ACC ~ Revelation 14 v1

MANY JEWS WILL COME TO FAITH. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: Concerning this [first] resurrection he says, “I saw the Lamb standing and with him—that is, standing with Christ—144,000.” He is speaking of those from the Jews who at the end of time will come to faith through the preaching of Elijah, and of these the Spirit testifies that they are virgin not only in body but also in language. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 20.1.

THE JEWS WILL AGAIN BECOME THE LORD’S POSSESSION. OECUMENIUS: In the Gospels the Lord is depicted speaking to the lawless people of the Jews, “Behold, your house is desolate.”For after the insanity of the cross, they were no longer worthy of the divine visitation. How is it, then, that the Lord, as though through a change of mind, is shown by the vision “standing on Mount Zion”? For that their city and temple and entire populace was left wholly desolate, the Romans have clearly shown, having burned the temple and having torched the cities, having laid waste to the entire land and having enslaved the capital city itself. But that now the Lord is shown having come to Mount Zion represents the conversion of Israel by faith in the last days, when indeed the Lord will make them his own possession and bring them to himself. For this was proclaimed through Isaiah, saying, “The Redeemer will come from Zion and will remove ungodliness from Jacob, says the Lord.” And both the prophet and the apostle stand in agreement with Isaiah. For the one sings, “You will make them turn their back; among those who remain you will prepare their face,” and the other writes, “When the full number of the Gentiles come in, then all Israel will be saved.” … In a previous section he said that the 144,000 were those from Israel who had come to faith, 12,000 from each of the tribes.Does he now also again refer to these? I do not think so. For he does not designate them here with a definite article—he did not say “the 144,000” but only “144,000”—let alone indicate that they had vigilantly practiced virginity. For virginity was in no way eagerly practiced in Israel, just as later the Gentiles were not interested in it. Therefore, we must regard those mentioned to be a mixture of persons from Israel and from the Gentiles, and the greater part from the Gentiles. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.1-5.

CHRIST STANDS ON THE NEW CITY. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: Without any doubt whatsoever, the “Lamb” is Christ. He is standing on Mount Zion, not the ancient city, but the new city of the living God. These thousands indicate either the full harvest of the apostolic seed, the grace in each being completed twelve times a thousand, the perfect fruit of the faith of those being saved, or they signify those from the New Testament who are chaste in both the inner and the outer person. For among the ancients the virtue of virginity was rare, found only in a very few, and from this fact one must suppose that these are different from those mentioned earlier who were introduced with the names of the tribes of Israel, to whom he did not attribute virginity. The foreheads of all of these are sealed with the light of the divine countenance, by which they are revealed as holy to the avenging angels. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 14.1.

THE CHURCH REJOICES IN BODY, SOUL AND MIND. BEDE: By the example of his power and the safety of his protection the Lord Christ guarded his church, which was toiling under the burden of its struggles. For although the body which had been confounded by the power of the devil and marked by his brand was shown, lest you fear that the body of the Lamb had been overcome by the furor of the beast, he showed also the church rejoicing with its usual brightness and number. Note as well that the beast stands on the sand of the sea,while the Lamb stands upon Mount Zion. This finite number [144,000] should be regarded as representing an infinite number and by the meaning of a hidden mystery suitable for that virginal throng that loves God with all its heart, all its soul and all its mind, and by the integrity of the body, which consists of four qualities, is consecrated to him. For three times three makes nine, and four times four makes sixteen, and sixteen times nine completes the number of 144,000, so that there should be no doubt concerning the remaining members of the church when such a perfect multitude is seen from those who in the midst of a more difficult life are seen with the Lamb, having been deservedly placed upon Mount Zion. [His name and the name of his Father on their foreheads] stands in analogy with the mark on the forehead of the body of the beast, for it says that God and Christ were written upon the foreheads of the church. EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 14.1.

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