144,4000

Argue for and against Christianity

Moderator: Moderators

JoeMama
Apprentice
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:47 am
Has thanked: 26 times
Been thanked: 35 times

144,4000

Post #1

Post by JoeMama »

The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

bjs1
Sage
Posts: 898
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:18 pm
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 225 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #2

Post by bjs1 »

JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
-Charles Darwin

User avatar
Miles
Savant
Posts: 5179
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:19 pm
Has thanked: 434 times
Been thanked: 1614 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #3

Post by Miles »

bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12,000 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Actually the 144,000 comes from Revelations 7:1-8

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

.

User avatar
1213
Savant
Posts: 11476
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:06 am
Location: Finland
Has thanked: 327 times
Been thanked: 374 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #4

Post by 1213 »

JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)
That is a special group from the tribulation, not all that ever will be resurrected.

And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are those coming out of the great tribulation; and they washed their robes and whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev. 7:14

After these things I saw, and behold, a great crowd which no one was able to number them, out of every nation, even tribes and peoples and tongues standing in front of the throne, and before the Lamb, having been clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Rev. 7:9

User avatar
Miles
Savant
Posts: 5179
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:19 pm
Has thanked: 434 times
Been thanked: 1614 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #5

Post by Miles »

1213 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 7:36 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)
That is a special group from the tribulation, not all that ever will be resurrected.

And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are those coming out of the great tribulation; and they washed their robes and whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev. 7:14

After these things I saw, and behold, a great crowd which no one was able to number them, out of every nation, even tribes and peoples and tongues standing in front of the throne, and before the Lamb, having been clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Rev. 7:9
So where does it say that anyone else will be sealed as servants of god, as the 144,000 were?

.

User avatar
JehovahsWitness
Savant
Posts: 21145
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:03 am
Has thanked: 795 times
Been thanked: 1129 times
Contact:

Re: 144,4000

Post #6

Post by JehovahsWitness »

JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? ...
Scripturally speaking one must be a born again spirit anointed Christian to go to heaven so the selection of this number did not start until Pentecost 33 CE. In other words, the selection if these individuals did not start at "the dawn of time"

JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am Have that many people ... already entered heaven?
How many Christians have been raised to heavenly life to date is not something any human can know. There are still some that claim to be spirit anointed still on earth and indeed the bible indicates there will still be some on earth when Christ returns. How many nobody on earth can say for sure.




JEHOVAH'S WITNESS


RELATED POSTS

Have Jehovah's Witnesses speculated on how many of the anointed class are remaining?
viewtopic.php?p=1124563#p1124563

How many of the 144,000 have been selected over the past 100 years?
viewtopic.php?p=1021864#p1021864

How many people have gone to heaven so far? [this post]
viewtopic.php?p=1125381#p1125381

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

GOD'S KINGDOM, MILLENIAL RULE and ... THE 144, 000
Last edited by JehovahsWitness on Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:15 pm, edited 5 times in total.
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

bjs1
Sage
Posts: 898
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:18 pm
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 225 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #7

Post by bjs1 »

Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:29 am
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12,000 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Actually the 144,000 comes from Revelations 7:1-8

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

.

Yes, it does come from Revelation. What is your point?
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
-Charles Darwin

User avatar
Miles
Savant
Posts: 5179
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:19 pm
Has thanked: 434 times
Been thanked: 1614 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #8

Post by Miles »

bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:02 pm
Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:29 am
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12,000 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Actually the 144,000 comes from Revelations 7:1-8

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

.

Yes, it does come from Revelation. What is your point?
That it's more than a "symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000," which actually happens to equal 144,000,000,

.

bjs1
Sage
Posts: 898
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:18 pm
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 225 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #9

Post by bjs1 »

Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:37 pm
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:02 pm
Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:29 am
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12,000 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Actually the 144,000 comes from Revelations 7:1-8

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

.

Yes, it does come from Revelation. What is your point?
That it's more than a "symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000," which actually happens to equal 144,000,000,

.
I do not follow. Revelation is an inherently symbolic book. Virtually all Christians agree that the 144,000 is a symbolic number as it is used in Revelation. It comes from 12,000 times 12. (Sorry, I originally had a typo of 12,000 times 12,000. I meant 12,000 times 12.)

What is it about being in Revelation that makes you think it is literal as opposed to symbolic?
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
-Charles Darwin

User avatar
Miles
Savant
Posts: 5179
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:19 pm
Has thanked: 434 times
Been thanked: 1614 times

Re: 144,4000

Post #10

Post by Miles »

bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:56 pm
Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:37 pm
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:02 pm
Miles wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:29 am
bjs1 wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 am
JoeMama wrote: Thu Jun 22, 2023 2:17 am The Bible indicates that 144,000 people will be resurrected to heavenly life. (Revelation 7:4)

Have that many people since the dawn of time already entered heaven? How do you know?

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and tiny sect when compared to the whole of Christianity) are the only group I am aware of who interpret that number literally. Virtually all other Christian groups say that 144,000 is a symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000. 12 is the number of completeness in Hebrew culture, so making it 12,000 times 12,000 is a way of emphasizing the completeness of this number. It is not meant to be literally 144,000.
Actually the 144,000 comes from Revelations 7:1-8

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6
12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8
12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

.

Yes, it does come from Revelation. What is your point?
That it's more than a "symbolic number that comes from 12,000 times 12,000," which actually happens to equal 144,000,000,

.
I do not follow. Revelation is an inherently symbolic book. Virtually all Christians agree that the 144,000 is a symbolic number as it is used in Revelation. It comes from 12,000 times 12. (Sorry, I originally had a typo of 12,000 times 12,000. I meant 12,000 times 12.)

What is it about being in Revelation that makes you think it is literal as opposed to symbolic?
I fail to see any symbology.

If 12 times 12,000 equals 144,000, exactly what is this "completeness in Hebrew culture" you see coming from it, and why is it important?


Why is 12 important?

Why is 12,000 important?

Why is 144,000 important?

Why couldn't it be 12 times 12, which would equal 144? OR 12 times 120, which equals 1,440? OR 120 times 120, which would equal 14,400

I mean 120 times 1,200 also equals 144,000, as does 6 times 24,000.


AND if the numbers are symbolic how do you know you've interpreted them correctly?

.
.

Post Reply