NO. 615 THE NEW COVENANT

The New Covenant is the Scriptural name for the new arrangement between God and man which will be instituted at the beginning of the Age to follow this, and by which God purposes to receive the world of mankind again into favor with Himself. The covenant relationship which Adam originally enjoyed with his Maker, and its resultant harmony with Him, was contingent upon obedience to the expressed will of God, and was forfeited by disobedience. This covenant relationship with God was renewed typically at Mount Sinai, with Israel (Ex. 19:1-9; 24:3-8). Through Moses as mediator, God promised that if Israel would keep His Law they should have everlasting life. The inauguration of that Law Covenant was effected by their mediator, within six months after Israel left Egypt, through the sacrifices of bulls and of goats, the children of Israel solemnly agreeing to their part of the covenant. Later the Atonement Day sacrifices were repeated year by year continually; “for the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin.” (Heb. 10:1-9) Israel failed to gain the blessing promised in their Law Covenant. God foreknew that Israel would fail; but through their endeavors He was giving an object lesson which in the future would be a lasting blessing to Israel and to the whole world.

The mediation of the old Law Covenant brought Israel into a typical covenant relation-ship to God. The mediation of the New Law Covenant will bring not only Israel, but all mankind, who will have come into line with the Kingdom arrangements, into actual covenant relationship with God. Then each individual will be finally tested by Jehovah, as Adam was in the beginning, to demonstrate whether he is worthy of everlasting life. None who fail to stand the test will be permitted to enter upon the eternal ages of blessing to follow. God will introduce this new Law Covenant through the Mediator of the New Covenant, Christ Jesus, in whom the entire arrangement centers, and through whom it will be carried out. He will be assisted in this work by the Church. For a period of a thousand years this Mediator will do a work of mediation for mankind. And He will be not only Mediator, but Priest, Prophet, King and Judge. As Priest, He will uplift and bless humanity and receive their offerings. (See Tabernacle Shadows; pp. 93-100.) As King, He will rule mankind in righteousness; as Prophet He will teach them; as Judge, He will test them, decide and pass sentence, favorable or unfavorable. It will require the full thousand years to bring the people out of their condition of death and degradation, to restore whosoever will of all mankind to the image and likeness of God, lost by Adam in Eden.

The basis of mediation on the part of the better Mediator will be the “better sacrifices” of this Gospel Age. Let us notice the Apostle’s declaration regarding this matter. In referring to the types, he says, “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these.” (Heb. 9:23) The words “heavens” and “heavenly things,” as used in this text, do not refer to spiritual things; for nothing spiritual is secured by these “better sacrifices.” Only human blessings, human rights, are thus secured. The word “heavens” means heaved up, or higher; and in order to understand its specific meaning in any text, the word must be defined in harmony with its context. St.   Paul is here contrasting the types of the Jewish Age with the antitypes of the Gospel and Millennial Dispensations. In the antitypical arrangement the sacrifices will never be repeated. They are offered once for all. Through the “better sacrifices” the antitypical Mediator will have the power to start the world with a clean slate, as it were. Then the work of uplift, of restitution, will begin. As the Lord declares through the Prophet, “I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19)

Thus Adam’s sin and condemnation, which came to mankind by heredity, will no more be remembered by anybody; that is to say, it will be no more a torturing remembrance. While the lessons learned by the world through their experiences with sin and death will never be forgotten, nor their benefits lost, nevertheless these experiences will cease to distress mankind. The joys which will then be theirs will swallow up the sorrows and tears of the past; and the minds of mankind will be filled with the wonderful truths and wonderful blessings, the glorious new projects and prospects continually opening before their widening vision. To all eternity the perfected earth will be filled with a race of happy, perfect beings in the human likeness of their Lord. The work of taking away the stony heart, and the giving of a heart of flesh will be gradual, however. Many will awake to shame, in proportion to their willfulness in sin in the past. But the disciplinary processes of the Kingdom will gradually relieve all who are amenable to influences of righteousness and to the work of reformation then instituted. By degrees their hard-heartedness will disappear, and they will become more and more tender-hearted and affectionate. No member of the human race will longer be held accountable for Adam’s sin. In Ezek. 18:2-4, we read of present conditions: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But during the next Age the effects of the sour grapes of sin will be gradually eliminated. Under the New Order, whoever dies will die for his own sin, not for the sin of his fathers (Ezek. 18:5-24). Since all mankind are in a condition of imperfection, all will in that Day still be liable to commit sin. The only arrangement by which they can attain to everlasting life will be by their adoption into the family of the Mediator, The Christ, who will quicken their weak mortal bodies. Although no Divine condemnation will hold over against them for their past, yet only such as come into proper relationship with the Mediator will receive the Divine blessing. Under the New Covenant the special favors of the Lord will be only for the obedient. Whoever rejects the opportunities then offered will, at the close of the first hundred years, be destroyed from amongst the people (Is. 65:20, Leeser).

God cannot consistently enter into a covenant with people who are under His own sentence of death. Under the typical arrangement of the Law Covenant, the death of bulls and goats was acceptable sacrificially to God; and the people of Israel, thus typically cleansed, were enabled to enter into a typical relationship with Him. This did not mean that the blood of bulls and goats was sufficient to take away sin; but that it was a typical representation of the real sacrifices, under the Grace Covenant, the Covenant of Sacrifice (Heb. 9:1-23). If the New Covenant were now sealed, then all the blood of the Covenant must have been previously prepared, must have been already fully shed. If this were true, then we could have no chance of sharing in the death of Christ. It is evident, then, that the New Covenant is not yet sealed. The anti-typical Bullock has been slain, and His blood taken into the Most Holy. The antitypical Goat is in process of being slain. When its sacrifice shall have been fully completed, its blood will be sprinkled upon the Heavenly Mercy Seat by the great High Priest, as was the blood of the Bullock. In other words, the merit of Jesus, now in the hands of Justice, will then be free from embargoes, and will be applied by our High Priest as an offset to Adam’s sin. At the end of this Gospel Age, now about closed, all the sacrificing will be over, and the great Mediator will be ready to do the work assigned to Him for the world.

The first work of the New Dispensation will be the application of the blood upon the antitypical Mercy Seat, in Heaven, to make reconciliation for the sins of “all the people,” the entire race of Adam. Until that shall have been done, the New Covenant cannot be inaugurated. This second presentation of the blood of Jesus, of the merit of His sacrifice, will effect the sealing, or making valid, of the Covenant. For many centuries the New Covenant has been promised (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13), but it has not yet gone into effect. As soon as the blood of the Atonement shall have been applied for the sins of all the people, the New Covenant will become operative. At the beginning of the New Dispensation the world will begin life anew, so to speak. The condemnation resting upon them for six thousand years will have been canceled. Satisfaction to Justice will have been made for Adam, and for his posterity, who fell in him. All the resultant blessings are to come through the Redeemer’s hands, as Mediator. Throughout the Millennium, all who ever will have life must obtain it through this great Life-giver (1 John 5:12). None can receive a share of the blessings provided save by the terms of the New Covenant and by endeavor to live up to them. All who do so will be helped and granted grace sufficient through the Mediator. The sprinkling of the blood upon the Heavenly Mercy Seat on behalf of all mankind will take place before Restitution begins, before the legal right to live can be given even to the Ancient and Youthful Worthies. Nevertheless, although past sins will be fully canceled, whoever would have God’s blessing, God’s approval, must become “an Israelite indeed,” must become a believer in God, by believing in the Mediator, who will be God’s Representative, and by placing himself in the hands of The Christ for training and uplifting. This Law of the New Covenant will be applicable to every son and daughter of Adam. Whoever of the world would attain life everlasting must accept Christ and join this earthly kingdom class. The plan of God manward will not be accomplished until all sin and all wilful sinners are destroyed.

The entire race of mankind will receive some benefit from the New Covenant, irrespective of their acceptance of Christ, in that they will be awakened from the tomb and brought to a knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:3-6). The Scriptures tell us that as by the offense of one man condemnation passed upon all, so by the obedience of one man the free gift comes to all, unto justification of life (Rom. 5:12,18). Because of the application of Christ’s sacrificial merit for all men, it will be just for God to awaken the world from death and give all an opportunity to attain justification to perfect life. This free gift of God through Christ does not guarantee eternal life to any except upon specific conditions. We would say, therefore, that the benefits of the New Covenant will be applicable to everybody in a limited sense. If God had foreseen that nobody would adopt this arrangement, that fact no doubt would have altered His Plan. At the introduction of the New Age, all the accounts against humanity will have been canceled by Divine Justice, and mankind will be turned over to the Mediator; for if they were kept under Divine Justice, they would immediately be condemned again, because of their inability to do perfectly. Therefore the Father will not take cognizance of sinners. For a thousand years they will be left under the merciful provisions of the New Covenant. Those who will obediently do their best will receive all the blessings of the Kingdom; and those who will not become obedient under those conditions will go into the Second Death at the age of 100, the accursed sinners of Is. 65:20. During the Gospel Dispensation, the only ones who can commit the sin unto death (1 John 5:16), blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:31,32), are those who have been enlightened by this Holy Spirit. St. Paul says, “As touching those who were once enlightened, and tasted of the Heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the Age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them unto repentance.” (Hebrews 6:4-6, R.V.) Their sin would be willful: for it would be “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”

Therefore only the Church are on trial now. We who have been begotten of the Holy Spirit are on trial for life or death eternal. Those who now die the Second Death have no opportunity for the future (Prov. 21:16). If those now begotten of the Holy Spirit are faithful, they will be granted to be members of the glorified Bride of Christ. Those of the Spirit-begotten who fail to attain a place in the Bride class will, if overcomers eventually, receive life on a lower plane. They will be of the Great Company, the virgins who serve the Bride (Ps. 45:14,15). But if they fail to attain either of these positions, the only thing remaining for them is the Second Death. As for the world, their Day of Judgment, as individuals, has not yet fully come. They are still in condemnation through Father Adam ─ not recognized as having rights at all. Some of the world are excellent people; but even these have neither part nor lot in the salvation of the present time. The blessed arrangement for them is in the Millennial Age, when, if they yield full obedience to Jehovah’s Anointed, their sins will be forgotten.

As the sins of the Church are now canceled, so likewise, will the whole world go absolutely free from the condemnation of Adamic sin as soon as the merit of Christ is applied for them. They then will have all the Kingdom opportunities and privileges, if they accept of Christ, the great Mediator of the Covenant. Nevertheless they will suffer stripes as a result of the deeds done in the present life ─ not as a punishment for their sins, which before that time will all have been remitted, but because of the habits previously formed, the character developed; for the weaknesses of the fallen nature will have left wounds, which will require more or less rigorous treatment in order to their healing. With the world it will then be true, as now with the Church, that if they shall sin against the Spirit of holiness, the Holy Spirit, knowingly and willfully, the penalty will be a second condemnation ─ to Second Death, destruction. While our Lord Jesus said that all manner of sin would be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, yet the Pharisees, to whom these words were addressed, could not fully commit this sin, because they had not the fullness of knowledge (Matt. 12:31,32; Acts 3:17). Yet they might so harden their hearts that even the favorable influences of the Kingdom will not reform them (Matt. 23: 33).

When God recognizes the satisfaction of Justice and cleans the slate for the sinner race, this does not mean that He has merely transferred the account to Jesus, who will hold it against them. Our Lord will not hold against mankind the things the Father has forgotten. On the contrary, as the Representative of the Father, the Lord Jesus will be glad to give to men the benefit of that forgiveness, merely holding them at a distance from the Father during the period of their imperfection, standing between as Mediator, to give whoso-ever will of mankind time for restoration, development of character, etc., and taking away the stoniness of their hearts and giving them hearts of flesh. The Lord through the Prophet says, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” The Apostle Paul calls attention to this statement. He points out that under the Law Covenant this was not done, but that the sins remained; for although atonement was made afresh for Israel year by year, nevertheless the inferior sacrifices could not take away sin (Heb. 10:1-4; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-29). When mankind becomes a part of Israel, the promises made to the Jews will apply also to the Gentiles.

The Scriptures tell us that “out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Is. 2:3; Mic. 4:2) When the Kingdom is set up the Ancient Worthies will be made “princes in all the earth.” (Ps. 45:16) They will have as their associates the Youthful Worthies. This arrangement will appeal first and primarily to the Jew, who would naturally be the first to come under the new regulations. We may not say that all the Jews will do so, but that will be true of at least a considerable number of them. In time others of the world will join. There are many well-meaning people who have not taken the vow of consecration to the Lord but who would like to help rather than to hinder others. Such will in due time attach themselves to the Kingdom, which will be “the desire of all nations.” (Haggai 2:7)

In the case of the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, the earthly “Princes,” their freedom from imperfection will make them conspicuous amongst mankind. As the world come to know about these, they will say, “Are not these God’s people?” Mankind will perceive that God has rewarded the Worthies by giving them an instantaneous resurrection to perfect life, and will learn that their “better resurrection” was given because of faithfulness in the past.

Our Lord Jesus, having laid down the Ransom-price for the sins of the whole world, has placed it in the hands of Justice as a deposit, to be held during this Gospel Age for the benefit of the Church class. At the end of this Age He will apply it to the cancellation of the claims of Justice against Adam, which will include all sins due to the fall. Jehovah God will accept the price and will remit the Adamic sins. There will be some sins, however, which will not be covered by this great Sin-offering. These are wilful sins committed by members of the race. As wilful sins are not covered by the Sin-offering, but only Adam’s sin and those sins resulting from Adamic weakness, God has mercifully arranged that the sufferings of the Great Company class, the “Azazel-goat” class, necessary to the destruction of their flesh, which they had covenanted to sacrifice, will be utilized as an expiation, not as a sin-offering, for these wilful sins of the world (Lev. 16:8,10,20-22). When the Great Company will have finished their course, the atonement for sin will have been fully accomplished, and the account against the world upon the books of Justice will have been fully squared. Divine condemnation will be entirely lifted from the race, the New Covenant of blessing will then be inaugurated. Then it will be the part of the people to come up to the requirement of the New Covenant by earnestly striving to do their best. If, however, because of imperfection, they unwittingly violate God's Law during the Mediatorial Reign, they will not be amenable to that Law; for the Mediator will stand between them and the Law.

The Mediator will not, as we have said, hold against any one the transgressions of this present life. But it will require long, patient effort to regain the perfection from which the first parents of the race fell. Some of mankind have fallen much farther down than others, because of having inherited greater depravity or because of more perverse dispositions, and of less effort to control their fallen nature. But under the gracious arrangements of the New Covenant, the great Mediator purposes to grant the necessary assistance by helping the people individually to understand the requirements of the new arrangement, by promptly punishing any attempt to do wrong, by rewarding every effort to do right, and by supplying strength, physical and mental, to meet the requirements of His righteous and benevolent rule.

