"Some of those who were 15 years old at the time of the appearance of the "sign of the last will still live when God destroys this system" (Quoted by 12:38).

In the brochure "Salvation of people from the world of suffering is near!" (“Man’s Salvation out World Disrtess at Hand”. 1975.) the words of one of the veterans are quoted Society:

"We, the old people of this generation, in our 70s and 80s, see that the world is in the present time is changing for the worse, steadily degenerating, starting with the epochal 1914" (Quoted by 14, 167).

If we agree with these statements, then now, in the mid-90s, The younger ones of "this generation" are already approaching their centenary, and the older ones — for 100 years. Perhaps we will soon discover that under "this generation" Soon we will have in mind people who were just born in 1914 and have not yet only in Europe, but all over the world. After all, it is much easier to juggle numbers population rather than "epochal dates".

Another variable sign of the imminent end of the world for Jehovah's Witnesses is the number of survivors of the "anointed spirit" who are destined "to reign with Christ" in "heavenly government." Total in this "government" there must be 144,000 people, the remainder of whom are now part of the Society Watchtower. When this number is reached, the Witnesses believe Jehovah's Armageddon will come. How many more are alive "anointed in the Spirit"? Little.

“... the main gathering of the especially blessed ended in 1935" (SB. 15.02.1995.- P. 20).

American cult researchers Harry and Haze Botting on the basis of Yearbooks of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society for the 70s - Beginning Charts the number of "anointed" Witnesses in the 80's Jehovah (14:144).

Table No1

Year Balance 144.000 1970 10.526 1971 10.384 1972 10.350 1973 10.523 1974 10.723 1975 10.550 1976 10.187 1977 10.080 1978 9.762 1979 9.727 1980 9.564 1981 9.601 1982 9.529 1983 9.292 1991 8.850 1993 8.683

It would be logical to assume that the number of the "anointed in the spirit" should constantly shrink. But we see that in 1973, 1974 and 1981 their number increased. What was the reason for this?

From time to time, people left the leadership of the Watch Tower Society, who have lost faith in the "truths" of Jehovah's Witnesses (for example, W. Schnell [17]) or who have become undesirable for some administrative reasons (R. Franz), most of whom belonged to the class in their age and position "anointed in the Spirit." If a member of the "remnant of 144,000" lost his position (even preserving the "faith"), he did not fall into the lower class of "the great multitude of others sheep", but was reduced to the class of "evil slave", i.e. was completely expelled from the Society. The place of such a person in the "remnant", therefore, could go to someone of the "great crowd" who joined the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses before 1935. This information flashed in a number of publications on the eve of 1975 years caused an unexpected reaction. Many Elderly Jehovah's Witnesses Who Have Joined to the Society before 1935, judged that they, too, were worthy of being members of the "heavenly government" and began to receive of the bread and wine at the Supper Memories, especially since they did it in the years of their youth. Alarmed the leadership of the Society explained to the "new anointed" for more than a year their unworthiness, But to no avail. By 1975, the number of potential "heavenly rulers" increased by almost 400 people, breaking smooth statistical records Society. The Watchtower of 15.02.1975 even specially placed "Anointed to Heavenly Hope—How Does It Manifest Itself?" rebuked those who "unwisely assumed their heavenly election" (op. cit. to 14, 145). Only the failure of the prophecy about the end of the world in 1975 led to the a certain sobering up and a sharp reduction in the number of "anointed in the spirit".

All of them were expelled from the Society (14, 145-146).