Jehovah's Witnesses, spiritual doctrine?

They reconcile it by claiming that although virtually everything in the book of Revelation is symbolic, and not literal, the number of the 144,000 is literal but the reference to them being male virgins from the 12 tribes of Israel is symbolic. Go figure. Does my head in.

The link below is their official view on the book of Revelation. I send it to you with a spiritual health warning.

The "virgins" is no relations to sexual intercourse. They are considered "virgins" in the sense that they did not commit adultery or fornication with the Harlot, Babylon the Great, False Religion. They have stayed faithful to true worship. Read Ezekiel. It speaks of Jerusalem and Samaria as being spiritual prostitutes and were condemned for not staying to true worship.

You will notice that the twelve tribes mentioned are not the same twelve tribes of Israel. It is symbolizing that these twelve tribes are the "spiritual Israel".

The 144,000 is the full number that even the Apostle Paul mentions in Romans as being the "Spiritual Israelite".

There is no reconcile to our doctrine. That is the meaning that is in the bible and is supported throughout the bible, not just from one or two scriptures. You can find these references in the Old Testament and spoken by Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament.

I like to hear what others take the these scriptures to mean?

the reference to them being male virgins from the 12 tribes of Israel is symbolic. Go figure. Does my head in.

Because the 12 tribes are named differently from Exodus the JW's decide that makes them only symbolic.

The fact that the virgins did not defile themselves with women clearly means they are literal virgins and all men. Therefore the women in the 144K are false members.

the fact that all are still alive on earth when the angel goes down to seal them so they are protected shows that none have died so any dead of the 144K are not real members either. There is no way that these dead have been resurrected as if they had been they would never need to be protected from harm by sealing.

We can also read that they were sinless and as they were all still alive Romans 6:7 had not come into effect and there are no sinless humans so all who claim to be of the 144K are liars.

Yes, the 144k are literal, the fact that they are all Jewish male virgins without sin and all still alive together on earth before the tribulation is symbolic, can't you see that??

Yes ask one to sing that new song that only they know!!

Revelation 14:4 These are the ones that did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins. These are the ones that keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. These were bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 5 and no falsehood was found in their mouths; they are without blemish.

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, holding tight the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow upon the earth or upon the sea or upon any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the sunrising, having a seal of [the] living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying: “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads.”

These are different tribes. Two are left out while two others that did not exist are there in Revelation. Instead of literal Israel, at the time of this writing, literal Israel had been totally forever rejected as his Chosen People. Acts 2:1-5 shows the anointing of the new Chosen People, later called Christians.

These would then mean Israel as a name symbolized God's people. The 12 tribes as the innermost grouping of them. Their being called men does not mean much as there are no men or women in heaven. All of the angels are created, not born by sex in the human way. (Mark 12:24; Gal. 3:28-29; Matt. 12:29-30) So this group would have both former men and women from earth.

What are they to do in heaven? Revelation 5:9-10 answers, "with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” Kings and priests with Jesus ruling the earth. Not sitting on clouds, playing harps.

As for being virgins, not literally. One of the qualifications for those wanting to serve the congregations at 1 Timothy 3 is to be good husbands and good family men. There are also several accounts of women being good ministers of the congregations. Really what this "virgins" means is keeping clean from the filth of this world. Proof of this can be found in the Bible.

(2 Corinthians 11:2) For I am jealous over YOU with a godly jealousy, for I personally promised YOU in marriage to one husband that I might present YOU as a chaste virgin to the Christ.

(James 4:4) Adulteresses, do YOU not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.

Then there is "not defiling with women". Of course not literally. It means keeping away or clean from false religions. James 1:27 helps us here too. "The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world."

In the Bible and especially Revelation, all false religions are treated as one group. Actually they are all from one source no matter which land they began. That source is Satan attempting to keep humanity from ever finding out the one way God approves of being worshiped. Yes, it is plainly written in the Bible. But have you noticed how little Biblical information is shared in false religions these days? Many get upset if they see one of their people reading the Bible. So the entire group of them is referred to as the "mother of the harlots, Babylon the Great." Ancient Babylon was famous for having several hundred false religions within the city. The name then, fits.

Those 144,000 would have cut all ties with those false religions and the political world the harlot can't wait to jump into bed with every time.

This 144,000 would be a literal number as well. We know this by that specific number being used 3 times in Revelation 7:4; 14:1, 3. The Bible uses the number 3 to denote emphasis, showing this to be a real quantity, not symbolic. Included also is that number expressed in another way with twelve tribes times 12,000 from each totaling 144,000.

But there was no tribe of Joseph, for he was sold by his brothers as a slave in Egypt. Levi was not a tribe who got a share like the other tribes. He was not included in the original tribes. Where is the tribe of Dan? Clearly then this is symbolic for being Chosen by God for a special work together.

The simplest answer is that it's ALL symbolic. But the Watchtower doesn't really do simple, so I've no doubt that they'll have made something up to make it almost fit.

It'll be neat, plausible, and wrong.

a dark spirit influences the jw organization.

it is clearly not Gods Holy Spirit. Gods Holy Spirit does not error. ever.