About Renae Expertise I am willing to answer any reasonable questions you may have regarding my faith. 1 Peter 3:15 - "But sanctify the Christ is Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in you, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect."
Experience I have been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for 17 years, but it has only been during the last 8 years that I have truly dedicated my life, delved into research and proven what I believe in to myself through many secular sources as well as God's word the Bible.
Education/Credentials 8 years of research. I am still learning and perfecting my faith through Jesus teachings and God's will. I understand many of the deeper things of the Bible that now make much more sense to me and I am able to back up my beliefs with other resources such as Encyclopedias including the Catholic Encyclopedia, various journalist's articles, in detail as well as comparison of different biblical translations in order to get the full effect of the scriptures.
Question Conservative estimates put the number of original Christians during the life the the first apostles at 500,000 to one million. One can easily see from the numbers recorded in the book of Acts that thousands and thousands of believers are added to the Kingdom of Jehovah, and it mentions "multitudes" being added several times. These people received the original un-perverted Gospel of Redemption through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So if only 144,000 are going to be with Christ in Heaven how can you possibly say that anyone beyond those first Christians are included in the 144,000? Scholars have said that upwards of 70 million Christians were martyred for their faith by four great purges that occured in the 4 centuries following Christ's death and resurection. Surely of those 70 million believers 144,000 would have qualified for the chosen class.
Sincerely, Doug
Answer Hi Doug. Thank you for your question. In response I'd like to simply state that you are right, we don't know. The fact is, is only Jehovah God knows the answer to your question. And I cannot stand here and tell you I know for a fact who is anointed and who may not be today. I don't know that personally. But I do observe those who profess to be anointed. It has happened where some have mistakenly thought they were anointed but later were convinced otherwise. Some people have been dishonest,and are usually revealed in time. Lots of people, after first studying, have a hard time imagining anything other than going to Heaven since it has been ingrained in them and they may drink the wine and eat the bread for some time, but eventually when they gain insight they begin to understand and they correct their thinking.
Those who claim to be of the anointed who are honestly dedicated, show it by their works. Those whom I've personally met and I believe may be anointed today, are a lot like children. They are very innocent and meek. They've usually been dedicated since they were very young and are the most soft spoken and loving people in the world. You can see by their actions and thoughts that they truly love Jehovah and live their lives solely to do His will. But even though I have seen this in a few people, still, I honestly cannot make that judgement. I honestly can only go by what the Bible says: that the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" (or the anointed) will be "providing the food" (spiritual food, or knowledge) to the world "at the proper time" (Matthew 24:45-47) and I see that happening today with the widely distributed amount of literature and Bibles that are printed and being distributed in many different languages throughout the world, and they are always right on time with current events. All of this is being printed in beautiful color with amazing art, yet it is completely free of charge to the readers. The work is supported by voluntary donations. We do not sell or advertise or collect at all. Each person gives according to their own means in a private way that is not via collection plate or announcement. It is truly organized.
Another good point to remember is that the ones who claim to be anointed are imperfect humans, just like you and I. They can make mistakes and be removed from their position (in which case they would obviously have to be replaced) by Jehovah (Matthew 24:48-51). As a whole though, they remain faithful and discreet. Nobody knows who the authors are to the publications and no credit is given or taken for anything at all. 100% of the credit is given to the one and only Almighty God Jehovah who is the one who "causes to become" (as is what His name means) through his holy spirit or active force.
