No. 661 THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

Revelation 16:12-16

Armageddon is a Hebrew word signifying the Hill of Megiddo, or the Mount of Destruction. Megiddo occupied a very marked position on the southern edge of the Plain of Esdraelon, and commanded an important pass into the hill country. This locality was the great battleground of ancient Israel’s history, on which were fought many of the famous battles of the Old Testament. There Gideon and his little band alarmed and discomfited the Midianites, who destroyed one an­o­ther in their flight (Judges 7:19-23). There King Saul was defeated by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:1-6). There King Josiah was slain by Pharaoh-Necho in one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of Israel (2 Chron. 35:22-25). There also King Ahab and his wife Jezebel lived, in the city of Jezreel, where Jezebel afterwards met a horrible death (2 Kings 9:30-37).

These battles were in a sense typical. The defeat of the Midianites released the people of Israel from bondage to Midian. Thus, Gideon and his band typified our Lord and the Church, who are to release mankind from their bondage to sin and death. The death of King Saul and the overthrow of his kingdom by the Philistines opened the way for the reign of David, who typified Messiah. King Ahab typified the civil gov­ernment, symbolically called the “Dragon” in the Revelation. Queen Jezebel symbolically fore­shadowed the great harlot, Babylon, and as such, she is mentioned by name. “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants.” (Rev. 2:20)

In the Scriptures, the Lord has evidently seen fit to associate the name of this famous battlefield, Armageddon, with the great controversy between Truth and Error, right and wrong, God and Mammon, with which the Gospel Age will close and the Messianic Age will begin. He has purposely used highly symbolic language in the last book of the Bible, evidently with a view to hiding certain important truths until the due time for their revealing. But even in the due time: “None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:10) None who are out of heart harmony with God shall know; but only the wise among His people; the wise virgin class of the Master's parable (Matt. 25:1-13).

When we consider our text, therefore, we are not to expect any gathering of the people literally to the Hill of Megiddo. Rather we are to look for that which is symbolized by that mountain. Many things are being called “The Battle of Arma­geddon”; this phrase is being used in many ways and from many standpoints. But Christians realize that this word Armageddon especially belongs to the Bible, where it is used in a spiritual sense. If therefore, the present is an opportune time in which to consider the Battle of Armageddon from a political standpoint, it surely is the proper time to consider the term from its true religious point of view.

We all know that the book of Revelation is full of symbols. God seems to have placed this book last in the Bible with the intent of covering up great and important truths. That it contains valuable truths is the opinion of all Bible students. Yet so skillfully has God covered those truths that His people in times past have not been able fully and clearly to discern them. We believe that this has been the Divine intention, not only because these truths were not due to be under­stood, but also because God intends to keep certain features of His Truth from the world.

Mankind has always misunderstood the Divine Plan; for God in His wisdom wishes to have them misunderstand. The truths recorded in the Revel­ation are not for the world, nor for nominal Christians, but for the Church–the Body of Christ, the saintly ones “the Church of the First-borns which are written in Heaven.” To these the knowledge will become “meat in due season.” “The wise shall understand.”

The Scriptures abound with allusions to Armageddon. Our Lord Jesus calls it “great trib­ulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) The Prophet Daniel describes it as “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1)

Closely in connection with this statement, Daniel declares that God’s Representative, “Mic­hael, shall stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of Israel.” The word “Michael” signifies “He who is like God” – the Godlike One. He will stand up for the salvation of God’s people, for the rectification of error and wrong, for the establishment of right and truth, to bring to the world of mankind the great Kingdom of God, which has been preached from the days of Abraham.

Time for the Establishment of Messiah’s Kingdom

The Revelation of St. John, being a book of symbols, will not be understood by the world. God Himself has said that only at a certain time may even the Church expect to understand. When the Prophet Daniel inquired concerning the meaning of his vision, the angel replied, “Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the Time of the End;” not the end of the world, but the end of the Age; the end of this Dispensation. “...The earth abideth forever.” (Eccl. 1:4)

St. Peter tells us that this Age is to end in a great conflagration symbolical of the Time of Trouble, in which present institutions will be swallowed up (2 Pet. 3:8-13). Elsewhere in the Scriptures, this terrible Time of Trouble is sym­bolically represented as a storm, as a whirlwind, as a fire, to consume everything. After the present order shall have passed away in the great Time of Trouble, God Himself will establish His Kingdom  the one for which we pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, even as it is done in Heaven.”

If, then, there is anything to indicate that we are living in the end of the Gospel Age, and that the Virgins are trimming their lamps, we may rest assured that the time for the Wise Virgins to enter into glory is close at hand. What a blessed message is this for “all who love His appearing!”

In the same prophecy which tells that the Time of the End is the time for the wise toward God to understand, we are told that this time will be especially marked by two particular features: first, “Many shall run to and fro”; second, “Know­ledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4)

 Today we see this prophecy fulfilled. All over the world, people are running to and fro as never before. Huge airplanes, railroads, Great Ocean floating resort hotels, automobiles pro-pelled by all manner of engines, subways and elevated trains, etc. carry mankind everywhere. General increase of know­ledge characterizes this wondrous day. Every child ten years old is able to read. All over the world are books, newspapers, Bibles in every home, television, computers, and oppor­tunity for knowledge such as never has been known since man was on earth.

The remarkable fulfillment of this prophecy marks our day as the time of The End, in which the present Dispensation is to be concluded and the New Dispensation is to be ushered in; the time when God's people will be able to understand the situation and to get ready for their change.

Principles, not Individuals, under Discussion

All Christian people credit the book of Revelation to our Lord, as St. John does (Rev. 1:1). Therefore, we are not responsible for the symbolism used in that book. There are so many ways in which one might be misunderstood, even by good Christian people, that we naturally feel a delicacy about expressing our views.

As we proceed to set forth our understanding of the symbols of the Revelation, we wish to state most emphatically that we are saying nothing whatever against godly Christians anywhere, at any time, whether in any church or out of any church. We have nothing to say respecting people. We discuss PRINCIPLES, DOCTRINES, AL­WAYS; individ­uals, NEVER! God has not commis­­­sioned us to discuss people; it is ours to discuss His Word.

As we present our interpretations of the symbols of Revelation, we realize that the Word of God conveys a very terrible arraignment of some of the great systems of our day some that we have long reverenced and esteemed, that we have thought contained many who are godly in word and in deed. Let us, therefore, clearly distinguish between individuals and systems. We say nothing against the godly individual, but in the interpre­tation of the Word of God, what we have to say is merely in respect to these systems. Indeed, we believe that the saintly people of God are left out of these symbols, probably because the Saints of God, as compared with the hundreds of millions of humanity, are merely a small company, as Jesus said; “Fear not, Little Flock.”

three unclean spirits

Coming to the interpretation of the symbols of Rev. 16:13-16, we find that there are three agencies connected with the gathering of the hosts to this Battle of Armageddon. We read that out of the mouth of the Beast, out of the mouth of the False Prophet and out of the mouth of the Dragon proceeded three unclean spirits like frogs; and that these three unclean spirits, frog-like, went forth throughout the whole world to gather the whole world into this Battle of Armageddon.

It is proper, then, for us to inquire what systems are meant by these symbolic words the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet. After we shall discover what is meant by these terms, we shall ask what is symbolized by the frogs that came out from their mouths.

Throughout the Bible, a Beast is the symbol used to represent a government. In Daniel’s prophecy, the great universal empires of the earth are thus symbolized. Babylon was the Lion, Medo-Persia the Bear, Greece the Leopard, and Rome the Dragon (Dan. 7:1-8). The Roman Empire still persists. Christendom is a part of that great Roman Empire which began in the days of Caesar and which, according to the Scriptures, still is in the world.

Practically all Bible exegetes agree that the Dragon of the Revelation represents the purely civil power, wherever it may be found. We do not understand this to mean that all the powers of the world are evil or of the Devil, but that the Dragon is the symbol which the Lord is pleased to use to represent civil power.

The Beast of Rev. 16:13 is the same that is mentioned in Rev. 13:2, where it is described as resembling a spotted leopard. Protestant inter­pre­ters of the Revelation agree that this symbol refers to the Papal system, not to the Pope, not to Catholic congregations, not to individual Catho­lics, but to the system as a whole, which has existed for centuries.

In His Word, God has been pleased to recognize the Papacy as a system, as a govern­ment. Papacy claims that the Kingdom of God, Messiah’s Kingdom, was established in 799 A.D.; that it lasted a thousand years, just as the Bible declares Christ’s Kingdom will last; and that it expired in 1799 A.D. They claim also that since 1799 this Kingdom of Christ (that is, the Papal system, represented in the Revelation as the Beast) has been suffering violence; and that during this time the Devil has been loosed, in fulfillment of Rev. 20:7.

History records that the era closing with 1799, marked by Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, sealed and defined the limit of Papal dominion over the nations. Napoleon even took the Pope prisoner to France, where he died. This humi­liating experience, Roman Catholics claim, marks the time of the loosing of Satan in fulfillment of Rev. 20:7.

We cannot agree with our Catholic brethren’s interpretation of prophecy. Our Lord was surely right when He declared that “the prince of this world is Satan,” and that this is “the present evil world” or age. The reason why there is so much graft, false doctrine, delusion, ignorance, super­stition everywhere is that Satan is the great being who is deceiving the world. According to the Scriptures Satan is to be bound for a thousand years that he may deceive the nations no more (Rev. 20:3). After the thousand years shall have been finished, Satan shall be loosed for a little season to test mankind. Then he will be destroyed in the Second Death, together with all who are in harmony with him.

Bible students are only now getting their eyes open to see the lengths, breadths, heights and depths of the Love of God His wonderful provision made, first, for the Church, who are to share in the Kingdom glory; and second, for the world of mankind, who will receive the blessing of an uplift to human perfection during that thousand years. This Messiah’s Kingdom nothing ever dreamed will compare with it. But the great work of God will not be perfected until every human being will have reached perfection, or will have been destroyed in the Second Death, because of refusal to come into harmony with the laws of righteousness. Then every creature in Heaven and on earth, will be heard saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb, for ever and ever.” (Rev. 5:13)

The Dragon, then, symbolizes the Roman power, represented by the civil power in the world. The Beast is the Papal system of government. The third symbol, the False Prophet, remains to be interpreted. This, we believe, is another name for the system elsewhere called “the Image of the Beast.” (Rev. 13:14) According to the Scriptures, this Image is a very exact representation of the Beast. The False Prophet, or Image of the Beast, we understand to mean the “Protestant” religions who declare, no matter which one, but one of us.

The Image of the Beast

In order to see why the Protestant Federation of Churches should be symbolized as the Image of the Beast and as the False Prophet, we must examine other symbolical Scriptures. In Rev. 17:5, our attention is called to a great “mystery.” The word “harlot” in Scriptural symbolism does not mean an immoral person. It refers to the Church, which was to be the Kingdom of God, but which lost her virginity and became united to an earthly husband, instead of her Heavenly Husband. To what earthly husband did the Church unite? To the Roman Empire. In the minds of Luther and other reformers, there was no doubt that there was a close union between the Church and the world. The Church for a time claimed to be waiting for Christ to set up His Kingdom. Finally she said, “I will not wait until the Second Coming of Christ, I will unite with the Roman Empire.”

All know the result. The Roman Catholic Church was exalted, and reined as a queen for centuries. This union of Church and State is represented in a famous picture found in Italy. On a throne, the Pope and the Emperor sit side by side. On one side are cardinals, bishops, the lower clergy and the laity, in order of rank. On the other side are generals, lieutenants, soldiers, etc., down to the common people. Thus, the union of Church and State was recognized.

On the basis of this union all earthly governments are called Christian; for they claim unity as part and parcel with the Church. History tells us that for centuries the Church appointed the earthly kings. Whosoever the Pope desired was crowned. In proof of the supremacy of the Church, a story is told in regard to Emperor Henry IV of Germany. He had incurred Papal displeasure and as a punishment was compelled to stand for three days without the castle gates of Canossa, barefooted, and clad only in the haircloth shirt of a penitent, exposed to the inclemency of mid-winter. Then he was forced to crawl on hands and knees into the presence of the Pontiff, whose silk stocking was removed in order that the emperor might kiss the Pope's great toe, in fulfillment of Psa. 2:12, “Kiss the Son, O ye kings of the earth.”

To our understanding, this is a mistaken application of Scripture. “The Son” is not the Pope. The “holy hill” is the Kingdom of God. His agency is symbolized as the holy Mount Zion. The great Messiah will completely overthrow all the things of the present time, and will establish the Kingdom of Righteousness and Truth, which will uplift mankind out of sin and degradation.

Roman Catholics believe that the Pope is the vicegerent of Christ, reigning in His stead. They believe that the present is the time when Satan is loosed to deceive the nations; that very shortly the Church will again get full power in the world; and that as a result everyone who does not obey them will be destroyed. This interpretation points us to Revelation 13th and 20th Chapters. Protestants do not appreciate the situation. Doubtless, all thinking people have noticed that overtures for union come from Protestantism, but never from Catholicism.

The question now arises, why should the Scriptures picture Protestantism as an Image of the Beast? When and how did this come about? From the time of the Reformation, Protestants had been striving individually to get out of the darkness of the past and thus had formulated many creeds and had organized many denominations. But about the middle of the last century, the leaders began to see that if everyone continued to study the Bible individually the time would come when each one would have an individual creed. To prevent what seemed to them a loss of power, they planned a union of Protestants in a system called the Evangelical Alliance.

 The Evangelical Alliance, an organization of the different Protestant denominations, was formed in 1846 for the very purpose of doing in their own way the same thing that Catholicism would do in its own way. Seeing the great power that Roman Catholics exercise because of a united system, Protestants said, “We are divided. We have no power. We will organize.” Then and there, according to the Scriptures, they made an Image of the Beast.

The Bible says, however, that before the Image can do any particular harm it must receive life from the two-horned Beast (Rev. 13:15). This two-horned Beast with horns like a lamb, but a voice like a dragon, we believe represents the Church of England, which is not a party to the Evangelical Alliance. The Church of England makes the claim which the Church of Rome makes, that she is the true Church; that all others are wrong; that she has the original apostolic suc­cession; and that no one is commissioned to preach unless he has had divine, apostolic hands laid upon him. This has been the contention of the Church of England for centuries, and constitutes the difference between that Church and all other Protestant denominations.

Although the Evangelical Alliance was organized in 1846, it has not been able to ac­complish its purpose, because it did not know how to operate. The denominations in the Alliance were united only in name, hence have worked against each other.

Denominations outside of the Alliance were declared to be unauthorized; and they, in turn, challenged the Evangelical Churches to show where they got authority to preach. As a result the Image had no power to act; it was trodden upon; and to get vitality life it would need apostolic succession; it must have something as a basis for operation. The Scriptures indicate that the Church of England will become intimate with the Evan­gelical Alliance and will give it apostolic authority to preach. Because of this union, the Alliance will be able to say, “We have apostolic authority to preach. Let no one speak unless he has our sanction.” This action on their part is described in Rev. 13:17. None will be allowed to buy or sell spiritual things in the spiritual market unless he has either the mark of the Beast or the mark of the Image.

In Rev. 16:13 we find mention of the False Prophet, another representation of the Image the vitalized product of the Evangelical Alliance, which has taken the form of Church Federation, and has today a great deal of vitality. Whether we can expect it to have more remains to be seen. The Scriptures clearly indicate that the Image of the Beast is to get so great power that it will do the same thing that the Roman Catholic Church did in the past; and that the two systems, Catholic and Protestant, will rule the civilized world with a high hand through the civil power, the Dragon.

“Three Unclean Spirits Like Frogs”

The Scriptures tell us that this result is to be brought about by the utterances of the combined power of Church and State. “Three unclean spirits like frogs came out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet.” In this passage, the spirit is a doctrine, an unclean doctrine and a false doctrine.

Each of these systems will utter the same things, and these utterances will have the effect of gathering the kingdoms of earth together to the great Battle of Armageddon.

The symbolism of Scripture, rightly under­stood, is very forceful, and there is always a close resemblance between the symbol itself and the thing symbolized. When the Holy Spirit uses a frog to represent certain doctrines or teachings, we may be sure that the application will fit well. While a frog is a small creature, yet it puffs itself up until it almost bursts with the effort to be somebody. A frog has a very wise look, even though it does not know very much and a frog croaks whenever it utters a sound.

