Where are the Dead? Singing the Victory Song (Revelation 14)!

Wineskins Contributor・09/13/19

The church has heard some rather ominous words in the past two chapters (12 & 13). A powerful dragon is making war against God’s saints. The dragon has empowered two monsters—one from the sea and the other from the earth—to exercise the dragon’s authority upon the earth. They are given the power to conquer or overcome the saints, that is, to kill them. While the dragon cannot dethrone God’s Messiah or destroy the church as a whole, the saints are vulnerable. The church is suffering and will continue to suffer from the dragon’s war.

As previously in chapter seven,Revelation 14 answers the question that must have dominated the minds of thesepersecuted saints. Where is the victory in this suffering? It appears that theunholy trinity of dragon and two beasts has the upper hand. They are conquering(overcoming) the people of God. But that is a limited perspective. It isblinded to the reality of the throne room of God. And John now sees thatreality…he looked, and “behold”…he sees an amazing scene.

On Mount Zion, the heavenlythrone room, John sees the Lamb standing with the 144,000 who had beenpreviously sealed in Revelation 7 with the name of the Lamb and the Father ontheir foreheads. These are those who refused the mark of the beast and welcomedthe mark of the Lamb and his Father. Their refusal to receive the mark of thebeast entailed suffering, including economic and social marginalization as wellas martyrdom.

The 144,000 are no longer on theearth as they were in Revelation 7. They are now “before the throne and beforethe four living creatures and before the elders.” They have been ransomed orredeemed “from the earth” and “from humanity” as “firstfruits for God and theLamb.” These are those who, having emerged from their earthly trials throughsuffering and martyrdom, are now present in the heavenly throne room praisingGod. They have joined the great multitude. They have been redeemed throughsuffering rather than from suffering. Redeemed from the earth, they now inhabitthe God’s dwelling in heaven and John hears their singing.

Their praise thunders acrossheaven. It is loud and chilling. The sounds were like rushing waters andcracking thunder. The sound is musical–the song is accompaniedby harps. The sounds of harps and voices reverberate throughout the heavenlythrone room. It is sung by redeemed humanity. Their singingis harmonious, like a single voice (sound) even though sung by 144,000.The number is, of course, symbolic, but they sing a new song as if they wereone voice (not voices). They sing about their redemption. Though martyred, theyhave overcome, just like the Lamb who was also slain by the dragon.

John’s description highlightstheir faithfulness. Like a mighty army raised to defend the kingdom of God, theredeemed are “virgins” and truthful. The reference to virginity probablyalludes to the practice of readied armies avoiding sexual liaisons as theyprepare for battle. The parallelism in the text indicates that the point isfaithfulness.

Thoseredeemed from the earth were virgins who did not defile themselves.

These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

Thoseredeemed from humanity are those who were blameless because they did not lie.

“Redeemed” from the earth orhumanity parallel each other just as “blameless” and “virgins” parallel eachother. So also, “did not defile themselves” parallels the fact that they didnot lie. The central point is that they follow the Lamb.  They are theLamb’s army that follows the Lamb into battle, and they do battle throughsuffering. The defeat the dragon and his beasts through martyrdom. Theyovercome the enemy when the beasts overcome them. They win the battle, andconsequently sing a victory song on heavenly shores, because they follow theLamb to death. They suffer just as the Lamb suffered. They are faithfulwitnesses like the Lamb.

The martyrs, and other sufferingsaints, are the firstfruit of a harvest dedicated to God and the Lamb. Thefirstfruit is the first of the harvest. The harvest is the full number of thesaints whom God will receive into the heavenly throne room, and they are anumber that cannot be counted (cf. Revelation 7:9-17). As history proceeds,more will join their number. The 144,000–the suffering saints of the sevenchurches of Asia or the church in the Roman empire–is the firstfruit of alarger harvest to come.

As a harvest, they are offeredto God and the Lamb. They are, in effect, a sacrificial offering. They sacrificetheir lives for the sake of the kingdom of God, and now they sing their victorysong standing by the slain Lamb in the throne room of God.

Despite appearances, then, thebeasts do not win. They may overcome and kill saints as the dragon wages warthrough them, but the martyrs find themselves in the throne room of God singingredemption songs. They inhabit Mt. Zion. They sing before the throne. Theystand with the Lamb that was slain. They wear the victory wreaths, not thebeasts.

Martyrs continue as even now Iranian Christians are persecuted by the powers. Martyrs abound in Pakistan where assemblies of believers are violently assaulted. The harvest is not yet complete. The conflict between the dragon and the people of God continues. May God have mercy.

Don't miss the first two parts of this series

Part 1 - Where are the Dead? Before the Throne!

Part 2 - Where are the Dead? The Church Bears Witness Before the Empire