The brave, the brave have come
home again. Glorious days of E.R. Spokane, Zion's city of pride. All right, turn in your Bibles
to Revelation 14, 14th chapter of Revelation. This is for our, well, a couple
of our ladies that teach the classes and aren't in on these
studies of Revelation. Poor Deborah had to keep the
nursery tonight. We're thankful. Aren't we, Rick? Mighty thankful. Revelation 14. Now, the first
five verses. This is what we're going to deal
with. Let's go ahead and read these first five verses. I looked,
and lo, a lamb stood on the Mount Zion. And with him a hundred
and forty four thousand. Having his father's name written
in their forehead. And I heard a voice from heaven.
As a voice of many waters. As a voice of a great thunder.
And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their hearts. And
they sung as it were a new song before the throne. and before
the four beasts and the four 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. And in their mouth was found
no guide for them. They are without fault before
the throne of God. All right, these five verses
can easily be divided into four headings, four divisions, if
you're taking note. First, John sees a vision, and
then he hears a voice, and then he hears a song, and then he
sees a people. And that's what we're going to
look at, a vision, a voice, a song. and a people. All right, verse
one, let's look at it again. And I looked, and, lo, a lamb
stood on the mount Zion, a lamb. Now, before God created the heavens
and the earth, before the foundation of the world, Scripture says
there was a lamb, a flame, from the beginning of creation. From
Genesis to Revelation, all the way through God's Word, we see
and hear of a lamb, a lamb. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
this lamb. It was a lamb which God killed
and skinned to clothe that first, those first sinners in the garden. Someone said, Well, it doesn't
say it was a lamb. How do you know? Oh, I know. It was a lamb which God provided. The world may not know, but God's
people know. It was a lamb which God provided
himself and Abraham and Isaac to kill in the stead of Isaac
on that mountain, Mount Moriah. It was a lamb which God told
his people to kill and eat at the first Passover and when God
saw the blood of that lamb on the door post and the level he
passed over those people. It was a lamb which God told
the high priest to offer to cleanse everyone that was unclean from
impure to lepers whatever and whoever that was unclaimed that
needed cleansing. Kill a lamb, he said, and that'll
clean you. It was a lamb which God required
for the remission of every sin and the redemption of every sinner,
the blood of the lamb. And when John was preaching at
Jordan, you know what he said. when he saw the Lord Jesus Christ
passing by, John said, Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh
away the sin of the world. And every saved sinner from first
to last was redeemed by the blood, the precious blood, we should
say, of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And when we get to glory, the
first thing we're going to see And if you look to be fine. First thing you'll see is a line.
In your state lamb and look at this it says a lamb stood on
Mount Zion a light low. I look and low a lamb. Stood on the Mount Zion. Now, I love mountains. That's
the reason I love this state. I love these mountains, these
Blue Ridge Mountains. Mountains, to me, are glorious. I go to the flatlands, and I
think, now, you can just have this place. I love the mountains. They're glorious. They're majestic.
The view from atop a high mountain is just glorious. I stood on,
my wife and I stood on top of the Rocky Mountains in the middle
of winter. Those snow, oh, glory. And I stood on the Smoky Mountains,
Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and so on. Scripture
speaks of many different mountains. Many mountains mentioned in Scripture,
mountains, sea air, mountains. And these would be good studies
every one of these Mount Mount Moriah. The gospel was seen there
wasn't it. Mount Hermon, Mount Pisgah, lofty
heights, Mount Gilead, Mount Olivet. But the three principal
mountains in Scripture, three mountains that concern us. The
first mountain I want you to turn to Hebrews twelve with Hebrews
chapter twelve. Anybody like to venture a guess
as to the first mountain that concerns us? Way back yonder. That's it. Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai. Three principal
mountains. First is Mount Sinai where God gave the law. That
was a glorious mountain. It quaked and burned and smoked
where God's holiness and justice is seen. But nobody could stand
on that mountain. Look at this, Hebrew 12, verse
18. You not come unto the mountain
that might be touched, that burned with fire, nor unto blackness
and darkness and tempest. The sound of the trumpet, the
voice of words, which voice they that heard, intrigued, that the
word should not be spoken to them any more. Remember when
the people said to Moses, when they saw the mountain tremble
and they couldn't endure it? Verse 20. They could not endure
that which was commanded. And so much as a beast touched
that mountain, it should be stoned, thrust through the dark. So terrible
was the sight. Moses said, I fear, I quake,
I tremble. can't go near that mountain.