The three most prominent characteristics of a frog, then, are pomposity, an air of superior wis­dom and knowledge, and a continual croaking.

Apply these characteristics to the picture given in the Divine Word and we learn that from the civil power of the Catholic Church and from the Protestant Churches that they will go forth with the same teachings. The spirit of all will be boastful; an air of superior knowledge and wisdom will be assumed; all will foretell dire results to follow any failure to obey their counsels. However conflicting the creeds, the differences will be ignored in the general proposition that nothing ancient must be disturbed, investigated, or repudiated.

The Divine authority of the Church, and the Divine right of kings, aside from the Church, will not be allowed to conflict; for both will be indorsed. Any persons or teachings in conflict with these boastful, unscriptural claims will be branded as everything vile, at the mouths of the frogs, croaking from pulpits and platforms, and through the religious and secular press. The nobler sentiments of some will be strangled by the philosophy of the same evil spirit which spoke through Caiaphas, the high priest, respecting our Lord Jesus. As Caiaphas declared it expedient to commit a crime in violation of justice, both human and Divine, to be rid of Jesus and His teachings, so this frog-like spirit will approve of any and every violation of principle necessary to self-protection.

Every true Christian is ashamed to look back upon the pages of history and see what terrible deeds were done in the name of God and justice, and in the name of our Lord Jesus. We are not to think for a moment that these frog spirits, or doctrines, are all bad, but rather that they are doctrines of bombast and pomposity, representing themselves to be very wise and great, and having the backing of centuries. Out of the mouth of the Dragon comes the doctrine of the Divine right of Kings: “Do not look back of the curtain of history to see where the kings got that right. Accept the doctrine; for if you do not, and if men look into the matter, there will be a terrible revolution and everything will go down!”

The Beast and the False Prophet have similar croakings. The Catholic Church says, “Do not look behind! Do not question anything about the Church!” Protestantism also says, “We are great, we are wise, we know a great deal. Keep quiet! No one will then know that you know nothing.” All say (croaking), “We tell you if you say anything against present arrange-ments, terrible things will come to pass.”

Political parties are figuring in this. All declare, “If any change should come, it will mean terrible disaster!” Some have the backbone and some have the civil power behind them, but united they croak to the people that if any change is made, it will mean ruin to the present order. In the language of our day, “Stand pat!” is the order in Church and in State; but the people are being moved by fear. It is this croaking of the Beast, the Dragon and the False Prophet that will arouse the kings of earth and gather them together to the Armageddon Battle and destruction.

The ecclesiastical kings and princes, with their retinue of clergy and faithful adherents, will be gathered in solid phalanx of Protestant and Catholic. The political kings and princes, senators, and all in high places, with their henchmen and retainers, will follow in line on the same side. The financial kings and merchant princes, and all whom they can influence by the most gigantic power ever yet exercised in the world, will join the same side, according to this prophecy. They do not realize, however, that they are coming to Armageddon; yet strange to say, this is a part of their very cry, “Come together to Armageddon!” Speaking of our day, our Lord declared, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:26)

The rulers of Europe do not know what to do. All sectarianism is being shaken. Many people of God are in perplexity.

The croaking of the frog spirits, or doctrines, will gather the kings and princes, financial, political, religious and industrial into one great army. The spirit of fear, inspired by the croaking, will scourge the passions of other­wise good and reasonable men to fury and des­peration. In their blind following of these evil spirits and doctrines, they will be ready to sacri­fice life and everything on what they mistakenly suppose is the altar of Justice, Truth and Right­eousness under a “Divine” arrangement.

Many noble people in this great army will assume an attitude quite contrary to their pre-ference. For a time the wheels of liberty and progress will be turned backward and mediaeval restraints will be considered necessary, for self-preservation, for the maintenance of the present order of things and for the prevention of the new order which God has decreed. The due time for this is at hand. Even those who may be God’s people do not stop to consider whether it is His will that things should continue as they have been for the past six thou­sand years. The Bible says that such is not God’s will, but that there is to be a great overturning, and a new order is coming. For a brief time, as we understand the Scriptures, these combined forces of Armageddon will triumph.

            Free speech and other liberties which have come to be the very breath of the masses in our day will be ruthlessly shut off on the plea of necessity, the glory of God, the commands of the

Church, etc. The safety-valve will be turned off, thus ceasing to annoy earth’s rulers with the sound of escaping steam.

          All will seem to be serene until the great social explosion described in the Revela­tion as an earthquake, will take place. In symbolic language, an earthquake signifies social revolu­tion, and the Scriptural declaration nothing such as this ever before occurred (Rev. 16:18,19). See our Lord’s reference to it in Matt. 24:21.

the Lord's Great Army

At this juncture the Scriptures show, “Divine Power” will continue as they have been for the past six thousand years. The Bible says that such is not God's will, but that there is to be a great overturning and a new order is coming. For a brief time, as we understand the Scriptures, these combined forces of Armageddon will triumph. Free speech, and other liberties which have come to be the very breath of the masses in our day, will be ruthlessly shut off on the plea of necessity; the glory of God, the commands of the Church, etc. The safety-valve will be sat upon, and will cease to annoy the earth’s rulers with the sound of escaping steam. All will seem to be serene until the great social explosion described in the Revel­ation as an earthquake, will take place.

The Lord's Great Army at this juncture the Scriptures show, Divine Power will step forward and God will gather the marshaled hosts to Armageddon, to the Mount of Destruction (Rev. 16:16). The very thing they sought to avert by their union, federation, etc., will be the very thing that they will hasten. Other Scriptures tell us that God will be represented by Messiah, and that He will be on the side of the masses. “At that time shall Michael [the Godlike One, Messiah] stand up.” (Dan. 12:1) He will assume authority. He will take possession of His Kingdom in a manner little looked for by many of those who erroneously have been claim­ing to be His Kingdom, and authorized by Him to reign in His name and in His stead.

        Our Lord Jesus declared, “His servants ye are unto whom ye render service.” Some may be rendering service to Satan and to error, who claim to be rendering service to God and to right­eousness; and some may serve ignorantly, as did Saul of Tarsus, who “verily thought that he did God service” in persecuting the Church.            

  The same principle will apply in the com­ing Battle of Armageddon; God’s side of that battle will be the people’s side. That very nonde­script host, the people, will be pitted at the begin­ning of the battle. Anarchists, Socialists, and hot-headed radicals of every school of reason and unreason, will be in the forefront of that battle. He who has any knowledge of army life knows that a great army is composed of all classes.

The masses will be restless under their restraints, but will be conscious of their weakness as com­pared with the kings and princes, financial, social, religious and political, which will then hold sway. The majority of the poor and the middle class prefer peace at almost any price. The masses have no sympathy with anarchy. They realize truly that the worst form of government is better than no government. They will seek relief through the ballot and the peaceful readjustment of earth’s affairs for the elimination of evil, for the placing of monopolies, utilities and the supplies of nature in the hands of the people for the public good. The crisis will be reached when the hitherto upholders of the law shall become violators of the law and resisters of the will of the majority as expressed by the ballot. Fear for the future will goad the well-meaning masses to desperation, and anarchy will result when Socialism fails.

The Lord’s saints are not to be in this battle at all. God’s consecrated people, longing at heart for Messiah’s Kingdom and the glorious Year of Jubilee and Restitution which it will inaugurate, will patiently abide the Lord’s time, and wait without murmuring for it. Their lamps trimmed and burning, they will not be in darkness respecting the momentous events of the impending battle; but they will be of good courage, knowing the outcome portrayed in the “more sure word of prophecy,” to which they have done well to “take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the Day dawn.” (2 Pet. 1:19)

The question now arises: Why did not God establish His Kingdom sooner? Why is Armaged­don necessary? The answer is; God has His own times and seasons, and HE has appointed the Great Seventh Thousand-Year Day for the reign of Christ. Divine Wisdom has withheld until our day the great knowledge and skill which is breeding at the same time millionaires and discontents. Had God lifted the veil of ignorance a thousand years sooner, the world would have lined up for Armageddon a thousand years sooner. God did not bring these things before the present time because His Plan has various parts, all of which are converging at the same time.

In kindness, God veiled the eyes of mankind until the gathering to Armageddon would immediately precede Mes­siah’s taking to Himself His great power and beginning His reign (Rev. 11:17,18).

The attitude of the people of God should be that of great thankfulness to the Giver of every good and proper gift. They should make provision for the great storm that is coming and keep very quiet, not unduly interested in the side of either rich or poor. We know in advance that the Lord is on the side of the people. He it is that will fight the Armageddon Battle, and His agency will be that peculiar army of all classes.

When this great “earthquake” of social revolution comes, it will not be a mere handful of anarchists, but an up­rising of the people to throw off the great power that is strangling them. Selfishness is at the bottom of the whole matter.

Soon but not quite yet, though the Armageddon forces have been mustering toward the conflict. People of all races, and per­sua­sions worldwide are frightened and growing more and more angry at unfairness and injustice.

People everywhere are finding terrible shortcom­ings in their once comfortable beliefs. Incidental skirmishes are breaking out in all parts of the world and in many instances caused by perceived violations of rights and greed. Banking, political, army and police scandals are prolifer­ating all over the world, shaking the public’s confidence. They are making each distrustful of the other. Bitter and angry feelings on both sides are more and more manifested. The lines of battle are daily becoming more distinctly marked.

Nevertheless, Armaged­don will not yet be fought. The Image of the Beast must yet receive life–power; trans­formed from a mere mechanism to a living force. Protestant Federations realizes that their organizations will con­tinue to be futile unless they receive vitalization unless their clergy directly or indirectly shall be recognized as possessed of apostolic ordination and authority to teach. The prophecy indicates it will come from the two-horned Beast, which we believe symbol­ically represents the Church of England. High-handed activities of Protestantism and Catholi­cism, operating in conjunction for the suppression of human liberties, wait this vivifying of the Image.

This may come soon, but Armageddon cannot precede it, but must follow–perhaps a year after, according to our view of the Prophetic Word. Still another thing intervenes. Although the Jews are gradually flowing into Palestine, obtain­ing control of the land of Canaan, and reports say that already more than a few millionaires are there. Prophecy evidently requires an even larger number of wealthy Hebrews before the Armageddon crisis be reached. Indeed, we understand that “Jacob’s trouble” in the Holy Land will come at the very close of Armageddon. Then Messiah’s Kingdom will begin to be manifested. Thenceforth Israel in the Land of Promise will gradually rise from the ashes of the past to the grandeur of prophecy.

Through its Divinely appointed princes, Mes­siah’s Kingdom, all-powerful, but invisible, will begin to roll away the curse and to lift up mankind, and to give beauty for ashes. “I can see His coming judgments, as they circle all the earth, The signs and groaning promised, to precede a second birth; I read His righteous sentence, in the crumbling thrones of earth; Our King is marching on. The seventh trump is sounding, our King knows no defeat, and He will sift out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. Oh! Be swift, my soul, to welcome Him; be jubilant, my feet; Our King is marching on.”

Garnered from That Servant Charles T. Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 4, “The Battle of Armageddon.” Introduction Page XIII.

No. 660 HAS GOD CHANGED HIS PLAN REGARDING HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE?

Since God selected Israel as his “Chosen People” to be the light-bearer of truth and righteousness to the world, and since Israel has been unfaithful, “stiff-necked and rebellious,” has God changed his plan and purpose concerning them?

Our answer: No, thank GOD. HE emphatically affirms the fixedness of HIS purpose:

“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: The Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disannul it.” (Isa. 14:24-27)

 “...I am God and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me... my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure... yea I have spoken it, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, and I will also do it.” (Isa. 46:9-11)

However unfaithful, stiff-necked and rebel­lious Israel has been, and however unfavorable, hard and drastic God’s dealings with them may appear, His original and unalterable purpose of making His Chosen People the light-bearer of righteousness to the world is destined to progress gradually to com­pletion. When the temporary permission of af­flic­tion shall have served its Divine purpose, God will restrain it. When Israel shall have humbly ac­knowledged Jesus as the Messiah, and shall have accepted His Atonement-sacrifice for sin, they will then understand their punishment was a wise feature in the Divine plan and policy of their education for the dispen­sing of His blessings to all the other families of the earth.

It is a mistake to regard the punishment meted out to Israel as merely punitive; it was corrective and educative as well, and intended to fit them for their Divine calling and destiny. Thus God intends that His Kingdom rule on earth shall yet be the ultimate constitution of Israel’s gov­ernment. But Israel must first be purified by a complete severance from the association of Gentile rulership. They must regain spiritual freedom, in their own land, and amid welcome surroundings they must revert to the love of truth and righteousness, and to the practice of faith and godliness. We must therefore view the exodus today as a great forward step in the development of Israel’s religion. Their special mis-sion as a nation to bless other people could never be accomplished as long as they remained scattered throughout Gentile lands. It is time therefore that all pious and serious-thinking Jews studied the history of their national experience with intent to go back to their nation and right themselves with their God. The sooner they return to their homeland and become reinstated to Divine favor, the sooner God will bless them, and the sooner His predestinated and unalter-able purpose of blessing all the families of the earth will come through them.

Glancing backward we notice God’s special selection of Abraham and certain of his offspring as the channels through which the promised bles­sing of all the families of the earth should come. God chose Abraham because of His faith. He is styled The Father of the Faithful, not because certain indivi­duals, Noah, Enoch and Abel before Him had not been faithful, but because with Abraham God started a faith family.

That family became known as a nation – the nation of Israel. The reason Abraham was called the “Father of the Faithful” was because those faithful ones that preceded him exercised faith more along abstract lines, whereas Abraham was head of a faith family – his wife, Sarah; his son, Isaac; a grandson, Jacob; and then came the great grandsons, the twelve sons of Jacob, all of whom, though, as we have seen, not always faithful by any means, nevertheless, belonged to the faith family and were members of the “Chosen People.”

“In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 22:18) The Divine promise and revelation to Abraham was made with an oath and it meant a definite and permanent selection of Israel, of the family of Abraham, from among all nations, as the one in whom the great work of blessing the world should be accomplished. Any blessing coming to any Gentile is destined to come as a fruitage of that oath-bound promise. GOD, speaking to Israel, declar­ed, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” (Amos 3:2)

 Israel alone was recognized and honored of God, and when His Son came, His ministry was confined exclusively to the Chosen People, and He would not permit His disciples to go to others, saying, as He sent them out, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.” Why, Jesus we might ask? Because, He explains, “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 10:5,6; 15:24)

Israel was permanently selected of God to be His special people, a treasure unto Him above all other people. Separated from the Gentile world, they were the recipients of special favor from God for over eighteen hundred years. This national favor began with the beginning of their national life when they were first recognized and called, “The Twelve Tribes of Israel” – a national name (Gen. 49:28; 46:3; Deut. 26:5).

The long years of national life and Divine favor temporarily ended with their tragic rejection of their Messiah when, five days before His crucifixion, He presented Himself to them as their King, and, not being accepted, he declared, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matt. 23:38)

This, the temporary end of their national favor, was the point of their fall from Divine favor, which fall continued for years, ending in the total destruc­tion of their national polity, as well as their city, Temple, priesthood and Atonement Day.

During the period of God’s favor to Israel, at which time Gentile nations were ignored, Israel had chastisements and blessings combined. But even their chastisements for willful sins were evidences and elements of God’s concern and His Fatherly care over them. He permitted trouble to come upon them, and frequently allowed them to be carried away into captivity when they became indif­ferent and disobeyed Him. Yet when they repented and cried unto Him, He always heard the prayer and delivered them. The entire his­tory of Israel, as recorded in Exodus, Joshua, Chronicles and Samuel attests to the fact that God did not long hide His face from them, and His ear was ever open unto their repentant cry, down to the very day their house was left desolate.

Even on that day, God had sent them the long-promised Messiah in the person of Jesus, His Son. The unfitness of Israel in any meas­ure to represent God and His Kingdom on earth, was evidenced in their rejection of the holy, harmless, and undefiled One, and their desire for Pilate to deliver unto them Barabbas, a murderer, in His stead.

