Help Is On the Way!

Well, if you have your Bible with you, and I hope you do, meet me in Revelation
chapter 14 this morning, Revelation 14. And as you're turning there,
I want to tell you or maybe remind you about one of the most remarkable victories
that took place in the history of God's people in the Old Testament. You can read
about this particular battle and this victory that took place in three places.
It's in 2 Kings, chapters 18 through 20. It's in 2 Chronicles,
chapter 32. And it's in Isaiah, 36 and 37. So here's the battle. It takes place in
701 BC. The northern kingdom, the 10 tribes that are in the north have already been
defeated by the Assyrian army. They are no longer a kingdom that's over. The
southern kingdom, Judah, the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, are still in the south,
and they are in relative peace. But the king in Assyria has decided in 701 BC that
he wants to increase his empire. And so he is bringing an attack against the
southern kingdom, and he moves the Assyrian army from the north through the northern
kingdom and into the southern kingdom. And along the way he conquers towns and
villages on his way to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the prize. That's where this battle
is going to take place. And according to Isaiah, the king of Israel at the time,
Hezekiah, was alarmed when he heard reports of this advancing army. This was an army
of hundreds of thousands of Assyrian soldiers who were coming against Jerusalem.
Hezekiah had made preparations. If you've ever been to Israel, there are, in Israel
there, in Jerusalem, there are Hezekiah's tunnels where the water was brought into
the city so that they could survive a siege and attack. But it was Sennacherib,
the Assyrian king, it was his strategy to surround the city of Jerusalem and
basically cut off supplies coming into the city and just wait until Jerusalem either
surrendered or until they were weakened and could be attacked and the city could be
taken. And when the message came to Hezekiah from Sinacharib,
Sinacharib told him, "Don't think your God is going to save you. You might as well
surrender. Your God hasn't saved all the little towns that we've taken over on our
way down here. What makes you think He's going to save you? we've got you
surrounded. And Hezekiah in this situation with word from Isaiah the prophet,
Isaiah came to him and said this, he said, "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning
the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or
come before it with the shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way
that he will come, by the same way he shall return, and he shall not come into
this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend the city to save it for my own
sake and for the sake of my servant David." So Isaiah says to Hezekiah, "You don't
need to worry, God has this." Now if you're the king, you got to decide whether
you're gonna believe the prophet or you're gonna look out and see this army, this
vast army that has surrounded your city. Do you take action? Do you try to do
something? Hezekiah wondered about trying to get an alliance with the Egyptians, see
if they would come up and fight with them.
185 ,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. The angel of the Lord comes through the camp
of the Assyrians and kills 185 ,000 soldiers. That's a pretty good victory for the
Lord. It says, "When the people arose in the morning, behold, there were all dead
bodies. Then Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, departed and returned home and lived
in Nineveh. The outnumbered, surrounded people of God were miraculously delivered by
God Himself. They cried out to Him, He delivered them. It was a memorable and
remarkable victory. And here's the connection with the passage we're going to look at
this morning in Revelation 14. Over the past several weeks, we have seen the context
for these verses. A great dragon has arisen to come and attack God's people.
And He has enlisted the help of two allies, two beasts, one representing political
power, the other representing false prophets or false teaching. And this army of this
unholy trinity is attacking and persecuting God's people and seeking to destroy and
wipe out the church. When the dragon couldn't kill the child, Jesus,
his next effort was to destroy the church, to wipe out the church. And as we've
looked at this over the last couple of weeks, if you're one of the first readers
of Revelation back when it was written in the first century AD, you would have
looked around and said, "This seems right. It seems to me like the church is in
trouble. The fledgling church that is struggling to survive is facing attacks from
the Roman government and from false prophets in their cities, they are under attack,
and you know what, it looks like the Roman government's winning. They're bigger,
they're stronger, they've got the power on their side. I don't know how God is
going to deliver us from this situation. And that's the context in which John has a
fresh vision in Revelation 14. God gives John a vision where he takes him to a
place where God himself is readying an Army to come in and destroy the works of
the enemy We've seen scenes like this before in our study of Revelation in the
midst of the seven seals being opened when God's pouring out judgment on the earth
There's the pause in the midst of that and we see the throne room in heaven where
people are assembled around the throne and they're singing Praise to God and we see
that God is still on his throne and that he is still in control of all things.
