of the Christian’s Warfare Against SIN Within and Without 

DESTRUCTION OF THE CANAANITE NATIONS

– Special Notes by Joseph Bryant Rotherham, Bible Translator

In reviewing the destruction of the nations of Canaan, it is most important to bear in mind the terrible nature of the crimes for which they were exterminated. Their very worship was grossly sensual and revoltingly cruel. In honour of their deities women surrendered their virtue. Their sacred places were brothels. The generative organs were openly represented by disgusting symbols. The peoples had holy (!) prostitutes, male and female, – hedeshim and hedeshoth. Lustful gods are cruel, and demand to be worshipped with human blood. Hence, to the king-idol Moloch, the Canaanites, with some contiguous nations, immolated their sons and daughters. At such. crimes as these nature shudders ; and Palestine was fain, in abhorrence, to eject her inhabitants. Who shall say that the Most High has not the right to extinguish such polluters of the earth and contaminators of mankind as these? Doubtless the world has been made permanently the sweeter and the more habitable by reason of the occasional Divine use of the bosom of destruction. Let us remember that there was long waiting before these nations were destroyed.(a) Not till their iniquity was “full” did the stroke of vengeance fall. It was doubtless both safe and kind that the extermination was to be made ruthlessly complete. And let us not forget that Joshua’s commission was divine, direct, positive, explicit and repeated ; and, therefore no example for generals destitute of such sanction. How far other commanders may volunteer, or be lawfully commissioned, to follow Joshua’s example-is, for us, a question of casuistry into which we are not here called upon to enter. Moreover, Divine Mercy drew a line around the devoted nations, and outside that line peoples might be spared-unless, indeed, the interdict went forth against them ; (b) while, on the other hand, Divine Equity warned the Hebrews that, if they fell into the same sin, they should receive a like punishment. For their fathers’ sake, indeed, they were not to be utterly annihilated; but short of that, if they would sin, they must suffer. Their land would vomit them forth. We know the sad sequel : they fell into sensual and cruel idol-worship ; and God kept His word, as the captivities of Assyria and Babylon attest. We have yet to trace the long and painful story of Israel’s sin and punishment : let us be thankful that we shall also have the privilege of turning over to a brighter leaf and dwelling on glowing prophetic songs of redemption, deliverance and salvation.

So much by way of general statement. If the inquiry be urged whether there is sufficient evidence to justify the sweeping statements made at the outset of this Note, the answer can only be in the affirmative, due allowance being made for the circumstantial character of the testimony. It is just as well that the proof should, in a sense, run between the lines. In fact, it is only when some adequate knowledge is possessed of the really obscene and blood-thirsty nature of idol-worship in Western Asia that the mind is prepared to feel the full force of allusions scattered throughout the Old Testament. Many, indeed, are the allegations against Israel for going unchastely after other gods ; but even the needlessly coarse terms of our public versions (in speaking of it as ” going a-whoring ” after idols) have probably failed to suggest to the majority of even educated minds the awful and undoubted fact that such worship was accompanied by rites (to use the guarded language of the Oxford Gesenius) “sometimes involving actual prostitution.” (c) Hence there would appear to be something like a moral necessity to lift a little the veil which hides from view the true character of the worship of the Baals, the Asherahs and the Ashtaroths of Canaan.

As to the worship of the local Baals it is attested that ” it was debased by repulsive immorality.” (d) Further, ” when Israel entered Canaan the worship of the Baalim was everywhere present. As it was especially associated with agriculture, which the Israelites learned from the Canaanites, there was danger lest they should take over also the religious festivals connected with the various agricultural …(continued on page 2)

Footnotes___________________________________________________________________

a. Gen. xv. 16.                                   c. O.G. p 275 b.

b. See Deu. xx. 10-18,                          d. Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, 810 b.

THE EMPHASIZED BIBLE, Joseph Bryant Rotherham

Page 2          Page 260                              SPECIAL NOTE (Continued)

seasons, and thus succumb to the deadly fascination of the sensual nature-worship of the older inhabitants. That this actually happened we learn from the history.” (a.)

