No. 25
My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!
First, let us consider “Questions of General Interest”, as set forth on page 60 – the Answers to which contain some statements that, for sheer‑trickery and perversion, were probably never surpassed by That Evil Servant. R. G. Jolly tries to make a case for his contention that the Christ Company will all have left this earth before Armageddon; and in his first paragraph on page 62 he offers in proof of this the citation in E‑4, pp. 54‑57. Too bad he did not start at the bottom of page 53, where this statement is found:
“The expression, The Time of Trouble, is used in two senses... In its narrow sense it covers the period from the beginning of the World War in 1914 until the end of anarchy and Jacob's Trouble.”
Therefore, when he quotes Brother Russell on page 61, Col. 2, par. 2 – “All the members of the body will be fully delivered, exalted to the glorious condition, before the severest features of the trouble came” – he should have explained what the “severest features” are if he wished to present an honest case to his readers. For the benefit of our readers, we connect the above quotation with one on page 56 (54) of Volume E‑4 (the same citation he offers for his “proof”):
“We have proven that the Epiphany began with the War and will progress through the Revolution and will end with the Anarchy and Jacob's Trouble. Its beginning, progressing and end with the Time of Trouble demonstrates its identity with the Time of Trouble.”
Then, further on page 57, top (Also his same citation of “proof”):
“Scripture, reason and facts prove that during the War this separation between the New Creatures – the Little Flock and the Great Company – began. However, since this is an Epiphany work) according to this passage, the Epiphany was here during the World War; but other Scriptures show that this separation of the two classes will continue during the Revolution. Probably it will continue until the early part of Anarchy.”
Now, note the bottom of page 57 (Again his citation of “proof”):
“The Little Flock, with the exception of a few of its members, will leave the world before Anarchy begins; and these few will leave early in Anarchy”.
Again, on page 59, middle:
“Still another passage, compared with the foregoing passages, implies this progressive character of the Epiphany: Col. 3:4, `When Christ, who is our life, shall appear (manifest Himself completely to the world), then shall ye also appear (manifest yourselves) with Him in glory'. This passage doubtless refers to the grand climax of the Epiphany and its work at the and of the trouble.” (At the end of Jacob's Trouble.)
It should be carefully noted that R. G. Jolly uses this same Col. 3:4 on page 61, col. 1, par. 4 to “prove” 1954‑56, before which he claims all the Saints must have left the earth.
The foregoing quotations are from the very book, and the selfsame pages that R.G. Jolly offers to “prove” his contention about the Saints. Certainly, any one with a sixth‑grade education could see – with no difficulty whatever – that his citations prove just the reverse of his claims. In the face of this, we can but conclude that no one in reasonable possession of his faculties would make such a blunder except he be fully and completely in the hands of Azazel. This is truly a sad condition for one who basked in the luxurious and brilliant Epiphany Truth for more than thirty years to make such miserable display of his condition; and to one and all who do not wish to make complete shipwreck of their hopes came the words of St. Paul, “From such turn away!” “If the blind lead the blind!” Apparently, he cannot help himself from treading the identical footsteps of That Evil Servant, the latter also having made the same contemptible blunders as he reposed in the assurance that his sleeping and disinterested readers would not trouble themselves to verify his citations. Why should they, when they had the “Channel”? Experience is a dear teacher; and hopeless indeed is the condition of those who will not learn even by experience. That Evil Servant and his henchmen are a lurid and horrible spectacle to all who call upon the name of the Lord from a “pure heart, a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.” And in all of this, R. G. Jolly has the brazen effrontery to refer to this “sifter as sparing no means, fair or foul, true or false, in his efforts to draw away disciples after himself.” Such expressions from him surely deserve the retort of Prov. 30:20 – “An adulterous woman, she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” And, as Brother Johnson so aptly states, “Blundering is the natural and usual activity of the Great Company.” It pains us to declare that the Present Truth has become the Present Perverter (Azazel means Perverter).
