The ‘hundred and forty-four thousand’ are standing on Mount Zion. The conquerors of the triple evil – the ‘beast’, its ‘image’ and the ‘number of its name’, are standing on the shore of the ‘sea of glass like crystal’. They are the ‘overcomers’, the ‘victors’, even though they may have had to give their lives as martyrs, even though they may have been killed by the ‘beast’ during the plagues that hit the earth, among these tribulations even the ‘great tribulation’. However, within sight of their persecutors and at their approaching death they have conquered by not denying the Name of Jesus, holding on to faith in Him, and keeping God’s commandments.1 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”2 The ‘victors’, like Daniel’s friends,3 have refused to bow before the ‘beast’ and its ‘image’, its ‘statue’.4 These overcomers have been prepared to endure exclusion from the economic system of those days by not accepting the ‘number of the name of the beast’ on their foreheads or hands5 and, even though the ‘beast’ had the power to kill their bodies,6 they did not fear him and thereby won. They are standing before the ‘sea of glass like crystal’, which is before God’s throne.7 People thought they had been conquered by the ‘beast’, but instead they are standing as conquerors in God’s presence. Paul speaks of that victory, when he says: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So including the ‘dragon’, the ‘beast’, the ‘false prophet’, the ‘whore of Babylon’, the ‘devil and his angels’, or evil ‘people’—they are all created beings, also these ‘powers of darkness’ in the Heavenly realms! No thing in Heaven or on earth will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”8
The fact that the ‘sea of glass like crystal’ is seen to be glowing with fire indicates that these conquerors have also endured the divine trial and ‘purification’ by fire. They are saved, with soul and works!9 However, the ‘testing by fire’10 that serves to purify the children of God is another fire than the fire of God’s wrath upon all His opponents.11 The harps in their hands are a symbol of their victory: the ‘conquerors’ / ‘victors’ / ‘overcomers’ are praising and worshipping God with songs of worship.12
• The ‘bronze laver’ that stood in the Tabernacle between the ‘altar of sacrifice’ and the ‘Holy Place’, was indicating that daily cleansing from sin is still necessary even after the perfect sacrifice and the redemption and atonement of which the blood of the sacrifice speaks.
• It is called the ‘sea of cast metal’ in the Temple.13 It rested on a wheeled base and upon it were images of lions, bullocks and cherubim. This is also how Ezekiel sees God’s throne.14
• Is the ‘sea of cast metal’ the representation of the ‘sea of glass like crystal’ that Moses saw in Heaven as the Heavenly original?15 ‘Glass’ mixed with ‘fire’.
• Do we see here the ‘altar of sacrifice’ and the ‘sea of cast metal’ with water seen together in one image? Purification and cleansing, atonement and daily cleansing? In order to be ready for to serve God and our fellow human beings afresh?
Bible References:
1.Revelation 14:12 2.2 Timothy 4:7–8 NIV 3.Daniel 3 4.Revelation 13:15; Daniel 3 5.Revelation 13:16–17 6.Luke 12:4–5 7.Revelation 4:6 8.Romans 8:35–39 9.1 Corinthians 3:13–15 10.1 Peter 1:7, 4:12; Acts 20:19; Luke 8:13 11.Revelation 19:12 and 20, 20:9–10; 2 Peter 3:1–16; Isaiah 24:6 12.Revelation 5:8, 14:2 13.1 Kings 7:23–37 14.Ezekiel 1 15.Exodus 25:9, 40
