Posted on 02/25/2011 3:36:52 PM PST by NYer
Since its inception in 1881, the Watchtower Bible and Tract society, A.K.A. Jehovah’s Witnesses, has proclaimed that only 144,000 human beings will go to heaven. They get that number, of course, from Revelation 14:1-5, where we read that they are those
who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.
They are identified as “male virgins” who have not defiled themselves with women (οὗτοί εἰσιν οἳ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν παρθένοι). Not surprisingly, that tidbit is not significant to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who concentrate on the fact that this literal number — only 144,000 and not a person more — will be the exclusive beneficiaries of heaven. Everyone else, including virtually all Jehovah’s Witnesses, will have to settle for paradise earth.
You’ll see in their literature many depictions of shiny, happy people endlessly picking fruit and petting animals on paradise earth. This video points out a real problem for the Watchtower that stems from, on the one hand, its insistence that only 144,000 will go to heaven and yet, on the other hand, quite a few more than that number have (cumulatively) partaken in the organization’s memorial “communion service,” consuming unleavened bread and wine — something reserved solely for those who will be among the 144,000 in heaven.
Something’s gotta give. Either the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society will eventually have to abandon its claim regarding the relatively tiny number who will be admitted to heaven, or they will have to somehow break the bad news to all the credulous Witnesses who have been partaking of the religion’s communion service thinking that they had gotten the Golden Ticket when, in fact, they really didn’t.
Just imagine the shock these poor folks are in for when the time comes and they don’t get to go to heaven but are stuck picking fruit and petting animals forever on paradise earth. Oh, and by the way, all of you who aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses are totally shafted. Not only, according to the Watchtower, do you have no shot at heaven, you have no shot at living on paradise earth either. So, you’d better pick whatever fruit and pet whichever animals you can now, before it’s too late.
Poster comment:
Patrick, The first sentence in your post on the Jehovah’s Witnesses is incorrect. It was not until 1935 that they came up with the idea of two hopes – one heavenly and the other earthly. They began laying the groundwork for the theology change in 1931 with the publication of the book Vindication. On May 31st, 1935, at a convention in Washington DC, the then President of the Watchtower Society, Joseph Rutherford, made clear the distinction.
FYI ping!
It’s enough to make you say, “Hold the magazine, I’ll take the 72 virgins.”
Oh boy.
Another cult thread.
How interesting.
(yawn)
Whether or not only 144,000 people will ascend to heaven during the Rapture is debatable; however, we do know one thing. When Hell is full, the dead will vote in Chicago.
It won’t be a surprise for the rest of the Witnesses, they know they aren’t part of that group.
And as for the rest of humanity - well, that is why they go door to door to share their beliefs so that others too may live forever in a paradise earth.
It is just what they believe they do no harm to anyone.
I’ve always felt a bit sorry for the Jehovah’s Witnesses who would occasionally come knocking at my door, ever since I leafed through a few of their tracts and saw that literalist interpretation about only 144,000 people getting into Heaven.
So, these guys put in endless efforts at these missionary activities, and they have no hope of getting into heaven themselves, according to their odd belief.
I hadn’t realized that none of their women will get into heaven at all. That seems a bit unfair.
What I really want to see is a thread where the Mormons, J-Dubs, Catholics, and Scientologists can have at it with each other over who’s going to hell and whatnot while they stop clogging up the forum with evangelizing tripe posing as actual information.
I was planning on reciting the Islamic Adhan to a group of Jehovah’s witnesses but they rang the doorbell when someone else was home. Oh well there’s always next time ;P
Actually women are part of the 144,000 - that information is incorrect.
Who do they think they are anyway that they can just come up with their own bible and start telling people about theological matters? It’s totally nuts when you think about it.
Now that there is funny, don't care who you are.
I remember a story a while back about a Jehovah witness who ended up rejecting Christianity and religion entirely because he couldn’t stop people from slamming the door in his face.
He now spends 3-5 hours a week evangelizing atheism at Times Square and being very condescending and nasty towards anyone who tries to challenge him to a debate. Of course if you ask him it was because “[he] saw the many logical contradictions in the Bible and discovered it was all nonsense.”
Not that I have anything against Jehovah’s witnesses but...you know.
Based on current population figures, the odds ain't good.
Only 0.00205% of the population would qualify.
144,000
“I do not think there will be that many,” - Prymaat Conehead
Yet, they keep recruiting.
As goofy as the relatively unknown teachings of Mormonism are, Jehovah’s Witness teaching is impossible to take seriously. Their green bible actually omits key scripture, e.g. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
My parents were JW for a very short time. My mother’s sister and her family were JW their entire life.
>>Oh boy.
Another cult thread.
How interesting.
(yawn)<<
I see a lot of yawner threads. You know how you can tell I consider them yawners? I don’t post in them. I ignore them...
...and boring as Hades....
Even if it were possible, I don’t think I would want to be part of the 144,000 that the bible refers to.
First of all, its a reference to 144,000 JEWISH believers, who will be witnesses ON EARTH during the tribulation period.
Everyone else who is saved will already be gone to heaven.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are just another cult that prays upon people who don’t know their bible.
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