As to the Asherahs, there is a doubt which does not in any way affect the main issue. The doubt is merely whether Asherah is the name of a distinct goddess, as well as the name of the “poles,” “stumps,” or “stems” which represented her; or whether the notorious “Ashtoreth” (Astarte) was herself worshipped under these obscene Images. (b.) In any case the rites associated with the “Asherahs” were immoral.

The “Encyclopaedia Britannica” unhesitatingly designates “Asherah” an impure goddess. But even if, as some think, the two names became confused, so that even when Asherah is named Astarte is ultimately intended, we have only to pass on and give a moment’s attention to the latter to reach the fearful conclusion already indicated.

As to Astarte then: “She most have been pre-eminently the goddess of sexual passion. By Greeks and Phoenicians alike she is habitually identified with ‘Aphrodite,’ and there are sufficiently definite allusions to the unchaste character of the rites with which she was worshipped.” (c.) “Her devotees were initiated with impure rites.” (d.) From the point of view thus obtained, the passages referred to below slowly unfold their terrible significance. (e.)

To complete, once for all, the needful reference to this painful and admonitory subject, the student has only to connect the worship of the Golden Calf (Exodus xxxii.) with the Egyptian worship of Apis, as briefly disclosed by the “Encyclopedia Britannica,” to apprehend why, on that occasion, the sedate Moses was driven frantic with consternation; and has only to conceive, in the light of the facts indicated in Numbers xxv. and in this Note, the real nature of the awful snare into which Israel fell at Baal-peor, to apprehend that instant excision alone could be trusted to prevent national extermination.

Footnotes:_____________________________________________________________

a.) Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible 210 b.

b.) Obscene they manifestly were, as the monumental figures of them plainly enough attest.

How readily a “pollard” could be shaped to suggest a conjunction which virtuous shame must ever hide, can well be imagined. And the smallest predominance given to the one or other element would be quite enough to account for the interchange in the usage between the two forms ashram (mas.) and asheroth (fem.).

c.) Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, 169 a

d.) Ibid.170 a.

e.) Lev. xviii. 26-30; xx. 22; Num. xxv.1-18 ; Deut. xxiii.17 (where the discreet reader will please note, by turning to this passage, the result of combining our rendering of the text with plainer terms employed in the footnote appended thereto –”devotee,” sacred person, by profession; in reality, enticing to uncleanness as a part of the service of god or goddess; the prevalence of the custom in the idolatries around, giving need and point to the stern prohibition); 1 K. xiv. 24; xv. 12, 13; xxii. 46; 2 K. xxiii 7; 2 Ch. xv. 16; xxviii. 2; Ps. cvi. 35-38 ; Isa. lvii. 3-8 (in rendering which, the only doubt in how plain the allusion should be made in the actual words employed in translation; for whether, with Fuerst, we put, for yddh hazith, “thou pointest the pin, a periphrasis for the penis erectus,” H.L. p. 430; or, with Cheyene, “when sawest the phallus” P.B. 101; in either case we do but get a glimpse of a monstrous custom prevalent in the East, and not unknown in the West, as a reference to the Greek phallos and the Latin priapus will at once reveal); Jer. v. 7 ; vii. 30, 31; xix. 4, 5; xxxii. 33-35; Hos. iv. 12-14; Amos ii. 7-9. This list of passages will serve as a guide to others similar.

DESTRUCTION OF THE CANAANITE NATIONS – A Type

of the Christian’s Warfare Against SIN Within and Without

The Christian is helped in his fight against SIN under the leadership of the antitypical Joshua (Jehosua – Jesus – “Thou shalt call his name Jesus for it is he that shall save his people from their sins”). Christ assists the consecrated Christian in the lifelong battles against the Flesh, the World and the Devil with which and whom we have to contend. Were it not for the grace of God and the help of our leader, Jesus Christ, with all those against us, we would not be able to make it in conquering the Canaanite of SIN. The picture of Joshua leading the Israelite army against the enemy also applies to the world of mankind in the kingdom age in conquering the land of the antitypical Canaan. This leads to eternal salvation at the end of the Millennial or Kingdom age. John 3:16 Then a new age or “world without end” or “ages to come” will be in a land without SIN – a Canaan of righteousness in harmony with God – “the righteous unto life eternal” who will not “die anymore” for they are the children of the resurrection. Luke 20:36

The Apostle Paul. in speaking of Joshua, writes to the Christian in the Book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 4:1 Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. 3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he hath said somewhere of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works;

Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, 7 he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), Today if ye shall hear his voice, Harden not your hearts. 8 For if Joshua (Gk. Jesous - ”In verse 8, “Jesus” should be “Joshua” (see King James margin). The two names are the same in the Hebrew. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land under Joshua at the end of the 40 years, they did not fully enter into God’s rest. – Shallieu Bible Commentary.) had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day (the kingdom age). 9 There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God.10 For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience.

