Understanding Revelation (14:4-5)

"It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless."

(Revelation 14:4-5)

John frames for us the Church in both the here-and-now and the not-yet. Though standing with Christ on Mount Zion, the church is still living in the world, and must therefore, “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” The implication in this is strong. The Lamb did the will of the Father. We are to do the same through obedience to His commands. The Lamb went to the cross. We are to do the same by dying daily, mortifying the deeds of the body. The Lamb laid down His life for the brethren. We are to do the same through humble service and love for one another. The Lamb did not shrink from doing all that the Father gave Him, even when it meant drinking the bitter cup of suffering. We are to do the same, drinking the cup that Christ providentially gives us, leaning upon His strength, and rejoicing even to share in His sufferings. 

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:4)

"It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. 

(Revelation 14:4)

Obviously, John is not denigrating marriage since “marriage is to be held in honor among all,” as (Hebrews 13:4) reminds us. Instead, he uses the Old Testament background to explain the need for fidelity to Christ. Quite often, in both the historical writings and the prophetic books, Israel’s wanderings away from the Lord to other gods was called “adultery” or “whoredom” or “harlotry” or another term that implied infidelity. But the church is Christ’s bride. Christ has sanctified and cleansed the church so “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:26-27). Paul used similar language to the Corinthians to rebuke them for their flirtation with the world. “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin” (2 Cor. 11:2). Added to John’s meaning is likely the common practice of ritual prostitution in the Asia Minor communities. The temptation to embrace the sensualities of other religions lay before them. But he reminds them that being a Christian is antithetical to the adulterous ways of the world.  Christians must remain chaste, remembering that we are the bride of Christ and not the consorts of the world. We must not try to find favor with the world in unfaithfulness to Christ.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:2-3)

"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 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."

(Revelation 14:2-3)

The sound which John hears is that of a new song, which is a loud echo from a very prominent theme throughout the Old Testament in which the people of God sing songs of victory in jubilant celebration after deliverance from their enemies, as in Psalm 33, 40, 96, 98, 144, and 149. 

Notice that only the redeemed can sing the new song, because it is a song of victory. The followers of the beast who worship the dragon, cannot sing the new song, since they will be defeated along with the counterfeit trinity they worship and serve.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Article 37: The Last Judgment 

(Belgic Confession)

Finally we believe, according to God's Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it.

Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge-- men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world.

They will be summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the divine trumpet.

For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye" from "corruptible to incorruptible."

Then "the books" (that is, the consciences) will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken, which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all.

Understanding Revelation (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."

(Revelation 14:1)

The 144,000 is the church in its fullness upon the earth. Its members have been sealed with the name of God and Jesus Christ and are thereby protected from God’s wrath which comes upon the earth, even though they, at times, must face the rage of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. Now John sees the 144,000–the church–from a different perspective, that of the Lamb’s presence with them in the heavenly city.

When John sees the Lamb standing on Mount Zion a number of biblical images are invoked. For one there are also references here to the past, the present and to the future. Recall that throughout the Old Testament, Mount Zion is that place where God will one day gather and save his believing remnant. Furthermore, it is also that place where God will establish his Messiah and from whence he will rule over the nations. We see this in the form of a messianic prophecy in Psalm 2, where the Psalmists writes, “the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.” But “the One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, `I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill’ . . . `I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’” Writing from the perspective of the messianic age after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, John sees that the Messiah is already established on his holy hill and is even now ruling over the nations.

While the beast may appear invincible to those whose names are not written in the Book of Life, John reminds the church that no nation and no empire, no matter how powerful it may be, can withstand the judgment of the Lamb. Christ is king, not Caesar. And while in this age, the Lamb permits the false trinity to wage war on his people, one day he will indeed dash all his enemies to pieces like so many broken pots. Furthermore, in this vision the Lamb stands in the midst of the his people, where he protects them from those enemies whom one day he will crush. He will never give them more than they can bear and he will always provide for them a way of escape.

The Lamb is the true messiah, not merely a messianic pretender as is the beast. Zion is that place where God sat enthroned in Israel’s temple, thus the one who rules from here is the true ruler of the cosmos, not the dragon, nor the beast, nor the false prophet. In this glorious scene, the Lamb stands amidst his people in that holy city which God himself will establish and rule after the end of the age.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (13:18) "666"

"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." 

