Lesson Four

Chapter 14:1-5

Divine Symbol of The Lamb’s Army

a) The Song of the 144,000

- In Chapter 13, we have seen how the nations have become beasts against God’s people near the time of Christ return and now we are seeing how God deals with this.

- The war of the false trinity against God’s people sets the scene for this picture in chapter 12 of the victory of the saints and the eternal punishment of those who have willingly been the instrument of the actions of the dragon against the saints

- 144,000 are held in contrast with Revelation 13:16-18, where the earth-dwellers go through this final period of history stamped with the Antichrist’s mark on their forehead. But the 144,000 have their name of the Lamb and of God and so sing a “new song” of joy and triumph.

b) Here are some contrasts:

- The contrast between the beast and the lamb is paralleled by a contrast between the beast followers with his mark stamped on their foreheads and the Lamb’s followers with the name of the Lamb and of his Father written on their foreheads (14:1)

- While the dragon stands on the shore of the sea (chaos) awaiting the emergence of the beast (13:1), the lamb is standing on Mount Zion awaiting the victorious saints.

c) Saints Sing a New Song (14:2-3):

- John sees the saints singing. He hears a “sound from heaven” that is very loud like the “sound of many waters” (waterfall or the roar of waters hitting the seashore). Not comparison in Revelation 1:13-15 concerning the Son of Man’s voice.

- This noise from the saints in a celebration of hymns. It is a song of praise to the Lamb who with his blood purchased the redeemed and made them both a kingdom and priests. Psalms speaks about “new song” in the following passages: 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1)

- There is also a question as to whether the hymn is sung by an angelic choir (as in 5:9) or by the redeemed themselves (the resurrected martyrs, as in 15:2–4, the other passage with harps and singing).

- On the whole, those who take an earthly view of 14:1 favor this being the heavenly host, and those who take the heavenly view favor this being the redeemed. That the redeemed must “learn” the hymn makes it more likely that it is the heavenly host singing and that the saints on earth learn it.

- I believe the significance of the term “new song” has to do with the “test” that they will come through to give then a “testimony.” This is in part who saints overcome: by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.

- This new song is the highest worship in heaven, and that explains why it can be learned only by the “144,000 who have been redeemed from the earth” (echoing the new song of 5:9, “purchased/redeemed from every tribe, language, people, and nation”), the victorious heaven-dwellers who have overcome the deceptions of the false trinity.

d) Character of the Saints: (14:4-5)

- The problem with taking “virgins” literal is that it refers to moral defilement and would entail a serious denigration of marriage, an attitude missing from passages encouraging celibacy (Matt. 19:12; 1 Cor. 7:1, 32). Therefore, a figurative connotation is much better, identifying the victorious saints as those who refused to participate not only in immorality but in worldly pursuits of all kinds.

- Holy Army: the male image in the term virgins helps to see the view that this group are apart of a holy war. Those who are in a war are to keep themselves chaste (Duet 23:9-10; 1 Sam 21:5; 2 Sam 11:8-11). Also read on why Christ chooses his faithful followers: Revelation 2:27; 17:14; 19:14. Also read 2 Timothy 2:3-4. The two images of “not defiled by women” and “virgins” are best explained by parallels in the Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36), in passages describing the fallen angels who cohabited with women and “defiled themselves” (1 Enoch 7.1; 9.8; 10.11; 12.4; 15.2–7), disobeying the divine mandate that they remain virgins (15.6–7). Thus, John’s wording contrasts the faithful believers with the unfaithful angels of Gen. 6:1–4.

- Firstfruits: The OT the “firstfruits” were the first and best parts of the harvest offered to God to signify that the crop was his and the farmer was grateful for God’s gift of the crop. In Hebrew terms referring to the offering of the firstborn or firstfruits of animals or crops to Yahweh (Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:4; Lev. 23:9–14; et al.) or to priests and Levites (Exod. 25:2–3; Deut. 12:11; et al.) as a thank offering to God. In the NT, the “first-fruit” (i.e., first convert) in Asia (Rom. 16:5), and the household of Stephanus the “firstfruits” of Achaia (1 Cor. 16:15; cf. also 2 Thess. 2:13). James calls his readers “the firstfruits of creation” (1:18), meaning the beginning of a new creation in Christ. The NT follows the OT in describing the believer as “the first” among many, meaning that God will continue to bless the harvest (of souls). Similar to this passage is 1 Cor. 15:20, where Christ in his resurrection is “the firstfruits of those who have died” (see also Rom. 8:23). He was the guarantee that all the redeemed would follow him. In Rom. 11:16 the conversion of the Gentiles is seen as the first of a great harvest: “If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy. If the root is holy, so are the branches.” Thus, part of the 144,000 saints are the ones coming out of the tribulation period seen as an offering to God guaranteeing the final harvest of all the believers (the harvest of 14:14–16).

(Pastor Kevin's thoughts: The 144,000 represents total harvest of saints before the Lord returns, which includes the final ripe harvest of the saints occurs in 14:14-16—those that come out of the tribulation, because the harvest of the earth is ripe, since Jesus came.)