1Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. 3This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. 5They have told no lies; they are without blame.
Revelation 14:1-5
Before we address the matter of ‘virgins telling no lies’ there are some prior matters we have to deal with. As a geographer, I like to get my bearings when I find myself in a new place, be it a region, a country or a new city. I want to co-ordinate my points of reference with the points of the compass. Especially, when I have no obvious, immediate point of reference around me. If there is a mountain which is visible, that is ideal, I have my reference point. If I know the beach or the coast is “that way”, I am happy. Then I can build up my own grid of awareness and I will always know where I am. If there is no clear, immediate geographic marker then I have to use the sun. When dawn comes, with the sunrise I have my first marker. I will always know where East is and from there I can set my geographic bearings.
Do you see the connection with the book of Revelation? On earth, the sun is my macro marker. How much more so in the case of Revelation 14! In relation to this fourteenth chapter of Revelation, this same principle applies. John’s use of locational terms throughout the Revelation is rather loose. You need to keep track as to whether you are on earth or in heaven. We need to sort out our galactic bearings to assist our theological interpretations. Keep your eyes on the Lamb.
This first paragraph of [Revelation 14] has a rocky history of interpretation, more so than any other in the letter and it is not difficult to see why.
Gordon D Fee
John begins this section in his normal way. I saw the Lamb [vs 1] and I heard a sound [vs 2]. We have seen that pattern before throughout Revelation. We know this is not a chronology of End Times. I have told you before that John’s verbal tenses are unique and deeply significant. Throughout the Old Testament Mt Zion is used as a symbolic reference point to earthly Jerusalem. Mt Zion is the highest peak above the city of Jerusalem which represents the heartland, the geographic centre of the earthly Kingdom of Israel. John often begins a new section with ‘I saw and I heard’. I have emphasised that feature numerous times. The same is true in this case at the beginning of Chapter 14.
But hang on a moment is this earthly Mt Zion or is it Heavenly Mt Zion? There are two Mt Zions we have to hold in tension. We are told in verse 1 (of 14) “I saw the Lamb standing on Mt Zion”. But which Mt Zion is John referring to? In verse 2 John wrote “I heard a sound from heaven” whereupon he proceeds to describe the sound coming from heaven. In verse 3 we are told:
This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders.
Revelation 14:3
I think you will have to agree, John is most definitely still in heaven. In fact he hasn’t left heaven since he first entered it in chapter 4.
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.
Revelation 4:1-2
John in fact moves freely between heaven and earth via the visions he receives and the things he hears. So we are forced to keep track of the macro level markers. One way of doing that is to keep watching the Lamb! As those long termers with the Gems know, I regularly use a song in a Gem series or in a Bible book that I am gemming as a feature to keep us focused in some way. In this case the song which comes to mind is Ray Boltz’s ‘Watch the Lamb’. I can’t think of a better way to keep us focused than the words ‘Watch the Lamb”. Ray Boltz’s song is a brilliant combination which I will comment on at the end of this Gem. If we don’t keep straight in our minds where we are in terms of earth and heaven we can easily misinterpret what John is telling us.
John regards Mt Zion in the same way the writer of Hebrews uses it. There is a dualism between both writers.
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
Hebrews 12:22-25
So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
Revelation 21:10
The writer of Hebrews and John in Revelation are handling Scriptural references in a similar way. I believe it goes beyond just the references concerning Mt Zion. Both are looking at Mt Zion, witnesses, martyrdom, the people of God and the coming threat of persecution in a similar way. Allow yourself time to grasp this thought.
We know from what I gemmed in the book of Hebrews that we have a whole chapter set apart related to the witnesses. I am referring of course to Hebrews Chapter 11. I took some considerable time to deal with the heroes and heroines of faith in a thorough way. See the Gem series The Examples of Faith. Following that benchmark chapter we moved into Hebrews 12.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Many Christians think of the great cloud of witnesses as being those who have died and are up there in the clouds looking down on us. But when you look at Hebrews 12 in the context of Chapter 11, the conclusion is inescapable isn’t it? Since we have such ‘a great cloud of witnesses’, who are they? They are the men and women of faith the writer has just drawn our attention to. All those listed in Hebrews Chapter 11. A list which includes the ‘Others’, those persecuted for their faith! [Hebrews 11:35 onward.] What? How can that be? How can ‘the failure group’ be considered to be heroes of faith? Easy! Isn’t that the same underlying message of Revelation?
There is huge debate among the commentators and Bible experts as to who ‘The 144,000’ represent. Well here is a run down of those eligible from Exegetical Helps and Ronald L. Trail’s Exegetical Summary of Revelation 12-22.
The 144,000 symbolizes:
- The total body of believers through all ages [Beckwith; Hughes, Phillip Edgecumbe; Ladd, George Eldon; Lenski, R. C.H; Mounce, R.H; Beale, G. K; Bruce, F. F; Bratcher, Robert G. & Howard A. Hatton; Morris, Leon] and the same as those mentioned in Rev 7:9.
- All believers living the last days and are the same as those mentioned in 7:4 [Charles R.H; Aune, David E.] and 7:9 [Charles R.H].
- They are all believers living on earth at one time and are the same as those mentioned in 7:4 but not those of 7:9. [Swete, Henry Barclay]
- They are all the martyrs and are the same as those mentioned in chapter 7. [Caird, G.B; Fee, Gordon D]
- They are a select body of Jewish believers and the same as those mentioned in chapter 7. [Thomas, Robert L, Walvoord, John F]]
- They are an elect group from within the whole body of believers and are the same as those of chapter 7. [Alford, Henry]
Just look at the pattern from Hebrews 12:22-23 for a moment.
