With the approaching Memorial, 2026, this seems to be an excellent opportunity to research exactly what Jesus meant when he said ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (Lu 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24). Who were to do this? When? How? Were there some who should not do this? What is a ‘respectful observer’? I am going to tackle the ‘who’ first with particular reference to 144,000 and a great crowd.
After this I saw, and look! a great crowd… (Revelation 7:9)
What do we know, or better, what can we deduce about this great crowd that John sees?
1. There is no definite article in the Greek so ‘a great crowd’ not ‘the great crowd’ as misinterpreted by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
2. How great? No man was able to number (too large to count – BSB). Slightly different nuances here – is it innumerable by man due to his not knowing who is and who is not, or literally so large that counting is impossible? Perhaps along the lines of counting the grains of sand, or the stars of heaven? Jehovah’s Witnesses are counted and recorded every month! We have the comfort in knowing that God knows that number, just as he knows all the stars by name, and that the Lord knows all those who belong to him (2 Tim 2:19).
3. From where are they drawn? From every nation and tribe, people and tongue. There is no partiality – no nationalism, no racism, no ethnicity, no foreign language can debar anyone from being a member of this great crowd.
4. Where are they? They are standing before the throne and before the Lamb, in the company of the angels, the elders and the four living creatures. (7:9,11)
5. How are they identified? They are wearing white robes and waving palm branches. They ascribe their salvation to ‘our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ (7:9-10)
6. From where have they come? They emerge from the great tribulation, not battered, bruised and exhausted, but victorious because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Their faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has earned them the right to salvation. (7:14)
7. Where is the throne of God? It is in his temple (Gr. naos), in his sanctuary, the Holy and Most Holy. This great crowd is in the ‘divine habitation’ (KIT), in the very presence of God himself. (7:15)
8. What are they doing? They render sacred service day and night. (7:15)
9. Their reward (1)? God spreads his tent over them where they receive relief, shelter and security from all the things they have suffered, and refreshment from the fountains of waters of life. (7:15-17; 21:3-4)
10. Their reward (2)? In the wilderness, Moses was required to construct a tent for God to dwell in, and only the priests were authorised to enter. This great crowd, in God’s temple sanctuary, must therefore act as priests. 5:9-10 tells us that through the Lamb’s blood persons for God were purchased from every tribe and tongue, people and nation, to be priests and to rule on the earth. The same group of people, apparently. And ‘on’ the earth, not ‘over’ as NWT has it. Why on, not over? The Greek allows for both, but chapter 21 tells us that New Jerusalem descends to the earth, that God’s dwelling place, his tent, is with mankind who become his people. If God dwells on earth, then there is no requirement for any human to leave the earth and go to heaven. Heaven must be wherever God’s presence is.
11. Facts about New Jerusalem:
a) It descends from heaven, prepared as a bride (21:2)
b) It is the dwelling place of God (21:3)
c) It is a place of eternal bliss (21:3-5)
d) Those who have not washed their robes are outside (21:8; 22:15)
e) It radiates glory like a precious jewel (21:11)
f) It has a great and high wall with twelve pearl gates. The wall is 216 feet high and is 1,380 miles in length, width and height. That is 1.9m square miles, about the size of Australia or 24 times that of the island of Great Britain. Upwards, it extends into the exosphere (21:12, 16-17)
g) It has no temple (21:22)
h) It does not need sun or moon – God’s glory illuminates the city, the Lamb is its lamp (22:23)
i) Nothing unclean will ever enter it (21:27)
j) It has a river flowing down the middle of the main street, issuing from the throne of God and the Lamb. It is the water of life (22:1-2)
k) On both sides is the tree of life (22:2). This tree is in the paradise of God (2:7) so New Jerusalem and paradise are one and the same. It is in the middle, just as it was in Eden
l) God’s throne is in the city and his servants worship him face-to-face (22:3-4)
12. Who have the authority to enter? Those who have washed their robes. Is this not a great crowd that comes out of the great tribulation? (22:14)
Now let us investigate this 144,000 group. This comes from Revelation 7:3-4:
Do not harm… until we have sealed… 144,000…
What do we know about the 144,000?
1. They are sealed in their foreheads before the great tribulation breaks out.
2. They are from all the tribes of Israel (except Dan). Since AD70 no Jews have been able to trace their genealogy, so without divine assistance this is humanly impossible to arrange.
3. They are next seen standing on Mt Zion with the Lamb. (14:1)
4. They are singing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four elders. This suggests that they are not these elders, but a different group. (14:3)
5. They are virgins who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. (14:4)
6. They have been purchased from among mankind. (14:4)
7. They are blameless. (14:5)
If we are to take this literally they are all Jewish, male virgins. That rules out the entire governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses!
Bible scholars and commentators have been discussing the nature and identity of these groups for centuries and are still undecided as to their identity, nature and purpose. So we’re not about to resolve this to everyone’s satisfaction. It remains a matter of faith! Be curious, but wait and see.
