NO. 226: TWO CLASSES IN THE RESURRECTION

No. 226

We have been asked, in view of the fact that some will never reach the condi­tion of perfection, which the word resurrection means, how shall we understand the words of the Apostle Paul in Acts 24:15, that both the just and the unjust are to be resurrected? This Scripture seems very plain and simple if we give careful attention to what we read. Those Jews who stood by and heard the defense of the Apostle before Governor Felix, of which the words of Acts 24:15 are a part, believed that all of the just would have a resurrection, and that an opportunity of the resurrection would be given the unjust. That is what they had been taught from their forefathers. (Their forefathers had a much better understanding of this text than do a large majority of Christians today – including many Truth people—JJH) And now the Apostle Paul was reiterating this, their conviction. He says, ‘There shall be a resurrection of the just and the unjust’; that is to say, the resurrection for which God has provided, and which is yet to come, is not only for the good, but also for those who are now evil.

The thought is not that those who remain in an unjust condition (refuse to have the Adamic death process plagued out of their hearts—JJH) will be granted a full res­urrection. The text does not state that all the unjust will be resurrected, brought to perfection of life. There are some now justified who will have a share in the res­urrection, even as there are others who are not now justified who will also have a share in the resurrection. And all mankind will have a share in God’s provision for a resurrection. The just will have a special resurrection, which will be a reward for their special obedience.

“So we have the resurrection of the highest class of the just – the “little flock” on the Divine Plane; that of the Great Company, on a lower spirit plane; that of the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, on the earthly plane – four classes who pass their trial, their testing, in the present life. But it has been provided in the Divine Plan that the remainder of men may gradually be raised fully up, out of every frailty, back to the original perfection that Adam had in the beginning. They are unjust now: they have never come into relationship with God...

“They that have done good will come forth to a resurrection of life. Some of these will receive a resurrection of life on the human plane (the Worthies – to be “princes in all the earth”—JJH), others on the spirit plane, still others on the high­est order of the spirit plane – the plane of the Divine nature. Then Jesus tells us about the other general class – those who have done evil. This includes all whom God cannot approve and accept (all those outside the antitypical Tabernacle Court during the reign of sin and evil – during the Faith Ages—JJH). Those who are not accepted are those who have not done good, according to God’s standard (His standard for the elect during the Faith Ages—JJH); they have done evil; they are unjustified. Many of them have been respectable, moral people, but they are not worthy of the ‘better resurrection.’”

The foregoing is in full agreement with the faithful teachings of the Two Messen­gers; and was also the teaching of R. G. Jolly himself for sometime after the demise of the Epiphany Messenger. The above is a verbatim quotation from the March 15, 1951 Her­ald of the Epiphany published by RGJ, so we feel justified in concluding that he fully approved of it then. Our inserts in the article are clearly labeled. Self–evidently, RGJ had not at that time invented another class of “the just” – a justi­fied consecrated class in the Camp. Nor had he then discovered that the Epiphany Mes­senger had taught such a class.

That Servant set out all four classes of the just – the Little Flock, Great Com­pany, Ancient Worthies, and the unbegotten consecrators here in the end of the Age (from 1881 until Restitution begins) who would be rewarded in honor, service and a “better resurrection” with the Ancient Worthies , although he did not give a definite name to them, so far as we know. And we have copious Scriptural support for the four classes of the just. Thus, the Epiphany Messenger merely elaborated on these four classes; he did not invent them. Especially did he enlarge on the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies during the Epiphany period. In some sections of the Truth groups they do not recognize a Great Company class as being in their midst. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have perverted the Great Company into an earthly class; but the LHMM still offers much com­ment on this spiritual class – rating it as the highest class of the Just now living on earth.

Some of the groups ignore Brother Russell’s teaching of a class of consecrators “between the Ages” who, if faithful, will be rewarded in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. (See Hebrews Chapter 11) They continue to teach the High Calling open to new consecrators – although they do teach correctly that Armageddon is imminent, etc. Apparently they have forgotten about this class of unbegotten consecrators here in the end of the Age. However, so far as we know, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Lay­men’s Home Missionary Movement are the only groups who have invented a new class never taught by That Wise and Faithful Servant. The Witnesses do not claim support from That Servant for their invention; but the LHMM declares that the Messengers do support their notion – although they have been unable to produce anything from their writings to support their claim. Should they attempt a Class study of Epiphany Vol. 4, and teach just what that book says, that would be error – according to RGJ’s present teaching. The same would also hold for Tabernacle Shadows, because it also is silent on a class of conse­craters in the Camp before the New Covenant is inaugurated.

