• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

The 144,000

L

Lightkeeper

Well-Known Member
One poster said that the Bible says 144,000 will go to heaven. These are descendents of Abraham and have already been chosen. If this were true, why do Christians, etc. spread the word of Christianity, trying for new recruits? Why be a Christian or a Jehovah's Witness?
 
SK2005

SK2005

Saint in training
"The 144,000 people that will go to heaven" is in The book of Revelation and you cannot take the everything that you read in Revelations literally. To understand Revelation you need to understand the symbolism of its numbers and colors, it is totally symbolic. How many times have you seen a "great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and even diadems on his heads"? As for Jehovah's Witnessess, I was always confused about that too.
 
cardero

cardero

Citizen Mod
In the Jehovah Witness faith the 144,000 or chosen by God to reside with him in heaven the other Jehovah Witness' believe they will reside peacefully on the earth under God's new kingdom.
 
arthra

arthra

Baha'i
Over the years I've also heard this number 144,000 used a lot...and it's found in the Book of Revelation in three places: Rev. 7:4; 14:1 and 3.

I've heard that the number 144,000 when you add up all the numbers together according to Cabalistic system comes to 9 and means the "firstfruits".

In the Baha'i Faith the number "9" has significance and in the abjad reckoning for the name "Baha" and you will find nine entrances to all Baha'i Houses of Worship around the world.

But I think it's a mistake to interpret this number literally...that it has to represent exactly 144,000 sealed believers from the twelve tribes of Israel. I believe it is allegorical. It means by thousands the saints and holy ones will respond to God's message.

But here are also some interesting references to "9":

http://www.chinavista.com/experience/build9/build9.html

- Art
 
t3gah

t3gah

Well-Known Member
Lightkeeper said:
One poster said that the Bible says 144,000 will go to heaven. These are descendents of Abraham and have already been chosen. If this were true, why do Christians, etc. spread the word of Christianity, trying for new recruits? Why be a Christian or a Jehovah's Witness?
Click to expand...
Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians. These "Christians" maintain that God's name is Jehovah and that they, the witnesses of Jehovah, are like the witnesses in Isaiah 43:10-12.

Jehovah's Witnesses[font=Verdana, Arial]—[/font]Who Are They? What Do They Believe?
(http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/article_01.htm)

Definition of "Christian" @ dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=christianhttp://dictionary.reference.com
 
Scott1

Scott1

Well-Known Member
Please stay on topic t3gah...... if you would like to start a new thread about the definition of a Christian, please do so.

Thanks,
Scott
 
linwood

linwood

Well-Known Member
Lightkeeper said:
One poster said that the Bible says 144,000 will go to heaven. These are descendents of Abraham and have already been chosen. If this were true, why do Christians, etc. spread the word of Christianity, trying for new recruits? Why be a Christian or a Jehovah's Witness?
Click to expand...
Because although only that 144k get to rule in heaven the rest of the witnesses will live on this earth forever.

After the 1k year reign and eternal everlasting warm puppy dog eyed peace this planet will be a literal heaven unto itself, so technically every "true Christian" gets paradise any way.

So..why not?
 
t3gah

t3gah

Well-Known Member
the humble will inherit the earth. Note, "inherit the earth", not "go to heaven".
Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth.

​
These are the eartly class. Those who will reside on earth for all eternity. OR so Jehovah's Witnesses claim but I have yet to find the scripture that states that the resurrected and those that walk through Armageddon live forever.




The 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel go to heaven. Twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes. Each tribe is named after the name of each sons of Jacob. Jacob was renamed Israel by the Christian God.
Revelation 7:4 I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

[size=-1]Revelation 7:5
Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

[size=-1]Revelation 7:6
Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

[size=-1]Revelation 7:7
Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

[size=-1]Revelation 7:8
Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.[/size][/size][/size][/size]
​
 
T

ThisShouldMakeSense

Active Member
hi t3gah,

well revelation 21:4 speaks of death beeing nomore, along with pain and tears and sorrow. so, if there is to be nomore death, does that mean that people wont die? and if so, where or when?
and then there is the classic john 3:16, there are more tho...keep looking and thinking in context.
 
EnhancedSpirit

EnhancedSpirit

High Priestess
This is who the 144000 are:

Revelations 7:2
Click to expand...
Then I saw another Angel rising from where the sun rose, carrying the seal of the Living God. He thundered to the Four Angels assigned the task of hurting earth and sea, 3
Click to expand...
"Don't hurt the earth! Don't hurt the sea! Don't so much as hurt a tree until I've sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!" 4 I heard the count of those who were sealed: 144,000! They were sealed out of every Tribe of Israel: 5 12,000 sealed from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, 6 12,000 from Asher, 12,000 from Naphtali, 12,000 from Manasseh, 7 12,000 from Simeon, 12,000 from Levi, 12,000 from Issachar, 8 12,000 from Zebulun, 12,000 from Joseph, 12,000 sealed from Benjamin. 9 I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there - all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb
Click to expand...



Then after they are sealed there will be great destruction on earth:

Click to expand...


Revelations 8:5 Then the Angel filled the censer with fire from the Altar and heaved it to earth. It set off thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 The Seven Angels with the trumpets got ready to blow them.

7 At the first trumpet blast, hail and fire mixed with blood were dumped on earth. A third of the earth was scorched, a third of the trees, and every blade of green grass - burned to a crisp. 8 The second Angel trumpeted. Something like a huge mountain blazing with fire was flung into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9 a third of the living sea creatures died, and a third of the ships sank. 10 The third Angel trumpeted. A huge Star, blazing like a torch, fell from Heaven, wiping out a third of the rivers and a third of the springs. 11 The Star's name was Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter, and many people died from the poisoned water. 12 The fourth Angel trumpeted. A third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were hit, blacked out by a third, both day and night in one-third blackout. 13 I looked hard; I heard a lone eagle, flying through Middle-Heaven, crying out ominously, "Doom! Doom! Doom to everyone left on earth! There are three more Angels about to blow their trumpets. Doom is on its way!"

Click to expand...
It was promised to the Jews that they would have there Promised Land. The meek shall inherit the earth. And because they are marked as the 144000, they will not be harmed during these times of tribulations, but there will still be a cleansing. Like When Noah was spared during the flood.

Click to expand...


Revelations 9:20 The remaining men and women who weren't killed by these weapons went on their merry way - didn't change their way of life, didn't quit worshiping demons, didn't quit centering their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood that couldn't see or hear or move. 21 There wasn't a sign of a change of heart. They plunged right on in their murderous, occult, promiscuous, and thieving ways.

Click to expand...
What happens in the end is still a mystery. But it will be like birthing pains. Since I picture myself as the individual cell of a much larger thing, I picture this as being a time when enough of us souls have matured to the point that we are born into a complete something instead of being separate cells. This is hard to explain using words that are designed to describe a material world. Because it’s something different.

Click to expand...


Revelations 10:4 When the Seven Thunders spoke, I started to write it all down, but a voice out of Heaven stopped me, saying, "Seal with silence the Seven Thunders; don't write a word." 5 Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven 6 and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up - 7 that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed.

Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top