According to the WTS, CTR had the 'mark of the beast'. Not only him but all JW's that died from the start of the WTS until at least 1928 all died having the 'mark'.
Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand! p. 197 - [What does it
mean to be marked on the forehead or in the right hand with the name of the
wild beast? When Jehovah gave Israel the Law, he told them: “You must apply
these words of mine to your heart and your soul and bind them as a sign upon
your hand, and they must serve as a frontlet band between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 11:18) This
meant that the Israelites had to keep that Law constantly before them, so that
it influenced all their actions and thoughts. The 144,000 anointed ones are
said to have the Father’s name and that of Jesus written on their foreheads.
This identifies them as belonging to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. (Revelation 14:1) In imitation,
Satan uses the demonic mark of
the wild beast. Anybody engaged in everyday activities such as buying and
selling is pressured to do things the way the wild beast does, as, for example, in celebrating
holidays. They are
expected to worship the wild beast, letting it rule their lives, so as to
receive its mark.]
1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses p. 147 - [In Pastor Russell’s day, Christmas was celebrated at the old Bible House in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Ora Sullivan
Wakefield recalls that Brother Russell gave members of the Bible House family
five- or ten-dollar gold pieces at Christmas. Mabel P. M. Philbrick
remarks: “A custom that certainly would not be carried on today was the celebration of Christmas
with a Christmas tree in the Bethel dining room. Brother Russell’s usual ‘Good morning, all’ was changed to ‘Merry
Christmas, all.’”]
w65 7/15 pp. 441-447 - [After the Society’s officials
were released from prison in 1919 and exonerated, I was sent out as a pilgrim again. But after
a number of years, Brother Rutherford called me back to Bethel and asked me to
take charge of the pilgrim department. After the pilgrim department was ended,
my desk was used in connection with the radio department. My duty was to write
short radio talks of 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes, to be used over hundreds of
radio stations…I was asked
to give an hour talk over a hookup on the subject of Christmas. It was given December 12, 1928, and published in The Golden Age #241 and
again a year later in #268. That
talk pointed out the pagan origin of Christmas. After that, the brothers at
Bethel never celebrated Christmas again.]
