Mankind has always struggled with the big questions: Why am I here? What or who controls the rain and the sun? Where will I go after death? Anthropology and Philosophy point to religion as mankind’s invention, seeking answers to those questions. Ancient religions fit that description, being almost all paganistic, worshiping nature through deifying natural forces, like the sun, the moon and even hurricanes.
That all changed with Abraham and his descendants, who brought the idea of a monotheistic God, who was the Creator of the universe to the forefront. While prophets or “seers” existed before their time, Moses was the first to receive comprehensive scriptures from God, defining their place in the universe and what their responsibilities to that God were and still are today. That set it apart from everything that had come before.
Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism or we could call it the fulfillment of the promise that Judaism gave the world. For it is through the Jewish prophets that the coming of the Messiah or Savior was foretold, in what is now known as the Old Testament. We see the fulfillment of those prophecies in the New Testament, specifically in the four Gospel records. Christianity is the only religion in the world where God made a sacrifice for mankind, by sending His Son to die on the cross for us, rather than demanding that mankind make sacrifices for their gods.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly… 8 But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6, 8
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Corinthians 5:21
Through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, God has made a way for mankind to spend eternity with Him. Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins, putting us back into right relationship with God, when we admit that we are sinners, having fallen short of God’s will for our lives and accept the redemptive work of the cross. This is the eternal message of the Bible and especially of the New Testament.
Yet there are countless people who misunderstand the message of salvation, putting their own spin on it. One of the most common of these is that it is by our works that we get into heaven. If we ourselves are good enough, that’s all it takes. This is a common interpretation by both those who claim to follow God (although not necessarily Jesus Christ) and those who do not. Yet the Bible clearly states that none of us are good enough and that we need a Savior.
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” – Romans 3:10
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23
Another popular theological viewpoint that has risen up in recent times is that everyone gets to go to Heaven, because a loving God would not send anyone to hell. In this viewpoint, sin is irrelevant, as is obeying anything that God tells us. Yet the very same verses shown above make it clear that God is in fact concerned with our sin, having paid a great price to make provision for it. To accept this viewpoint is to ignore the entire message of the gospel.
So, who does get to go to heaven? Those who have accepted Jesus Christ and the atonement He offers us through his death on the cross. There is no other. This message is supported by a number of verses and understood to be the gospel message by every true Christian church and denomination.
But even with that basic doctrinal stance, people can become confused, especially when they don’t take scripture in its entirety. Any Bible verse can be taken out of context, offering those who do the opportunity to support whatever they want to say with scripture. That doesn’t make what they say right or biblical; it merely creates confusion for those who hear them.
One such case is in reference to the 144,000 who are “sealed” in the book of Revelations. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that these 144,000 are a finite limit as to how many people can get into heaven. The lives of observant Witnesses is centered around living a life that will allow them to become one of these 144,000.
It should be noted that while many people consider Jehovah’s Witnesses to be Christian, the rest of Christianity does not accept them as such. Neither do they accept the rest of the Body of Christ, keeping themselves away from them. While there are doctrinal points in common between the two groups, there are also some very important differences, such as:
- Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept the concept of the Trinity, saying that Jesus is the Son of God, but not co-equal as a part of the Godhead.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in salvation through good works, as a necessity to become part of the 144,000, while Christianity teaches that it is through grace that we are saved, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, not through any work that we do.
Nevertheless, even though Jehovah’s Witnesses are not part of the church at large, there are those who have heard and either accept or wonder about the truth of this teaching about the 144,000. The big question for those people is whether their salvation is a free gift of God, through the work of the cross or whether they must earn it. For such people, that question severely shakes their faith and their understanding of the teachings of the Bible.
So, Just Who are these 144,000?
We first see these 144,000 mentioned in Revelations, chapter 7 and then later in chapter 14. But it is where they are mentioned in chapter 7 that makes it clear who they are.
…saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 7 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed. (the four verses which follow verses go on to enumerate how many were sealed from each of the tribes of Israel) – Revelations 7:3-4
These verses make it clear who the 144,000 are to be. They are “of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” That phrase is significant in that it not only includes the Jews, but also those descendants of Jacob (who was renamed as Israel by God) who are not counted amongst the Jews.
