I am glad for your question, my dear friend, because I believe that the Lord (given the signs of our times) would have us to understand that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ may be happening very soon. I will tell you that if you are a born-again Christian, there should be nothing to trouble you in these verses as they clearly demonstrate God’s wonderful plan for His own coming to pass. But since I do not know how much you know about the end times, the rapture of the church, the Great Tribulation, and the return of Christ in judgment, I’ll give a very brief summary of these events.

So, let’s read the portion you have cited. Revelation 14:3 reads: “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.”  First of all, I believe that this verse, and Revelation 14 altogether, speaks about a time we call the Great Tribulation.  This chapter does not apply to the born-again Christians of today, but rather refers to a time after the true church on earth has been taken up to be with the Lord. I believe that the tribulation is a seven year period of time (Daniel 9:26,27) where God will pour out judgments upon Israel and upon the whole earth, the last 3 and a half years of which will be particularly difficult in Israel (Revelation chapters 6-18;Malachi 3:2-3; Matthew 24:20-27; Zechariah 14:1-5; Revelation 3:10-11; Joel 2:1-32). As I have said, this will be a time of great judgment upon all the earth, and many in Israel will be slain, some of whom will be martyred for their faith. I believe that Revelation 14:2 might possibly refer to these martyrs. But in any case, there will be a faithful remnant of Israel who will survive the tribulation.  These refused the wickedness of Satan and his instruments, the beast, and the false prophet (Revelation 14:4). This is the 144,000 Israelites saved out of the tribulation for an earthly blessing with the Lamb on the earth during the Millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, I believe that these are actual Israelites from the 12 tribes (Revelation 7) who have not given in to all the idolatries and wickedness of the times. 

This does not mean that these people are saved by their works—any who are saved on the earth are saved by God’s grace through faith in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Nor does it mean that only 144,000 souls are saved out of the earth’s entire history as some cults might claim, but the 144,000 spoken of here are merely those saved for earthly blessing out of Israel during this tribulation period which is yet to come. Leslie Grant in his commentary on this verse says: “The 144,000 are those who have kept free from the adulterous defilement of the doctrine of the beast and False Prophet (v. 4), for faith has been awakened in them to follow the Lamb wherever He leads, however great the dangers.” Regarding this “new song,” J.N. Darby writes in his Synopsis of the Bible: “It was not the new song of heavenly redemption…it was “as it were a new song.” This none could learn but those who had shared the earthly sufferings of the Lamb, and would now be His companions in His earthly royalty; they had followed Him, they would follow Him whithersoever He went. They are the firstfruits of the new scene. They had not corrupted themselves where all did. They were not of those who loved or made a lie, or gave in to it. Corruption and falsehood they had been kept free from, openly confessing the truth. They had not the heavenly place, but they are without fault, and they shared the Lamb’s earthly place and glory, accompanying Him whithersoever He goes, in the manifestation of that glory.”

Now, I want to be very clear…the events spoken of in Revelation 8-14 describe a time of judgment unlike anything that has been seen upon the earth even to the present day.  We today are in the time of the church, and what we are seeing today is not yet this Great Tribulation. The things we are seeing in the news today are only the birth pains of that time, which time will be far worse (Matthew 24:6-8). Born again Christians will not remain on the earth to suffer in this tribulation (Revelation 3:10-11).  We will be taken up to be with the Lord prior to this seven year period of time because the Lord Jesus will first return to the clouds to catch true believers up to be with Himself forever (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

My dear friend, I truly hope this helps you see that Christians today are not to go through this Tribulation Period, but we will be with the Lord before it even begins (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Are you a born-again Christian?  In Acts 16:31, we read: … Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (see also John 3:3-5; 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9). I’m praying for you.  (SF)  (604.1)