Singing of the Kingdom: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 14:1-5)

“‘I will sing with the spirit, I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Cor 14:15). The components of any spiritual experience are heart and mind—the heart to will and the mind to grasp; the heart to sense and the mind to comprehend. Both are needed. All heart and no mind means fanaticism. All mind and no heart means pharasaism.’ With these words, Dr. Bob Cook, president of Youth for Christ International, offered a foreword to the spiral-bound Singing Youth for Christ songbook of 1948.” This is the introduction to Christianity Today’s August 2008 article, A Singing Faith.

Christianity is a singing faith and that is true even of those who now reside in heaven, as this next passage in Revelation makes plain.

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.  (Revelation 14:1-5 ESV)

We are given another perspective of the anticipation of the kingdom’s coming as the last judgments are about to be poured out.

Zechariah 14 speaks of Yahweh coming and standing on the Mount of Olives in the last day.  This is the mount that stands over against Jerusalem (Mt. Zion). With him are the 144,000 Jewish believers who were sealed for protection and who likely were evangelists to their own nation and all the nations.  Here it is shown that the seal on their heads, unlike those who are marked by the beast, bears the name of Jesus and His Father.  What is the Father’s name?  Is it Yahweh?  Perhaps, though the Son is also called Yahweh in the Old Testament (Genesis 19:24).

The sounds of anticipation are a voice that roars like Niagara Falls and like thunder.  It is also like harpists playing and there is singing in heaven of a song no one can learn except the 144,000.  They are further described as virgins and as the firstfruits of the redeemed of earth during the tribulation.  Their walk is immaculate.

It is likely that these men remain unmarried because of the focus of their work.  The time is short and they must proclaim the gospel all over the world.  Paul teaches that singleness is the preferable state to be in for the purpose of ministry, but he does not put down marriage as in any way a secondary or lesser state of living, saying, each has his gift (1 Corinthians 7:1-7).

Are we singing in anticipation of Jesus’ coming?  Heaven is excited about it.  The more we see the darkness of this present age the more we long for it.  It is what every human has secretly yearned for ever since we learned the disappointment of this life.  There must be something better, we have thought.  There is! And it is worth singing about!