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The 144,000
They are
Without Guile
Key Twelve
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth
not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psalms 32:2
For more than thirty-five years, former United States President Richard M. Nixon served in the political arena. During this time, he was in a unique position to meet with, and study, world leaders. After leaving public service, his fascination with leadership traits prompted him to author a book in which he asks the question, “What are the qualities needed to be a great leader?” He writes:
In evaluating a leader, the key question about his behavioral traits is not whether they are attractive or unattractive, but whether they are useful. Guile, vanity, dissembling—in other circumstances these might be unattractive habits, but to the leader they can be essential. He needs guile in order to hold together the shifting coalitions of often bitterly opposed interest groups . . . He sometimes has to dissemble in order to prevail on crucial issues. It has (also) become fashionable to try to conceal ego . . . to present instead an outward modesty. But, I have never known a major leader who was not an egotist (Leaders, p. 324).
In our deceived world, many leaders believe that they must
use treachery, deceit and guile. Their struggle is to stay on top—to maintain
power, status, and position as they strive to impose their will on others.
However, many notable leaders have misunderstood the nature of true leadership.
Leaders without Fault before God
Those God is calling to be in the first resurrection are
preparing to be the servant leaders in the world to come. The 144,000 are being
made ready to make a radical break from the ways of this world’s leadership.
John states:
In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God (Revelation 14:5).
The Apostle John was inspired to write that the 144,000 are
without fault before the throne of God. These words have profound meaning for
every Christian! The word translated “fault” is “amomos,” in the Greek, and it
literally means “without blemish.” This word refers to the sacrifices made to
God in which only the best could be offered. Each offering was carefully
inspected to make sure it had no flaw. Each one pictured Christ, the perfect
sacrifice, who was without any blemish of sin.
As Paul writes, with the exception of Jesus Christ, no human
being is without fault. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:23), but the 144,000 have overcome! They have accepted Jesus Christ as
their Savior, been justified, and overcome sin through His blood (Revelation
12:11). They will stand before God’s glorious throne in the first resurrection.
They will be like Christ, mirroring Him as rulers in the very government and
family of God (I John 3:1-3).
Once resurrected, the saints will be perfect, having no
blemish. They will have attained this resurrection, and done so by becoming a
people who lived their lives without guile.
Living with Guile
Today guile has infected our whole society. It has become an
accepted way of life, even for many professing Christians. The same people, who
give God ten percent of their income and compliment the preacher on his sermon
each week, sometimes have no qualms about deceiving or misleading others during
the rest of the week.
When it comes to doing business today, many who pride
themselves on their ethics and morals seem satisfied with doing inferior work
while charging top dollar. After using deceit to make more money on a business
deal than is fair, they have no problem attending church services saying, “God
blessed me.”
We have become a society where many who attend church only
appear righteous. They attend the church of their choice, wear their best suit,
and “chit-chat” about God as though they were close to Him, while at the same
time gossiping about others in the very place where they worship. Underneath the
veneer of professing belief in the Almighty, many are deeply jaded by the
perverse values of our society. As a consequence, their families are often
toxic, and they, along with their mates and children, are deeply unhappy.
Further, our media-driven society has raised the use of guile
to a science. Today the advertising industry has become a chief exporter of
dissimulation. Our economy is based on greed, and life has become all about
money and doing whatever it takes to obtain more of it. To this end,
sociologists package our real human needs into products they can advertise for
sale.
Consumers today do not buy products because they need them,
but because they believe the product will make them feel good. We purchase
drinks, clothing, or cars because we want to feel more masculine, more feminine
or more youthful. For this reason, television commercials seldom speak to the
value of a product. Instead, they display images of people having fun, feeling
secure, being competent, and the center of attention.
Using guile, advertisers artfully link their product with
these feelings. Viewers then subconsciously believe that if they acquire the
product, it will produce these same feelings in their life.
People without Guile
In contrast to this world, the resurrected saints are without
guile. The word “guile” is “dolos” in the Greek, meaning to “decoy” or “trick.”
The definition includes using deceit or subtlety to delude, entice or bait
another person. In contrast, the 144,000 are transparent, honest, and sincere.
They would never take advantage of others by deceiving or misleading them.
The Apostle James writes that the strongest muscle in the
body, the tongue, is the most dangerous to us. He tells us that whoever can
control this appendage is a perfect man (James 3:2-10). We are also told that
the 144,000 are without fault before God, and that they have no guile.
The 144,000 guard their lips. They do not spend their words
in an attempt to make themselves look good in other people’s eyes. Neither do
they adjust what they say to make others look bad. They are not found focusing
on what appeals to the senses or the sensational. They do not color statements
to stir others up or to gain advantage. As the psalmist writes:
He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house. He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight (Psalm 101:7).
