‘And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is prepared unmixed 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. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever, yet they cease not day or night, those worshippers of the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of His name.'
The messages of the three angels (three signifies completeness) sum up the history of the world for those who dwell on earth. We find here, first God's call to the world, then the alternative of the anti-Christ who deceived the nations and is now fallen and finally the doom of those whose response is to anti-Christ. The prime reference is as a warning to Christians in the early days not to submit to the beast of Rome, but it contains within it the warning against submission to anti-Christ in any form, i.e. submission to false religion or secularism for whatever reason, and especially to the final anti-Christ depicted by the beast from the abyss (chapter 17). While they may not worship the Roman beast and his image they worship other images and false ideas and stand equally condemned.
This passage has often been grossly misrepresented. It is a picture of judgment not of eternal torture. First it is stressed that those who commit themselves to the beast, and continue as his, will drink fully of the awful and total wrath of God. At the last mercy must cease and then there is unabated wrath. The wrath of God, revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), is not impetuous anger but an attitude towards sin necessarily resulting from the holiness of God. In His ‘otherness' He cannot abide sin and if men will not repent then they must accept that they will receive its full deserts (Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6). In the end it is the result of their rejection of God's offer of mercy in Christ (John 3:36).
‘And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.' John's readers would understand the vivid picture. In those days when men were brought to trial they were tortured in order to make them admit the truth. The same could even be done to witnesses of the common kind. It was simply a fact of life. (Compare how Jesus was scourged before He was sentenced). So now we learn in vivid language that the followers of the beast will face trial in the presence of the angels and of the Lamb in such a way that they will be made to tell the truth. It is of course symbolic and not literal, to bring out the awfulness of the situation. Compare how fire and brimstone came out of the mouths of the the evil spirits (Revelation 9:17-18) and fire out of the mouths of the two Witnesses (Revelation 11:5).
The One Who suffered for men will now be their judge because they rejected His mercy, the bleeding Lamb has become the Destroyer, and the impact of His fiery eyes and words will make them prostrate themselves before Him and admit the total truth about themselves. We can compare for this Revelation 9:17-18. There the fire and brimstone was intended to bring men to admission of sin and repentance (Revelation 9:20-21). Here it issues in the hopeless confession of sin before the Judge.
As we have seen throughout the book, fire, and fire and brimstone, represent spiritual impact and application, the former with a message which still contained hope, the latter with a message of judgment and destruction. Fire came from the mouths of the two witnesses, representing their powerful burning words which left their enemies bereft but contained hope for those who would respond (Revelation 11:5), fire and brimstone came from the mouths of evil spirits as they attacked men's inner thoughts, minds and spirits, bringing them to destruction (Revelation 9:18). Fire and brimstone will now pierce the inner thoughts of the judged.
We must not remove the force of the words. Men will cry out in anguish longing to be hid from God's wrath against sin (Revelation 6:16). They will weep and gnash their teeth as they recognise that it is now too late (Luke 13:28 compare Matthew 8:2; Matthew 13:42; Matthew 13:50; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30). Their torment will thus be great as the words of judgment burn into their souls. It would be no kindness to water down the awfulness of that time. But it does not represent a picture of everlasting conscious torment. It is saying that they will be thoroughly and severely judged.
‘And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever.' The portrayal of their examination as being conducted with fire and brimstone leads on to the picture of the ensuing smoke rising eternally. It is the constant stress in Scripture that the consequences of sin are eternal, and that the signs of its punishment will also be eternal, signifying that the judgment itself is final and there is no escape from it. (For everlasting smoke see Isaiah 34:10; Revelation 19:3; and compare Genesis 19:28 with Jude 1:7; for everlasting fire and maggots compare Isaiah 66:24; Mark 9:44; Mark 9:46; Mark 9:48).
‘Yet they cease not day or night those worshippers of the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.' The thought of what they must face had made no impact on them. Even as they had received warnings of terrible judgment to come they had continued with their worship of the beast. Timewise this comment is looking back before the judgment scene.
Note the construction of the whole passage. It commences with a final offer of mercy, continues with God's judgment on those who are worshippers of the beast and his image and those who receive a mark on their forehead and on their hand (Revelation 14:9), and it finishes in holy exasperation that in spite of the consequences of which they are warned those worshippers are carrying on with their worship.
‘They cease not day or night.' This is in deliberate contrast with the worshippers of God who also cease not day or night (Revelation 4:8) (the Greek is exactly the same). It does not therefore indicate spiritual unrest as such but perseverance in a course of action. Just as the living creatures persevere in worshipping God so they persevere in worshipping the beast. They refuse to fear God and give Him glory.
So while the first angel appeared to be offering hope, and was indeed doing so, the final picture is that men are now too bound up in sin to repent. God's offer of mercy will extend to the final hour, but as a whole man is too hardened to benefit.
John, of course, has a foreshortened view. As far as he is aware the coming of Christ and the ensuing judgment could happen at any time. Thus he speaks in those terms. But while viewing things in that light, as he must, he is also aware that Christ's coming might be considerably delayed, for he knew that no one knew the time of that coming. Either way he knew that anti-Christ would continue for it is part of the inevitability of history.