By the close of the Mediatorial Reign those who have responded and made earnest effort to advance will be brought to a condition of human perfection and of covenant relationship with Jehovah, as was Adam at the beginning. Then they must be subjected to the same test of loyalty as was Adam, with no Mediator between them and God’s Justice. How many will maintain that relationship, and how many will lose it and suffer destruction, we cannot know. That some will prove unworthy of life and meet this extreme penalty of wilful sin, the Second Death, is clearly shown (Rev. 20:7-9; 22:14,15). These are also referred to in Is. 65:20 as the old men who will not fill their years with good, but will selfishly use the Millennial opportunities and pretend all the time to be obeying them. These will fall under Satan's temptation and be annihilated. The Ancient Worthies are to be at the head of the earthly phase of the Kingdom, with the Youthful Worthies as associates. They will form its nucleus, ruling under the glorified Church, which will be invisible. These Worthies cannot come forth from the tomb until Divine Justice has been satisfied for the world; for they also are members of the fallen race. After the Mediator has made this satisfaction, the Ancient Worthies will be the first to be blessed by the New Covenant, and will be raised from the dead perfect men, in the image of God, as Adam was originally created. In their resurrection they will receive complete restitution to human perfection; for during their previous lifetime they, like Enoch, “had this testimony, that they pleased God.” (Heb. 11:5). Soon after the awakening of their faithful prophets of old, and the faithful Youthful Worthies, the Jews then living, who still retain their faith in the New Covenant promises made to them (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8: 7-12), and who have waited for their Messiah, will begin to see clearly, and will join themselves to these Worthies. Then the world will gradually come to see, and will also come under the terms of Israel’s New Law Covenant by becoming a part of Israel, a part of Abraham’s earthly seed (Rom. 4:17,18; Is. 49:6-12).

Covenant relationship with God means perfection, either reckoned or actual. During the thousand years of Messiah’s Kingdom, mankind will be approaching actual perfection. But they will not enter into it as a race until the close of the thousand years. Then the Mediator will turn them over to God; and they will be privileged to enter into covenant relationship with Him, and must stand or fall individually. As we read, at that time Satan shall be “loosed for a little season”; and all who love unrighteousness in their hearts, whatever has been their outward course during their trial time, will be manifested. They will be deceived by the Adversary. “These shall go away into everlasting punishment [Greek, kolasis, cutting off, or cutting short], and the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt. 25:46)

The one class passes into life; while the other class is cut off, restrained, from life. The reward of the righteous will be everlasting life; the reward of the wicked, “the Devil and his angels,” his messengers and all who are of his spirit will be everlasting death, destruction. Those who are of the Millennial “sheep” class, who go to the King’s right hand of favor, will, after the final testing at the hands of God, enter upon the ages of glory beyond, the blessings of which are not revealed in the Divine Scriptures.

The Church of Christ is not under the New Covenant. Therefore it is not proper to speak of the Church as being blessed by this Covenant, although the Church receives a great blessing and privilege in respect to it. If there were to be no New Covenant, there would then be no need of a Mediator, and no need of the “better sacrifices” whereby it is to be instituted. St. Paul’s statement that God has made the Church “able ministers of the New Covenant” indicates that the Lord’s people have something to do with its preparation (2 Cor. 3:6). Unless there were the “better sacrifices,” there would be no basis for that New Covenant. The sufferings which the Church undergo at this present time are a blessed privilege to us; for we are ministers of that New Covenant in the sense that we are serving it by our sacrifices and training for future service in connection with it after it shall have been inaugurated. While a great building is in process of erection, the men working upon its construction might be said to be greatly benefited by that building. That would not mean that they would be benefited by the use of it in the future, but that they were being benefited during its construction. So now the Church receives certain rich blessings and privileges in connection with the New Covenant. Later the entire world will be blessed by it, but in a very different way. During this Gospel Age, God is dealing merely with the Church, not with the world. There is, however, some resemblance between the Divine blessings now coming upon the Church and, those coming upon the world by and by. Then the Lord will rewrite His Law in the hearts of mankind, as it was originally written in Adam’s heart; and men will have new hearts. At the end of a thousand years all mankind will be fleshly images of God, and ready for their final testing; for those who have refused to make progress to perfection during the Messianic Reign will have been destroyed. But the Church have new hearts now, right views of things, right sentiments. In the case of the Church, however, there is not a taking away of the stoniness of the human heart and making of it a heart of flesh; but there is an entirely new nature. This new nature, of course, has something to do with the flesh; for the flesh is now the servant of the New Creature. The Law of God is recognized in the flesh, under the compulsion of the New Creature.

The New Covenant, with all that goes with it, is the blessing which The Christ gives to mankind. It is God’s Covenant, and He has arranged that it shall go to the world through this Christ class, Head and Body. If, then, the Church are to give these blessings, they must first have had them. No man can give away what he does not first possess. This thought that the New Covenant is a testament, or gift, of Christ to the world is made very prominent in the Scriptures. It is a gift in which the Church shares; for every member has relinquished his restitution rights with Christ. “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him; If we be dead with Him, we shall live with Him,” and all things are ours because we are His (2 Tim. 2:11,12). These glorious things are clearly set forth in various types in the Old Testament, as well as plainly stated in the New Testament. For instance, St. Paul explains that Isaac, the heir of Abraham, was a type of The Christ, Head and Body. Isaac did not receive his inheritance by a new covenant, but by the original Covenant with Abraham, as does the Church (Gal. 3:8,16,29; 4:22-31).

In Micah. 4:1-4, we read: “In the last days the Mountain [Kingdom] of the House of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains [kingdoms of earth]… and many people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come ye, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” The succeeding verses of the chapter depict the influence that will be exerted. The blessings and prosperity will then be with those who will be in harmony with God. Now it is different. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12) They “shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.” (Matt. 5:11) These things indicate that all who are faithful to God during the present Age will have more hardship than do those who are unfaithful. Many of the worldly, even the wicked of the world, have great prosperity in the present time. The world thinks that Christians, true followers of Jesus, are making their lives miserable by the course which they pursue. But the world is greatly mistaken in this matter. On the contrary, we are enjoying ourselves greatly, we are having a good time. We have much advantage every way, in spite of our afflictions; for we know that in a very little while our trials and afflictions will all be over. We know that the glorious Kingdom of Messiah, in which, if faithful, we are to share, is about to be set up in the earth. In the future Dispensation, God tells us, the tables will be turned. None of the wicked shall prosper. THEN whoever is unrighteous shall suffer, and whoever does righteously shall receive a blessing (Ps. 37:1,2,7-17,22). NOW the wicked very often prosper, and the poor and needy and the good of earth are oppressed. When the Times of Restitution come to the world, all will be changed. The blessing will be of God; and the only way to gain that blessing will be by coming into harmony with the New Order of things in the Kingdom of Messiah. Glory be to God for this eventuality! for it will result in a clean universe in which everyone in heaven and on earth, and such as have been in the sea, the rebellious race, will glorify and praise the God of perfect wisdom, justice, love and power, and the Lamb that is seated with Him on His throne forever and ever, saying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” To which with joy we say, Amen and Amen!

(Brother Paul S. L. Johnson, Epiphany Volume 15, pages 723-736)

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QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: Would it not appear that the Jews only would be blessed by the New Covenant, since they were alone under the Law Covenant?

ANSWER:  I answer: The Apostle says that it is “to the Jew first,” and also to the Greek. In other words, he gives us that as a picture that God’s blessings of every kind begin with the Jew. He gave the Jew the first opportunity under the Abrahamic Covenant, when Christ came to His own and His own received Him not. And when it comes to the blessings of the New Covenant, the opportunity will come to the Jew first, and he must take his stand, but ultimately to reach all the families of the earth. The Jews may come in and share with the Church, and with the Ancient Worthies in the matter of carrying this glorious message to the other nations, and peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, and to whatever extent they have the right attitude of heart, they will embrace that opportunity; it will be to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. And the Apostle says, you remember, “If the casting away of Israel meant the bringing in of a blessing, what will the gathering of Israel again mean but life from the dead?” ─ in general to the whole world of mankind. (Question Book, p. 165, 1908)

QUESTION: When the door was opened to the Gentiles there was no difference in the standing of the Gentiles and the Jews according to Romans 10:12 and Gal. 3:28. There is much said about “to the Jew first,” but wouldn’t the same condition apply to the Gentiles as with the Jews in the Kingdom ─ the “restitution of all things”?

ANSWER: The Gospel was first offered to the Jews when our Lord brought “life and immortality to light.” (2 Tim. 1:10) When the natural Jews accepted Christ as their Savior, and walked in the footsteps of Jesus, they became “Spiritual Israelites.” When the Gentiles, after the door was opened to them, accepted Christ as their Savior and walked in the footsteps of Jesus, they became “Spiritual Israelites.” They then had the same standing of the Jews. The same condition will apply to the Gentiles under the New Covenant, when they become Jews. As That Servant has so often stated, the New Covenant will be Israe1itish. However, the faithful “repentant and believing” Gentiles will quickly join the Jews in doing the great missionary work. None of this nullifies God’s promise to the natural Jew ─ “to the Jew first.”

When the Jews in Jerusalem are attacked by the marauders, the anarchists, in “Jacob’s 1ast troub1e.” they will “cry unto the Lord and He will hear their cry and deliver them.” (Psa. 107:19,20) It is elementary that the Jews in Jerusalem will be the first to receive the blessings of the New Covenant. “From Jacob… the natural seed of Abraham, first." (See Berean Comment on Rom. 11:26.)

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, to the Jew first, and also of the Gentiles.” (Rom. 2:9 ─ See Berean Comments on Rom. 2:9,10.) The special ‘tribulation’ that came upon the Jews was when Titus demolished their Temple and they were driven out of Jerusalem. The “Time of Trouble” coming upon the whole world ─ especially the social order, the ecclesiastical and governmental systems, will not be more severe than what the Jews suffered at the time Titus seized Jerusalem, as well as what the Jews have suffered in Germany and in Russia in our day.

“This Mediator ─ the Head and Body ─ is such, as His death (the merit being that of Jesus alone) cancels the sins committed under the first Covenant, i.e., those of the Jews, that these Jews, having had the unchangeable call to the earthly favor (Rom. 11:29), might receive the promise given them ─ the land of Canaan as an eternal inheritance.

“The sprinkling of the people (v. 19) is a copy of the sealing, making, of the New Covenant manward in the earthly phase of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it will take 1,000 years to complete it, i.e., it will take the 1,000 years of the Millennium to give the people ─ Israel primarily and the Gentiles who join Israe1 under the New Covenant, a privilege that will then be open to all the non-elect, dead and living ─ the right to life and its 1ife-rights, Jesus and the Church’s legacy to Israel and the Gentiles under the New Covenant. Note, please, how the Apostle, after speaking of the cleansing of the copies, the types, i.e., the people, the tabernacle and vessels, tells that their antitypes, Mi11ennia1 Israel and the Gentiles joining themselves to Israe1, ─ the Ancient and Youthful Worthies and their teachings, will be c1eansed by the better sacrifices (plural) than bulls and goats. Jesus’ personal sacrifice was but one, and the Church’s sacrifice is but one; but together they are two, and their separate sacrifices are here (v.23) designated by the plural term, sacrifices.”

(E-6, p. 686, bottom, p. 687, middle, and top of p. 688)

The Apostle Paul, That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger all tell us that the blessings will be to the natural Jew first. The New Covenant will be inaugurated in Jerusalem, which will be the Capital of the New Covenant government.

The Jews were first in the “great salvation” (Heb. 2:3) and they will be first in the “common salvation” (Jude 3) in the Kingdom under the New Covenant. “He is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23) (Written by Brother John J. Hoefle, December 14, 1977)     ___________________________________________________________________

LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister Marjorie: Greetings in the Lord’s name.

I was saddened to hear of the death of Sister Hoefle. She will be missed.  In 1968 Sister and Brother Hoefle came to Trinidad to the funeral of my father, George Martin.  Brother Hoefle spoke at the funeral with calm and uplifting words; “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”                                                 Christian Love, ­___       (NEW YORK)

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IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING

If we could always feel each little thing             

We do, each hour we spend                               

Within the presence of the King,                      

What dignity ‘twould lend!                              

If we could realize our every thought                

 Is known to Him, our King,                              

With how great carefulness would it be fraught, King,

 And what a blessing bring!                             

If, when some sharp word leaves a cruel sting,

Our faith could know and feel

‘Twas heard within the presence of the King,

How soon the wound would heal!

Oh, when the song of life seems hard to sing,

And darker grows the way,

Draw nearer to the presence of the

And night shall turn to day!      

NO. 614 HISTORY OF THAT SERVANT

We now present further history of That Servant’s struggle for the Truth about the time of our Lord’s return. We had described Mr. Barbour’s denial of the Ransom; and we now give more detail about that.

“I was astonished, believing Mr. Barbour had a clearer understanding of the work of Christ, as our sin offering, our willing Redeemer, who gladly cooperating in the Divine Plan, gave Himself as the RANSOM or corresponding price to meet the penalty of Adam, in order that Adam and all his posterity might in due time go free from sin and death. A totally different thing indeed was the willing, intelligent, loving offering of our Redeemer, according to the plan devised and revealed by the infinite wisdom, from the miserable caricature of it offered in the above illustration. I had either given Mr. Barbour credit for clearer views than he had ever had, or else he was deliberately taking off and casting away the ‘wedding garment’ of Christ’s righteousness; the latter was the only conclusion left, for he afterward stated that he had previously recognized the death of Christ as man’s ransom price.”

Here it may be well to elaborate that the Ransom controversy was the first evil error at the beginning of the Harvest; and it is now being repeated by the Jehovah’s Witnesses ─ a1though not in the same flagrant fashion as did Mr. Barbour. Their present denial is an indirect perversion of the Ransom doctrine. Christ is now not a “ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:6); He is now the destroyer of all who do not accept the errors of the Witnesses, no longer a Ransom for Adam, no longer a Ransom for those who crucified Him. In Luke 23:34 there are these words in the King James Version: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is a spurious passage, not found in any of the oldest manuscripts; but JFR gave this spurious text a real twist to “prove” his error: “Father forgive them not, for they know what they do.”

Continuing with Brother Russell’s analysis: “Immediately I wrote an article for the Herald in contradiction of the error, showing the necessity that one die for all ─ the just for the unjust; that Christ fulfilled all this as it has been written; and that consequently God could be just and forgive and release the sinner from the penalty He had justly imposed. I also wrote to Mr. Paton, calling attention to the fundamental character of the doctrine assailed, and pointing out how the time and circumstances all correspond with the parable of the one who took off the wedding garment when just about to partake of the wedding supper. He replied that he had not seen the ransom feature in so strong a light before; that Mr. Barbour had a strong, dogmatic way of putting things, which had for the time overbalanced him. I urged that, seeing now the importance of the doctrine of the Ransom he also write an article for the Herald, which, in no uncertain tone, would give also his witness for the precious blood of Christ. This he did. These articles appeared in the issues of the Herald for July to December, 1878.

“It now became clear to me that the Lord would no longer have me assist financially, or to be in any way identified with, anything which cast any influence in opposition to the fundamental principle of our holy Christian religion; and I, therefore, after a more careful though unavailing effort to reclaim the erring, withdrew entirely from the Herald of the Morning, and from further fellowship with Mr. Barbour. But a mere withdrawal I felt was not sufficient to show my continued loyalty to our Lord and Redeemer, whose cause had thus been violently assailed by one in a position to lead the sheep astray ─ and in that position, too, very largely by my individual assistance and encouragement when I believed him to be, in all sincerity, true to the Lord. I, therefore, understood it to be the Lord’s will that I should start another journal in which the standard of the cross should be lifted high, the doctrine of the Ransom defended, and the good tidings of great joy should be proclaimed as extensively as possible.

