Attending as Respectful Observers

6. For whom has God reserved the privilege of partaking at the Lord’s Evening Meal?

⁶ Should those now doing good to the remnant of the 144,000 brothers of Christ partake of the Lord’s Evening Meal? (Matthew 25:31-40; Revelation 14:1) No. God has reserved that privilege for individuals he has anointed with holy spirit to be “joint heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:14-18; 1 John 2:20) What, then, is the position of those who hope to live forever in a global paradise under Kingdom rule? (Luke 23:43; Revelation 21:3, 4) Since they are not Jesus’ joint heirs with a heavenly hope, they attend the Memorial as respectful observers.​—Romans 6:3-5.

Searching for “Other Sheep”

9. How was the identity of the “great crowd” clarified in 1935, and how did this affect some who had been partaking of the Memorial emblems?

⁹ In time, Jehovah’s organization began to focus attention on others in addition to Christ’s anointed followers. A notable development along these lines took place in the mid-1930’s. Before then, God’s people viewed the “great crowd” of Revelation 7:9 as a secondary spiritual class that would be associated with the 144,000 resurrected anointed ones in heaven​—like bridesmaids or companions of the bride of Christ. (Psalm 45:14, 15; Revelation 7:4; 21:2, 9) But on May 31, 1935, in a discourse given at a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., it was Scripturally explained that the “great crowd” (“great multitude,” King James Version) refers to the “other sheep” who live during the time of the end. (John 10:16) After that convention, some who had previously partaken of the Memorial emblems stopped partaking because they realized that their hope was earthly, not heavenly.

10. How would you describe the hope and the responsibilities of the present-day “other sheep”?

¹⁰ Especially since 1935 has there been a search for those who come to be “other sheep,” who have faith in the ransom, dedicate themselves to God, and support the anointed “little flock” in Kingdom-preaching activity. (Luke 12:32) These other sheep hope to live on earth forever, but in all other respects, they resemble the present-day remnant of Kingdom heirs. Like ancient Israel’s alien residents who worshiped Jehovah and submitted to the Law, today’s other sheep accept Christian responsibilities, such as preaching the good news along with the members of spiritual Israel. (Galatians 6:16) Just as no alien resident could become Israel’s king or a priest, however, none of these other sheep can as such rule in the heavenly Kingdom or serve as priests.​—Deuteronomy 17:15.

11. Why could the date of a person’s dedication have a bearing on his hope?

¹¹ By the 1930’s, then, it was becoming clear that, in general, the heavenly class had been chosen. For decades now, the search has been for other sheep, whose hope is earthly. If an anointed one proves unfaithful, it is most likely that a person who has long served God faithfully as one of the other sheep would be called to fill the vacancy thus caused in the 144,000.