The word 'virgin' is used to denote purity, or an unspoiled, undefiled, pristine condition. It is used as a noun to describe a chaste woman or even a church or nation. The Bible refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as being a virgin, but also it uses the word to describe ancient Israel as a virgin which God jealousy guarded against the contamination from its surrounding paganistic neighbors (Jer. 11:2, 18:13,21), and it describes the New Testament church as being a chaste virgin (2 Cor. 11:2). Again, it describes a special group of the redeemed, probably the 144,000, as virgins that follow Jesus wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). Here the word 'virgin' is used to denote a group of individuals who have been purified by great tribulation. The parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) uses the word to represent two groups of Christians at the time of the Second Coming of Christ. There doesn't seem to be any significance in the number 'ten' as Jesus used this number elsewhere to denote completeness, but the parable seems to separate the Christian community into two groups looking for the coming of the bridegroom, but only five are sufficiently prepared to meet Him. However, the fact that they are called virgins indicates that they are sincere, dedicated individuals, unspoiled by the world.
The word 'virgin' is also used as an adjective to describe pristine. untouched beauty such as "a virgin forest" or "virgin territory." Ordinarily, 'virgin' is unambiguous, for it would seem to be an oxymoron to refer to something or someone as almost a virgin or partly virtuous. However, there is one instance in which different grades of virginity are used. Olive oil is graded as extra virgin olive oil, fine virgin olive oil, ordinary virgin olive oil, lampante virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, olive oil, refined olive-pomace oil, olive-pomace oil. All of these oils are true olive oil, but the difference is in the processing and in the percent of oleic acid present. Extra virgin oil is the first oil obtained by cold pressing and is of the highest quality in flavor and it has no more than 1% acid content; fine virgin oil is a lower grade with not more than 2% acid content; ordinary virgin oil is a lower grade with not more than 3% acid content; and so on down the list with each succeeding grade being inferior and with higher acid content. Some of the lower grades have been blended with other oils, rendered by heat, or adulterated in some respect. These different grades have been established to designate the degree of purity and flavor of the oils.
It seems appropriate to assume that God is looking in these last days of earth's history for a special group of people who have washed their robes and who can be categorized as spiritually, "extra virgin virgins."