Most do not realize the depth of degradation of the Canaanites and attribute to Jehovah God a cruelty and “vengeance that he does not own” in the slaying of man woman and child back then. Rotherham, in his scrupulous translation of the reality of the people living in the land of Canaan and the depths to which they had fallen, and in being very forthright, did not use Puritanical words such as found in the King James and other versions. He translated it as a reality check by going to the original Hebrew.

This description gives the “terrible significance” (e) of their depravity resulting from false worship of the Canaanite gods mentioned. That worship was directly inspired by the god of this world, Satan, who is still even more active today in controlling the media and who is working very hard in controlling the minds of “the children of disobedience” who refuse the true light of Christ and preferred darkness “because their deeds were evil.” Such of today who love these things will have and opportunity to “turn around and change” their ways in the “appointed” “day” kingdom age in which he will judge (Gk. “krino - signifies to discern. The thought is that of trial rather than verdict.” – NS329:6). Acts 17:30

What happened to the Cannanite is similar to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when God took them ALL (man, woman and child) “away as he saw good – as also in the time of Noah.” ALL of these people who died back then will have an opportunity for life under trial (krisis) in the times of restitution under the greater than Joshua, Christ, who with his glorified church or little flock, will help to lift up and restore mankind with all the love and mercy that he can have to save and deliver them from their Canaanite enemy of SIN as he now does now for the Christian in this Gospel Age. Acts 3:19-21

APPLICATIONS TO THE CHRISTIAN IN THE GOSPEL AGE

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. 13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one].17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

“Hebrews  4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

What bearing does verse 12 have on the previous thoughts? Why did Paul bring the spiritual sword into his reasoning? When the Israelites entered Canaan [under Joshua] , they used carnal weapons to fight enemies who were mightier than they in many instances, and God blessed them so that they could overcome. They used the natural sword and the Lord’s blessing, and He gave them victory according to their faith and obedience. However, the battle of the Christian is much more serious in the sense that it is against unseen wicked spiritual foes in high places, and the sword is spiritual (Eph. 6:12). Paul was implying that the Israelites did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief, even though the Lord gave them great victories with the natural sword and great miracles. As Christians, we fight spiritual battles with the spiritual sword, which is far more potent than the natural sword.

The spiritual sword is quick (living), powerful, and sharper than a literal sword. (The Revised Standard describes the sword as living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.) The Bible is a powerful living Word that is not to be read superficially, for we should absorb the power and energy that are in it. For example, when we have a difficult trial, certain Scriptures become very timely and meaningful. The Bible is not just historical, technical, and archaic knowledge, for the real, practical, up-to-date, living Word of TRUTH applies in our daily living. The Word of God is also sharp in that it can split a thought, motive, or intent. A literal sword cannot do this difficult and searching task.

 The Bible pierces “even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.” It divides between natural logic and spiritual logic (the logic of the Lord). For example, we might use human reasoning to understand a matter and come up with the wrong conclusion. But the Scriptures will enlighten us as to our error and reveal what God is really saying. The Bible gives us God’s thinking by separating out the natural man’s thinking.

 The Word of God divides asunder “the joints and marrow.” The sword of truth is sharp and penetrating. A big, heavy, broad sword bludgeons the enemy, crashing through his shield and breaking his head, whereas a stiletto sword, which is flexible, lightweight, and sharp, is designed for penetration and quick, rapid motion. The spiritual sword has both aspects; it can bludgeon externally (completely crush an enemy’s argument), and it can skillfully penetrate, or pierce inwardly, into the very joints and marrow of the being.

