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The 144,000
They Sing a
Unique Song
Key Six
Sing unto the LORD a new song; For He hath done
marvelous things:
His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory.
Psalms 98:1
Song has always held a prominent role
with the people of God in their worship. So important is music to God that He
placed the book of Psalms in the center of His Word, and made it the largest
volume in Scripture. In this unique book are found sacred songs of triumph and
tragedy, as well as rejoicing and lament, by kings and prophets alike.
The ancient Levitical singers in the temple reflected God’s
immense regard for music. Alfred Edersheim, author of The Temple: Its Ministry
and Service, explains that the song ceremony was second only to the sacrifices
in importance, and that it was carried out with enormous splendor. He writes:
John could find no more adequate imagery to portray heavenly realities and final triumph of the church than that taken from the service of praise in the temple. Thus, when the twenty-four elders, representing the chiefs of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, and afterwards the 144,000. . . sing a new song—they appear just as in the temple services as harpers, with their harps (p. 49).
Christ Leads the Saints in Song
Alfred Edersheim realized there was a connection with the
weekly temple song service and the vision of the 144,000. That correlation runs
deeper than most realize, but it must be understood that John did not describe
his vision based on the temple service. The opposite is true. The temple and its
service drew its observance from the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). John describes the
144,000 singing before His Majesty:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty four thousand (Revelation 14:2-3).
The apostle heard a voice from heaven, but the sound is not likely that of the resurrected saints. Resounding loudly over the others, it is more probable that this voice belongs to Jesus Christ. Ezekiel describes the Lord’s voice:
Behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory (Ezekiel 43:2).
Christ’s voice is also likened to thunder. Job writes:
Hast thou an arm like God? Or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? (Job 40:9).
It appears that after the resurrection, Jesus Christ will lead the angelic chorus and 144,000 in song. This great choir will sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
The Heavenly Song Service
Magnificent harpers, referred to as the four beasts and
twenty-four elders, will accompany the song service. John describes them in a
majestic scene that occurs before the seals are opened. He writes:
And when He had taken the book, the four beasts, and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having everyone of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8).
In the next verse, the grand angelic chorus begins to sing about the saints who will one day be resurrected. The beasts and elders sing their own new song:
Saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth (Revelation 5:9-10 ASV).
This vision portrays the future resurrected saints that are
being sung about, but it does not reveal their number. Only Revelation, chapter
fourteen, states how many sing. There it is revealed that there are exactly
144,000.
On the Sea of Glass
In yet another breathtaking segment of John’s vision, the
Apostle sees the resurrected saints. This time the setting is just after the
seven terrifying trumpets have sounded, but prior to the pouring out of the
seven vial plagues. In the book of Revelation John writes:
I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God; and I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name stand on the sea of glass having harps of God (Revelation 15:1-2).
When the Apostle John describes those who “had gotten victory over the beast,”
he is not referring only to those people living at the end. He means the
servants of God who have overcome this apostate system throughout the ages.
The beast has Nimrod as its founder and has existed as early
as the time of Babel. It is pictured in Daniel’s vision with Babylon as its
golden head, followed by the silver chest of the Persian empire, and then the
brass thighs of Greece. The beast evolved into the iron legs of Rome, which
existed during the time of Christ. And this same beast will again manifest
itself as a resurrected holy Roman Empire, pictured by Daniel as feet partly of
iron and clay, and ruling over ten kings (Genesis 10:8-10; Daniel 2:31-44;
Revelation 13:1-4).
John’s vision also shows the resurrected saints standing on a
beautiful sea of glass. It is believed that this massive crystal sea was
foreshadowed by the great brass laver used in temple worship. The priests were
to wash in this laver before approaching God (Exodus 40:7-12), picturing our
need for washing and purity before coming near to God.
The 144,000 stand on this great crystal foundation on which
the throne of God rests. The crystal sea is beautifully resplendent, with colors
radiating out from God’s majestic light. It is carried by the four cherubs
wherever the Almighty God’s throne travels, and it serves as the foundation for
the throne when it sits stationary (Ezekiel 1:22; Revelation 4:6).
The Song of Moses
At this time the saints have been resurrected and
changed from their human form. They have been made perfect, and are now like
Christ (I John 3:3). They stand in purity and holiness on the sea of glass. On
this sea of lustrous crystal, they are inspired to sing a new song. The Apostle
John writes:
They sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, thou King of saints, who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest (Revelation 15:3-4).
Notice the millennial imagery in these verses. The first song the 144,000 sing
foreshadows the Kingdom to come. They will accompany Christ as He returns to the
earth to teach God’s law and bring righteous judgement to all men. At this time,
all the nations will come to worship before their God. These verses picture the
glorious time of the first resurrection. It is the fulfillment of the lasting
hope that has inspired God’s people throughout the ages. The mood and spirit of
those who attain the first resurrection is obvious. They are upbeat, filled with
joy, zeal, and anticipation at the thought of bringing the knowledge of God to
the entire world.
In this setting, the resurrected saints sing the song of
Moses. This song harkens back to the imagery of the Exodus and Israel’s
liberation from the bondage of Egypt. Israel passed through the Red Sea
unharmed, but the pursuing Egyptians were destroyed as God brought walls of
water that were hundreds of feet high cascading down on Pharaoh’s army. Once
freed from their enemies, and from bondage in Egypt, Moses led all the people in
a glorious and prophetic song.