The Law of Liberty given to the Household of Faith during this Age applies only to the Fully Faithful. However, the world in general has a certain amount of liberty to do either good or evil, some of the evils being restrained by the laws of our land. The world is also restrained from any evils which would hinder God’s plan, or unduly interfere with His people. But the very opposite will be the case in the Mediatorial Kingdom. Under the works Salvation they will be put under martial law; they will not be permitted to do evil to others, either willingly or unwillingly. That will be a very pronounced change from being under the present Grace Covenant, which is now the Law of Love and Liberty for the Household of Faith so long as they are faithful. If the Household of Faith were under the same law now that will prevail in the Mediator­ial Kingdom, the Great Company would not be permitted to perpetrate the evils they have committed all during this Age.

In Parousia Vol. 6, p. 378, there is this: “The world will not be left to the law of love during the Millennium, but will be ruled with justice and mercy under a law of obedience to the Kingdom... Those having become pupils in the school of Christ now... these, and these alone, can be safely put under the Law of Liberty (only the fully faithful of the Household of Faith are under the Law of Liberty now—JJH). If they lose the spirit of sonship, they cease to be sons, cease to be under this Law of Liberty.” (Such crown–losers die a constrained death – not a sacrificial death as do the Fully Faithful: they are forced to do what they should have done willingly—JJH)

Follows now a statement from E–3:108: “The Little Flock comes out from under this merit by the completion of its sacrificial death; the Great Company by the com­pletion of its constrained death.” (And, while the latter are in Azazel’s hands, they persistently pursue a “path of error”—James 5:20, Dia.; they can no longer dis­tinguish clearly between truth and error, which causes them to lead others astray with them—JJH)

These elementary truths should protect all in the Household of Faith who have “good and honest hearts” from such gross errors now emanating from these two groups ­the Witnesses and the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement – who are flagrantly mixing the Two Distinct Salvations, the Resurrection of the Just and Unjust, as described at the outset of this article. The LHMM also mixes the imputative Merit for the Faith class, and the applied Merit for the Restitution class. According to RGJ, the Camp now receives tentative justification – a faith justification that requires the impu­tation of Christ’s Merit to give it any validity; whereas, the Camp never receives the imputative Merit – either now or during the Kingdom. When the New Covenant is in­augurated there will be an actual application of the Merit. Thus, RGJ not only mixes the Two Distinct Salvations, but he also perverts the doctrine of the Merit as he gross­ly revolutionizes against the teaching of That Servant on the Merit of Christ – for the Faith class now, and for the world of mankind in the Kingdom. He is now teaching that all who accept Christ in the Kingdom will be of the Household of Faith, during a works dispensation!

MORE ON TENTATIVE JUSTIFICATION

In the Jan.-Feb. PT we have another verbose attempt by the Editor to give credence to his contention that – “According to the Two Messengers there will be no interval with­out tentative justification.” By this he means that tentative justification will con­tinue right on throughout the Mediatorial reign – although he does put the one in this Faith Age, and one by works in the next Age.    Before we offer any analysis of his position, we would stress that the statement itself is a transparent falsehood when he says, “the Two Messengers” agree with him. At no place in Brother Johnson’s writings is there the slightest hint of any kind of tentative justification during the Mediatorial reign. On the contrary, he is very emphatic in his statement that such teaching is error, as evi­dence the following in E–15:261,262:

“Let us see the conditions that will prevail during the Millennial Age. During that Age there will be neither a tentative nor a vitalized justification, since both of these kinds of justification operate on the basis of the imputed ransom merit... Unlike the Gospel-Age justification, which is instantaneous in both its kinds, the Millennial justification will require the entire Millennium to complete, because it will be an actual as distinct from the reckoned justification of the Gospel–Age. The conditions on which this will be bestowed will be faith and obedi­ence unto perfection...

“In a word, faith is the justifying instrumentality and thus the condition of justi­fication in this Age, while obedience will be the justifying instrumentality and thus the condition of justification in the next Age. These Ages’ purposes account for this.”