Thus, because of Israel’s unfitness to represent God and His Kingdom, the day of their greatest favor became the day of their greatest fall from favor. Blinded, as a people, by national pride and prejudice, the great opportunity to be the first to recognize and herald the Messiah was taken away from them, and it went to Gentiles, a people whom, in the Jews’ ar­rogant pride, they despised as “dogs.” We note that in Israel’s conception of things, God was not con-cerned about the Gentiles.

They were deeply conscious of the age-long promise of The LORD GOD to their father Abra­ham. “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation.” They were quite unconscious of the mean­ing of the rest of the promise, “and all nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.” (Gen. 18:17-18)

They knew that this promise had been reaf-firmed to Isaac: “I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father”; but, again, the rest of the reaffirmation, “and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” was not compre­hended (Gen. 26:3-4).

They knew that the promise and reaf­firmation had been repeated to Jacob: “I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed,” but the rest of the promise, “and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 28:13-14) was lost upon them.

Thus God’s favor was not to return to Israel as a nation, to remove their blindness, and to lead them as a firstfruit of the nations into earthly blessings “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in [be finished].” (Rom. 11:25)

Paul declared (Rom. 11:7), “Israel [in their national pride] did not obtain that for which they sought [expected]” as the first people to recog­nize and herald the Messiah. In their pride of heart, expecting and claiming the chief blessing as their natural birth­right as God’s Chosen People, and as further merited by their keeping the Law of Moses, they rejected the bless­ing as simply a favor of God. As David prophe­tically foretold, their table, so bountifully spread with rich promises of God, became a “stumbling block, and a recom­pense unto them” (Psa. 69:22; Rom. 11:9-10) because of their hardness of heart.

Jesus who came humbly as an Atonement-sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and who would have exalted Israel to a position of glory above other nations of earth and beyond their expectation or their ability to desire or to hope, was to their pride a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” (Rom. 9:32,33; Isa. 8:14) Yet the blind­ness of Israel was only a blindness “in part” and not a total loss of sight (Rom. 11:25); and any Jew who, at any time, would resolutely brush away the films of prejudice and national pride, and humbly and thankfully accept the favor of God through Jesus Christ, was privileged to do so (John 1:11-12).

As previously stated, after Israel rejected and crucified the Messiah, they had no marks whatever of God’s favor. Their house was “left desolate.” Jews must honestly admit that they have been “fed with the bread of tears, and given tears to drink in large measure” (Psa. 80:5) and their groans and prayers have, for centuries, gone unanswered; and as foretold by their prophets, their name has been a “byword and a hissing unto all nations.” (Deut. 28:37; Jer. 29:18)

Though formerly God heard their prayers, marked their tears and returned them to their own land, and continually favored them, since the rejection of the Messiah, He has heeded them not and shown them no favor whatever. Since they said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children,” theirs has been one long continuous chastisement; they have been scattered and persecuted among all nations. These are physical facts as all may read them on the pages of history. We turn to the prophets and see how particularly these facts were foretold and what the same prophets have to say concerning Israel’s future.

Through the prophet Jeremiah (Chapter 16:13), after telling Israel how they had forsaken Him, the Lord declares: “Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods [rulers] day and night, where I will not show you favor.” (Verses 9‑13) These days came when they rejected the Messiah and declared, “We have no king but Caesar.” How literally this threat has been fulfilled all the world may judge, and Jews them­selves must honestly admit. This prophecy cannot refer to any of their previous captivities to sur­rounding nations, Syria, Babylon, etc.; such an inference is guarded against in the expression, “into a land which ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers.” Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees – Babylonia (Gen. 15:7), and Jacob from Syria. Israel’s dispersion among all nations since the end of their time of Divine favor, and no other of their captivities, fits this pointed expression – “a land which ye and your fathers have not known.” So then, this together with the “no favor,” positively marks this prophecy as relating to Israel’s disper­sion among all nations.

As previously stated, though God cast them off from all favor for a long time, it was never His intention to leave them cast off forever. He declares, “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north [Russia, Germany] and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.”

This has been fulfilled, the great re-gathering of Israel to the land of promise. It shall, include, by and by, their awakened dead as well as the living. God’s express purpose of driving and gathering them out of all the lands whither He has scattered them is being accomplished in our day.

It was on this promise of the receiving of Israel back again into Divine favor that Paul based an argument for the resurrection of the dead, saying, “If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them [back to Divine favor] be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15) The “receiving of them” will imply that the whole world, of which Israel is the first-fruit, is to receive shortly the gracious opportunity of Resur­rection and Restoration which the death of Jesus secured, and His glorious reign shall accomplish.

Among the very pointed references in the New Testament to the favor which is to be restored to Israel, is that by James (Acts 15:14-­16) and by Paul (Rom. 11:26). But first it was necessary for Israel to drink the very last dregs of their chastisement; and thus it is expressed in this remarkable prophecy (Jer. 16:18): “And first [before I return my favor] I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double.” This double of punishment was to be the measure by which Israel should be brought back to their true position as the Chosen People of God. During their cast-off condition, Jews have been but “dogs” to be cuffed, kicked and abused by Gentile rulers, and even denied, by Mohammedan rulers, the most ordinary privileges of existence in the land sacred to them with memories of the past, and with promises touching the future.

At the same time that the door of Palestine was beginning to open before them, a fierce persecution arose in Germany and in Russia, where it still continues. By one regulation after another, they have been despoiled of rights and privileges by Gentile governments, as well as mobbed, robbed and slain, until they are being compelled to leave in large numbers. But this persecution is a disguised favor, as it will tend, and has already tended, to cause them to look toward Israel and the covenants, and to remind them that they are still heirs of certain rich promises in the land of their fathers.

But we must remember that this is only the turning point of returning favor to Israel. Jerusalem and its people will continue to be “trodden down” – controlled and oppressed by Gentiles “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” and hence, though Divine favor has begun, Jews will not be considered back into full favor until no part of Jerusalem is longer in the hands of Gentiles. Israel’s rise again to favor will be gradual, as was their fall from it.

Let us turn back to the prophet Zechariah, (9:9-12). In a vision he walks beside Jesus who rides into Jerusalem on an ass and offers Himself as Israel’s King, five days before His crucifixion. To the people the prophet cries, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is just, and hav­ing salvation; lowly; and riding upon an ass.” Mark the clear fulfillment of these words as recorded in Matthew 21:4-9, John 12:12-15 and Luke 19: 30-42.

Every item was fulfilled even to the shouting. When Jesus came to the people, riding upon an ass, the common people shouted “Hosanna!” The Phar­isees and other leaders of Israel asked Jesus to rebuke the people, but He refused. Why? Because it had been prophesied that there would be a shout, and every item of prophecy must be fulfilled.

After briefly noting the evil and bitter con­sequences to follow the religious leaders’ rejection of their national King, the prophet, speaking for God, addresses the people again, saying, (Zech. 9:12): “Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will ren­der double unto thee.” Israel had, for years, been under the Roman yoke, but they were “prisoners of hope,” for a coming King who would deliver them from their oppressors and exalt them to the promised dominion of earth. Now their King, their “Stronghold” had come, riding to them on an ass, so meek and so lowly that they, in their ignorance of the prophecies and pride of heart, could not recognize Him as such a Deliverer. And much more, they were sin’s prisoners, and this Deliverer not only proposed to release them from Roman bondage, but, by His Atonement-sac­rifice, purposed the greater release also. Jesus had been with them for three and a half years, performing miracles and fulfilling prophecy in their very midst, and now came the last and final test; would they accept Him as King? The fore­knowledge of God, that they would reject their Messiah, is shown by the prophet, who, taking an assumed position in Jesus’ day, declared, “Even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee” (Zech. 9:12) This prophecy not only leaves no doubt about there being a double – a duplication – of chastisement added to Israel’s experience because of their rejection of their Messiah, but it also marks the exact day when it began, and makes the conclusion drawn from Jeremiah’s prophecy, and fixed by Jesus’ words, “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Luke 13:36) – doubly strong, exact and clear.

Call to mind Jesus’ words at that time, and in that connection He said, “O Jerusalem, Jeru­salem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not. Behold! your house is left unto you desolate; for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matt. 23: 37-39) Also we read that on the very last day of Israel’s favor, “When Jesus was come near [riding on an ass], he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace...” Here Jesus paused and left unsaid what would have been the condition of Jerusalem if she had accepted Him as her Messiah and King. If Jerusalem had known what things belonged to her peaceful existence as a nation, if she had heeded the light which God had sent her, she would have stood forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of the kingdoms of earth, free in the strength of her God‑given power. Had she accepted her “Passover Lamb,” she would have been “passed-over,” and there would have been no armed soldiers standing at her gates, no Roman banners waving from her walls, no siege of Jerusalem; there would have been no Hitler’s concentration camps, no “Times of the Gentiles.” The glorious reward which would have blessed Jerusalem, had she accepted her King and Redeemer, rose before the vision of her Messiah, and He saw that she would, through Him, have been healed of her grievous malady, liberated from Roman bondage, and established as the mighty metropolis of the earth. From her walls the dove of Peace would have gone forth to “all the families of the earth.” She would have been the world’s diadem of glory.

But the bright picture of what Jerusalem would have been, had she known the things that belonged unto her peace, fades from the Mes­siah’s sight. He realizes that she must stay under the Roman yoke; she must stay with the king she had chosen, bearing the disfavor of God, not “passed-over” but “smitten” and doomed to be left desolate.

In His grief, He takes up the broken thread of His lamentation: “But now [henceforth] they are hid from thine eyes. For the day shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy [Messiah’s] visitation.” (Luke 19:42-44)

Jesus knew the terrible retribution which would be visited upon the doomed city. He saw Jerusalem encompassed with armies, the besieged inhabitants driven to starvation and death, mothers feeding upon the dead bodies of their own children, and both parents and children snatching the last morsel of food from one another, natural affection being destroyed by the gnawing pangs of hunger.

He saw that the stubbornness of Israel, as evinced in their rejection of His Atonement, would also lead them to refuse submission to the invading armies, and He beheld Calvary, on which He was to be crucified, set with crosses as thickly as forest trees. He saw Israel suffering torture on racks, her beautiful palaces destroyed, the Temple in ruins, and of its massive walls not one stone left upon another, the city plowed like a field. Well might the Messiah weep in view of that tragic scene. Jerusalem had been the child of His love and care, and as a tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over His beloved city (Luke 19:41-42).

But we thank God, now that their “double” of chastisement is complete, we can see that their blindness is beginning to be turned away, and the things which “belong” unto their “peace” are no longer “hid” from their eyes. God, who evidently wished to settle all inquiring minds beyond doubt, has given further information concerning Israel’s “double” by another of His most honored servants – the Prophet Isaiah. This prophet takes a pro­phetic stand down here in our day when Israel’s punishment has been fulfilled, and, addressing us who now live and understand these things, he gives us God’s message, saying, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her appointed time [of punishment] is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:1-2)

The prophets vary their standpoints of utter-ances, sometimes speaking of future things as future, and sometimes assuming a position future, and speaking from the assumed standpoint; as, for instance, Isaiah, speaking of Messiah’s birth, as-sumes to stand beside the manger where the babe, Jesus, lay, when he says, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder” etc. (Isa. 9:6) The book of Psalms cannot be read intelligently unless this principle be recognized.

No better illustration of this principle of dif­ferent prophetic standpoints can be given than the three prophecies relating to Israel’s “double” of punishment already noticed. Jeremiah foretold that the days would come when God would scatter Israel among all nations, and that, when they had received their “double” of punishment, He would gather them again by a more mighty display of power on their behalf than when they came out of Egyptian bondage, saying, “They shall no more say the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel... from all the lands whither he had driven them...” (Jer. 16:14-15) Zechariah speaks as though living at the time of Jesus’ offering Himself to Israel as their King, and he tells us that there, in that very day, their “double” of punishment began to count. Isaiah stands beside us in this, our day, and calls our attention to the fact that God had a fixed or appointed time for returning His favor to Israel, and he admonishes us that we who understand this message should now give to Israel the com-forting testimony that her double of punishment is complete, her iniquity pardoned; her appointed time of disfavor accomplished. Each of these three prophecies is strong and important, but combined, they are a threefold cord of wonderful strength to the humble, trustful Israel of God.

Be it remembered that Israel, regardless of their stiff-necked rebelliousness, and the disgrace which they have repeatedly brought upon their name, are, nevertheless, a Chosen People. It was God who chose them, and God makes no mistakes. The mistakes have been on the part of Israel for which they have suffered. God is still Israel’s God, and He has separated them from other people. Let us notice for a moment the Divine decree that Israel shall be separate from all others: “I am the Lord, your God which have separated you from other people... I have severed you from them.” (Lev. 20:24-26) “...[it] shall not be at all, that ye say we will be as the heathen, as the families of the country...” And Moses declared, “So shall we be separated from all other people that are upon the face of the earth.” (Exodus 33:16)

Ever since the people of Israel have borne the name Israel, Prince of God; they have been set apart from others, a separate people, a Chosen People and have occupied a special position, enjoyed special favors, experienced special punishments and have played a special part in the Divine arrangement. Israel, as a Chosen People, did not come under the general head of all mankind during Jesus’ first presence on earth; He was sent to them only – “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And now, during the time of His second presence, Israel, as a separate and Chosen People will play a special and leading role in the Divine program. Jews, as a separate people – a Chosen People, are promised the same restoration, and more; God has promised that their “house” that was “left desolate” shall be “set up” again; the “ruins” shall be rebuilt. Moreover, He declares “And I will restore thy judges as at the first and thy counselors as at the beginning! Afterward thou shalt be called the City of Righteous­ness, The Faithful City.” (Isa. 1:26)

Thus Israel, who, at Jesus’ first presence, was given first consideration, will again, during His second presence, have a priority of consideration, for “he will save the tents of Judah first.” (Zech. 12:7)

(Chapter Six of THIS IS THE MILLENNIUM, by Shelah Ben-Hanan)

 The Chosen People are destined to pick up again the thread of their national polity and play a special and leading role in the Divine program. This is evi­denced by the Scripture which, speaking for the Messiah, declares,

“I will return and build again the tabernacle of David [the Jewish polity] that has fallen down.” (Acts 15:16) It fell down because of their unfaith-fulness. Although Jesus said, “Your house is left desolate,” He has not utterly and permanently cast them away. After they have sufficiently experienced desolation and ruin, he will “return and build again the ruins thereof and set it up.” (Acts 15:16) This is in contrast with the fact that no “ruins” of any Gentile polity will ever be rebuilt; no “fallen” Gentile government will ever be “set up” again. All Gentile peoples are promised a general restoration to what they lost.

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STRENGTH SUFFICIENt

     Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear

          The burden of tomorrow?

     Sufficient for the day the care,

          Its evils and its sorrow,

     God imparteth by the way

          Strength sufficient for the day.

QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – You quote from Pastor Russell as though he was infallible. Do you think he was infallible?

ANSWER – No, we do not think he was infallible. However, our Lord appointed Brother Russell as That Servant at His Second Advent:

 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?” (Matt. 24:45)

We believe That Servant gave the household more truth than was given by any of the Reformers of the Gospel Age.

The Reformers gave the truth to the household of faith due in their time. That Servant was the last Reformer of the Gospel Age therefore had a clearer understanding of the due truth at the Second Advent.

That Servant gave us the Plan of God as no man has done since the days of the Apostles. His writings were not inspired as were the Apostles, but he gave us Scriptural proof for what he taught. It is not because of his wisdom that our Lord appointed him as That Servant, although he was wise, but the truth was given to him because of his faithfulness to the inspired Word. The Lord found him “so doing” – searching the Scriptures. (v. 46)

Those consecrating between the ages

The whole Plan of God was due at our Lord’s Second Advent, and Brother Russell made it clear to those who were “of the truth.” (John 18:47) He did not fail to give “all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) He taught the four elect classes: the High Calling, the Great Company (crown-losers) as the two Heavenly classes; the Ancient Worthies and the unbegotten class as given in Reprint 5761 as the earthly elect classes.

Our thought is that with the closing of the door of this Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them. The High Calling not being yet open and the restitution opportunities not open. But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would in the future life, have a “better resur­rection” than would the remainder of the world.

The thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make a full consecration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in his ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who proceeded this Gospel Age. We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a consecration after the close of the Gospel Age High Calling and before the full opening of the Millennium. The Apostle Paul gives us 2 Tim. 2:20: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor and some to dishonor.”

Here the Apostle Paul also gave four elect classes: gold (the Saints) and silver (Great Company, crown-losers), the Heavenly elect; the wood (Anc­ient Worthies), earth (the unbegotten class we call Youthful Worthies); and also two classes of the world, the sheep (honor) and the goats (dishonor).

It does not matter if the Apostle Paul knew the interpret­ation of this text. The under­standing of it for the Lord’s people was not due until His Second Advent. The teaching of most of the Old Testament Prophets was not understood by them. But these Prophets and the inspired writings of the Apostles make the Plan of God one harmonious whole. But the Prophets did look forward to a Kingdom of Peace on Earth as their teachings reveal. Abraham looked forward to Jesus’ day and was glad (John 8:56).

The faithful are in the School of Christ and will learn more and more of the Grace and Know­ledge of the Lord until they finish their course. Brother Russell, too, was in the School of Christ and learned more and more until his death as is attested by his articles in the Watch Towers.

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18)

No. 659 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM, AND HOW IT WILL MANIFEST ITSELF

 “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with Glory, saith the LORD of hosts.”  (Hag. 2:7)

 “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and 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: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:1, 2)

 “At that time they shall call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.” (Jer. 3:17)

Dread events are now casting shadows and causing fear and trepidation in this present evil world, but those who look from “the secret place of the Most High” (Psa. 91:1), see a silver lining to the clouds of trouble which may well cause them to look up and lift up their heads and rejoice that their deliverance draweth nigh, and also relief for all bought with the precious blood, when the “Sun of righteous­ness shall arise with healing in his beams.” (Mal. 4:2)

Many of these current conditions are so openly manifest that even the thoughtful natural man may be considerably impressed. But now we approach a part which requires a clearer sight, more careful study of the Lord’s Word and a firmer grasp of faith; for it deals with things not yet visible except to the eye of faith. However, God’s people are expected to walk by faith and not by sight, and to trust that what God has promised he is abundantly able to perform (Rom. 4:18-21).

Of these things none could know by any learning or wisdom of his own; but all who have the unction from the Holy One have faith in the power of God to say: “There hath not failed one word of all his good promise” (1 Kings 8:56); and these can with patience wait, and trust implicitly for future good things.

We learned in Vol. I, “Studies In The Scriptures,” (Chaps. 13 and 14 and Vol. II, Chap. 4) that the “Times of the Gentiles,” which occupy the interim of time between the removal of the typical Kingdom from Israel and the full establishment of the true Messianic King­dom upon the ruins of the present World Govern­ments, will end in October A.D. 1914. We have seen that the period of our Lord’s presence from 1874 to 1914 is a “harvest” time, the earlier part of it for gathering his elect bride, and the latter part a time of trouble, for the overthrow of present institutions, in preparation for the new Kingdom.

Let us now examine, in the light of the prophetic lamp (Psa. 119:105; 2 Pet. 1:19), some of the details connected with the setting up of this Kingdom of the Highest, which is to be the fifth universal empire of earth, and to have no end; and to bring blessings to all its subjects, while all other kingdoms have in great measure brought disap­pointment and oppression to the “groaning creation.” No wonder that in type it is declared to be ushered in with a Jubilee trumpet (Lev. 25:9); and no wonder the Prophet Haggai (2:7) assures us that eventually it shall be recognized as the “Desire of all nations.”

As having a practical bearing upon the manner of the establishment of “the Kingdom of God,” the “Kingdom    of Heaven,” let us keep in memory what we have already learned from the Scriptures (Vol. I, pp. 288-300.) respecting this Kingdom’s royalty and those who shall constitute it.

(1) It is the Kingdom of God in the sense that the Heavenly Father is the Great King and has arranged the plan of salvation of which the Millennial    Kingdom will be a part. It is his Kingdom also in the sense that it will be established and perpetuated by his power (1 Cor. 15:24-26). It is his Kingdom further, in that it will represent him as the great chief ruler, and his laws and his love and mercy through the Mediator whom he has appointed.

(2) It is also the Kingdom of Christ—the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, in that Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant will be the active ruler of this Millennial Kingdom, as the Father’s representative, for the purpose of subduing evil, destroying sin, and bringing into full, hearty obedience to the Father and his laws all of the redeemed race willing to be fully restored to the Divine likeness and favor and everlasting life.

 (3) It will be the Kingdom of the Saints, in that they as “a royal priesthood” (Rev. 5:10) shall reign and judge and bless the world in conjunction with their Lord, Jesus (Rom. 8:17,18).

The Kingdom class proper will consist only of our Lord and his “elect” of this Gospel Age, to whom he said: “Fear not, little flock, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Of these, also, the Lord said to the Prophet Daniel, “The Kingdom and dominion, even the majesty 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 rulers shall serve and obey him.” (Dan. 7:27)

But these, be it remembered, will all be “changed” in their resurrection (the first resur­rection—Rev. 20:4,6; 1 Cor. 15:42-46,50-54; John 3:5,8) and thereafter will no longer be human beings, but “partakers of the divine nature,” and as invisible to mankind as are God and the heavenly angels. There will consequently be necessity for some means of communication between this glorious Church and those whom it will be judging (See 1 Cor. 6:2; and Vol. I, Chap. 8.) and lifting up out of the degradation of sin and death. Such communication between spirit beings and humanity in the past has been accomplished by the spirit beings appearing in bodies of flesh, and thus communing with certain important persons respecting Divine arrangements. Thus angels appeared to Abra­ham and Sarah and Lot and Gideon and Daniel and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and others. Such com­munication was made by our Lord to the apostles after his resurrection as a spirit being—because it was necessary to communicate to them certain instructions, and “the holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  (John 7:39)

But we do not expect that the com­munication between the spiritual rulers and their earthly subjects will be after this manner during the Millennium; for we find that God has made provision that a certain class of humanity, already tried (during the period before the Gospel Age) and found worthy of perfection and everlasting life, shall throughout the Millennial Age serve as the intermediaries between the spiritual Kingdom, the Saints, and their subjects, mankind.

(4) These intermediaries, while not the Kingdom in the proper sense of the word, will be so fully the representatives of it amongst men that they will be recognized as the Kingdom by men: they will represent the Kingdom before men and be the only visible representatives of it. Hence we have termed these “the earthly phase of the Kingdom,” visible among men. (Luke 13:28)

These, “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets” and Ancient Worthies referred to by our Lord and by the apostles (Matt. 8:11; Heb. 11:4-40), having passed their trial, will be awakened from death perfect—fully restored to human perfection; and will not require a “resur­rection by judgment” a thousand years long, as will the residue of mankind. And this perfection will enable them to communicate with the spiritual Kings and Priests direct, without need that the spirit beings assume fleshly bodies for the purpose of communicating the laws, etc., for the world. Just as Adam, while perfect, before his trans­gression, could commune direct with the heavenly powers, so will these Worthies com­mune, when restored to the same state of perfection.

But the earthly rulers will not be the “Kings and Priests,” but under the King’s appointment they shall be “princes in all the earth”—prominent or chief ones—rulers, instructors.

INTIMATE COMMUNICATION

Between The Kingdom And Its Representatives

That the earthly phase of the Kingdom will be on terms of intimate communion, fellowship and co­operation with the Kingdom proper, the spiritual rulers, is evident. They will be related to each other as father and children, and as co­operative departments of the same heavenly government: the heavenly being the legislative or law-giving department, and the earthly  the executive or law enforcing department.

As it is written: “Out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom] shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord [the Divine messages, through the “princes”] from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3)

SETTING UP THE KINGDOM

“The Kingdom of God is preached, and every man [accepting the testimony as a message from God] presseth into it.” (Luke 16:16) For over nineteen centuries this message, this offer of the Kingdom, has been doing its intended work of selecting the “elect overcomers” from the world. During all this Age these have waited the Father’s time for their setting up or exaltation to power, as his Kings and priests, to rule and to teach the redeemed people of the earth, and thus bring to them the opportunity of everlasting life through faith and obedience. Yet during all this time this Kingdom class has suffered violence at the hands of the Ishmael and Esau class, and at the hands of Satan, the prince of this world, and his blinded servants. As Jesus expressed it—”The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 11:12) He, the head of the Kingdom, suffered to the extent of death; and all of his followers have suffered something of earthly loss as a conse­quence of being translated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1:13).

This submission for over nineteen centuries to the violence of dominant evil has not been because of lack of power on the part of our risen, ascended and glorified Lord to protect his people; for after his resurrection he declared—“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) The exercise of the power is delayed for a purpose. In the Father’s plan there was a “due time” for the great sacrifice for sins to be given, and another due time for the Kingdom to be set up in power and great glory to rule and bless the world: and these were far enough apart to permit the calling and preparing of the “elect” Church to be joint-heirs of the Kingdom with Christ. The evil influences and opposition of sinners have been permitted for the purifying, testing and polishing of those “called” to be members of the Kingdom class. As with the Head, so with the Body, it is God’s design that each member shall as a New Creature be “made perfect through suffering.” (Heb. 5:9)

But now we are in the end of this Gospel Age, and the Kingdom is being established or set up. Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874, A.D. according to the testi­mony of the prophets, to those who have ears to hear it: and the formal inauguration of his kingly office dates from April 1878, A.D.: and the first work of the Kingdom, as shown by our Lord, in his parables and prophecy (the gathering of “his elect”), is now in progress.

“The dead in Christ shall rise first,” explained the Lord through the Apostle; and the resurrection of the Church shall be in a moment. (Vol. III, Chap. 6) Consequently the King­dom, as represented in our Lord, and the sleeping Saints already fitted and prepared and found worthy to be members of “his body” the “bride” was set up in 1878; and all that remains to be done for its completion is the “gathering together unto the Lord” of those of the “elect” who are alive and remain—whose trial is not yet complete.

However, instead of the Kingdom waiting for the living members to finish their course, the Kingdom work began at once; and the living ones on this side the veil, are privileged to know “the mysteries of the Kingdom” and to engage in Kingdom work before their “change”; and as they die (will not fall “asleep,” but) will be “changed” in the moment of death, resurrected as part of the blessed and Holy first resurrection: as it is written—“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, they shall rest from their labors, while their works will continue.” (Rev. 14:13)

All this is in harmony with the Scriptural declaration that the Kingdom of God must first be set up before its influence and work will result in the complete destruction of “the powers that be” of “this present evil world”—political, financial, ecclesias­tical—about the close of the “Times of the Gentiles,” October A.D. 1914. Let us note some scriptures to this effect.

In describing the events under the Seventh Trumpet, this order is observed: (1) the power is taken by the Lord as King of Earth, and his reign begun; (2) as a consequence the great judgment-trouble comes upon the world. We are told, prophetically, that the reign begins before the Time of Trouble, and before the resurrection of the Saints and prophets; but that it will continue long after these (for a thousand years), until it shall have “judged” all mankind, rewarding those who reverence the Lord, and destroying those whose influence is corrupting. Note these points in the following quotation:

“We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and wast and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. [Represented in Christ, “All things are of the Father,” and “all things are by the Son,” his honored representative.] And [as a consequence of the reign begun] the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that reverence thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which corrupt the earth.” (Rev. 11:17,18)

We read similarly that the Kingdom reign will begin before “Babylon” falls; and that Babylon will fall as a result of Kingdom judgments—discerned later by some in her who are represented as getting light and liberty through Christ after her fall. They say:

“True and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great harlot which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” (Rev. 18; 19:2-7)

The Prophet Daniel was divinely inspired to rehearse and explain to King Nebuchadnezzar his vision of Gentile power, represented by a great image. The vision showed a stone smiting the image on the feet, and as a result the utter wreck of Gentile power, and that stone then expanding until it filled the whole earth. The explanation given shows that God’s Kingdom will be set up and fully empowered, and that the wreck of earthly governments will be the direct result of the energy of that Kingdom. Daniel’s inspired testimony is as follows:

“In the days of these kings [the last of Gentile power-represented in the toes of the image] the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom [present in embryo throughout the Gospel Age, but not recognized by the world as such]; it [unlike the changing Gentile powers pictured in the image] shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people [as the power of the image shifted from one people to another], but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Dan. 2:44,45]

Our Lord assured his faithful that at the time of the establishment of his Kingdom and the overthrow of Gentile power, the overcoming Church would be with him, and have a share in that work. His own words are:

“He that overcometh and keepeth my words 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. 2:26,27)

We may not be able to judge accurately as to what features of the great work are now being carried on by the Lord and his glorified saints beyond the veil.

However, we may be sure that they are active participants in the work assigned the members of the same Kingdom class, whose course and service are not yet ended on this side the veil—the harvest work (1) of gathering the living “elect”; (2) of saying unto Zion “Thy God reigneth”—the Kingdom is being set up; and (3) declaring the Day of Vengeance of our God.

SETTING UP THE EARTHLY GOVERNMENT

Not before the full end of Gentile Times (October, 1914) should we expect the earthly phase of God’s Kingdom; for in giving a lease of dominion to the Gentiles until that date God made no mistake and his plans alter not. The earthly phase of the Kingdom of God when set up will be Israelitish; for such is God’s covenant with Abraham and his natural seed. Even the chief favor, the spiritual Kingdom, was offered first to fleshly Israel, and would have been given to them if they had been ready at heart to receive it on the conditions attached to it, to suffer with Christ and afterward to be glorified with him (Rom. 8:17). Israel indeed desired and sought the best God had to give; but “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for: but the election [the “little flock” selected from both Jews and Gentiles] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded”—not forever, but until the election of the spiritual seed, the Kingdom proper, is completed (Rom. 9:31-33; 11:7,23, 25-32).

While Israelites in various stages of unbelief will be gathered back to Palestine under Divine favor, according to promise, yet none shall be in any degree reckoned as a part, or even as supporters of, or associated with the earthly phase of the Kingdom, except as they shall first recognize Christ Jesus as the Son of God, the only Redeemer and Deliverer for Israel and the world.

The beginning of the earthly phase of the Kingdom  after 1914 — will, we understand, consist wholly of the resurrected holy ones of olden time—from John the Baptizer back to Abel, ”Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the holy prophets.” (Matt. 11:11; Luke 13:28; Heb. 11:39,40) While these Ancient Worthies will have neither part nor lot in the spiritual Kingdom, because not “called” thereto, that high or “heavenly calling” not being possible until after the ransom had been paid by our Lord Jesus, yet they will occupy a position of preferment above the world, having attested their faith and love during the reign of evil, in a manner approved of God. Thus they were prepared and proved worthy to be the earthly ministers and repre­sentatives of the spiritual Kingdom. In harmony with this it is written in the Psalms, as addressed to the Christ—”Instead of [being longer considered] thy fathers [they] shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes [chief ones] in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16)

These Ancient Worthies will be unlike the rest of men, not alone in the fact that their trial is past while the trial of the world in general will just be beginning; but they will be unlike them also in the fact that they will have attained the reward of their faithfulness—they will be perfect men, having completely restored to them all that was lost in Adam of mental and moral likeness to God, and perfection of physical powers. Thus they will not only be the “princes” or chiefs of earth (the earthly representatives of the Heavenly King­dom—Christ and his Church), but they, individually, will be representatives of what all the willingly obedient may attain to under the New Covenant.

When Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the Ancient Worthies have been resurrected, and shall appear among the re-gathered Israelites, about the close of the time of Jacob’s final trouble with Gog and Magog, their superior mental powers will speedily distinguish them from others. Moreover, their perfect minds will quickly grasp present-day knowledge and inventions; and they will be peculiar in many ways, as was the man Christ Jesus, of whom the people said—“How knoweth this man literary matters, having never learned?” (John 7:15)

And as Jesus taught the people positively, definitely, clearly, and not doubtfully and in a confused way, as did the scribes, so it will be with the perfected Ancient Worthies, when they appear amongst men. Besides, these worthies, “princes,” will have direct communion with the spiritual Kingdom (Christ and the Church) as our Lord had with the angels, and as Adam enjoyed similar personal communion before he came under Divine sentence as a transgressor. These “princes” of the new earth (the new order of society) will be fully qualified for the honorable position assigned to them.