Some people try to think they're trying to scale them. Scripture
says you can't even touch it. And then another mountain, a
central mountain, There's three principal mountains, Mount Sinai
and then Mount Calvary. That's good. That's good. One of our ladies is answering
them all. Then you have Mount Calvary, the central mountain,
the most important mountain of all. Right? See, the first mountain,
Mount Sinai, is where God gave the law. All right? Mount Calvary is where Christ
nailed it to the cross. Nailed the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us. That's where God took the lamb
that he provided. The lamb of God and slew that
lamb and shed its blood on the doorpost and the metal. To shed his blood for the atonement
of all of his people and cover them. That's where God stemmed
the lamb and covered all sinners in his righteousness. But Christ
was there alone. No man could go there with him.
Couldn't go to that mountain. But look at verse 22 here in
Hebrews chapter 12. Now here's a mountain it says
that we can all come to. Verse 22. You come unto Mount
Sinai. Unto the city of the living God.
Mount Sinai. That always, all the way through
Scripture, Mount Sinai has always represented what? The church. the church. We can come, sit on a hill where
the Holy God and the Lamb slain meet with the people. All the
people can come, boldly, and gather together. And God will
come there, and the Lamb's there, and we're all together. All together,
a gathering place where all God's people may freely come. All right,
back to Revelation 14. And John said, I looked, and
lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount, Mount Sinai. He stood on the
mountain and it says and with him. With him and hundred and
forty and four thousand. With him salvation right here
is salvation in two words. With him. You're going to be
saved. If you're going to be in glory.
You're going to be with him. How come you're here? You'll be with him that's what
salvation is to work in crime with crime by crime of the law
salvation is to be with him and said one hundred and forty four
thousand who are these one hundred and forty four thousand. I believe it's the same ones
we looked at before but it doesn't say their name It doesn't tell
us really. What is important is that they're
with me. And they're with me and their
names are not important God knows God knows everyone he's got all
the names written in a book. Lamb slain, the book, the Lamb
slain before the foundation of the world. Every one of these
names are in that book. But the important thing here,
like I said, is that there was him. All right. He brought them
and he bought them. There was him. And he branded
them. Look at this. He branded them. Having his father's
name written in their forehead. So he bought them, he brought
them, and he branded them. They have his mark on them. says
they have his father's name written in their forehead. Now we've
seen many marks in the revelation thus far. Seal in the forehead
is the same thing. We've seen a mark on the heads
or the foreheads in the right hands of all those whose names
are not written in the land book of life. None of these things,
none of these marks or seals are visible. None of these things
are visible. Not an actual mark in the forehead,
but what this is, we've already seen this. This is God in the minds of his people. Scripture
says, concerning the world, that God is not in all their thoughts.
But they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, professing
themselves to be wise, but they don't know God and don't even
think about God. Don't even think there is a God. Professing themselves
to be wise, they become fools. The fool has said there is no
God. They don't think about God. But God is in all the thoughts
of God's people. They see God in everything. Don't
they? God's on their minds. His name
is in the forehead, on their mind, God's people. All right,
there's the vision, all right? He saw a land and a people. All right, verse 2, now here's
a voice. John hears a voice, verse 2, and I heard a voice
from heaven, as the voice of many waters, as the voice of
a great thunder. I heard the voice of harpers
harping with their harp. I heard a voice, John said. Now,
it doesn't say what this voice said, does it? I know what it said. All God's people know what it
said. Because we've heard this voice before. It's not a new
voice. Same voice which all of God's
people have been hearing from the beginning. Look at Matthew
3. This is not new. We're going to see a song here.
We're going to hear a song here in a little bit. It's called
a new song. Well, it's not new to God's people. And this voice is not a new voice
to God's people. It's an old voice. Same voice.
