Revelation 14:1: Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.
In our previous chapter, the people of God find themselves in a great trial. The whole world yields to the "mark of the beast," either from terror at his threats, or because they have deliberately chosen to "believe a lie" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11).
But in the midst of all this confusion God has a true people who stand firm as a rock for Bible truth. A decree is made that all who refuse the "mark of the beast" must be killed. Will God abandon those who remain true to Him?
Never! The Lamb is their protection. They say, "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around" (Psalm 3:6).
"The Father's name" must represent His character of pure, unselfish love. The Lord promised Moses that He would "proclaim the name of the Lord" before him. "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty" (Exodus 33:19; 34:6, 7). When God's people learn to love like God loves, they will have His name in their foreheads.
Will only 144,000 people be saved? Evidently this is a symbolic number. Bible numbering may be different from ours. When Jesus fed the multitude by the miracle of the loaves and fishes, "those who had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children" (Matthew 14:21).
Jesus would not make the mistake of inviting everyone, saying, "Come. . . . And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," and then find He did not have enough room for those who responded! "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out," He promises (see John 6:37). Believe Him and "come," but don't delay.
Revelation 14:2-5: And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Who are these people? Several facts about them can give us an idea:
(1) They are "redeemed from among men," God's remnant delivered from the last generation of people on earth who will see Jesus come. They are the group Paul speaks of when he says, "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [that is, the resurrected saints] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). It would seem therefore that they are people who will not experience death.
(2) They have gained a new experience not known by any previous generation of God's people. Only by virtue of this new experience can they be said to sing "a new song" which "no man could learn" but they "who were redeemed from the earth." They have not only faced trials greater than any other generation have faced; they have also developed a faultless, mature faith in Christ which has enabled them to triumph gloriously.
(3) They have opened their hearts fully to receive Christ's salvation from sin, so that it can be truthfully said of them, "They are without fault before the throne of God" (verse 5). They were born in sin just as everybody else in the world has been born in sin; yet they have permitted the great High Priest to cleanse their hearts of all evil. They have become completely, absolutely honest, because "in their mouth was found no deceit." What a wonderful work Jesus has done for them! In their experience will be demonstrated the truth that Jesus "is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him" (Hebrews 7:25). In their characters will be seen the practical results of Christ's closing work in the heavenly sanctuary.
(4) "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins." In the Bible, a woman is a symbol of a church; a pure woman, the true church; a defiled woman, an apostate church. In Revelation 18:4 we read God's call from heaven to His saints in "Babylon" who are scattered in all churches and religions around the world: "Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins." The 144,000 are the people who have responded to that call. Christ likens those who await His second coming to a group of "virgins" (Matthew 25:1).
(5) "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." This means to follow Jesus wherever He leads us, not to lag behind and not to rush ahead, but to keep up with His leading. "Whatever He says to you, do it," said Mary the mother of Jesus (John 2:5). The 144,000 are a group who have joyfully received all the counsel and guidance that Christ has sent to His people. They have submitted to the Holy Spirit so that He could work a complete reformation in their lives. Even their habits of eating and drinking, dressing, amusements, their thoughts and purposes, have been brought into harmony with Jesus' example.
Revelation 14:6, 7: Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—and to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of waters."
The word "angel" means one carrying a message. This new vision shows the world-wide extent of God's last message of grace to be sent to all people before Jesus comes. God loves everyone alike; how, then, could He neglect to send the message to even one nation or tribe?
We are not to expect to see a literal angel flying above the tree-tops or in the clouds. The prophecy calls for a world-wide movement, or work, which proclaims to the world this message. The message may come through the words of a living preacher, through a sermon on the radio, through a tract some friend places in our hands, or even through the pages of this book. It is God's message to the world! One may possibly hear it only once.
God's last message to the world is nothing new, but is the "everlasting gospel" that has been preached to the world since the days of Adam. But there is a further development of truth for the world's last generation; rays of light from all past ages are gathered together and focused on the needs of human hearts in earth's last days. The "lost sheep," secular man, has strayed further from the fold than ever before, and the Shepherd must go further to find him.
As we have seen in previous chapters, the hour of God's judgment began with the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, which event followed the end of the 2,300 years of Daniel 8:14. The first angel's message therefore began during the great spiritual awakening of 1831-44, when multitudes of earnest followers of Jesus proclaimed to the world the message that "the hour of God's judgment" was come.
