The 144,000 'chosen ones' a random number?

by Overseer 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Overseer

  Hey,

  First, I'm not a witness so bare with me because I just need some answers.

  I recently bought a book called 'The worlds greatest cults' by Nigel Cawthorne (an EXCELLENT read) an article on JW's was featured in it giving some basic facts-who founded it etc.

  It stated that the 144,000 people were going to go to heaven-this number was selected as the gentleman who founded the religion never thought it would grow larger than that-nothing to do with anything mentioned in the bible. When the number of members began to reach this number, the founder said that all other members would stay on earth. Was the 144,000 just a random number like it states in this book? Is there any truth in it?

  Thanx

  Overseer xx
• 

  ballistic

  The number does come from the Bible but this is not to say the witnesses interpretation of this as a literal number is correct.

  The timing of the organisation's announcement and book, 'millions now living will never die' was indeed just prior to the number exceeding 144,000. Membership is currently around 6.2 Million and most of those who read the book by that title when it first was released are dead.
• 

  Georgia

  You can calculate this number from the prophecy in Revelation,

  12,000 from each of 12 tribes of Israel. Of course, they say that it doesn't

  mean literal Israel (as in Jews), but spiritual Israel (an in Jehovah's witnesses) including

  early Christians. So why do they take the quantity as literal, but the group as symbolic?

  Also, history tells us there were about 300,000 early Christians in the first and second

  century, so the number would have likely been filled up by them, and not by WT

  members in the 1900's. Georgia
• 

  LittleToe

  The bible passages you are looking for are Revelation Chapter 7 and 14

  In the words of the "Reasoning Book":

  144,000 only go to heaven - not a biblical teaching.
• 

  dungbeetle

  As far as I know, the 144,000 is an important number to the early Christian Church; the early Catholic church; the Mormons, and the Seceond and Seventh Adventists.

  Like everything else, Russell STOLE this teaching from other groups.
• 

  MacHislopp

  Hello dungbeetle,

  thanks for your comment. Imho I would have stated:" ...borrowed, "

  after all is what C.T. Russell did with most of his teachings. It is a fact

  that they originated with the Adventists.

  Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
• 

  plmkrzy

  they originated with the Adventists.

  who did the Adventists originate with?
• 

  LittleToe

  A what point would you say they were stolen, then Mac, as there came a point when they were declared as being exclusive truth. They also had no intention of giving them back.