VIRGINS
. . . UNDEFILED with WOMEN
. . . UNDEFILED with WOMEN
Revelation 14:4
What was a suitable Christian protocol at the beginning of his Calling is no longer suitable as he matures in CHRIST.
Human beings, by human nature, belong to human groups.
Human groups give us our
identity, both inward and out.
Our first
human group is the family and its members.
We eat what they eat, wear what they wear, go where they go, talk like they talk, and value what the family values. The native ethnic group of our parents and relatives dictate such activities.
We are obliged to do this because we are children. This is all we know at our early introduction into life.
Soon this changes, however, and
our human groups become numerous: school, friends, then work or
profession. Each adds a different
identity into us.
Other groups are usually included
which train us in their skills and philosophies: a religious group, activities
group, sports, or entertainment groups which round out our early education and
human group involvement.
Now, each of these human groups follow a protocol of behavior, speech, dress, food^1, and values. Even members of a street gang follow a particular, specific protocol which strictly identifies him/her as a member of that group.
Every human being agrees with
SOME of his group’s protocol and feels constrained and uncomfortable with other
parts of his group’s protocol. This
discomfort can be quite profound, but it is hard – VERY hard – to abandon one’s
group identity even if one moves away or leaves the group.
No-one is free from human-group
membership --- except one.
It is that person who finds
his identity
in The LORD JESUS CHRIST.
[ Keep in mind, we are not
referring to “church membership” here. ]
When a person finds his identity
in The LORD JESUS, a strange thing happens: The LORD pulls his heart out of ALL
the other human groups. Yes, he may of necessity remain in some of his human
groups, but his entire protocol changes.
His behavior, speech, dress, food,
and values all change. Even his human
group of friends change.
FURTHERMORE. .
. they keep on changing ! The Christian
protocol which accompanied his Calling from The LORD JESUS continues to change.
What was a suitable Christian protocol at the beginning of his Calling is no longer suitable as he matures in CHRIST.
Not static but growing, The
LORD’S Calling progresses in depth, in seriousness, in outward appearance and
conduct, and in inner constraints. As mature adults no longer dress in
playsuits, diapers, and bibs as they did when toddlers, so The LORD changes the
protocol as a Christian matures.
Our behavior changes, as does our
talk.
Our motives change, as do our goals.
Even our thought patterns change under His+ protocol.
Everything is touched in this Divine Protocol. We grow disinterested in our former human groups and their activities and exceedingly grieved at their wayward follies .
HE+ pulls us further and further
out of all our human groups --- even away from our focus on the family.
Yes, the family. Even worldlings focus on the family, grooming their youngsters to be a certain way, live a certain life-style, hold certain values. They savor their family, as do certain Christians.
As we mature in CHRIST, The
LORD’S protocol even puts a separation between us and our church group.
Although we may be called to remain and function within it, that group will not remain a comfortable place for us to be, for we follow a different protocol now: that which HE+ defines.
The LORD JESUS Himself+ sets the
parameter of His+ protocol for us and we only have REAL fellowship with others
using that same protocol --- which is RARE.
For, The LORD JESUS deals with each of us separately, according to His+
purpose and plan. [ See John 21:22 ].
HE+ does not want us to join yet another fine human group, even a
religious one, but rather to join HIM+.
When we join HIM+, we will indeed
have some fellowship with others who also have joined HIM+. We can walk for a pace together in the Light
of CHRIST.
Our deepest and indeed, UNIQUE fellowship, however, will always remain with The LORD JESUS CHRIST. His+ protocol will demand it, for that individual protocol HE+ lays upon our shoulder will always be UNIQUE.
It will NOT contradict nor
invalidate nor go beyond His+ WORD, but it will take us into a closer communion
with HIM+ , verifying His+ WORD to us on an ever-deepening level.
HE+ -- and HE+ alone --- will
give us our new identity. The former
human groups hold no sway over our hearts although we may very well be
appointed to remain in a religious group and we naturally remain with our family.
For many, though, HE+ calls them OUT of their birth family and to forsake identifying with them.
NO, we do NOT abandon our
commitments;
rather, we abandon their identity for our inner man, their hold over our spirits.
We serve our time within our commitments but we take little from them
for our own use. We remain LOYAL to HIM+ and share not our deepest loyalty with
any group.
We do this to be VIRGINS, to follow The LAMB+ wherever HE+ goes. HE+ calls us to be un-mingled and single of eye.
The LORD JESUS CHRIST calls us to
retain what HE+ has given us, what HE+ has purchased for us by His+ BLOOD.
That
is, we are to be new wine in new bottles, new fabric upon new fabric, in order
to mature without tearing apart or ruining our New Birth, making shipwreck when
stress comes. I Timothy 1:19
So, at our appointed end of this
earthly life, our only grouping will be with HIM+.
In the end, HE+ severs all our ties, all our loyalties, all our identities with other human groups --- religious ones as well as family groups. We leave them all at death. At death, we belong solely to HIM+.
In Heaven, then, we will find our
one and only group and our one and only family:
all those who have followed intensely the Protocol HE+ had given them .
. . His+ ALL-ENCOMPASSING Protocol for our behavior, speech, dress, food, and
values.
This Heavenly group supercedes
ALL human ties, groups, and identity.
This Heavenly group is bound together as one, functions as a Divine
Family, and shares the same identity in CHRIST.
As each one did on earth, they operate in UNISON with HIM+ --- and thus, are in UNISON with each other in Heaven.
For they are VIRGINS in spirit --- not joining their soul to any other except CHRIST
JESUS --- and follow The LAMB+ wherever HE+ goes. 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+.
Revelation 14:4
+ + +
END NOTES:
^1
food: The BREAD+ of Life, although many
conversions include abstinence from alcoholic beverages and a simplified, purer
diet.
VIRGINS. In the Greek,
this word in Revelation 14:4 is MASCULINE.
In
this context, VIRGINS refers to a spiritual
characteristic of these followers of CHRIST JESUS. It is not referring to the GOD-ordained union of a Christian man and
his wife in marriage.
The
same context is seen in James 4:4. Human
marriage is not the issue; SPIRITUAL
adultery is, as men desire to obtain and
kill to attain their desires, which are not of GOD but originate out of their
coveting.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with GOD? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of GOD.
Pure religion and undefiled before GOD and The FATHER is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.James 1:27
Sadly, the book of James, detested by a
war-mongering Martin Luther, castigated by a Scripture-destroying scholar Kurt
Aland^2 , was written for and to the
BRETHREN in CHRIST.
[It
is well-documented that James was writing instructions to Christian Brethren:
See James 1, verses 1, 2 ,and 16; James 2, verses 1, 5, 14; James 3, verses 1,
12; James 4: 11; James 5, verses 7, 9,10, 12, and 19 .]
^2 See
documentation regarding Martin Luther and Kurt Aland at:
Kurt Aland: The Emperor Has No Clothes,
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