Grace: That is a great story.... I remember being a kid and watching the plate go around to see if anyone partook...
They used to annouce how many partakers there were a year... it is in the stats:
http://www.watchtower.org/statistics/worldwide_report.htm
2004 MEMORIAL PARTAKERS WORLDWIDE: 8,570
If you think about it that is a high number... 144,000 stretched out over 33 C.E. - 2004 (1,971 years)
That would be an average of about 73 people a year realizing they are annointed...
8,570 people is 5% of the annointed class that are still alive 1,971 years after the selection started?
Also, correct me if I am wrong but wasn't EVERYONE that was a "true christian" servent of Jehovah between 33 C.E. and 1933 part of the anointed class?
If that is the case and there are still 8,570 of them left on earth, then that mean up until 1933 there were only 135,430 faithful christians in the 1,900 years between 33-1933?!?!! That doesn't seem like very many...