The 144,000
They Stand
on Mount Zion
Key Five
For the LORD hath chosen Zion;
He hath desired [it] for His habitation.
Psalms 132:13
For millennia, thoughts of Zion have
stirred the deepest sense of reverence among the people of God. So important is
Zion that readers of the Bible find more than one hundred and fifty references
to this holy place. Psalmist and prophet alike record ancient memories and
future hopes for the city of Zion.
Tragically, Zion has also been the site of war, as well as
worship. Israeli, Christian, and Muslim alike claim a God-given right to call
Zion their homeland. The resulting political and theological conflict promises
to culminate in a final clash that will only be resolved when Jesus Christ
returns.
Upon His return, Christ will claim Zion as His. The city will
then become the flourishing headquarters for God’s divine government. Finally,
more than a thousand years later, the fulfillment of all that God has envisioned
for Zion will occur. The heavenly city will descend to an entirely new earth.
The magnificent New Jerusalem will then be the source of peace, happiness, and
joy for eternity (Revelation 21-22).
As the headquarters for Christ’s new government, Zion is
inextricably tied to the 144,000. The Apostle John reveals that after the
resurrection, this place, unique in all the universe, is where the illustrious
group of spiritual Israelites will stand with Christ. John writes:
A Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His father’s name written in their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).
In these verses, the Lamb portrays Jesus Christ (I Peter
1:19). The Messiah is standing with the 144,000 on what the Bible identifies as
Mount Zion. What is this Mount Zion, and where is it located, and where do the
144,000 stand with Jesus?
Where is Zion?
The term “Zion” comes from the Hebrew word,“Tsiyown,” meaning
“permanent capital,” or “mountain of Jerusalem.” The word implies both an “erect
structure,” and “protection,” and the first time that the Bible refers to Zion,
it is described as a fortress (II Samuel 5:6-8).
King David captured this Jebusite city that sat upon a hilly
ridge south of the current Temple Mount. The king renamed it the City of David,
and brought the ark to this spot with great rejoicing. Thereafter the city was
considered sacred. Later, Solomon relocated the ark to the newly built Temple,
and all of Jerusalem came to be called Zion.
From that time, the Bible frequently refers to the capital
city of Jerusalem, or to the sacred area of the Temple as Zion. The term is also
used figuratively to picture the Church, or even the magnificent Jerusalem
above. Which of these is the “Mount Zion” where the 144,000 stand?
Zion in the Millennium
The Bible reveals that Zion will be the capitol city for
Jesus Christ after His triumphant return to this earth as King of kings. The
psalmist writes:
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Sion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge (Psalm 48:2-3).
When Jesus Christ returns, He will gather all His faithful
people from around the world. After pouring out the vial plagues, He will then
bring these resurrected saints with Him as He descends from the clouds to
finally touch down on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-12; Zechariah 14:4).
From that time forward, the resurrected saints will be with
the Lord in Mount Zion, the capital city of God’s government. The prophet Isaiah
refers to the time when Christ reigns triumphant with His servants:
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously (Isaiah 24:23).
Christ will rule with His ancients—resurrected Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Moses and the faithful members of His Church throughout the ages. They will assist Him as He rules the earth from Mount Zion. The prophet Obadiah makes this clear as he writes:
And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the Kingdom shall be the LORD’S (Obadiah 21).
Christ is the Savior of the world, but the resurrected saints
will also be fellow saviors of mankind. Christ will use His faithful servants in
His noble work of salvation. They will rule in Christ’s throne, and serve as
judges in various cities around the world (I Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:4;
Luke 19:17-19).
It is clear that Mount Zion refers to Jerusalem, and that the
millennial verses speak of Zion as the place from which Christ will one day
rule. Is this the Mount Zion upon which the 144,000 stand, or was the Apostle
John referring to the physical temple?
Zion as God’s Temple
At one time, God’s presence filled the holy of holies within
the Temple. Then, His dwelling place was also called Zion (Isaiah 8:18; Psalm
9:11). For this reason, the sanctuary in Jerusalem is sometimes synonymous with
Zion (Jeremiah 50:28). The psalmist writes:
Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Sion (Psalm 20:2).
So we see that historically the physical Temple on earth was also called Zion. This holy building was a symbolic type of the future spiritual temple, the Church which Christ would later build. Made without hands, this spiritual temple will be comprised of individuals from every nation who are called to be members of God’s Church. Paul writes:
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:19-21).
The apostle speaks of God’s servants as being built up unto a
holy temple. Paul is referring to the process whereby individual Christians are
being formed and prepared for offices of responsibility in that future edifice.
The Temple of old was merely a physical type of the spiritual
temple to come. God’s New Testament Church is now being formed, and fashioned in
order to be that temple. In that sense, God’s Church today and the millennial
temple of tomorrow share the same identity. However, the Church cannot be the
Mount Zion upon which the 144,000 stand.
John’s Vision is of Events in Heaven
What occurs during the millennial, earthly reign of Jesus
Christ is only a precursor of future events. Just as the Jerusalem of old is a
type of the millennial Zion, the millennial Jerusalem is a precursor of the
eternal and spiritual Zion yet to come—the New Jerusalem.
This is the Mount Zion on which the 144,000 stand with
Christ! Notice John’s perspective in Revelation, chapter fourteen. The apostle
was not viewing these events from the standpoint of earth. He was actually taken
to heaven in vision and shown events taking place there. He writes:
After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne (Revelation 4:1-2).
The events the Apostle John sees can only be occurring in heaven. There he sees the very throne of God! It is while viewing events taking place in heaven that he sees the 144,000. John writes:
And 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 and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth (Revelation 14:2-3).
