Mesa Hills Bible Church

Pastor Tim Dane: We are in Revelation chapter 14. They say—you've heard this statement—winning isn't everything. I guess that's true, but it's more fun to win. Back in the glory days playing soccer, we had some pretty good teams, some championship state teams in high school and club teams. That was a lot of fun. Winning is fun.

The Bible shows us that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are going to be part of a winning team. You're going to be part of a victory that Jesus Christ has accomplished by His death on the cross. The game is still being played, the war is still being waged, but one day there is going to be a final realization of this victory, this redemption victory, when Christ returns and destroys evil and brings His kingdom into this world.

In this kingdom victory, God says we all are going to be part of that victory in Christ. That's what Revelation chapter 14 is about; it's the victory. It is looking ahead to the victory that we are going to be part of when Christ returns. Chapter 14 brings a considerable contrast to chapters 12 and 13. When you go through chapters 12 and 13, you see that it's a really bad, tough time for people here on this earth, especially for Christians. The Antichrist is at work in chapter 13 to destroy this world. He hates Christ and he hates Christians, and he's made it his goal to kill Christians.

You see this throughout Revelation 13. The same idea is repeated in the book of Daniel several times. We know from Revelation chapter 12 that this work of the Antichrist and the false prophet is driven by Satan himself, the dragon. Chapter 12 talks about the dragon and especially those last three and a half years. You see how Satan is at work to stir the hatred and the evil of unsaved men. He works through the false prophet and through the Antichrist. It's just terrible days. This is going to be the worst; there's no sugarcoating it.

Sometimes people wrongly poke fun when Christians teach about the horrors of the Great Tribulation period. Sometimes you will get people that say this is just sensationalizing the Bible. It is nothing like that. It's going to be bad. Chapters 12 and 13 deal with the terrors of that tribulation period, but chapter 14 shifts gears, where God says there is going to be an ultimate victory through Jesus Christ.

As you look through chapter 14 of Revelation, there are three times where John says, "And I saw." What John is doing here is showing us that there are segments to this vision. It has been part of a continuous vision, but there are segments to it. This morning, we're going to look at the first of these three scenes where John says, "And I saw." Verses 1 to 5 give us the first of these three visions that John reveals for us. It would be what we call the champions.

You might say the champions of God's victory are a special group of saints that God saved during that time period, preserved through that Great Tribulation period, and used in a very powerful way. Let's read these first five verses and then take them apart. When we tear it apart, we're going to see that John gives us explanations of who these champions are. There's going to be a series of four descriptions of who these champions are.

Verse 1: "And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder. And the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps."

"And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless."

Father, we thank You for Your promise of a victory that only You could accomplish because we're fallen sinners, Lord. Even in our very best, we still fall short of Your glory. Salvation is not by something that we have done and accomplished; otherwise, nobody would get saved. We thank You that You sent Christ from heaven to earth and that by Your grace You gave the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

Salvation is a gift that comes to those who turn and embrace Christ with hearts of faith. We thank You for this grace. We thank You for Your word that reveals to us what You are going to fulfill and accomplish. Use this time this morning to help us know You, love You, and serve You better. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen.

God has this group of champions and, as we've read, He's talking here about the 144,000. In this context of this victory, God is celebrating a certain group of saints. These are not all the believers that have come through the tribulation period. It's just one small portion. This small group of believers are people that trusted the gospel, and they fearlessly went out and served Christ during this time period that we call the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is that seven-year time period that comes after the rapture of the church. Sometimes we call it the tribulation period or the Great Tribulation period. If this were the seven-year tribulation period and time is going this direction, then we have the rapture of the church happening right here. We have the tribulation period beginning with a seven-year covenant that the Antichrist puts in place.

The judgments of the book of Revelation begin to unfold immediately after that covenant is put in place. It starts with what we call the seven seal judgments of Revelation chapter 6. Revelation unfolds with seven seals. When you come to the seventh seal, like a seal on a scroll, it opens up and contains seven trumpet blasts. Those seven trumpet blasts come to the end of the seventh trumpet, and the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowl judgments, which are the final outworking of God's judgments.

At the middle of the tribulation period, the three-and-a-half-year mark, we have a time period of three and a half years. It is sometimes described as being 1,260 days, which is based upon a 30-day month. Sometimes it's called 42 months, and in other places it's called a time, a year, a time, times, and half a time—three and a half years. This is where we have the 144,000 getting saved and coming on the scene.

