5. What did the Bible Students believe about the 144,000?

⁵ Of course, the Bible Students also discerned from the Scriptures that some would be “bought from the earth” to rule with Jesus in heaven. (Rev. 14:3) That group would be made up of 144,000 zealous and dedicated Christians who had served God faithfully while on earth. What about the great crowd?

6. What did the Bible Students believe about the great crowd?

⁶ In his vision, John saw that group “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9) Those words led the Bible Students to conclude that, like the 144,000, the great crowd would reside in heaven. If both the 144,000 and the great crowd were to live in heaven, how would one group differ from the other? The Bible Students thought that the great crowd must be made up of Christians who had not been fully obedient to God while on earth. Although leading reasonably clean lives, some of them may have remained in Christendom’s churches. The Bible Students concluded that such ones demonstrated a measure of zeal but not enough to rule with Jesus. Because their love for God had not been sufficiently fervent, the great crowd would qualify to be in heaven before the throne but not to sit on thrones.

The Bible Students also thought that perhaps some who would serve as earthly “princes” during that time​—including the resurrected “ancient worthies” (faithful men who died before Christ)—​would somehow be rewarded with heavenly life at the end of the Millennium.​—Ps. 45:16.

8. What three groups seemed to have a place in God’s purpose?

⁸ Thus, the Bible Students felt that there were three groups: (1) the 144,000, who would rule with Jesus in heaven; (2) the great crowd of less zealous Christians, who would stand before the throne of Jesus in heaven; and (3) millions of people who would be educated in Jehovah’s ways on earth during Christ’s Thousand Year Reign.b

11. Why might some Bible Students have thought that some would perhaps be raised to heaven after the Millennium?

¹¹ What about the view that some exemplary ones on earth would be raised to heaven after the Millennium? That possibility was suggested years ago in the February 15, 1913, issue of The Watch Tower. One could have reasoned, ‘Why would faithful men of old receive a mere earthly inheritance but Christians who were somewhat negligent be rewarded with life in heaven?’ Of course, that thinking was influenced by two incorrect assumptions: (1) that the great crowd would reside in heaven and (2) that the great crowd would be made up of less zealous Christians.

12-13. What do both the anointed and the great crowd recognize about their reward?

¹² As we have seen, however, since 1935, Jehovah’s Witnesses have clearly understood that the survivors of Armageddon are the great crowd of John’s vision. They will “come out of the great tribulation” right here on earth, and they will “keep shouting with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” (Rev. 7:10, 14) Furthermore, the Scriptures teach that those who are resurrected to heavenly life receive “something better” than do the faithful men of old. (Heb. 11:40) Our brothers accordingly began enthusiastically inviting people to serve Jehovah with the hope of living forever on earth.