The Lamb represents Jesus who stands on the symbolic mount Sion in the heavenly Jerusalem meaning where God, Jesus and the holy angels dwell which is called the heaven of heavens, Hebrews 12:22-24; Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalms 115:16. The hundred and forty four thousand that John sees standing with Jesus is not a literal numbering, but symbolic of those of Gods established covenant with faithful Abraham up through a thousand generations, Deuteronomy 7:9; Galatians 3:6, 7; 3:28, 29. These are they of great faith that have never allowed them selves to fall to temptations of the world. To the Jew first and then the Gentile who have gone on before us as together with them all who are alive or have died before the Lords return makes up the complete body of Christ, Ephesians 5:25-27.
God breathed life into us, Genesis 2:7, and when this flesh body dies that spirit of life that was breathed in us will be the only thing that will go back to God, Ecclesiastics 12:7. This fleshly body will return to the dust of the ground from where it came from until those who have died that are in Christ are resurrected first as we who are still alive at this time will be gathered with them in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air, John 3:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Those who rejected God are resurrected to stand in Gods judgment, Revelation 20:11-15. According to John 3:13 no one has ever ascended into heaven other than Christ as all who have physically died that are in the Lord sleep in the dust of the earth until the coming of the Lord.
The soul and the spirit are connected, but separable (Hebrews 4:12). The soul is the essence of humanity’s being; it is who we are. The spirit is the aspect of humanity that connects with God. Only those who have faith in Christ are those who are spiritually alive while those with unbelief in Christ are spiritually dead, 1 Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 4:12; James 2:26; Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13.
The spirit that is in man is either the spirit that connects with God or connects with the principalities of this world, the ruler of wickedness in dark places, Ephesians 6:12. Just because a person lives a good life, helps others and seems to be an all around good person whether they are alive or dead when Christ returns will be resurrected unto damnation if they are not renewed by the Spirit of God through His grace for their remissions of sin, John 3:3-7; Romans 10:9, 10.
The voice John hears is the multitude of those who have died a martyr’s death for not taking the mark of the beast and bowing down to the Luciferians New World Order as they kept their faith and trust in Jesus. Back in Chapter 6 the souls of those under the altar who already died a martyr’s death are crying out for revenge, but are told to wait until their fellow servants that should be killed that all things will then be fulfilled.
Now they all sing a new song in unison as they are joined together with their fellow martyred servants as they rejoice and give praise to the Lord who has redeemed them from this wicked world. Those of great faith who are still alive at this time could not understand this type of rejoicing for there is yet much they will have to endure, but are sealed from anything of Gods final wrath falling on those who have yet to repent.
Those men, women and children that make up the symbolic hundred and forty four thousand that have been redeemed from among men are called virgins. This means those of Spiritual purity that make up the true Church or Bride of Christ and not to be equated with celibacy, Hebrews 12:22-24; James 1:18, 27; 2 Corinthians 11:2. The virgins being the first fruits unto God and to Jesus through the Spiritual rebirth are those who have set their affection on those things from above as they have died to self and live for Christ, John 3:3-7; Romans 10:9, 10; Colossians Chapter 3.
Let me set up a scenario of what is going to happen to those who are in Christ who refuse to take the mark of the beast. They will either be killed or thrown into prison camps becoming the slaves of this Luciferian New World Religious Order. It is part of history repeating itself like the time when Nebuchadnezzar brought his siege against Jerusalem killing and taking captive the Jews and making them his slaves. History always repeats itself as we read throughout scripture how the Romans have always persecuted Gods people and how Satan used people like Constantine, Hitler and Mussolini for examples of Jewish annihilation. Do a search on apfn camps to learn more about these detention camps.
John visions an angel flying around heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on earth. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said that this gospel will be preached to the entire world as a witness and then the end will come. No one will be without excuse for not hearing the gospel as now the fulfillment of Gods promise has come as His gospel message has reached the ears of every person on earth as this angel announces to respect God and give Him praise and glory for His time of judgment has come.
This will be a time of great tribulation that the world has never seen before and never will again, Matthew 24:21, as great fear and confusion runs through the minds of those without Spiritual understanding who have either rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior or those who call themselves Christian, but by name only as they have not the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Many will continue to curse God and blasphemy His name instead of repenting and turning back to His grace and mercy as His fierce wrath is about to be poured out upon them.
Just as Satan worked through the serpent in Genesis 3:1-7 that caused Adam to sin against God in the beginning so will be the same in the end of days as he uses this revived Luciferians Roman Empire to entice those without Spiritual knowledge to receive the mark of the beast and bow down to this false religious system. The second angel that follows right after the first one with the everlasting gospel makes an announcement that Babylon has fallen for in Satan’s anger against God he has caused many to fall away from the true God as the mark they take is their belief in the Luciferians false religious doctrines and false idols they bow down to.
A third angel follows with a stern warning for what will happen to those who worship the beast that rises from the sea, which is the revived Papal Rome religious system that received its deadly wound in 1798, but the wound was healed in 1929. The image of this beast that rises from the earth is the coalition of churches in America that are guided by Papal Rome that will have religious and civil power just like the Papal Church. I discussed this back in Chapter 13 about America being the beast that rises from the earth. Look up the United Religions Initiative and Christian Coalition of America as they are a political organization that is now setting up the image of the beast meaning the image of Papal Rome with the church controlling the government as a union of church and state.