God gives us four descriptions of them in verses 1 to 5. The first one is where we see them located. Look at chapter 14, verse 1. John, in this prophetic vision that God gave him, says, "I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000." John sees these 144,000 Jewish men that have been saved by God's grace. They've been set apart for ministry and preserved by God's grace, and they are standing on Mount Zion.

Many of you have probably been to Zion National Park in Southern Utah, which is a gorgeous place, but that's not what Zion is. Zion is talking about the temple mount in Jerusalem. When John sees these 144,000, he sees them standing with Christ in Jerusalem. This is Mount Zion. It is the temple mount in Jerusalem. It always has been and it always will be. Zion was the name that David gave to Jerusalem in 2nd Samuel chapter 5.

David's general, General Joab, captured the city and gave it to David. He said, "Here, this can be your capital city." Up to that point, it was called Jebus because there was a group of Canaanites that lived there called the Jebusites. It became the city of David, David's capital city, in 2nd Samuel 5, and David gave it a second name called Zion. Mount Zion is the temple mount.

This is the place where Jesus Christ is going to rule the world in the millennial kingdom. When we look at the unfolding of the book of Revelation, we know that the Messianic Kingdom when Christ returns is eternal, but it's going to be a thousand years on this present earth. Then it's going to be in a new heavens and a new earth in Revelation 21 that will have no end. For a thousand years, Christ is going to rule this world from Mount Zion.

Let's go back to a couple of passages. Go back with me to Psalm 48 as a starting point. I want to take you to a couple of passages that show us what Zion is. We're going to look at several passages in the Psalms and then go to the book of Isaiah. Coming back here to Psalm 48, for example, notice what it says in verses 1 and 2. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the Great King."

Psalm 48 says that Zion is God's city. This is His chosen city. This is the place from which He is going to rule. Jesus quoted this verse in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5. Here's what Jesus said when He quoted this verse in Matthew 5:35: "Make no oath, either by heaven for it's the throne of God, or by earth for it's the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem for it is the city of the Great King."

When Jesus quoted from Psalm 48 that says that Zion is the city of the Great King, Jesus said Jerusalem is that city. Jerusalem is the city of the Great King. Jerusalem is Zion. Go back a few pages to Psalm 2. Notice what we see in Psalm 2 in verses 6 through 9. This is a psalm by King David. In Psalm 2:6, God the Father speaks and says, "As for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." God says Zion is His city.

All kinds of big conflicts are going on right now in Israel. The Islamic world says the Jews don't belong here, this is not their land, and Israel has no right to be here. They actually say that Israel has never had any presence in that land, which is an absolute complete lie. The devil is a liar. Islam will say they've never been here before and Jerusalem was never their capital city. That is not true. It is a lie.

God gave that land to the people of Israel because the Jews were nice people? No, they're scoundrels just like me and you. God, by His grace, made this gift to the people of Abraham and said, "This land is yours forever." Jerusalem became the city of God because He chose it. This is the city from where Christ is going to rule this world when He returns.

Look at verse 7: "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. Yahweh spoke to Me, the Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as Your inheritance, the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You will break them with an iron rod, and You will shatter them like earthenware. Now listen up, kings of the earth, take warning, O judges. Worship the Lord with reverence, do rejoice with trembling, and do homage to the Son, lest He become angry and you perish in the way."

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son who took on flesh. He is the one who died for your sins. He's the one who conquered the grave, and He is the one who is going to return and rule this world forever. In Psalm 110, it says the same thing: "The Lord will stretch forth Your scepter from Zion, saying, 'Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'" Jerusalem is His capital. When He returns, that is the place from which Christ is going to rule this world.

Go to Isaiah chapter 2. This idea that Jerusalem is God's chosen city from which He'll rule is all over the Bible. I have to say this for you because you will get some people who will say that Zion is heaven. That absolutely is not true. Never does the Bible say that heaven is Zion or that Zion is heaven. Some people misinterpret a passage to try to make that argument, but Zion is Jerusalem.

Isaiah chapter 2 talks about Christ returning to bring His kingdom. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 2: "It will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as chief of the mountains." Here "mountain" is speaking about His kingdom, especially that kingdom that He rules from literal Mount Zion. His kingdom is going to be the kingdom of all kingdoms. It'll be raised above the hills.

