Revelation 14:1; A Lamb Stood on the Mount Zion
Revelation 14:1 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.
The interpretation of this clause varies: some scholars take the place name literally as another name for Jerusalem, where the Lord at his coming will be with the 144,000 on Mount Zion. The projection then is futuristic but placed in the framework of having already occurred.The difficulty with this view is that the Scriptures teach the return of Christ on the clouds of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, the transformation of those who are alive at that time, and the saints forever with the Lord (Matt. 24:30–31; 1 Thess. 4:16–17).
Matthew 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Jesus and Paul portray Jesus’ Second Coming with a loud command, shouting, and the trumpet call of God. But in Revelation John observes without any prior indication that the Lamb stands on Mount Zion as the battle between the forces of Satan and the followers of the Lamb continues to rage. In brief, the Lamb has been standing there all the time.
Other scholars see the location of Mount Zion in heaven where the 144,000 reside as the redeemed from the earth (v3). This is the Jerusalem that is above, for there the church of the firstborn gathers in joyful assembly (Heb. 12:22–24).
Hebrews 12:22-24 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that ofAbel.
There God dwells with his people in the heavenly Jerusalem (Galatians 4:26)
Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
A third explanation is that in this book of contrasts and symbolism, John places the Lamb on Mount Zion in contrasts with the lamb coming out of the earth (Revelation 13:11).
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
While the Antichrist appears to rule as the supreme commander in the world and causes the countless multitudes to worship him, the Lamb stands on Mount Zion. He is not suddenly coming to the aid of his people, but he has been there all along as the King of kings, the commander in chief, the supreme ruler in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
So Moses told the Israelites: “Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.” (Deuteronomy 4:39). When the saints on earth are persecuted by anti-Christian forces and are told that the beast is the supreme ruler on earth, they should not despair. When they open their spiritual eyes, they see the Lamb standing on Mount Zion who gives them the assurance that they are safe and secure. The days of the Antichrist are numbered because he is going down in defeat.
What then is the meaning of Mount Zion? Together with the term Lamb it should be understood symbolically. This becomes plain when we look at Psalm 2, in which the nations, peoples, kings, and rulers plot against God’s Anointed One, the Christ. They want to free themselves of all the laws and rules that God has given them, but God scoffs at them and declares that he has installed his royal Son on Zion’s holy hill. The Son rules the nations with an iron scepter and dashes them to pieces like pottery (Ps. 2:1–9).
Psalm 2:1-9 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth forthy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
The rule of the Antichrist will end because of God’s Son standing on Mount Zion. Not the lamb out of the earth but the Lamb of God is the King of this world. As in this psalm, so in the Apocalypse the intent of the expression Mount Zion is symbolic. It is the place of God’s dwelling as a symbol of safety and stability for His people.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 400–401). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
This is a more probable explanation:
The text also describes the 144,000 as having His [the Lamb’s] name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. Unbelievers will receive the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16–17); the 144,000 will have the mark of God placed on their foreheads (7:3) for their protection.
Revelation 13:6-7 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Revelation 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Satan and the unbelieving world will desperately seek to kill these powerful, fearless preachers of the gospel. But, having marked them as His own possession, God will not permit them to be harmed. Throughout the cataclysmic outpouring of God’s final judgments and Satan’s final fury, they will preach the gospel. They will confront unbelievers with their sins, call them to repentance and faith in the Savior, and proclaim that the catastrophes taking place are God’s righteous judgments. And despite Satan’s best efforts, all 144,000 will survive to meet Christ on Mount Zion at His second coming. They will enter the millennial kingdom as living men. Most likely, the 144,000 will continue their evangelistic work throughout that thousand-year period. While only redeemed people will enter the kingdom, the children born to them (cf. Isaiah 65:23) will not all believe.
Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
In fact, there will be enough unregenerate people by the end of the Millennium for Satan to lead a worldwide rebellion against Christ’s rule (20:7–10).
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom isas the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Thus, Scripture speaks of salvation during the Millennium (cf. Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 8:23)— a salvation the 144,000 will no doubt proclaim.
Isaiah 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2000). Revelation 12–22 (pp. 72–73). Chicago: Moody Press.
This parenthetical chapter in Revelation is largely anticipative. Chapter 14-16 describe preparations for messanic judgment and offer a mingling of songs and sobs, music and misery, you and judgment, glory and gloom, heaven and hell. Chapter 14 contains a sevenfold intervention in grace and judgment. It constitutes an answer to the cry of the remnant, “Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). The oft-repeated cry, “How long, O Lord?” finds an answer, a responsive chord in our own hearts, as we think of the slaughter, misery, and anguish of our sin-laden, war-torn days. Will God never show His hand? Are the forces of iniquity to be forever victorious? Has God abandoned His saints to the will of the enemy? When will He intervene?
This chapter proves that God will have His day. The mills of God’s justice may appear to grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly sure.
This chapter is well placed, since it serves as a necessary prelude to the fearful providential judgments of God. Chapter 12-14 form an episode of dramatic interest – a single connected prophecy. Chapter 12-13 describe the doings of the dragon and the beasts. Truth has fallen upon the streets; the blood of the saints flow as freely as water; open defiance of God is the order of the day. Good is almost banished from the earth (Psalm 4:6) and faith has gone. (Luke 18:8). The whole prophetic scene has become Satan’s playground.
But we breath more freely in chapter 14. The divine reaper is at hand. Earth’s horrible iniquity is about to end.
[Herbert Lockyer, All About the Second Coming, Hendrickson, 2007, 121-122]
What rejoicing for the people of God! Amen.