1Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land that you go over to possess; 2that you might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you—you, your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged. 3Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one. 5You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. 6These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; 7and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.
10It shall be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you didn’t build, 11and houses full of all good things which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full; 12then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name. 14You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, 15for Yahweh your God among you is a jealous God, lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. 16You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah. 17You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18You shall do that which is right and good in Yahweh’s sight, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, 19to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken.
20When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?” 21then you shall tell your son, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22and Yahweh showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes; 23and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers. 24Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are today. 25It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all these commandments before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us.”
A Song that Only You can Sing
A Song that Only You Can Sing
I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a number, one hundred forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.
A Man Singing From a Book
Revelation describes the mark of the beast as being on the right hand or the forehead (Rev 13:16). This is yet another satanic imitation of what God commanded for His people. God spoke to Moses about the importance of keeping God’s word foremost in the lives of His people, “8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:8, NKJV). [See also Deuteronomy 11:18 and Jewish man to the left with tefillin on arm and forehead.] Satan will place his mark of the beast on the hand and forehead of his followers. Satan is the author of nothing original. He is an imitator.
John looks and sees Jesus standing on Mount Zion. We were introduced to these 144,000 Jews in chapter 7, who have come to faith and are working diligently throughout the Tribulation to bring others to Christ. John sees them there in victory with the Lord in Jerusalem. They are sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads. The name of God is Yahweh, and His name is inscribed on their foreheads. A Jew reading this text would immediately see that the “mark of the beast” takes the place of God’s commands, and to accept the mark is to reject God Himself.
2 I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps. 3 They sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth. 4 These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed by Jesus from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 In their mouth was found no lie, for they are blameless. (Revelation 14:2-5 WEB) John hears the voice of Jesus as thunder, and he hears a loud voice from heaven. It is a strange heavenly sound, sort of like a waterfall mixed with thunder and harpists playing on harps. I imagine a sound like a loud symphony tuning up. And these were singing this new song that only the 144,000 could sing. These men are all sexually pure and are free from the sexual idolatry that is going on in the world. There are special songs that only certain groups can sing throughout the Bible. Deborah had a song. Moses had several songs that were just his. That reminds me that each of us has a unique song we can sing. We sing a song of praise when we live our lives in submission to the Holy Spirit. And these 144 thousand, too, have a song of deliverance through the Tribulation. The text says that these are the “first fruits,” meaning the harvest of believers in the Tribulation. These are the first fruits of the survivors. It says they are “without fault” before the throne of God. That’s exactly how each one of us will stand before God because of the wonderful work of Jesus Christ. God sees each of us as faultless. Are you seeing the song that He has put into you? Reader, you may not be a very good singer, but offer your praise, honor, and glory to God because He is so faithful and true to you. He has been there every step of your life. Ask God to make your life a song for Him. Let us praise God that we, too, stand faultless before the throne of God because we are washed in the blood of Jesus!