All the nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." He's going to judge between the nations. God's going to rule from Jerusalem. Christ, God in flesh, is going to rule from Jerusalem.

When He comes, this world is going to see a lot of change. There will be no more sin, sickness, and death. There will be no more war. Look at verse 4: "He will judge between the nations and render decisions for many peoples, and they will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war." We are not in the kingdom of God right now.

We're sitting on the edge where some of the talk going on right now is that we're moving pretty quickly towards what could be World War III. Just out of curiosity, how many of you look at things going on and say it looks like we're moving toward that? Maybe about 30 percent say yes. I don't know where this is going. As we go through Revelation 14 this morning, one of the things that really struck me about this is the idea that we don't have to be afraid of anything.

We don't know what's going to happen. Tomorrow, Iran could strike us with a nuke, or Russia could do something like that, or North Korea. We don't know what's going to happen in the immediate term, in the short term. But no matter what's going to happen, you and I, if we have trusted in the Son of God, we don't have to be afraid. Whatever's going to happen is within the good and sovereign purpose of God.

The Lord is going to return. Other passages tell me He's going to destroy these pagan, God-hating nations that hate Christ. He's going to bring an end to all of this warfare. He's going to bring an end of human warfare, and He's going to rule in this world. Guess what? We win because Christ won on the cross. The victory is ours. He says the same thing again in chapter 4.

Look at Isaiah chapter 4, verse 2: "In that day, the branch"—that word "branch" is a Messianic title, talking about Christ—"in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and adornment of the survivors of Israel. And it'll come about that of all who are left in Zion after that tribulation period and remains Jerusalem, they will be holy." These are the believing remnant that have trusted in Christ, those that have been recorded for life.

Verse 4 says that God is going to wash away the filth of the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel is a bunch of filthy, rotten, unbelieving scoundrels. Most of them are very hateful to Jesus Christ. But God swore a blessing to that people. He said to Israel, "My blessing is upon you and your people, Abraham. One day I am going to restore you." Even though right now they may be hateful to Christ, God has a remnant that He is going to save out of that massive block of unbelieving Jews.

In the tribulation period, He is going to save a massive one-third of the nation remnant and restore them as a nation. This is what He says here in verse 4. He's going to wash away and purge the bloodshed of Jerusalem by the spirit of judgment and burning. When Christ begins to rule, it says in verse 5, He'll create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, smoke and brightness of a flaming fire by night.

That Shekinah glory that was there when God led Israel out of Egypt, that glory that began in Exodus 13 and led them and protected them—that glory was Christ Himself. Christ Himself is going to be bringing that glory back to this earth, and it says this glory is going to envelop Zion, the city of Jerusalem. This is His promise. This is the word of God. God is going to fulfill these things.

As you look at this and we say, "What's going to happen tomorrow?" I don't know. Probably I would do better if I stopped looking at the news all the time. Every time you look at it, you get mad. George Soros is pouring millions of dollars to make Democrat rule happen all throughout every state of the United States. That was this morning's news. George Soros is trying to basically destroy America. It kind of makes you upset a little bit.

But guess what? That's just like a bunch of static in the background. From a biblical perspective, the pagans that are shaking their fists at God and celebrating evil are like static in the background. The best thing we can do is don't be afraid. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Here is something else that we can do. One, don't be afraid. Two, we can pray for these things to be fulfilled. That's what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6.

When you pray, here's how you should pray: "Our Father who art in heaven, may Your name be recognized as holy." You say it says "hallowed be Your name." Yes, "hallowed" means to be holy. The idea of praying for Christ's name to be hallowed means that you're praying for the kingdom of Christ to come so that the whole world will say, "Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God is holy," and they recognize God for who He is.

When you pray the Lord's Prayer, "May Your name be seen as holy, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We're looking ahead to all of these things that include all these horrible wars, Armageddon, all these kinds of terrible things. What we're doing is we're saying, "Oh God, bring it on. Bring Your kingdom in." And here's the third thing that we can do: number one, don't be afraid. Two, pray for Christ to come and bring an end to this stuff. And three, do something about it by going out and evangelizing.

We don't save people. We give them the message of the Savior. We say, "Here's the Savior," and God's spirit does the rest. We say, "Listen, this is what God has done to save you from hell." I say that because Josh put something on the internet about a good evangelism book. Our job is not to force people into saying, "Okay, okay, I believe." We bring the message of Christ. We pray for the spirit of God to work, and we let God do the work of saving. We don't know who's going to respond. That's not my job. Our job is to bring the gospel.

