The 144,000 in JW theology

[Wootah]

My understanding only 144,000 JWs go to heaven in total over the sum of human history.

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/q ... to-heaven/

Is that correct?

There are 9 million JWs worldwide (rounded up).

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... w-many-jw/

Will the vast majority of them not go to heaven and be annihilated? What happens to the JWs that don't make the 144, 000?

[PinSeeker]

(...) we are a royal priesthood now, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2. (...)

You ... and who else?

All Christians (those born again of the Holy Spirit). God said it to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, and through Peter is saying it ~ applying what God said to the Israelites of old ~ to us, all Christians, Jew and Gentile, who constitute God's true Israel.

Peter is not talking to all his modern readers.

Not immediately, but by extension, he absolutely is. God is, actually, since it is His Word. None of God's Word is irrelevant to us, or not intended for us.

Grace and peace to you.

[Eloi]

So, you do think that the whole Christendom with all its sects and independent interpreters and "theologias" will move to heaven with Christ to reign and priest.
To reign over whom?

[PinSeeker]

So, you do think that the whole Christendom with all its sects and independent interpreters and "theologias" will move to heaven with Christ to reign and priest.

Well, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "Christendom," for one thing. If you mean all those who are in Christ, then, yes, in person as they pass from this life, but also in this life in spirit as we/they are/were born again of the Holy Spirit.

To reign over whom?

Not "over," but rather with, and in, and the answer then is... Christ Jesus, our High Priest, Who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses ~ for those of us still here, because those who have been glorified no longer have those weaknesses ~ because He was in every respect tempted as we are, yet remained without sin (Hebrews 4:14-15).

I mean no offense by this, but you ask questions that are really kind of misguided in and of themselves. In my opinion.

Grace and peace to you.

[Eloi]

This is a saying we got in my country of origin: Tell me who you think you are and I'll tell you who you are not. Obviously you think a lot about yourself You have not much else to talk about.

BTW if so many people in Christendom think they were "born again" (I guess they mean 'adopted') how is it that none of you talk about who is the Father who adopted you?

[PinSeeker]

Obviously you think a lot about yourself...

Ah, it devolves to this. Well, no, no more so than your average Joe. But you can be sure that t I think the same of you that you think of me, at least in this respect.

...You have not much else to talk about.

Two things here, 1.) I don't think I've talked about myself here at all, except to say, occasionally, that I believe this or that, or this or that is my opinion, which I think is very common among many posters on this forum, and 2.) um, how do you know?

BTW if so many people in Christendom think they were "born again" (I guess they mean 'adopted') how is it that none of you talk about who is the Father who adopted you?

Well, again, two things, here:

1.) Paul (Ephesians 2) and Peter (1 Peter 1) both assure us that this is the case (those of us in Christ) ~ and it's God's Word, so He is really the one telling us that ~ and

2.) um, I certainly do (talk about Who is the Father Who adopted us is). Yes, 'adopted' is a very appropriate word to use there. Indeed, all thanks and glory and blessing and praise and honor be to the Father, for great things He has certainly done and yet promises to do. And the Son and Spirit also...

Grace and peace to you.

[Eloi]

(...) we are a royal priesthood now, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2. (...)

You ... and who else?

All Christians (those born again of the Holy Spirit). God said it to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, and through Peter is saying it ~ applying what God said to the Israelites of old ~ to us, all Christians, Jew and Gentile, who constitute God's true Israel. (...)

The Bible say otherwise: priests and kings in heaven with Jesus will reign over the earth (Rev. 5:10; Dan. 7:14,27; Matt. 19:28) ... not over a desolate planet, but over the humans who will live forever on earth under that heavenly rule included Daniel (Dan. 12:13), John the Baptist (Luke 7:28), David (Acts 2:29,34) and other millions.

I call "Christendom" all that religious world outside which is led by another smaller group of theologians and pastors who talk about Christ and somehow use the Bible, drinking from the same source of information (the theological schools of that same world). We, Jehovah's Witnesses DO NOT belong to that religious world and it is being like that for more than a century.

