Or maybe there's just some new light we don't know about yet.
Watchtower, 11/15/2004 pg. 15-16
Consider the scripture Revelation 14:1 that tells us the number is 144,000 and the one at Revelation 7:4-8 specifying 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. 12,000 x 12 would equal 144,000 however 2 Peter 3:8 tells us that Jehovah views 1000 years as a day, or 365,000 of our days. So when we consider that Revelation is indeed a symbolic prophecy, the number would then be symbolic as well.
As the light grows brighter, so does our understanding of deeper things. Therefore we see that as 1 = 1000 in Jehovah's eyes, so 12,000 = 12,000,000 and the figurative 12,000 from 12 tribes is actually 144,000,000. The 12 tribes, while used in a figurative sense, is still 12 tribes just as there were 12 tribes in Israel, to apply 1000 = 1 to the 12 tribes would mean 144 billion which makes no sense whatsoever as there are only 6 billion on Earth today.
However 144 million is an awfully large number of annointed as well isn't it? Revelation also speaks of a great crowd, which no man was able to number. (Rev. 7:9) This number, since it is not known, is a variable. Thus it would be represented by g, a variable as used in algebra. In this case, g represents the unknown number of the great crowd. The number of the annointed, 144,000,000 is represented by the variable a. a = 144,000,000.
Jesus told us in Matthew 24:12 that the love of the greater number will cool off. In saying "the greater number" he didn't specify an exact number or percentage of the great crowd, however in saying "greater number" he did clearly point out that it would be a majority or more than half. So how many are the "greater number"? The percentage is foreshadowed in the example of the spies Jehovah had Moses send into the land of Caanan. (Num. 13:2) 12 spies went forth, but only 2 - Joshua and Caleb - remained faithful to Jehovah. 2 out of 12 is 16 percent.
The love of the greater number of the great crowd will cool off in this time of the end. Since we have no way of knowing the number of the great crowd, which John said no man could number, then the actual number of the great crowd is .16n or 16% of n. Likewise as the annointed, or a, are serving side by side with the great crowd then it would be correct to assume that the love of the greater number of these as well will cool off. Thus .16a leaves us with 23,040,000 faithful annointed who will reign over Jehovah's new system of things.
Some in the past have questioned the understanding of the number of 144,000 and sadly have run ahead of Jehovah's Organization to become apostates. Sadly, they are part of the "greater number" whose love has cooled off instead of the .16g who will survive Armageddon. Suprisingly, some are also part of the .16a who abandoned their heavenly hope and became like Korah.
What of the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses only number 6 million? Does this mean that all of Jehovah's Witnesses today are part of the 23 million who will rule with Jehovah in heaven? Of course not. Much of the 23 million was sealed back in ancient times. The apostles preached the Good News far and wide in the first century, and those who accepted it also preached it just as we do today. So there were millions of Jehovah's Witnesses even in the days of Peter and Paul as well as the faithful Israelites who will be resurrected to both earthly hopes and heavenly ones.
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I'm going to stop before I get a headache. Or want to puke.
Mike.
