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Doctrine changes · Claim record

Before 1935 the organisation taught that the “great multitude” of Revelation 7:9 was a secondary heavenly class: anointed Christians who had not been fully faithful, and, on one later account, members of the churches of Christendom who would side with Christ at the end.

Claim ID claim-doctrine-chg-great-crowd-pre-1935-heavenlyConcerns 31 May 1935Later reinterpretation
Later reinterpretation · 31 May 1935 Supported

Before 1935 the organisation taught that the “great multitude” of Revelation 7:9 was a secondary heavenly class: anointed Christians who had not been fully faithful, and, on one later account, members of the churches of Christendom who would side with Christ at the end. The Watchtower, 15 May 1995The Watchtower, 15 May 2001God’s Kingdom Rules!, 2014

The organisation’s position or later explanation: The organisation describes the earlier teaching itself, in three separate publications, and presents the change as increasing light rather than as an error.

Show the evidence (3 sources)
Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “Part 1—Flashes of Light—Great and Small”

15 May 1995 · p.20 · par. 18 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“In 1935 a bright flash of light revealed that the great crowd mentioned at Revelation 7:9-17 was not a secondary heavenly class. It had been thought that the ones mentioned in those verses were some of the anointed who had not been fully faithful and so were standing before the throne instead of sitting on thrones reigning as kings and priests with Jesus Christ.”

A two-part retrospective in which the organisation sets out its own record of changed teachings. This paragraph states the pre-1935 understanding of the great crowd and the 1935 change to an earthly hope.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Document opened on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026; the wording was read in full and the page number taken from the library's own page markers.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-chg-d-w-1995-0515-p1-great-crowd

Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “‘Behold! The Great Crowd!’”

15 May 2001 · p.14 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“The Bible Students regarded the great crowd as a secondary heavenly class, a group that had knowledge of Bible truth but did little about spreading it.”

A later account of the pre-1935 understanding, in the organisation's own words.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Document opened on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026; the wording was read in full and the page number taken from the library's own page markers.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-chg-d-w-2001-0515-great-crowd

Primary JW publication Verified

God’s Kingdom Rules!, “The Kingdom Is Born in Heaven”

2014 · chap. 2, footnote c · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“We will see in Chapter 5 that prior to 1935, it was thought that the “great multitude,” as described at Revelation 7:9, 10 in the King James Version, would include countless members of the churches of Christendom and that they would be made a secondary heavenly class as a reward for siding with Christ at the very end.”

A recent statement of the pre-1935 position, adding the detail that the class was expected to be drawn from the churches of Christendom.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Document opened on wol.jw.org on 19 September 2026; the wording was read in full and the page number taken from the library's own page markers.

Notes. No page is cited: this is a footnote, and the library prints footnotes after the last page marker, so the marker nearest the text is not the printed page.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-chg-d-kr-2014-ch2-great-crowd

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-doctrine-chg-great-crowd-pre-1935-heavenly/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.