Chapter Twenty/A Multitudinous Great Crowd - Confirming the Identity of the Great Crowd - Conclusion

 Modern technology has helped to make the loud voice of the united great crowd sound even louder. No other religious group on earth has need of publishing Bible study aids in more than 200 languages, since no other group is interested in reaching all people of earth with one united message. As further aid in this, under the supervision of the anointed Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Multilanguage Electronic Phototype Setting System (MEPS) was developed. At the time of this writing, various forms of MEPS are used i more than 60 of the Watchtower Society's branches around the earth, and this has helped to make possible publication of their principle semi-monthly journal. The Watchtower, in 39 languages simultaneously. Jehovah's people also simultaneously publish books, such as this one, in a number of languages. Thus, Jehovah's Witnesses, of whom the great crowd make up the vast majority, are able yearly to distribute hundreds of millions of publications in all the better-known languages enabling additional throngs out of al tribes and tongues to study God's Word and joi8n their voices to the loud voice of the great crowd. - ISAIAH 42:10, 12. 

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 This great crowd is part of the only truly united multinational organization on earth today. They do not have different standards for different countries but apply the Bible's right principles consistently wherever they live. They are not involved in nationalistic, revolutionary movements but have truly 'beaten swords into plowshares." (Isaiah 2:4) They are not divided into sects or denominations, so they shout confused or mutually contradicted messages as do the religionists of Christendom, nor do they leave it to a profession clergy class to do their praising for them.  They do not cry out that they owe salvation to the holy spirit, for they are not servants of a trinitarian god. In some 200 geographical territories around the earth, they are at one in calling upon the name of Jehovah as they speak the one pure language of truth. (Zephaniah 3:9) Properly, they publicly acknowledge that their salvation, through Jesus Christ, His Chief Agent of salvation. -PSALM 3:8; HEBREWS 2:10. 

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 It is fitting, then, that the great crowd, though no part of spiritual Israel, should wave palm branches, since they joyfully and gratefully ascribe to the victor and salvation to God and to the Lamb, as John here observes: "And they keep crying out with a loud voice, saying: 'Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb." (Revelation 7:10) Although they have been separated out of all ethnic groups, the great crowd cry out with just one 'loud voice." How can they do this, despite their diversity of nations and languages? 

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 As he looks on in his vision, John's thoughts must be taking him back more than 60 years to Jesus' last week on earth. On Nisan 9, 33 C.E., when the crowds flocked to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem they "they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. And they began to shout: "Save, we pray you! Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name, even the king of Israel!" (John 12:12, 13) In like fashion, the waving of palm branches and crying out on the part of the great crowd shows their unbridled joy in accepting Jesus as Jehovah's appointed King. 

Doubtless, the palm branches ad exulting cries also remind John of the ancient Israelite Festival of Booths. For this festival Jehovah commanded: "And you must take for yourselves on the first day of splendid trees, the fronds of palm trees and the boughs of branchy trees and poplars of the torrent valley, and you must rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days. "The palm branches were used as a mark of rejoicing. The temporary booths were a reminder that Jehovah has saved his people out of Egypt, to live in the wilderness. "The alien resident and the fatherless by and the widow" share in this festival. All Israel were to "become nothing but joyful." - LEVITICUS 23:40; DEUTERONOMY 16:13-15.

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Chapter Twenty/A Multitudinous Great Crowd - Confirming the Identity of the Great Crowd

 How can we state so positively that the great crowd is this modern-day group of dedicated Christians who hope to live forever on God's earth? Previously, John had seen in vision the heavenly group "bought . . . for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Revelation 5:9, 10) The great crowd have a similar origin but a different destiny. Unlike the Israel of God, their number is not predetermined.  No man can tell in advance how many there will be. Their robes are washed white in the blood of the Lamb, symbolizing that they have a righteous standing before Jehovah by virtue of their faith in Jesus' sacrifice. (Revelation 7:14) And they are waving palm branches hailing Messiah as their King.

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 The understanding of Revelation 7:9-17 was now about to burst forth in all its sparkling brilliance! (Psalm 97:11) The Watchtower magazine had repeatedly expressed the hope of a convention scheduled for May 30, to June 3, 1935, in Washington D.C., U.S.A., would be "a real comfort and benefit " to those pictured by Jehonadab. That it proved to be! In a stirring talk on "The Great Multitude," delivered to about 20,000 conventioners, J. F. Rutherford, president of the Watch Tower Society, gave Scriptural proof that the modern-day other sheep are identical with the great crowd of Revelation 7:9. All the climax of this talk, speaker asked: "Will all those who have the hope of living forever on earth please stand?" As a large part of the audience stood up, the president declared: Behold! The great multitude!" There was a hush, followed by thunderous cheering. How elated was the John class- and the Jehonadab group! On the follow day, 840 new Witnesses were baptized, most of these professing to be that great crowd. 

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 Some years later, in 1931, Vindication, Book One, discussed Ezekiel chapter 9, Identifying those those persons marked on the forehead for preservation at the world's end as the sheep of the above parable. Vindication, Book Three, released in 1932, described the upright heart attitude of the non-Israelite man Jehonadab, who joined Israel's anointed King Jehu in his chariot and went along to see Jehu's zeal in executing false religionists. (2 Kings 10:15-17) The book commented "Jehonadab represented or foreshadowed that class of people now on the earth during the time that the Jehu work [of declaring Jehovah's judgments] is in progress who are of good will, are out of harmony with Satan's organization, who take their stand on the side of righteousness, and are the ones whom the Lord will preserve during the time of Armageddon, take them through  that trouble, and give them everlasting life on the earth. These constitute the "sheep class." In 1934 the Watchtower made it clear that these Christians with earthly hopes should make a dedication to Jehovah and be baptized. The light regarding this earthly class was shining ever brighter. - PROVERBS 4:18. 

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 There were, however, other associates of the anointed Christians who later became more zealous in the preaching work. They had no aspirations of going to heaven. Indeed, their hope was in line with the title of a public talk featured by Jehovah's people from 1918 to 1922. Originally, this was "The World Has Ended-Millions Now Living Will Never Die."  Soon thereafter, the Watch Tower magazine of October 15, 1923, explained Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), stating: "Sheep represent all the people of the nations, not spirit-begotten but disposed toward righteousness, who mentally acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Lord and who are looking for and hoping for a better time under his reign." 

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 Worldly commentators have interpreted this great crowd to be fleshly non-Jews converted to Christianity or to be heaven- bound Christian martyrs. Even the Bible Students in the past regarded them as a secondary heavenly class, as noted in 1986 in Volume I of Studies in the Scriptures, The Divine Plan of the Ages: "They lose the prize of the throne and the divine nature, but will finally reach birth as spirit beings of an order lower than the divine nature. Though these are truly consecrated, they are overcome by the worldly spirit to such an extent that they fail to render their lives in sacrifice." and as late as 1930, the thought was expressed in Light, Book One: "Those who make up this great crowd fail to respond to the invitation to become the zealous witness for the Lord."  They were described as a self-righteous group that had a knowledge of the truth but did little about preaching it,. They were to go to heaven as a secondary class that would not share in reigning with Christ.

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Chapter Twenty/A Multitudinous Great Crowd

 Having described the sealing of the 144,000, John goes on to report one of the most exciting revelations in all Scripture. His heart must have leaped with joy as he reported it, saying: "After these things I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands." (Revelation 7:9) Yes, the holding back of the four winds allows for the salvation of another group besides the 144,000 members of spiritual Israel a multitudinous great crowd." - REVELATION 7:1. 

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