Since the Watchtower Society teaches that only a literal 144,000 people made up of those living since the time of Christ, will go to heaven, we need to study this from the word of God to either verify their teaching or else find out what the Word of God is really teaching on this subject. Most Jehovah's Witnesses believe that their doctrines can be proven from the Bible, and it is only fair to do so. So what does the Bible teach about the 144,000 and the "great crowd" of all ages? In this study we are using the NWT unless otherwise indicated.
1. Who are the 144,000 in the Bible?
Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5. Please read the whole verses from
the NWT.
Answer:
a. Revelation 7:1-8 teaches that this group are sealed while the
angels are holding back the four winds which will hurt or harm
the earth, sea, trees, etc... (Note that the whole number, 144,000,
is made up at the same time just before the Seven last
Plagues of Revelation 16:1-21 are poured out of which Armageddon
is the 6th.) The 144,000 are made up of 12,000 from each of the
12 tribes of Israel, Israel being figurative of God's faithful
people, His true congregation, or church. Since this "church
of true believers" is at the end of time before the plagues
are being poured out, the church is the remnant, a 144,000 who
believe the same as did the apostolic church.
b. Revelation 14:1-5 teaches that the 144,000 are with Christ
"before the throne" having "been bought" (or
"redeemed" -- KJV) from the earth. They are a faultless
group. So they are all in harmony with God and His Law. We need
to be careful about speculating exactly who makes up the
144,000, because God does not say!
2. What more can we know about the 144,000 from understanding
these verses?
Revelation 7:1-4
Answer: "....And I saw another angel ascending from the sunrising, having a ____________ of [the] living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to _____________ the earth and the sea, saying: 'Do not ______________ the earth or the sea or the trees, until _____________ we have ________________ the slaves of our God in their foreheads....'" Revelation 7:2,3.
The 144,000 will all be sealed and perfectly united at the same time before the seven last plagues are poured out. Therefore, they will be the living saints on the earth at that future time. However, Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the 144,000 comprise godly souls since the time of Christ, many of whom have died, and were resurrected and taken to heaven as "spirits," in 1918, or are being translated immediately at "death" into spirits and taken to heaven. Therefore, what they perceive to be 144,000 godly Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be so, for not one of the 144,000 will die according to their Bible! Also Revelation 7:1-4 is talking about the 144,000 being sealed! This means they will be preserved forever, not only from God's wrath, but also they will be sealed in their foreheads to serve God, to obey Him and keep His Laws and truth forever, and will go before God's throne in heaven without seeing death, at Christ's coming. See: 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
3. Will the "great crowd" never be able to go to
heaven?
Revelation 7:9, 10; Revelation 14:1-4; Revelation 19:1
Answer:
a. "After these things I saw, and, look! a great
______________, which no man was able to ___________________, out
of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing
__________________ the _____________________ and before the Lamb,
dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their
hands. And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying; 'Salvation
[we owe] to our God, who is _________________ on the
__________________, and to the Lamb.'" Revelation 7:9, 10
b. "And they are singing as if a new song ________________ the ________________ and before the four living creatures and the older persons...." Revelation 14:3
c. "After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a _______________ ___________________ in __________________. They said: 'Praise Jah, you people! The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God...." Revelation 19:1
The Bible never says specifically that the 144,000 are "in heaven." This however seems obvious from Revelation 14:1-4 where they are singing "before the throne." Now in Revelation 7:9, 10 after the 144,000 have been introduced, a "great crowd," or "great multitude" as the KJV says, "which no man can number," is also depicted in a setting similar to Revelation 14:1-4 and this second group is also said to be "before the throne."
Let us understand: before the throne = in the sight of the
throne
In the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (K.I.T), is where this
expression in both Revelation 7:9 for the "great
crowd" and Revelation 14:3 for the "144,000", is
translated ehnopion tou thronou = "in sight of the throne."
Revelation 19:1 (NWT) leaves no doubt that the "great crowd"
are also in heaven praising God!
4. Will people who have lived before Christ be in heaven?
Matthew 8:11, 12; Hebrews 11:10, 16
Answer:
"But I tell you that many from eastern parts and western
parts will come and recline at the table with
_____________________ and ______________________ and
________________________ in the _________________________ of the
heavens; whereas the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the
darkness outside..." Matthew 8:11, 12
"For he was awaiting the city having real foundations,
the builder and maker of which [city] is ___________."