ZION’S WATCH TOWER, FIRST ISSUE JULY 1879

“Acting upon this leading of the Lord, I gave up traveling, and in July 1879 the first number of Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence made its appearance. From the first it has been a special advocate of the ‘Ransom for all’ and by the grace of God, we hope this will ever be so.

“For a time we had a most painful experience: The readers of the Tower and of the Herald were the same, and from the time the former started and the supply of funds from this quarter for the Herald ceased, Mr. Barbour not only withdrew from the bank the money deposited by me and treated all he had in his possession as his own, but poured upon the Editor of the Tower the vilest of personal abuse in order to prevent the Tower and the doctrine of the Ransom from having due influence upon its readers. This, of course, caused a division, as such things always do. The personal abuse being regarded by some as true, had its intended effect of biasing the judgments of many on the subject of the Ransom; and many turned from us. 

“But the Lord continued His favor, which I esteem of more value than the favor of the whole world. It was at this time that Mr. Adams espoused the views of Mr. Barbour, and likewise forsook the doctrine of the Ransom. And true to our interpretation of the parable of the Wedding Garment, as given at the time, Mr. Barbour and Mr. Adams, having cast off the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness, went out of the light into the outer darkness of the world on the subject once so clearly seen ─ namely, the time and manner of our Lord’s presence, and since then they have been expecting Christ in the flesh every Spring or Fall, and twisting the prophecies accordingly.

“During part of this ordeal, or we might truly call it, battle, we had the earnest cooperation of Mr. Paton, who, up to the Summer of 1881 was an appreciated co-laborer and defendant of the doctrine of coming blessings through Christ, based upon the ‘Ransom for all’ given at Calvary. The book, The Three Worlds, having been for sometime out of print, it seemed as if another edition of that, or else a new book covering the same features, should be gotten out. Mr. Paton agreed to get it ready for the press, and Mr. Jones offered to pay all the expenses incident to its printing and binding and to give Mr. Paton as many copies of the book as he could sell, as remuneration for his time spent in preparing the matter, provided I would agree to advertise it libera11y and gratuitously in The Tower ─ well knowing that there would be demand for it if I should recommend it, and that his outlay would be sure to return with a profit. I not only agreed to do this, but contributed to Mr. Paton’s personal expense in connection with the publishing, as well as paid part of the printer’s bill at his solicitation.

THE DAY DAWN

“In the end, I alone was at any financial loss in connection with the book called Day Dawn; the writer and publisher both being gainers financially, while I did all the introducing by repeated advertisements. We need to give these particulars because of certain one-sided and only partial statements of facts and misrepresentations, which have recently been published and circulated in tract form by Mr. Paton, who is also now an advocate of that ‘other gospel’ of which the cross of Christ is not the center, and which denies that He ‘bought us with His own precious blood.’ Mr. Paton has since published another book, which though called by the same name, as the one we introduced, being on another false foundation, I cannot recommend, but which I consider misleading sophistry, tending to undermine the whole structure of the Christian system, yet retaining a sufficiency of Truths which we once held in common to make it palatable and dangerous to all not rooted and grounded upon the Ransom rock.

“The false foundation which it presents is the old heathen doctrine of evolution revamped, which not only denies the fall of man, but as a consequence, all necessity for a redeemer. It claims, on the contrary, that not by redemption and restitution to a lost estate, but by progressive evolution or development man has risen and is still to rise from the lower condition in which he was created until, by his own good works, he ultimate1y reaches the Divine Nature. It claims that our Lord Himself was a degraded and imperfect man, whose work on earth was to crucify a carnal nature, which, it claims He possessed; and thus to show all men how to crucify their carnal or sinful propensities.

“And here, we remark, that the darkness and degradation which came upon the world in its fallen, cast-off condition, and which was only intensified by Papacy’s priest-craft during the Dark Ages, when contrasted with the light of intelligence, which God is now letting in on the world, have gradually led men to esteem present intelligence as merely a part of a process of evolution. This view, though quite incorrect, is, nevertheless, the occasion of the predicted great falling away from the faith of the Bib1e during the Harvest period. And few Christian people seem to be well enough grounded in the truth to be able to withstand this trial of the evil day, in which many will fall away, while only the few will stand. For this cause we use plainness of speech.

“The little history of the way in which Mr. Paton came to turn from us and from the Ransom, to oppose that which he once clearly saw and advocated, is important, as it became the occasion for another sifting or testing of the Watch Tower readers, by that time a greater number; because Mr. Paton had been a respected brother and coworker with us, and because as a traveling representative of the Watch Tower and its doctrines, his expenses being met in part by subscriptions and renewals, as well as by money from me, he was personally known to a larger number of the readers than was the Editor of the Tower.

“In the year 1881, Mr. Barbour still publishing the Herald and still endeavoring to overthrow the Doctrine of the Ransom, finding that on a preaching tour I had used the diagram of the Tabernacle to illustrate how Christ’s sacrifice was typified in the sacrifices of the typical Israels, wrote an article on the Atonement, in which he undertook to show that the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement typified almost anything else than what they do typify. I cou1d readi1y see through the fallacy of his presentations, which made of the bullock a type of one thing in one verse and of another thing in each verse in which it was mentioned; and so, too, with the goat. But I well knew that the people in general are not close reasoners and that, with the cares of life upon them, they are too apt to accept a seeming interpretation without a critical examination of the words of the Scripture and the context.

STRUGGLING FOR LIGHT ─ “I thought the matter over. I examined the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus, but while seeing the inconsistency and error of Mr. Barbour’s interpretation, I could only confess that I did not understand it and could not give a connected interpretation, which fit all the details so plainly stated, and all of which must have a particular meaning. What could I do? Those reading the Hera1d as well as the Tower would probably be misled, if not helped out of the difficulty; and to merely say that the Herald’s interpretation was inconsistent with itself and, therefore, a misinterpretation would be misunderstood. Many would suppose I opposed that view from a spirit of rivalry; for there are always people with whom everything resolves itself into personality, rivalry and party spirit; and such cannot understand others who take a higher and nobler view and who think always and only of the truth, regardless of persons.

“I went to the Lord with this, as with every trial, and told Him just how it seemed to me, how anxious I felt for His dear sheep, who, having their appetites sharpened by some truth, were by their very hunger exposed to Satan’s deceptions. I told Him I realized that He is the Shepherd, and not I, but that I knew also that He would be pleased at my interest in the sheep and my desire to be His mouthpiece to declare the truth, the way and the life to them; that I felt deeply impressed that if the time had come for the permission of false views to deceive the unworthy, it must also be His due time to have the truth on the subject made clear, that the worthy ones might be enabled to stand and not fall from the truth. Believing that the due time had come for the correct understanding of the Jewish sacrifices, which, in a general way all Christians concede were typical of ‘better sacrifices’; and that the Lord, therefore, would grant the insight as soon as I got into the attitude of heart and mind best suited to receive the light. I prayed with confidence that if His due time had come, and if He were willing to use me as His instrument to declare the message to His dear family, that I might be able to rid my heart and mind of any prejudice that might stand in the way and be led of His spirit into the proper understanding of the truth.

SHADOWS OF THE TABERNACLE REVEALED

“Believing that the Lord wou1d answer my prayer affirmatively, I went into my study the next morning prepared to study and to write. The forenoon I spent in scrutinizing the text and every other Scripture likely to shed light upon it, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in looking to the Lord for wisdom and guidance; but no solution of the difficult passages. The afternoon and evening were similarly spent, and all the next day. Everything else was neglected, and I wondered why the Lord had kept me so long; but on the third day, near noon, the whole matter came to me as clear as the noonday sun, so clear and convincing and so harmonious with the whole tenor of the Scriptures that I could not question its correctness; and no one has ever yet been able to find a flaw in it. This has been published in several editions in booklet form under the title, Tabernacle Shadows of the Better Sacrifices. [Some able brethren have described this booklet as “the biggest 1ittle book they have ever seen.”]

“Then I knew why the Lord had led me so slowly and cautiously. I needed a specia1 preparation of heart for the full appreciation of all it contained; and I was all the more sure it was not of my own wisdom; for if of my own, why had it not come at once.

“I found that the understanding of that subject was bound to have a wide influence upon all our hopes and views of all truth, not that it overlooked old truths or contradicted them, but, on the contrary, set them all in order and harmony and straightened out little knots and twists. For instance, the doctrine of Justification by Faith had always been more or less confused in my mind, as it is in every mind, with the doctrine of Sanctification, which ca1ls for sacrifice and works. This was all made c1ear and plain at once; for the types showed that we all, as sinners, needed first of all, Christ’s ransom sacrifice, that we appropriate its merits (justification which God grants) to ourselves by faith, that thus we are justified ─ reckoned free from sin. The type showed, too, that it is only after being thus cleansed in God’s sight ─ by an acceptance of Christ’s finished work as our ransom-sacrifice ─ that God is willing to accept us as joint-sacrificers with Christ, so that if faithful unto death, we should be granted the favor of joint heirship with Him. [Here is given us a clear proof of “tentative justification.”]

“Here I first saw that the great privilege of becoming joint-heirs with Christ and partakers with Him of the Divine Nature was confined exclusively to those who would share with Him in self-sacrifice in the service of the Truth. And here, too, I saw for the first time that our Lord was the first of these sacrifices in the sin offering, consequently, that none of God's servants, the prophets, who 1ived and died before Christ, were priests after this order, nor sharers in sacrifice with Him, even though some of them were stoned, others sawn asunder, and others slain with the sword, for the cause of God; that though they wou1d receive a good and great reward, they would belong to a separate class and order from those called to sacrifice and joint-heirship with Christ on and since Pentecost.

“Here, too, I saw that the ‘acceptable day of the Lord’ signifies this Gospel Age ─ the time during which He will accept the sacrifice of any who come unto God through Christ, the Great Sin-Offering; that when this ‘acceptable day’ ends, the reward of joint-heir-ship with Christ and prospect of change to the Divine nature ends. And when this great day of sacrifice, the Gospel Age, the real Day of Atonement, has closed, when all the members of the Body of Christ have participated with Him in the sacrifice of their rights as justified men, and been glorified, then the blessings will begin to come to the world ─ the Millennial blessings purchased for men by their Redeemer, according to the grace of God.

DISTINCTIONS IN NATURE RECOGNIZED

“This first brought a clear recognition of the distinction in natures: of what constitutes human nature; what constitutes the Divine Nature. (See Volume l, Chapter 10) And whereas we formerly used the term Restitution in a general way to mean some sort of blessed change; but now, under the clearer light, we began to see that the great work of restitution could only mean what the word implies, a restoration of that which was lost, a restoration of the original condition from which man fell.

“Then I saw that God’s plan, when carried out, would NOT bring all His creatures to the one level of the Divine Nature, but that He purposed to have an order of creatures called angels, who, though perfect, would always be of a different order, or nature, from the Divine nature; and He likewise purposed to have a race of beings of the human nature of whom Adam was a sample or pattern, and whose future earthly home, Paradise, Eden, was a sample or pattern. I also saw that God purposed that Christ and His joint-sacrificers and joint-heirs are to be God’s instrument for blessing the fallen race and restoring them to the condition of perfection enjoyed by Adam, a condition which God said was ‘very good,’ and an image of Himself.

“And these joint-heirs with Christ, I saw were to be highly exalted to a nature higher than restored and perfected mankind, higher, too, than the angelic nature; even to be partakers of the Divine Nature. When all these things so unexpectedly shone out so brightly and clearly, I did not wonder that the Lord gave me several days of waiting and preparation for the blessing, and to Him I rendered praise and thanks. All my faintness of heart and fear of the bad effects of the wrong view fled before this evidence of the Lord’s leadings in the pathway that ‘shines more and more unto the perfect day.’ I saw at once that these new developments would probably prove a stumbling-block to some, as well as a great blessing to others who were ready for them. Instead, therefore, of publishing this in the next Tower, I determined to present the matter privately to the more prominent brethren, remembering Saint   Paul’s course in a similar matter as recorded in Galatians 2:2.

“Accordingly, I sent invitations and the money necessary for traveling expenses to four of the more prominent brethren, requesting a conference. Mr. Paton, of Michigan, was one of the four, and the only one who rejected the first rays of light. Nor could he find any flaw with the exegesis, though urged, as all were, to state anything which might seem inconsistent, or quote any passages of Scripture thought to be in conflict. But there was none; and every question more fully demonstrated the strength of the position.

ADVANCING L1GHT REJECTED

“I, therefore, urged that that which was beyond the criticism of those most familiar with the Plan of God, must be the truth, and ought to be confessed and taught at any cost, and especially when it arranged and ordered all the other features of the truth so beautifully. I pointed out, too, how necessary it is to a logical holding of the Ransom, to see first what this showed; namely, the distinction of natures; that our Lord left a higher nature and took a lower nature, when He was made flesh, and that the object in that change of nature was, that He might, as a man, a perfect man give Himself as a Ransom for the first perfect man, Adam, and thus redeem Adam, and all lost in him.

“I also showed how, as a reward for this great work, He was given the Divine Nature in His resurrection, a nature that is still higher than the glorious one He had left, when He became a man. But either Mr. Paton’s mental vision or heart was weak, for he never took the step; and before long he, too, forsook the doctrine of the Ransom. Yet he still used the word Ransom, while denying the idea conveyed by the word; nor can he give the word any other definition, or otherwise dispute the correctness of the meaning which I attach to it, and which may be found in any English dictionary, and it is true to the significance of the Greek word which it translates, anti-lutron, a price to correspond.

“Notwithstanding our best endeavors to save him, he drifted further and further away, until I was obliged to refuse his articles for the Tower, for the same reason that obliged me to longer refuse to spend the Lord’s money entrusted to me to assist Mr. Barbour, to spread the same pernicious theory.

“It was about this time that Mr. Jones informed me that the copies of the book, Day Dawn, which I had purchased, were all that were left; and, announcing it so that no more orders might come in for it to the Tower office, I took occasion to promise Millennial Dawn, which should present the Plan of the Ages in the clearer, more orderly way made possible by the new light shed upon every feature of it by the lessons from the Tabernacle. About this time Mr. Paton decided to publish another book under the name Day-Dawn, revised to harmonize with his changed views, which ignored the Ransom, ignored Justification, and the need of either, and taught that all men will be everlastingly saved; not in any sense as a result of any sacrifice for their sins by Christ, but as the result of each one’s crucifying sin in himself ─ the law under which the Jews tried to commend themselves to God, but which justified none. Many and severe were the calumnies heaped upon me, because I exposed this change, told that the original book was out of print and the new book was on a different foundation from the book of the same name, which I had commended.

“During this time I was busied by an immense work known to many of you: the issue and circulation of over 1,400,000 copies of the two booklets, entitled Food For Thinking Christians and Tabernacle Teachings, whose united matter was about the same as that of Dawn, Volume 1. Besides this I was flooded with thousands of joyous and joy-giving letters, from those who had received and were reading the booklets thus distributed, and asking questions, and for more reading matter. To add to our throng, financial complications came; and thus for four years I was hindered from fulfilling my promise of Millennial Dawn.