Thus we see that when God’s time for the inauguration of his Kingdom among men shall arrive, his agents will all be amply ready for the service; and their master-strokes of wise policy, their moderation and dignified self-control, and their personal exemp­lification of every grace and virtue will attract men and quickly enlist them—chastened under the great tribulation—in active cooperation. Even before the disclosure of their identity, doubtless the people of Israel will have remarked their pre-eminence over other men.

Furthermore, let us remember that the very design of the great Time of Trouble, now nearing a culmination, is to break the stony hearts of the whole world, to bow down into the dust the proud, and break up the fallow ground with deep furrows of pain, trouble, sorrow, thus to make the world ready for the great blessings of the Millennial Kingdom.

This will serve its intended purpose: as the Prophet declares, “When thy judgments [Lord] are [abroad] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9) By that time all will have learned that selfish schemes and all schemes that can be devised and carried out by fallen men are defective, and lead only to various degrees of trouble and confusion. And all will by that time be longing for, but despairing of, a reign of righteousness—little realizing how near at hand it is.

Israel’s long cherished hopes of the King­dom will meantime be reviving amongst those who, from respect for the promises, shall have gathered to Palestine. When to these the Ancient Worthies shall declare their resurrection, and the form of righteous government to be established, the plan will un­doubtedly be promptly recognized as of the Lord, and when they shall learn that the real Kingdom over them is the spiritual, and that Jesus the crucified is the King, and mentally, with the eye of faith, shall “look upon him whom they pierced”—then, “They shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem.” And God “will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication.”(Zech. 12:10,11)

The news of the discomfiture of the hosts of Gog and Magog, and of the wonderful deliverance of Israel from their enemies, will be speedily followed by the news of the appearance of their renowned “fathers,” resurrected, and the estab­lishment of a government with these at its head, and of the general conversion of Israel to the long rejected Messiah. And no doubt much of this will pass for a fraud amongst Gentiles: the Jews will be laughed at for being gullible, and the Ancient Worthies will be classed as shrewd impostors.

But the blessing from the reorganization of government under the new auspices in Israel, will work such wonderful and rapid changes in Israel’s welfare as will astonish the then anar­chistic and discouraged world, and lead many to think and to say—whether impostors or not, the work of these men who claim to be the resurrected prophets is the very one the world needs! Would to God they would take control of the whole world, and bring order and peace out of our universal disorder. And then they will send to have these wonderful “princes” extend every­where their government, their yoke of righteous­ness, seen to be so beneficial to Israel. This is stated by the Prophet in the following words: “It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains [as a Kingdom above all king­doms], and shall be exalted above the hills [the highest peaks]; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom—the glorified Christ, head and body] shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem [the seat of the earthly representative government in the hands of the “princes”]. And [previously—in the great Time of Trouble] he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people. And [as a result of the Lord’s rebukes and subsequently his law and Word] they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isa. 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4)

THE INTIMACY BETWEEN THE KINGDOM AND ITS EARTHLY “PRINCES”

As we should expect, the communication be­tween the two phases or parts of the Kingdom will be easy and direct; and thereby the super­vision and instruction of mankind will be complete—the “princes” being the channels of Divine commu-nication. This seems to be the intim­ation of our Lord’s words to Nathanael: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God [the messengers of God, the “princes” of the new dispensation] ascending to and descending from the Son of Man.” (John 1:51) Was not Jacob’s dream of the ladder between heaven and earth, and the passing to and fro of messengers, a prophecy as well as a dream, fore­showing the coming close communication be­tween the Heavenly Kingdom and the world, in which work, as one of the com­municating mes­sengers, Jacob himself was to have a share in the blessing of the world? We believe that it was so intended (Gen. 28:10-12).

That Moses, the mediator of the Law Covenant, was a type of Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant, is clearly taught in the Scrip­tures and generally recognized by Bible students; but all have not recognized that Moses was a type of the entire Christ, head and body, and that in this sense the entire Gospel Age has been the period of Christ’s raising up. This, however, is the only application of the type that will fit in a number of cases: for instance, in Acts 3:22,23.

At the making of the Law Covenant, at Mount Sinai, Moses seems to have been a type of the complete Christ (head and body) at the introduction of the Millennial Age, when the New Covenant will be introduced to the world—after “the sound of the great [seventh] trumpet,” and the black darkness and “great earthquake,” etc., of the Day of Vengeance shall have appalled mankind and made them ready to hear the voice of the Great Teacher, and glad to accept his New Cove­nant. This is distinctly pointed out by the Apostle (Heb. 12:18-22) who seems to mark every step of the parallelism. Israel had been approaching and had finally reached Mount Sinai, that might be touched, and from which such fearful sights and sounds emanated that all feared and quaked: but we are approaching Mount Zion and its wondrous glories and blessings far superior to those at Sinai; but ac­companying these greater blessings will be the more terrible trumpet, blackness and earth­quake shaking—the final shaking of all that can be shaken (all that is sinful and contrary to the Divine will), that only that which is true and enduring may remain. The solution of the whole matter is in the words: “Wherefore we [who anticipate thus] receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God ac­ceptably.” (Heb. 12:28)

Continuing examination of this illus­tration, we note that after this Moses went up into the Mount (Kingdom) and was glorified in type; that is, the skin of his face did shine so that Israel could not look at him. This would seem to typify the completion of the Church (Christ, head and body) in glory. And the veil which Moses after­ward wore before the people, but laid off when with the Lord in the Mount would seem to typify the earthly phase of his Kingdom, the “princes in all the earth” through whom the Christ will speak to the people and be represented, the glory being hidden.

This seems to be a striking illustration of the intimate relationship which will exist between the earthly “princes” and the heavenly Kings and Priests. Moses’ going up into the mount to com­mune with God while the mountain was clothed in clouds flashing with lightning, and the earth quaked as the thunder rolled, represented the fact that the Body of Christ will be completed, the last members “changed” and received into the King­dom at the time when the present order of things is being changed, in the midst of a great time of trouble such as earth has never yet experienced.

(The preceding six pages were garnered from That Servant’s Studies In The Scriptures, Volume 4, Chap. XIII Page 615)

In the Winter 2011 edition of LHMM’s The Present Truth and Herald of Christ’s Epiphany there were six Questions on pages 60-62. Two of these questions included the Consecrated Epiphany Campers concocted by R. G. Jolly and John Krewson. RGJ became Executive Trustee of LHMM after Bro. Paul S. L. Johnson died in 1950. RGJ died February 14, 1979. John Krewson was disfellowshipped from LHMM in 1956 and formed The Laodicean Home Missionary Movement. Krewson came up with the Quasi Elect and the two got together and coined the false premise of Consecrated Epiphany Elect (CEC).

The first Question was asked of R. G. Jolly at a Question meeting Oct. 31, 1971. The questioner referred to a discourse by Elmer Herzig entitled “Laodicea” given at Chicago Oct. 30, 1970 and asked: “Did Bro. Herzig say that all Youthful Worthies and CEC would finish their course before Laodicea ends?” After approximately 1000 words the answer was “Yes.”

The Second Question was asked of RGJ at a question meeting, in Pottstown, PA: “Is the High Priest still in his sacrificial garments? If so, when will he take them off?”  His answer with almost 150 words: “Not yet.”

Question Three is from PT Question Book, p. 252: “Can I be absolutely sure that I am a Youthful Worthy?” The answer is a little confused. The best answer: “You will know soon after resurrection.”

Question Four: With no indication of when or where it was asked: When will we know when the last Youthful Worthy has finished his course? His answer: “It would be more important to know who will be the last.”

Question Five (1952): Would it be proper, then to say that the Youthful Worthies are covered tentatively by Jesus’ imputed merit and that it will not be used for the world of mankind until after all the Youthful Worthies have finished their earthly course? His Answer: “Yes.”

Question Six (1967), PT Question Book, p. 58l, pars 2, 30: Are the Consecrated Epiphany Campers—having their names written in the new book of Life? This was another murky answer and more on this in a future article.

Brother John J. Hoefle wrote in his paper No. 81, April 1962, entitled “A Review of Campers Consecrated.” This paper was in question and answers form. All of these questions had already been answered and published in previous papers, which annihilated the false doctrine of Consecrated Epiphany Campers.

Question: – Did either of the last two Principal Men ever teach such a class in the end of this Age?

Answer: – NO, neither of them even hinted that we should look for such persons in the Household of Faith, although Brother Johnson clearly taught that the Epiphany Camp In The Finished Picture would contain the “formerly faith ­justified ones who hold to the Ransom and practice righteousness, and Converted Israel.” However, of these he clearly states in E:10‑209 that they would be the Not Consecrated Jews and Gentiles.

Question: – Is such a class designated in any direct Scripture, or indicated in any type or prophecy?

Answer: – No, there is nothing anywhere in the Bible that even hints at such a class. And be it remembered that a type that might seem to allow such interpretation would in itself be insufficient, because it is clearly stated on p. 25 of the Berean Topical Index under Types and Figures that “A type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms."

Question: – If there is no direct Scripture, type or prophecy to prove Campers Consecrated, how did the idea originate?

Answer: – It is a pure invention of the Jolly‑Krewson twosome.

Question: – Should we expect them (R. G. Jolly and J. W. Krewson) to see a new doctrine?

Answer: – No; their attempt in this matter is a part of the “gazing” so clearly forbidden in Ex. 19:21‑23. Here are Brother Johnson’s comments on such matters: “All the brethren, except the star‑members, are forbidden direct Biblical study on new doctrines, types and prophecy, which is ‘gazing’ for them.” (E:10‑XXIV)  And again on page XXVI: “Nonsense upon nonsense has been produced by the typing of the Toms, Dicks and Harries during the Parousia and the Epiphany.” Campers Conse­crated is just some more of that “nonsense.”

Note further in E:11‑495: “None of these brothers were the first to see new doctrines, which under Jesus is the exclusive privilege of star‑members .... They have been privileged to find new confirmations of doctrines previously made known by Jesus to His star‑members.” And further in E:11‑369: “This was a pro­hibition to brethren now inventing new teachings as true (such as Campers Conse­crated – JJH) and from God, a prohibition which the six classes of sifters and others have disregarded. (This should prove to all the Fully Faithful just who are the real “sifters” since Brother Johnson’s death – JJH). It impliedly charges that the teachings that God gives by Jesus be held, AND NO OTHERS.”

Question: – Could there possibly be a place for Campers Consecrated in the Epiphany Tabernacle?

Answer: – Not if the Epiphany Messenger gave us the Truth on the Epiphany Tabernacle. In E:6‑199-202 he clearly states there can be no justification outside the linen curtain. And in the same book, p. 348, he says Tentative Justification – ­which comes only to those inside the linen curtain – must precede the call to conse­cration.

Question: – Are we still operating under the Epiphany Tabernacle?

Answer: – So far as we know, neither of the Jolly‑Krewson twosome can deny that the Epiphany Tabernacle is no longer with us; but they impliedly deny it by their Campers Consecrated “strange fire” (false doctrine). We say this be­cause the Epiphany Messenger never placed such a class in or about the Epiphany Tabernacle. Note his comments in E:11‑591: “There is a threefold set of antitypes of the Tabernacle type: (1) the Gospel‑Age antitype, (2) the Epiphany antitype and (3) the Millennial‑Age antitype. Only one of these three antitypes operates at a time; i.e., only one of them can be visible as working at any one time, and the other two are kept out of sight at such a time.” In view of such clear comments by the Epiphany Messenger, those who now attempt to change the Epiphany Tabernacle are forced into one of two positions: (1) They must admit they no longer accept the truth on the Epiphany Tabernacle, as given to us by the Epiphany Messenger himself; or (2) They must contend we are no longer operating under the Epiphany Tabernacle. If this latter is true, then the Millennial‑Age, or Basileia, Tabernacle must logi­cally be present with us.

Question: – What is Brother Johnson’s interpretation of the complete Epiphany Tabernacle?

Answer: – In the finished Epiphany Tabernacle the Most Holy represents the condition of Divine beings; the Holy represents the condition of crown-retaining New Creatures – members of the Body of Christ; the Court represents the condition of the Great Company and Youthful Worthies; the Camp represents the con­dition of the formerly faith‑justified (those people who lost their Tentative Justi­fication in the Court by being forced from the Court, thus receiving the “grace of God in vain” for elective purposes); and outside the Camp represents the unbeliev­ing world, and the excommunicated.

Question: – Is there any evidence that the Basileia Tabernacle has come into existence?

Answer: – No evidence whatever! And to demonstrate the confusion of those who succumb to the Sixth Slaughter‑weapon Man (Revolutionism) we cite p. 8 of the January 1962 Bible Standard, col. 1, bottom, where R. G. Jolly states the “Epiphany signs are now plainly manifest in our midst.” This statement is indeed the Truth; and those signs were clearly apparent in 1914 when the Epiphany period began. “The Epiphany and the Time of Trouble are identical,” says Brother Johnson; and the Time of Trouble (one of the more pronounced “signs” of the Epiphany) made its appearance at precisely the same time as did the Epiphany period. With this “word behind thee” as a sure guide, we may definitely conclude that equally strong “signs” of the Basileia will also appear when the Basileia Tabernacle is erected and the Basileia is ushered in. Thus far, R. G. Jolly has not pointed out a single one of those signs.

Question: – What outstanding feature makes a clear distinction between the Epiphany and Basileia Tabernacles?

Answer: – There are NO New Creatures in the flesh in the Basileia Tabernacle. In the Millennial Tabernacle Brother Johnson sets forth the Most Holy and the Holy as containing Divine beings operating from God to man; the Court containing only Levites – the Great Company as spirit‑being, Merarites, the Ancient Worthies as Kohathites, and the Youthful Worthies as Gershonites, none of which can be described as New Creatures from the Gospel‑Age viewpoint; the Camp containing the World undergoing Restitution; and outside the Camp having those not yet beginning Restitution, and those second‑deathers who die at one hundred years of age. Therefore, we may know with absolute certainty that, so long as even one New Creature remains on earth in the end of this Age, it would be utterly impossible for the Millennial‑Age Tabernacle to begin operation.

No. 658 THE REIGN OF CHRIST

The thousand-year reign of Christ, “whose right it is,” will be the most marked and eventful “day” in the history of the human race – a Mil­lennium “day” to be especially remembered through­out the ages to follow.

For more than six thousand years death has been swallowing up the race almost as fast as it has come into existence. The elements of deter­ioration and decay, physical, mental, and moral, are at work at the very conception of a new human life. But the seventh thousand-year day shall witness the revers­ing of this order and the undoing of all the work of sin and destruction. So thorough will be its work that when this New Day closes, no force or governmental power will be necessary to secure obedience to God’s will; for his will shall be “done on earth” as completely “as it is done in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

The great work to be accomplished by the Messiah during this Millennial Age is Resurrection and Restoration. It is not presumable that we shall be able to fully comprehend the philosophy of the resur­­rection or the re-creation. The work of creating a living, intelligent being is a work beyond our comprehension.

We can much less comprehend the re‑creation of a being who has been completely destroyed, and as the same person, brought back so that he will remember himself as having lived before, and that others will recognize as the same individual whom they previously knew. But when we remember that God created the first man, Adam, out of the dust of the ground “Why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8)

The awakening from death will be one of the events of this Millennial Day though not the only, nor the first event. The dead will be awakened, probably in reverse order, after surrounding circum­stances are favorable to their return. The exception to this will be the Worthies who were reckoned perfect through their faith before Christ opened the door to the High Calling and after he closed it at the end of the “times of the Gentiles” when the prescribed number of His Bride had been selected.

For some of the names of the Ancients of before the Door was opened see Chapter 11 of Hebrews. These two worthy classes will come forth, already restored to perfection before the unbelieving world at the last of the “day of his preparation” (Nahum 2:3), which will have made the living nations ready to accept his Kingdom and righteous authority. The chief among these living nations, the Bible informs us, will be Israel restored to glory and prominence, exalted above all other nations – “the joy of the whole earth.” (Psa. 48:2) “For the Lord shall yet choose Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1:17) And next in position of favor will come other living nations in proportion as they appreciate and conform to the law of the reign of earth’s New Ruler.

