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 Good Morning Renae. I certainly hope you have been blessed since I last wrote. I appreciate your willingness to take questions and answer them.
I continue to have much confusion about the jw belief with the 144,000. I have a friend who is studying with a jw right now and she asks me stuff about the jw beliefs. She knows that I was engaged to a jw and have quite a bit of familarity with some of the beliefs. Anyway, I was studying my bible, and using some jw materials to try and understand it better. I'm like a berean. From what I understand the jw belief to be is that they believe that only 144,000 people total will go to heaven. It seems that I had read in jw material that they believe that the 144,000 are the only saved, or born agains. Is that what they believe?
What prompted that question is that when I was reading Acts 2, even in the NWT it states in Acts 2:41, "...on that day about three thousand souls were added." I take that to mean that about 3000 souls were born again, saved, and added to the church, the bride, the body of Christ. Is this how the jw interpret that? But more importantly in Act 2:47 it states in the NWT that "... At the same time Jehovah continued to join to them daily those being saved." So from that time on, the numbers have been added to daily. There have been over 700,000 days since that time, and even at only 1 person a day, that far exceeds 144,000 saved souls. Obviously there are many more than 1 person a day being saved, so the number of "saved", born again believers must be in the millions if not hundreds of millions.
That's what it seems like to me anyway. So, the main question is. Do the jw's believe that only the 144,000 are saved, and no one else is? I do agree that the 144,000 will be saved or born again, and that they will most certainly be in heaven. I do not believe that they are the ONLY ones that are, or will be saved. I base that on what I believe to be teachings of the inspired word of God. I have not found in the bible where the number of people saved is limited to 144,000. When the bible tells us that the great crowd is before the throne, and that no one can number them, I believe it.
When I ask or wonder about something I try and put myself in your shoes and understand it from another point or perspective. It might be helpful if you do the same and try and see it from what I am understanding or seeing. I open my mind to what I want to correct and the truth. I know the jw's say they are in the truth, or something like that. I found that to be only partially correct. I make that statement because even by their own admission they will be getting "new light" which will replace old light which means that old light was incorrect, or not the truth. So, in reality some of the things that are being taught right now, will be changed into something else making the current teachings wrong. The bible is never wrong and never has to be changed. It would scare me to death to know that I was following teachings that are known to be wrong. Jesus said, He is the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Him. He is our mediator. At least that's how I inderstand it as the bible teaches us.
Anyway, please try and answer, or explain what I am asking about. Also your personal opinion on the subject would be nice.
Thank you my friend. I went a bit long as usual, but I get pumped up on Jesus and learning the Word.
God Bless you.
Answer Hello Cliff. I am glad you wrote to me again to have help in finding the answer to this very complex question.
First of all I would like to tell you my personal opinions or thoughts as you ask. I do believe that most of the anointed ones were gathered back in Paul's day. Infact I have a very hard time believing that any are still included in that number although it is not for me to judge, only Jehovah knows who goes to heaven and who is a part of the great crowd that will remain on earth. The reason I believe this is because most people today are not spotless, they are not usually clean. Many people who claim to be Christians, smoke, drink regularly, speak profanity, watch pornography, and do many other things that would have been looked upon as deserving of death by the early Christians. The fact is is that we are deep into the last days and things have gone from bad to worse. That being said I would like to address the fact brought out in 1Corinthians 15:50 (please follow along in your own copy of the scriptures) where it says: "This I say brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit God's kingdom, neither does corruption inherit incorruption." This scripture makes complete sense to me.
This is how I feel Jehovah purposed for humans to live: Isaiah 65:21-25. (21)"And they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. (22)They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full. (23) They will not toil for nothing, nor will they bring to birth for disturbance; because they are made up of the blessed ones of Jehovah, and their decedents with them. (24) And it will actually occur that before they call out I myself shall answer; while they are yet speaking, I myself shall hear. (25) "The wolf and the lamb themselves will feed as one, and the lion will eat straw just like the bull; and as for the serpent his food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain" Jehovah has said."
The 2 scriptures I quoted above could not be more plain and clear cut. First off we know that flesh and blood cannot enter into the heavens because of 1Cor.15. Then we read in Isaiah that people will be at peace and have the life span of a tree, animals will eat straw and dust (physical elements) and people will be satisfied with their work and enjoy the benefits from it. This sounds like the original purpose for mankind in the garden of Eden! So God has not changed his purpose. He is the same and has the same idea for man that he had from the beginning.
But going through a life where he is distant from us unless we search for Him and where life seems like it has no direction and is so confusing has been a hard lesson for all humankind. We experience things that were not supposed to be a part of our life, things like war, starvation, homelessness, poverty, sickness, disease, and many more that are plaguing us.
We are only saved if we put forth the effort to make decisions that show our faith in God. As James 2:26 says "Faith without works is dead." You are not saved just because you say it or because you believe it or because you get dunked in water. You are saved according to what you do and how you live your life. If you continue to remain faithful and endure and do God's will throughout your entire life, then as is brought out in Zephaniah 2:3 when it says: "Seek Jehovah all you meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger." Notice it says to "seek" righteousness. This is all we can do as imperfect humans, we are not righteous. There has only been one righteous human being, Jesus Christ. In Psalms 37:11 David tells us "The meek ones themselves will possess the earth. And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." If all people were going to heaven then this scripture would not make sense. We know God's kingdom is heavenly and rules over all the heavens at present. It has yet to cleanse the earth of Satan and his demons and become our earthly government. I know I do not picture myself flying around in heaven with nothing to watch over or really no idea of what angels do besides help people here on the earth. It makes sense to me that I would be a part of those who prove their love for God now during the time of testing and then enjoy everlasting life on earth forever like God has promised since the beginning. I hope this somehow has helped you to understand. I know it is hard to hear something totally different then what you have been taught elsewhere, but I encourage you to read all of the scriptures I quoted from your own copy of the Bible please.
The only reason these questions and answers are so long is because they are not simple questions and answers.:-) I hope you have a blessed day and you continue to grow in your knowledge. "Keep on asking and it will be opened to you." Just like JW's do.