Familiar voice. familiar word, look at Matthew
three. God's people have been hearing these same words from
the beginning. Matthew three, verse seventeen,
lo, a voice from heaven sayeth, This is my beloved son, in whom
I am well pleased. That's exactly what that voice
said, exactly. Any doubt? No doubt. That's recorded in all four Gospels,
five Gospels, Revelation. He says it's not recorded because
it's not given unto the world to know. Remember? Remember when it thundered and
Daniel, remember Daniel started to write and he said, No, don't
write, seal it up. John did too. Seal it up. Seal
it up among my people. But they know the boy. They know
the boy. They've heard it before. They know what he said. Do you
remember when Christ one time audibly said, Father, glorify
thy name? Do you remember what happened?
It says there came a voice from heaven that said, I have glorified,
both glorified it and I'll glorify it again. And it said everybody
else there thought it just thundered. They said it thundered. No, no,
no, God said it. God said something. And that
ought every time it thunders, you ought to think of that voice.
All right, God's people know what that voice says. This is
my beloved son, and I've glorified him, and I will glorify him again
for all to see. So there's a voice, a voice that
they heard. And it says, Harper's harping
on harps. Now, folks like to harp about
things, don't they? It's a play on words. Folks like
to harp about this or that. Well, saints like to harp. But
they harp about one thing. That's what people harp against,
too. Isn't that all you've got to say? Yeah. That's all they're harping about
in heaven is the Lamb. They're harping on... I heard
harpers harping with their harps, and they're harping on the Lamb.
I know. I know what they're harping.
I know the tune they're playing. And here's just a little here's
a little side note that you can collect a little money on that
and collect a little money next time. Somebody offered a reward
in the paper one time you remember they said it said five thousand
dollars to the first person who can show me from the New Testament
where it says that there's instrumental music. That there's instrumental
music being played in heaven. are in the church. You remember
that? That was by the, who was that? Seventh-day Adventist. Want to collect a little money? Write in and give them Revelation
14, 2. Our first harping on harps, if there's any doubt about it.
All right. All right, now here's a song.
Want to hear a song. Verse 3. And they sung, as it
were, a new song before the throne, which it says, 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. A new song. This is the song
of the redeemed. No man knew but the ones that
were redeemed. All right? Now, it doesn't tell
us what this song is, does it? Well, I know what it is, because
we know what it is. We're singing this song, and
it's not a new song. Look back at chapter 5. He's
already told us what this song is. All right? All of God's people
know this song. Chapter 5, verse 9. They sung
a new song. Say it! Thou art worthy to take
the book, and open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God
kings and priests. And we shall reign on the earth."
Verse 12, and all the 10,000 times, 10,000 and 1,000, they
all knew the song. Saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the Lamb. that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing
in every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, such as in the sea, and all that are in them.
Heard I say, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto
him that sitteth upon the throne under the Lamb for ever and ever."
All the redeemed know this song. They know this song. They've
been saying it from the beginning. Turn back there to Psalm 96.
I told you to mark that. You see now why we read that,
don't you? David knew the psalm. David said,
let's sing a new song. Didn't he? Sing a new song, he
said. Verse 3, sing unto the Lord.
Verse 2, sing unto the Lord. Bless his name. Show forth his
salvation. Declare his glory. Verse six,
honor and majesty are before him, strength and beauty. Verse
seven, give unto the Lord the glory and strength. Give unto
the Lord the glory, do unto his name. Verse ten, say among the
heathen that the Lord reigneth. Same song in it, same exact song
that the saints are singing in the New Testament, in the Revelation. And you know it's it's it's not
really new like I say it is known by all the same from the beginning.
