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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_14:1-5
1Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
Rev_14:1 "the Lamb" This is a reference to the Messiah (cf. Rev_5:6; Rev_5:8; Rev_5:12-13; Rev_13:8; Isa_53:7; Joh_1:29; Joh_1:36; 1Pe_1:18-19).
▣ "standing on Mount Zion" There have been numerous theories identifying this phrase.
1. that it stands for Mt. Moriah and the Temple area in Jerusalem (cf. Isa_24:23; Joe_2:32)
2. that it stands for heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Heb_11:10; Heb_11:16; Heb_12:22-23; Heb_13:14; Gal_4:26)
3. that it is an apocalyptic symbol found in the non-canonical book of 2Es_2:42-47; 2Es_13:35; 2Es_13:39-40
4. that it refers to the OT passages which speak of the end-time gathering of the people of God (cf. Psalms 48; Isa_24:23; Joe_2:32; Mic_4:1; Mic_4:7; Oba_1:17; Oba_1:21)
5. that the background, like several other passages in this section, is Psalms 2, particularly Rev_14:6.
Remember that commentators relate each of these visions to either
1. the OT passages or Palestinian places
2. intertestamental apocalyptic literature
3. first century Greco-Roman history
For me these visions of OT things beginning with chapter 6, relate to the NT people of God (believing Jews and Gentiles), the saints, the church. In this particular case, it is an allusion to the heavenly temple (cf. Heb_8:2; Heb_9:11; Heb_9:24).
▣ "with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand" This is the same group of the redeemed as in Rev_5:9; of the sealed in Rev_7:4-8 (see full note at Rev_7:4); of those washed in the Lamb's blood in Rev_7:14-17. Therefore, in my opinion, this stands for the NT people of God, the saints, the church. For the full note on the identity of the 144,000, see Rev_7:4. In the earlier references they were sealed but still persecuted, but here they are victorious!
▣ "having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" Does this refer to one name or to two? It may refer to the titles of Isa_9:6, which relate to both the Father and the Son. These are those who have been sealed and belong to God (cf. Revelation 7). See note at Rev_7:2.
Rev_14:2 "I heard a voice from heaven, like" These descriptive phrases were used of God's voice in Eze_43:2, of Jesus' voice in Rev_1:15, and of the heavenly multitudes' voices in Rev_19:6. Often it is used to denote that the speaker is in heaven (cf. Rev_4:5; Rev_11:19; Rev_16:8).
Rev_14:3 "they sang a new song before the throne" This is an allusion to Rev_5:9. The "they" could refer to (1) the angelic creatures who sing the song in Rev_5:9 or (2) the song of the one hundred and forty-four thousand in the concluding part of Rev_14:3; Rev_15:2. This new song is an allusion to Isa_42:10 and possibly Psa_33:3; Psa_40:3; Psa_96:1; Psa_98:1; Psa_144:9; Psa_149:1. The promised new age of the Spirit has come!
▣ "elders" See Special Topic at Rev_4:4.
▣ "who had been purchased from the earth" This is the OT concept of a near relative purchasing a family member's release (go'el, i.e., Ruth and Boaz). It is used of those for whom Christ died (cf. Rev_5:9; Rev_7:14). See Special Topic: Ransom/Redeem at Rev_5:9.
Rev_14:4 "These are the ones who have not been defiled with women" There has been much discussion over this verse because it seems to imply that this is a select, celibate group of males out of the 144,000 of chapter 7. However, I think that these phrases can be explained in symbolic, or at least, in OT terms, and were never meant to be taken literally. The phrase "had not been defiled with women" can be understood in several ways.
1. it refers literally to celibacy
2. it refers to spiritual adultery with the beast or the great whore (cf. Rev_14:8; Rev_17:2; Rev_18:9)
3. it refers to specific comments made to the seven churches (cf. Rev_2:14; Rev_2:20; Rev_2:22; Rev_3:4)
4. it refers to OT ritual purification for worship or battle (cf. Exo_19:14-15; Deu_23:9-10; 1Sa_21:4-5; 2Sa_11:6-13
5. it is simply an allusion to an OT title for the people of God, "the virgin daughter of Zion" (cf. 2Ki_19:21; Jer_18:13; Lam_2:13; Amo_5:2; 2Co_11:2; Eph_5:27).
It must be asserted that sexual intercourse between married partners is not an unspiritual activity. Sexuality (marriage) is God's idea, His way of filling the earth, His command (cf. Gen_1:28; Gen_9:1). Celibacy is surely a spiritual gift for ministry (cf. 1 Corinthians 7), but it is not a holier state. Greek asceticism is not biblical (neither is pre-marital or extra-marital sexual activity)!
▣ "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes" This speaks of discipleship and service (cf. Joh_7:17; Joh_10:4).
▣ "from among men as first fruits to God" This term was used in the OT to show God's ownership of the entire crop (cf. Exo_23:19; 34:76). In the NT it refers to the church (cf. Heb_12:23; Jas_1:18), the people of Jesus, who are the first fruits of the resurrection (cf. 1Co_15:20; 1Co_15:23; Rev_1:5).
Rev_14:5 "no lie was found in their mouth" There are several possible origins for this metaphor:
1. it is related to a similar phrase in Rev_21:27; Rev_22:15
2. it is related to Emperor worship where Christians never yielded to the command of the persecutors to say, "Caesar is Lord"
3. it is symbolic of OT defilement (cf. Psa_32:2; Zep_3:13)
4. it may be a reference to unbelief as in Rom_1:25; 1Jn_2:22
▣ "they are blameless" This is literally "without defect" (cf. Php_3:6). Originally it referred to sacrificial animals, but came to be used metaphorically of humans (cf. Noah, Gen_6:9; Gen_6:17 and Job, Job_1:1). It is applied to Jesus in Heb_9:14 and 1Pe_1:19. This is another way of referring to a Christlike life. Christlikeness is God's will for His people (cf. Lev_19:2; Deu_18:13; Mat_5:48; 1Pe_1:16).
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