Revelation 14:1- 5 | The 144,000 Redeemed

We slow the pace of our Revelation study so it stays clear, focused, and easy to absorb in a single sitting. Revelation 14 shifts the scene from the beast’s mark to the Lamb on Mount Zion, reminding us that faithful believers suffer now but ultimately stand with Jesus in triumph. 

• why we are returning to a shorter episode format for deeper Bible study focus 
• a simple three-part outline for Revelation 14 and how we plan to cover it 
• the Lamb on Mount Zion as a contrast to the Antichrist and the dragon 
• the main views of the 144,000 and why “redeemed from the earth” matters 
• Mount Zion in Scripture and why it likely points to the heavenly Zion 
• the new song as worship that belongs uniquely to the redeemed 
• “not defiled with women” as spiritual faithfulness rather than mere biology 
• idolatry as covenant betrayal and spiritual adultery across the Old Testament 
• why “no lie” is central in Revelation and how lies connect to idolatry 
• blameless vs sinless and why redemption is the dividing line 
• the overlooked theme of the other mark: the name of God on the forehead 

Intro - Toby Mac

Outro - Nightly

Transcript

Revelation 14 Roadmap

The Lamb And The 144,000

Mount Zion And Heavenly Rule

Redeemed By Blood And The New Song

Virgins As Spiritual Faithfulness

Why Lying Matters To God

The Other Mark And Final Appeal

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Well, thank you for listening as we continue in our study through the book of Revelation. We're in chapter 14 where the scene is much different than the last chapter where we discuss Satan, the Antichrist, 666, and the persecution of believers. Now, for those of you who have listened for a while, you've probably noticed that the episodes have gotten longer as I've tried to complete a full chapter with each episode. But in not wanting to leave you hanging, I think that I may have been throwing a little too much at you at one time. If this was a podcast discussing, you know, sports or politics, entertainment, it would be no problem to listen for an hour of that, because you don't really have to focus in too much. But for this, where we're doing more of a deep dive into scripture, where we are sometimes touching not only on scripture but philosophy and science, apologetics or whatever, it requires a little more focus, and studies have shown that we can only focus in that manner for a limited amount of time. And I don't want to place you at risk for mental fatigue. But also, when I started this podcast, my thought was that I wanted listeners to be able to listen to a quality, in-depth Bible study during their work commute or while walking the dog, doing household chores, maybe exercising, something like that. In other words, a quality Bible study that was somewhere around 20 minutes long, where you could hopefully learn something without it being too overwhelming. And so my plan is to return to that format. And I think it'll accomplish a couple of things. One, it'll be more manageable for listeners to digest in one sitting, but also it should help me with being more consistent and generating more frequent episodes, allowing for sort of a more regular cadence in that regard. And so we'll see how it goes, and as always, I appreciate and I welcome any feedback. And so with all of that said, let's jump into chapter 14. Now when we look at this chapter, one way to tackle it is to divide it into three different sections. The first five verses discuss the lamb and the hundred and forty four thousand. The second section describes three different angels and the message that they bring, and then the last few verses describe the harvest of the earth. And so that's how we're going to unpack chapter fourteen here, and I will do that over three separate episodes. And so with that, let's begin with the first three verses which read Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the lamb, and with him one hundred and forty four thousand, who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads, 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, 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 one hundred and forty four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. And so we see right away that the scene is shifted from the previous chapter. We've moved away from all of the descriptions of the Antichrist and the false prophet in six hundred and sixty six. We've moved from heaven to earth. Now we're definitely not through with the satanic trinity that we read about in the last chapter, but this chapter gives us a short break from all of that. But John's vision shifts here, and he sees the Lamb, Jesus Christ standing on Mount Zion with the hundred and forty four thousand. Now we've already had a discussion about who these hundred and forty four thousand are, and so I'm not going to get into that again here, other than to say that again, there are a couple of different primary views on their identity. Some believe these hundred and forty four thousand are Jews who were saved during the Great Tribulation, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes. Jehovah Witnesses believe that these are the 144,000 people who will make it to heaven and rule with Christ. And then others believe again that the 144,000 is a symbolic number which represents all believers. Again, if you're interested in doing a deeper dive on this, go back and listen to, I believe, Revelation chapter 7, where the main