The Father and Mount Zion are in Heaven
In this vision of the resurrected 144,000, John reveals that
they sing a song set to heavenly music. The music is produced in heaven. The
beasts and elders are in heaven. God’s throne is in heaven, and 144,000 sing
with the heavenly chorus to the One seated on the throne. Clearly, John’s vision
of the 144,000 shows them in heaven.
Notice the end of verse three which states that the 144,000
“were redeemed from the earth.” This suggests that at the time of their
resurrection they are taken from the earth. Then the chosen are presented at the
throne of God as this celebration of triumph takes place.
The timing of this vision is after the resurrection which takes place at the
seventh trumpet. At this point, the faithful enter the marriage supper, and this
occurs just prior to the vial plagues being poured out (Revelation 15:1). The
144,000 are joyous participants in this absolutely fabulous wedding feast—a
celebration unparalleled in the history of God’s creation.
This celebration will undoubtedly be held in the most
magnificent of all possible settings. It takes place in heaven where our great
God resides. The faithful saints are taken to the very throne of the Father. It
is absolutely inconceivable that the Father would allow the magnificent
fulfillment of the marriage of His Son to take place anywhere except in His
presence.
The 144,000 are standing on the sea of glass, and before the
Father’s throne (Revelation 14:3,15:2). They are standing with the beasts, the
elders, and Jesus Christ. They are in heaven, and are standing on Mount Zion—the
New Jerusalem. This Mount Zion is the Jerusalem above—the final, spiritual
fulfillment to which the original tabernacle, the ancient temple and the
millennial temple all point.
Zion after the Millennium
As a human being, it was no accident that Jesus was a
builder. He was in the construction business long before He ever came to earth.
Christ was the builder and creator of the entire universe (Ephesians 3:9).
Before He left the earth to return to heaven, He told His followers that He was
going to build mansions, or offices, for them in His Father’s house (John
14:2-3). Christ has been working on this building project for thousands of
years. He is building something of extraordinary brilliance and supreme
magnificence. He is constructing residences and offices, within the beautiful
New Jerusalem, for His wife to be. It is the abode for all those who are chosen
to be in the first resurrection.
This is a great hope for all Christians throughout history—to
one day stand with Christ on the Mount where this magnificent edifice stands. It
is no less than the future headquarters for God’s government for the rest of
eternity. The author of the book of Hebrews inspires Christians throughout all
ages with this vision:
Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23).
This verse in Hebrews makes it incontrovertibly clear that it
is converted Christians who come unto Mount Zion. They have not come there yet,
but once resurrected they will be taken to the city of God. This is exactly
where the Apostle John witnessed the 144,000. They were on the Mount which is
their future abode.
New Jerusalem is the Bride
The Church is the bride of Christ, but New Jerusalem is also
called the bride (Revelation 19:7). The angel that speaks with John reveals the
holy city to him in the following words:
There came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife, and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God (Revelation 21:9-10).
The angel shows the Apostle John a vision of Christ’s bride,
and it is New Jerusalem. Therefore, the heavenly city is the bride. And yet we
saw earlier that the Church is Christ’s bride! How is it possible that both the
resurrected Christians and New Jerusalem are Christ’s bride?
The answer is that the Church and New Jerusalem are one and
the same! Christ is creating a grand edifice in the New Jerusalem that awaits in
heaven. Christ is also building the Church as the spiritual temple (Ephesians
2:19-20). He is doing this by forging each Christian’s spiritual character so
that they will be fitting residents of this heavenly structure. Glorious New
Jerusalem is the exterior of the temple. The converted, resurrected and
glorified Christians are the interior.
The Church is New Jerusalem, called Zion. The resurrected
saints, therefore, are also Zion. The 144,000 are the resurrected Church, and
they stand on Mount Zion in heaven where the New Jerusalem awaits its future
with them as its inhabitants. The 144,000 are the bride of Christ. They are the
first resurrection, and as such will be married to Jesus Christ while standing
before the Father’s throne.
In this marriage, the 144,000 will actually become one with
Christ, and with the New Jerusalem. They will then be one with the holy city,
the headquarters for God’s divine and holy government throughout the universe
for eternity.
Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved?
It is important to realize that while the 144,000 will stand
in heaven on Mount Zion with Christ for the marriage supper, they will not
remain in heaven, as some teach. As the apostles watched Christ ascend from the
Mount of Olives, they were told He would return the same way they saw Him go
(Acts 1:9-12). After the marriage supper, Jesus Christ will return with His
saints to this earth. He will fight against His enemies (Zechariah 14:3). After
His victory in the battle of Armageddon, His feet will again stand on the Mount
of Olives. The prophet Zechariah records:
His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south (Zechariah 14:4).
Christ will establish His authority over the nations. Then,
He will rule with His saints from an earthly Jerusalem for one thousand years
(Revelation 20:4).
This is what Jesus meant when He said that the meek would
inherit the earth. It is why John recorded that the saints will reign on the
earth (Revelation 5:10; Matthew 5:5; and Psalm 37:11).
After Christ’s millennial rule, the saints still do not go to
heaven. Instead, God the Father will come to the earth. The Father will create a
new heaven and earth. Jerusalem above will then descend to this new planet.
The 144,000 will inhabit this spiritual Zion. They will rule
forever with God, from an entirely new creation, over a spiritual universe
(Revelation 21:1-3). It is on the Mount of this heavenly Zion that the
resurrected saints will stand. It is in this setting, filled with joy, awe, and
gratitude that they sing a new song unto the Lord.