14:11
This verse continues with a description of the consequences for those who “worship the beast and its image, or receive the mark of its name”. “The smoke of the torment will rise for ever and ever”. Let’s just suppose for a moment that annihilationism is true, what are you going to do in the light of that knowledge? It can only mean that you would be more likely to sin, less likely to be concerned about the eternal destiny of others. These are not attitudes that the Bible encourages! So you don’t like the idea of hell? We are not meant to like the idea of hell!
14:12
This is the second time we have had “this calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God” (Rev 13:10). So what is the context of this call? It is the world demanding that its people worship the beast. This call will not simply go away, there is a battle to be fought, and one which will involve enduring suffering. And who are God’s people? It is those who keep His commands and remain faithful to Jesus. There is a consistent emphasis on obeying God, see Matt 7:21. Obedience matters.
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