1 Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The 144,000 were the multiplied tribes that were sealed in chapter 7. Again, these tribes are referenced along with the lamb, who in chapter 19, is the bride. The tribes were married to God through the law, but the law died so they are able to remarry into the law of Christ, as referenced in the Philadelphia church age in chapter 3 and explained with bible verses in chapter 19.
The name of the lamb and the name of the Father is written on their foreheads. Before Jesus, the law would have written the name of the Most High God on their foreheads, as seen in Ezekiel 9:4 And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” Notice where the loyalty to God started, in the thoughts of the men. They had such intense thoughts of God's ways with love and loyalty to Him that they were sighing and groaning, an outward expression of their tormented thoughts. We can't know what goes on in a man's mind, only God knows. But there will be a multitude of men and women that follow the Lamb and intensely follow the commands of God. Look for a resurgence in the heart of the law, because of inward thoughts of love and loyalty. The law does not save, so they will also follow the Lamb. This will be a new type of religious worship, because this group is called virgins, and again they have not been defiled with women. This is the start of this new move of God, and the fulfillment is given in Revelation 22:4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
The phrase "follow the lamb" is more than just a mental thought of love and loyalty. God calls this New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22, and there are dozens of references in the Old Testament. Look for the tribe of Ephraim, the second son of Joseph, and how this ties into the New Jerusalem. Verse 2 shows the rumbling of thunder, which was the 7 thunders in chapter 10, who were ready to prophesy the return of the tribes back to the promised land. Revelation 10:4 When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” ... 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he begins to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”
Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.” 17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. 18 “Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
Ezekiel 37:16 “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18 And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, 21 then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. 22 And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24 “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
The 10 tribes were scattered throughout the earth. One of many examples is from Gutenberg.org from James Adair's book written in 1775 "History of the American Indians." Adair's book is one example, and the first half of the 500-page book is dedicated to Adair's extensive argument that Native American tribes are descended from ancient Israelites, comparing tribal languages and customs to Old Testament traditions. According to Native American tradition, they came over "from the sacred north, brought by the first light." This fulfills the verse in Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. The argument is that the 10 tribes wandered east of the promised land, even coming to North America. We also have the explosion of descendants that happened with Solomon and his nearly 1000 wives. The sons of Solomon would have likely been seen as princes, and if they went back to the homeland of their mother, they could have easily had multiple wives themselves. The tribe of Judah was exponentially multiplied through this one man, and there is no doubt Judah is also part of many tribes, peoples, and tongues. They will all be remembered by God because of the covenant made to Abraham.
Ezekiel 37 prophesies the return of the tribes, verse 1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” the dead will rise from the grave and the body will live when the Spirit is within them."
In the 1880s the Jews started returning to their old country of Israel, the First Aliyah from 1883 – 1910. During the first Aliyah, agricultural settlements called Moshava were established. Bones come together, then sinews and flesh and skin to cover them. From 1904 – 1914, the Second Aliyah is largely credited with the revival of the Hebrew language and establishing it as the standard language for Jews in Israel. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda contributed to the creation of the first modern Hebrew dictionary. Although he was an immigrant of the First Aliyah, his work mostly bore fruit during the second Aliyah. When we speak, we have breath, and this is the language God had for his people, fulfilling the command for Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath.
Now we can all appreciate the efforts of the Hebrew traditions and learn more about God because of Hebrew teachers. Every feast shows the nature of God and the redeeming power of Jesus. Every part of the Levite tradition is an aspect of God’s holiness and our need for Jesus as our savior. Keeping those traditions alive and explaining the details of them brings glory to God.
The tribes sing a new song to God and to the lamb. Psalm 98:1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory. 2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation and revealed His righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, in melodious song with the harp. 6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and all that fills it, the world, and all who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy 9before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
6 Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.
