[tang-soo]

The belief in a literal 144,000 sounds an awful lot like the Jehovah's witnesses (Michael Jackson's religion).

You must mean the Russelites. Why would you discount the literal interpretation of Revelation when the Bible says what it means, and means what is says (to quote Chuck Missler)? Why dismiss the literal 12000 from each named tribe because of a crackpot several centries later claimed it as his own?

[what's up]

People claim to believe in literal interpretation, yet when you ask these same people if they believe there is a Beast coming with 7 literal heads, for example, they say no...these heads stand for countries.

The lamps stand for spirits, the sword coming out of Christ's mouth is the Word of God...etc. etc. etc.

Revelation and other apocalyptic literature is NOT literal, it is to be interpreted symbolically, as is much of the Bible (ex: the parables are symbolic stories intended to communicate truths). The 144,000 are also to be taken symbolically.