Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come. Revelation 14:1- 7

We just finished up Revelation chapter thirteen in my quest to visualize a chronological timeline of the book. The difficulty lies in the things revealed, for when things seem to fit and I think I got a good feel for the sequence of things, we have had three history lessons inserted into the story that, in the case of a fallen star – Satan, who has the keys to the Abyss throws us back in time. In my mind this throw back takes us back to the creation of the earth, as it demonstrates the reasons why all this is happening, for God is bringing this all to a “legal” closure.

I slipped that term legal in on you because the transaction between the Serpent and Adam was a legal contract between the person who had dominion of the earth and the one who wanted that dominion. If Satan, in his act of gaining control, knew full well that his end would come, then there had to be another motive. The Revelation is all about Jesus, but there is something underlying, and that is the final judgment and putting away of the deceiver of this world.

Knowing this allows me to comprehend the background information and history that is inserted. As some would say, I have read the end of the book and I know how it turns. Praise God, because it is the reason for the hope that I have, a heavenly home with Abba, and a mind that finally works clearly. As my pastor recently said, “God, I appreciate that you gave me a new heart, but why couldn't you also give me a new mind?”

In Revelation 13 we saw,

• The dragon standing on the sea shore.

  I wonder why John saw this. Perhaps it is a lead in to the power and authority that the dragon was about to start passing out. “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”

• John then sees a beast coming up out of the sea.

  The beast has been explained in Daniel's prophecies to be empires or kingdoms; and it has four heads. To make it worse the entities look like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.

• “I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed.;”

  Do something most people won't do, pay attention to the words. It says, I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain. It is not dead, although the world. for many years, thought so. In spite of the appropriate information that the scripture gives us, some quack will tell you that we are looking for a man to have an assassination attempt made upon him. We use the word attempt, because with their next breath they tell you that this man who gets shot in the head, rises to life once again. When I was a child, John Kennedy, the President of the United States at the time, was shot in the head and a large portion of his head was destroyed. Many thought, this is the guy! Well, that did not happen. The problem is that this is not the head of a man, it is an empire. The message I repeat frequently is that the Ottoman empire fits the description nicely, as this is exactly what happened when the British crushed the Ottoman in 1924. Why is this information significant? Because another empire of Muslims has taken its place and is very alive today; they just can't settle on a name.

• And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast because it came back to life.

  So now we have many, around the world worshiping the dragon, even though they don't know it; I seriously doubt that they realize that Satan gave his authority to the beast, which we will quickly see migrates into a man – a spokesman. I also pointed out how many, after the United States handed Afghanistan to the Taliban, worshiped Allah, saying, Who is like him, and who is able to wage war with him? Wait a minute, are they worshiping Allah, or are they worshiping the Taliban, especially since they are little more than armed bullies, and the nation of Afghanistan of was handed to them by our inept, American President Biden.

• This man, who in all likelihood is a Muslim, (I say this because one of his names is the Assyrian,) wages war upon the Christians.

  As of this date, 09/29/21, I have watched Amir Tsarfati teaching on the last Jihad. In this teaching he insists that it cannot be a Muslim because they cannot get along among other things. While I appreciate Amir for many reasons, I wholeheartedly disagree with him on this. Amir even says that in one passage that many use to substantiate the idea that we are looking for an Assyrian was most likely fulfilled by Sennacherib. Well let's see.

  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. (Isaiah 10:24 NASB)

  The antichrist will strike Israel with rod, no doubt, so this could easily work. The next verse has a context and places it in the end times; and, that makes it work.

  For in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which your sinful hands have made for you as a sin. And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of man will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, And his young men will become forced laborers. (Isaiah 31:7-8 NASB)

  Here, Isaiah uses the Hebrew word that represents the fighting equipment of the day. We, in this case, do not have to take this literally. It goes on to say that he falls by the sword but not of man. There is only one way that can happen, and that would be because Jesus throws him into the lake of fire. So, he dies at the hand of Jesus.

  Micah 5:5 is the verse that Amir uses to disprove the idea that the antichrist could be an Assyrian. So let's analyze it.

  And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances; And He will deliver us from the Assyrian When he attacks our land And when he tramples our territory. (Micah 5:4-6 NASB)

  Notice how this starts, and yes, I took a couple extra verses in order to establish context.

  • “He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain,” Who is Micah talking about? Jesus.

  • Still speaking about Jesus, we get this, “Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.” Now, it is definitely Jesus.

