Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to believe that there are two classes of Christians. A little flock of anointed Christians having the hope of ruling with Christ in heaven numbering 144,000 and an unnumbered great crowd of other sheep having the hope of living on earth in paradise under that rulership. However, this has not always been the case. According to the Watchtower society, all Christians in the first century were of the anointed.
“For 19 centuries there was only the one calling, the heavenly one, with Jehovah being very selective as to who would serve with his Son to make up the Kingdom government. Many would be invited but only a precious few chosen. (Matthew 22:2, 14) In time the prescribed but limited number of 144,000 would be reached. After this no more would be anointed by holy spirit as witness that they had the heavenly hope, unless, in a rare occurrence, the unfaithfulness of one of the remaining ‘chosen ones’ made a replacement necessary.—Romans 8:16; 11:19; Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1-5. The Watchtower February 15, 1982 page 30 paragraph 14.
So when David Splane says by the end of the century thousands had become obedient to the word, he is talking about those that would be members of the 144,000. While admitting he doesn’t know how many bcame Christians by that time he says that it would have to be nowhere near the number 144,000. Just how he knows that he doesn’t explain.
Later, during the 20th century, J.F. Rutherford, president of the Watchtower society, taught that in the year 1935 the number was filled and God ceased calling persons to be of the heavenly class.
“it seems evident that the heavenly calling in general was completed about the year 1935, when the hope of the “great crowd” of Revelation 7:9-17 was properly understood to be an earthly one. This has worked out just as Jehovah foreknew that it would. As Revelation 7:3, 4 shows, there would be a final ‘sealing’ of the remaining ones of spiritual Israel. But, during this time just before the “great tribulation,” a “great crowd” without any limitation as to number would manifest itself. They would retain their natural hope of living on earth, not being “born again” with heavenly life in view.—Psalm 115:16; John 3:1-8.
16 As to the possibility of being a “born again” replacement at this late hour, understandably only a very few of these remaining anointed ones are likely to forfeit their heavenly calling by becoming unfaithful. The Watchtower February 15, 1982 pages 30-31 paragraphs 14-5-16.
Since that time, all getting baptized were encouraged to scrutinize themselves if they thought they might be of the heavenly calling. Hence,the number of Witnesses claiming to be of the anointed began to decrease.
Some few who have, since these historical developments of 1934 and 1935, dedicated themselves to God and symbolized their dedication by water baptism have claimed and do still claim to be, not of the “great multitude” of “other sheep” being gathered in, but of the steadily dwindling remnant of the “little flock.” How should they know that they are an exception to the general bringing in of the “other sheep” and that the heavenly Father has taken them into the remnant of anointed heirs of the Kingdom? Especially so, since the miraculous gifts of the holy spirit are not imparted to the baptized ones as in the first century of our Common Era, Christ’s apostles no longer being around? (Acts 8: 14-18; 19: 2-6; 1 Corinthians 13: 8-12) There is no evidence that the Ethiopian eunuch of nineteen centuries ago received the miraculous gifts of the holy spirit, and yet God’s angel instructed the evangelizer Philip to baptize him in water, certainly with the heavenly calling in view, as that was the only calling being extended at that time. (Acts 8:26-39) So, after water baptism, such a Christian, who does not receive the miraculous gifts of the spirit, should have within himself the unmistakeable evidence that he has been called to the heavenly kingdom.
THE WITNESS OF GOD’S SPIRIT
That such a view of the matter is the proper one the apostle Paul demonstrated when, in Romans 8:12-17, he wrote to those who were sharers in the same heavenly hope with him: “So, then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh to live in accord with the flesh; for if you live in accord with the flesh you are sure to die; but if you put the practices of the body to death by the spirit, you will live. For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, bu.t you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: ‘Abba, Father!’ The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together.”(Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God pgs. 150-151)
“Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller.- The Watchtower January 15, 2000 page 13 paragraph 18.
However, Paul’s words to the Romans was written at a time when all Christians had the same hope. When he says: “for if you live in accord with the flesh you are sure to die; but if you put the practices of the body to death by the spirit, you will live.” it is not a matter of which hope one has, but a matter of whether one lives or dies. Whether one lives in accord with the spirit and is considered a Christian, or one does not. In fact, earlier in that same chapter, in verse 9 Paul clearly says: “But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)
Hence, the question arises: Since up until that time all Christians were said to have the heavenly hope, have there truly been less than 144,000 genuine Christians throughout 19 centuries? Could not God find 144,000 genuine Christians in all history from 33 CE onward so that the selection was completed long before that?
Furthermore, how do we know that the selection was completed in 1935? Is there a prophecy in the Bible stating that this would take place in that year?
First of all, there is no specific prophecy foretelling an end to the one hope to which all Christians were called and the beginning of a calling to a new hope. When Jesus spoke about other sheep in John 10:16 he was speaking about gentiles being added to the flock of Jewish sheep he was gathering.
