Chapter 7 -
144,000 anointed ones
To continue examining the
teachings of the Watchtower Society, one of them is the very important teaching
of 144,000 anointed ones, in other words "the faithful and wise
slave" who are also called "the small flock". The number of this group has
been reasoned from Revelation, chapters 7 and 14. According to the teachings of
the Watchtower Society, only these 144,000 are the children of God, will be
born again, are the members of Christ's body, and can enter Heaven. The first
successors of Jesus, in other words the disciples, are believed to be a part of
this group as well:
The members of the
"small flock" know that God has called them into heavenly life. How?
With the help of the spirit of God that is in them and creates in them the hope
of heavenly life. The Apostle Paul, who belongs "to the small flock"
wrote, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's
children." (…)
… These words of
Peter indicate that he understood what also Paul did: that Jesus is the
"cornerstone", the "rock" on which the congregation has
been built. Peter is also one of those "144,000 living stones" who are the real
congregation. (Totuus joka johtaa
ikuiseen elämään [The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life], p. 79,119)
In addition, these 144,000
people have been chosen from all tribes of the world over the course of 1900
years. The group of 144,000 anointed ones became full in 1931, according to the
announcement of the second president of the Watchtower Society. After this
nobody could join the group. If a
person has not been included in this group of 144,000, he has one alternative
left: to life in an earthly paradise together with the great multitude:
Did you know that in those
days only 144,000 people who have been chosen from the mankind in the course of
1900 years will enter heavenly life? And did you know that the Bible gives the
hope of everlasting life here on Earth under righteous circumstances to all
others who become faithful servants of God? (Totuus joka johtaa ikuiseen elämään [The Truth That Leads to
Eternal Life], p. 80)
According to the Bible, God
limited the membership of this governing body, which is under the authority of
Jesus Christ, to 144,000 members. (Rev 14:1- 3.) However, God has chosen them
carefully. They have been taken "from every nation, tribe, people, and
language". (Tosi rauha ja
turvallisuus - mistä lähteestä, p. 68)
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
When we study the teachings
of the Bible about the group of 144,000 and the congregation, we can find clear
differences to the teachings of the Watchtower Society, such as the following:
From the tribes of Israel. Firstly,
when the Watchtower Society teaches that the group of 144,000 was composed of
all nations of the world, the Bible indicates that this group is composed only
of the natives Jews from all the tribes of Israel. So, each of these 144,000
should be Jewish "Jehovah's Witnesses" in order for this Bible verse
to apply to them. However, is it not a fact that only very few of them have
this kind of a background?
- (Rev 7:4) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and
there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes
of the children of Israel.
Simultaneously on Earth. The second issue worth
noting is that these 144,000 people will appear simultaneously on Earth. The
Watchtower Society teaches that the 144,000 anointed ones have been chosen from
the mankind over the course of 1900 years but this cannot be true because the
Bible clearly says that these 144,000 people are on Earth at the same time and
at a certain point in time. They are also sealed together:
- (Rev 7:1-4) And after these things I
saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four
winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea,
nor on any tree.
2 And I saw
another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and
he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt
not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed
the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there
were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the
children of Israel.
Future events. One important
thing to note is when the Revelation was written, generally regarded to be
around 90 A.D.
If we take this
into consideration, it is rather impossible for the first disciples and
Apostles to be a part of this group of 144,000. It certainly cannot be true
because, for example, Peter and Paul already died more than twenty years before
this.
Furthermore, the
whole Revelation is a description of future events "which must shortly come to pass." (Rev 1:1).
It will happen at the specific time of tribulation that is still in the future.
The Apostles, who have already died and gone to God, cannot - based on this -
experience this and belong to the group of 144,000.
Filling the number. As comes to
filling the number of 144,000, according to the teachings of the Watchtower
Society, this number was originally filled in 1922 but the Watchtower Society
prolonged the deadline to 1931, when it had its conference in Columbus, Ohio.
However, we can
question how Rutherford, the second president of the Watchtower Society,
and others could have known when this number was filled? If this group of
144,000 people includes people from over the course of 1900 years (this was
already noted to be impossible because the group of 144,000 people have to live
simultaneously on Earth), how could anyone who has lived in the 1900s have
checked the number of saved people during this time? The information about
filling the number must, therefore, be based only on the imagination and
reasoning of Rutherford and the Watchtower Society.
In addition, if
from the group of 144,000 people only 100,000 have been alive in the early
1900s - according to the Watchtower Society - would there not have been a
rather small amount of places in Heaven left for the Christians of the first
century and others too? How is this kind of a disproportion between these
numbers possible? Through Peter's sermon alone, 3,000 people were saved in one
day in the first century. They all expected to enter Heaven:
- (Acts 2:41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:
and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls.
Is the number of saved people
in the congregation limited to 144,000? As comes to the view of a
limited number of people who are saved, adopted by God, and belong to the body
of Christ and to His congregation - only 144,000 people as the Watchtower
society says - we cannot find any verses from the Bible to support this.
Neither can we find any verses saying that most of the Bible would have been
written only for 144,000 people.
On the contrary,
the Bible says that salvation and being born again belong to everyone who turns
to God in the name of Christ. The number has not been limited:
- (1 Tim 2:3-4) For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- (John 3:16-17) For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved.
- (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name
- (Rev 21:6) And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the
fountain of the water of life freely.
- (Rev 22:17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whoever
will, let him take the water of life freely.