Why is it called a new song? Why is it called a new song? Have you ever heard well everyone
in here has heard a song which really captivated you from the
very outset. A new song, something you heard
for the first time. Can you think of a song that
you heard for the first time and thought, oh, that's wonderful,
that's beautiful, huh? Brand new. Well, that's what
this song is like to God's people. throughout eternity. It's like
a brand new song every time they sing it. That's the reason the
gospel is called good news. It's an old, old story, but it's
fresh and new, and every time they hear it, though they've
heard it a thousand times, it's just like it's brand new. His
mercies are new every morning. And I tell you, we're going to
sing this song for ten thousand years, and somebody's going to
say, second verse, same as the first. It's going to be brand new every
time we sing it. Always fresh and enjoyed. So
there's the song, the vision, and a voice and a song. And here's the people, chapter
14, verse 4. Here's the people, a description
of these redeemed. Now, don't get hung up on the
144,000. All right, we've already gone into that, and that's not
important. And sometimes, know this, sometimes
the Lord gives a number, a definite number, just to tell us that
he knows exactly how many are going to be there. See, it's
a number which no man can come up with. And so he can't give it. Huh? He can't give it. There's not
a numerical system under that. Well, he can. And so sometimes
he gives a definite number that illustrates an infinite number. All right. All right, here's
the people, and here's the description of these redeemed, the description
of the 144,000 and the 10,000 times 1,000. Verse 4, these are they
which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. I turn over to 2 Corinthians
11. If that verse puzzles you, it won't after you read this.
The Lord is most certainly not talking about those that these
have never been married and never been with women physically, because
the Scripture says in Hebrews 13 that marriage is honorable
in all things, and the bed was undefiled. So the Lord is not
talking about that in that sense. If that were so, then Peter couldn't
be in this number, Moses, Abraham. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, none of
them. They were all married. It's not
talking about that and that scene. Here it is, 2 Corinthians 11.
Verse 2, Paul says, I'm jealous over you with godly jealousy,
for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ. A chaste virgin. Chaste meaning
pure. We're going to be presented pure.
Yes, we are. We're saved for our husband. Having never given ourselves
to anyone else. Oh, but you say, no, he found
us as harlot. But no, no, wait a minute now.
He gave us a new nature. And after that new nature has
been given us, no, we'll not defile ourselves and go after
other gods. Won't do it. Other saviors won't
do it. Other husbands won't do it. Uh-uh.
We belong to Him. We're married to another. Come
go with me." And then they try to entice her. No, uh-uh, uh-uh.
I'm married. I'm married. And we're given to Him, mind,
body, and soul. Now, virgin. He said, virgin, because when
we get to glory. Now listen. Right now, really,
we've been betrothed. All right? We've been betrothed to him.
But up there, Jenny, it talks about the marriage supper of
the Lamb. Right? There's going to be a
marriage in heaven for all the bride. And we're going to see
that in Revelation. 19, I believe it is, where the
bride comes down adorned, where they're presented to the bridegroom. And it's consummated, where we're
actually joined together. And death won't depart, and we
won't part. will be joined together, the
relationship will be consummated, will be one with Him, never to
part again. So in that sense, we chase the
Virgin. And look at this, it says in
Revelation 14, verse 4, it says, These are they. I like that it doesn't give names,
because I, they, these are they. I can put myself there. These
are they which follow the Lamb. They follow the Lamb with us
wherever He goes. God's people don't follow the
world, they follow the Lamb. God's people don't follow world
opinion, they follow the Lamb, His Word.
