Revelation 14:1 ¶ And I looked,
and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four
thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps: 3 And
they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts,
and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and
four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they which were not defiled with
women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever
he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God
and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth
was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
One of the problems with Bible
interpretation is the tendency to interpret the Bible by forcing it to justify
your culture and customs. Instead, one should interpret the Bible by
cross-referencing to see what the mind of God, the Holy Spirit’s original intent
was.
After the Translation or Rapture
of the Saints;
These are the servants of Christ
mentioned in chapter 7. Mount Sion here is a reference to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come
unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, 23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written
in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect,
These 144,000 Jews were redeemed from the earth and we don’t
know if that means they were translated [raptured]
or martyred, although we cannot rule that out. They have a unique position in
God’s plan and can sing a new song that no one but they can sing. They are male
virgins, not hindered by any attachments to life. As men who have wives or
women who have husbands and families have a sort of divided loyalty while,
ordained by God, is not suitable for the purpose of these specific men.
There are many disturbing
statements made in the Bible like this one about not being defiled by women but
we must always remember that the Bible is written by men under the
understanding and wisdom given to them by God, which the Bible calls given by inspiration. See 2Timothy 3:16;
Job 32:8; and 2Peter 3:15 to learn that the Bible is not given by dictation but
by inspiration. Therefore, you are going to read a lot of cultural phenomenon
and biases, plus personal opinion in the writings. It would be inconsistent for
us to take a statement and declare that something that God had ordained like
the union between a man and a woman in marriage was somehow to be despised. For
instance we know that religious groups that forbid lawful marriage are pushing doctrines of devils.
1Timothy 4:1 ¶ Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron; 3
Forbidding to marry, and
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received
with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
Paul also wrote about
marriage in 1Corinthians 7 in the context of not abandoning an unbelieving
spouse and about being abandoned by an unbelieving spouse, a chapter with
verses that have been wrenched out of context by evil people and misused to
justify everything from insisting a slave not seek their freedom, an employee
not seek their value, and a wife not to leave an abusive husband;
1Corinthians 7:2
Nevertheless, to avoid
fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
Here is how physical
marriage can hinder the kind of service required of these virgin men.
1Corinthians 7:32
But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth
for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 But he that is married careth for the things
that are of the world, how he may please his
wife. 34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The
unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in
body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world,
how she may please her husband.
You would be well warranted
to conclude that the defilement mentioned here is to point out that it is not
given to these men to have families and to experience the joy of marriage. They
have a certain path, a goal they must pursue and having a wife would get in the
way. You and I can go back to Exodus to see a time when the union between
husband and wife was to be halted for a time for a specific purpose. Read
Exodus 19:15 and context.
We don’t exactly know what
function these exemplary individuals performed but they are Christ’s servants
who follow Him faithfully in that time.
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