Introduction

Greetings, everyone. Let us continue our study of Revelation, Chapter 14. The theme of this chapter is "The Ultimate Destiny of Those Who Follow the Lamb Versus Those Who Follow the Beast."

The 144,000 Who Follow the Lamb

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins.

It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. (Revelation 14:1-5)

Jesus descends upon Mount Zion with the 144,000. As for the rest, we simply do not know. There is a profound mystery in the Scriptures: it defines the overcomers with absolute clarity. The 144,000 who follow the Lamb, and the promises to the overcomers at the beginning of Revelation—these are spelled out in black and white. But what happens to those who fail to overcome? Do they follow the Lamb? The Bible is silent on this.

"In their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless." It is hard for us to imagine: what about those with minor blemishes? The Bible does not say. Why this silence? The intent is clear: it is to compel us to emulate these 144,000 blameless followers. Let there be no misunderstanding about this.

For those in the grey area—the half-hearted, the lukewarm—we do not know their fate because it is not revealed. God deliberately instructed John to write it this way. The two extremes are clear: the 144,000 blameless overcomers return with Jesus. The rest, the mediocre who hover between belief and unbelief, are left in obscurity.

It is like university admissions. If you get into Tsinghua, Peking University, MIT, or Harvard, your path is clear and defined. But for those who fail to make the cut, their future is uncertain. It is that simple. In my generation, only three percent made it to university. The rest? Their fates were unpredictable—some succeeded, many did not.

This is God's deliberate design. He sets a high standard so that you will strive to emulate the 144,000, purifying yourself until not a shred of worldliness remains. The scripture says, "These are those who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins." This is not about physical celibacy; it means these 144,000 possess absolutely no love for the world.

Some will protest: "Who can achieve this?" Well, 144,000 did. Others ask: "Why so few?" Because excellence is always rare. What about the 145,000th or the 146,000th person? The Bible remains silent. It deliberately forces us to pursue holiness with every ounce of our strength.

You may wonder: what happens to those who do not overcome? Are they saved? Do they go to heaven or hell? Which level of heaven or hell? I have no interest in debating these hypotheticals. My sole focus is how to squeeze into that 144,000. That is God's true intent. If you have that relentless drive, even if you end up as number 144,001, God will not mind adding one more.

This passage is about absolute, uncompromising discipleship. Wherever the Lamb goes, they follow. If He goes to Golgotha, I follow. If He goes to the cross, I follow. This is the very essence of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine.

We do not indulge in cheap grace: "I am saved, I will go to heaven, and it does not matter what I do there, even if I am just a janitor." We reject such complacency. We must press on. We must constantly evaluate our progress. Never assume you have arrived at the truth; you must pursue it relentlessly.

I recently hosted three pastors. Their feedback was satisfying. They said, "Every time we visit you, we learn something new, and it is highly practical." That is correct. When they visited years ago, I spoke from the spiritual height I had attained then. Now, I speak from a higher altitude. Why is it different? Because I have climbed another mile.

I never assume I have fully grasped the truth; I am always pressing forward. This is a vital quality of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. It would be very easy for me to slack off—nobody polices me. But I refuse to coast. Even with relentless effort, survival is not guaranteed; complacency means certain ruin. My goal is to squeeze into that 144,000, and I want every one of you to do the same.

The song we sing is one no one else can learn. It is far superior to any worldly performance. How glorious it is to proclaim the message of victory to the sound of heavenly harps! I imparted this vision of victory to those pastors. Have you overcome? Do not think you can slide by with a mediocre effort. Overcoming requires sweat, tears, and if necessary, blood.

Brothers and sisters, we must build this robust character. Thank God for giving us this temperament. An elder pastor once told me, "The character of the pastor determines the character of the church." Our church has come this far because its character reflects mine—a character of overcoming. We must win, no matter the cost.

I encouraged these pastors to overcome. They recently faced a severe spiritual battle and their church went through deep waters. I built up their faith, urging them to scale spiritual heights and secure victory.

Thank God for giving me this breadth of mind. I do not suffer from the insecurity of wanting to destroy anyone who threatens my position. On the contrary, my desire is to see others surpass me. That is true strength of character.

