NO. 826: SIX SAVED CLASSES

No. 826

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29)

Through the Prophet Joel, the Lord draws attention to the fact that the Holy Spirit will be just as important during the Millennial Age as it has been during the Gospel Age. The above passage is addressed to Zion (Joel 2:23), which represents the Kingdom (Isa. 60:14; Rev. 14:1), and stands for the Lord Jesus and His faithful followers. It is in “those days” – the Gospel Age – that the Spirit is poured out for these. During the Millennial Age, “afterward,” His Spirit will be poured out generally for the world of mankind, “all flesh.” It will then bring the world of mankind back into harmony with God under the terms of the New Covenant, through the merits of the dear Redeemer’s sacrifice.

The order of this blessing is reversed in the prophetic statement, quite probably to obscure the matter until the proper time, and thus to hide some of the length and breadth and height and depth of God’s Plan, until the “due time” for it to be known and appreciated. Consequently, Joel 2:29 refers to the Gospel Age and Joel 2:28 refers to the Millennial Age.

Examining these verses, we find that they identify six saved classes from the human family: (1) “your sons,” (2) “your daughters,” (3) “your old men,” (4) “your young men,” (5) “the servants,” and (6) “the handmaids.”

SERVANTS AND HANDMAIDS

We will first consider the two classes developed during the Gospel Age. The class referred to as “the servants” is the Little Flock. We notice that the time of their development is limited to the Gospel Age: “Upon the servants . . . in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Like the rest of mankind they were born under the curse (Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; Eph. 2:3), but unlike the rest of mankind their hearts have trusted the Lord even when they could not trace Him. (2 Cor. 5:7) They have accepted Jesus as their Savior, thereby attaining to justification through faith (Rom. 3:21-26; Rom. 4:1-12), and have then sought to grow in Truth and Righteousness.

They have responded to His drawings until ready to take a second step – consecration – answering God’s invitation to yield themselves to Him as living sacri­fices. (Rom. 12:1) He has given them His Holy Spirit; they are “begotten” of His Spirit. (John 3:3; Jas. 1:18; Acts 5:32) He has helped them to overcome self, sin, error, and the world (Rev. 3:21), and to work out their own salvation by self-denial and world-denial, by watchfulness and prayer, by the study, practice and spread of His Word, and by suffering for loyalty to His Word. (Phil 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:5-11) They have been His witnesses in the world for Truth and Righteousness. (Acts 1:8)

The hope He has given them is the attainment of the Divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ. (2 Pet. 1:4; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:11-12) They will attain these blessings in the First Resurrection, if they have been faithful until death. (Rev. 2:10; Rev. 20:4-6)

Closely related to the Little Flock is another class called “the handmaids” and elsewhere called “a great multitude.” (Rev. 7:9; Rev. 19:6) This class we call the Great Company; the individuals of this class were originally invited through the High Calling (Phil. 3:14) to the Divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ. (Eph. 4:4) They have failed to keep faithfully their consecration vows, and therefore, have had to be remanded to a secondary class. They were not called to this position. The Lord provided a secondary place for them, even though they were only measurably faithful, because they still loved the Lord, and had not become unfaithful enough to be utterly cast off into Second Death. They are the only one of the elect classes to be remanded, but they will finally escape with their lives, after losing the prize of the High Calling. (1 Cor. 3:15; Heb. 2:15; Jude 22-23) However, they will still be included in the “church of the firstborn” of this Gospel Age. (Heb. 12:23)

The Little Flock and the Great Company, it will be noticed, have been developed during the Gospel Age – the age in which Jesus and the Apostles labored, the age in which the great Apostasy developed. At the end of the Gospel Age, the Lord has restored the primitive teachings and practices of Christianity under the supervision and leadership of That Servant.

We now turn to the consideration of the four classes of whom Joel 2:28 treats. While this verse describes the blessings and works of these four classes during the Millennium, two of these classes will have been devel­oped before the Millennium and the other two will be developed during the Millennium.

OLD MEN AND YOUNG MEN

We understand the phrase “your old men” to mean those we refer to as Ancient Worthies, the faithful of the Old Testament. This class is called “ancients” in Isa. 24:23, this being from the same Hebrew word that is translated “old men” in Joel 2:28. We choose to call them Ancient Worthies because they are spoken of as those “Of whom the world was not worthy.” (Heb. 11:38) Other scriptures refer to this class as “the elders.” (Psa. 107:32; Heb. 11:2)

In Hebrews, we are given a long list of Ancient Worthies who were prominent for their characters and their works. (Heb. 11:4-32) Many others are later referred to who are not identified by name. (Heb. 11:33-40) The Ancient Worthies were the heroes of faith before Christ came in His First Advent. God used them as His representatives, servants and witnesses in their times, and through some of them He gave us the Old Testament Scriptures. Although they were unaware of it, He also used them and events of their lives to type certain future persons, classes and events in His plan. Because they lived before Christ’s death, they could not receive the actual cancellation of the death sentence inherited by the entire human race from Adam, and they could not become sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ. (John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:17; Gal. 4:3-5)

Yet God did give them a tentative justification through their faith in His Promises. (Rom. 4:3-9, 17-23; Heb. 11:7) Through their faith-justification they were privileged to be servants and friends of God. (Heb. 3:5; Jas. 2:23) God did not offer them the privilege of becoming Kings with Jesus and partakers with Him of the Divine nature; for such promises were not given until the beginning of the Gospel Age. (1 Pet. 1:10-12; Heb. 2:3-4; Heb. 11:38-39; 2 Tim. 1:10; Luke 16:16) The Ancient Worthies who preceded Jesus, the forerunner of these Kings (Heb. 6:20; Heb. 12:1-2), could not share in this heavenly calling. John the Baptizer, who died before Jesus’ death, was the last of the Ancient Worthy class, and Jesus assures us John will not be of the heavenly class when He says, “He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt. 11:11)

Although these faithful Ancient Worthies will not attain the First Resurrection as the Little Flock do, they will be privileged to share in a “better resurrection” than that of the world. (Heb. 11:35) They will attain perfection immediately upon awakening from the grave (“just men made perfect” – Heb. 12:22-23), whereas the world will be raised in the same condition as when they went into the grave. It will require the entire thousand years to bring the world back to perfection. These Ancient Worthies will attain the honor of being “princes in all the earth” during the Millennium, and their work will be to rule as judges and teachers. (Psa. 45:16; Isa. 1:26)

Moving on to the class referred to as “your young men,” we notice that they are linked in standing and in work with the “old men.” Since we call the latter the Ancient Worthies, we call the “young men” the Youthful Worthies. These contrasting names are appropriate for another reason. As the Ancient Worthies appeared in God’s Plan before the door was opened to the High Calling, the Youthful Worthies appear in God’s Plan after the door to the High Calling is closed.

According to the Bible, the opportunity of entering the High Calling was to close after the full number of the Elect had been chosen. (Rom. 11:25) This synchronizes with the end of the reaping of the Harvest from 1874 to 1914. But as many desired to and did serve God faithfully before the opportunity to enter the High Calling was opened, so since the opportunity to enter the High Calling has closed many desire to and do serve God faithfully. Since they show the same spirit of devotion to God as the Ancient Worthies, God purposes to associate them with the Ancient Worthies in Millennial and Post-Millennial rewards and service. An entrance to this class will be available in the end of this age for all who come to the Lord in full consecration, and will continue until this age ends – or until Restitution sets in and a way is opened for the world of mankind.

Commenting on the status of those who present themselves in consecration after the close of the High Calling, That Servant noted that since God is unchangeable, He is always pleased for any to devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to doing His will. (See Reprint 4836) His advice then to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him was the same message that has gone forth throughout this age: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.” (Rom. 12:1)

It is because the Youthful Worthies have the faith of Abraham that they will be blessed with him and have the privilege of participating in the blessing of all nations. (Gal. 3:6-9) Having this faith quality, they heed the Lord’s invitation to consecrate; they give Him their hearts. (Prov. 23:26) There being no opportunity for them to win a crown with Christ, He does not beget them of His Spirit, but gives them a new human heart to love Truth and Righteousness and to serve Him. They too, like the Little Flock, become dead to self and the world and alive to God, practicing watchfulness and prayer, studying and spreading the Word. Thus, the Youthful Worthies also must be faithful to the Lord – even unto death, if He deems it necessary.

We read, “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country.” (Lev. 24:22) The “stranger” here types those consecrating between the ages. They are “strangers” because they are strangers to the Little Flock, having consecrated themselves too late to be of that select company. Just as there was “one manner of law” for the Jews and for the foreigners visiting in their land, Youthful Worthies are under the same law as the Saints, meaning they make the same manner of consecration – a complete desire to do God’s will and they have been similarly blessed with a clear understanding of Present Truth.

These four elect classes, the Little Flock, Great Company, Ancient Worthies and Youthful Worthies, are the only consecrated classes of the Jewish and Gospel Ages. They are the only saved classes for elect purposes. God has not been dealing with the world of mankind during these ages, including the last special period of this Gospel Age, the Epiphany. God’s “due time” for dealing with the non-elect, the restitutionists, is when the Highway of Holiness is opened up for them. (Isa. 35:8)

SONS AND DAUGHTERS

We understand the term “your sons” of our text to represent Fleshly Israel, a class presented in the Scriptures as separate and distinct from other classes. (Isa. 60:4, 9) They are the seed of Jacob, and as such have a special promise and call from the Lord. They are promised that they will forever inherit Canaan; their call is that in them (as a secondary earthly seed, under the Ancient Worthies and Youthful Worthies as the primary earthly seed) all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Gen. 28:13-14; Rom. 11:28-29) For this purpose God chose them in preference to all other nations to be His people. (Amos 3:2) He favored them with special revelations, providences, and His Law Covenant to give them the opportunity as a nation to become “a kingdom of priests.” (Exod. 19:5-6) He used them to furnish a practical demonstration that none of Adam’s race can fulfill God’s Law and gain life by obedience to the Law, which is the full measure of a perfect man’s ability. (Rom. 3:9, 19-20; Gal. 3:10-12) Many tried hard but failed to keep the Law perfectly. This awakened in them the realization of the need and the desire for a Savior. (Gal. 3:21-24, 13) God also used the actions and institutions of Fleshly Israel as types illustrating future features of His Plan (Heb. 9:9-10; Heb. 10:1; Col. 2:16-17); and He used them to preserve His oracles, which He deposited in their care. (Rom. 3:1-2)

Though they were not perfect, some among them proved faithful, and thus became of the Ancient Worthies. When Christ came in His First Advent, there were some individuals among them who proved to be “Israelites indeed.” However, the bulk of them rejected Him. (John 1:11-13, 47; Rom. 2:28-29) Consequently they were rejected from God’s favor as a class until the end of the Gospel Age. (Matt. 23:34-39; Rom. 11:7-11, 25) Through­out this age God has permitted them to suffer miseries as perhaps no other single nation has suffered. (Jer. 16:13, 17-18)

True to prophecy, they have been blinded to the High Calling of the Gospel Age (with individual exceptions). However, the Bible prophesies their return to God’s favor and to their land at the end of this age. (Jer. 16:14-16; Ezek. 36:24, 28-30; Amos 9:14-15; Rom. 11:25-32) The Apostle Paul says, “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles [full number of the Bride of Christ] be come in.” With the selection of that class complete, these prophecies are fulfilling before our very eyes. Since the year 1878, ever increasing numbers of Jews have returned to their land and Israel’s blindness and prejudice toward Christ are lifting. These events are precursors of the Millennium. (Ezek. 37:21-25)

Because they are “beloved for the fathers’ sakes” (Rom. 11:28), they who have been so greatly despised during the Gospel Age will become greatly favored during the Millennium as the chief nation of earth. Their past experiences in the Jewish Age and the Gospel Age, combined with their efforts to fulfill the Law, will serve to adapt them to the Kingdom arrangements. As they continue to be obedient to these arrangements, they will be lifted up to the perfection of human nature as Father Adam enjoyed it in the beginning. Those who prove true to the Lord during the trial of the “little season” at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:3, 7-9) will inherit the land that God promised Abraham and his seed after him (Gen. 13:14-17; Acts 7:5); but during the Millennium this land will belong to the Ancient Worthies.