Christ “day of preparation” will first consist of “a time of trouble” (Dan. 12:1) unlike any that has been since the beginning of the world (Matt. 24:21). He must first bind the strong man (Matt. 12:29), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), “this present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) The binding of this usurper and his minions both spiritual and fleshly will be by The Christ, who’s right it is by God’s anointment. The ensuing of the Time of Trouble is likened in Scripture to the travail of pregnancy with waves of pain, growing in intensity until the child (the New Kingdom) is delivered. The ferociousness at the end of this Time of Trouble will be such that all with even the slightest sympathy toward the existence of the empires of Satan will be removed. Those left at that time will be the sincerely willing for the new Kingdom to come when Christ will say “peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39) No one should presume that the dead would be brought back to be subjected to the same old environment, temptations and snares that made shipwrecks of him or her before. Satan will be bound, and there will be no licensed evils and no allurements to vice. All lines of business, which tempt humanity by seducing them through the weaknesses of their fallen nature and the un­balance of their mental and moral qualities, will be stopped. All greed inspiring, time killing and character depraving businesses will be eliminated. Moral reforms will be instituted along all lines, and financial, social and religious questions will be recast in harmony with both justice and love. Judgment will be “laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet.” (Isa. 28:17) All of earth’s affairs will be squared and plumbed and brought into strict conformity with righteous­ness. The nations will be ruled by irresistible force until a righteous order is established by a general submission, for “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess.” (Rom. 14:11) Divine power and authority; and outward obedience will be compulsory. It is declared, “He shall rule the nations with a rod of iron.” (Rev. 19:15) The rod and power rule will continue throughout the Millennial Age, for he must reign until all opposition is “put under his feet.” As the personification of wisdom power and authority in the Millennial Age, the prophet, speaking for the New Ruler, declares: “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings’ reign and princes decree justice. By me princes rule and nobles even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and they that seek me early [in the New Day] shall find me. Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and right­eousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those that love me to inherit [the earth] a lasting possession; and their treasuries will I fill... he who findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord, but he that sin­neth against me wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death.” (Prov. 8:14‑21,35,36)

It might be with serious apprehension that we would contemplate the establishment of the most autocratic government the world has ever known, in which the lives, property and every interest of mankind will rest absolutely in the hands of the King, without appeal, were it not that we have the most absolute and convincing proof that every regulation and arrange­ment of the Kingdom is designed for the benefit of its subjects. The King of that Mediatorial Kingdom so loved those over whom he is to reign that he gave his life to secure for them the right of an individual trial for everlasting life; and the very object of his Millennial reign is to assist them in that trial. As the Redeemer of man, it is he “whose right it is” to control that which he pur­chased with his own blood. When the living nations learn to be still and to know that Christ is Lord (Psa. 46:10), then the “preparation” work will be accomplished, and the glorious work of Resur­rection and Restoration “spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets” will begin, which work will consist in restoring mankind back to their “former estate” of human perfection and God’s image.

The awakening from death, as well as the restoration to health of those who are not completely dead, is the beginning of restoration, which work will not be entirely complete until the original perfection of body and mind, lost for the race by Adam, shall have been fully restored to all who are willing to accept the favor of God through the merit of his Son’s Atonement. An illustration of how a sick man may be restored to health is given in the book of Job (33:19-26):

“He [man] is chastened with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain so that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat [choice food]. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen [being so emaciated], and his bones that were not [originally] seen, stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave [death] and his life to the destroyers [decay and corruption]. If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter [to explain the Atonement] one among a thousand [it is not many who believe in the logic of the Great Atonement to show unto man what is right for him then he [God] is gracious unto him [the man] and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit [the grave], I [God] have found [recognized] a ransom [for him]. His [the man’s] flesh shall be[come] fresher than a child’s, he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God and he [God] will be favorable unto him, and he [the man] shall see his [own, youthful] face with joy, for he [God] will render unto man his righteousness.”

The Bible declares, “all these things are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages are come,” “for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning... that we might have hope.” (1 Cor. 10:11; Rom. 15:14)

The awakening from the sleep of death will find a man the same kind of person morally and intellectually as he was when his existence terminated; hence the raising to perfection will be gradual and will require training, education and discipline, and we are told that Christ must “reign until he has put all enemies under his feet [subdued all opposition].” (1 Cor. 15:25) When sickness and pain are no more; when all sorrow and sighing and tears are forever banished; when death is completely blotted out; when man is restored to the image of his Maker; then and not until then will the object of the Messiah’s reign be accomplished. And after accomplishing the “restoration of all things,” Christ will deliver up the restored empire to “God, even the Father.” (1 Cor. 15:24) And we are assured that the time limit for this restoration work is one thousand years (Rev. 20:1‑4). It follows then, that the Millen­nium, the thousand years of Christ’s reign, shall complete the great work of salvation beyond which there is no probation.

Any person who gains full light and knowledge, either now or after death and resurrection, and who spurns the favor of God extended through his Son, shall be deemed worthy of the “second death.” The Apostle Paul declares “the last enemy to be destroyed is [Adamic] death.” (1 Cor. 15:26) The “second death” is not an enemy, but becomes a servant of righteousness inasmuch as it effects the permanent removal from earth’s society of all those who oppose a righteous govern­ment. Then Christ, at the end of his reign, shall present his finished restoration work to the Father, a work which will make manifest the wisdom, power, justice and love of God to all his intelligent creatures, and which will lead men to honor the Son who executed the plan, even as they honor the Father whose wisdom arranged it. Then the language written in every perfect human heart shall be, “I delight to do thy will, O God; thy law is written in my heart.” (Psa. 40:8)

Thus it is declared that the righteous Ruler “shall not fail nor be discouraged; he shall set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law.” (Isa. 42: 4) “All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” (Isa. 52:10) “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all kindreds of the nations shall worship before him, for the Kingdom is the Lord’s and he is the Governor among the nations.” (Psa. 22:27‑28) “And when thy judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9) These are but a sample of the many prophetic utterances in the Old Testament concerning restoration, and the New Testament takes up the strain and carries it forward to its final consummation – “And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)

Thus we see that the reign of Christ over the affairs of earth is for a limited time, the Millennial Age, and for a particular purpose, Restoration, and it will terminate with the accomplish­ment of that purpose. Man as we have seen, through rebellion, forfeited his God‑given rights – among others, self‑government in harmony with God’s perfect law. Jesus’ Atonement sacrifice redeemed all those rights and secured the right for man not only to return personally to his “former estate” mentally, morally, and physically, but also to return to his former office as king of earth. The human race is a race of ransomed beings against whom Justice has no claim, who may be restored to life at the will and pleasure of the Redeemer who proclaimed that in due time, all in their graves would hear his voice and come forth.

Earth’s New Monarch, Christ Jesus, figuratively the second Adam or second Lifegiver, is the “everlasting Father” inasmuch as the life he gives will last forever (Isa. 9:6). And when man has been fully restored to the mental and moral image of God, and to his original dominion of earth, every animal and creature under man will instinctively recognize him as its ruler and master, and thus will be complete the great work of redemption and restoration planned and purposed from the beginning of the world, com­menced at the First Advent of Jesus and finished with the close of his Millennial reign. This is God’s plan not only as evidenced by every statement of the Scriptures, but it is the reasonable and logical conclusion to be drawn by the giving of an Atonement‑sacrifice for original sin. Moses records the first dim ray of hope of redemption and restoration for mankind in the first book of the Old Testament (Gen. 3: 15) – “The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.”

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul tells us who the “seed of the woman” is, in the words, “God sent forth his son made of a woman.” (Gal. 4:4) And the Apostle John tells us who the serpent is – “That old serpent which is the devil.” (Rev. 20:2) So, then, Jesus, the Son of God, “made of the woman,” will bruise the serpent’s head – will “destroy him that hath power of death, that is the Devil.” (Heb. 2:14)

Jesus having given himself a “ransom for all” and abolished the legality of the curse of death, his next work is to take to himself his great power and reign and abolish it in fact. But to bring man back to mental, moral, and physical perfec­tion, as God designs, in the way best suited to impress the lesson of present experience, he will require man to put forth an effort toward his own recovery, and this will require a “rod of iron rule,” a strong and an exacting government. And the honor of completing man’s recovery, the right to which he died to secure, is conferred upon Jesus Christ; and thus “the gov­ernment shall be upon his shoulder.” (Isa. 9:6) When all opposition is completely subdued; when all willful rejecters of Divine grace shall have been destroyed, the re­mainder of the redeemed race shall then be turned over to the heavenly Father, perfect and complete, fully restored to his own image and likeness. The Bible expresses the matter in these words: “Then cometh the end [of Christ’s reign] when he shall have delivered up [surrendered] the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he [Christ] shall have put down all [opposing] rule, power and authority; for he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet.” (1 Cor. 15:24‑25)

Thus the great work of restoration will be finished. It will then be a world where thrones have crumbled; where the aristocracy of idleness has perished from the earth, a world without a slave; a world at peace adorned with every form of art, with music, while lips are full of words of love and truth, a world in which no exile sighs, no prisoner mourns; where the shadow of death does not fall; where effort reaps its full reward; a world without the beggar’s outstretched palm, without the miser’s stony stare; without the piteous wail of want, without the livid lips of lies, without the cruel eyes of scorn; without disease of body; a world where joy ever deepens, where love canopies the whole earth; where God’s will is done on earth as it is done in heaven.

All who understand the doctrine of restoration can readily discern the necessity for the Atonement; that there can be no restoration and blessing of mankind except by bringing them into absolute harmony with their Creator; and that such a restoration necessitated first of all redemption of the sinner – a payment of his penalty. Although Jesus paid the penalty, and “gave himself a ransom for all,” “all” gives no criterion by which we may judge the number who will by heart‑loyalty return to atonement with the Father. And there is neither suggestion on God’s part, nor any ground for supposition on man’s part, that Divine favor and life everlasting will ever be attained by any except those who come into full heart‑harmony with right­eousness. We rejoice, however, that oppor­tunities for salvation, far better than are now recognized by Christendom, shall, in God’s due time, be extended to every creature.

The Messiah, after having accomplished his mission as regards the restoration of all the willing and obedient, will abdicate the throne of earth and deliver the Kingdom to the Father, and mankind will deal directly, as at the first, with God, the mediation and Atonement of Christ Jesus having accomplished fully and completely its appointed and predestined work of restoration and reconciliation. The Kingdom, when delivered up to the Father, will still be the Kingdom of God on earth, and the laws of righteous­ness and obedience will always be the same. All mankind, then perfectly restored, will be capable of rendering perfect obedience in letter as well as in spirit.

When, in the end of his reign on earth, Christ delivers up the Kingdom to the Father, he does so by delivering it to mankind as the Father’s repre­sentatives who were designed from the first to have this honor. And so it is declared, “Then shall the King say, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 25:34) From the very beginning of the world, God prepared the earth for man, and thus we read, “The earth hath he given to the children of men.” (Psa. 115:16)

Although God was glorified in all his original works on earth, in every creature, however insig­nificant, even though some of them could not render him thanks, appreciate him or even know him, we know that the great Divine purpose from the beginning was preparing the earth for man who was intended to be the masterpiece of his earthly creation. It was not said of man as of the lower earthly animals, “Let the earth bring forth,” nor as with the sea creatures, “Let the seas swarm,” but it is recorded, on the contrary, that man was a special creation by his Maker, “made in his image and likeness.” We are not to understand this “image” to be one of physical shape; but rather, a mental, moral and intellectual image of the great God, fashioned appropriately to earthly conditions and nature. And as for the “likeness,” it relates to man’s dominion; he was to be king of earth and its teeming creatures, like God is King of the great universe – “Let us make man in our likeness and let him have dominion.” (Gen. 1:28) Here is the battleground between God’s Word and so‑called Modern Science. The Gentile world, especially the leaders of thought in theological seminaries, and the ministers in prominent pulpits, are bowing down to the false god called “Evolution.” The two theories are squarely at issue: If the Evolution theory regarding man be true, the entire Bible is false from Genesis to Revelation. If the Bible is true, the Evolution theory is utterly false in all its deductions as respect man.

It is not alone the Genesis account of man’s creation in the Divine image that must determine the matter; the entire theory of the Bible supports the Genesis record, and stands or falls with it. For, if man was created otherwise than pure and perfect and mentally well endowed, he could not, truthfully, have been called an “image” of God; nor could his Creator have placed him on trial in Eden to test his fitness for everlasting life; nor could his disobedience have been accounted sin and punishable by a death sentence; nor would it have been necessary to have redeemed him from that sentence by an Atonement. And the result and outcome of the Atonement, the Bible informs us, will be a restoration to man’s “former estate” (Ezek. 16:55). But if the evolution theory were true, a restoration to a “former estate,” so far from being a blessing to the race, would be a curse and a crime against it. For, if by blind force or other evolutionary processes, man has been climbing up by tedious endeavor and laborious efforts, from protoplasm to oyster, and from oyster to fish, and from fish to reptile, and from reptile to monkey, and from monkey to lowest man, and from lowest man to what we are today, then it would be a fearful injury to the race for God to restore it to what it was in the beginning, or possibly to force the restoration further back – to protoplasm. There is no middle ground on this question. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe; they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin.

To prove the existence of an intelligent God, one needs only to study the history of Israel. Analyzing the Chosen People, we find that among the relics of antiquity that have come down through the centuries to this day, there is no object of so great interest as the Jewish people. Searchers after ancient lore have untiringly questioned every inani­mate object that could give a mite of historic or scientific information in order to learn all that is possible to know of human origin, history and destiny. But the most interesting relic and the one whose history can be the most easily deciphered and understood is Israel. In them the world has a monument of antiquity of inestimable value upon which is recorded the origin, progress, and final destiny of the whole human race. They are the true Jehovah’s witnesses, living and intelligent witnes­ses of the gradual outworking of a purpose in human affairs in exact conformity with the predictions of their Divinely inspired prophets. God, having sent to them his prophets and committed unto them his oracles, led them up step by step from being a nation of slaves to be, as in the time of Solomon, a people distinguished and honored among the nations, attracting the wonder and admiration of the world. Then, because of their disobedience and offenses against him, he withdrew his favor and permitted them to be scattered, homeless, destitute and persecuted. Because of the evidence of Divine power over them, God, himself, declares, “Ye are my witnesses that I am God.” (Isa. 43:12)

Thus, an earnest study of the Jewish people will convince any sincere seeker for truth that there exists an intelligent Creator, one who is orderly in his dealings in behalf of humanity and most definite in the shaping of the destiny of his Chosen People. An earnest study will also reveal that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is now taking unto himself his great power to reign over them, for the “set time” to return of favor to Zion is come. “Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favor her; yea the set time is come.” (Psa. 102:13) It was at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians that Gentiles began their long domination of the earth and especially the Jewish homeland. This domi­nation was by Divine permission, and it was decre­ed to end at a “set time,” for no Gentile power ever was designated as “the Kingdom of God” or assured perpetuity of rule. Gentile powers were permitted to dominate the earth for a fixed and definite term as a punishment to Israel for unfaithfulness. At the appointed time, their rule will terminate, and the prophet Isaiah declares that forthwith God will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the Four Corners of the earth (Isa. 11:12). Then God’s original purpose for Israel will be resumed, and once more Israel’s opportunity to represent righteousness in the earth will return to them under the reign of their King who shall eventually have “dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth” (Psa. 72:8); for “the uttermost parts of the earth shall be his possession.” (Psa. 2:7‑8)

Restoration cannot fail. It has the backing of the great Atonement‑sacrifice of Jesus and the promise of Almighty God. Those of Israel who are unsympathetic and unwilling to help in the rebuilding of the Jewish homeland do not have the faith of Abraham; they do not possess Jacob’s appreciation of God’s promises; but like Esau, they prefer the things of momentary comfort rather than claim their Divinely intended birthright.

We have evidence today that we are entering into the Millennial Reign of Christ. The things, which the Lord through the prophets, declares, will transpire in that day evidence this. The Lord, through the prophets, speaks of the Millennial Day in various terms; sometimes he describes it as “The Day of the Lord,” and sometimes he calls it “The Day of Judgment,” and often he refers to it as simply “That Day.” So, if we can discern the fulfillment of prophecy relating to the things, which the Lord said would happen “in that day,” we can then see that we are in the Millennium.

