Sunday School Notes: Revelation 14:1-3
1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing upon Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 having his name and the name of his Father written upon their foreheads. 2 And I heard a noise from heaven, like a noise of many waters and like a noise of great thunder, and the noise which I heard [was] like harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they are singing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders, and no-one is able to learn the song except the 144,000–those having been bought from the earth.
In the previous chapters, John described his vision of a dragon (Satan) persecuting God’s people, then giving power to a Beast who rises up from the sea and draws people to himself. It’s our view that this vision speaks of an authority figure who will rise up under the influence of Satan, and will give power to a subordinate (the second Beast). Together, these Beasts will ensnare the world to worship that which is not God, and actively persecute those who do worship the true and living God. We’re not convinced this is only speaking of one authority figure at one time in history (or the future), but rather we believe this is a description of Satan’s activity during the time since Christ ascended to heaven. Throughout church history, powers and authorities have risen to promote the ungodly and suppress the godly, whether in Rome, Italy, Germany, or Syria. And this is a pattern that will continue until the Final Judgment.
Chapter 13 ended with the church suffering under the rule of the Beast, with no hope in sight. Chapter 14 isn’t so much the beginning of the vindication of the church, but it’s more the other side of the coin. God has not been asleep while the dragon’s been busy. If we’ve seen anything from the previous chapters, we’ve seen God’s sovereign hand in control of everything that’s going on. The chapter opens with John’s vision of Jesus, the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000. The verb in the Greek is a perfect participle, which means we should understand that Jesus was already standing on Mount Zion prior to John seeing him. He didn’t just show up when things were looking bad. He’s been there all along.
Mount Zion represent the city of God, the symbolic dwelling place from which He rules. This is established in a number of Old Testament passages including 2 Kings 19:31, Psalm 2:6, Psalm 48, Psalm 74:2, Psalm 78:67-68, Psalm 125:1, Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 29:8, Joel 2:28-32, and Obadiah 15-21. From these we get the picture of Mount Zion as God’s fortress (symbolically), the eternal stronghold where God reigns and where His people have protection. It is where God has installed His Messiah, and will keep His people from the judgments that will befall the rest of creation.
Perhaps the most striking New Testament passage relating to Mount Zion in terms of what we read here in Revelation 14:1, is Hebrews 12:18-24. There, the believer is described as having come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, where the “firstborn” are gathered, the spirits of the righteous made perfect. Also there is God, the judge of all, and Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.
Along with the Lamb are the 144,000. As we have previously discussed (see Chapter 7), this number represents all of God’s people, Jew and Gentile, from all time (12x12x1000–Israel’s tribes multiplied by the Apostles multiplied by a very large quantity). This is not just those martyred, or some remnant. This, I think, is established by the context. These 144,000 are standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion, and in the OT passages we looked at, God’s people in total are protected on Mount Zion. Also, the passage says the 144,000 have “the name of the Lamb and his Father” on their foreheads. John has only seen two classes of people in his visions: the earth-dwellers who bear the mark of the Beast, and the heaven-dwellers, who bear the name of the Lord. There is no other group, so these must be all the heaven-dwellers (i.e., believers). The passage also tells us that these people are the only ones who can learn the “new song.” As we will see, this is a song sung by those in heaven–how could it only be a sub-group of Christians? Finally, the 144,000 are described as those who have been “redeemed” or “purchased” by the blood of Christ. Is this not true of all believers? Again, the number 144,000 is symbolic, representing all of God’s people.
These 144,000 have the name of the Lamb, and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. The Greek verb there is singular, in other words it literally says of these two names that it is written on their foreheads, treating the two names as one. John is saying the two names belong to the same being. They are of equal status. And just as the Beast’s followers have his name on their heads, so Jesus’s followers bear his name on theirs. The significance of the name on the forehead is twofold. First, it indicates ownership. Those who bear the name belong to that person. Second, it is a bold declaration to the world that they belong to that person. If you have something written on your forehead, you cannot face another person without them seeing it. Everybody will know to whom you belong. There is, perhaps, an underlying criticism here of those in the church who are trying to hide their faith by conforming to the world. If you truly belong to Christ, you cannot keep it a secret. To proclaim Christ on your forehead is to follow him, even if it costs you.
John then hears a sound from heaven like many waters, and mighty thunder, and like harpists playing on their harps. Some translations prefer to render the Greek word phōnē as “voice,” but I think that’s a bit too interpretive. The word refers to a generic sound, and often takes its meaning from the thing emitting the sound. In reference to a dog, you would translate it as “bark,” or “miaow” if it’s a cat. What John hears, however, is a mix of sounds, or a noise that is hard for him to pinpoint exactly. It’s loud, it flows, and it’s musical. Perhaps they get “voice” from the “new song,” which is fine–it’s a legitimate translation. I prefer to leave it at “sound” or “noise.”
Calling the noise a new song takes us back to the throne room of Revelation 5:9, where the four living creatures and the elders sing this song, proclaiming the Lamb’s worthiness to open the scrolls, since he has redeemed a people for God from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Now the 144,000 are singing this song before the throne and the elders and creatures. The reference back to 5:9 further supports the fact that the 144,000 represent all the redeemed. The same verb is used in 5:9 as is used of the 144,000 here in verse 3 (agorazō). These are those Christ has purchased with his blood from all over the world. And only these can sing the song, proclaiming Christ’s redemption, power, and victory.
We will see in 19:6 a similar victory cry like “many waters and mighty thunder” at Babylon’s fall and the marriage supper of the Lamb. This reminds us that those we saw persecuted in chapters 12 and 13 are, in fact, the ones who have the victory by virtue of their standing in Christ. He has bought them with his blood, so rather than suffering the spiritual torment that comes at the hand of God’s just judgment, they stand with their Redeemer on Mount Zion, proclaiming the glories of his grace.
We started verse 4, but didn’t finish, so I will provide the complete notes for verse 4 next time.