However, those Israelites who either during the Jewish Age or the Gospel Age apostatized, by giving up faith in the Abrahamic promises and the Law Covenant, will not receive the special Millennial favor just described. They will be treated as Gentiles during the Millennium, for their apostasy made them practically, if not fleshly, Gentiles. Likewise, we believe that persevering but unconsecrated Gentile believers of the Gospel Age will be included among “your sons.” These are those who were faithful in tentative justification but not faithful enough to make and carry out consecration vows while the ascendency of sin is still in the world.

The sixth and last of the saved classes mentioned in Joel 2:28-29 are those referred to as “your daughters.” (Isa. 60:4; Ezek. 16:61) Israel’s superiority to the Gentiles during the Millennium is from the standpoint of the superiority of sons to daughters in middle-eastern culture. This harmo­nizes with the thought that the daughters represent the Gentiles, meaning nations that are not in covenant relation with God. Hence all who are not of Natural or Spiritual Israel (“both houses” – Isa. 8:14) are from the Divine standpoint Gentiles. Accordingly, the human race from the Fall until the Covenant was made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) was entirely Gentile. Because they did not desire to glorify God, He gave them over to their own ways, which as both the Bible and history attest, have been largely evil. (Rom. 1:21-32)

In permitting the Gentiles to take their own course in experiencing evil, God designed that the Gentile world, who refused to retain Him in their knowledge, might learn the lesson that they would not learn by precept – that sin is bad – bad in its nature and bad in its effects. That they might better learn this lesson, He simply let them follow their own selfish hearts and permitted Satan and his fallen angels to secure dominion over them, knowing that these would give them such experiences as would make all the more impressive the detestableness of sin and the desirability of avoiding and of being free from it. (Eph. 2:2; Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 2:14)

This lesson has not yet been taken to heart by the Gentiles. During the Millennium the opposite experience with righteousness will come to mankind through the blessings of the Reign of Christ. Then the misery suffered under the experience with evil contrasted with the blessings enjoyed under the experience with good will effectually teach them to hate and avoid sin, and to love and practice righteousness.

SIX CLASSES TYPED BY NOAH’S ARK

We find the six saved classes typed in Noah’s Ark. Saint Peter describes the Ark salvation this way: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us.” (1 Pet. 3:20-21) The Ark typified Christ and His power to replenish and reorganize society. (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume I, page 318) In other words, the Ark portrays the embodiment of God’s Plan.

There were four human pairs who went into the Ark, as well as one pair of every clean and unclean kind of animal, representing all saved classes of mankind. The four elect classes are represented in Noah and his three sons and their wives – the Christ Company, the Ancient Worthies, the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies. Noah undoubtedly types our Lord, the “heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb. 11:7), and Noah’s wife types the Little Flock, His Bride. Noah’s sons represent the leaders of their respective classes, and their wives the others of these classes. The animals in the Ark fittingly represent the non-elect who will ultimately be saved. The clean animals represent the Jews (who were typically clean) as well as the tentatively justified. The unclean animals represent the Gentiles, those of the present unclean world. Those who perished in the flood represent the Second Death class, as well as the systems of Satan’s empire.

The fact that only six saved classes are identified in the Scriptures may strike some as being incomplete, since many things in the Divine arrangement come in sevens, and six is the number of evil or imperfection. But as we consider the matter further, we realize that while there are only six saved classes from the human family, there is another, a seventh saved class mentioned in the Scriptures, viz., the repentant fallen angels. God will also offer the opportunity of life eternal to them. At Christ’s appearing, i.e. His Epiphany, the unrepentant angels will be imprisoned with Satan until the end of the “little season” when they, along with Satan, will be executed. (2 Pet. 2:4; Rev. 20:3, 9) The repentant Angels will be placed under Christ and the Church for their Millennial opportunities of overcoming everything sinful in them and of developing perfect love, fitting them for the heavenly society and fellowship with God.

THE GRAND OUTCOME

According to the Scriptures the climax of evil is reached in the Time of Trouble, consisting of world-wide wars, revolution and anarchy. (1 Kings 19:11-12) It is quite evident that we have entered this Great Tribulation. It will entirely sweep away Satan’s Empire and pave the way for the establishment of God’s Kingdom. This will first be set into operation by The Christ working through the Ancient Worthies in Israel, where it will speedily and greatly benefit the Israelites. Then the news of its establishment will spread among the Gentiles, who at that time will be utterly exhausted, broken and humbled by the horrors of the Time of Trouble. It will be to them like a rope thrown to a drowning man – the Gentile world will grasp for it as their only hope of deliverance from their unspeakable miseries. (Hag. 2:6-7; Rom. 8:19-22; Isa. 2:2-4) Thanks be to God, it will be the effectual cure of the curse, and will teach the world righteousness! (Rev. 22:3; Isa. 26:9) They will indeed exalt God in the “congregation of the people” (the Little Flock) and praise Him in the “assembly of the elders” (the Ancient Worthies). (Psa. 107:32) The glorious work of that Kingdom in destroying every element of the curse and introducing Restitution to human perfection will more than satisfy their hearts. (Rev. 21:3-5; Rev. 22:1-3; Acts 3:19-24)

Thus, both Jew and Gentile will be brought together under the one God of Israel by the one Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ. (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; 1 Tim. 2:5) The six saved classes cover all the human classes saved through the Ransom. There is no hint of a seventh human class in the Bible. The entire non-elect portion of the human family, whether living or dead at the time of the establishment of the Kingdom, will become the subjects of the Kingdom. The result of the Kingdom reign will be the utter eradication of all the effects of the curse. (Psa. 98:1-4; Psa. 22:27-29; Isa. 25:6-8) “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 15:25-26)

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 QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Question: The LHMM teach that Nethinim is the type of the Consecrated Epiphany Campers. Does this type teach that the Consecrated Epiphany Campers supplant the Jews in the Kingdom?

Answer: All types given by the LHMM are for the purpose of replacing the Jews in the Kingdom. They do not teach “to the Jew first,” as do the Apostle Paul and the two Messengers. Furthermore, as Brother Russell taught, all types must be supported in plain terms in the Scriptures: “A type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms.” (See R1386)

The Scriptures teach that in Jacob’s last trouble the Jews as a nation will accept Jesus as their Messiah. (Zech. 12:10) During that time, the Lord will fight for them as “in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:1-3) and afterward the Kingdom will be inaugurated. Then the Lord’s message to the Jews will be: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isa. 60:1-3)

According to the teaching of the LHMM, the Consecrated Epiphany Campers would be the first to shine. However, we have no Scripture in plain terms that teach this non-existent class will supplant the Jews. The LHMM is “contending for the teaching of a Great Company,” and not for the Truth that was once given unto the saints. We have no Scripture that exhorts us to “contend” for the teaching of a crown-loser, especially if the crown-loser teaches anything that conflicts with the teaching of the saints. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) We are on safe ground when we contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.

We can rely on types only as corroboration of what is taught in “plain terms” in the Scriptures. When Brother Russell understood the Tabernacle types and antitypes, he was enabled to write the six volumes of the Studies in the Scriptures. So types are valuable when used in harmony with God’s Word. We well realize that “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18) But any so-called “new light” that sets aside what we have learned and been assured of is really “new error.” We do not want to be “Ever learning, and never able come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7, 14) The exhortation is: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)

The LHMM teach that the Epiphany ended in 1954 and is now overlapping into the Basiliea. Their “overlapping,” is now longer than their Epiphany proper. We are clearly taught that the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble are the same length – when one ends so will the other. Did the Time of Trouble end in 1954? It seems they should now call their non-existent class “Consecrated Basiliea Campers” at this time.

We continue to teach that the opportunity for Youthful Worthies will be until Restitution sets in as was taught by both Messengers. In Tabernacle types, a place represents a condition in antitype. Anyone consecrating now may be in the condition of the court – that is, if their consecration is acceptable to the Lord. Restitutionists will consecrate to The Christ in the Basiliea camp. Jesus is not accepting consecration of the restitutionists in the Epiphany Camp.

Question: Are Consecrated Epiphany Campers represented in any way in Noah’s Ark?

Answer: No! And it would be essential for them to be shown in the Ark in some clear manner if they are a genuine class, because the Ark typifies God’s complete Plan of Salvation and the power of Christ to replenish and reorganize society. Noah’s Ark also does not portray the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Jonadabs, or any of the earthly “Organization” they claim will survive Armageddon.

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This paper is a reprint of No. 742, June 2019, and is drawn from various writings of Brothers Johnson and Hoefle.

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

NO. 825: THE MAIN OBJECTS OF OUR LORD’S RETURN

No. 825

“And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:20-21)

Any treatise on the subject of the Millennium would be incomplete without a consideration of our Lord’s Second Advent. All Christians will agree that the Bible teaches Messiah’s Second Advent. Although by no means complete, a list of choice Scriptural references to our Lord’s second stay on earth is presented at the end of this paper. Bro. Dwight L. Moody once said that one verse out of every seven in the New Testament refers to our Lord’s second stay on earth. Even a larger proportion of such passages is found in the Old Testament. And it is because there is so large a proportion of such verses in that section of the Scriptures that the Jews at His first Coming, overlooking the relatively small proportion of prophecies respecting His First Advent, expected Him to come but once, and that to reign. Thus, unprepared to accept the meek and lowly Jesus as fulfilling the promise of the conquering and reigning Messiah of their expectations, they rejected Him; and thus, their “table” (the prophetic Scriptures) became a snare to them as foretold. (Psa. 69:22-23; Rom. 11:9-10)

As shown from Acts 3:19-21 and other Scriptures, our Lord returns at the beginning of the Millennium, at which time He winds up Gospel-Age affairs and inaugurates the work of the Millennium. The time of His second stay on earth will be seen to coincide with the Millennium, during which, among other things, He accomplishes “the restitution of all things,” the main object of His Return (see Studies in the Scriptures, Volume I, Chapter VI). But other objects of His return are important also in relation to the Millennium. According to the Scriptures, we find that our Lord returns for many purposes, of which we will discuss mainly the following seven:

(1) He gathers and delivers the Little Flock: He comes to gather by the Word of Truth and to deliver by His power His prospective Bride, the Little Flock. The Church has been espoused to Him and in holy chastity she has kept herself pure from all worldly affiliations and alliances, witnessing to and longing for His Kingdom, when she is to be married to Him. Her loyalty to Him has cost her much, yea, everything of this world. This loyalty pleases her Lord; and upon returning, He first of all gathers her together through and to the Truth, the “meat in due season.” This feast of Truth is her farewell banquet before her marriage, and greatly has she enjoyed the feast that He Himself provides for her. (2 Cor. 11:2; Matt. 24:28, 31, 45; Luke 12:36-37, 42)

Then, as a part of His Second Advent work, comes her deliverance in the First Resurrection, through which He changes her from humanity to divinity, from weakness to power, from dishonor to glory, from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality. The sleeping part of the Church precedes in the resurrection that part which is living. Afterwards, as one after another of the living saints finishes their course, at the moment of death through sharing in the First Resurrection they join the Lord in the air, and thus will ever be with Him. Arrayed as His glorified Bride and as the City of God (religious government of God), the Church will shine resplendent and all-glorious. (2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:42-54; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 21:9; Rev. 22:5; Psa. 45:13)

(2) He cleanses and delivers the Great Company: Through measurable selfishness, worldliness, sin, and error this class has failed to qualify for Bride-ship with Christ. The spots that have accumulated on their garments must be cleansed. Therefore, during the Epiphany period of His Second Advent, He puts them through some very severe experiences in “the Great Tribulation,” through which they learn to recognize the folly of their past course and to cleanse themselves, however with the loss of all the idols of self, the world, sin, and error to which they bowed down. After their cleansing will come their deliverance, amid which they will greatly rejoice in the Lord’s salvation, as they are ushered into the King’s Palace to be bridesmaids of the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. (Psa. 107:10-16; Jude 23; Mal. 3:2-3; Matt. 25:10- 12; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; Matt. 7:26-27; Cant. 5:6-7; Rev. 7:13-14; Psa. 45:14- 15; Rev. 19:7-9)

(3) He develops the Youthful Worthies: They are thus designated because, as the Ancient Worthies came into activity on the stage of God’s Plan before the opportunity was opened for anyone to enter the High Calling to the Divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ, so the Youthful Worthies come into activity on the stage of God’s plan after that opportunity is closed. According to the Bible, the opportunity of entering the High Calling was to be closed after “the fulness of the Gentiles” (the full number of the Elect from among the Gentiles) should come in. (Rom. 11:25) This synchronizes with the end of the reaping of the present Harvest. But as before the opportunity to enter the High Calling was opened, many desired to and did serve God faithfully, so since the opportunity to enter the High Calling has closed many desire to and do serve God faithfully. Since they show the same spirit of devotion to God as the Ancient Worthies, and that under largely similar conditions, God purposes to associate them with the Ancient Worthies in Millennial and Post-Millennial rewards and service.