When you say WE/US, what I read is "I" (in singular), or "I and others I don't have any idea who they are" or "I and others in Christendom who belong to the same imaginary subgroup of the Christendom I belong to" or ... can you tell me who are you talking about when you say WE/US? Cause otherwise I will name YOU as "the Christendom" which you belong to.

PD: yeah, "adopted" in the supposed case you are, cause "born of the spirit" requires be shown on the produced fruit (Gal. 5:22,23) ... which is not the case, obviously.

[PinSeeker]

(...) we are a royal priesthood now, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2. (...)

You ... and who else?

All Christians (those born again of the Holy Spirit). God said it to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, and through Peter is saying it ~ applying what God said to the Israelites of old ~ to us, all Christians, Jew and Gentile, who constitute God's true Israel. (...)

The Bible say otherwise...

No, it doesn't.

...priests and kings in heaven with Jesus will reign over the earth (Rev. 9:10; Matt. 19:28).

Wow. These two verses are referring to VASTLY different things, even opposite things. In Matthew 19:28, Jesus is speaking to His disciples ~ and it's really about all those who are or will be in Christ; these are His co-heirs of the Kingdom, in the same vein as Revelation 3:21 and the whole of Revelation 7.

But regarding your inclusion of Revelation 9:10... Wow. Yeah, now that's a whole 'nuther, thang, man. Although... sorry... no laughing matter. Wow.

I call "Christendom" all that religious world outside which is led by another smaller group of theologians and pastors who talk about Christ and somehow use the Bible, drinking from the same source of information (the theological schools of that same world). We, Jehovah's Witnesses DO NOT belong to that religious world and it is being like that for more than a century.

I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing with any of this, but just letting it go. The only thing I will say to this is, there are some who are in Christ now, some who will be at some point in the future, and some who will never be (in Christ). Who? Well, that's certainly not for any of us to say or really even know, but it depends on God, Who made all for the purposes He made them for and thus has mercy and compassion on whomever He chooses to have mercy and compassion. Such is His purpose of election (Romans 9). And hey, just so you know, I'm talking specifically about the Father, here...

When you say WE/US, what I read is "I" (in singular), or "I and others I don't have any idea who they are" or "I and others in Christendom who belong to the same imaginary group I belong to" or ...

That's about what I thought. Fortunately for me (at least), you don't get to determine what I mean by, well, anything. You can certainly think what you want about what I mean, but, well, here, your thinking regarding what I mean is... erroneous.

,,,can you tell me who are you talking about when you say WE/US?

Heart-regenerate Christians, past, present, and future. Although... the context is different at times; sometimes it's a general 'we'/'us' like, "We read this in Deuteronomy..." or "Paul says to us in Romans..."

Cause otherwise I will name YOU as "the Christendom" which you belong to.

Do as you will.

Grace and peace to you.

[Eloi]

Well, as my brothers and sisters in faith said before, we are not sure either about all those who will be the kings who will reign with Jesus from heaven (we are sure about a few of them, though). That agrees with what Scriptures says in Rom. 8:19. Some things we sure know about them: they worship Jehovah, they teach the biblical truth and they show the fruit of the spirit on everything they do ...

[PinSeeker]

Well, as my brothers and sisters in faith said before...

Just Jehovah's Witnesses, right? Yeah, there are a lot of groups that think they are the only ones...

...we are not sure either about all those who will be the kings who will reign with Jesus from heaven (we are sure about a few of them, though).

All Christians will reign with Christ in the new heaven and new earth, which will finally be one.

That agrees with what Scriptures says in Rom. 8:19.

Well, again, all those adopted, which was the word you yourself used (and I, in Facebook terms, "liked"... ), which is to say all those in Christ, all who will be co-heirs with Christ.

Some things we sure know about them: they worship Jehovah.

Absolutely. All three Persons of Him.

Grace and peace to you, Eloi.

[Eloi]

That is an interesting difference: in Christendom all think they are born again and adopted to be kings and priests ... we don't. We are not so conceited; If we are not adopted for that position, we are content to benefit from their company as much as possible (Zac. 8:23).

And that, of course, don't make us feel sad, cause we know that in the future there will be only children of God living on earth ... besides the blessed ones who will be ruling from heaven (Matt. 25:31-46).

I wonder how in a foster care the children take that decision to be adopted and not the adults who are looking to adopt someone