Before we move onto the great crowd there is another contradiction of Scripture the Jehovah’s Witnesses have promoted as a solution to the numbering of the 144,000.

“Jesus Christ was not made a human creature at his resurrection but was made a spirit, which accounts for his invisibility” (Watchtower 4/1/1947, pp. 1.01-102)

“Jesus did not take his human body to heaven to be forever a man in heaven. Had he done so, that would have left him even lower than the angels. … God did not purpose for Jesus to be humiliated thus forever by being a fleshly man forever. No, but after he had sacrificed his perfect manhood, God raised him to deathless life as a glorious spirit creature” (‘Let God Be True,' p. 41).

“Jesus could not have ascended to heaven forty days after his resurrection had he been raised as a human of flesh and blood."Awake 7/22/1973, p. 4). “Having given up his flesh for the life of the world, Christ could never take it again and become a man once more.” (You can live in Paradise on Earth p.169 1982).

Luke 24:39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” How is he not telling the truth? Then how can the Bible be right, 1 Tim. 2:5, states that the mediator is a man (not an angel, spirit creature).

Even Jesus goes out of existence at death “Jesus was dead, he was unconscious, out of existence.  Death did not mean a transition to another life for Jesus; rather nonexistence. (Awake 7/22/1979, p. 27). What happened to his body then? “The scriptures answer; It was disposed of by Jehovah God, dissolved into its constituent elements or atoms,” (Watchtower p.518  Oct.1, 1953)

Why is it that those who go to heaven come back from being non existent in a spirit but those who are living on earth come back from non existence with a new body and new spirit recreated?

Russell taught “neither is it necessary that any of the saints who now die in this time of the presence of the Lord and the 'setting up of his Kingdom should 'sleep 'or wait in death for a resurrection at a future time. No thank God! The life giver is present, and, since 1878, when he took his great power and began the exercise of his authority, none of his members need to sleep' (Thy Kingdom Come, 1891 edition, p. 240)

So all their resurrections are to spirit creatures – invisible, even though the Bible teaches us that the resurrection is with the same body coming back to life.

Even the “faithful” Jehovah's Witnesses are non- existent after death until they are resurrected (recopied) in the Millennium to live in Paradise on earth. They teach the 144,000 are all resurrected as spirits.

In 1881, Russell explained an invisible rapture occurred at the death of individual saints  "End of gospel age .. the rapture of the saints .. to heaven" (N.H.Barbour and C.T.Russell: Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World, 1877) 

Russell said, “In 1878 the process of setting up the kingdom began. The Lord raised the sleeping saints”. Then they dated it later, as an invisible resurrection of the 144,000 that already died in 1918. When were they were raised. One lie leads to another as the Watchtower tries to cover-up its own history.

1918 became the date the resurrection began for the 144,000

“Their resurrection is also a `resurrection of life' because they `did good things' on earth. However, the resurrection of the 144,000 members of the spiritual nation is a resurrection to spirit life in the heavens. “It was God's will for the awakening of the remnant on earth to follow the 1918 heavenly resurrection of anointed ones who died prior to that time” (Rev. 11:18) (Watchtower1960 7/15 p. 440 Staying Awake with the “Faithful and Discreet Slave”)

“Evidence from the prophecies of the Bible and their fulfillment in our time indicates that Jesus Christ came with his Father, Jehovah God, to the temple for judgment in 1918 C.E. He first turned his attention to the members of his Bride who were asleep in death and resurrected them. (Watchtower The Wedding That Brings Worldwide Rejoicing   6/1/67 p. 345) 

1927 - In that year the witnesses understood that the dead spiritual Israelites had been raised in 1918 to life in heaven with Christ Jesus. It was an invisible resurrection” (From Paradise lost to Paradise Regained p.192 1958)

“In 1918 he began to resurrect his faithful congregation to be with him” (Watchtower 1966 1/1 p. 30 A New Priesthood Begins)

“those of the anointed who had already died faithful began to be resurrected to their promised place in the heavenly sanctuary starting in 1918. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 6:9-11) (Watchtower 10/15/88 p. 12   "This Is the Day of All Days")

“Since the setting up of the heavenly kingdom in 1914 and since the coming of Jehovah and his Messenger of the covenant, Jesus Christ, to the spiritual temple in 1918, the dead apostles and other spirit-begotten Christians who died faithful prior to those events have been resurrected. (Watchtower 2/1/59 p. 84 Maintaining Our Spiritual Paradise)

“The resurrection of the anointed Christians, who number 144,000, is to spirit life in heaven and it began to occur in 1918 C.E., after the establishment of the heavenly Kingdom in 1914. (Rev. 12:1-5; 14:1, 4; 20:4-6; 1 Cor. 15:50-55) Such Christians are "made perfect" in the heavens prior to the earthly resurrection of faithful pre-Christian witnesses of Jehovah. (Watchtower 6/1/70 p. 331)

“All the evidence indicates that this heavenly resurrection began in 1918, after Jesus' enthronement in 1914 ...” ('Revelation its Grand Climax at Hand p.103).

The bible teaches the Dead are raised and the living transformed at the same time not years apart (1 Thess.4:16-17)

 “…the `little flock' of 144,000 persons who make up the heavenly, spiritual nation of God, and who are to rule with Christ in the new heavens. "Their resurrection is also a `resurrection of life' because they `did good things' on earth. However, the resurrection of the 144,000 members of the spiritual nation is a resurrection to spirit life in the heavens." Has this spiritual resurrection taken place? Yes, back in chapter 26 we learned that it took place when Christ came to Jehovah's temple in 1918" (Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained   p. 231).

The Watchtower has long presented the view that this resurrection of anointed Christians from death commenced in the year 1918. (Watchtower 10/1/86 p. 14 Comfort From the God of Peace)

So how many were resurrected? How would they know if it was an invisible resurrection. Imagine being a lawyer to prove one’s innocence and you tell the judge here is the evidence but you can’t see it. That’s what they want their people to believe, and they are so trusting that they accept it.

But they have another problem, the Bible. The Watchtower is promoting his is the very teaching that Paul called profane and Idle babblings. In 2 Tim. 2:17-18 Paul names Hymenaeus and Philetus who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.” The Bible teaches that the resurrection of the Church and the transformation of the living is to occur to everyone at the same time, (1Thess. 4:16-17;) not to just certain few that no one will see because it is an invisible resurrection (which is not possible).

The Watchtower is teaching that those of the 144,000 prior to 1918 were raised and those afterward who die are still dead, (though they imply now that they are immediately resurrected). But the Bible says that none of them die. That they are picked in the tribulation and survive through it to be with Jesus when he returns (Rev.14).

and what is the resurrection to the watchtower? “Resurrection involves a reactivating of the life pattern of the individual, which life pattern God has retained in his memory”(Reasoning from the scriptures p.333 1985)

“What will be resurrected? The body? No, for it gas disintegrated and its atoms have become parts of other living things, which, in turn, may have become part of other living creatures. (Watchtower 6/1/1959 p.346)

This means those who are part of the great crowd  that want to live on paradise earth will not be there because the original you went out of existence and God is going to make a new copy, the original is never coming back.

pt.4 THE GREAT CROWD of Rev.7 and the not so great crowd of the Jehovah’s Witnesses