We understand that, as in 2 Tim. 2:20 the vessels of gold and silver refer respectively to the Little Flock and the Great Company, so the vessels of wood and of earth refer respectively to the Ancient and the Youthful Worthies. As in Psa. 72:3 Jesus with His Church and the Ancient Worthies, as the two chief ruling powers in God’s Kingdom, are symbolized by the two mountains of Jerusalem, so the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies, as the two subordinate ruling powers of God’s Kingdom, are symbolized by the two little hills of Jerusalem. Moreover, the Lord in the Tabernacle picture has shadowed forth these four classes: the priests to the east of the Tabernacle typing Jesus and the Church; the Kohathite Levites to the south of the Tabernacle typing the Ancient Worthies; the Merarite Levites to the north of the Tabernacle typing the Great Company; and the Gershonite Levites to the west of the Tabernacle typing the Youthful Worthies. (Num. 3:6-8; Num. 1:49-54; Num. 3:23, 29, 35, 40-51; Heb. 12:23) Israel, whose camp surrounded the Tabernacle at a distance, represents the world of mankind, the restitution class.

The Scriptures tell us less of the Youthful Worthies than they do of the other three ruling Kingdom classes, but it is because they have the faith of Abraham that they will be blessed with him with the privilege of blessing all nations. (Gal. 3:6-9) They have the faith quality: they accept the message that preaches repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. Therefore, they are justified by faith. Heeding the Lord’s invitation to consecrate, they give Him their hearts. (Prov. 23:26). With the Ancient Worthies they will then share in a “better resurrection” than that of the world. (Heb. 11: 35) They will be raised perfect human beings, and with the Ancient Worthies will be made princes throughout the earth.

(4) He overthrows Satan’s empire: Satan has an empire over the human family as the prince and god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the ruler of its kingdoms. (John 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; Luke 4:6-7) His kingdom has three departments through which he, though invisible, has held the race in subjection: (1) false religions, (2) oppressive governments, and (3) predatory aristocracies. Evil indeed has been his reign, as all history attests. Surely the Scriptures rightly call him, as Pharaoh’s antitype, “the oppressor.” (Psa. 72:4; Isa. 9:4; Heb. 2:14) But the days of his empire are numbered. The Bible assures us that it will be overthrown through the great Time of Trouble (which began with the two phases of the World War and will progress with possibly a third phase, followed by world revolution and then will culminate in world anarchy), and that it will be accomplished by the Lord in His Second Advent. (Isa. 35:3-4; Rev. 11:15, 18; Rev. 14:4-20; Rev. 19:11-21 ;Rev. 16:18-19; Rev. 18:8-10, 18-21; Rev. 17:4-5, 16, 18; 2 Thess. 2:8-9; Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45; Dan. 7:9-14, 17, 26; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 3:8-9; Joel 2:1-11; Joel 3:9-14) As a result, instead of oppressing the race any more, Satan will be bound for the thousand years of Christ’s Reign, and be unable then to deceive the nations. (Rev. 20:1-3)

(5) He establishes God’s Kingdom in the Earth: God has in innumerable Scriptures promised to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace on the ruins of Satan’s empire, which is to be swept away to make room for Christ’s Kingdom. During the time before the Gospel Age, Jehovah prepared the Ancient Worthy class, the Kingdom’s chief princes, as earthly representatives of our Lord Jesus and His Church. (Psa. 45:16; Isa. 1:26; Isa. 32:1; Matt. 11:11; Heb. 11:39-40) During the Gospel Age, He has been preparing the Kings of His Kingdom in Jesus and His Church. (Heb. 1:3, 8-9; Heb. 12:2; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6; Rev. 5:10; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 19:16; Rev. 20:4-6) The coming of this Kingdom has been the hope and prayer of the faithful ever since it was promised. (Gen. 12:3; Gen. 22:16-18; Heb. 11:13-16; Matt. 6:10; 2 Tim. 4:8; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 22:20)

This Kingdom will be an absolute monarchy; hence its government will not be of the people nor by the people, but will most emphatically be for the people. Its rulers being perfect in wisdom, power, justice and love sufficiently guarantees both their worthiness to hold office and their efficiency to rule. The arrangement that they will establish for mankind will be conducive to truth and righteousness and inconducive to error and sin. This will reverse entirely the conditions prevailing in Satan’s Empire.

(6) He ministers restitution opportunities: Restitution means a return to an original estate. The original estate of the human family was the image and likeness of God, as these were exemplified in Father Adam and Mother Eve. The image of God implies perfection in the physical, mental, moral and religious faculties. Adam and Eve, before the fall, and Jesus, when on earth, were examples of this perfection. (Heb. 2:6-9) The likeness of God implies a perfect earth with perfect rulers in charge. But as St. Paul implies, the image and likeness of God (the original perfection of being and rulership) have been lost. (Heb. 2:8)In the place of the image of God has come physical, mental, moral and religious degradation. In the place of the likeness of God has come the tyranny of the cursed earth over man, greatly oppressing him, until it extinguishes his life. (Gen. 3:17-19) The Scriptures assure us that all this came upon man because of the sin of Adam, man’s example in the original trial. (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22) Now the human family is but a wreck of what it was in Adam and Eve.

This sad, undone condition of our race has deeply appealed to the compassion of our Creator, who amid the sentence of His displeasure (death, not eternal life in torment) has remembered His mercy toward fallen and condemned man in sending His beloved Son into the world as man’s Ransom-price from death. (Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:4-6; John 3:17; Rom. 5:7-8, 16-19) As Christ’s First Advent was to lay down the Ransom-price, so His Second Advent is to make the Ransom-price available for the recovery of the non-elect, in a restitution, a return to the original estate, from the ruins of the lost image and likeness of God brought upon all by heredity through Adam’s sin. The Gospel Age, forming a parenthesis for the selection of His Bride between His two Advents, has been to make its blessings available only for the Elect, His Church.

All who will obey the reasonable require­ments of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will obtain all these blessings. In order to obtain their share in them, all of the dead who were excluded from the opportunities of becoming members of the Elect (to which only the faith class have been invited) will be awakened and brought back to this earth. Should that part of the unbelieving class which happens to live at the time of Christ’s return be favored with opportunities of Restitution, while that part which happened to die before that time be excluded from those blessings? No, because God’s ways are equal and impartial (Ezek. 18:29-32), and death does not of itself fix character.

(7) He tests and rewards all restitutionists: We are not to think that all who will be given the opportunity will attain Restitution (a return to the original estate of the human family in the image and likeness of God) and be rewarded with everlasting life. Only those who faithfully use this opportunity will be given the perfected earth (restored Eden – Isa. 35:1-10; Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35) as their eternal abode and kingdom. This is shown, e.g., in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. (Matt. 25:31-46) That the righteous restitutionists will be given eternal life is shown in verse 46; and that their inheritance will be, not in heaven, but on earth, is shown in verse 34: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” These “sheep” are the “other sheep” referred to by our Lord in John 10:16, and are not to be confused with the Gospel-Age sheep, the Gospel Church. These Restitution sheep, those who by the end of the Millennium will have the Golden Rule of love inscribed in their hearts (Matt. 25:35-40), will inherit the kingdom and honor prepared for mankind “from the foundation of the world”: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:28; Psa. 8:5-8)

This earthly dominion or kingdom, which the Lord will in the end of the Millennium give to His Restitution sheep, is for the tested and approved world of mankind, not for His Church, which were chosen “out of the world.” (John 15:19; John 17:16) This kingdom and honor prepared for man is quite different from the Kingdom of Heaven: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, [the Church].” (1 Pet. 1:4) The Church, tested and found faithful during the Gospel Age (Rev. 17:14; 1 Pet. 4:17), inherits and shares this Kingdom with her Lord. (John 14:2-3; Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 5:1-2; 1 Thess. 4:17) The Church’s Kingdom and honor were ordained before the world unto her glory. (1 Cor. 2:7) She was chosen or designed in Christ “before the foundation of the world.” (Eph. 1:4)

Throughout the Gospel Age, the Church has been fully instructed, thoroughly tested, lovingly chastised and justly sentenced: “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye [the Church] may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.” (2 Thess. 1:5) Likewise, He has a set time for judging the world: “Because he hath appointed a day [the Millennial Day], in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

During the thousand-year Judgment Day, Satan will be bound so that he can deceive the nations no more until their final testing time during the Little Season at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:3), when they will judged by the Christ, Head and Body.(l Cor. 6:2; Matt. 19:28) No one, whether of the Church or of the world, will be given eternal life, either as a part of the new heavens or the new earth, until they have been instructed in the way in which they should go, thoroughly tested, and properly disciplined or chastised for their correction and development into characters fitted for eternal life, some receiving many “stripes” and some few. (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1; Psa. 32:8; Psa. 25:8-9; 1 Tim. 2:3-6; Psa. 139:23-24; Jer. 11:20; 2 Thess. 1:4-5; Jas. 1:12; Heb. 12:8, 11; 1 Cor. 11:31-32; Isa. 26:9; Luke 12:47-48)

In the Millennial Judgment Day, those restitutionists who under the light of the Truth are rightly exercised and faithfully stand under the testing, thus proving themselves fully loyal to the principles of truth and righteousness, will be given the earth as their eternal inheritance, and they shall dwell therein forever. (Deut. 13:3; Psa. 37:9, 11, 29, 34) All who refuse to reform under the favorable conditions of the Millennial Judgment Day will be destroyed from among the people in the Second Death. They will die again, and thus be blotted out of existence forever. (Acts 3:22-23; Psa. 37:9-10, 20, 28, 34-36; Rev. 20:14-15; Rev. 21:8)

The “goats” of the parable are those who externally reform during the Millennium, but who do not have the love of God written in their hearts nor exercise it toward their fellow men. To them the Lord says: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire [everlasting destruction], prepared for the devil and his angels . . . And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt. 25:41, 46) The Greek word kolasin translated “punishment” here denotes a “cutting off” or everlasting destruction. (2 Thess. 1:9; Psa. 145:20; Obad. 16; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:9) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) Thus Jesus will test each individual of the restitution class as to his fitness or unfitness for eternal life, and render the final decision in each case – everlasting life on earth for the righteous and everlasting destruction for the wicked.

SCRIPTURES SUPPORTING RESTITUTION

Following are some Scriptures which teach “the Restitution of all things:”

Acts 3:19-21: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” “Times of refreshing” suggests the re-enkindling of life and the promotion of growth effected by rain, comparing the fallen human family to mown and burnt grass. (Isa. 40:5-8) The Greek word translated “presence” means “face,” i.e. favor (see Num. 6:24-26). During the reign of sin God’s back, not His face, is represented as turned toward man. (Jer. 18:17) During the Millennium, however, He will turn His face toward man, beaming with grace, mercy, and truth for man’s restoration. This passage expressly teaches us that Christ does not return until the Times of Restitution, the Times of Refreshing; therefore, He returns to refresh and restore the race to its original condition. Every feature of the image and likeness of God is to be restored to the willing and obedient in the Millennium. St. Peter assures us that this is the testimony of all the holy Prophets.

