Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship's Bible study in the Book of Revelation. Tonight is study #54 of Revelation, chapter 14 and we are continuing to look at the last verse in the chapter, Revelation 14:20:
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Last time we were looking at the Greek word “stadion,” which is the word translated as “furlongs” and we saw it appears six times in the Bible. We looked at each place it was found; five times it was translated as “furlongs” and one time it was translated as “race.” I want to turn back to the latter passage, where “stadion” was translated as “race,” in 1Corinthians 9:24-27:
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
What is key here is that it is about running in a “furlong” (race) to obtain the prize, which God says is an “incorruptible crown.” As soon as we see the word “incorruptible,” we know it must be talking about eternal life, but let us look at this word that is translated as “incorruptible” and look at other places where it is used. It says in 1Peter 1:4:
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Notice that the inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled and one that does not fade away, which is exactly the point God was making in 1Corinthians 9, where they received a crown, but it was a corruptible crown that would fade away. Notice it says that this crown is “reserved in heaven for you,” and that means it is not just the salvation of the soul because while we are on earth God has given His people a new heart and a new spirit and this is part of the glorious and wonderful salvation He has freely given to His elect people, but it is basically a “down payment” or the “earnest of the spirit,” but the rest is yet to come; God must complete the salvation by giving a new spiritual body to each one of His people. Then He must further complete it by giving us a place to live for evermore in the new heaven and new earth. All this is in view with the incorruptible inheritance.
It says in 1Corinthians 15:42:
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
When God saves us He sows the seed of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of God, within the physical body of man while we are alive on this earth. Physically our bodies are seeing corruption, but inwardly we have a new soul and spirit and that is the seed that God has sown and that is what will be “raised in incorruption,” and that means it is pointing to the end of this world because that is the day of the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the saints that are alive on the earth when Christ completes the Day of Judgment.
Let us read a little more in 1Corinthians 15:49-54:
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
It is very direct and very clear that God is indicating there is a time of receiving the incorruptible crown. In 1Corinthians 9 it spoke of a crown, but it said that the natural man does certain things to receive a corruptible crown; that is, mankind keeps their bodies under and they are very disciplined in their lives to watch the things they eat and things they do. As far as drinking and smoking, they would restrain their wills, but they are not doing this to serve God. God does say we should live a sober life and we should not kill and to smoke would be killing the body, so they may not do these things, but they are not doing it in response to the commandments of God, but it is out of their own lust and desire for glory and to be lifted up among their fellow man. So they have their reward and some will obtain that prize, but it is a corruptible prize; it is a temporal thing. Soon the cheers die down and the crown fades away.
But for the child of God it is an “incorruptible crown.” It is a new resurrected body, an eternal spiritual body that will never die and we will live for ever in a new creation that God gives to each one of His people as their inheritance. Remember when the Israelites entered into the land of Canaan, once they subdued the nations and conquered the land, Joshua then gave inheritance by lot to each of the tribes. Then within the tribes land was allotted to all the families in that particular tribe. That is the idea here. It is the Promised Land of the kingdom of God and on that day we enter in, then all the promises of God are coming to fruition and God has shown Himself as true and faithful. There you are and there is your eternal inheritance – eternal life and a portion for ever of this tremendously glorious kingdom that God has built for His people. This is all part of the “incorruptible crown.”
Let us just look at one other verse concerning the “crown,” in James 1:12:
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Again, the “crown of life,” which is the crown that is incorruptible, as we have seen through the language in other places in the Bible, is tied in with the resurrection and with the last day. Notice that God says in James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried,” or, in other words, once he is tried and the period of trial is come to a close, then he will receive the “crown of life,” the incorruptible crown. Now this is significant because we have seen that as we live on this earth in the Day of Judgment, God is trying His people through a spiritual fire. He is trying us all to see if we are “gold, silver, precious stones” (true believers) or “wood, hay, stubble” (unbelievers). The “wood, hay, stubble” will be burned up in the Day of Judgment, but the “gold, silver, precious stones” will endure the fire. They will endure the trial and at the end of the trying period at the conclusion of Judgment Day, they will receive the “crown of life.” They will receive the incorruptible crown.
So we can see how the incorruptible crown (the resurrected body and all that accompanies it) lies at the end of this present world, the end of God’s wrath and the end of Judgment Day. This helps us to understand when the Lord says, in 1Corinthians 9:24, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” This “furlong” is one that each one of us is to run; God is speaking to each one of us, individually. He is speaking to you and He is speaking to me. You are encouraged to run in the furlong to receive the incorruptible crown. I am also encouraged to run in the furlong to receive the incorruptible crown. It is very personal. God is speaking directly to each one of us and we are called upon to run the furlong and to keep our eyes on the prize, “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,” as it said in Philippians, chapter 3. It is the prize of eternal life. There is nothing comparable to it. There is nothing equal to eternal life. It is the greatest of all possible prizes and it lies before us. The only thing required is to run as God commands to run.
