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Revelation 14:1-4 reveals Christ as the Lamb whom the overcoming firstfruits follow. In the Old Testament typology the sheaf of the firstfruits of the good land was brought into the temple and offered to God directly for His enjoyment. In the New Testament reality, the one hundred forty-four thousand overcomers will be the firstfruits in God’s new creation offered to Him directly in the heavenly Holy of Holies for His satisfaction.
These early overcomers will be the first-ripe ones in God’s field. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. The harvest will be reaped later, in verses 14 through 16. This means that the overcomers will be raptured to the heavens before the harvest, just as the firstfruits of the good land were reaped and brought into the temple of God before the harvest (Lev. 23:10-11). Exodus 23:19 says, “The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Jehovah your God.” This shows us that the rapture of the firstfruits to the heavens is typified by the firstfruits being brought into the house of the Lord for God’s enjoyment. The events recorded in Revelation 14:6-13, all of which will take place during the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21), indicate clearly and prove strongly that the first overcomers, the firstfruits in Revelation 14:1-5, will be raptured before the great tribulation, and that the harvest in verses 14 through 16, composed of the majority of the believers, will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation.
The one hundred forty-four thousand, firstfruits to God and the Lamb, in Revelation 14 will be raptured to the throne of God. These one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruits will not be taken to the air; rather, they will be taken to the heavens, even to the heavenly Mount Zion, the center of the heavenly Jerusalem. The firstfruits are a small part of the harvest which ripens first. This signifies that as God’s chosen people are growing on earth, a small number among them will become the firstfruits, the overcomers.
Revelation 14:1 says, “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.”
The Lamb, whom a hundred and forty-four thousand overcoming believers follow, is standing on Mount Zion. In the universe there are two Zions: one in heaven and one on earth. The earthly Zion is one of the mountains on which Jerusalem was built. The other is the heavenly Zion in the third heaven where Christ with the Father is today. The earthly Zion is the reflection of the heavenly Zion. In Revelation 14:1 Mount Zion does not refer to the one in Jerusalem on earth but the one in the heavens. The heavenly Zion is the final resting place of the overcomers.
In typology the firstfruits are brought into the temple to be presented to the Lord. God Himself enjoyed the freshness of the firstfruits. In any type of farming, there is the farm, the barn, and the farmer’s home. The barn is always between the farm and the home. The farmer does not take the firstfruits into the barn but into the home for his own enjoyment. Then, later, the harvest is brought into the barn. Our Father’s home is the temple on the heavenly Mount Zion. Therefore, the firstfruits of His farm will not be brought into the “barn” in the air, but to the temple which is on Mount Zion in the heavens. Then the harvest will be brought into the “barn.”
The firstfruits in Revelation 14 are before the throne of God; they are no longer on this earth. This means that they have been raptured. They are on Mount Zion in the heavens, before the throne of God. They are standing not in the air but upon the throne, upon Mount Zion. This refers to Mount Zion in the heavens where God dwells. Thus, the firstfruits go not to the air, that is, to the barn, but directly to the Father’s home in the third heaven.
One hundred forty-four thousand must be an actual number with a symbolic meaning. One hundred forty-four thousand is one thousand times twelve times twelve. Twelve is the number of completion in God’s eternal administration. One hundred forty-four (Rev. 21:17) is twelve times twelve, which signifies the completion of completions, the ultimate completion in the fullest way. The number here is one thousand times this ultimate completion.
The biblical number twelve is not composed of six plus six but of three times four. The New Jerusalem is a city of twelves — twelve foundations, the names of twelve apostles (v. 14), twelve gates, twelve angels, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (v. 12), twelve pearls (v. 21), twelve months, and twelve kinds of fruit (22:2). The height of its wall in 21:17 is one hundred forty-four cubits (twelve times twelve), and its dimensions in verse 16 are twelve thousand stadia (a thousand times twelve). In every aspect the New Jerusalem is a city of twelves. We know that the number twelve in the New Jerusalem is composed of three times four by the fact that the city has three gates on each of its four sides (v. 13). Undoubtedly, the number three signifies the Triune God. The portrait of the New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22 reveals the Triune God. In 22:1 we see the throne of God and of the Lamb, out of which proceeds the river of water of life. Here we have the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — dispensing Himself into the city. The city itself represents God’s creatures signified by the number four (4:6). In the New Jerusalem it is not a matter of three plus four but of three times four. Today our number is seven, as in the seven churches, the seven lampstands. But in eternity our number will be twelve, three multiplied by four, signifying the mingling of the Triune God with man. Hence, the number twelve signifies the mingling of divinity with humanity. This mingling is for the completion of God’s economy, the completion of God’s economic administration.
