VIRGINS

Revelation 14:
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. (KJV)

God, in Revelation 14:4, identifies the 144,000 as virgins. There are two possibilities in defining virgins. The first is to try somehow to label these men with a feminine trait, which is extremely awkward especially when you know that God is very precise with exact words in His prophecies. In other words a more accurate way to convey that these men have never had sex would be to say that they are celibate. That said, there must be another message that God is trying to convey in the term “virgins.”

The other possibility is that the word “virgins” has another reference. God uses key words and catchphrases to tie scriptures together. In this case I believe that He labels “the 144,000” as “virgins” to reference us to another part of the Bible, specifically to the parable of “the ten virgins” Matthew 25:1-13. It is apparent reviewing the parable that there is a common theme between “the 144,000” and “the ten virgins.” This common theme is that both “the 144,000” and the parable of “the ten virgins” is message about individuals that will be alive at the advent of Christ.

THE MESSAGE OF THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

There is a lot of information that is provided to us in this parable. To keep it simple we can say that:
1. This parable is describing an event that will take place at the end of the age.
2. The bridegroom represents Christ.
3. The “ten virgins” represents individuals that know the bride and groom.
4. The “bride’s” identity will be discussed in another link.

The parable describes a group of ten girls (bridesmaids) which are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom and the bride so that they may enter and participate in the wedding festivities. The parable further clarifies that five are prepared to enter and that the other five (or half) are exclude because they are not prepared. This reference to half of the group making it is confirmed in Zechariah.

Zechariah 14
The LORD Comes and Reigns
1 A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake [a] in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

GOD TO PROTECT MOUNT ZION

God has established that He is going to protect a group of 1,152,000 individuals (144,000 men and 1,008,000 women) on Mount Zion during the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation period. However, not all of those protected are prepared to enter the kingdom. And in the end only half, according to the parable of “the ten virgins” and confirmed by Zechariah, of the 1,152,000 will enter into the kingdom.