Here's a second description of these champions. Secondly here in verse 1, it's the relationship that they have with the living God. Notice what it says about them. These 144,000 are the ones who have the name of Christ and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. These are ones who have been saved and now God has put His seal of ownership. That's what it means when it says that it has the name of Christ and the name of the Father upon them.

This is a symbolic way of saying they belong to the Lord. One writer, Robert Thomas, says this emblem of recognition distinguishes them from the worshippers of the beast. Remember what's going to happen in the tribulation period. Antichrist is going to say you're going to take a literal physical mark on your hand or on your forehead—that number 666 or the name of the Antichrist. If you don't take this mark in the tribulation period, you won't be allowed to buy or sell.

If you don't take this mark and they catch you, they're going to kill you. Revelation 13 is what we just learned about this. But here there is the name of Christ upon them. We saw this idea back in chapter 7. Go back with me to chapter 7. Notice over here in verses 1 to 8, John said, "I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or the sea or tree."

"And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, 'Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.'" Then I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from every tribe of the sons of Israel.

What happens at the middle of that tribulation period is that John sees God saving and sealing 144,000 Jewish men, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. These are not mystical symbolic numbers. These are 12,000 Jews from 12 different tribes of Israel, 144,000 Jews that God has sealed. He's placed His mark of ownership on them. Understand something. At an individual level, the Bible says that every individual Christian, when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, it says that the spirit of God seals you until the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:30. He says you've been sealed until the day of redemption. In other words, God says, "You are Mine. You belong to Me forever." My eternal security—in other words, my eternal salvation—is not because I'm such a nice guy. It's because God's grace is infinitely bigger than my sin. When He seals His child with the Holy Spirit, the spirit of God begins to indwell that person, and this is God's way of saying you're Mine. You belong to Me forever.

In the case of the 144,000, what God has also done is He has promised that these 144,000 are also going to be preserved and protected during that last three-and-a-half-year time period so that they can go out and carry out His calling of sharing the gospel with the whole world. God has protected them. When John in Revelation 14 sees the 144,000 at the end of that tribulation period, this is when Christ has returned.

He's brought the victory over all of the enemies. Christ is now standing in Jerusalem, and the 144,000 are with Him. These have survived that tribulation period. God protected them through it. MacArthur comments on this: "This is a group of 144,000 real, live people, 12,000 Jewish believers from each of the 12 tribes, and their calling was to preach the gospel in the Great Tribulation period." I believe that's exactly how God uses them: to bring the gospel.

A couple weeks ago, we had this brother Andrey Senderov with us from Israel, and he's a Jewish believer. He was sharing with us about what's going on in Israel right now, and he's involved in sharing the gospel and different kinds of ministries in Israel. He knows of 400 Christians, Jewish Christians in the Israeli army. God has His people everywhere that He's going to save—Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, even New York.

Nothing personal if you're from New York. I'm from Vegas, so what can I say? God has people everywhere that He's going to save, and that includes a massive remnant of elect He's chosen to show grace to them. He's going to save a massive remnant. Right now as we see the stuff that's happening in the world, the gospel is starting to multiply within the nation of Israel because they have been very hardened to the message of Jesus Christ.

In that tribulation period, God's going to bring them through the fires in such a way that He breaks them down to where they have nothing to hope in but the Lord Himself. The spirit of the Lord is going to be stirring in the hearts of that remnant to draw them to faith. In Daniel chapter 12, verse 7, it says that these wars are going to happen until God finally breaks and shatters the power of the holy people.

He's going to bring them to their knees because they are going to come to a point of desperation in that tribulation period where they're going to be hanging by a thread. We don't know how this stuff is going to unfold and how these present events are happening, but that's what's going to happen in that tribulation period. God is going to save people, and the 144,000 are going to be part of that proclamation that brings that remnant to faith.

In Joel chapter 2 and verse 32, it says, "It'll come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, just as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls." As we look at these 144,000 standing with Christ in the kingdom, on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, it raises the question: are those 144,000 still alive, or did they get killed during that three-and-a-half-year time period and now they're resurrected with Christ in the kingdom?

