THE 144,000 "They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders . . . " -- Tomorrow:
"And I looked, and, lo, 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. 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. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Rev 14:1-4).
Devotion 16 of 26
A "new song" is a different kind of song. It is of another order. It is not a soulish song, but a spiritual one. It does not come from the flesh, but from the Spirit. The heart is tuned by grace, the mind renewed by insight, and the lips sanctified by the Spirit. Never does a soul sing more beautifully than when it comprehends the song it sings, and is caught up in the spirit of it.
One of the invariable marks of the redeemed is their praise to God. They sing a new song, and they sing it "before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders."
FRESHNESS IN THE SONG
But here we see the 144,000 singing this new song. It is new to them, and, in a sense, new to the rest of the world. There is a freshness in this song that has not been seen in the world for a long time if, indeed, it has ever been seen. It peals like thunder through the heavenly realms, and roars like a thousand cataracts of cascading waterfalls.
It is not the song of a solitary shepherd on the hillside that we hear, but one of a great multitude. With one heart and one spirit, they sing in a harmony only heaven itself can give.
NO ONE CAN LEARN THE SONG
Herein is a marvelous thing. "No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth." Only those extricated from the condemned world – delivered from this present evil world – can learn this song. It is not for those who live on the surface of life, with their roots never settling into the richness of God's grace. Neither godly life nor spiritual expression can be emulated. The ungodly cannot participate in either. They cannot "learn that song."
When it comes to a body of people, no one has ever, or will ever, sing it like Israel, when the veil is lifted from their eyes (2 Cor 3:15-16). The prophets spoke of this time. "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa 35:10; 51:11). They spoke of a time when the lower parts of the earth would break forth into singing because "the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel" (Isa 44:23). That is the very thing we are witnessing in our text.
Still, some doubt that this is a proper representation of the case. Allow me to call Jeremiah to the witness stand. He will speak for God on the matter. "For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD" (Jer 31:11- 14).
When reading this marvelous text, I am impressed with how it will not fit into a stilted theology. If men imagine that God has once and for all rejected Israel, and there is no more hope for them as a nation, then this promise has fallen to the ground unfulfilled. It has returned void to the Lord, and not accomplished that whereunto He sent it (Isa 55:11). If all of this has reference to the church, as some allege, then we have God comforting His ancient people by speaking of something they will never attain. Both views are foolish, and unworthy of further consideration.
Some will counter that this is the very thing we Gentiles have experienced, and that is true. We who are in Christ Jesus have, indeed, joined in the singing of the song of redemption. But we have done so ONLY because we have been grafted into the Jewish olive tree. We are partakers of the root and fatness of their tree, and have become the children of their progenitor, Abraham (Rom 4:1,11-12; 11:17). Of course, if Israel is altogether cut off, then we are also, for we have been grafted into their tree. God did not grow a new tree!
However, having said that, we should not suppose that we have learned to sing this song to the same degree Israel will learn it when the veil is lifted from their eyes. The fervor that will grip their hearts when they become associated with the Lamb will dwarf what has occurred in the Gentile church. It will spark a revival in the world that will cause the last harvest to be the greatest one. The song will affect them more than it has the Gentile church. That is why "the times of the Gentiles" will be brought to an end (Lk 21:24; Rom 11:25).
We know this is the case because of the wording of this text. The song is not said to be learned simply by those "redeemed from the earth." Rather, the song is said to have been learned ONLY by "the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." Once again, that number has been defined as a vast number "of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev 7:4).
The meaning of the text, then, is that the reborn and united children of Israel will have more of the spirit of the New Covenant than the combined Gentile church. If one views the history of the times during which "the fulness of the Gentiles" is being gathered, it will become apparent that, for the most part, they have not learned the song. There is a level of division and disharmony in the Gentile church that boggles the mind. Scarcely a place can be found on the globe where professed believers are harmonious. There is a level of corruption within the church that has brought unspeakable sorrow and discouragement to a myriad of souls.
This does not mean an individual cannot sing the song of redemption with the spirit and with the understanding. It will, however, be an exception to the professed Christian norm, as any insightful soul will confess. Notwithstanding, we thank God for all who have learned the song. We intend as well to become expert in singing it ourselves, as God permits.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the prospect of people seeing You more clearly, and singing more insightfully.