In his latest visit to my congregation, the CO explained in one of his talks that the "Great Crowd" consists of those who make it through Armageddon. Quite similar to what Nathan Natas says in his post.
Yes. JW's have taught that as long as I can remember and I'm an old man.
The problem is they identified the group who had the prospect of surviving Armageddon in 1935. But you don't even have a "prospect" of surviving an event that lies outside the farthest boundaries of a human lifespan. Therefore the proximity of the end is inextricably linked to that indentification. For example:
"Especially beginning in 1935, when the identity of the "great multitude," or "great crowd," was clearly understood, large numbers of these began to manifest themselves....God's infallible Word depicts this group as 'coming out of the great tribulation,' being survivors of it, living right on into God's New Order without ever having to die. The early members of this group are now in their 60's or 70's or older. Jehovah did not allow the ingathering of this group to begin too soon. The "great crowd" including many of the earliest members thereof, will survive into the "new earth." (Survival Into A New Earth p. 184)
--Well here we are nearly thirty years later and the earlierst members of that group have passed on. Which brings us back to the question; If people like Roger were not of the "anointed" and not of the "great crowd," then what are they?
There is not a third group. To attempt to create one is to create a class of Christians that attain neither of the two salvations that JW's believe Revelation 7 describes.