Since Satan no longer has access to the heavenly realm, he focuses his anger on the remnant of anointed ones, who are the earthly representatives of God’s Kingdom and who “have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.” (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 6:19, 20) In 1918, eight prominent brothers were convicted on false charges, and each was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. It appeared as if the work of these anointed ones had been “killed.” (Rev. 11:3, 7-11) But early in 1919, those anointed brothers were released from prison, and later the charges were dropped. The brothers immediately got back to work​—Kingdom work. But that did not stop Satan’s attacks on God’s people. Since that time, Satan has directed “a river” of persecution against all of God’s people. (Rev. 12:15) Truly, “this is where it calls for endurance and faith” on the part of each one of us.​—Rev. 13:10. w22.05 5-6 ¶14-16

In a vision, the apostle John sees two groups who support Jehovah’s rulership and receive the blessings of everlasting life. The first group numbers 144,000. They are taken from the earth to form a government, or Kingdom, with Jesus in heaven. Along with him, they rule over the earth. (Rev. 5:9, 10; 14:3, 4) In the vision, John sees them standing with Jesus on heavenly Mount Zion. (Rev. 14:1) Down through the centuries, thousands have been selected to be part of the 144,000. (Luke 12:32; Rom. 8:17) John, however, is told that only a remnant, or a small number, would be alive on earth during the last days. (Rev. 12:17) Then sometime during the great tribulation, this remnant will be taken to heaven to join the rest of the 144,000, who have already died faithful. There they will become corulers with Jesus in God’s Kingdom.​—Matt. 24:31; Rev. 5:9, 10. w22.05 16 ¶4-5

Jesus taught his followers to have a proper view of themselves. Jesus assured them: “The hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matt. 10:30) That statement is very comforting to us, especially if we tend to have a negative view of ourselves. It means that our heavenly Father is deeply interested in us​—that we have value in his eyes. We would never want to call into question Jehovah’s judgment by concluding that we are unworthy of being his worshippers and of receiving life in his new world. Some 15 years ago, The Watchtower recommended that we develop this balanced view of ourselves: “Certainly, we would not want to think too highly of ourselves to the point of becoming conceited; nor would we want to go to the other extreme and think nothing of ourselves. Rather, our aim should be to cultivate a reasonable view of ourselves, realizing our strengths and our limitations.” w22.05 24-25 ¶14-16