In Revelation 14 it is not simply the number twelve, but a thousand of twelve times twelve. Twelve times twelve means completion in God’s administration for God’s economy. This is similar to the titles Song of Songs, Lord of lords, and King of kings. Twelve multiplied by twelve means completion of completions. This completion is not temporary but eternal. The New Jerusalem will declare to the whole universe that God’s redeemed people will be twelve among twelve, completion among completions. When we are in the New Jerusalem, we will be the completion in God’s administration for the fulfillment of God’s economy for eternity. But in chapter 14 we have a thousand of twelve multiplied by twelve, a thousand times completion of completions. Twelve times twelve multiplied a thousandfold means maturity upon maturity. This is the significance of the number one hundred forty-four thousand. The one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruits are believers who are for the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose. In short, the number one hundred forty-four thousand indicates that every living overcomer is a part of the completion of God’s administration in the fulfillment of His economy for eternity. To be a living overcomer is a great matter. To be one of the firstfruits is to be for the completion of God’s administration to fulfill His economy for eternity.
Revelation 14:1 indicates that the one hundred forty-four thousand have the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. They are in contrast to those who worship the beast and have the name of the beast written on their foreheads (13:16-17). That these early overcomers have the name of the Lamb and the name of the Father written on their foreheads signifies that they are one with the Lamb and with the Father and that they belong to the Lamb and to the Father. It also signifies that the overcomers have become the same as the Lamb and the Father. This corresponds with Revelation 3:12, which says that the Lord Jesus will write His new name upon the overcomer. This indicates that eventually the overcomers become Christ. Likewise, the overcomers’ bearing the name of Christ, the Lamb, and His Father implies the union and mingling of the redeeming Triune God and His redeemed people. This is exceedingly profound.
Revelation 14:4 goes on to say, “These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” The firstfruits are the faithful followers of the Lamb. It is not that the Lamb follows us but that we follow Him wherever He goes. The overcomers’ following the Lamb wherever He may go indicates that they constantly enjoy and experience Him. They follow Jesus and are not defiled by the earthly things. We all must learn the lesson of following Him wherever He goes.
Revelation 14 does not say that the firstfruits will be raptured. This is because these overcomers followed the Lamb all the time. Because they were always with the Lamb, having followed the Lamb wherever He went, they are seen in Revelation 14 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion. Because they are already in the Lord’s presence, the rapture will not come as a surprise to them. They are living in the heavens today, and they will be standing with the Lamb in the heavens on Mount Zion in the future.
The condition for growing quickly to be one of the firstfruits is to follow the Lamb. Wherever He goes, we follow Him, and by following Him we grow more quickly. Then we will be the firstfruits.
These one hundred forty-four thousand as the firstfruits have grown unto maturity ahead of others. Their faster ripening is the result of their receiving the most supply from the Lord. By following the Lamb “wherever He may go,” this supply has been their portion. Some of us are satisfied with the supply that we receive from the meetings. Apart from the meetings, when we are at home, we may not seek any supply. Of course, the supply from the meetings is better than nothing. But there are some who are continually with the Lord, following Him all day and every day, and these receive a greater supply. Wherever they are and whatever their situation may be, they grow. This implies that the Lamb whom they follow is ministering the life supply to them.
The principle in becoming the firstfruits is that we must follow the Lamb wherever He goes. However, following the Lamb is not an outward matter, as though we follow the Lamb as our example. It is not that since the Lamb was patient and humble, we must imitate His patience and humility, or that because the Lamb was absolutely for God, we must also be absolutely for Him. This is a natural understanding of following the Lamb. If the element of the Lamb does not get into us, we will be unable to follow Him. Unless we are lambs, it is impossible to follow the Lamb. To follow the Lamb means to allow the Lamb to get into us. When the element of the Lamb is constituted into our being, we will actually be a part of the Lamb. We will be unable to be what we were before because we have been transformed. Our transformed being is the firstfruit. We need to allow the element of Christ to saturate and permeate our being, constituting us with this element. Although we need to pray more, if we simply pray in a common way, we will not be supplied. We need to constantly be open to the Lord. We must permit the element of Christ, the divine constituent of Christ, to work in us continually to saturate and permeate our whole being.
Revelation 14:4 is a strong verse related to growing in Christ as a lamb. Those who are faithful follow the Lamb wherever He goes. To follow Christ as the Lamb is to raise Him as a lamb for a burnt offering. We may raise Christ as a lamb in our daily life by living Him as the Lamb.
The lamb typifies Christ as the One who is obedient to God. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was absolutely obedient to God. Philippians 2:8 says that He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Christ’s death on the cross was the highest expression of His obedience. In the words of Romans 5:18 and 19, in the sight of God that obedience is regarded as a righteous act. The “one righteous act” is in particular ascribed to that single act of Christ in which He was obedient to God unto the death of the cross.