God's people don't follow the world's fashions, they follow
the Lamb. Like the people in the town of
Mansoul when Emmanuel captured the town. It says when he walked
in the town and was walking through the middle of the town, he said
everybody in the town got behind him, lined up right behind him
and started putting their feet in his footprint. They wanted
to walk just like him. They followed the lamb. They
wanted to walk and talk like him. They don't follow the Word. And while on earth, listen to
this, while on earth, whithersoever the gospel goes, that's where
you'll find Jesus. Why, they'll go all the way up
in the middle of nowhere, won't they? You can't say about any grace
church a bad location. I've thought that many times
about several places. God will bring them. It doesn't
matter where it is. He said, My sheep will hear my
voice and they'll follow me. They'll come where I am. I think that's the reason God
has us choose bad locations sometimes. to prove that it's not by means,
it's by my power, by my call. Me calling and bringing them.
Oh, but you got, how are you going to get them in? Huh? How
are you going to get them in, Jennie, unless you hit her? He
said, I'll bring them. I'll bring them from the north,
east, south. I'll bring them. They'll follow the Lamb. They'll
go wherever that gospel is. And they'll seek after it, they'll
find it, they'll cherish it, and they'll stay there faithful
to it. And look at this, it says they
were redeemed. These chaste virgins, these followers
of the Lamb were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits
unto God. among men. Christ didn't die
to save all men, but He died to save some from among men. Particular redemption. Redeemed
from among men. And why were they redeemed? They
were redeemed being the firstfruits unto God. They were redeemed
for His glory. Unto God. This people, He said,
I have I formed for myself. They'll show forth My glory. And under the Lamb, for His glory,
for His glory. This is why we believe this was
the Jews, 144,000, because the first church, Christ said, go
preach the gospel and begin at Jerusalem. And there were 12,000
out of every 12, all 12 tribes. All right. All right, verse 5, and it says,
continuing these descriptions, They said in their mouth, in
their mouth was found no guile, no guile. John talked about this,
he said, well Paul did, to young Timothy, he said, we have a true
conscience and faith unfeigned, unfeigned. God's people worship
him in spirit and in truth. True worshipers. Isn't that what
the scripture says? True worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth. From the heart and spirit and
the truth in Christ is true in his word. Every word of it. True
worship. They're true. They're true. They're sincere. As Paul said
in 2 Corinthians 2, 7 and 8, as of God, as of sincerity, as
of God, in the sight of God. speak we and worship we Christ,
true worshipper, unthanged faith. They're not faith in this. They're
not play in religion. They're not play in church. There's
no guile. They're Israelites and in whom
there is no guile. They're all Nathaniel's, every
one of them, God's people, no guile. But there is truth, good
report, honest, just, pure, lovely. That's what they think of. They're
true. No doubt. And it says they're
without fault. What did you say? I thought every
one of them were sinners. Well, they weren't. Now, this is in glory here now. They were sinners. He says, Thou
hast redeemed us. Thou hast washed us. But now
they're without fault. Won't that be glory? They're
without fault. Why? Why? Well, it's not my works
of righteousness which say that. Uh-uh. Not because they were
found faultless in and of themselves, but because the Lamb presented
them unblameful, unreprovable in God's sight. The Lamb, by
virtue of the shed blood and the imputed righteousness of
this Lamb, they're without fault. Who can lay anything in charge
of God's day? Nobody. Nobody. God justifies
it. God justifies it. Christ died.
Christ died. They're without fault because
of the Lamb. Because of the Lamb. And they're before the throne
of God. John says, And I looked, and
lo, a lamb. John saw a lamb. John heard a
voice. What was it? Behold, the Lamb of God. This
is my beloved Son. He heard a song. What was the
song? Heard of people, why were they
there? By the blood of the Lamb. Lamb, Lamb, Lamb. Or if I can put it like this,
if you love me, never do that, I may be brought into the next
eternal life. Good night. Or if you'd like to sing just a
song, Thank you. It will be a day in our hearts.
Thank you for giving your Word, providing your Word on the table
of our hearts. It will be a day in our hearts. All of you thank
you. Not out of us, not out of ourselves. Not of this, not of this. It
will be a day. It always is. No, I can't hear you. I think I'm on audio. I can't hear you.