This message calls upon us to worship God as the Creator. And oh, how people need this message now! Many suppose that the earth just "happened" to become what it is through millions of years of "evolution." They assume that we human beings have come up slowly from lower forms of life such as insects and animals. This would mean that human beings are still animals, and it would follow that the law of the jungle, "the survival of the fittest," must prevail. This philosophy underlies the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust.
If we search as much as we can, we shall find no genuine scientific proof for evolution. It is a theory, not a proved fact. If "God is love," does He deceive? When He says, "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3), is He trying to mislead us? We may not be able to "prove" that the Bible record of creation is true, either, but why not trust the Word of God? Not one of us knows first-hand what happened to him during the first year or two of his life. We have to trust our parents. The "first angel" calls on us to trust our Father's word about our beginning. God has two "books" for us to study: the written Bible, and the "book of nature." Both agree.
For example, the Bible tells the history of the Flood of Noah's time when all human and animal life perished except the life which was preserved in the ark. See Genesis 6, 7, 8. Some scientists today repeat the words that the apostle Peter said they would be saying, "Since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." But Peter says that "they willfully forget" the truth of the flood (2 Peter 3:3-5). The "book of nature" which all can see for themselves records the evidence of the great Flood which covered the whole world and buried sea creatures, even on the tops of the mountains. Complete animals that once lived in mild, tropical climates, have been dug up in the frozen Arctic North, with green grass still in their stomachs. Only the Biblical flood and climatic changes that followed can explain such mysteries.
However perplexing we may think is the scientific evidence for evolution or creation, the grandest evidence for the truth of the Bible is agape. That love revealed at the cross totally discredits godless evolution and validates all of God's revelation. No scientist or philosopher can account for the origin of agape except that cross on a lonely hill outside of Jerusalem.
The sign of God's creative power is the holy Sabbath which He made, blessed, and sanctified in the beginning. Because many Christian churches have turned their backs on the true Sabbath of the Lord, the world has lost sight of its Creator. In the nineteenth century, the churches of Germany led the way in higher criticism and theistic evolution. It is more than a coincidence that they could offer no effective antidote to Nazism. God's message of Creation is not out of date; it is present truth (see 2 Peter 1:12).
As soon as one receives the "first angel's message," and his attention is directed to the "everlasting gospel" brought by the angel messenger, he wants to keep the Sabbath because he loves and worships his Creator and Redeemer.
Revelation 14:8-11: And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
What is "Babylon"? There is no great city today by that name. John uses the name as a symbol of a vast organization or spiritual "city" on earth which has proudly exalted itself above God, but which is now "fallen" in that its teachings are seen to be error.
The beginning of the ancient city of Babylon was Babel, which name means "confusion" (see Genesis 11:9). It was there that people after Noah's day rebelled against God. "The Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:9).
In the Book of Revelation the name Babylon is used six times, referring to all false religion. It is indeed "confusion." Babylon has made all nations "drink" of her false doctrines. Professing to teach God's truth, she has taught the traditions and fables of men. The result: the nations have become "drunk."
Why did Nazism take root, requiring World War II to eradicate it? Why do nations even now fight unnecessary wars, and waste huge sums of money on armaments that would not be needed if we would live according to God's commandments? Through centuries of darkness that followed the rejection of the gospel, humanity has lost the way of wisdom. And in rejecting the first angel's message calling upon the world to worship the Creator and keep His Sabbath and to prepare for the hour of God's judgment, Babylon has again deceived the nations. God will hold her accountable!
False doctrines are the "wine" that Babylon gives the nations to drink. Examples are: the false doctrine that God is a cruel tyrant who torments the lost in eternal flames; the idea that the dead are still alive and conscious; the idea that Christ did not exist from eternity before His birth as a baby in Bethlehem; the keeping of the first day of the week as the Lord's Day instead of the seventh day which God blessed and sanctified; building faith around the love of self instead of the love of Christ so that fear becomes the greatest motivation in such false religion. These and similar falsehoods make the nations "drunk," confusing both leaders and people. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
The "third angel's message" is "present truth," the most solemn warning in the Bible. No other message is to follow. The whole world will be brought to decide for or against the cross of Christ. All will be brought to the place where the Jews and Romans were when they crucified the Lord of glory. Churches which once rejoiced in the light of truth become "fallen" when they reject further truth which brings a special duty for today.
