Not Defiled With Women

Rev. 14:1-5 speaks of 144,000 persons with the interesting distinction in verse 4, "These are they which were not defiled with women." In order to begin to understand this mystery, first note that there is no gender distinction for these 144,000 people. Though it does say, "These were redeemed from among men," the word translated men here, is from the Greek anthropos; which simply means human being, not necessarily male. An assumption that lack of sexual union with females is what made the 144,000 persons virgins could account for the misunderstanding that they were all male. However, properly using a non-gender specific noun, like humans, persons, or humankind (as in the original Greek) could have lessened the ambiguity. The symbolic language of Revelation makes exact translation even more important. Again, God knew some gender-specific nouns, had He wanted to be gender specific. Let us quote some of these 5 verses and break them down in context.

Rev. 14:1 "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion (Hebrew Zion), and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads (minds)." Verse 2, "And I heard a voice (or sound) from heaven, as the voice (why not sound?) of many (why not much?) waters (why plural?), and as the voice (why not sound?) of a great thunder: and I heard the voice (why not sound?) of harpers harping with their harps:" Keep in mind that the same Greek word, phone (pronounced fo-nay), can mean voice or sound. There is a good explanation in Rev. 19:6 for the use of voice instead of sound, many instead of much, and the plural waters. "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

"Waters" refers to peoples or nations. The "great thunder" was the voice of the many peoples. Voice of "a great multitude," voice of "many waters," and "the voice of mighty thunderings" are all synonymous. Note, the Spirit says "as it were the voice of a great multitude" and "as the voice of many waters" and "as the voice of mighty thunderings," denoting similarity. And look, this great multitude is speaking these intelligible words in a thunderous voice, "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." The reference is to the reverberating, thunderous roar a great multitude of people. Now back to Chapter 14.

Rev. 14:3 "And they (the heavenly choir of verse 2) sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts (living creatures), and the elders: and no man could learn that song but "the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." The phrase "no man" here is from the Greek word oudeis, which should be "no one" or "nobody," the literal meaning being "none, nobody, or nothing." No gender specified.

To sing a new song would mean to introduce or to accept and practice new things. The heavenly sound (voices), that was like music - "like that of harpists playing their harps" (NIV) - to the hearers' ears, were introducing new things that only the 144,000 could learn (or accept). They could accept it because Rev. 14:4, "They follow the Lamb wherever he goes."

Verse 4, "These are they which were not defiled (corrupted) with women (the apostate churches' false teachings); for they are virgins (untainted). These are they which follow (accept the guidance or leadership of) the Lamb (the Messiah/Christ) whithersoever he goeth (whatever he teaches or where ever it leads us). These were redeemed from among men (humankind), being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." Firstfruits in Old Testament Hebrew usually meant the first fruit of a crop or offspring of a human or animal; or very often figuratively, the choice part, or cream of the crop, so to speak. Here it likely means both, as being the cream of the crop with a leadership role, and the first of many to follow.

Rev. 14:5 "And in their mouth was found no guile (deceit): for they are without fault before the throne of God." They will speak the truth, not what is popular, accepted, and helps the cash flow.

I have touched briefly on the true and literal meanings of some of these figurative or symbolic words to clarify at least part of the whole passage; but the crux here is "These are they which were not defiled with women." This is not so simple to explain or to understand. Let us pray that God will help me to explain, and you to understand. Such verses must cause many women to wonder why the God they love would create them how they are then regard them with contempt for being so. I hope the truth will allow us to see literally what the Holy Spirit was referring to figuratively at a time when it was even more dangerous for a human to speak openly about things that were at odds with the status quo. We need to do some research to understand. I will not try to list all of the ample evidence here, but enough to clarify for those willing to accept it.

Rev. 17 speaks of apostate Christendom. Note, in 17:1 the angel says "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:" Remember that waters, in prophetic symbolism (as the context implies) refers to multitudes, peoples, or nations. You will later see that this "whore" is apostate Christendom. You know the meaning of the figurative expression to pull oneself up by another's bootstraps, etc. Well, here the "great whore (apostate Christendom) that sitteth upon many waters" is being supported by these multitudes (of peoples and/or nations) that she has deceived. She would be like smoke in the wind if those who sustain her were to suddenly realize what she truly is - that she has placed herself above God and stands between heaven and God's Children (Mt. 23:13 and Lk. 11:52). By His grace, in the light of the truth, she will cease to exist. May Gods Children see the truth!