theme is the 144,000 who were sealed by God, and where I unpack this in a little more detail. But John sees the 144,000 standing with Jesus, and they had the name of God written on their foreheads. And so right away we see this stark contrast with what we read about in the previous chapter, where the Antichrist and the false prophet demand that everyone worship Satan and that they receive a mark on their forehead or right hand. Well, rather than a mark on their forehead, these believers have the name of God on their forehead. John also sees the hundred and forty four thousand standing on Mount Zion, which again is contrasted with the dragon who in the previous scene stood on the seashore. Now let's talk about Mount Zion for just a moment. Throughout Scripture, Zion has a few different references. So for example, David's fortress, the Temple Mount, the city of Jerusalem, the Israelites themselves. Some believe that Mount Zion is a literal physical hill in Jerusalem. Others believe Mount Zion is symbolic or spiritual, representing the heavenly Jerusalem and God's kingdom. Others point to Zion as the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the antithesis or maybe the opposite of Babylon. And it's interesting that we begin to see a contrast between the city of God and the city of the world, the city of man. But here in Revelation, in the apocalypse, Zion seems to point to the heavenly temple, where God resides with his people. In Psalm two six, God says, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. And for John, this would have certainly been a reference to Jesus, especially when he begins the chapter with a reference to seeing the lamb standing on Mount Zion. In Joel chapter three, we see these verses that say The Lord roars from Zion, and so you shall know that I am the Lord your God who dwells in Zion. And so it seems to make sense that Mount Zion referenced here, it doesn't refer to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem or to any earthly Zion, but to the heavenly Zion. And so when John sees the lamb standing on Mount Zion, it's most likely a reference to Jesus reigning and ruling in heaven. And the hundred and forty four thousand, if that represents all believers, are standing with him in heaven. They're singing before the throne, which usually represents heaven. And we know that applies here because they're singing before the elders and before the four living creatures that we've discussed in earlier chapters. But this whole shift in scenes from the last chapter where we saw believers will be persecuted by Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet, and many will even be executed, this scene is important because it serves to communicate that even though true believers will suffer, they will ultimately triumph and be standing with Jesus in heaven. And so this should serve as encouragement for believers to not compromise, to conquer and endure until the end. And we're told the reason these believers are standing with Jesus Christ on the heavenly Mount Zion is because they have the name of the land and God written on their forehead, which may be another reason to think that this mark could be symbolic. And we discussed this earlier, but what a stark contrast compared to those who dwell on the earth, the earth dwellers, the unbelievers who have the mark of the beast on their forehead. And for a while it seems the earth dwellers enjoy the privilege of having the mark on their forehead, and they get to enjoy the benefits of the economy while believers suffer. But in the end, believers will stand with Christ in heaven. Now John tells us that he heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and loud thunder. In Ezekiel, the voice of the Son of Man was described as being like many waters, and the wings of the cherubim were like many waters, like the voice of the Almighty. And here, these mighty waters and thunder point us to the glorious nature and the majesty and the joy experienced by the hundred and forty four thousand, the people of God, because John tells us that it's like harpists playing at their harps. And in the Bible, we see numerous examples of playing harps as signifying praise. And so what John sees and hears is an almost deafening sound of one hundred and forty four thousand, the multitude of believers giving praise to God, sort of like a heavenly chorus of worshipers. John also gives us a bit more insight into the identity of these hundred and forty four thousand by telling us that they were the people that had been redeemed from the earth. Now that Greek word for redeemed here is the word agorazzo, and it means to buy, to purchase or to redeem. Back in chapter five verse nine, speaking of Jesus, we read, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed agorazzo, people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. It's the same word used there. And so it's conveying the idea of a ransom or freeing from slavery. And so it seems clear that these hundred and forty four thousand are those who had been freed from the slavery of sin and death by the blood of Jesus Christ. And the fact that they're the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and that they're from every tribe and language and people and nation lends credibility to the belief that the hundred and forty four thousand represent all believers, not just some specific group of a literal hundred and forty four thousand people. And I think it's interesting that in the previous