On April 2, 2007 more than 15 million people around the world gathered in local Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses to observe the Lord’s Supper, or Memorial Meal as the Witnesses call it. April 2nd coincided this year with Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar. On this date two millennia ago Jesus celebrated the Lord’s Supper with His disciples. The Watchtower observes this date rather than the Christian tradition of Easter.

Attendance at the Memorial is usually more than twice the active Witness membership. The guests are made up of inactive Witnesses, family and friends who are non-Witnesses, and “studies,” or people who are in book studies with a Jehovah’s Witness. In the days preceding the event Witnesses will frequently canvass a community to invite interested people to attend. This is a proselytizing effort. Those who are not active Witnesses will be invited to begin a book study with an active Witness as the first step to becoming a baptized Witness.

Jehovah’s Witnesses and their guests do not gather to participate in the meal but only to observe. For almost three decades now the number of participants in the Memorial Meal has been under 10,000, usually hovering around 8,000. That leaves over 99.9% of Jehovah’s Witnesses as observers.

In the typical Kingdom Hall the elements of the “meal” are passed down the aisles and no one partakes. But across the world in thousands of Kingdom Halls approximately 8,000 people will partake of the elements. By partaking they are making a declaration that they have a heavenly calling and are of the “Anointed” class of Christians who will be with Jesus in heaven. When these Witnesses partake it is because they feel in their heart that God has called them to a heavenly hope. There is no other qualification than this.

The vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses are of another class, called the earthly class. These Witnesses are not Spirit begotten, or born again, and do not have a heavenly hope. Their hope is to live on a paradise earth.

To Christians being an observer is strange because we are exhorted to participate in the Lord’s Supper as a way to remember His atoning sacrifice. To understand why the vast majority of Witnesses merely observe will require some background on their soteriology, or salvation plan.

The Two Classes

The Watchtower teaches that there are two classes of believers. One class is called the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4 (also known as the Anointed and Little Flock of Luke 12:32) and the other is called the Great Crowd of Revelation 7:9 (also called the “other sheep” of John 10:16).

The 144,000 of the heavenly class, in Watchtower interpretation, comprises the total number of the Church from its beginning with the twelve disciples through 1935 A.D. In 1935 the heavenly calling of the Anointed ceased and the earthly calling of the Great Crowd commenced. Today the Jehovah’s Witness you meet at your doorstep is almost surely of this latter class and does not have a heavenly hope.

The Watchtower says of the Anointed/Little Flock that Jehovah “has been gathering it since Pentecost 33 C.E. Logically, the calling of the little flock would draw to a close when the number was nearing completion, and the evidence is that the general gathering of these specially blessed ones ended in 1935” (Watchtower 2/15/95 P. 19).

It seems that as the Watchtower membership exceeded 144,000 a solution had to be found to explain the continued growth, hence the two classes of believers. According to this explanation all Witnesses of the heavenly class should be elderly people since the membership was closed in 1935. However, there are people born since 1935 who claim to be of this class. The Watchtower’s explanation of this phenomenon is that someone of the Anointed class “lost their crown” through sin causing a vacancy to be filled by someone younger.

Christians are surprised and curious when they hear a Witness tell them they do not desire to go to heaven, nor do they need to be born again. This is what the Great Crowd, or earthly class, believe is their calling. The Watchtower publications are full of artwork depicting a paradise earth where these Witnesses will dwell in peace and safety. It is an appealing thought to anyone who sees the violence and corruption that is superimposed over the beauty of God’s creation. But, this is a false hope. God has a plan for the earth but it only involves those who are born again into His Kingdom.

BIBLICAL ANSWERS

The Great Crowd Earthly Class

Jesus told Nicodemus “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This one verse in simple language answers the two class, heavenly and earthly, born again or not, claims of the Watchtower. Either we are born again, or we don’t even “see” the Kingdom of God.

In his first epistle (5:1) John says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God….” This question should be put to the Witnesses; Do you believe Jesus is the Christ? When they answer “yes” then ask them why are they not born again and show them this verse.

In their answer to these verses the Witness will probably say that these verses were only directed to the Anointed class and later Jehovah would institute the earthly class. That brings us to the verses they use to defend their earthly class doctrine, John 10:16, which says, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” The “other sheep” are of this earthly class they claim.

There is absolutely no indication in the context that an earthly class of people is meant in this passage. It is not clear from this text alone what Jesus meant but when compared with the whole context of scripture it is clear that Jesus meant the Gentiles. He commanded His disciples to carry the gospel to the whole world. And in Ephesians 2:11-22 Paul says regarding the Gentiles, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us… to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.” He is our peace who has made both one. The Gentiles Christians were added because of the unbelief of the Jews. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, includes them in the one fold that is the Church.

One of the standard explanations by the Witnesses justifying two classes of the redeemed is that in Revelation 7 two groups are described. In verses 3 through 8 the 144,000 are numbered and described. Then in verses 9 through 17 another group is described, a great crowd which no man could number. Therefore, this could not be the 144,000 because they are numbered.

