No. 393
Pastor Charles Taze Russell was born February 16, 1852, and died October 31, 1916, age 64 years 8 months and 15 days. Thus in years, months and days, we measure the duration of his life; but measuring the duration of a life is not measuring the life.
“We live in deeds not years;
In thoughts, not breaths.”
We can count the number of his years, but many a man has lived longer to whom mankind owes no debt of gratitude. We can count the number of his days, but the value of a day depends upon what is put into it. One day may be worth a thousand other days, and how much he accomplished in those 64 years we can only begin to know when we learn the intensity with which he lived them.
In testimony meetings, thousands all over our land and in every land under the sun, bear witness to their gratitude to God that He has raised up a man who has been the instrument in His hand of snatching them from the very brink of doubt and infidelity, placing their feet on the solid rock of Christ’s “ransom for all.” Some of these men simply could not believe the Bible as interpreted by their religious teachers. They would not say they believed when they did not. They did not wish to be infidels, and they bewailed their lack of faith and hope. You need not tell me that normally constituted men are infidels from choice. You need not tell me that normally constituted men deliberately choose to believe and are glad to believe that they die as brutes, with no hope of a future life. Many of these men are infidels not so much from their own fault as from the fault of their religious teachers who gave them an interpretation of the Bible contrary to reason and impossible for them to believe. Many a man in this attitude has gone to hear Pastor Russell. They have gone to the service infidels and came back rejoicing Christians.
Their religious teachers kept saying: “Don’t go to hear that man Russell; he preaches dangerous doctrine.” But, by the Grace of God, they went and received the spiritual food they had been starving for, the spiritual food their religious teachers did not know how to give. It is no wonder that men would sometimes stand in a crowded aisle and listen to his inspiring words for two hours at a time without moving from their places – no wonder, when those words were bringing hope instead of despair, faith in the place of doubt, peace in the place of agitation and unrest, joy in the place of sadness.
When men with a heart full of gratitude would tell him of the blessings they had received, he would simply say something like this: “Brother, I am glad you received blessings from God’s Word; His truth is very precious.” He simply ignored his part in the matter. In proof that this was his attitude, hear his own words, as found on page ten of his celebrated book, “The Divine Plan of the Ages.”
“Though in this work we shall endeavor, and we trust with success, to set before the interested and unbiased reader the plan of God as it relates to and explains the past, the present and the future of His dealings, in a way more harmonious, beautiful and reasonable than is generally understood, yet that this is the result of extraordinary wisdom or ability on the part of the writer, is positively disclaimed. It is the light from the Sun of Righteousness in this dawning of the Millennial Day that reveals these things as present truth, etc.”
He believed that the time was due for these truths to be made known, and if he had not written them, God would have found some one else to do so.
One of the great objects of his life was to show that the Bible, when correctly translated and rightly understood, is harmonious throughout, and gives the most exalted and uplifting conception of our Creator and our duties to Him that is possible for a human being to attain. To show this complete harmony of the Bible, of all its parts, was no easy task. It meant labor. At that time there was great indifference on the part of the people. Most of them did not seem to care whether the various texts of the Bible were in harmony with one another or not. Each seemed more interested in seeking such texts as prove or seemed to prove his particular creed, and ignored such texts as oppose it. Even ministers, when texts were brought to their attention that contradicted their creed, would make such remarks as: “Oh, don’t trouble yourself about such matters as that. There is enough in the fifth chapter of Matthew to save anybody.”
They were merely seeking such knowledge as they thought would save them and their friends, and seemed utterly indifferent as to what truth honors God most. In 1st Samuel 2:30 the Lord says, “Them that honor me, I will honor.” This promise is not to those who carry on some great work of charity or make an attempt to convert the world, for these things are often done in such a way as to dishonor God. Many are engaged in these things; few make it the chief object of their lives to do these things and to preach those doctrines that bring most honor to God’s Name. Most men seem utterly indifferent on this matter. [They ignore the Scripture: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Tim. 2:15]
At a time when such indifference was widely prevalent, Pastor Russell began his work of showing the harmony of the Bible with itself and with the character of its Divine Author. He saw that there is no way to bring permanent blessing to the human race except through faith in God and faith in the Bible. He, therefore, sought to show how worthy the Bible is of all our faith and love. That was the great motive of his life. We know that this was his motive, not because he has told us so, but because the motive rings through every article that he wrote and every sermon that he preached. A motive like that could not live in a narrow life. It could not find room in a little heart.