(Revelation 13:18)

Virtually all other numbers in the book of Revelation are figurative or symbolic of some spiritual or theological reality. The number refers to the beast as the archetype man (a very typical example of a certain person) who falls short of perfection in every respect. Triple sixes are merely a contrast with the divine sevens in Revelation and signify incompleteness and imperfection. 777 is the number of deity and 666 fall short in every digit. That is, though the beast attempts to mimic God, Christ, and the prophetic Spirit of truth, he falls short of succeeding. Thus the number does not identify the beast, but describes him. It refers to his character.~(Sam Storms)

John calls attention to this distinguishing mark, this proper coin in contrast with the spurious. “Here is wisdom.” In other words, wisdom calls for discernment, recognizing the distinction between that which is of God and that which is of the devil. Here’s something to ponder that will help you apply the gospel more effectively to your lives. “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast.” He doesn’t mean that smart people will be able to add this number and come to a conclusion. Rather, he implies that the Christian will be able, by the Holy Spirit, to discern and identify the work of the beast that would destroy the church. Remember the deceptiveness that characterizes the devil and his agents. By wisdom from the Lord, Christians will be able to perceive the character of the beast that would deceive and destroy.

Christians live in a world hostile to the gospel. The spirit of antichrist and the false prophet continue throughout the centuries, attempting to distort the gospel, deceive Christians, and destroy the church. Let us, by the Holy Spirit, exercise wisdom and understanding. Let us recognize the ways that the devil would deceive us in order to move our hope away from Christ and His redemptive work. And let us stand firmly in dependence upon our triumphant Lord.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (13:16-17)

"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name."

(Revelation 13:16-17)

It seems quite clear that the "mark" of the beast on his followers is the demonic counterpart and parody of the "seal" that is placed on the foreheads of the people of God. Just as the seal and the divine name on believers connote God's ownership and spiritual protection of them, so the mark and satanic name signify those who belong to the devil and will undergo perdition. Since the seal or name on the believer is obviously invisible, being symbolic, it seems probable that the mark of the beast is likewise a symbolic way describing the loyalty of his followers and his ownership of them.

The reason for the mark being placed on either the forehead or the hand is at least two-fold. In the first place, as noted above, this is a demonic parody of the Jewish phylacteries which were worn on either the left arm or the forehead. Secondly, it may be that the forehead points to one's ideological commitment and the hand to the practical outworking or manifestation of that commitment. The reference to socio-economic sanctions points to the hardship under which Christians are often compelled to live due to their commitment to Christ. This is present not only in Revelation but also and other New Testament texts (Heb. 10:34; Rom. 15:26)

(Sam Storms)

Understanding Revelation (13:12-13)

"It [another beast] exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people"

(Revelation 13:12-13)

The idea of counterfeit imitation is carried on in verse 13. The religious character of the second beast becomes clearer here. First, it is said that he preforms great signs. This makes him a Satanic counterfeit of the true prophet Moses, who also preformed signs (Exod. 4:17,30;10:2). Then it is said that "he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men", making him a counterfeit of the true prophet Elijah, who did likewise (1 Kgs. 18:38-39). The allusions to Moses and Elijah cannot be accidental, given the similar allusion to them in regard to the two witnesses in (Rev. 11:3-12), who, taken together, represent the church (Luke 9:54). Rev. 11:5 portrays "fire proceeding out of the mouth" of the two witnesses. There the fire indicates the speaking of God's word that convicts and judges sinners. Therefore the fire represents the speaking of God's true word which judges sinners, and here the beast poses as a spokesman for truth but is a false prophet and false teacher. This is part of what Christ prophesied in (Matthew 24:24): "False Christ's and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect". The second beast is a counterfeit of the church and the Spirit who empowers and indwells it. 

Daniel warns (11:30-39) that a latter-day (Christ's ascension to His return) deceiver will infiltrate the church and turn people away from God. When purported Christian teachers take their primary cues from the surrounding culture instead of from God's word, they corrupt the covenant community spiritually by encouraging it to live by norms and a faith that ultimately oppose the reign of God and Christ. 

(G.K. Beale)