I have to laugh as I read the first verse of this chapter, "Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads", since I talked about that yesterday.
So can you imagine being one of these 144.000? In verse 5 it tells us they have told no lies and they are without blame. And verse 4 tells us they have kept themselves as pure as virgins. This last quality, I interpret as spiritual pureness, likened to virginity. These are a special offering to God! And as a consequence, only they can learn the "wonderful new song". God is reminding us that there is benefit to keeping ourselves spiritually pure and living a righteous life. It is not solely these people who are saved, for God welcomes each child that repents and accepts the gift of salvation, but for those who are like have always kept themselves pure, they will be set aside and receive a special reward/opportunity.
We know that we can stray and return to the Lord, and it has been thrown out there that you can do what you want and live whatever life you want and then return to the Lord later. These verses remind us that there is consequences for that. While we may be able to do that, it is not the best God has planned for us.
Live a life that is righteous today, in all things! Do not wait for tomorrow. You don't know what tomorrow will bring and you may miss the opportunity to develop, deepen and grow your relationship with Christ.
Lord, help us all to see the urgency of coming close to you. Help us to recognize that our righteousness is a love offering to you that reaches to the heavens like a sweet perfume. Give us strength to guard and protect out spiritual purity! Amen.
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