NO. 698: IN MEMORIAM

No. 698

It has been our custom for many years to pay tribute at this time of year to Pastor Russell, That Wise and Faithful Servant, to commemorate his death on October 31, 1916. We believe his stewardship doctrine was a correct understanding of the Atonement, the central teaching of which is Restitution. It has been said that once Brother Russell received the Truth on this doctrine, he never delivered a public discourse in which Restitution did not have a prominent place. In keeping with this, we present this treatise taken from one of his public discourses.

RANSOM IMPLIES RESTITUTION

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”(1 Tim. 2:5-6)

The Apostle Paul’s words are my text. At another time we may consider the forepart of this text, but on this occasion I invite your attention to the last clause, which explains that our Lord’s sacrifice was a sacrifice for all mankind, and that in due time this great matter will be made known to all mankind with a view to their blessing.

Perhaps I should take a moment here to answer a question which I understand is frequently raised in respect to my preaching, namely: Why does Pastor Russell give so much more attention to doctrinal questions than do other ministers? Why does he not give more attention to scientific matters, political, moral reforms and practical living? My reply is, in the words of our Savior, “After all these things do the Gentiles seek.” (Matt. 6:32) All these are worldly matters, while the doctrines of Christ and the Apostles are peculiar to Christians. Hindus, Confucians and Mohammedans have a common interest in the affairs of the world and its moral, physical and political welfare, but the Christian minister is divinely directed to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2), and the word ignores worldly science, politics, reforms, etc., and especially deals with doctrines. I am, therefore, merely following the example of Christ and His Apostles, and the reason why this seems peculiar is that the majority of ministers largely neglect to heed the scriptural injunction and the apostolic models. When they do occasionally touch upon doctrine, they are, alas, too frequently “teaching for doc­trines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7), teaching from the creeds of the past five centuries rather than from the inspired word of the Lord.

It may be well here briefly to notice the value of doctrines – the value of those teachings which differentiate true Christians from the remainder of mankind. The ignoring of the doctrines of Scripture and the substitution of the doctrines of men during the Dark Ages have brought the world to the place where all doctrines are tabooed and distasteful, because those false doctrines from the Dark Ages are unreasonable and repulsive to the growing intelligence of the world. Instead of ignoring doctrine however, God’s people should seek and find the proper interpretation of the Bible, which is everywhere reasonable, logical and harmonious with itself and with sanctified common sense. This then, is my apology for so frequently discussing the doctrines of Christ and of the Prophets and of the Apostles.

NOT A LIMITED ATONEMENT

Our text declares a great fact, which Christian people generally ignore if they do not deny it, the fact that our Lord Jesus’ death was a ransom price whose scope covers and includes the entire family of Adam. The fact is that the Scriptures do speak of a special elect class which is being gathered out of the world during this Gospel Age, and which is promised joint heirship with Christ in His coming Millennial Kingdom. The fact is also that the great mass of mankind at the present time and throughout the 6,000 years of the past have been without “hope, and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12), because they have been without knowledge of the only “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) These facts have led many to the erroneous conclusion that our Lord’s death has not been and never will be a ransom price or offset price for the cancellation of the sins of mankind in general.

Their reasoning has indeed certain logical features. If the world in general has not received and never will receive a blessing at the Lord’s hands, the logical conclusion must be that justice was not and never will be satisfied by a ransom price for the world’s share in original sin. In seeming harmony with this erroneous thought is the fact that only a comparatively small proportion of humanity has been specially favored of the Lord with an opening of the eyes of their understanding, and the privilege, through faith, of coming back into harmony with their Creator. Seeming to support this view also are the scriptural statements respecting the present narrow way and straight gate, which few find, and the references to the elect as constituting only a “little flock.” (Matt. 7:14; Luke 12:32)

Building upon this erroneous foundation of a limited atonement for original sin, the fathers of the Dark Ages and since have proceeded to give various explanations of the eternal torture of the world of mankind, the non-elect, those not favored by the Almighty with a knowledge of the only name given whereby they might be saved. These false doctrines, built upon the “tradition of the elders” (Matt. 15:2), have had a nauseating effect upon intelligent minds; they contradict the scriptural declaration that God is just, loving, wise and all powerful. (Psa. 89:14; 1 John 4:8; Jer. 10:12) What we need to correct the nausea, to refresh the hearts, to re-inspire love and zeal for the Lord and His word, is to see with clearness the true doctrines of the Scriptures.

The Scriptures declare that our Lord Jesus “by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) They show conclusively that His death was a “propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins [the Church’s sins]: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) But to appreciate these statements, to see how they can be and are true, it is necessary to know that the Scriptures nowhere declare that the present Gospel Age is the only period of divine favor, the only period for the forgiveness of sins, the only period of reconciliation with God, the only period of opportunity for being taught of God and of obtaining His blessing and favor, lost through original sin in Eden.

As soon as we grasp this great fact our eyes begin to open to other facts, namely that: (1) Prior to this Gospel Age, during the Jewish Age and previously, all the world except that one little nation of Israel, were aliens, strangers, and foreigners from God and His promises. (Amos 3:2) (2) The Scriptures clearly indicate a “world to come” (Heb. 2:5), a future epoch under new and better conditions than now prevail. (3) That future epoch is called “the day of Christ,” “the day of the Lord.” (Phil. 1:10; 1 Thes. 5:2) It is indeed the Millennial Day, the thousand years of Christ’s reign for the very pur­pose of blessing and uplifting the world of mankind, for whose sins His death was the atone­ment price and who are to be healed by His stripes. (4) Every invitation and injunction of the Gospel Age are with a view to the selection of an elect class, who shall be joint heirs with Christ during that Millennial Age, to share with Him in the great work of general human uplift.

A COMMON ERROR CORRECTED

At this point many good people laboring under a degree of blindness, the smoke of the Dark Ages, feel disposed to object and to insist that there can be no future probation. Ask them why, their reply is that the entire Scriptural teaching contradicts the thought of a future hope beyond the tomb. We reply: this is an error; the very reverse is true, as we shall show. We ask them for a single Scripture on their side of this subject. To their amazement they find none, but as a last resort quote from Ecclesiastes (11:3) the words: “In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” But is not this a very slim text, indeed, to raise up as a barrier against the entire voice of the Scriptures, and against all the demands of reason and logic as well? And this very Scripture is in full accord with what we claim, namely, that as a tree when it has fallen is lifeless and powerless and cannot raise itself up, so is man in death under the sentence and wage of original sin. The Scriptural argument is that the whole race of Adam was thus dead – without life, without power to raise itself out of its fallen condition, without any claim upon eternal life or divine favor in any sense. But our text declares that our Lord Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all,” for Adam the transgressor in particular, and for all of his race who shared in his penalty, to rescue us from that dead condition by resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:21)

It is because man is in this helpless condition, dead, powerless to revivify himself, that God has gone to his relief through Christ. He caused the great ransom sacrifice to be made and paid to justice nearly 19 [now 20] centuries ago, and in our text assures us that the ransom sacrifice finished at Calvary was on behalf of all mankind and is consequently to bring a blessing to all mankind – “in due time.”

We are not arguing that all who have died have gone to heaven; quite the contrary. We stick to the book, the Bible, in its declaration that “the dead know not any thing” (Ecc. 9:5), that a resurrection is necessary to any future living. We hold with the Scriptures that at the end of this age, the First Resurrection will take place, the resur­rection of the “blessed and holy,” those who have pleased God both by faith and obedience. These, the Scriptures declare, will be “kings and priests unto God” and shall “reign on the earth.” (Rev. 1:6, 5:10, 20:6) The object of this reign will be to bring blessings of knowledge and opportunity to all. The participants in the First Resurrection are the “seed of Abraham,” our Lord Jesus the Head, and His Church the members of His body, as the Apostle declares: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29)

The promise to which Christ and His Church are heirs is that they shall be God’s instrumentality for the blessing, instruction and uplifting of the world of mankind. When will they do this unless there be a future Millennial Age? To be heirs of this promise made to Abraham, that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3), would be a meaningless farce and jest on the Almighty’s part had He not purchased us, and provided a time and means by which this blessing could accrue to the world. We perceive that He has arranged a time for granting the world a trial for life, a trial respecting their willingness to abandon the ways of sin and death, and to walk in the ways of righteousness under the enlightenment of the truth, which we are assured shall shine forth as the sun, whose beams shall heal humanity. (Mal. 4:2)

FEW HAVE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE

The means for the blessing we see provided in Christ and His Bride, the elect Church of the Gospel Age. It is guaranteed in the fact that Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man, or, as our text declares, became the Mediator between God and man by giving Himself a ransom for all. A point I desire to emphasize here is that the giving of this ransom price and the acceptance of it by justice imply divine intention for the blessing of all mankind, in full accord with the various testimonies of the entire Scriptures. Why should “a ransom for all” be given if it were not intended of God that all should benefit from it, or, at least, have an opportunity of benefiting from it, which would be virtually the same thing? We hold that it is beyond dispute that the giving of the ransom for all and the divine acceptance of it, in harmony with the divine promise, are the sure guarantee that ultimately a blessing must come to every member of Adam’s race as a result.

This knowledge has not yet reached all mankind; on the contrary it has reached only a small minority. Yet, knowledge of God’s favor and an intelligent acceptance of it on faith and a reasonable obedience in harmony with that faith are the demands of the divine word. Proof could be given on almost every page of the Scriptures that faith, and endeavor to obedience in harmony with that faith, are necessary to salvation, but we will content ourselves by referring to a few citations. The Apostle Paul says: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God…how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” (Rom. 10:17,14) “Without faith it is impossible to please him [God].” (Heb. 11:6) “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice [the voice of the Son of God],” and “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (John 5:28; Isa. 11:9) “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be un­stopped.” (Isa. 35:5) “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 31:34)

All these Scripture statements showing the necessity for knowledge are in full accord with our text which declares that our Lord Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified “in due time.” The present then is the due time for the Church, the household of faith, to hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who now hear, pass from death unto life, to the begetting to a new nature. By and by, when the present class of called elect ones shall have been glorified with their Lord, all the remainder of mankind shall hear for the very purpose: that they may understand, may appreciate, and may be assisted to obey the voice of Him that speaks from heaven, the great Ransomer, who in that day will be King over all the earth and will bind Satan and will put down every opposing influence, to the intent that all may be judged worthy or unworthy of everlasting life, by their appreciation of God and His righteous laws and their full obedience thereto.

In Acts 3:22-23, the Apostle Peter points us to the fact that Moses was a type of Christ Jesus, the head, and the Church, His body. As the seed of Abraham, this great Messiah shall bless all the families of the earth with knowledge and every opportunity for return to the divine favor and blessing that was lost in Eden. And what of those who will refuse to hear that great Prophet, Priest and King during the Millennial Age, what of them? The Apostle answers, “It shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear [obey] that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” They will be cut off in the Second Death, from which there will be no hope of recovery, no resurrection.

“TIMES OF RESTITUTION”

In full accord with all this is the Apostle’s statement respecting the blessings that are to come to mankind during the Millennial Age, following our Lord’s Second Advent and the glorification of His Church to joint heirship with Him. He calls that period “times of refreshing … from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ” at His Second Advent. He declares that in the meantime the heavens must receive Him, must retain Him, “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) In other words, he assures us that these Restitution Times will follow as a result of our Lord’s second coming and the establishment of His Kingdom in glory and power.

“Times of Restitution” means years of restitution; it refers to the one thousand years of Christ’s reign. (Rev. 20:6) The word restitution signifies to put back or bring back something to an original or primary condition. The Apostle is speaking of humanity, and hence the suggestion is that the work of Christ and His Church in glory during the Millennium will be to restore mankind to the condition and privileges and blessings and favors enjoyed before sin entered the world, before the curse passed upon all by one man’s disobedience. (Rom. 5:12)

Evolutionists would have little sympathy with the Apostle’s statement here, for, according to their erroneous theory, restitution to the original condition would be the last thing for humanity to desire or hope for or for God to promise as a blessing. But we are not consulting evolutionists in this matter, we are taking “the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” (1 Pet. 1:23)

The world of mankind has been in a fallen and falling condition with ups and downs, especially downs, for six thousand years. When the Lord’s time shall come and Times of Restitution shall begin, the present downward or fallen conditions will give place to upward conditions, to Restitution Times, for the general uplifting of all mankind.

We have just seen that the great ransom sacrifice finished at Calvary is the basis upon which God can be just and yet be the justifier of those who believe in Jesus, and release them from the sentence of endless death which was justly upon them as the imperfect posterity of the fallen Adam, unworthy of life eternal under divine conditions. The more we look into this matter the more logical, reasonable and satisfactory we see the divine plan to be. The first man perfect, the image of God, sinned with deliberation, and received as a penalty a death sentence. After waiting more than 4,000 years God sent a Redeemer in the person of His Son. Since man was not a spirit being but a human being, therefore the Apostle declares that Christ took not hold upon the stature of angels, but humbled Himself and came to the still lower plane of humanity and became the man Christ Jesus – “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” (Heb. 2:16; 7:26) Then as the man Christ Jesus He gave Himself a ransom for all, as our text declares, “to be testified in due time.” The testimony has already been in the world for 19 centuries [now 20], and it has selected the very class which God foreknew and foretold, a “little flock” of footstep followers who are to be joint heirs with their Redeemer and Lord. Next in order will come the testimony to the remainder of mankind, first those who have not yet gone into the tomb, and secondly to those who have already gone there, and who will be awakened for the very purpose of receiving this testimony and of being tested by it.

DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT SALVATIONS

Here note the difference between the blessing God designed for the elect Church and the one He purposes for the world of mankind. The Church’s blessing is not “restitution,” and in harmony with this we can see no evidence of restitution anywhere about us. The restitution work waits for the Restitution Time, which begins with the estab­lishment of the Kingdom. Believers of this present time receive, indeed, a faith equivalent to restitution, in that they are recognized as having their sins covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness, reckoned as having passed from the sentence of death in Adam to a share of life in Christ, reckoned as having received again the fellowship and communion with God, lost by Adam through his disobedience in Eden. All this in a sense serves as an equivalent to the “restitution” which is to come to the world in its “due time.”

But the world will not attain these things by faith, but will attain them actually, gradually during the thousand years. At its close all who shall have appreciated God’s favors and obeyed the voice of the great Prophet, Priest and King, will be actually perfect, as perfect as was Adam in every talent, quality, and power, but with increased capacity through increased knowledge.

The Church of this Gospel Age gets none of these restitution blessings actually. She merely has them by faith, for the special purpose of sacrificing those restitution blessings in order to present her body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, her reasonable service. (Rom. 12:1) She participates in the sufferings of Christ that she may be accounted worthy to participate in His glories, the Millennial glories. The gospel invitation to the Church is to lay down her life, to exchange these earthly privileges and blessings bought by the precious blood of Christ, for heavenly privileges offered to her as a reward of obedience. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21)

Glory, honor and immortality – the divine nature – will be the great change from present earthly conditions to heavenly conditions far beyond anything possible for the natural mind to appreciate. This great change, which is to come to the Lord’s faithful Bride in her participation in His resurrection, the First Resurrection, the resurrection to spirit perfection, is the great hope and ambition set before us, dear brethren and sisters. It is for this that we are exhorted to lay aside every weight and every besetting sin and to run with patience, sacrificing earthly things and treasures that we may have this better treasure, this pearl of great price, this participation in the Kingdom with our dear Redeemer.

