Chapter 13 left us with a sense that all was lost. Satan, through his proxies, the two beasts, was subjugating the world unto himself. Everyone, small and great, was bowing down to the image of the beast, and those who refused to bow were slain with the sword (cf. Rev 13:15). If the book of Revelation had ended at chapter 13, we would be left hopeless today, but praise God it does not. Chapter 14 opens with a glorious sight of Christ standing on Mount Zion, with the 144,000 standing with Him in victory. These are the same 144,000 that we were introduced to in Chapter 7. They had been preserved, by the grace of God, through all kinds of trials and tribulations, and not one of them was lost, even as our Lord promised in John 6:39: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”
In Rev 14:1-5, John gives us a description of the 144,000 and their activity. They have been chosen by God from among mankind, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, and now they stand as pure and blameless in His sight. And as for their activity, they are singing praises to the God of their salvation, who ransomed them and made them to be priests and kings unto him (cf. Rev 5:9-10). They are also enjoying full and uninterrupted fellowship with their Lord and Savior, “following the Lamb wherever he goes.”
This interlude in the judgment narrative is meant to enliven our hope and to encourage us to press on, knowing that our present circumstances are only temporary. We have a glorious future awaiting us. May the Lord bless his word this Sunday to that end!