• The Recent Pen for “Other Sheep”
    The Watchtower—1984 | February 15

    • 12. What unusual thing developed in connection with the convention in 1935?

      12 A general convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses was called together at the capital of the United States of America, Washington, D.C., to which God-fearing Bible Students who were like the non-Israelite Jonadab were specially invited to attend. On the second day of the convention, May 31, the then president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society thrilled the conventioners with his address on Revelation 7:9-17, regarding the “great multitude.” (Revelation 7:9, Authorized Version) He explained that this foretold “great multitude” was to be made up of the “other sheep,” those foreshadowed by Jonadab, or Jehonadab, the non-Israelite man who accompanied Jehu, the king of Israel, in a display of zeal for Jehovah and against the worshipers of the false god Baal. (2 Kings 10:15-28; Jeremiah 35:6-19) Thus Jehu showed “toleration of no rivalry toward Jehovah,” or according to the Authorized Version, “zeal for the LORD.”​—2 Kings 10:16.

      13, 14. (a) Who became modern-day Jonadabs? (b) What was it appropriate for them to do, and why?

      13 Hundreds of those who wanted to be like Jonadab and be among the “other sheep” of the Fine Shepherd responded to the published invitation and attended the Washington convention. To become modern-day antitypical Jonadabs it was Scripturally necessary for them to make a full dedication of themselves to Jehovah God through his Fine Shepherd and symbolize this dedication by total immersion in water, as the sheep belonging to “this fold” had done. So it was that, on Saturday, June 1, 1935, there were 840 conventioners that got baptized in water, resembling the mass baptism that took place on the day of Pentecost of the year 33 C.E. at Jerusalem. What an impressive, epoch-making way it was for the Fine Shepherd to indicate that he was now set to bring under his pastoral care the other sheep that were to listen to his voice as that of their preferred Shepherd! What a joy this must have been to him! After the Washington convention of 1935, the feature talk in explanation of Revelation 7:9-17 was published in the columns of the Watchtower magazine, in its issues of August 1 and 15, 1935, under the title “The Great Multitude” (Parts 1 and 2).