Revelation Chapter 14:1-10/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 14:1-10 Revelation 14:1-10 “And 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. 2And 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. 3And 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. 4These 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. 5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

6And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters." 8And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality." 9And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, 10he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”.

Introduction “From the vision of cruel oppression by the two wild beasts backed by the dragon (chapter 13), the scene shifts to one of triumphant victory and righteous judgment. The transition is from earth and the unstable sands of the seashore to Mount Zion. As is characteristic of the entire book, these visions shift from oppression and persecution to victory and judgment and back again” (Hailey p.

300).

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“If you’ve read rightly, you have felt the pressure which must have mounted in the minds of the saints (as they read chapter 13). A gargantuan Dragon, frustrated and furious; a horrific sea monster lumbering out of the breakers in answer to the Dragon’s command; a death and resurrection taking place, ‘proving’ that the beast can’t be killed, and demonstrating the colossal power of the Dragon; a lamb-like beast coming up out of the very ground and shattering the stillness with the nerve-shattering roar of a dragon’s voice; the tremendous power of this ‘lamb’, its ‘miracles’ and threats; and last but not least, the spell which has been cast over the whole world as they all become zombie-like devotees of the sea beast. What would you want to hear if you’d been a Christian back then? You’d like to hear chapter 14!” (McGuiggan p. 214).

14:1 “Then I looked”: This chapter is divided up into three sections that each begins with, “Then I looked” or “I saw” (14:1,6,14). “And behold, the Lamb”: “What a super way to begin the next section following the horror of chapter 13.

They’d just seen a lamb-like creature that spoke of fear, intimidation, and death.

Now they are shown the Lamb who spoke peace, comfort, and the answer to death” (McGuiggan p. 215). “Was standing”: Standing and not lying slain. “On Mount Zion”: There is some question among commentators whether this scene pictures the end of time with the redeemed in heaven or if it is a symbolic vision of the redeemed who are secure with Christ on Mount Zion to which they have come (Hebrews 12:22-23).

Point to Note Originally the term “Zion” applied to the stronghold and city of David (2 Samuel 5:7). In time it came to represent God’s dwelling place among His people (Psalm 9:1; 48:2-3). God said He would set His king upon His holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6), from which the Messiah would rule (Psalm 110:2,6). And out of Zion would go forth the New Covenant (Isaiah 2:2). These uses of “Zion” seem to all look to Jesus’ present rule over His people, the Zion to which Christians have come in this life (Hebrews 12:22-23). Hailey says, “The scene symbolizes security, permanence, and a victorious spirit of rejoicing enjoyed by the church on earth at any time, because the Lamb is in their midst” (p. 302). Compare the above verse with the second Psalm, which was quoted in 11:18. Despite the efforts on the part of Satan to use the empires of this world to stop and destroy Christianity, Jesus presently reigns with the faithful.

And yet some view this group as being with God in heaven after a life of faithfulness. They are: 1. With Jesus (14:1). 2. Apparently they are the same group pictured before the throne (14:3). 3. And they are redeemed out of the earth (14:3).

14:1 “With Him”: Christians do presently reign with Christ (Ephesians 2:6).

“One hundred and forty-four thousand”: The same group sealed in chapter 7.

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“There they were sealed unto God in anticipation of the storm to be let loose upon the earth; here the same group is pictured as safe with the Lamb in His stronghold. The woman who went into the wilderness (12:6,14) finds security in the stronghold of God, on the rock which was laid in Zion” (Hailey p. 303). See 1 Peter 2:6-8. Ogden believes that this group represents the faithful in the Old Testament but that view does not seem to fit this context. These people are clearly Christians (14:1 “having His name”, i.e., the name of Christ; 14:3 “purchased from the earth”). “Having His name”: That is, the name “Christian” (1 Peter 4:16). What a privilege to be allowed to wear “His name”. “And the name of His Father”: To be a Christian is identical with serving the Father. If we obey the Son, we are naturally obeying the Father, if we believe in the Son, we are naturally believing in the Father (John 12:44). “Written on their foreheads”: Not literally written, but rather they have given their bodies and minds over to God for His service (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Philippians 4:8). Thus something written on the forehead means that your mind has been dedicated either to evil or good. Their allegiance is to God and not to the beast (13:16).

Thus this is not a group of special saints, for every Christian is expected to be faithful to God. Every Christian is expected to be loyal, faithful, true, pure, and one who is dedicated to God (Luke 14:26).

Please note that the exact number 144,000 does not mean that Christians cannot lose their salvation, for various churches in Asia were warned about this very thing! (2:5; 3:19).

