If only 144,000 people get into Heaven, what's the point of going and evangelizing sense you can't promise them living them by living a godly life will hold them anymore than spending eternity in the grave....
2007-10-12 11:08:29 · 15 answers · asked by Kimbo 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Iron Serpent... in Rev 7:4-8 those that were sealed came out of the 12 tribes of Israel please elaborate how this gets changed from decendants from the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) to a domination.
2007-10-12 11:22:02 · update #1
Iron Serpent... please feel free to email.. not trying to debate just trying to understand your explaination.
2007-10-12 11:22:55 · update #2
The preaching work is performed because Jesus commanded it, not because it benefits Jehovah's Witnesses personally or as a religion. As a side point,
Actually, Jehovah's Witnesses expect that many thousands of the 144,000 have never set foot in a Kingdom Hall or read 'The Watchtower'.
The fact is that the vast majority of Witnesses hope to enjoy life ON EARTH forever, rather than in heaven. Jehovah's Witnesses understand heaven to refer to the dwelling place of spirit creatures such as Jesus and the angels. They understand the Scriptures to teach that exactly 144,000 humans will join Christ Jesus as kings and priests to administer God's Kingdom (which will soon replace all earthly governments).
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite
(Revelation 14:1) Lamb [Jesus] standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
(Revelation 20:6) they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him
The men and women who make up the 144,000 are selected by God from among two thousand years of Christians. Over whom will they rule? Over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
Hell is NOT someplace/something mankind needs to fear; there is no suffering in the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire
Almighty Jehovah God selects those few who have the heavenly calling. Each person "feels" his own hope and each person's hope remains unquestioned by his fellow Christians. Still the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%*) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/
2007-10-12 18:08:54 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The JWs did not preach this limited number of 144,000 people going to heaven until the early 1930s. Up till then, all JWs believed they would go to heaven. Then this new doctrine was introduced, and within about 5 years, all newly recruited JWs were effectively told that they could not hope to go to heaven - they were 'the Jonadabs' who were not spiritual Israelites but earthly servants of the ones going to heaven, supporting their work. The Jonadabs could not even call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses - that title was only for the heavenly class. Interestingly, just around the time of this new doctrine, there had been a major disruption in the ranks, with about a third of them expressing unhappiness at the way the new President, Judge Rutherford, had taken over. Most of them left or formed their own splinter groups. But, your question...
JWs evangelize to 'call' people to the earthly class - to live forever on a paradise earth, after Armageddon. Because this earthly class does not have the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that is why they have no desire to go to heaven. People who are anointed with God's Holy Spirit have this longing to be with Christ in glory. Jesus said that unless a person was born again of the Spirit, they could not even see the Kingdom of God (let alone enter it). This would, indeed, explain much.
2007-10-13 15:03:18 · answer #2 · answered by Annsan_In_Him 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I'm not a JW, but, I know the answer. The 144,000 will rule with Jesus and God in heaven over the new paradise earth. The vast majority will live on paradise earth. (You remember reading in the Bible about how the lion will lay with the lamb and such?) That is why. No more killing of any kind. Paradise! Me myself, I would rather live on paradise earth than to rule in heaven. Just my preferance. But, that's it in a nutshell. Hope this helps you.
2007-10-12 18:19:29 · answer #3 · answered by shari 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Jehovah's Witnesses understand that the "kingdom of God' is the Government of God that will rule over the Earth.
Mar 1:14 "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,"
Since witnesses of Jehovah are followers of Christ they follow his example of preaching the gospel.
Mar 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
All God's people will go to heaven?
At Ephesians 1:10 Paul made reference to God gathering the things on the earth as well as the things in heaven and making both groups subject to Christ. That speaks to those who are not part of the body of Christ but who have the hope of everlasting life on earth.
2Pe 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Jesus revealed that the opportunity to go to heaven did not open up until John the Baptist introduced Christ to the world. Matthew 11:11 reads:
"Truly I say to you people, among those born of women there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is. But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are seizing it. For all the Prophets and the Law, prophesied until John."
If John was the greatest prophet of God, as Jesus said, and yet he is lesser than the least one in the kingdom, then that means John is not in the ruling kingdom.
And since, according to Christ, no one before John entered the kingdom, then it is evident that neither has Abraham entered the kingdom, as many wrongly suppose. Most people have been taught by Christendom that all "good" persons go to heaven.
That is not what the Bible teaches. The kingdom of God, or the kingdom of the heavens, as it is also called, is a government composed of Jesus and 144,000 chosen from his followers.
That heavenly kingdom is going to rule over the earth—including the resurrected Abraham rather then some apocalyptic code type of thing..
2007-10-13 21:38:57 · answer #4 · answered by keiichi 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Simple answer, yes they believe that only 144,000 will go to heaven (the anointed ones) the rest will live in Gods perfect world forever, just as he intended for it to be in to first place. I think that earth was supposed to be in way, a version of heaven. I think that before the block of sin we were able to communicate with God, and the longer sin bred into us the more impure we became so the block became bigger, And in came the wonderful Jesus. After Jesus came to die for our salvation he himself became our Savior, our teacher, our messenger, and our door. So really in a perfect world God would be a part of it. BTW I'm not a Jehovah's Witness, my brother is, and I have many friends from the truth, I've listened to them and I do think the make alot of sense sometimes! I hope this helped.
2007-10-13 04:31:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Honestly, for me at least, the point of living a good, faithful life, isn't that there is a reward.
As far as heaven goes, as far as I am concerned that is His decision, not mine.
Jehovah's original plan for mankind was clearly laid out in Genesis, it was for humans to live on Earth, beautify it, and enjoy life as perfect humans. It seems to me that the misbehavior of 2 humans wouldn't make the almighty scrap his plans.
2007-10-13 23:00:22 · answer #6 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
JWs believe that the vast majority of God's elect will spend eternity on an earth that has been cleansed of all evil and any sickness or death. They believe that that will be preferable to annihilation.
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2007-10-12 18:14:24 · answer #7 · answered by Weird Darryl 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
From what I remember it was actually 12000 from each tribe of Isreal. This is very different from what the cults teach about 144000. They imply that if you are not in their particular sect you won't be saved. But Jesus taught that ALL WHO BELIEVE will be saved. You don't have to be involved in a cult or sect to go to heaven......only believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and that Jesus was Gods only begotten son and your in......it really is very very simple.
2007-10-13 03:35:29 · answer #8 · answered by Andy 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
All God's people will go to heaven. Everyone who accepts His offer and stays in His protection. It is not a set number, it is more of apocalyptic code type of thing..
2007-10-13 22:03:06 · answer #9 · answered by Nina, BaC 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
144,000 is a set number. The rest of us (including those who have been resurrected) will live on a paradise earth forever, as God originally intended.
TO LEARN MORE GO TO: http://www.watchtower.org/e/20021015/article_02.htm
2007-10-12 19:15:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