The Lord, speaking of the Millennial Day through the prophet, declares: “In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and I will close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up the ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. And I will bring again the captivity of my people, Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their own land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord God.” (Amos 9:11,14,15)

Thus, the Lord, through the prophet declares that the re‑establish­ment of Israel is one of the events to be expected “in that day,” and this we see fulfilled. And, note the prophecy cannot be inter-preted in any spiritual or symbolic sense. It is not a land in heaven to which Israel will be returned, for the Lord declares that they are to be planted upon their “own land,” the land which he has “given them;” and this is the land which he promised to Abraham, saying, “Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art, northward, southward, eastward and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever... arise, walk through the land, in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger – all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.” (Gen. 13:14‑17; 17:8)

The Promised Land is usually thought of as being the comparatively small tract of territory known as Palestine, but in truth and in fact it is a much larger area. In Genesis 15:18 we read: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates.” This larger area forms a substantial part of what is commonly referred to today as “The Middle East.”

That “in that day” Israel would be established in their “own land” is a prophecy fulfilled today, therefore we are now in “that day.” It is also prophetically declared by one, speaking for the Lord Jesus, “I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David [the old Jewish polity] that has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up...” We see this today; therefore we are in the Millennium. (Acts 15:16; Luke 1:32; Ezek. 37:24)

Notice the literalness of the promised return of Israel to their “own land,” for, the Lord says the city shall be rebuilt upon her “own heap.” (Jer. 30:18) That Jerusalem is rebuilt upon her “own heap” cannot be questioned. A hundred other evidences might be cited as proof that we are in the Millennium, but what stronger evidence can we cite than the fact that “in that day” – the Millennial day, God, through the Prophet, declares, “I will bring again my people, Israel, to their own land, and I will build the taber­nacle of David, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them.” (Amos 9:11,14, 15) The waste cities are being rebuilt; the Jews inhabit them. Again the prophet declares, “And they shall plant vineyards.” According to an authority, one of the largest grape vineyards in the world is located in Israel.

When we reflect that the Jewish nation, and its polity, its political economy and regime was com­pletely overthrown, and has, for centuries, lain in the dust, its inhabitants scattered to the four winds of the earth, we see then that we are living in “that day” spoken of by the holy prophets, when the regath-ering of Israel and the replanting of them in their “own land” has taken place. It is evident that David and his throne, re‑established in the nation of Israel, will represent God’s earthly Kingdom. We have the Old Testament prophecy which declares, “I will raise up the tabernacle of David that has fallen down” (Amos 9:11, 14, 15), and we have in the New Testament a prophetic quotation of Jesus’ words, “I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David.” (Acts 15:16, Ezek. 37:24) David will be one of the “princes” to whom the Lord will entrust the physical operation of the earthly Kingdom (Psa. 45: 16).

The promised restoration of old Jerusalem implies not merely the reconstruction of the city and buildings, but a city in prophecy is also a symbol or representative of a government. Hence the promised reconstruc­tion of Jerusalem upon her “own heap,” upon her old foundations, implies a national reorganization of Israel upon a basis similar to that which it formerly enjoyed. The establishment and operation of God’s Kingdom on earth is the fulfillment of that prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth.”

The coming of Messiah’s Kingdom is gradual and not sudden. It is coming now into being, and as a result we see the re‑establishment of old Jerusalem – the Jewish polity “raised up.” The Lord declares, “In that day I will raise it [Jerusalem] up; I will raise up the ruins, and I will build it as in days of old.” (Amos 9:11; Acts 15:16) This does not refer to some kind of spiritual Jerusalem, for how a spiritual Jerusalem could lay in “ruins” and how could it be rebuilt as in “days of old”? Notice, the Prophet, speaking of the Millennium, declares, “At that time [in the Millennium] they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord.” (Jer. 3:17)

While we admit that the meaning of some Scriptures is not obvious, we contend that even if the prophecies couched in figurative and symbolic language be excluded, there still remains a broad
residue of Scripture in plain and unmistakable terms, the substance and effect of which is: that God has a plan for the world in which, of all nations, the Jews will play a most important part and that that part will be the sequel to the rejection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, by Israel in AD 33. Prophecy examined point by point will show that we are now living “at that time;” in “that day” – in the Millennium, when God’s favor returns to Israel; when he literally plants them in their “own land” and they will be rebuilt as a great nation according to God’s multiplied promises to that effect.

“Thus saith the Lord, behold I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city [Old Jerusalem] shall be built upon her own heap, and the palace [the temple] shall remain after the manner thereof. Their children also shall be as aforetime and their congregations shall be established before me and I will punish all who oppose them, and their nobles shall be of themselves [of their own kin] and their governor shall proceed from among them. And I will bring them from the North Country [Germany and Russia] and I will gather them from the coasts of the earth... Hear the word of the Lord, O ye [Gentile] nations, and declare it in the isles afar off and say, He that scattered Israel will gather them as a shepherd doth his flock; for the Lord hath ransomed them from the hand of them that was stronger than they. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion... and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.” (Jer. 30:18,20,21; 31:8‑12)

An interesting aspect of this Kingdom is that the Jews – the Israelites will become Christian – followers of Christ, their Messiah, Lord and Master; and the Christians will become Israelites indeed, and the Kingdom of God, both spiritual and earthly will become one common union – communion.

NO. 657 ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ATTAIN RESURRECTION

“They that shall be accounted worthy to attain that world and the resurrection...” (Luke 20:35)

 Only the members of a “little flock,” are accounted worthy to “attain that world” and the “better” resurrection in advance of the Millen­nium. The great mass of man­kind will come forth unto “resur­rection by judgment” during the Mil­lennium in which they must prove themselves worthy of perfection. These alone will be permit­ted to endure beyond the Millennial Age into the ever­lasting ages of the future. The obedient only will be permitted to attain resu­r­rection, being lifted fully and completely out of death, a gradual progress. As we have already seen, those who will then walk on the highway of holiness must “go up there on.” It will be an ascending path, and require effort to overcome by those who would retrieve all that was lost – human perfection.

As we scrutinize this feature of the Divine Plan, we see how reasonable and consistent it is, and the advantages it will offer to those for whom it is provided. We can see any other plan would be to a dis­advantage to those for whom the Millennial is specially designed.

Take Nero for instance, suppose that he were given an instantaneous resurrection to life and “came forth” from the tomb perfect, mentally, morally and physically. It would not be Nero. That perfect being could not in any sense of the word identify himself with the Nero of the past; nor could those who had been his associates identify him. Neither could we imagine him to “come forth” perfect as respects human organism, and yet imperfect in mind and character. All who have learned even the first principles of the laws of physiology must see at once the absurdity of such a proposition. Those laws most distinctly teach us that character and organism are one; that a perfect organism would surely indicate a perfect character. But if we should, for the moment, assume either of these unreasonable propositions we at once would be met with the objection that a thousand years would be too long a period in which to test the obedience or dis­obedience of a perfect being. Adam as a perfect being, received a very brief trial, as we can judge from the Scriptures.

Further, if we could imagine the world perfect and on trial, we would be obliged to imagine them also as subjected to the perfect law. Without imperfections they would have no protection, or covering of blemishes, and in the very same position that Adam stood at the beginning. In this view there would be no necessity for Christ’s Mediatorial   Kingdom and reign of a thousand years; because the perfect law represents Divine Justice, the same that dealt with Adam in the beginning, and the same that must pass upon mankind in the end, at the close of the Millennium.  Before the world could be accepted by God to everlasting favor such views, we see there­fore, are entirely at variance with the Divine arrange­ment.

Let us notice the beauty, harmony, reason­ableness, consistency of the Divine Plan of a resur­rection by judgments. The world comes forth in practically the same mental, moral and physical con­dition as they were upon entering the tomb and at once would identify themselves per­sonally and in relationship to others. “As the tree falleth there it shall be” (Eccl. 11:3), and the awakening, or calling forth from the tomb, will be as the termination of a sleep, the very figure which the Lord uses not only in respect to the Body of Christ, but to the world in general, whose future awakening, being a part of his plan. The arousing is spoken of as from a pleasant sleep.

At awakening from sleep one finds himself in practically the same condi­tion as when he laid down, plus a slight invigoration. He speedily recalls the events and circum­stances that preceded his sleep, so we believe it will be so with the world in general, when they “hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth.”

We do not mean by this that they will come forth in precisely the same physical condition as at the moment of dying, because this would involve an absurdity. For instance, the one whose lungs were decayed until the last breath was a gasp, we need not expect will come back gasping and without lungs; the one whose head had been severed from the body would not be awakened without a head, and likewise the one who had lost arms or feet or fingers or toes, could not rea­sonably be ex­pected to “come forth” without these members. In the absence of anything definite in the Scriptures to guide our judgments, we must suppose that the coming forth of the world will be with what would now be considered average health and strength; such, for instance, as the Lord was pleased to grant to those whom he healed at his First Advent. The healed ones were not made perfectly whole; else many of them might have lived for centuries, as did the perfect Adam. Rather, we are to presume that the restorations were to average health and strength, and that so it will be in the awakening time, when the same voice shall call them forth from the sleep of death, that they may hear his words and by obedience “attain unto” life everlasting and its per­fections of mind and body, for which he has arranged the times of restitution and the Kingdom disciplines, judg­ments and blessings.

The threads of existence are taken up just where they were dropped in death. The weaving of experience will proceed and rapidly adapt itself to the changed con­ditions; and meantime the individual will neither lose his identity, nor be lost to the world and social circles of which he had been a part. Thus past experiences with sin and selfishness will constitute a valuable asset of knowledge, helpful in proper estimations in the future. It will enable the revived one to appreciate the advantages accruing from the reign of right­eousness and life as in contrast with the previous reign of sin and death. It will be to his advantage that he must first of all accept Christ the King as his Redeemer and acknowledge his own imperfection and unworthiness. He must lay hold upon the Life-Giver before ever he can start upon the Highway of Holiness. It will be to his advantage, too, that he must take steps himself in the overcoming of his weaknesses, and in the attainment of per­fection set before him as the goal.

The lessons of experience gained will be deeply engraved upon his memory, his char­acter, and will prepare him for the final testing at the close of the Millennial Age, when absolute heart-loyalty will be required. Meantime, however, his imperfections will not work to his detriment or hindrance, for in propor­tion to his weak­ness or strength of character will be the requirements of the judges; all of whom are being now prepared by their own experiences with sin and weak­ness to judge sympathetically and truly to be helpful. Such experiences on the part of the judges would not be so essential were not this the Divine Plan of gradual recovery, “resurrection by judgment.”

Also, his view is in full accord with the Divine state­ment through Daniel the prophet respecting the resurrection: “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to ever­lasting [lasting] life, and some to shame and everlasting [lasting] con­tempt.” (Dan 12:2) Here we see the same division of the awakened ones that our Lord more particularly explains. One class is awak­ened to life in its full, com­plete sense – lasting life; the other class is awakened, but not in life.

When awakened it is still in death, because not approved of God, not vitally connected with the Son. “He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son shall not see life.” The world in general, then, “come forth” that they may be brought to the knowledge of the fact that life and restitution have been provided by God’s grace through the great atonement sacrifice; that the Life-Giver has taken his great power and glory, as Prophet, Priest and King, and that by coming into him they may gradually, step by step, attain to life.

The prophet’s statement respecting this second class – those they are significant. If they came forth perfect they would not be in a shameful and contemptible condition, for per­fection is always admirable. These words, therefore, attest that they come forth imperfect, and our Lord’s added explanation assures us that they come forth in their imperfection that they may, if they will, attain resurrection, perfection, under the trials or judgments to which they will be subjected – rewarding their obedience and chastising and disciplining their disobediences.

We have already used Nero as an il­lustration; and as he surely will be one of those who will come forth to shame and to lasting contempt, we may as well use him in further illustration. When we remember that the awak­ening of the sleeping world will not begin until the present generation of the world shall have been brought under the Kingdom power, to a consid­erable measure of righteousness and intel­ligence, we will readily perceive that Nero, on coming forth, will find himself in the midst of very different social conditions from those prevailing when he died. He will find vices such as he practiced and cultivated very much dis­credited, and the virtues, which he shunned and per­secuted, he will find installed in power and in general favor. He will be utterly out of accord with all of his surroundings, much more so than others less willful, less profligate, less vicious, and less con­temp­tible. He will find himself well known through the pages of history, and in general contempt because of his abuse of his powers and opportunities; not only as the mur­derer of his own mother, but also as the persecutor and torturer of the Lord’s faithful ones.

Every good and virtuously disposed person is bound to hold such a character as his in “contempt,” and under such circumstances he will be bound to suffer great “shame.” However, he comes forth unto a resurrection by judgment – for the purpose of being accorded an opportunity of rising up out of his shameful and con­temptible condition to the full perfection of human nature; and to what extent he will attain unto life, to what extent he will attain unto resurrection out of death, will depend entirely upon himself. First of all, he must know the Truth; he must see himself in his true colors; he must see in contrast the perfect man­ as represented in the Ancient Worthies, the “princes” of that time. He must see in operation the laws of right­eousness in contrast with his previous knowledge of the operation of the reign of sin and death. If, then, he determinedly maintains an evil influence and hardens his heart and refuses obedience, he must die the Second Death, after having enjoyed and rejected the privileges and opportunities, which the Lord has provided for him and all mankind.

But if, on the contrary, he shall humble himself, acknowledge his sin, and become obe­dient to the laws of the Kingdom, he will thus at once begin his upward course toward life – his resurrection, or rising up, to­ward complete recov­ery from the fall. If he shall thus “go up” on the Highway of Holiness, he will at the same time be purging himself from the “contempt” of his fellows, and correspondingly relieving himself of “shame.” For we cannot doubt that if there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, there will be joy on earth amongst all right-minded people as they from time to time shall see sinners turning from the errors of their ways to obedience to the Lord; and the laudable contempt of the former for sin and its meanness must gradually give place to sympathetic appreciation of the efforts being put forth in the direction of right­eousness.

So that should Nero ever become fully obedi­ent to the Lord, and attain unto life everlasting in the “resurrection by judgment,” he will be highly respected and his past will be fully forgotten; just as now, when thinking of the Apostle Paul, we remember his noble self-sacrifices and faithfulness to the Lord, disas­sociating him from Saul, the persecutor whom he denominated “the chief of sinners,”

PUNISHMENT FOR SINS OF THIS LIFE

Will there not be punishments for the sins of the present time? We answer that justice is sure to mete out a punishment for every sin. Adam’s sin, as we all recognize, has been punished for six thousand years, and under that punishment the whole creation has groaned and travailed and sunk down into death. That sin and all additional sins influenced by the weaknesses and depravities resulting from Adam’s sin, are all included in the atonement accomplished by the great sacrifice for sins. The sins needing additional punishment would be such as do not directly result from the Adamic fall and depravity – such as have been to some extent willful. Such willful sins must all be punished; but we are evidently not at the present time competent to judge what would be a right or reasonable penalty for such sins – wholly or partially willful.

Doubtless this was one reason why the Lord instructed us to “judge nothing before the time.” Eventually the judgment will be in our hands, as it is written, “Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2) Our Lord Jesus being the chief of these judges. The Lord’s declaration is that he who knew his Master’s will and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes, while he who knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes (Luke 12:47,48).This indicates to us that the guilt of willful sin is to be measured largely by our knowledge of the Lord and of his will. Hence the Church, and those who have during this Gospel Age come under the light and influence of the Church, will be held responsible in a larger degree than others.

Nero, although not of the Church, not be­gotten of the Spirit, and therefore, less responsible proportionately than the Church, had, nevertheless, considerable contact with the children of the light; and hence, we may presume, had a large measure of responsibility in connection with his crimes.

“SOME MEN’S SINS GO BEFORE TO JUDGMENT”

In considering the punishments of willful sins on account of light enjoyed, we are not to forget the Apostle’s statement that “Some men’s sins go before to judgment, and some they follow after.” (1Tim 5:24) We know not to what extent Nero’s sins have already received some measure of punishment; we know not to what extent he suffered mentally or physically; we know not, therefore, to what extent punishment for his sins will come after and overtake him during the judgment age. For argument’s sake  let us suppose that he received no special punish­ments in the past, and that stripes for his sins will all follow after, and let us inquire what will be the nature of the record against him, and how will the stripes, or punishments, be inflicted upon him?