SEVENTH VOLUME PROMISED

“Nor is our promise of the complete set yet fulfilled; for although six volumes are now (1910) issued, a Seventh on Revelation and Ezekiel is still future ─ delayed by the growth of the general work, doubtless in accord with the Lord’s ‘due time.’ But during those four years I struggled through an immense amount of labor and many drawbacks; but all cheerfully undergone for the sake of the Lord and His Saints, each year hoping to be able to gather the necessary hours to complete the first volume of Millennial Dawn.

“Some who may have the Three Worlds or the old edition of Day Dawn would perhaps like to know my present view of them, whether I still think them suitable books to loan to truth-seekers. To this I reply, Certainly not! Because of the very immature views of God’s truth therein presented fall far short of what we now see to be God’s wonderful plan. Things which are now as clear as noonday were then cloudy and mixed. The distinctions between the perfect human nature, to which the obedient of the world will be restored during the Mil1ennial Age, and the Divine Nature to which the Little Flock, the sacrificing elect of the Gospel Age, are soon to be exalted, were then unnoticed. All that is now so clear was then blurred, mixed and indistinct. Neither had we then seen the steps of planes now shown upon the Chart of the Ages, which have assisted so many to distinguish between Justification and Sanctification and to determine their present standing and relationship to God.

“Once I was much less careful about what I circulated or commended, but I am now learning every day to be more careful as to what sort of food I put before any of the Lord’s hungry sheep. The Lord has taught me that it is a responsible matter to be a teacher. Even Food For Thinking Christians, now also out of print, I no longer commend, because it is less systematic and therefore less clear than later publications.”

Much more could be added, but we believe it is sufficient for all who are “of the Truth” to realize Brother Russell was indeed That Wise and Faithful Servant of Matthew 24:45-47 whom the Lord gave the honor of presenting the Plan of the Ages in all its purity, as a Key to the correct understanding of the Bible. As we wrote the foregoing concerning That Servant we were vividly reminded of the account of St. Paul: “In perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness.” (2 Cor. 11:26,27) In the beginning of his ministry he was confronted with a mountain of the most pernicious error, which he successfully met through much exhaustion and prayer. It is probably impossible for us now to appreciate fully the great work that this man of God accomplished; and we say once more with enthusiasm: God bless his memory!

(Brother John J. Hoefle, Reprint 328, October 1982)

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ARMAGEDDON ─The Watchtower of April 1, 2008 has an article on this subject and as usual they are fantasizing.  One paragraph says this:

“Historical Megiddo suggests a cornered condition, or situation, with no escape for the enemies of God. Thus, at Armageddon, God will make certain that all corruption and wickedness, no matter where it may be found on this globe, is crushed out of existence. ─ Revelation 21:8”

But it will be Anarchy, not Armageddon that will crush the world at the end of this Age. In fact there will probably be a lull of reasonable peace between Armageddon and Anarchy. However, the Scripture Revelation 21:8 does not even apply to this Age. It is a Millennial Kingdom picture, not of the Bride Class. Verse 7 says they will “inherit all things,” ─ the earthly Kingdom, just as the overcomers of the Gospel Age inherit spiritual things. Then verse 8 goes on to say that the fearful, unbelieving, murderers, sorcerers, etc. will have part in the lake of fire ─ Greek, Gehenna, symbol of utter destruction. Thus is shown that it is the time of judging individuals. So at the end of the Millennial Age is the time that “all wickedness will be crushed out of existence,” not in Armageddon at the end of this Age.

____________________________________________________________________

QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION ─ What is implied by Simeon’s words, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the gentiles [heathen] and the glory of thy people Israel?” (Luke 2:30-32)

ANSWER    ─ Jesus is not only to be the glory of Israel, but the light of the world ─ eventually, he shall lighten every man that cometh into the world (John 1:9). As to Israel ─ What Israel is here meant? is probably your inquiry. We reply, (1) Christ is the glory of the Church, the true Israel of God (Rom. 11:7); and (2) he will be the glory of fleshly or natural Israel when their eyes are opened and they are received by him under the New Covenant. Earthly Israel (under Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets) shall then as the agents and representatives of the heavenly Zion become a blessing and a praise in the whole earth ─ as the earthly representatives of the spiritual Kingdom of Christ.

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 2125, 2126, April 1, 1897)

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       O love, our refuge in earth’s wildest storm!

                                       O service, life-breath of a heart that’s warm!

                                       A dual-unity, of heaven born;

                                       For love is service in its highest form.

                                       Flame-tints that shimmer on the desert air!

                                       Love-lights that make Life’s sands a garden fair,

                                       Where joy and pain sing softly to the soul,

                                       That God in man is Love in human care. 

NO. 613 "WHY PERSECUTEST THOU ME?"

Acts 9:1-12, 17-20

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Saul’s transformation, from an enemy of Christ, and his Church to a friend and zealous servant, is generally termed his conversion. In our opinion, however, the term “conversion” would scarcely be appropriate in such a case. Saul of Tarsus was either a bad man or a hypocritical Pharisee, a money-lover and self-lover, as were many, or else he was an Israelite indeed, whose aim and object was the service of God, and whose persecution of the early Church was prompted by his fidelity to God. We believe that the latter description is the one which fitted his case; it is in harmony with his own testimony on the subject: “I verily thought that I did God service.” If then Saul was not only a member of the favored nation of Israel, but a true and loyal member of it, thoroughly consecrated to the Lord and serving him to the best of his knowledge and opportunity, but merely blinded for the time by prejudice and misconception, we can no more think of his case as a conversion that the cases of the other apostles. The Lord chose the original twelve because they were Israelites indeed; and he gave them the needed instruction for his service; and this he did also for Saul, though in a more striking manner. The word convert signifies to turn about in an opposite direction. But Saul was already going in the right direction; namely, in a whole hearted service of God, though his efforts were expended upon the wrong thing in the right direction. The Lord merely opened the eyes of his understanding and showed him the better how his efforts should be used. Saul needed no conversion and needed merely to be shown aright; and he proved this by as much fidelity and energy in the Lord's service afterward as he had ignorantly misused previously.

Saul was one of those Israelites who lived amongst the Gentiles, but who occasionally went up to Jerusalem to certain of the feasts. His home was in the city of Tarsus, one of the notable cities of that date ─ said to have been excelled in scholarship and fine arts by the cities of Alexandria and Athens only. He not only had the advantages of a home in such a city, but his family was one of the influential ones, as is implied in the fact that he was not only a citizen of Tarsus but also a citizen of Rome. In addition to the education of his home city he had received a special course in theology or Jewish Law at Jerusalem, under Gamaliel, one of the greatest teachers of that time. His early training, therefore, and all of its conditions were favorable to producing in him a breadth and refinement of thought equaled by few; and these conditions combined with his honesty of heart and his zeal for God, though not at first according to knowledge, fitted him to become just what the Lord subsequently made of him; namely, “A chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15)

(1) It would appear that the circumstances connected with the stoning of Stephen only incited Saul to the greater energy in stamping out what he believed to be a very injurious doctrine ─ a heresy. Our own experience confirms the thought that an earnest, conscientious opponent is more to be respected than a cold, indifferent professed friend, and we are reminded of the Lord’s words, “I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15,16) Let us have respect, therefore, for all who are warm-hearted and zealous; remembering that there is more hope of their being pleasing to God, and being accounted worthy to receive the truth, than for the lukewarm.”

(2) The Jewish priesthood was granted and exercised considerable power under the arrangements of the Roman government. It had come to exercise very much of the power subsequently used by the pope of Rome. They had power to authorize arrests and imprisonments for the infractions of their religious rules and regulations. Saul, exercising the same respect to law and authority that subsequently marked all of his dealings and teachings as a Christian, did not attempt to take matters into his own hands in the persecution of the Christians, but went about it in the manner recognized as legal ─ under the sanction and authority of the highest religious tribunal. Let us remember that nearly all persecutions have been sanctioned by some human law, and regulate ourselves under the Divine Code.

(3-9) The account here given of the opening of the eyes of Saul’s understanding is that of Luke, and was doubtless received directly from the Apostle Paul himself ─ with whom he traveled for a time. Two other accounts are given by the Apostle Paul himself. (See Acts 22:6-11; 26:12-20) The three accounts are in practical agreement, and show only such variations as might reasonably be expected, considering the fact that they were delivered under different conditions; as it was sought to emphasize or elaborate different points. Had the three accounts been exactly alike, word for word, there would have been just ground for supposing a special preparation of the text with this harmony in view. Even the seeming discrepancies of the account, when rightly seen, are additional evidences of the truthfulness of all. The account itself being simple, we need give attention only to those points which apparently conflict. All three accounts say that Saul himself heard the voice, saw the light and fell to the ground. One of the accounts adds that all with him fell to the earth as well. The account in our lesson tells that the men of his company “stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man.” Another account says, “They beheld, indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.” These accounts can be harmonized in this way: Saul himself was evidently the center of manifestation ─ “a great light shone round me.” His companions doubtless saw something of this light in a general way, but they did not see the source of the light; they did not see the glorious body of our Lord Jesus ─ “seeing no man.” Saul, however, saw the glorious body of our Lord Jesus, as he himself subsequently testified, “last of all he [Jesus] was seen of me also.” Although none but Saul was smitten to the ground, the others who stood speechless and terror stricken no doubt soon kneeled reverently about their leader. Respecting the voice ─ Saul and all that were with him heard a sound, “the voice,” but only Saul could distinguish the words ─ which were meant for him alone. A similar case is recorded in John 12:28,29, where it is stated that our Lord Jesus heard a voice from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” But the people that stood by and heard the voice understood not the words, but said that “it thundered.” Saul and all of his company in one sense of the word heard the sound or voice, but in another sense of the word he alone heard the voice. We use this same form of expression in our daily conversation today. If some one speaks to us in a low or indistinct voice, we say that we did not hear ─ we mean that although we heard the voice we did not understand or comprehend it.

The feelings of Saul, as he heard from the Lord of glory a reproof of his misdirected zeal, can be better imagined than described. Nevertheless, we can but admire the promptness with which he at once laid down the arms of his opposition, and placed himself on the side of the one whose cause he had so recently persecuted. We can imagine him praying, “Lord teach me!” In my blindness and ignorance I have been fighting against thee, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Messiah; while “I verily thought I did God service.” Having made such a great mistake I am thoroughly humbled, I can no longer trust to my own wisdom nor to the wisdom of those in whom I have heretofore confided; the chief priests, the scribes and Pharisees. Now Lord, I come to thee. Show me how I can undo some of the great wrong I have done ignorantly. Show me, and I will be glad to promptly follow and obey.

How deep a hold the matter took upon the mind of Saul may be judged from the fact that he neither ate nor drank for three days. He could not think lightly of his own blinded course. Deep contrition is always a good evidence of genuine repentance of wrong. No doubt his thoughts were busy, and, well educated in the law and in the prophets, and familiar with what he had learned concerned the Nazarene and his teachings, we may reasonably suppose that those three days of blindness and fasting were days of prayer and reflection, in which he diligently compared the testimony of the law and the prophets with what he knew of the Nazarene and his teachings. His natural sight had been destroyed, but his mental vision had been opened, and he now saw matters in a new and wonderful light.

(10-17) The name Ananias in a previous lesson was associated with ungodliness and falsehood, but here we find another Ananias of totally a different character ─ a true servant of the Lord. His hesitation (vs. 13-16) does not seem to have been caused by opposition, nor faithlessness, but rather a reasonable caution. He had heard of Saul and possibly also knew Saul’s host to be an enemy of the cause of Christ, and therefore wanted to assure himself that he was not misunderstanding the Lord. The Lord very graciously made the matter clear to him, as he always does to his faithful ones, and Ananias promptly fulfilled his mission. Here again is an illustration of Divine methods: The Lord sent upon this important errand one who apparently was a very humble member of the Church. He did not send Peter and John and James the apostles from Jerusalem with great pomp and show to receive the penitent enemy of the cross and to make a public triumph, but used an instrument ready and willing that was nearby. This should be a lesson to us that the Lord is both able and willing to use in his service the humble ones who are ready and waiting ─

“Emptied, that he might fill them,

as forth to his service they go;

Emptied, that so unhindered his life

through them might flow.”

(18-20) The scales which fell from the eyes of Saul would seem to indicate that a certain portion of the eye had been thoroughly destroyed by the great light; and the healing may be said to have been in a natural way by the removal of the injured cornea. Although informed that he received his sight, we are not informed that his eyes were made whole. Indeed, it seems very evident, from subsequent statements, that to his dying day his eyes never recovered their soundness and his sight was never again normal. It has been surmised, and we think with good reason, that the continued weakness of his eyes constituted what he terms “a thorn in the flesh.” Although under the power of the Holy Spirit he was granted many gifts of the spirit, amongst others the gift of healing, and although he exercised this gift of healing upon many (see Acts 19:11;12), yet the Lord did not relieve him from his own weakness in this respect. This must have been all the greater trial; it would seem all the more strange that he who could heal others could not heal himself; that he who had Divine Power for the blessing of others in this way, should not have the Divine Power for his own blessing. Our Lord's answer to his petition was, “My grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness.” The noble Apostle exclaims, Therefore most gladly I will suffer, if thereby the grace of God toward me shall be the greater: and thereafter he never requested the removal of this “thorn.” Several incidents in his experience confirm this conclusion. (1) Although an educated man, he seldom wrote his own letters; and of the one letter which he did write, although one of the briefest, he remarks (Gal. 6-11), “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand.” The Greek would even give the thought that these words apologize for the use of very large characters in the writing ─ such as a semi-blind person would use; (2) the Apostle comes down to us in history as “the bleared-eye Jew;” (3) when standing before the tribunal of the chief captain he declares that he did not know Ananias as the high priest; whereas, if his eyesight had been good, he could not have well helped knowing him, on account of his gorgeous apparel (Acts 23:5); (4) in writing to the Galatians he tells them (4:15) that, when he first met them, their love and sympathy for him were such that they would willingly have plucked out their own eyes for him ─ an expression which would be meaningless, unless his eyes were defective.

After a few days to gain strength from his fasting and the nervous excitement incidental to his experiences, days of communion with those whom he had come to persecute, and whom now in his renewed condition of mind he recognized and fellowshipped as dear brethren, he promptly began to preach Christ as the Son of God publicly using the opportunities afforded in the Jewish Synagogues.

Those who think of the Apostle Paul’s experiences as on a par with the conversion of sinners greatly err. Such conduct as is here related is not the conduct of sinners, enemies of God. The account of the Apostle’s enlightenment in the gospel is the account of a most noble character which commands the respect of every class in every time. And we are inclined to regard the Apostle Paul as in some sense of the word a figure, or likeness, or type of his race ─ Israel ─ and the opening of their eyes now shortly due to take place. Amongst the Jews are many who seem to be Israelites indeed, merely blinded, as the prophet and the apostle have described (Rom. 11:7-12). That nation whose blinding took place in the fifth (1,000 year) day, and which has been blinded throughout the sixth (l,000 year day), is to have its eyes opened on the third day, which will be the seventh (1,000 year) day ─ the Millennial Day. Israel also has been without food or drink of a spiritual kind during all this time. Israel also is to be a chosen vessel in the Lord’s hand as connected with the earthly agencies in bearing the message which shall bless the Gentiles and all the families of the earth. We are near to the time for the opening of Israel’s eyes. When the time shall have fully come, the Lord will send some Ananias whose touch and blessing under Divine favor shall bring sight. The name Ananias signifies, “Jah is gracious.” 

