19. How did the John class handle the responsibilities that Jesus gave it in 1919, and with what result?

¹⁹ From 1919 onward the anointed remnant, following Jesus’ example, launched into a vigorous campaign of declaring abroad the good news of the Kingdom. (Matthew 4:17; Romans 10:18) As a result, some of the modern synagogue of Satan, Christendom, came to this anointed remnant, repented and ‘bowed down,’ acknowledging the slave’s authority. They too came to serve Jehovah in union with the older ones of the John class. This continued until the full number of Jesus’ anointed brothers was gathered.

[Box on page 63]

Helping Many to Bow Down

Of the 144,000 anointed ones that are to inherit the heavenly Kingdom, it appears that a remnant, the John class, of less than 9,000 have yet to complete their course on earth. At the same time, the great crowd has expanded into a multitude of 6,600,000 and more. (Revelation 7:4, 9) What has helped to bring about this vast increase? The various schools operated by Jehovah’s Witnesses have made a big contribution. Far different from the seminaries of Christendom that teach worldly philosophies and downgrade the Bible, these Witness schools inculcate deep faith in God’s Word. They show its practical application as to clean, moral living and dedicated service to God. Worldwide since 1943, each congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses conducts in its Kingdom Hall a local Theocratic Ministry School. Millions attend this school each week, following a unified program of Bible education.

Since 1959 Jehovah’s Witnesses have also conducted Kingdom Ministry Schools for the training of congregation elders and ministerial servants. And since 1977, the Pioneer Service Schools have trained hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters, who, with a true Philadelphian spirit, serve Jehovah full-time in the preaching work. In 1987 the Ministerial Training School was started for training male Witnesses for special assignments in the world field.

Outstanding among the schools operated by Jehovah’s Witnesses has been the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. Since 1943 this missionary school, located in New York State, has graduated two groups of students almost every year. Altogether, it has trained more than 7,000 ministers of Jehovah for foreign missionary service. The graduates of this school have served in more than a hundred lands, in many of which they were instrumental in opening up the Kingdom work. After about 60 years, some of the early missionaries are still on the job, sharing with newer missionaries in advancing the global expansion of Jehovah’s organization. What a marvelous expansion this has been!