 The Bible is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” “Thoughts” may be good or bad, but the “intents of the heart” should always be good. The intent (the will, the motivation) is deeper than the heart; it is the real person. The Old Testament likens the intent to reins or kidneys, which are more important than the heart because they exert a more subtle control. The two reins “steer” the horse. The kidneys are related to the heart (trouble with the kidneys usually leads to trouble with the heart and vice versa).” – Shallieu Bible Commentary

100th Anniversary 1910-2010

Picture: Pastor Charles T. Russell Addressing Jewish Mass Meeting at NYC Hippodrome Theater, October 9, 1910.

Picture: Israeli Flag Flying Over Knesset Governing Building in Jerusalem, Israel’s Sixty First Year, 2009.

[About the Flag also on the cover: It is a beautiful standard. When the series Gods Chosen People was written in 1909, the land was called by Hadrian, the Roman Emperor, Palestine after the Philistine, Israel’s most hated enemy back then in 135 AD, and from that time forward, the Diaspora was in full progress. In the years 1914-1915 a proposal was made for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. At the time of WWI, Jerusalem was captured in 1914 by General Allenby, of Britain (whom the Arabs thought was Allah Bey) and they surrendered the city without a shot being fired. The Balfour Declaration took place in 1917, offering the land of Palestine as a homeland for the Jew followed by a thirty year mandate over that land, controlled by the British. The United Nations came on the scene and began to partition Palestine in 1947. Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948 and joined the nations of earth – a new nation reborn in its ancient land from which the Gentiles had driven them among the nations according to God’s prophetic arrangement. The wisdom of this will be manifest in the Kingdom when Israel will be dealing with those nations and instructing them in the New (Law) Covenant – “the Law shall go forth from (spiritual) Zion and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2.

In our understanding, the two blue wide bars near the top and near the bottom represent the two divisions of Israel from the time of the death of Israel’s King Solomon - Israel and Judah and according to Ezekiel, “In that day,” the two sticks shall be one stick (united) as in the days of King David and God’s sanctuary (the Third Temple) will be in Israel’s midst forever. Ezek. 37:15-28.

The star of David is in the shape of two triangles or pyramids – the one pointing upward and the other pointing downward. The two triangles or pyramids would, to our understanding, represent the two salvations: Heavenly or spiritual and Earthly or human. The great Apostle Paul speaks of these saying: “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the [glory] of the terrestrial is another.” And again, “As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.” 1 Corinthians 15:40, 48.

This is the Divine purpose of God, eventually, to end sin and death and to restore all his creation in harmony with Him and for which purpose the Prophet Daniel in connection with the Great Image representing  the Gentile powers of  today and in the past mentioned in when the query of Daniel will be answered. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1 That book is the book of the Israeli living survivors mentioned in Isaiah. “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem;” Isaiah 4:3

In the days of those Gentile powers there is to be a transition by force shown in the smiting of those powers at a time yet future ending all control and oppression by them in the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. Then will follow the peaceable kingdom promised by the sure word of prophecy when the Ancients and the Holy Remnant of Israel shall be established. “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Daniel 2:44

It is interesting to note that in the 3rd Series of Pastor Russell’s work, Studies in the Scriptures, mention was made of certain measurements described in the Great Pyramid in Egypt found in the book of Isaiah: “In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the LORD because of oppressors, and he will send them a saviour, and a defender, and he will deliver them.” Isaiah 19:19,20. – written by Isaiah many years after Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage by Moses. This is prophetic and applies to the future deliverance. (Daniel 12:1) Volume 3 was written in 1890 – 20 years before his speech before 4,000 Jews assembled  at the Jewish Mass Meeting at the Great Hippodrome Theater in New York City.

The one measurement for which he had no sure explanation, because not mentioned in the Bible, was the measurement of 1910. He noted, October, 1910. The date 1914 beginning WWI, also has an end-time relationship because in that in that very year, request was made for an Israeli nation in the land of Palestine. (See Abba Eban’s book, My People. We think that this particular event was so significant that it was marked in stone as a witness in that day that God’s Word is sure indeed. The date of this great event was the year 1910 during Rosh Hoshana, the Jewish New Year, and of additional significance, was reported to the public on October 10, 1910. The date and subject, Zionism In Prophecy, were chosen, not by Pastor Russell, but by the people of Israel. It is the LORD’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes!

