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1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. ~ Revelation 14:1-5
Today, we transition into Revelation 14 where our attention is directed to 144,000 Jewish males who will be so instrumental to many coming to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during the Seventieth Seven of Daniel 9:27. It will be through these celibate messengers that the gospel will be heard throughout the World during the Tribulation.
In v.1 we read, "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads."
The 144,000 will stand on Mount Zion with the Lord Jesus at this point in the Tribulation. They will be in Jerusalem at the Temple Mount and that is a very important bit of information to understand. You see, the 144,000 will be on the earth in Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus who will be shown forth as the Lamb of God.
Now, according to the promise of the Lord Jesus made to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, He promised them that He would receive the church up into heaven before the seven-year tribulation begins on the earth. And, when the rapture takes place, the church will be in heaven with Him. The church age will be over.
Heaven, as I am sure that you know, is another dimension of existence just beyond our present senses. It is possible to be in heaven and still be on earth at the same time. During the Tribulation, the church will be with the Lord Jesus, but the Lord will be on the earth. One wonders, "How can this be?"As with His disciples after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus will appear from time to time among this 144,000 Jewish evangelists on the earth. Yet, at the same time, the raptured church will be with the Lord, as well. Multidimensionality which is the ability to access more than one dimension at one time will make this possible.
In v.2-3 we read, "2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth."
The 144,000 will sing a new song which they hear from heaven. This song is multidimensional due to the fact that it is sung in heaven and heard on earth. In reality, heaven is not way off somewhere, it is just beyond the realm of the visibile. This group that will be heard singing this song of redemption is identified in v.2-3 with the pronoun "they". "And they sang a new song." And, they will make a sound like the "roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder." It will be a sweet sound, "like that of harpists playing their harps." Surely, the 144,000 will hear the church as it will be "with the Lord," singing His praises and singing the song of the redeemed! These 144,000 will be men, still on earth, not yet glorified or transfigured, and following the Lord as He will appear to them from time to time on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
In v.4-5 we read, "4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless."
The 144,000 will be celibates. They will not be protesters of marriage. For them to be married would be defiling to them because marriage will be outside of the will of God for them. They will be separated by and to the Lord to be His mouthpieces on the earth during the Tribulation. They will be just like John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul who were single, so that they could be devoted to the Lord and His call on their lives.
Notice that the 144,000 will follow the Lamb throughout the earth. They will have been purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus and changed by His grace to proclaim the good news of forgiveness. So, like all believers in the Lord Jesus, this group of 144,000 redeemed Jews will have experienced the blessing of coming into a personal relationship with the One whom they will continually and faithfully follow.
Like all true believers, this group of redeemed men will be devoted to the truth because the One who is known as the truth will be devoted to them. Our devotion to God is rooted in our understanding of His devotion to us.
