I would like some perspectives on Revelation.

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● Rev 14:6-7 . . And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, announcing with a loud
voice: Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.

The everlasting gospel is a bounce from the very first chapter of Genesis;
and reiterated at Ps 19:1-4 and Rom 1:19-20. It's very elementary; pretty
much all it says is:

1) There's a supreme being.

2) People should not take Him lightly.

3) He deserves to be greatly admired.

4) There's a reckoning looming on the horizon.

5) The cosmos-- all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --is the result of
intelligent design.
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● Rev 14:9-12 . . A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: If
anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the
forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which
has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.

. . He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and
ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his
image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.

The holy city depicted at Rev 21:9-27 will never experience nightfall nor
darkness. On the basis of that, some have proposed that Rev 14:9-12 is
entirely symbolic because it says that the folks assigned to the burning
sulfur will be given no rest day or night in a place where supposedly there
will be no night.

However "in the presence of" doesn't necessarily mean the site of the
burning sulfur is located inside the city's walls, mostly because Rev 21:27
says: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is
shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's
book of life." And also Rev 22:14-15 which says: "Blessed are those who
wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go
through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice
magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone
who loves and practices falsehood."

Though there will be neither day nor night inside the city that doesn't
preclude the possibility that there will be day and night outside. At any rate;
I think we have to expect there will be no breaks in the torment but that it
will be perpetual 24/7/365 with neither intermission, nor interruption, nor
time off for good behavior. That will be an awful scene; quite possibly the
rather ghastly tourist attraction depicted by Isa 66:23-24.

● Rev 14:12 . .This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who
obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

People will find themselves confronted with a sort of Catch 22, so to speak.
If they unify with the Beast, they'll be safe from execution and permitted the
advantages of commerce but in the end they'll be cooked in flaming sulfur. If
they unify with God and His son Jesus, they'll be safe from the sulfur but
they'll be prevented from shopping for even the barest of necessities and
eventually placed under arrest and sentenced to death.

● Rev 14:13 . . .Then I heard a voice from heaven say: "Write: Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest
from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

One of the deeds sure to follow those folks is their decision to remain true to
God and His son Jesus in spite of the consequences for refusing to unify with
the Beast. (cf. Matt 10:22)
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