Hi Amazing,
I looked up those articles in the 1952, and 1951 Watchtowers and found some interesting stuff. Read these two articles on persecution of anointed Christians in the first few centuries, see how there were far more than 144,000 who died terrible deaths for their faith, and see how the Watchtower tries to totally discredit them for their suffering by calling them “professed Christians” In other words, fake, and not real Christians or anointed.
(Watchtower 1951, 1 September, p. 516)
Nero saw to it that the first of these terrible persecutions set the pace for the rest. At once he caused Christians to be rounded up, summarily condemned and put to death in the most barbaric manner conceivable. Some were thrown to the fierce beasts in the public arena, others were sewed in animal skins and left to the fury of wild dogs, many were crucified, and still others were garbed in combustible materials and ignited to become human torches lighting the gardens of Nero by night. It was in this persecution that the apostle Paul was martyred.
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 . . . Diocletian assumed the crown A.D. 284. At first he seemed friendly to the Christians, but in the year 303 he gave in to persuasion and opened the tenth persecution, probably the most ferocious of all. Suffocation by smoke, forcible drinking of melted lead, mass drownings and burnings, breaking on the rack of men and women alike ran the empire with blood. In a single month 17,000 were slain. In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works . . . The Devil’s vicious assaults by violence against Christianity continued through the Dark Ages, the Reformation and right into the present days. Only the hand of the persecutor, not the basic reasons for persecuting, has changed . . . But for all of this, it is noteworthy that many pagans, even officers in the army, were converted to Christianity by the unwavering faith of the Christians while enduring the cruelest torture . . . The Christian stand of complete separateness from the world and its systems stood out in refusal of military service as in the case of the young Christian Maximilian, who protested that he had taken the badge of Christ and could not as well accept that of the world.
Here is a letter to the Watchtower, about the figures in the preceding article.
Questions from Readers (Watchtower 1952, 15 January, p. 62)
According to the article “Hated for His Name” in the September 1, 1951, Watchtower, hundreds of thousands of Christians died in the “ten persecutions” starting in Nero’s time, 144,000 dying in Egypt alone during one of the persecutions. How can this be harmonized with the Scriptural limitation of 144,000 placed on the number being in Christ’s body, and which position was the only one open to Christians during those centuries?—J.A., Dominican Republic.
The article did not class with any finality the individuals that died during these persecutions, but spoke of the results in a general way. Note that a key qualification was made in the case referred to in the question: “In the province of Egypt alone, 144,000 such professed Christians died by violence in the course of this persecution, in addition to another 700,000 who died as a result of fatigues encountered in banishment or under enforced public works.” The victims are identified as “professed Christians”, not Christians in fact. Many of those persons might have been caught in the wave of persecution, but may never have actually preached the truth or followed in Jesus’ footsteps, being only professed Christians. They knew the world they lived in was rotten and they were listening to the message of the Christians and willing to die for it even though not in line for the high calling in Christ Jesus. Many professed Christians today might be willing to die for their faith, but still not be Jesus’ footstep followers and meeting the Scriptural requirements for such.
See how they try to discredit the suffering and validity of the anointed back in those days. You may ask yourself how they dare to say they were just “professed Christians” and not true Christians of the anointed. All Christians were of the anointed! They even imply people were willing to die such evil tortuous deaths just for this “professed Christian’s” stance, and not be anointed, or a real Christian. So all for nothing! Why where they just “professed Christians” you may ask? Because the Watchtower says so! So there, end of subject as far as they are concerned. It’s a blasphemous article, it exposes their own false literal ‘144,000 anointed’ arguments, and then they disrespect all those loyal ones in the past who have suffered unbelievably for their true Christian faith!
