“And I looked, and lo a Lamb stood on Mount Zion and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand having His Father’s name written in their foreheads…And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth,” Rev. 14:1-5.

REDEEMED FROM THE EARTH BY HIS BLOOD

Now let us come to our text in Rev. 14:3. The Greek word for redeem is agorazo and it means … to go to market; i.e., purchase, especially to redeem, buy, redeem. The new song sung by the 144,000 redeemed from the earth (Rev. 14:3) certainly is the same song sung by the Elders in Rev. 5:9, “And they sung a new song, saying: Thou are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain. and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”

Now there is something I want us to pick up here. The blood of Jesus is not meant for only the 24 Elders nor the 144,000. For when we get to verse 11 of the same Chapter 3, we are told, “…the number of them (singing that song) was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands…”

What am I trying to say? As many as have received the blood of the Lamb are qualified to sing this song. It is the song of those who have overcome the Adamic nature.

THE BASIS OF THE BLOOD

Why do we need the blood of Jesus? In Rom. 5:12, 17, 21; 16:14,16 we are told, “wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin …by one man’s offence death reigned… for sin shall not have dominion over you; …know ye not, that to whom ye yield ourselves servants to obey, his servants, ye are to whom ye obey…”

Evidently, we find that all men were slaves to sin. Sin and death were reigning supreme over all realms of creation through the offence of Adam. Even today, you find that all those who have not received the blood of redemption are still subject to all forms of passions.

Now God is a righteous God and His laws speak of His nature. He cannot go back on His word. God’s perfect justice requires an “…eye for eye, tooth for tooth and a soul for a soul,” Exo. 21:23-24; Deut. 19:21. And since “all have sinned… and the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 3:23, 6:23) man, in his fallen state, is not fit to redeem himself from the dominion of sin. Not even the riches of his brothers “…can by any means redeem (buy back) his brother nor give to God a ransom for him,” Ps. 49:6-9.

Therefore, it requires the perfect replica or equivalent of a man’s life – blood – to have him redeemed. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…,” Lev. 17:11. This is where the law, which was allowed for a time as a shadow of things to come, cannot take away the sins of the man (Heb. 10:1-4, 9:9).

In the first place, animal blood is not the equivalent of the blood of man. Secondly, they cannot make man perfect as touching the conscience (Heb. 9:9-10). Therefore, in fulfilling His own laws, He has to provide the equivalent of the sacrifice – the ransom price by giving the life of His own Son to provide the redemption price (Rom. 5:6-8). And this process required the Son becoming a human being, thereby corresponding with the life of Adam (Heb. 2:9, 14; John. 1:14).

Now let us understand, that the life that was in Jesus was the very life of God, which was transferred into many. It is the father that gives life; and since Joseph did not play any part in the conception of the Child (Matt. 1:18-23), the Child never took his life from Joseph. Therefore, the seed of life deposited in Mary was without spot or blemish (Luke 1:26-37; John 1:29; 1Pet. 1:18-19). The blood of Jesus was, therefore, a perfect and acceptable sacrifice.

In realization of His role in life, He maintained that state of holiness all through His human existence (Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1Pet. 2:22) in order not to defile Himself. And as a partaker of flesh and blood, He was a “near Kinsman” of mankind, with a perfect life, maintained pure through tests of integrity, with which to buy back mankind – Heb. 2:14-15.

Therefore, in 1Cor. 6:20 we are told, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are God’s.” And again, “Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men,” 1Cor. 7:23.

THE PRICE

So what was the price that Jesus paid to buy us back? For whatsoever price He paid must be the equivalent of a man’s life. When Paul was addressing the Elders in Ephesus he said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God, WHICH HE HATH PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD,” Acts 20:28.

So then this is the mystery. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory,”1 Tim. 3:16.

God became human Christ to human man by spilling His own perfect blood. “To wit, that God was IN Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation,” 2 Cor. 5:19.

To be continued…