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 2117, 2118, March 1, 1897)

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THE SONG OF THE VINEYARD

Isaiah 5:1-12

“Let me sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.”

This is a Divinely-inspired key, for the words were quoted by the great teacher and applied by him to the Jewish nation, as indeed the Prophet himself explains. What the Prophet styles a song we might properly term a parable or story. God is represented as having planted the nation of Israel as his own vineyard. He gathered out the stones, or removed the difficulties, and planted in it the choicest vine, the richest promises ─ promises of the Messianic Kingdom and the blessing of Israel and all the families of the earth. He provided a watch tower for it in the Prophecies and a hedge about it in the law and the prophets and in all the arrangements made for that holy nation. It was proper that he shou1d look for choice fruitage from so favorably-situated a vineyard, but the results were unsatisfactory. The fruitage was not in harmony with the promises he had planted, but wild grapes, sour, small.

This condition prevailed until the time of Jesus. Although troubles upon the nation were from time to time permitted by the Lord, the breaches were always healed and the nation was preserved. Its walls of Divine protection and guidance were maintained and its watch tower. John the Baptist was the last of the Prophets. Since his day the Lord has fulfilled to natural Israel the things mentioned in this prophecy. The hedges have been broken down. It has been laid waste. No care has been taken of it. The beasts of the field, the Gentile nations, have ravaged this vineyard and, by Divine intention, no rain of Divine blessing, comfort, encouragement and fructification have come upon the Jewish people in all these more than eighteen centuries.

THE PROPER KIND OF FRUIT

What was the proper fruitage which the

Lord had a right to expect from this vineyard and why did he not find it? He tells us in this very prophecy: “For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: God looked for judgment, justice, but behold oppression! He looked for righteousness, but instead, heard the cry of the oppressed.” In other words, God’s Covenant with Israel was that they should have the blessed privilege of being his people, and the having of his Divine favor was dependent upon their faithful observance of the Divine Law. He knew that they would not be able to keep the law perfectly. He knew that he would not get perfect grapes, but he had a right to expect much better than he found ─ to expect heart endeavors, even if there were fleshly imperfections.

The demands of the law were supreme love for the Almighty, governing every thought and word and act, and a love for the neighbor as for oneself ─ an unselfish love. The observance of this law, in its spirit at least, to the extent of the ability of the flesh, was the requirement. Had there been such fruitage in Israel at the time that Jesus presented himself to them eighteen centuries ago, they would have been ready to constitute the spiritua1 Kingdom, which would then and there have been established, according to Divine promise. But their unreadiness led to the breaking down of their entire system. They did not have love enough toward God, nor love enough toward their fellows.

We are not to understand from this that Israel was more degenerate than the remainder of the world. The contrary of this, we believe, is true. But then the other nations had not been specially planted and specially hedged about and specially watered and specially guarded. Where more was given more was required. And when more was not found the faithful few were gathered out and the vineyard temporarily abandoned. We are glad, indeed, to note from the Scriptures that the time is coming when that same vineyard shall be restored under still more favorable conditions during the Messianic reign of glory and heavenly power. But it is still in disorder.

The succeeding verses complain of the disposition of the Israelites to take advantage of each other; and the result of this was great riches on the one hand and great poverty on the other. This Prophecy reminds us of the Great Teacher’s words when he said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, for ye devour widows’ houses” ─ you take possession of the property of the poor, perhaps, sometimes, in a technical, legal way. You are not filled with that love for your neighbor as yourself which would lead you to assist the poor, the widow and the fatherless and to be generous toward all. The sin of selfishness, avarice, indicates a lack of the Spirit of the Lord and good will toward all. The majority of the Jews of our Lord Jesus’ day were tinctured with such selfishness and hence were not in a condition of mind acceptable to the Lord for constituting the spiritual, the Bride Class ─ except the few, “the remnant,” mentioned by the Prophet.

The Lord indicated how he would punish the selfish. Ruin would come upon the great estates and the earth would not yield returns for the labor. Thus selfishness would have its reproof and penalty along temporal lines, as well as costing the loss of spiritual privileges.

APPLICATION TO SPIRITUAL ISRAEL

God’s dealings with fleshly Israel not only represent the principles of Divine government and requirements, but also the requirements of natural Israel’s service, as the Scriptures show, and they typify spiritual Israel. As natural Israel failed to be ready to accept Jesus at his First Advent ─ except “the remnant” ─ so spiritual Israel, called “Christendom,” will fail to be ready to receive him as the great Messiah at the establishment of His Kingdom. Note the care with which the Lord planted His Church, gathering out all the difficulties at the time of its establishment. Note the heavenly, spiritual promises, exceeding great, with which He surrounded the Church, as his vineyard. Note that it is of the Father’s right-hand planting. Note the watch tower of grace and truth established by the Apostles. Note the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

In the end of this Age comes a harvest time for spiritual Israel, as in the end of the Jewish Age there was a harvest time for natural Israel. Here, as there, only “a remnant” will be found worthy of the Kingdom ─ the great, nominal mass will be found unworthy. And why? Because the spirit of worldliness and selfishness is the prevalent one, instead of the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of meekness, gentleness, love. Only with the few is God first. Only with the few is there a spirit of full consecration to do the Divine will. Only with the few is there love of the brethren and a willingness to lay down life one for another (John 15:13). Only with the few is there even business honesty, justice. Today selfishness is heaping up treasure and the results, we may be sure, will be unsatisfactory ─ “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1)

Moreover, as the Prophet proceeds to show, the accumulation of wealth has generally an injurious effect upon the rich ─ idleness, music and wine and disregard of things Divine. The “remnant” now will be a sufficient number to complete the “elect.” The Kingdom of glory will be established and all the families of the earth will, shortly after the Time of Trouble, begin to recognize the long-promised blessing. Indeed, the “time of trouble” will be used of the Lord to humble the world ─ to prepare mankind to receive properly the blessings of the Kingdom.

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 4794, 4795, April 1, 1911)

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BINDING THE STRONG MAN

“No man can comer into a strong man’s house and spoil his goods except he will first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27)

These words were spoken in answer to the charge of the Pharisees that Jesus was casting out devils by the power of Satan, the prince of demons. Our Lord first showed how unreasonable was the charge that Satan had taken to opposing himself. His argument is that if that be true it would imply that Satan’s power was tottering to a fall, if it was necessary for him to thus work against his own plans and arrangements, associates, etc. This does not imply that Satan will never be so cornered as to find it necessary to do good works in order to deceive if it were possible the very elect, but it does imply that when that time shall come, and the adversary shall favor good works, the healing of diseases, casting out of devils, etc., it will be a sure indication that his kingdom is tottering. We believe that this is the case to some extent at the present time ─ that Satan has much to do with various faith healings that are done by Christian Science, Spiritualism, Hypnotism, etc.

But our Lord’s argument was to the contrary of all this ─ that he was not casting out devils as the minion of Satan, but on the contrary that he was opposing Satan. Then he used the words of our text, which imply that he was already binding Satan, already spoiling his goods. Satan’s control of mankind was certainly interfered with when our Lord cast out the demons and gave power and authority to his disciples to do the same throughout Palestine. This our Lord declared was a sign that a stronger one than Satan was at work. Satan was indeed powerful and had taken possession of the world and was exercising a great influence therein, and the fact that now he was interfered with to any extent and demons were cast out proved that he had met one more powerful than himself, and that the time of the complete overthrow of his dominion would come.

This text then is analogous to and in harmony with another which declared, “Now is the prince of this wor1d cast out.” (John 12:31) Our Lord again declared; “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) Our Lord had come into the wor1d for the very purpose of mastering Satan, and in order to vanquish him he had consecrated his life even unto death, that by means of death he might destroy death and him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. God had accepted the consecration, the sacrifice, and had granted our Lord the anointing of the Spirit at his baptism, and it was under the power and influence of this Spirit that he declared that as the Finger of God he cast out demons. However, the work of destroying Satan’s house was not intended to go on to a rapid completion, but rather that merely the power of the Anointed One should be demonstrated for our comfort and joy and faith, and that he should be permitted to control the world for a time further, until the full end of this Gospel Age, when his binding will be gradually accomplished and will be followed by the liberating of the whole world from his chains of error with which he has deceived all nations.

In Matthew 24:43 our Lord uses somewhat similar language, but applies it not to his own day but to the end of the Age. He speaks of his Second Advent as being unknown to the world and therefore to them as a thief in the night, unexpected. He intimates that such a secrecy respecting the time is essential; that if it were generally known to the world the Divine plan and arrangement in respect to the end of the Age would be foiled. To the Church it would be given to know the times and seasons, through the Holy Spirit enlightening their understanding respecting the Word of truth uttered through the apostles and prophets of old for our admonition. But none of the wicked would understand, only the wise, the truly wise with the wisdom that cometh from above, the consecrated. So far as the world would be concerned, its great ones, its master minds in church and in state, in business, in finances, would all be surprised in the end of this Age. The Master would be present as a thief in the night to take, first of all, his “jewels,” his Bride, his Saints, and then to utterly spoil, overthrow, the affairs of this present time, that on the ruins thereof he might speedily set up his everlasting Kingdom of righteousness.

“Ye brethren are not in darkness” ─ that day has not overtaken you as a thief, though it will thus overtake all the world (1 Thes. 5:3,4). The thief-like work of taking the Church is already in progress; by and by it will be all completed, and shortly thereafter ─1915 ─ the kingdoms of this world, with all of their associated institutions, will go down in a climax of trouble such as the world has never known because after gathering his Bride class the Lord will execute judgments upon Babylon. At that time Satan will be bound that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are finished. (Rev. 20:3)

(Pastor Russell, Reprint 3784, June 1, 1906)

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THE KINGDOM OF PEACE

Micah 4:1-8

“Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Micah 4:3)

The whole world has for a long time been boasting that civilization and Christianity have won the day, that the world has become God’s Empire and that the blessings of the Millennium are ours to enjoy. Aid Conferences and Peace Councils and Peace Commissions have flared up for the moment, only to die down. The cry of “Peace, peace,” has brought no peace. We are beginning to see that we have been deceiving ourselves into thinking that the nations of the earth are kingdoms of God. We are beginning to see that the Bible styles them “kingdoms of this world,” kingdoms of the Gentiles, and that it tells us that “the Prince of this world, who now worketh in the hearts of the children of disobedience,” is Satan, the usurper, “a liar from the beginning and abode not in the truth.”

We see it all. The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of heaven, for which the Master taught us to pray, has not yet come. We are glad, however, that the Divine promise assures us that it will come and explains to us that the All-Wise Creator is now, first of all, preparing for His Kingdom by gathering from amongst mankind a worthy, saintly few, to be associates of their King and Redeemer in that Kingdom of glory, by which the world is to be blessed.

But all are not yet convinced of these Bible truths. Some point to the coins of the various kingdoms, which declare that “In God we trust,” and that the several emperors and kings of earth are reigning “by the grace of God” and claiming that they are of Divine appointment; while the Pope also makes the still greater claim that he is the personal representative of Messiah and His Kingdom and the only one authorized to reign over and to govern the kings of the earth.

To convince the more prejudiced nothing further should be necessary along these lines than to point out the difference between present conditions and those which the Scriptures declare will prevail when He who redeemed the world by the sacrifice of himself will take his great power and reign as Messiah, the King of glory, to put down sin in its every form and death in its every form and to release and uplift all the willing and obedient of the families of the earth ─ including those who have gone down into the great prison-house of death ─ the grave, sheoI, hades.

IN OUR FAVORED LAND

The United States of   America does not lead the world in the size of its standing army and in great battleships. She has no need to do so, having no threatening Christian (?) nations to menace her. Yet even this nation, walled about by thousands of miles of ocean, is making enormous expenditures on account of war.

One of the most modern of the battleships of the United States Navy is named the North Dakota, after one of the States. She cost $10,000,000.

The Minneapolis Journal shows what the money expended for this battleship would have accomplished in the State for which she is named. It would have provided a $25,000 agricultural school and experimental farm in its every county, with an endowment fund of $175,000 for each school, the interest on which would have provided $10,500 annually for the maintenance of each school. Additionally, it would have left $1,000,000 of an endowment for the State Agricultural College.

The situation in Europe is still worse. Does not this preparation of the so-called Christian nations of the world to destroy one another prove to us that there is a mistake ─ that the term Christian has been misapplied to them? Nor can we say that there is no danger, for only fear could lead to such costly preparations for war.

PRAY FOR MESSIAH'S KINGDOM

The hope for humanity is the Messianic Kingdom described in this lesson. The “mountain of the Lord’s house” signifies the Kingdom of God’s house, His Church. It will be established in the top of, or above the kingdoms of the world. It will be exalted amongst the nations and all peoples will flow to it. There will be an attraction in it for all peoples. It will lead them to climb upward. The attraction which will thus draw mankind will be the blessings of health and restitution, which the Kingdom will be prepared to grant to all peoples as they shall come into harmony with its requirements (Acts 3:19-23).

That Kingdom will be closely identified with the Zionist movement and the Holy Land. The Kingdom itself will be spiritual, invisible to men, but its earthly agents will be visible and they will be Jewish ─ “Ye shall see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom,” etc. (Matt. 8:11) The Jews, already impulsed toward the Land of Promise, will go thither in increasing numbers, and all of the faithful of them will go in sympathy and representatively, through financial assistance. The Israelitish hopes and promises will attract that number strongly first. And gradually all the nations, learning of the grace of God, and the blessings of restitution to be bestowed, will say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us [as well as the Jews] of his ways and we will walk in his paths, For out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3; Micah 4:2)

THE PEACE OF GOD ESTABLISHED

Verse 3 tells of how Messiah’s judgments will be manifested, favoring most the nations which are most righteous and rebuking all unrighteousness. The effect will be that wars will cease. The metal previously used in weapons of destruction will be used in plowshares and pruning hooks. The earth shall no longer be soaked with human blood, but be tilled for the blessing of the race, with none to molest nor make afraid. The Lord’s people, at the beginning of that time, are represented as saying, Let each follow his own conception of God, but Israel must follow Jehovah. And at that time he will assemble her and gather her back into her own land ─ “a remnant.” Then the Lord shall reign over them in Mt. Zion.

The original dominion was given to Adam, but lost through sin. Jesus, by his obedience even unto death, has become the strong Tower, the Fortress, the Protection, to all of God’s people. “To him will come the first dominion” and for a thousand years he shall reign for the blessing and uplifting of all the willing and obedient.  (Pastor Russell, Reprints 4795, 4796, April 1, 1911)

NO. 612 THE FIFTH UNIVERSAL EMPIRE

There have been four universal Empires as explained by Daniel in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2:31-45). The first was Babylon, second was Medo-Persia, who conquered Babylon. Greece conquered Medo-Persia and became the third. The fourth was Rome, which held universal sway at the time of our Lord’s birth. “There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1) Rome was by far the strongest and endured longer than its predecessors.

