How do Jehovah’s Witnesses support their belief that only 144,000 persons can be in the New Covenant and go to heaven, there to rule with Christ Jesus

Q - How do Jehovah’s Witnesses support their belief that only 144,000 persons can be in the New Covenant and go to heaven, there to rule with Christ Jesus?

A – On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were gathered in an upper room (Acts 1:8), about 3,000 persons repented, were baptised and received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37-41). The January 2106 Study Watchtower article on the “anointing process” acknowledges this biblical truth and then goes on to explain their views:

[paragraph 7] Does the Christian who receives this token [of the Holy Spirit] have a guaranteed future in heaven? No. That person is sure of his invitation. But whether he finally receives his reward in heaven or not depends on his proving faithful to his calling. Peter explained it this way: “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and choosing sure for yourselves, for if you keep on doing these things, you will by no means ever fail. In fact, in this way you will be richly granted entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:10, 11) Each anointed Christian must, therefore, struggle to remain faithful. If he does not, his heavenly calling, or invitation, will be of no value to him.

[paragraph 9] “You did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: ‘Abba, Father!’ The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 1:7; 8:15, 16) Simply put, by means of his holy spirit, God makes it clear to that person that he is invited to become a future heir in the Kingdom arrangement.

[paragraph 17] The vast majority of God’s servants today do not have this heavenly calling. They entertain the same hope as did David, John the Baptist, and other faithful men and women of old. Like Abraham, they look forward to living as subjects under the Kingdom arrangement. (Heb. 11:10) Only a remnant of those selected for heavenly life remains here on earth in this time of the end. (Rev. 12:17) This means that the majority of the 144,000 chosen ones have already died faithfully. https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-january-2016/anointing-process/

Another article in that same Watchtower magazine goes on to confirm that if someone has received the heavenly calling, that person has received only an invitation, not a final confirmation of the reward, which is to rule with Christ Jesus in heaven. In response to the fact that many more Jehovah’s Witnesses now think they are part of the “anointed remnant” and who partake of the bread and wine at the annual memorial service, the article gives this explanation:

[paragraph [13] The number of partakers includes those who mistakenly think that they are anointed. Some who at one point started to partake of the emblems later stopped. Others may have mental or emotional problems that lead them to believe that they will rule with Christ in heaven. Therefore, the number of partakers does not accurately indicate the number of anointed ones left on earth.

[paragraph 15] Jehovah began choosing anointed ones after Jesus’ death and resurrection, and it seems that all in the first-century Christian congregation were anointed. From the first century until the beginning of the last days, the vast majority of those who claimed to follow Christ were false Christians; Jesus likened them to “weeds.” Even so, Jehovah continued to anoint some faithful ones throughout that time, and they proved to be like the “wheat” Jesus described. (Matt. 13:24-30) During the last days, Jehovah has continued to select those who will make up the 144,000. https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-january-2016/we-want-to-go-with-you/

The official explanation that over the past 2,000 years only 144,000 persons have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, have a heavenly hope and are in the New Covenant is that after the first century until now, “the vast majority of those who claimed to follow Christ were false Christians; Jesus likened them to “weeds”. Even today, many people who think they are part of this heavenly number are either mistaken or “have mental or emotional problems”.

But what about their view that only those 144,000 persons can be in the New Covenant? Speaking of the New Covenant that Jesus introduced on the night before he was betrayed, their ‘Bible Teach’ book says this in the Appendix on pages 207-208:

“This covenant, or contract, makes it possible for 144,000 faithful Christians to go to heaven. There they will serve as kings and priests for the blessings of all mankind.... Only those in the new covenant – that is, those who have the hope of going to heaven – should partake of the bread and wine. God convicts such ones that thy have been selected to be heavenly kings.”

To conclude: This means that the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses (about 8.5 million persons) have been excluded from the New Covenant. Yet they have been told that they can be partakers of the benefits of this covenant because they will be granted the opportunity to live forever on a paradise earth, providing they remain faithful to the anointed till the end. They have no assurance of salvation because they could still fail the final test. Neither do the “anointed remnant” of the 144,000 (about 21,000 persons) who have supposedly been sealed – they might stumble and fall and so forfeit their heavenly inheritance.

NOTES: Jehovah’s Witnesses use the expression “holy spirit” and not Holy Spirit because they think it is Jehovah’s impersonal energy or power.

Quotes from articles that are shown in bolt italics are to indicate my emphasis.