And here in chapter 14, this is another one of those visions, one of those
momentary pauses where God says, "Look up and remember what's true.
There is a lamb who is preparing his forces for battle, and that battle will be a
coming victory. Yes, it looks bleak. you don't have to worry. That's the message
here. And the people reading the book of Revelation then and now in the midst of
what we're facing and into the future, even when it looks like the forces of evil
have surrounded you, the forces of darkness are closing in and it looks like you
have no hope. Revelation 14 says, "Do not despair, look up,
help is on the way, deliverance is coming. So that's the context for this passage
we're going to look at this morning. Let me read the passage to you. Let me pray
before we turn to God's word. Father, we need your spirit to open our hearts just
as we sang this morning. Call us out of our darkness. Break up the fallow ground
in our hearts. Lord, I pray that we would be ready not just to hear your word,
but to do your word, I ask it this morning in Jesus' name. Amen.
You follow along as I read Revelation 14 beginning in verse 1, this is the word of
God for the people of God. John says, "Then I looked and behold on Mount Zion
stood the Lamb, and with Him, a hundred and forty 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, 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
kind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found,
for they were blameless." Amen. May God bless this reading of his word.
The grass withers and the flower fades. The word of our God will last forever. So
we're going to keep this really simple as we look at this passage this morning.
There are three things we're going to consider as we look at this passage. We're
going to consider the Lamb on Mount Zion. We're going to consider the 144 ,000 and
who they are, and we're going to look at the new song that they are singing.
That's the basic outline. So let's look at the Lamb back in verse 1. This is the
first time we have seen the Lamb in Revelation since chapter 5. Back in chapter 5
in the throne room of God, they were wondering who is worthy to open the scroll
and no one was worthy until John says, "I heard a lion and I turned and looked
and it was a lamb. A lamb who had been slain who came and he took the scroll and
he was worthy to open the scroll." That's where we're introduced to the lamb back
then. And he is referenced at other places in Revelation, but we haven't seen him
since then. Now we have a fresh vision of this lamb. By the way, there's a reason
why Jesus appears as a lamb in the book of Revelation 27 times.
27 times. He's once depicted as a lion, 27 times he is the lamb who was slain.
And I think the reason is it's a constant reminder to us that the distinguishing
characteristic of Jesus in the drama of redemption is his sacrifice.
A lamb in the Old Testament was the animal offered for sacrifice. Jesus appears as
the once -for -all, perfect, wounded lamb who died and was raised again, and that's
what this represents. Every time we see him, we're reminded of blood sacrifice. Every
time we see the lamb, we're minded of atonement and forgiveness of sins. That's
what's playing over and over again in the heads of every Jew when they see a lamb
who was slain. You see a bloody lamb, and what's going to come to mind is altar
sacrifices, temple sacrifices. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus in John chapter
one, he looked up and what does he declare? "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. It's a dominant motif. Here the Apostle John sees the
lamb and the word "behold" is once again in the text. When you see that word
"behold" it's there for a purpose. It means take a good long hard look at this.
Don't just look but behold. Look carefully. Look for a long time.
Don't turn away. This is the lamb. See the lamb. See his wounds with fresh eyes.
See with fresh eyes what he willingly endured all for love's sake.
He took the wounds he took. He suffered and died. The death he died so that we
can be numbered among the sons and daughters of God. He did it so we could be
reconciled to God. He did it because of his great love for you. Behold that.
In the midst of looking out at circumstances that surround you and looking at the
evil in our world, you're supposed to gaze for a long time at a lamb who was
sacrificed. We're supposed to gaze at him and consider his sacrifice. Jesus appears
as a lamb to remind us of God's love, to remind us that we overcome adversity,
we were told this in Revelation 12, they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of their testimony. It is because of His blood that we can overcome and face
whatever is in front of us. Our biggest problem, your biggest problem has been taken
care of by the Lamb. You may look at whatever you've got going on today and say,
"It seems to me my biggest problem is this. God says, "No, your biggest problem is
your sin problem. I've taken care of that through the death of my son.