Similarities and differences
1. 144,000 are sealed before the great tribulation; a great crowd emerge. This suggests, to me, that the Lord knows exactly who belong to him (2 Tim 2:19) but that he is not constrained by predetermined limits. Perhaps similar to Ezekiel measuring his visionary temple to prove its reality. All who wash their robes gain the authority to life.
2. Both groups are purchased from the earth; the 144,000 from Jews and a great crowd from every nation. This recalls John 10:16 where Jesus predicts the gathering of gentiles, with the two groups becoming one flock, under one shepherd.
3. John ‘heard’ 144,000 but he ‘sees’ a great crowd. This is a pattern often used by John - note 5:5-6 he heard Look the Lion, and saw a Lamb; 17:1-3 he heard of a prostitute sitting on many waters, he saw her sitting on a beast; 21:9-10 he heard the bride, he saw New Jerusalem. And others. None of these pairings are of different elements. They are the same thing from different perspectives, auditory and visual. Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb, one prostitute symbolises one corrupt power, one bride but not a literal woman but a symbolic city. Likewise 144,000 and a great crowd are the same people from different angles. From God’s viewpoint we are all numbered; from a human viewpoint those purchased and redeemed are vast, innumerable.
4. Both groups are before the throne, the four living creatures and the elders. But they are not identified as two groups.
5. Both are associated with the Lamb – they are shepherded by him (7:17) and they follow him wherever he goes (14:4).
6. Both are faithful by their wearing white robes (7:9) and being truthful and blameless (14:5)
7. Both worship God day and night (7:15), and by singing a new song (14:3).
8. The sealing of 144,000 assures us that they are protected before and during the great tribulation, but after this event a great crowd focuses on worship and service. A before and after thing!
The over-riding theme of Jesus's teaching is unity. Nowhere does he teach separation. All his teachings emphasise unity, togetherness. The Bible teaches that earth is our natural home forever. Why would Jesus teach the bereavement of 144,000 families, when he and his father are to dwell with us here on earth? Where those of us who hope to emerge from the great tribulation will see God face-to-face, in his temple sanctuary, and where we can serve him day and night. All out tears and pain from this life will be washed away. If we have truly washed our robes, then we have the authority to enter New Jerusalem as part of a great crowd. That is what 22:14 tells us. The only other option is to stay outside with the scum of humanity. It is a binary situation, one that is everywhere in the Bible, stated in different ways. We are:
1. a sheep or a goat
2. on the broad road or on the narrow road
3. we live by spirit, or we live according to the flesh
4. wheat or tares
5. prepared or unprepared
And many other examples. Paul sums it up so well in Ephesians 4:4-5 where he states that there is:
1. One body
2. One spirit
3. One hope
4. One Lord
5. One faith
6. One baptism
7. One God and Father who is over all, through all and in all.
So where does the idea of two hopes, or two anything else’s, come from? Where does the Bible teach that this 144,000 is also called ‘the anointed’? This is a non-scriptural term. Where does it specifically state that they are a different group from ‘the great crowd’? Where does Jesus say ‘do this in remembrance of me, but not all of you – only a few of you’? Nowhere does Jesus state how this should be done, where to do it, with whom, how often, that it must be under the auspices of a religion or organisation, that we must do it with others (even if they misunderstand, judge and condemn).
As for anointing, there are two words used in the Greek 5545 chrisma (n. and anointing) which appears three times in 1 John 2 – we receive an anointing from the holy one, it remains in us and teaches us all things. This letter is directed in the first instance, to an unnamed group of believers, but in reality it is for all of us. The other word is 5548 chrio (v. to rub with oil, to anoint). This appears five times. Four refer to Jesus himself (Lu 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb 1:9) and once by Paul (2 Cor 1:21) referring to ‘both us and you in Christ’, the whole congregation of Corinth, and by extension, all believers and followers of Christ.
It is certain that the term ‘the anointed’ does not appear in scripture, not even in NWT, and that there is, and can be, no link with the 144,000 of Revelation. Likewise, ‘the other sheep’, ‘the great crowd’, or even ‘the great crowd of other sheep’ are all phrases invented by Jehovah’s Witnesses for their own theological purposes.
Regarding frequency and timing. Paul wrote, at 1 Cor 11:26,
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup…
It is of note that WTS has changed its tune on the meaning of this phrase. In Insight v2 p268 it says:
‘“Often” can refer to something done only once a year, especially when done for many years’.
But in FAQs Article 45 it says:
‘However, the correct sense of the original-language term in this context is “whenever” or “every time.”’
This leads to another train of thought – is there any scriptural basis for any part of the carefully choreographed liturgy surrounding the whole JW event? What did Jesus ask of his followers? Keep doing this in remembrance of me. He did not state the frequency, as seems to be acknowledged above. He did not give a date, as in always on 14th Nisan. JWs do it annually on the lunar Passover but there is no stated requirement for this. It was for all his followers, not just a subset – nowhere does he state ‘but not all of you, just a privileged few’*. He used unleavened bread, because he just happened to have some as that was a Passover requirement. He did not specify this, or the type of wine, for future events.
