[§237] Rev 14:3: The New Song of the 144,000 Before the Throne

This podcast explains the symbolism used by John to describe events on heavenly Mount Zion in Revelation 14:2-3. In verse 2, John heard the voice of God the father represented by the voice of many waters, and the voice of a great thunder. These images depict the power and majesty of God as he speaks from his throne in heaven. John also heard “the voice of harpers harping with their harps.” This imagery reflects the joyful conditions in heaven as the 144,000 Servants stand on Mount Zion in their resurrected and redeemed state. In Revelation 14:3, the 144,000 Servants “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.” The 144,000 servants sing a new song based on their redeemed status, even though it is also an old song sung in anticipation of their redeemed condition. The 144,000 Servants sing in close proximity before the throne to indicate that these exalted saints stand in a favored condition before God. They also sing in the presence of the four beasts representing the four classes of creation and the 24 Elders who represent the exaltation-worthy saints who were once members of the seven churches in Asia. The 24 Elders were a separate group in prior visions, but in Revelation 14 they are also redeemed and exalted. Therefore, they become numbered among the 144,000 Servants. All 144,000 Servants are redeemed from the earth, which means they achieve a state of godhood as kings and priests who will begin their rule with Christ during the millennium and throughout all eternity.