At a convention in Washington, D.C., 1935, J.F. Rutherford announced the identity of “The Great Multitude,” of Revelation 7:9 as being the “other sheep” of John 10:16.
I don’t remember if I heard it in a talk or read it in a piece of literature, but I remember some commentary about how the “governing body” of that time finally came to this understanding. They had been struggling with the identity of this “great crowd”, even speculating that this group would occupy a lower station in heaven than those who would serve with Christ as kings and priests. They speculated further that this lower station might be the result of being possibly less righteous for some reason.
Finally, God’s Holy Spirit jumped into action and Bethel began receiving letters from around the world, written by several members of the genuinely anointed class. These letters suggested unanimously that this great crowd was the group that would inherit the earth.
The sudden arrival of letters, all in agreement, was presented as evidence that God was using his faithful and discreet slave to provide food at the proper time.
Well, we now know that only members of the governing body are used in that capacity which begs the question: Who was really behind that burst of new light back in 1935?