>it has been so long that
>my memory is a lil
>foggy, but don't jews (144,000
>or something) have a special
>place in heaven- because they
>are god's chosen people?

Well it's not a loophole. 144,000 refers to the Jews that will be saved during the tribulation period Revelation 7: 4 talks about this. For clarification this passage doesn't mean that only 144,000 goes to heaven 7: 9 states how a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.


>if this is true, doesn't the
>argument over who are the
>original jews matter a whole
>lot?

The argument wouldn't be who were the original jews but Which of the Original tribes would be a part of the 144,000. Rev. 7: 5-8 tells which jewish tribes the 144,000 will come from.
Now the Twelve tribes came from Jacob's 12 sons Gen: 46: 8-27.