Acts 15:14-17: “Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” The Jews, expecting but one Advent of the Messiah, had difficulty in reconciling their hopes of His glorious Reign with sending the Gospel to Gentiles.

St. James here harmonizes the seeming contra­diction by pointing out that there are two Advents and that the time parenthesis between them is filled in by the selection of the Bride of Christ from among Jews and Gentiles. He states that “after this” Messiah’s glorious Reign will come, and that this view harmonizes the facts with the Scriptures. There is no contradiction between the teaching of the selection of Christ’s Bride and His blessing the world of mankind. All that is needed is that they be kept separate and distinct as to the time of their operation.

With and since the fall of David’s royal house, Israel as a kingdom has been in ruins, but this kingdom is to be restored at the Lord’s return, after the testimony has been given in all the world for the selection of the Bride of Christ. (Acts 1:6-8) “Residue” means that which is left after a part is taken out of it; the residue of men, therefore, means all not taken out as prospective parts of the Bride, i.e., the whole non-elect world, living and dead. There is a difference between “the people for his name” and all the nations “upon whom my name is called.” This passage clearly shows that our Lord, with the completion of the Bride’s selection, returns to establish God’s Kingdom, and to bless all those who were passed by and left un-helped while her selection was being made. Hence it implies blessings for both the living and the dead.

Psa. 22:27-29: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.” This shows that there will be a general indoctrination and conversion of the human family combined with universal worship of God. These blessings will be due to the kingdoms of this world becoming the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ, and to His acting as Governor over the nations. (Rev. 11:15) The good (“the fat”) will appropriate to themselves the Kingdom’s blessings, and render God service in return. Those from whom the Lord did not remove the Adamic sentence in this life (“they that go down to the dust”), and who therefore could not prevent their own death, will in the Kingdom serve the Lord as a result of the Kingdom’s blessings.

Psa. 86:9: “All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.” (See also Rev. 15:4) He made all nations, yet the majority of their members have passed away in death without worshiping Him. This passage implies that they must return from the dead to get this blessing of serving and honoring God, a thing that the vast majority of them did not do in this life. Dan. 7:13- 14 and Isa. 35:4-10 show the same glorious blessing resulting from Christ’s Second Advent. The blessings that the returned Lord will give the race in its living and dead members are most eloquently, beautifully and comfortingly set forth in Psa. 72:1-19.

Isa. 25:6-9: “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things . . . And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces . . . And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” This passage is another beautiful summary of the Kingdom work following our Lord’s Return. It describes the glorious feasts of uncontaminated and nutritious Truth and the destruction of sin and error. It shows that both the dying process and the death state will be utterly blotted out of existence, along with all tears and the persecution of the righteous, through the glorious Kingdom of God which Christ returns to establish. See also 1 Cor. 15:21-26, 55-56 and Rom. 8:19, 21.

Rom 14:9: “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” This text expressly tells us that Christ gave Himself as our Ransom that He might become the Lord, Ruler, both of the living and the dead. Hence His death will yet, in His Kingdom, bless all of Adam’s dead race. See also Phil. 2:6-8, 9-11, which shows His sacrificial death and His consequent exaltation to be the Ruler over (1) all in heaven, which occurred at His ascension; (2) all on earth, which has not yet occurred, but which will occur after His return in the Kingdom; and (3) all under the earth (the dead) which also has not yet occurred, but which awaits His Second Advent and Kingdom, when, as already done in heaven, every tongue on earth and under the earth will acknowledge Him as Lord, thereby glorifying God.

God has given us His oath on this very point: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” (Isa. 45:22-23) His oath here is based upon, and is explanatory of, the Oath-bound Covenant, by which God bound Himself to Christ and the Church, the Seed, to use them to bless all the families, nations and kindreds of the earth, resulting in the whole earth becoming full of His Glory. (Gen. 22:16, 18; Gal. 3:8, 16, 28-29; Num. 14:21; Psa. 72:19; Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14; Matt. 6:10) Since the vast majority have died unblessed, this passage implies their awakening for this blessing.

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The above is taken from Chapter I of Epiphany Volume 17, The Millennium, written by Brother Paul S.L. Johnson. It has been edited to adapt it to the paper format.

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Here are some of the Scriptural references to our Lord’s second stay on earth (many others could have been added). We suggest that these references be looked up and studied carefully.

Gen. 3:15; Gen. 22:18; Gen. 49:10; Num. 24:17-19; Deut.18:15, 18-19; 1 Sam. 2:10; Job 19:25; Psa. 22:27-29; Psa. 72; Psa. 98; Psa. 110; Isa. 2:1-4; Isa. 11:1-11; Isa. 25:6-9; Isa. 35; Isa. 42:1-4; Isa. 49:1-12; Isa. 52; Isa. 59:16-20; Isa. 60; Isa. 61:4-11; Isa. 62; Isa. 63; Isa. 65; Isa. 66; Jer. 23:5-6; Jer. 33:15-18; Ezek. 36; Ezek. 37; Ezek. 38; Ezek. 39; Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45; Dan. 7:13-14, 18, 22, 26-27; Dan. 12:1-3; Hos. 2:14-23; Hos.14; Joel 2:21-28; Joel 3:9-21; Amos 9:11-15; Obad. 17-21; Micah 4; Nah. 1:15; Hab. 3; Zeph. 3:8-20; Hag. 2:6-9; Zech. 9:10; Zech. 8:20-23; Zech. 13; Zech. 14; Mal. 3:1-5; Mal. 4; Matt. 16:27; Matt. 23:39; Matt. 24; Matt. 25; Matt. 26:64; Mark 13:27, 32, 35-36; Luke 9:26; Luke 12:37-46; Luke 17:20-37; Luke 18:8; Luke 19:12-27; Luke 21:25-36; John 14:3; John 16:16-22; Acts 1:6-7, 11; Acts 3:19-21; Acts 15:14-18; Rom. 8:17-23; 1 Cor. 1:7-8; 1 Cor. 4:5; 1 Cor. 11:26; 1 Cor. 15:21-28; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:19; 1 Thess. 3:13; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Thess. 5:1-5, 23; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; 1 Tim. 6:14-15; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Jas. 5:1-9; 1 Pet. 1:4-9, 13; 1 Pet. 4:13; 1 Pet. 5:4; 2 Pet. 1:16-19; 2 Pet. 3:3-14; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2-3; Jude 14-15, 24; Rev. 1:7; Rev. 3:11; Rev. 5:9-10; Rev. 16:15; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 20; Rev. 21; Rev. 22:1-7, 17, 20.

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NO. 824: “HE THAT LIVETH, AND WAS DEAD”

No. 824

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.” (Rev. 1:18)

We must not allow Easter Sunday to pass without noting its unique lesson – the resurrection of the Savior from the dead. The above text comes to us as fresh as though delivered yesterday from the lips of the risen Redeemer. It is His special message to His people. How much is conveyed in these few words! They affirm positively that Jesus really died, “the just for the unjust,” that He might bring mankind back from sin and condemnation to harmony with God. (1 Pet. 3:18) With equal force, they tell us that He is dead no longer. Although unseen by our natural eyes, we may recognize by faith that He arose from the dead and ascended up on high. (Heb. 9:24)

What was accomplished by His death and what is the value of His life to mankind?

His death was necessary because death was the sentence against Adam and all his race because of original sin – disobedience. St. Paul says, “Where­fore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) It was not an angel that had sinned and hence an angel could not be the Redeemer. The divine law was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; hence nothing but the sacrificial death of a perfect man could redeem the race from the death sentence. Any perfect man could have been substituted, but none existed in the whole world. Thus, it was necessary that our Lord be “made flesh” so that He might redeem us. (John 1:14) As the Scriptures explain, “Though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor.” (2 Cor. 8:9) He left the perfection of the heavenly nature and came down to perfect human nature, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” (Heb. 7:26)

The death of Jesus did not redeem the world, but it constituted a ransom price for the world yet to be applied. Our Savior laid down His life, surrendering it to the Father, in obedience to the divine will. As a reward, He was highly exalted and given a name above every name on the spirit plane. (Phil. 2:9) He did not forfeit His human rights by sin; He laid them down in obedience to the Father’s wish, to be disposed of as a bequest to humanity.

Thus, we see clearly the inestimable value of our Redeemer’s sacrifice of Himself. A further glance will show His resurrection to be of equal importance. Had the Father not raised Him from the dead, it would have implied some unfaith­fulness, some failure on our Lord’s part. And if He had not arisen, how could He have made application of His human rights on our behalf? No wonder St. Paul forcefully declares: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain . . . ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished . . . But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Cor. 15:14-20)

The resurrection hopes of both the Church and of the world hang upon the death of Jesus and His resurrection, but the Scriptures differentiate these hopes. The Church is to share in the “first resurrection” (the chief resurrection), also called “his resurrection.” (Rev. 20:6; Phil. 3:10) It is a resurrection to the spirit nature of glory and perfection. On that glorious plane the Heavenly Bridegroom will soon claim His espoused Church as His Bride and joint-heir in His Kingdom.

Afterward the world’s resurrection will be due to begin. It will not be a resurrection change to spirit nature, nor will it be an instantaneous work. Theirs will be a gradual resurrection to perfect human nature. First, they will be awakened, “every man in his own order.” (1 Cor. 15:23) Subse­quently they will be gradually raised up out of sin and death conditions to perfection of life, if they are willing to obey the great King of the Millennial Kingdom. Those refusing to obey will be destroyed in the Second Death. (Acts 3:23)

Regrettably, many Christians, including many of the clergy, fail to discern the great importance of the resurrection as taught in God’s Word. This serious omission has created confusion, leading many to reject the Word of God. Let us heed the testimony of the Bible on the importance of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. In doing so we will surely be following the example of the Great Teacher and the Apostles. Are we wiser than they that we should leave their teachings or neglect them? Certainly not! “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” (Heb. 2:1)

DOES OUR LORD NOW OWN THE HUMAN RACE?

If someone has signed a contract to purchase a building and has secured financing for the purchase, it would be appropriate to consider that person the owner of the building. Strictly speaking, however, he is not the owner until he pays the price, the documents are properly executed, and he has the deed instead of the contract. A contract is an agreement to enter into a transaction; the deed is proof that the transaction has been completed.

Our Lord Jesus entered into a contract with the Father, giving to the Father the ransom price: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) As a consequence, He already has a claim to being Lord of all in a prospective sense, although not in the actual sense. He is not Lord of millions of people on earth today. Their knees have not bowed and their tongues have not confessed. (Rom. 14:11; Isa. 45:23) So He is not their Lord in the absolute sense, but His work is progressing, and in view of the authority which will yet be exercised by Him and of the work which He will yet do, the Father speaks of Him prophetically as “Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36)

Let us consider certain Scriptures bearing on this subject. We cite first the passage which refers to the dead, both good and bad, as “them which are asleep” and those who “sleep in Jesus.” (1 Thess. 4:13-14) How are they asleep in Jesus? They sleep in Jesus in exactly the same way that Abraham and all the Old Testament kings and Prophets are said to be asleep. At the time of their death Jesus had not yet paid a ransom price for mankind, nor had He yet come into the world to do so. However, in the divine plan God had arranged for and guaranteed that a Redeemer would be found, that a ransom price would be given, and that all mankind would be recovered from the tomb. Further, God Himself spoke from that standpoint when referring to Himself as “The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” speaking as though they were really not dead at all, but merely asleep, waiting for Him. (Exod. 3:15)

All who believed God then could speak of and think of the dead as merely asleep and awaiting the resurrection, even though Jesus had not yet come. The same is true since Jesus came and died. It is still more reasonable and proper for us now to say that all “sleep in Jesus,” because now He is identified as the one who has given Himself a ransom price for all. The price has not yet been applied for all, but He has placed in the Father’s hands His sacrificed life, which is His to appropriate and which is sufficient for the sins of the whole world. It has not as yet been appropriated for the world, but merely for the Church, for the price is first a satisfaction for the Church’s sins and afterwards for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2; John 3:16)

THE CHURCH ALONE REDEEMED THUS FAR

Next consider this text: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Pet. 1:18-19) The “ye” referred to here is the Church; the reference does not extend beyond the Church to the world. It does not imply that the world is redeemed as yet. Jesus’ merit, of course, is all-sufficient for the whole world, but He has not yet appropriated it for all men.