Some people think that they got killed and they're now resurrected and stand with Christ, but I think there's a better argument that these 144,000 have stayed alive. They've survived the horrors of this tribulation period, and now they're here and the victory has been won. Christ is there. The armies of the world that have invaded Jerusalem—because it says that massive invasions are going to come in that tribulation period.

The Antichrist has ten nations under his control, and he invades Jerusalem and Israel to wipe them out. But God has kept these 144,000 alive, and they've done this work of preaching the gospel. John Walvoord was the professor and president of Dallas Seminary. My great professor was Robert Thomas at Master's Seminary; I love that guy. He's with the Lord now, but he was my great professor and MacArthur's Greek professor. John Walvoord was Dr. Thomas's professor at Dallas Seminary.

Here's what John Walvoord says about this: "In chapter 7, the reader observed the 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel and we were told that they received the seal of God on their foreheads. The seal, which is normally a mark of ownership, is also generally an indication of protection. In chapter 7, verse 9, the following information is provided about another group of people." In chapter 7, it talked about the 144,000, protected and sealed by God.

When you go to verses 9 to 17, John talks about another group. He said, "I saw a great multitude in heaven from every tribe and tongue and people and nation that no one could count." In verses 9 to 17, we see massive martyrdom from people all over the world. So the 144,000 are not the same group as the ones in 9-17, who are Gentiles from all over the world.

Verses 1 to 8, the 144,000, are 12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes. God has given them protection. Walvoord goes on to say, "As revealed in chapter 7, their Father's name is written in their foreheads, indicating that they are specially chosen for this task. Furthermore, they are standing here on Mount Zion, sealed with God's name on their foreheads, and are therefore protected by Him as heaven strikes up the band, so to speak, in recognition of their assignment."

They're not all of the believing remnant of Israel; they're part of it. But they've had a very special calling in preaching the gospel. Verses 2 to 3 give us a third description of the champions. Here in verses 2 to 3, there's this glorious song that Walvoord talked about. Look at verse 2. John says, "I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder. And the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps."

This song is being sung in heaven. John, in his prophetic vision, is able to hear them singing the song. But the song is being sung in heaven. Christ and the 144,000 are in Jerusalem on earth. There are several metaphors to describe this song, like loud waters. Just imagine being at the base of something like a massive waterfall and hearing the roar of the waters.

It is also said to be like the sound of loud thunder. We see some of this imagery at different places in the book of Revelation where John hears these sounds coming from heaven, where it sounds like many waters or loud thunder. In Revelation chapter 1, verse 15, it says that Christ's voice was like the sound of many waters. In Revelation chapter 6, verse 1, we hear the angels, and when the angels are speaking, it sounds like a voice of loud thunder.

In Revelation chapter 19 and verse 6, John says, "I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.'" This seems to be speaking about all of the redeemed, those that have been saved, just shouting out praise for the victory.

The voice was like the sound of harps. Harps are beautiful. Who is this singing the song? As you look at what's said in this passage in Revelation 14, it's probably best to understand it that this song of praise is being sung by all of the saints who are in heaven, and they're praising God. It very well could be that the angels are part of it.

But especially when you look at the fact that some of these people have gone through hell on earth in their faith in Jesus Christ. Look back to chapter 6. Notice what happens when we look at this one group of Christians who have been killed for their faith. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9. John said, "I saw all of those who were under the altar in heaven." They're under this incense altar in heaven.

In chapter 6, verse 10, they're crying out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" A robe was given to them, and it says just a little while longer before judgment day is complete. Take rest right now. The slaughtered saints who are in heaven are saying, "Lord, deal with these guys. They are really evil. They killed us. They hate You, and they've killed us. How long?"

The Lord says it's coming. This is the group that we see praising God right here in heaven. Look over at chapter 7. You see in chapter 7, verse 9, this great multitude from every nation and tribe and tongue and people standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. They cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb."

The angels standing around the throne, and the elders and the four living creatures all fell on their faces, worshipping God. All heaven, especially the martyred Christians, are praising God. This is what this song is. Look at chapter 15. Fast forward to what would be the end of that tribulation period when the judgments have come to completion. In chapter 15 and verse 1, John said, "I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels with the seven plagues of the bowl judgments, because in them the wrath of God is finished."

Then he sees, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name—the 666—were standing on this sea of glass in heaven, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God the Almighty. Righteous and true are Your ways, You King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and give glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed."

