Jehovah's Witnesses: how did one become part of the 144000 before the Watchtower organization was invented?

Answer 1

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/20001001/
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/

Answer 2

The disciples of Jesus they are part of the 144,000 and were selected 2000 years ago.
People who have lived throughout history have been chosen by God to become kings in heaven. Not all the 144,000 but even before Jehovah's Witnesses were formed and when they used to go by the name Bible Students there have been people who have been witnesses of Jehovah. Such witnesses have been brave people who may have perhaps died a martyr's death such as burned at the stake for distributing the Bible when at one time Churches would ban such activities with the punishment of death. Also death punishments for individuals who publically exposed the falsehood of unscriptural doctrines of the churches such as William Tyndale . Whether any of them were selected to rule with the 144,000 I do not know but I am sure many people have been picked through the years long before Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 3

It is done by the anointing of God's holy spirit.

Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Act 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

All truly anointed born-again sons of God have to know who their Father is. Knowing the Father and Son means knowing their true relationship. That precludes any sort of Trinitarian, Jesus-is-God religionist, from being part of the 144,000 chosen ones.

So, that narrows down the field considerably. It seems reasonable to conclude that there were only a relative handful of anointed ones down through the Dark Ages of Vatican tyranny and Protestant confusion up until the Watchtower movement began in the late 19th century.

Answer 4

The same way they do now. They become spirit annointed. Honestly, I have met ones who Firmly believe that they are one of the 144,000. Some I disagree with, but ultimately I know that the one who decides whether someone is going to heaven or not isn't My choice, or even theirs, it is Jehovah's choice.

Answer 5

I'm going to keep it simple & to the point:
Through Jesus Christ.
Doing the will of his &, our God & Father.

Answer 6