"144,000"

Revelation 14.3b, 4b NASU

“…the one hundred and forty-four thousand… These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” 
Read Sarah Hale’s children’s poem [1] with a biblical twist:

“Mary had a little Lamb, little Lamb, little Lamb;
Mary had a little Lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere the Lamb went, the Lamb went, the Lamb went;
And everywhere the Lamb went, the 144,000 were sure to go.”

I wish I were one of the 144,000 but, according to the book of Revelation, chapter 14, I don’t qualify…

• The Lamb’s name (“Jesus,” I presume) is not written on my forehead (v.1).
• I never “sang a new song” to an audience of supernatural creatures in heaven (v.3).
• Unlike the 144,000, I am not a virgin and have certainly “been defiled with women” (v.4).
• Lies have been found in my mouth (v.5).
• I am not blameless (v.5).

I may not be one of the 144,000, but like the 144,000, I am learning to “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”

“…the one hundred and forty-four thousand…
are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
Revelation 14.3-4 NASU

Even if I am not one of the 144,000, I, like all true children of God, am learning to be “led by the Spirit of God”…

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
Romans 8.14 NRSV

I may not be one of the 144,000, but like Matthew, I am learning to obey His command to “Follow Me..”

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man Matthew sitting at the tax office.
And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him.”

Matthew 9.9 NKJV

 _____________________

[1] "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was first published by self-taught American author Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830. She was a prolific writer of poetry and novels and published over fifty volumes of work before her death in 1879. Hale is also known for her successful appeal to President Lincoln for a national holiday we call Thanksgiving.

The water colors above are from a group of paintings entitled "Crowds," part of a larger creative series project by artist Eric Reyes Lamothe called "Minimal Multitudes." In Mr. Lamothe's own words: "The origin of my work is in the crowds. Not as a conclusion of what a conglomerate of people represents, but a starting point which multiplies from small amounts of information into a set of ideas that can be materialized as a portable exhibition, a series of drawings or actions on the streets." Eric gave me permission to use his work here. Check out his website at http://www.eric-reyes.com/index.html.