The 144,000 Described More Fully (verses 4-5)

“These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit [no guile], for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

John is further describing the 144,000. There about six characteristics that he presents here about who these individuals were. First, they were “virgins”. Next, they “follow the Lamb.” Third, they were “redeemed.” Fourth, they were “the firstfruits.” Fifth, they had “no guile”—some translations say “no deceit.” And sixth, they were “without fault.”

Well, once again, who are we talking about here? Who does the prophet have in view, or what is he seeing? And how are these being described?

We continue to go back and say, these are the people of God, the redeemed of every age. They are, if you will, the church, as we understand the church today, and as presented on the pages of the New Testament. Well, how so?

The First Characteristic of the 144,000: What about them being “virgins?” This clearly is not a sexual reference. What it has to do with is purity. How did Paul characterize the church as he wrote to the church in Corinth that would be presented to God? He used a husband-wife reference. Look over in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11 and notice what Paul says there: “Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly — and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Clearly, the church in Corinth was not made up of people who were “chaste virgins.”But in a spiritual sense, in the sense of being as pure and undefiled as a “chaste virgin”, that is the figure here that Paul uses. That fits here when John speaks about these 144,000 being “virgins.” Again, not a sexual reference, but a reference to spiritual purity.

The Second Characteristic of the 144,000: They “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” We have any number of references in the New Testament that we can turn to, where Jesus will say, “Follow Me.” “My sheep hear My voice and follow Me,” John 10:27 [“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”]. Well, indeed, the church follows Christ, don’t we?

[Other Scripture References re: Following Jesus

Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’”

John 12:26: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

1 Peter 2:21: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps….”]

The Third Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 are the “redeemed—redeemed from among men.” Again, who are we? How are we described? What has been done for us? We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, 1 Peter 1:19 [1 Peter 1:17-19: “And if you call on the Father, Who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but [that you were redeemed] with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”]. As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he describes their condition, “in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” referring, of course, to Christ [Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace….”].

[See also Colossians 1:13-14: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”]

The Fourth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 are the “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” In James 1, verse 18, he speaks about the fact that we (of course, he is writing to Christians) are “firstfruits,” [James 1:16-18: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His Own Will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”].

This is a connection back to the Old Testament system of worship and of giving sacrifices, of giving not only animal sacrifices, but giving sacrifices of grain, of fruit, and of everything that came from the harvest. These sacrifices were to be, no, not the last things, not the middle things, but these sacrifices were to be from the first things. That was what was to be given to God. And so, we Christians, members of the church, are characterized as being the “firstfruits.” We are the BEST, and we are to give our best, aren’t we?

The Fifth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 have no guile, no deceit [“…in their mouth was found no deceit….”]. We could make “guile [slyness and cunning in dealing with others]” or “deceit [to lie; to cheat; to make a person believe what is not true; mislead]” antonymous—opposite in meaning—with “truthfulness,” “candor,” “frankness,” “honesty,” “sincerity.” Paul says that we are not to lie to one another [Colossians 3:8-9: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds….”].

We are to be like our Lord. As Christians, we want to attempt to follow Him as closely as we can. He left a pattern or us to follow, an example for us to follow, as Peter says. In 1 Peter 2:22, it speaks of Him not having any guile in His mouth [1 Peter 2:21-22: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.’”(NKJV); 1 Peter 1:21-22: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth….” (KJV)].

The Sixth Characteristic of the 144,000: The 144,000 “are without fault before the throne of God.” They are without blemish, without spot, without wrinkle. That’s how Peter describes the church, 2 Peter 3:14 [“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless….”]. And Jude will say that we are to be presented without fault, Jude 24 [Jude 24-25: “Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”]. Also, Ephesians 5:25-27: “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Once again, we are to be like our Lord, 1 Peter 2:21 [“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”].

We can see that we can make the connection between these characteristics of the 144,000 that are presented here in Revelation, chapter 14, verses 4 and 5, and the characteristics of the church—of ourselves as Christians, as members of Christ’s church.