What is the new song that the 144,000 sing in Revelation 14:1-5? What can we learn about from the Old Testament? Come find out!

<p>What is the new song that the 144,000 sing in Revelation 14:1-5? What can we learn about from the Old Testament? Come find out!</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Ouachita Hills College

Scott Burgess

Let’s Sing & Shout Submission

Now hopefully this is familiar territory.

Normally when we go to Revelation 14 we're inclined to skip ahead to verses 6 through 12, but for today we're going to pause in those first 5 verses.

Revelation 14 verses 1 through 5, it says, And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred 40 and 4000, having his father's name written in their foreheads.

And, verse 2, 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.

Verse 3, And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the 4 beasts and the elders.

And no man could learn that song but the hundred and 40 and 4000 which were redeemed from the earth.

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 first fruits unto God and to the Lamb." And it finishes in verse 5 saying, And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Okay, now we've looked before at this new song that they sing, but I thought today we would take another peek at just what it is they're singing.

And also, you notice here it talks about the voice of harpers harping with their harps.

So it emphasizes that 3 times and it talks about the voice.

Normally I would consider a voice and a harp 2 separate things, but I think that Scripture gives us some insight into exactly what this means and what it means for our message.

As it turns out, the new song, which is on the 1 hand, it is an experience that is new to each 1 of us because God is transforming us and we're all coming out of our own different set of defects and God is bringing us to the point of His likeness.

Yet, Scripture itself refers to the new song 7 times outside of Revelation.

And it tells us, though our experiences may be somewhat different, the end goal is the same, and there are characteristics that are the same for everyone.

So I thought today it would behoove us to take a look at that.

The first place that we're going to turn is Psalm 33.

So I invite you to turn over there to Psalm 33.

So I'm going to show you this here and I guess, oops, for the day there's going to run back so we can make sure we get some sound here.

This is for someone who is beginning to learn the new song, you might say.

Not exactly part of the message, but hey, we'll just slip that in.

So, but actually it is part of the message though, because we're all at different points in our walk.

And so Elijah, he is now a member of our church and he is learning to sing the song that we're gonna learn about today.

So let's take a look here at Psalm 33 and please notice right here.

It begins with, "'Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, "'for praise is comely for the upright.'" But then notice please in verse 2, does this not sound familiar?

Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of 10 strings.

And then the next verse, sing unto him a new song, play, how do we play?

Now let me just ask you a couple of questions.

You notice the instrument it draws attention to is the harp, right?

And then it also, though, in the same verse, verse 2, Psalm 33, it says not only the harp, but it refers to as an instrument of how many strings?

So it's not 1 of these giant harps that you may sometimes see people use on the platform.

You may have seen pictures of David as the sweet psalmist of Israel with a handheld harp, right?

But it's interesting that it's a 10-stringed harp.

Well, notice too, When you play a harp, what do you use?

Turn over, if you're in Psalm 33, turn over to the next book.

He says, my son, keep my words and lay up my commandments with thee.

Keep my commandments, verse 2, and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.

Write them upon the table of thine heart.

Well, of course, how many fingers do we have, barring accidents or deformities?

10 commandments associated with your 10 fingers.

When you're about your daily duties, this right here, just like God's design, is meant to be a reminder of His instruction to us, His law.

These 10 commandments right there are there to be bound on our fingers and of course written upon the table of our heart or better yet our mind.

Okay, but now see that's interesting and we'll see this borne out in some of the other songs more clearly, but we're to play the harp, The instrument of 10 strings, which you play with your 10 fingers.

Could it be that somehow playing this music has something to do with obeying the Lord?

Now that may sound maybe cute, but not totally convincing just yet, but we'll see further evidence.

But also this is described as singing a new song, playing skilf with a loud noise.

Are they written for, I don't know, who are they written for?

It's not sung by somebody who's particularly talented.

Everybody who surrenders to Jesus is invited to sing in this song.

And that doesn't mean that we all sing the same part.

It's kind of like in our hymnal here, as far as I know all of the hymns are generally written there with what four-part harmony, right?

So just imagine maybe a more complex song that has, I don't know how many people, but you know, X number of parts.

And so when we sing that loudly, the whole world can see us singing.

But exactly what is meant by singing and how does the harp figure in?

We'll see that a little more clearly as we go right here.

Please notice though, something about the nature of this new song.

In Psalm 33, for flip back there now, Psalm 33, you'll notice some of the lyrics as it were, what we're entrusted to sing.

Psalm 33, verse 5 here, it says that the Lord, He loves righteousness and judgment.

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

And then it goes on in verse 6, and it tells us here that by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Verse 8, let all the earth fear the Lord.

Now I'm hoping here that as Adventists, if you hear these phrases about judgment, the earth being full, the earth fearing the Lord, Does that sound familiar maybe from a more, or do you recognize it from a more familiar passage, I should say?

Yes, it sounds just like the first angel's message.

And it identifies the Lord as the 1 who made the heavens and also the earth and the sea.

So We have just hints of that first angel's message right here in Psalm 33, which tells us to sing the new song.

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Let’s Sing & Shout Submission

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