Will Only 144,000 go to Heaven?
There is an American Religious Cult that claims only 144,000 people will be in heaven (of course, all of which are from their cult). Everyone else who has an eternal hope will live in Paradise on Earth.
Is that what Jesus says in today’s Bible reading*? Emphatically no. But what does Jesus say about the 144,000 in Revelation 7:4?
“And I heard the number of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites”
Revelation 7:4 (CSB)
Lest there be any confusion, he clarifies that the 144,000 are twelve thousand each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 12,000 x 12 = 144,000. (Note: Since the Book of Revelation is in the Apocalyptic Genre, this 144,000 may be a figure of speech rather than an exact number.)
He continues by saying next that “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. …” (Revelation 7:9 CSB)
So no, there won’t be 144,000 people in heaven. There will be 144,000 Jews, PLUS this “vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language.” John says he can’t count the number of people like you and me. He only counts 144,000 Jews. Now note: John is in heaven and sees this innumerable multitude of people.
Do you have to be Jewish to go to heaven? Obviously not. He specifies how many will be in heaven from each of the twelve tribes, but John doesn’t tell us how many Gentiles will be there, only a “vast multitude”.
Application
Will you be there? I don’t know if you will or not. Only God Himself and you can know if you’ll be in heaven. If you aren’t sure, let me assure you that you can know (1 John 5:13), but only God can tell you if you will be there or not.
Don’t live in doubt!
If you aren’t sure, ask God to confirm for you whether or not you’re saved from His eternal judgment. He’ll tell you. And if you aren’t saved, cry out to Him, asking for forgiveness. Ask Him to apply Jesus’ Death Penalty Payment to your bankrupt account. It’s free for the taking. But if you don’t take what is freely available, God won’t apply it to your eternal deficit account.
If you are saved and if you are sure, spend a few minutes today thanking God for His goodness. Thank Him for His faithfulness, His goodness, and His grace.
This devotional was originally published on December 8, 2019.
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
Revelation 6
Revelation 7
Revelation 8
Revelation 9
Revelation 10