Understand this: why are there only 144,000? Because they fought their way in. If Peking University or Tsinghua lowered their standards to admit a million students, they could easily do so. But they would cease to be premier institutions; they would become third-rate rubbish.

Therefore, we must overcome, and everyone who associates with me must catch this vision of victory. To fail to overcome is a tragedy. If we become ministers of the gospel and yet remain lax, without this drive, it is an absolute disaster. How can you win if you are sloppy? The consequences of defeat are brutal.

I believe God designed it this way. Therefore, we must make a firm, cold-headed decision: we will squeeze into that 144,000, even if we have to fight for the 144,001st spot. If you are ruled by your feelings, you will fail. But if you submit to the will of God, the outcome will be extraordinary.

In truth, overcoming is not complicated. It simply means following the Lamb. He leads, you follow. Is that clear? The Lamb walked the path of Golgotha to the cross; we must walk that same path. We must not count our lives dear to ourselves, nor coddle our feelings. We have only one objective: to overcome and be counted among the 144,000.

Blessed Are the Dead Who Die in the Lord

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" (Revelation 14:12-13)

The Bible does not say, "Blessed are those who compromise to survive in the Lord." It says, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." Why? Because by the time we reach Revelation chapters 13 and 14, there is no middle ground. You either choose to die in the Lord, completely devoid of fear, or you receive the mark of the beast.

I believe these 144,000 are individuals who do not love the world, do not fear death, and refuse to indulge the flesh. When they depart this world, they rest from their labors, and their deeds follow them. Even among those who follow after them, there are those who, despite their flaws, choose death over the mark of the beast. That is commendable resolve.

Some people merely drift through life until they hit Revelation 14. What were they doing before that? Let us be clear: gratifying the flesh leads to utter misery. Those dominated by their carnal nature suffer terribly. A pastor came to see me recently, and I told him plainly: "The cost of failing to overcome is heavy and painful." I cited examples of pastors stricken with cancer. They lived miserable lives—not because they were bad people, but because they failed to overcome.

Building a church is like poking a bear. If you do not have the capacity to defeat the bear, why poke it in the first place? Being a minister is exactly like that. When the bear turns to maul you, what defense do you have? Therefore, you must have iron resolve. This applies not just to church planting, but to every Christian. Once you choose to be baptized into Christ, you must possess this determination. Otherwise, your end will be tragic.

I want our congregation to realize this early. What is the alternative? To receive the mark of the beast. Do not fool yourself into thinking the marking only begins in Revelation 13. Demons are branding people right now. Do you bear the image of the devil? We must examine ourselves. If you look like the devil, it is because you are coddling your flesh and loving the world.

We have a sister who was delivered from depression over a decade ago. She grew, but she remained self-indulgent and fearful of death. The moment she suffered from insomnia, she fell into anxiety. A few months ago, the spirit of depression returned. Did she commit some heinous crime? No. She simply coddled her flesh. She was obsessed with self-preservation.

Personally, I look forward to resting from my labors. I find great joy in building the church and serving you, but there is a far greater joy: to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. I will rest from my earthly toil, and my deeds will follow me. A person with this mindset will never suffer from depression.

Those who coddle the flesh and love the world end up consumed by anxiety and misery. What is the point of such self-indulgence? Why cling so desperately to this life? Blessed are those who die in the Lord, not those who compromise to survive and pamper their flesh.

Make a firm decision today: be willing to die for the Lord, and you will surely overcome. If you have the resolve to die for Him, you will possess the character of an overcomer. You will not be fragile, shattered by the slightest trial because of self-love. That is useless. Anyone who coddles the flesh inevitably becomes useless.

Fear God

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Revelation 14:6-7)

The fear of God is the crux of the matter. What is it that you worship? Man must fear God. When you fear God, you fear nothing else. But if you do not fear God, you will fear everything—you will fear demons, you will fear death, you will live in constant terror of worldly circumstances, yet remain utterly indifferent to God. This is a recipe for ruin. To fear everything except God is a miserable way to live.

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