Your destiny, your eternal destiny, your future is secure because the Lamb was
slain." Behold that. Look at that. Never lose sight of that. Chapters 12 and 13 in
Revelation paint a dark picture of a dragon who is pursuing God's people and when
you are in a place where it feels like you are sinking under the weight of
spiritual warfare like the dragon is pursuing you your job is to behold the lamb
who was slain who is standing on Mount Zion he is a victorious lamb because of his
wounds he alone is able to open the scroll and unfold God's plan of redemption.
And that's what's happening even now in our world. God's plan of redemption is
unfolding today. The end of the matter is certain. Victory is assured.
We need to remember that. Whatever else is happening, the kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever
and ever.
And note that the Lamb is seen on Mount Zion and there are some Bible scholars who
see this as a literal future event where John is foreseeing Jesus standing on the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem that they say that's Mount Zion, that's possible.
I think it's more likely that the Mount Zion that is being referenced here is the
same Mount Zion that the writer of Hebrews is talking about in Hebrews chapter 12,
where he says, "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festival gatherings, and to the
assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect." There's a heavenly Zion, a
heavenly picture that I think is being pointed to here. Mount Zion is symbolic of
the place where God dwells with His people. The Lamb is there on Mount Zion,
the heavenly Zion assembled together with the people of God.
It's where the eternal throne of God is located. It's where the throne of David and
the Lamb, the one He will occupy eternally. I don't think John is having a vision
here of a future earthly event. I think he's looking at a heavenly Jerusalem and a
heavenly Zion. And this whole scene in chapter 14 is actually the fulfillment of
what David prophesied in Psalm 2. So in Psalm 2, you remember it says,
"The kings
And the ruler set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord
and his anointed. Well, that's what the dragon and the beasts are doing. They are
the kings of the earth who are taking counsel against the Lord and against his
anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from
us." And how does God respond to what the kings of the earth are doing? He who
sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision, he will speak to them
in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, as for me, the king says, "I
have set my king on Zion my holy hill." This is God the king saying,
"I have set my king, my son, on Zion the holy hill." The scene in Revelation 14
is the ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy that takes place in Psalm 2. And what
John sees as he looks at the lamb on Mount Zion is he sees him surrounded by the
144 ,000 who had the name, his name, and the Father's name written on their
foreheads. So let's talk about the 144 ,000. We've seen the lamb on Zion.
Who are these 144 ,000? We were introduced to them back in chapter 7. And I'm going
to take a few minutes And get a little wonky with you here, so follow me on this
because there are really two schools of thought about who these 144 ,000 are.
A couple of different ways, there are more than a couple, but kind of two dominant
ways that this 144 ,000 are understood or are interpreted.
Pretty much every Christian scholar would disagree with what of his witnesses say
about the 144 ,000, they say that's the total number of all people who will be
saved. A literal 144 ,000 who are Jehovah's Witnesses, they're the ones who are gonna
be saved. No more, no less, it's 144 ,000. You either are or you aren't,
and they would say if you're not a Jehovah's Witness, you aren't, okay? We say no,
that's not right. They're not talking about the limited 144 ,000, the total number of
the elect or the redeemed. There are scholars who see this as a distinct grouping,
a subset of the total number of the redeemed. So as a representative of this view,
they say it's a literal 144 ,000 men who will be revealed in the later days.
Dr. Robert Thomas offers a well -reasoned argument for this. He says this group of
the hundred and forty -four thousand is an exact accounting of specific men who will
emerge at a future date There will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve
tribes of Israel They are converted Jewish evangelists who take the gospel to the
world. They are all celibate men They are marked by God on their foreheads.
They do not bow to the beast, and they are ultimately martyred for their faith." So
Dr. Thomas and others would say, "Looking forward, God will raise up an army of 144
,000 Jewish male evangelists who will be the ones who will take the gospel far and
wide in the latter days." That's one possible interpretation.
Other scholars see that number, 444 ,000 as symbolic, and they would suggest that
most of the numbers in the book of Revelation should be understood metaphorically or
symbolically, not literally. And they suggest that rather than this 144 ,000 being a
future army, this is actually the symbolic number of the multitude who are already
in heaven, those who have died and who are right now in the presence of the Lamb.