14:2 “And I heard a voice from heaven”: This is the source of the voice (10:4; 18:4). The fact that the voice is from heaven does not necessarily infer that the 144,000 in 14:1 are to be viewed as being in heaven. “Like the sound of many waters”: Consider the term “like”. “The qualities of the voice which John heard indicate majesty, volume, and the melody of praise” (Hailey p. 303). “We are being led to understand that heaven is here voicing its approval of what it sees.

Heaven doesn’t make a tiny sound. Power is there, but so is the harmony. The deep power of rushing water is brought together into harmony” (McGuiggan p.

216). “And like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps”: Some commentators picture this sound as being the sound of the singing in verse 3. Yet in the text this voice seems to be prior to the singing in the next verse. “Like the sound of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder, constant, majestic, sublime.

Think of mighty Niagara, with the sound of an ever-increasing crescendo, which reaches a thunderous roar when the waters strike the depths. Whatever is trivial or petty will be absent from it” (Hendriksen p. 151).

14:3 “And they”: The 144,000? Hailey has a different view here. He feels that the 144,000 are not singing, but only learning the song, that the great multitude pictured in heaven in 7:9 are the ones who are actually singing this song, because in that verse they are pictured in heaven before the throne. “Sang a

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new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders”: The idea of the “new song” has been previously discussed in 5:9: Typically in the Bible a “new song” is one that, in consequence of some new great deed that God has done, comes from a new gratitude in the heart of His people.

Compare with Psalm 98:1; Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; Isaiah 42:10-13. In chapter 5:9 the new song was sung in praise of their redemption (5:9). “The new song is the song of New Testament redemption (contrast with Moses’ song in Exodus 15 celebrating redemption from Egyptian bondage)” (Gregg p. 313).

14:3 “And no one could learn the song except the one hundred and fortyfour thousand”: “They sing a new song, made possible by their new experience. No one can learn this song except those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ” (Harkrider p. 162). “That no one could learn that song other than the redeemed ones attests that the song of redemption can only be sung by those who have experienced its joys” (Wilson). Only the person who is truly saved can sing of its joys.

14:3 “Who had been purchased from the earth”: Some feel that the expression “from the earth” indicates that these people are in heaven. Hailey interprets this as meaning, purchased from among the earth-dwellers. Christians are purchased by the blood of the lamb (5:9), and they are separated from the world (1 John 2:15-17).

14:4 “These are the ones who have not been defiled with women”: This statement must be taken figuratively. Remember, the marriage relationship is holy and pure (Hebrews 13:4). These Christians are spiritual virgins, they have been faithful to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), and have not committed spiritual adultery (James 4:1ff).

14:4 “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes”: Each Christian is called upon to follow in the steps of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Peter 2:21; Matthew 16:24). “These have been purchased from among men”: Compare with statement with 14:3 “purchased from the earth”. The first statement does not mean that in becoming a Christian these people were immediately removed from all contact with unbelievers, thus, the second statement does not necessarily mean that these people have been removed from the earth. “This does not mean they were a select group in heaven; instead, they were a select group in comparison to all others of mankind” (Harkrider p. 163).

“As first fruits to God and to the Lamb”: “Under the law the first fruits of the harvest were offered to God in acknowledgment that all the land and its increase belonged to Him. Paul applies the word figuratively to the first converts in Asia and Achaia (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15), indicating that others followed” (Hailey p. 305). Harkrider sees this expression as meaning that as the first fruits were dedicated to God, these people are completely dedicated to Him. “First fruits carry the more general sense of ‘an offering to God’. Indicating that the first

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fruits suggest a settling apart prior to the remainder of the harvest, i.e., the final judgment. The 144,000 were set apart from men in general as God’s portion from the earth” (Gregg p. 313).

14:5 “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless”: “They had neither subscribed to nor taught anything untrue” (Hailey p. 305). They fulfilled God’s expectations for His church, “holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

Christians should be people who have nothing to hide. The term “blameless” does not inherently mean that these people are in a state of heavenly perfection, for elders are to be blameless as well, and so is every Christian for that matter (1 John 1:7).

14:6 “And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven”: “This makes him, like the eagle of 8:13, conspicuous” (McGuiggan p. 217). The term “mid-heaven” indicates that point where the sun has reached the meridian, “the highest point in the heavens”, which it occupies at noon” (Thayer). “Having an eternal gospel”: As McGuiggan notes, this is not the Mormon “gospel” (Galatians 1:6-9). The term “eternal” informs us that this is not some special gospel or announcement in latter times, rather it is the everlasting gospel, the gospel which had been formulated in the mind of God before the beginning of time (Romans 16:25-27).

