Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Following the Lamb on Mount Zion : Day 51 
Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. (Revelation 14:1-5)
The Lamb of God
John's next vision opens with the Lamb standing in triumph on Mount Zion and with him the one hundred and forty-four thousand, surrounded by a countless number of faithful believers, of whom we read in chapter 7. They are marked with his name and with the name of his Father on their foreheads.
Father's Name Written on their Foreheads
In the ancient world, a mark upon a person could stand for several things. It could stand for ownership. Often the slave was branded with his owner's mark, as sheep and cattle are branded. It could stand for loyalty. The soldier would sometimes brand his hand with the name of the general whom he loved and would follow into any battle. The company of the Lamb are the veterans who have proved their loyalty.
There is a curious third or fourth century papyrus letter from a son to his father Apollo. Times are dangerous, and the son and the father are separated. The son sends his greetings and good wishes, and then goes on: "I have indeed told you before of my grief at your absence from among us, and my fear that something dreadful might happen to you, and that we may not find your body. Indeed, I often wished to tell you that, having regard to the insecurity, I wanted to stamp a mark upon you" (1). The son wished to put a mark upon his father's body in order to keep it safe. The company of the Lamb are those marked for security in life and in death.
Brand Mark
It could stand for dependence. quotes a curious example of this. The great Arab chieftains had their humble clients who were absolutely dependent on them. Often the sheik would brand them with the same mark as he used to brand his camels to show that they were dependent on him (2). The company of the Lamb are those who are utterly dependent on his love and grace.
Stamp
It could stand for safety. It was common for those who were the devotees of a god to be stamped with his sign. Some times that worked very cruelly. Plutarch tells us that after the disastrous defeat of the Athenians under Nicias in Sicily, the Sicilians took the captives and branded them on the forehead with a galloping horse, the emblem of Sicily (3). Ptolemy the Fourth of Egypt ordered that "all Jews should be degraded to the lowest rank and to the condition of slaves; and that those who spoke against it should be taken by force and put to death; and that these when they were registered should be marked with a brand on their bodies, with the ivy leaf, the emblem of Bacchus" (4).
Tattoo
The Syrians were regularly tattooed on the wrist or the neck with the mark of their god. But there is a more relevant instance than any of these. There was a temple of Heracles at the mouth of the Nile which possessed the right of asylum.(5) Any criminal, slave or free man, was safe there from pursuing vengeance. When such a fugitive reached that temple, he was branded with certain sacred marks in token that he had delivered himself to the god and that none could touch him any more.The company of the Lamb are those who have cast themselves on the mercy of God in Jesus Christ and are for ever safe.
The Tender and Consoling Lamb
Now follows a tender and consoling vision of the Lamb and his companions. The number one hundred and forty-four thousand represent believers who have endured persecutions on earth, are moralistically pure, and now are ready to enjoy the eternal benefits and blessings of life with God. They are followers of the Lamb and gather on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the traditional place where the true remnant, the Israel of faith, is to be gathered in the messianic reign. They are marked as the Lamb's with a sign on their foreheads, like the sheep in Wales which have a color paint mark on their back to show which farmer owns them. This is in contrast to the pagans who are marked with the name or number of the beast.
True believers are spiritually pure and have remained faithful to Christ, free from involvement with the pagan world system. They are first fruits being dedicated as the first part of the harvest as holy to God.
The Number 144,000
144,000 are maybe a special class of people in a close relationship to God by virtue of their abstinence from sex (celibacy), devotion to the Lamb, and were willing to accept martyrdom. They were offered as first fruits to God. Alternatively the church may represent the pure virgin bride of Christ compared to a corrupt and defiled secular society. Pure means spiritual purity as devotion or physical purity as chastity. They were not deceived because they did not deny Christ or do homage to the beast. Lying is characteristic of the opponents of Christ, but the Suffering Servant spoke no falsehood. They are unblemished as were the sacrificial animals. These followers were worthy of the praise of the Lamb because of their loyalty, their purity and the way they resisted evil.
Words to meditate on
Are you a true follower of the Lamb of God?
Words to pray
I am grateful to you, Lord, that I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and cleansed of every sin.
I dedicate myself to holiness in you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Notes
(1) P. Oxy. 680 (2) Robertson Smith (3) Plutarch: Nicias 29 (4) 3 Maccabees 2:28, 29 (5) Herodotus 2:113
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."