Revelation 14:9–11
Bible Verses. Also called Revelation 14:9-11, Rev 14:9–11, Third Angel's Message, Warning of the Third Angel.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
The third angel's warning that whoever worships the beast and its image and receives its mark will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of the identity of the "mark of the beast" and the nature of punishment in hell.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. Notes on Korean Protestant practice. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Perspective
Includes notes on Korean Protestant practice; other traditions are noted where they differ.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Context
Chapter 14 of the Book of Revelation opens with a vision of the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1–5). Three angels then cry out in succession. The first angel proclaims "the everlasting gospel" and calls people to worship God, and the second announces the fall of Babylon. This passage is the cry of the third angel. Chapter 13 depicts the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth compelling people to worship and to receive a mark (Revelation 13:1–10); here the angel proclaims what will befall those who yield to that coercion. The very next verse continues, "Here is the patience of the saints" (Revelation 14:12).
The wine "poured out without mixture" refers to wine undiluted with water. Because wine in the ancient world was customarily mixed with water before drinking, the expression signifies wrath that has not been tempered. "Fire and brimstone" recalls the judgment on Sodom (Genesis 19), and "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever" echoes Isaiah 34:10, which describes the judgment on Edom.
Interpretation
- Pastoral warning: Many commentators see the passage's primary purpose as exhorting a persecuted church not to compromise but to endure to the end. The mark on the forehead parallels the seal placed on the foreheads of God's servants (Revelation 7:3) and is understood as a symbol of where one's allegiance lies.
- Historical reading (preterism): This view reads the passage against the background of the first century, when worship of the Roman emperor was being enforced.
- Future-oriented reading (futurism): This view reads the passage as foretelling an actual coerced worship and mark that will occur in the last days.
- Eternal punishment: Many within the Reformed and evangelical traditions regard the passage as a proof text for conscious, unending punishment, that is, for hell.
- Annihilation: Conditional immortality, which holds that the soul is not inherently immortal and that the wicked will ultimately cease to exist, reads the "ascending smoke" as the everlasting trace left by their destruction. John Stott is known to have expressed cautious sympathy for this view.
Controversies and Issues
The Seventh-day Adventist Church calls Revelation 14:6–12 the "Three Angels' Messages" and links it to its own identity as a church. The denomination associates the end-time mark of the beast with enforced Sunday worship and the seal of God with Sabbath observance. Most Protestant denominations do not accept this interpretation (see Sabbath and Lord's Day).
Claims directly identifying the "mark of the beast" with modern technologies such as barcodes, implanted microchips, or particular vaccines have also arisen repeatedly. Many theologians and pastors criticize such claims for reading symbolic language literally and quoting the text out of context.
Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.
In Korean churches, this passage is frequently cited in eschatological sermons on the mark of the beast and the number 666. During the COVID-19 pandemic, claims linking vaccines to the mark of the beast circulated in some online spaces in Korea, and a number of Korean Christian news outlets and pastors are reported to have refuted them.
Related Passages
See also 8
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