The Apostle declares that these Times of Restitution were spoken of “by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”(Acts 3:21) Suffice it now that we take the Apostle’s words, calling to mind merely the various statements and promises of the law and the Prophets, pointing out these glorious good things for the world of mankind, that are delayed only until the completion of the elect Church. The Prophets speak of the restoration of Israel to divine favor, of how their blind eyes shall be opened, that they shall see in very truth that He whom they have pierced is the Messiah indeed, who gave His life for their ransom, and that God will pour upon them the spirit of prayer and supplication to this end.

The Apostle Paul most clearly points out in Romans, chapters 9, 10, and 11, that not only the falling away of Israel was foretold in the Prophets, but also their regathering, their restoration to divine favor; but this he points out to us will be after the completion of the gospel Church, spiritual Israel. Again he declares that, “Through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.” (Rom. 11:31) The glorified Church, with Christ at her head as the great King, is to dispense the mercies of God to the Jew first, but also to “all the families of the earth.” (Rom. 11:12, 25-33; Acts 15:16,17)

Let us, dear brethren and sisters, hold fast to these doctrines of Christ, set forth not only in His own teachings that He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10); that He beheld mankind as a treasure in a field and bought the whole field that He might develop the treasure (Matt. 13:44); but as set forth also in the decla­rations of the Apostles and of all the holy Prophets since the world began.

While the doctrines of men would be inclined to lead us away from God, to make us think of the Almighty as unjust and cruel, heartless, loveless or powerless, the doctrines of the Scriptures open the blind eyes and give us to see the King in His beauty, the glorious majesty of the God of love, the God of wisdom, the God of justice, the God of power. They give us to see, as declared by the Prophet, that “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my [God’s] ways higher than your [man’s] ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:9)

With this greater enlightenment on the divine character, we will have greater desire to serve and to please Him, esteeming it a great privilege to lay down our very lives in His service, counting all things as but loss and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, that we might win Him and be found in Him and be made sharers in His resurrection. (Phil. 3:8-11)

Our dear friends and relatives and the heathen who have died out of Christ are “safe in the arms of Jesus.” They are safe in the care of Him who died for all. God will not torture any of His enemies to all eternity as once we feared. We now find this fear to be unscriptural. But let us see that while the Scriptures teach that the worst that can befall any of His enemies will be “everlasting destruction” without hope of a future life, there is a grand hope taught for the ignorant, that all such shall be brought to an accurate knowledge of the truth that they may be saved in God’s due time. (1 Tim. 2:4) Let us recognize the truth of the statement: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not [everlasting] life.” (1 John 5:12; John 8:36) God’s salvation is by knowledge and not by ignorance, through faith in the precious blood of Christ and not in ignorance of it; by a resurrection and Millennial Kingdom

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(From an oral address given by Pastor Russell in 1904, with minor editing. It was published in Harvest Gleanings, Volume 3. The list of Scriptures and comments following were derived from Harvest Gleanings Volume 1, beginning on page 335.)

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PARTIAL LIST OF SCRIPTURES TEACHING RESTITUTION

In Acts 3:19-24 the inspired Apostle applies the words of Moses (Deut. 18:15,18,19) to the Times of Restitution, declaring that all God’s holy Prophets spoke of these times; therefore we expect to find something concerning Restitution in the writings of each Old Testament Prophet. The following is a partial list of Scriptures which we understand to teach Restitution and future probation:

Gen. 12:2,3; Gen. 18:18; Gen. 22:17,18; Gal. 3:16,29; 1 Cor. 12:12,27; Eph. 1:22,23;[1] Lev. 25:10; Heb. 10:1;[2] 1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:33-36;[3] Psa. 46:9,10; Psa. 72:1-15; Psa. 96:10-13; Psa. 98:4-9; Isa. 2:2-4; Isa. 25:6-9; Isa. 35:1-10;[4] Isa. 49:8-10; Isa. 52:7; Jer. 30:18;[5] Jer. 31:8,9,29,30,34;[6] Ezek.16:44-63;[7] Dan. 2:44; Dan. 7:13,14,27;[8] Hosea 6:1-3; Joel 2:32; Joel 3:1,2,17,18; Amos 9:11-13;[9] Oba. 17,21; Jon. 3:10; Jon. 4:11;[10] Mic. 4:1-4;[11] Na. 1:15;[12] Hab. 2:14; Zeph. 3:9; Hag. 2:6,7; Zech. 8:20-23; Mal. 4:2;[13] Matt. 25:31-46;[14] Luke 2:10, 30-32; John 3:17; John 5:25,30;[15] John 17:9, 20,21,23;[16] Acts 3:19-24; Rom. 5:18,19; Rom. 8:19-22; 1 Cor. 15:21-23;[17] 2 Cor. 5:19-6:2;[18] Gal. 3:8; Eph. 1:10; Phil. 2:9-11; Col. 1:20; Titus 2:13;[19] Heb. 6:13,14; Heb. 8:11; 1 Pet. 2:9;[20] Jude 14,15;[21] Rev. 20:11-12; Rev. 22:1,17.[22]

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[1] The Genesis verses show that all families of the earth will be blessed. St. Paul explains that the Seed that will confer the blessing is Christ and His Church (the mystical body of which Jesus is the Head).

[2] Israel’s Jubilee was a type or shadow of the world-wide Restitution which will follow the estab­lishment of God’s Kingdom at the Second Advent of our Lord Jesus.

[3] The restoration of life described in Kings fore­shadows the Times of Restitution.

[4] By comparing the words, “ransomed of the Lord” in verse 10 with “a ransom for all” in 1 Tim. 2:6, we see positively that all the families of the earth will be blessed.

[5] See Rom. 11:12,15 for comments.

[6] Compare Rom. 5:12, John 1:9 and 1 Tim. 2:4.

[7] Although God saw fit (verse 50) to take away the Sodomites, our Lord Jesus said (Matt. 11:23) that they would have repented under such a ministry as had been granted to Capernaum, which did not repent. Since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), and since it is His will that all shall come to a knowledge of the truth, this indicates that the death imprisoned Sodomites shall be brought forth (John 5:29) to their “former estate” (Ezek. 16:55), and “in that day” be given an opportunity to believe in the only name given under heaven or among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Our Lord declared it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for some who heard and rejected Him, implying that it will be tolerable for all in proportion as their sins had been sins of ignorance. (Matt. 11:24; Luke 12:47,48) In fore­telling of the restitution of the Sodomites, an extreme example of clemency, our Lord evidently intended us to see that the sacrifice which He gave was unquestionably “a ransom for all.”

[8] Any prophecy of the Kingdom of Christ and His saints is a prophecy of Restitution; for the Kingdom is to be set up at the Second Advent of our Lord Jesus, “whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things.”

[9] See Acts 15:13-18 for comments.

[10] Compare Matt. 12:41.

[11] Compare Isa. 2:2-4.

[12] Compare Isa. 52:7.

[13] Compare also Psa. 30:5 and Matt. 13:43.

[14] It should be noted that when the Lord occupies His throne, the Church reigns with Him. (Col. 3:4) Christ will not reign over His glorified Church, nor will the members of His glorified Church reign over each other, but the Church complete will reign over all nations, dead and living (Rom. 14:9), else their title “Seed of Abraham” (Gal. 3:29) is a misnomer.

[15] Our Lord’s words in verse 30 indicate that the destiny of those who come up to judgment (vs. 29, R.V.) is not fixed beforehand. Testimony is to be taken, and “as I hear, I judge.” This therefore refers to the “Times of Restitution.”

[16] Our Lord’s last prayer was not on behalf of the world, but on behalf of His disciples and those who should believe through their word, and His prayer for the whole Church was made that the whole world might afterward have the opportunity to “believe that thou hast sent me” in the Times of Restitution.

[17] Note here that the expression “they who are Christ’s at his coming [parousia, presence]” evidently does not refer to the Church, for they are Christ’s before His Second Advent, and with Him constitute the first-fruits. (Note also Jas. 1:18) The expression evidently refers to “all them that believe in that day;” the Day of Christ, the Times of Restitution. (2 Thes. 1:10)

[18] Some think that 2 Cor. 6:2 teaches that there will be no opportunity to exercise faith and repentance in the Millennial Age, but a careful reading of Isa. 49:8-10, from which it is quoted, indicates that the Body of Christ is helped and succored in its day of salvation, in order that it may be the instrument of God for the blessing and releasing of those who are in the prison house of death. Here also Restitution is taught.

[19] “The blessed hope” is to usher in the “Times of Restitution.”

[20] Since the Church is to be a Royal Priesthood, there must be some for whom they will perform the priestly offices; and for whom, if not for the world of mankind, ransomed by the great High Priest and His “better sacrifices?”

[21] A prophecy of Restitution, by Enoch, who “pleased God.”

[22] All the events in these Revelation verses, including the invitation to “whosoever will,” are to be fulfilled after the Second Advent of Christ, after the Church has become the “Bride, the Lamb’s wife,” after the establishment of His Kingdom. Observe also, that the invitation is to be extended to all the dead, before the throne.

NO. 697: CONCERNING CONTROVERSY

No. 697

“Ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)

Today it is a proper appraisal to say that Protestantism is almost dead – the spirit of the Reformers, John Wessel, Martin Luther, John Wesley, et al (all confirmed Protesters) has almost vanished from the earth. In this grouping we may also include Brother Russell, because the “protest” that he began in 1874 and continued to 1916 has almost vanished from the Truth movements. While the Jehovah’s Witnesses do continue the attack upon established systems of religious error, they themselves have become such errorists that it is rank travesty to include them with those genuine reformers – protesters – who manifested “the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10)

But, with the passing of the spirit of the real protesters there has now come a wide surge of Combinationism. Let us forget our differences, they say, and cooperate against the common enemy now attacking the Church; let us defeat the atheistic rabble now so apparent on every hand. And such a combining is just what we should expect. In the 34th Chapter of Isaiah the Prophet says this: “Yahweh hath wrath against all the nations, and indignation against all their host. He hath devoted them to destruction... and, the mountains, shall melt away with their blood... the heavens [the present day prominent religious sects] shall roll up as a scroll.” (Isa. 34: 2-4, Rotherham; see also Rev. 6:14) On every hand there is loud acclaim for this rolling together as the “unlearned and unstable” blindly follow their blind leaders – to fall into the ditch. (2 Pet. 3:16; Matt. 15:14) “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” (Amos 6:1)

THE PRINCE OF PEACE MAKES WAR

In Rev. 19:11‑21 there is a description of the action of this day in which we now live, clearly revealing God’s attitude toward the combining forces of this time. We quote parts of it (from the Diaglott):

“I saw Heaven opened [the Plan of God made very clear], and behold a white horse [clear spotless doctrine – a ‘pure language’... Zeph. 3:9]; and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True [just another name for the Prince of Peace, a name not used here in order not to conflict with the ‘war’ to be waged], and in righteousness [not for greed, territory, revenge or other selfish interests, but according to the supreme Law of Justice] He judges and makes war... And He was invested with a mantle dipped in blood [indicating the bloody nature of the present conflict]; and His name is called, The Word [The Logos, the spokesman] of God... And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two‑edged broadsword [to cut asunder error, secular and religious, in whichever way it is wielded], so that with it He may smite the nations... on His mantle and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords [the promise to Jesus’ faithful followers is that they shall be Kings and Priests, and the omnipotent Jesus is to be the King over those Kings, and the Lord over those Lords].”

Much of this Scripture is also revealed in Mal. 4:1-2, “Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven,” with the accompanying promise that “the Sun of righteousness [shall] arise with healing in his wings.” This great and dreadful day is to accomplish two things: “He maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.” (Job 5:18) Clearly enough, it is only by considering both sides of the situation that we shall come to a proper appraisal of our own personal privileges and obligations, if we would be faithful to the Lord, the Truth, and the Brethren.

It is directly counseled by the Apostle Paul that we should, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14; See also Rom. 14:19 and 2 Tim. 2:22); but the Apostle James limits the words of Paul by his statement in Jas. 3:17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable....” And this principle had been emphasized by Jehu hundreds of years before in 2 Kgs. 9:22 when asked by Joram, “Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms [corrupt teachings and practices] of thy mother Jezebel [typical of the Roman Church – see Rev. 2:20] and her witchcrafts [especially deceptive false teachings] are so many?” But some – even some who have supposedly been schooled in Present Truth – ignore these outstanding and vital exceptions, stressing only peace, and quoting 1 Tim. 3:16 to justify their position, “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” That this text has been badly corrupted by the translators is quite clear when we read it from Dr. Rotherham’s translation: “Confessedly [most certainly] great, is the sacred secret of godliness, – Who was made manifest in the flesh.” (Also see 1 Tim. 3:16, Diaglott) This “sacred secret” is further mentioned by St. Paul in Eph. 5:32: “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” It needs no argument that it has been a “great mystery” all during the Age that Christ is not one member, but many (Christ and the Church – the Head and the Body).

Furthermore, the contention “without contro­versy” is directly contradicted by such statements as “endure hardness, as a good soldier” – “fight the good fight,” etc. (2 Tim. 2:3; 1 Tim. 6:12); and these statements are also supported by certain Scriptures that apply especially here in the end of the Age – e.g., Isa. 28:17: “The hail [hard cutting Truth] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters [great floods of Truth] shall overflow the hiding place.” Also, Isa. 41:15,16: “Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument [the Harvest sickle of Present Truth – See Rev. 14:14 and Berean Comment] having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains [great strong kingdoms], and beat them small, and shall make the hills [democracies and lesser governments] as chaff... and the whirlwind [the great Time of Trouble] shall scatter them.” The greatest “refuge of lies” of all time has been the Papacy, which has counterfeited almost every fundamental truth of the Bible – and especially so, and in very profuse manner, the truth concerning the glorious Kingdom reign of Christ and the Church.

It is a very easy matter to reach a hasty, but erroneous, conclusion from reading just one Scripture; and such is true of those who conclude that “without controversy” means we should follow peace at any price. Old Testament precedent directly contradicts it, as can be seen from the Prophets who “waxed valiant in fight... were tortured... were stoned, they were sawn asunder... slain with the sword.” (Heb. 11:34-38) All of these outrages occurred because the Prophets exposed the evils of teaching and practice of their time – particularly, the evils of the religious leaders of their time. Note specifically 2 Chr. 24:19‑21: “He [God] sent prophets to them… they testified against them: but they would not give ear... the spirit of God came upon Zechariah ...[who] said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord?... because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king...” Many who were one time in the forefront of the Harvest battle now seem to feel that the laurels gained in the past will suffice to bring them to the Heavenly Canaan; but the entire record decries such an attitude. Of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah, Jesus, the Apostles, and the multitude of Gospel‑Age martyrs, the sublime report is that they died with their boots on – “faithful unto death.” Those people today who advocate the preaching only of winsome truths – giving no offense to any one – can scarcely be classified as enduring hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ – nor will they eventually be in the same record book with those who have done so – the fully faithful. We consider it a truthful observation that none can be faithful to Present Truth without contending for that Truth. “Ye should earnestly contend for the faith [the Truth] which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)

WHO MAY ENDURE THE DAY OF HIS COMING?

