From: Hrothgar@yabbs
To: all@yabbs
Subject: re: 144,000
Date: Tue Aug  2 15:33:01 1994
I could reasonably agree with (was it) Pele's view on the actual number of 
"heaven dwellers" being 144000.  I'm no Bible Scholar, but this could be 
just the count of angels and archangels.  This does not mean the rest of 
us will burn for eternity in the realms of Satan.
Page through Dante's Inferno if you'd like.  Since Dante claims that no 
one is sin-free, we all have our shortcomings, which determines our future 
path.  Note that several places, though not heaven, are not unpleasant by 
any means, in fact one, the moral pagans' hangout, is very pleasant, one 
just doesn't see the face of God, as it were.
Keep in mind this was written during a Fire-and-Brimstone era of 
Christianity, so the layout may be a bit severe, but I could definitely 
visualize a "layered" sort of afterlife.  God knows _I_ have given in to 
temptation DOZENS of times - I don't feel like one of the worthy 
144-grand.  On the other hand I don't think my destiny is Hell, either.
Don't take this viewpoint as my absolute belief - just food for thought...

Ed