What was the practice in the first century? At Acts 20:7 we are told that they came together on the first day of the week to break bread (to have a meal – NWT). This is widely understood to be a weekly communion gathering. At Acts 2:42 breaking bread is listed as something the believers did as part of their worship and in verse 46 breaking bread and taking meals are mentioned together, as if they combined the two. They broke bread in remembrance of their Lord before continuing with the meal - a bit like offering thanks.
Not all instances of breaking bread are endowed with religious significance, however, so we must carefully consider the context before coming to any conclusions. Paul told the Corinthians to eat their normal meal at home first, before gathering for communion. It was not treated lightly but it appears to have been something that the disciples did regularly as part of their worship.
My final observation – the Lord’s evening meal was a small, intimate affair with him and those who had stuck closely with him in his trials (Lu 22:28), the eleven. Jehovah’s Witnesses have turned it into a mass recruitment drive. Invite as many as possible, bring the family; it’s all about numbers. How many did you have at your hall? Paul warned against eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. Apart from his counsel against the party atmosphere, he wrote of those not discerning the body of Christ and thus bringing judgement on themselves. Are JWs not inciting their visitors, who for the most part have no understanding of why they are there, to eat and drink judgement against themselves? At most Kingdom Halls nobody partakes. They are all ‘respectful observers’, yet another term without scriptural basis! This is to ‘observe’, not in the sense of doing something in obedience, as in Matthew 28:20 (NWT), but as in passively watching others do something, which in most halls means watching nobody do anything. Weird.
* Up until and including 1935 all JWs gathered to remember Jesus and they all partook of the bread and wine. At the convention of that year, Rutherford identified ‘the great crowd’, a secondary group that he had been trying to define for many years. Those who identified themselves with this group were no longer welcome at the Memorial, so for two years (1936, 1937) they did not, publicly at least, obey Jesus. They chose to obey man as ruler rather than God, to re-phrase a well-known passage. But in 1938, they were invited to tag along as ‘respectful observers’, which they have done ever since, in disobedience to Jesus’s command ‘do this (eat the bread, drink the cup) in remembrance of me’.
Appendix
As the structure and doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses are so far removed from what the Bible teaches, what words would I use to accurately describe the religious style of WTS, one is essentially unchanged from the days of Rutherford? I did some research and came up with the following:
Esotericism – a belief system wherein spiritual truth is limited to a select inner circle who then act as intermediaries for everyone else. From esoteric meaning secret, intended for a small group, not for the public; as opposed to exoteric meaning open, not confined to some inner circle, comprehensible to all.
Gnosticism – from the Greek gnosis, knowledge – emphasises secret spiritual knowledge that is available only to thus awakened. It involves special insight held by a minority.
Mysticism – this focuses on direct personal experience of the divine, which values secrecy. For JWs this is their interpretation of Romans 8:16 – the spirit bears witness with our spirit. A mystical, inexplicable, unverifiable feeling.
Clericalism – where religious authority is concentrated in a clergy class. This is less about secret knowledge and more about institutional control.
Authoritarianism – where leaders claim exclusive spiritual access or divine mandate. In WTS this is hierocratic where authority is exercised in a top-down structure controlling doctrine and practice.
All of these terms remind me, to some extent, of the way JWs are structured and managed, but for the purposes of this article, it is mysticism that I found particularly interesting. In a religious sense it refers to private revelations and an unquestionable status that leads to spiritual authority. For JWs this private revelation is entirely unverifiable, it grants the individual the right to partake at the memorial because they have become a member of an elite group that alone is going to heaven, where any and all scrutiny of the individual is prohibited. Therefore ‘the anointed’ doctrine functions as a control mechanism: a claim of divine calling that cannot be verified, questioned or used by anyone except the leadership who benefit from it.
Some interesting WT articles to review should the curiosity arise in you. WT 01/05/2007 pages 30,31. This was the final nail in the coffin of the 1935 doctrine, and explains the sudden rise in memorial partakers. From 8,758 in 2006, to 9,105 in 2007 (the May edition is released prior to the memorial) to 10,857 in 2009, to 24,576 in 2025. If the door was not closed in 1935 then it must still be open!
Much of this increase is explained away by implying ‘mental or emotional problems’. See WTs 01/2016 pages 25,26; 15/08/2011 page 22; 15/08/1996 page 31. Do bullies always resort to insults? In light of the Golden Rule, how is it OK to accuse others of being deranged and psychotic when they are doing as you do? Perhaps every member of the entire governing body has psychological issues! If the argument is valid, it must apply to all. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!
What we can say is that the doctrine of just 144,000 going to heaven is deeply flawed. If it is true then it can be demonstrated that the number could have been completed in the first century, which would mean that nobody today, including the governing body of JWs, can lay claim to that special privilege. If we are calling it a special privilege, for what purpose and on what basis is this privilege extended, and by whom? The whole doctrine is riddled with difficulties. Or are we saying that in two thousand years there have been only 144,000 genuine followers of Christ? Or, as I have come to believe, that there really is just one flock under one shepherd? That heaven is wherever God’s presence is, and as he will be here on earth in New Jerusalem, that nobody is departing for a mystical destination, far, far away. That all of Christ’s followers will be there. And so, we must all eat the bread and drink of the cup. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot have everlasting life (John 6:53).
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