Revelation 14:9-12: Faithful to Jesus.

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.’ 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” NIV

Whatever form ‘’the beast’’ may take in our generation; and regardless of whether or not we live through the final phase of history, it is always a fatal choice to worship him – a choice with eternal consequences. So let the message be given in a ‘’loud voice’’ that it may be heard.

‘We cannot understand the torment of those who are depicted in vv.9-12, except it be the remorse at having refused the love of the Lamb of God. Even Christ himself cannot save a soul from self-condemnation.’ F.B.Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.641.

The words ‘’patient endurance’’ in (12) show that it’s always going to be difficult and painful to move in the opposite direction to the prevailing system. But the pathway of faithfulness to Jesus, although it may come at terrible cost, is the wise choice when eternal destiny is at stake.