Revelation 14 : 2-10

Revelation 14 : 2-10

v2 - And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.

 In 19:6 he heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like a peal of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns". Just as the voice of Christ sounded like thunder in

Rev 1:15 “His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;”

people said that the voice of God sounded like thunder; in 10:3 the voice of the angel sounded like seven thunders.

The sound John heard from heaven was that of a great multitude singing, see verse 3.

In Rev 15:2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.

those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name also, like these, held harps given them by God. If we compare this group with the 144,000 sealed. From the 144,000 here and those victorious over the beast, are one and the same group. They held harps given them by God, the elders also had harps, which is a symbol of praise.

v3 - And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. –

The next three verses gives a description of the redeemed, ones first impression is that they are a special group of saints, however closer inspection reveals that they have the characteristics of all the redeemed.

The redeemed sing this song of redemption before God, before the living creatures and the elders. Some would point out that the elders cannot therefore be representative of the redeemed. Only the redeemed can sing this song, but a new song is mentioned much earlier and is sung by the elders, Rev 5:9, in praise of the one who purchased men for God. The redeemed also have a new name, Rev 2:17. It was a new song to the elders because the incarnation of Christ, his death and his ascension into heaven is a new event in heaven. It is a new song to the redeemed because their salvation is complete, they are now in heaven for the first time, their redemption is accomplished. As the redeemed, only they can sing it, angels cannot be redeemed and therefore cannot sing this song, only those born on the earth, and redeemed, can sing this song. It is a new experience and therefore a new song (Hendriksen). Isa 25:9 gives us an idea of what this song might be like.

Isa 25:9  "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

A new song is mentioned 6 times in the Psalms and once in Isaiah.

v4 - These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. –

Virginity here means purity, and is not to be taken literally 2 Cor 11:2,

2 Cor 11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

 it means they were faithful to their Lord. They are the bride of Christ and therefore necessarily virgins spiritually. They were not unfaithful to their Lord. Sex within marriage is not sin. This can also be taken avoiding sex during battle (Caird). They follow the Lamb, Jesus Christ, which means that they are His disciples, John 1:43 and 10:4.

John 1:43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."

John 10:4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

In  Rev 19:14  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

In the above verse the armies of heaven also are found following the Lamb into battle. In Rev 17:14 we also find the beast waging war against the Lamb -- and with him will be his called chosen and faithful followers. They follow Christ wherever he goes which usually leads to the cross

John 13:36 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."

Franzman comments that the goal and crown of the life of the church, the bride of the Lamb, is that she be forever united with Him. It is therefore natural and inevitable that until she reaches that goal and until that crown is achieved her life should be a following Him.

Rev 14 :4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

v4 - purchased from among men –

These are the redeemed of the Lord bought from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Rev 5:9, And they sang a new song, saying: " You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Psa 74:2. Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed --- This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

As with the census of the 144,000 in 7:3 ff. who were redeemed, these are also the redeemed of the Lord, see also ‘redeemed’ in verse 3.

v4 - firstfruits –

Christians are a new creation. Here Christians are first fruits

James 1:18 we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

 contrast this to the gathering of the earth's grapes, which are the unbelievers who are trampled in the great winepress of God’s wrath. In the OT the first fruits of the harvest were always offered to the Lord,

Deu 26:9-10 He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, "a land flowing with milk and honey";

¹⁰   and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.' "Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

and belonged to the Lord. Note that

James 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

does not imply that the firstfruits are martyrs, it implies that all the saints are firstfruits. The 144,000 are the firstfruits of the harvest of the earth, they belong to the Lord, the rest of the harvest does not; compare with the harvest of the earth (saints) in 14:14-16 with the harvest of grapes of 14:17-20 (men destined to wrath).

Caird says, "the idea behind the offering of firstfruits was that all living things belong to God and must not be put to secular purposes without a recognition of his rights. The dedication of the firstfruits 'redeemed' the harvest, and so released it for common use, God’s rights in the whole being guaranteed by his special possession of the part

Lev 23:15-22( 20)          The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

, Num 28:26 'Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the LORD at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.

 Deu 16:9-12 ). In the same way the firstborn sons of men properly belong to God; but provision was made for their redemption, because God had accepted the Levites in their place (Num 8:14-18), to be a symbol of the holiness to which the whole nation was called. In the NT Jesus is called firstfruits because his resurrection was the token and guarantee of a greater ingathering (1 Cor 15:20, 23), and the Spirit is called firstfruits because it is the pledge of the full inheritance to come (Rom 8:23, 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, Eph 1:14). Thus when John says that the martyrs have been ransomed from all mankind to be firstfruits, he cannot conceivably mean that they 'alone from the whole world have been ransomed' (NEB). He must mean that the offering of their lives to God in sacrifice is to be the opening ceremony of a great harvest-home".

v5 - And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

. - Compare the saints who do not lie, with the liars in Rev 21:8, compare also to the Ephesian passage about the church, Eph 5:27, where the church is described as 'holy and blameless', see also Zep 3:13 in which 'the remnant of Israel will do no wrong, they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths'. They follow Christ in martyrdom, and just as no deceit was found in his mouth (Isa 53:9), he was a lamb without blemish, so they are blameless (1 Peter 1:19). These last two verses are the only indication that they are martyrs, but since a martyr is a witness the case for this group being composed only of martyrs cannot be established with certainty. Unlike the worshippers of the beast they had not been deceived into worshipping the beast and believing the lie (2 Thess 2:11), their confession (testimony) of Jesus Christ was the supreme truth (1:9, 6:9, 11:7, 12:11,12:17, 17:6,19:10, 20:4) they had not denied Jesus name before men (the supreme lie) and were therefore standing before the Lamb (14:1).