When did the Great Crowd start forming?

Vanderhoven7

I realize that Rutherford received a flash of light regarding the identity of the GC in the year 1935, but that does not tell us when the crowd began to form. What would be the earliest date? Any ideas or quotes from WT literature?

Village Idiot

I would imagine that this (imaginary) god would have had only anointed until Rutherford's divine declaration then he would start separating the two classes.

Simon

Wasn't the original notion that the heavenly calling was "full" by 1914 and so, given that they wanted to grow some more, they invented the great unwashed class, erm ... I mean crowd.

Then they had to explain how people claiming anointed status kept growing as well. First it was that some who had stayed faithful to the point of death somehow weren't really faithful enough (those lying bastard first century Christians getting themselves fed to lions to FAKE belief).

It kind of all became a confused mess after that and the further we got from 1914, the less tenable the whole thing became.

The abandoned the generation thing which I guess also means the shut-door for the anointed as well. Now its a bit of a free for all and I think many JWs are probably more than a little confused about it all if you pressed them on it.

prologos

wt has admitted, that the great crowd does not really exist prior to armageddon, ince the word is "come out of " -not "through"-the great tribulation.

Question from reader, wt april 15 1995. and

bsw: The "flesh saved of the chosen ones" must be the great crowd's members's too, the flesh of the raptured anointed will be disposed of by angels like Jesus' original body. discarded, not saved.

not endorsing just mentioning.

myelaine

I can't figure out why a WT false date would matter or where you're going with this Vander...the whole notion that the great crowd has started "gathering" is untenable...scripture says they came OUT OF the great tribulation...the great tribulation hasn't begun...rev. 7:14.

daniel 12:1 states the GT is going to be the worst possible time for the JEWS and their only relief IS deliverance through God's salvation.

love michelle

Beth Sarim

I don't think there is(was) ever a definitive date as to when the great crowd formed. I just know the Bible students adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1930's, not sure the exact year. I believe from that decade on, ''great crowd'' was a more used term.

OnTheWayOut

Just find the exact date that Rutherford declared that there was a great crowd and you will find that they started to form instantly in that same moment.

From http://www.letusreason.org/JW52.htm
At the “1935 convention in Washington, D.C.” the leaders of the Watchtower publicly proclaimed to the Jonadab class they were to inherit an earthly paradise as their eternal reward (Jehovah's Witnesses In The Divine Purpose, p. 140).
The doctrine introduced by Judge Joseph Rutherford, second President of the Watchtower said from 1935 onward, “At the end of May of that year a five-day convention of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses was in session... the president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society discussed the subject of 'the great multitude, 'spoken of in Revelation 7.9-17, Authorized Version. He made it clear that the 'multitude' was no spiritual or spirit begotten class, would not attain the angelic nature in heaven so as to assist the 144,000 joint heirs with Christ. It was a distinctly an earthly class with hope of endless perfect human life in the earthly paradise under Christ's kingdom” (Holy Spirit, 1976, p. 156)
Everyone who became a Jehovah’s Witnesses before 1934 would go to Heaven (until Rutherford changed it). God stopped calling people to only a heavenly calling from that year. So he invented two classes, a heavenly class and earthly class. The “great crowd” class introduced by Judge Rutherford out of necessity. An earthly Great Crowd was created, a second- class of people that were subject to and dependent upon the heavenly class who alone would be part of the new covenant.
.........
Rutherford changed the sealing of the 144,000 from the original date of 1881 to 1931. “God having a fixed time for every purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1), his time to give creatures on earth the opportunity to get in line for a heavenly reward has been from A .D. 29 until, chiefly, 1931, called the “day of salvation. It began with Jesus at Jordan and is now rapidly nearing its end”“ (Let God be True” 1952 2ed. p.298).

prologos

The talk " millions now living will never die" (cirka 1918) implied that members of that multitude were alive then, would come out. they thought this could happen by cutting the "great tribulation that started in 1914 to have interrupted in 1918, and then kick in again later, like 1925.

magna tribulation interruptus

prologos

The concept of the "great Crowd" is hard to isolate, because it is woven in with the other wt bible interpretation errors. starting with the idea of the Other Sheep members of the great Crowd as the Earthly class,--- when the Other sheep clearly refer to the non - Jewish Christians,

Wasanelder Once

...about the time they said tickets were available. I think the first showing is sold out around here. Star Wars? Sheesh!

When did the Great Crowd start forming?

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