Jehovahs witnesses and the 144,000?

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.

I think Lungboy just about covered it :)

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.

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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."

Actually that has changed. To understand this you have to go back to Charles T Russel who created the cult all because he didn't like the Protestant teachings he was raised upon. After the JW's had predicted the return of God 3 times within the past 150 years, you may not be old enough to recall the prediction in the 1970's where all JW's gave away everything they owned and some even sat on their roof waiting for Jehovah to grab them up. Strange thing is, even in their own custom tailored Bible that by the way is a complete fraud even though they claim those from the Watchtower society are amongst the world leading scholars of translation.........*a side note* several of the Watch Tower Societies translators were given a test to grade their understanding of ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek. Out of the 19 so called greatest translators they had on staff, not a single one of them were given a passing grade. This is fact, not a "he said, she said" theory. Now, after the 1970's false prophecy about Jehovah, their numbers sank to a new low. Kingdom Halls around the world became vacant building with stacks of Watchtower Magazines left for sale to the faithful JW workers who no longer existed. This is when, as usual, the Watchtower once again updated their bible translation and sucked in once again more of the ignorant. Something happened however that no JW was ready for, their elders were asked where everyone else was going to go seen as how the current JW theology said that only 144,000 JW's were going to Paradise..... Thats where you get this new improved version that took them once again, re translating their version of the Bible in order to convince the rest of the faithful that now 144,000 special JW's would be with Jehovah and the rest would be on Paradise on Earth dressed in Tommy Hilfiger Prep type clothing sitting around a fire reading the newest version of Watchtower. I was raised as a JW myself and when I learned to read the Bible for myself, a very simple question I asked that I heard from true Bible translators had destroyed the entire JW theology and sent even the JW Elders packing and screaming marking my home off on the black list on their maps. I simply asked who Rev 1:17 was talking about where it stated "I am the first and the last" they responded "'Jehovah God!" I said, ok, then I kept reading into Rev 1:18 where it said "I was dead but now I am alive" After a few moments of blank faces and a few "let me see that's" They told me they needed some time to talk to their Elders......lol, imagine that, elders who have elders....needless to say they never came back and that little portion of scripture destroyed the entire theology of the JW system because it proves that Jesus Christ is God and not some angle or prophet as they claim. You have to realize one thing about the JW's and that is they are constantly updating their version of the Bible called The New World Translation. If you took the one they used today and found one that was printed in say 1970, you would fall out of the chair from reading so many inconsistencies.

Most people's hope is to live on earth forever. To have judges of mankind who knew what it was like to be human some were picked to rule with Christ from heaven. Very few are going to heaven.

(Revelation 14:1-3) 14 Then I saw, and look! the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; and the sound that I heard was like singers who accompany themselves by playing on their harps. 3 And they are singing what seems to be a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, . . .

*** Bible Citations ***

Revelation 5:10) and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.”

Harpazo = Rapture

END-TIME BIBLE PROPHECY

The Messiah Lord Jesus said BIRTH PANGS would signal the time of the end (Matthew 24:8). There are NINE birth pangs, they are all PRE-TRIBULATIONAL and the 1st three already occurred.

The first birth pang was worldwide conflict coupled with famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7-8). Worldwide conflict was fulfilled in 1914-1918, major famines happened in 1918-1921 and most of the world’s major earthquakes began to occur since 1900.

The second birth pang was the restoration of a Jewish State (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Ezekiel 22:17-22; Ezekiel 36:22-24; Zephaniah 2:1-2). This was fulfilled in 1948.

The third birth pang was Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1-2). For the third Jewish Temple (Tribulation Temple) to be rebuilt, Jerusalem needs to be under Jewish control and this was accomplished in the Six Day War in 1967.

The fourth birth pang will be the Ezekiel 38 war. Russia, allied states of Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Germany and Armenia will invade Israel. God will miraculously destroy the invading army by earthquake, civil war among the invading soldiers, pestilence, blood, flood, hailstones, fire and brimstone. This will bring a revival in Israel where many Jews will turn to the Lord, and Israel will spend 7 years and 7 months burying the bodies and burning for fuel the military equipment left behind (Ezekiel 39:9-16).

The 5th birth pang will be the development of a one world government (Daniel 7:23-24).

The 6th birth pang will be the splitting of the one world government into 10 kingdoms and this Ten Kingdom Stage will continue until mid-Tribulation (Daniel 7:24).

The 7th birth pang will be the revelation of the Antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:1-3; Daniel 7:24).

The 8th birth pang will be a period of peace and false security that will be shattered by the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

The 9th and final birth pang before the Tribulation is the signing of the 7-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist. THIS EVENT IS WHAT BEGINS THE (7-year) TRIBULATION - NOT THE RAPTURE!

The Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) is also a pre-tribulational event (Luke 21:34-37; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:6-8). The fact that the Church is not mentioned in any of the Tribulation Scriptures proves the Rapture is pre-tribulational. All raptured Christians will receive glorified bodies (Romans 8:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)) and it can happen at any second.

THE FIRST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 6-9 AND 17)

The Ministry of 144,000 sealed Jewish believers will bring many throughout the world to accept Christ.

There will be a powerful Ministry of Two Witnesses who will also be anointed Jewish believers.

A one world religious system (Babylon the Harlot) will rule. Under this one world religious system, many who are saved during the Tribulation will suffer persecution and death.

The Political system of the 10 kings of the one world government will continue.

