The 144,000 follow the Lamb
1 Then suddenly I saw the Lamb on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred forty-four thousand people with his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound coming from the sky; it was like the noise of a lot of rushing water or loud thunder. It seemed to be harpists playing their harps, 3 and they are singing a new song before the throne, the four creatures, and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who were bought from the earth.
4 These are the ones who were not polluted among women, for they are unmarried. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes, having been bought from mankind as a first harvest to God and to the Lamb. 4 5 No deceit was found in them, because they are flawless.
Three angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, having the ageless good news to bring to those on the earth— the nations of every tribe and language and people group. 7 The angel announced loudly, “Fear God and give him honor, because the hour of his judgment has come! Worship the one who made the sky and the earth and the sea and the springs of water!”
8 A second angel followed: “Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great, that made all the nations drink the wine of the fury of its harlotry!”
9 A third angel followed: “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and takes its inscription on their forehead or right hand, 10 they will drink the wine of the fury of God, mixed full-strength with his rage, and will be tortured in fire and sulphur before the angels of the holy people and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torture rises forever; there is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, and who take the inscription of its name.”
12 This requires the endurance and faith of the holy people, who guard the injunctions of God and the faith of Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from the sky say, “Write this: Happy are those who die belonging to the Master from now on! “Yes,” says the Spirit, “They will rest from their labors because their actions follow them.”
The harvest and the winepress
14 Then suddenly there was a white cloud, and on the cloud sat someone human-like. On his head was a golden victor’s crown, and in his hand was a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple shouting loudly to the one sitting on the cloud, “Send out your sickle and reap, for the time has come to reap the shriveled harvest of the earth.” 16 So the one sitting on the cloud threw his sickle on the earth and reaped it.
17 Another angel with a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. 18 Then another angel, who had authority over the fire, came from the altar and shouted to the one with the sharp sickle, “Send out your sickle and pick the clusters from the vine of the earth, because the grapes are ripe!” 19 And the angel threw his sickle to the earth and picked the grapes, then threw them into the winepress of God’s great rage. 20 The winepress was used outside the city, and blood came out of it to the point where it rose to the height of a horse’s bridle for a distance of 184 miles.
- 4 “among” or “with” are both possible here, but “among” fits better since the word for “unmarried” is almost exclusively used for females. If part of the significance of the 12,000 from each tribe is a reference to a military force, it should be noted that one requirement for Jewish soldiers going into battle was sexual purity (Deut. 23:9-10, 1 Sam. 21:5, 2 Sam. 11:11). This is consistent with the overall purity theme in Revelation.