Therefore it is natural for us, as thoughtful men and women, to inquire, “What were the events of his life and the various circumstances leading up to such a motive? What must his childhood, his boyhood and his early manhood have been?”
Charles T. Russell was the second son of Joseph L. and Ann Eliza Russell, and was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. His father was a well‑to‑do merchant, and the son, when not engaged in study, spent much of his time helping his father in the store. By so doing, he rendered himself liable to the awful charge that certain ministers in various parts of the country have brought against him, that in his early life he was “a seller of shirts.” In this work, however, he developed the qualities of industry, perseverance and earnestness of purpose, qualities that have been such prominent characteristics of his mature years. As the father was a very successful business man, it was only natural for the son also to begin business as a merchant. In this work the young man manifested such business acumen that, in a few years, he was the owner of five clothing stores. In all this work he was so thoroughly honest and his goods so thoroughly reliable that his success was marvelous, so marvelous that some who then knew him believe that if he had continued in the mercantile business he might have rivaled in the accumulation of wealth some of the richest money kings of his day. But his great desire was not to be rich, but to be useful. We need not tell you this, you may know it for yourself when you consider the following facts:
At one time in his life, while he was yet a young man, the valuation of his real and personal property is said to have reached over $200,000. Of this $40,000 were spent in the publication and circulation of his first book, “Food for Thinking Christians.” At various times he contributed large amounts to the Society of which he was president. In fact at the time of his death he had but $200 left of his own private fortune. Not withstanding this fact, there have been men so ignorant of the facts in the case, or had so little regard for truth and veracity as to say: “Russell has just started this religious movement as a money‑making scheme.” The utter foolishness of such a statement could not be fully manifest to persons unacquainted with the manner in which the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is operated. The very idea of a company of men getting rich preaching the gospel without money and without price, while their friends at various appointments advertised the meetings “Seats free; no collection.” The truth of the matter is that those ministers who have done this talking about “money‑making scheme” concerning Pastor Russell have simply been “measuring his corn in their own half‑bushel.” A man whose own life is actuated by low motives cannot appreciate a higher motive in another man.
In all of Pastor Russell’s work, and in all the work of the Society including missionary work, translation of the books into all the important modern languages, exhibition of the Photo Drama of Creation, etc., not one penny was ever solicited and no collection was ever taken. That, of course, does not mean that money has not been liberally contributed, but every contribution is and must be absolutely voluntary and unsolicited. Two years ago last summer in the northern part of Pennsylvania, a little girl eight years old came to me after the service and said: “Here is five cents to help other little boys and girls to see the Photo Drama.” [However, there was no admission fee to see the Photo Drama.] The five cents were forwarded to the Watch Tower office, along with larger contributions, and in the course of a few days the proper officer of the Society sent her a receipt with just the same care that a $50 contribution in a neighboring town was receipted for.
Pastor Russell was a man of great faith, and he always had perfect confidence that money would be forthcoming for every work that the Lord wanted done. On one occasion, after he had spoken to a large audience, he was shaking hands with the people as they passed out, when a man handed him an envelope. He put it in his pocket and went on shaking hands. After a few minutes some of the brethren were consulting with him concerning some work that all agreed would be good to have done; “but where was the money to come from?” Brother Russell said: “If it is a work the Lord wants done, He will see that the money will be provided.” He opened the envelope. It contained a check for one thousand dollars, and the work went on.
Men have sometimes come to him and said: “Brother Russell, I have been greatly blessed by your explanation of the Scriptures, and I feel that this is a great work. How can I get some money into it?” This may sound strange to men who all their lives have been dunned for money “to pay the preacher,” but “Truth is stranger than fiction.” “The Lord loveth a cheerful giver. The cattle on a thousand hills are His,” and He does not need money that must be begged for or raffled for at box socials or church fairs.
His “Divine Plan of the Ages” has a circulation several times that of any other book ever published in the English language except the Bible. He is the author of five other principal books [The Studies in the Scriptures] and of numerous booklets and tracts. He is also the author of the “Photo Drama of Creation,” which has been seen and heard by over nine millions of people. His sermons of recent years have appeared regularly every week in over a thousand newspapers, and are read by millions of people.
