Julia Ward Howe penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” during the American Civil War: “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah!”

These images are drawn from Revelation 14, which skips ahead in time to give us three “victory scenes.” The first is Christ the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 (vv. 1–5; Rev. 7:1–8). This is His Second Coming and the start of the Millennium (Revelation 20). The 144,000 sing a “new song” that only they know. These dedicated believers are “virgins,” likely symbolic of their spiritual purity in contrast to the spiritual prostitution of those worshiping the beasts and dragon. They are “offered as firstfruits” of the Tribulation believers.

The second scene features three angels making announcements (vv. 6–12). The first proclaims the “eternal gospel” and calls the earth to worship. The second declares the defeat of Babylon (Revelation 17–19). The third pronounces judgment on those worshiping the beasts and dragon. As previously (Rev. 13:10), followers of Christ are to respond with “patient endurance and faithfulness” (v. 12). The blessing in verse 13 was especially comforting for John’s suffering readers: Christians who die are not lost or defeated, but resting from their labors.

The final scene pictures “the harvest of the earth” (vv. 14–20). First, the Son of Man sorts and harvests true believers. Then, angels throw the rest into the “great winepress of God’s wrath.” This image of a final harvest, sorting, and judgment echoes Old Testament language (such as Isa. 63:2–3) and Christ’s own words (see Matt. 13:24–30).

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