Consider another text: “For ye are bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:20) Similarly this text speaks not of the world, but of the Church. It is the “ye” class that were bought, but even they were not yet bought when Jesus died at Calvary. There He indeed committed to the Father’s hands a price sufficient for all (Luke 23:46); but it was not then appropriated for anyone until His resurrection and ascension, when He appeared “in the presence of God for us.” (Heb. 9:24) The “us” class, the Church, were then bought with the precious blood of Christ.

Consider another text: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) In one sense He was a propitiation, or satisfaction, for the sins of the Church when He died, but the satisfaction had not then been applied for the sins of the Church. When He ascended up on high, He appeared for the Church (the “us” class), and made satisfaction for its sins. Therefore, as they believed and made conse­cration, their sins were remitted.

When He died, the merit of His death was also a satisfaction price for the sins of the whole world, but He has not yet applied it for the world. Hence the world is not free from the penalty of sin; it is still under condemnation. Concerning the Church, however, the Apostle says they have “escaped the corruption that is in the world.” (2 Pet. 1:4) And again he says they in the past were “by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Eph. 2:3) The others, we see, are still children of wrath. The reason? It is because the satisfaction for their sins has not yet been applied. The great Redeemer has the satisfaction price; it merely awaits the due time for its application.

Notice another passage: “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” (Rom. 14:9) This text succinctly states what our Lord accomplished. His death, His raising and His revival were all necessary features of the redemptive work. Further, He could not yet be Lord in any other way than by the Father’s proclaiming Him such, as when He declared Him Lord of all and when He said, “And let all the angels of God worship him.” (Heb. 1:6)

Although Christ is proclaimed to be Lord of all, it will take time for that to be recognized. In harmony with this the Apostle says, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” (Eph. 1:10) It will take the fullness of the Millennial Age to accomplish this gathering together under Him, making Him in fact Lord of all. We thus see that prophetically and by divine appointment He already has that office, but now He is waiting until His enemies are brought under Him and all things are subjected to Him. (1 Cor. 15:25-27; Heb. 2:8)

A RANSOM FOR ALL

Next consider this text: “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:6) As the man Christ Jesus, He gave Himself at Jordan, surrendering His all to the Father’s will. His work of surrendering His earthly life and all His earthly rights was completed at Calvary when He cried, “It is finished.” He had finished the work the Father had given Him to do. He gave Himself a ransom for all, and the merit of His death will be sufficient to constitute a ransom for all as soon as it is applied. Thus far it has been applied only for believers. The time for its application for the remainder of the world will be the Millennial Age.

While our Lord’s merit is fully appropriated during the Gospel Age for all who come unto Him, it will be fully set free when the last of the consecrated ones have passed beyond the vail. His merit has been imputed to them for the very purpose of enabling them to sacrifice, following in Christ’s footsteps. When His merit has been released by the death of the last of the consecrated, it will be again at His disposal for appropriation to the world.

Then the great High Priest will make the second sprinkling of the blood – not on behalf of the Church, because they will have no further need of it. The second sprinkling will be on behalf of “all the people” – all who will come under the New Covenant arrangement. (Lev. 16:33) Once all come to sufficient knowledge under that New Covenant, those who desire to come under the merit of our Lord’s ransom price will receive the Restitution blessings. Those who will reject the ransom price will fail to come under the merit, thus rejecting the blessings of Restitution.

Restitution blessings will come gradually throughout the Millennial Age, not instan­taneously at the beginning. The blessings will not come merely in a reckoned sense by faith; they will be actual. Throughout the Millennial Age, Christ will give mankind the benefit of our Lord’s ransom price. The full benefit of this price will not be given until the work of the Millennial Age is finished and all desiring to be God’s people, upon God’s terms, have been brought to perfection. God never intended His blessings to go to any but those who desire to be in harmony with Him on His terms. God never intended to do anything for those who are willingly and intentionally out of harmony with Him, such as Satan.

Note the agreement of this text: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) This is God’s great work which He purposed in Himself before the foundation of the world – that the ransoming of Adam and all his race should be accomplished through the death of Christ. (Eph. 1:9-10) Thus Jesus tasted death for every man, whether the benefit of it was received on the Day of Pentecost or later during the Gospel Age, or whether they will get it in the Millennial Age. It is for every man that He tasted death, so that He might give them the blessings that will come to the world of mankind during the Millennial Age, blessings that will be theirs to all eternity if they are obedient.

“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Eph. 4:8) We think another translation states it more clearly: “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (Eph. 4:8, RSV) This passage (a quotation of Psa. 68:18) shows He is the leader of the entire captive race. They will all be led forth, all delivered from the power of sin and death.

THE APPLICATION OF THE PRICE

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6) This passage does not say that Christ made an application of His merit for the ungodly; it merely states that God arranged His plan so that it was necessary for Christ to die for the ungodly. He arranged it on behalf of all the ungodly, not merely the Jews and those who may desire to be in harmony with God. The merit of His death was intended by the Father to apply to every member of the human race, the ungodly race of Adam, all of them sinners and more or less depraved and degraded and out of harmony with God.

The object for which the price was given is one thing and the application of it is another. The purpose of Christ’s death was to redeem the world, to be the world’s ransom price, that He might be the restorer of all. But time and order are crucial to this plan; the work progresses step by step. The first step was for Christ Himself to secure eternal glory by being obedient unto death, thus securing an asset that He could then give away – His earthly life, which He had not forfeited.

The next step was for Him to ascend up on high and apply this price. He appeared as advocate for a special class, those from among men who desired to come into harmony with God, who desired to accept God’s favor and to become members of the Body of Christ under a special plan that God had arranged. When He appeared for these, He imputed the merit of His sacrifice on their behalf, and thus all this merit was absorbed in this one work of justifying and assisting this special class. He did not do this by first giving them earthly restitution, but by simply imputing His merit to them.

This imputation of His merit has covered the Adamic sin of those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, turning from sin and consecrating themselves to God. It has made up for all deficiencies of their flesh, allowing them to present themselves “a living sacrifice, holy, accept­able unto God.” (Rom. 12:1) In other words, He became their guarantor. Not being sufficient of themselves, He has guaranteed for them that if they faithfully performed this laying down of their lives, His merit would continue to be applied for all their imperfections. These are the Royal Priests, represented in one picture as His Bride and in another as members of His Body. These are “more than conquerors.” (Rom. 8:37)

Then comes the secondary class, not up to this standard – a class that does not voluntarily, heartily and cheerfully lay down their lives in the desire to please the Father and do His will. These, nevertheless, are loyal at heart and are restrained from full sacrifice only through “fear of death,” through fear of what it will cost them. They will be tested to the point that they will be obliged ultimately to lay down their lives, and to do so with a willing mind. They fail of coming off more than conquerors because of permitting experiences designed to test them to retard their progress in the matter of gaining the high position offered them, thus they become the Second Company. There is also a third class, those who die the “Second Death,” who “draw back unto perdition.”

These three classes having finished their course, all the merit that Christ imputed will again be available and will be applied in the sealing of the New Covenant. The New Covenant will be made with Israel, but it will be broad enough to include all those of every nation of the earth who are willing to come under its terms. Through faith and obedience, they will become the children of Abraham.

THE PURCHASED POSSESSION REDEEMED

Now consider this text: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14)

The Holy Spirit granted to the Church is the earnest or foretaste of their inheritance. They are to “inherit all things.” (Rev. 21:7) First of all they inherit the divine nature, and secondly they inherit the great Abrahamic promise that through them, in union with our Lord Jesus as members of His Body, all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Gen. 22:18; Gen. 28:14; Gal. 3:29) They are spoken of as the Lord’s purchased possession and this part of His possession will be complete when they are changed to receive His glory. They will then be perfect and under His direct control.

After this, another part of this same promise (another feature of the same possession) will become operative. The precious blood will then be applied to seal the New Covenant on behalf of the sins of all the people. The work of recovering the still larger possession will progress until the close of the Millennial Age, when the entire possession will be redeemed. Christ will have put down all enemies and accomplished His mission of restoring mankind to perfection. He will then deliver up His completed work to the Father. (1 Cor. 15:24)

Also consider this passage: “For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Rom. 5:15) Here the Apostle evidently does not mean that the full abundance of grace had at that time reached the many, because that would be untrue. It is now nearly 2,000 years since the Apostle’s day, and the abundance of grace has not yet reached the majority of mankind. So we must understand him to mean that the abundance of grace in Christ according to the Father’s plan and purpose is yet to reach the many. The world is yet in its sins; Israel is yet in its sins and will not be recovered until after the glorification of the Church, as the Apostle points out: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:26-27)

Since this grace has not yet gone to the Jews nor to the Gentiles in general, the only way in which it has abounded is through the promise of God that the death of Christ will yet be made efficacious for all. Therefore, speaking from this prophetic standpoint, it is plain to be seen how Jesus is the Savior of the world, although the work of saving the Church will not be complete until the end of the Gospel Age. Similarly, He will not be the Savior of the world in the full sense until the end of the Millennial Age. Some will never be fully saved because they will refuse the grace of God; and yet He is, according to the Scriptures, the Savior of all men – the Savior of the world.

The Scriptures declare that He was the Savior of the world when He was born. The message of the angels was, “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) He was then a Savior in the prospective sense – not because of what He was then, as a babe, and not merely because of what He has since accomplished through His sacrifice, but because of all that He will accomplish according to God’s promise by the time He delivers up the Kingdom to the Father. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)

He now saves in a partial sense, by hope, those who come unto the Father through Him. The saving of the world will begin when He awakens them from death; but they will not be fully saved, will not attain full Restitution nor gain eternal life, except as they exercise faith and obedience. He opens the door; He makes the way; He provides all the arrangements by which they may know and obey.

The whole earth is a part of the purchased possession and shall be filled with the glory of God. And if any knee will then refuse to bow and any tongue refuse to confess and any fail to accept of the favor of God, there will be nothing further for that person; he will die the Second Death. “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23)

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This paper is based on writings of Pastor Russell, primarily Reprints 4587 and 4632.

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THY BLOOD WAS SHED ON CALVARY

Forgive me Lord, to Thee I pray,

Forgive the sins I did today,

And help me know Thy truth and might,

And serve Thee always, day and night.

If there is good that I could do,

Some soul, Lord, I can bring to you,

Then let me be not satisfied,

Until that soul in Thee abides.

I know I’m weak and filled with sin,

But Thou canst make me pure within,

Place in my heart thy love divine,

And let me know I’m wholly Thine.

There is no friend like Thee, I know,

In all life’s sorrows I can go,

For Thou has promised and I know,

That Thou canst make me white as snow.

Then lead me Lord, lest I should stray

From Thine own perfect righteous way,

And ever, Jesus, let me see

Thy blood was shed on Calvary,

For me was shed, dear Lord, for me.

By Virginia Snow Dunnagan

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

NO. 823: THE PASSOVER OF THE FIRST-BORNS

No. 823

“And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” (Exod. 12:14)

Once again the time comes to celebrate the Memorial of our Lord’s crucifixion, the correct time for 2026 being after 6 p.m. on March 31. The date is determined by this method: The moon nearest the Vernal Equinox becomes new in Jerusalem on March 19 at 3:23 a.m., thus establishing 6 p.m. March 18 as the beginning of Nisan 1, Bible reckoning. Counting forward to Nisan 14, we arrive at 6 p.m. March 31. Any time that evening after 6 p.m. would be proper for the celebration.