They're praising God because God has dealt justice to a wicked world. Praise God! You've done it! When you look at these saints under the altar of incense in Revelation 6, they're saying, "Lord, when are You going to deal with evil? This is what they did: they killed me, they killed my wife, they killed my kids." When you look at people who are going through these things, they're a little bit more passionate than you and me sitting here in our nice comfortable setting.

We're not bad for sitting in a nice comfortable setting. Praise God for that. It may not last very long. When you look at people who are having to watch these things happen to their family members and going through war, there's a little bit more passion about God dealing with evil. That's what's happening here in Revelation 14. This song is about God finally settling the score. Look at chapter 14 and verse 3. "They sang a new song before the throne and before the living creatures and the elders."

Notice right here that the ones who are singing are not Christ because they're singing in the presence of Christ, before the Lamb on the throne. And they're not the angels singing right here because they're singing in the presence of the angels, the living creatures, and the elders. At the very least, this appears to be sung especially by the martyred believers who have been killed for their faith and now they're praising God with a new song.

You see that idea of a new song used in the Old Testament in various places, like Isaiah chapter 42. The idea of a new song is the idea of a fresh work of God's saving grace where you then say, "Oh Lord, You've done it. You've done it again. You saved us here and here and here, and now You've saved us again." That new song is a fresh song of praise. Buist Fanning, in his commentary, says this idea of a new song is praise to the Lord inspired afresh by His gracious deliverance, especially the culmination and renewal of all things in His kingdom.

We saw these folks up here, the choir or the special music, singing praise to God, and you say, "Wow, that was really pretty." You and I are going to be there one day as well in a corporate, collective, eternal time where we don't have to worry about stuff anymore. Sometimes you worry about stuff. Last night when I was trying to sleep, you start having dreams like, "Oh no, I can't fix this problem." Not even a real problem, but in my dream it's a problem.

We just have life. We have problems. We have health problems. We have war problems. We have problems everywhere. One day all those things are going to be gone. You and I, with every saint, are going to be surrounding Christ, joining into that chorus of praise. It is going to happen for everybody who trusts in the Lord. Look back at chapter 5. Notice how John talks about it here where he sees this vision in heaven of these things.

Chapter 5, verse 9: all of these believers and angels before God. "They sang a new song: 'Worthy are Thou to take the book and break its seals, for Thou were slain, and You have purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and You have made them to become a kingdom, priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.'"

In verse 13: "Every living thing which is in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things in them I heard saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.' Amen!" One day you and I are going to be there together as part of that heavenly chorus. It's coming.

Descriptions of these champions: first of all, in verse 1, they're on Mount Zion with Christ. Secondly, they've been purchased and sealed to serve God during the Great Tribulation. Third, we see that there is a great song of celebration that they themselves are allowed to participate in because we see that in our fourth description right here in verses 3 to 5. Verse 3 says that no one could learn this song that's being sung in heaven, this new song. No one could learn the song except the 144,000.

The song is sung in heaven. John hears the song in his vision. But nobody could learn it except the 144,000. These 144,000 receive a significant amount of attention in the book of Revelation. At one level, they're no better and no worse than any other saint. But these 144,000, God saved them and said, "Okay, here's your job: go into the most hostile, worst environment you could imagine and go tell the world about My Son Jesus Christ."

They said, "Yes, Lord. Done. We're doing it." And they did it, and God protected them. But there's a very special place that these 144,000 had in God's plan. John gives us five further descriptions about them. Notice down here in verse 3. It says they had been "purchased from the earth." They'd been purchased. We saw that same word used in Revelation chapter 9, where it says that they were purchased by the blood of Christ. Bought back.

There are a couple of different words that are used for that, to purchase or redeem, in the New Testament. One of them is this Greek verb *lytraoo* that is more the idea of ransoming out. This word right here is the word *agorazo*. If you were back in ancient Greece, they called the marketplace the agora. The agora is the big marketplace where you'd go and purchase. This is the Greek word right here: they've been purchased.

What is the purchase price that buys us out of our sin? The blood of the Son. We've been purchased by the blood of Christ. They've been purchased by His grace. Secondly, verse 4, second description of these 144,000, is their purity. It says, "These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste." Some people have said that maybe when it says that they've kept themselves pure, this means that they didn't turn to idolatry like so many others.