As a lamb, Christ was not only obedient to God but also meek before man. Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed, and it was He who was afflicted, / Yet He did not open His mouth; / Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter / And like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, / So He did not open His mouth.” According to the Bible, to be meek means to not resist or fight against what happens to us. Rather, it is to suffer attack and oppression. Meekness is a characteristic of lambs. Unlike dogs and cats, which fight back, lambs do not resist. The four Gospels reveal that Christ was obedient and also meek.
We should live Christ by taking Him as the Lamb. To live by Him as the Lamb means that in so many things we take Him as the One who is obedient to God. We have this One as our obedient life, even as our obedience to God, and He lives in us a life of obedience. Actually, it is not we who are obedient; it is Christ who is the obedient One living in us, Christ the Lamb by whom we live. Eventually, we will raise Christ as a flock of lambs. This does not mean, of course, that there is more than one Christ. Christ is uniquely one, but in our experience we may have Him in many ways.
In Exodus 29 the lamb is not for propitiation; rather, the lamb is a burnt offering as food for God. It was offered to God for Him to eat. Many Christians have never heard that Christ may be offered not only for propitiation but also as food for God’s eating. For this reason, Exodus 29 does not mention blood with respect to the lambs. The blood is for redeeming, for propitiation, and for atonement; it is not for eating. But the lambs offered as the burnt offering were wholly for God to eat (vv. 38-42).
God eats His food with fire. When God comes to eat the food that we have prepared for Him, He will eat it by His holy, consuming fire. The way to raise Christ as a lamb for a burnt offering is for the whole lamb to be burned. This means that it is absolutely for God. No part of the lamb of the burnt offering was for the offerer or for the priests. The lamb was God’s food and was entirely for His eating. We need to live by Christ as the Lamb, as the One obedient to God and meek before man. Then in the meetings we will have Christ as many lambs to offer to God as food for His satisfaction.
Purchased from among men, the hundred and forty-four thousand are those who follow the Lamb absolutely and who have become the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. That they are purchased from the earth indicates that they are redeemed ones, a part of the church. The phrase from the earth proves that they are no longer on the earth but have been raptured to the heavens (Rev. 14:3).
In Revelation 12 the rapture of the man-child, who fights against God’s enemy, is for a function before God. God needs the man-child to be raptured to the heavens to fight the battle with His enemy so that the enemy might be defeated and cast down to the earth for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. In the same principle, the firstfruits in chapter 14 do not merely enjoy the rapture but satisfy God’s need. God and the Lamb need enjoyment. God is hungry and thirsty. He desires some firstfruits to taste for His satisfaction. On the one hand, the man-child fulfills God’s purpose by defeating His enemy, and on the other hand, the firstfruits are for God’s satisfaction. As the firstfruits offered to God in the temple for His satisfaction, the living overcomers enjoy the rapture in order to take care of God’s need.
We should pay attention to our maturity so that we may be the firstfruits to satisfy the heart of God. For us to give God this enjoyment, we need to be matured. If we are still immature, how can we be the firstfruits and be raptured? Instead, the Lord will have to leave us in the field until we ripen.
In order to be the firstfruits, we must love the Lord Jesus. We need to tell Him how much we love Him, and we need to remain with Him in a loving way. We should spend our time in loving the Lord, saying, “Lord, I enjoy looking at You and talking to You. Lord, I want to satisfy You, to be one with You, and to stay in Your presence.” We should learn to spend time loving the Lord Jesus in an intimate way. If we have never had such a time, we are short. It is not adequate merely to be sinless; neither is it sufficient simply to be good or right. We must be in love with the Lord. We all need to fall in love with the Lord Jesus, telling Him, “O Lord Jesus, I love You, and You know that I love You. Because I love You, Lord, there are certain things that I will not do.” This is the way to be a living overcomer. Although the Lord certainly needs the man-child to fight against His enemy, even more He needs the firstfruits, His lovers, to be His satisfaction.
We have seen that in type, the firstfruits were brought into God’s house, the temple, for His satisfaction. This was even true of the Lord Jesus as the firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). On the morning of His resurrection, the Lord did not allow Mary to touch Him. He said, “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). Here the Lord was indicating that He had to present His freshness in His resurrection to His Father, for His Father must be the first to taste the freshness of His resurrection. We should learn to present ourselves in a fresh, intimate, and loving way to the Lord for His enjoyment. If we decline to do or touch certain things simply because we are afraid of something, we are not on the high plane of being a lover of the Lord. Rather, we are down on a lower level. We must be on the highest plane, refusing to do certain things, not out of fear but out of love for the Lord. The sisters desire to be with their husbands instead of going home to their parents because they love their husbands. Likewise, because we love the Lord, we will refrain from doing certain things. We may have the liberty, and it may not be wrong to do them, but simply because of our love for the Lord Jesus, we would not do them.
