Hello popcorn_eater. Welcome. Your instincts are right on the money, but there is a special twist to things when it comes to JWs and partaking..
" Another part of me, the pissed off part, wants to do it, just to mess with them and make the statement that anyone should be welcome to receive Jesus's sacrifice."
Bottom line is that everyone does get invited to partake. The parable of the vineyard workers who work for 11 hours is the work of the WTS from 1914 to 1991. Each hour is 7 years and thus 11 hours is 77 years from 1914-1991 (1914 + 77 = 1991). But as you notice in the parable, only the first workers are promised the "penny" up front, which represents the heavenly calling. But once the work is over and the 12th hour begins (1991-1998), the workers are ALL paid the penny, starting from the last to the first.
That means that the "other sheep" who had had the earthly calling from 1935 onward are invited into the heavenly class once the sealing starts! This is all a big surprise to the first-hour workers who murmur against this process. So another "twist" to this partaking is that the two-class system within the WTS of the anointed and the "other sheep" is Bible based. That is, from the 3rd-hour workers to the 11th-hour workers, no specific payment was discussed, though it was logically presumed it would be something less than the "penny", the full day's wage and thus less than heavenly life. The third hour workers would be recognized after 21 years (3 x 7 = 21) and thus in 1935. 1914 + 21 = 1935. So from 1935 forward, there would be a two-class system among the workers; those who first were called who expected the "penny" and thus heavenly life, and those who expected less, and thus the earthly calling. This reflects the reality of the WTS organization. The first and second hour workers, that is, those who first came into the organization were all of the "anointed." But then after 1935 a second class of workers was recognized as the other sheep.
Even so, as you sentimentally noed, everyone should be invited to partake. That makes sense. Well, they are, only they don't find out or get invited until after the work is over. I believe the slight increase in partakers reflect that some of the other sheep are being called and anointed as the Bible prophesied. But here are the two twists:
1. Those of the other sheep who are being sealed between 1991-1998 who truly understand their calling also know that Christ returned in 1992 and ate the last passover on April 6, 1993. So even though they are now in the heavenly class, they also know that the official memorial ended once Christ returned, so they do not partake since they know the symbolism of that memorial is no longer valid. So that's one twist to the reality here, the official memorial ended in 1993.
2. Again, the second twist is that while indeed those first in the organization were all of the anointed, there would be a time when the invitation by holy spirit would not take place for those later coming into the organization, that is, from the 3rd-hour workers onward. This reality was reflected in the regocnition of a second class among JWs who had the earthly calling in 1935. This reflects the presence of the third-hour workers not be guaranteed the penny up front. But as #1 notes, ALL are invited later on.
Thing is, where we would have seen a dramatic increase in partakers once the other sheep were eligible, the official memorial ended in 1993. The workers are paid from the last to the first during the 12th hour, which is from 1991-1998, but not before passover of 1993.
One more twist to all of this is that the 144,000 are just the natural Jews in the kingdom. That represents 1/10th of the entire number. (Isa 6:13). That means the entire number is 1,440,000! So also per the Bible, not only are there many more seats, but those seats were not able to be filled completely by those invited, meaning those from the WTS and out of Christendom. As a result, the seats were filled by many others from "western parts and eastern parts" which means by non Christians. Thus even though many are invited into the kingdom, many fail to respond to that invitation.
Per the parable of the 10 virgins, which represents the WTS anointed ones, only half of them, the "five wise virgins" are alert enough to recognize the Christ arrived in 1992 and thus are able to join the secret banquet of the messiah. These would not be partaking of the memorial since it ended in 1992. But the other half, the five foolish virgins, are lost to the kingdom. They arrive to early and their seats are taken. So essentially half of the anointed alive at the end of the 12th hour in 1998 do not make the grade and do not enter the kingdom and become the "grapes of wrath."
So in reality, at the spiritual level, the WTS' memorial is a meaningless and perhaps sacriligious exercise at this point. The true anointed don't partake any more because Christ has returned. So the symbolic gesture of showing that all are invited into the kingdom is moot in relation to the current memorial, even though, indeed, ALL the "other sheep" were invited after 1991, or at least by 1998, the last to the first. So that gesture of partaking would have had some meaning post 1991. But prior to 1991, indeed, the "other sheep" were not officially invited yet; they are invited later, but not up front. So insisting "all" are invited from 1935-1991 would have been inaccurate.
Of course, the true irony here is if JWs truly believed Jesus Christ returned in 1914, they should have stopped commemorating his death and absence. The memorial was only to be carried out until he returned. So the doctrinal basis for the memorial is spurious from the beginning. Why are they still celebrating the memorial if Christ returned in 1914?
The good news is, that you or anyone else who is invited could be part of the 1,440,000 bride class. Many are selected who don't even know they are to be a king-priest with Christ until the millennium begins. And many who think they are going to be king-priests will find out they have lost their seat in the kingdom. So in reality, many active witnesses who actually are of the anointed pretend they are of the other sheep and don't partake because they know the official memorial ended in 1993. In the meantime, some of those who know they are of the anointed but don't understand that Christ returned in 1992-1993 may still feel compelled to partake, which is why the number of partakers is increasing. The idea that only 144,000 will go to heaven is another misconception though, the actual number is 1,440,000.
LS
