Revelation 14:1-5
So we ended chapter 13 last week and we saw three characters, and these were Satan, the Antichrist and the False prophet. And they came scripture said in order to make the people on the earth worship the Antichrist or to be killed.
I couldn't help but to wonder how many Christians are going to stand strong during this time and be martyred for Christ? How many Christians will willingly worship the Antichrist? I also wonder how many that profess to be Christians and will be killed for not worshiping the beast, but yet Christ says to them still “I never knew you?”
See just because we profess faith in Christ and we do works there still seems to be something more to it scripture says. I don't want to seem harsh, but if you love God's people it is important to make sure you teach that anything short of giving it your all, will not get you heaven.
I'm not sure there is a better time than now to talk about this for a moment while we are in this section of Revelation.
Matthew 7:21-23 ~ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
2 Corinthians 13:5 ~ Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
“Examine yourselves” it says. Whe know from Revelation 3 when Christ looks at the Church in Laodicea Christ is not happy with that church, with those self professing Christians there.
I can assure you that they all thought they were doing well. But Christ said they were “lukewarm” in their faith, they wern't giving it their all, they were only partially in.
Christ calls for great sacrifice to be given to the work of the kingdom in order to make it into heaven. Christ calls for everything to come after Him and not before Him. Not football and baseball games, not your job, not vacations, not new cars and trucks, not even your family Christ says.
That is great sacrifice and agape love for Christ. And here is something else to think about, agape love isn't forced rather it is freely and generously given to great extent.
Revelation 14:1-5
The Lamb and the 144,000
Revelation 14 ~ Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.
So we start off Chapter 14 with Christ appearing, and by Christ's side are the 144,000 from Israel in equal parts of the twelve tribes.
It is interesting that John references here that Christ stood on Mount Zion. It could be Jesus did or it could be just a contrast of the two beasts and the ground that they stood on, one being the sea and the other land while Christ He stands on the solid rock of the mountain. I think it is a representation of Who Christ is and what He stands for, the rock.
Mathew 16:18 ~ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus is saying He is the rock that the church shall be built upon and nothing not Satan, the Antichrist or the False Prophet shall come against it. Not the true church.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps
John hears this huge sound from heaven and it is so powerful that he is having a difficult time describing it. It was singing we will see in the next verses, singing from heaven from around the thrown. It was like the roar of many waters, it was like thunder, and it was like many harps all at once together to make this beautiful noise all in worship to God and Christ.
If you ever wondered the importance and power of singing in group worship is like, this is a great way John describes it.
3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
I wonder do you think the song was in Aramaic or Hebrew that only the 144,000 in heaven could learn it? Everyone else there was wondering what they were singing and no one knew, only that it sounded good.
4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
Here is something interesting about these 144,000. They were only men, (different genders) they were virgins, they follow Jesus in heaven wherever He goes, they were redeemed from mankind as first fruits (old testament prophets and saints), they were not liars, and they were blameless.