Rev. 17:2 "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication (idolatry)." In other words, they have compromised God's will for power, wealth, symbolism, tokenism, ritualism, status, luxury, etc. Almost all political leaders are greatly influenced by powerful religious organizations, and religious groups need government cooperation to flourish. That need of each other's support has formed the bases for some of the most evil alliances in world history. It is corrupting the morals of the United States today, replacing the spirit of cooperation and compassion that we once had, with one of competition, hardheartedness, hypocrisy, and greed.

Had we not abandoned God, we wouldn't need a tragedy like the World Trade Center attack to pull us together (for a while), and if we don't change our ways so He will return again to help us, we are doomed. Some of the additions, and subtractions, intended to deceive, exploit, and manipulate in the current Bibles, are vestiges of some of those evil alliances. Watch the resurrected and thriving vestiges of those alliances fight to preserve the status quo, even if it means violating both divine and civil law, and some at the immeasurable expense of other mothers' sons.

I will skip verses 3 and 4, which are clearly using a lot of symbolism to describe the great wealth of this woman (apostate Christendom). Just look at all the towering spires, the multimillion dollar structures that have no life or love or compassion and are not capable of feeling pain or joy or need, but are decked out with the world's finest, while millions of God's Children, in whom He dwells and suffers, are dying of hunger, disease, and exposure, 80 million of them children. Isa. 63:9 "In all their affliction he was afflicted."

These churches, with some of the largest bank accounts on earth, claim to be agents of God; but are in reality minions of Satan who live in royal splendor feigning tears and staging false miracles to deceive God's destitute and despairing. Their tentacles now reaching even into the impoverished third-world countries, hands extended for collecting the poor widow's mite. Those towering spires serve only the vanity of the builders, and are a disgrace and abomination (which the Scriptures clearly reveal) to our loving, compassionate God; which I will show you in a later chapter. May He cause them to repent for the sake of the suffering!

In Rev. 17:5, still speaking of this woman "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." Verse 6, "the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." Who is this great wonder? Many want to single out one church for this title, but who then are the HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH that she is THE MOTHER OF? Of course, they are the churches that sprang from her, which would be all of them; some, though several times removed, still her daughters.

In Rev.17:7 the angel tells John, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her." I don't understand it all, so my main concern for now is to identify the "women" in Rev. 14:4. As you can see in 17:5, this Babylon is the Mother of Harlots; i.e., the mother of the apostate churches who persecuted the true followers of Jesus, and still do, even if not openly, having the worlds best experts at covertness to aid them for mutual expedience.

Note, the angel goes a long way around explaining. That was likely so that those being referred to would not understand, affording some protection for the revelator, John. But there is no such shield today. They know exactly who I'm talking about and they will probably say that I am the antichrist, or something equally as discrediting, or worse. Take heed lest you allow the true antichrists to put a cloud between you and the truth that will make you free (from them). We must pray to our Heavenly Father for courage to face reality and the strength to endure the trials ahead, as Christ/Messiah takes back the Kingdom and hands it back to God. The truth will make God's Children free. I will avoid discussion of the Beast for now.

In Rev. 17:15 the angel says, " The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Again we see waters representing peoples, multitudes, nations, and different language speaking peoples. So these waters clearly encompass a great portion of the entire earth. Now, let us go to verse 18. It takes some imagination and only a little logic to see who, or what, this woman is. "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." The singular "woman" here refers to all of the women, or churches in Rev. 14:4, as a group. This woman (apostate Christendom) is called that "great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

Only one earthly institution has the power and influence to reign (indirectly) over leaders of nations. No question about it! It is organized religion that influences the greatest multitudes and the United States has come to be her most fertile ground. Note, the deceivers are the culprits here, not God's deceived children, who heed His call in Rev. 18:4, "Come out of her, my people." It should ring loud and clear that this verse refers to the apostate churches, mother and daughters, and the beast she (they) rides - world government. As Jesus said they would, they come in His name saying He is the Christ (feigning Christianity) deceiving His Children (Mt. 24:5). But as we noted earlier, that deception is only temporary.

Jerusalem was the capital of ancient Israel. "New Jerusalem" is the seat of power in the coming Kingdom of God (Spiritual Israel) and is representative of the true church (ecclesia - called out ones). The "great city (woman)" in Rev. 17:18 is the evil, self-serving, self-appointed counterpart to the New Jerusalem that John saw in Rev. 21:2, "the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Don't be fooled by those who describe this city in minute detail, as to size, shape and location and literally descending from above. Most of the symbolism in the prophetic writings is difficult to understand. Let us look at what is revealed and not dwell on what is not yet. Accepting what is revealed will make what is not, easier to understand later.

