The Lord's Army: Revelation 14:1-5

“I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery; I may never soar o’er the enemy, but I’m in the Lord’s Army!  Yes Sir!”  I wanted to start by thinking about the lyrics to that song today because we are going to consider a passage today about the Lord’s army.  In Revelation 14:1-5, John called believers to supreme allegiance to Jesus Christ by describing the Lamb’s army in victory.  This passage is a heart stirring passage for believers today as well, challenging us to follow the example of the supreme allegiance of the Lord’s army described here.  I pray that God would use this passage in such a way in our lives today.

[14:1] 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. (Revelation 14:1-5 ESV) How does this passage describe supreme allegiance to Jesus Christ?

I.              A People Who Stand with the Lamb (14:1)

The first thing we need to notice about this passage is the word, “Then.”  This alerts us to the context in which this passage is found.  This passage is part of a larger section in Revelation describing the Great War between Satan and God’s people (Revelation 12-14).  Chapter 13 ended with a great polarization of the human race, with the entire world being told to worship the beast and to take its mark or be slain.  This passage describes both the response and reward of God’s people (the 144,000), who chose to not to bow to the beast but to stand with the Lamb.  I want to point out three things about them in verse 1: who they are, where they are, and what they are doing. 

Who are the 144,000?  I believe that this is one of the symbols used in Revelation to describe the people of God.  In Revelation 7:1-8, they are the sealed servant soldiers of the Lamb, seen there as an ARMY of militant believers.  God’s people as His army is a fitting symbol here contextually, because this is a “war” being waged by the dragon against God’s people (Revelation 12:17: there called the rest of the woman’s offspring).  They are probably “the saints” that were conquered and killed by the beast in Revelation 13:7. 

Where do we see the 144,000 and what are they doing?  They are seen here standing with the Lamb on “Mount Zion.”  What is the significance of this location?  In the Old Testament, Mount Zion is sometimes seen as they city where God will deliver His people and rule from at the end of the age. [6] In that day, declares the LORD, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; [7] and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore. (Micah 4:6-7 ESV)  In the New Testament, Mount Zion is sometimes synonymous with New Jerusalem. [22] But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, [23] and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, [24] and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV) I believe that this is the way Mount Zion is meant to be taken here as well because the song that this group is singing is coming “from heaven” (2). 

Another very important passage when considering the significance of Mount Zion is Psalm 2:6, which says that Zion is the place where God will establish the rule of the Messiah.  Revelation has already promised a sharing of that rule with those who “conquer” (2:26-27).  Here this is being fulfilled, meaning that the 144,000 are those who, though they have been “conquered” by the beast (13:7), have “conquered” the beast by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (12:11).  When the world said, “Bow to the dragon or die,” they gladly chose death over disloyalty to God.  They refused the mark of the beast because they saw the mark of the Lamb to be superior.  Now, because they stood against the beast and for the Lamb on earth, it seems that they stand with Him in heaven.  This is a picture of the Lamb and His army in victory and the picture is a description of both their future reward and their faithful allegiance while on earth.  It is meant to call us to be these very kinds of people. 

This picture teaches us that if we stand with and for the Lamb now, we will stand with Him in heaven one day.  It calls us to see the line in the sand, consider the end of both sides, and to choose a side.  Do you stand for the Lamb here on earth?  I’ll admit, that it’s not always as black and white as it is in this passage when it comes to standing for the Lamb, and there have been countless instances of people “taking a stand for God,” when they were actually doing anything but that.  But sometimes it is black and white, and in those times, we must choose to take a stand, even if it means standing alone.  That the Lamb stands with His people in this passage is a reminder that when we stand for Christ, we never stand alone (2 Timothy 4:12). 

II.            A People Who Sing of Our Redemption (14:2-3)

Not only are God’s people seen here as a people who will stand with the Lamb, they are also a people who sing of their redemption.  The most natural reading of this passage indicates that the Lamb’s army here are the singers of this “new song” that John hears.  The singing of a “new song” is frequent in the Old Testament and it is normally and expression of praise to God for His deliverance.  Also, Isaiah 35:10 seems to couple the singing of the redeemed of the Lord and their being on Zion as well: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

This “new song” is the song of the redeemed.  Three similes are used here (waters, thunder, and harps) to communicate that this “new song” is powerful and beautiful.  It seems that the most important thing we could say about this “new song” is that it is a song that only the redeemed can learn (3).  I don’t think that means that it is a secret; I take this to mean that only the redeemed can identify with this song.  Like how only rednecks can relate to redneck music, only those who have been redeemed can fully relate to this song.  This is their song.  This song of the redeemed is about their redemption.  It is probably the same “new song” that we saw in Revelation 5:9-10: [9] And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, [10] and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”  This song celebrates God’s triumph over sin through the Lamb.

