Greetings, fellow eschatologists! It’s time to begin a new series in our study of Revelation. In this series, we’ll be looking at Revelation chapter 14. Previously in chapter 13, we learned what Satan’s activities will be on the earth, acted out through Antichrist and the false prophet during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. All that happened after the two wars that were fought simultaneously when Antichrist invaded Jerusalem and when Satan lost his battle with the archangel Michael and was cast out of the heavenly atmosphere over earth and onto the actual earth. In Revelation chapter 14, we will learn what some of God’s activities will be during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week. So let’s get into this!

Revelation 14

First in a Three-Part Series
By Karen Thompson

When Revelation chapter 14 opens up, the very first thing we see is the immediate aftermath of what happened in heaven after Jerusalem was invaded by Antichrist and after the man child was raptured up to God. John described seeing the 144,000 servants in heaven being welcomed and greeted with a new song. They are in heaven because they were caught up, raptured, to God before His throne (Rev. 12:5). Then three angels are dispatched to earth with special messages for its inhabitants to show them how to escape the wrath of God. Then lastly, we will read about two important harvests that take place in the earth. Let’s begin by looking at how the 144,000 are greeted in heaven. 

The 144,000 Are Greeted in Heaven

Rev. 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

John begins by saying he saw a Lamb standing on mount Sion, or Zion. The Lamb, of course, is Jesus as He is the sacrificial Passover Lamb offered up for mankind’s sins. John said standing with the Lamb were the 144,000 servants. It says about the 144,000 that the “Father’s name was written on their foreheads.” That is how they were sealed by the angel sent to seal them. Remember in Revelation chapter seven, angels were told to hold back destruction to the earth until the 144,000 were sealed: “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Rev. 7:3). This reveals the 144,000 were sealed by having the name of God written on their foreheads.

Verse two says, “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps….”  The 144,000 servants are received with a thunderous greeting and welcome ceremony in heaven. John said there was a voice from heaven that sounded like “many waters” and thunder. We know the phrase “many waters” means peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. So, when John said he heard a voice from heaven that sounded like the voice of many waters, he was saying he heard the voice of a multitude from many nations and tongues. And the voice of the multitude was thunderous.

A New Song for the 144,000 Servants

John also heard the voice of “harpers harping with their harps.” Verse three tells us about a special song the harpists were singing: “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”

The harpists sing a new song before the throne of God, the four beasts, and the 24 elders. Verse three says this “new” song will be a song that only the 144,000 that were redeemed from the earth can learn. No one else will be able to learn this song. If I were to guess what this song would be about, I would say it would reflect their collective experience as the 144,000. It will say something about them being descendants from the lost ten tribes of Israel. It will say something about God keeping His covenant with the tribes of Israel. It will say something about the experiences of the 144,000 going through the trumpet judgments and God keeping them safe. And lastly, it will most likely say something about their destiny in God as those who serve the Messiah. It will be a song that only they can sing, because it will be a song about them and who they are in God.

The 144,000 Are Both Pure in Body and Soul

In verse four, John identified the 144,000 as virgins:“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.”John says the 144,000 “were not defiled with women.” The next phrase qualifies what he meant by that statement when he said, “for they are virgins.” When John is talking about not being defiled with women, he’s talking about sexual relations, or more specifically, he’s talking about “not” having sexual relations with women.

That needs some clarification. Having sexual relations with a woman is not defiling. The Greek word translated as defile is moluno, and it refers to someone who has “not kept himself pure from the defilements of sin and has spoiled himself by either fornication or adultery.”¹ So the phrase “defiled with women” means defilement through acts of adultery or fornication. Sex between a man and woman married to each other is sanctified by God and does not defile.

John specifically called the 144,000 “virgins.” Some say the term virgin simply means they are spiritually pure. If that were the case, you could say a married person who has never committed adultery could be called a virgin. The word virgin is never used in that sense. Besides, John is not addressing their spiritual purity. He’s addressing their physical purity.

When John said the 144,000 are virgins, he meant that they have had no sexual experience. Some say this suggests the 144,000 might all be relatively young. All in all, what John is saying about the 144,000 is that they will be physically pure. What this also tells us is that even though the 144,000 are collectively called the “man” child, we now know for sure that the 144,000 will be all men, no women.

Verse four addressed the physical pureness of the 144,000; now, in verse five we are told of the pureness of their souls: “And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” To be without guile means they are without deceit, not having a duplicitous nature. When it says they are without fault “before the throne of God,” it is saying they will serve God in pureness of heart. The 144,000 men will be both pure in their souls and pure in their bodies.

Now let’s look at the last part of verse four: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” There are two important elements to that statement. First, John said the 144,000 follow the Lamb, Jesus, wherever He goes. That is language that indicates they will serve the Lamb; they will be in His service. In what capacity will they serve Him? We can figure out what their service to God will be by the fact that the number 144,000 represents 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The number 12 represents government, or ruling. From that, we can deduce that they will help Messiah rule and reign over the nations. In fact, that is one of the overcomers’ rewards. Revelation chapter two says, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…” (vv. 26–27).

The second important element about the 144,000 is found in the last part of verse four: “These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” They are “redeemed.” The word redeemed means they were purchased. First Corinthians chapter six tells us we were all bought with a price: “…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Jesus not only paid the price for the 144,000, but He paid the price for all of mankind to be redeemed.

Most importantly, John said the 144,000 servants were “the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” The word “first fruits” means they will be the first part of the harvest. If there is a first part of the harvest, then that means there is more harvest to come! There will be more descendants of the tribes of Israel to be redeemed!

In our next post in our series on Revelation chapter 14, we’re going to read about three angels that were dispatched to the earth to give earth’s residents a warning.

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