"But now they are reaching out for a better [place], that is,
one belonging to ______________. Hence God is not ashamed of them,
to be called upon as their God, for he has ___________ a city
ready for them." Hebrews 11:10, 16. (There is not a city
here on this earth. Hebrews 13:14.)
5. Can the "Great Crowd" also be priests and kings?
1 Peter 2:5, 9; Romans 8:17; John 1:12
Answer:
a. You yourselves also as living stones are being built up a
spiritual house for the purpose of a ____________
________________________, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.... But you are a chosen
race, a ______________ ____________________________,....that you
should declare abroad the excellencies of the one that called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:5, 9
These texts show that all who are called out of darkness into the Truth, are considered "priests" to offer up spiritual sacrifices. These sacrifices which are offered up to God include prayer, praise, thanksgiving as well as one's whole being. Romans 12:1, 2. If in this life all those who are called out of darkness into the Truth, (this must include "the great crowd") are considered "priests" as part of a holy priesthood, would they not continue to offer these spiritual sacrifices throughout all eternity? As shown in Revelation 19:1 they were offering praise to God.
b. Note in the above texts it does not mention just "priesthood"
but rather a "royal" priesthood.
"If, then, we are children, we are also ____________;
____________ indeed of God, but _____________ ______________ with
Christ...." Romans 8:17
"However, as many as did receive him, to them he gave
authority to become _____________ ______________________...."
John 1:12
From these two texts it is obvious all who receive Christ are God's children and joint-heirs with Christ. When Christ takes up His throne and kingdom, it is obvious that all these "joint-heirs" will inherit this kingdom, sit on His throne as He promised in Revelation 3:21 and naturally rule with Him, who is the "King of Kings". Revelation 17:14. This rulership will include a work of judging. Revelation 20:4.
6. How much of the Bible do the Jehovah's Witnesses who consider themselves in the earthly class, consider written especially for them?
Most of the New Testament/Greek Scriptures are considered to apply to only the 144,000 class, and not to the "great crowd." Since the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures only directly applies to the Jews it means very little of the Bible is considered directly relevant to this "great crowd class," of whom nearly every Jehovah's Witness today belongs. (In 1991 of the 4,071,954 who claimed to be Witnesses, 4,063,104 claimed to belong to the "great crowd.")
If for instance one reads John 14:1-3 to a Witness, he will not believe the Lord's promise applies to him, because the Watchtower Society says it is only for the 144,000 class! Yet that passage is addressed to all who "believe in God." As one progresses in the chapter, other texts are allowed to be applied to a member of the great crowd class! It is all a matter of interpretation on the part of the Watchtower Society. In such matters the Jehovah's Witness has implicit faith in the Society.
7. What teaching of the Watchtower Society is the worst of all
their teachings?
John 3:3
They ignore this plainest statement of Scripture that will cause millions of Jehovah's Witnesses to perish in Armageddon! "....Most truly I say to you, unless _____________________ is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3. To say that only the 144,000 must be born again to enter heaven, is leaving millons today without hope, and they are truly perishing with Bibles in hand!
8. What is the history of the 144,000 teaching in the Jehovah's Witness faith?
In the very first years of the Watchtower Society, it was expected that a bodily resurrection of the saints would take place in 1878. When this did not happen it was then concluded the resurrection did take place then, but it was "invisible." It was then concluded that those who died after 1878, would be instantaneously changed, "in the twinkling of an eye," and would be resurrected as spirits. In Thy Kingdom Come, (Vol. 3 of Studies in Scriptures, page 234), Pastor Russell taught that the holy apostles and others had been resurrected and they as well as the "Lord are present in the earth, " although they could not be seen.
Later the date for the resurrection was changed to 1918, and the number of those who would be resurrected to rule in the heavens, was limited to 144,000. In the early 1930's when the Society was already numbering over 144,000 it was decided to bring in the teaching concerning the "great crowd." This is why most of the 144,000 class are elderly, having belonged to the Society before this number was made up.
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