We only give this brief synopsis of the first four, because we are more concerned with the Fifth. However, Daniel’s interpretation of the dream continues “And in the days of these Kings [the so-called “Christian kingdoms” or “Christendom”] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms; and shall stand forever.” (Dan. 2:43,44)

The Holy Roman Empire, the Papal system has long claimed that it is the kingdom which the God of heaven here promised to set up, and that, in fulfillment of this prophecy, it did break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms. The truth, however, is that the nominal Church merely united with earthly empires, and that papacy was never the kingdom of God, but merely a counterfeit of it. One of the best evidences that papacy did not destroy and consume these earthly kingdoms is that they still exist. But now it has lost its power and shows signs of dissolution, and will quickly crumble when smitten by the “stone,” the true Kingdom.

The stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which smites and scatters the Gentile powers, represents the true Church, the Kingdom of God. During the Gospel Age this “stone” kingdom was being formed, “cut out,” carved and shaped for its future position and greatness - not by human hands, but by the power or spirit of the truth, the invisible power of Jehovah.  It is entirely cut out now and is smiting and destroying the kingdoms of this world. Not the people, but the governments, are being destroyed. Our Lord Jesus came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them (John 3:17).

The stone, during its preparation, while being cut out, might be called an embryo mountain, in view of its future destiny; so, too, the Church could be, and sometimes is called the Kingdom of God. In fact, however, the stone does not become the mountain until it has smitten the image; and so the Church, in the full sense, will become the Kingdom to fill the whole earth when “the day of the Lord,” “the day of wrath upon the nations” or the “time of trouble,” will be over, and when it will be established and all other dominions have become subservient to it.

Call to mind now the promise made by our Lord to the overcomers of the Christian Church: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne”  “and he that ovecometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father.” (Rev. 3:21; 2:26,27; Psa. 2:8-12.) When the rod of iron has accomplished the work of destruction, then will the hand that smote be turned to heal, and the people will return to the Lord, and he shall heal them (Isa. 19:22; Jer. 3:22,23; Hosea 6:1; 13:4; Isa. 2:3), giving them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isa. 61:3; Luke 4:18).

The stone class, the true Church, during its selection or taking out of the mountain, has been esteemed by the world as of no value. It has been despised and rejected of men. They see no beauty in it that they should desire it. The world loves, admires, praises, and defends the rulers and governments, though it has been continually disappointed, deceived, wounded and oppressed by them. The proud are now called happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up in power (Mal. 3:15). Can we not see, then, that the destruction of these kingdoms by the smiting of the stone, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom, means the liberating of the oppressed and the blessing of all? Though for a time the change will cause disaster and trouble, it will finally yield the fruits of righteousness.

But now, calling to mind the difference of standpoint, let us look at the same four universal empires of earth from the standpoint of God and those in harmony with him, as portrayed in a vision to the beloved prophet Daniel. As to us these kingdoms appear inglorious and beastly, so to Him these four universal empires were shown as four great and ravenous wild beasts. And to this view the coming Kingdom of God (the stone) was proportionally grander than as seen by Nebuchadnezzar. To get Daniel’s description of these four beastly empires see Dan. 7:2-7.

Of the fourth beast, Rome, Daniel says: “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly… and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man and a mouth speaking great things.” (Dan. 7:7,8)

Here the Roman Empire is shown; and the divisions of its power are shown in the ten horns, a horn being a symbol of power. The little horn which arose among these, and which appropriated the power of three of them to itself and ruled among the others, represents the small beginning and gradual rise to power of the Church of Rome, the Papal power or horn. As it rose in influence, three of the horns, or powers of the Roman Empire, were plucked out of the way to make room for its establishment as a civil power or horn. This last especially notable horn, Papacy, is remarkable for its eyes, representing intelligence, and for its mouth  its utterances, its claims, etc.

After giving some details regarding this last or Roman beast, and especially of its peculiar or Papal horn, the Prophet states that judgment against this horn would be rendered, and it would  begin to lose its dominion, which would be consumed by gradual process until the beast should be destroyed (Rev. 17:11).

No matter what may be the means or instrumentality used, the cause of this fall will be the establishment of the Fifth Universal Power of earth, the Kingdom of God, under Christ, whose right it is to take the dominion. The transfer of the kingdom from the fourth beast, which for its appointed time was “ordained of God,” to the fifth kingdom under the Messiah, when its appointed season has come, is described by the Prophet in these words: “And behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given unto him [Christ  head and body complete] dominion, and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:13,14) This the angel interpreted to mean that “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; and all dominions shall serve and obey him (Dan. 7: 27).

“For ye see your calling, brethren that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: and God hath chosen the weak things in the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Cor. 1:26,27)  As a rule it has been the poor, who have been called, but they must be rich in one respect; rich in faith, rich in the spirit of faith, rich in the exemplification of that faith, rich in ministering to that faith, rich in commending that faith to others and rich in helping others to come to that faith. God has promised the Kingdom to the faithful, who love Him supremely with all their heart, mind, soul and strength as the all-gracious Jehovah, the God of perfect wisdom, power, justice and love. These will be heirs of the Kingdom in due time because they have been proven faithful to God unto the end.

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” (2 Tim. 4:1) The Apostle Paul is here writing to his beloved son, Timothy. He gives him a very solemn charge before God and the Lord Jesus, because it could be given before none greater. He says that the Lord Jesus and the Father “shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom.” By the quick, we understand those who are not under a death sentence, like new creatures, quickened by God’s Holy Spirit (Eph. 2: 21,15; Col. 2:13) and the fallen angels. By the dead, we understand the human family to be meant, as dead either in trespasses and sins, under the Adamic death sentence, or in the death state, in the graves. This tells us the time that the judgment would take place. It will be at the time of His revelation, His manifestation, the Epiphany, and at the time of His Kingdom. In getting their judgment at these particular times, they will first, be instructed; second tested according to the instruction given them; third, striped for reformation, if they fail to live up to the instruction they had; and finally, a sentence will be passed on them. This will be the fulfillment of this passage.

Continuing our discussion, we desire to take up another line of thought, the invisibility of this Coming Universal Empire. “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20,21) This passage requires some explanation and some correction in the translation. With their usual impudence in their treating our Lord, the Pharisees demanded, as though they had a right to command our Lord, when the kingdom would come. “He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation [with outward sight, visibly].” Neither will they be able to point to the kingdom class, saying, Look over there, you will see it! “for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Literally this should be translated: in your midst. The Kingdom class, who, glorified as spirit beings, of the Divine nature, are thoroughly invisible, just as the angels of God are invisible. We have an illustration in Satan’s kingdom. He by usurpation has gotten control of a kingdom among the children of men. He is thus controlling the matters of politics, trusts, corporations, mergers, etc. He rules over them as a tyrant and executioner. He uses this rulership invisibly. We can only see the effects of his reign. This invisibility is an illustration of the Kingdom of God when it rules over the earth. The Christ, Head and Body, will be present, but invisible in the Divine nature, having immortality and incorruptibility. They will not be seen by the world, either before the Millennium or during the Millennium, or forever afterwards, even as Jesus says of Himself, in John 14:19: “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more.”

Another line of thought in connection with the Coming Universal Empire is its phases.  There are two phases of this invisible empire. This we get in a general way from Isa. 2:3: “And many people shall go and say [the many people of the nations of the earth, who in the Millennial Age, recognize that Christ and the Church are ruling over the earth, will make a general proclamation among one another, saying], Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord, to the house of Jacob [fleshly Israel]; and he will teach us of his ways [His doctrines, precepts, histories, prophesies, types and moral teachings; in other words, every teaching will be required at that time], and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion [Zion is The Church, Head and Body] shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem [this will be the visible phase of the Kingdom, the Ancient and Youthful Worthies].”

Isaiah 32:1 is another passage to the point: “Behold, a king shall reign in righteous-ness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” The King here is the Christ the Head and the Church His Body. These as the heavenly phase of the Kingdom, will reign in righteousness, with the wisdom, power, justice and love of God, which they will gloriously represent in all of their acts and all of their deeds. The princes that shall rule in judgment are the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, who by doctrinal teachings among mankind, will exercise rulership as the visible representatives of the invisible Christ and the Church, with their associates, the Great Company.

SUBJECTS OF THE EMPIRE

We will now show who the subjects of that Empire will be.  First, we quote Psalms 22:27-29: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the Kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.” Both Jews and Gentiles, the whole human family, everyone, will remember the experiences they had with evil and the experiences they had with good. These will cause them to turn against evil and, at least for a while, cling to the good and turn to the Lord. Every nation on earth will come before the Lord and worship Him, for it is written, “All the nations thou hast made shall come before the Lord and worship Him.” (Rev. 13:8) Jehovah will be the One who will have established Christ and the Church as His Kingdom. Christ and the Church will be there in full power and authority as the representative of God. All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship (the fat are those that are full of love). They will appropriate to themselves the blessings of that glorious time and will on that account carry out their consecration to God and serve Him with willing hearts of delight in wisdom, justice, love, and power. All that go down into the dust (Eccl. 3:20) shall bow before Him (i.e., all the dead).

In Psalms 98:2,3, we read as follows: “The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness that he openly shewed in the sight of the nations [here translated heathen]. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Here again the Heavenly Father shows Himself in wisdom, justice, love and power, to be the One that is working out salvation from the curse that came upon the race, by heredity through Adam, condemnation that came upon the Jews, even the best of them, because they could not keep the Mosaic Law, and by the curse that the Jews brought upon themselves when they said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children” (Matt. 27:25),  when they rejected our Lord. All these will be given the opportunity of seeing the salvation that God will prepare before the eyes of all nations. “He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel” - both natural and spiritual Israel will be shown that mercy. Natural Israel condemned in heredity, condemned by the Mosaic Covenant, condemned also by the voice of the prophets, both the four major and the twelve minor prophets, as well as the prophets who wrote the books of Joshua, Ruth, the two books of Kings and Chronicles. All of these will have mercy shown unto them, yea, “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” The whole earth, every-one on earth, will be enabled to see that glorious salvation as it will be worked out for the children of men. They will see it with the eyes of understanding first, and those who obey will see it as it is fulfilled in the New Covenant provisions, when they obey these and are faithful to their consecration vows in connection with that covenant. Those who prove faithful under the experience of righteousness in the Millennial Age and turn heartily to the Lord, will experience the salvation of the LORD, and those who hypocritically pretend to be loyal to God, will be destroyed  some at the age of one hundred, the accursed sinner, according to Isaiah 65:20, and some at the end of the thousand years, when Satan is loosed and brings upon them the destruction merited by their hypocrisy. All, however, will for a while see this salvation.

The results of the Coming Universal Empire are illustrated in 1 Cor. 15:20-26. We quote from the Improved Version: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become a first-fruit [Jesus] of them that slept. For since by man [Adam] came death, by [a] man also [Jesus] shall come the resurrection of the dead. For as all in Adam die [Jesus did not die in Adam, for He was not in Adam, and therefore our correction of the translation], even so all in Christ shall be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ a firstfruit [the Church is meant]; afterward they that are Christ’s at [during] His presence. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” God will be the final judge over the earth and will exercise His judgment through Christ and the Church, as His Vicegerent. Thus we see that not only persons are these enemies, but also things. Death is an enemy  it was an enemy to Jesus while He was in the flesh, it sought to destroy Him through the Jews, but He was faithful unto death; and by that faithfulness He was pronounced the One who could put to death the last enemy, even the dying process and the death-state.

But the reign will not be one of force only; side by side with the force will be the olive branch of mercy and peace for all the inhabitants of the world, who, when the judgments of the Lord are abroad in the earth, will learn righteousness (Isa. 26:9). The sin-blinded eyes shall be opened; and the world will see right and wrong, justice and injustice, in a light quite different from now - in “seven-fold” light. (Isa. 30:26; 29:18-20) The outward temptations of the present will largely be done away, evils will neither be licensed nor permitted: but a penalty sure and swift will fall upon transgressors, meted out with unerring justice by the glorified and competent judges of that time who will also have compassion upon the weak (1 Cor. 6:2; Psa. 96:13: Acts 17:31).

We see clearly that the number atoned for by our Lord’s sacrifice for sins  the general lifting of the “curse” legally - gives no criterion by which we may judge the number who will by obedience of faith get actually free from sin and its curse and return to at-one-ment with the Father, by availing themselves of the opportunities opened to all by our dear Redeemer. There is no proposition on God’s part, nor any reasonable ground for supposition on man’s part, that Divine favor and life everlasting through Christ will ever be attained by any except those who shall come into the fullest heart-harmony with God, and with all his laws of righteousness. We rejoice, however, that the knowledge of God’s grace and other opportunities far better than are now enjoyed by the world shall in God’s “due time” be extended to every creature. (1 Tim. 2:6) With the lesson learned from the Time of Trouble, especially from anarchy, all mankind will be ready for Messiah’s Kingdom, and The Fifth Universal Empire, will then be ushered in and be “the desire of all nations.” (Haggai 2:7)

Glory be to God forever and ever for this glorious hope that Jehovah, our heavenly Father, has given us; and let everyone say, Amen and Amen forever and forever, Amen.

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“SONGS OF THE NIGHT”

“The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” (Psa. 126:3)

We are still in the night of weeping. Sickness, sorrow, sighing and dying continue, and will continue until the glorious morning of Messiah’s Kingdom breaks. How glad we are to have learned that then the glorious change will come to earth. The Prophet David ex-presses this thought, saying: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psa. 30:5) St.Pau1 expressed the same sentiment when he declared, “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, waiting for the manifestation of the Sons of God.” (Romans 8:22) The Sons of God in glory will, with their Lord, constitute Emmanuel’s Kingdom, and at present these Sons of God are comparatively little known or recognized amongst men; frequently they are considered “peculiar people,” because of their zeal for righteousness and truth, and for God. “Beloved now are we the Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,” and we shall share His glory, honor, and immortality and with Him scatter Divine blessings to all the families of the earth.

A SONG OF DELIVERANCE

Our lesson, the 85th Psalm, may properly have served several applications. The first of these would be to Israel's deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, when Cyrus gave permission that all who desired might return to Palestine. About fifty-three thousand - a small number - availed themselves of this privilege and of his assistance. The people rejoiced in this manifestation of the turning away of Divine disfavor, and the return to them of God’s favor and blessing. The pardon of their transgressions as a nation was here evidenced in this privilege of returning to God's favor.

A secondary application of the Song is just before us. Israel has been in a far greater captivity in Christendom during the past eighteen centuries. She has the promise, nevertheless, of a mighty deliverance. The Cyrus who granted them liberty to return from literal Babylon was a type of the great Messiah who is about to give full liberty for the return of God's ancient people to Divine favor to Palestine.

Israel's sins have not yet been taken away, even as the world's sins have not yet been taken away. The great Redeemer has, indeed, died for sin, and He is the sinner's friend, but as yet He has only appeared in the presence of God for us ─ the Church ─ not for the world. He is only the Church’s Advocate now. He advocates for none except those who come to God and give Him their hearts and lives; and these are the saintly only ─ such as love righteousness and hate iniquity.

