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Rev. 14:1: And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
         "The Lamb stood on Mount Zion."
         I see this, in Reality, as the Lord standing at the center of a man's soul. He dwells there, where He delights to be,  in the soul marked with His seal and with His characteristics  engraved on it. Those marked with His seal are a hundred forty-four thousand; they are united among themselves, being of like feelings, speaking the same language, acting alike. These souls are always "with the Lamb," Who indwells them.
         Just as the Lamb is at the center of the believer's being, He is also at the center of the Church. (Editor's reference: The Church, from the Greek word "euclose" and is literally translated as "The Called Out." See "The Mystery of the Church, from the book Whispers of the Mysteries by Ray and Doris Prinzing).  These souls are in a continual nothingness, sharing in His continual sacrifice. Oh, happy souls who in a dissolute world have the joy of belonging to Jesus Christ! You are hidden, dead, and nothing, suffering offenses, shame and slander, like Him, in perfect silence. But a time is coming when you will rise from your shame and nothingness, to have a part in the marriage supper of the Lamb, having been made worthy.

Rev. 14:2,3: And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.
         This voice is the voice of surrendering souls. It is the voice of harpers; it is a complete harmony, a continuous accord of every will submitted to the will of God. This is the cause of their perfect harmony. They are all moved by the same spirit and have only one undivided will-- God's will.
         These souls sing a new song, and no man could learn that song nor understand it, for it will only be understood by souls emptied of self, enjoying a divine language from God alone. It is "new" because no one else ever sang it or can sing it. They could sing it only after they were completely stripped and "redeemed from the earth." They have been redeemed from all the earthly in Adam.

Rev. 14:4: These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
         There is "a virginity" of the soul in keeping the grace of God. A soul that is perfectly free from earthly things is a virgin soul. The Adam in them is completely destroyed. These follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They cannot part from Him because of the unity that their nothingness has accomplished. But if such people have noted advantages, oh God, what crosses also do they bear!
         These are redeemed from among men, that is, withdrawn from all human corruption in their nature-- self-love, and carnality. They are also the first fruits to God, specially sacrificed to Him. As soon as these souls are withdrawn from the world, they dwell in the bosom of God. Fiery flames, impurities, carnality are all gone.

Rev. 14:5:  And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
         In their mouth was found no guile; their words are the very truth since they show the completeness of God and the nothingness of creature. They are like a spotless mirror in which the Sun of righteousness likes to be reflected and continually see Himself.

Rev. 14:6:  And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; ...
         The eternal gospel is only the will of God which was and always will be. It is the gospel of truth unknown of all men. Oh God, create men who will obey You perfectly, men who will never rebel in any place You put them. This is the everlasting gospel, for eternally Your will was accomplished very perfectly. You did Your will in Yourself; then in Your angels.
         This eternal gospel is that of God's will preached to all the earth. It will be preached. It is hardly known now. It will be the common and universal language. Oh divine Language, you will be the delight of men on earth! What made man miserable was his disobedience. What will make man happy will be the fulfillment of God's will. Man will never be perfectly happy even if he were to possess the whole world, without doing God's will. The least resistance brings a worldly man trouble, suffering, grief. As soon as he does what God wants him to do, he comes into peace and unspeakable joy."
         And it is by this very circumstance that he can know whether he is yielding or resisting God. We fail to do God's will because we judge this will with our reasonings, thoughts, human feelings, the hearsay of men, their self-love and self-interest. In judging this way, we do not enter into this will. Let us judge it through abandonment, self-denial in everything, through all God is doing and allowing, through what gives peace, joy, freedom.

Rev. 14:7:...and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."
         Nearly everyone believes that the fear of God is being afraid of punishment. But this is fear born of self-love, not that of pure love. The fear of pure love is this: that we will not please God enough or do His will. The soul is here invited to give glory to Him for the  hour of His judgment is come. The soul who has no self-interest or self-love will love His judgment however severe it may be, because God, thus justifies Himself against His creature who; unjustly having robbed God, withdrew from God-- and His will-- to do his own.
         Oh Love, fulfill Your judgment. Whatever it is, I love it. It will make You glorious and that will suffice. Your Glory alone, oh God, is my delight.
         All Christians believe they worship God but it would be easy to prove that very few worship Him. Worshipping God inwardly is paying homage to His sovereignty by being nothing without Him. Worshipping God outwardly is having a profound respect in His presence. But this outward worship cannot be true unless it is backed by the inward. Who is nothing before God? Who stands before God both with the humility and respect due to HIM? Christians who go into a church building on Sunday are like in a market place or in a fair. No one would think we believe in a present God. Lack of reverence in the Church will be severely punished. Turks and heathens have a thousand times more respect in their temples!

Rev. 14:8:  And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."

        "Babylon" is a city of confusion, greed, pride, sensualism. This Babylon is self-will, the daughter of pride. Since God wants to establish his everlasting Gospel, which is His will, He must destroy and bring down self-will. Every sin begins when we separate our will from God's. Adam brought sin into the world because his will was contrary to God's. If our will was united to God's, we would never sin.
         God must then bring down this self-will before establishing the everlasting Gospel. This is how He works with souls: He starts by having them lose their own will; then He substitutes His own there.
         This is not done at once; creature could not stand it. It is done little by little, God bearing with our weakness. This Babylon made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
         We even do our own will when we have to obey men. Scripture rightly calls this "fornication," because our own will was created to be united to God's and be one with God.
        However, the soul withdrew from God to obey the devil. Since then it has been in continuous rebellion. Man withdrew himself from the unity and simplicity of God to enter the multiplicity of Babylon.