chapter we read about all of the suffering and persecution believers will experience, and that they wouldn't be allowed to buy or sell in the marketplace. And although they were not able to buy or sell, how fitting, how ironic that they themselves have been bought. They've been purchased by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. But this singing of a new song is tied to the new work of God. Not just anyone can know or learn this song, but only the redeemed. This is a unique experience shared by all believers, just like all believers will have a new name that will be known to no one else as we discussed back in chapters two and three. But let's continue now with verses four and five where referring to these hundred and forty four thousand we read, 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 first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. And so we get a bit more detail regarding the hundred and forty four thousand here. John tells us that they are not defiled, they're redeemed, and that they follow the Lamb. Now we just discussed them being redeemed, and so I want to focus on the part where John tells us that they have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. This is probably the most debated and most controversial verse in the entire chapter. Now some people take this to mean that there are one hundred and forty four thousand literal virgins which are being described here. In fact, they argue that these are one hundred and forty four thousand literal male virgins who will be saved during the last half of the Great Tribulation and as a reward, they will reign on earth with Christ. Some argue that it's actually one hundred and forty four thousand Jewish men, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes that will come to know Christ during the Great Tribulation. And there's another minority position that views the hundred and forty four thousand as representing some sort of a picture of God's end time army. And it's a throwback to ancient Israel's army where only men could serve and where they were apparently required to abstain from sexual relations during wartime, like we see in maybe first and second Samuel. And so they view this as being literal but limited in time, meaning they abstain from sex but only during war. But again, that's a very minority position. But the most common view of the hundred and forty four thousand who John says have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, is that we should understand this symbolically. Now, one of the reasons for this perspective is that if we are correct in thinking that the hundred and forty four thousand represent all believers, and we're talking about the same group here, then we know all believers can't be literal virgins, nor can they be restricted to only those who are saved during the Great Tribulation during the end times. Now in the Bible, idolatry, it's often used symbolically for spiritual loyalty. Faithfulness to God is pictured as marital faithfulness. So when John says that they have not defiled themselves with women, the thought is he's communicating that these believers have not committed spiritual adultery. They've not given into the world system. They've never worshipped Satan, the beast, the Antichrist, the false prophet. They haven't joined themselves to Babylon, the city of the world. They stayed loyal to Christ while the rest of the world gave allegiance to the beast. So let me flesh this view out just a little bit more. Just like many symbols in Revelation, we need to look to the Old Testament to gain some insight here. So for example, in the Old Testament, Israel belongs to God exclusively, and idolatry is compared to adultery. Idolatry is giving to something else the trust and the loyalty, the worship or dependence that belongs to God alone. It's not just about carved images or worshiping some other false God. It's also about misplaced allegiance. Israel wasn't just a nation God was helping out. They were in a covenant relationship with God. And from the very start, God defines this exclusively back in Exodus when he said, You shall have no other gods before me. And so idolatry, it isn't just simply breaking a rule or a commandment, it's the breaking of a relationship. God had redeemed Israel from Egypt, provided for them, protected them, and in return, he asked for exclusive devotion. And so idolatry meant violating that covenant. In the Old Testament, even the prophets don't usually talk about idolatry in some sort of esoteric or theological language. They use the imagery of marriage. Israel is portrayed as God's bride, and when Israel worships other gods, the Bible calls it adultery, prostitution, whoredom, and unfaithfulness. Hosea said that Israel commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord. In Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we also see a lot of language around Israel playing the whore by forsaking God. And when we get to the New Testament, Paul says to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11, for I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. And just like the prophets of the Old Testament often portrayed Israel as either an unfaithful prostitute or a pure virgin bride for God, when we get to Revelation 17, we're going to see that unrepentant humanity is also portrayed as a prostitute. In the Old Testament, idolatry, it isn't just worshiping false gods, it's covenant betrayal, it's spiritual adultery and giving your loyalty to something other than the living God. But before we look back and judge them too harshly, we may want to first consider how we prioritize our own lives and what we focus on. And even when we discussed in the last chapter about how difficult it will be under the rule of the Antichrist, and many will cave under the pressure, think about how easy we have it in our day compared. And yet how often do we prioritize things other than our relationship with God? But getting back to verse four, virginity here meant that believers were devoted solely to Jesus Christ and to God. They're not worshiping anything or anybody else, and these believers, they would have been tempted beyond anything that we've experienced to simply receive the mark and worship the beast, but they maintain their loyalty and their faithfulness to Christ. The hundred and forty four thousand have not committed immorality or adultery with the prostitute Babylon, which we're going to read about in chapter eighteen. But verse five said that in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. In Zephaniah three, speaking the judgment of Jerusalem and the nations, the prophet says, They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel. They shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. And so these hundred and forty four thousand are characterized by not lying. They're blameless. And there may be some who don't give much thought to lying. In other words, on the sin scale, where does lying rank? I mean, it's not that big a deal. As long as I try to do mostly good, go to church, don't hurt people, don't murder people, I mean I should be good, right? Well, and we'll discuss in more detail when we get there. But in Revelation twenty one eight, it says, But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and get this one, all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. And so before you kind of think of lying as some fairly meaningless sort of a second rate sin, you may want to give it some more thought. Psalm five six says You destroy those who speak lies. The Lord abores the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Proverbs six tells us that there are six things that the Lord hates that are an abomination to him. Two of those are a lying tongue and a false witness who breathes out lies. And in John eight forty four, Jesus, speaking to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, said, You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. And there are several other passages that we can mention, but the bottom line is that God hates lying. But the picture here also contrasts those of the world who are liars, who have slandered and persecuted believers, and who have embraced the lies of the beast. This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. And so what we may have more in mind here is the specific lie of denying Christ. Believers speak the truth of the gospel and refuse to follow the beast at all cost. This is what it means for them to also be called blameless. We also see a connection here with idolatry. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Psalms, they all connect lying to idolatry, to loving what is worthless. And so this connection shows that lying in this sense has to do with the Serving idols. In Romans 125, Paul says that therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts. Why? Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator. And so people who deny God have made a decision to believe the lie. And they've turned their back on the absolute and fundamental truth about reality. Now one other point here. Just because the hundred and forty-four thousand are blameless, it doesn't mean that they are sinless. I mean, this is fairly evident. All you have to do is look around at all of us who profess to be believers. I mean, we're definitely not sinless. But even David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed, called himself blameless. Believers who don't sin presumptuously and blatantly are considered blameless. And as believers, we're called to live blamelessly. But we're only truly blameless because we've accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, which then cleanses us from all of that unrighteousness. And so those who are blameless are not sinless, but they haven't compromised with the world, and here they haven't given themselves over to the lie of the beast. But as we wrap up this episode, I want you to consider something. Everyone talks about the mark of the beast in the book of Revelation, but almost no one talks about the other mark. Here in Revelation 14, John sees one hundred and forty four thousand standing on Mount Zion with the lamb, and they also have a mark on their forehead, not the mark of the beast, but the name of God. So in the end, every person will carry a name on their forehead, the mark of the beast or the name of Jesus Christ. And so while the world pressures us to bow to the beast, to take its mark, to compromise for survival, God seals his people with something far greater, his own name on their foreheads. The difference between those who follow the beast and those who stand with the lamb, it's not perfection, it's redemption. Because in the end, the people standing with the lamb are not the ones who are sinless or lived perfect lives or did just a lot of good in the world. But the ones whose sins were covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

I didn't know that needed to be a good one.