the 144,000 number is from the Jeahovah's witness's... That's a number they've picked after they predicted the end of the world once and it didn't happen... they later changed their minds to read their book to say that "nobody knows"... so I'm not sure if they picked a new date, but they still insist that 144000 people will go to heaven... and the rest of the "good people" will come back to life on earth... (and it's supposed to be like seconds since you died even if the end is like a million years from now)...LOL
jeahovah's Dates...
Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), the WTS (watch tower society) founder, believed that Christ had secretly arrived in the year 1874
he predicted the end in 1914 (obviousely didn't end)
In 1918, J.E. Rutherford -- the WTS' second president predicted 1925
Additional predictions in 1932 and 1941
Some Witnesses expected a dramatic event to occur in 1966-JUN (6/66) because the number 666
they predicted the end again in 1975 (obviousely didn't end)
Denial and purge: Following the failed 1975 prophecy, the WTS "leadership embarked upon a five-year period of denial and purge." 3 The general membership was blamed for misinterpreting the leaders' interpretation of 1975. The leadership maintained that there never was an explicit prophecy. The membership is highly disciplined and were quickly able to revise their thinking. Large scale disfellowshipping followed. In 1978 alone, nearly 30,000 Witnesses were expelled. Many in the writing committee were dismissed and disfellowshipped during 1980.
then they later predicted the end again in 1994 (The WTS itself did not officially proclaim this one) again it didn't happen)