First the song addresses the triumph of God over the
Egyptians. Next it looks forward to the Israelites building a dwelling place for
God. Notice this in the lyrics that follow:
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him (Exodus 15:1-2).
The lyrics first picture Israel building a tabernacle, but as the song continues, the words take a dramatic turn, referring to an edifice which God Himself builds:
Thou shalt bring them in (the redeemed) and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established (Exodus 15:17).
These concluding words of the Song
of Moses speak of God’s redeemed as being planted in the mountain of His
government. It speaks of a sanctuary which God’s hands have established. This
part of the song refers to the time of the resurrection, the saint’s ultimate
liberty from bondage, and their inclusion in Mount Zion above. The resurrected
saints sing the Song of Moses to celebrate their new freedom.
It is no coincidence that the 144,000 sing the Song of Moses.
The Exodus story pictures the salvation of the people of God at the end of the
age (I Corinthians 10:11), and the Song of Moses foreshadows the 144,000 and
their future habitation in God’s sanctuary, New Jerusalem.
The Song of the Lamb
The 144,000 also sing the “song of the Lamb.” This song is
different from the song of Moses. It is Christ’s song, which is likely composed
by Him, for this unique occasion. It is an entirely new song that He teaches the
saints. It is a song which the Bible says is humanly impossible to learn. The
Apostle John explains:
They sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elder: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth (Revelation 14:3).
John writes that no man could learn this unique song except the 144,000. This
statement has profound ramifications. First, it means that the 144,000 are no
longer men. They have been resurrected and changed to spirit.
Those in this resurrection will be omniscient, like Christ (I
John 3:1-3). As Jesus demonstrated when He was here on earth, He knew the
thoughts of men (John 1:48, 4:17-19). The Apostle Paul explains that after we
are raised, we will know Christ in the same way He knows us (I Corinthians
13:12).
This makes it undeniably clear that the 144,000 are the
totality of those who are raised in the first resurrection. There are no others
shown in the vision, and there is no one else who can learn this new song. If
there were any others raised in the first resurrection, they would know Christ’s
mind. Therefore, they could learn this song.
A Lesson for Us
We see that God pictures the resurrected Church singing
before God’s throne. We understand that God sings, the angels sing and mankind
sings, but why is this?
It is important to understand the purpose and importance of
music. God designed music to have a powerful effect on man’s emotions. It can
change a person’s mood.
Noted psychologist Abraham Maslow believed that listening to
music was man’s second highest peak experience. He discovered that the human
body is designed so that music can change the way that we feel. Music literally
affects pulse rate, blood pressure, the adrenal glands and other pain fighting
organs. Possessing a passionate power, music can alter our body chemistry and
transport us to emotional highs.
In The Closing of the American Mind, Professor Allen Bloom
discusses the emotional impact of music. He writes:
Music always involves a delicate balance between passion and reason, and even in its highest and most developed form—religious, warlike, and erotic—that balance is always tipped . . . toward the passionate. Music, as everyone experiences, provides an unquestionable justification and fulfilling pleasure for the activities it accompanies: the soldier who hears the marching band is enthralled and reassured; the religious man is exalted in his prayer by the sound of the organ in the church; and the lover is carried away, and his conscience stilled by the romantic guitar. Armed with music, man can damn rational doubt.
As Professor Bloom states, music is emotionally powerful! It is designed by the
great God to affect how we feel. God’s intention is that music generate
positive, beautiful emotions in man to uplift and motivate him to pursue that
which is eternal. Music was designed to enhance our worship. Therefore, when we
come before God, we should sing passionately. We should sing loudly, with a
spirit of celebration, enthusiasm, and a profound sense of great joy.
The Importance of the Song Service
Each week, on the seventh day, God’s people rest from their
labor and assemble to worship Him (Leviticus 23:1-3). The Sabbath is the first
of God’s feast days and was instituted as a separate and distinct covenant. The
Sabbath was meant to be a sign between God and His people (Genesis 1:14; Exodus
31:13). A sign points to something, and the seventh day rest points to the
future millennial rest (Hebrews 4:1-9).
Because the Sabbath pictures the millennial Kingdom,
believers are commanded to assemble each week to be reminded of this glorious
future—a time when they will be resurrected, changed to glory and rule with
Jesus Christ. They are also to celebrate this wonderful time in song. Each
Sabbath God’s people take up their hymnals, and sing songs of praise to Him. But
do they really sing with understanding?
Far too often, when God’s people assemble to worship, they do
not always sing out to praise Him the way they should! Some believe they don’t
possess a good voice. They feel embarrassed to sing with their whole heart.
Others may be tired from a strenuous week, or perhaps mothers are busy getting
their children settled. But there really is no excuse for a half-hearted effort.
The song service is of great importance to God, and must be of equal importance
to every Christian.
When believers come before God at week’s end, rising to sing
foreshadows the 144,000 standing before the throne of God. They are singing a
new song, accompanied by the beasts and elders, and led by Christ singing out so
powerfully that it sounds like Niagara Falls or crashing thunder!
When the saints rise to sing, they should not worry about
their voices being good enough. They should not let anything distract them. They
should not be self-conscious. Instead, they should all sing! Sing loudly! Sing
cheerfully! The people of God should sing through the knowing smile that they
are indeed headed toward this moment of supreme triumph and unmatched glory—the
Kingdom of God.
When they sing praise to God, they should sing with the
vision of the 144,000 fixed in their minds. This is their destiny, if they do
not become defiled.