The foregoing is also quoted in our paper No. 221, but we repeat it here for em­phasis, and to convince our readers that the “Two Messengers” do not agree with RGJ at all in his contention that there will be “no interval without tentative justification.” However, on p. 12, col. 1, of the Jan.-Feb. PT, part of the above is also quoted by RGJ to “prove” his error, which simply demonstrates that there is no limit to his bra­zen efforts to foist his errors upon his readers. Therefore, we now quote once more from E–7:370: “Why do they so often quote passages... to prove points positively dis­proven by these very passages? Is it not because they are in Azazel’s hands, and are thus blinded by him, and at his direction palm off his errors on the dear unsuspecting sheep of God’s flock?” The same condition applies to his continued use of the writings in E–10:114, pp. 209 and 672. This is a familiar ruse of men with “bad conscience” (See E–10:585,591); just repeat, repeat, repeat in parrot-like fash­ion, knowing that “the unstable and the unlearned” will be swayed by their “much speak­ing.” Note E–10:585: “They claim to be full of teachings and their disposition forces them to speak.... They began, continued and completed their speech with multiplied apologies, and not a few misrepresentations (“false-accusing Epiphany crown–losers pour out their partly wise and partly foolish effusions”—p. 591, par. 1), which betray approbativeness and a bad conscience.”

That Servant, the other Messenger referred to by RGJ, has this to say about con­sciences: “Only those with tender consciences will keep their garments unspotted. The failure to do this seems to be the reason why many fail to make their ‘calling and election sure.’... Instead of being members of the temple class, they will be ser­vants in the Temple.”

Here it is pertinent to note that many of J. F. Rutherford’s errors early in the Epiphany involved tentative justification; and it was so annihilative to his perver­sions that he was forced to deny it altogether. But RGJ now goes to the other extreme he enlarges upon it to include the Millennial Age; and he has the effrontery to say that Brother Johnson agrees with him, whereas, the above quotation emphatically contra­dicts him. Then, on p. 13, under the caption “The Epiphany Camp In The Finished Picture,” there is this E-5:420, supposedly quoting Brother Johnson:

“The Lord is now erecting His Epiphany Tabernacle, whose Most Holy is the spirit­born part of the Little Flock, whose Holy is the crown–retainers, whose Court is the Great Company and Youthful Worthies and whose Camp will be those who will persist in believing in Jesus as Savior and King (surely therefore tentatively justified).” We call attention specifically to the last four words in brackets – “surely therefore tentatively justified.” Any casual reader would have to accept those words as from Brother Johnson, because they are included in the quotation; whereas, the Epiphany Messenger does not use them at all – they are RGJ’s injection. And here is just one more illustration of how low errorists will sink to support their errors when God “sends to them an energy of delusion.” (2 Thes. 2:11, Dia.) Thus, “All may be judged who believed not the Truth, but approved the iniquity.” (v. 12)

While it is true that Brother Russell did make the statement that “the world may be said to be tentatively justified in the next Age,” just a little reflection will prove that the world cannot have tentative justification. Tentative Justification is instantaneous, and actually gives its recipient something – it reckons him perfect and available for consecration. The Tentatively Justified are not on trial for life ­only the vitalizedly justified and the actually justified are on trial for life. The wholly willful sinners – the new creatures – are destroyed during this Age the same as the willful sinners of the Mediatorial reign: “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) The same condition will exist in the Mediatorial reign in that respect that exists for the vitalizedly justified in the Faith Age: no one will go into the Second Death for any sins that he doesn’t have the ability to overcome. God’s justice demands the life of a willful sinner – when they are on trial for life. None of the Tentatively justified are on trial for life.

“We have been introduced into this favor (faith justification through our Lord Jesus) in which we stand.” Just how long an individual in this Age continues “in this favor in which we stand” is not revealed in the Scriptures, so far as we know. However, this “favor” is an instantaneous act; as soon as one steps from the Camp into the Court through the Gate (“I am the way” – the Gate) he is tentatively justified; and he may continue to stand in that condition for some time – for many years in the case of the children of the saints – before it is taken from him – “having received the grace of God in vain.”

But there will be no tentative justification (reckoned perfection) in the next Age – because they will have a Mediator to stand between their imperfections and God’s justice. However, the Mediator does not stand, even during the Mediatorial reign, between the willful sinner and God’s justice, because when they are given every gracious opportunity to overcome, and willfully refuse to have the Adamic death process plagued out of them, they will be in the same relative condition of the goats of the Little Season: they will be “destroyed from among the people.” And for RGJ to inject his “profusion of words” into this discussion cannot do otherwise than confuse and mis­lead “the unstable and the unlearned” among his readers.

