Who are the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel in Revelation chapter 7, verses 4-8?
We have heard many debates over who the 144,000 are. Based on the Bible text, it makes sense that they are Jews who converted from Judaism to Christianity. That is, they will see the truth and finally become saved becoming a special remnant God kept for Himself and fulfilling the statement that the first will be last. This question typically comes from someone who has talked with a Jehovah s Witness a member of what was called the Watchtower Society prior to 1931 (when they changed their name). The Jehovah s Witnesses teach that there is an elite group of 144,000 that will be in heaven with God. That much is true, as we wrote in the previous paragraph. What is false about their belief is that they claim that these 144,000 are all Jehovah s Witnesses! (They used to say that the 144,000 was everyone who was a Jehovah s Witness. To keep from limiting their expansion, they changed their story in 1931. Now they state that the chosen 144,000 will go to heaven and the people who became Jehova
