Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
If Ch 12,13 reveal the cosmic conflict that has run through history climaxing in the beast from the sea warring against the people of God then Ch 14 provides a series of glimpses of the final resolution of this conflict involving both salvation and judgement. These resolutions are designed to encourage perseverance in God’s people (v12).
Ch 14 has four sections:
the triumph of lamb and his army (vv1-5). the judgement messages of the three angels (vv 6-12). the second of seven beatitudes (v13). the harvest of the earth (vv14-20).
The first cameo in the chapter, the triumph of the Lamb and his army, is clearly a salvation theme.
Ch 13 revealed the church experiencing great persecution at the hands of the beast from the sea (the political AntiChrist) and the beast from the earth (the religious power supporting the beast from the sea, the false Prophet). Both in their own way are imposters of the Lamb. In Ch 14, we meet the true Lamb and the 144,000, his devoted followers. We were introduced to the 144,000 in Ch 7 where they were given the protective seal of divine ownership (7:3). Here they carry the identity mark of the Father and the Lamb in evident contrast to those who carry the mark of the beast (13:17,8). The reality is, all bear either the mark of the beast, identifying its bearers with all that is Satanic, or the mark of the Lamb and the Father, identifying them with God. Identification with the former will lead to judgement and identification with the latter leads to salvation. Whatever the merits of a literal mark surely the true mark of ownership is likeness to the one to whom allegiance is given.
Despite the crushing of the church by the beast in Ch 13 the scene in ch 14 is one of triumph. The Lamb and the 144,000 stand on Mount Zion (a metonym for Jerusalem). The image is militaristic victory. The 144,000 seems to be a metaphor for the church as an army*. In Ch 7 we learn they are drawn from the 12 tribes of Israel. The number is evidently stylised and not literal; it suggests administrative completeness. In ancient Israel a census was taken to count troops for battle. It seems likely this is the significance of the numbered 144,000, though the number is clearly stylised and symbolic. We discover the 144,000 are male and both ritually and really pure (14:4). When engaging in a holy war sexual relations were foregone for purposes of ritual purity (Deut 23: 9-11; 1 Sam 21:5, 2 Sam 11:8-11; Cf. Rev 19:14). Here the army do not simply abstain from sexual relations, they are virgins (Cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Amos 5:2; Rev 3:4). This is probably an image for the loyalty and holiness of God’s people as they engage in holy war. They are spiritually and morally pure; free from adulterous relationships with the world. In the world of ‘the false prophet’ are idolatrous lies which are deny the Christ (1 Jn 2:2) . The world worships the beast and his lies; neither the lie of idolatry nor any other pernicious lie is found in the army of the Lamb (Zeph 3:13). In this they are like their champion (Isa 53:9; 1 Pet 2:22). They are blameless. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They are devoted to him (Matt 10;38). While the 144,000 appear to describe the church in the few years of suffering prior to Christ’s return nevertheless to be the army of Christ is the calling of the church at every stage of its history. We are to conquer as he did – through sacrifice and perhaps like him through literally laying down our lives in martyrdom. To die is not defeat it is triumph; the beast does not conquer by killing the church, the conquerors (like Jesus) are those who die.
I take the image of the 144,000 male virgins to refer to the church at the end of the age, that is, the church of the tribulation period since this is the apparent time-frame of Ch 6-18 (13:5). Yet I wonder whether the part may stand for the whole. Can the 144,000 also represent the whole church? The 144,000 are referred to as firstfuits for God and the Lamb (v4). First-fruits is elsewhere used of the people of God both OT and NT (Jer 2:2,3; Jas 1:18) Also the multiples of 12 in the 144,000 fit with the description of the New Jerusalem in Ch 21 where the whole church, the people of God from both Testaments is in view. Are the 144,000 representative of the complete people of God? Is the imagery fluid enough to allow this?. The 144,000 are the End-Time tribulation believers but are they a synecdoche for the whole? Questions to ponder. Of course, different prophetic perspectives will arrive at different conclusions about the the precise identity of the 144,000.
It seems in these verses that the time of warfare is over (v4,5). Although it is difficult to be certain whether Mount Zion where Christ and his army stand in victory is earthly or heavenly (Ps 2:6) on balance the scene seems heavenly. The OT does have passages which appear to describe final world conflicts around an earthly Jerusalem culminating in the Lord’s arrival at the Mount of Olives where Jesus and his holy ones stand (2 Kings 19:31; Isa 4:2,3, 37:30-32; Joel 2:32; Zech 14; Dan 11:40-12:4. Cf Joel 2:32). It may be the victory of the Second Advent in view. However, the eschatological and earthly redeemed Jerusalem of the OT clearly becomes the heavenly Jerusalem Mount Zion of the NT (Isa 54, Gals 4 cf. Hebs 12:22). It is clear is that Mount Zion is a place of security and blessing – of salvation and triumph (Isa 4:2-6, 31:4, 62:2,4,12; Joel 2:32).
In the text, the surrounding scene in John’s vision, is certainly heavenly. Harpist are playing and singing in heaven (1 Chron 15:16, 16;5). It is possible that these priestly singers are the 144,000. It seems that only the 144,000 can sing this song (v4). This would be fitting for it is the new song of redemption; of victory in battle (5:9). Though perhaps the song is learned from the heavenly host. The sound of praise is thunderous and majestic (Cf. 19:6). New songs are often associated with acts of God’s power, victory and redemption (Cf. 5:9). Whatever the details it seems the warfare of the 144,000 is over and their triumph has begun.
*It can be hard to bear in mind that Revelation is symbol-laden. Many of its images are symbols of reality and not reality itself. Thus the 144,000 seem to be a symbol for God’s people viewed as a holy army engaged in holy war. If the New Jerusalem is a symbol of the people of God with 12 and multiples of 12 being significant then a correspondence with the 144,000 seems likely. It is not necessary to assume the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel means these must be Jewish believers; they are all celibate males pointing to a symbolic meaning. In the NT, the church is the eschatological army of God composed of Jew and gentiles. They are the Israel of God inheriting the promises (Gals 3:26-4:6). The 144, 000 are best seen as the army of the Lamb, the church at the end of history.
Cave Adullam 