In Revelation 14:1-5, the 144,000 witnesses are marked with the name of the Lamb and his father. This stands in contrast to those marked with the name of the beast at the end of chapter 13. What can we know about these 144,000 witnesses?
First, they have not defiled themselves with women and are virgins (ESV). Normally the Greek word for virgin (παρθένος) is used for a young woman, not a young man (BDAG, a female of marriageable age). Joseph and Asenath 8:1 refers to Joseph as a virgin using this word. First, it is possible this use of virgin implies they men were unmarried at the time they were killed for their faith (although that they are killed is not clear at this point in Revelation). Second, the term is applied to men because they abstain from immorality, whether married or not. Aune dismisses this as “unconvincing.” Third, it is possible to take “virgin” literally as a reference to men who have chosen to remain celibate because of their service to God. Priests and soldiers were exclusively male in the Old Testament. Priests avoided sexual activity during their time of service to avoid ritual uncleanliness (Lev 15:16-18).
It is possible this virginity as a refers to soldiers engaged in holy war. Caird thought the background for this verse was the requirement of Israelite soldiers to be ceremonially pure for battle (Revelation, 179). Richard Bauckham thought the 144,000 were engaging in “an ironic holy war” (Climax of Prophecy, 229-32).
There are several places in the Old Testament were men abstain from sexual activity while engaged in a Holy War. In Deuteronomy 23:9-10 men who are encamped against an enemy should keep themselves from “any evil thing,” with the implication of sexual activity. The reason given is the Lord himself walks in the camp, therefore the camp must be holy, free from any indecency that might turn away the Lord (24:14).
It is tempting to draw a parallel with The War Scroll. The men preparing for the eschatological battle are to be in a state of ritual cleanliness and the army will have “no lame, blind, paralysed person nor any man who has an indelible blemish on his flesh, nor any man suffering from uncleanness” (1Q33 Col. Vii.4). These are all categories of people excluded from temple worship. The main problem with the 144,000 as soldiers in a holy war is that they are not called solders in Revelation nor are they engaged in warfare.
Since these men are described in verse 5 as a sacrifice, the “firstfruits to God,” then “defilement with women” may stand in contrast with those who have followed the beast. In Revelation 17 John will describe worship of the beast as adultery with the great whore of Babylon. In Revelation 2:20 the church at Thyatira tolerated the teaching of a false prophet styled as Jezebel. The association of Jezebel and sexual immorality in that context may refer to worship in the imperial cult (although sexual immorality in the context of a banquet is a possibility). In either case, idolatry is often described as spiritual immorality (Hosea 1-3, for example).
The 144,000 follow the Lamb wherever he goes. The language of “following” Christ is almost completely limited to the Gospels. Following in the Gospels does not mean “accepting the teachings of” the one you follow. For example, “Pastor Smith followed N. T. Wright in his teaching on sanctification.” The “following” is completely intellectual.
In Revelation, following Christ is to become his disciple on a more intimate level. It implies the commitment to continue following Christ even to death. There are many passages that talk about the disciple’s willingness to give up earthly pleasure and security in order to follow Christ on the deepest level possible. The point of the “take up your cross and follow me” saying is that the disciple must be ready to forsake all earthly relationships and be willing to be executed for his faith. This is perhaps the only hint that the 144,000 are martyred, that they continually followed Christ to the point that they gave their lives resisting the beast.
The other unusual thing about this description is that the Lamb is portrayed as a shepherd (as in 7:17). This is to be expected since the Messiah’s leadership is described as a “shepherd” in Is 40:11 and Ezekiel 34:23 and became a part of the Jewish idea of the Messiah (Aune 2:812 for rabbinic apocryphal writings).
The 144,000 were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. The martyrdom motif continues in the next description. “Offered as a firstfruit” is a clear reference to sacrifice. Firstfruit refers to the practice of offering the first portion of a crop to the Lord, or the best of one’s flock to the Lord. The Old Testament is very clear that the only acceptable sacrifice is the best sacrifice, therefore the flawless firstborn male lamb is the most pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. This anticipates Revelation 14:14-20 the harvest of the earth.
No lie was found in their mouths; They are blameless. This description concerns moral purity and continues the theme of describing the 144,000 as spotless sacrifices. The phrase is used in Zephaniah 3:13 to describe the remnant of Israel in the last days.
This whole scene is designed to give comfort to the reader; those that have been set aside to the Lord in the tribulation are being brought through and will stand with the Lamb in Zion and will apparently rule with him in the Kingdom. After the description of the protection of the 144,000, John describes three angelic messengers that continue the theme of comfort and hope.
Thanks for pointing out out the typo!
I find the descriptions of the 144,000 that are set apart for God in this passage to be interesting. First, the passage describes that they are undefiled virgins. I also think that it is interesting that Greek typically doesn’t use this word to describe men. When this is used in the Bible, relating to women, I feel like it gives the connotation of utmost purity. There are many views on what this word means exactly in this passage. One view is that these men were unmarried. Another view mentions that it is possible that these men took a life-long vow of celibacy, so that they may fully serve the Lord. Caird’s view suggests that maybe they were practicing purity in the pursuit of their holy war. There are many views on what this could mean, but I think it is important to know that they were living a life of purity and were chosen by God. They were followers of God on an intimate level. They were to forsake everything but the Lamb. Jesus is described in this passage as a shepherd. Although this passage doesn’t specifically say that these men will be martyred, it is heavily implied by the sacrificial language used in how they are described. They are described as the firstfruits that are consecrated to the Lamb. Although this passage doesn’t seem to be too hopeful, as Dr. Long mentions at the end, the reward of those who stand with the Lamb during the tribulation is greater than anything this world could’ve offered them.
It’s interesting to note that although the men and women in Revelation 14 were serving the Lord, they kept themselves virgins, meaning they were pure in their thoughts, speech, and bodies. In order to prevent ceremonial uncleanliness, the priests abstained from sexual activity (Leviticus 15:16–18). Man refrains from sexual activity in the Old Testament while fighting a holy war. As Dr. Long (2020) says, one helpful verse is found in Deuteronomy 23:9–10, which states that men should refrain from doing “any evil thing” when they are encamped against an enemy. It is an example of sexual behavior. We should avoid sin when we are in the presence of the Lord because it could drive us away from him.According to Revelation 2:20, the Thyatira church accepted the doctrine of a false prophet going by the name of Jezebel. In that context, Jezebel’s association with immoral sexual conduct may refer to her allegiance to the imperial religion. To walk in Christ’s ways and practice discipline is to follow Him. “Revelation presents as much more dualistic perspective, envisioning either a full commitment to Christ or an opposition to his kingdom. We clearly see in Revelation 14: in contrast to those who have followed the demonic beast and taken this mark on their foreheads, the 144,000 have Jesus’s and the Father’s name written on their foreheads and have kept themselves pure and blameless, even remaining virgins (Blackwell et al., 2019, p. 126–127). The 14,000 suffered persecution, torture, and execution as a result of their belief in the real God. When you give the Lord your first harvests and best ones, those are the first fruits. The first fruits were given to God and the Lamb by the 14,000 people. The best sacrifice is the only one that is acceptable, according to the Old Testament. We believe that if we lead a pure and spotless life, we will be counted among the 144,000 who will stand with the Lamb in Zion and rule alongside Him in the heavenly kingdom (Long, 2020).