What Fraction of People Will Make it to Heaven?

[jgh7]

I've read in the bible that many will not enter the gates of Heaven. I was wondering what others think about this statistically speaking. So that's what this poll is for. If you have some verses or ideas backing up your opinion, feel free to give them.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we believe only 144,000 of the humans that have ever lived will go to heaven (Rev 14:1)

Further reading
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... to-heaven/

[Claire Evans]

I've read in the bible that many will not enter the gates of Heaven. I was wondering what others think about this statistically speaking. So that's what this poll is for. If you have some verses or ideas backing up your opinion, feel free to give them.

Many Christians won't enter the kingdom of heaven, as you said, even those who were exposed to the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 7:21-23New King James Version (NKJV)

I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

It appears strange that holy men can be rejected by God but it can be so.

I believe all those who know the truth about Jesus and that He is the holy one and redeemer and still reject Him, will go to hell. They cannot stand goodness. They want to cling onto their evil.

It is impossible to have statistics.

[Divine Insight]

Jesus didn't give a mathematical percentage concerning how many people will make it into eternal life. However he did say that only "few" will make it, thus implying that the vast majority won't.

Matt 7
[13] Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
[14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

However, Jesus did give a precise mathematical percentage concerning how many people who do enter into heaven will do so because of their own righteousness:


Luke.15:4,7 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Ninety and nine to one is 99%.

So apparently 99% of people who do make it to heaven are just persons who need no repentance.

But this in no way implies that 99% of all humans are bound to heaven. This only says that 99% of the people who make it into heaven do so due to their own righteousness and need no repentance. Apparently only 1% of the people in heaven will be repented sinners.

Assuming we can trust words attributed to Jesus.

[polonius]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we believe only 144,000 of the humans that have ever lived will go to heaven (Rev 14:1)

Further reading
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... to-heaven/

RESPONSE:

Perhaps you overlooked Revelation 7:9


After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,* holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on land or sea or against any tree.a
2
Then I saw another angel come up from the East,* holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
3
“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.�b
4
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked* from every tribe of the Israelites:c
5
twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah,* twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,
6
twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,
8
twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Benjamin.

Triumph of the Elect.
9
After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches* in their hands.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 5 by polonius.advice]

No I didn't overlook it - I probably simply interpret it differently to you. Revelation provides hours of endless fun with alternative interpretations, indeed I don't think I've ever met two (non-witness) people that have the same interpretation of Revelation.

Respect,

JW

[polonius]

[Replying to post 5 by polonius.advice]

No I didn't overlook it - I probably simply interpret it differently to you. Revelation provides hours of endless fun with alternative interpretations, indeed I don't think I've ever met two (non-witness) people that have the same interpretation of Revelation.

Respect,

JW

QUESTION: How much of the Book of Revelation or the Bible, in general, do you consider to be "endless fun"? If what you say is true, doesn't this demolish your quotes of scripture to prove your arguments?

JW Posted:

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we believe only 144,000 of the humans that have ever lived will go to heaven (Rev 14:1).

Rev 14:1 “Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,* and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.�

RESPONSE:
Only 144,000 human will go to heaven? It looks like the Jehovah Witnesses are wrong, doesn’t it?

Revelation 7:9 Triumph of the Elect.

9 After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches* in their hands.

From https://dgcoy.me/2011/03/27/revelation-fact-or-fiction/

"Recently I was watching MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on his show, The Last Word, when, in responding to a rival TV host who claimed that the Japanese earthquake and tsunami were evidence of the last days as depicted in the book of Revelation, he retorted, “The book of Revelation is a work of fiction that describes how a truly vicious God would bring about the end of the world. No half-smart religious person actually believes the book of Revelation anymore. Those people are certain that their God would never turn into a malicious torturer and mass murderer beyond Hitler’s wildest dreams.�

[jgh7]

However, Jesus did give a precise mathematical percentage concerning how many people who do enter into heaven will do so because of their own righteousness:


Luke.15:4,7 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Ninety and nine to one is 99%.

So apparently 99% of people who do make it to heaven are just persons who need no repentance.

But this in no way implies that 99% of all humans are bound to heaven. This only says that 99% of the people who make it into heaven do so due to their own righteousness and need no repentance. Apparently only 1% of the people in heaven will be repented sinners.

Assuming we can trust words attributed to Jesus.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. But part of me wants to question whether Jesus actually implied that was the actual ratio. Jesus says that there's more joy in one repentant sinner who makes it to heaven over 99 righteous people who made it without repentence. He never said that the actual ratio was in fact 99 to 1. He may have just been using those numbers to show how important saving a single repentant sinner is compared to many righteous people.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 5 by polonius.advice]

No I didn't overlook it - I probably simply interpret it differently to you. Revelation provides hours of endless fun with alternative interpretations, indeed I don't think I've ever met two (non-witness) people that have the same interpretation of Revelation.

Respect,

JW

QUESTION: How much of the Book of Revelation or the Bible, in general, do you consider to be "endless fun"? If what you say is true, doesn't this demolish your quotes of scripture to prove your arguments?

Why should it? I've never claimed to be doing anything but offer an interpretation of scripture. Of course they are the interpretations I personally believe to be true, but a with anything, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

It is fun to read other people's interpretations, I have to admit I've come across some that I'd have never dreamed possible.


JW

[JehovahsWitness]

RESPONSE:
Only 144,000 human will go to heaven? It looks like the Jehovah Witnesses are wrong, doesn’t it?

No not to me, but if it does to you that's fine. Like I said, different strokes...

No half-smart religious person actually believes the book of Revelation anymore.

So do "smart" people use the book of Revelation to prove biblical points?

Perhaps you overlooked Revelation 7:9