Is WT preparing to change their view on 1st century "little flock" membership?

There has been something bothering me about study 49 "Everlasting Life for You - But How?". Paragraph 10 is the one that really got me thinking:

Take note that during the Lord’s Evening Meal, Jesus focused on the “little flock.” That small group started with his faithful apostles who were physically present with him in the room. (Luke 12:32) They and others who would be in that group were expected to partake of the two emblems​—the bread and the wine. They are the ones who will receive a place in heaven with Jesus. What he said to his apostles on this occasion stands in contrast with what he said to the crowd in Galilee, where he was speaking in a way that was broader in scope. Those words apply to a vast number of people.

That last sentence makes no sense. In fact, the whole paragraph makes no sense in light of the WT's long standing teaching that all followers of Jesus in the first century were part of the "little flock". Open seating in the "little flock" did not end until 1935 with Rutherford's NuLite on the "great crowd" being an earthly group. Literally everyone that has read Jesus words in John 6 and has followed Jesus are part of the "little flock" until 1935-ish. Everyone in that audience that Jesus was speaking to would become part of the "little flock" if they responded to the message. So what point is WT even making here by saying "he was speaking in a way that was broader in scope"?

My gut is telling me they are laying the foundation to change the 1935 start date for the ingathering of the "great crowd". That the selection of the "little flock" was not extended to everyone and that many from the first through the early 19th centuries are, unbeknownst to them, actually part of the "great crowd".

I think there are two reasons for this. 1) The current number of partakers is straining credibility of the 144k being literal. 2) The math shows there were only about 75 people PER YEAR that could be "true followers" of Jesus from the 2nd through 18th centuries if all of them are of the "little flock" and the 144k is a literal number. That is an abysmal response to the gospel message!

There were tens of thousands (possibly over a million) Christians that died in the earlier centuries for their faith but WT does not consider them "true Christians" because it would completely mess up the 144k numbering scheme. Basically, they were martyred for nothing in WT's view.

So the math is not adding up. They could make the 144k figurative but that would open the floodgates for partakers. I think the GB still want to keep it an exclusive club. If they RetCon the "great crowd" all the way back to the first century, they could solve the math problem without opening heaven to the R&F.

Did anyone else get this vibe or am I reading too much into a poorly written article?