144000 The numbers don't add up (page 2)

ttdtt

The funniest part was that - Jesus the miracle worker - who ALL the jews were waiting for, could NOT scrounge up 144K followers in the 1st century.

Like god - a very bad salesman.

Splash

Don't forget the early congregations:

There were "many in Joppa" (Acts 9:42),

"a great number from Antioch" (Acts 11:21),

"a great multitude in Iconium" (Acts 14:1),

"quite a few in Derbe" (Acts 14:21),

"a great multitude" in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4),

"Many" in Beroea (Acts 17:12),

"Jews and Greeks" in Corinth (Acts 18:4), and

"many thousands (literally 'myriads' - 10,000's) of converted Jews" (Acts 21:20).

blownaway

Nothing adds up about this cult, 1914,1945, the generation change, Abraham Issac and Jacob coming back to life in 1925, millions now living will never die, 607 BCE and the list goes on.

This teaching never made sense to me, even back when I was 8 years old, I could tell it didn't make sense. And so, I was ignoring this thing as a minor teaching that didn't have any bearing on my faith. I mean, 144 000 or more, who cares! The point was: God chose some people to live in heaven and some on earth.

Eventually, I came to see that if I had talked freely about this, I would have been taken aside for apostasy. So, if you can be called an anti christ for doubting this teaching, then I guess it is not so trivial afterall.

Fay Dehr

Have you considered that the figures could be even worse than your initial calculation?

w60 5/1 282 "1926 there was a reported decrease in the attendance on March 27 at the Lord’s evening meal to 89,278"

A decrease!!!! Yes, that same article shows the previous year as 90,434. So, first century + 1925 = busted!

Vanderhoven7

That there were less than 150, 000 faithful to the death Christians that existed before the 20th century is absolute nonsense.

The bogus WT other sheep only began being called after 1918.

TD had a few WTS quotations to back up their initial calling in the 20th century. Hope he can repost them here.

Steel

The more research i have done about the subject, the gathering of the 144000 in revelation it is a reference to a military census done in the book of numbers before the Jewish people moved into the promised land and the great crowd is a reference to this new multi ethic family of both jew and gentile called the body of Christ.

It's really just the theme of the new testament. Old conevant to new constant, Jewish people to body of Christ etc etc.

The 144 is most likely just a symbol for the body of Christ or church.

Of course it's all very subjective like all propheic writings

Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho

When that desperate day finally does arrive and the cult is taking its last few breaths, and all the scams, cons, lies and deceit are inescapable for the few remaining JWs, I can imagine the future reigning Governing Body introducing New Light at the last convention.

"Just as Jesus took two fish and five loaves of bread and miraculously produced thousands... so he has done with the reserved seating arrangement in heaven."

Governing Body be like:

Boom. Mic drop. Governing Body tears off out of the stadium and flies their King Lear Jet into the sunset with brand new passports.

Meanwhile the last few dozen of JWs look around listlessly before finally asking one another if there's a Burger King still open.

Sour Grapes

There is no room in God's true organization for an individual to think and reason things out. JDubs let the 8 popes figure things out for them and the JDubs count it a blessing to be a bobblehead.

waton

The idea that by counting the ones that take full communion you determine who will be ruling the universe, no, the multiverse, all creation, --is the heights of arrogance or ignorance, or both.

144000 The numbers don't add up