The date of the Paschal Supper at which the Jews ate a lamb, commemorative of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and of the sparing of their first-born at that time, was of course calculated by the Jewish method of reckoning time; viz., lunar time. (Exod. 12:2-14) Instead of dividing the months as we do, they allowed the new moon to mark the beginning of a new month; and the difference between the sun time (solar time) and moon time (lunar time) was equalized every year by always beginning the new year with the appearing of the new moon about the spring equinox. The Jews still maintain this method of reckoning in celebrating their religious festivals. And since our Lord, the Apostles, and the early Church followed this same rule for determining the date for the annual celebration of our Lord’s Last Supper, we also follow it.

THE PASSOVER MEMORIAL

The Passover celebrates one of the most momentous chapters in the history of the Israelites, and is associated with their national birth. According to the Scriptures, God had brought to the throne of Egypt a Pharaoh of indomitable will. Although others might have been in line for the throne, God favored this man attaining it, knowing his natural arrogance and obstinacy would allow divine power to be manifested in the succession of plagues which his actions would make necessary and proper. We read, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” (Exod. 9:16) The ten plagues sent upon the Egyptians were manifestations of divine justice against their unjust treatment of the Israelites, God’s chosen people. The last of the ten plagues relates to our subject, The Passover.

The edict was that all of the first-born of the Egyptians were to die, but the first-born of the Israelites would not die. (Exod. 11:5-7) The Israelites were directed to mark themselves as separate and distinct from the Egyptians by each family taking a lamb without blemish and bringing it into the house on the tenth day of the first month. They were to cherish it and care for it until the fourteenth day, when they were to slay it. Its blood was to be sprinkled on their outside doorposts and lintels, while its flesh was to be roasted in the fire without a bone of it being broken. It was to be eaten in the night of the fourteenth with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread. Strengthened by this food, the next day they were to march out of Egypt to go to the Promised Land for an inheritance under the Covenant made with Abraham.

The first-borns of the Egyptians died that night, but the first-borns of the Israelites were passed over, just as the Lord had foretold through Moses. By the divine edict given through Moses, this event was memorialized every year at the appropriate season. On the tenth day of the first month, a lamb was taken into each of the houses of the Israelites, one for each family or group. All leaven, representing sin, was banished from their homes, and only unleavened bread was eaten with the lamb. The annual celebration of the Passover was for eight days, the first and the eighth day being high days, to be specially commemorated.

The Passover season is not only the oldest institution of the Jewish people, it is also their most joyous festival. It celebrates one of the earliest manifestations of divine favor toward them, and it reminds them of the prophecies of the still greater favor to come to them in the future: “Therefore, 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, 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.” (Jer. 16:14-15)

It was further prophesied that this deliverance from Egypt at the Passover time, the most notable event in the past history of the Israelites, would pale in comparison with future blessings: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 31:31-32)

This New Covenant is old as it relates to the Law and the divine requirements, but it is new in the sense that it will be based upon better sacrifices and have a better Mediator. It will be able to do exceedingly better things for Israel than Moses was able to accomplish as the mediator of the Covenant made at Sinai, although all his endeavors to serve the people were noble. Moses spoke of this better Mediator and better Covenant: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:22-23; Deut. 18:15)

THE MEANING OF THE PASSOVER CELEBRATION

For centuries, observant Jews have celebrated the Passover memorial, seeing its outward significance but not recognizing that the slain lamb typified Jesus – “the Lamb of God” – whose death constitutes the ransom price for the sins of the whole world. His death was necessary before the promise to Abraham could possibly have fulfillment. In order to be everlastingly efficacious, the redemption from sin must be based upon a better sacrifice than the annual sacrifice of a literal lamb.

It was necessary that Jesus become a perfect man in order to give His life as a sacrifice for mankind, but it was also necessary that He ascend on high to the Father’s right hand after finishing that sacrificing work. There He was to be the Spiritual Messiah, who will in due time accomplish for fleshly Israel all the gracious promises made to them in the Covenant with Abraham. They will be used by the Lord to convey His blessings to all nations, peoples and tongues. The world was under the condemnation for sin – “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) Man’s penalty had to be met before this condemnation of death could be fully and forever set aside – before man could be entirely and forever lifted out of the conditions of sin and death and back to the conditions of eternal life and harmony with the Creator.

In harmony with the divine arrangement, Jesus first offered Himself to Israel as their King, but Israel did not recognize Him as their Messiah, because He had neither wealth, armies or influential friends. They disdained Him as a deceiver. When He declared Himself the Son of God and their deliverer, they thought Him an impostor and blasphemer, and worthy of death. They sentenced Him in their own Sanhedrin Court, but not having the authority to execute Him themselves, they charged Him with the only crime which the Roman Governor would hear – treason to the Roman Emperor. By threatening to associate Pilate with Jesus in treason, they finally effected the crucifixion of the antitypical Passover Lamb. He was stretched upon the cross much after the manner in which they impaled their Passover lamb for its roasting.

THE LAMB OF GOD

Note that Jesus presented Himself as the Lamb of God and was rejected exactly at the appropriate time – the tenth day of the first month, when the Jews were taking up their lambs for the Passover. His presentation was on the exact day and in exactly the manner specified by the Prophet Zechariah: “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. . . . and he shall speak peace unto the heathen [nations]: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” (Zech. 9:9-10) This was fulfilled to the very letter as the Prophet foretold, and it was on that very day that Israel’s “double” of experiences began. Israel was blinded with self-satisfaction and repudiated the lowly King, refusing to accept Him as their Lamb and to receive Him into their hearts and homes. Nevertheless, He proceeded to fulfill this wonderful type, dying as the antitypical Passover Lamb on the fourteenth day.

Some of the Jews, the Apostles of Jesus and others whose hearts were in a humble, obedient and faithful condition, quickly received a great blessing through Him. These faithful ones fed upon the Lamb and through Him the unleavened bread of God’s grace. The blood of Jesus was sprinkled upon the door posts and the lintels of their hearts. Members of this “Household of Faith” still celebrate and commemorate the death of the Lamb of God as the foundation for all their hopes, joys and blessings. They are continually refreshed by the favor of the Lord, whether they be poor or rich, whether their honors be many or few as respects earthly things.

Those faithful followers of Jesus were recognized by the Father on the day of Pentecost when He received them to a higher plane, begetting them of the Holy Spirit. Those faithful in following in the footsteps of Jesus will share with Him the Spiritual Kingdom through which the earthly blessings will soon begin to come to Israel and to all the world. Not only will Messiah be King of the Jews, but as the prophecy of Zechariah declares, His Kingdom “shall be from sea to sea” (world-wide). All nations will recognize His power and glory, and at His name every knee will bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11) Israel will receive the glorious Messiah promised to them when He is revealed in the end of this age, but, except for a remnant, they will have missed the honor first offered to them of constituting His Spiritual Bride, as the Prophets foretold. (Isa. 1:9; Isa. 10:21-23; Psa. 45:9-14)

God kept hidden the fact that Messiah’s Kingdom would be a spiritual one. Not one promise of a Spiritual Messiah was given either in the Law or the Prophets, for every promise from Genesis to Malachi is earthly. This was the promise to Abraham: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” (Gen. 13:15) Israel has not lost this promise. Not only is a remnant of them most prominently represented in the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, but Abraham and all their faithful Prophets are to be made “princes [rulers] in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16)

The seed of Abraham will be uplifted and made the channel of divine blessings to all peoples. As the Apostle Paul said, “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” (Rom. 11:2) He is about to fulfill to them every good promise under His New Covenant, with its greater Mediator and grander antitypical priesthood symbolized by Melchizedek and foretold by the Prophet Malachi. (Jer. 31:31; Psa. 110:4; Mal. 3:1-3)

LIKE UNTO MOSES, BUT GREATER

According to God’s plan, the long-promised antitypical Priest, King, and Messiah will stand as the Mediator between God and Israel, as the antitype of Moses. The fact that He will be a spiritual Messiah and not in the flesh will not diminish His glory and power, but will augment them. From Him the Israelites will receive earthly glory and blessings beyond their fondest dreams. Under the New Covenant, a way of approach to God will be opened up for all Gentiles through Israel and the Mediator.

Thus it is written: “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] shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3) Any nation that will not recognize Jerusalem (the earthly Kingdom of Israel restored) as the divine government will receive no special blessing: “And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” (Zech. 14:17)

Zechariah mentioned the blessing of the Gentiles when he said Messiah will “speak peace” unto the nations. But this blessing of peace will come first to Israel, God’s Chosen People, and then proceed through them to the Gentiles. The same holds true with respect to the selection of Spiritual Israelites, as we have already noticed how the “remnant” of Jews who were ready for Messiah received Jesus and the Pentecostal blessing. After giving the first opportunity for the spiritual blessings to Israel, the invitation to become Messiah’s associates on the spirit plane has been extended to the Gentiles throughout the Gospel Age – to those of them who have had the hearing ear and the understanding and obedient heart.

Thus, God has been selecting from both Jews and Gentiles worthy individuals for association with His Son, the Redeemer. These are but a “little flock” out of millions of nominal Christians. To this “little flock” the Redeemer said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) That Kingdom is to bless Israel, and through Israel it is to speak peace to all Gentiles – to every member of Adam’s race. It will afford all a full opportunity to return from sin and death conditions to everlasting life in harmony with God.

There are precious lessons and blessings for Israel in the Passover type, and in its antitype. Their condition of being blind and outcast from God’s favor was not to prevail forever, but merely until He had gathered Messiah’s “elect” associates on the spirit plane. Then all Israel will be recovered from this blindness, and abundant blessings will come to them. God intended for their casting off and blinding as a nation to work out for them a national blessing. Under adverse conditions they have been held together as a people, condemned as a whole, that they might receive mercy as a whole. (Rom. 11:30-32)

“CHURCH OF THE FIRST-BORN”

Remember that not all of the Israelites were in danger the night the Passover lamb was eaten – it was only the first-born who were “passed over.” A little later, God exchanged the first-born of every family for an entire tribe – the tribe of Levi. (Num. 3:12, 41) Hence that one tribe thereafter represented those saved by the passing over of the destroying angel – saved by the blood of the lamb and the eating of its flesh with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

Note the types blended in this tribe of Levi:

(1) The spiritual Israelites constitute the primary type, with Aaron (who performed the sacrifices) being the type of the great High Priest, the glorified Messiah.[1] Aaron’s sons, the under-priests, typified the saintly few who have followed their Master in sacrificing faithfully unto death. As we have seen, the first of these were called out from among the Jews, God’s chosen people, but when not a sufficient number responded to the call, the remainder were accepted from among the Gentiles.

(2) Additionally, there is a class of faithful but less zealous followers of Jesus who have done noble work of service, but have failed to some extent of the proper sacrificing spirit. These, who correspond to the Levites, are similarly called from both Jews and Gentiles.

Together the two classes typed by the Priests and Levites constitute the “church of the firstborn.” (Heb. 12:23) Of these, the Apostle said: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (Jas. 1:18) Selected first from the Jews and secondly from the Gentiles, they were further typified in the first-born of Israel who were passed over on that night when the first-born of Egypt were slain.

Thus, we see that this Gospel Age, from the time of the first Advent of Jesus to the time of the setting up of the Messianic Kingdom, is represented by that night. As the Prophet foretold, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth [civilized society], and gross darkness the [heathen] people.” (Isa. 60:2) During this dark night, the Household of Faith has sprinkled the blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), upon their door post. They have been under its protection, sharing in the unleavened bread of Truth and the strength and blessing freely provided by the sacrifice.

THE AFTER-BORN SAVED ALSO

A great mistake has been made by many of us in the past in supposing that only the firstborn are to be saved. An examination of the picture or type given to us through Israel’s Passover shows that this is clearly not the case. Instead of the firstborn of Israel being the only ones saved, the narrative shows that after that dark night came a morning of blessing and joy when all Israel went forth out of bondage – not merely the firstborn.

Under the command of Moses, the firstborn in the type led the people out of darkness and slavery into emancipation and light. They became the Priests and Levites, the religious leaders of the people. In like manner, the “Church of the Firstborn,” elected during this Gospel Age from Jews and Gentiles, will lead all the tribes of Israel put of the power of sin and death in the morning of the new dispensation, the Messianic Kingdom. In the type, Moses represented the great spiritual Messiah who will soon lead forth His people Israel and grant them all the blessings and privileges and favors included in the Abrahamic promise.

