These are they... — The characteristics of the servants of the Lamb are given in this verse and the following. The first is purity: they are virgins. The expression can hardly be limited to the unmarried, as the 144,000 represent the wide society of the choice ones of God. They are those whose hearts have been made as the hearts of little children (Matthew 18:1-4), who have that purity of heart which Christ declared to be blessed, and which St. James declared to be the first mark of heavenly wisdom (Matthew 5:8, and James 3:17). The next is implicit obedience: they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. Some, indeed, take this to be a kind of heavenly reward: they shall be the nearer companions of the Lamb. But it is better to take it as describing their complete consecration to Christ. They are those who are with Christ, who have tasted the cup that their Lord tasted, and have taken up their cross and followed Him (Matthew 20:22; Luke 14:27; John 12:24-26). It is well to weigh these words; it is in the “wheresoever” that we may test the reality of our Christian life. Here lies the cross that Christ bids us take up. Here is the echo of Christ’s words, “Whosoever forsaketh not all he hath cannot be My disciple.” The third mark is separation, or unworldliness: they were purchased from among men, as a firstfruit to God and to the Lamb. They were a chosen generation, a peculiar people (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9), as the Israel of God (Deuteronomy 7:6). The fourth feature is utter truthfulness: in their mouth no guile or no falsehood. (Comp. Psalms 14 and Deuteronomy 32:1-2.) The verse emphatically ends with “They are blameless.” The words “before the throne of God” must be omitted. (Comp. Revelation 7:14-15; Ephesians 5:27; and Colossians 1:22.)
We have seen the servants of God; we have marked their character; we are now to see the weapon which is to be employed in the conflict against the enemies of Christ.