We are not competent to answer these questions without reservations or provisos, but we all recognize a general principle already in operation in every man, recording the results of  his own violations of knowledge and conscience. We see that in pro­portion as truth, light, knowledge and con­science may be violated, in that same proportion character is undermined; and to what­ever extent this proceeds, restitution will be the more difficult for him.

We can reasonably judge that Nero must have undermined his character and conscience to a very large extent indeed. If, then, in the awakening he shall “come forth” as he died, merely to an oppor­tunity for development, we can readily see that every downward step which he took in the past, every violation of conscience, every known op­position to righteousness, worked an injury to his character which, if ever overcome, will require proportionate effort to retrace his steps and to build again that portion of the character he wan­tonly destroyed.

 It is not for us to say that this, and this alone will be the punishment for the sins of the present time; but that this should be the case seems reasonable to us. We are satisfied, in any event, to rest the matter here, confident that the decisions of the glorified Church will have the full endorse­ment of all who have the Lord’s Spirit. We cannot suppose that our Lord will take pleasure in rendering evil for evil, or in causing needless pain even to the most villainous, but that the decision of the great Supreme Court already rendered will stand, viz.: “The wages of sin is death” – the Second Death. (Rom. 6:23)

THUS IS THE [CHIEF] RESURRECTION OF THE [SPECIAL] DEAD

(1 Cor 15:42)

The resurrection of the Church is designated the First Resurrection, not in the sense of priority (though it will have priority), but in the sense of being chief, best, superior. We have already seen that there are different orders in the resurrection, three of which are unto life, unto perfection, though on different planes of being; the Church occupying the first place, the “great company” and the Ancient Worthies following in order; and that subsequently, or last, will be the general resur­rection of the world, open to the whole world of mankind, so many as will accept the Divine provisions and arrangements, the resurrection by judgment to be completed only with the close of the Millennial Age. In this sense of the word it will indeed be a fact that “the rest of the dead” will live not “until the thousand years are finished” – they will not have life in its full, proper, complete sense; they will not be raised up completely out of death until then. Thus viewed, the spurious clause of Rev. 20:5[1] is found to be in full accord with the general tenor of Scripture. All these resurrections subsequent to the first, or chief one, will undoubtedly be under the power and control of the glorified Church, whose glorious Head has, to this end, received all power and authority from the Father.

Having considered the resurrection work of the Church for others, let us now consider what the Scriptures have to show particularly respecting the First Resurrection. With what bodies will the New Creation come forth? What will be some of their qualities and powers?

The Apostle declares, “As is the earthly so are they also that are earthly; and as is the heavenly so are they also that are heavenly.” (1Cor 15:48.) We understand these words to signify that the world in general, who will experience resti­tution to human perfection, will be like the earthly one – like the first Adam, before he sinned, and like the perfect “man Christ Jesus” was before his begetting to newness of nature. We rejoice with the world in this grand prospect of again becoming full and complete earthly images of the Divine Creator. But we rejoice still more in the precious promises made to the Gospel Church, “the called ones” according to the Divine purpose, who are to have the image of the heavenly One – the image of the Creator, in a still higher and more particular sense; to be not fleshly images, but spirit images. “We shall be like him [the glorified “changed” Jesus], for we shall see him as he is.” He is a spirit being, “the express image of the Father’s person,” “far above angels, principalities and powers, and every name that is named,” and hence, far above perfect manhood. If we shall be like him and share his glory and his nature, it means that we too shall be images of the Father’s person, “whom no man hath seen nor can see, dwelling in light which no man can approach unto”; but to whom we can approach and whom we can see as he is, because we have been “changed.” (1 John 3:2; 6:16; 1 Tim 1:17; Ex 33:20)

Lest any should misunderstand him, the Apostle guards the above language by adding, “As we [the Church] have borne the image of the earthly [one], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [One].” It is not the Apostle’s thought that all shall bear the image of the heavenly One, in this sense, ever. Such was not the design of our Creator. When he made man he designed to have a fleshly, human earthly being, in his own likeness [mentally, morally], to be the Lord and ruler of the earth, as the representative of his heavenly Creator. (Gen 1:26-28; Ps 8:4-7) The selection of the New Creation, as we have seen, is wholly separate and apart from the earthly creation. They are chosen out of the world, and constitute but a “little flock” in all, called to be the Lord’s Kingdom class, to bless the world during the thousand years of the Millennial Age, subse­quently, we may be sure, occupying some very high and responsible position, and doing some very important work, in the carrying out of further Divine purposes, perhaps in connection with other worlds and other creations.

But the Apostle guards the matter still further, saying in explanation of the foregoing (1 Cor.15:50), “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” Thus he distinguishes between our present condition in the flesh and our future condition as spirit beings; most positively declaring that so long as we are in the flesh we cannot constitute the Lord’s Kingdom in any actual sense, because that Kingdom is to be a spiritual one, composed of spirit beings. Our Lord himself, the Head, the chief, the leader, the example to his Church, is the glorious spirit being, a glimpse of whom was granted to the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:8), and a vision of whom was granted to the Apostle John in Apocalyptic vision. “We shall be like him,”  not flesh and blood, like the remainder of the race from which we were selected, and whose restitution, or resurrection by judgments, will bring them back to the perfection of the flesh-and-blood conditions, as the same restitution times will bring the earth to the condition represented by the Garden of Eden in the be­ginning.

But the Apostle recognized the fact that it would be difficult for us fully to grasp the thought of so thorough a change of the Church from fleshly, earthly conditions to heavenly, spirit conditions. He perceived that our difficulty would be less in respect to those who have fallen asleep in death than in respect to those alive and remaining unto the presence of the Lord. It is much easier for us to grasp the thought that the sleeping ones will be resurrected in new spiritual bodies, such as the Lord has promised to provide, than to grasp the thought of how those of the saints living at the time of the Lord’s second presence, will be accepted of him into his spirit Kingdom. The Lord, through the Apostle, makes this very clear to us, saying, “There is a mystery connected with this matter, which I will explain: we shall not all sleep, though we must all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump [the seventh trumpet].” (1 Cor 15:51,52)

While the Lord, through the Apostle, did clear away a mystery to some extent by these words, nevertheless a considerable measure of mystery has since beclouded even this plain explanation; for many of the Lord’s dear people have confounded the word “sleep” with the word “die” and have supposed the explanation to be that the Saints remaining over until the presence of the Lord would be changed without dying, which is not at all the thing stated. Take the case of the apostles, for instance; they died, and from the moment of death they were reckoned as being “asleep” until the moment of the resur­rection. The dying was a momentary act, while the sleep, or unconsciousness, continued for centuries.

This thought of the word “sleep” must be attached to the Apostle’s words, in order that they may be under­stood, viz.: It will not be necessary that the Lord’s people who remain over until his second presence shalt sleep in unconscious death even for a moment. They will die, however, as is declared by the Lord, through the prophet, speaking of the Church: “I have said, Ye are gods, all of you sons of the Most High; yet ye shall all die like a man, and fall like one of the princes.” (Psa. 82:6,7) The world in general dies like Prince Adam, as his children, sharers of his sentence; but the faithful in Christ Jesus die with him, with Prince Jesus. (Isa. 9:6; Acts 3:15; 5:31) Justified through his sacrifice, they become dead with him, as joint-sacrificers. They “fall” under death sacri­ficially like the second Prince. “If we be dead with him we shall also live with him.” But, as the Apostle points out to us, the death of these will mean no sleep of uncon­sciousness; the very moment of dying will be the very moment of “change,” or clothing upon with the house from heaven, the spiritual body.

The “change” to come to those of the Church remain­ing until the presence of the Lord is thus set forth as being in every sense of the word a part of the First Resurrection. In no particular does it differ from the death experience that must be common to all the members of the one body.

The only point of difference between other members of the body and these will be that which the Apostle specifies, viz., they shall not “sleep.” These last members of the body will not need to sleep – not need to wait for the Kingdom to come; for it will then be set up. They will pass immediately from the activities of the service on this side the veil in the flesh to the activities of service on the other side the veil, as perfected New Creatures, members of the Christ.

“IT DOTH NOT YET APPEAR WHAT WE SHALL BE.”

Respecting the powers and qualities of the New Creatures perfected, the Apostle tells us that they will not all have the same degree of glory, though they will all have the same kind of glory, it will all be celestial, or heavenly beings. There will be one glory common to all these celestial beings, and another glory common to the human, or ter­restrial, beings. Each in its perfection will be glorious, but the glories of the celestial ones will be superior – transcendent. The Scriptures tell us that the Church as a whole shall “shine forth as the sun.” (Matt 13:43) This description by our Lord himself of the future glory is applied to all who are of the “wheat” class; yet in the light of the Apostle’s explanation (1 Cor. 15:41) we perceive that individually there will be differences in the positions and honors of the Church. All will be perfect, all will be supremely happy, but, as the Father is above all, and as he has exalted the Son to be next to himself, and as this indicates differ­ences of glory, majesty and authority, so amongst the followers of the Lord, all of whom are accep­table, there will be differences of station, “as star differeth from star” in magnitude and bril­liancy. (l Cor 15:41)

Our Lord, in two of his parables, intimates the same difference among his glorified followers.  He who had been faithful with five talents was to have special commendation at the Lord’s return; while the other faithful ones who had a lesser number of talents, would be dealt with pro­portionately.  He who had been faithful in the use of his pound, so as to gain ten pounds, was to receive ruler ship over ten cities; and he who was faithful over his pound to the gaining of five pounds would have proportionately increased talents, blessings, opportunities and authority  (Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).

Nor need we wonder at this, for looking back we see that while the Lord chose twelve apostles and loved them all, there were three of them whom he specially loved, and who were on various occasions nearer to him and in still more confi­dential relationship than the oth­ers. We may be sure, too, that when the “Book of Life” is opened, and when positions closest to the Mas­ter in the throne are to be apportioned, those on the right hand and those on the left hand (nearest to his person), will be recognized by all as worthy of the hon­or and distinction accorded them (Matt 10:41).  It would not surprise us at all to find the Apostle Paul next to the Master, with possibly John on his other hand.  The thought is not that of location, or position, on a bench, throne, but closeness of rela­tionship in power and majesty of the Kingdom. We may be sure that all who will constitute the “little flock” will be so filled with the Lord’s Spirit as in honor to prefer one another; and we may know certainly that there will be no jealousies, but that the Divine judgment respecting worthiness will be fully approved by all the New Crea­tion. This is so in the present time, and much more may we expect it in the future.  In the present time we read that “God has set the various members in the body as it hath pleased him,” and all who are in accord with the Lord are continually seeking, not to change the Divine arrangement, but to recognize it and to cooperate there­with. So also it will surely be in the future.

Describing the differences between present conditions and those of the future, the Apostle says, “It is sown in corruption: It is raised in incorruption.” “It,” is the New Creature, whose existence began at the time of consecration and begetting of the Spirit. The New Creature that has been developing and seeking to control the flesh and to make it its servant, in accord with the Divine will – the New Creature that is said to have lived in the flesh, as in a tabernacle, while waiting for the new body. “It” was sown in corruption, in a corruptible body; “It” went down into death; and yet “It” is not represented as being dead, but as merely sleeping, while its earthly tabernacle was dissolved. It is the same “It,” the New Creature,  that is to be clothed upon with the heavenly house, the spiritual body, in the First Resurrection.

This spiritual body in which “It” is raised, the Apostle declares, will be an incorruptible one – one that cannot corrupt, which cannot die. The word here rendered incorruption is aphtharsia, and signifies that which is decay-proof, that which cannot corrupt, rot or fade away. It is the same word rendered “incorruption” in 1 Cor. 15:50,53 and 54, of this chapter; but the same word is wrongly translated “immortality” in Rom. 2:7, and again in 2 Tim 1:l0.

The declaration, that our spiritual bodies shall be incorruptible, immortal, is a most momentous one, be­cause we are distinctly in­formed that this quality of im­mortality belongs inherently to Yahweh alone; while it is declared of our Lord Jesus that, because of his faithfulness, his high exaltation consisted in part in his being granted life in himself, as the Father hath life in himself. The thought there is the same – that the glorious Head of the Church experienced just such a “change” to immortality, to incorruption, to par­tici­pation in the Divine Nature. It does not amaze us that the plan of God should be thus liberal toward our dear Redeemer; but it surely does astonish us that this quality of the Divine Nature, given to none other than our Master, should be promised to the members of his Body, who walk in his footsteps, and are seeking for glory, honor and immortality (2 Pet. 1:4; Rom. 2:7).

“It is sown in dishonor; It is raised in glory.” Here again the New Creature is referred to by the word “It.” During the present life the world knoweth us not; it realizes not that we are begotten of the Father, to be his children on the spiritual plane, and that we are only temporarily sojourning in the flesh, for the purposes of our trial, for the testing of our faithfulness to our covenant of sacrifice. “Now are we the sons of God.” But, unrecognized, we are disesteemed by the world; and because of our consecration to the Lord we may not occupy even as honorable positions amongst men as we might have the natural talents to occupy were they devoted to worldly pursuits.

In any event, both in­dividually and collectively the Church in the flesh is now, as the Apostle here declares, “in dishonor,” in disesteem; and, as he elsewhere declares, our body is at present a body of humiliation (misrepresented in our common translation as “a vile body”) (Phil 3:21). But what shall be the condition by and by? Will the dishonor all be past? Will the Church (Head and “body”) be such as both angels and men will appreciate and honor? Will the New Creation thus be “in glory”? Oh yes! This is the assurance.

The New Creature is still referred to, the weakness men­tioned being that of the present mortal bodies, their imperfections, which all New Creatures deplore, and which God graciously counts as not being the weaknesses of the New Creature, whose purposes, or intentions toward the Lord are pure, perfect, loyal and strong. That these weaknesses will not attach to the new resurrection bodies of the “elect” is most specifically stated.

“It is raised in power,” the power of perfection, the power of the new nature, the power of God.

“It is sown a natural body; It is raised a spiritual body.” The same It, is the same New Creature. It is a natural body now; the only tangi­ble thing is the flesh. Only by the grace of God are we permitted to reckon the new mind a New Creature, and to wait the time when this new mind will be granted a spirit body, suitable to it. The spirit body will then be It, in the same sense that the natural body is now It. What a glorious prospect this is! Truly, it is incomprehensible to us who have no experiences except such as are com­mon to the natural man, except as our minds have grasped by faith the promises and revelations of the Lord, and have entered into the spirit of “things not seen as yet.”

But if the very thought of the coming glories has lifted us up above the world, its cares, its trials, its follies and its pleasures, how much more will the realities mean to us when we shall be perfect and like our Lord and share his glory! No wonder our Lord said to Nicodemus: “If I have told you of earthly things, and ye believe not, how can ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?”   (John 3:12)

          No wonder it declares that we must first be begotten of the Holy Spirit before we can even begin to comprehend heavenly things. Unques­tionably there­­fore, our ability to run the race set before us in the Gospel, our striving to overcome the spirit of the world and the besetments of the Adversary, will be in proportion as we shall be obedient to the Divine counsel, and love not the world, and lay aside every weight and the easily besetting sin, forgetting not the assembling of ourselves to­gether, and searching the Scriptures daily, and in every sense of the word making use of the priv­ileges and mercies and blessings confer­red upon us as children of God. If we do these things we shall never fail, but so an entrance shall be ministered unto us, abundantly, into the ever­lasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (John 3:2,3; Rom. 8:17; John 3:12; 1 Cor. 2:14; 1John 2:15; Eph. 6:10-18; Heb. 12:1,2; 10:2; John 5:29; Acts 17:11; 2 Peter 1:4-11) 

           From Pastor Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 6, Pages 712-729.

           It was written for The Little Flock but is profitable for Youthful Worthies. 

[1]We have already drawn attention to the fact that the clause, “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished,” is without any support from ancient MSS. of earlier date than the fifth century; nevertheless it is in full accord with what we are here presenting, for the term “lived not” should be understood to refer not to awakening but to full restitution to life in the perfect degree. See footnote, Vol. I., p. 288.