Revelation 14:1-, “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb (Jesus) standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” We must be clear about Mt. Zion being in Heaven. It is the spirit contrast with Mt. Sinai, God’s holy mountain on earth where Moses took Israel after the Exodus. The inspiration for believers is in the Old Testament verses triggered in The Revelation.
About Mt. Zion, Hebrews 12:22-23, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect . . .” Note, “church of the firstborn (church of Jesus) who are registered in heaven.” The “one hundred and forty-four thousand” are a symbol of the spirit Israel, the church.
Psalm 48:1-2, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.” Now remember the enemy’s goal, Isaiah 14:13-14, “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Note, said in his heart.
Isaiah 2:1-3, sums this up, “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Note the law and the word)
The enemy has been kicked out of Heaven, he cannot get back. Let’s look back to Revelation 12:17, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman (Heavenly Jerusalem, the mother), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God (the law) and have the testimony (the Word) of Jesus Christ.” That is the enemy’s war, keeping believers out of Heaven.
So where are the 144,000? In Heaven. Who are they? Let’s look back to Revelation 7: 2-10, “Then I saw another angel . . . he cried with a loud voice to the four angels . . . saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (this reminds me of preaching the Gospel to all nations) And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; (then Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Point of interest, the house of Dan is missing as well as Ephraim who is usually listed with his brother Manasseh instead of Joseph. Judges 17-21 might explain this but this is a unique list of twelve tribes who are now believers.
Revelation 7: 2-10 cont. “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
John “heard” 144,000 people, but when he looked he saw a great multitude no one could count. The 144,000 is a symbol of all who receive the seal of the Lord, converted Jews who went first, followed by the gentiles of the whole world in redemption in the body of Christ, the church, the bride. This would inspire John, seeing the multitudes saved as it should us as well. Please pray on that.
Let’s keep going in Revelation 14:2-3, “And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.”
The Exodus of Israel starts with the Passover sacrifice, then a baptism in the Red Sea, followed by victory, after which they sing the Song of Moses. Exodus 15:1-2, “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” Only Israel sang that song in earthly victory, now the spirit Israel sings a new song in Heaven after the spirit victory.
Let’s look at more of the physical. Exodus 15:17, “You will bring them in and plant them In the mountain of Your inheritance, In the place, O LORD, which You have made For Your own dwelling, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established.”
Exodus 19:2-4, “For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” John knows all this, the reminder would inspire him and should us as well.
The new song is revealed in Revelation 15:2-4, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
A ” sea of glass” means the evil has been conquered, the sea is perfectly smooth now. The new song is the “song of the Lamb.” Moses represents the law (commandments) and our Abba Father. The lamb, of course, is Jesus, the word. Who is the enemy at war with? Revelation 12:17, “those who “keep the commandments and hold the testimony of Jesus.” How would such a war be won? By making people break the law and the word, just like Daniel. Please pray on that.
Let’s also look at Revelation 15:3 more closely, ““Great and marvelous are Your works.” This will take us back to Psalm 92, the Song of the Sabbath v92:1-5, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.” Again, we are pointed to inspiration.
I want to drive home that for believers, “earth Israel” is over. We are lifted up at the end and a new earth is made for us. Romans 9:6-8, “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” The children of the promise was explained in the opening Overview of The Revelation.
Let’s keep going in Revelation 14:4-5, “These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
False teaching is the enemy’s weapon infiltrating into the church. I touched on this in the Chapter 1 Overview. Let’s look ahead for the “women” in Revelation 17:1-6, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters (the sea beast), with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”
The 144,000, the symbol of the “first fruits,’ are all the believers sealed by our Abba Father in their faith, who followed the word and kept the commandments. Keep in mind the “first fruits” of a crop are taken because they are the very best, not because they are just first. In all of humanity, the believers will still be the first fruits as the best.
There is a nuance in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.” Believers who have died are the first fruits, followed by those alive at the time of the end.
Keep going in Revelation 14:6-7, “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— 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.” That is the first of three angels that bring a message, this one is emphasizing preaching the Gospel, the death, resurrection and return of Christ.
Keep going in Revelation 14:8, “And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” That Babylon is the “spirit Babylon,” now being declared “fallen.” Spirit Babylon is the dragon (the antigod}, the sea beast (the antichrist), the earth beast (the anti-holly spirit), the mother of harlots (the perverted church), the entire kingdom of the enemy that captured our Abba Father’s people.
Keep going in Revelation 14:9-11, “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (the fiery pit) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
That is our Abba Father showing no mercy. Please pray on that. He has shown mercy for thousands of years, sacrificed his son to pay for our sins, and receiving Christ as our Savior washes us clean. Receiving the mark of the beast is a bridge too far. But is it the mark itself that is so bad, or the timing?
Look at Mathew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” There are only two references in the Scripture that are unforgivable. The first is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Mathew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
The above verse starts with, “Therefore,” which means it is the conclusion to the message before it, which is Mathew 12:22-30, “a House Divided will not Stand.” Go read it. The Holy Spirit is our infilling connection to Jesus and our Abba Father. He is also our teacher of all things godly. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is rejecting the entire kingdom of Abba Father. To not be forgivable, a person’s heart must be hardened in that decision and there is no more Jesus knocking on their door. Remember where the enemy said he was going to be god? In his heart.
That house cannot stand. Nowhere in the Scripture is there a secret period where our Abba Father stops forgiving but did not tell us. Romans 10:13, “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (except maybe during a secret period he didn’t tell us?).
I do not see how the mark of the beast can be anything other than our heart and mind rejecting Christ. And what this is going to look like is complying with the New World Order as the enemy takes over the world. We just went through a pandemic in which the New World Order said get vaccinated or lose your job. But even worse, the churches were told to shut down or go to jail. What was the church-state system in the middle ages, but the enemy controlling the church and the state with our Abba Father’s sanction? The New World Order is no longer sanctioned and throttled toward the end.
What we are seeing with our own eyes in the world today is the state taking total control of our lives. This time the enemy is no longer being metered by our Abba Father and the enemy is at full war against the church. No more church-state system in the enemies eyes today, he will take over the world and infiltrate the church and take that over as much as he can on its own.
Hopefully you will begin to see that not having received Christ by the time he comes back to gather his people into Heaven is not going to go well for you. I again state, that makes “one nation under God” very interesting. Prayerfully you will have noticed the attention I put on our job in the family business along with our relationship. But I want you to see the love, peace and joy that it brings, not just avoiding the fiery pit. I believe that is not going to be enough at some point in the future but why wait?
Keep going in Revelation 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” (Hint hint.) “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
I want to highlight the reference to our “works.” Revelation 22:12, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” Redemption is a gift we could never earn. Our works in the Family business are rewarded in Heaven. This is what the judgement is about with believers who confess their sins. Not where we go, but the view from our mansion.
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And the Old Testament law, Leviticus 5:5, “When anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.”
Keep going in Revelation 14:14-17, “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.” We want to be in this harvest.
Keep going in Revelation 14:17-20, “Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
“So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.”
That harvest is not recommended, but right up to it, one heck of a good time can be had. That is why the title of this book is so important, “I want what they have.” Unless hard hearted people can see believers having a better life, they are not going to be quick to believe. We know our Abba Father uses trouble to draw people to him, we need to be his billboard that draws them in and guides them.