“Behold Me! sending my messenger... But who may endure the day of his coming? And who is he that can stand when he appeareth [is made manifest]? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ alkali; Therefore will he sit as a refiner and purifier [polisher] of silver, and will purify [polish, develop] the sons of Levi [primarily the Little Flock and the Great Company], and will smelt them, as gold and as silver; so shall they belong to Yahweh, offering a gift in righteous­ness.” (Mal. 3:1‑3, Rotherham) These texts are undoubtedly prophetic of Jesus’ Second Advent; and they itemize some of the things He would accomplish at that time. It is stated that He will be (1) like a refiner’s fire; (2) like fullers’ alkali; (3) sit as a refiner and purifier (polisher) of silver (the Truth); (4) purify (thoroughly polish, develop) the sons of Levi, so they may (5) offer a gift in righteousness.

Our concern in this writing will be mainly with No. 3 above: A refiner and polisher of silver. It needs no argument that literal silver is not here meant. Quite clearly it means the Truth. All who are familiar with the facts know only too well that the Lord did refine the Truth since 1874, by separating from it the conglomeration of error that had attached to it during the interim from His First Advent. And not only so, once the error was eliminated, a great polishing work was done with the then refined Truth, giving it a brilliance that made it a thing of real beauty to all who were “of the Truth.” This was true not only of religious Truth, but also applied with great force to secular truth. The “unclean spirits” (teachings) of the Divine Right of Kings, Clergy, Aristocracy and Labor have been mercilessly exposed, so that today in the more enlightened countries very few still cling to the doctrine that “The King can do no wrong,” or that the preachers and priests can consign to eternal torment all who do not “hear” them. “Truth shall spring out of the earth [the organized social order]; and righteousness shall look down from Heaven.” (Psa. 85:11) The Holy Spirit will “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John. 16:8)

But just as human agents waged battle against secular error, so human agents were also used of the Lord as He “looked down from Heaven.” These human beings were that group that wielded the sickle of Harvest Truth, chief of whom was Brother Russell. He not only put the “ink” into the “inkhorn” (Ezek. 9:2) for all to use, but he himself was foremost of the antitypical “three hundred” who waged antitypical Gideon’s battle against the hosts of antitypical Midian (religious errorists – Judges, Chapter 7). Of course, there was much of turmoil and great controversy in all this, with the victory surely coming to those who held to the polished brilliant Truth on the state of the dead, etc. This victory had become so pronounced that toward the end of Brother Russell’s life one secular writer wrote that “he put the fires out of Hell!”

As was the case with David, Brother Russell was very much a man of war – always in the forefront of some battle somewhere. One brother once said to him, “Brother Russell, you are the most loved man on earth.” To which Brother Russell replied, “Yes and the most hated!” But we believe it is a fair appraisal to conclude that those who knew him well, would certainly classify him as a gentle man – a man who would much prefer peace to war. It has indeed been a great Gospel‑Age paradox that the “sons of peace” led by the Son of Peace – have been in almost continuous battle; and many of such have done so contrary to their inherited dis­positions. Many of them would have followed a more peaceful path had they been allowed to do the choosing; yet they had forced themselves to be “good soldiers” as duty had appeared to them.

To do any task well, there must first of all be the knowledge to do; then the will to do; then the tools wherewith to do; then the capacity to do; and finally the providential circumstances to do (the physical, mental and financial strength). This is very well summed up by St. Paul in 2 Tim. 3:15‑17, Dia.: “That from a child thou hast known those Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise for salvation, through that faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture, divinely inspired, is indeed profitable for teaching [doctrine – what we should believe], for conviction [reproof of error – that which we should not believe], for correction [that which we should not do], for that discipline which is in righteousness [that which we should do]; so that the Man of God may be complete, thoroughly fitted for every good work.” Usually it is by controversy that the clear untainted truth is established; and this has been especially true here in the end of the Age. Thus, the prophecy of Malachi forcefully applies: He (Jesus) will sit as a refiner and a polisher (developer) of the Truth.

And those who clamor for peace without first having purity, those who have faulted Brother Russell and others for engaging in controversy, such have in effect been finding fault with our Lord Himself; because this controversy, this polishing, this developing of the Truth is specifically one of the outstanding activities of His Second Advent. It is this “polishing” of the Truth that has directly resulted in polishing, developing the Sons of Levi. And the reason the Sons of Levi must be so developed is that they may make an offering in righteousness unto the Lord. Until all such have come into Present Truth, to appropriate the Truth from the table the Lord has provided for His people at this time, no activity on their part can be acceptable to the Lord regardless of any outward appearance of prosperity they may have. Jesus said one of His primary purposes at His first Advent was: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” (John 18:37) And, just as the Truth at that time brought life and immortality to light, so in His Second Advent “the hail [hard cutting Truth] shall sweep away the refuge of lies.” (Isa. 28:17) Note the Berean Comment on 1 Tim. 6:13: “It was the Lord’s witness to the truth that cost him his life.”

SOME CORROBORATING CITATIONS

The following is something on this subject from Brother Russell: “Having put on the whole armor of God, and boldly withstood error by clear and fearless presentation and defense of the truth during this evil day, when giant errors so boldly and defiantly stalk abroad, the saints are exhorted, ‘Having done all, to stand,’ clad in full armor, with the sword of the spirit ever ready for defense, and with watchfulness and perseverance and prayer for all saints.” (Vol. 3, p. 212; Eph. 6:13) “And suffering with Christ, we have seen, is not the ordinary suffering, common to all in the fallen state, but only such sufferings as are the results, more or less directly, of the following of Christ’s example, in advocating unpopular truths and in exposing popular errors.” (Vol. 3, p. 209, emphasis added)

In the face of such clear statements by Brother Russell, it seems ridiculous in the extreme for any to decry controversy, and yet claim they are fully faithful to the Harvest Truth and That Servant’s teachings. Indeed, he was fully alerted to the fact that one of our Lord’s outstanding Second‑Advent works would be the polishing, developing of the Truth; and those who do not understand this are just that much out of Present Truth.

And more from Brother Russell in Vol. 2, pp. 236, 237: “As there [in the Jewish Harvest] the truth set the father against the son, the daughter against the mother, and the mother‑in‑law against the daughter‑in‑law, so again, a man’s foes are often they of his own household. This cannot be avoided. They who love peace more than truth will be tested, and they who love truth supremely will be accepted and approved as the overcomers, as in the Jewish Harvest... As we should expect we find it here: the blindest are the leaders of the blind, who, like their types, Know not the time of their visitation.” (Luke 19:44)

Now follows something from Reprints 5546, 5547 (emphasis added): “Today, as in Jesus’ time, many are influenced by the false representations of those to whom they have been accustomed to look as their spiritual shepherds. If then the world should come to be in sympathy with us as a people, and should speak well of us, and we should become popular, we should come under the condemnation expressed in the Master’s words, ‘Woe unto you when all men speak well of you; for so did their fathers unto the false prophets’... There are all manner of evil forces and influences surrounding us. These evil influences are of Satan and the fallen angels... As we look back, we can see that all who have walked in the narrow way have received persecution. Whoever has been in accord with God has been out of accord with the course of this world. There were the Baptists, and then the Methodists, who in the early days had persecution because they had had more light than others. The Presbyterians also for a time, because they had greater light than others, received persecution [from their former brethren, as was the case of our Lord and others – JJH]. And we must expect the same today. Persecution will come to those who have the courage of their convictions. The Lord tells us that the anointing that we have received of Him is for the very purpose that we may show forth His praises.” (1 Pet. 2:9)

In 2 Tim. 3:12 we are told, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The only way such persecution may come is by “a good confession” of the Truth. Regardless of how much Truth we may know, if we do not sound forth the “trumpet,” nobody will bother us.

All of the foregoing is quite in harmony with St. Paul’s words in Rom. 12:2: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [changed in disposition, and the like] by the renewing of your mind [with Present Truth], that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Clearly enough, the great Apostle was a non‑conformist – “beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” (Acts 26:24) As Mark Twain so ably stated, “Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.” But in all of this it is well that we retain “the spirit of a sound mind” and, that we consider well the Apostle’s words to his beloved Philippians (Phil. 2:3-4, Dia.): “doing nothing from party‑spirit [Sectarianism], or vainglory... not each one regarding his own interests, but each one also those of others.” This same point was impressed upon the Jews immediately after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil [in sectarian blindness, or do‑nothing complacency].” (Ex. 23:2)

To be a “good soldier” one must have courage and combativeness ‑ not a good runner, but a good fighter. And, while “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” (2 Cor. 10:4) many of God’s people throughout the Age have willingly answered the call to battle with “the sword of the spirit, which is God’s Word.” (Eph. 6:17, Dia.) The Adversary, ever seeking whom he may devour – and being a shrewd appraiser of human frailty – was quick to discern that many would face lions in the Roman arena, rather than forsake the “good fight.” Consequently, he aroused their combat­iveness against each other, with both sides on occasion being in error; yet contending so strenuously for their error that they destroyed each other. This mistake we should studiously and determinedly avoid, giving heed to the Prophet’s words, “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isa. 30:15) We should ever bear in mind it is not characteristic of the Lord’s true people to wish destruction upon the gainsayers (Luke 9:53‑55); but to recover them if possible from their path of error. (Jas. 5:20, Dia.)

2 Tim. 2:25,26 (Dia.) offers excellent com­ple­ment to the foregoing: “In meekness cor­recting the opposers; perhaps God may give them a change of mind in order to a knowledge of the Truth; and that they may be recovered from the snare of the enemy...” Those of us who were not “born in the Truth” know by experience that at one time we had no ear for it; but God eventually gave us a “change of mind.” Thus, there may be some today who occupy our identical position before receiving this “change of mind”; so time and instruction may eventually cause them to receive it. This thought should always be in our mind as we appraise those who do not hear us now; they may hear us next year if we give them courteous and generous treatment.

Early in the 20th Century a few prominent preachers were alerted to the peace‑at-any‑price disposition already appearing. One said: “When Christianity disposes wholly with controversy it will be like a sleeping man – harmless and helpless ... Controversy was the life of Paul’s works – polite controversy, brotherly controversy; but strong in exposing error and building up the Truth. The Epistles were full of controversy. Moreover, many of Christ’s sayings were strictly controversial.” [The Christian Advocate, March 23, 1911] It is plainly evident that many who attend services in the various sects, and claiming to be “in the Truth” do no more about it than attend meetings. They have a nice place to “go to church.”

We now offer one more quotation from Brother Russell, found in Parousia Volume 2, pp. 358, 359: “In 2 Thes. 2:8‑12, the Apostle Paul declares concerning Antichrist: ‘Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and annihilate with the bright shining [Epiphaneia] of his presence [Parousia].’ The light of truth is to penetrate every subject. By exposing rights and wrongs it will lead into the great struggle between these principles, and between the human exponents of each – causing the great time of trouble and wrath. In this struggle, wrong and evil shall fall, and right and truth shall triumph. Among other evils now to be finally and utterly destroyed is Antichrist, with which nearly every evil, of theory and practice, is more or less directly connected. And it will be this bright‑shining [Epiphaneia], this sunlight from the Lord’s presence, which will produce the day of trouble, because of and in which Antichrist, with every other evil system, will be destroyed. ‘Whose presence is with [accompanied by or during] an energetic operation of Satan [Satanic energy and action] with all power, and signs, and lying delusions, and with every iniquitous deception for those perishing; because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be preserved. And for this reason God will send to them a deluding power, that they might believe the error [pronouncedly true of those who have had Parousia Truth and now contend for ‘peace and tranquility’ instead of contending for the Truth – JJH]: so that all not believing the truth, but taking pleasure in iniquity, may be judged’ unworthy to share the Millennial Kingdom as joint heirs with Christ.

“We understand these words to imply that in the time of the Lord’s presence (since 1874), through this Antichrist system (one of the principal of Satan’s agencies for deceiving and controlling the world), as well as through all his other agencies, the devil will make a most desperate resistance to the new order of things about to be established. He will take advantage of every little circumstance, and all the inherited weaknesses and selfishness of the human family, to enlist their hearts and hands and pens in this final struggle against liberty and the full elucidation of truth. Prejudices will be enkindled where, if the truth were clearly seen, none would exist; and passionate zeal will be evoked, and partisan unions formed, which will deceive and mislead many [beginning at the House of the Lord among the Truth groups – JJH]. And this will be so, not because God has not made the truth clear enough to guide all the fully consecrated, but because those who will be deceived were not sufficiently in earnest in seeking out and using the truth provided as meat in due season. And thus it will be manifested that the class misled received not the truth in the love of it, but rather through custom, formality or fear.”

The manifesting is in this Epiphany. The Berean Comment on 2 Thes. 2:11: “Great delusions are just before us, and some of these may come closest upon those possessing the most light of Present Truth.”

To which the words of St. Paul may be added: “Praying at every season... on my behalf, that eloquence may be given me... to make known the secret of the Glad Tidings... that I may speak boldly concerning it... Peace to the Brethren, and Love with Faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. The favor be with all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 6:18‑23, Dia.)

(Written by Brother John J. Hoefle in 1967. Reprint of No. 522, November 1, 2000, with minor editing.)

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A HARMONIOUS VIEW

Among Christian people there are three leading views relative to Christ’s coming. Stated briefly:

First: Second Adventists look for Christ’s coming, expecting that soon He will appear – a fleshly being – in the sky, when instantly the Church will be caught up into the air above the earth and there remain with Him, while fire and brimstone are rained upon the earth, burning it to a cinder. During the time it is burning, and until it cools off (probably thousands of years), Christ and the Church will be waiting in the clouds.

These will then take possession of the earth, which will become as the Garden of Eden again. There they expect to build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them, and long enjoy the work of their hands. (Isa. 65:21,22) There they expect to reign with Christ as kings and priests – over whom none can tell (unless over one another), since all the rest of man­kind must have long since burned up.

Second: Pre-Millenarians expect Christ to come unawares and gather the Church, and with them leave the world and go to heaven for a few years. During the absence of Christ and the Church, the world will be full of trouble, distress of nations, pouring out of the vials of wrath (more or less literal), etc. This trouble and distress will destroy or subdue unruly sinners, and then Christ Jesus and His Church will return to earth and inhabit a new Jerusalem City which will (literally) descend from the sky.

Christ and His saints – all glorious fleshly beings – [called spiritual as a compliment to Paul (1 Cor. 15:44-50), though held to be really fleshly] will then reign over the few of the nations which have survived the trouble. This reign will last a thousand years. Then the dead, so unfortunate as not to live during the Millennial Age, will be brought out of a “lake of fire” to earth, and arraigned for mock trial and condemnation before Christ Jesus and His Church. All will speedily be condemned and sent back to hell for never ending ages; then Christ and the Church will go to heaven and deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, and the world will be set on fire and melted – possibly to become, at some future time, again a stage for combat between new races of men and devils; or possibly to continue to roll through space a blackened cinder, a lasting memorial of the lost cause of man’s dominion, and of God’s lack of wisdom in undertaking to establish an earthly government of which man should be king. (Psa. 8:6)

Third: Post-Millenarians, by far the largest class, including nearly all so-called orthodox Christians, claim that the foregoing views are too gross and materialistic. They claim, and with good reason we think, that it would be very absurd to think of the glorious Christ and His Church (spiritual beings) either building houses and planting vineyards and enjoying the work of their hands, or reigning and living in a city in Israel. They think this would be progress backward and not forward. During this age, they say, the Church walks by faith and not by sight. To bring in a new age, in which it would walk by sight, would prove it to be a dispensation on a lower plane and not progression.

They claim that the Millennium, or 1,000 year reign of truth and righteousness, will be marked by no visible manifestation of Christ to men’s natural eyes, but that the Church, in her present condition, will stem the tide of evil and cause righteousness to prevail, and that thus God’s Kingdom – Church – (which they claim is now reigning) will conquer the world, and bring about the foretold blessedness and happiness to fill the earth. All this is to be accomplished without Jesus’ personal presence here, though they claim that the Church will have special spiritual help and power from Him in the great work. When the point is reached where all evil and wrong is subjected to right, the plan ends (i.e., if so aimless a supposition can be called a plan at all), and then Jesus comes and the mock trial and condemnation of the ignorant and unfortunate billions, who lived before the Millennial light had fully blazed forth, are re-consigned to endless woe and the earth destroyed by fire, much as Pre-Millennialists believe.

We cannot find words to express our thankfulness to our Father that we have been led into a much more harmonious and reasonable understanding of His plan than any of these views present. These are the human reasonings on the Word of God before the true light was due. Many still tenaciously hold these ideas of the past, but those who walk in the path, which shines more and more, are led into a more reasonable and harmonious view. (Prov. 4:18) We rejoice to be of those free from fetters of human creeds – free to search and believe God’s Word – free to be taught of God. Hence, as the Millennial morn is breaking, we are prepared to see light in God’s light.

The truth seems to lie between – the last two views being the extremes – Second Adventism being, in our judgment, the grossest and farthest from truth, except on the one point of man’s condition in death (unconsciousness).

Now, let us state briefly a fourth view of this subject. We ask a careful comparison of it, not only with the three above, but with God’s Word as a whole.

THE FOURTH VIEW

This view recognizes plan, system, purpose in all God’s works, reading them in His statements and in His doings. God did not form the earth to be burned, but to be inhabited. “He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18). He created various orders of creatures adapted to the earthly home, of which man was the Chief – Lord – Ruler – King (1 Cor. 15:40; Psa. 8:6). This is God’s plan, and must ultimately be accomplished, but its accom­plishment requires the work of seven thousand years.

Man, to be in any degree a likeness of God, must have a free will, and, in order to properly use his will, he must have knowledge. God could have given him knowledge without experience, but instead He has permitted man to gain by experience. When man sinned by the exercise of his free will, God inflicted a righteous punishment and withdrew his life, and thus death reigned by sin, and man for 6,000 years has been experiencing “the exceeding sinfulness of sin” and the bitterness of its fruit.

During all this time God’s plan did not change. Man knew not of it, nor did the angels, for “angels desire to look into” these things, but have not been permitted. (1 Pet. 1:12) Meanwhile, God gave laws, and caused types and shadows of His plan to be enacted in a nation which He chose for this purpose (Israel). These shadows showed the leprous character of sin and pointed to the slain Lamb of God as the means and agency for its removal.

In due time Christ Jesus came and “gave himself a ransom [equivalent price] for all.” (1 Tim. 2:6) Did He come too soon, since sin must reign the full 6,000 years? No, our Father had another part of His plan hidden in this plan for earth! It was to select “a peculiar people,” “a little flock,” “the Bride,” who should be lifted out of the human nature entirely and become new creatures, partakers of the Bridegroom’s Divine nature. Thus the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, was not too soon, but in “due time.” All must be bought before any could be selected, and there was just sufficient time for the selection of the Bride before the due time should come for giving the human family a knowledge (experience) of good, and bringing in everlasting righteousness, and restoring the lost dominion to such as would have it.

We are now in the early dawn of the Millennial day. It is the best day of man’s week (7,000 years); the only one in which right will rule and wrong be fully subjected. Man will be restored by natural processes to the perfection once lost by the disobedience of one man, the right to which has been redeemed by the obedience of the man Christ Jesus. (Rom. 5:18)

During this Millennial Age Jesus and His Bride, no longer men but spiritual beings, will be personally present, directing and overruling the affairs of earth, but invisible to men, as angels have been in the past. As Satan and his angels (presently invisible yet ruling among men) have used Rome as so willing an agent that it is scripturally called by his name – the devil and Satan – so this spiritual Kingdom of God will operate through restored fleshly Israel, and find in it so willing an agency that it will be properly called also the Kingdom of God, and will extend its borders righteously, as the Roman counterfeit has attempted to do unrighteously, until the Kingdom shall fill the whole earth. Then shall be fulfilled the prayer of the Master, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) Restored mankind shall plant and build and long enjoy the work of their hands, for “the earth abideth forever” (Ecc. 1:4) and was formed to be inhabited.

When sin and Adamic death are wiped out, and all its traces removed, and the incorrigible destroyed in the Second Death, then man, being in the condition in which he was first created – an image of his Creator, and possessed of an experimental knowledge of both good and evil – will be in the proper condition to receive and rightly use the first dominion. Then the dominion will be delivered up to God, even the Father, men being made accountable thereafter directly to God, instead of to Jesus as during the Millennial Age. During the Millennium the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son as His agent and man’s Redeemer. (1 Cor. 15:24; John 5:22)

Thus we glimpse God’s plan for bringing many sons to glory – some to the glory of perfect human nature and some to the glory of the Divine nature, the two glories being entirely different things. (1 Cor. 15:40) Surely we can say that it is a plan worthy of our God – full of Wisdom, Love, Justice and Power. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33)

We are in the dawn of the glorious day. It is not yet sunrise (the shining forth of the Church – Matt. 13:43), but the “day star” (Jesus) has arisen in our hearts. (2 Pet. 1:19) We know of His presence – and the sunshine will before long dispel the darkness and storm with which this day opens. We believe this Millennial era commences with a time of trouble and the pouring out of symbolic plagues and vials. We believe the trouble and distress will be of a sort at first little appreciated by many. First, the nominal church systems, having filled their mission, are due to be destroyed. Secondly, earthly kingdoms, having served their purpose, are vessels of wrath fitted for destruction. (Rom. 9:22) Mankind, long held in bonds of ignorance, oppression and superstition, is to be released and prepared for their experience with good during Messiah’s reign.

As this Gospel Age is the time for trial of the Church, those called to the heavenly nature, so the Millennial Age is to be the time of trial of the world of mankind, both those living at the beginning of the Age and the resurrected dead, to determine who of them are worthy of human perfection and the dominion of earth.

(The above is from Pastor Russell reprint 469, with minor editing.)

________________________________________________________

Please direct all correspondence to:

P.O. Box 2246, Kernersville, NC 27285-2246

epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com.

NO. 696: "THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN HEAVEN"

No. 696

“Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matt. 24:30)

Scholars have made various suggestions regarding the significance of this prophecy by the Master. Some have guessed that the sign would be a Cross in the sky. Others have thought it would be Christ Himself who would appear to humanity in some wrathful form, causing fear and dismay. The Parousia (presence) of Christ will not be known to the tribes (families) of the earth in general, so we cannot say that the sign of the Son of Man in heaven will be His Parousia, which will be known only to the most saintly ones of the Church of Christ. Consequently, the sign of the Son of Man must be related to His Epiphania, or shining forth in the “flaming fire” of judgment, which the whole world of mankind will recognize. (2 Thes. 1:7-9)

The word “sign” has broad meaning; for instance, black crepe is a sign of mourning; the Cross represents Christianity; the Crescent represents Islam. In other words, a sign is merely an indication. So when we read of the “sign of the Son of man in heaven,” the thought is that something will occur indicating the presence of the Son of Man – that He has assumed His great power and has begun His reign. Since the Son of Man is to be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance, it follows that this sign must be some sign of vengeance, some indication of righteous indignation against wrong. (Isa. 59:17-18)

JUDGMENT TO BEGIN WITH ECCLESIASTICAL SYSTEMS

One might wonder how such a sign or indication could appear in the literal heavens, in the sky, but that is not the thought. We must remember that the Bible repeatedly uses the words heaven, mountain, and sea in a symbolic sense – the earth representing organized society; the mountains representing kingdoms (the backbones of this organized society); the seas representing the restless masses of humanity, continually seeking to swallow up the “earth” (the organized social structure).

In the same symbolic sense, the heavens represent the ecclesiastical powers of the world – organized nominal Christ­ianity (or “church­ianity”). The sign appearing in the heavens signifies that Christ’s judgments will begin with the eccles­iastical systems of our day. The flaming fire of judgments will first manifest itself in ecclesiastical affairs and circles.

Mankind will gradually awaken to the awareness that a new Government is in control, and that its policy will be the law of “judgment … to the line, and righteousness to the plummet.” (Isa. 28:17) Since unrighteousness prevails as a result of man’s fallen condition, the conscience of the whole world will be awakened. Fear and dread will come upon all classes everywhere, not only because they see the effects of Christ’s righteous judgments in religious affairs, but because they sense His judgments drawing nearer and nearer to their own affairs. Hence there will be mourning and wailing because of Him. (Rev. 1:7)

All the families of the earth have very crude and incorrect views of Messiah and the object of His Second Coming and Kingdom. The “doctrines of devils,” brought into the church creeds during the Dark Ages, have so made void the Word of God that the majority of mankind fear the Almighty, dread Him as their Almighty Foe, instead of realizing Him to be the God of all grace and the Father of all mercies: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father….” (1 Tim. 4:1; Jas. 1:17) The eyes of the world have been blinded to the goodness of God. Terrible dread in the hearts of humanity will lead to the wail of fear as they perceive Christ’s righteous judgments encircling all the earth.

Not knowing of the glorious blessings which Messiah’s Kingdom will bring to mankind, human hearts will be filled with dread and apprehension. Only those who are truly the Lord’s and are rightly informed respecting the Divine Plan of the Ages will be able to lift up their heads and rejoice, knowing that their “redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

THE FIRE OF THAT DAY

St. Peter describes this sign of the Son of Man in the heavens, this revelation in flaming fire, saying, “the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,” and “the earth also [shall take fire] and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Pet. 3:10-12) While our forefathers supposed that these descriptions meant a literal burning of the literal earth, we realize that the symbolic earth and the symbolic heavens are to catch fire and pass away with a great commotion, while the physical earth will remain practically as it is, and will begin to undergo the transforming influences of Restitution under the new King, the Restorer of all things – The Christ. (Acts 3:19-21)

The Apostle tells us that “the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” (2 Pet. 3:10) We see the division between the elements of capital and labor; we see the growing divide between the privileged elements and the under­privileged elements. We see the preparations for the great conflagration, the great Time of Trouble. We sometimes speak of it in this language, saying, “Things are getting very hot.” They will eventually be so hot that spontaneous combustion will set in.

The fire of that Day will be extreme and its results drastic, fulfilling the Master’s words that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matt. 24:22) Because of the Elect, because of the Kingdom which will then be set up, those days will be shortened – brought to an end. Nothing will be destroyed except that which is injurious. The world-wide results of that flaming fire of Divine judgments will be corrective, preparing men’s hearts for the blessings which the Lord will then pour out. Thus it is written, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9)

Notice that St. Peter mentions the fire as coming to the heavens before it reaches the earth, in just the same order that Jesus stated the matter. The sign, manifestation, of the flaming fire of judgments will appear in the heavens; and subsequently the sign of the Son of Man in judgment will be seen coming nearer and nearer to earth’s affairs – society and its political, financial and social organizations – for the purpose of purging them absolutely from everything sinful, selfish, and unjust. We are to expect the ecclesiastical systems to pass away with a great noise – a great commotion – before the social order is fully reached by the consuming fire.

THE FALL OF BABYLON

The same thought is brought to our attention in Revelation, where a wide distinction is made between the nominal church systems, called Babylon, and the true Church, which is admonished in advance to come out of Babylon and to stand in personal relationship to God through Christ. This general call, which belongs to the end of the Age, before the judgments come upon Babylon, reads, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4-5) The intimation is that as soon as the loyally obedient have been gathered out of Babylon some drastic trouble will come upon her.

We do not believe the Scriptural term “Babylon” applies to any one denomination or sect, but rather refers to the general conglomeration of systems and denominations. Likewise, when reading of the utter destruction that is to come upon Babylon, we are to differentiate between the systems and the individuals connected with those systems. We should not apply this term “Babylon” to individuals, but to the great systems, outwardly having a form of godliness, but really mis­representing the Divine character, the Divine Plan, the true teachings of the Bible. Of course, the individual leaders of these systems are more or less responsible, depending upon their official position and influence, so consequently they may have tribulations in conjunction with the fall of Babylon.

The judgments of the Lord are not designed to crush or destroy humanity, but to destroy utterly the systems of error, bondage and superstition which have fettered humanity and hindered it from fuller progress and development in the knowledge and favor of God. With the fall of the great systems (Babylon, confusion) men’s eyes and ears will begin to open, “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” (Isa. 29:18) As a result, the high praises of God will arise as a sweet savor.

The fall of Babylon is declared to come speedily and suddenly: “…in one [figurative] hour is thy judgment come.” (Rev. 18:10) The descriptions of her fall are various but all point to her total destruction. In one place we read that she shall be utterly burned with fire, while in another place we read that Babylon shall be cast like a great millstone into the sea and be found no more at all. (Jer. 51:58; Rev. 18:8-21)

“EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM”

Throughout this Gospel Age, the Lord’s people have with the eye of faith recognized Jesus as their Redeemer and Deliverer, but comparatively few have had such eyes of faith and understanding. The majority, as the Apostle Paul declares, are blinded by Satan and by error, and fail to get a proper, true view of Christ: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) But God’s gracious promise is that all the blinded eyes shall be opened.

The experiences of two thousand years have done little toward opening the eyes of the world; but the revelation of Messiah in flaming fire will attract their attention quickly: “Behold he cometh with clouds [of trouble]; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him” – the Jews. (Rev. 1:7) Instinctively, they will be fearful. It may require a considerable time for them to become fully persuaded that the One feared is their best Friend, who gave His life as their Redemption-price, whose judgments in the earth are for the very purpose of breaking the bondage of fear, ignorance, superstition, sin, selfishness and injustice, allowing the whole world to go free from the sin-slavery which has long oppressed them. (Rom 11:25-27)

In due time they will learn that the fire of God’s anger does not burn against the sinners but merely against their sins, and they will begin to see the length, the breadth, the height and the depth of God’s Love, which the Apostle describes. (Eph. 3:14-19; Rom. 5:6-8)

The Bible clearly points out that the Jews will be in the trouble. It will be “the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer. 30:7) By that time the Gospel Church will have been completed and will have passed beyond the veil. God’s favor will then be restored to Natural Israel, and the time for the special manifestation of that favor will be in the dark hour of Jacob’s trouble, when the Jews are surrounded by enemies. In and through that trouble the Lord will pour upon them the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they will look upon Him whom they pierced. (Zech. 12:10) They will discern that they made a great and horrific mistake in crucifying the Friend of Sinners, their long-promised Messiah. We are told that they shall mourn because of Him, and that then the spirit of supplication will come to them and they will see Jesus in His real character.

Divine favor will be manifested on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord will deliver them, as in olden times. Their eyes of faith and understanding will open more and more widely. Eventually, according to the Bible, they will become the leaders of mankind in returning to God, who will abundantly pardon their iniquity and grant them a prominent share in the blessings of His Kingdom. (Zech. 14:3; Rom. 2:10; 11:25-27)

FEW STRIPES AND MANY STRIPES

The great Messianic Kingdom will not spare the rod, but will inflict punishments for the world’s correction in righteousness. Some will suffer more and some less, according to the Master’s own statements. Those understanding the principles of righteousness and willfully violating them will be beaten heavily, “with many stripes”; while others who knew little will receive fewer stripes in proportion to their ignorance. All the stripes, however, will be reformatory, intended to help and encourage the transgressors to abandon the ways of iniquity and to walk in the paths of righteousness. (Luke 12:47-48; Isa. 26:9)

That will be a happy Day for earth’s billions – a Day with the Lord being a thousand years. (2 Pet. 3:8) Everywhere there will be evidences of the operation of Divine Mercy and Justice, and the necessary lessons will be quickly learned by all people. We cannot doubt that even fifty years of Kingdom influence will make a wonderful change in human affairs and conditions. The blessing of the Lord will come to the earth in proportion as God’s will shall be done by mankind.

Finally, with sin eliminated and all the willfully wicked destroyed, every creature on earth, as well as in Heaven, will be heard saying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Rev. 5:13) Then, and not until then, will God’s will be done on earth, even as it is done in Heaven; for not until then will there be a perfect human race capable of doing God’s will. Having passed the test of God’s judgment, all of mankind will delight to do His will.

Let us not be identified with the ecclesiastical heavens nor wail with the world at the sign of their dissolution. Rather, it is our privilege as followers of Jesus to walk in His steps, to the best of our ability, and to stand for the Truth.

We’ve been watching, we’ve been waiting,

For the star that brings the day;

For the night of sin to vanish,

And the mists to roll away.

We’ve been watching, we’ve been waiting,

For the beauteous King of day,

For the chiefest of ten thousand,

For the Light, the Truth, the Way.

We begin to see the dawning

Of the bright Millennial day;

Soon the shadows, weary shadows,

Shall forever pass away.

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(Based on a discourse from

Pastor Russell’s Sermons, page 420)

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THE JUDGMENT DAY PICTURED BY JESUS

“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me…Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:35-36,40)

This Scripture is generally misunderstood and misused, most believing it to refer to the Gospel Age. But the context shows that the Lord is here referring to those living in the Millennial Age. The principle, however, is helpful to us now, because whoever does a kindness for any one belonging to the Lord at any time is counted by Him as doing it unto Him.

In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt. 25:31-46) we read, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations.” Those spoken of here as gathered before the Throne will be the whole world of mankind (not the Church, which will be with Him on His Throne – Col. 3:4; Rev. 3:21).

Those gathered are sometimes referred to as Gentiles, meaning those not in covenant relationship with God. In the past God made a covenant with the nation of Israel alone; therefore, all other nations and peoples were outsiders. During this Gospel Age God has made a covenant with the Church, through Christ, a special Covenant. The opportunity to make this Covenant of Sacrifice has been open throughout the Gospel Age; and those coming to God through that covenant are said to be Israelites indeed. (Gal. 3:8,16,29; John 1:47)

In this parable Jesus refers, not to Christians, but to Gentiles – the world in general who will be gathered before Messiah’s Throne. “And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” It is not a separation of classes, but a separation of individuals. Whoever is tried and demonstrates that he is a goat will go to the left. Whoever proves himself to be a sheep will go to the right. In figurative language the Lord thus designates the place of disfavor on the left and that of favor on the right. The parable shows that these two classes will not be aware of the fact that they are going to the right or to the left. Not until the conclusion of the trial do they find out where they stand.

The whole picture refers to the thousand years of the Messianic Reign, the world’s judgment, the world’s trial. The sole object of that Reign is to prove who of mankind will desire to be God’s sheep, coming into His fold and having His Son as their Shepherd, and who will not come into harmony with Him, but will have a goat-like nature. They will then be rewarded or punished accordingly.

MINISTERING UNTO MILLENNIUM BRETHREN

In what way will the people have an opportunity of ministering to the Lord’s brethren during the Millennial Age? We note that the Apostles were in prison sometimes because of their service to the Lord and were ministered unto; and that some of the Lord’s followers since have been in prison or in need of assistance; but probably not very many have been in prison or hungry or naked. Hence it is difficult to see how this parable could refer to the Church. Now we see the explanation: Throughout the Millennial Age the Messiah will be dealing with the world of mankind, the majority of whom are now in the great prison-house of death.

The Apostle Paul, in speaking of the resurrection, says that the dead shall come forth “every man in his own order” (company or class). They will not all come forth at once. The Church class will come forth first; then the Great Company class; and early in the new order of things will come forth the Ancient Worthies, who will be the earthly representatives of God’s Kingdom. (1 Cor. 15:21-23) As Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews who rejected Him, “Ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:28) They will be the human representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom, which will be invisible. Jesus said nothing about them seeing Jesus Himself or His disciples in the Kingdom. He did say, however, “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more.” (John 14:19)

St. John tells us that the Church shall be like her Lord (1 John 3:2), thus if the world will not see Him, they will not see the Church; for the Church will be spirit beings that cannot be seen. So we have these orders, at least: The Little Flock, the Great Company, the Ancient Worthies, and the world of mankind – “every man in his own order.”

Jesus said, “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth;” and “they that hear [obey] shall live.” (John 5:25,28-29) As those of the world return from the tomb, we think it will be in answer to prayer, very much the same as did Lazarus. The Lord Jesus, said, “Where have ye laid him?” Then He lifted up His eyes and prayed to the Father, after which He said, “Lazarus, come forth.” (John 11:34,41-44)

We do not understand that in the Millennial Age the people will have power to command the dead to come forth from the tomb, but that our Lord Jesus will have that power. As He prayed for the restoration of Lazarus, not because of any service which Lazarus would do for Him, but because Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary, so we conceive that nearly all the world will come forth in answer to the prayers of their brothers, their sisters, their parents, children and friends.

We think that as Restitution progresses during the Millennial Age, the Lord will let the people know of the privilege they might have of cooperating with God, joining with Christ in the work of Restitution. Thus they will pray for the return of their loved ones and will make provision for them. Each will thus be brought forth, preparations being made to assist them when they would come back into life. This whole work of bringing mankind back into life will be God’s work. It will be the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the work of spirit beings, as God’s agents. But human beings will be permitted to cooperate, through their love for humanity. The “sheep” class of that Age will be those who will have the Lord’s spirit; and as the Lord’s purpose will be to bring people back from death, to teach them and to prepare them for eternal life, all the sheep will feel the same way. This they will do gladly, because they have a love for this work. They will be feeding, clothing and helping those whom they have gotten out of the prison-house of death. Their prayers will go out continually after those in prison. This explains the whole work of the Millennial Age, and shows how all the people will come into harmony with God.

A SELFISH CLASS AND AN UNSELFISH CLASS

There will certainly be some who will not be interested in helping their fellow men, but will be more interested in enjoying the abundant blessings available in the Millennial Age. The sheep class will be busy working, but the goat class will be showing their selfish disposition. God does not purpose that any who are selfish shall have everlasting life. Selfishness came into the world as a result of sin. We were all born selfish, but we have better knowledge now and are beginning to see God’s way. All in true sympathy with God and righteousness will then cultivate love in their hearts.

As the sheep class provides for those already recovered from the prison-house of death, they will ask for others to come back. Those with the sheep-like disposition will not be reluctant to help those not considered worthy or desirable before they died. They will be glad to welcome back all (even those who believed they were going to eternal torment when they died) and introduce them to the blessings they never imagined would come. The sheep class will seek to cooperate with Christ in the work of blessing the world and in the process they will develop a noble, Christ-like character. They will be helping themselves, as well as helping those raised from the dead.

At the close of the Millennial Age the Lord will place on His right hand the sheep class who ministered to His Millennial brethren, saying to them: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 25:34) The Kingdom referred to is the earthly paradise originally given to Father Adam (Gen. 1:26-28), but lost through his disobedience. No other class will be given this earthly Kingdom.

The heavenly Kingdom is for those of the Church who have been proven worthy. Those of the world who cultivate the Lord’s spirit will receive the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world while the Church will receive the Kingdom prepared from before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:4)

EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

There is another part to this parable that we cannot neglect. It reads: “And these [the goat class] shall go away into everlasting punishment.” (Matt. 25:46) We believe in everlasting punishment because we always believe in everything the Bible says. But what kind of punishment it will be is another matter. The Bible says that the punishment will be death, and we believe the Bible. (Rom. 6:23; Ezek. 18:4)

The creeds of the Dark Ages tell us that everlasting death means everlasting dying, endless torture. So when the Bible speaks of everlasting death, some people have their heads so twisted that they make death mean life. There is such a thing as everlasting death. When the goat class are remanded to death, they will become dead everlastingly. They will remain dead to all eternity. The Greek word kolasis, here rendered punishment, is from the root word kolazo, meaning to cut off, or to restrain by cutting off.

God will give men all the opportunities they wish to be selfish, to choose the wrong way. They will have the opportunities and blessings of the Millennial Age, as long as they do not outwardly violate the Law, as long as they do not injure somebody else. They will not be forced to help those returning from the dead, as that work will be one of charity, of love. But unless they attain the spirit of love, they will not be fit for the Kingdom; for God is Love. No one shall attain everlasting life except those who are in accord with God, whether on the spirit plane in the heavenly Kingdom or on the human plane in the everlasting Kingdom of mankind upon the earth. All others will be everlastingly destroyed, cut off, from life: “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” (Psa. 37:9; Acts 3:23; Psa. 101:8; 2 Thes. 1:9)

FIRE A SYMBOL OF DESTRUCTION

Concerning the wicked, our parable says, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt. 25:41) Fire always symbolizes destruction, and everlasting fire would mean an everlasting destruction. The Devil is the father of lies, “a murderer from the beginning,” the one who “abode not in the truth.” (John 8:44) He has assistants, “the angels which kept not their first estate.” (Jude 6) Instead of remaining holy angels, they became demons, associated under Satan. Their final penalty is to be quite appropriate for them – fire, the fire of God’s anger, the fire of God’s opposition. As fire destroys, so God’s anger will destroy Satan and all in harmony with him. Because the goat class of mankind will manifest the selfish spirit of Satan, contrary to the Divine spirit, they will have their portion with Satan and the fallen spirits and be destroyed in the Second Death. This will cleanse the universe and have everything pure. Not a sinner will be left in it.

Thenceforth all will be governed by love. The Lord Jesus Christ and the Church having been tried; the Great Company will be tried before being received into the Heavenly condition. In the days of Noah all the angels were tried (those who did not maintain their condition of loyalty to God were cast down to tartarus – that is, to our earth’s atmosphere, and there restrained until the judgment day – 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). So all mankind will be tried during the thousand years of Messiah’s reign, and only the victors will go into the everlasting conditions. No wonder that the Revelator, prophesying of that glorious time, says: “And every creature which is in heaven [the Church, the Great Company, the angels, the cherubim and seraphim], and on the earth, and under the earth [those now in the tomb]…heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Rev. 5:13)

Soon all shall sing Hosannas to our Heavenly King; hail Him Lord of all!

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(Based on a discourse from Pastor Russell’s Sermons, page 224)

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INTO THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW

It is with great sadness that we report the death of our faithful brother in the Truth, William Dallas Dunnagan. He was born on October 28, 1925 and entered into the “sleep in Jesus” on May 31, 2015. As a member of the Mount Dora ecclesia, he spent countless hours in the work of the Bible House, until advancing age made it no longer possible. As a faithful student of the Bible, he always testified of the promises of God – namely the coming Kingdom, the resurrection of the dead, and the times of restitution of all things. The Daily Heavenly Manna book entry for his birth date is most appropriate:

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me…to comfort all that mourn,…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning... (Isa. 61:1-3)

“OUR commission is to seek out the meek and the mourning ones, who have appreciated their own shortcomings and weaknesses, and who are looking for refuge and deliverance. It is part of our commission to point them to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, to point them to the beauty of the resurrection for the ashes of death, and the glories which the Lord has promised by and by to take the place of the spirit of heaviness and disappointment and sorrow and trouble of this present time. It is our commission to tell such that ‘Joy cometh in the morning,’ and to assist them to arise and at once put on the garments of praise, and to begin to walk in newness of life, with a ‘new song in their mouths – even the lovingkindness of our God.’ Z. '04-295 R3436:1”

________________________________________________________

Please direct all correspondence to:

P.O. Box 2246, Kernersville, NC 27285-2246

epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com.

NO. 695: "THY WORD IS TRUTH"

No. 695

“Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Cor. 2:5)

So-called “higher criticism”1 is rapidly effacing all Bible doctrines, discrediting them and claiming that they are unnecessary to the Christian life. We hold the opposite view that sound doctrinal faith is essential to proper Christian living. The unchristian persecutions of the Dark Ages were founded upon false doctrines, the traditions of men, which made void the word of God. Over time the faith returned to some extent to a proper scriptural foundation, and to that extent better Christian living and the cessation of persecutions resulted.

The tendency today is in the opposite direction, toward the loss of all scriptural faith, hope and love. Today it is claimed that education will take the place of a divinely inspired faith and will promote righteousness and love. This is a misleading claim. So long as selfishness constitutes the basis of the fallen human nature, it cannot be trusted to lift itself into the realm of loving righteousness. The calamity of this error will soon manifest itself in selfishness and lawless anarchy.

In the meantime, all true Christians should seek earnestly for the old paths and for the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), not standing in the wisdom of men, no matter how highly they may regard their own wisdom as Higher Critics, Evolutionists, etc. The true Christian, if at all logical, will quickly discern that if the Bible is a divine revelation, its testimonies should be received absolutely. If its divine inspiration is denied, it should be accredited no more honor than any other book. Thankfully, as the eyes of our understanding open more and more widely, we discern internal evidences in the Scriptures which demonstrate their truthfulness and establish our faith more and more firmly.

The Bible is commonly judged, not on its own merits, but on the erroneous doctrines of the Dark Ages which are in reality perversions and misrepresentations of the divine message. When these unreasonable and false doctrines are exposed, the faith of God’s true people will be strengthened, standing in the power of God as revealed to us in His Word.

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1“Higher criticism” (also called “historical criticism”) treats the Bible as texts created by human beings at particular historical times and for various human motives (in contrast with the treatment of the Bible as the inerrant word of God). It originated with anti-Christian writers whose goal was to discredit and ridicule the Bible and Christianity, but eventually liberal (and some mainstream) theologians began to adopt higher criticism analysis techniques. It is distinguished from “lower criticism” (also called “textual criticism”) which endeavors to determine what the texts of the Bible originally said before they were altered through transcription and translation errors, intentional or unintentional. We have no objection to this type of analysis.

AN INTELLIGENT CREATOR

The Bible does not attempt to prove the existence of a first great cause; on the contrary, it assumes and declares that the whole universe demonstrates God’s existence and intelligence: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” (Psa. 19:1-3) The Bible declares, and mankind almost universally admits, that the one who at heart denies the existence of a God is of unsound mind – non compos mentis. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psa. 14:1)

If we knew no Bible, no revelation of the divine plan in connection with our earth and its inhabitants, we would instinctively look for one. Reason would teach us that the great system, the universe of which we are a part, could not have come by chance, and that the One so great, so powerful, must be correspondingly wise, correspondingly just, correspondingly loving. Such being His character, He must have created the human race with some good, just, wise, loving intention, which He would not be ashamed to have His creatures know. Moreover, having endowed us with mental powers and aspirations, He must know that some at least of the human family would be deeply interested in every feature of His plan, even though other minds might be able to satisfy themselves with the earthly things of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

May we not assume then that the Almighty would be pleased to note the interest of some in His great plan, and that He would have pleasure in making known to them its provisions for their blessing and comfort? The very qualities of the divine character that reason points to would seem to imply that divine justice, wisdom, love and power would provide a revelation, a Bible. Our question then should be “Does the Bible furnish satisfactory proof of its divine authority, so that we can rest our faith upon its testimonials?”

THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES

Disbelief usually attacks the Bible from the outside, claiming lack of evidence that it came from God, asserting that it is of merely human production. No other book bears stronger outward evidences of the sincerity of its writers. The complete harmony of these writings, spreading over eighteen centuries, well corroborates their testimony that they spoke and wrote under divine inspiration. What other collection of writings covering so long a period could be found in absolute accord, one with the other? We know of none, and assert that this harmony of the sacred writings corroborates their old claim that they were all composed by the Holy Spirit of God.

It is true there are other books from which wise and just sayings may be quoted, but we believe that no one thoroughly acquainted with those writings would for a moment claim for them a parity with our Bible. Those who claim that the Genesis account of creation is not sufficiently ample and scientific will not appreciate the reasonableness and simplicity of the record until they begin to compare it with the statements of other religions. Take for instance the ancient Chinese teaching upon this subject as an illustration. It depicts the great god and his son in a skiff. To prevent grounding, the son-god put out his hand to push off from the shore and shallows and incidentally caught a handful of pebbles and mud, which he shaped into a ball and tossed out upon the waters, and the ball grew and grew until it became the present earth. The most obstinate critic who will turn from this record of creation to the one given in our Bible must admit that the Genesis account is sublimely grand, clear and explicit in comparison.

It is when we examine the internal evidences of the Bible’s credibility as the word of God that we find ourselves astonished. Its testimony is so satisfactory and so far superior, not only to the creeds of the Dark Ages, but towering high above the theories of its modern critics. Even its opponents must admit that it has been a torch of civilization and liberty. Its influence for good in society has been recognized by the greatest statesmen, even though they for the most part have viewed it through the various glasses of conflicting creeds which grievously misrepresent its teachings.

The central figure of the Bible is Jesus of Nazareth. Every promise and every prophecy of the Old Testament points to Him as the one through whom comes hope for a fallen and condemned race. Every testimony of the New Testament points to Jesus alone as the one whose sacrificial death atonement has been effected, and they all point also to Him as the coming one, at whose second advent the blessing of God will be poured out in harmony with all the prophecies of the past. They give us the assurance that the work of this Gospel Age has been the selection from among believers of a “little flock” of fully consecrated followers of Jesus. Through disciplines and trials these faithful followers shall ultimately be perfected in the first resurrection, constituting with their Lord Jesus the long promised Kingdom of God. All the families of the earth shall be blessed through the just and loving rule of this Kingdom, and those who will come into heart accord with righteousness shall obtain eternal life.

A plan of salvation so deep, so broad, so just, so kind, so far beyond the scope of human ingenuity, demonstrates that those who proclaimed this Gospel with such absolute unanimity and with such absolute faith in it themselves, were indeed supremely directed.

The sincerity of the Prophets and the Apostles is demonstrated by the fact that their faith was not to their earthly advantage. On the contrary, it brought them trials, testings and in many cases persecutions even unto death. The Apostle Paul sums up the experiences of Abraham and of all the faithful who walked in his steps down to the time of Jesus, saying, “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented, (Of whom the world was not worthy).” (Heb. 11:37-38)

The writers of the New Testament give similar evidences of their sincerity. Their advocacy of Jesus as the Messiah did not bring them wealth and influence and honor of men, bringing instead self-denials, persecutions, etc. According to all reasonable rules of evidence such men must be considered truthful, honorable, upright, witnesses of the highest character. No other history in the whole world stands upon such unimpeachable foundations.

Having established the sincerity of the writers, let us examine the character of the writings claimed to be inspired, to see whether their teachings correspond with the character we have reasonably imputed to God, and whether they bear internal evidences of their truthfulness.

The first five books of the New Testament and several of the Old Testament are narratives of historical facts known to the writers and vouched for by their characters. It is obvious that it did not require a special revelation to simply tell the truth with reference to matters with which they were intimately and fully acquainted. It in no way invalidates the truthfulness of certain books of the Bible, such as Kings, Chronicles, Judges, etc., when we say that they are simply carefully kept histories of prominent events and persons of their times.

The Hebrew Scriptures contain history, as well as the law and the prophecies. Their histories, genealogies, etc., were explicitly detailed because of the expectancy that the promised Messiah would come in a particular line from Abraham. Knowing this, we see a reason for the recording of certain facts of history. For instance, a clear record of Judah’s children is given, of whom came David, the king, through whom the genealogy of Mary, Jesus’ mother, as well as that of Joseph, her husband, is traced back to Abraham. (Luke 3:23,31,33,34; Matt. 1:2-16)

Since the king of Israel, as well as the promised Messiah, was to come of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), it was necessary to thoroughly establish this genealogy. Hence the minutiae of detail not given in other instances. (Gen. 38)

THE BOOKS OF MOSES

That the Bible contains no positive statement that these books were written by Moses does not disprove the thought; for had another written them to deceive and commit a fraud, he would surely have claimed credit.

The distinguished law-giver Moses did not seek to perpetuate or increase his own power by placing the government of the people under the control of his direct relatives of the priestly tribe, to use their religious authority to fetter the rights and liberties of the people. On the contrary, he introduced to the people a form of government calculated to cultivate the spirit of liberty. The histories of other nations and rulers show no parallel to this; in all other cases, the rulers have sought their own aggrandizement and power, even in instances where they have aided in establishing republics.

Moses was a champion of freedom, putting the government of the people completely into their own hands. Although it was stipulated that the weightier cases which the governors could not decide were to be brought unto Moses, yet they themselves were the judges as to what cases went before Moses. Thus we see that Israel was a republic whose officers acted under a divine commission. And to the confusion of those who ignorantly claim that the Bible sanctions an imperial rule over the people, instead of “a government of the people, by the people,” be it noted that this republican form of civil government continued for over four hundred years. It was then changed for that of a kingdom at the urgent request of the people themselves.

The instructions given to those appointed to civil rule were a model of simplicity and purity, as from God. Moses declared to the people, in the hearing of those judges: “I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger [foreigner] that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.” (Deut. 1:16-17)

In view of these facts, what shall we say of the theory which suggests that these books were written by knavish priests to secure to themselves influence and power over the people? Would such men for such a purpose forge records destructive to the very aims they sought to advance, records which prove conclusively that the great Chief of Israel, and one of their own tribe, at the instance of God, cut off the priesthood from civil power by placing that power in the hands of the people? Does anyone consider such a conclusion reasonable?

Again, it is worthy of note that the laws of the most advanced civilization of our time do not more carefully provide that rich and poor stand on a common level in accountability before the civil law. Absolutely no distinction was made by Moses’ laws. And as for the protection of the people from the dangers incident to some becoming very poor and others excessively wealthy and powerful, no other national law has ever been enacted which so carefully guarded this point. Moses’ law provided for a restitution every fiftieth year, their jubilee year. This law, by preventing the absolute alienation of property, thereby prevented its accumulation in the hands of a few. (Lev. 25:9, 13-23, 27-30)

All the laws were made public, thus preventing designing men from successfully tampering with the rights of the people. The laws were exposed in such a manner that any who chose might copy them; and, in order that the poorest and most unlearned might not be ignorant of them, it was made the duty of the priests to read them to the people at their septennial festivals. (Deut. 31:10-13)

Is it reasonable to suppose that such laws, and arrangements were designed by bad men, or by men scheming to defraud the people of their liberties and happiness? In its regard for the rights and interests of foreigners and of enemies, the Mosaic Law was many centuries ahead of its time. Indeed, the laws of the most civilized nations of today do not equal it in fairness and benevolence. We read:

“Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger [foreigner], as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 24:22; Ex. 12:49)

“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land … thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Lev. 19:33,34)

“If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again….” (Ex. 23:4,5)

Even the lower animals were not forgotten. Cruelty to these as well as to human beings was prohibited strictly. An ox must not be muzzled while threshing the grain, for the good reason that any laborer is worthy of his food. Even the ox and the ass must not plow together, because so unequal in strength and tread; it would be cruelty. Their rest was also provided for. (Deut. 25:4; 22:10; Ex. 23:12)

The priesthood may be claimed by some to have been a selfish institution, because the tribe of Levites was supported by the annual tenth, or tithe, of the individual produce of their brethren of the other tribes. To state that the priesthood was a privileged class is an unfair presentation too common to skeptics. It was, in fact, founded upon the strictest equity. When Israel came into possession of the land of Canaan, the Levites certainly had as much right to a share of the land as the other tribes; yet, by God’s express command, they got none of it, except certain cities or villages for residence, scattered among the various tribes, whom they were to serve in religious things. Instead of the land, some equivalent should surely be provided them, and the tithe was therefore this reasonable and just provision.

Furthermore, though the tithe was a just debt, it was not enforced as a tax, but was to be paid as a voluntary contribution. No threat bound the people to make those contributions; all depended upon their conscientiousness. The only exhortations to the people on the subject are as follows: “Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.” (Deut. 12:19) “And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee” (in the land). (Deut. 14:27)

Moses, the pious and noble law-giver, denied that the laws were his own, and attributed them to God. (Ex. 24:12; Deut. 9:9-11; Ex. 26:30; Lev. 1:1) In view of his general character, and his commands to the people not to bear false witness and to avoid hypocrisy and lying, is it reasonable to suppose that such a man bore false witness and palmed off his own views and laws for those of God? Although Moses’ successors included bad men who did seek their own and not the people’s good, it is evident that they did not tamper with the sacred writings, which are pure to this day.

THE PROPHETS OF THE BIBLE

Glance now at the general character of the Prophets of the Bible and their testimonies. A rather remarkable fact is that the Prophets, with few exceptions, were not of the priestly class. In their day their prophecies were generally repugnant to the degenerating and time-serving priesthood, as well as to the idolatrously inclined people. The focus of their message from God to the people was generally reproof for sin and warnings of coming punishments, intertwined with promises of future blessings that would come once the people were cleansed from sin and returned to favor with God.

In some instances, their true character as God’s Prophets was not recognized until years after their death. We should remember that there was no priestly intervention in the giving of the law to Israel; it was given by God to the people by the hand of Moses. (Ex. 19:17-25; Deut. 5:1-5) Furthermore, it was made the duty of every man seeing a violation of the law to reprove the sinner. (Lev. 19:17) Thus all had the authority to teach and reprove; but as in our own day, the majority were absorbed in the cares of business, and became indifferent and irreligious. Accordingly, compar­atively few fulfilled this requirement of reproving sin and exhorting to godliness; and these preachers are termed “Prophets” in both the Old and New Testaments.

The term prophet generally signifies public expounder, and the public teachers of idolatry were also called prophets. Out of the large class called prophets, God at various times made choice of some whom He specially commissioned to deliver messages, relating sometimes to things then at hand, at other times to future events. It is to the writings of this class, who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God, that we are now giving attention. They are properly designated as divinely commissioned Prophets or seers.

When it is remembered that these Prophets were mainly laymen, drawing no support from the tithes of the priestly tribe, and when, added to this, is the fact that they frequently not only reproved kings and judges, but also priests (though they did not reprove the office but only the personal sins of the men who filled it), it becomes evident that we could not reasonably decide that these Prophets were parties to any league, of priests or others, to fabricate falsehood in the name of God.

Let us next inquire whether there exists any link, or bond of union, between the records of Moses, those of the other Prophets, and those of the New Testament writings. If we find one common line of thought interwoven throughout these writings, which span a period of eighteen hundred years, this in connection with the character of the writers will be a good reason for admitting their claim that they were divinely inspired. This is especially true if the theme common to all of them is a grand and noble one, conforming well with what sanctified common sense teaches regarding the character and attributes of God.

THE BIBLE ONE AND HARMONIOUS

This we do find: One plan, spirit, aim and purpose pervades the entire book. Its opening pages record the creation and fall of man; its closing pages tell of man’s recovery from the fall and its intervening pages show the successive steps of the plan of God for the accomplishment of this purpose. The harmony, yet contrast, of the first three and the last three chapters of the Bible is striking. The one describes the first creation, the other the renewed or restored creation, with sin and its penal curse removed; the one shows Satan and evil entering the world to deceive and destroy, the other shows Satan’s work undone, the destroyed ones restored, evil extinguished and Satan destroyed; the one shows the dominion lost by Adam, the other shows it restored and forever established by Christ, and God’s will done on earth as in heaven; the one shows sin to be the cause of degradation, shame and death, the other shows the reward of righteousness to be glory, honor and life.

Though written by many pens, at various times and under different circumstances, the Bible is not merely a collection of moral precepts, wise maxims and words of comfort. It is much more; it is a reasonable, philosophical and harmonious statement of the causes of present evil in the world, its only remedy and the final results as seen by divine wisdom, which saw the end of the plan from before its beginning. It also marks the pathway of God’s people, upholding and strengthening them with exceeding great and precious promises, to be realized in due time. (2 Pet. 1:4)

Genesis teaches that man was tried in a state of original perfection in one representative, that he failed, and that the present imperfection, sickness and death are the results. But it also teaches that God has not forsaken him, and will ultimately recover him through the Redeemer, born of a woman. (Gen. 3:15) This teaching is kept up and elaborated all the way through the Bible. The necessity of the death of a Redeemer as a sacrifice for sins, and of His righteousness as a covering for our sin, is pointed out in the clothing of skins for Adam and Eve, in the acceptance of Abel’s offerings, in Isaac on the altar, in the death of the various sacrifices by which the patriarchs had access to God, and of those instituted under the law and perpetuated throughout the Jewish Age.

JESUS IN PROPHECY

The Prophets, though credited with under­standing but slightly the significance of some of their utterances (1 Pet. 1:12), mention the laying of the sins upon a person instead of a dumb animal. In prophetic vision they saw He who was to redeem and to deliver the human race led “as a lamb to the slaughter,” that “the chastisement of our peace was upon him,” and that “with his stripes we are healed.” They pictured Him as “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” and declared that “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:3-7) They told where this deliverer would be born (Mic. 5:2), and when He would die, assuring us that it would be “not for himself.” (Dan. 9:26)

They mention various details concerning Him: He would be righteous and free from deceit, violence, or any just cause of death (Isa. 53:9-11); He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12); He would be numbered among transgressors in His death (Isa. 53:12); not a bone of His body would be broken (Psa. 34:20; John 19:36); and though He would die and be buried, His flesh would not corrupt, neither would He remain in the grave. (Psa. 16:10; Acts 2:31)

The New Testament writers clearly and forcibly recorded in simple terms the fulfillment of all these predictions in Jesus of Nazareth. By logical reasoning they showed that such a ransom price as He gave was needful before the sins of the world could be blotted out, just as predicted in the Law and the Prophets. (Isa. 1:18) These New Testament writers traced the entire plan in a most logical and forcible manner, appealing not to the prejudices or passions of their hearers, but to their enlightened reason alone, furnishing some of the most remarkable and compelling reasoning to be found anywhere on any subject (see Rom. 5:12-19, and onward to the 12th chapter).

In the law, Moses pointed not only to a sacrifice, but also to the blotting out of sins and a blessing of the people under this great deliverer, whose power and authority he declares shall vastly exceed his own, though it should be “like unto” it. (Deut. 18:15-19) The promised deliverer is to bless not only Israel, but through Israel “all the families of the earth.” (Gen. 12:3; 22:18; 26:4) And despite the prejudices of the Jewish people to the contrary, the Prophets continued the same strain, declaring that the Messiah shall be also “for a light to the Gentiles” (Isa. 49:6; Luke 2:32); that the Gentiles should come to Him “from the ends of the earth” (Jer. 16:19); that His name “shall be great among the Gentiles” (Mal. 1:11); and that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” (Isa. 40:5; 42:1-7)

THE INSPIRATION OF THE APOSTLES

The New Testament writers claimed a divine anointing which enabled them to realize the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the sacrifice of Christ. Though prejudiced as Jews to think of every blessing as limited to their own people (Acts 11:1-18), they were enabled to see that, while their nation would be blessed, all the families of the earth would be blessed also, with and through them. They saw also that before the blessing of either Israel or the world, a “little flock” would be selected from both Jews and Gentiles. These being tried, would be found worthy to be made joint-heirs of the glory and honor of the Great Deliverer, and sharers with Him of the honor of blessing Israel and all the nations. (Rom. 8:17) They point out the harmony of this with what is written in the Law and the Prophets. The grandeur and breadth of the plan they present more than meets the most exalted conception of what it claims to be, “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

The theme of all the Prophets was Messiah as the ruler, not only of Israel, but also of the entire world, as suggested in the books of Moses. The thought of the Kingdom was uppermost also in the teaching of the Apostles; and Jesus taught that we should pray, “Thy kingdom come,” and promised those a share in it who would first suffer for the truth, and thus prove themselves worthy.

This hope of the coming glorious Kingdom gave all the faithful ones courage to endure persecution and to suffer reproach, deprivation and loss, even unto death. The worthy “Lamb that was slain” (Rev. 5:12), the worthy overcomers whom He will make kings and priests in His Kingdom, and the trials and obstacles which they must overcome to be worthy to share that Kingdom, are all faithfully portrayed in the grand allegorical prophecy which closes the New Testament.

The blessings to come to the world under that Millennial reign are then introduced: Satan shall be bound, Adamic death and sorrow wiped out, and all the nations of earth shall walk in the light of the heavenly Kingdom, the new Jerusalem.

THE BIBLE UNIQUE AMONG BOOKS

The Bible, from first to last, holds out a doctrine found nowhere else: that a future life for the dead will come through a resurrection of the dead. All the inspired writers expressed their confidence in a redeemer; one declares that when God calls them from the tomb and they come forth, the wicked shall no longer rule over the earth for “the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.” (Psa. 49:14)

The resurrection of the dead is taught by the Prophets; and the writers of the New Testament base all their hopes of a future life and blessing upon it. Paul expresses it thus: “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain… 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… For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:13-22)

Like the works of a clock whose many wheels might at first seem superfluous, but whose slowest moving wheels are essential, so the Bible, composed of many parts, and prepared by many pens, is one complete and harmonious whole. Not a single part is superfluous, and though some parts take a more active and prominent place than others, all are useful and necessary.

It is becoming popular among the so-called “advanced thinkers” and “great theologians” of the present day to treat lightly, or to ignore if not outright deny, many of the “miracles” of the Old Testament, calling them “old wives’ fables.” Among these are the accounts of Jonah and the great fish, Noah and the ark, Eve and the serpent, the standing still of the sun at the command of Joshua, and Balaam’s speaking ass.

These wise men seemingly overlook the fact that the Bible is so interwoven and united in its various parts that to remove or discredit these miracles would destroy or discredit the whole. For if the original accounts are false, those who repeated them were either falsifiers or dupes, and in either case it would be impossible for us to accept their testimony as divinely inspired. To eliminate from the Bible the miracles mentioned would invalidate the testimony of its principal writers, as well as that of our Lord Jesus.

Miracles are with us daily. Those miracles not common to our experience find parallels about us every day which, being more common, are passed by unnoticed. We plant two seeds side by side; the conditions, air, water and soil, are alike; they grow, we cannot tell how nor can the wisest philosopher explain this miracle. These seeds develop organisms of opposite tendencies; one creeps, the other stands erect; form, flower, coloring, everything differs, though the conditions were the same. Such miracles manifest a power as much beyond our own limited power and intelligence as do the few miracles recorded in the Bible for special purposes, and as intended illustrations of omnipotence, and of the ability of the Great Creator to overcome every obstacle and to accomplish all His will, even to our promised resurrection from the dead, the extermination of evil, and the ultimate reign of everlasting righteousness.

Here we rest the case. The depth, the power, the wisdom and scope of the Bible’s testimony convince us that not man, but the Almighty God, is the author of its plans and revelations.

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(The above is based on an oral address by Pastor Russell, published in the Pittsburgh Gazette, October 16, 1905. Reproduced in Harvest Gleanings, Volume 3.)

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STRENGTH IN THE LORD PROPORTIONATE TO KNOWLEDGE

No one can grow strong in the Lord unless he grows also in knowledge. We properly esteem most highly those whose love for the Lord and for His Truth are evidenced by their zeal in the study of His Word, and whose favor with God is manifested by their being guided more into the deep things of God.

Nevertheless, the weaker ones of the household of faith are to be cared for and loved and helped that they may grow strong in the Lord. And just here the Apostle offers another word of counsel, saying, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Rom. 15:1) This does not imply that we should not expostulate with such a one and endeavor to help him get rid of his infirmity. This we should do, in the spirit of meekness and kindness, while we endure with gentleness the trial of our patience, not seeking to please ourselves, but rather to help a weaker brother or sister. “Let every one of us,” as the Apostle enjoins, “please his neighbour [brother] for his good to edification” (Rom. 15:2), i.e., not by simply ignoring his fault as though we considered it all right, but, while kindly urging him to strive against it, still humbly and patiently submitting to the discomfort it brings to us.

If this spirit prevails among the members of the Lord’s Body, the members will all have a mutual love and a mutual care one for another, a care which seeks to encourage and strengthen all that is good and to discourage all that is unbecoming, and a love which throws its mantle over a deformity and endeavors to conceal a fault, rather than to expose the weaker brother to the reproach of others.

For such self-sacrificing love how necessary is the spirit of humility and gentleness and patience and faith! How forceful are the Master’s words, “Except ye be converted [from the spirit of the world to the Spirit of Christ], and become as little children [in meekness and teachableness], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:1-6)

We should not only have this love, but we should have it with fervency, warmth, ardor; not with a semi-indifference, but with a real interest in each other’s welfare, the rich as well as the poor; the educated as well as the ignorant. Our love should go out to these as we see any lack in them that we could supply rendering assistance of any kind; using always, of course, discretion, for love learns to be wise, and to take into consideration our motives while we endeavor to do them good.

The Apostle suggests that we see to it that this is our own experience; not merely that it is a principle which we recognize, but that we should give heed to ourselves that this should be accomplished in us, in our own lives. It would not be natural to have that benevolence of mind which would practice forgiveness of those who trespass against us. But when we think of the fact that the whole race is fallen and degraded through heredity, it should make us sympathetic; if some are more depraved, we should have the more sympathy for them. As we think sympathetically along those lines, our sympathetic love will increase; as we practice sympathetic love the New Creature develops.

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(Written by Pastor Russell. Originally published under the series title People’s Pulpit. Reproduced in Harvest Gleanings, Volume 3. It was of course addressed to the Little Flock, but the thoughts are appropriate for all of the Household.)

NO. 694: THE MAIN OBJECTS OF OUR LORD'S RETURN

No. 694

 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matt. 16:27)

The following, written by Brother Paul S.L. Johnson, is an excerpt from Chapter I of Epiphany Volume 17, The Millennium. Minor editing has been done to adapt it to the paper format.

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Any treatise on the subject of the Millennium would be incomplete without a consideration of our Lord’s Second Advent, since this happy event is so closely associated with the Millennium. Because the purposes of the Millennium and our Lord’s Second Advent are so similar, we can truthfully say that when we are discussing the purposes of the one, we are at the same time discussing the purposes of the other.

All Christians will agree that the Bible teaches Messiah’s Second Advent. 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] as foretold, became a snare to them. (Ps. 69:22, 23; Rom. 11:9, 10). Believing that our readers would be pleased to have a list of choice Scriptural references to Our Lord’s second stay on earth, we submit the following, [at the end of this paper] which is by no means an extended one. We suggest that all these references be looked up and studied carefully. Many others could have been added; but these will be sufficient for the present. They certainly show that the Scriptures teach Christ’s Return and Kingdom.

As will be shown later 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 The Divine Plan of the Ages, Chap. 6). But other objects of His return are important also in relation to the Millennium; hence they will be treated in logical order. 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 (2 Cor. 11:2). 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 returning, first of all He gathers her together through and to the Truth, the “meat in due season” (Matt. 24:28, 31, 45; Luke 12:36, 37, 42). This feast of Truth is her farewell banquet before her marriage, and greatly has she enjoyed the feast that He Himself provides for her. 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 (2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:42-54). Thus He comes again to receive her unto Himself, and to give her the place that He has prepared for her, that where He is there she may also be (John 14:2, 3). The sleeping part of the Church precedes in the resurrection that part which is living (1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thes. 4:15, 16). Afterwards as one after another of the living saints finishes his course, at the moment of death through sharing in the First Resurrection he joins the Lord in the air, and thus will ever be with Him (1 Thes. 4:17). Arrayed as His glorified Bride and as the City of God [religious government of God] the Church will shine resplendent and all-glorious (Rev. 21:9-22:5; Ps. 45:13).

(2) HE CLEANSES AND DELIVERS THE GREAT COMPANY: A second purpose of our Lord’s Return is to cleanse and deliver the Great Company, the Bride’s “companions.” Through measurable selfishness, worldliness, sin and error, this class has failed to qualify for Brideship with Christ. The spots that have accumulated on their garments (Ps. 107:10, 11; Jude 23) must be cleansed. Therefore, during the Epiphany period of His Second Advent (Mal. 3:2, 3; Matt. 25:10, 12; 1 Cor. 3:13), He puts them through some very severe experiences in “the Great Tribulation” (Matt. 7:26, 27; 1 Cor. 3:13, 15; Ps. 107:12; Cant. 5:6, 7; Rev. 7:13, 14), 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 (Rev. 7:14; Mal. 3:3; Ps. 107:13-16; 1 Cor. 3:15). After their cleansing will come their deliverance, amid which they will greatly rejoice in the Lord’s salvation (Ps. 45:14, 15; 1 Cor. 3:15; Rev. 19:7-9), as they are ushered into the King’s Palace to be bridesmaids of the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife.

(3) HE DEVELOPS THE YOUTHFUL WORTHIES: Jesus returns also to develop 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 the opportunity to enter the High Calling for the Divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ 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, the Ancient Worthies, 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. Hence the similar and contrasted names of these classes.

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 Ps. 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. This class is symbolized by the box tree (Is. 60:13). They are typed by Abednego (Heb.-servant of the messenger) in Dan. 3:12. 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; 1:49-54; 3:23, 29, 35, 40-51; Heb. 12:23); while 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. 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). These, having the faith quality, accept the message that preaches repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus and therefore are justified by faith. Heeding 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, spreading and practicing the Word and suffering because of faithfulness to that Word. Thus they, too, must become faithful to the Lord, even unto death, if He deems it necessary. With the Ancient Worthies they will then share in a “better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35) than that of the world, but it will be inferior to that of the Church and the Great Company. Thus they will in the beginning of the Millennium be raised perfect human beings, and with the Ancient Worthies will be made princes throughout the earth. During the Millennium they will be inspired by God to see visions of His Plan unfolding at that time (Joel 2:28), and will cooperate with the Ancient Worthies in uplifting the race from the fall. At the end of the Millennium, with the Ancient Worthies they will for their faithfulness be made spirit beings with heaven as their eternal home.

(4) HE OVERTHROWS SATAN’S EM-PIRE: A fourth object of our Lord’s Return is the overthrow of 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 to himself: (1) false religions, (2) oppressive governments and (3) predatory aristocracies. Evil indeed has been his reign, as all history attests. Terribly has he mistreated the human family, his blinded and deceived subjects; for by error he has deceived and distressed them; by sin he has depraved them, physically, mentally, morally and religiously; by the evil conditions in the earth under the curse he has impoverished them; by his fallen angels, his evil companions, he has misled them; by the death process he has bruised them; by the death state he has ruined them; by oppressive governments he has tyrannized over them; by false religions he has debased them; by predatory aristocracies he has exploited them; by wars he has devastated their homes and lands and murdered vast numbers of them; by famines, pestilences, tidal waves, tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, heat, cold, floods and droughts he has plagued them; by the persecution of the righteous and the exaltation of the wicked he has enslaved them. Surely the Scriptures rightly call him, as Pharaoh’s antitype, the oppressor (Ps. 72:4; Is. 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 Wor1d-anarchy); and that it will be accomplished by the Lord in His Second Advent (Is. 35:3, 4; Rev. 11:15, 18; 14:4-20; 19:11-21 ;16:18, 19; 18:8-10, 18-21; 17:4, 5, 16, 18; 2 Thes. 2:8, 9; Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45; 7:9-14, 17, 26; 12:1; Zeph. 3:8, 9; Joel 2:1-11; 3:9-14); and that 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: A fifth object of our Lord’s Return is the establishment of God’s Kingdom throughout 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. We have referred to some of the Scriptures that promise such a Kingdom. During the time before the Gospel Age Jehovah prepared, in the persons of the Ancient Worthy class, the Kingdom’s chief princes, as earthly representatives of our Lord Jesus and His Church (Ps. 45:16; Is. 1:26; 32:1; Matt. 11:11; Heb. 11:39, 40); and during the Gospel Age He has, in the persons of Jesus and His Church, been preparing the Kings of His Kingdom (Heb. 1:3, 8, 9; 12:2; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 11:15; 19:16; 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; 22:16-18; Heb. 11:13-16; Matt. 6:10; 2 Tim. 4:8; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 22:20). The Scriptures teach very clearly that Christ returns in order to establish this glorious Kingdom in which He will reign, with the Church as His joint-heir (Dan. 7:13, 14, 18, 22, 26, 27; 2:44; 12:1-3; Obad. 21; Is. 35:4-10; Matt. 25:31; Luke 19:15, 17, 19; Acts 15:14-18; Rom. 8:17; Col. 3:4; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4-6). 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. Instead of the earth being then under the curse, it will be turned into an Edenic condition. Instead of sin and error prevailing, righteousness and truth will prevail. Instead of false religions, oppressive governments and predatory aristocracies holding sway, the true religion of God, teaching perfect truth and righteousness, the fostering Government of Christ Jesus and the Church, blessing everybody, and the faithful servants of Jehovah as a benevolent aristocracy effecting the prosperity of all, will hold sway. Instead of losses, disappointments, sorrows, tears, crying, sickness, weakness, dying, and death, there will be prosperity, hope, joy, pleasures, laughter, convalescence, strength, health and life, abundantly available for all. Instead of Satan and his fallen angels controlling almost everyone, Jesus and the Church will control all. Instead of wars between nations and hatred of man to man, there will be “peace on earth and good will to men.” Instead of the righteous being persecuted, they will be exalted. Instead of the wicked being exalted and rewarded for wrong-doing, they will be abased and striped for their reformation. These conditions will certainly be conducive to truth and righteousness, and inconducive to error and sin. And Christ returns, among other reasons, to establish such a Kingdom. This fifth object of His Return to earth, is most highly desirable.

(6) HE MINISTERS RESTITUTION OPPORTUNITIES: A sixth object of our Lord’s Return is to bless the whole human family, living and dead, with opportunities of obtaining Restitution. 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. By the image of God we understand the perfection of being, the condition of being very good, to be meant (Gen. 1:26, 27, 31; Heb. 2:6-8; Co1. 3:10; Eph. 4:23, 24); and by the likeness of God we understand man’s rulership over the earth, even as God is Ruler over the Universe, to be meant (Gen. 1:26, 28, 29; Matt. 25:34). 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 (Heb. 2:8), the image and likeness of God (the original perfection of being and rulership) have been lost; and 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 (Gen. 3:17-19) over man, greatly oppressing him, until it extinguishes his life. All this the Scriptures assure us 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 well-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 (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), 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.

Thus the death of the sinless Jesus provides merit sufficient for the deliverance of all from the demerit of Adam’s sin, and guarantees an opportunity to obtain full deliverance from its effects, a Restitution to the original Adamic perfection. And it is to effect the restoration of the glorious image of God, to offer the race perfect bodies, minds and hearts, and to effect the restoration of the marvelous likeness of God (i.e., to the race a perfect rulership over an Edenic earth) that Christ returns to this earth. All who will obey the reasonable requirements of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will obtain all these blessings. And 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, those who can walk by faith, trusting where they cannot trace God, have been invited) will be awakened and brought back to this earth; for why should that part of the unbelieving class which happens to live at the time of Christ’s Return be favored with opportunities of Restitution, and that part of the unbelieving class which happened to die before that time be excluded from those blessings, since God’s ways are equal and impartial (Ezek. 18:29-32), and since death does not of itself fix character?

We will now quote and explain some Scriptures which teach the lines of thought just suggested:

Acts 3:19-21 testifies: “Times of refreshing [this word is used to denote the re-enkindling of life and the promotion of growth effected by rain falling upon mown and burnt grass, to which the fallen human family is compared (Is. 40:5-8), and which is expressly stated to be the effect of Christ’s Reign upon our race, mown down by the curse, and burnt by the fierce rays of sin (Ps. 72:6, 16)] shall come from [on account of] the presence of the Lord [The Greek for presence is face, i.e. favor (Num. 6:24-26); for during the reign of sin God’s back, not His face, is represented as turned toward man (Jer. 18:17); but during the Millennium, as this passage indicates, He will turn His face toward man, beaming with grace, mercy and truth for man’s restoration. Please note that this is represented in the next verse as being associated with Christ’s Return]; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which [who] before [during the Gospel Age] was preached unto you, whom [Christ] the heaven must receive [retain; – how long?] UNTIL THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS [every feature of the image and likeness of God is to be restored to the willing and obedient in the Millennium] which [things] God hath spoken [promised] by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” This passage expressly teaches us that Christ does not return until the Times of Restitution, the Times of Refreshing; therefore He returns to restore to, and to refresh the race with, its original condition. St. Peter tells us that this is the testimony of all the holy prophets, as also quotations above given prove.

Acts 15:14-17 is another passage to the point: “Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first [beginning at the home of Cornelius (Acts 10)] did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people [the Church, Christ’s Body] for His name [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 harmonizes the seeming contradiction by pointing out that there are two Advents; that the time parenthesis between them is filled in by the selection of the Bride for Christ from among Jews and Gentiles; that after this will come Messiah’s glorious Reign; and that this view of matters harmonizes the facts with the Scriptures]. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written [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: First the Bride is selected, then come the Second Advent and the reign of blessing], After this [after visiting the Gentiles to select the Bride] I will return [the Second Advent begins], and will build [erect in royalty] again the Tabernacle of David [the house, family of David, in great David’s greater son, Jesus], which is fallen down [when Zedekiah, 607 B. C., was dethroned, David’s royal house fell down, i.e., it ceased reigning]; and I will build again the ruins thereof [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 would be given in all the world for the selection of the Bride of Christ (Acts 1:6-8)], and I will set it [the Kingdom] up, [why does He return and establish the Kingdom?] that the residue of men [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] might seek after the Lord, and [Greek, even] all the Gentiles [Greek, nations] upon whom My name is called.” There is a difference between “the people for His name” and “all the nations upon whom My name is called.” It is the very same difference that exists in the way in which a wife is called by her husband’s name and in the way in which a piece of property has in the deed its owner’s name put upon it. 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 unhelped while her selection was being made. Hence it implies blessings for the living and the dead.

2 Thes. 1:10 shows that Jesus not only returns to be glorified in His saints, but to be admired, worshiped, by those who will believe in that day, the Millennial Day of a thousand years. Rom. 8:17-21 shows that the whole human creation under the effects of the curse is kept waiting for deliverance until Christ and the Church as God’s Sons are manifested in glory for this work. (See also Col. 3:4.) A similar thought, based upon the picture of the Israelites waiting for the high priest to come out of the Tabernacle at the conclusion of the sacrifices (Lev. 9:22) to bless them, is given in Heb. 9:28, where Christ is represented as coming again for the blessing of those who await Him, which according to Rom. 8:19, 21 includes the entire human family. Ps. 22:27-29 is a glorious testimony to this thought. V. 27 shows that there will be a general indoctrination and conversion of the human family combined with universal worship of God. V. 28 shows that these three 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). V. 29 (see A. R. V.) shows that the good, “the fat”, will appropriate to themselves the Kingdom’s blessings, and render God service therefor; while the dead, “they that go down to the dust”, i.e., those of the dead who could not continue to live because the Adamic sentence forced their death, will be subject to the Lord. This passage emphasizes the fact that those from whom in this life the Lord did not remove the Adamic sentence, and who therefore could not prevent their own death (“even he that cannot keep his soul alive”), would in the Kingdom serve the Lord as a result of the Kingdom’s blessings.

Likewise, Ps. 86:9 is to the point: “All nations that Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, and glorify Thy name” [See Rev. 15:4]. 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 Is. 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 Ps. 72:1-19. Is. 25:6-9 is another beautiful summary of the Kingdom work following our Lord’s Return. The glorious feasts of uncontaminated and nutritious Truth are described in v. 6; while, as a part of the Kingdom’s work, the destruction of sin and error is described in v. 7 (see 1 Cor. 15:56, 55, where the question, “O death, where is thy sting [sin]?” implies the answer, “Nowhere,” for it will then be out of existence). V. 8 shows that both the dying process and the death state will be utterly blotted out of existence, with all tears and the persecution of the righteous, through the glorious Kingdom of God which Christ returns to establish. See St. Paul’s comment on v. 8 in 1 Cor. 15:21-26. Please compare with Rom. 8:19, 21.

Rom 14:9 expressly tells us that Christ died (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. Phil. 2:6-8 describes His sacrificial death; and v. 9-11 show 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.

See also God’s oath on this very point, in Is. 45:22, 23, and remember that the oath to this thing is based upon, and is explanatory of, the Oath-bound Covenant (Gen. 22:16, 18), by which God bound Himself to Christ and the Church, the Seed (Gal. 3:8, 16, 28, 29), to use them to bless all the families, nations and kindreds of the earth, resulting in the whole earth becoming full of His Glory (Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19; Is. 11:9; Hab. 2:14; Matt. 6:10). And since the vast majority died unblessed, this passage implies their awakening for this blessing.

(7) HE TESTS AND REWARDS ALL RESTITUTIONISTS: A seventh object of our Lord’s Return is to test the human family as to its fitness or unfitness for everlasting life, and to render the final decision in each case – everlasting life on earth for the faithful Restitutionists and everlasting destruction for the wicked; for “the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then [during the Millennium] he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). 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 – Is. 35; 51:3; 66:22; Ezek. 36:35) as their eternal abode and kingdom. This is shown, e.g., in Matt. 25:31-46. That the righteous Restitutionists will be given eternal life is shown in v. 46; and that their inheritance will be, not in heaven, but on earth, is shown in v. 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”; for God made mankind to “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; Ps. 8:5-8).

This earthly dominion, or kingdom, which the Lord will in the end of the Millennium give to His Restitution sheep, He will tell them was “prepared for you [not for His Church, which were chosen out of the world (John 15:19; 17:16), but for the tested and approved world of mankind] from the foundation of the world” (Is. 45:18). This kingdom and honor prepared for man is quite different from the Kingdom of Heaven, the “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you [the Church]” (1 Pet. 1:4), which the Church, tested and found faithful during the Gospel Age (Rev. 17:14; 1 Pet. 4:17), inherits and shares with her Lord (John 14:2, 3; Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 5:1, 2; 1 Thes. 4:17). The Church’s kingdom and honor were ordained before the world unto her glory (1 Cor. 2:7), for she was chosen or designed in Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

Just as the Church has throughout the Gospel Age 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 Thes. 1:5); so God “hath appointed a day [the Millennial Day], in the which he will judge the world in righteousness [during the thousand-year Judgment Day, when Satan is 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] by that man [the Christ, Head and Body – l Cor. 6:2; Matt. 19:28] whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). 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 (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1), until they are first instructed in the way in which they should go (Ps. 32:8; 25:8,9; Is. 42:1-4; 1 Tim. 2:3-6), thoroughly tested (Ps. 139:23, 24; Jer. 11:20; 2 Thes. 1:4, 5; Jas. 1:12), and disciplined, or chastised (Heb. 12:8, 11; 1 Cor. 11:31, 32; 1s. 26:9), for their correction and development into characters fitted for eternal life.

In the Millennial Judgment Day those Restitutionists who under the light of Truth then given are rightly exercised under chastisements intended for their correction and perfecting (some receiving many stripes, and some few – Luke 12:47, 48), and faithfully stand under the testings that will be given them (Deut. 13:3), 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 (Ps. 37:9, 11, 29, 34); but 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; for they will die again, and thus be blotted out of existence forever (Acts 3:22, 23; Ps. 37:9, 10, 20, 28, 34-36; Rev. 20:14, 15; 21:8). The “goats” of the parable, 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, will be cast into everlasting fire (everlasting destruction – Ps. 145:20; Ob. 16) prepared for the devil and his angels (Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:9); thus they “shall go away into everlasting punishment [Greek, kolasin, which means literally, a cutting off; “punished with everlasting destruction” – 2 Thes. 1:9]: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:41, 46); for “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life” (Rom. 6:23). Thus Jesus will accomplish this seventh object of His Return to earth, viz., testing each individual of the human family as to his fitness or unfitness for eternal life, and rendering the final decision in each case – everlasting life on earth for the righteous and everlasting destruction for the wicked.

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Scriptural references to Our Lord’s second stay on earth: Gen. 3:15; 22:18; 49:10; Num. 24:17-19; Deut.18:15, 18, 19; 1 Sam. 2:10; Job 19:25; Ps.  22:27-29; 72; 98; 110; Is. 2:1-4; 11:1-11; 25:6-9; 35; 42:1-4; 49:1-12; 52; 59:16-20; 60; 61:4-11; 62; 63; 65; 66; Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:15-18; Ezek. 36; 37; 38;  39; Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45; 7:13, 14, 18, 22, 26, 27;  12:1-3; Hos. 2:14-23; 14; Joel 2:21-28; 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; 8:20-23; 13; 14; Mal. 3:1-5; 4; Matt. 16:27; 23:39; 24; 25; 26:64; Mark 13:27, 32, 35, 36; Luke 9:26; 12:37-46; 17:20-37; 18:8; 19:12-27; 21:25-36; John 14:3; 16:16-22; Acts 1:6, 7, 11; 3:19-21; 15:14-18; Rom. 8:17-23; 1 Cor. 1:7, 8; 4:5; 11:26; 15:21-28; Phil. 3:20, 21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thes. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:1-5, 23; 2 Thes. 1:7-10; 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; 4:13; 5:4; 2 Pet. 1:16-19; 3:3-14; 1 John 2:28; 3:2, 3; Jude 14, 15, 24;  Rev. 1:7; 3:11; 5:9, 10; 16:15; 19:11-21; 20; 21;  22:1-7, 17, 20.