The gospel was proclaimed to all, and this pronouncement was before the hour of judgement, which is the reaping with the sickles later in verse 15. The reaping started in early 1900, so this proclamation of the eternal gospel was the Great Awakenings in the 1700 and 1800s. As shown in the Thyatira church, the great awakening spanned the entire planet. New denominations were being formed and God even used Imperialism to send the King James bible to every part of the earth. In Revelation 22:17 it shows that the Spirit and the Bride say "Come!" We are shown the bride is the redeemed tribes, and the spirit is the awakened saints.
7 And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”
The hour of judgement here is not the hour of judgement to the great city Babylon in chapter 18, because that is shown in next in verse 8. The hour of judgement here the end of the vial judgements, and we see the link here with the use of the phrase "springs of waters" that were located in the Holy Roman Empire. Look to chapter 16 for the vial judgements, and they end with the three frogs then Jesus coming as a thief. This phrase links to the Sardis church age in Revelation 3:3. This time that Jesus comes as a thief was WWI, the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression and famine, the Holocaust and WWII. These events are explained later in this chapter as well as in chapter 16. This chapter describes the wars as 2 great sickles, and in chapter 16 it's described as great hailstones.
8 Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” 9 And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
After the hour of judgement will be the fall of Babylon, which also receives an hour of judgement. The hour above lasted 30 years, but there was a half an hour of silence in Revelation 8. IF the silence was the blessed tranquility lasting 3-4 years, then Babylon's fall might happen in 8 years. IF an hour is the same as the sickles/hailstones, then it could take 30 years. This is not to set dates, but to prepare you for AT LEAST 8 years, maybe 30 years for the fall of Babylon, and let go of the rapture narrative. We are warned here that anyone who worships the beast, and the image and mark, they too will drink the wine and be tormented with fire. These two events might be back-to-back, or they might be simultaneously. Either way they will be close together in time, and soon upon us.
In verse 10 it looks like there are two different times of torment for the faithless. There is the cup of wrath, see this in chapter 18, and there is a torment of fire and sulfur. This torment rises forever and ever, which should be translated as the age upon age - aionas aionion. This is the end of the age judgement in chapter 20, where even death and Hades burn in the final lake of fire. We must heed the word again of "perseverance of the saints" because it will be longer than we expect. Revelation 13:10 also gave the warning to persevere after the description of the sea beast. We can also look at the three prophecies in Matthew 25 for the commands of Jesus, the first being the parable of the 10 virgins, then the parable of the talent coins, then the parable of the sheep and goats. The consequence of hiding your coin is outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth - bitter suffering. This might be what verse 10 above means when it says they will be tormented in fire and sulfur. Look also at the torment that the great city will endure in chapter 18. She will have her own plagues, one being the plague of mourning through the loss of family members through war. The consequence of being a goat is the end of the age - aiōnion - punishment which also ties in here to the smoke of their torment. This punishment is not hell, rather it is blows as described in Luke 12:46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. This describes the phrase from verse 13 "for their deeds will follow them."
The Spirit here agrees with the voice from heaven, and it says we are to rest from our labors. This rest from their labor was also given to the tribulation saints in Revelation 6:11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. While the tribes following the lamb to the promised land, here the saints are set aside by the Spirit who have a different purpose in the end times. There are many even today giving their lives in their works to be the saint. We should all be prepared to follow in every martyr's footsteps, and hold to the promise in verses 12-13 to persevere, keep the commandments of God, the faith of Jesus and be ready whatever the cost. We know our deeds will be remembered and kept for us, 2 Timothy 1:12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
14 And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest, for the crop of the earth is ripe.” 16 So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
The white cloud and sickles goes back to the hour of judgement in verse 8. The timeline of this is confirmed not only in the church ages, but in chapter 16 as well. So, these verses here explains the hour of wrath mentioned in verse 7. The sharp sickle was WWI, and the earth was ripe because of the second great awakenings starting in the 1800s. The second sickle was WWII and the angel with authority over the fire harvested the grapes. We look to John chapters 14 & 15 to see the followers of Jesus being grafted onto the vine. They bear fruit which is called the blood of grapes, and Jesus was given his own cup of suffering. Two examples of the "Day of the Lord" are found in Zephaniah 1:14-18 and Malachi 4, but there are more that these to read.
