You have probably heard the expression, “The darkest hour is just before dawn.” That statement has been used for centuries as a way of saying that during the worst of circumstances there is still hope. It is dark, but the dawning of a new day is just ahead.

That is certainly true for followers of Jesus Christ and especially for those who come to faith in Christ during the tribulation and must endure the world-ruling, satanically empowered, bloodthirsty reign of the Antichrist. He is called the Beast, and he partners with the demonically empowered False Prophet.

For believers living on earth through this terrible time, it could not be any darker. But here in Revelation 14–15, the apostle John gives an encouraging vision of Christ’s ultimate triumph.[1]

We now arrive in our Wisdom Journey at that vision, which is introduced in Revelation 14:1:

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

We met these 144,000 Jewish evangelists back in chapter 7. They were converted to Christ after the rapture and uniquely sealed by God as His special ambassadors. John sees them appearing here with the Lamb, Jesus Christ, on Mount Zion. Mount Zion is another reference for Jerusalem and the temple.

So, this is a prophetic preview of Christ’s return. And guess what we find. When He returns, these 144,000 Jewish evangelists are still living and still preaching. They have survived the tribulation as promised.

At this point John also hears music coming from before the throne of God. He describes the music in verses 2-3 as “like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne.” What is even more intriguing is that “no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed.” It is unique to them, more than likely because of their unique experiences in the tribulation.

These Jewish evangelists are further described in verse 4 as not having been “defiled . . . with women, for they are virgins . . . [they] follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” This is not demeaning women; it simply means they had stayed single because of their global assignment; and while traveling the world, they had refused sexual immorality.

Next, three angels appear in succession, each making an announcement. These announcements give us a preview and summary of what will follow in the tribulation.[2] In verse 6 the first angel appears, flying overhead. He proclaims this message in verse 7:

“Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Beloved, the Great Commission of taking the gospel to the entire world is not going to be completed by the church. It is going to be completed by this angel, who proclaims the gospel to “every nation and tribe and language and people” (verse 6).

The gospel message is finally delivered to every person and in every language, warning the human race of God’s judgment and inviting them to believe. This will remove any excuse from those who reject the gospel, and, unfortunately, that will be most of the world.

A second angel follows in verse 8 and announces, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” This looks ahead to chapters 17–18 and predicts the collapse of the Antichrist’s religious, political, and economic systems.

Finally, this third angel makes his announcement:

“If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger.” (verses 9-10)

In other words, if you worship the enemy of God, you will experience the wrath of God. This is also encouragement for the new believers to stand fast and endure the terrible reign of the Beast, the Antichrist (verses 12-13).

The remainder of chapter 14 describes two coming harvests. This previews what is going to unfold from chapter 15 all the way to chapter 19.

The first harvest is a harvest of grain in verses 14-16. This harvest is carried out by “one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.” This is clearly the Lord Jesus. In verse 16 John tells us that Jesus, seated on a cloud, swings “his sickle across the earth, and the earth [is] reaped.” This harvest is a metaphor for the coming judgment of the bowls of God’s wrath. These bowls are the final series of horrific events on Planet Earth.

The second harvest follows in verse 17 as an angel comes “out of the temple in heaven.” He also has a sharp sickle, and he harvests the ripened grapes of the earth. This harvest is a symbolic preview of the battle of Armageddon, which accompanies the return of Christ. At this battle, the vanquished armies of the Antichrist, who try and keep Christ from returning in victory, will be crushed like grapes in a winepress.

John writes, “Blood [will flow] from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia” (verse 20). This means blood will flow like a river for some 200 miles! Here is a terrifying irony. Those who rejected the shed blood of Christ now shed their own blood as God’s wrath comes upon them in full force.

Chapter 15 then tells us that God’s wrath is about to enter a final stage of horrifying devastation. You will remember the last trumpet judgment was introduced back in chapter 11. From it comes the final series of judgments. They are called the bowl judgments because seven angels symbolically pour out the bowls of God’s wrath upon the earth.

Now before we get back to blood and gore and judgment and death, we are given another encouraging vision in verses 2-3:

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire––and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. 

This is another sweeping vision of heaven filled with rejoicing and singing. The choir this time is made up of tribulation martyrs. They are not viewed as failures but as victors. John writes, that they “conquered the beast and its image.” They are the true winners, the victors, in this battle.

Chapter 15 closes with a vision of these seven angels getting ready to pour out the final bowls “full of the wrath of God” (verse 7) against the world that hates Him and kills His beloved.

The last verse of the chapter adds this detail:

The sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God . . . and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (verse 8)

What this means is that nobody can stop the hand of God. Nobody can push a pause button on His power. This is also a tragic message because the judgment of God is unstoppable for those who reject His pardon through Christ. Have you rejected Christ? Do you really want to face the judgment of God? Do you want to risk His wrath? No, today needs to be the day of your salvation. Tomorrow might be too late.

And if you have accepted Him, your future is not judgment; it is never-ending joy. For now, it might be dark in your world, in your experience, in your personal need or sorrow, but remember it is always darkest before dawn. Jesus is coming again—it might be today.