There is a prophecy found in the Book of Isaiah that predicts, in picture, that after the final conflict, the surviving remnant of Israel “shall take root downward and bear fruit upward” meaning future prosperity of the land and people in bearing much fruit pleasing to God. The Prophet Amos (9:15) says they shall no more be plucked up. The blue would represent both the faithfulness of God as it shown in the sky and the faithfulness of the Holy Remnant and the returned Ancient Prophets in their perfection and as administrators in that kingdom. The white would represent righteousness, purity of that nation in harmony with God’s righteous New Covenant laws – as Isaiah puts it, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” – Ed, 2009, 2010)

The Jewish Mass Meeting

October 9, 1910

Pastor Russell, of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, Addresses an Enthusiastic Audience at the Hippodrome, New York, N.Y.

BROTHER RUSSELL received an invitation to address a Jewish Mass Meeting in the great Hippodrome Theater of New York City. The invitation and Brother Russell’s response to the same follow:

NEW YORK, September 20, 1910. Pastor C. T. Russell, Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR SIR: Your sympathetic interest in the Jewish people for years past has not escaped our notice. Your denunciations of the atrocities perpetrated against our race in the name of Christianity has added to our conviction that you are a sincere friend. Your discourse on “Jerusalem and Jewish Hopes” has struck a responsive chord in the hearts of many of our people. Still we doubted for a time if any Christian minister could really be interested in a Jew as a Jew and not merely from a hope of proselyting him. It is because of this feeling that some of us request you to make a public statement respecting the nature of your interest in our people and we desire you to know that the statement you did make was very satisfactory. In it you assured us that you are not urging Jews to become Christians and join any of the sects or parties of Protestants or Catholics. That statement, Pastor Russell, has been widely published in the Jewish journals. We feel, therefore, that we have nothing to fear from you as a race. On the contrary, in that statement you mentioned that the foundation of your interest in our people is built upon your faith in the testimonies of our Law and the messages of our Prophets. You may well understand how surprised we are to find a Christian minister acknowledging that there are prophecies of the Bible still unfulfilled, which belong to the Jew and not to the Christian, and that these prophecies, according to your studies, are nearing a fulfillment of momentous interest to our Jewish race and, through us as a people, to the nations of the world.

These things, Pastor Russell, have led to the formation of a Jewish Mass Meeting Committee, which, by this letter, requests you to give a public discourse, especially to our people. If you  will kindly accept this invitation, will you permit us to suggest a topic for your address, which, we believe, will be very interesting to the public and especially to the Jews, namely, Zionism in Prophecy.”

As for the meeting: We suggest Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock October 9. We have secured an option on the Hippodrome, New York’s largest and finest auditorium, for that date, and we hope that this date and the place will be agreeable to your convenience. We assure you also of a large audience of deeply interested Hebrews, besides whoever may come of the general public.

Trusting to hear from you soon, we subscribe ourselves, Yours respectfully, JEWISH MASS MEETING COMMITTEE.

———-

BROOKLYN, N.Y., September 21, 1910. Jewish Mass Meeting Committee, New York City.

GENTLEMEN: Your kind invitation to address the Jewish Mass Meeting in the New York Hippodrome Sunday, October 9, at 3 p.m., came duly.

I thank you for the confidence which this invitation implies. The date you have selected is not only appropriate in its relationship to the Jewish New Year, but it is very suitable for my own arrangements, as I leave on October 12 for appointments in London and elsewhere in Great Britain.

Amongst the several prominent members of your race suggested for chairman of the Mass Meeting, I select Mr. John Barrondess, because I have had the pleasure personally of conference with him and because I know him to be very loyal to the interests of your people and because I believe him to be very highly esteemed as such in the counsels of your race.

Faithfully and respectfully yours,
C. T. RUSSELL.

During the week preceding the Mass Meeting many thousand copies of a special paper printed in Yiddish were sold at news stands and distributed with other Yiddish papers. This paper contained quotations from Brother Russell’s writings and sermons, and a report of his findings in Palestine during his recent visit to the Holy Land. In this paper were two very significant cartoons.

Picture: Cartoon representing an aged Jew seated in a graveyard in despair of their dead hopes.