See this verse from Enoch, 1 Enoch:1 In those days, in one place, fathers together with their sons shall be smitten, and brothers will fall in death with one another until the streams flow with their blood. 2 For a man shall not spare his hand from slaying his sons and his sons' sons, and the sinner shall not spare his hand from his honored brother: from dawn till sunset they shall slay one another. 3 And the horse shall wade up to the breast in the blood of sinners, and the chariot shall be submerged to its height. 4 In those days, the angels shall descend into the secret places and gather together all those who brought down sin, and the Most High will arise on that day of judgment to execute great judgment among sinners. 5 And over all the righteous and holy, He will appoint guardians from among the holy angels to guard them as the apple of an eye, until He makes an end of all wickedness and all sin, and though the righteous sleep a long sleep, they have nothing to fear.
Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great. Lamentations 1:15 The Lord has rejected all the mighty men in my midst; He has summoned an army against me to crush my young warriors. Like grapes in a winepress, the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah. Genesis 49:11 He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
The holocaust, or in the Greek - burnt offering - started in 1933, lasting 12 years until 1945. The verse says the place of gathering the fruit of the vine would be outside the city. The concentration and death camps during WW2 were indeed out in the country. The verse from Enoch's slaughter also says that it would rise to the horse's bridle, but also to submerge the chariot. The carnage would be incomprehensible. Lets look at the translation closer.
When we read the Strong's and other translations of the verse, there is no mention of "distance." Here's Smith's Literal Translation: And the winepress was trodden under foot without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the horses' bridles, from sixteen hundred stadia. The stadia they are referring to is the race track of the colosseum, which can be calculated as a distance, which would be the reason for the mis-translation in the ESV. We are not measuring distance here, we are needing to imagine what happened IN those colosseums, and not just 1 stadia, but 1600 stadia. There would be carnage of 4 x 10 x 10. Four showing the four winds, so all directions, and 10 x 10 is a multitude. This implies more death and torture than that even of the most bloodthirsty Roman emperors. The usage of the chariot in Enoch's version further solidifies this idea because of the chariot races that were held in these colosseums. Jesus gathered the grapes and treads the winepress in chapter 19. Jesus takes this sacrifice to mix the cup of staggering given to Babylon, the great city in Revelation 18:2. This shows that the mixing of the cup must come after WWII. The 3 beasts, and the kings, have not yet fallen, so Revelation 18 is still waiting to be fulfilled.
The rest of this timeline is listed in chapter 15, so I'm putting it here for the sake of clarity.
Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
The final bowl of wrath, shown in chapter 16, was WWI and WWII, then the wrath of God is finished. This ends Imperialism and the world domination of the sea beast. If the wrath of God is finished, then what do we call the rest of the judgement that comes to Babylon the great city and the dragon beast? There really isn't a catchy term for it so look at it as the final process of judgement by fire. Both Babylon and the dragon come to their end in fire. After the wrath of God, there is a sea of glass mingled with fire. The sea of glass is the firmament, God's footstool, shown in Revelation 4. You might not have been able to imagine the heavenly realm receiving the fire of judgement, but with the alien disclosure being voiced at the top levels of government, we know the time for the judgement of angels is upon us. This happens at the end of this age, when the beast, its image and number are conquered.
In Revelation 3:21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ.
Paul explains that the saints will judge in 1 Corinthians 3:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! Jesus himself told his disciples in Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The fire is the judgement, since the earth will not be judged by a flood. The rainbow on the great angel in Chapter 10 reminds us of that. The fiery firmament indicates that there will not only be a new earth, but a new heaven as well, or, the heavens will be cleansed of the unholy heavenly beings, the fallen angels.
See the song of Moses in Exodus 15. Imagine how this song could be revised to show the mighty works of Jesus when he comes to make all things new. Here's a portion, and instead of waters, replace the word with fire.
Exodus 15:9 The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’ 10 But You blew with Your breath, and the (sea covered) fire consumed them. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:9 But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.
Chapter 14 (pdf)
Download