During the first half of the Tribulation there will also be war, worldwide famine, death (1/4 of the world’s population will die), a huge earthquake, a blackout and a meteor shower. 1/3 of earth’s dry surface will be destroyed, 1/3 sea life and salt water will be destroyed, a fallen angel called Wormwood will make 1/3 of earth’s fresh water bitter, 1/3 of earth’s natural light sources will be destroyed, there will be another blackout and demons in the form of “locust-scorpions” will come up out of the abyss led by Abaddon their king and they will inflict harm and pain for five months upon those who are not sealed by God (unbelievers). Another demonic invasion will occur and the demons involved will be led by four fallen angels who will be released from the Euphrates River and this army will kill 1/3 of the earth’s population.

MID-TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 10-14 AND 17)

The Antichrist will war against the 10 kings, and during the war the Antichrist will be killed.

Satan will be cast out of the atmospheric heavens onto earth and will resurrect the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will kill 3 kings (the kings of Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia) and the 7 other kings will submit to him.

The Antichrist will kill the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem and the wicked people will celebrate this event. Three and a half days afterwards, God will resurrect the Two Witnesses and take them up to Heaven and the people who celebrated will become terrified. The city of Jerusalem where the murder of the Two Witnesses occurred will then suffer an earthquake which will kill 7,000 people.

The False Prophet will receive from Satan the power to perform great miracles and will deceive many. The False Prophet will command all people to worship the Antichrist and have persons create an image to the Antichrist. The False Prophet will use his satanic powers to give it life and the ability to speak. The False Prophet will cause those who refuse to worship the Antichrist and the image to be killed.

The False Prophet will issue his own counterfeit seal known as the Mark of the Beast and it will be placed on all those who surrender to the Antichrist’s authority and accept him as god. Those who refuse to take this mark will not be able to buy or sell. Those who take this mark will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The Antichrist will break the seven-year covenant he made with Israel, cause the sacrifices to stop, sit in the Jewish Temple, declare to the world that he is really God and set up an idol called the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15-16; 11Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-15).

Through the Antichrist and the False Prophet, Satan will attempt to destroy the Jews once and for all but he will fail because 1/3 of the Jews will succeed in fleeing into the wilderness. These Jews who escape will accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour during the Tribulation (Zechariah 13:7-9) and while they are in hiding, God will miraculously provide for them (Zechariah 13:8-9; Isaiah 41:17-20). Divine intervention will also destroy the pursuing army.

THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES FOUND IN REVELATION 15, 16, 18, 19, 20)

In the second half of the Tribulation, those with the Mark of the Beast will suffer skin sores, the remainder of sea water and fresh water will be destroyed, the sun will cause terrible burns and the wicked will blaspheme God. There will be yet another blackout and persons will suffer gnawing pains.

Babylon will be the center of world economy and political system but Babylon will be swiftly destroyed by fire and become uninhabitable for man.

The Antichrist will locate the Jews who sought refuge in the wilderness and surround them with his armies to wipe them out. The Lord Jesus will then descend from Heaven with His angels and Saints. He will come with great glory riding upon a horse and will destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all of their armies. After this, a loud voice will cry out “It is done!” followed by the greatest earthquake in the earth’s history and hail weighing 120 pounds will fall.

At the end of the Tribulation, there will be another blackout, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Matthew 24:29), the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire and Satan will be cast into the Abyss and bound for 1,000 years.

THE MILLENNIUM

The Lord Jesus will reign over the entire earth during the Millennium. The Jewish and Gentile believers who survive the Tribulation will go on to populate the Millennium. Believers who died before and during the Tribulation and believers who were raptured will be present on earth during the Millennium and because they will have glorified bodies they will not reproduce. All believers will be given special tasks by the Lord Jesus (Revelation 20:4-6). There will be no wars (Isaiah 2:2-4), animals will return to the Edenic state and become vegetarians (Isaiah 11:6-9), people will not labour in vain but eat what they plant and inhabit what they build, there will be renovations in the heavens and earth and there will be righteous and unrighteous children born during the Millennium (Isaiah 65:17-25).

At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed from the Abyss and will deceive and gather the unrighteous for a war against the righteous. This will be his final attempt to destroy the righteous and when the unrighteous of the Millennium surround the good people, God will send fire down from Heaven which will suddenly and massively annihilate all of the wicked people. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will remain in torment for eternity (Revelation 20:7-10).

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

The Great White Throne Judgment will be the next main event. The old heavens and earth will be done away with and all will stand before God’s throne to be judged (Revelation 20:11-12). Those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire which will be their final and eternal abode (Revelation 20:14-15).

THE ETERNAL ORDER (REVELATION 21 AND 22)

Those whose names are found in the Book of Life will enjoy paradise with God forever. The heavens and earth will be made new and the New Jerusalem will come down upon the earth making the earth like Heaven. All curses from the fall will be removed and the earth will be inhabited by the Triune God (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit), all angels and all of the righteous. The seas, moon, night and sun will be done away with and the glory of God will illuminate the earth. The River of Life will flow from God’s throne, the Tree of Life will bear health-giving fruits and leaves and the name of Jesus will be on the foreheads of all of the righteous.

God’s Plan of Salvation for Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkDk1GZ7do

Why worry about it. Most of us aren't qualified to rule over billions of people. We prefer to live here on earth and to be ruled over.

Jesus doesn't choose just anyone to be part of the "little flock" of co rulers. They must meet the qualifications set forth in the Bible.

Judas was selected by Jesus to be one of his co rulers in heaven, but as you know Judas fell away and betrayed him, so Jesus replaced judas with another apostle, one who remained faithful.

You can be sure that the 144,000 anointed Christians will all end up where they are supposed to be, will be given their Governmental positions and assignments and will rule over us here on earth justly, fairly, lovingly, and perfectly--- something our imperfect human government rulers and leaders are incapable of doing.

We do not believe the number is filled.

We will know when it is, because the great tribulation will break out when the number is completed.

Please read Revelation 7:1-4.

Nothing is "up for grabs."

Please read Romans 9:16.