While Pastor Russell had his friends and admirers he also had his enemies and persecutors. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” So if any one does not suffer persecution he is not living godly in Christ Jesus. When you read that a certain man did not have an enemy in the world, you have found a man that never steadfastly and earnestly opposed the wrong. On the other hand, every man that has done anything earnestly to free the race from wrong and error and superstition has had his opposers and persecutors. Christ and all His Apostles save one suffered martyrdom for the truth they preached, and from that day to this, every man who stood for unpopular truth and against popular error has had his persecutors. So Pastor Russell has likewise had his persecutors who tried to minimize his work, burned his books and attempted to destroy his good name.
Yes, they sometimes burned his books, and they did so for the very same reason that they used to burn the Bibles; they were afraid of the truth that was in them. But the more they burned the books, the more the truth spread. I had the pleasure a few months ago of speaking in a town where, not long before, some of the religionist had gotten together and agreed to advise the people to burn Pastor Russell’s books. In a few weeks colporteurs came into the town and sold far more books than had been burned. The bigots who had burned the books had merely aroused the curiosity of the people. In the Dark Ages they sometimes sought to terrify the people by burning the Bibles in the streets, and thus compel them to submit to the prescribed forms of religion, the “Orthodox” forms. There is too much of the spirit of liberty and tolerance in free America for such an indignity to be perpetrated today without arousing a sense of justice in the minds of those who hate tyranny.
It is interesting to note how the books have found their way through the hands of those who did not appreciate them into the hands of those who did. It often happens that one man buys and does not appreciate them, then loans them to another man who enjoys them with all his heart. At one of the conventions, a lady tells us that a friend sent her “The Divine Plan of the Ages” and she burned it. Another friend sent her a second book of the same kind, and she burned it. A third friend sent her a third book, and she stopped and thought. It is sometimes a good thing to stop and think. “Finally,” says she, “I read this book and it burned me.” By this, I suppose, she means that it burned away all her prejudice and left her ready for the heart‑glow of joy that comes to those who see what beautiful truth God has in store for those who are ready to enjoy it.
The parents of Charles T. Russell were of the “orthodox” faith, and up to the age of fifteen he believed all and only such doctrines as his sectarian ministers took the trouble to teach him. To fully understand doctrines at that time was very difficult. The clergy as a rule discouraged questions. So he simply believed the doctrines of the church he attended, especially the doctrine of the eternal torment of all except the saints. His favorite teacher was Spurgeon, because, as he said, “he peppered it hot,” his claim being that if one believed a thing he should tell it with all his might. So at the age of fifteen he used to go about the city of Pittsburgh on Saturday evenings with a piece of chalk writing on the fence boards and telling the people not to fail to attend church on Sunday, so that they might escape that terrible hell in which he so firmly believed. At about this time it seems that Providence had decreed that he should attempt to reclaim an infidel friend to Christianity. By skillful questions that neither layman or minister could answer and hold to the accepted creed, the infidel completely routed young Russell, and he became a skeptic. He saw, for instance, that with the doctrine of eternal torment in it he could not believe the Bible; though he still held to a belief in God and the hope of a future life.
As he desired to learn the truth in regard to the hereafter, the next few years were devoted to the investigation of the claims of the leading Oriental religions, all of which he found unworthy of credence. At the age of twenty he was possessed of much knowledge and voluminous data in regard to “religion” as believed and practiced in all parts of the world, but his mind was unsatisfied and unsettled.
At length he decided to search the Scriptures for their own answer on hell‑fire and brimstone. Here was the turning point in his life. Picture to yourself a young man in the early twenties with large business responsibilities upon him, and with little time for research, and yet longing to know the truth in regard to the great hereafter. He believed that the Creator of all things must be a loving God, and in harmony with this he read in the Bible, “God is love.” He also read, “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” That too was in harmony with what he believed the character of the Creator must be. But how could he harmonize this with what his creed taught? How could God’s tender mercies be over all His works when some of His works, some of His creatures, were to be roasted eternally in an abyss of fire and terrors? How could there be any “tender mercies” in a course like that? How could our loving Creator be a God like that? Then the question came, Does the Bible really teach the eternal torture of the unsaved?
As he searched the Scriptures for the answer, the answer came. Not one text, merely, but texts by the hundreds showing the foolishness and unreasonableness of the doctrine of eternal torment. We do not know the order in which these texts came to his mind, but we know they came. He read, “The Lord preserveth all them that love him.” (Yes, He preserveth them, to all eternity – “but all the wicked will be destroyed.” It does not say “All the wicked will be roasted eternally.”) Again he reads, “He that converteth the sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death,” not from eternal torment. Again he reads, “The soul that sinneth it shall die,” not live in torment eternally. In fact, he saw that all the comparisons and contrasts in the Bible are never between life in happiness and life in misery, but between life and death, eternal life or eternal death, all the wicked utterly destroyed in what the Scriptures call “the second death,” so completely destroyed that “they shall be as though they had not been,” and even “the remembrance of the wicked shall rot,” utterly pass from the memory of all forever.
