I.e. why would God declare men not having sex with women means they are undefiled by them, as though ALL sex with women by men defiles them? Afterall, Heb 13:4 states that marriage is honorable and the marriage bed is undefiled. I.e. a man, nor a woman, can be defiled by having sex with each other in marriage. It is the whoremongers that are defiled.
Right, then it would be sex outside of marriage.
I don't know about you but I didn't remain a virgin for too long. Boys will be boys. What is defiled anyways?
Maybe God has this huge file cabinet of names up in heaven with all the prospective candidates in mind for the 144k. He starts out with many more than that. As these young pure religious Israelites in their teens lose their control when a girl comes along and seduces him (and they do very easily), then God just removes their file from the file cabinet - they are now defiled - lol just kidding! I was defiled at 17.
And while they can certainly be sexually virgin, it still doesn't provide proof of their defilement, as the Scripture plainly says. For, or because they are virgins...
And Madona would agree with that, she wrote the song, "Like A Virgin"
Sorry ... Just feeling silly today.
Actually isn't it what comes out a person's mouth defiles him?
Is the virgin daughter of my people and of Zion a female only? (Jerem 14: 17) (Lam 2:13)
No, I don't think these verses are applicable to Rev. 7 & 14.
Jer. 14 is about the judgement of Judah (the virgin daughter of His people) in a different time. They were given "famine and the sword" because they sinned, hence they were not virgins.
Lam. 2 is also speaking of punishment against "daughter Zion", daughter Judah, daughter Jerusalem".
I mean, we have to at least consider the spiritual meaning here, since this whole book is about what saith the Spirit to the churches…(Rev 2, 3, 14:13)
What spiritual interpretation would you extrapolate out of these verses?
"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal in the foreheads of the servants of God" Rev. 7:3 >They are born again.
"Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. (Vs. 4) > Nothing symbolic here when a precise number and specific names of tribes are identified - it's literal.
"Then I looked and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mt. Zion
and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads." Rev. 14:1 > Jesus' Second Coming is literal, physical and the location is identified. The angels said He would return in like manner - this is to be taken literally.
"And they sang a new song..." (vs. 3)
> I am working on it, I'll be submitting it soon!
"These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins." (Vs. 4)
> Since "women" is mentioned, a distinction is made. They are not women. The kings, priests, prophets, disciples chosen throughout history were not women either.
What is interesting is the statement: "no lie is found in their mouths, they are blameless."
How could that be? I think God gave us a snapshot of a resurrected person - a pure creature without blame.
Listen, there are scholarly views that claim these 144,000 represent the Church. But that can't be because the Church is the multitude in heaven that no one can number - billions.
For sure I am not one of them, God removed my file long ago - lol.
We just can't answer all the questions. The mysteries will be revealed soon. Revelation was constructed like a transparent, multi-dimensional sphere. As you turn it, you see it from different vantage points. It is not chronological as we read normally in a linear fashion, with each event all lined up in order, one after the other. Chapters 7 & 14 are prime examples that it is not chronological.
I think the trumpets and bowls fall within the scroll with seven seals. This is why there are at least a half dozen views of this book and I think God purposely designed it that way - a mysterious story, an absolute ending with hope and certainty. It also contains a sense of imminence so that every generation could believe that it could happen in theirs.