So Tom Schreiner is a good example of this group. He says the 144 ,000 represent
the restored Israel, the true people of God, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles.
It's an alternate way of describing the unaccountable multitude from every nation,
tribe, people, and language. And so he argues, for example, that The number 144 ,000,
the reason we should see it symbolically, is because 12 times 12 times a thousand
lends itself to symbolism through this multiplication. Twelve tribes of Israel,
12 apostles times a thousand equals the total number of Old Testament saints and New
Testament saints brought in. That's the symbolic interpretation. He also points out
that when you look back in chapter 7 at the listing of the twelve tribes that
these men come from, it's a, there's no comparable list of these tribes anywhere in
the Old Testament. So this listing of tribes, you can't find anywhere in the Old
Testament where that same list exists. Dan is omitted from this list of tribes in
chapter seven. Ephraim is omitted. Joseph is added. He says it's a unique listing of
the 12 tribes, you don't find it in the Old Testament. And he points out that back
in chapter 5, when the lamb appeared and took the scroll, John says,
I heard a lion, but I saw the lamb. And he says, in the same way, John says,
I heard the 144 ,000, but I saw the great multitude. So he hears one thing,
but when he looks, he sees something different. So he's saying that same kind of
imagery is being used here. And he points to the fact that the 144 ,000 in chapter
7 are referred to as servants or slaves, which is a common designation for all of
God's redeemed people. We are all servants and slaves of the Most High. Now my
sense of this 144 ,000 is more in line with Dr. Schreiner than with Dr.
Thomas. I think the number is symbolic and it represents all who are with Christ
now in the heavenly Zion. And I think chapter 14 is showing us that these saints
who have gone before us, who make up this great multitude, are preparing for battle
for the last day when they will come with the Lamb and bring an attack on the
earth, on the dragon, and on wickedness. But I'll leave it to you to draw your own
conclusion whether this is a literal number or a symbolic number. John says these
144 ,000 have God's name and the Lamb's name written on their forehead.
Again, there are some who believe that's a literal writing on the forehead. I don't
think it's an actual tattoo or a Sharpie marking. I think it's a symbolic picture
that they are identified with. They don't have the mark of the beast. they have the
mark of God on their life. When you see them, it's clear that they belong to the
Lamb. They are on Team Lamb, not on Team Beast. And by the way,
it ought to be clear to everyone who knows you which team you're on, without a
tattoo or a Sharpie on your forehead. Everybody who knows you ought to know who you
belong to? And I think some of us need to ask ourselves a question,
would people who know me see me straddling the fence with one foot in the world
and one foot in heaven? Would they see me trying to have it both ways?
Trying to get along, go along with the world system while maintaining a Christian
identity? We all have to live in the world and we have to understand the world in
which we live if we're going to be ambassadors As we've been called to do to the
world But we are never to be of the world. We're not to be conformed to the world
We are not to be in alliance or allegiance with the values of the world We are
supposed to have a different mark on our lives We are to be marked out for God's
service and everybody ought to recognize that. The people in your work, if the
people in your work don't know that you love and serve Jesus,
why don't they know that? Why is that hidden? Why would that be a mystery to them?
It's not that you have to go in with your Bible and start preaching, but it ought
to be very obvious about how you live your life, about what you prioritize, about
what you value. They ought to hear you boldly proclaiming your love for the Lamb.
It's true for the people here in verse 1. They are marked out. It's clear who they
belong to. These 144 ,000 have the mark on their lives,
and I'm going to skip over verses 2 and 3 and get to verse 4 because I want you
to see how the 144 ,000 are identified in verses 4 and 5. The first thing it says
about them is that they have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins.
Now again, we're on that conundrum. Is this a literal designation or is this a
symbolic designation? Here's the reason I think that's talking about virginity in a
symbolic or a metaphorical sense. The word here, the Greek word is Parthenos or
Parthenos, it's used 15 times in the New Testament, 13 of those 15 times it refers
to an unmarried woman. It's always a woman, it's always an unmarried woman.
