Do Jehovah's witnesses believe that only Jehovah's witnesses go to heaven?

Answer 1

No, Jesus told his disciples in the 1st century that he was going to prepare a place for them. No doubt all of Jesus apostles had a heavenly hope along with other early Christians and other faithful ones that have lived in the cenrturies since.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that some of them are of the 144,000 who are bought from the earth and who rule with Jesus in heaven as kings and priests, while the rest will remain on earth as subjects enjoying the benefits of that Kingdom. (Revelation 5:9, 10)

The 144,000 cannot be all Jews. John knew that the revelation was presented to him in signs and that God was dealing with the new nation of spiritual Israel, he would have understood the reference to every “tribe of the sons of Israel” to be symbolic. The very fact that the listing of the tribes did not fully correspond to that of natural Israel, as set forth in Numbers chapter 1, confirmed this. (Revelation 7:5-8) Also, it was revealed to John that the 144,000 “were bought [not from among natural Israel alone but] from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation. 14:1, 4) Revelation 5:9, 10 makes this even clearer: “With your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” So, if they rule as kings and priests, and all wicked people are dead, who exactly do they rule over? Two things are needed for a Kingdom; a King and a domain.

Also, do Jews really believe that they will rule as kings and priests with Christ in heaven when they do not believe that he was the Messiah?

The 144,000 are a different group from "the great crowd" which no man was able to number. Note the contrast that John draws between verses 4 and 9 of Revelation chapter 7. He states that the first group, “those who were sealed,” has a definite number. However, the second group, “a great crowd,” is without a definite number. If the number 144,000 were symbolic and referred to a group that is actually numberless, the force of the contrast between those two verses would be lost. So, the context strongly indicates that the number 144,000 must be taken literally.

Here are some verses in the Bible which confirm that the majority of righteous mankind will continue to live on the earth:

Psalm 37:11, 29 - "But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it."

Matthew 6:9, 10 (Part of the Lord's prayer, uttered by rote by many Christians) - "Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth."

2 Peter 3:13 - "But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell."

Revelation 21:3, 4 - "With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."" This cannot be describing something that will happen in heaven to those resurrected to heavenly life since these 'former things', death, mourning, outcry and pain have not existed in heaven.

Answer 2

Excellent question! I wonder that too... I also ask, if you don't mind... do muslims believe that only muslims will go to heaven, and the men be given 72 women? Doesn't sound like an "all loving" god to me....

1 Timothy 2:4-6 Who will have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive.

What part of the word "ALL" don't they understand?

The 144,000 spoken of in Revelation are True Hebrew decendants, i.e. of ALL the tribes of the children of Israel.

Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

People don't go UP TO Heaven as they claim... but...

Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, COMING DOWN FROM GOD OUT OF HEAVEN, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Answer 3

Unless they've changed their doctrines again, I think they believe that we are to remain here on planet earth for all eternity as flesh and blood human beings. Only 144,000 get to go to heaven. In the New Testament Jesus said that we were created 'a little lower than the angels' for now, but at a later date when we are born of the spirit we become higher than the angels - the sons of God. Born of the spirit - a spiritual birth, becoming spiritual beings. You can't be born again as flesh and blood. It also mentions in the bible that our destiny is to tend the planets of the universe. God said it, not me.

Answer 4

Yes, they believe that 144,000 will go to heaven, anointed ones they call them and all of them are Jehovah's Witnesses. The rest who are not anointed will remain on Earth in The Kingdom of God. But only Jehovah's Witnesses will survive Armageddon and be allowed into the Kingdom of God. What is even more odd is that the 144,000 anointed ones had already been chosen by the year 1940. So all of today's witnesses who go round knocking on doors and trying to live their lives like Jesus in the hope that they may become an anointed one and therefore get into heaven as one of the 144,000 chosen ones are out of luck I'm afraid.

Answer 5

We believe those humans going to/who have gone to, heaven totals 144,000.

Did all of these call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses? No.

I personally am a Christian, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I know that who goes where is up to Him.

Answer 6

Why don't you ask them directly when they knock to your door ? Truly, I doubt a sincere JW would be answering on this forum as it would be to let their mind be influenced by apostates and so on. True Jehovah Whitenesses go "door to door" and talk with you... So far, they are not scary and will answer whatever you feel like you want to ask. If you don' t want to see them anymore, they won't force you.

Answer 7

No because they belivie that the kings and rulers go to heaven then they return and make earth inot heaven for them they say that no one goes to heaven before the kings and rulers have been told by a jw themselfs on what happens

Answer 8

They believe in two classes of Christians, the little flock that will inherit the earth and the 144,000 that will go to heaven and they are only from their organization. How ever John looked around ans seen a great crowd surrounding the throne that no man could number! there's a contradiction here and it is not with the bible.

Answer 9

They believe that only the 144 thousand go to heaven. The rest will people the earth and rebuild it.

Answer 10

Actually, Jehovah's Witnesses expect that many thousands of the 144,000 (with a heavenly hope) 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]

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