Rev. 14:9,10:  And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."
         The chastisement of those who are marked with the seal and characteristics of self-interest could not be too great. They rejected the sacred fire of the purest love to be burned with the fire of greed. They called their own love, pure love and called pure love, self-love, thus blaspheming the Holy Spirit and doing their own corrupt and unrestrained will. They placed the mark of the beast on their forehead-- on their mind-- which is filled with themselves, their business, pleasures, glory, covetousness. They received also the mark "in their hand," dedicating all their works to the service of their self-interest and carnality.
         This is why they do not want to drink of the wine of the Bridegroom's cellars. He gives it to souls willing to be emptied of themselves.
         But these others reject this pure love. Just as pure love, this strong and delicious wine fills with peace and joy him who drinks of it, so that it fully quenches his thirst; likewise the other who drinks His wine is filled with trouble and I grief.
         Man had been created to love his God. His love had to make man happy, and satisfy him fully. Instead of this, man allowed the poison of the serpent (Editor's reference: A.P. Adams, "We Are God's Workmanship" - God's purpose in the "beginning") to slip into his heart; this strange love became his tormentor. It leaves man thirsty forever. The torment they have in this world is very weak in comparison with what they will suffer hereafter; it will be a continuation and an increase of evil.
         Gross, carnal sins rightly frighten us; these which are monsters a thousand times more frightful do not cause us to fear. On the contrary, they are continued on, loved, pampered, tolerated as if they were insignificant. Are there in the world beasts as frightful as those described here? Nevertheless other animals are feared which are easily tamed, but this horrible monster which causes such great misfortunes is revered.
         Oh, blindness! The light of the truth is done away with, hidden in the desert, in barren, solitary places, devoted to pure love. Men walk in the light of a false illumination, dazzled without enlightenment, seeing cliffs as if they were mountains and the mountains as if they were cliffs. 'Oh, God, send Your light of truth! You will, oh Love, when the dragon is killed and destroyed, and when Babylon is entirely knocked down.

Rev. 14:11: "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
         Those who worship the beast have in them an apparent and deadly sense of carnality. Oh God, Your sacred fire will know how to try everything, reject what is impure and against You, and purify what is Yours. It is certain that these greedy, important people suffer and are tormented in this very life. for they have no rest day and night. But the torments awaiting them in the hereafter are stranger still. The servants of God go through many crosses, troubles and afflictions, but these bring about in the sufferer a certain deep peace. When the outward life is most desolate, the inward enjoys a deeper satisfaction. It is said that to be saved you must go through a great deal of suffering; but personally I find that you must go through far more suffering to get lost.

Rev. 14:12: Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
         Believers need great patience to live with sinners who torment them constantly. Everybody sees their interests and sides with them, but they condemn God's servants. These things will change. Do not grow weary suffering persecution. God acts in this manner to give you a better crown by sending troubles now to exercise your "patience."
        He increases your patience by the measure of the cross He sends, and you become hardened against suffering. This patience is given to those who continue in the will of God and place their trust in Jesus Christ.

Rev. 14:13:  And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, " Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
         My God, what beautiful words! How comforting! There are two kinds of deaths in the Lord. To die the first death in the Lord, man must die to himself in all he has from Adam, all that is outward, human and possessing him. Oh, happy death indeed that sweeps away all pains. Oh, blessed death, bringing the soul out of itself and into God. Oh death, beginning of true life! Oh, blessed death by which the soul is lost in God! After this death, the natural death is a wonderful happiness. Through it we enjoy God perfectly and clearly with the veil of faith. Without this death, the natural death is something which is feared.
         "Indifference" to all that life holds is spoken of by Paul in Romans 14: "Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's." Such believers would not stay if they were not meant to help others. However they are ready to remain on earth indefinitely.

Rev. 14:14,15:  And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe."
         The Lord Jesus must reap the harvest. You gave Your life so as to change the tares sown by the enemy into good seeds from the purest wheat. However these tares wanted to save their own nature in spite of Your care and goodness. You will reap them with Your sharp sickle and take to Yourself the good grain. You will throw the other into the fire.
         Some souls are ripe for heaven, as the others are ripe for hell. (Editor's reference: A.P. Adams, "Probation and The Doctrine of Eternal Hell," -- "Probation," -- "Judgment.").

Rev. 14:16: And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.
         There are two reapings of the harvest: In one God is harvesting His servants from the cities and kingdoms that are unworthy. There is another reaping in which God harvests all the sinners, leaving only the righteous. Thus He did in Noah and Lot's days. God will one day harvest His enemies because He wants to leave on earth an assembly of righteous people and Saints. Then God, tired of the wickedness of the ungodly who torment His servants, will deliver these from oppression.

Rev. 14:17-20: And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
         This gathering the clusters of the vine is the horrible  vengeance of God against the enemies of those who love Him with a pure love. There will then be a strange slaughter lasting till the enemies of God are all defeated. (Editor's note: The "lasting" or period of this "strange slaughter" is for the purging of the "tares" from within the life of the child of God. Scripture states that "the kingdom of God is within" and although the picture which has been painted here is very graphic, focus on "For our fight (God's fight because of ourselves we can do nothing) is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual."
         Those who shed Your blood and that of Your servants, who persecuted You in their sins, wanting to destroy and banish Your Spirit, those, oh Lord, will feel Your vengeance.
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^{(1) Guyon, Mme. Jeanne, CHRIST OUR REVELATION, Gardiner, Main, Reprinted 1987 Christian Books Publishing House ( Book in now out of print)}

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