Since the Gospel–Age justification is an instantaneous work, and comes from God in Heaven, any attempt to compare the justification of the two Ages finds no support whatever in Scripture or sound logic. In the next Age no sort of justification will be required in order to make a consecration. When the world is awakened they will have the same character they had when they died. “Where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” (Eccl. 11:3) When any one makes progress up the Highway of Holiness, he is advancing toward actual justification, which he will receive instantaneously from God at the end of the Millennium.

On p. 12, col. 1, there is reference to Reprint 5959, but a complete reading of that article will corroborate what we have just said above. Here is the last paragraph of that citation: “Justification to the world, as already explained, will be attained differently. It might be said that the world’s justification, under the Mediator, will be a gradual one – a gradual making right as each individual will come into harmony more and more with the Divine requirements and receive more and more of restitution perfec­tion. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that ‘It is God that justifies,’ and that the world will not be in God’s hands until the conclusion of the Millennial Age. Then all approved of the Father and accepted of Him to eternal life will be justified in the full sense. That will be an instantaneous act.”

On p. 396 of the Question Book, there is this: “Justification by faith is the only justification that God has arranged for during this present time... Consequently, this justification is not a matter for the world in general, but merely for those who desire to approach God for the purpose of making a sacrifice with the Lord.” And fur­ther on p. 571:

“There will be no imputation of Christ’s merit during the Millennial Age. Not a bit. Because it will all have been given at the beginning... And so Jesus with the inauguration of the Millennium will turn over the full merit of His sac­rifice. It will all be given to justice. Justice will have turned mankind over to Jesus.”

Here the question is pertinent: Just what justification is RGJ now offering to his Campers Consecrated – the present faith justification, or the future works justi­fication? He who discerns clearly teaches clearly. Both Messengers emphasized that there will be no imputation of Jesus’ merit in the next Age – and surely all know that tentative justification is an imputable thing. There is no hint by either Messenger that it may be found in the Camp.

On p. 13, col. 2, top, of this PT, there is this:

“They were remanded into the Epiphany Camp... Note carefully that Bro. Johnson did not teach that they lost all tentative justification.” Is RGJ now telling us, too, that those ejected from the Court into the Camp will retain a part of their justification? If so – and his statement indicates just that – then what percentage do they lose, and what percentage do they retain?

Then in the paragraph following the above: “Obviously, therefore, those in the Epiphany Camp in the finished picture are not the nominal people of God, less than tentatively justified.”

All during the Gospel Age – and until its finish at the end of the Epiphany ­the nominal people of God in the Camp never had any kind of justification – although it contained those ejected from the Court who at one time did have tentative justification, which they gained when they went through the Gate into the Court. Does RGJ teach that they retained a percentage of their justification in the Court? is he telling us they bring a part of their imputed justification with them from the Court into the Camp? With all his citations from Brother Johnson, he hasn’t produced one that even hints that the Epiphany Camp in the finished picture will contain the conse­crated formerly faith justified, or any other consecrated class. Just the reverse; he does say on p. 209, Vol. 10, that it will contain the unconsecrated in the finished picture.

MORE CONFUSION ON THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH

Further to reveal the confused condition of RGJ’s mind on this subject, some one asked the question at the Chicago Convention last October: “Who will be the Household of Faith in the Millennium?” His answer: “All that accept Jesus as their Savior.” If they are to be the Household of Faith, then theirs would be a faith justification; whereas, in this Jan.-Feb. PT it is said they will have a works justification. This item is very clearly explained in E–4:405,406:

“We use the expression, the Household of Faith, from a variety of standpoints: (1) In the Old Testament times all believers in the promises were of the Household of Faith. (2) All Gospel-Age believers in Jesus are of the Household of Faith, when we have the Gospel-Age Household of Faith in mind (Rom. 4:11, 12). This was typed by all the children – the afterborn as well as the firstborn – in each family in Israel par­taking of the Paschal Lamb in Egypt (Ex. 12:3–17, 21–28) – (3) All new creatures, as a finished work, in the end of the Gospel Age, especially during the Epiphany, are the Household of Faith. Aaron and his sons on the Atonement Day typed this Household of Faith. The Little Flock, the Ancient Worthies, the Great Company and the Youthful Wor­thies will be the Millennial House of Faith (2 Tim. 2:20) The Priests and Levites dwelling about the Tabernacle type this Household of Faith. The Youthful Worthies, of course, are not of the New Creature Household of Faith, because they are not New Crea­tures. But from the standpoint of having the ‘faith of Abraham’ (Gal. 3:7,8) they are, of course, like him, of the Household of Faith. They are among the believers referred to under (2). They are, however, somewhat different from the tentatively justified who do not now consecrate (those forced out of the Court into the Camp in the end of the Age—JJH). The latter during the Epiphany cease altogether to be of the Household of Faith, having used the grace of God in vain; while the former, consecrating and prov­ing faithful, retain their tentative justification, and are thus of the Gospel-Age Household of Faith who persist into and during the Epiphany. The reason why they are of the Household of Faith is that they are a faith class; for all that are of the faith of Abraham are of the Household of Faith.”

Emphasis should be placed on the foregoing statement: “The latter (those forced out of the Court into the Camp—JJH) cease altogether to be of the Household of Faith, having used the grace of God in vain.” These are the “former faith–justified” stressed in the paper under review as still retaining “a part of their justification.” If they cease altogether to be of the Household of Faith, could they possibly have any justification at all. Certainly not! And let us keep in mind, too, that neither of the Two Messengers ever hinted at a class of consecrators in the Epiphany Camp; that is impure invention by RGJ. And his desperate perversions of the writings of the Two Messengers are simply some more of his symbolic witchcraft – especially deceptive false teachings.

In E–11:473 we have this: “We understand that Jesus’ pertinent work as Executive for the antitypical Tabernacle and its appurtenances will continue with the Little Flock, the Great Company and Youthful Worthies until they respectively finish their courses, but will cease with the faith–justified when their faith–justification lapses.” This is because Jesus’ Executorship for all faith classes is to be found only in the Court where Christ’s merit is available, and where justification also prevails.

Let us keep in mind that both Messengers emphasized a class of consecrators be­tween the Ages who would share in honor, service and reward with the Ancient Worthies; but RGJ is now setting that aside to make way for another (newly invented) class of his own – just as did JFR, who disposed of a Youthful Worthy class altogether to make room for his own invented class. Both of these groups are now attempting to mix the Two Salvations. The Witnesses are separating the Sheep from the Goats; and the LHMM is now separating the Chief Sheep from the ordinary ones. Both organizations insist that their proselytes be dedicated, or consecrated. Consecration is always in order, they say; but there are two parts to any consecration – its offer by the consecrator, and its acceptance by God. The dealing with Cornelius (Acts 10:19–48) is a case to the point; and no consecration will ever be accepted – in this Age or the next Age ­without Jesus as Executor. “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

In the meticulous and copious analysis of tentative justification Brother John­son gave no hint of any change whatever from the teaching of That Servant; all his efforts were to prove that tentative justification was for the purpose of consecrators “between the Ages” – or until Restitution begins – who, if faithful, will be rewarded with the Ancient Worthies. JFR denied there was such a class. RGJ denies there is opportunity to enter that class now; he teaches that tentative justification is avail­able only in the Camp for his Campers Consecrated class. They will supersede the Jews, he says, and will be “first and chief” in the Restitution class. So we now find it necessary to reassert, uphold and defend the “faith once delivered unto the saints,” to refute the errors of RGJ, just as did Brother Johnson with JFR’s errors.

Again we quote from E–4:342: “If our dear readers will keep in mind that the Tower’s denial of tentative justification during this Age is the foundation of its re­jecting the Scriptural doctrine that those faithful consecrators from 1881 until Resti­tution sets in, for whom there are no crowns available, and hence no Spirit–begetting for Gospel-Age purposes possible, will be the Millennial associates of the Ancient Wor­thies in reward and service, they will be able by Scriptural, reasonable and factual thinking completely to overthrow every argument that the article under review presents to defend its thesis; for through Tentative Justification alone can God now deal with this class in preparing them for association with the Ancient Worthies.”

We say the same regarding the Jan.-Feb. Present Truth: If our dear readers will continue to accept the Parousia and Epiphany Messengers’ teaching, they will “be able by Scriptural, reasonable and factual thinking completely to overthrow every argument that this paper presents to defend its thesis.” And armed with this “sword of the spirit” (sharp penetrating Truth), the Lord’s faithful people will have no trouble in penetrating the effervescent flummery of Campers, and continue to assail this pseudo class – just as did Brother Johnson with JFR’s Jonadabs, which he styled a “Non–exist­ent class.”