What is meant by come down from God out of heaven is that New Jerusalem will issue out from the Word of God, as we hear, heed, and put it into practice in our lives; i.e., by adherence to God's Word, the true church (and true Israel) will be transformed into New Jerusalem. What more could we want than a world where we can all prosper in peace and harmony and love, a world with a spirit of cooperation, rather than of competition and opposition? Every person, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, etc. who conforms to God's will would be a citizen of that great city, and mostly all He demands (i.e. commands) is that we love one another. Those of us who cannot love in our hearts, because of deep emotional wounds, can love in action and deed until God heals the emotional wounds. There are no Denominations in God's eyes. God is the Father of all, He loves all and the door is open to all who are willing to put down the sword (destruction) and pick up the plow (progress) in love and peace. That door may be closing soon for some.

To reiterate, the women in Rev. 14:4 represent the churches that will not fully follow Christ's teachings (which stress love and truth, not hypocrisy), who have allowed themselves to become corrupted (brainwashed) by false church doctrine that adds to, detracts from, or replaces Christ's teachings. Following the Lamb wherever He goes means following Jesus' teaching even when it differs from church doctrine or practice - putting God and Christ above any church that deviates from their teachings in the slightest, or that refuses to adjust their teachings to conform to new revelation.

Many long held prophecy interpretations cannot be correct, because much was sealed until the end times (Dan. 12:9), as John was told, in Rev. 10:4. When the Lord speaks in prophecy, His voice is sometimes referred to as thunder. The Lord thundered seven prophetic messages to John and he was told to seal up what the seven thunders uttered and to not write it down.

These less than perfect churches are not all bad. There is much good in some of them. Those that are willing to comply with God's will, need only to allow Jesus to wash their feet; i.e., do some spot cleaning, as Jesus told Peter (who is representative of the whole church) in Jn. 13:5-8, " After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." What Jesus did figuratively represented spot cleaning with His cleansing Word.

Jn. 13:9-10 "Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash [his] feet, but is clean every whit (NIV has "whole body is clean")." Eph. 5:25-26 "even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." So then, what Jesus said to Peter in Jn. 13:8 was a warning to the churches who think they need no spiritual end-time fine tuning and refuse to allow it, "thou hast no part with me." What He was saying in verse 10 was that He only wants to change what needs changing, in some cases maybe little; yet so many churches will not accept Jesus unless He is willing to convert and adhere, as is required of members, to denominational misconceptions that make us unworthy of any part in His kingdom. What a shame!

The Greek word from which we derive church is ecclesia and simply means "called out ones." God's true Children have an urgent invitation and call in Rev 18:4 "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." The Spirit is not referring to a particular church but to the corrupt, venal, biased, hypocritical, arrogant, swimming in money and luxury, false-miracle performing impostor churches - apostate Christendom as a whole. And there are few exceptions. I know of none, without some adjustments. God knows. The Lord God is revealing important things to us in Scripture. We need to listen.

Regardless, the door is open to all church leaders and to all members. God doesn't discriminate. He said, "Come out of her, my people." Remember that it is not the right-minded members that God has condemned, but the self-serving institutions themselves, though none of us is perfect. Please see Rev. 2:22-23. "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery (idol worship) with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."

Let all who sincerely seek to serve God take heed and not feel that I'm referring to you, regardless of your affiliation. God loves you. My opinion and hope is that not all pastors are corrupt. Certainly not those who seek more to do God's will than replace it with church doctrine. I suppose that many sincere pastors and teachers are teaching false doctrine because they are deceived (blind leaders of the blind). God loves all of His Children, no matter who or where you are, and whether or not you belong to any church.

Some of God's Children don't even believe He exists, yet; but they will when truth prevails over the lies and deceit of false prophets - when they see that God is good and His way is love, life, compassion, freedom, rationality, and peace; when they realize that God is not as silly as some who claim He speaks through them make Him appear. We can be certain that atheists who treat their fellowman with love are closer to heaven (because they are obeying God's commandments) than self-righteous hypocrites who think a perfunctory statement of faith gives one a monopoly on God. If anyone has a monopoly on salvation, it's the one who obeys God's commandments, all of which are subsumed under the all-encompassing commandment to love.

The next section is likely to cause a stir. If you don't believe it, ask God, listening carefully for His subtle response. Don't expect immediate results; just listen, remembering that answers come in different ways. Phil. 3:15, "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (i.e., mature), be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.."