There have been too many for the WTS comfort, that's for sure . I made these notes when I was first getting my questions about the "Truth" all together . I am not saying that it is complete or an authority - just my thoughts . -
"The wording of Revelation 7 ; 4 is understood to refer to a literal 144000 who are anointed to serve in the heavens, in contrast to the great crowd of verse 9 which is without number. This is, I believe, the only number in the Revelation that is not a symbol of something else. These are identified as the “Little flock” of Jesus’ description.
How many people are known to have received this calling ? There are no published statistics for the total of individual members in the twentieth/twentyfirst century.
Interestingly, in 1925 there were 90,434 partakers of the emblems according to the Watchtower 1961,page 721. However that number may include casual visitors to the Memorial since it does seem out of proportion . I believe a more realistic figure would be the 52,465 who partook in 1935, out of 56000 odd publishers.
There were 8570 who partook in year 2004. In the years between the 1870s and 1935 we do not have a figure for those who partook and died, and of course there are those who partook and died between 1935 and the present day.
A realistic estimate of the total number of the remnant of the present day must be in the region of at least 70.000 plus the trickle of numbers that has “always been there during the last two thousand years”
This leaves just 74,000 places that could be taken in the first century. The apostasy that followed the death of the apostles did not take over immediately , the Watchtower of 1989,15/11 spoke favourably of Polycarp who was martyred in 155 c.e..Therefore it would seem reasonable to allow for at least 100 years of genuine Christianity . They lacked the printing press but had the galvanising influence of the Holy Spirit and miraculous gifts. Is it reasonable to expect that they would expand at no lesser rate than the modern organisation? Please note the kick start of 3000 at Pentecost of 33 c.e. in one day , and a further 5000 soon after.
We have no definite numbers but it is interesting to read the historian Tacitus who made the statement that an immense multitude (ingens multitudo) were put to death by Nero. If such a multitude were martyred,then how many would have made up the congregation of "Anointed ones?
Interestingly, The Watchtower noted in Sept 1st 1951 p516/517 that,
"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."
40,000 in one year. How many does that suggest as martyrs over a 100 year period, let alone the full numbers remaining?
By comparisom the modern organisation grew from it’s start in the 1870’s to 580,000 publishers within 80 years ,by 1950. That is more than seven times the amount required to provide the 74000 permissible number and that for a first century organisation that spanned at least from Babylon in the East to Spain in the West and included North Africa.
The above figures may seem complicated but are enough to make one question whether a number of 144,000 would not have been completed long ago?"
