Elders now are "Glorious Ones"

B. J. Kotwall

All  Watchtower Society (WTS) references in past showed that the "glorious ones" referred to in 2 Peter 2:10-12 and Jude 8 were of the "anointed" or "144,000" or "remnant" of such - until the recent New Light in Watchtower of September 1, 1997. These two Bible references, as far as we are aware, have  never been used by the WTS to refer to the elders.  But now the "elders" are the "glorious ones". (Or, as some Bibles translate the Greek  doxa, as "celestial beings" or   "dignities")The two Bible references are quoted below from the WTS's New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1984)

2 Peter 2:10-11
especially, however, those who go on after flesh with the desire to defile [it] and who look down on lordship. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble at glorious ones but speak abusively, 11 whereas angels, although they are greater in strength and power, do not bring against them an accusation in abusive terms, [not doing so] out of respect for Jehovah.

Jude 8
In like manner, notwithstanding, these men, too, indulging in dreams, are defiling the flesh and disregarding lordship and speaking abusively of glorious ones.

So now all of the thousands of elders in the WTS are "divinely constituted authority", they represent "Jehovah and Jesus" on earth and they are the "glorious ones" and we are required to "tremble" at them! As is often the case with the WTS no explanation is provided in the Watchtower of September 1, 1997 and the statement changing their thinking is surreptitiously made as if  no change has occurred! Following are some of the WTS quotations prior to the September 1 1997 Watchtower followed by the quotation from it.

Insight on the Scriptures (1988) Vol. 2  p. 681 
The apostle Peter speaks of some who show great disrespect for God and his anointed servants, describing them as "daring [from Greek tol·me·tes', "presumptuous," KJ], self-willed, they do not tremble at glorious ones but speak abusively." Such men, Peter says, "suffer destruction in their own course of destruction."-2Pe 2:10, 12.   Watchtower 1989 September 15 p.22 
Surely, we do not want to be like the  "ungodly men" of Jude's day who disregarded lordship and spoke abusively of glorious ones, anointed Christian elders with God-given glory, or honor, conferred upon them.-Jude 3, 4, 8. Watchtower 1991 April 15 p. 31
Unlike the archangel Michael, who would not even bring a judgment against the Devil in abusive terms, the ungodly men spoke abusively of "glorious ones," evidently those with certain glory conferred upon them by God and Christ as anointed elders. Let us not show disrespect for God-given authority! Watchtower 1992 November 15 p. 22
(Ungodly) men were "disregarding lordship and speaking abusively of glorious ones," evidently maligning such individuals as anointed Christian overseers who had certain glory conferred upon them. (Jude 3, 4, 8) Watchtower 1997 September 1  p. 15, 16
Peter singles out ones who are especially reserved for God's judgment, namely, "those who.look down on lordship." We can almost feel Peter's indignation as he says:            "Daring self-willed, they do not tremble at glorious ones but speak abusively." Jude writes that "these men,.indulging in dreams.are speaking abusively of glorious ones." (2 Peter 2:10; Jude 8).In what sense, though, do  they "look down on lordship" and speak "abusively of glorious ones"?
They do so in that they despise divinely constituted authority. Christian elders represent the glorious Jehovah God and his Son and, as a result, have certain glory conferred upon them.the Scriptures urge members of the congregation to be submissive to such glorious ones. (Hebrews 13: 17)

Some ex-Jehovah's Witnesses I have spoken to think that due to the dwindling ranks (by last WTS's count 8757 persons) of the "anointed" the WTS is now grooming the elders of the "other sheep" class to take up the mantle of the "anointed".