"Crucify Him" will be the heart-cry of multitudes who choose to persecute Him anew in the person of His brethren here on earth. Jesus regards hatred against "the least of these My brethren" as directed against Himself (see Matthew 25:40; Luke 10:16). This will be the real issue when the "mark of the beast" is enforced. Calvary will be repeated on a world-wide scale.
As we learned in chapter 13, the "mark of the beast" will exalt Sunday in place of the observance of the true Sabbath which is blessed and sanctified by God. Those who refuse to receive the "mark of the beast" are in the minority. They have to endure the scorn and opposition of relatives and friends. Sometimes they have to lose a precious job because of their observance of the Sabbath. But all the hardships they are called upon to bear are nothing compared to the blessed assurance of God's favor on them. But please note: no one as yet has received the mark of the beast. Not yet have the final issues been made plain to everyone. The Lord has many faithful people observing the false sabbath in ignorance, and they will yet be enlightened.
The issue is not that one day is better than another outwardly, but of loyalty to God.
The appeal made by the "beast" ultimately zeroes in on the love of self. Those who choose to die to self and bear the cross with Christ will gain the victory over the "beast" and his "image" and his "mark." The "mark of the beast" is opposed to the cross of Christ; and the true Sabbath of the Lord thus becomes the sign of bearing the cross.
Is God cruel to "torment" these people who receive the "mark of the beast"? The word in the language John used means to test or try in order to show up defects. When these who have rejected the seal of God come into the "presence" of the holy angels and of the "Lamb," when they see Christ crucified by them anew and realize what they have actually done, they will see all their sin and rebellion exposed for what it has always been. They will see how their whole life has resulted in only hating and crucifying the Son of God. Such self-knowledge will surely be torment enough to them! The text does not say that God will torment them; He is not a sadist. Their remorse will be torment enough.
In the day of final judgment, every lost soul will understand the nature of his own rejection of truth. The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will be seen by every mind that has been blinded by transgression. Before the vision of Calvary with its mysterious Victim, sinners will stand condemned.
Revelation 14:12, 13: Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."
John heard an angel proclaim words that single out God's true people on earth. Of all the many denominations and religions on earth, God acknowledges as His "saints" only those people who keep His commandments through the genuine faith of Jesus. But they are not seeking to keep the commandments in their own strength, neither are they trusting in their obedience to gain for them a place in the kingdom of God. The faith of Jesus is their sole motivation. He is their pattern and example. They are a Christ-centered people. They rejoice in salvation by His grace. They know that "love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). Christ is both their Substitute and Example.
Many who have clung to the hope of Jesus' soon coming have had to go into the grave to rest awhile. They are "blessed" in that henceforth there is laid up for them a crown of righteousness (see 2 Timothy 4:7, 8). It is better to die in Christ than to live without Him. Satan will always slink away in defeat when you and I tell him, "I choose rather to die and be buried than to do what I know is wrong; God help me!"
There will be no further message of mercy sent to the guilty inhabitants of the earth, because these three angels' messages are followed immediately by the second coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven:
Revelation 14:14-20: And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So He who sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
There are two ways in which "the harvest of the earth is ripe":
(1) Those who have chosen to believe in Christ have grown in character until they reflect the image of Jesus as beautifully as a mirror reflects the brightness of the sun. "They are without fault before the throne of God." Verse 5.
(2) Those who have chosen to reject the Saviour's love have filled up the cup of their iniquity until they have abandoned themselves to rebellion against God. In the person of God's saints they have sought again to murder Christ, and have brought upon themselves by their hatred of God's truth the same condemnation that came upon those who crucified Christ. They have become "ripe" for judgment. The Lord forgave those who crucified Him the first time. But when the deed is repeated with full knowledge and inflicted on Christ's followers, then comes "the wrath of the Lamb."
Consider how deep is that river of blood that flows from the "winepress of the wrath of God" in the last day.
A Prayer: Lord, forgive us for wondering sometimes if You might be dead, or if You cared about us in this world of confusion and darkness. As we have read this chapter in Revelation, we are awakened to see that You are indeed working night and day in all the world to save people from that terrible fate of crucifying Christ again. Thank You, Lord, for the gospel in the three angel's messages of Revelation 14. It is good news that You have risked everything to redeem us from the awful fate of rebellion against Your love. In Jesus' name, Amen.