Then this young man saw God finally triumphant over all evil, when “at his name every knee shall bow,” when “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.” So he saw the whole glad universe uniting in one grand hymn of praise to the Creator, no room in that happy universe for men or demons who choose to remain in rebellion against the Creator, but all ready to Join in a hymn of praise.
Then this young man saw a loving God looking down upon a sin‑cursed earth with an eye of pity and love, and in order to make it possible for us to have eternal life, He must give what was dearest to Him in the whole universe. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not die eternally but live eternally.” When, as a young man, Charles T. Russell saw all this and far more, his great heart was thrilled to its very depths. He was ready to do anything for the God he had found to be so wise, so loving, so wonderful. It was then that he gave his heart to the Lord in full consecration, ready to do or say or be whatever the Lord might show him. Little did he care for wealth, or fame, or worldly pleasure. He had found a better God than he before had known, and he must tell it, and he did tell it out with a shout, hallelujah! Praise God’s holy name, that He has found a man strong enough, true enough, brave enough to vindicate His character from the unscriptural and unreasonable doctrine of eternal torment.
To the very ends of the earth he has told the Bible truth that “the wages of sin is death,” and not eternal torment. Yes, and his words have been heard, heard by many who will not admit that they have heard, believed by many who will not admit they believe.
A few years ago a minister who was then preaching in this country was asked by one of his parishioners if he believed the doctrine of eternal torment. He admitted that he did not. “Then why do your preach it?” asked the parishioner. “Oh, there has to be some kind of whip to bring them in,” was the reply. A minister who used to preach in Waynesburg made the same admission to one of his parishioners. “Then why don’t you tell your congregation so?” said the parishioner. “If I did that, I could not hold this pastorate,” was his reply. A minister of Washington, Pa., made the same admission. The young man said to the minister: “Then why don’t you tell your congregation?” He replied: “Young man, my bread isn’t buttered on that side.” That is the very class of men that are circulating false reports about Pastor Russell and other men who are opposing their false doctrines.
“Yes, but in regard to Pastor Russell’s character, the people say – Yes, “the people say” and “the people said” are the cudgels with which Satan has destroyed the reputation of many an innocent man. A few years ago, W. W. Giles, a leading financier of Brown Summit, N.C., made the following offer and published it broadcast wherever the English language is spoken:
“I have deposited $1,000 in the American Exchange National Bank of Greensboro, N.C., and $500 in the First National Bank of Miami, Florida, to be paid to the first person who proves through any court of justice in the United States that Pastor Russell is guilty of immorality such as is the gossip of those ministers who preach ‘for pay.’” No one ever responded. The editor of the Evening Journal of Wilmington, Del., about two years ago, published a statement that his columns were open to the publication of anything that might be published against Pastor Russell’s character, provided the whole truth was stated with all the related circumstances and accompanied by the writer’s name. Why did none of Pastor Russell’s defamers respond to this fair offer?
The people say! The people said! Satan’s weapon now; Satan’s weapon always. The people said that Jesus was a blasphemer. [They also said He was a wine bibber.] His friends on one occasion “went out to lay on Him, for they said, He is beside Himself.” The people said that the Apostles were unfit to live, and put them to death. The people said that the noble John Huss was unfit to live, and when they burned him at the stake, they confined a ball of brass in his mouth, in order, as the historian states, “that the people might not understand his Just defense against their unjust condemnation.” The people said that the brave Savonarola was a heretic and they hanged him and afterwards burned his body in reproach.