Only Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage, crossing the Red Sea with dry feet, and only they experienced the special divine provi­dences of the wilderness, but this should not be understood to mean that Messiah will bless the natural seed of Abraham only. The blessing will come first to Israel, who are beloved for the fathers’ sakes, and they will be brought into Covenant relationship with God. Other nations are not included in the type, because in order to come into fellowship and relationship with God through the great Mediator, the Messiah, they will have to become citizens of Zion – they will have to become Israelites.

This may astonish some Christian people who are well-versed students of the Bible, because many of them have overlooked certain features of the divine promise of the New Covenant. We are distinctly told that the New Covenant is to be made between God and Israel, His chosen people, and not with any other nation, and thus it will be that all the families of earth will be blessed through Israel. (Gen. 12:3; Gen 28:14) The making of the New Law Covenant with Israel will bless the other nations because the opportunity will be granted to every nation and people to come under the terms of that New (Law) Covenant, mediated by the greater than Moses. To come under that Covenant will mean a full subordination to the divine law as expressed in the Law of Moses, the fulfilling of which is love.

After first blessing God’s chosen people, the Great Messiah will be pleased to serve all nations and peoples when they prove willing to accept His favors and conform to the divine laws. Thus all nations will gradually become of the seed of Abraham during Messiah’s reign, and by the end of His reign the promise of God to Abraham will be fulfilled: “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 28:14)

Here the two seeds are clearly identified: (1) The stars symbolize the spiritual seed, the antitypical Priests and Levites on the spirit plane. (2) The “dust of the earth” represents the earthly seed – Israel and all peoples who will be absorbed into Israel through Messiah’s mediation of the New Covenant. At the close of Messiah’s Kingdom, all mankind will be included in God’s Chosen People, because all who will refuse to hear and obey that great Prophet, Priest, and King will be cut off from life in the Second Death – everlasting destruction.

(Based on What Pastor Russell Wrote For the Overland Monthly, pages 93-98.)

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OUR LORD’S MEMORIAL SUPPER

It was in harmony with this type of the killing of the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month – the day preceding the seven days’ Feast of the Passover celebrated by the Jews – that our Lord died, as the antitypical Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” At no other time was it possible for our Lord to have finished in death the sacrifice which He began when He was thirty years of age, in His baptism unto death. Hence it was that, although the Jews many times sought to take Him, no man laid hands on Him, because “his hour was not yet come.” (John 7:8, 30)

It was at the close of His ministry, on the fourteenth day of the first month, on “the same night in which He was betrayed” (1 Cor. 11:23), that our Lord celebrated the typical Passover with His disciples, eating the typical lamb representing Himself and His own sacrifice for the sins of the world. The eating of this supper on the night preceding our Lord’s death, and yet on the same day, was made possible by the Jewish custom of beginning each day, not at midnight, but in the evening. The Lord evidently arranged all the affairs of Israel in conformity with the types they were to express.

As Jews born under the Law, it was obligatory for our Lord and His Apostles to celebrate this type at its proper time, but after they had thus observed this Jewish Supper, the Lord instituted for His disciples and for His entire Church a new thing to take its place. Our Lord did not institute another, higher type of the Passover. On the contrary, the type was about to begin its fulfillment – our Lord, as the antitypical Lamb, was about to be slain. As the Apostle expressed it, “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7)

For anyone accepting Christ as the Passover Lamb, thus accepting the antitype as taking the place of the type, it would not be proper to prepare a typical lamb and eat it in commemoration of the typical deliverance. For all believers in Jesus as the true Passover Lamb, the appropriate thing going forward would be the sprinkling of the doorposts of the heart with His blood, realizing that through His blood they now have forgiveness of sins. (Heb. 10:22) Henceforth they must “eat,” or appropriate to themselves by faith, the merits of their Redeemer – the merits of the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. By faith they must partake of those merits, and realize that as their sins were laid upon the Lord, and He died for them, so His merits and righteousness are imputed to them.

When our Lord instituted His Memorial Supper, called the Last Supper, it was a new symbol, built upon and related to the old Passover type, though not a part of it, being a commem­oration, or memorial of the antitype. We read: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:23-25)

The word “remembrance” implies that this new institution was to take the place of the former one, which was about to become obsolete by reason of fulfillment. This does not imply that it should be done without regard to time and place; it instead signifies that when the cup and unleavened bread were used thenceforth as a celebration of the Passover, it should on every occasion be considered a celebration, not of the type, but of the antitype. As it would not have been lawful, proper or typical to celebrate the Passover at any other time than that appointed of the Lord, likewise it is still not appropriate to celebrate the antitype at any other time than its anniversary.

The Apostle added, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” (1 Cor. 11:26) This shows us that the disciples clearly understood that thenceforth the annual Passover celebration must have a new meaning for them: the broken loaf representing the Lord’s flesh, the cup representing His blood. Although this new institution was not laid upon His followers as a law, and no penalties were imposed for failing to properly observe it, the Lord knew well that all trusting in Him and appreciating Him as the antitypical Passover Lamb would be glad to take up the Memorial which He thus suggested to them.

(Excerpt from Studies in the Scriptures, Volume VI, Chapter XI, with editing.)

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We extend Christian love to all God’s people wherever they may assemble, and pray for the Lord’s blessing in this coming Memorial service.

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

[1] The Aaronic priesthood typified chiefly the humiliation and sufferings of Christ, while His future glory as King and Priest was typed by Melchisedec, who sat as a priest upon his throne. (See Tabernacle Shadows, Chapter II.)

NO. 822: THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS

No. 822

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.” (Rev. 1:1)

These words, true when our Lord uttered them, are no less true now, some 1,900 years later. We are sure that the wonderful events with which this age is to close and the Millennial Age is to open are now near. There are some, however, who argue that the Lord and the Apostles must have been mistaken when they used such language; for they say, 1,900 years are not “shortly.” From the human standpoint, 1,900 years is a long period, but not so from the divine standpoint. The Prophet intimated this saying, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psa. 90:4) The Apostle Peter responded, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Pet. 3:8)

Both the object and manner of the second coming have confused many, holding as they do that Christ’s second coming will be in a body of flesh and visible to mankind, and holding also, as they mostly do, that the object of His coming will be to gather His Saints to Himself and to utterly destroy the remainder of mankind and the world itself with fire. They have been led to pull and twist the various prophetic time prophecies so as to have them all end at the same moment of the one day in which they expect Christ to appear, the judgment of the world to take place, and the burning to begin.

Delivered from both of these errors, our eyes have been opened to a realization of the fact that the judgment of the world means its trial for life everlasting, and not its condemnation to the Second Death. We see that the world was condemned as a race because of original sin, and that the whole world has been under this curse or sentence of death We see that in much mercy God redeemed us from that curse or sentence of eternal death by the death of His Son, our Lord. We see that the only ones who have been accounted as escaped from that death sentence are the few who have been blessed with hearing ears and understanding hearts, having “escaped the corruption that is in the world.” (2 Pet. 1:4) The great mass of mankind is still under the original sentence – eternal death. We see that God’s object in giving some a knowledge during the Gospel Age whereby they might escape this sentence, and reach life everlasting in Christ, was to gather out a “little flock” to be joint-heirs with His Son in the glorious Millennial Kingdom.

THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

We see that Christ and His overcoming Church, His Bride, constitute the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29) which is to bless all the families of the earth during the Millennial Age. We see that the blessing that will come to the world will be the trial or judgment of that blessed Millennial Day, and that the knowledge of the Lord and full opportunity are promised as incidental to the world’s trial for life everlasting. This saves us from the thought that the Church, the Little Flock of Christ, alone has a part in the blessings secured from the atonement. It saves us too from the error of supposing that the second coming of Christ is the end of all hope, mercy and probation. It shows us, on the contrary, that so far as the generality of our race is concerned, that event is but the beginning of divine mercy and opportunity and trial for life eternal for the world.

A careful examination of the Father’s Word has assured us fully that our Lord Jesus left the glory, dignity and honor of His spiritual condition when He became a man, not that He might remain a man to all eternity, but that as a man He might give the ransom price for Adam and all his race. We see that He did this, and we have the clear scriptural testimony that the Father was pleased to honor Him, not merely with the same honor that He had before, but He was pleased to exalt Him far above angels, principalities and powers, and every name that is named. We perceive the clear scriptural testimony that He was “put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (1 Pet. 3:18) We perceive that after His resurrection, though still in the world for 40 days, He was with His disciples but for a few moments on the seven occasions, and then in different forms, as proving to them and to us that, although He was the same Jesus, He was now “changed” and no longer human and subject to human conditions. To demonstrate this, He appeared in the room with His disciples while “the doors were shut,” (John 20:19) and, departing, “vanished out of their sight.” (Luke 24:31) He appeared in flesh and garments as suited the convenience of the occasions, and thus manifested the same powers that He and associated holy angels had manifested in previous times; as, for instance, when the Lord and three angels appeared to Abraham and took dinner with him and talked with him and afterward went down and delivered Lot out of Sodom.

NO LONGER A MAN

We thus realize that our Lord Jesus is no longer a man, but, as the Apostle declares, “The Lord is that Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:17) And, “Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” (2 Cor. 5:16) We, therefore, are no longer expecting as do others that He will come a second time in the flesh. On the contrary, the expectation of the Church was that they were to be changed and made as He is, in order to see Him as He is – not as He was at the First Advent. (1 John 3:2)

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matt. 24:36) This text is frequently misapplied. It does not say that of that day and hour no man shall ever know. At the time of its utterance neither men nor angels nor the Lord Jesus Himself knew the time of His second coming; but at the time of the second coming, the Lord undoubtedly would be aware of it before the time, and so also the holy angels who would be His escort; and there would be nothing inconsistent with the statement if some of the Lord’s consecrated people might have intimations respecting the event. Other Scriptures speak of “the day of the Lord,” signifying a period in which He will be manifested. For instance, the Apostle tells us that “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thess. 5:2-4) Note how explicit is this declaration, and how clearly it divides between the class who will know in advance respecting the day of the Lord and the class that will not know until the great trouble of the “day of wrath” is upon them.

PAROUSIA VERSUS EPIPHANIA

The Greek Scriptures use both parousia and epiphania in referring to the second coming of Christ; but neither of them has the same meaning as our English word “coming.” The Scriptures clearly teach that in the end of this Gospel Age our Lord, at His Second Advent, will for a time be present (parousia) but invisible, and that subsequently His presence will be revealed (epiphania) or made known. None will know of His presence until after He is here, only the thoroughly consecrated, Israelites indeed, will know of the matter at all until the outward manifestation in the day of trouble – judgments coming upon present institutions.

Our Lord made a distinct statement concerning His Second Advent: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matt. 24:37) There is a seeming incongruity in comparing the days of Noah and the coming of the Son of man, but it is made clear when we find that the word here rendered “coming” is parousia, which means “presence” not “coming.” When we read it thus, it becomes plain. The days of the presence of the Son of man will in some respects resemble the days of Noah, preceding the flood. Now we turn to Luke’s account of the same discourse and read, “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26) Now the two statements are in harmony, and we know to look for some correspondence as between Noah’s days and the days of the presence of Christ in the end of this age.

As to what the correspondencies will be, it is specifically stated: “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming [parousia, presence] of the Son of man be.” (Matt: 24:38-39) Let us not lose the point of the illustration: the Lord was not suggesting that eating, drinking, planting, building, marrying and giving in marriage were wicked things in the days of Noah, which would be duplicated in the days of the presence of the Son of man. The point is that as the people of Noah’s day did not know of the coming flood, but were going about their ordinary business, so also in the end of this age, in the time of the presence of the Son of man, the world will be going about its ordinary business, totally unaware, that the time in which they are living is the closing time of the Gospel Dispensation and the opening time of the great Millennial Age, to be ushered in with a great Time of Trouble.

