Big John,

If these are facts rather than symbolism then logically they should be of little interest to practicing Christians. 144,000 is a specific number which means that God already knows each and every one of this elite group….it has already been predetermined so it is not something we can aspire to join. That number in relation to the number of people that have lived on earth is very relatively small. Having been chosen for this group is akin to winning the lottery.

If one begins to accept predetermination then the Scriptures become meaningless. Any efforts, on our parts, would be in vain. The decisions would have already been made……