Idolatry uses the idea of sexual impurity to describe idol worship, but probably here this is talking about literal, physical, moral purity. These are 144,000 Jewish men that were single and celibate during that tribulation period and they served Christ completely, pouring themselves out to preach the gospel during those last three and a half years. Once the kingdom comes, I could bet you this, they got some wives and they got married.

During that time period, they were celibate and pure. There is a little bit further nuance to this idea because under the Old Testament Law of Moses, God had commandments that said that if you're going out to battle tomorrow, you would refrain from being with your wife the night before. That doesn't say that within a marriage that there's something immoral about relations, but there was a ceremonial purity that involved abstinence before a battle.

What is clear is that these guys were completely dedicated to Christ and they had that moral purity, that ceremonial purity, as they went out to serve Christ. Third description of these 144,000: their unshakable devotion. Look at verse 4. "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Here's what Jesus said in John chapter 12: "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me." Do you want to serve the Lord? Jesus said, "He must follow Me."

We can't say that we believe and then we don't follow Him. That's inconsistent. "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. And where I am," says Jesus, "there My servant will be also. And if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him." This is what you see with these 144,000. It is the absolute devotion and dedication that they have to follow Christ wherever He took them throughout that tribulation period. And God protected them and took them through this.

The same thing is supposed to be true of you and me. Follow Me. I gave My life for you. I paid for your sins on the cross. Follow Me. Another description: "These are the ones who have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb." Once again, we see that word "purchased." Here it says they're purchased as first fruits. Some people say that the idea of first fruit might have the idea of dedication.

Very frequently the idea of a first fruit in the Bible is the idea that there's something being given to God at the beginning of the harvest that symbolizes a massive harvest to follow. At the beginning of the crop season, you would give a first fruit offering that was a symbolic way of saying there's going to be an entire harvest to follow. I think that is part of the idea here with the 144,000.

God saves these guys right in the middle of that tribulation period. They are going to be a huge part of taking that gospel message to the rest of their people during that last three and a half years. There was a massive harvest that came in following them. God's going to save people from every corner of the earth. When we study the scriptures, we see that there's people getting saved from everywhere, every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. It's not only Jews that are getting saved, but everybody. But these are part of the salvation of that nation.

Verse 5, we see a final, fifth description of them. It is this: "No lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless." When it says here they're blameless, that doesn't mean they weren't sinners. The Bible spoke in the Old Testament and singled out three particular guys and said these guys were really godly: Noah, Daniel, and Job. If you read in Ezekiel 14, Noah, Daniel, and Job. Noah, it says, was blameless.

It doesn't mean he was without sin. But just, wow, what a godly individual this is. This is what you see when God saves these 144,000. They were dedicated, they were devoted, they were holy in their commitment. One writer says the unbelieving world will be consumed with the lies of the Antichrist and all of the deception in the tribulation period. But these right here will stay faithful to the Lord without wavering. They're champions.

At this moment, God is in the process of destroying Satan and his works. That cross, when Christ the Son of God gave Himself, that cross was the death blow to Satan. God raised His Son, proof that He is the Son of God. The cross was the decisive blow, but this war is raging. In the meantime, what does that mean for you and me? God says He is going to bring the victory. But what does it mean for you and me right now?

I am going to go back to those three points of application that I said earlier. Number one: just don't be afraid of this world and what's going to happen. I don't like what I'm seeing happening in my own backyard. I don't like seeing how our country is being destroyed at every level from so many different angles. I don't like that, but I can't change that. And whatever's going to happen is all part of how God is going to bring it together in the end anyhow.

Don't be afraid. Number two: pray for God to work and bring His kingdom. That is a biblical command in the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6. And third: do something about it by bringing the gospel to others so that others can be in that kingdom. When somebody opens their heart with a genuine faith in Christ, God places them into His family. He seals them with the Holy Spirit. One day, we're all going to be there together singing.

Even though some of you don't have that great of voices, it's going to be perfected in that day. No, I'm joking. I don't have the good voice. God's going to fix it all. Amen? Lord, thank You for Your promise that You are going to fix this broken, sin-cursed world. Lord, You are our hope. And so we pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Forgive us, O God. We are so weak and sinful. Forgive us our sins and help us, O Lord, to love You more than sin and help us to love You more than ourselves. Help us not to be ashamed of the gospel of Your Son Jesus Christ, but to bring that message to our world. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.