The world is enslaved by Sin and Death, the twin monarchs who are now reigning and causing mankind to groan. We were born in this enslaved condition, as the Scriptures declare: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, in sin did my mother conceive me.” Our race, groaning under the weaknesses and imperfections we have thus inherited ─ mental, moral and physical, long for the promised deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. The majority of mankind undoubtedly feel the gall of their slavery, and will be glad to be free.

DELIVERANCE AT HAND

 The great Deliverer is the antitypical Cyrus. Soon He will go forth to victory, and will establish His Kingdom under the whole heavens. Soon the Church class, the saints, “the elect,” will be glorified, and then the time will come for the blessing of the non-elect ─ for their restitution to human perfection and to a world-wide Paradise, which Messiah's power and Kingdom will introduce. “He must reign until He hath put all enemies under His feet; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Sheol, hades, the grave, will be no more; death will be destroyed by the resurrection of the dead there-from, “Every one in his own order.”

Many of the Lord's people who can see something of the blessings due at the Second Advent, and who appreciate in some measure the fact that the Lord comes again to bestow the great blessings secured by His death, fail to see this other proposition; viz., that those in their graves have as much interest in that glorious reign of Messiah as those who at that time will be less completely under the bondage of corruption ─ death. But as surely as Jesus died for all, they all must have the blessings and opportunities which he purchased with His own precious blood. Hence we should expect blessings in the Millennial Age upon all those in the grave as well as upon those not in it; and of this we will find abundant proof, as we look further into the Lord’s testimony on the subject. It is because of God’s plan for their release that those in the tomb are called “prisoners of hope.”

The prevailing opinion is that death ends all probation; but there is no Scripture which so teaches. God does not purpose to save men on account of ignorance, but “will have all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4) Since the masses of mankind have died in ignorance, and since “there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave” (Eccl. 9:10), therefore God has prepared for the awakening of the dead, in order to knowledge, faith and salvation. Hence His plan is, that “as all in Adam die, even so shall all in Christ be made alive.”

THE SECRET OF JOY

While the whole creation groans under its load of sin and sorrow, the saints may sing and rejoice, even in the midst of all the sorrows of life, even though they share the results of sin as fully or even more fully than do others. The secret of their joy is twofold: (1) They have experienced reconciliation to God; (2) They have submitted their wills to His will. They obtained this new relationship by the way of faith in the Redeemer ─ faith in His blood of Atonement. They entered by the “strait gate” and “narrow way” of consecration to God ─ surrendering their own wills and covenanting to do the Divine will to the best of their ability. This submission of the will to God and the realization that all their life’s affairs are in God’s keeping and under His supervision give rest to the heart. They have a rest and peace in this surrendered condition which they never knew when they sought to gratify self-will, and ignored the right of their Creator to the homage of their hearts and the obedience of their lives.

BELIEVERS VISUALIZE STORIES

TO COME

Similarly, these have joy and peace, and songs of thankfulness to God, because to them He grants a knowledge of His Divine purposes, and shows them “things to come.” These see beyond the trials and tribulations of the present time ─ they see the glories that will follow the present time of suffering. These see that the Church, the saintly ones of all denominations and of all nationalities, are prospective heirs of God ─ heirs of glory, honor and immortality; and associates with the Redeemer in His glorious Kingdom. This encourages and stimulates them. They also see the outlines of the Divine Program for the blessing of all the families of the earth. When they thus perceive that God is interested in their dear ones who are not saints, and interested in the whole human family, very few of whom are saints, it gives them cause for rejoicing. When they perceive that God has arranged that through Christ and the glorified Church all the families of the earth shall be blessed, it makes them “joyful in the house of their pilgrimage” ─ while waiting for their own change from human to Divine nature. Seeing the provision which God has made for the world of mankind, they are contented, and are glad to have God's will done in themselves and in all the earth.

(What Pastor Russell Wrote for the

Overland Monthly, pages 176-178, 1909)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Marjorie,

I am devastated over the news of dear Emily’s death. While I had been expecting such news for a while nevertheless it came as a shock. It came exactly 25 years to the day after the death of my dear Mother. Yes, now they are asleep in Jesus and we are comforted in knowing that they will have a “better resurrection.” They both will make wonderful teachers in the next age bringing the world up to perfection. I am still very saddened with your news as I looked to Emily as my spiritual guide and will miss her very much. Emily did such a wonderful job since Brother Hoefle’s death.                                                                     Love, ___     (VIRGINIA)

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Dear Sister Marjorie and peace through our beloved Lord,

The information of Sister Hoefle’s demise was received with sadness. I quickly sent the information to our brethren all over to observe a memorial service in honor of her, those far distant brethren to observe in their distant districts. While the nearby ones to come to the National H/Qs on January 27.

January 27, 2008 by 10:00 a.m. the normal Service meeting started which I preached. Five classes joined with me to observe the memorial service. The memorial was blessed with many brethren in attendance. After the lecture all went outside the hall and marched in line around the big hall which is built in her memory with hymn No. 47. In the church again we sang hymn No. 250 for dismissal.

Information reached me from other classes celebrated by Brother J.E. Tom with good attendance, and Brother Titus E. Umoh in the area where he officiated the attendance was also good.

Dear sister sincere greetings to you, Brother Williams, and others supporting the work in which all the brethren’s condolence overflows together with Sister Emah and family.

                                         Warm Christian love, Brother Emah    (NIGERIA, SOUTH AFRICA)

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Dear Sister Williams,

One of the Brethren from Florida told me of Sister Hoefle falling asleep in death (John 11:11-14). You all have our deepest sympathy. She was a precious saint. I still have her letters she wrote over the years to me.                                                   Christian love, ___   (TEXAS)

NO. 611 MESSIAH'S FAST APPROACHING KINGDOM

“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and Princes shall rule in judgment.” (Isaiah 32:1)

Coming events cast their shadows before. Startling shadows are all about us. A great change in the affairs of men is indicated and acknowledged by all thoughtful, intelligent people. The world’s pace during the past fifty years astonishes everybody. New conditions meet us on every hand. The majority of books written half a century ago along scientific lines are considered rubbish today. Rules and customs and theories of the past, supposed to be immovable and absolute, are abandoned as worthless ─ in chemistry, in manufactures, in art, in finance and commerce. All these changes necessitate a new view of social conditions and a re-examination of the relationship of religion and the Bible to man and his conditions, as seen from the present viewpoint.

The business and social world have been compelled to keep pace with the steps of progress; some of them have yielded gladly and some of them reluctantly. But religionists have been placed in a most awkward position. Religion and moral sense constitute the backbone and fiber of the best progress in civilization. The perplexity of religious thought, and its manifest inability to adjust itself to the changed conditions, is working a serious disadvantage to all disposed to look to the Almighty for guidance in life’s affairs.

The increase in worldly wisdom, the improved human conditions, the advancement along scientific lines, in material prosperity, have turned many of the world’s brightest intellects away from God and from the Bible. Many of these, still professing Christianity in an outward, formal manner, have really abandoned it in favor of a theory of “civilization.” They have wandered from the Divine Revelation, the Bible, into paths of speculation ─ their own and other men’s. They have cogitated that the reverse of the Bible statements is the Truth ─ that instead of man falling from the image of God into sin and death, he is rising from a brute or monkey plane upward, gradually, to Divine heights. Instead of looking for a great Deliverer, Messiah, Savior, Life-Giver, they are hoping to be let alone by any outside influence, that certain fancied laws of Evolution may help them upward and onward to glory, honor and immortality.

The result is that religious thought today everywhere and in all denominations, is chaotic. The whole of Christendom has practically become agnostic ─ admitting that they do not know the Truth nor how to adjust their reasoning faculties to present conditions. They are in an expectant attitude ─ seeking light. Nevertheless many fear the light lest it make manifest cherished errors or selfish hopes and ambitions which must be abandoned. But they are still pretending to know many things which we and they know that they do not know. Daily the strain becomes more intense. Gradually everybody is recognizing that a great crisis is impending along every line ─ that the people are awakening and thinking, and will no longer receive errors, as formerly.

CONVERTING THE WORLD TO GOD

 Fifty years ago Christian people, full of faith in the Bible, which they seriously misunderstood and read with sectarian spectacles of various colors, were fully agreed that God had given His Church the commission to convert the whole world and to establish Messiah’s Kingdom, when the nations would learn war no more, but beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Zealous Christian people urged that the heathen were going down to a hell of eternal torment at the rate of ninety thousand every twenty-four hours.

Noble men and women sacrificed their earthly interests for the assistance of the heathen ─ to prevent that awful catastrophe, to help the very program of God which some other Christian people of an earlier day had declared was predestinated and foreordained as unalterable. Good was certainly attempted ─ we trust that some good was accomplished. We know that some harm was done, in that fallacious conceptions of the character and plan of the Creator were promulgated amongst the heathen, which have hardened and embittered some of them.

But by and by, practical people sought for statistics, and now know that there are twice as many heathen in the world as there were a century ago. Of course, there are unthinking and unstatistical people who refuse knowledge, and who are today claiming with a com-mendable zeal, but a reprehensible ignorance, that large contributions of money would enable them to capture the whole world for God. Nevertheless, the masses no longer see the matter as they did, and can no longer be swayed to the same extent. Thinking people refuse to believe that God for centuries has sat calmly viewing the situation, allowing millions to go to eternal torment. They refuse to believe that their hearts and sympathies are more tender than those of their Creator.

Even the heathen are getting awake to the inconsistency of what has been given them under the Gospel label. They are finding out that the word Gospel signifies “good tidings,” and that what has been preached to them is the most awful message conceivable ─ that all of the heathen and the majority of their civilized neighbors and friends and relatives have been decreed, sentenced, foreordained, to eternal torture because of ignorance, because of a misbelief in respect to which they were thoroughly honest. Perplexed, the missionaries ask, What shall we preach? The message of Damnation does not sound good to the heathen, and they do not run after it nor feast their souls upon it.

The question comes to the ministers and professors of colleges throughout Christendom, and they are perplexed what answer to give. The majority of them have become Higher Critics and no longer accept the Bible as the Word of God; they are Evolutionists and no longer believe the Gospel which the Missionary societies were organized to proclaim. They are in perplexity, and many of them are prepared to abandon the former theory of Missions, and to continue their work henceforth merely along humanitarian lines. Indeed, within the last twenty-five years missionary effort has turned gradually to secular education and medical practice in the interest of the heathen, with little religious doctrine ─ and so much the better.

Everybody is agreed that the Kingdom of Messiah cannot be brought about by the wholesale conversion of the world. And logical people see that larger numbers have been lost to Christianity in civilized lands during the last twenty-five years than were ever claimed to be converted amongst the heathen. We say lost to Christianity, because why should any one be called a Christian who has lost all faith in the Bible ─ in the Law, the Prophets and the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles?

The great cloud of bewilderment which encompasses Christendom is realized by all earnest people ─ churchmen and others. And no wonder there is a certain dread associated with the dark cloud! People are wondering what kind of a storm will result? And what will be the effect upon the great religious systems of civilization? It is to join hands against these ominous conditions that the clergy of all denominations have aroused themselves in favor of Church union, or Federation. But the people feel comparatively little interest in the proposition, which they will not oppose, however.

The difficulty with the present situation is that we have stupidly and blunderingly misread the Bible. We have twisted what we did read and picked out certain portions which best pleased our fancies and supported best our various creeds. We have neglected the honest, truthful study which we should have given to our Heavenly Father’s Message. The confusion of Christendom is the result. This confusion and perplexity the Scriptures portray, assuring us that we are in the midst of a great falling away from faith in God and in His Revelation. We see fulfilled all about us the wonderful prophetic and symbolic picture of Psalm 91. A thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand ─ only the “Israelites indeed,” in whom there is no guile, will be kept from stumbling in this evil day. The chaos, which we already see everywhere in evidence, is only beginning.

GOD’S GREAT REMEDY AT HAND

The fault of Christendom has been the rejection of the Divine Plan and the acceptance instead of a human plan. The Church was going to convert the world ─ going to “conquer the world for Jesus” and present it to Him as a trophy! Alas! we have not been able to convert ourselves, which is the particular work the Master gave us to do. Greater humility would have shown us our folly long ago.

Bible students do not need to be reminded that all through the Old Testament Scriptures God’s promises abound, telling Israel and all who have ears to hear of the glorious reign of Messiah and of the success of His Kingdom, and how the result will be that “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God”; how “all the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped”; how the blessing of the Lord will be with Israel, restored to His favor, and operate through Israel to the blessing of all peoples. We remember the prophecies which picture earthly governments and show us their termination and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on their ruins. We remember the Jubilee picture repeated by the Israelites every fiftieth year, proclaiming liberty for the people, and typifying restitution of all that has been lost through sin, and which is to be restored through Messiah's Kingdom.

Bible students know also how the New Testament abounds with references to the Kingdom! the Kingdom! the Kingdom! Nearly all the parables that our Lord gave were in illustration of something connected with the Kingdom or the class called out of the world to inherit the spiritual Kingdom. All such know, too, that the Great Teacher proclaimed that Kingdom and taught us and all of His followers to pray, “Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven!” They all know, too, that all of the Apostles refer to that Kingdom and point the Church to its establishment for the realization of her hopes ─ the time when the “marriage of the Lamb” will take place ─ the time when God's New Covenant with Israel will go into effect. The time when He who scattered Israel will also gather them, and when the Law shall go forth from Mt. Zion, the Celestial Kingdom, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, the Capital of the earthly Princes. God’s remedy is just what humanity is coming to realize it needs. In its establishment, as the Scriptures declare, “the desire of all nations shall come.” (Haggai 2:7)

Bible students are more and more coming to see that this Gospel Age is the time in which Messiah is selecting from amongst men ─ of Jews and Gentiles ─ a saintly class, and is testing and proving their loyalty to God and to righteousness. These are to be Messiah's assistants ─ the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. As Abraham typified the Heavenly Father, so the Messiah was typified by Isaac. And Messiah’s Bride and joint-heir and co-laborer in His Kingdom was typified by Rebecca. Thus seen the great Plan of God has progressed well. 

Our neglect of the Word of God and our study instead of the Talmud and the Creeds of the Dark Ages have been our undoing. Under all this wrong influence we have failed to cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit ─ meekness, gentleness, patience, longsuffering, brotherly kindness, love. Instead, we cultivate pride, ambition, selfishness. We have done those things which we ought not to have done, and we have left undone those things which we ought to have done. Our help must come from God. According to our understanding of the Scriptures, help is near, but coming in an unexpected way. Pride and selfishness have blossomed and brought forth a fruitage of strife. The bad example set by Christian people has extended to the world, and has been thoroughly appropriated. It has become the spirit of the world ─ of all classes.

THE GREAT DAY OF WRATH

Now, as faith in the Bible is waning and respect for God and His Word is proportionately waning, what could we expect but that which the Scriptures declare is at hand, namely, the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation?” The selfishness which both rich and poor, learned and ignorant, have cultivated will, in that Time of Trouble, be represented in conflicts between labor unions and capitalistic trusts. The Bible declares that then “every man’s hand will be against his neighbor” ─ all confidence will be lost ─ the bond of human sympathy and brotherhood will be utterly snapped in riotous selfishness.

