of the 3½-year war for Jerusalem.
            End-Time Lesson: This chapter is a good example of one of the pointers we gave at the start of this series about understanding apocalyptic writings—that is, the use of hyperbole. Before we get more details about this beast in the next few chapters, we need to highlight several examples of this hyperbole here. Verses 3 and 8 say that all the world marveled, followed the beast, and worshiped the beast. Yet we know Israel doesn’t because the beast makes war against her! We also know from Dan. 11:44 that “news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.”
          Clearly not all of the world is under the sway of the beast. The hyperbole is simply used to show that this is a big deal. The idea is similar to when Jesus would say, “Truly, truly I say to you…” to draw attention to the key point He was about to make.
          So far we’ve seen the Dragon and the Antichrist. The rest of chapter 13 describes the third person of the counterfeit trinity—the False Prophet rising up from the earth. He is the one who calls for the people to worship the image of the beast and to receive the mark of the beast that is required in order to buy and sell wherever the Beast is ruling. Again, we know he does not rule everywhere.
          The number of the beastly trio is 666. Six is the number of this fallen world, subject to the weakness of mankind’s sin. The beastly kingdom is empowered by the fallen Dragon kicked out of heaven. It includes the Antichrist who rejects not only Jesus the Son of God, but also God the Father, for if you reject the Son, you automatically reject the Father (1 Jn. 4:3).
          The Antichrist epitomizes the religion of humanism, where every person is their own god. Each person determines how they want to live. Ironically, the one who rejects all religion then insists that his image be worshiped. This is because the beast also includes that epitome of the false prophets who speak apart from the Word of God.