To clarify this, we need to take a brief step back in history. Abram, who God renamed Abraham, was the “Father of Faith,” so named because of his faith in God, leaving the home of his father and traveling on to Canaan, where God established the original nation of Israel. Abraham had two sons, one of whose name was Isaac, who also had two sons, one of whom was named Jacob. This son is the very same one who God renamed Israel.
As with many ancient nations, the name of the nation of Israel comes from the name of Israel. It could also have been known on that day as “the sons of Israel.” For several centuries, this nation inhabited the area that is now known as modern day Israel, although their territory grew to be slightly larger in that time.
But the people of Israel were not always faithful to God, which resulted in the nation asking God for a king, so “they could be like other nations” (1 Samuel 8:1). Their first king was Saul, who looked kingly enough, but didn’t follow God. After his death, God raised up David as king, “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Sadly, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he sinned, as all men do. His son Solomon was the last king to reign over the entire nation of Israel, as the nation divided after his death.
This is where the term “Jews” comes from; because when the nation divided, the northern kingdom retained the name “Israel,” while the southern kingdom, which was centered around the tribe of Judah, used the name Judah as the name for their entire kingdom. “Jews” literally means “of Judah” and Judah literally means praise.
The northern kingdom fell into idolatry, turning their backs on God. Because of this, they lost God’s protection and were conquered by the Assyrians. They intermarried with other people and we have no idea where the descendants of those people are today. Various biblical scholars have taken a stab at that question; but their conclusions are mere hypotheses, which can’t be proven. Even so, God knows where they are and includes them in the count of the 144,000 in Revelations, chapter 7.
It is significant to note that these 144,000 become sealed during the time of the events of Revelations, what are called the “End Time” events by theologians. The number does not refer to all Jews who have been saved throughout history, only a select group, which will be commissioned by God to perform evangelistic work during that time. His “seal” is a seal of protection, saving them from God’s divine judgements delineated in the book of Revelations, as well as the wrath of the Antichrist.
What About the Rest of Us?
The prophecy in Revelations goes on to tell us that this number doesn’t count for the rest of us, continuing in the very next verse:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelations 7:9-10
This verse should answer for all time, whether those who are saved are limited to the 144,000 or even limited to the nation of Israel; for the verse mentions “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.” It also calls them “a great multitude,” a term that can just as easily be translated as meaning a group of people so vast, that it was impossible to number them.
That’s where the rest of us are; those who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and received His atoning act on the cross to cleanse us from our sins. God has not set a limit on the number of people who can or will be in heaven, because it is His desire that all of us are.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9
For this (prayers of all types) is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Heaven itself is probably limitless in the amount of room that it has. We know very little about its size or even appearance, as the Bible doesn’t say much. But if we are to take the “New Jerusalem” talked about in Revelations, chapter 21 as an example, we can get an idea of just how limitless heaven is.
In Revelations 21:10, John writes that an angel took him up on a high mountain, showing him the city of the New Jerusalem, descending to the earth. The dimensions for this city are mentioned as being 12,000 furlongs long, wide and high, with each furlong being equal to 1/8 mile. Based on that, we find that the volume of this city is 5,062,500,000,000 cubic miles. In case you lost count of the commas, that’s over five-trillion cubic miles. In other words, if God were to allocate space based on one cubic mile per person, that city alone has enough space for over five-trillion people, many more than have ever existed in the history of the world.
Please note, I am not saying that God has based the city on how many people it will fit or that God intends to populate it with some five-trillion plus souls. I merely gave that as an example, to show us that God has made provision for many more than we imagine. We don’t need to worry that our spot in heaven has been taken by someone who is just a bit better than we are.
The issue isn’t and never has been how good we are or whether we can earn our way into heaven. God knows we are incapable of that, which is why He sent His only begotten Son, who we know as Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life, allowing Him to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Acceptance of that allows us to exchange our sins for His righteousness, giving us free access to heaven, no matter how many others take advantage of that free offer from God.