On p. 14, col. 2, there is this question: “Was not the opportunity to become Youthful Worthies to remain open until the time that restitution begins?” And here is part of RGJ’s answer: “No. Nothing in the Scriptures teaches such a thought. At the time Bro. Johnson wrote E 10.. he stated plainly that ‘after 1954 no Youthful Worthies will be won.’”

Both Messengers taught that such a class of consecrators who would be rewarded in partnership with the Ancient Worthies, would have opportunity “between the Ages,” or until Restitution sets in – and the above quotation from the Epiphany Messenger tells us that we can prove this teaching by “Scriptural, reasonable and factual think­ing.” To date we have been able to do this, just as Brother Johnson was able to do so and ably refute JFR. Neither Messenger taught a consecrated class in the Camp “between the Ages.”

Then consider RGJ’s quotation as given above: “Bro. Johnson stated plainly that after 1954 no Youthful Worthies will be won.” Note now the complete statement by Brother Johnson: “After 1954 no Youthful Worthies will be won; and after 1954 no more persons will enter the tentatively justified state.” Here is the legal definition of fraud:

“A false misrepresentation of a matter of fact. It includes all omissions or concealment by which one person misleads another to his disadvantage.” RGJ’s omission of one important part of Brother Johnson’s statement is a good example of the above description. In Reprint 5493, col. 1, par. 6, That Servant used 2 Tim. 2:20 to prove there are but four classes – the elect – of the Household of Faith: “The consecration of the Lord’s servants is unto death, and those who fear death are fearful of perform­ing their covenant vow. They will not be worthy of the Lord’s approval as faithful servants. Nevertheless, there are many vessels in the house of the King – some to more honor and some to less honor—2 Tim. 2:20, 21.” (In 2 Tim. 2:20 we have four classes – “vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth” – the Little Flock, Great Company, Ancient Worthies and Youthful Worthies—JJH)

Now from E–4:330: “2 Tim. 2:20 proves that as a part of the household of the faithful the Youthful Worthies will be honorably used, and will be next to the An­cient Worthies on earth in Christ’s family.” We now repeat the statement on p. 406 of E–4: “The Little Flock, the Ancient Worthies, The Great Company and the Youthful Worthies will be the Millennial Household of Faith (2 Tim. 2:20).”

These citations are proof that both Messengers saw only four classes in the Household of Faith in the “finished picture” – that is, the four elect classes. But RGJ says he can see Five classes in the “finished picture” of the Epiphany – and he can see that all who accept Jesus as their Savior in the Kingdom, will also be of the Household of Faith!

However, it is pertinent to our subject to emphasize that many – perhaps most ­of the quasi–elect were at one time in the Court, and were at that time of the House­hold of Faith when there in the Gospel-Age and Epiphany Tabernacles. The Camp con­tains the nominal people of God, and Brother Johnson said that the tentatively justi­fied in the Court, if they failed to consecrate, were no more than nominal Christians. His reason for this statement, of course, is the fact that their eventual standing would be in the Camp. There is an adjustment in the Court and in the Camp in the finished picture of the Epiphany. The Court will contain only the consecrated, and the Camp will contain only the “truly repentant and believing.” All in the Court will receive a special resurrection – and those in the Camp will receive the general resurrection. Those “truly repentant and believing,” but unconsecrated Jews and Gentiles will be in a better condition to receive the Kingdom blessings than the others. All the “truly repentant and believing” will be among the first to come into harmony with the Kingdom requirements. This is in harmony with the Two Salvations, and with the Resurrection of the Just and Unjust, as taught by That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger.

Those in the Camp in the “finished picture” will be in the same relative posi­tion as Cornelius was before consecration was available for the Gentiles. As Bro. Russell has said, “We note also the remark of Peter, when preaching Christ and His Gospel to Cornelius (Acts 10:37), to the effect that Cornelius already knew the word which Jesus had preached throughout all Judea... This would also explain why the Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius and his house even while Peter yet spake, and be­fore it is even stated that Cornelius accepted Christ; for apparently he had already done so.” So many of those in the Camp have already accepted Christ, and perhaps in many cases know something about the Kingdom and God’s Plan of Salvation, even as was true of Cornelius before it was “due time” for Gentiles to consecrate.

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31,32)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim