NO. 798: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM - PART ONE

No. 798

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” (Micah 4:1)

In our studies of the divine plan, we have seen the trouble of the great “Day of Vengeance” and how divine indignation will burn against sin and selfishness. We now turn to a more pleasant subject – the establishment of the Kingdom of God, which will result in a new and permanent order of things that will bless all the families of the earth. Those who look from “the secret place of the most High” see a silver lining to the clouds of trouble already causing fear and trepidation in the world. They can lift their heads and rejoice that their deliverance is near and that relief is near for all who were bought with the precious blood of Christ. “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” (Mal. 4:2)

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

When we look at the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, we should keep in mind what we have already learned from the Scriptures about its royalty and those who will constitute it:

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

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

(3) It will be the Kingdom of the Saints, in that they as “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5:10) will reign, judge, and bless the world in conjunction with their Lord Jesus. (Rom. 8:17-18) But these, be it remembered, will all be “changed” in their resurrection (the first resurrection – Rev. 20:4, 6; 1 Cor. 15:42-46, 50-54; John 3:5, 8) and thereafter will no longer be human beings, but “partakers of the divine nature,” and as invisible to mankind as are God and the heavenly angels.

There will consequently be necessity for some means of communication between this glorious Church and those whom it will be judging and lifting up out of the degradation of sin and death. We find that God has made provision that a certain class of humanity, already tried (during the period before the Gospel Age) and found worthy of perfection and everlasting life, shall throughout the Millennial Age serve as the intermediaries between the spiritual Kingdom, the Saints, and their subjects, mankind.

(4) These intermediaries, while not the Kingdom in the proper sense of the word, will be so fully the representatives of it amongst men that they will be recognized as the Kingdom by men: they will represent the Kingdom before men and be the only visible representatives of it. Hence, we have termed these “the earthly phase of the Kingdom,” visible among men. (Luke 13:28) These, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the Prophets are the Ancient Worthies referred to by our Lord and by the Apostles. (Matt. 8:11; Heb. 11:4-40) Having passed their trial, they will be awakened from death perfect – fully restored to human perfection; they will not require a “resurrection by judgment” a thousand years long, as will the residue of mankind. This perfection will enable them to communicate with the spiritual Kings and Priests directly, for the purpose of communicating the laws, etc., for the world. But the earthly rulers will not be the “Kings and Priests,” but under the King’s appointment they shall be “princes in all the earth” – prominent or chief rulers and instructors. (Psa. 45:16)

SETTING UP THE KINGDOM

The earthly phase of the Kingdom and the Kingdom proper, the spiritual rulers, will be related to each other as father and children, and as cooperative departments of the same heavenly government: the heavenly being the legislative or law-giving department, and the earthly the executive or law-enforcing department. As it is written: “For out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom] shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord [the divine messages through the “princes”] from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3)

During the Gospel Age, the elect overcomers have awaited the Father’s time for their setting up or exaltation to power, as His Kings and Priests, to rule and to teach the redeemed people of the earth, and thus bring to them the opportunity of everlasting life through faith and obedience. Yet during all this time this Kingdom class has suffered violence at the hands of the Ishmael and Esau class (fleshly Israel), and at the hands of Satan, the prince of this world, and his blinded servants. As our Lord expressed it: “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 11:12) Our Lord, the head of the Kingdom, suffered to the extent of death; and all of His followers have suffered something of earthly loss as a consequence of being translated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. (Col. 1:13)

This submission to the violence of dominant evil has not been because of lack of power on the part of our risen, ascended and glorified Lord. After His resurrection He declared: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) The exercise of that power has been delayed for a purpose. In the Father’s plan there was a “due time” for the great sacrifice for sins to be given, and another due time for the Kingdom to be set up in power and great glory to rule and bless the world. These times were far enough apart to permit the calling and preparing of the elect Church to be joint-heirs of the Kingdom with Christ. The evil influences and opposition of sinners have been permitted for the purifying, testing and polishing of those “called” to be members of the Kingdom class. As with the head, so with the body, it was God’s design that each member as a new creature be made perfect through suffering. (Heb. 5:8-9)

But now we are in the end of this Gospel Age, and the Kingdom is being established or set up and our Lord, the appointed King, is now present (since 1874 – See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Chapter II for a detailed study of Bible Chronology) and the first work of the Kingdom, as shown by our Lord in His parables and prophecy, was to be the gathering of His elect. “The dead in Christ shall rise first,” explained the Lord through the Apostle. (1 Thess. 4:16)

All this is in harmony with the Scriptural declaration that the Kingdom of God must first be set up before its influence and work will result in the complete destruction of “the powers that be” of “this present evil world” – political, financial, ecclesiastical – about the close of the “Times of the Gentiles,” October A.D. 1914.[1] Let us note some scriptures to this effect.

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

“We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” (Rev. 11:17) The Lord God Almighty is represented in Christ, His honored representative: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things . . . and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things.” (1 Cor. 8:6) These things then happen as a consequence of that reign: “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy [corrupt] the earth.” (Rev. 11:18)

The Kingdom reign will begin before “Babylon” falls, which will fall as a result of Kingdom judgments: “For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” (Rev. 19:2-7; Rev. 18)

The Prophet Daniel was divinely inspired to explain to King Nebuchadnezzar his vision of Gentile power, represented by a great image. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan. 2:44-45) The kings are the last of gentile power, represented in the toes of the image. God’s Kingdom was present representatively through­out the Gospel Age but not recognized as a Kingdom. Unlike the gentile kingdoms, it will have no successors and will never be destroyed.

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

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” (Rev. 2:26-27) (Compare Psa. 149:8-9)

We may not be able to judge accurately what features of the great work are now being carried on by the Lord and His glorified Saints beyond the veil; but we may be sure that they are active participants in the work assigned to the Kingdom class on this side the veil: (1) gathering the living elect; (2) saying unto Zion “Thy God reigneth!” (the Kingdom is being set up); and (3) declaring the “day of vengeance of our God.” (Isa. 52:7; Isa. 61:2)

SETTING UP THE EARTHLY GOVERNMENT

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

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

We understand that the beginning of the earthly phase of the Kingdom will consist wholly of the resurrected holy ones of olden time – from John the Baptizer back to Abel – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the holy Prophets. (Compare Matt. 11:11; Luke 13:28; Heb. 11:39-40) These Ancient Worthies will have no part in the spiritual Kingdom, because that high or “heavenly calling” was not possible until after the ransom had been paid by our Lord Jesus. Yet they will occupy a preferred position above the world, having attested their faith and love during the reign of evil, in a manner approved of God. They were thus prepared and proved worthy to be the earthly ministers and representatives of the spiritual Kingdom. Addressed to the Christ, it is written in the Psalms: “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16) Instead of being considered Christ’s progenitors, they will be His offspring and the chief ones in the earthly Kingdom.

These Ancient Worthies will be unlike the remainder of mankind, because their trial is finished while the trial of the world in general will just be beginning. They will be unlike them also in the fact that they will have attained the reward of their faithfulness – they will be perfect men, having completely restored to them all that was lost in Adam of human perfection – the mental and moral likeness to God, and perfection of physical powers. Thus, they will not only be the earthly repre­sentatives of the Heavenly Kingdom – Christ and His Church, but they will individually represent what all the willingly obedient may attain under the New Covenant.

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

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

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

Furthermore, let us remember that the very design of the great time of trouble, now nearing a culmination, is to break the stony hearts of the whole world, to bow down into the dust the proud, and break up the fallow ground with deep furrows of pain, trouble, sorrow, thus to make the world ready for the great blessings of the Millennial Kingdom. And it will serve its intended purpose: as the Prophet declares, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9) By that time all will have learned that all schemes devised and carried out by fallen men are defective, and lead only to various degrees of trouble and confusion. By that time all will be longing for, but despairing of, a reign of righteousness – little realizing how near at hand it is.

Israel’s long cherished hopes of the Kingdom will in the meantime be revived among those who have gathered in Palestine. When the Ancient Worthies announce to them their resurrection and the form of righteous government to be established, the plan will undoubtedly be promptly recognized as being of the Lord. Then mentally their eyes will be opened and they will learn that the real Kingdom over them is spiritual, and that Jesus the crucified is the King:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” (Zech. 12:10-11)

The news of the defeat of the hosts of Gog and Magog (the merciless plunderers of regathered Israel), and of the wonderful deliverance of Israel from their enemies, will be followed by the news of the appearance of their renowned “fathers,” resurrected, and the establishment of a government with these at its head, and of the general conversion of Israel to the long-rejected Messiah. No doubt much of this will be seen as a fraud among Gentiles: the Jews will be laughed at for being gullible, and the Ancient Worthies will be classed as shrewd impostors.

The blessings accompanying the reorgan­ization of government under the new auspices in Palestine will work wonderful and rapid changes in Israel’s welfare, astonishing the then anarchistic and discouraged world. Many will be led to think and say that – whether they are impostors or not – the work of these men who claim to be the resurrected Prophets is exactly what the world needs! Would to God they would take control of the whole world, and bring order and peace out of our universal disorder. They will seek to have these wonderful “princes” extend everywhere their government, their yoke of righteousness, seen to be so beneficial to Israel. This is stated by the Prophet in the following words:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills [as an overruling Kingdom above all others]; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom – the glorified Christ, head and body] shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem [the seat of the earthly representative government]. And he shall judge among the nations [previously – in the great time of trouble], and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa. 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4)

THE KINGDOM AND ITS EARTHLY “PRINCES”

As we should expect, the communication between the two phases or parts of the Kingdom will be easy and direct; and thereby the supervision and instruction of mankind will be complete – the “princes” being the channels of divine commu­nication. This seems to be the intimation of our Lord’s words to Nathanael: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God [the messengers of God, the “princes” of the new dispensation] ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51) We believe that Jacob’s dream of the ladder between heaven and earth, and the ascending and descending of messengers, was intended to be a prophecy foreshowing the coming close communication between the Heavenly Kingdom and the world. Jacob himself, as one of the communicating messengers, is to have a share in the blessing of the world. (Gen. 28:10-12)

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

At the institution of the Law Covenant, at Mount Sinai, Moses seems to have been a type of the complete Christ (head and body) at the introduction of the Millennial Age, when the New Covenant will be introduced to the world. This will be after the sound of the “great [seventh] trumpet,” and the black darkness and “great earthquake,” etc., of the Day of Vengeance have appalled mankind and made them ready to hear the voice of the Great Teacher, and glad to accept His New Covenant.

This is distinctly pointed out by the Apostle (Heb. 12:18-22) who seems to mark every step of the parallelism. Israel had been approaching and had finally reached Mount Sinai, the mount “that might be touched” and from which such fearful sights and sounds emanated that all feared and quaked. (Exod. 19) We are approaching Mount Zion and its wondrous glories and blessings far superior to those at Sinai, but accompanying these greater blessings will be the more terrible trumpet, blackness and earthquake shaking – the final shaking of all that can be shaken (all that is sinful and contrary to the divine will), that only that which is true and enduring may remain. The solution of the whole matter is in the words: “Wherefore we [who anticipate thus] receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Heb. 12:28)

Continuing the examination of this illustration, we note that afterward Moses went up into the Mount (Kingdom) and was glorified, the skin of his face shone so that Israel could not look at him. (Exod. 34:29-35) This would seem to typify the completion of the Church (Christ, head and body) in glory. And the veil which Moses afterward wore before the people, but laid off when with the Lord in the Mount, would seem to typify the earthly phase of His Kingdom, the “princes in all the earth” through whom the Christ will speak to the people and be represented, the glory being hidden.

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

As the first tables of the Law that were broken represented the failure of the Law Covenant by reason of being “weak through the flesh,” so the second tables represent the New Covenant, of which Christ is the Mediator, and which will not fail. (Exod. 32:19; Rom. 8:3) This New Covenant will become operative toward the world after the completion of the “body of Christ,” the members of the Great Prophet like unto Moses. (Acts 3:22) Now note the fact that it was when the second tables of the Law (representing the New Covenant) were delivered, that Moses was changed so that thereafter he wore a veil before the people, because his face shone.

The inauguration of the Kingdom will be accompanied with such awe-inspiring scenes as will cause the whole world to tremble with fear, and to gladly recognize the Anointed of the Lord as King of the whole earth. As Israel entreated that the Lord would not speak to them any more – by the terrible sights and sounds witnessed at Sinai – so here, all peoples will desire to have the Lord Jehovah cease speaking to them in His wrath, and vexing them in His hot and just displeasure, and will be glad to hear instead the great Mediator, to recognize Him as the King whom Jehovah sets over them – Immanuel; the great antitype of Moses – the veiled (hidden) Prophet, Priest and King. (Compare Heb. 12:19 and Psa. 2:5-6)

Israel will be willing, anxious for the new Kingdom; as it is written, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” (Psa. 110:3) It will be just what Israel has waited for (blinded to the higher spiritual call of the Gospel Age): only it will be much grander and more enduring than anything they ever conceived of. Then a vast number of sadly misinformed partial-believers in Christ will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied [preached] in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matt. 7:21-22) These will not be recognized as the bride of Christ, but will be left to have part in the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the great time of trouble. But they will doubtless also become willing in the day of His power and will become God’s people instead of sectarians. And indeed, very shortly, as our text declares, God’s Kingdom will be recognized as “the desire of all nations.” (Hag. 2:7)

To be continued in a future paper.

(Excerpt from Studies in the Scriptures, Volume IV, Chapter XIII, pages 615-632, condensed and edited.)

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

[1] Pastor Russell wrote this in the foreword to the second edition of Volume II of Studies in the Scriptures: “We could not, of course, know in 1889, whether the date 1914, so clearly marked in the Bible as the end of the Gentile lease of power or permission to rule the world, would mean that they would be fully out of power at that time, or whether, their lease expiring, their eviction would begin. The latter we perceive to be the Lord’s program . . .”

NO. 797: JACOB’S TROUBLE

No. 797

“Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” (Ezek. 38:19)

Given recent events, we find this excerpt from Parousia Volume IV, written in 1897, to be very pertinent. Although we cannot know how future events will unfold, this writing has proven to be remarkably prescient concerning Israel (referred to as Palestine when this was written).

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While the trouble and distress of this day of the Lord will be first and specially upon Christendom, and eventually upon all nations, the final blast, we are informed by the Prophet (Ezek. 38:8-12), will be upon the people of Israel regathered in Palestine. The Prophet seems to indicate a much larger gathering of Israel to Palestine within this harvest period than has yet taken place. He represents them as gathered there out of the nations in great numbers, and, with considerable wealth, inhabiting the formerly desolate places; and all of them dwelling safely at the time when the rest of the world is in its wildest commotion. (Ezek. 38:11-12)

All men are witnesses to the fact that such a gathering of Israel to Palestine is begun, but it is quite manifest that their exodus from other lands will have to receive some great and sudden impulse in order to accomplish this prophecy within the appointed time. Just what that impulse will be remains yet to be seen; but that it will surely come is further indicated by the words of the Prophet Jeremiah. (Jer. 16:14-17, 21)

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north [Russia?], and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes . . . Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord [Jehovah, Yahweh].”

That the Lord is abundantly able to accomplish this we have no doubt. In every nation the question, “What shall be done with the Jew?” is a perplexing one, which, in some crisis of the near future brought about suddenly by the Lord’s overruling providence, will doubtless lead, as indicated by the Prophet, to some concerted action on the part of the nations for promptly conveying them to the land of promise. And, as they went out of Egypt in haste, with their cattle and goods, and aided by the Egyptians who said, “Rise up and get you forth from among my people . . . Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone.” And as the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them whatsoever they required, of silver and gold and raiment (Exod. 12:31-36), so in the next exodus, foretold by the Prophets, they will not be sent away empty, but apparently some pressure will suddenly be brought to bear upon the nations which will result thus favorably to Israel, so fulfilling the above prophecy of Ezekiel.

This enterprising race, once re-established in the land of promise, and thus separated, for a time at least, from the distress of nations so prevalent everywhere else, will quickly adapt itself to the new situation, and the hitherto desolate places will again be inhabited.

But yet one more wave of anguish must pass over that chastened people; for, according to the Prophet, the final conflict of the battle of the great day will be in the land of Palestine. The comparative quiet and prosperity of regathered Israel near the end of this day of trouble, as well as their apparent defenseless condition, will by and by stimulate the jealousies of and invite their plunder by other peoples. And when law and order are swept away Israel will finally be besieged by hosts of merciless plunderers, designated by the Prophet as the hosts of Gog and Magog (Ezek. 38), and great will be the distress of defenseless Israel. As the Prophet Jeremiah foretold: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer. 30:7)

As one man the hosts of Gog and Magog are represented as saying, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.” (Ezek. 38:11-13) The Prophet foretelling these events as though addressing these hosts, says, “And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts [Europe and Asia are north of Palestine], thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days [apparently the closing scene of the day of trouble], and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee [set apart, distinguished as thy conqueror], O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezek. 38:15-16)

In the midst of the trouble God will reveal Himself as Israel’s defender as in ancient times, when His favor was with them nationally. Their extremity will be His opportunity; and there their blindness will be removed. We read, “For I will gather all nations [as represented in the hosts of Gog and Magog] against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:2-3) The Prophet Isaiah, referring to the same thing, instances the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from the Philistines at Perazim, and from the Amorites at Gibeon, saying, “For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon.” (Isa. 28:21; see also 2 Sam. 5:19-25; 1 Chron. 14:10-17; Josh. 10:10-15) In those times, God was not dependent upon human skill or generalship, but fought His battles in His own way. So in this great battle God will bring deliverance in His own time and way.

In Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezek. 38:1-13), the Lord names the chief actors in the struggle in Palestine; but we may not be too positive in our identifications. Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomar, Togarmah, Javan and Tarshish were names of children of Noah’s son Japheth – supposed to be the original settlers of Europe. Sheba and Dedan were descendants of Noah’s son Ham – supposed to be the original settlers of northern Africa. Abraham and his posterity (Israel) were descendants of Noah’s son Shem, and are supposed to have settled Armenia – Western Asia. (See Gen. 10:2-7) This would seem to indicate in a general way that the attack will come from Europe – the “north quarters” – with allied mixed peoples.

The overwhelming destruction of these enemies of Israel (bringing the end of the time of trouble and the time for the establishment of God’s Kingdom) is graphically described by the Prophet Ezekiel. (Ezek. 38:18 to 39:20) It can be compared only to the terrible overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts, when essaying to repossess themselves of Israel, whom God was delivering. Israel’s deliverance will be in like manner: “According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him [regathered Israel] marvellous things.” (Micah 7:15)

The coming of this army from the north quarters against Israel (regathered to Palestine “in the latter days,” having much goods and dwelling peaceably) will be sudden, and “like a cloud to cover the land.” The message to the invaders is, “Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?” (Ezek. 38:1-17) The Lord then declares His purposed destruction of the wicked host; and the description seems to indicate that it will be accomplished by an outbreak of jealousy, revolution and anarchy amongst the various elements composing the great mixed army: a revolution and strife which will involve whatever may still remain of the home governments of the various peoples, and complete the universal insurrection and anarchy – the great earthquake of Revelation. (Ezek. 38:18-23; Rev. 16:18-21)

The testimony of all the Prophets is to the effect that the power of God will be so marvelously manifested in Israel’s deliverance, by His fighting for them (incidentally for all), with weapons which no human power can control – including pestilence and various calamities – poured upon the wicked (Israel’s enemies and God’s opponents) until speedily all the world will know that the Lord has accepted Israel again to His favor, and become their King, as in olden times; and soon they as well as Israel will learn to appreciate God’s Kingdom, which shall speedily become the desire of all nations.

The Prophet Ezekiel, as the Lord’s mouthpiece, tells of the glorious outcome of this victory, and the results to Israel and to all the world, saying:

“And I will set my glory among the heathen [the nations], and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know [acknowledge] that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity [exile] for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me [in rejecting Christ – Rom. 9:29-33], therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies [during the centuries of the Christian dispensation]: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” (Ezek. 39:21-29) Now that this punishment is completed, God will have mercy on the “whole house of Israel” – both the living and the dead – the “times of restitution” having come. (Acts 3:19-21)

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord [throughout the Gospel Age – at the hands of Spiritual Israel] shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion [the Church, “the body of Christ”], and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.” (Isa. 59:19-20; compare Rom. 11:25-32)

“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” But: “Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? . . . he will make an utter end [of inquity]: affliction [oppression] shall not rise up the second time.” (Nah. 1:7, 6, 9)

Thus, by the battle of the great day of God Almighty the whole world will be prepared for the new day and its great work of restitution. Though the waking hour be one of clouds and thick darkness, thanks be to God for His blessed assurance that the work of destruction will be “a short work” (Rom. 9:28; Matt. 24:22), and that immediately after it the glorious Sun of Righteousness will begin to shine forth. “The earth [the present social order] shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage.” (Isa. 24:19-20) The way will be cleared for the new building of God, the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Pet. 3:13; Isa. 65:17)

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(Excerpt from Studies in the Scriptures, Volume IV, Chapter XI, pages 552-558 with minor editing.)

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CORRESPONDENCE OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brothers,

Could you send me please, by email, a document with your statement of beliefs as an introduction of the Epiphany Bible Students?

Thank you,

Yours in Christ…………UK

****

Dear Brother …….,

We teach by Scripture authority that:

(1) Man does not possess an immortal soul, but rather he is a soul and is mortal. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” (1 Cor. 15:45) (See also 1 Cor. 15:53-54)

(2) The penalty for sin is death, not eternal torment. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4, 20) (See also; Rom. 5:12; Jas. 1:15)

(3) Death came upon man as the just penalty for the violation of God’s law. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:17)

(4) Death means the destruction of the soul – the destruction of man. “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) “He spared not their soul from death.” (Psa.78:50); “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28 – the Greek Gehenna is improperly translated as “hell” in this verse. Gehenna was a place of utter destruction and symbolizes the second death.)

(5) God in His goodness offered His Son to be our Redeemer, and by His death and resurrection, Christ Jesus provided and produced the ransom price for man’s deliverance and restoration. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:6) (See also Mark 10:45; John 1:29; Rom. 5:6; 1 Cor. 15:22)

(6) God’s beloved Son, Jesus, became a perfect man, grew to manhood’s estate, was put to death as a man, and was raised again from the dead, a spirit being, possessing the divine nature. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins . . . being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (1 Pet. 3:18) (See also Phil. 2:8-9; Heb. 7:26; 1 Tim. 6:16; 2 Pet. 1:3)

(7) The ransom price having been paid, every person must be brought to a knowledge of the Truth and have a fair trial for life in God’s due time. “And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.” (Heb. 8:11) “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.” (Jer. 31:29-30) (See also Dan. 12:2-3; Matt. 25:31-46)

(8) To this end, all the dead shall be awakened during the thousand-year reign of Christ. “Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29, ASV) “And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15) “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dan. 12:2-3) “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (1 Thess. 4:14) (See also Acts 23:6; 1 Cor. 15:12-13)

(9) Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and must come the second time. “And 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) “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin [not to bear sin] unto salvation.” (Heb. 9:28) (See also John 14:2-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16)

(10) The period of time elapsing between the first and second comings of the Lord is devoted to the election of the members of the Body of Christ, taken from among men. “Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.” (Acts 15:14-16) “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Cor. 12:27) (See also 1 Pet. 2:9)

(11) The requirements for election to that exalted position was full faith in the shed blood of Jesus as the ransom price, a full consecration to do the Father’s will, and a faithful continuance in obedience to the Father’s will even unto death. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1) “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” (Rom. 3:25) (See also Col. 1:23; 1 Pet. 1:2, 18-19; Rev. 1:5)

(12) All who are thus consecrated and begotten of the Holy Spirit and are overcomers shall have part in the chief resurrection, and be exalted to positions in the heavenly Kingdom of God and participate with Christ Jesus in His Millennial reign for the blessing of all the families of the earth. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God . . . This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:4-6) “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham . . . And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:8-9, 29) “For the earnest expectation of the creature [the creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:19) “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (Jas. 4:10) (See also 1 Pet. 5:6, 10)

(13) Under that reign the willfully disobedient shall be everlastingly destroyed, while those obedient to the righteous rule of Christ shall be fully restored to human perfection of body, mind, and character. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began . . . And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:19-23) “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore­mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:7-8) (See also Eph. 1:10)

(14) During this Millennial reign the earth shall be brought to a state of Edenic paradise and made fit as a place of habitation for perfect man. Fully restored to perfection, man will inhabit the earth forever. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa. 35:1, 10) “I will make the place of my feet glorious . . . Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” (Isa. 60:13; Isa. 66:1)

We are also attaching two papers, What is the Soul? and Where Are the Dead? We hope you will find this information helpful.

Best wishes and Christian love,

Epiphany Bible Students

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The following questions were received in two emails and have been translated from Italian:

(1) When did the Presence of Christ begin (his coming in spirit, parousia) and the saints, the faithful disciples of Christ who died have already been resurrected? And the saints who now die do not remain in death but are instantly transformed and elegant in heaven? While waiting for your contact, I greet you affectionately.

(2) I wish to join your Association of Bible Students. What should I do? I was baptized many years ago by immersion in water at an Evangelical Christian Community. Is this baptism valid? That is, is it scriptural? …………Rome, Italy

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Dear Brother …….,

Thank you for your emails. You asked when the Parousia or second presence of Christ began. You will find the answer to this in Volume II of Studies in the Scriptures, Chapter VI, beginning on page 173. Here it is shown that the Lord’s Parousia began in 1874. You will need to read the entire chapter. You can read this on line by following this link: The Time is at Hand, Chapter VI.

On your second question, the transformation of the Saints is discussed in Volume III of Studies in the Scriptures, Chapter VII, beginning on page 227. Again, you will need to read the whole chapter, which you can find by following this link: Thy Kingdom Come, Chapter VII.

We appreciate your inquiry about joining our Association, but we are not a sect or denomination. We do not have membership rolls and there is no organization to join. We merely invite people to join our list of persons who wish to receive our articles for the purpose of learning about God’s plan of salvation as taught by Pastor Russell. You are on that list, so in that sense you have joined our group.

As to your Baptism being valid, Pastor Russell answered a series of questions concerning Baptism which are compiled in a book called What Pastor Russell Said, also referred to as the Question Book. These questions are on pages 31-36 and here is a link to that section: What Pastor Russell Said About Baptism. Scroll down until you get to the subject of Baptism. We will quote one question and answer:

Question: What are the questions usually put by Brother Russell when receiving candidates for water immersion?

Answer: You will notice that they are on broad lines – questions which any Christian, whatever his confession, should be able to answer in the affirmative without hesitation if he is suitable to be acknowledged as a member of the Church of Christ:

(1) Have you repented of sin with such restitution as you are able, and are you trusting in the merit of Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins and the basis of your justification?

(2) Have you made a full consecration of yourself with all the powers that you possess – talent, money, time, influence – all to the Lord, to be used faithfully in His service, even unto death?

(3) On the basis of these confessions, we acknowledge you as a member of the Household of Faith, and give to you as such the right hand of fellowship, not in the name of any sect or party or creed, but in the name of the Redeemer, our glorified Lord, and His faithful followers.

Based on Pastor Russell’s view of the matter, if you can answer yes to the first two questions, then your Baptism is acceptable regardless of what group you may have associated with at that time.

We hope you find this information helpful.

In our Redeemer’s name,

Epiphany Bible Students

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ANNOUNCEMENT

The date of our Lord’s Memorial is March 22, 2024 after six p.m.

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

NO. 796: CHRISTMAS HOPES AND JOYS

No. 796

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Christmas (or Christ’s festival) is generally celebrated on December 25th; and since its commemoration is merely voluntary and not commanded in the Scriptures, we may well celebrate it on this date, although we believe evidence shows that our Lord was born about October 1st, and that December 25th, nine months previous, was probably around the date of the annunciation.[1] (Luke 1:30-31)

Our confidence that Jesus was sent of God to be the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Deliverer of His people, does not rest merely upon the testimony of the Apostles in the New Testament records. Wonderful and convincing as these testimonies are, they gain most of their weight and importance from the fact that they prove the fulfilment of Old Testament promises, types and prophecies given more or less explicitly throughout the preceding 4,000 years.

He who does not discern at least something of the divine plan of the ages in connection with our Savior – His birth, His ministry of three and a half years, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, His ascension, etc. – fails to get the real strength of the divine revelation, designed by God to be the firm foundation for His people’s confidence in Him and in all the glorious things He has promised to yet accomplish through this great Savior.

OLD TESTAMENT PROMISES

Note the original veiled promise of a Savior, given shortly after sin brought our first parents under divine sentence: “And I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed [the Messiah]; it shall bruise thy head [a fatal blow], and thou shalt bruise his heel [not a vital injury].” (Gen. 3:15) The promise was that God had not forsaken man, but will ultimately recover him through a Redeemer born of a woman.

Note also the promise made to Abraham that the Messiah would be of his posterity: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:18) The same promise was made to Jacob: “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth . . . and in thee and in thy seed shall all the fami­lies of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 28:14) Now coming forward to Moses, 430 years after the Abra­hamic Covenant, note the types and figures of the Mosaic arrangement. Moses himself was declared to be like unto the greater one to come after him. (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37)

Much later, after King David began his reign 536 years after the giving of the Law to Moses, God said to him, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall pro­ceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom . . . And thine house and thy kingdom shall be es­tab­lished for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Sam. 7:12-16)

The Messiah’s coming and His greatness were foretold through the Prophet Isaiah. (Isa. 9:6-7; Isa. 11:1-9) The Prophet Daniel also refers to the importance of the Messiah’s work of making an end of sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness, and thus sealing the visions and prophecies which the Lord had just given respecting the Messiah and the favor to come through Him. (Dan. 9:24) We recall also how He was typified in Isaac who was not only the heir of the promises made to Abraham, but who was also in a figure put to death and received again from the dead.

Had the hopes of Israel been merely concoctions designed to deceive the people, those concocting the deception would have surely documented an ancestry for the coming Messiah that was free of blights and scandal, but the moral failings among our Lord’s ancestors were instead fearlessly noted. Judah, head of the tribe from which our Lord sprang, was not above reproach and his character was truthfully portrayed. His son Pharez, through whom our Lord’s lineage runs, was born of an unlawful union. Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, and Ruth, a Moabite, were both foreigners adopted as Israelites and were among our Lord’s progenitors. Even through David the line is compromised by coming through Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah, the Hittite.

NEW TESTAMENT IN AGREEMENT

The New Testament writers are similarly candid and make no hesitation in recording the genealogy. All of this is in full accordance with the scriptural presentation of the matter – namely, that our Lord’s virtue, His sinlessness, His separate­ness from sinners, was not through the flesh, not through His mother, but through His Father, God.[2]

As the Apostle Paul explains, Jesus Christ “took on him the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16), but as we have already seen, He was also indirectly related to the outside world through various circumstances. All of this is interesting to us, but nothing to be compared to our still greater interest in the fact that our Lord Jesus, although born a Jew under the Law, and redeeming those who were under the Law, did more than this: His death, as planned by the Father and accepted by Himself, was a propitiation “for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) He died as the ransom price for Adam and his sin, and thus purchased from condemnation not only Adam, but his entire posterity. “Wherefore he is able also to save [deliver] them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.” (Heb. 7:25)

Not only is this true, but the humble circumstances of our Lord’s birth, and His early experiences in comparative poverty as a working man, impress us with the thought that He is indeed able to sympathize with mankind in every station of life; having passed from the glory of the Father to the lowest condition of humanity and back again, He is surely able to appreciate and to sympathize with all conditions and classes.

“FEAR NOT!”

When the angel came to the shepherds with the announce­ment of the Savior’s birth, the light of the glory of the Lord shone about them and they were frightened: “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not!” (Luke 2:9-10) As the angel understood, through sin and degra­dation a fearful apprehension comes over man when he finds himself in contact with spirit beings; he fears further condemnation or punishment. His bad experiences with men of influence, authority, and power lead him to dread the still greater authority and power of the Almighty.

Only true Christians, having the eyes of their understanding opened to appreciate the length and breadth and height and depth of the love of God, can have that perfect love toward the heavenly Father which is built upon an intimate knowledge of His Word, and which casts out all fear. (Eph. 3:18-19; 1 John 4:18) We are reminded of the Prophet’s words, which are applicable to many professing Christians of today: “Their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isa. 29:13) The Lord would have us free from this fear, though not free from a proper reverence toward Him.

The message of the angel continued, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” How slow the Lord’s people have been to believe this message and to accept the Savior at His full worth! How prone they seem to be to suppose first of all that He was to be a Savior merely for the Jews; or secondly, a Savior merely for a special elect class; or thirdly, a Savior only for those, who under present darkness, ignorance, prejudice, superstition and devilish influences, manifest a special love for righteousness! But how broad is the statement – great joy – for all people!

Our faith that these good tidings will be to all people, that all families of the earth will be blessed, is based on the positive declaration of the Scriptures, which promise that our God has graciously arranged that every member of the human race will yet be blessed with a clear understanding of the great redemption price paid by the Savior: “And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.” (Heb. 8:11) All members of the human race will share in the glorious opportunities thus secured to return, if they will, back to full harmony with God and to full blessings and everlasting life. (Rev. 22:17)

Note however, that the angel did not declare that our Lord came to bring universal and everlasting salvation to all people; the angel instead declared that the good message of joy, of privilege, love, hope, shall extend to all people. The explanation of this is that a Savior had been born – a deliverer of the weak, the helpless, the dying, able to succor to the utmost all who would come to the Father through Him; able to open the blind eyes and to unstop the deaf ears that all may come to an appreciation of the goodness of God shining toward them in the face of the Lord Jesus.

In the Syriac language, which was likely spoken by Jesus and others living in the region at the time, the word Savior signifies literally “Life-giver.” What a wonderful thought is conveyed by that word! What is it that our poor, dying race needs? It needs deliverance from death and the sentence of death, and restoration to complete, abundant, and everlasting life.

Our Lord has already become our Deliverer in the sense that He has bought us with His precious blood and has settled our account with Justice. As a result of this work already done (the Church having followed in the footsteps of our Lord and “fill[ed] up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” – Col. 1:24), very shortly now the mystery of God will be finished – completed – and atonement for the sins of the world shall be proclaimed with a full emancipation procla­mation to all people. It will surely be good tidings of great joy! It will be full of gracious opportunities for restitution – and for a full return to all that was lost by father Adam, including perfect everlasting life!

A HALLELUJAH CHORUS

It is no wonder that after this message was delivered the Lord permitted the heavenly host to serenade the proclamation, prophesying the grand results yet to flow from the great work of redemption, only then beginning in the birth of the Redeemer. The anthem properly begins with praise to He who sits upon the throne, to He who devised the great and wonderful plan of redemption and who sent His Son, our willing Redeemer: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) We are told the consequences that will come on earth – namely, peace. This is not the kind of peace men might patch up between themselves and between nations and parties, and that under present conditions would be sure very soon to be scattered to the winds. It is instead peace with God, a peace which comes from the restoration of the divine good will to the human race.

Because divine justice could not spare the guilty, the sentence of death has borne down upon our race. Under that divine sentence the dying race has become impoverished, not only physically but mentally and morally, and selfishness has become the rule. In its wake have come all our selfish ambitions, pride, strife and love of money, causing so much of the trouble that mankind has experienced.

But now, glory to God in the highest, because peace has been established upon a firm foundation – the lifting of the curse of death through the payment of our penalty by the Lord’s own arrangement! As soon as the body of Christ has suffered with the Head, the great antitypical Day of Atonement will be complete. Peace between God and man will be renewed, and as a consequence the Redeemer will take to Himself His great power and reign for the purpose of blessing and uplifting those He purchased with His own precious blood.

The great peace must be introduced by the breaking in pieces of present institutions with the iron rod of the new Kingdom. They will be crushed as the vessel of a potter because henceforth they will be useless. (Psa. 2:9) In their stead will come the grand and perfect institutions of the Lord’s Kingdom. He will wound to heal, to bless, to bring in peace on the basis of everlasting righteousness.

He will ultimately destroy all those who, after being brought to a knowledge of the Truth, will still love unrighteousness and lean toward corruption: “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23; Psa. 37:9-11; 2 Thess. 1:9) He will destroy them, not in anger but in justice, in love, that an everlasting peace in full accord with that which is in heaven may prevail upon earth.

Wherever the story of God’s redeeming love has gone, even though confused by various falsities, it has carried a measure of blessing with it. It has brought blessing even to hearers who are neglectful of the Word of God. It has brought still more blessing to others who hear partly and obey partly. Its greatest blessing, however, has been to the Little Flock, the Royal Priesthood who, entering into the spirit of the divine arrangement, have realized themselves justified through faith in the precious blood. In harmony with the invitation of the Lord, these have gone forward, presenting themselves living sacrifices that they might have fellowship with Christ in the sufferings of the Gospel Age, and the glories that shall follow in the Kingdom.

It is chiefly this class who have rejoiced in a still fuller opening up of the divine Word so long beclouded by the false doctrines coming down from the Dark Ages. It is this class that has chiefly rejoiced in the discernment of the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the divine love and of the divine plan which has purchased the whole world and will eventually recover from present degradation all who under the favorable conditions of the Millennial Kingdom will develop the character which God demands of all who shall have eternal life – a love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity.

(Based on Reprint 3114.)

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THE LOGOS MADE FLESH

“And the Word [Logos] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

We continue our Christmas study in the first chapter of John (John 1:1-18), which is one of the most beautiful lessons in the whole Bible. Genesis goes back to the beginning of earthly things, but this lesson goes back to the beginning of all beginnings, when God was alone. The Logos was the very beginning of divine operation – “the beginning of the creation of God” and “the firstborn of every creature.” (Rev. 3:14; Col. 1:15)

Logos, translated “Word” in most English versions of the Bible, signifies mouthpiece, or special messenger. Logos was the proper name of Jesus before He became flesh and should be left untranslated, just as the names “Jesus” and “Christ” are left untranslated. Not only was the Logos the beginning of the divine creation, or the Alpha – but He was also the last, the Omega, as He Himself informs us: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” (Rev. 21:6; Rev. 1:11) The first and only begotten Son of God was given an exclusive place: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) Thus the Father highly honored Him as His agent in all the creative work.

The Greek text of the first two verses of the chapter is not fully represented in any of our common translations. When accurately translated, it reads, “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with the God (τὸν θεόν) and the Logos was a god (θεὸς); the same was in the beginning with the God (τὸν θεόν).” Here the majesty of our Redeemer in His pre-human condition is fully set forth, and yet He is distinctly shown to be the Son and not the Father – to be a god and not the God.

The word god signifies “mighty one,” but there is only one God whose name is the Almighty. St. Paul affirms this great truth, saying, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Cor. 8:6) Jesus did not claim that He was the Father, the Almighty God, but that He was the Son of God, who came to do the will of His Father in Heaven. (John 5:30) The so-called doctrine of the Trinity, put into the Nicene Creed by a council of bishops con­vened by the Emperor Constantine in 325 A.D., has been the cause of much of our confusion when studying the Bible. The Bible contains neither the word “trinity” nor any suggestion of it, except in the one passage acknowledged by all scholars to be spurious, namely 1 John 5:7. This passage is not found in any Greek manuscript written earlier than the fifteenth century.

The Redeemer was not being deceitful when He prayed to the Father with loud cries and tears, “My God! My God!” (Matt. 27:46) He was not being deceitful when He declared to Mary after His resurrection, “I am not yet ascended to my Father   . . . and your Father, and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) He declared His oneness with the Father, and desired that a similar oneness should prevail among His followers – a oneness of spirit, of purpose. Therefore, He prayed for His Church, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us     . . . that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:21-23)

St. Paul corroborates what our lesson tells us: For our sakes, He who was rich on the spirit plane left the Heavenly comforts for this world darkened by sin and death. (2 Cor. 8:9) He tells how our Lord stooped from His high position, took the bondman’s form and was found in fashion as a man, of the seed of Abraham. (Phil. 2:7-8; Heb. 2:16) However, we are assured that He did not become a sinful man, but that He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” (Heb. 7:26) We are also assured that His body was especially prepared, separate and different from others of our race, all of whom were of Adamic stock and all tainted with sin and the seeds of death. (Heb. 10:5-9)

On the other hand, we are to guard ourselves against the unscriptural thought, held by many, that the Logos remained a spirit being at His First Advent and merely materialized, or appeared in human form – what is referred to as incarnation. The Old Testament Scriptures describe how the angels incarnated or materialized, assuming fleshly forms, when they appeared from time to time. Before He actually came in the flesh, our Lord Himself incarnated along with other spirit beings, appearing to be flesh to Abraham. He talked with Abraham, who did not know that he was entertaining Heavenly beings, mistaking them for human travelers.

As He was before He was made flesh, Jesus was a spirit being after His resurrection. He then ap­peared in various forms of flesh, that is He materialized or incarnated, for the purpose of teaching certain lessons to His disciples. As a spirit being, He appeared and disappeared, the doors being shut. In so doing, He taught His disciples a double lesson: (1) That He was no longer dead, but risen; (2) That He was no longer a human being, but a spirit being. (1 Pet. 3:18)

A RANSOM, OR CORRESPONDING-PRICE

As Bible students, we are learning that more than ever we must strive earnestly to keep close to the Word of God. It was the perfect man Adam who sinned and was sentenced to death, and under the divine Law he could be redeemed only by the sacrifice of a perfect man. The Law declares, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a man’s life for a man’s life.” Hence the blood of bulls and goats could never make atonement for Adam’s sin, for they did not correspond: it was not a bullock nor a goat that had sinned and was to be redeemed, but a perfect man. (Heb. 10:4)

All of the human family are children of Adam and sharers in his death sentence. Consequently, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” (Psa. 49:7) God so shut up the matter that Adam and his race could not have been redeemed except by the finding of a perfect man who would be willing voluntarily to die on their behalf. It was because there was no such man that God arranged with the Logos, His only begotten, that He would become a man and be the Redeemer of the human race – Adam and all his posterity.

But even this could not be demanded of the Logos. Therefore, the Heavenly Father set before His Son, the Logos, a great proposition: If He would demonstrate His faith and loyalty to the extent of becoming man’s Redeemer, the Father would still more highly exalt Him and make Him a partaker of the divine nature, far above angels and every name that is named. (Heb. 12:2; Phil. 2:5-11) The Logos, full of faith and obedience, heartily accepted the proposition, was made flesh, consecrated His life, kept nothing back, finished the work at Calvary, and was raised from the dead by the Father to the divine nature and glory and honor.

“THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”

The Logos was made Jesus. The work of Jesus in the flesh, however, is not the completion of the divine plan, but merely the beginning of it. His death constitutes the basis of all future blessings to the Church and to the world. According to the Father’s plan, an elect class was to be gathered out of Israel and out of every nation to be the Church of Christ, His Bride, associates with Him in His Throne, glory and work. (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

With the completion of the Elect, the Kingdom for which we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” is to be established. Satan is to be bound; all evil is to be brought to an end; every good influence and enlightenment is to be shed; and He who died for the world is thus to become the Light of the world. He has not yet been the Light of the world, but merely a light to His people. As St. John declared, His light shined in darkness, and was not appreciated. (John 1:5) Similarly the light of Truth upheld by His consecrated Church will not be appreciated, because the powers of the Prince of Darkness are so strong in influencing the minds of the world, which as yet lies under “the evil one.” (1 John 5:19, ASV)

But the Prince of Life and His Kingdom will cause the light of the knowledge of the glory of God to fill the whole earth, as the waters cover the great deep (Hab. 2:14), so that none will need to say to his brother, know the Lord, for all shall know Him, from the least to the greatest. (Jer. 31:34) Thus according to His promise, in the coming Kingdom Jesus will be “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) The great mass of humanity, the civilized as well as the uncivilized, have as yet never seen nor even heard of this true Light.

The resurrection of the just will be necessary to bring the Church to glory and joint-heirship with her Lord. But the resurrection of the unjustified, which includes practically all humanity, will be for the very purpose of permitting them to see the true Light, which God has provided in His Son and which will be shed abroad during His Millennial Kingdom. Only those who refuse the light, preferring the darkness, will die the Second Death. (Rev. 21:8)

“POWER TO BECOME SONS”

John the Baptist was a messenger sent to call attention to the Light, but he was not the Light. He was not even one of the Church class, of whom Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14), for John the Baptist died before the time of the begetting of the Spirit, after our Lord’s sacrifice.

The world did not recognize the great One, the Logos, by whom it was made. His own nation did not recognize Him, but instead crucified Him. Yet some then and some since have received Him, and to such He has given the power, the right, the liberty, the privilege, to become children of God. No such privilege was given to the Jews, nor to any of the fallen race, until Pentecost, after Jesus had appeared in the presence of God to make atonement for our sins.

These sons are all begotten of the Holy Spirit – theirs is not a fleshly sonship. Their birth of the Spirit will be the resurrection change, when they shall be made like their Master, see Him as He is, and share His glory.

(Based on Reprint 5351.)

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Our best wishes to all our readers for the Lord’s blessing during the holiday season and for a blessed New Year. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psa. 107:31)

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

[1] See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Chapter II, page 54.

[2] See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume V, Chapter IV.

NO. 795: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

 No. 795

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psa. 23:1)

The Prophet thus declared Jehovah (Yahweh) to be his Shepherd, and our Lord Jesus further explained that He, the great Over-Shepherd’s Son, has been appointed the Under-Shepherd and given full charge of the sheep. (John 10:1-16) In referring to His people as His sheep, the Lord chose a very appropriate representation of the character He would have them manifest. The most noticeable characteristics of sheep are meekness, docility and obedience to the shepherd to whose care they fully entrust themselves. They are very true to the shepherd; when they hear His voice, they quickly run to obey it without the slightest hesitation or faltering.

There is a lesson here for the Lord’s people. Even the weakest lamb in the flock knows His voice and hears Him say, “This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isa. 30:21) While there are thousands of voices calling, now in this direction and now in that, the Lord’s sheep, acquainted with His Spirit and His Word, turn away from all except the well-known voice of the Shepherd.

Our Shepherd speaks to His flock of sheep and lambs in various ways. His written words continually show them the way of truth, and His special providences further direct and shape the unique course of each individual. The abiding presence of His Holy Spirit makes manifest every intrusion of any other spirit seeking to beguile them and lead them astray. The true sheep listen carefully for the faintest sounds of the Shepherd’s voice, treasuring up His words in their hearts. They study His providences and they cultivate the communion and personal fellowship with the Lord which are their privilege. Those who thus abide in Him can never go astray. They may have little formal education, and be unable to grapple with all the subtle sophistries of human error, but, being so well acquainted with the Master’s voice, they quickly perceive that other voices are the voices of strangers, and they will not follow them; for they are loyal and obedient to the Shepherd only.

Not all of mankind, however, are sheep, or have the Shepherd’s care. During the Gospel Age, only those who have heard the Shepherd’s voice and responded to His call have become His sheep, and the Word tells us that they are a “Little Flock” to whom it will be the Father’s good pleasure eventually to give the Kingdom in joint-heirship with His Son, their “Chief Shepherd.” (Luke 12:32; 1 Pet. 5:4)

Then will come the time referred to by our Lord when “other sheep” will be found. The entire Millennial Age, with all the power and blessings of the heavenly Kingdom, will be devoted to the finding of the other sheep. Our Lord said: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16) The other sheep are not of the Little Flock of this Gospel Age, but in due time they will be bought to a knowledge of the Truth and to the full privileges of sheep.

Eventually all of God’s creatures on various planes of being will be recognized as one family of God under our Lord, as it is written: “Of whom the whole family [of God] in heaven and earth is named.” (Eph. 3:15) And again, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” (Eph. 1:10) But while it may be interesting, helpful, and profitable to understand something of our great Shepherd’s generous plans for the future of all mankind, our interest in this lesson centers chiefly on the Little Flock.[1]

WE SHALL NOT WANT

Caring for sheep in olden times in Palestine was very different from the way sheep are cared for today. There were no fenced pastures and the terrain was vast and largely barren, filled with gorges, thickets and hazards of all kinds. Under such circumstances, the care of the shepherd was crucial, whereas today sheep in a secure field need no shepherd. It was the eastern shepherd of those times who illustrated our heavenly Shepherd’s care for His Little Flock.

As the Prophet David composed this Psalm, his mind doubtless went back to his father’s flock and to his own experiences as its shepherd – we recall that he slew a lion and a bear while protecting that flock. Under heavenly inspiration, the Prophet pictured the Almighty One as the great caretaker watching over and protecting those He recognizes as His “sheep.” This thought is very far from the prevalent sentiment today that God is currently the shepherd and father of all mankind. This view ignores man’s will and also ignores the Lord’s Word, which declares that there are goats and wolves among mankind as well as sheep. While some among mankind have become children of God, it has been through faith and “adoption.” From the divine standpoint, the majority are far from being recognized as children of God. Jesus said of them: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (John 8:44)

The human race, represented by father Adam in sinless perfection, was originally recognized as related to God, but the Scriptures clearly show that this relationship was broken by man’s willful disobedience. None are recognized as sons of God today unless they have been begotten from above. Nor will any in the future be recognized as sons of God or as sheep of the Lord’s fold unless they heartily renounce sin, and receiving knowledge of divine grace, heartily accept it and “follow on to know the Lord.” (Hos. 6:3)

Applying the Psalm to the Little Flock, all of its provisions fit most minutely. Because the Lord is their Shepherd, they shall not want. Those who are proper sheep will submit their wills to the Shepherd’s will and trust wholly to His guidance. They are relieved of that anxious craving, so common to the children of the world, which is never satisfied – the more it gets the more it wants. The Lord’s sheep appreciate the heavenly things more than the earthly, and their wants in this respect are more than supplied. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psa. 84:11)

They have given up every earthly interest in exchange for heavenly interests. Realizing their own insufficiency and lack of judgment, they have trusted the Lord to grant them such experiences in this present life, whether they be trials or blessings, as would be for their highest good, working out for them a share of the coming glories to which they have been called. The wants of this class are not the temporal kind after which “the Gentiles seek.” (Matt. 6:32)

GREEN PASTURES, STILL WATERS

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psa. 23:2) Although the experiences of the Lord’s sheep include many trials in the parched wilderness of sin, He graciously gives them restful experiences in oases of divine favor. These experiences are not always what the world would view as being free from trials, but they are certainly seasons of rest and refreshment. The Lord’s sheep truly have “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” ruling in their hearts, despite outward adversities. (Phil. 4:7)

The Lord’s sheep have found green pasturage of spiritual refreshment in private devotions and studies of divine things, as well as in assembling together for the study of the Word, prayer, and testimonies of the Lord’s goodness and mercy. All these opportunities and privileges, whether personally experienced or whether experienced through the printed page, are provisions made for the sheep by the great Shepherd. Those sheep who find no enjoyment in such blessings should question their own faithfulness in following the lead of the Shepherd. Those who have these blessings available to them but decline to use them, show that they are out of harmony with the Shepherd’s gracious intentions and wisdom.

The “still waters” are not still in the sense of being stagnant, but rather they flow smoothly, in contrast with the rushing torrent of a mountain slope. Only the still waters allow the sheep the opportunity to receive proper refreshment. Applying this thought to the Little Flock, we find that the great Shepherd leads them away from the strife of worldly ambition for greatness, power, riches, and honors so esteemed by the world, but He does not lead them to stagnancy. He instead leads them to spiritual ambitions which bring with them a restfulness and refreshment of soul obtainable from no other source.

The streams of truth and grace are living waters, although they are comparatively quiet waters. As the Prophet hints, they cannot be found by the sheep alone; finding them requires the leading of the Spirit. Let us give strict attention to His voice, remembering that His Word says that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Let us discern His voice, with its truthful accent that is so different from the voice of error. True sheep will not follow the voice of strangers, because they do not like how it sounds of money, worldly ambition, and priest-craft, or how it contradicts the spirit of the divine message and method.

THE SOUL RESTORED

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psa. 23:3) The Prophet is not referring to a restoration of body or of physical health, but a restoration of soul or being. Some of the Lord’s most precious saints have been physically weary, faint and troubled – even the dear Redeemer fainted under His cross, and was neither sustained nor miraculously restored to strength on that occasion. The restoring of soul or being spoken of by the Prophet corresponds to the Christian’s justification to life.

All of our lives were forfeited under the divine sentence, and by faith a complete restitution or restoration of soul is granted to the believer, that he might have something “holy, acceptable” to offer in sacrifice to the Lord. (Rom. 12:1) In this sacrifice service, he may walk in the footsteps of the great Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. The true sheep are thus led in proper paths that are advantageous to their spiritual develop­ment, though frequently trying and difficult from a fleshly standpoint. This favor, blessing, and opportunity comes to them not for their own sake or worthiness, but through the Lord’s grace – “for His name’s sake.”

FEAR NO EVIL

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psa. 23:4) The whole world is walking in the valley of the shadow of death. The mountain top of life was lost to the human race when Father Adam fell from his harmony with God into the valley of sin. The valley of sin carries with it the shadow of death, the penalty of sin. Even though the Shepherd leads His flock upward, and in the opposite direction from the course of the world, while in the flesh they are still in the world, and are thus in this valley of the shadow of death. The true sheep, however, hear the voice of the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep, and have learned to not be careless and indifferent as some are, nor to be fearful, doubtful, and perplexed as are the majority. They realize that the penalty of sin is upon the race, but fear no evil, because they realize also that divine love has provided a redemption.

They realize that the whole world is going down to the grave (sheol, hades), but that God has provided that the good Shepherd will deliver His Little Flock from the power of the grave in the First Resurrection. They further realize that all that are in their graves will subsequently hear the voice of the Son of man and come forth to a full, fair, reasonable, and proper judgment. They will be tested as to their willingness to be His sheep – their willingness to follow Him and to attain everlasting life through Him.

The sheep of the Little Flock fear no evil because of the Lord’s favor, because He is with them, on their side, and has shown His favor in the redemption price already paid. He is with them, too, in His word of promise – His assurance that death will not mean extinction of life, but merely, an undisturbed “sleep in Jesus” until the resurrection. (1 Thess. 4:14) It is no wonder that they can walk through the valley of the shadow of death singing and praising the Lord, magnifying the holy name of the One who loved them and bought them with His precious blood, calling them to joint-heirship with our dear Redeemer.

The Shepherd’s crook was used to assist the sheep out of difficult circumstances, to defend them from powerful enemies, and to chasten them when they were inattentive. All of these uses of the rod were for the welfare of the sheep and the same is true of the Lord’s Little Flock and their Shepherd; His rod is used to help, defend and chastise the flock. The true sheep learn to love the Shepherd’s providences and are comforted by them. Knowing the Shepherd’s power and His watchful care, they realize that all things are working together for good to them because they are His sheep. Why should they not be comforted, strengthened, encouraged?

A TABLE PREPARED

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (Psa. 23:5) The Psalm diverges here, leaving the figure of the sheep and the Shepherd, and adopting instead the picture of a mighty lord who spreads a sumptuous feast for his humbler friend. Active hospitality carried much more meaning in olden times than it does today. For a nobleman to then receive someone as his guest meant taking responsibility for that person’s safety. The thought conveyed is that the Lord accepts His people, counts them as friends, and sits them down to a bountiful feast, secure from the enmity of those who would injure them. As long as they are under the care of their great friend, our heavenly Father, they are secure from the great Adversary and “spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) The bounties of the table may indeed include some earthly good things, whether better or worse than those of the average natural man. Whatever they may be, they are accepted with joy and thanksgiving by those who recognize them as part and parcel of the bounties of the Friend above all others.

All religious people more or less claim to have spiritual food, and the various factions of Christendom especially boast that they have much advantage every way, and that their tables are spread with divine truth and promises, food from which they claim to receive their strength. But what a variety of these tables there are, and how doctrinally different is the fare served. The food on most of them seems to have been spoiled in the preparation. Some of it is sad, some of it is sour, and much of it is musty. For the most part it originated in the Dark Ages, and the dear friends who sit down to these tables find that they have little appetite for such food, and we do not blame them.

We would instead draw their attention to the generous, bountiful supply of divine Truth which the Lord Himself is dispensing to the Household of Faith. This includes “things new and old,” but all of them pure, sweet, delicious, and grand. (Matt. 13:52) This table is open to all those who love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength – who love Him better than they love possessions, parents, children, husband, wife, lodge, association, denomination, or self.

Is it strange that those so highly favored by the Lord, recognized as His guests, and fed at His table should be hated by enemies? It would seem strange to us if it were not for the assurance of the Master Himself, that whosoever will live godly will suffer persecution in this present time. (2 Tim. 3:12) The illustration of this is the Master’s own experience; those who professed to be godly, influential, great, and nominally religious were the ones who persecuted Him to death. We are not surprised, then, to find that our table is spread in the midst of enemies that now surround us on every side.

The anointing of the head of the guest with oil was a part of the hospitality of olden times. The antitype of this is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this Little Flock, the body of Christ, of which He is the Head, Chief, Shepherd, and Leader. The fullness of the cup, its running over, has a double significance. It is a cup of joy and a cup of sorrow, and in both respects it overflows. Those who would partake of the joys of the Lord must also partake of His cup of suffering; they must suffer with Him if they are to reign with Him. But they count the sufferings of the present time as not worthy to be compared with the glories to be revealed in them, and hence they are enabled to rejoice in tribulation. As the tribulation overflows, the rejoicing likewise overflows, and with the Apostle we can say, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4:4) 

GOODNESS AND MERCY

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psa. 23:6) The goodness and mercy we anticipate in the Kingdom has its beginning in the present. Those who know nothing of the joys of the Lord in the present time will not be prepared for the joys of the Lord in the Millennial Age. The joy and rejoicing granted to the Lord’s faithful is not a momentary condition, felt only at their first acceptance of the Lord and their consecration to His service. The goodness and mercy of the Lord is not something to be looked back on as a thing of the past, but is to be recognized and appreciated as a thing of the present. God’s goodness and mercy should follow us daily, refreshing us, strengthening us, and blessing us.

The highest hope of the Little Flock is that of final union with the great Shepherd, our heavenly Father, and the good Shepherd His Son, on the heavenly plane in our Father’s house on high. This mansion or plane is intended for the Little Flock and is separate and distinct from the mansion or plane provided for the restitution class of the Millennial Age. The end of all their highest ambitions will be attained when they will be like our Lord, see Him as He is, and share His glory in the Father’s house. (1 John 3:2)

OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER SHEEP

According to the Bible, the opportunity of entering the High Calling was to close after the full number of the Elect had been chosen. (Rom. 11:25) However, there were many who served God faithfully before the opportunity to enter the High Calling was opened, and we refer to this class as “Ancient Worthies.” Likewise, there are many who still desire to serve God faithfully since the closing of the High Calling. Because they show the same spirit of devotion to God as the Ancient Worthies, God purposes to associate them with the Ancient Worthies in Millennial and Post-Millennial rewards and service. We refer to this class as “Youthful Worthies.” Entry to this class will be available for all who come to the Lord in full consecration until the end of this age or until Restitution sets in for the world of mankind.

Since God is unchangeable, He is always pleased for any to devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to doing His will. The advice then to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him is the same message that has gone forth throughout this age: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.” (Rom. 12:1)

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

In conclusion, let us seek to cultivate more and more the meek, docile, and loyal character of the sheep, that we may be abundantly blessed by the care of the good Shepherd. Such a disposition does not commend itself to the world – the wayward goat, the bold lion, the stealthy bear, and the subtle serpent are all more fitting emblems of their ideals, and are usually the emblems selected for display as their coat of arms. But let the world love its own, while we remember that we are not of the world, but are sent forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, and that our safety and spiritual prosperity depend, not upon our own wisdom and sagacity, but entirely upon our diligent hearkening to, and patient following of, the voice of the good Shepherd.

(Based on Reprints 3268 and 3116, with pertinent additions.) 

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THE LORD IS MY HELPER

“The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Heb. 13:6)

We should not say, The Lord is my Helper, and therefore He will not let my house burn down, or let burglars break in and steal my belongings. We should not say, I will not lock my doors at night because the Lord is watching over me and mine. To say such things would not be in the spirit of a sound mind, and it would not be true faith; it would be presumptuous. We should take all reasonable precautions, because the Lord expects us to do all in our power for our own protection. We should not expect Him to work unnecessary miracles to protect us from our own carelessness and inefficiency.

If we have such unreasonable expectations, He might allow us to experience difficulty and loss in order to teach us a needed lesson. We are stewards of what the Lord entrusts to us, and He expects us to exercise proper care over things under our stewardship but belonging to Him. We should safeguard ourselves, our loved ones, and our possessions to the best of our ability and then leave ourselves fully in the Lord’s hands, knowing that all will be well with us.

If the Lord permits a seeming calamity to befall us, we may rest assured that it will work out for our good if we are properly influenced by the experience. After having done our part, we should trust all consequences to Him, not doubting that He will care for us in His own best way and time. The Lord will give us whatever help He deems to be in our best interests as long as we do not ignore His leadings and seek to manage our own interests. Even if we have made such a mistake, if we renew full allegiance to the Lord, acknowledging where we have willfully relied on our own understanding, the problems may prove to be a real blessing in opening our eyes to our wrong course, in showing us our own insufficiency to guide ourselves, and in bringing us wholly back to God.

It may be the will of God to permit us to suffer, just as He permitted John the Baptist to be imprisoned and finally beheaded, just as He permitted Jesus to be arrested and crucified, and He permitted many of His saints in the past to be maltreated or killed. But we need not fear what men may do to us, knowing that our God, to whom we belong and whom we serve, will be with us constantly, and will cause all things to work out His own glorious purposes for us and in us.

We would, of course, be glad to please other people, if this were possible. But whenever it is a question of pleasing God or pleasing man, we will say, as did the three young Hebrews to the king of Babylon: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan. 3:17-18) We will not do anything contrary to the divine will. We will worship our God alone!

When the Jewish Council commanded the Apostles Peter and John to speak no more in the name of Jesus, they replied: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:13-20)

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, said to our Lord on the night of His arrest and trial, “Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” (John 19:10-11) So it is with all the footstep followers of the Master. God’s grace will be sufficient. Man is powerless to harm a hair of our heads, unless it is permitted of our Father in Heaven for His glory and our own highest welfare.

The calmness of the Lord’s humble ones under trying circumstances is often a mystery to the world, but to follow a course in life that will glorify our God and magnify His grace, meeting trials and difficulties wisely and courageously, counting our tribulations as joy, it is necessary that our hearts be attuned to the Lord, and that we have no will but His will. We cannot accomplish this in our own strength, but in the strength of God alone.

(Based on Reprint 5539.)
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[1] We recognize that the door to the High Calling is closed, but we believe that what Pastor Russell wrote for the Saints is helpful for those consecrating after the closing of the door. See Reprint 5761 for what Pastor Russell wrote on this.

NO. 794: RANSOM IMPLIES RESTITUTION

No. 794

“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)

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.

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The Apostle Paul’s words [above] 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, “For 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) They teach 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 outright deny it: 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 “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12) They have been so because they have been without knowledge of the only name whereby they might 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: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) They show conclusively that His death was not for the Church only: “And he is the 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: (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,” and “the day of the Lord.” (Phil. 1:10; 1 Thess. 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 has been 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 the words: “In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” (Eccl. 11:3)

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 anything” (Eccl. 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; Rev. 5:10; Rev. 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: “And 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:

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? . . . So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:14, 17)

“But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6)

“For the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice [the voice of the Son of God], And shall come forth.” (John 5:28-29)

“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (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.

This is the Apostle Peter’s declaration when he 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: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.” And what of those who will refuse to hear that great Prophet, Priest and King during the Millennial Age, what of them? The Apostle answers, “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear [obey] that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:22-23) 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. Of that time period he says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” He assures us that restitution times will follow as a result of our Lord’s Second Advent and the establishment of His Kingdom in glory and power: “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21)

“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; Heb. 7:26) As the man Christ Jesus, He then gave Himself a ransom for all, “to be testified in due time,” as our text declares. 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 brothers 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 all the holy Prophets. (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 (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, “Even so have these also now not believed, 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; Rom. 11:25-33; Acts 15:16-17)

Let us, dear brothers and sisters, hold fast to these doctrines of Christ, which He set forth when He taught that He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), and that He beheld mankind as a treasure in a field and bought the whole field that He might develop the treasure. (Matt. 13:44) These teachings are 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 lead 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 lead us to see what the Prophet declared: “For 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 we once 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; it is through faith in the precious blood of Christ and not in ignorance of it; it is by a resurrection and the Millennial Kingdom.

(From an oral address given by Pastor Russell in 1904, with minor editing. It was published in Harvest Gleanings, Volume 3.)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – When will the Ransom-price be fully paid and disposed of finally?

ANSWER – The Ransom-price will be fully paid and fully disposed of after the Church shall have passed beyond the vail, and when the great High Priest, Head and Body (the Church then being the glorified Body of the great High Priest), shall seal the New Covenant and put it into effective operation on behalf of Adam and all his race. The Ransoming will then be finished. The Atonement work will not be finished at that time, however; it will include the work of the Millennial Age, in bringing mankind (all who will) up out of sin and degradation into full at-one-ment and harmony with God. But the ransom-price must be fully paid over to Jehovah and accepted by Him before this New Covenant can go into effect, and before human Restitution can properly begin. Man’s recovery from death is a part of the Ransom work. (Hosea 13:14) (From What Pastor Russell Said, page 570-571.)

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