Q：I was wondering about the 144,000 that are talked about in Revelation 14. Are there only that many beleivers? Also it mentions that they did not defile themselves with women and kept themselves pure. Am I part of the 144,000? If so why does it mention that part about being pure by not defiling themselves?
A: The man who was inspired to write Revelation, the Apostle John, tells us in chapter 1 that he received what he wrote as a vision sent from Jesus through an angel. Thus it is necessary for us to interpret the book of Revelation as visionary language in which much symbolism is used. It's good Bible interpretation practice to read Revelation as we read Christ's parables in the Gospels, that is, to understand it as describing real spiritual truths in picture language.
The main spiritual truth that runs throughout the picture language of Revelation is the fact that Jesus and his followers are victorious over the devil and his followers. John was inspired to see this truth "play out" in a series of seven visions that make up the book of Revelation. This truth is in keeping with the rest of ????ure also, and we must remember to interpret the details of the visions in Revelation according to clear passages found elsewhere in the Bible.
You'll notice that we first come upon the number 144,00 at Revelation 7:4. There John was being allowed to see how God seals (that is, he knows and protects) his believers here on earth so that no evil force can take them away from him. John 10:27-29, 2 Timothy 2:19, and Romans 8:28-39 are three other places in the Bible where this point is made. The number 144,000, then, is to be interpreted as a picture or symbol of the whole church of God. This interpretation is in keeping with the way Revelation uses numbers. Ten is the number of completeness or fullness. Twelve is the number of the church. Therefore, 144,000 (12x12x10x10x10) is a clear picture of the entire church, not a numeric amount beyond which the church can never swell.
In chapter 14 we see this same church, but from the perspective of its being in heaven, safe and secure from the evil forces that rage here on earth. By describing this group of all believers as "those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure" (14:4), John is using a picture that is often used in the Old Testament where falling away from the Lord to chase after false gods was called spiritual "adultery." In other words, the members of the church triumphant in heaven are all those who did not fall into the spiritual adultery of apostacy and stayed pure in the righteousness of Christ.
