Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 14
The person who accepts the mark of the antichrist (Christ’s great enemy) is accepting the antichrist’s rule over his life. So, that person has chosen, on purpose, to serve the devil. As a mark on the body is permanent, so the person has given his life to the devil completely.
That is why the judgement against these people is so severe. God’s kindness is great, but these people have chosen on purpose to oppose God. They hate his kindness; they hate everything that is good. Now they belong to the devil; so they must suffer a punishment that will be like the devil’s punishment (20:10).
The description of that punishment is truly awful. There are fires that cause constant pain. There is sulphur, a substance that burns with an awful smell. The punishment is both constant and permanent. Nobody will ever escape. Such descriptions appear occasionally elsewhere in the Bible. Isaiah 66:24 refers to such a punishment. So does Jude 7 in its reference back to Genesis 19:24. Christ also spoke about it in Mark 9:43-48 and Luke 16:23-26. His purpose, of course, was to warn and not to frighten. His message was that people must not allow the devil to rule their lives. Hell is a terrible place, but God wants to save people from it. Christ died to make that possible (Romans 5:6-19; Hebrews 9:14).
Revelation 14:10 refers to the wine of God’s anger. That word-picture contrasts with the wine that Babylon used to tempt the nations in verse 8. In verse 10, however, the meaning is that too much wine causes even strong men to fall to the ground (Jeremiah 25:15-33). In the same way, God will defeat everyone who opposes him.
The anger is a reference to the fact that God is now acting in judgement. He acts now like an angry man; nobody can stop him (Psalm 2:5).
Next part: God’s people must stand firm (Revelation 14:12)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.