It is interesting how the Bible defines its own terms. The Bible is a Book of hidden truths and we can never assume that a word means what we might think the word means or what we would define it to mean. Our earthly language or the Webster’s Dictionary definition of a word is not the Biblical definition of a word. When we see a word like “run,” we do not just draw on our own experience and say, “I know what that means. It means to move your legs very fast and to move quickly somewhere.” That is the earthly definition, but what is the Bible’s definition? God does describe what He means by the word “run,” in Psalm 119:32:
I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
So to “run the way of they commandments” means to keep God’s commandments. Once the Lord has revealed a commandment and opened up our understanding to the meaning of that commandment, then we “run the way of thy commandments” and it shows an eagerness or desire that is coming forth from the heart to do the will of God.
Also, we find that the Lord speaks of “running” in the context of the time of the end. It says in Habakkuk 2:2-3:
And JEHOVAH answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end he shall speak, and not lie: though he tarry, wait for him; because he will surely come, he will not tarry.
I replaced the pronouns with the masculine pronoun “he” because it is referring to God. It is the Holy Spirit and it should be the masculine pronoun “he” and not “it.” This verse is quoted in Hebrews, chapter 10, and we know the masculine pronoun is correct because it says in Hebrews 10:37:
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Here God does use the masculine pronoun “he” and it is speaking of the end when the Word of God will “speak” and God the Holy Spirit would speak once God unsealed the Bible. He had said to Daniel, “Shut up the words, and seal the book til the time of the end.” At the time of the end the Bible was unsealed and God revealed understanding to His people regarding many important spiritual things including the time of the Great Tribulation, the appointed Day of Judgment and so forth. This is what Habakkuk 2:2 had in mind when it said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” The “tables” would relate the Ten Commandments which were written upon tables of stone. And “write the vision” refers to the Word of God and it is to be “made plain;” that is, it is not to be hidden and sealed up any longer, but it is to be brought to the minds of the people of God and they are to discern “both time and judgment.” The Lord God will reveal His secret unto His servants the prophets. The wise will understand, but none of the wicked will understand.
It goes on to say: “That he may run that readeth it.” I think this directly refers to the information that God opened up during the Great Tribulation, especially concerning the approaching Day of Judgment on May 21, 2011. As God revealed that information, He stirred up His people to a tremendous degree to perform all sorts of spiritual activity in bringing that message before the eyes of the people of the world; the message was put right before them so they could not ignore it, dismiss it, or avoid it – it was everywhere. That was due to the people of God running the way of His commandments, in obedience, “that he may run that readeth it.” The Lord’s people were able to read and comprehend the things that God revealed and, as a result, they “ran” with that message in tremendous eagerness to be faithful watchmen, blowing the trumpet and warning the people of the approaching day of wrath, the coming Day of Judgment.
It is also true that God speaks of “running” in Judgment Day itself. I think this is especially what 1Corinthians 9 is focused upon when it says, “Know ye not that they which run in a furlong,” because the “1,600 furlongs” would begin on May 21, 2011 and it would be the final “leg” (as the term is used in foot races) of the race. It would be the end of the race that the people of God would run in this world. At the end of the “furlong,” when we reach the 1,600th furlong, or 1,600th day (which is also the 10,000th Day of Judgment), it would the completion of judgment on October 7, 2015, which is also the last day of “harvest” and the last day of Tabernacles. Remember how God speaks of Tabernacles as “last day” and He also uses the term “last day” in association with the resurrection. That phrase is only eight times in the Bible and twice it refers to the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the other times to judgment on the last day or the resurrection on the last day. What comes at the end of the day of resurrection? It is the “incorruptible crown.” That means it is the end of the race and that is when the crown is received and the people of God obtain it and, yet, we must run in order to reach it.
In the Book of Joel, chapter 2, the Lord gives us a parallel passage to Revelation, chapter 9. He speaks of His great army that is bringing judgment, as the believers come with Christ – the Lord comes and all the saints with Him. For instance, it says in Joel 2:1:
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of JEHOVAH cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Then it says in Joel 2:4:
The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Keep in mind that we are looking at the idea of “running.” We are to run in the furlong. Here, God is speaking of His people, the great army, and they will have the appearance of horses and of horsemen and “so shall they run.” Notice how many times the word “run” is used. It goes on to say in Joel 2:5-9:
Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
We know when this happens because it says in Joel 2:10:
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
This is the verse that gives us the important time reference because Matthew 24:29 tells us that when the Tribulation ends, immediately, the sun is darkened and the moon shall not give its light. So the context is Judgment Day, May 21, 2011, and this great army of God goes forth and “they shall run.” Four times in the verses I read in Joel this phrase was used. Why are they running? Is it just so we can picture in our mind’s eye an army running? No – we are look up that word and see what the Bible means when it uses that phrase: “I will run the way of thy commandments.” They are running according to the will of God as He reveals the “righteous judgment of God” in the day of wrath, as Romans 2:5 tells us. As God continues to open up the Scriptures, they are to publish these things and to proclaim Babylon’s fall and to “prophesy again” to all the nations and peoples of the world. That is why it says “they shall run” four times. “Four” is universal; it points to the four points of the compass: North, South East and West. All the people of God all over the earth (the great multitude) are part of this great army.
We are running out of time, but it also says concerning the locusts, in Revelation 9:7-9:
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
They are “running” in the Day of Judgment. God’s people, typified here by the locusts and typified by the great army in Joel 2, will “run” in Judgment Day. They are running the furlong. They are running the race.
We have great hope and expectation that at the completion of the last furlong, there finally lies the “incorruptible crown” of eternal life.