May 8, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Revelation? Here’s today’s reading:
Revelation 14 (NIV)
The Lamb and the 144,000
1 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. 2 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...........Continue Reading
Certainly a graphic picture of the wrath of God on the evil and wicked. Those that have turned away from God, taken the mark of the beast, and despite all they had seen felt no need to repent will be judged for their actions.
While it doesn’t sound like a wonderful time for believers either on earth God does say in verse 12 “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” So stay the course, trust God, stand on your firm foundation of truth from His words, and take God’s mark on your forehead and when He comes to harvest the faithful will be spared.
I see the manifold grace and mercy of God in Revelation 14. Quite a few complicated, perplexing visions and scenes, but I think the Gospel clarion cry is remarkable, given the depths of human suffering and rejection of Christ.
Pastor, the 144,000 here doesn’t seem to exactly match the description of 7:4ff. Whatever the academic differences, these are souls redeemed by Christ, forever with him, singing praises to God I can’t even comprehend, with His name in their foreheads. 14:6&7 heralds the eternal Gospel, presented for “whosoever” will. John 3:16 remains accurate! 14:14 follows the “grim reaper”, the sickle thrust into a harvest of evil. Joel 3:13-16. 14:9 & 10 relate the implications of receiving the mark of the beast, no other choice, but wrath.
So, whatever the gruesome outcome, there will be multitudes choosing Christ against the logic of the world (to the Greeks, foolishness, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God), and that is Hope beyond measure, and the kind of faith, as Pastor said Sunday, that “guts it out”. Supreme glory to God! Peace to all, little gordy. PS: trying to secure a clear understanding what Scripture indicates is THE END of time. I have a position/hunch, just working it out.
The Lamb [ Jesus ] stood on mount Zion. At this point in time the 144,000 [ Jewish believers ] were standing with Him. The earlier account in chapter 7 the sealing of the 144,000 is happening with 12, 000 from each tribe. Then they will be standing with Jesus on mount Zion. If I read it right. Sometimes scriptures jump around a lot. Sometimes when it is talking about an event or things or people it describes it in a different way but it may be the same event. Sometimes it is latter given in more detail. Scripture is best answered with other Scripture. But also we may be limited in our understanding of Scripture. Just because we might not understand something doesn`t make it less true. What is clear is that these 144,000 follow Jesus anywhere. They were virgins , had no guile, and were without fault before the throne. Also that they were redeemed from among men. The first fruits unto God and the Lamb. Then there are warnings by angels to the people on earth. God even now showing his mercy by these warnings. That is warnings before his judgement. The saints are asked to endure during this time and to stay strong. In verse 14 there is a description of one upon a white cloud like unto the son of man, having on his head a gold crown. He held a sharp sickle. At first this sounds like Jesus but it can`t be for the Lamb is on mount Zion. Also another angel tells him to thrust in his sickle, and reap the harvest. Another angel also had a sickle. Then another angel which had power over fire and told the angel with the sickle to thrust in his sickle to gather the vine of the earth. There is a lot of things happening at the same time. In the last verse the blood came out of the winepress of the wrath of God. It was up to the horses bridles for 1,600 furlongs.
Revelation 14
There is no reason that these 144,000 need to be or are the same as earlier because the only similarity between the ones here and before is the number. And yet they may be the same and they are being identified in Christ as opposed to their Jewishness. (There is an aspect that it would be strange to mention the same number without specifically saying it is not them and then it not be them as well.) But more importantly, what a neat expression of the regard and special relationship that they know a song that no one else does. We also should not miss the purity and righteousness that they adhered to that gives them the right to be part of this number.
And how awesome that before the unfolding of the “greater” expression of wrath that will come in the bowl judgements, time is taken for overt and angelical proclamation of the truth of what the world is facing. Jesus and the gospel are true and the antichrist, his system and his mark are false. The knowledge of God should lead to worship of His name and regard for all He is and has done. And there will be dire consequences for those who worship the beast by taking his mark. The judgment coming will be on them. It is a very common message that comes from God that you are blessed when you follow Him and cursed when you don’t. It is what God does to promote His way which is the only thing that He can do and remain true to Himself and consistent with the reality that He understands. And yet how merciful for God to make that clear with proclamations from the sky, especially as the beast is promoting the dissemination of his mark on the earth.
And although this one sitting on the cloud has descriptions of him consistent with Jesus, I do believe it is an angel. And as the proclamation is made about the judgment coming, God reaping the earth and putting it in the winepress of His wrath is a graphic picture. It certainly gives a picture to give pause of whether you would want to be on the losing side of it. I mean an amount of blood flowing that is 180 miles long and 3-4 feet high? That is the picture of the wrath that is coming….so maybe I will listen to the angel that was pointing me to God and the gospel at the beginning of the chapter rather than suffer that….
The 144,000 were set apart from the rest of the believers because they lived blameless, righteous lives. They were rewarded with a new song to sing to the Lord and only they knew the words. The three angels proclaim the truth about what is happening – now is the time to fear God and worship him, the great city has fallen, and if anyone receives the mark, they will suffer the wrath of God forever. The wrath is represented in the harvesting of the evil with the sickle, the winepress, and the blood. And those who die in the Lord during this time will be blessed for their patience, endurance, and faithfulness. God will be there for them, and they will enter his rest.
The unity of Israel and the church, those who have the Father’s name written on their forehead and they follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Even as the timeline enters God’s wrath, here is the chance to hear the gospel:
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”