In fact, it's either translated virgin or unmarried woman or betrothed. That's the
way this word gets translated. Here in Revelation is the only time that this word
is used to refer to a man who has not defiled himself with a woman. It's an
unusual use of this Greek word. And here's what I think John is seeing in this
case. In the Old Testament,
there was a term that was used for those who worshiped idols. They were guilty of
spiritual what? Adultery. Spiritual fornication.
So Sexual sin was a metaphor for spiritual infidelity. The whole book of Hosea is a
picture of sexual sin as a metaphor for spiritual adultery. I believe these 144 ,000
who are not defiling themselves are those who are not defiling themselves spiritually.
They're not guilty of spiritual idolatry, of worshiping idols. In fact, this point is
made more clear in the only other place in the New Testament where the word
Parthenos is used, where it's not referring to an unmarried female, and that is in
the book of 2 Corinthians, where the apostle Paul says, "For I feel," he's talking
to the Corinthians, he says, "I feel a divine jealousy for you since I betrothed
you to one husband and present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Clearly he's picking
up the metaphor of sexual purity and he's applying it to spiritual purity when he
talks about the Corinthians. I think it's the same picture here in Romans 14.
I don't believe the 144 ,000 are those who are actual literal eunuchs or virgins.
I believe that these are those who have a symbolic mark on their heads, they're
totally sold out, devoted, committed, and exclusive, and that shows up in their
spiritual purity. I think this designation of those who have not defiled themselves
actually goes back to what we see in the Old Testament, the pattern of celibacy for
those who were in battle. So you know the story about David and Uriah.
When a Jewish man was called to battle in the Old Testament, when he went off to
battle, one of the ways he consecrated himself for being in battle was he refused
to participate in any kind of marital sexual relations until the battle was won. He
was single -minded and devoted to winning the battle, and nothing else was to
distract him. And you remember when David had committed his sin with Bathsheba, he
called home his husband, Uriah, from the battle and said, "I'm glad you're here.
Why don't you take a couple of days, relax, go to your house, wash your feet." And
he's thinking, "And have relations with your wife so that this infidelity that I've
committed with her might be covered. Her pregnancy, everyone will assume, is from
you." And when David suggests to Uriah that he should go down and visit Bathsheba,
Uriah says, "My fellow soldiers are camping in the battlefield. "Shall I go to my
house and eat and drink and lie with my wife as you live and as your soul lives?
I will not do this thing." He says, "No. Everybody else is committed for battle.
I'm not going to come home and lie with my wife when the battle is going on out
there." He's wholly devoted to the cause.
I think God is making it clear to John in this vision of the 144 ,000 that these
who are in often are marked out, they are wholly devoted to the cause and they are
getting ready for battle. They have a single -minded devotion for God and they have
not defiled themselves in any way. In fact, this passage goes on to say not only
are they pure and undefiled but they are also those who follow the Lamb wherever He
goes. This reminds us of what Jesus said about His sheep back in John 10.
My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. When I go in and out, they follow me.
Elsewhere Jesus says if you would be my disciple, if any man would be my disciple,
deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. It's why we have follow over here.
It's one of the markers or the identifications for those who are followers of Jesus.
as a Christian who's not a follower of Jesus. You understand? That can't be. You
can't say I'm a Christian but I'm not a follower of Jesus. Now we stumble, don't
we? Sometimes we sit down and we're not walking the way we should or we slow down,
we get off track, we get distracted but we always get up and head back in the
direction we know we should be going even when we stumble. So,
we're not perfect followers, but we know the direction our life is supposed to be
pointed, and we go there, haltingly, stumblingly, but we go there. The description of
the 144 ,000 here are those who are following Jesus into the battle,
and it echoes Jeremiah chapter 2. Let me read these verses. In Jeremiah 2,
verse 2, God says, "Through Jeremiah, I remember the devotion of your youth, your
love as a bride, how you followed me into the wilderness in a land not sown,
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest." You see there, you
have the virginal bride following her husband into the wilderness, the firstfruits of
the harvest. That's the same language we see in in chapter 14. So these 144 ,000
are devoted to the bride following the husband wherever he goes.