Those who follow after this beast and its image have been warned, but yet reject this warning as they stay blinded from truth and will face that of Gods great indignation as their torment will be exceedingly great as they will never have any rest from their works like the saints of God will as they will be tormented day and night forever.
The woe of the nations as described in Isaiah Chapter 34 is now ready to come to fulfillment as those who accept this Luciferians religious system and worship there false gods are about to face the final seven vial judgments of God along with those who control this system and preaches its false doctrines. Those who have kept Gods commandments and the faith of Jesus as they have remained patient will be spared from Gods final wrath touching them. Those saints of God who have been persecuted to death are now at rest as they sleep in the dust of the ground waiting for the return of Jesus, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
First we need to understand that the one upon the white cloud is not Jesus as the word says like unto the Son of man with emphases on the word like. Scripture shows the Son of man as in parts where the son is capitalized and also used in lower case as son in Ezekiel and Daniel being called sons of man in Ezekiel 2:1-3 and Daniel 8:17. Jesus is called son of man in Luke 3:23, but also called Son of man in Matthew 20:28.
The difference between Son/son being capitalized and lower case is to show the human side of man and also the Spiritual side as in Jesus being made flesh or in other words being born in a human body as in the word made flesh to dwell amongst us, John 1:14. When the scriptures speak of the Son/son of man it is speaking of the power and authority given to Jesus as a servant to mankind and we the saints of God continuing in being a servant of God to all mankind as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus after He ascended to sit at the right hand of God.
Son/son designates one who assigns themselves to a name or title as to an office, 2 Timothy 1:11; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, like Jesus who is called the Son of God in all power and authority given to Him by the Father. Those who are in the office of servitude under Gods authority takes on the nature of Jesus through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit becoming a servant of man to minister to mankind and also prepared to give their lives for the sake of others as Jesus laid down His life for all of us, Matthew 20:28.
Luke 3:23 calls Jesus the son of man as being born the son of Joseph as this is how many perceived Jesus to be as only the son of a carpenter, Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3, who later was called prophet teacher, John 3:2, until they realized Jesus as being the Son of God true Messiah as their Spiritual eyes were opened on the day of Pentecost when they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The one upon the white cloud is an angel as Jesus stated in Matthew 13:39 that the reapers are angels sent to come at the end of the age. The angel on the white cloud wears a symbolic crown of gold which means Gods’ great authority given to him as he waits for the angel that comes out from Gods presence to declare it is now time to take the sharp sickle in his hand which represents the reaping of the harvest as the timing has now come on earth to separate the wheat from the tares, Matthew 13:24-43.
The wheat is those of good seed who have kept the witness and testimony of Christ and have not taken the mark of the beast. They are gathered of all nations under the safety of the Lord as God prepares to pour out His wrathful vial judgments on the people of earth that have followed after the beast and have taken his mark.
John sees in his vision another angel coming out of the temple of God in heaven that also has a sharp sickle, but this angel’s purpose is different from the other angel who has gathered Gods people to safety. This angel waits until the angel from the altar that has power over fire to announce it is time to reap into the earth and gather the clusters of the vine for her grapes are fully ripe.
This angel who has power over fire is the angel in Revelation 8:3 that stands before the altar of God that is given much incense to burn as the sweet aroma is sent up to God with the prayers of the martyred saints, meaning those whose breath/spirit has returned back to God who gave it making them a living soul, Genesis 2:7; Ecc 12:7 as these are those under the altar in Revelation 6:9-11 that are waiting for their blood to be avenged.
Gods timing is now made perfect as the prayers of the martyred saints are about to be answered as He tells the angel before the altar to tell the other angel with the sharp sickle to reap into the earth and gather the cluster of the vine and throw them into the great winepress of Gods wrath for her grapes are ripe.
This vine is different from the vine that is Christ in John 15:5 as this vine is the Luciferians New World Order system and the cluster of grapes are those who attach themselves to this system as they take the mark of this beast and bow down to their ordnances. The wickedness of the multitude is full now as they have rejected God, martyred His saints and still refuse to repent.
The great winepress is symbolic of mans destruction as it can be likened unto grapes trodden down in great fierceness of being pressed down for their juice as the grapes are destroyed. In this case it is the unrighteous that will be trodden down by the fierceness of Gods seven vial chastisements which are different then the six trumpet chastisements that only affected a third of the world.
The seven vial judgments will affect all the unrighteous in every nation around the world, Joel 3:13, 14; Isaiah 63:3 Lamentation 1:15, as these judgments are environmental and physical, which are explained in Rev 16 that will cause many who have not taken the mark of the beast to finally realize what they have been hearing and rejecting that is preached to them from the everlasting Gospel is true as they are physically affected by these vial judgments and will seek out the sovereign and omnipotent God of all creation and repent of their sin against Him.
The description of the winepress being outside the city and the tremendous amount of blood represents a great conquest of God outside of His temple in heaven which means a global conquest over the wickedness on the earth that is found in the heart of man, Isaiah 63:3, 4. The earlier conquest of God during battles where the enemy were always slaughtered as we read in the Old Testament were localized as in certain regions, but this one of the great winepress is a global slaughter of those who oppose God as they are lovers of self wanting nothing to do with the God of righteousness as they are deceived in their own thoughts and actions of those thoughts, 2 Timothy 3:1-9.