One represented an aged Jew seated in a graveyard, surrounded by tombstones. Each of these stones represented one of their dead hopes. The picture shows that the Jews have reached their limit—all hopes practically dead, and they do not know which way to turn.

The other picture represents the Jew as waking up—he hears a voice, and, looking up in a surprised manner, he sees Pastor Russell, who holds in his hand a scroll of their prophecies, and is pointing to them, and to the New Jerusalem in the background, which will soon rise out of the ruins of the present city within the walls. Thinking these cartoons will be of interest to others, we reproduce them on the following pages.

====================

(New York American, Monday, October 10, 1910)

Pastor Russell Cheered by an Audience of Hebrews

Four Thousand in Hippodrome Applaud When Venerable Brooklyn Clergyman Advocates Establishment of a Jewish Nation. Hearers Who Came to Question Gentile’s Views on Their Religion Find He Agrees in Their Most Important Beliefs.

The Preacher, After Hailing Them as One of the Bravest Races on Earth, Says Kingdom May Return to Them by 1914.*

[*Note: This of a Jewish Kingdom did not happen then; but application for a State of Israel was made thru the British London Newspaper, The Manchester Guardian in that year, 1914, heralding the end of Gentile dominion over Palestine that prevented its reestablishment. In 1915, Lloyd George, Britain’s Prime Minister, was approached by Chiam Weitzman requesting a Jewish State in the Land of Palestine. This was granted in 1917 in the Balfour Declaration. A period of thirty years would ensue leading to 1947 and the partitioning of Palestine by the newly formed United Nations. These amazing series of events that began exactly on time in 1914-1915 and led to Israel declaring independence and an Israeli Statehood on May 14, 1948 – Israel was a new nation reborn. (See Abba Eban’s My People) - Ed., 2009]

THE unusual spectacle of 4,000 Hebrews enthusiastically applauding a Gentile preacher, after having listened to a sermon he addressed to them concerning their own religion, was presented at the Hippodrome yesterday afternoon, where Pastor Russell, the famous head of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, conducted a most unusual service.

In his time the venerable pastor has done many unconventional things. His religion is bounded by no particular denomination, and encompasses, as he says, all mankind. His ways of teaching it are his own. But he never did a more unconventional thing than this—nor a more successful one.

He won over an audience that had come—some of it, at least— prepared to debate with him, to resent, perhaps, what might have appeared like a possible intrusion. “Pastor Russell is going to tryto convert the Jews to Christianity,” was the word that many had received before the meeting. “He wants to proselyte us.”

RECEIVED AT FIRST IN SILENCE.

In the crowd which filled the big showhouse were scores of rabbis and teachers, who had come to speak out in case the Christian attacked their religion or sought to win them from it.  They had questions and criticisms ready for him. He was received at first in a dead silence.

But the Pastor did not seek to convert the Jews. To their unbounded delight, he pointed out the good things of their religion, agreed with them in their most important beliefs as to their salvation, and finally, after a warm advocacy of the plan of  the Jews establishing a nation of their own, brought about a tumult of applause by leading a choir in the Zionist anthem: “Hatikva—Our Hope.”

A more interesting audience the Hippodrome never held, perhaps. From all parts of the city came serious-minded Hebrews to hear what it was an alien, a Gentile, might have to say to them at a service held during their week of feasting, Rosh Hoshana. They were quiet, well-dressed, thinking men and women.

Among them were many prominent figures of the Hebrew literary world. Some of these escorted Pastor Russell to the Hippodrome in a motor car and then took places in the auditorium. The literary men recognized the pastor as a writer and investigator of international fame on the subject of Judaism and Zionism. Some of those present were Dr. Jacobs, editor of the American Hebrew; W. J. Solomon, of the Hebrew Standard; J. Brosky, associate editor of the same; Louis Lipsky, editor of the Maccabean; A. B. Landau, of the Warheit; Leo Wolfsohn, president of the Federation of Romanian Societies; J. Pfeffer, of the Jewish Weekly; S. Diamont, editor of the Jewish Spirit; S. Goldberg, editor of the American Hebrew;  J. Barondess, of the Jewish Big Stick, and Goldman, editor of H’Yom, the only Jewish daily.

NO RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS THERE.

No symbol of any religion at all greeted them when they gazed at the Hippodrome stage. It was entirely empty save for a small lectern and three peace flags hanging from silken cords above.

