The book of Revelation is full of striking contrasts – in
fact some of the mightiest contrasts
which exist in this universe ! It is the contrast between the kingdom of
light and the kingdom of darkness - between God and one of His mightiest
creatures, Satan.
This is the prophetic record of
the greatest battle of the ages. The devil
(a created being) chooses to rebel against his Creator [1]. This contrast is seen as we observe this
battle now from the viewpoint of Satan
and now from the viewpoint of God
Almighty.
In the last few chapters we have observed this contrast between the dragon and
the woman, the dragon and the Lamb, the
Lamb and the beast, between Christ and anti-Christ and between church and world.
This contrast, we have noted follows in cyclical fashions . Dark and
horrible pictures of Satan and his
destructive work on earth (where he has
been thrown down – Rev 12:7-13) are followed by light, triumph, victory, joy and glory. We see
these cycles and contrasts in Chapter
6
where the opening of the first 6
seals presents us with a
horrible, dark picture. However , this was followed immediately by that wonderful image in Ch
7 of the 144 000 servants of God ,
sealed and secure in the midst of tribulation , followed by the vision of the
great multitude from every tribe, nation, people and language that no one could count!
We find that the same contrast
exists between the sad chapters 8:6- 11:14 ( the six trumpets) and Ch. 11:15 – the victorious 7th trumpet .
And now we find that same contrast depicted between chapters 12,13 and chapter 14. In Chapter's 12 & 13 we found the picture of the dragon (Satan) and his 2 helpers , the first beast, the anti-christ, who arises out
of the sea of humanity, and the
second beast , the false
prophet who
arises from the earth. All this sounds terribly depressing - if it
were not for this wonderful revelation of the Lamb's glory in Chapter 14!
So now we have once again the joy to
observe the victory of our
Lord Jesus, our conquering King - the Lamb that was slain, standing
on Mt Zion with the 144 000 who had his name and the name of His Father written on their
foreheads! (14:1)
In these 5 verses we
shall consider the following issues:
1. What is the
purpose of this vision ?
2. Why is the
lamb standing on Mt.Zion ?
3. Who are the
144 000?
1.
WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF THE VISION?
The terrible restlessness, the
suffering and the evil experienced in
this world makes us easily worried and anxious . The thought
of Satan and his two unholy helpers , the anti-christ and the false
prophet unsettles us. We need perspective , and this
is where we now get it . Chapter 14 is given to John by the Holy Spirit for our
encouragement . In the midst of that terrible
revelation of the unholy trinity , we see the Lamb of God, the second member of the Holy Trinity.
A biblical illustration will help us to
appreciate the beauty of this vision even more:
In 2 Ki
6: 8 - 23 we find the story of
Elisha the prophet and his servant , at
a place called Dothan. The Arameans (Syrians) are getting quite fed up with Elisha since he was using his prophetic powers to warn the king of Israel , whenever they
wished to raid a place in Israel . As a result they are determined to
capture Elisha. One night they surround the city to get him.
When Elisha's servant wakes up that morning , he is quite alarmed , but his
master tells him : "Don't be afraid.
Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (v. 16).
Then Elisha prayed , "O Lord, open
his eyes that he may see."
God opened the servant's eyes,
and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around
Elisha (v.17) !
So, what did the servant see? He did not see a city besieged by enemies, but
a city protected by the angels of God - and in particular , he saw the wall of
fire around Elisha! Now there was a
glimpse into spiritual reality. To the natural eye it seemed to be all gloom and doom. But
with the eyes of faith - it was all God! The enemy did not feature!
As John receives this vision of the Lamb on Mt. Zion it is also in the
context of gloom and doom. Satan seems to be in control. The earth seems to be
firmly in his grip. But John receives a vision
that shows him and us Someone far greater ! This
is the main point of the chapter
– to provide us with ultimate perspective!
2.
WHY IS THE LAMB STANDING ON MT. ZION ?
The Lamb is clearly the Lord
Jesus . He is standing on Mt Zion.
Where and what is Mt Zion ?
a. In the literal sense Mt. Zion was the hill in Jerusalem y on which the stronghold or the
citadel of the city stood. David captured this city from the Jebusites,[2]
and made that his stronghold. Later that same name was applied to the place where the temple stood ,
and where God was said to dwell among His people. Sometimes
Mt Zion even referred the entire
city of Jerusalem [3]-
the city of God - the holy city .
b. In a symbolical
sense , Zion embodied two
truths
(ii)
It embodied the
place His presence among His
people.
However the physical
Mt Zion is symbolical of a still far greater truth : This Mt Zion also
corresponds to Hebrews 12:22 where "Mt Zion is called the heavenly
Jerusalem, the city of the living God." Thus , the ultimate picture of the earthly Mount Zion is heaven , "where thousands upon thousands of angels are found in joyful
assembly, and where the church of the firstborn is found, whose names are
written in heaven " ! Remember
that the voice that speaks here like "
the roar of many waters and like the sound
of loud thunder" (14:2) speaks from Zion in heaven!
c. In the prophetic sense of the word, Zion was synonymous with the promised
messianic kingdom of justice and peace ( Ps 2:6; Mic. 4:7 ; Isa 59:12 ; Hebr.
12:22). Don't forget , that the Lord Jesus, the Messiah came to Jerusalem. He came to the daughter of
Zion . As the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah
said [5]: "The
deliverer will come from Zion ...".