He makes also quite some play on Rev. 2:26,27; and his remarks reveal clearly that he does not know the meaning of “the nations broken to shivers.” It is true enough that the nations have been badly shaken and bruised from 1914 on to the present; but certainly none of them have been “broken to shivers”. Nor will that occur even in Armageddon, as that will occasion only a change in the form of Government; but not in any sense the elimination of Government in toto. As Brother Russell and Brother Johnson both so clearly taught, the “Heavens” shall pass away FIRST “with a great rushing sound” (2 Pet. 3:10 — Dia.); and the Berean Comment on this says, “a great hissing noise.” But the civil powers will continue for sometime after that; and they will be “broken together” Dia.) only through the process of Anarchy, which will indeed smash them into such bits that they will never again be assembled in their former likeness – just as a potter smashes a `reject' with his iron rod because he has no further use for it and does not wish it to appear as a usable vessel among his acceptable merchandise. This is the thought of Isa. 24:19, 20 – “The earth (society as presently organized) is utterly broken ... and shall be removed like a cottage.” Of course, all the Saints will be in glory when that occurs; but it has not yet occurred, nor will it occur for sometime yet.
He also offers some snide remarks about “The Christ's Thousand‑year reign” – just a generalized statement without specific comment. He did the same thing at the Grand Rapids Convention – his apparent purpose being to yell loud and long in the hope of impressing “the unstable and the unlearned” among his sectarian supporters. As we predicted sometime back, he would be silenced on this discussion – just as he has been silenced an the Faithful & Measurably Faithful, on Hiram, The Epiphany Solomon, Brother Russell's Epiphany Parallels, etc., etc.; but it will be noted he makes no attempt to answer our February 1 paper, in which we set forth some dozen quotations from both Star Members. And why hasn't he done so? Because he's afraid to do so – just as he continues silent on his “faulty disc”; he's glad if his readers just forget about it. As we have previously said, he instructed his readers to write a transparent error into Brother Johnson's writings. And, if he is bold enough to do that – and not recant what shall we expect him to do with the unpublished writings he has in his possession?
On page 57 he offers an analysis of Psalms 32, much of which is very good – until he begins to pervert it as a cover‑up for Great Company “dis”‑graces. On page 59 he handles verse 9 as though it were a Millennial text. While it may have an application then, its primary application is in the Gospel Age – more particularly in the Epiphany; because it is contrasting two Classes, the Little Flock and the Great Company – although verse 10 deals briefly with a third Class, the wicked or ungodly – the “rasha”. Verse 8 tells us the Little Flock will be “guided with mine eye” – one of the senses of this expression being that the fully faithful Little Flock, those who have been “beheaded for the witness of Jesus”, would need only a look from their loving Heavenly Father to direct and keep them in the paths of righteousness; whereas, verse 9 is speaking of the Measurably Faithful, the Great Company, the heady ones who have required the restraint of “bit and bridle, else they will not came near.” Note the Berean Comment – “Those who can be guided only by continual scourging are not of the overcoming class.” They have been foreed – by Great tribulation – to fulfill their vows unto the Lord – “guided by bit and bridle” — the same ones to whom Brother Russell applies Matt. 7:21‑23, part of which we quote: “Have we not taught in thy name? And in thy name expelled demons? And in thy name performed many wonders? And then I will plainly declare to them, I never approved of you. Depart from me, you who practise iniquity.” (Dia.) These have “practised iniquity” (in‑equity – injustice) all during the Age by perverting Scriptures to their own advantage; by “casting out their brethren” (Isa. 66:5); by building up Babylon, great and small, etc. And, in the and they were committed to Azazel “for the destruction of their flesh” – “Guided by bit and bridle” – in contrast to the Little Flock who “rejoiced to do thy will” under any and all circumstances. This Psalms 32 is a clear contrast between the two Gospel‑Age Classes; and, if it has a Millennial‑Age application, it will be contrasting two Classes there also – the Sheep and the Goats. It is hardly likely the Sheep will need “continual scourging” then, any more than the Little Flock have needed it now.
