A New Song? Part 1

Revelation 14:3 speaks of the "144,000" that are with the Lamb, standing on Mt. Zion who are singing a “new song”:

Rev 14:3  and they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.

Rev 5:8-9 also speaks of a “new song” being sung. In this passage, the singers are the four living creatures
and the four and twenty elders:

        Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev 5:9  And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
Rev 5:10  and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.

 And this is their song:

      Rev 5:9  And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,

Rev 5:10  and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.

So the new song sung by the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders in Rev. 5 and gives glory to Jesus (the Lamb) for purchasing unto God men of every tribe, people and nations. AND Jesus made THEM to be a kingdom and priests who reign ON THE EARTH. Not in heaven, but on the earth.

The next instance of the “new song” is in Revelation 14.

Rev 14:1  And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.

Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

Rev 14:3  and they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.

Here we witness those that have been purchased unto God learning the new song. They are referred to as the 144,000. Despite being purchased out of the earth, they reign on the earth. Rev 14:3 says that “and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand”. So the 144,000 are the only ones that can “learn” the song, but even they need to learn it. It does not seem to come by spontaneous understanding.

G3129 - Learn
Thayer Definition:
1. to learn, be appraised
              1a) to increase one’s knowledge, to be increased in knowledge
              1b) to hear, be informed
              1c) to learn by use and practice
                                  c1) to be in the habit of, accustomed to

Who do they learn the song from? In Rev 5, the “four living creatures and the four and twenty four elders” are the ones that originally sing the “new song”. So do the 144,000 learn the “new song” from these? Possibly.

Rev 14:2 states that as John was seeing the 144,000 on Mt. Zion, he heard a voice from heaven “as the voice of a great thunder”. And Rev 6:1 describes the voice of one of the four living creatures as with a voice of thunder:

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come.

Is the new song that is learned by the 144,000 a result of them hearing the thunder (four living creatures) who are singing the new song in Rev 5? And as a result, the 144,000 are now singing it too? Possibly. What are the four living creatures?

But what does it mean to sing a “new song”? I’m not sure. I believe that God teaching the “144,000” the new song now. Right at this moment. It is unlike the “song” that the church has been singing for the past 2000 years. How?

My guess is that this song is different and something that probably has not ever been heard or certainly rarely heard today. But my guess is utterly irrelevant so let’s look at the instances in the bible of those that are instructed to sing this “new song” in order to try and understand it. On to Part 2.

A New Song? Part 1

Revelation 14:3 speaks of the "144,000" that are with the Lamb, standing on Mt. Zion who are singing a “new song”:

Rev 14:3  and they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.

Rev 5:8-9 also speaks of a “new song” being sung. In this passage, the singers are the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders:

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev 5:9  And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
Rev 5:10  and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.

 And this is their song:

      Rev 5:9  And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,

Rev 5:10  and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.

So the new song sung by the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders in Rev. 5 and gives glory to Jesus (the Lamb) for purchasing unto God men of every tribe, people and nations. AND Jesus made THEM to be a kingdom and priests who reign ON THE EARTH. Not in heaven, but on the earth.

The next instance of the “new song” is in Revelation 14.

Rev 14:1  And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.

Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and the voice which I heard was as the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

Rev 14:3  and they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders: and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that had been purchased out of the earth.

Here we witness those that have been purchased unto God learning the new song. They are referred to as the 144,000. Despite being purchased out of the earth, they reign on the earth. Rev 14:3 says that “and no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand”. So the 144,000 are the only ones that can “learn” the song, but even they need to learn it. It does not seem to come by spontaneous understanding.

G3129 - Learn
Thayer Definition:
1. to learn, be appraised
              1a) to increase one’s knowledge, to be increased in knowledge
              1b) to hear, be informed
              1c) to learn by use and practice
                                  c1) to be in the habit of, accustomed to

Who do they learn the song from? In Rev 5, the “four living creatures and the four and twenty four elders” are the ones that originally sing the “new song”. So do the 144,000 learn the “new song” from these? Possibly.

Rev 14:2 states that as John was seeing the 144,000 on Mt. Zion, he heard a voice from heaven “as the voice of a great thunder”. And Rev 6:1 describes the voice of one of the four living creatures as with a voice of thunder:

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come.

Is the new song that is learned by the 144,000 a result of them hearing the thunder (four living creatures) who are singing the new song in Rev 5? And as a result, the 144,000 are now singing it too? Possibly. What are the four living creatures?

But what does it mean to sing a “new song”? I’m not sure. I believe that God teaching the “144,000” the new song now. Right at this moment. It is unlike the “song” that the church has been singing for the past 2000 years. How?

My guess is that this song is different and something that probably has not ever been heard or certainly rarely heard today. But my guess is utterly irrelevant so let’s look at the instances in the bible of those that are instructed to sing this “new song” in order to try and understand it. On to Part 2.

Psalms 33

Psa 33:1  Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright.

Psa 33:2  Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings.

Psa 33:3  Sing unto him a new song; Play skilfully with a loud noise.

Psa 33:4  For the word of Jehovah is right; And all his work is done in faithfulness.

Psa 33:5  He loveth righteousness and justice: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah.

Psa 33:6  By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Psa 33:7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: He layeth up the deeps in store-houses.

Psa 33:8  Let all the earth fear Jehovah: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 33:9  For he spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Psa 33:10  Jehovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought; He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

Psa 33:11  The counsel of Jehovah standeth fast for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Psa 33:12  Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Psa 33:13  Jehovah looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men;

Psa 33:14  From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,

Psa 33:15  He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, That considereth all their works.

Psa 33:16  There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

Psa 33:17  A horse is a vain thing for safety; Neither doth he deliver any by his great power.

Psa 33:18  Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness;

Psa 33:19  To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

Psa 33:20  Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.

Psa 33:21  For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name.

Psa 33:22  Let thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, be upon us, According as we have hoped in thee.

144,000 part 2

My 144,000 study also led me to Psalms 149 which says:

Psa 149:1  Praise ye Jehovah. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, And his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Psa 149:2  Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Psa 149:3  Let them praise his name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.

Psa 149:4  For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people: He will beautify the meek with salvation.

Psa 149:5  Let the saints exult in glory: Let them sing for joy upon their beds.

Psa 149:6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand;

Psa 149:7  To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples;

Psa 149:8  To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;

Psa 149:9  To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.

So I’m seeing that the co-heirs (144,000) in Christ (those that sing the “new song” and play the harp) are the ones that carry out the judgement upon the Gentiles that Jesus declares in Matthew 12:18b:

Mat 12:18b  …And he shall declare (proclaim) judgment to the Gentiles.

Yet Isaiah 42:1b states that Jesus will “bring forth” justice to the Gentiles.

Isa 42:1b… he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

My assumption here is that Jesus in his co-heirs (144,000) are what actually carry out the judgement. I would question this if Isaiah 42 was not so clear as the delineation between Jesus in verses 1-8 and the overcomer/144,000/co-heir in Christ in verses 10-16.

So Jesus is clearly seen in Isaiah 42:1-8

Isa 42:1  Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

Isa 42:2  He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

Isa 42:3  A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth.

Isa 42:4  He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.

Isa 42:5  Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

Isa 42:6  I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

Isa 42:7  to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.

Isa 42:8  I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.

Isaiah 42:9 is the turning point. The promised Christ IS come and the declaration/promise of the springing forth of the overcomer/144,000/co-heir is given.

Isa 42:9  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

And the 144,000 are referenced in verse 10 in that they sing a “new song” just like those in Rev 14:3.

Isa 42:10  Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

Isa 42:11  Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

Isa 42:12  Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.

Verse 13 states that God goes forth “as a mighty man”.

Isa 42:13  Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man; he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies.

This suggests that many goes forth as one and he will be “like a man of war” that will do “mightily against his enemies”. This is the same honor that God gives his saints in Psalms 149:7-9.

Psa 149:7  To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples;

Psa 149:8  To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;

Psa 149:9  To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.

God has long since refrained from judgement although Jesus declared it. So Isaiah 42:14-15 tells us that He (via the 144,00/co-heirs/overcomers) will flatten the mountains (I believe of modern high places of Christianity)  

Isa 42:14  I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.

Isa 42:15  I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools.

Isa 42:16  And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them.

Isa 42:17  They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods.

Isa 42:18  Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I send? who is blind as he that is at peace with me, and blind as Jehovah's servant?

Isa 42:20  Thou seest many things, but thou observest not; his ears are open, but he heareth not.

Isa 42:21  It pleased Jehovah, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable.

Isa 42:22  But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

Isa 42:23  Who is there among you that will give ear to this? that will hearken and hear for the time to come?

Isa 42:24  Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not Jehovah? he against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient unto his law.

Isa 42:25  Therefore he poured upon him the fierceness of his anger, and the strength of battle; and it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

144,000

Chris

Just finished listening to your podcast and wanted to drop you a line because a lot of what you spoke on are passages that I have been pondering as of late. I see similar conclusions as you but by no means do I see God's entire picture. Just a bit of it.

I believe that God is the master clue maker who hides things in plain sight in His word and will not reveal them unless we seek them out diligently. And so much of what we had learned in the Word needs to be re-learned because His word leads to divergent conclusions than what has be taught in mainstream Christianity, certainly in the last 50-75 years.

I have spent weeks studying the characteristics of the "144,000" from Rev 14 and tried to follow the "clues" that God leaves in His word. I just want to post a few of the things (certainly not all) that I see related to the 144,000 and the crossover to the things you spoke on in your podcast.

It is safe to say that these are the co-heirs w/ Christ that you mentioned in your podcast.

Hopefully i'll be clear.

The 144,000 in Rev 14 are:

1.  singing a “new song” – that only they know, understand or have been taught

2. “firstfruits” unto God- come to spiritual maturity first

3. associated with a voice which (John) heard "as the voice of harpers harping with their harps" (1 Cor 14:5-8 -"revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching...in preparation for war")

Passages in OT that include “harp” and “new song”:
1. Psalms 33
2. Psalms 98
3. Psalms 149

Passages in OT that include “new song” and “firstfruits”
1. Psalms 144
***Note: Firstfruits are described in Ps 144:12 “When our sons shall be as plants grown up in their youth”

This suggests that these Psalms are being used to further identify the characteristics of the “144,000” that are on Mt Zion in Revelation 14.

a. God uses these people during the time of judgement AND to execute judgement
b. Hence God has taught them how to “war” and “fight” with the two-edged sword
c. These people are to play their “harps” and sing their “new song” loud and skillfully
d.  These people are going through great distress and have to trust Him.
e. These people are being wounded by “hurtful swords” and by “aliens” (strange children) who speak falsehood and deceit
f. Their garners (or granaries) are full of grain (like Joseph’s)
g. They execute judgement on nations, nobles, kings and peoples.
h. God considers this an “honor” which all his “saints” have.

I do believe these people are being prepared now as God has removed their blinders spiritually and they are seeing much more. Most likely as a result of “not being defiled with women” and following the lamb wherever He goes, even if it contradicts what they learned in mainstream Christianity. I certainly don’t see the evidence today of how God uses them to execute His judgement. I do believe that they are being prepared.

 Darrell