While realizing that carefully guarding their speech is essential, the 144,000 also understand that guile includes what comes from the heart. As Jesus warned:
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19).
What a person says comes from the heart and mind. Therefore,
the battle to overcome sin and human nature, originates in the mind. Therefore,
144,000 are those who have dedicated themselves to becoming a people whose heart
and mind are without hypocrisy.
An Israelite Indeed
More than two thousand years ago, there existed a unique man
who will be included in the 144,000. Christ pointed him out to those who would
later read his story. That man’s name was Nathanael, and the account of his
meeting with Jesus Christ provides a profound lesson for us. The Apostle John
describes this meeting, saying:
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel (John 1:47-49).
When Jesus said that Nathanael was “an Israelite indeed,” He
meant that he was not just an Israelite by birth. Rather, he was an Israelite
worthy of the name. He was what an Israelite was intended to be. Nathanael had a
right spirit—a right attitude. He exhibited genuine integrity, believed in the
promises of God, and his life reflected his faith.
Further, when Christ referred to Nathanael as being an
Israelite, He spoke of the true Israel of God. Jesus was referring to the
144,000—the Israel that would one day lead the world, ruling under His divine
authority. Nathanael exemplified this vital leadership characteristic of the
144,000—a person in whom was no guile.
Not being Fish Bait
Having grown up around the Sea of Galilee, Nathanael
understood Christ’s words in a very unique way. This community was generally
comprised of people associated with the fishing industry. To these fishermen,
the word guile actually meant “fish bait.” It referred to something that was
designed to trick a fish into taking the bait and being hooked.
In like manner, people often use guile like fish bait. They
pretend to be someone or something they are not in order to trick others and
gain an advantage. For example, before Jacob was converted, he did not hesitate
to use guile to trick his father into giving him the birthright (Genesis
27:18-19).
Nathanael was without this ugly trait of guile. He was not
without sin. All have sinned, but Nathanael made no attempt to pretend to be
what he was not. He was without hypocrisy. He did not disguise motives, and was
not fraudulent or deceitful.
What about us? Are we Israelites indeed? The 144,000 are
spiritual Israelites who have no guile. They are comprised of those who are
striving to live up to their covenant name—to be Israelites in deed—true
Israelites in the way they live.
Christ’s compliment took Nathanael by surprise. He wanted to
know how Jesus knew him. How was He able to speak of his character? Christ
answered that before Nathanael came to Him, He had spotted him under a fig tree.
The fig tree represents two concepts to Israel. First, as a
symbol of peace and prosperity, it portrays the millennium when each man will
have time to sit under his own fig tree (Micah 4:4). Secondarily, men would sit
and meditate under the fig tree’s leafy shade. As such, sitting under the fig
tree had the connotation of being in fellowship with God. Nathanael was likely
meditating or praying when Christ saw him.
God knows our character by what we pray and meditate about,
as well as what we do NOT pray and meditate about. Christ knew what Nathanael
was thinking and praying about under the tree. He could discern his inner
character.
In the same way, God knows how we think and feel in our
innermost thoughts. He hears our prayers, and knows our meditations. He hears
what we say, and sees what we do. If our thoughts are to do good and right, He
sees it. On the other hand, if our motives are not good and right, He sees that,
too.
We can never fool God. He is not to be mocked. He is aware of
everything we think, feel, and do. Are we sincere in those things, or do we have
guile?
The 144,000 understand that there is nothing covered that
shall not be revealed. They know that God will bring to light the hidden things
(I Corinthians 4:5). They realize that eventually everyone will know if we were
the real thing, or just “fish bait.”
Becoming People without Guile
Jesus Christ was our example. He did not falsely represent
Himself. As Peter writes, Jesus:
Did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth (I Peter 2:22).
We are to follow the example of Christ. We are to become true
Christians who can stand before God’s throne without guile. We must be honest
and sincere in all that we think and do, like the unleavened bread of Christ (I
Corinthians 5:7).
Unlike leavened bread, which is puffed up, we should be flat,
humble, unpretentious, and unassuming—as was Christ! This is the nature of the
character of those unique individuals who will stand without fault before God’s
throne in the first resurrection.
They are genuine, humble and teachable. They are like Christ
was when He walked on the earth. They are not trying to impress others. They are
sincere and without hypocrisy—a people without guile. Christ is looking for
trustworthy helpmates to assist Him as He rules the family of God. Christ
desires a wife who will represent herself sincerely. She will not try to
manipulate, or intimidate, Him into doing her will instead of His.
His bride will be made up of individuals who are true to their word. They will
be individuals who will not color things to make themselves look better, or
others look worse. David describes such persons in the following way:
LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not (Psalm 15:1-4).
This describes the 144,000. They are Christ’s sincere friends, speaking the truth in love from their hearts. This is how we must be, if we are to be numbered among them.