1 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.
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, 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. 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.
Maybe when we read through chapter 13 we can become discouraged, it looked as if the satanic attacks may just be ultimately successful, didn’t it, [the first beast] was allowed to make war [on the saints] and conquer them. But, chapter fourteen shows us that whilst attacks that come our way from the devil and the evil forces present in our world may disrupt our day, may change our plans, may make us suffer, may knock us down, chapter fourteen shows us that ultimately, God always preserves His people. As the old saying (sort of) goes, the devil may win a few battles here and there, but ultimately God always wins the war.
The presence of the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with 144,000 who had his name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads is a sure sign that He is coming back, He is coming back for His people, with His people, and He is coming back to defeat the forces of evil.
His people, then, the 144,000, they are pure (they are virgins), and they follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Is that us? Are we pure in the bigger picture sense?
Do we set our minds on things above, focus on that which is right, just, pure, wholesome, edifying, encouraging?
Would we follow Jesus wherever He goes?
Would we follow wherever He tells us to go?
Now, then, we see some of the privileges of following Jesus. The 144,000 were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
They sing a new song, commemorating the mighty works of God, a common thing we see in the Word (Psalm 98.1 for example).
The point is that if we ever wish to be in His presence and sing songs of worship, if we ever wish to be part of the heavenly host who sing praises to God all day and all night, if we ever wish to be counted among the righteous because of the work of Jesus, we must not defile ourselves, we must take the attitude of a virgin; pure, true, blameless.
God has provided a way for us to be a part of His coming glory, to be a witness to the events about which we will read in the coming chapters, God has provided a way.
All we need do is trust Him and make sure that it is His name we adorn ourselves with, His name and ways that we wear, that we wear our Father’s name on our heads, and that we carry the name of Jesus in our hearts.
James Travis 