Revelation 14:1 - 5

1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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 firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The last study had us in the time of the first century following the organization of the church, during the years of the Pagan Roman empire and then carried through the time of the Roman-Catholic empire, through the Dark Ages and now we will study the time up to the Day of Judgment.

The Lamb is Christ, and the Mount Zion is the true church which was persecuted by the Romans and the Roman-Catholic empire all the way through the end of the Dark Ages.

There were many faithful Christians who did not receive the mark of the beast, but instead had the name of the Father written on their foreheads.

We need to understand these marks were not physical marks, but were the characteristics of people, if they were not faithful to God and His Son, then they had those characteristics in their actions and beliefs which were that of Satan, if they were faithful to Christ then they had “Christ-like” characteristics in their behavior and beliefs, they had the name of God on them.

The voices of many waters symbolizes the great numbers which had resisted the temptations of the Roman-Catholic doctrine. The thunder shows that the sound of triumph was very strong and had a great volume to it.

The sound of harpists means the organs or voices in the souls of the redeemed because in the next verse it says they were singing with the harps.

The sounds of the harps are described here in verse three as singing, and those who were redeemed were singing a new song. Christians all have the same story to tell and the same song to sing, it is about being bought by the blood of the Lamb, but when one survives the persecutions and have a victory over the forces of evil there is a new experience to sing of, in that sense it becomes a new song. These 144000 souls which were numbered in chapter seven overcome the Roman-Catholic church-state empire and the entire flood of persecutions and temptations flung at it by the Dragon, they remained faithful unto death and had great reasons to rejoice and sing.

The other inhabitants of heaven, the four living creatures, and the twenty four elders all are happy for the faithfulness of the Christians whose faith survived the attacks by the Roman-Catholics.

No person can learn that song except by experience, none others have experienced and withstood the times of the Dark Ages, so that group of Christians are the only ones who can understand and sing that song.

Any person who practices heathenism, paganism or idolatry is unfaithful to God, they are experienced in an adulterous affair with a spiritual rival of God, thus they are no longer virginal in the eyes of God. Those who survived the temptations and trials of the Dark Ages were spiritually clean, they were faithful to God, the scripture (Revelation 21 & 22)tells us the church is the bride of Christ being prepared for heaven, meaning pure and unadulterated before God's eyes, a bride is always of more value and has more respect if she waits for her groom to give in to sexual desires.

By their faithfulness they became first fruits to God, they showed by their faith they were the best of the fruits offered to God. They did their best to overcome Satan's persecutions and temptations.

These who survived the flood of persecutions and temptations which Satan and the Roman-Catholic church-state flung at the Christians showed when they were faithful, they were of truth, and had no deceit in their hearts. Those who deceive are liars, if any of these were liars then they would have been sent to the lake of fire. (Revelation 21:8) By having no deceit it shows they have good hearts, Christ said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) and from the heart come “murders, adulteries,” etc. (Matthew 15:19) These Christians were allowed to see God, so they must have had a pure heart. (Matthew 5:8) “the pure in heart shall see God.”

The very trials which were intended to destroy the Christians strengthened their faith.