As to the number of Christians throughout history, note what the Watchtower society itself has admitted:
In an article entitled: “Hated for His Name” The Watchtower reported on ten horrendous waves of persecution faced by Christians under Roman emperors from Nero to Diocletian:
THE TEN PERSECUTIONS
Nero saw to it that the first of these terrible persecutions set the pace for the rest. At once he caused Christians to be rounded up, summarily condemned and put to death in the most barbaric manner conceivable. Some were thrown to the fierce beasts in the public arena, others were sewed in animal skins and left to the fury of wild dogs, many were crucified, and still others were garbed in combustible materials and ignited to become human torches lighting the gardens of Nero by night. It was in this persecution that the apostle Paul was martyred.
Brief respite followed the death of Nero, but by the latter years of the first century the second great persecution, under Emperor Domitian, flared up. It is said that in the year 95 alone some 40,000 suffered martyrdom… (The Watchtower September 1, 1951 pg. 516)
Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works. (The Watchtower September 1, 1951 pg. 518)
The following year there appeared a Questions From Readers article addressing the obvious problem the reported numbers of persecuted Christians presented to the doctrine:
According to the article “Hated for His Name” in the September 1, 1951, Watchtower, hundreds of thousands of Christians died in the “ten persecutions” starting in Nero’s time, 144,000 dying in Egypt alone during one of the persecutions. How can this be harmonized with the Scriptural limitation of 144,000 placed on the number being in Christ’s body, and which position was the only one open to Christians during those centuries?—J.A., Dominican Republic.
The article did not class with any finality the individuals that died during these persecutions, but spoke of the results in a general way. Note that a key qualification was made in the case referred to in the question: “In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works.” The victims are identified as “professed Christians”, not Christians in fact. Many of those persons might have been caught in the wave of persecution, but may never have actually preached the truth or followed in Jesus’ footsteps, being only professed Christians. They knew the world they lived in was rotten and they were listening to the message of the Christians and willing to die for it even though not in line for the high calling in Christ Jesus. Many professed Christians today might be willing to die for their faith, but still not be Jesus’ footstep followers and meeting the Scriptural requirements for such. The Watchtower January 15, 1952 page 62.
Really? The readers were expected to believe that multitudes of Christians would be willing to die for someone they were never genuinely footstep followers of?
Yet The Watchtower later considered historical information indicating that such ones were indeed genuine:
“within a few years the rapid growth of Christianity in Asia Minor attracted more official attention. Pliny the Younger, proconsul in that area, reported on the matter to Emperor Trajan. This brought forth official legislation in the form of Trajan’s letter A.D. 112, which said of the Christians: “They are not to be searched for. If, indeed, they are accused and convicted, they must be punished, with this restriction however, that when the party denies himself to be a Christian, and shall make it evident that he is not, by invoking our gods, let him . . . be pardoned upon his repentance. Anonymous accusations ought not to be received in prosecutions of any sort.”[1] The Watchtower February 1, 1958 pages 74-75.
In their 1988 publication Insight on the Scriptures Pliny’s letter was again mentioned:
“Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia in 111 or 112 C.E., faced with the ‘Christian problem,’ wrote to Emperor Trajan, outlining the methods he was using and asking for advice. “I have asked them in person if they are Christians,” wrote Pliny. If they admitted it, they were punished. However, others “denied that they were or ever had been Christians.” Put to the test, not only did these offer up pagan sacrifices but they even “reviled the name of Christ: none of which things, I understand, any genuine Christian can be induced to do.” In answering this letter, Trajan commended Pliny on the way he had handled the matter: “You have followed the right course of procedure . . . in your examination of the cases of persons charged with being Christians.”—The Letters of Pliny, X, XCVI, 3, 5; XCVII, 1.
as indicated in Pliny’s letter, not all who bore the name Christian were uncompromisingly such when put to the test. Insight on the Scriptures volume 1 page 442.
Hence, it appears the society is faced with two options. Either to prove that the thousands of Christians willing to die for their faith were not footstep followers of Christ and not chosen by God to be rulers with him in his kingdom. Or to re-examine their interpretation of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, a highly symbolic book, as being a literal number. But how can any human presume to say who God has or has not chosen? In view of the historical facts would it not be prudent for the Watchtower society to reconsider their interpretation of God’s word, especially in view of the fact that they have admitted to having a track record of having to correct their beliefs since 1870?
In recent years the number of Witnesses claiming to be of the anointed has been increasing. This can only make the problem worse, causing them to question or even discredit the genuineness of the claim of Christians even in our modern day.
[1] Library of Biblical and Theological Literature, History of the Christian Church, by G. Crooks and J. Hurst, pages 165-168.