"We were foreordained according to the purpose of him who operates all things according to the way his will counsels."
Ephesians 1:11

The apostle John had the privilege of learning in a vision the number of those who would become Christ’s joint heirs—144,000. (Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1, 3) United with Christ as King, they serve “for the praise of [God’s] glory.” (Eph. 1:12-14) The foreordination of the 144,000 does not mean that certain individuals were predestined to serve God faithfully in this way. Indeed, the admonition in the Christian Greek Scriptures was written primarily to guide and strengthen anointed ones to maintain integrity and keep themselves worthy of their heavenly calling. (Phil. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:5, 11; 2 Pet. 1:10, 11) Jehovah knows in advance that 144,000 individuals will qualify to serve his purpose. Who they prove to be depends on how those invited individually choose to live their life, a decision that each one of them must make personally.—Matt. 24:13. w 6/1/06 11, 12