  • Next it says – not if, when. “When the Assyrian invades our land.” To be honest, the Assyrian invaded the land on many occasions, and, to the best of my knowledge, Nebuchadnezzar was the first. Some will argue, he was Babylonian, however, if you do your homework, you will find that they were all, in God's eyes, Assyrians, all the way down to the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue that Daniel interpreted. If I wanted to operate on the basis of the this Assyrian issues being fulfilled by Sennacherib, then I have to consider that the word tells us that the temple will be destroyed. But that also happened twice, the last time in 70 A. D. under the Roman General Titus. Obviously, it will happen once again. Because of that, we can know that the Assyrian will be coming once again.

  In the religious understanding, the people in the 7 year period probably should not be called Christians. So then, why do the Muslims label them in this manner? Because they see all Americans as the people of the bible and, therefore, Christians. God will sort them out at the end, so for now give them the benefit of the doubt.

• We also learned that all the earth will worship him.

  But God himself tells us that this not true as it is spelled out how that those whose names are written in the book of life will NOT worship the antichrist.

  What do you suppose it is that motivates and directs them, for many will tell you that the Holy Spirit is removed with the church in the rapture? The removal of the Holy Spirit seems logical since the Holy Spirit is assumed to live exclusively in the spirit of believers. That logic works until you realize that people continue to be drawn to God's love; and, it is the work of Holy Spirit of God that does that.

  "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13 NASB)

  The number of people that worships the antichrist will be close to uncountable.

• And finally, the false prophet shows up.

  This occurs at the three and one half year mark. He performs great signs, deceives many of the elect, and operates in the power of the antichrist. He also becomes the enforcer of Sharia law, which means he continues the killing of “Christians.”

So much for the chronological attempts at understanding the Revelation, let's just try to understand what we read and perhaps the timeline will fall into place.

Revelation 14:1 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.

When did we first see the 144,000 Jewish, male, virgins?

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: (Revelation 7:4 NASB)

I pointed that out that they were male, Jewish, virgins, because the Jehovah's Witness believe that they have the 144,000 as their elders. What they won't tell you is that they may well be dead by now, and since the positions are already filled, there is not much hope left for you but works, which looks a lot like mandatory, Saturday mission work. In following Christ, He did all the work to gain our salvation. We do need to make an effort and believe, that and this idea of taking His yoke upon ourselves. If that seems ominous to you, then you need to consider that we who follow Him have given ourselves to Him. Paul said, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.

• “I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.”

The lamb, and these young men, are standing on Mount Zion. Mount Zion, according to Hebrews 12:22, is the “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” I say all this to ask a rhetorical question,

Where are we in the timeline of end times events?

John saw the Lamb, with the 144,000, standing upon Mt. Zion; this does not happen until after the seven-years of wrath; after, Christ has come back as the warring Messiah, and the battle is over. One of the major problems we have is how long it takes to make all these governmental type events happen.

Notice what I did there?

I just applied broken human thinking to God's plan; a plan that does not have to operate according to our earthly timing or understanding. If He spoke the universe into existence, then He can speak order over this transition into an eternal existence as well.

You might rightly assume that the Lamb, standing upon Mt Zion, with the 144,000 would be a celebratory and victorious time. You might also assume that God is holding these untainted men out before us.

Why speculate over why He might do that?

Because we the church have bought into the lies of the enemy and the world, that tell us that purity and focus is impossible.

One more thing. Notice that these men have the name of the Father written on their foreheads.

This evokes a question. Has Satan created anything?

I think not. I do not believe that he invented concept of mutiny or treason either, but he sure put it into practice when he deceived Eve in the Garden. He does, however, mimic, or imitate the things of God. I mentioned earlier how our introduction to the 144,000 comes in Revelation 7:4, but shortly after that we see the antichrist demanding that all take his mark, and it is no coincidence that it is on the right hand or the forehead, as God had already initiated.

Revelation 14:2-5 NASB And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. (4) These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. (5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

John's vision of the 144,00 seems to have been interrupted with this voice, that he describes as the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Picture yourself on a rocky seashore, on a stormy day, where large waves are crashing against the rocks. The noise is horrendous if you are close to it; and yet John tells us it is like harpists. Out of all of this noise there is singing. It is the 144,000 doing the singing and they are singing a new song. No one knows this song but them.

The verses give us an interesting description, as it describes the 144,000 as having been purchased from the earth.

Haven't we all been purchased by His blood?

The answer is yes. Paul, in speaking to the people of Ephesus, told them this.

“... the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28b. NASB)

A part of his statement is about the church of God, which He (God) purchased with His own blood. In writing to the church in Corinth Paul also affirmed that we were purchased.

“For you have been bought with a price..” (1 Corinthians 6:20a. NASB)

The passage about the 144,000 ends with, “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” Are you aware that God chose us that we should/could be faultless and without blame.

“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him....” (Ephesians 1:4 NASB)

For the Jew, in their understanding, you could not come close to this condition without offering a sacrifice. This may be going to far, but it was the blood that protected God's people in Egypt at the first passover.