Not only was He the deliverer. He still is
the deliverer. In one sense He always
stands there ! So it is entirely appropriate that we should find the Lord Jesus
standing here.
But in what
sense does He stand there? Some
think that this is to be seen in a literal
sense i.e. in a future sense, when
He comes again , that He physically shall stand on that mountain. That may be so , but there is a bigger picture behind this . Earthly Jerusalem and Mt. Zion have been besieged and conquered in her history more times than we would care
to count. But in a spiritual and
prophetic sense Mt Zion is an
unassailable fortress ; it represents the heavenly city of our King! And our
king is never defeated. He is never chased out of His city. That city and Mt Zion must not be thought of so much as
a literal city , but a spiritual city
made up of human stones - the church
of God- and her God is always within her. She will never fall ( Psalm
46). In that sense the Lord Jesus always stands on Mt Zion - His holy hill. He is the guardian of His
city.
Now it is so that
the church of God is always
assailed by Satan and will she stand ? Psalm 2
helps us
here. The Psalm tells us that there always has been conspiracy by the
nations against the Lord and His Anointed One; there always has been this
rebellion against God and His kingdom… but
the God who sits enthroned in the
heavens laughs! Why ? Because He has installed his King on Zion , His
holy hill! ( Ps 2:4-6). Now this
cannot mean the earthly Jerusalem, because that city has been sacked so many
times in history . Which holy citadel is he speaking about ? He speaks about
His covenant people - the church. She is unassailable ! Her future is secure in
the heavenly city (Hebr. 12:22). He
is her keeper. [6]
The devil does not have dominion here . Christ has been installed as King , and His
kingdom cannot fail .
So, the glimpse that John is
given in this passage for our sakes is
like that glimpse that the servant of Elisha receives, when Elisha prays :"Lord open His eyes!" , and the servant now sees with an entirely new
perspective. This city is surrounded by the armies of the living God!
So, in the midst of apparent chaos and the mess created by the devil and his legions,
we
look over and beyond , and we see Jesus – the Lamb on Mt Zion !
Aren't you glad that you came to church this morning to hear this encouragement
?
3.
WHO ARE THE 144 000 STANDING WITH THE LAMB?
The Lamb does not stand alone on Mt. Zion. He has His
people with him - the 144 000. We
have seen this number before in Chapter
7. Who are they ? We have previously said
that the number 144 000 must be
understood in a symbolic fashion. This is
true for
all the numerical values in this book.
In Chapter 7 we saw that the 144 000
represented the servants of God (
O.T. and N.T saints). It symbolises a vast number. The same is true here.
There is only one difference. In Chapter
7 they are viewed from the earth . Now
they are viewed from heaven. There they are singing that new song before the
throne and before the 4 living creatures and the elders. The contents of that "new song"
have been revealed to us in Rev 5:9,10
.
They represent the harvest of the
"first fruit" of God and
the Lamb. (v.4) . Normally , the term "first-fruits" is used in the
sense of the first reaping of what is to be a much greater harvest. But here
the "redeemed from the earth"
equals the "first fruits".
They are the first fruits from the earth
in the sense that "first
fruits" were holy to the Lord and they belong to the Lord as His very
own special possession, and as such they are brought into the house of the
Lord. We do not need to limit these 144 000 only to Israel.
No , the totality of God's believing children are implied here. Jesus our Good
Shepherd , spoke in
John 10 of the "sheep" (Israel) and the "other sheep" (gentiles). He concludes by saying in that context : "there
shall be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16)
They are
marked . Their Father's name is on their foreheads.Their
destiny is totally different from those who have received the mark of the beast
on their foreheads (13:16f).
In what
sense must we understand the phrase "these are those who have not defiled themselves with women,
for they kept themselves pure?" Once again, if we can save ourselves from
literalism here , we will be on safe ground. Celibacy and abstinence from sex
can certainly not be understood as a
virtue for gaining entrance into heaven . So what
does it mean then? We must remember that "adultery" is symbolic of "spiritual adultery" in Scripture. Hence Israel is the picture of an idolatrous
woman in Hosea’s prophecy. Israel was very often described as a spiritual
prostitute in Scripture .
Now this sort of
spiritual purity that we find of those mentioned here in verses 4 and 5 is symbolic of the redeemed of the Lord , the first fruits . When Christ purchased
His people from the bondage of sin, He cleansed them and washed them. He
redeemed them ! They are not guilty. No longer are they spiritual idolaters. They
are blameless. They adhere to the truth , and not to lies. They follow the Lamb
, and they remain faithful to Him even in the midst of most terrible suffering
and persecution.
Again, remember that it is not their own strength that keeps
them . They are kept by their good Shepherd. He has bought them and He has
marked them. They are kept by the Holy Spirit
CONCLUSION:
The purpose of this section is then for our encouragement. We see the Lamb and his people
standing in Mt Zion. We see them standing - and not defeated. We see them pure
and undefiled. We see them singing! They have overcome. And what is more , not
one Christian soldier is missing in action. Those whom we saw on the earth in
Chapter 7 , are the same as those who we see in heaven (Ch. 14) .
Truly the Good Shepherd shall loose none of those whom the Father has given to
Him (John 10:27 - 30). So cheer up dear
believer. You are on the Lord's side.
Amen !
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