The Scriptures identify this trouble with Messiah’s taking to Himself His Kingdom power and beginning his reign (Daniel 12:1; Revelation 11:18). Thank God! The intimations of the Scriptures are that the conflict of that time will be short. It must, however, last long enough to teach humanity a lesson never to be forgotten ─ that God and His arrangements must stand first and must be obeyed, if blessing is sought.

When it is remembered that Messiah's Kingdom is not only to bless those living at the time of its establishment, but gradually to awaken the dead from the slumber of the tomb, and to give all of our race a full opportunity for attaining life eternal or death eternal, then it will be seen that the Kingdom must be a spiritual one. Then, too, Messiah’s Kingdom of Light is represented as superseding Satan’s Kingdom of Darkness ─ both spiritual. With this thought our text is in full accord ─ “A King shall reign in righteousness.” (Messiah will be that Great King, His Bride being associated with Him.) And “Princes shall execute judgment in the earth,” carrying out the decrees and regulations of the Heavenly Messiah. This is the meaning of the Lord's promise to Israel, “I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning.” (Isaiah 1:26)

The Princes who will execute judgment will all be Israelitish and all perfect men ─ tried and approved of God. They will be the Ancient Worthies ─ Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Prophets. These men, great in faith and obedience to God, will be known to the Jews as the “fathers,” as the prophecy respecting them declares, “Instead of the fathers shall be the children, whom Thou [Messiah] mayest make Princes in all the earth.” They will be the children of Messiah in the sense that they will derive their resurrection life from Him, the Great King. Indeed, the Scriptures assure us that eventually the whole world shall receive new life from Messiah, in offset to the life received from Adam ─ forfeited through sin. Thus amongst the various titles of Messiah mentioned by the prophets we find that He will be the “Age-lasting Father,” as well as the “Prince of Peace” and mighty Elohim and the wonderful Counselor. “Of the increase of His Government and Peace there shall be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6,7)

(What Pastor Russell Wrote for the Overland Monthly, pages 318-321, 1909)

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IMMINENCE OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM

“Behold, I will send you Elijah, the Prophet, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord; and He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5,6)

Knowing that we are teaching the imminence of the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, some are inclined to doubt the possibility of its establishment until first Elijah, the prophet, or teacher, shall be sent of God and recognized in the world. We are queried on the subject, What do you believe respecting Elijah? In what direction should we look for the promised Elijah? We reply that no human being fills the picture, the demands, the requirements of the prophecy. The fulfillment must be looked for on a much larger scale, a much grander scale.

JOHN THE FORERUNNER OF JESUS

In order to gain a comprehensive view of the matter, we look back to the Lord’s First Advent, and there see John the Baptist doing a work in the Jewish Church, introducing to it Jesus in the flesh. Jesus said of John the Baptist, “This is the Elias, if we can receive it.” (Matthew 11:14.) That is to say, John the Baptist was acting among the Jewish household of faith in the power and spirit of Elijah, who was to follow. His relationship to the future Elijah, the greater Elijah, was very similar to the relationship of our Lord Jesus to the greater Christ. By this, we mean that our Lord Jesus at His First Advent presented Himself to the Jews as the Messiah, knowing in advance that He would be rejected by them; knowing that He would be crucified; knowing that He would be raised from the dead on the third day, and forty days later would ascend up on high to appear in the presence of God on our behalf; knowing that He would be absent from the world for more than eighteen centuries; knowing that in this interim the Holy Spirit would select from both Jews and Gentiles a “little flock” to constitute His associates in the Kingdom ─ a little flock as the Bride of Christ, or otherwise known as the members of His Body, of which He is head; knowing that when the full number of members had been selected the Second Advent would take place, accompanied by the glorification of The Christ, Jesus and His members, and followed by the establishment of the “Kingdom of God under the whole heavens,” blessing all the families of the earth.

Our understanding is that the work of John the Baptist at our Lord’s First Advent was merely a foreshadowing, or illustration, of the greater work of the greater Elijah, whose ministry is to introduce the Second Advent of Christ and the Church in glory.

We have seen that John the Baptist served the purpose of Elijah to as many of the Jews as were “Israelites indeed” ─ so many of them as could and did receive Jesus as the Messiah; but the work of John was far from accomplishing the great things predicted of “Elijah, the Prophet,” mentioned in our text. Nevertheless, in every particular there was some measure of likeness between John and the true antitypical Elijah. For instance, he failed to establish unity and harmony in Israel as respects the relationship of the people to their God; he failed to do a mediatorial work except for a few. The masses were not prepared by his message, and as a consequence there came upon that typical nation a judgment of the Lord, a Time of Trouble such as they had never previously had. This foreshadows also the fact that the antitypical Elijah will similarly fail to establish peace and harmony and righteousness and relationship between God and man in the earth, and that consequently this Age will end, as did the Jewish Age, with a Time of Trouble.

THE CHURCH IN THE FLESH IS ELIJAH

We wish to lay before your minds a word-picture of the great Elijah mentioned in the text. It is the Church in the flesh this side the veil ─ even as the Church in glory the other side of the veil ─ is The Christ. We make the statement first and give the demonstration of its truthfulness afterward. Christ in the flesh, the Apostles in the flesh and all the faithful of the Lord’s people throughout the Gospel Age during their earthly career and their living representatives now in the world are fulfilling the work ascribed to Elijah. They have been endeavoring to bring about harmony, reconciliation and fellowship between God and His people. God Himself has laid the foundation of the reconciliation in the sacrifice of His Son, and the Apostle declares that He has made us “able ministers” of His Word as though God did beseech men by us to be reconciled to Him. Our Lord Jesus began this work while in the flesh, and He personally was the Head of this great Elijah, His Church in the flesh, which during nearly nineteen centuries now has been laboring together under His supervision to bless the world, to reconcile the world for so many as were willing to hear and to heed.

It was not prophesied that Elijah would have success. On the contrary, the mere statement that if his labors were not successful in bringing about reconciliation this “curse” would follow, implies the probability of the latter. Other Scriptures, other prophecies, show us most distinctly that the Lord had foreknown and foretold through the prophets that the great Time of Trouble would surely come. Note, for instance, the words of Zephaniah, the prophet: “Wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until I rise up to the prey, for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy” ─ the fire of Divine anger, the just punishment for the wrong course taken by those who had been so highly favored of the Lord in respect to knowledge of the Divine character and plan. This figurative declaration of the intensity of the trouble with which this present Age will terminate, and which will inaugurate the new dispensation, fully agrees with the statement of our text, that if Elijah’s message went unheeded, did not succeed in converting mankind, then a curse, a great trouble, would be sent upon them by the Lord, with the view to teaching them the necessary lesson which they would not learn otherwise.

That the curse, the trouble, the fire of that day, will be effective and will yield blessed results is distinctly shown by the same prophet, Zephaniah, for through him the Lord immediately adds: “Then will I turn unto the people a pure language [a pure message], that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent.” (Zephaniah 3:8,9) The scourging, the curse, the Time of Trouble, the symbolic fire, will accomplish for mankind in short time what the message of Elijah failed to accomplish.

A TIME OF TROUBLE

Daniel the prophet (12:1) also refers to this “curse,” or Time of Trouble with which this Gospel Age will end. He speaks of it as “a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation,” and tells us that it will occur at the Second Coming of Christ, when He shall “stand up,” assume authority in the beginning of His reign. The same thought is given us in Revelation, where we are distinctly told that our Lord will take unto Himself His great power and reign, and at that time the nations will be angry and God’s wrath will come upon them, and that they shall be broken in pieces as a potter’s vessel under the rule of Messiah’s “iron rod” of inflexible justice (Rev. 11:15-18). The Apostle Paul also notes the coming of this “curse” as a sure thing, and declares that our Lord, at His Second Advent, shall be revealed “in flaming fire, taking vengeance” ─ symbolic fire, it is true ─ a symbol of the destructive force which will be exercised against everything that shall oppose the laws of Messiah’s Kingdom. Again he tells us: “The fire of that day shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (2 Thes. 1:8; 1 Cor. 3:13)

The Apostle James, also guided by the Holy Spirit, foreknew that the Elijah class would not be successful in its endeavor to bring about a reconciliation, and that the result would be a “time of trouble.” The Apostle Peter also tells us of this great curse which shall come upon the world in the end of this Gospel Age because of the failure of the mission of “Elijah” ─ because the antitypical Elijah, the Church in the flesh, fails to establish righteousness and love on the earth, fails to bring about reconciliation.

As we look out into the world we are surprised how little has been accomplished by the Lord’s faithful followers. Their work has merely gathered the Elijah class and witnessed to the remainder of the world. And this, indeed, was all the Lord intended for this Age, as various Scriptures show us. He foreknew the meagerness of results that would follow all our efforts.

“EVERY MAN’S HAND AGAINST HIS NEIGHBOR”

We do, indeed, see a spread of the humanitarian sentiment throughout the world. We are glad to note that a larger number of people than ever before possess some measure of sympathy for one another, evidenced by the hospitals and public homes and public schools and infirmaries, etc. Neverthe1ess, if we were to credit all these to purely Christian sentiment we should probably err. On the contrary, we are bound to assume from the knowledge we have on the subject that a measure of selfishness runs through all these various benevolences.

As for the hospitals, there is more or less pride on the part of medical men in connection with their estab1ishment; and as for the support, it comes largely through the public purse ─ through the appropriations of the State Treasury; and as for the benevolent sentiments which lie back of such appropriations for buildings, maintenance, etc. we are not toforget that the politicians who vote the moneys pay comparatively little of the taxes, and that they are influenced in large measure by a desire to curry favor among a majority of their constituents, and to some extent by architects and builders, who hope to make some profit out of the contracts, and by some who hope to obtain for themselves positions of influence or advantage in connection with the administra-tion of benevolences.

Thus, while wishing to give all proper credit for the benevolent spirit of our times, which is very great, we see that it would be a mistake not to notice that selfishness also has a hand in the benevolences. Besides, we live in a day when many wealthy people have more money than they know what to do with, in a day when some who profess Buddhism and not Christianity, are giving millions for the endowment of schools, the building of libraries and supplying church organs. We must remember that the mental organization of the natural man contains the organ of benevolence and also the organ of approba-tiveness, and to such it would be but the natural thing to use money in such a manner as would bring comfort or advantage to others and honor to himself.

But as we look out over the world, we not only see that it is not converted after nearly nineteen centuries of the preaching of the Gospel, with more or less admixture of error, but we see what is still more discouraging as respects the conversion of the world, namely, that the one-fourth of the human family, accredited with being of Christian faith, furnishes probably nine-tenths of all the murders, suicides and crimes of every character committed in the world.

IS THE WORLD’S CONVERSION HOPELESS?

We are not claiming that this is the result of Christianity; we are not claiming that the false teachings of the sects favor any of these misdoings. What we do claim is that these facts prove that the knowledge of the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, affects favorably only a small proportion who come in contact with it, and that among that favorably affected portion a comparatively few are saints, who in their earthly life are members of the great antitypical Elijah, whose lives are devoted to the promulgation of the Gospel, and doing all in their power to turn men from sin to righteousness, to harmony with the Lord.

Those who tell us that the world is rapidly being converted and that soon the Lord’s Prayer will be fulfilled, which says, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven” ─ these dear friends are surely closing their eyes to the plain facts of the case. Can they not see that if God’s will were done as fully in all parts of the earth as in the most moral and law-abiding cities in the world ─ the condition would still be far from that described in the Lord's prayer? Is God’s will done in any city as it is done in Heaven? Surely not! If the Elijah-class, the Church in the flesh, could accomplish such a conversion of the whole world as would bring all to the condition of the citizens of any community, the world would still be in the very condition which would call forth the great curse, the Time of Trouble, as necessary to the ushering in of the Kingdom of God's dear Son.

But not only so: Cast your mind backward to where the Gospel first was preached. Look at Jerusalem; look at Antioch; look at the cities of Asia Minor, at Corinth, at Rome, where the Gospel was first successfully planted, and what do we see? We see that almost every spark of true religion, true Christianity, has died out in all these places. What, then, could we hope for in respect to the world in general? If we could establish Christianity in every quarter of the globe, in every city and town and village and hamlet, not only would they still be far from the condition mentioned in Our Lord’s prayer, but we have no assurance of their remaining even in that moderate condition for any length of time.

No; what we need is the Second Coming of our Master and the establishment of His Kingdom, not only in great Glory, but also in great power ─ the forcible establishment of righteousness in the earth. The world will need what the Lord has promised for that glorious Millennial Reign, namely, that full assistance will be granted to all who will then desire it ─full Restitution power to lift up again out of sin and degradation, mental, moral and physical, and to bring back to original perfection all who will.

ELIJAH IN PROPHECY

Not directly, but indirectly, Elijah is shown in the New Testament to have been a type of the Gospel Church, his experiences typifying our experiences. For instance, he was persecuted because of his fidelity to the Truth. The Church also experiences such persecution.

Elijah’s principal persecutor was Jezebel, the wicked Queen of Israel, who is mentioned by name as the type of the enemy of the saints (Revelation 2:20). As Jezebel's persecuting power was exercised through her husband, the king, so Papacy’s persecuting power was exercised through the Roman Empire to which she was joined. As Elijah fled from Jezebel into the wilderness, where he was miracu-lously nourished by the Lord, so the true Church was led symbolically into the wilderness of isolation, but was miraculously sustained by God and her life was not permitted to be utterly destroyed. As Elijah was three and one-half years in the wilderness ─ and during that time there was no rain and a great famine prevailed ─ so the Church was three and one-half symbolic days, or 1,260 literal years, in the wilderness condition, during which time there was a spiritual famine and thirst because of lack of Truth, the Living Water, the Bread of Life.

As Elijah, at the close of the three and a half years, returned from the wilderness and manifested the errors of Jezebel’s priests, so the true Church at the close of the 1,260 years again came into prominence, since which time a great blessing of refreshment has come to the world, and Bibles at the rate of millions of copies every year are spread broadcast.

King Ahab and his people at first rejoiced that Elijah and his God were honored, but the spirit of Jezebel remained unchanged; she again sought Elijah’s life, and he again was compelled to flee into the wilderness. So with the corresponding blessings here: the world in general does not recognize the Lord’s hand in them. The Jezebel principle and spirit, not only in Papacy, but also in Protestantism, will doubtless, as soon as the Federation now proposed shall be effected, persecute the Lord’s true followers, the Elijah-class, and cause them again to flee into the wilderness, as did Elijah their type.

As Elijah's career ended by his being taken from the earth, so when the saints shall all have been changed from earthly to heavenly conditions, this will be the end of the Elijah-class. Its work will have been accomplished in its own development and in the witnessing it has done before the world. How it has witnessed, and what its Message in the world has been, and what its work as the Christ on the other side of the veil will be, we leave for consideration at a later time.

(What Pastor Russell Wrote for the Overland Monthly, pages 322-326, 1909)

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Marjorie,

Since “the field is the world” that’s where I’ve been.  Just returned from Kenya.  When I read that Emily was gone from us, my heart hurt.  She was such an inspiration to me. Her cheering me on in my fight against anti-semitism was special.  I never got to hug her in person.  One day I believe that I shall!

                                                            Our love to you, Frank Eiklor    (CALIFORNIA)