“The term everlasting gospel has challenged some dispensationalists, whose system affirms two legitimate ‘gospels’. In the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, ‘the gospel of the kingdom’ was preached, and will be again after the rapture of the church. During the dispensation of the church (from Pentecost to the Rapture), however, the gospel of grace is preached” (Gregg p. 319). But this passage completely contradicts that idea as do other passages (Galatians 1:8; Jude 3). “To preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people”: It is actually the church that preaches this gospel (Matthew 28:19; 1 Timothy 3:15; Colossians 1:23). Please note that everyone is accountable to the gospel.

14:7 “And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come’” This verse clearly reveals what is found in the everlasting gospel. The gospel exhorts us to fear God (Acts 10:35; Romans 1:20). “The gospel thus calls upon all nations to respect and reverence God” (Hailey p. 307). It also calls upon all men to give God the glory (Matthew 5:16; 9:8; 15:31). “The hour of His judgment has come”: The final judgment should motivate and bring men to repentance (Acts 17:30), yet this seems to refer to something more immediate than the final judgment. This could include the judgment against Jerusalem and or Rome (14:8). This could also be the judgment that is in the gospel message that is directed against the world and its sins (John 16:8-11).

14:7 “Worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters”: Compare with Acts 14:15; 17:24-31.

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14:8 “And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great’”: This is the first mention of Babylon in Revelation. Most interpreters regard this as a reference to either Jerusalem or Rome. Babylon will be further described in chapters 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21. Premillinnialists seek to argue that this Babylon is either the apostate church during the supposed Tribulation, a revived Rome, or the literal city of Babylon, rebuilt on the banks of the Euphrates.

“Ancient Babylon was the center of idolatry, the occult, immorality, and rebellion against God. It thus became a fitting symbol for the religious world system, which in every age opposes God’s kingdom” (Gregg p. 325).

14:8 “Is Babylon”: The city is viewed as already fallen. This is typically explained that when God decrees a matter it is as if it were already accomplished (Isaiah 46:10; 48:3). “At least fifty years before ancient Babylon fell to the Medes, God said through His prophet, ‘Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: wail for her” (Jeremiah 51:8)” (Hailey p. 308). “The great”: (16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21).

14:8 “She who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality”: At this point I do not see Jerusalem fitting this description.

Jerusalem had its problems but it had not corrupted the nations, in fact, people came here from all over the world to learn about God (Acts 8:27). This type of language is used of literal Babylon in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 51:7). A world empire like Rome could have an intoxicating influence upon other nations for evil. “By seducing the world with her corrupt practices, Rome was like a prostitute” (Harkrider p. 166).

Point to Note And Superpower or World Empire needs to seriously consider this verse. A nation can export many good things and have a good influence on other nations, yet a nation in such a position can also export greed, excess, lust, immorality, and thereby corrupt other cultures.

14:9 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand” In chapter 13:15,17 all who did not have the mark of the beast were persecuted.

This angel declares a fate much worse than death or persecution for those who serve the beast. “In solemn language the message is that all who choose to serve Satan must expect to suffer the consequences. One cannot sin and expect to get away with it” (Harkrider p. 166).

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14:10 “He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God”: God’s wrath in the Old Testament is often pictured as a cup of wine (Job 21:20; Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-38). “Which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger”: Wine was often diluted with water, but this wine of God’s wrath will be served at full strength. “It is undiluted with mercy, for the day of mercy and longsuffering is now past; these had been offered in the gospel which had been proclaimed and should have been accepted (14:6), but the offer of salvation had gone unheeded” (Hailey p. 309).

14:10 “And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”: This is the same type of judgment was poured out upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:28; Luke 17:29), who are suffering eternal fire to this day (Jude 7). Some argue that fire and brimstone are figurative, yet the rich man did talk about being in agony in “this flame” (Luke 16:24). “In the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”: At the final judgment, one is said to suffer the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Yet the above verse may simply mean that while faithful saints had suffered public derision (Hebrews 10:32-34), now their oppressors will experience shame before a more august assembly of spectators” (Harkrider p. 167). While men complain, “How could a loving or just God send people to hell forever and ever”, Hendriksen notes that this punishment is so just and fair that even Jesus and the angels behold it with approval.

Final Note People often speculate whether or not the “fire” associated with hell is literal or not. Please note, making the fire figurative does not change anything. Hobbs reminds us that if one says the fire is only a symbol, the truth of the matter is that reality is always greater than the symbol, whether it be heaven or hell. If hell is not real fire, then it is something worse than fire! (See Gregg pp. 329,331)

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