The 144,000 Heavenly Class

According to the Watchtower Society the 144,000 comprise the entire Church spanning 1900 years. The number is taken from Revelation 7:4 which says, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

Again, this number occurs in Revelation 14:1 which says, “And I looked and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”

As with all false doctrine supposedly based on the Bible the context of the disputed passage is where to begin. In chapter 7 verses 5 through 8 John says the 144,000 are made up of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes he names. It is interesting, and bad Bible interpretation, to say the number 144,000 is literal but the description of them is figurative, but that is exactly what the Watchtower does with verses 5 through 8. Instead of being entirely Jewish the 144,000 are “spiritual” Israel. Instead of being all men as chapter 14:4 says, they are not defiled by “spiritual” fornication, or dabbling in false religions. As you compare what chapters 7 and 14 say about the 144,000 you can see the Watchtower picks and chooses how it will interpret the text. There is no consistent rule of interpretation that would allow another unbiased person to come to the same conclusion. The interpretation is forced on the passage.

All believers go to heaven, not just a select group. This can be shown from Matthew 8:11, ““And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus’ teaching on this is repeated in Luke 13:28 where it also says, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

Galatians 3:26-29 says all believers are one in Christ and that there is neither Jew nor Greek. Or, we could say there is neither a heavenly class nor an earthly class “for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Then Paul says we are all Abraham’s seed and heirs of the promise. According to the Watchtower Abraham had an earthly hope. They even built a house for him in San Diego, CA. A copy of the deed, which says the house is to be held in perpetuity till Abraham, Isaac and Jacob return from the dead to occupy it, is kept securely in Watchman’s files. For those interested in this house it is on Braeburn Avenue. That is definitely not the address of heaven.

Finally, the 144,000 do not constitute a “spiritual” Israel. The Watchtower teaches that Jehovah cast off natural Israel as His chosen people because of their rejection of His sovereignty over them by killing Jesus. There is a small truth to this in that God turned away from Israel to the Gentiles but He will still fulfill His promises to Abraham through natural Israel. This is clearly taught in Romans 11 where Paul asks, “Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.” The Watchtower will say this chapter refers to spiritual Israel and not to natural Israel, the Jews. But, they have no answer to verse 11, which says Israel “stumbled.” Did the 144,000 stumble? Witnesses cannot say yes to that question. In verse 25 it says “blindness” has come upon Israel. Are the 144,000 blinded for our sakes? The Witnesses cannot say yes to that either.

Who Is The Mediator?

A strange and little known doctrine of the Watchtower is that Jesus is the mediator only for the 144,000 Anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses. The vast majority of Witnesses today do not have Christ as their mediator. This is confirmed in the April 1, 1979 Watchtower magazine, page 31. The question is asked, “Is Jesus the ‘mediator’ for anointed Christians?’” In their answer they say, “So, in this strict Biblical sense Jesus is the ‘mediator’ only for anointed Christians.” This teaching is confirmed again in the November 15, 1979 Watchtower pages 24 and 25. The anointed Christians they refer to are the 144,000. However, Paul says in 1 Tim 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Most Witnesses are unaware of this teaching. Most would say Christ is their mediator. According to the Watchtower that is not true. The Jehovah’s Witness at your doorstep has as his mediator the heavenly class of 144,000 Anointed Christians who are the “body” of Christ, and Jesus is the Head of that Body. So, their mediator is not one person, Jesus. The mediator of the average Witness is a body made up of 144,000 with Jesus as the Head. This teaching is clearly spelled out in the early Watchtower book The Time Is At Hand, page 252, and 255.

“It is thus seen that the Church in the flesh (the Christ in the flesh, Head and body) is the Elijah or forerunner of the Church in glory, Jehovah’s Anointed. Not the nominal church, but the really consecrated Church, which on the other side of the tome will be the great Anointed Deliverer, – these constitute the Elijah… Our Lord Jesus and the Apostles, and all the faithful in Christ Jesus since, are of this great antitypical Elijah, prophet of teacher – the same (Head and body) which shall shortly compose the King of Glory.”

On page 101 of this same book, The Time Is At Hand, they predict Armageddon will end in 1914.

Now the real clincher is found in Luke 21:8 where it says, “And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ and the time is at hand. Go ye not after them” In the quotes above you read where the Watchtower claims for the 144,000 that they, together with Jesus, are the Christ. And they prophesy Armageddon for 1914. And they say all this in their book titled The Time Is At Hand!!!! Jesus must have had them in mind when He predicted this very thing.

Conclusion

Paul said we are called in one hope of our calling, not two (Ephesians 4:4) We are called to be with Christ in heaven as His bride. We will join Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the saints from the Old Testament in heaven, not San Diego.

At John 6:53-58, “…Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you…he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” Jesus is not speaking literally in this statement. He is not advocating that His disciples actually consume His flesh and blood. In the new birth experience we receive the Holy Spirit of God to indwell us, by that baptism into the Spirit we are anointed. Christ indwells us and lives His life through us through the empowering of the Spirit. Paul said, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)

It does Jehovah’s Witnesses no good to simply observe the Memorial Meal. They must confess Christ as Lord (Jehovah) and give Him sovereignty over their lives. Then they will have fulfilled Jehovah’s arrangement for salvation and can partake of the Lord’s Supper. Then their hope will be in “the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Conclusion

Insufficient savior
“Observers:” watch their anointed mediators partake; One hope of our calling Eph. 4:4

By David Henke