Christ Our Satisfied Savior

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. redeemed...: Gr. were bought And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. - Revelation 14:1-5

    ‘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’ (Revelation 14:1)

    Isaiah declared that the Lord Jesus Christ 'shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied' (Isa. 53:11). That simply means that in the end, the Son of God will have with him in glory all those who were given to him from eternity (John 17:24) and that they will be made perfect, holy, unblamable, and unreprovable, without fault before God himself (John 17:23). This is what it will take for Christ to be satisfied (Eph. 5:25-27). Nothing short of the eternal blessedness of God's elect will satisfy him who satisfied the wrath and justice of God for them upon the cursed tree. In Revelation 14:1-5, the apostle John describes that eternal blessedness of God's elect in their ultimate glorification, which is the satisfaction of Christ as the Lamb of God, their Redeemer.

    Turning his eyes from the terrible scene of woe in chapter 13, John looked up to heaven, 'And, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.' This is that 'mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abideth forever' (Ps. 125:1). This mount Sion is heaven, the city of our God, the final abode of God's saints (Heb. 12:22-23). John is still talking about the same place when he says in verse 2, 'And I heard a voice from heaven.' In verses 6-20 he describes the events immediately preceding and leading up to the ultimate blessedness of God's elect; but he appears to have been so overjoyed by what he saw in store for God's saints that he had to describe their glorious end first.

    Try to get the picture fixed in your mind's eye as John saw it. There stands the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, preeminent in heaven. With him there are 144,000 who have 'his Father's name written in their foreheads.' This is the same sealed multitude described in chapter 7:3-4. There the saints were seen as still living upon the earth, surrounded by numerous enemies. Here they are seen standing in heaven with the Lamb, enjoying the bliss and glory of their predestined inheritance after the final judgment. 'Although the dragon has done his utmost to make them unfaithful to their Lord, and although he has employed two beasts to assist him, not a single one of the hundred and forty-four thousand is missing' (William Hendriksen). The scene before us is both magnificent and inspiring! Child of God, lift up your eyes to behold it. This shall be your final end! Let heart and soul rejoice! In the end, when all things are finished, you will stand without fault before the throne of God. In that glorious, perpetual day, you will worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved you and gave himself for you, perfectly!

    The singular object of adoration and worship in heaven is the Lamb of God

    Though john saw and described many things, nothing so arrested his heart and mind as the person of that all-glorious lamb, who is the lord jesus christ, our god and savior. That lamb is the reward, glory, and delight of heaven. Indeed, christ the lamb is heaven! 'heaven and christ are the same things; to be with christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with christ' (samuel rutherford).

    Notice the figure under which Christ is represented in heaven - 'I looked, and lo, a Lamb!' Twenty-six times in the Book of Revelation, Christ is referred to as a Lamb. Why is the Lamb always in the forefront?

    1. No one can approach God, but by the Lamb (Heb. 9:7).

    2. We cannot know, serve, praise, and honor God in true worship, but by the Lamb (John 1:18; 1 Peter 2:5).

    3. Christ is worshipped as the Lamb in heaven, because it was as a Lamb that he died and accomplished the redemption of his people (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-20).

    4. He who sets upon the throne of God in our nature is seen as a Lamb to encourage us to come to him. Christ is a Lion to his enemies, but a Lamb for his people. What child fears a lamb? We need never fear coming to the Lamb of God upon the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).

    Notice also the posture of the Lamb in heaven - 'A Lamb stood in heaven.' Standing is the posture of triumph. The Father said to the Son, 'Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool' (Acts 2:34-35). Now it is done! All his enemies have been made to bow before his throne. Like a mighty Victor, he stands erect in the last day, gloriously triumphant. He stooped to be merciful to a sinner (John 8:6, 8). He knelt to pray (Luke 22:41-42). Once he hung upon the cursed tree to put away the sins of his people (1 Peter 2:24). Today, he sits in sovereign dominion upon the throne of God (Heb. 10:12-13). But in the end we see him standing to receive eternal praise for all his accomplishments (Isa. 45:20-25; Phil. 2:9-11).

    Those who shall be found in heaven worshipping the Lamb are God's elect multitude (v. 1)

    Remember the 144,00 are the same ones who were sealed in chapter 7. They are an elect multitude, marked out from eternity with the Father's name written upon their foreheads. The number 144,00 indicates two things:

    1. God's elect are a very great multitude. At any given time and in any given place in history, they appear to be few. But when all the elect are gathered in heaven, they shall be 'many brethren' (Rom. 8:29), a multitude which no man can number (Rev. 7:9).

    2. The number of the elect is a certain number. We do not know who they are, but God does. We do not know how many there are, but God does. The elect are a multitude known by God from eternity whom he will gather from the four corners. Thank God for his electing love! Were it not for God's election, no one would ever have been saved (John 15:16; Ps. 65:4). Election guaranteed that a great multitude, 'ten thousand times ten thousand,' would be saved (Rom. 8:29-30).

    The saints of God in heaven sing a new song, but it is a song learned upon the earth (vv. 2-3)

    It is a song born of experience, inspired by gratitude, and intended solely for the praise of the Lamb. It is a song sung by many, from many places - 'many waters.' It is a song of majestic wonder, indicated by 'great thunders.' It is a song of great joy, inspired by electing grace, indicated by the 'harpers harping.' it is a song of particular, special, accomplished redemption. The ones singing are all those who 'were redeemed from the earth,' not redeemed with, but from the rest of the people of the earth. It is called a 'new song,' because it is about the blessings and privileges of the new covenant (Heb. 8:8-12) and a new experience of grace - The Resurrection of the Body!

    Those who shall be found in heaven worshipping the Lamb in eternity are those who experienced his saving grace upon the earth (vv. 4-5)

    None shall enter heaven but those who have been chosen by God the Father (2 Thess. 2:13), redeemed by God the Son (Gal. 3:13), and made to experience grace by the call of God the Holy Spirit (Ps. 65:4). And not one of the chosen, redeemed, and called ones shall fail to reach this blessed estate (Rom. 8:29-30). Grace is glory begun; and glory is grace completed. Grace does not merely offer glory. Grace makes sinners worthy of glory and brings them into glory (Col. 1:12; Phil. 1:6). Though we are by nature corrupt and defiled, in Christ we are virgins (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Though we have all gone astray from God (Isa. 53:6), grace has made us followers of the Lamb (John 10:3-5). Though we were lost and ruined with Adam's fallen race, God's elect have been effectually 'redeemed from among men' (Gal. 3:13). Do not fail to observe the fact that redemption is spoken of throughout the book of Revelation as an effectually accomplished, particular work of grace specifically for those who are God's elect. It is never spoken of as a vague, general atonement for all people. Though we are by nature full of deceit (Mk. 7:21-23), grace has made the believer guiltless, without hypocrisy, and sincere (Phil. 3:3). And every child of God stands without fault before the throne of God! We are so now, judicially, through the blood of Christ and the imputation of his righteousness to us. And we shall be, in eternity, without fault personally as we stand before our God (Eph. 1:4; 5:25-27; Heb. 12:14). Will you be in that number?