Revelation 14:10b They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
This applies to everyone who worships the antichrist and receives his mark. They will be tortured in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. Sinners want to get away from Christ, but will not be able to avoid him, even in hell. The difference between heaven and hell is not the presence or absence of Christ, but whether he is present to bless or curse. Christ is in heaven to bless his people, and he is in hell to curse his enemies.
Revelation 14:11 There will be no rest day or night.
One of the worst things about hell will be the absence of rest. A friend of mine went without sleep for days, and thought he would lose his mind. He laid in bed for hours, hoping to sleep, but sleep would not come to him. Then he had to get up and go to work again. It is hard to go without sleep for even a day or two. But in hell, There will be no rest day or night–forever. The awful descriptions of hell in the Bible should compel us to obey Jesus Christ and share the gospel with others.
Revelation 15:3-4 Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
These words are sung in heaven by those who are victorious over the antichrist (Revelation 15:2). The antichrist thought he was victorious over them, since he had them put to death. But real victory is not just staying alive, but dying in faith. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them (Revelation 14:13), wrote John.
The greatest day of the Christian’s life is the day they go to be with Christ. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far (Philippians 1:23), wrote Paul. Unbelievers treat this world like it’s the only one there is. Christians know it’s only preparation for the world to come.
Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.
These are the final catastrophic judgments before the return of Jesus Christ. The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image (Revelation 16:2).
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood . . . and every living thing in the sea died (Revelation 16:3).
The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. . . . (Revelation 16:4).
The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. . . . (Revelation 16:8).
The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. . . . (Revelation 16:10).
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up . . . . (Revelation 16:12).
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air . . . . huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail (Revelation 16:17-21).
The catastrophic judgments coming on the earth should keep Christians from becoming too attached to this present evil age (Galatians 1:4). We should try make the world a better place, but understand that it will come to an end. The goal of the church is not to rule the world, but to preach the gospel everywhere (Matthew 28:18-20), for the salvation of those who believe. [O]ur citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there (Philippians 3:20), wrote Paul.
Revelation 16:16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The word Armageddon occurs only here in the Bible, and probably stands for a region sixty miles north of Jerusalem, where many battles have been fought. It stands for the final battle between God and his opponents: real people at a particular point in time. We should imagine massive armies and powerful weapons pointed at Christ when he returns.
Revelation 17:14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.
The world is so opposed to Christ, that when he came the first time, they put him on a cross. And when he comes a second time, they will try to kill him again. If sin was even slightly rational the world would surrender to Christ. But when they see the king in his glory, they will turn their weapons against him. [B]utthe Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings.
Revelation 18:4 Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.
There is a time to engage the world, and there is a time to withdraw. Jesus was such a friend of sinners that he was called a glutton and a drunkard (Matthew 11:19). But when the world becomes too corrupt, the church must back away, or risk corruption themselves. Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17) wrote Paul.
Christians should be close enough to the world to win sinners, but not so close that sinners win us back. Christians must separate from the worst elements of the world, or the world will compromise our loyalty to Christ. This is not an easy balance, but it is the only way to fulfill our mission.
Reflection and Review
Have you ever had a sleepless night?
Why is the end of the age so violent?
When should believers separate from the world?