Mary, I have researched that and the WTS says both situations are possible. Some of the anointed may be on the earth when the GT starts........but won't all of them have to be heaven for the wedding shortly thereafter. If Armageddon is coming by the end of this year, those 144,000 still on earth will have to be in heaven by then.
***
w96 1/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***Most of these anointed ones have already died, with heavenly life in view. Some are still alive on earth. All eagerly look forward to the heavenly "marriage of the Lamb." The Bible links that marriage to the time of the approaching great tribulation—the destruction of Babylon the Great, and then the elimination of the rest of Satan’s system.—Revelation 18:2-5; 19:2, 7, 11-21; Matthew 24:21.
***
w90 8/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***However, the presentation in Revelation is not in strict sequential order. And it is not as though the small remnant of anointed ones will be needed to get the new world underway, for they have already trained millions of loyal Christians who will live forever on earth. Accordingly, God could take his anointed ones to heaven immediately after the destruction of Babylon the Great, setting the stage for "the marriage of the Lamb" to occur. All the holy ones could thus share with Christ in ‘shepherding the nations with an iron rod’ in the remainder of the great tribulation. (Revelation 2:26, 27; 19:11-21) If that is how God handles things, all the 144,000 would be with Jesus to ‘rule as kings with the Christ for the entire one thousand years.’—Revelation 20:4.
***
w93 5/1 p. 26 Deliverance at the Revelation of Jesus Christ ***) Revelation 19:6 is in the context of the destruction of Babylon the Great. With the removal of harlotlike religion, Jehovah’s Godship stands vindicated. Worship of him as Supreme Sovereign and King will prevail now for all eternity!
18
Hence, the exultant announcement may be made: "Let us rejoice and be overjoyed, and let us give [Jah] the glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has arrived and his wife has prepared herself. Yes, it has been granted to her to be arrayed in bright, clean, fine linen, for the fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the holy ones." (Revelation 19:7, 8)
Just when the anointed yet remaining on earth will receive their heavenly resurrection is not stated. But we are assured in the context here that their sharing in the marriage of the Lamb, Christ Jesus, will be a happy time, and all the more so since they will have witnessed firsthand the humiliation of the infamous harlot, Babylon the Great.
***
it-2 p. 787 Resurrection ***Evidently, though, "the marriage of the Lamb" does not take place until after judgment has been executed upon "Babylon the Great." (Re 18) After describing the destruction of this "great harlot," Revelation 19:7 says: "Let us rejoice and be overjoyed, and let us give him the glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has arrived and his wife has prepared herself." When all the 144,000 have been finally approved and "sealed" as faithful ones and have been resurrected to the heavens, the marriage can proceed.
Blondie