One was the familiar white silk banner with the Stars and Stripes in its center, together with the words, “Peace Among Nations, ”in letters of gold. Another bore a rainbow and the word “Pax.” The third was a silken strip bearing miniature representations of all the nations’ flags.

There were no preliminaries. Pastor Russell, tall, erect and white-bearded, walked across the stage without introduction, raised his hand, and his double quartette from the Brooklyn Tabernacle sang the hymn, “Zion’s Glad Day.” The members of this organization are Mrs. E. W. Brenneisen, Mrs. E. N. Detweiler, Miss Blanche Raymond and Mrs. Raymond, Emil Hirscher, C. Meyers, J. P. MacPherson and J. Mockridge. Their voices blended perfectly, and the hymn, without any instrumental accompaniment, was impressive.  But still there seems an air of aloofness about the audience.  They did not applaud, but sat, silently watching the stalwart figure of the pastor. When he began to talk, however, they gave him respectful attention.

With a powerful, yet charming voice, that filled the great playhouse, the unconventional clergyman made his every word audible to every hearer. His tones pleased their ears, his graceful gestures soon captivated their eyes, and in a few moments his apparently thorough knowledge of his subject appealed to their minds. Though still silent, the 4,000 were “warming up” to him.

RESERVE AND DOUBT VANISH.

It was not long before all reserve, and all possible doubt of Pastor Russell’s entire sincerity and friendliness were worn away. Then the mention of the name of a great Jewish leader— who, the speaker declared, had been raised by God for the cause—brought a burst of applause.

From that moment on the audience was his. The Jews became as enthusiastic over him as though he had been a great rabbi or famous orator of their own religion. He hailed them as one of the bravest races of the earth—having kept their faith through the persecutions and cruelties of all other people for thousands of years. And he predicted that before very long they would be the greatest of the earth—not merely a people, any longer, but a nation. By a system of deductions based upon the prophecies of old, the pastor declared that the return of the kingdom of the Jews might occur at so near a period as the year 1914…

[NOTE: It only had its beginning there and continued for 30 years under the British Mandate until its independence day May 14, 1948 when the name of Palestine was changed to the reborn nation of Israel. However persecutions did not end there though many wars had been fought. It will continue until the final Jacob’s trouble yet future and then universal peace and happiness will triumph. (see additional earlier updates and comments above and in the 1909 Israel - God’s Chosen People and the Divine Purpose obtainable at zions.tower.ofthemorning@juno.com) – Ed. 2009]

…Persecution would be over and peace and universal happiness would triumph.

As he brought his address to a conclusion the pastor raised his hand again to his choir. This time they raised the quaint, foreign-sounding strains of the Zion hymn, “Our Hope,” one of the masterpieces of the eccentric East Side poet Imber.  The unprecedented incident of Christian voices singing the Jewish anthem came as a tremendous surprise. For a moment the Hebrew auditors could scarcely believe their ears. Then, making sure it was their own hymn, they first cheered and clapped with such ardor that the music was drowned out, and then, with the second verse, joined in by hundreds.

At the height of the enthusiasm over the dramatic surprise he prepared, Pastor Russell walked off the stage and the meeting ended with the end of the hymn. He was congratulated by score of men and women who had come in indifferent, if not hostile, frames of mind, and he made a friend, they all declared, of everyone who had heard him.

The following is a stenographic report of the entire discourse:

Zionism in Prophecy

PASTOR RUSSELL: I will read in your hearing from the Holy Scriptures, Leeser’s translation, the Hebrew version:

Psalms 102:14-16: “Thou shalt arise, O Lord; for thou wilt have mercy upon Zion; for it is time to favor her, for the appointed time has come. For thy servants hold dear her stones, and her very dust they cherish. Then shall nations fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of earth thy glory.”

Mal. 3:1,5,6,7: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall clear out the way before me; and suddenly will come to his temple the Lord, whom ye seek; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire; for, behold, he is coming, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will come near unto you to hold judgment; and I will be a swift witness…. For I the Lord—I have not changed; and ye sons of Jacob—ye have not ceased to be. From the days of your fathers did ye depart from my statutes, and did not keep them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Ezekiel 16:60-63: “Nevertheless will I indeed remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. And thou shalt then remember thy ways, and be confounded, when thou receivest thy sisters, both those that are older than thou and younger than thou; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, though not because thou wast faithful to the covenant. And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: in order that thou mayest remember, and feel ashamed and never open thy mouth any more because of thy confusion, when I forgive thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord Eternal.”

