John doesn't present chapters 12 through 14 to us in chronological order, probably because he wasn't shown these things in chronological order. The characters we've met in these chapters have existed and have been going about their work for a long time already, but it's only now that John has given us more details about them. Israel, symbolized by the woman with a twelve-starred crown, has existed ever since the twelve sons of Jacob were born. In theory, she existed even before that, from the very day the Lord promised to make a great nation out of Abraham's descendants. The enormous red dragon, Satan, has existed ever since the Lord created the angels, and ever since his rebellion he sought to kill the woman (Israel) and prevent her male child (Jesus) from being born. Even after the birth of Christ, Satan tried time and again to have Him killed. Since the resurrection, Christ has been out of his reach, so the devil's rage has been turned toward the Lord's people Israel and toward the Christians of the world.
The "spirit" of antichrist has been in the world since the advent of Christ. (1 John 4:2-3) In the end times a person actually becomes the Antichrist and we don't know how long he was on the political scene before his identity became known, but he ascended to a position of power back in Chapter 4 when the first horseman of the apocalypse rode forth. As for the False Prophet, John doesn't tell us when this man first allied himself with the Antichrist, but false prophecy has abounded since time immemorial. False prophecy is a tool Satan has long used to entice people away from believing the Lord. But John didn't really get into great detail about any of these characters until we reached the second half of the book of Revelation.
Today we're checking back in with the 144,000 evangelists who were chosen from among the twelve tribes of Israel to preach the gospel and prophesy during the Great Tribulation. They were "sealed" in Chapter 7 by an angel of the Lord for their protection. They would not have been able to make it through the Great Tribulation if the Lord had not kept them safe.
"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads." (Revelation 14:1) These men have come victoriously through the Great Tribulation by the power of the Lord. Although at this point in Revelation the Great Tribulation is not over and the Lord Jesus Christ has not yet returned to the earth, John is painting for us a scene that will take place later. I think this passage may have been inserted here in Chapter 14 because the things we studied in Chapter 13 were so dreadful. We need a little spiritual pick-me-up at this point in our studies. We haven't seen the 144,000 since Chapter 7, but they've been busy all this time preaching the gospel message to Jews and Gentiles alike, converting souls to Christ.
"And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth." (Revelation 14:2-3) These men have been through a unique experience and the song of praise they sing to the Lamb is unique. I believe that, due to the unique experiences each of us has in this life, no one can give exactly the same praise to the Lord. He's brought many people through terrible tragedies with their faith and their praise intact, such as in the case of parents who have lost a child, or those who have been abused or betrayed, or people who have dealt with chronic illnesses, or those who have faced life-threatening or terminal illnesses. I could go on naming the many and varied things that befall us in this life, but you know what I mean, and because of what each of us has been through and because of how the Lord helped us to survive it and to even thrive in our faith, we are all going to have something different to say to Him when we see Him face to face.
We learned in Chapter that the 144,000 are men because the Greek term John used for "messenger" is a masculine term. Now he tells us more about the lives of these men. "These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins." (Revelation 14:4a) There's nothing sinful about marriage. It is a relationship that has the Lord's blessing. There's nothing wrong with priests, apostles, pastors, and teachers being married. In the New Testament we are told that the Apostle Peter, other unnamed apostles, and the Lord's brothers were married men. But the 144,000 were perhaps quite young men when they gave their hearts to Christ. They had never been married. And like the Apostle Paul, they saw that it was better for them to remain unmarried because of the perilous times they lived in. The Apostle Paul had nothing against marriage but said that due to "the present crisis" it was better to remain unmarried. (1 Corinthians 7:16) The "present distress" was the intense persecution the Christians of the first century AD were enduring. The persecution of the first century was bad, but it won't hold a candle to the persecution that comes against those who become Christians during the Great Tribulation, so it makes sense that these 144,000 evangelists would refrain from marrying in order not to put wives and children in danger.
"They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless." (Revelation 14:4b-5) Calling these men "firstfruits" may mean that they were among the first to come to Christ following the rapture of the church. Or it could mean that their work of preaching the gospel has produced a large harvest of saved souls, and that these 144,000 are the firstfruits of that harvest because they were already in Christ before they began their ministry.
These men never fell for the lies of the Antichrist and they never spoke anything in their message that wasn't true. They faithfully shared the gospel exactly as it is written. I don't think John is telling us these men are perfect when he says "no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless" because no human being has ever been perfect except the Lord Jesus Christ. If these men were without sin then John couldn't say "they were purchased from among mankind". When he says "they were purchased" he's saying "they were redeemed". How were they redeemed? By the blood of the Lamb---the same blood with which you and I are redeemed. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19) The 144,000 aren't called "blameless" because they lived sinless lives, but because they were saved by the blood of the Lamb. For this reason you and I will also be counted blameless in the sight of our God.
I'm going to post a song link here at the bottom of today's study. This song talks about the blood of the Lamb, and it's a song that has never failed to lift my spirits. It has gotten me through many a troubled time and I hope it will be a blessing to you.
This Blood
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