This world is broken, and only God can fix it. He patiently waits so that as many as can be saved have a chance. This is a difficult text to write about. There is so much pain in its warnings. In order to renew Earth and eradicate pain forever sin must be taken away forever. This will be done with fire and brimstone. All those who are not marked as God's faithful will lose their lives forever.
Wiser people than I have covered these topics in depth. Thousands of words, millions of words, would not be enough to describe the situation. Revelation 14 is like a summary of the end of that war between good and evil that has ravaged creation for thousands of years. Here we stand or fall at the end of time, the war raging about us, caught up in our day to day while souls are won or lost for eternity.
Think of the challenges we face when we try to fix this world on our own. Nature is unbalanced. When we try to repair the situation in one area we result in losses in other areas. Life is precious, yet we resort to killing to try to balance it. Misery! However, please do not despair. Think on good things. There is still much beauty in the world and hope in the words of the Bible. Even so, we cannot be blind to the signs around us. The irreversible damage caused by our decisions is spreading. For an example, animals are dying from eating plastic. We blame plastic and we surely should be disposing of our waste properly and finding more sustainable ways to live our lives. But what about overfishing and habitat destruction? Perhaps plastic is all some animals can find to try to take an edge off their hunger.
Are we settling for a "plastic diet" in the realm of spirituality? Are we going to worldly sources to try and take the edge off our spiritual hunger when the nutrition is abundantly and freely available in the Bible?
Animals are not all that are suffering on this shattering planet. People are. People hurt each other so easily now. Rage wins over decency. The loss of self-control is agonizing. Everyday the news reveals more murders, fights, and other atrocities. Even the most vulnerable, those who should be most protected, valued, and sheltered, are brutally treated, murdered, and discarded. People going about their ordinary lives with no expectation of doom are suddenly, devastatingly mowed down in callous, casual manners. Sometimes this is by brutal physical violence. Other times this is by cold social rage and slander. Fear is increasing as are fear inducing behaviors. There is only one hope. Go to Jesus.
These evils are increasing and arising. People are allowing covetousness and pride to reign in their hearts. This blinds people to every good impulse, every sense of compassion, every thought of another as worthy of love, except as it benefits them in their unholy selfishness.
Yes, we are all sinners, but we need to place ourselves on God's side. We need to receive that mark spoken of in the book of Revelation in the Bible that identifies us as God's children.
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. " Revelation 14: 12.