A Hundred And Forty- Four Will Make Heaven? Intriguing!

For the last few days, my wing of friendship has hovered in this new place of adornment, this quiet settlement buried in the heart of the forest, and somehow it has found rest. It has found a balanced platform, where it can ruffle its plume of philosophical feathers, and still not waver off.

Often times in my friendship search, I scout those whom my philosophical questions would not prick, or who would not look at me in dismay when I ask, 'how sure are you about the virility of the bible?'. I am philosophical in my thoughts and speaking, and thus I have quite a large heart for inquisitiveness. I ask questions because it is from the crumbs of answers I get, I use to embellish my scholarly reserve.

I have met this wonderful fellow lately (a Jehovah Witness) who has received my philosophical questioning with lightness of heart and without the faintest shrink induced  on his face for want of courage to discuss something so 'blasphemous' about something celestial, so high above human knowledge and questioning. Our discussions have thus progressed for some days past now into something of a cognac so irrepressible, so true.

Few days ago (the day he told me he was Jehovah witness), he told me that in his Faith, it was believed that only one hundred and forty-four thousand would make heaven. I smiled peacefully at him, because I had heard this before from many of their Awake magazines which they assiduously share from door to door. After he had laid down his piece, I said to him, 'who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand?' And he replied - the Jews.

'Why?' I cried.

'They were chosen by God.' He replied.

'Does that mean I won't be counted among because I am not a Jew?'

The young man then heaved. I noticed his face was placid, and his lips were numbed as if dipped into a pail of ice. Seeing this initial vantage of mine, I struck again calmly and with beauteous balance: 'If Yoruba were so civilized enough long ago when the Jews did, if they could develop their own language six thousand years before and being able to write down the history of their creation, if a great teacher like Jesus was a Yoruba by birth and his preaching had been carried by the Roman Empire  and spread across the universe, God now would have been called Olorun all over the world and Yoruba people would have been regarded as the selected for the kingdom of God - those who are special. So don't raise one race above the other because history favoured them.'

My new Yoruba friend, nodding his head to consent, said, 'You are right.'

I cherished his frankness.