A question from Lungboy got me cranked up thinking about this. So here we go. You believe that the 144,000 is the anointed class that will rule in heaven with your god. Those people who are part of the class received their calling long ago, they know who they are and that number has been filled. Does that mean new members to your religion have no chance at becoming part of this elite class no matter how fervent they are? What if one of the those 144,000 walks away from being a JW or is thrown out for whatever reason? Does that spot they suddenly vacated come up for grabs? Or is that something that just doesn't happen?
Lungboy2014-07-26T10:39:08Z
Favorite Answer
Well, they used to believe that the heavenly calling was complete and "the doors to heaven were shut" in 1935.
This was fine as their human leaders were always part of this heavenly calling but as the decades marched by, there were fewer and fewer who were old enough to take over leadership. They needed to replace their leaders, but heaven was closed.
They floated the idea of something like the Jonidab class (I forget the exact name, they have so many "classes") who were helpers to the 144,000 and they hinted that their close relationship with the faithful and discrete slave would allow them to assist in ruling over the "Master's belonging".
It went over like a lead balloon and Jehovah had to dissolve this helper class.
Trapped doctrinally they could not replace their leadership so guess what that means? NEW LIGHT!!!
Everyone loves new light, it solves all the problems. The current leaders broke down the doors of heaven and guess who the first ones through were? Their new leaders who all of a sudden realized that they were going to heaven! Surprised? No? Me either.
So the Gates of heaven are now currently propped open and if you track the memorial statistics they keep rising every year. Currently they are facing a new problem in that there are roughly 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses alone claiming to go to heaven. That leaves.. .let me do the math here... oh, ZERO members from year 33 CE to 1875.
That is fine though, if it gets to be a struggle again, they can just crack open a fresh can of New Light™ and make the number 144,000 figurative.
If someone of the "anointed" is disfellowshipped, falls away, etc... I'm not sure if their spot is immediately up for grabs. I assume Jehovah gives them time to repent? I'm really not sure. They can't track the anointed. I'm sure from 33 CE to now there are far, far more than 144,000. Back then in Jesus' day, thousands were being added all the time. I don't imagine there were many spots to begin with by the 1800s. They wouldn't know that, though. The Memorial partakers number does keep increasing, which I find rather funny. I also heard some Bethel rumors that they are thinking of changing it from a literal to a symbolic number to deal with the Memorial partakers going up. That will honestly be a good thing. At least more people would partake of communion like they should already be doing.
Either way, it's all pretty ridiculous. The 144,000 has nothing to do with the JWs anyway. They shouldn't say they are "spiritual Jews". Dangerous. Rev. 2:9, 3:9. This teaching was only added because they had enough sense to know that their numbers, at the rate they were going, weren't going to take long to surpass the 144,000. Before they changed it, everyone was going to heaven.
Without a doubt, if one of the anointed unrepentantly falls away, Jehovah does call another individual to take his place. (Romans 11:17-22) However, the number of genuine anointed ones who have become unfaithful is likely not large. (Romans 8:16, 17) It appears that we cannot set a specific date for when the calling of Christians to the heavenly hope ends.
How should a person be viewed who has determined in his heart that he is now anointed and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He should not be judged. The matter is between him and Jehovah. (Romans 14:12) However, genuine anointed Christians do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special “insights,” beyond what even some experienced members of the great crowd may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the other sheep have; nor do they expect special treatment or claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation. They humbly remember that some anointed men in the first century did not qualify to serve as elders or ministerial servants. (1 Timothy 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; James 3:1) Some anointed Christians were even spiritually weak. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) And sisters, although anointed, did not teach in the congregation.—1 Timothy 2:11, 12.
Hence, anointed Christians along with their other sheep companions strive to stay spiritually strong, cultivating the fruitage of the spirit and working for the peace of the congregation. All Christians, whether anointed or of the other sheep, work hard at preaching the good news and making disciples under the direction of the Governing Body. Anointed Christians are content to do this for as long as it is God’s will that they remain on earth as Jehovah’s servants.
I would ignore naysayers on this site. Who do you think are godly people? Negative ones or positive ones?
Negative people are on fault-finding missions and never direct anyone to a better way of life. JWs are the ones who are inviting you to read the Bible and see that it promises hope for the future, through the Kingdom of God. Psalm 37:9-11, 29; Psalm 83:18 (KJV and NWT); Acts 20:20; Matthew 24:14. Trust me. We don't use eisegesis.
What are apostates inviting you to? Nothing.
They spend so much time nitpicking and scouring 100 year old Watchtower articles, that there is no time left over for them to actually read the Bible. If they do read the Bible, it is in a way of trying to play a chess game with JWs and counter their beliefs (which they fail at.) They never actually read it for refreshment and sharing with others.
When this is pointed out, they say something like: "That is what a blog is for. I have a blog advertising my faith." Yeah, right!
The Bible says the "good news will be preached in all the inhabited earth..." It doesn't say: "Jehovah's Witnesses will be preached against in all the inhabited earth."