You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.
You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven.
You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things.
You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.
If I have to choose between one of the six options above I would align myself with # 4. Here’s why. I am sure you have noticed already that John has mentioned the 144,000 before. You picked that up, didn’t you?
And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: from Judah, 12,000; from Reuben, 12,000; from Gad, 12,000; from Asher, 12,000; from Naphtali, 12,000; from Manasseh, 12,000; from Simeon, 12,000; from Levi, 12,000; from Issachar, 12,000; from Zebulun, 12,000; from Joseph, 12,000; from Benjamin, 12,000.
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.”
Revelation 7:4-14
Revelation 14:1-5 is the second time John has referred to this same group, the ‘144,000’. They are not ‘the 144,000‘, the number is without the definite article. Just the number delineates them. But they are distinguished from the multitude in both cases: in Revelation 7 and here in Revelation 14. John intends us to think of them as the same group. If he wanted to specify them as being different from the aforementioned 144,000 he would have written ‘another 144,000’ as he has done with ‘another beast’, ‘another angel’, ‘another sign’, ‘another voice’. It is clear that ‘this group of 144, 000’ are the singers in this celestial choir, separate from the multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language which I have talked about before.
This choir of 144k are the ones who sing the song that no one else can sing. Why can they sing the song that no one else can sing? My hunch is that they are the martyrs! Martyrs sing a different song because they have experienced firsthand the victory over the first death. Just ask anyone you know who has met a martyr who has been resurrected from the dead. My example par excellence is Dominggus Kenjam. Domi sings a different song. He knows the reality of escaping the first death and therefore the confidence of knowing the second death can’t touch him. He has learned the Song of the Redeemed.
Why is John mentioning them again? Because in Revelation 6:11 they were told:
Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
Revelation 6:11
So if they are a group of 144,000, who are going to be added to the full number of those yet to be martyred, why are they still ‘144,000’? Why aren’t they now ‘145,000’ or ‘150,000’? I would guess because 144,000 is a number which symbolises completeness as stated in [Beale, G. K, Morris, Leon; Ronald L. Trail]. The likes of Dominggus Kenjam and many others, some of whom I can name, I am convinced have already been added to this group of martyrs. Furthermore, there are still others yet to be added.
Notice something else in the overall scheme of what John has been telling us from that which he has seen and heard. There will be a pause before the outpouring of judgement. That happens a number of times. God’s response is arranged in a series of sevens. The last of each series manifests itself in another set of seven judgements. The martyrs cry “How long O LORD before you will judge what they have done to us?” (6:10) The people of the earth cry “Who can survive?” (6:17). In Chapter 7 we have the segment related to the 144,000 which I quoted above. Following the switch to the great multitude clothed in white and holding palm branches having been washed in the blood of the Lamb we encounter the delayed 7th seal. In chapters 8 and 9 we have the unfolding of the seven trumpeted judgments and again we wait for the 7th trumpet. Prior to that we have the account of the two witnesses who are permitted by the Lord to be killed by satan. Why, when God said he would protect the believers and not allow them to be harmed? Using the testimony of real life martyrs I explained they were likely not harmed even though they were killed. [Yes I know it doesn’t make sense.]
Have you seen the pattern where the end of the chapter leaves us as readers on the edge with a looming threat or a glimmer of hope? The mention of the 144,000 consistently precedes a focus on the martyrs and the expectation of God’s intervention. That is the case with the two witnesses. If you missed the grandeur in two witnesses go back and reread Gem 2282 and 2283. The close of chapter 11 comes with the announcement of the time to judge the earth and the destruction of all who are destroyers. (11:18). Chapter 12 brings to us two verses which encapsulate the challenge for us.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Revelation 12:11
And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.
Revelation 12:17
Chapter 13 I trust is more readily accessible in your short term memory as the parody between the Holy Trinity and the the unholy trinity. The chapter reminds us of our challenge once more:
Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.
Revelation 13:9-10
Allow me to clip two verses from what awaits us in the near future from Chapter 14:
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
Revelation 14:12-13
Ray Boltz’s song “Watch the Lamb” brilliantly combines the motif of the lamb running away in contrast to the Lamb of God who didn’t run away. Rather He set His face like flint toward Jerusalem [Isaiah 50:7, Luke 9:51] to face that which He had come to earth to do – to seek and to save the lost. This Lamb, Our Lamb of God certainly did not run away. He is the reason you can confidently stand in the face of the onslaught of the Dragon not matter what he may throw at you. You will not be touched by the first death, nor the second death. You are sealed with the mark of ownership of the Lamb and the Father.
More on that in the Gems to come. This passage is a complicated one which will take a while to unpack. Remember it’s also time for you to add your own question so nothing is missed.
The ever present threat is that martyrdom is always a distinct possibility.
The blood of the martyrs is STILL the seed of the church.
Nicholas LaBanca
“Deny Jesus and we will let you live” 100 Jihadiis. “No way”! Yohanis Mantahari
“Jesus is Lord. His Word is pure, I will not defile it.” Chai Shimei before he was drowned in excrement.
“Go home in peace. We’ll join you in a few minutes.” The parents to North Korean children about to be hung, before the parents were crushed by a steam roller. God Story 78
NOTE: The names Yohanis Mantahari, Chai Shimei and God Story 78 are hot linked to the story behind the “quotes’ on this website.