We should be firstfruits, those who ripen earlier for the Lord’s satisfaction. We need to say, “Lord, for the sake of Your satisfaction, I want to ripen early. Lord, I don’t care for my rapture. I care for Your satisfaction. I want to be taken to the heavens to satisfy You. Lord, as long as I can satisfy You, it makes no difference to me whether I am on earth or in heaven.” This is the attitude of the living overcomers.
Because it does not matter to the firstfruits where they are, we are not told that they are caught up; instead, we are simply told that the one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruits are standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion. As we have pointed out, this surely is not the Zion on earth but the Zion in the heavens. If we are one of the living overcomers, it will make no difference to us whether or not we are raptured. Because we are already in the Lord’s presence, the rapture will not come as a surprise. It does not matter to us whether we are in His presence here on earth or there on Mount Zion. When we get there, we will not be surprised. Those who are raptured as the firstfruits will have no feeling of surprise. Rather, they will say, “Lord Jesus, I have been with You continuously for years. Lord, it makes no difference whether I am on earth or in the third heaven. I have no special feeling about being here because I have been in Your presence for years. I have lived in this atmosphere for a long time.” To the outsiders, it would come as a surprise if they saw us standing on Mount Zion, but it should not be a surprise to us. It should be a common experience. If we truly love the Lord and live in intimate fellowship with Him, the rapture will not come as a surprise; it will be an ordinary experience.
The church as the testimony of Jesus is God’s farm to grow the divine crop (1 Cor. 3:9). This crop is first the one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruits, a small number, and then the harvest, the majority (Rev. 14:1-5, 14-16). This indicates that in the church life we all need to grow. Verse 4 shows the way to grow. This verse says concerning the firstfruits, “These are they who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go.” In order to grow, we need to stay away from any kind of defilement. Daniel and his three friends were offered the best food in the royal palace in Babylon, but Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself by eating food that had been offered to idols. In this way, these young men kept themselves from being defiled (Dan. 1:5-6, 8). Everywhere on the earth today there is defilement. We must be careful not to be defiled, and we must also follow Jesus wherever He goes. If we follow Christ, we will not go to places of defiling worldly entertainment, because Jesus never goes there. If we separate ourselves to the Lord, we will grow every day, and we will be the firstfruits produced by the church life.
If we mean business in the church life, we will grow in life. In the local churches, the crop is growing. If we simply come to the church meetings and follow the flow of the divine life, we will not remain the same but will grow in life. The church in our locality must be fertile soil, and we must all grow in life.
The church is a farm to grow Christ. If we attend the church meetings, the divine life within us will begin to grow and sprout. The divine life within us will make us glowing and shining persons because the church is God’s farm. Some on this farm will be the firstfruits. They will ripen first because they are growing more quickly. In a wheat field the grains which ripen first are those nearer the center of the field whereas the grains on the edges ripen last. They need to be left for a longer time in the field to be scourged and burned by the bright sun. Then they too will be ripened and ready to harvest. If we desire to ripen early to be among the firstfruits, we need to be in the center of the church life. We should not stay on the edges of the church life. If we remain in the corners of the church life, we may miss the rapture of the firstfruits and be left to ripen on the earth during the great tribulation.
Today God is moving in the overcomers by growing in them (Col. 2:19). He is making them mature to arrive at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28b). The maturity comes out of our growth in life. In Ephesians 4 we see that we are growing up into the Head in all things and that all the Body causes the growth of the Body (vv. 15-16). This growth comes from God’s growing in us. The growing is God’s operating, and the operating is God’s moving.
According to the description in Revelation 14, the firstfruits are the saints who are saturated with the Lord Jesus. They are the ones who have been fully occupied with Christ and taken over by Christ until they are matured. Our heart should ache for many of the Lord’s children who seem to be ignorant, careless, and dull concerning the need to be matured. How serious it is that we are God’s farm, God’s crop! We need to consider how mature we are. Will we be among the firstfruits or the harvest? We need to take this word seriously and bring this matter to the Lord.
We all should heed the warning and realize that we need to be mature. We all need to pray, “Lord, have mercy upon me that I would be a part of the firstfruits and that I would be an overcomer.” We need to see God’s purpose and intention, and we need to see our responsibility to cooperate with Him. We should enjoy Christ, participate in Him, and take Him in until we are matured.
Christ is the seed, He is the growth, He is the transformation, and He is even the firstfruits and the harvest. Whoever gains Him the most will be at the top of the harvest and will be among the firstfruits. Those who are the firstfruits spoken of in Revelation 14 will be among those who will be co-kings with Christ in the millennium.
