Christianity is not a negative religion. Or rather, it is not merely a negative religion. There are, of course, some actions Christians should not perform, some ideas Christians should not believe, some feelings Christians should not experience, and some words Christians should not speak. The Ten Commandments memorably summarize the Christian’s negative duties with regards to actions, ideas, feelings, and words.
Revelation 14.1–5 also speak of the Christian’s negative duties. It describes believers has “the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins….and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.” We must understand that John is speaking in figurative and idealistic language here. The company of believer is not restricted to 144,000 male virgins who have never uttered a lie.
Rather, this is a picture of a church at war with the world, shunning its idolatrous religion, and boldly—prophetically—speaking the truth in love. The number and sex of the 144,000 is important. Like the Old Testament censuses, the census of Revelation 11.5–8, which lies in the background of this package, is a roll call for battle. Unlike the Old Testament, however, the battle is spiritual conflict against the antichrist and false prophet. The weapons of warfare, consequently, are not swords and shields, but purity of worship and truthfulness of speech. Throughout the Bible, idolatry is portrayed as a form of spiritual adultery against God. That—and not merely sexual continence—is the point of describing the 144,000 as “virgins,” although Christians should of course be faithful within marriage and chaste without.
But John paints a positive portrait of believers too. First, they have Christ’s “name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” They are marked by God’s grace, identified as his own, sealed and protected against the vicissitudes of judgment. Second, they are “singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.” In fact, their song is so loud that John writes it is like “the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunders.” But it was also beautiful: “like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.” In other words, believers are exuberant, joyful people whose praise of God is both fulsome and lovely.
And third—and this is my favorite description of believers—“they “follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” The Lamb, of course, is Jesus Christ, and John’s image is paradoxical. Normally, a lamb follows a shepherd, but in the gospel, the Lamb is the Shepherd. The Crucified One is the Risen One, the one who died the very one who gives us life! No wonder, then, that believers follow him. As Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…” (John 6.68).
So, truth in advertising: Christianity is a negative religion. There are some things a Christian must not do. But that negativity serves a positive purpose, namely, to help us follow Jesus as he leads us to heaven’s safe pastures where we can exuberantly, joyfully, beautifully proclaim the greatness of the grace of God.
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