The people said that the noble Alexander Campbell was a “heretic.” “He is not orthodox. He is little better than an infidel.” The people said that the brave and true John Wesley was a “falsifier, a fomenter of strife, a breeder of contention.” They talked about the jealousy of his wife against Sarah Ryan, the jealousy against him of the husband of Sophia Christiana Williamson and how his wife finally deserted him. Does what the people say weaken our confidence in the purity of John Wesley’s life? By no means! The only difficulty was that he was so pure‑minded himself that he forgot to guard himself well against impure minds who were watching to find a charge against him. John Wesley, Alexander Campbell, Charles T. Russell, three of the bravest, purest men of modern times and the three most severely persecuted and slandered. Do we believe those slanders? Not if we are charitable, thoughtful and wise. Their names will go down in history together as the three greatest and truest reformers of the last two hundred years. (By E. D. Stewart – Overland Monthly, pages 435‑441)
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THE PAROUSIA AND EPIPHANY MESSENGERS
It has been seventy‑two years since the death of That Servant, but his memory is still fragrant with us – especially so with those who have been blessed with the Truth that he gave to us, and who are faithful to that Truth. “They may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13) His “works” continue to be a blessing to all who receive the Truth. Thousands of zealous and faithful brethren continue to distribute his Studies in the Scriptures. God bless his memory!
We can say much the same for the Epiphany Messenger, although we elaborate more on That Servant’s ministry because his work and office in the Lord’s Household was much superior to that of the Epiphany Messenger, which the Epiphany Messenger often said. Just as there were no successors to the twelve Apostles, there is no successor to That Servant. Since his death, however, there have been faithful mouthpieces, of whom the Epiphany Messenger was the foremost.
We quote excerpts from our paper, No. 351, October, 1984: “We also pay tribute to the Epiphany Messenger who faithfully upheld and defended the Truth given to us by That Servant... and in keeping with 1 Sam. 2:30: ‘Them that honor Me I will honor.’
“‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he will give thee the desires of shine heart. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.’ (Psa. 37:3‑6)”
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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST
QUESTION: – Why do the Societyites believe that Christ died not for the wicked of Adam’s race?
ANSWER: – It is not because of their having any Scriptural proof for it, which they do not have, but because JFR shortly before his death accepted this thought; and Mr. Knorr, his successor, endorses and advocates it in a book that the Society recently published, i.e., they accept it because it comes through “the channel.” They have become amenable to it as an outflow of a number of errors, e.g., that many who are not new creatures, e.g., all the clergy and principles of the flock, and all who die in Armageddon go into the second death, their Jonadabs [now the “great crowd”] generating the restitution class in the Millennium, which in their estimation makes it unnecessary for all of Adam’s non‑elect descendants to return from the tomb.
This “new light” is in most striking opposition to the ransom and grossly contradicts the three fundamental doctrines of salvation: (1) God’s love and provision for everybody for salvation; (2) Jesus’ death for everybody for salvation; and (3) the Spirit’s work for everybody for salvation. Numerous Scriptures prove these three propositions.
Let us briefly look at the main ones on each of these three points: (1) God’s love and provision for everybody for salvation. Thus God so loved the world as to give His Son to save it (John 3:16, 17). He recommends His love for the race by giving Christ to die for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6‑8). His love for the world makes Him determine to save all men from the Adamic sentence, and bring them to an exact knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:4). He thus from His love is the Saviour of all men from that sentence (1 Tim. 4:10). His love is the grace of God that “hath appeared, bringing salvation for all men” (Titus 2:11; the literal translation is that within quotation marks). His love for all for salvation expressed itself in giving Christ to die for mankind, as we read in Titus 3:4. The kindness and love of God, our Saviour, toward man appeared. Certainly these and numerous other passages teach that God loves all men for salvation and provides for it.
(2) Now some passages that prove that Christ died for all men for salvation: Our Lord’s death for the whole sinner race is most graphically and prophetically described in Is. 53:4‑12. He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (Adam’s sin participated in by the entire race – John 1:29). Jesus said that if He were nailed to the cross for man’s sin He would favorably influence all men to Himself (John 12:32, 33). As Adam’s sin and disobedience brought sin and death to all men, so Christ’s obedience and righteousness will bring cancellation of that sin and death, to enable all to gain the right to life (Rom. 5:18, 19). Jesus’ ransom was laid down for all men, which makes Him the Mediator for all humans (1 Tim. 2:5, 63. He by God’s love, grace, tasted death for every man, and for this purpose has to be made Adam’s corresponding price (Heb. 2: 8, 9). He is the satisfaction to God’s justice not only for the Church’s, but the world’s sins (1 John 2:2).
(3) As a result of God’s love that gave Christ to be a ransom for all men, and of Christ’s death for all men, the Spirit’s work for salvation will in the Millennium extend to all the non‑elect of Adam’s race without exception. Very many, indeed, are the Scriptures teaching this thought, of which we will cite a comparatively small number: The Christ, as the Seed of Abraham, in doing the Millennial Spirit’s work, will bless for salvation purposes all the families, kindreds and nations of the earth (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18).