But you know the name Deimos in the New Testament? Deimos was a companion of the
Apostle Paul. His name shows up three times in the New Testament. Twice he is
included in epistles. In the epistle to the Colossians Paul says, "Deimos sends his
greeting." If I leave him, he says, "Demus sends his greeting," but the last letter
Paul wrote that we have, 2 Timothy. He's writing to Timothy and he says this, "Do
your best to come to me soon, for Demus, in love with this present world,
has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica." He quit following. Why did he quit
following? Because he was in love with this present world.
He quits following the Lamb and follows the world instead.
That's a danger for any one of us. We have to make sure we remain fixed and
focused and following Jesus, that we do not fall in love with this present world
and wind up not following any longer. The 144 ,000,
the saints who have gone before who And now, by the way, free from their sin, oh,
for that day to come. But that 144 ,000, they continue to follow faithfully and with
purity. And they are called the first fruits, interestingly. And here's why they're
called the first fruits, because the spiritual transformation that God does in our
lives when we become new creations, new creatures, when you become a Christian,
God does a spiritually transforming work. It begins and it continues. What He's doing
in our lives is a picture of what God will one day do to the whole world, to all
of creation. Today, the creation groans under the weight of sin.
It has not been redeemed yet. You have been redeemed. You are the first fruits to
God, a picture of what God is going to do worldwide when the new heavens and the
new earth are created. So we're the first fruits. When you look and say,
"Is this harvest going to turn out?" You can look and say, "Well, look, the first
fruits are in. It looks good. Looks like it's going to be a good harvest based on
what we see in the body of Christ." Let me also note that the first fruits,
According to Revelation, "Belong to God and to the Lamb, the Father and the Son
share equally in the ownership and possession of these people, because they themselves
are equal, the Lamb and the Father." In fact, Tom Schreiner again points out that
there is nowhere in the Bible that we read about the 144 ,000 belonging to God and
the angel Michael, or belonging to God and the apostles. The lamb occupies a unique
station where he himself is equal to God. These belong to God and to the lamb
because they are equal. So they are pure. They follow the lamb.
They are the first fruits. They are also truth tellers according to verse 5. "In
their mouth no lie was found." Interesting note that in Revelation 21 liars are
those who the Bible says will face a second death. Among the listing of those who
will one day face eternal judgment are liars. Lying is not a small matter to God.
Truth -telling is the mark of a genuine follower of God. Jesus describes himself
using the term the truth. I am the
to, to be committed to Christ is to be committed to truth, to,
there's no deceit found in your mouth. You don't entertain the truth. You don't
fudge the truth. And in this context, the 144 ,000 are seen as those who refuse to
compromise the truth about the Lamb in order to gain favor with the world. They
don't soften, they don't capitulate, they don't shade things, they don't bend the
truth in order to or try to hide the truth in order to advance their own position.
They stand boldly in line with the Lamb and they don't quit.
One commentator Greg Beale says about these 144 ,000 as truth tellers. He says, "What
what is in mind here is not merely general truthfulness but the Saints integrity in
witnessing to Jesus when they're under pressure from the beast and the false prophets
to compromise their faith. When they're called upon to compromise, when the world
tries to get them to soften it and say, "Well, there's got to be other ways to
heaven. What are you a bigot? Why are you such a hater? They don't bend. They tell
the truth." And finally, John says they are blameless, which doesn't mean that
they're perfect. If that was the case, there wouldn't be 144 ,000 of them, there
would be zero of them. If blameless meant perfect, no one can stand in perfection.
There's only the Lamb who can stand there. The word blameless here means those who
have not compromised and given themselves to the beast. They don't sin blatantly and
presumptuously. These qualities that characterize the 144 ,000 being filed and pure,
followers of the Lamb, first -fruits, truthful, blameless, commentator Douglas Kelly
says, "These are weapons of mass resurrection." I like that. He says, "Ultimately,
these spiritual qualities engendered by Jesus and his army, as he is standing on
Mount Zion orchestrating it all, will overcome all the violence and wickedness of the
Satanic world system." You want to know how to overcome? This is how you overcome.
You stand firm, you're pure, you tell the truth, you follow Jesus,
you're blameless, and victory will come.
Now let me just say the key word in verses 4 and 5 describing the 144 ,000 out of
all the things we just talked about, them being spiritually pure, following Jesus,
truth tellers, blameless, the key word is is the word redeemed.
No one who is included in this number, the 144 ,000, has earned his or her way
into that group by virtue of the fact that they were pure or diligent or honest or
blameless. The people who make up this group are there because they've been redeemed
by the Lamb. We're back to his sacrifice for us, the Lamb who was slain.
The 144 ,000 are pure and diligent and honest and blameless in response to what the
Lamb has done for them, not in order to be counted as among the redeemed.
This distinction is important. If there's anybody here this morning and you're
thinking, "You know, I'm hearing all of this and I just need to get my life in
order. I need to be a better person. I need to clean up my act. I need to be
more honest. "I need to be in order to be counted among the 144 ,000." Well, you
may need to try harder, but listen, I got bad news and I got good news for you.
The bad news is, no matter how hard you try, you'll never get there. You will
always fall short. You can't be good enough to be included as a part of the 144
,000, a part of the redeemed people of God. There is no detailed job in the world
that can get your life showroom clean to get you ready to stand on Mount Zion with
the Lamb.
But the good news, well, again the bad news. Here's Psalm 130. Psalm 130 verse 3,
"If you, O Lord, should mark our iniquity, O Lord, who could stand?" God,
if you start to count iniquity, who can stand? The answer?
No one. That's the bad news. If you have to be absolutely blameless to be counted
among the redeemed, we're all done. Nobody makes the group. But somebody made the
group. 144 ,000 made the group. Big number. How did they get in?
How did this multitude too large to get in? Who stands before the Lamb? Verse 4 of
Psalm 130, but with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared.
That's why the word redeemed is so important here, because it's not what you do for
God that earns you a place among God's chosen. It is what the Lamb has done for
you. Redemption is not something you do, it's something He did. That's why it's the
key to all of this. The redeemed are those who know they've rebelled against God,
and they've turned from that, they've turned from sin and self, they've turned to
Jesus, they've turned to life, they've beheld the Lamb, they see his wounds,
they say he died for me, they confess with their mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe
in their heart that God raised him from the dead. Have you done that?
You can do that today, you can do that right now. You can cry out to God. You
can pray a prayer. You can say, "Lord, I need you." We heard that sung as we were
coming into worship this morning. "Lord, I need you. Every hour, I need you." "Lord,
I can't save myself. I'm not blameless. I know that." "I need your forgiveness. I
need redemption." You confess that to the Lord. You cry out to Him and ask Him to
save you. He'll do that.
Here's the last thing I want to say about the hundred and forty four thousand they
sing a new song That's what it says back in verse two Let's talk about this new
song. I heard a voice from heaven Like the roar of many waters like the sound of
loud thunder the voice I heard was like the sound of harpist playing on their harps
It's interesting to me. Those are three very different sounds the roar of many
waters the sound of thunder and the sound of harpist. They were singing a new song
before the throne, before the four living creatures, before the elders. No one could
learn that song except the 144 ,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. So what
are the 144 ,000 doing as they're preparing for the day of battle, as they're on
Mount Zion with the Lamb, getting ready to bring judgment on the earth? What are
they doing during that time? They are singing. They are worshiping.
They are rejoicing. They are lifting their voice in song, in praise. Their song to
the Lamb is loud, like the roar of many waters. It is strong and forceful,
like thunder cracking. It is beautiful, like the sound of the harpist. And it is a
new song that they are singing. In the Old Testament, the Psalms have lots of
references where they say, "Sing to the Lord a new song." And you say, "Why is
there always a call to sing to the Lord a new song? Why is it a new song?" It's
because every time God reveals something new about His splendor, His majesty,
His power, His glory, every time you see a new manifestation of His might and His
magnificence, your response should be to sing a new song to what's been newly seen
by you about who God is. New understanding of God's character and nature brings a
new song from the redeemed people.
And only the redeemed know how to sing this song because only the redeemed have had
their eyes open to see the glory and the might and the magnificence of God.
So the new song that we're singing is a new song inspired by our broader,
bigger understanding. We should always be growing in our understanding of God and His
glory and His might, and it should always be generating in us a new song.
And we started this morning by remembering that time in the history of the southern
kingdom of Judah, where they were surrounded by Sennacherib and his army, and And it
looked like they were gonna be invaded and God brought victory in the midst. They
cried out to him and he brought victory. I want to tell you about one other Old
Testament miraculous victory that I think is connected to this passage. It's in 2
Chronicles chapter 20. In fact, I want you to turn there. And I know you're going
2 Chronicles, so go to the middle where Psalms is and kind of go back toward
Genesis and you'll find Samuel and Kings and Chronicles, look for 2 Chronicles
chapter 20. This is the account of a battle that involved King Jehoshaphat in
Jerusalem. He was facing approaching armies this time from the east.
The Moabites and the Ammonites and others were coming from the east against
Jerusalem. they were coming to attack Mount Zion.
Jehoshaphat, seeing these advancing armies, cries out to the Lord in Second Chronicles
and calls on the Lord, says, "Lord, save us. Protect your name and protect your
house. Deliver us. Give us victory." He ends his prayer, look at Second Chronicles
20, verse 12. He says, "O our God, will you not execute judgment on them,
for we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not
know what to do, but our eyes are on you." Some of you need to highlight that
verse or underline that in your Bible, because that's a prayer you can pray every
day. "Oh Lord, we are powerless against the great horde coming against us. We don't
know what to do, but our eyes are on you." That's how God's people in the first
century, the first readers of Revelation, that's what they had to do in the face of
the Roman oppression they were facing. They were powerless. They were desperate. They
had to say, "We don't know what to do, Lord, but our eyes are on You. We have no
hope except the hope that You can bring us." It's a good prayer to underline and
come back to. Well, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon the prophet Jehesiel, and he
tells the king, "Thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid, do not be dismayed
for this great horde. The battle is yours, it's not yours, but God's. You don't
have to worry, God's gonna take care of this for you. It's not your battle, it's
God's battle. He will deliver you." And then jump, that, by the way, is another
good verse to underline. The battle is not yours, it's God's. Now jump to verse 20,
and here's how this battle ends. They rose early in the morning, they went out to
the wilderness of Tekoa, and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said,
"Hear me, Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you
will be established. Believe his prophets and you will succeed. And when he had
taken counsel with the people he appointed, those who were to sing to the Lord and
praise him in holy attire as they went before the army.
Huh. Before the army you put the praise team.
You put the people in, people on the worship team are going, "Well, wait, I didn't
sign up to go before the army on all of this." But that's, you go out with
praise. You go out acknowledging the greatness of God in the very front before you
pick up a sword or a bow and arrow, you go out declaring what is true.
So they went out saying, "Give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love endures
forever." That's their hymn of praise. And when they began to sing in praise,
the Lord said an ambush against the men of Amon and Moab in Mount Seer,
who had come against Judah so that they were routed. They never lifted the sword or
the bow and arrow. All it took was praising the name of God for the Eastern
advancing armies to say there's an ambush coming and they turn around and flee.
What the Jews did in 2 Chronicles 20 is the same thing that is happening at Mount
Zion in Revelation 14. They are singing a new song to the Lamb in preparation for
the battle to come. And it's a good strategy for any of us in the middle of
spiritual battle. "Fix your eyes on the Lamb, remember the battle belongs to Him,
sing a new song, give praise and thanksgiving to God, and say, 'The battle is yours
not mine, Lord, and keep following faithfully.'" Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this scene in Revelation.
We thank you that in the midst of the destruction and the opposition that we've
read about in the last two chapters, you give us a glimpse of the victory to come.
You remind us of what's true. You let us know that in the midst of our own
challenges, our own attacks, our own spiritual struggles, there is victory ahead.
If we fix our eyes on you, remember that the battle belongs to you and sing to
you a new song. Would you tune our hearts to sing your praise? And Lord,
for anyone here this morning who has never bowed or surrendered to you, who's never
turned from the world and turned to you, I pray that your spirit would stir that
in their heart today, that they would see their need for you and that they would
cry out to you, they would see your love and your goodness, they would see the
scars of the Lamb and recognize your great love for us, that they would turn to
you and say, "Lord, save me." We ask this in Your name,
amen.