“BEHOLD, I COME AS A THIEF”

The Scripture prophecies clearly teach that we are now living in “the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26) – in the parousia, in the time of the Lord’s presence. We are not pointing you to a future date, but pointing back to the fall of 1874, when no one had the slightest knowledge of the facts of the case when it occurred. Our Lord said, “Behold, I come as a thief.” (Rev. 16:15) He came without our knowing it – quietly, secretly. It is since His presence that the light has shone particularly upon His Word. He has indeed girded Himself and come forth to serve His people. We have been the recipient of His favors, of His grace, of His truth, as respects things new and old. It is our understanding of the teachings of the Word that, during the Harvest Time and before the great time of anarchy and trouble upon the world and the smiting of present institutions, that all the Lord’s true people, all who are Israelites indeed will have been brought to a knowledge of the Lord and of the truth, a knowledge of the Divine Plan of the Ages and of the presence of the Chief Reaper in the harvest of this age.

It need not surprise us that all of the Lord’s people do not receive the meat in due season at the same moment. It must be passed from one to another, until all “the wise shall understand.” But the Scriptures are equally explicit in the statement that “none of the wicked shall understand.” (Dan. 12:10) His is the still small voice intended only for those who have an ear to hear, and this hearing is granted only to those who have hearts in accord with the Lord’s spirit.

TIME PROPHECIES

The various time prophecies, although making no mention of the second coming of Christ, clearly indicate and imply that His parousia, His presence, would begin in October, 1874 (see the chart representing the Plan of the Ages – Studies in the Scriptures, Volume I, Study XII). First, we call to mind the Jubilee type. It explicitly indicates that the “times of restitution of all things” – earth’s great Jubilee – were due to begin in October 1874 (see Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Study VI). The two lines of testimony on the subject – the law and the prophets – both point to the same time. We look about us and see evidences of restitution work, finding that since 1874 the work of blowing the trumpets, the demanding of human rights and privileges, has been the order of the day.

Now let us notice the words of the Apostle Peter: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21) Note that the heavens were to receive or retain our Redeemer, until the restitution times. The lesson clearly would be that if restitution times chronologically began in October, 1874, the heavens no longer retain our Lord. This is an indirect way that the Scriptures teach that the Lord became present in 1874, yet all were unaware of the matter at the time.

The Prophet Daniel foretold of the rise of Papacy, and, foretold the length of its dominion to be 1,260 prophetic days, or literal years – exactly the same that is stated three times in the book of Revelation as measuring the prosperity of the great system which “shall wear out the saints of the most High” (Dan. 7:25) for 1,260 days or 1,260 literal years. The 1,260 years of papal dominion lasted from the year 539 to the year 1799 A.D. – from the time papacy was set up in power, until the time when its power was broken by Napoleon Bonaparte, who carried the pope a prisoner to France, and in so doing showed the whole world that the claims of the man who sat upon the papal throne that he was “another God on earth” and had power in heaven, earth and purgatory, were bombastic claims, unsupported by any real evidence of power.

The next period of 1,290 days (years) ended in 1829 with the beginning of the Second Advent movement of that period, which had a great influence upon its time. The 1,335 prophetic days (years) of the same prophecy reached to October, 1874 – ending exactly at the same place, at the time indicated by the Jubilee. We call your attention to the words of the Prophet Daniel in connection with these 1,335 days. He said, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” (Dan. 12:12) (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume III, Study III for a detailed discussion of this subject.) Those who have lived and patiently waited for the fulfillment of the Lord’s gracious promises have received a special blessing.

Now notice the other prophecy respecting Israel’s seven times of chastisement under the nations – 2,520 years from the time the crown was removed from the head of their last king, Zedekiah, and down to the year 1914. A period of 40 years is thus appropriated, first to the gathering of the harvest of the Gospel Age – the resurrection of the sleeping Saints and the testing and proving and gathering to the Lord of the living members of the Body. Look at the (nominal) church and see how infidelity under the name of higher criticism is invading the nominal sanctuary – how few are clean and free from the contamination. Look at the world, and see how the love of money has bewitched all, so that little else than money or pleasure is ever thought of in civilized lands. See how this spirit of selfishness is working amongst the masses and the classes of the world in general, how these are being bound in bundles – into organizations, combina­tions and unions, and how the capitalistic class is being bound also into other unions, confederations, combinations, and trusts, and note that the same spirit is infecting churchianity and for the same reasons: self-protection, self-aggrandizement, and power.

The Scriptures tell us distinctly how the battle will result, that Babylon the Great will fall, and that with her in the battle will go down the kings and princes and mighty ones of earth, and that a terrible time of anarchy will prevail, and the only bright spot in the future lies beyond in the gracious promises of the God of Heaven, that on the ruins of present institutions He will establish His Kingdom.

JEWISH AND GOSPEL AGES PARALLEL

All of these prophecies are harmonized and unified in the teaching of the parallels between the two Israels, the house of servants and the house of sons – the one under Moses, the Mediator of the Law Covenant; the other under Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant – the one founded by Jacob with his twelve sons (natural Israel), the other founded by Christ, the true Israel of God, with His twelve Apostles. The house of servants began with the death of Jacob and lasted 1,811 years, until the First Advent movement at the time of our Lord’s birth, when all men were in expectation of Him. Likewise, from the death of Christ, where this Gospel Age began, 1,811 years reached to the Second Advent movement, which occurred in 1844.

We are not Second Adventists, nor would Second Adventists in any sense or degree recognize us or our teachings, but we do believe that the movement which culminated in 1844 was in some measure instigated by the Almighty, and that it had a powerful influence favorable to the truth. There the virgins, as foretold in Matthew 25, went forth to meet the Bridegroom and he tarried, and they all afterward slumbered and slept until the morning, until the announcement, “Behold, the bridegroom.” (Matt. 25:6) Thirty years after the Advent Movement at Bethlehem there was another Advent Movement at Jordan, when John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, and when our Lord really entered upon His work. And similarly in the end of this age, 30 years from 1844 brings us to 1874, where the Jubilee testimony proclaims to us the Lord’s presence. Forty years from the time Jesus was baptized by John at Jordan, the Jewish nation was utterly overthrown in the greatest time of trouble ever known to that troubled people – their city was utterly destroyed. So likewise, 40 years from 1874 reached to 1914, where the antitype of Israel, namely, Christendom, had the beginning of its overthrow in a Time of Trouble.

These things are all based upon the Scriptures, they are all simple and easy of demonstration, and yet they were all hidden by the method of their statement or by facts related to their interpretation, so that they could not be understood until God’s due time, when He lifts the veil. Thus, the Lord said to Daniel the Prophet, in respect to his inquiry of those times and seasons, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:9) We understand that the Time of the End began in 1799, more than two centuries ago, and that we have been in the Time of the End ever since, and that the Time of the End is another name for what another prophet calls “the day of his preparation.” (Nah. 2:3) Since 1799 we have been in the time of the Lord’s preparation for the Millennial Kingdom. He has lifted the curtain, and light has shone in upon the world from every quarter, on mechanics, on chemistry, on every science and on every art.

SIGNS ALL ABOUT US

All of these things make the day in which we live the grandest that the world has ever known; and yet these grand privileges and blessings are about to work out the great catastrophe of anarchy which will wreck the entire social fabric. All this is noted by the Prophet, for he gives us a description which fits so marvelously that it will surprise everyone who will examine it. Mark the words: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation . . . But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased . . . none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:1, 4, 10)

Note the four items. First, the running to and fro. What a marvelous fulfillment we see before our eyes – first with steamboats, railroads, every contrivance for locomotion, and with ever-increasing speed and ever-increasing numbers (add to that today, automobiles, high speed rail, air travel, and space flight). The whole world is running to and fro, just as the Lord indicated through the Prophets would be the case in this Time of the End. Note the second point: Knowledge shall be increased. Not only is scientific knowledge increased, but generally disseminated (today we have television and the internet which put all kinds of knowledge, both good and evil, at our fingertips). Education is progressing in a wonderful manner; children of 10 years are studying subjects which their great-grandfathers never thought of studying (today even toddlers have tablet computers in their hands). In every land knowledge has been increased, another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. Mark the third point: The wise shall understand – understand the vision which Daniel could not understand, which Daniel was not permitted to understand, which Daniel was not intended to understand.

We are not worldly wise. On the contrary, we are seeking the wisdom which comes from above, the light which shines forth from the lamp which God has given us, His Word, and all who follow its leadings from the divine standpoint are the truly wise. This class may now understand; but as the text declares, none of the wicked shall understand. They will take their own course, and the Plan of God and the Word of God will daily come to appear to them more and more foolish as their scientific minds grapple with their evolution theories and their higher critical thinking. But are not the Word and Plan of God opening before His consecrated people as never before? It most assuredly is so! Note the fourth point: “There shall be a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.” The outlook from any standpoint, but particularly from the standpoint of those who are looking from God’s standpoint, is that the Time of Trouble is nearing.

We see that the prosperity of this Time of the End is not conducive to happiness and peace; we see the whole world growing more and more discontented, although enjoying more of the blessings and favors of the Lord in temporal matters than ever before. We see that the secret of this discontent is knowledge. Knowledge is power – power for good or for evil, according to the sentiments of the heart. We must expect that only those hearts which are consecrated to the Lord and dominated by His spirit will receive this power of knowledge in such a manner as to profit themselves and their fellows; and since these are the small minority of the civilized world, we are not to be surprised that the knowledge and the power are about to wreck the present order of things.

God will thus cause the “wrath of man” to praise Him. (Psa. 76:10) Looking back, man will see from the Millennial standpoint the wickedness and errors of the present time as they cannot see them now. They will see that selfishness is at the foundation of present institutions in every sense of the word. Even the benevolences of the present time are to some extent handicapped by selfishness. God wishes the whole world to learn the result of selfishness in the cataclysm of trouble. He wishes all to learn that His way is not only the right way, but the only way in which knowledge and liberty and power may be used to blessing and to profit.

Our hearts should be leaping with joy at the thought that the dark night of earth’s sin and suffering will soon be at an end and the glorious morning of the Kingdom soon be ushered in. We will then be attentive respecting the things which must shortly come to pass – the things which are coming to pass day by day in the midst of which we are living. We read, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” (2 Tim. 2:19) We further read: “For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)

The Lord speaks of Christendom or “churchianity” as a whole under the name of Babylon – the name which originally applied to the “mother of harlots,” but which has become appropriate to all her daughter systems as well. These are addressed by the Lord in His last message, saying: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen . . . Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:2, 4)

ABLE TO STAND IN THE EVIL DAY

The fields are white for the harvest, and every day is making a division between the nominal Christianity and the true Christianity, and the more apparent it becomes that the nominal systems are growing more and more worldly. The colleges and seminaries of every denominational shade have for years been turning out polished infidels, who no more believe in the inspiration of God’s Word than they believe in the inspiration of Shakespeare or Dickens. They do not hesitate to speak of those who accept the Bible as foolish, and old fogies. Let us be glad to be counted fools for Christ’s sake. Let us note, too, that the line of division is turning here on the same issue as at the First Advent. At the First Advent the question turned on the necessity for Christ’s death as the sin offering, and so today it is turning on the same question. Is Christ our Redeemer or merely a great teacher? All these “higher critics” claim the latter, that Jesus was a Great Teacher, but not a redeemer, and that no redemption was necessary. They hold the evolution theory that man, instead of falling from the image of God into savagery and depravity, has been falling upward, as they express it – coming from brute conditions up to the present status. This is the line of battle; let no one be deceived on the subject.

We are living today in the time referred to by the Apostle when he said, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13) We are in the evil day – the day of trial, the day of testing, the day referred to by the Prophet when he declared: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand.” (Psa. 91:7) These thousands are already falling under the shafts of skepticism, higher criticism, evolution, etc., but the battle has already begun. There is still time for those who are the Lord’s true people to hear the jubilee trumpet, to recognize the situation, and to put on the whole armor of God, that they may be able to stand in the evil day, and that they may help others to stand.

(Based on a sermon given by Pastor Russell in 1903 and printed in Harvest Gleanings, Volume II. It has been edited to fit the space and to update certain references and language.)

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