In his attempted perversion here to wave a “red herring” for Great Company benefit, he is doing the same thing he did at the Kingston Jamaica Convention last January 11‑13 with the sixth verse of the 68th Psalm. His discourse on the 68th Psalm was excellent so long as he adhered to the Star Member; but those “bound with chains, the rebellious that dwell In a dry land” are the Great Company who are unfruitful in service – they “dwell in a dry land”, dry land being unproductive of good fruits (see Psa. 107:10,11). Therefore, it is little wonder he takes almost no notice of verse 2 of this 32nd Psalm “in whose spirit there is no guile” – the Berean Comments for which are no “Deceit or hypocrisy; whose conduct is open and transparent.” This latter comment finds no companionship whatever with his “proof” in Volume 4 on the Saints, or the Berean Comment on Psa. 32:8, or his perversion of Psa. 68:6. But it should be noted he says “constrained obedience is for the beast.” Brother Johnson says the Great Company experience a “constrained” death; so we have here an example by R. G. Jolly of how Azazel has these people use a word correctly now and then if its use will in any way humiliate them —just as he causes them to use words incorrectly for the same reason.
The article on page 50 — “Avoid it, Pass not near it, Turn from it” – is a vitiated reproduction of Brother Russell's article on page 338 of the November 15, 1898 Watch Tower. As we have came to expect, it contains the usual percentage of perversions (Azazel means Perverter) by R. G. Jolly – alterations, additions and deletions. The original article was excellent, and expertly suited to its purpose; but on page 52, col. 2, there is this left out after par. 3:
“in the light of our path the Body of Christ now sees that... a testing is taking place... to separate the true, the consistent “wise virgins”, who faithfully follow the lord in self‑sacrifice, from the “foolish virgins” who attempt to please both the lord and the world, and make a failure of both. Our lamp shows us that as soon as this testing in the nominal church is complete a great time of trouble will break out.”
Now, we wonder why R. G. Jolly would leave the above out of his attempted reproduction of Brother Russell's article! Don't you wonder about it, too? And, we make the observation that this perversion is by the same R. G. Jolly who says on page 62 of this same Present Truth that this “sifter (JJH) is sparing no means, fair or foul, true or false, in his efforts to draw away disciples after himself.” It will be recalled he made the statement this spring that henceforth he would ignore this “sifter” and confine his paper to “advancing Truth.” Are we to consider these multifarious and nefarious perversions of the Star Members' writings his understanding of “advancing Truth”? It should be borne in mind it is a perversion – by omission – when he omits from their writings those component parts of articles which treat of the Great Company – a Class of God's people which at this time specifically needs the cleansing teachings of the very comments of those Star Members which he omits (Numbers 8).
May the God of all Grace make you perfect — stablish, strengthen and settle you.
Sincerely your brother,
John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim
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Questions of General Interest
Question: Are you contending that our Lord did not return in 1874 to start the Millennium?
Answer: No; we are in full agreement with Brother Russell's chronology, which shows that the Millennium began in 1874 with our lord's Second Advent. Our only contention is that THE CHRIST had to reach the “full stature” in 1914 before their 1,000‑year reign could begin. Toward the close of his ministry Brother Johnson saw clearly that the Millennium must have several beginnings (which would mean several endings), else the Saints could not be said to reign “with Him (our Lord) a thousand years. As Brother Russell taught, the “power to reign” could not be theirs until “The Kingdom” was fully set up; therefore, the risen Saints began a work at their resurrection, to be sure, but that activity did not constitute their “reign” because “The Kingdom” had not been fully set up at any time prior to 1914. R. G. Jolly contends that the beginning of the individual Christ's reign in 1874 is the same as Satan's binding (which is true); but, when he contends that this also starts the reign of THE CHRIST, he has a self‑evident contradiction in his own figures. It is only when the last Saint came into the Body – in 1914 – that it could be truthfully said the Kingdom was fully set up – even though all of them may not then have been fully “sealed” with the Present Truth. Brother Russell and Brother Johnson both are in full agreement with this statement – on which we hope to have much more to say “in due time”, D.v.