'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am the LORD. 'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13 NASB)

In Leviticus the blood is what made you accepted.

"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.
(Leviticus 1:2-3 NASB)

Little did they know that Christ became the final, all sufficient sacrifice, that gave us the ability to be holy and blameless. Allow me to qualify what I just said. Christs blood was and still is sufficient, but it requires our participation by acceptance and belief.

The next verse is an answer to those who whine that Christ cannot come back because NOT everyone has the gospel.

Revelation 14:6 NASB “And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”

It is clear that God's intent is to preach the gospel, beside that. Paul tells us that the law is written upon the heart of every human.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Romans 2:14-15 NASB)

Many will read Romans 2:14,15, and give themselves an excuse for not acting right, as they think God does not hold you responsible unless you believe in Him.

For those who like me struggle to see the concise chronology of the Revelation, there is definitely a line of events happening between Revelation 14:6 and 7. There are no excuses allowed. An angel has just declared the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the whole world, and now comes the judgment.

Revelation 14:7 NASB “and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

“Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come,”

We have heard this before. Revelation 11:18 is one of those places, however, verse 18 includes the time to reward the prophets, the saints, and those who fear your name.

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11:18 NASB)

Hour is the Greek word hōra. It can mean: an “hour” (literally or figuratively): - a day, an instant, or a season.

Fear is the Greek word phobeō. While it includes the idea of being frightened the context leans more toward awe of, or reverence of the Lord.

Judgment (judged) is the Greek word krinō. It means to separate; to make a distinction between, or to exercise judgment upon.

[In Matthew's gospel we see all three aspects of this definition when we read of the sheep and goat judgment. There, as in Revelation 20, the dead are brought to the throne of judgment, however, in Matthew's account the dead are separated, and a distinction is made as to their fate. Here we see the sheep obtaining mercy and entrance into the kingdom of God. Read Matthew 25:31-46.]

Imagine the verse remastered to read, reverence the Lord, and give Him glory, because the season of His judgment has come. We are there and the events going on around us only demonstrate the urgency of the season. I am not a good gambler and hoping that He classifies me as a sheep, merely because I handed a guy named Richard a sandwich is not what I call good odds.

I gave my life to Jesus a long time ago, but to be honest, I have turned my back to Him on several occasions. I discovered that He never turned His back on me, and for that I love Him more. The ABC's of salvation can give you an assurance that you are His, and I might add, He will never let you go.

I have had to rethink my position.

This is my commentary on an excerpt from Chris Perver’s post “The Rapture of the Church.

The post by Chris, in its entirety, can be found here.
http://www.prophecynews.co.uk/articles/13-prophecy/14-the-rapture-of-the-church

There was one section in particular that challenged a position I had been espousing for several years, about the one hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish men who are marked with a seal for protection, it seems, merely from God's wrath. To make a point, I presumptuously advanced the idea that at a minimum there would be 144.000 survivors that walk into the millennial reign. How perfect would that be, as they could immediately go into teaching mode during the 1000 years.

This position that I took was evoked by a “Christian teacher” who advocated that NO Jews enter into the millennial reign of Christ. I suppose that is just another way of telling a bunch of men that would come back at this "leader" with hostility, that he believes in replacement theology. Seeing as I can see that a relatively small number of Israelis leads to the idea of survivors. (At least 2/3's of Israel get killed in my bible. Assuming that these numbers are correct and there are eight million people in Israel today, that would leave about 2.7 million survivors.) That information, and the fact that Paul said heaven and Earth would have to pass away for that to happen, make God's elimination of His people an impossibility. I don't want to go into detail on that here, but I strongly suggest that you read your Bible, and stop buying into the fairy tales religion feeds us.

My comments are in Times New Roman, the excerpts from Chris's work are in quotes.
144,000 Jews

“Throughout John's description of events on Earth during the Tribulation period, the Church is never mentioned. But Israel is frequently mentioned. In chapter 7, we read how God commands the angels to not hurt the Earth until He has sealed 144,000 Jews with His Holy Spirit. These 144,000 witnesses, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel, will go throughout the world in the last days and preach the gospel of the kingdom. If the Church remains on Earth during the Tribulation, then why is the Lord recruiting Jewish believers to do the work He commanded the Church to do in Mark 16:15? The Rapture must have occurred before the start of the Tribulation period for this reason. After the Rapture, the Church will no longer be able to witness for Christ on Earth. God can't be without a witness to men, and we know that there will be an untold multitude saved during the Tribulation period (Revelation 7:9). So a remnant of the House of Israel is sealed with the Holy Spirit to be a witness to the world of impending judgment and the need to turn to God for salvation.”

144,000 killed during the tribulation period?
“Some say that the 144,000 Jews are the remnant of Israel that will survive the tribulation and that the Church at this time will still be witnessing on Earth. This following information is something I just noticed recently in discussion with a good friend of mine, so correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that Israel, as a nation, will not be saved until they recognize their Messiah at the end of the tribulation period (Zechariah 12:10) when Christ comes. The 144,000 Jews are saved at the start of the tribulation period and are killed for their witness by the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7). In Revelation 14, the 144,000 are in heaven, which implies that they were all killed for their witness.”

Revelation 14:1-3 NET. Then I looked, and here was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. (2) I also heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, (3) and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

“The fact that these 144,000 are in heaven before Christ's Second Coming, and the resurrection of Old Testament Saints, which happens after the tribulation period, is explained in verse four. The 144,000 Jews are called the “firstfruits unto God.” The Feast of firstfruits was when the Israelites offered the food they gathered at the beginning of the harvest for a thank-offering to God. Firstfruits also speaks of resurrection, and Jesus is described as being the “Firstfruits from among the dead,” or the first Man to be resurrected in a new body, never to die again. So the 144,000 are the Firstfruits of the salvation of Israel, and of the resurrection of Old Testament Saints.”

Revelation 14:4 NASB These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

1 Corinthians 15:20 NASB (20) But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

“After the 144,000 are slain, God is still not left without a witness. In the following verses, several angels take up where the 144,000 left off and preach the gospel to the whole world.”

---

Here is where things took a turn for me, as I had been telling people, especially those that espouse that no Jews enter into the millennial kingdom, that the 144,000, at minimum, would enter the millennial reign.

This statement, “after the 144,000 are slain,” prompted me to look intently, once again, at the scriptures surrounding our introduction to these young men, and what appears to be their demise. We are introduced to the 144,000 in Revelation 7, where we are told what tribes they come from, and that they are sealed. This sealing, which we see in Revelation 7:3, tells us that they are sealed to protect them from the “hurt,” which is about to come upon the earth. This hurt is directed at the earth, the sea, and the trees. The problem is that we assume that this grants them immunity from harm and death throughout the time of wrath; as we will see, it does not.

I have a question, how does God create such havoc that He destroys the earth, sea, and trees, and not impact humanity, which is living here? The answer is, it does affect people. Just look at these two passages from Revelation 8.

Revelation 8:6-7 NASB And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. (7) The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth, and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The first thing we see is hail and fire mixed with blood coming from the skies; because of this, a third of the trees are burned up along with ALL the green grass. Whatever this event looks like, it is nothing we have ever seen before; and you can't have an event of this magnitude without people dying, and yet, at this point, the 144,000 are protected. WHY? Because this is specifically a part of God's wrath and it would seem that these men are protected from God's wrath. Now we have another problem to deal with and that is that God also uses people to bring about His wrath. It is difficult to NOT see the false prophet as a tool that uses to punish Israel, but there is always the possibility that this person is entirely committed to Satan's team. I realize that is not an answer, but I cannot recall seeing a good explanation for these guys being killed by the false prophet. If it makes you feel any better, the two witnesses sent from are, after 42 months, allowed to be killed.

In Revelation 14, we see the 144,000 and their validation as virgins, but, as you read the entirety of Revelation 14:4, you can see that it is merely a description of these young men.

Revelation 14:4 NASB These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

Since there is very little in scripture that is not validated by some other passage, typically in the OT, I was curious to see if there was a correlation. Perhaps Revelation 3:4 is it.

Revelation 3:4 NASB 'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Revelation 3:4 suddenly takes on a potentially new meaning, as it talks about “a few” who have not soiled their garments, and how they will walk with me because they are worthy.

Something noteworthy. We, to the demise of comprehension, assume that some passages, like what we see in Revelation 3:4, speaks to the exclusion of Jews; it does not. Those of you who have been with me for a time, have already endured my commentary on the fact that this Bible we claim to study, is a Jewish book, and that every question should be addressed initially from that point of view.

John, in writing the Revelation does something peculiar when he says, to what we assume is a crowd of Gentiles, you are of the Synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 both use the terminology the synagogue of Satan. Just about everyone assumes a little of something about Satan, but I can just about guarantee that NOT everyone knows what a synagogue is unless they are Jewish.

Now we talked about who these young men were, but we bypassed the distinct, ominous event that happens between Revelation 14:1-4.

Revelation 14:1-3 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him, one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

In trying to grasp where the Lamb is standing, I did a little cross-referencing, which led me to Hebrews 12:22.
It says “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels” (NASB)

When did we come to Mount Zion? When we became followers of Christ Jesus. I know, it doesn't seem like you did, but your adoption, in God's eyes, was complete, and WE are not excluded from anything – even if we don't see it yet.

So, is it possible that the Lamb standing upon Mount Zion, is in this instance, in heaven?

The answer is yes, but why? The answer to that question is in the book of Hebrews, where the writer talks about earthly priests who are serving a copy and shadow of the things in heaven.

Hebrews 8:3-5 NASB For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. (4) Now if He was on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; (5) who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

In my pursuit to understand what was happening here, I, too, made the assertion, the Zion event happens when Jesus comes back to earth and physically touches down. However, to make that scenario work, I have to have the 144,000, in unison, meeting Jesus there on the physical mount, and that only happens, in my narrative, at the end of the seven-years of wrath. This train of thought would make them survivors, and send them into the thousand years we call the millennial reign. Since I now get the picture that Zion originates in the heavenlies, then it is easy to perceive Christ in the heavenlies with these young Jewish men. (Why is this statement I just made important, because we, in Christiandom, loosely refer to Jesus coming back when we speak of the catching away of the Church - which is the rapture, and use the same terminology when we refer to when Jesus physically comes back to earth. In the process of catching the church away, we rise to meet Him in the air. At this point, He does not "touch down," and there is a dramatic difference.)

The next thing that threw me for a loop was Revelation 14:2.

Revelation 14:2 NASB And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

We have nothing that associates the 144,000 with harps aside from this scripture. Remember, words carry weight, and just the association with harpists created imagery of people playing harps, and that is not the case. The NASB's usage of the word “voice” also inadvertently misdirects. A version such as the Complete Jewish Bible does a better job of translating.

Revelation 14:2 CJB  I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing waters and like the sound of pealing thunder; the sound I heard was also like that of harpists playing on their harps.

John tells us he heard a sound like:

• rushing waters;
• pealing thunder,
• and like that of harpists playing.

Having done some camping when I was younger, I found the sound of rushing water to be, at times, loud, but and relaxing; I suppose you could equate it to white noise, which drowns out all other sounds. Pealing thunder, depending upon how close you are to it, can be relaxing as well; however, up close, with the associated lightning strikes, it represents danger. Harpists, on the other hand, can fill your very being with emotion and beauty; and, Revelation 1:15 describes God's voice as being like the roar of many waters. If I were to make an assumption as to what this magnificent noise was, I would say it was God's voice.

Note that a portion of the next verse says.
Revelation 14:3a. NASB And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders;
Almost as if a magician had misdirected us, one would assume the subject of the word “they” is the harpists; it is NOT, and we figured out why.
Now pay attention to the song that is being sung, and that brings us to the second half of Revelation 14:3.

Revelation 14:3b. NASB and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

This is NOT harpists singing; it is the one hundred and forty-four thousand witnesses.

Now, if the witnesses are in heaven, how did they get here? For the answer to that, we have to go back to Revelation 13:4-7.
(4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" NASB

Who is the dragon? That one is easy, it's Satan, but you want substance.

Revelation 20:1-2 NASB Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

Although unrelated to the dragon, in the Book of Ezekiel, we find God, referring back in time, to Pharaoh, and calling him that great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers.

Ezekiel 29:3 NASB "Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, 'My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.'

Therefore references such as the dragon and the great monster are analogous symbols.

Who is being referred to when it says “they” here?
The assumption is that it is the global population of Gentiles, and that may be true. Still, since we know that the beast is primarily a middle East phenomenon and that he calls for peace, then we can logically assume that he is an influential Islamic leader, capable of pulling the Islamic world together for some form of order, for 42 months.

(5) There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

This is the false prophet that scripture speaks of, and he becomes the mouthpiece of the Antichrist. Anyone discerning wants to know who this guy is, and so did Daniel the prophet.

Daniel 7:24-25 NASB 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. (25) 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

In Daniel 7:23, we see “a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.” (NASB)

So this character arises out of the fourth kingdom. Traditional religious teaching tries to attribute the fourth kingdom to the Roman Empire, but that doesn't work. If you have done a fair amount of studying Daniel's writing, then you know that the first three kingdoms are clearly spelled out, with the first being the Babylonian empire. An interesting aspect of the Babylonian empire is that almost all of the northern kingdoms, such as the Persian empire are a part of the Babylonian empire. The fourth kingdom takes some discerning but is pieced out for us in Daniel. Consider the Grecian empire as they played a role in this through Alexander, but it isn't simply Alexander, it is those who gained control after him. Now we are looking at the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires - offshoots of the Alexandrian empire. These last two had all the intrigue of a soap opera on the television, as there was intermarrying for power, and every descendant of Noah represented. These two empires are the basis of who the world is dealing with today; and, in a sense, has never ceased to exist since. It seems most struggle to comprehend what is going on in Daniel 11, but in a nutshell, that is the story I have just told you. In brief, this is the beginning of the Persian empire, as well as the European royalty, and a few others.
Assuming, because of what I just told you about the Persian empire, that the fourth kingdom is Islamic in nature and ideology, then you might expect that this mouthpiece will also be Islamic, but Islamic prophecies indicate that the man is a Jew, of the lineage of Aaron, and therefore, by heritage, capable of operating as the high priest in the new temple. Such a man has already been appointed as the high priest for the new temple when it gets built, his name in Rabbi Baruch Kahane.

(6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

But I thought you said he was the high priest in the NEW temple that will be built. It doesn't make sense that he would suddenly blaspheme against God?

No, it sure wouldn't, unless Islam got to him and changed his heart toward God.
But wait a minute, wasn't this the problem with Israel from the day they walked out of Egypt?

Stephen, in the book of Acts chapter seven, tells us that, when Moses did not return from the mountain, that they convinced Aaron to make them the god of their choice; in doing so, they turned their hearts back to Egypt.

Acts 7:39 NET. Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,


The point of this is, Egypt had to be there, embedded in their hearts already for them to return to it.

And finally Revelation 13:7
(7) It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation were given to him.

In verse 5 of Revelation 13, we saw that the Antichrist was given a spokesperson. That spokesperson, according to Islamic prophecies, becomes the enforcer of Sharia law on a global scale.

Jesus, in Matthew 24, said this.

Matthew 24:15-22 NET. "So when you see the abomination of desolation -- spoken about by Daniel the prophet -- standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), (16) then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. (17) The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house, (18) and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. (19) Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! (20) Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. (21) For then, there will be great suffering, unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. (22) And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

The false prophet is given the power(?) to:

• Make war with the saints.
• To overcome them.
• And, he is given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Again, what is the point?

If I take Matthew 24:22 literally and assume that the world is dealing with Sharia law when this happens, then it is easy to imagine that these 144,000 Jewish young men will be killed for their testimony of Jesus, just as so many others will be.

Revelation 13:15 is apparent when it says

The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (NET)


Because we see them, the 144,000, in heaven, on Mount Zion with Jesus, we know that they did not bow their knee to anyone but the Father.

The 144,000 - Revelation 14:1-5

Stained glass showing Lamb of God with vexillum and chalice, from chapel that used to be part of a convent (now a Baptist church and school complex) in El Cajon, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Can I admit that this subject has brought me much irritation. At the last church I attended the pastor taught on Revelation but he made everything in the book symbolic of something, That might not have been a problem, however he never bothered to define where he got this information. Which leads me to say this, don't make statements, trying to pass it off as truth, without providing evidence for what you are saying (This is called conjecture and makes you a false teacher.) Write with the determination of providing two or three witnesses.

Although my former pastor attributed all of Revelation to symbology, that certainly does not make it the case. However, symbology, history, analogy, and types can not be excluded. It is all in there, and must be considered. I will try to help you understand it.

The 144,000

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. 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 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 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. (Revelation 14:1-5 ESV)

Sometimes I like to work from the assumption that I just stumbled upon a section of the bible. If you attend church then you are aware that you constantly sit by those that never open their bibles. How can you know that? Just listen to the statements they make and questions they ask; anyone who has read their bible, would never ask the questions many of them do.

Assuming you were that person and were directed to Revelation 14: 1-5, how would you come to understand what you were reading?

Some quick keys to understanding Revelation.

1. Maintain the attitude that this is meant for you to understand. If you do not understand then humble yourself and get a book to help. Of the thousands out there, I strongly suggest The Islamic Antichrist, and the Mideast Beast, by Joel Richardson.
2. Know this, the Apostle John was an evangelist to the Jewish community (yes I am taking liberties in making this statement, but the evidence is there.) That means that he wrote in a language that meant something to the Jewish readers of this letter. The symbols, such as a lamb that had been slain; the beast with seven heads that we see in Revelation 13, and even the 144,000 are intended to strike an immediate and scriptural chord within the heart of a Jew.
3. While the book itself is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, it is also prophecy. Prophecy covers a tremendous amount of ground from the past to the future. But prophecy to a Jew is repeatable patterns, not flash and bright lights. Remember, no one in the old testament was convicted on the basis of one witness alone; God knows the heart and therefore demands witnesses. This works the same with prophecy. You will find these same phrases - if you look for them - scattered throughout the Old Testament in the writings of Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so many others.

With that said, let's dive in. We will attempt to take this verse by verse.

Revelation 14:1 KJV And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

There was a time that I would not have had any idea how to interpret this without some help. Fortunately those days are gone, but maybe it does not need interpretation as much as it needs an understanding. As a young reader, with the understanding I had, I read it as a literal event.

You find the first reference to these Jewish men in Revelation 7 and there God holds back destruction while he marks them. Because I had nothing to show what that marking aspect looked like, I just took it and ran with it.

Now I find them, and God, standing on Mount Zion.

Do a word search for the phrase “Mount Zion” and you will find 21 verses, most of which are found in the Old Testament – the Torah and the Tanakh.

One of the first I found is:

And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this. (2 Kings 19:30-31 ESV)

This is one of those prophecy establishing word pictures that a Jew would have picked up on. In case you do not know, Jewish boys are made to go synagogue to learn and memorize the law and prophets. This is accomplished by age twelve as an aspect of their transition into manhood.

While Isaiah 10:12 says nothing about the 144,000 who are standing on Mount Zion the following verse indicates what happens after the Lamb conducts business. (Conducting business seems very polite considering that the Lord comes back to kill all those who would dare fight against him.)

Isaiah 10:12 ESV When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.

Apparently his interactions with the 144,000 come before he finalizes the punishment of the arrogant king. If you have read the Revelation before, then you are aware that at the end of the seven-year period the Antichrist and the False prophet are thrown into the lake of fire – forever.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary tells us that:

“Mount Zion was the Temple Mount (sometimes loosely encompassing all Jerusalem), thus applied to the heavenly temple in the present (Rev_11:19) but pointing to the new Jerusalem of the future (Rev_21:2), a hope shared by nearly all ancient Jews, who longed for the restoration of their city and its sanctuary.”

And this is backed up by the Prophet Isaiah: 

And it is literal, for it is where the Lord of hosts will reign.

Isaiah 24:23 ESV Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

However, Mount Zion is also symbolic, as John also sees the 144,000 before the throne, which causes us to include the throne as an aspect of Mount Zion.

I find several things grabbing my attention as I read Revelation 14:1.

Revelation 14:1 KJV And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

• “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand,”
  Knowing that Jerusalem will be destroyed, I see a remnant coming out of Jerusalem, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. Does this tell us that there will only be 144,000 survivors, and that there will only be Jewish men? Not at all. We are told by the prophet Zechariah that one-third of Israel survives.

  Zechariah 13:8-9 KJV And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (9) And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
• “a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand.”
  From this I can learn that John is seeing into heaven, because that is the only place in Revelation that the Lord appears as a lamb.

  Revelation 5:6 KJV And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Other prophets describe him as a lamb: Isaiah 53:7-8; John 1:29, John 1:36; Acts 8:32; 1Peter 1:19-20

• “with him an hundred forty and four thousand,”
  One might make the assumption that they are with Him in heaven and are therefore resurrected. Scripture gives us no clear insight on this.
• “having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”
  I covered God marking people earlier in this post. Cain was marked to protect him. Interesting isn't it.

What else can I know about these 144,000.

Our first occurrence finds them in Revelation chapter seven.

Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: (Revelation 7:2-4 ESV)

Should you decide to read this in your bible, you will find that the specifics about them go on to verse eight, and describes 12,000 taken from designated ancestral groupings (tribes) of Israel. How vital that is to our understanding I do not know. What is important to me is this: “they come from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” There are no lost tribes.

I have come to see that my former pastor was not alone in his thinking, as others apparently think these 144,000 are merely symbolic. I believe my former pastor is a fairly intelligent guy, but if you cannot backup your statements with some solid evidence then you need to shut up, and he did not. Having read several commentaries on the 144,000 I believe I can see where he got what he was preaching, however that does not make it right; and if you are a student of the bible, you can find it very annoying.

Here is what the IVP Bible Background Commentary, and a few others imply:

The Sealing of 144,000 Servants - One can take the 144,000 either consistently literally (literally twelve thousand male Jewish virgins from each tribe—Rev_14:4) or consistently symbolic (the spiritual people of God, not literally 144,000). (Those who take the number but not the ethnicity, gender and sexual history literally are inconsistent.) Against taking it literally is Revelation’s usage elsewhere of “servants” (Rev_1:1; Rev_6:11), suggesting that they constitute the whole of the saved community (Rev_7:3-4). But whether they represent the innumerable multitude of Rev_7:9 or the restored remnant of ethnic Israel remains debated.

A few questions about the logic of these 144,000 being entirely symbolic

If this group was entirely symbolic, why would you have to protect them from four angels that are here to harm the earth? The act of harming the earth is an aspect of God's wrath upon the nations, and the Israel for rejecting him. God is protecting 144,000 “virgin Jews” (this may have some symbology also, such as those that have not rejected God.)

If, the 144,000 represents the “whole of the saved community”, and the general consensus is that the saved community will be caught up, then why would you need to protect them from bad things that happen after the rapture? You wouldn't would you; there would be no need. So that really does not make sense does it.

However, if the number was representative of the martyred who are slain for their testimony, then we have a problem with that logic as well, because God does not protect them from harm, and protecting these marked ones is a common assumption (I am sure that we get this idea of protection from God marking Cain). In neither chapter seven or fourteen do we see them protected, but merely designated for God. Another assumption, and quite possibly a good one, is that they function on earth as witnesses, but most specifically to the Jewish community. That would make sense but there is still nothing to show that they are excluded from harm, nor is there anything that indicates how long they stay here on earth after they are marked. I am bringing this up because I have heard all kinds of speculation espoused adamantly as religious folk try to push their theories and understanding off for truth.

“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." (Revelation 7:1-3 ESV)

These angels are released with the express purpose of destroying the earth. And yet, just prior to this destruction, God intentionally seals 144,000 Jewish men.

It seems John's attention is pulled back to heaven because of a voice, a voice like a mixture of sounds.

Revelation 14:2-3 ESV 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.

Almost as soon as they have been sealed, we find them redeemed from earth. The implications are that they are no longer on earth. This again demonstrates our assumptions. It seems fair and logical to build a chronological timeline and place them on it. The problem is God controls both the timeline and calendar on which it is based, and scripture does not always lay things out so clearly for us. Sure, there are many points in which specifics are detailed such as: Israel's release from Babylonian captivity, or the Messiah's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but we have no clear point at which we can say the rapture comes here and therefore all these other things can find themselves a spot on our timeline.

Revelation 14:3-4 MSG and the harpists singing a new song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. Only the Hundred and Forty-four Thousand could learn to sing the song. They were bought from earth, (4) lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from humankind, first fruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb.

“lived without compromise”

How do I relate to that? We were all born into a corrupted nature, therefore it seems impossible to imagine someone living without compromise.

Zephaniah 3:13 KJV The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

We already know that some will try to assign these characteristics symbolically to the church. If you try to assign the characteristics of these chosen Jews to the church, it simply does not fit because they have too many human characteristics, therefore I will cling hard to a literal interpretation of the 144,000.

Consider an irony.

God has written His name on their foreheads, and no, we do not know what that looks like; who will be able to see it (we know these four angels can see it); or how it gets there. However, Satan/the beast goes around trying to copy God's idea, by having people marked that have converted to a worship of the beast. (Again, I point out that I believe this is Islam doing this and the beast is Allah.)

One of the things I tell people, is that the Apostle John fully intended for his writing to strike the ears of Jewish converts. You can pick up on this idea because he uses terminology and symbolism found throughout the law and the prophets; books any Jew would have been forced to memorize by the time they were twelve.

One example of this marking of the head is found in the Prophet Ezekiel's writings where judgment could not begin until the foreheads of the righteous (those who mourned over the sin of their land) were marked.

Ezekiel 9:4-5 ESV And the LORD said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." (5) And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.

Another example of marking a person comes from Genesis.

Genesis 4:15 ESV Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

We still do not know what that mark looked like, but the imagery is well entrenched in the Jewish mind. It is a shame that it is not in ours.

Another thing that we are in a loss to figure out, is when these are brought before the throne.

We like to assume that they are protected from what ever comes, but you do not see that in scripture. Many seem to believe that they will serve as witnesses to the world. If they do serve in that function I believe it would be to the Jews. However there is no clear time frame between their being marked and finding them before the throne.

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. (Revelation 14:3 ESV)

Considering that this song is for them alone, I see no reason to lose sleep over what they are singing.

It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

Revelation 14:4 ESV 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,

They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. This is the relationship that we were designed for – sheep in love with the shepherd.

There may be a clue about the timing of their departure from earth, because it says they are first fruits. If they, in a sense, are like the first offering of many. Not that we are directly going to be sacrificed, but then God can do what he wants with us, can't he. Because this takes place within the framework of the seven-year period, then the implications of those being offered up as an offering to the Lord would apply to anyone coming to Jesus Christ during this time. They are called the martyred saints.

The 144,000 are blameless before the throne of God.

Revelation 14:5 AMP No lie was found to be upon their lips, for they are blameless (spotless, untainted, without blemish) before the throne of God.

Two things catch my attention when I consider this. Those that are in Christ were first forgiven – no longer guilty for the sin nature that was handed down to us (that happened on the cross.) Over and above our own personal compulsions, this sin comes through being born into the earth. So to will we who have turned out lives over to Jesus Christ stand blameless before the throne. Now, what did these Jewish men do to get such a status? I think the obvious answer lies in our relationship with the shepherd.

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