At Christ’s Millennial asking, God will give Him the nations and the ends of the earth (all mankind) as His inheritance and possession (Ps. 2:8). All the ends of the earth, all the kindreds of the nations and all that go down to the dust (all the Adamically dead) shall turn to, worship and bow down before the Lord (Ps. 22:27,29).
God made all nations, and these will Millennially worship and glorify Him (Ps. 86:9). God will reveal His plan to all; and the whole world will see it (Ps. 98:2, 3).
All nations will become parts of the Kingdom (Isa. 2:2); for the knowledge of God shall be sea‑deep and worldwide; and all nations will seek Christ (Isa. 11:9, 10). The Kingdom will destroy every effect of the curse and make all glad, some only for a while Is. 25:6‑9). All the non‑elect as errant from the Divine Truth will see it clearly (Is. 29:18, 24). All blind eyes and deaf ears of understanding shall see and appreciate the Truth; the morally lame shall make rapid progress up the highway of holiness and the Lord’s ransomed (gave Himself a ransom for all men) will return from the tomb for the joys of the Kingdom, and the sorrows of the curse will be wiped out (Isa. 35:5, 6, 10). All flesh shall see (experience) the salvation from the death sentence that God will work (Is. 40:5).
So deeply impressed will all the non‑elect become that according to the oath‑bound promise for a while all will be consecrated, though some will a little later fall away (Isa. 45:22, 23). As a result of God’s revealing the Christ to all the world, all will clearly perceive God’s work of salvation (Isa. 52:10). Yea, all, from the least to the greatest, will know the Lord (Jer. 31:34); for God has prepared salvation as a joy to all the non‑elect, even raising up fallen Israel again (Luke 2:10, 31‑34), since Jesus as the true Light will teach the Truth to every human that came into the world (John 1:9), in the day when the crucified Jesus will favorably influence all men toward Himself (John 12:31, 32).
In Phil. 2:10, 11, in harmony with Isa. 45:22, 23; Rom. 14:11, we are told that every knee, including the knees of those who were in the death state (“under the earth”), will bow to Jesus, and every tongue, including the tongues of those who were in the death state, will confess Jesus as Lord. God gives some in this life, the rest in the next life, the testimony of His love for all, Christ’s death for all and the Spirit’s work for all (1 Tim. 2:5, 6).
While now the Spirit’s work extends to the Elect only (Joel 2:29), in the Millennial Age it will extend to all the non‑elect (Joel 2:28; Rev. 22:17); for then Christ will become the Lord, Ruler, of the dead (Rom. 14:9), including the people of Sodom, Gomorrah, the cities of the plains and the people of the two‑tribed kingdom of the South and the ten‑tribed kingdom of the North (Ezek. 16:53‑63). Hence these three considerations: (1) God’s love, (2) Christ’s death and (3) the Spirit’s work completely refute this Society error.
(The Epiphany Messenger – The Present Truth, March 1, 1949, pp. 46,47)
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Note: That Servant gave the world “Good Tidings of Great Joy which shall be to all men”, in contrast to the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Bad Tidings of Great Misery to all who do not join them. That Servant’s message to the world was to seek meekness and righteousness in this Age which will better prepare them for the Kingdom’s blessings.
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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST
Dear Mrs. Hoefle,
I have just returned from Israel visiting Clarence and Pat. They will be moving to a new apartment in August, so Pat was able to pack while I tended the children. Their last little girl is one year old now and was born in Jerusalem.
While visiting there I visited with Mrs. Young and she mentioned receiving your publications and how much she enjoyed them. Yes, we received Dr. Russell’s book. Thank you. We have forwarded your letter to Clarence as I know he will want to write you. Please keep in touch.
Shalom, ----------- (OKLAHOMA)
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Mrs. Young is the widow of Dr. G. Douglas Young. After reading some of our papers he wrote us and requested to be put on our mailing list. Calvin B. Hanson wrote a biography of Dr. Young – A GENTILE WITH THE HEART OF A JEW. The book is very good and would adorn the library of any one. He was indeed a real Christian – “an example of the believers.” The book may be obtained from Parson Publishing, Nyack, N. Y. 10960 – or from Bridges For Peace, P. O. Box 33145, Tulsa, OK 74153.