Rev 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 Lamb is a symbol of the Lord as the sacrifice acceptable to God on behalf of the elect.  It was as the Lamb that the Lord satisfied the wrath of God and justified the elect by his shed blood.

 Mount Sion is a symbol of the kingdom of God that John began to preach in the wilderness and of which much of the gospels teaches.  This is that spiritual kingdom that God set up and to which we enter through belief of the gospel, repentance, and water baptism. 

The hundred and forty and four thousand is a symbol of God's believing and obedient disciples in his church.  This is not a literal number.  The number is representative of all the true disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Having his Father's name written in their foreheads is symbolic of those sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.  The Holy Spirit sealed them after they heard the word of truth, believed it, and trusted in Jesus Christ.         

The above verse teaches us that the Lord as the sacrificial atonement for his people had come into his kingdom and now reigns as King over his kingdom.  Beside him are the members of the church of believing disciples who trust him, follow him, and are a part of this spiritual kingdom that the Lord has set up on earth.         

Rev 14:2, 3 "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." 

There are two voices heard in the above passage of scripture.  The first is the voice of many waters, which we have previously identified as the voice of the Lord as he speaks to his people in every language under heaven (the voice of many waters).  This voice is as the voice of a great thunder as the Lord speaks in power to his elect, both to bring about their new or spiritual birth when they were dead in trespasses and sins, and to instruct them in the way of righteousness.  The second voice is the voice of harpers harping with their harps.  As we noted in chapter 5 the harps are symbolic of the laws of God written in the hearts of the elect when they are born of the Spirit and by which they sing praise in their hearts unto the Lord.           

As we also noted in chapter 5 the new song is the song of praise for God's having redeemed them from their sins.  Only those who have heard and believed the true gospel and been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise can truly sing this song of redemption, giving all the praise and glory for their redemption unto the Lord.  Many people only give partial credit to the Lord for their salvation and reserve part of the credit for themselves based on their works.  Thus, they do not sing the new song of redemption.  These hundred and forty and four thousand sing this new song before the throne of God in the Kingdom of God for it is they who have recognized that this kingdom is a timely spiritual kingdom and that Jesus is reigning today in that kingdom.  Most people today are looking for a future reign of Christ on earth in a literal physical kingdom, which is a figment of man's imagination, certainly not scriptural.           

The hundred and forty and four thousand also sing the song of redemption before the four beasts for they recognize in the gospels that they testify of God's sovereignty of their eternal salvation by grace.           

The hundred and forty and four thousand also sing the song of redemption before the elders which are representative of God's people.  They love to tell others of what the Lord has done for them and how he has redeemed them by his grace. 

Rev 14:4, 5  "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God." 

          There are seven verses of scripture that speak of the undefiled:         

1.  Psalms 119:1 "ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD."

          2.  Song 5:2 "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night."

          3.  Song 6:9 "My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her."

          4.  Heb. 7:26 "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;"

          5.  Heb. 13:4 "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

          6.  James 1:27 "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

          7.  1 Pet. 1:4 "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 

These verses of scripture speak to the fact that both the Lord and his bride, the Church, are undefiled.  The church is undefiled because the Lord has made her so.  Her members have a spiritual nature through the new birth that cannot sin.  They are spiritually perfect before God.  In the resurrection they will be undefiled in body as well. 

Spiritually they are virgins before the Lord.  A virgin has known no man.  These hundred and forty and four thousand, which are the true disciples of Christ know no man spiritually. 

"These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."  All of the elect follow the Lamb in regeneration and in the resurrection.  They are passive in following him in those things.  But the true worshippers of the Lord follow him in the true worship of God and in the service he has given them here in time.  

"These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."  All the elect are redeemed from among men as we read in Eph. 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."  Thus, the blood of the Lamb redeems all the elect.  Not all the elect are the first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb, however.  The doctrine of the first fruits was based on the gathering of the harvest.  The earliest harvest was called the first fruits of the harvest.  The rest of the harvest was gathered later.  The first fruits was a precursor of things to come.  The disciples of the Lord are called the first fruits in the New Testament.  In the resurrection all the elect will be harvested unto God and will give him all praise.  Now only the true disciples give him all the praise for eternal salvation.  Thus they are the first fruits.  Rom. 16:5 "Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ."  

"And in their mouth was found no guile."  Ps. 32:2 "Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."  In our flesh we are sinful creatures and sometimes we speak guile even after that we are born of the Spirit of God.  However, in our inner man in the spirit there is no guile.  We cannot speak guile in the inner or spiritual man. 

"They are without fault before the throne of God."  Rom. 8:33 "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."  While we possess a sinful nature in the flesh and are sinners by nature, yet before the throne of God we are without charge for Jesus has paid the redemption price and God will remember our sins (against us) no more. 

Rev 14:6, 7  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."         

The heaven in this verse must have reference to the 2nd heaven or new heaven in chapter 21.  There will be no need to preach the gospel in the glory world or third heaven.  Likewise the 1st heaven was the law covenant and it brought condemnation, not good news.           

The word, angel, means messenger.  The angel was flying in the midst of heaven.  The word, fly, speaks to us of the spiritual work of the angel.  This points us to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Comforter guiding and leading and enabling the gospel ministers to preach the gospel in power and demonstration of the Spirit.  It is through the Spirit that the gospel ministers preach the everlasting gospel to God's people, who dwell on the earth.  The word, earth, and the phrase, every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, have very specific objects.  Often the Israelite nation was referred to as earth and the Gentile nations had reference to all other nations.  This isn't to infer that all humanity would hear the gospel, for not all are born spiritually and those not born spiritually are incapable of hearing the gospel.   It is to infer that the gospel was going forth to both the Jews and the Gentiles.         

Verse 7 speaks to us of the two main tenets of the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ.  These two tenets are God's judgment and God's creation.  Jesus Christ brought us to the judgment seat of God and redeemed us by his blood out of every nation, kindred, people and tongue.  Through this redemptive work of the Lamb of God we are made righteous before God.  Furthermore, through the work of creation of Jesus Christ we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus when we are born of the Spirit.  According to Eph. 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  Jesus spoke to us in that still small voice when we were dead in trespasses and sins and we were made alive (quickened) spiritually: John 5:25 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."          

For this salvation from sin and for this effectual calling of the new birth we should give praise, honor, and glory to him that "saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."         

The reference to "heaven" speaks to us of the kingdom of heaven.  The reference to the "earth" and the "sea" speaks to us of the Jews and the Gentiles and the reference to the "fountain of waters" speaks to us of the refreshing fountain of gospel waters.