Revelation 14:1-3, 4b-5
Chapter 14
1
Those Who Are Saved
I received another vision: The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, surrounded by one hundred and forty-four thousand people, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.2
A sound echoed in heaven like the roar of waves or loud thunder; it was like a chorus of singers with their harps.
3
They sing a new song before the throne, in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders—a song that no one can learn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who have been taken from the earth.
4
They are those who were not defiled with women but were chaste; these are the ones given to follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They are the first taken from humankind who are already of God and the Lamb.
5
No deceit has been found on their lips; they are faultless.
Commentaries
Those Who Are Saved.
In contrast to the nearly universal surrender of the earth’s inhabitants—the worshipers of the beast (13:8, 12)—a remnant remains with the victorious Lamb. It is essential to highlight the novelty: Jesus Christ no longer appears alone in his distinguished solitude (5:1-14), but is accompanied by 144,000. This number (7:4-8) symbolizes the remnant of Israel (cf. Is 1:9; 4:2f; 6:13; Ez 9:1-4; Am 3:12); they are the living force of the Church. They do not bear the mark of the beast (13:16), but have the name of Jesus Christ and the Father engraved on their foreheads. Christians are entirely consecrated to God: they are protected by him and will be victorious with Jesus Christ. Contrasting the negative vision of the demonic triad and its followers, the book now presents the positive image of Jesus Christ, victorious and loyal Christians—a faithful, missionary Church marching with its Lord.