Here’s what I want you to notice: it is pretty clear that these people think their redemption is a big deal.  John’s emphasis isn’t on what they are singing but on what they sound like.  Their song is loud, powerful, and beautiful.  They have never gotten over their redemption.  Have you?  Are their songs that articulate your redemption that are dear to you, that cause tears to well up in your eyes, that make you want to sing them at the top of your lungs?  We too should identify with songs that are rich with Bible truth.  The songs in Revelation have been loaded with theology.  We should identify with these songs if we are truly a part of God’s people, because as we see in this passage: our redemption is worth singing about at the top of our lungs.  I know everyone’s personality is different, but it’s hard for me to read this passage and reconcile it with someone who comes into church every week, in the presence of God and His people, and is never in any way engaged in the song portion of the service.  This is our redemption that we are singing about!  It is also hard troubling to hear a professing believer say, “That’s my song right there!” about a worldly song, saturated with immoral lyrics and ideas.  Get excited about the truths of your redemption and employ music to write those truths on your heart!  Be warned that if you don’t think redemption is worth singing about on earth, you may not be singing about it in heaven either. 

III.         A People Who Serve Our King in Holiness (14:4-5)

The final description of God’s people here is of faithful soldiers who exhibit supreme loyalty to their King.  Holiness, by definition, means to be wholly set apart for something or someone.  These individuals were people who were wholly set apart for and loyal to the Lamb while on earth.  Their holiness is first described in terms of their spiritual fidelity (4a).  These were men of purity: they are “virgins” who “have not defiled themselves with women.”  Old Testament warriors were to abstain from women in times of war in order to stay completely focused on the duty at hand (Deut. 23:9-11, I Sam. 21:5).  That is part of the imagery here.  In Revelation, “sexual immorality” has a double meaning.  Sometimes it does literally describe sexual sin, but it also often metaphorically describes spiritual unfaithfulness.  These are people who refused to pollute themselves with immorality or idolatry.

The holiness of the Lamb’s army is then described in terms of their loyalty (4b).  They “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”  A disciple, by definition, is a learner, or follower.  What does it mean to follow Jesus?  According to Jesus Himself, it first means that a person has denied themselves and taken up their cross (Mark 8:34).  Those are the necessary prerequisites to following Him.  Secondly, following Jesus means to follow His example.  It means to be people who strive to look like, talk like, and act like the Lamb we are following.  Finally, following Jesus also means following Jesus’ instructions found in His Word.  These men were loyal followers of the Lamb, denying themselves, taking up their cross, and following Jesus’ instruction and example.  Unlike some of the believers in the churches addressed earlier in Revelation, the loyalty of these men is not divided.  This is another indicator that the Great War is ultimately about loyalties, or heart allegiance.

The final way in which the holiness of the 144,00 is described is in terms of their being acceptable sacrifices (4c-5).  Notice that the end of verse 4 through verse 5 makes one sentence.  These are men who “have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,” in whose mouths “no lie was found… for they are blameless.”   “Firstfruits” is sacrificial language.  The first fruits were an offering.  They were that part of the harvest that especially belonged to God and they signified that God was the owner of the rest as well (that’s why He got the first).  To be redeemed is to belong to God.  Their being “blameless” implies that their offering of themselves to God was an acceptable sacrifice.  Why?  This passage states that it was due to their integrity: “no lie was found in their mouth, for they are blameless.”  Since we are considering these individuals as sacrifices, this probably speaks primarily of their integrity under fire.  It refers to the integrity of their witness before a hostile world.  Lying is when you state something that is not true.  To deny Jesus as Lord under persecution would be a lie.  To pay homage to the beast would be a lie.  To call evil good and good evil would be a lie.  These men were truth tellers, no matter the cost because they were would not cave in on their King. 

Romans 12:1 calls all believers to present themselves as living sacrifices: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  Do you live with this mentality?  You are not your own.  Even if you are not a Christian you are not your own.  That is one reason that there will be hell to pay for not giving supreme allegiance to Jesus Christ.  Ironically, the opposite of these three descriptions are all found in the lake of fire at the end of Revelation.  The “sexually immoral,” “idolaters,” and “liars” found in lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).  Nowhere is Scripture is a believer’s redemption divorced from a resultant pursuit of holiness.  Either you repent of sin and make war with it by striving for this kind of holiness or you end up in hell.  To be in the Lamb’s army, one must strive for holiness.  Are you a part of the Lamb’s army, a person who stands for the Lamb, sings of His redemption, and serves Him in holiness?