Jeremiah 31:31-37: “Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant.

“Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day that I took hold of them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they have broken, although I was become their husband, saith the Lord.

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, I place my law in their inward parts, and upon their hearts will I write it; and I will be unto them for a God and they shall be unto me for a people.

“And they shall not teach any more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them even unto their greatest, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I not remember any more.

“Thus hath said the Lord who bestoweth the sun for a light by day, the ordinance of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea that its waves roar.—The Lord of  hosts is his name.

“If these ordinances ever depart from before me, saith the Lord, then also shall the seed of Israel cease from being a nation before me during all time.

“Thus hath said the Lord, If the heavens can be measured above, and the foundations of the earth be searched out beneath, then also will I reject all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the Lord.”

(Picture only)

Isaiah 40:1,2: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. “Speak ye (comfort) to the heart of Jerusalem, and call out unto her, that her time of sorrow is accomplished, that her iniquity is atoned for; for she hath received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.”

MY JEWISH FRIENDS AND OTHERS: I have pleasure in being before you today. I am here because of your invitation, for which I thank you. I am pleased to have an opportunity of  speaking to my Jewish friends and neighbors in this city. All the more so because I believe that some, in the name of Christ, have dishonored his name in various persecutions against your race.

I cannot be surprised, my dear friends, that after centuries of persecution you should feel that it would be almost a miracle if you should hear a Christian speaking the words of our text to the Jews, in defense of the Jews. I am pleased, therefore, to have this opportunity of saying that I have no sympathy whatever with the conduct of the Russians, nor with the demoniacal conduct of the so-called Christians of Romania. We read, too, of the fact recently that in Romania there was a terrible scene enacted when so-called Christians dug up the dead of the Jews, brought their carcasses and laid them on the doorsteps. Dear friends, this is not properly attributive to the Christianity which I stand for. I am glad that I stand for no such misrepresentation ofthe One whom I recognize as my Creator, as my Master, and one who is of your race.

Nothing in his Word ever directed his followers to thus misrepresent the principles of righteousness, justice. I should like in one word to tell you the very reason why there is such conduct on the part of some who have named the name of Christ. It is this: That during the period we call the Dark Ages, when ignorance was prevalent throughout the civilized world, various false theories and doctrines, quite contrary to the Law of Moses, quite contrary to the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, were brought in. So we find that today the name of Christ is attached to various theories which you and I and all Christian peoples recognize as sinful and wrong and dishonest. By all Christian peoples I mean the Christian people in general whom you meet in this land of liberty; a very different view, you will notice, from that held by Christians of Russia and Romania and some other parts.

The whole world is swayed by the power of the mind. When a man’s mind is disarranged his conduct will be in harmony with the disarrangement. What wild and unreasonable things are often done by the insane because the mind has gone wrong. I am not charging the Christians in the Dark Ages with these things, but I am charging it, dear friends, to that which the Scriptures call “Doctrines of Devils,” promulgated in the name of Christianity, and some of those doctrines of devils are very devilish indeed. One of these doctrines is what I hold responsible for all the various injustices that have been done to your race—the doctrine that our Heavenly Father, when he created the race, also made a great place of eternal torment and purposed that the great proportion of these human creatures whom he made should be cast into this eternal torture. All of this we believe to be very dishonoring to God, and it is because of this wrong theory respecting God and his character and his purposes toward the children of men that the world has witnessed such terrible persecution of the Jews—and all done in the name of love.

It is not surprising at all that practically all Christian people believe that every Jew is going to eternal torment.

[NOTE: We take the liberty of noting the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church in regard to the Jew and the present Pope Benedict XII when the expression “perfidious Jew” was removed from the Catholic liturgy by Pope John Paul II and now restored by the reigning German Pope. Perfidy as defined from Latin per fidem – to deceive through faith; betrayal of trust; treachery. -- Webster.

Picture: Auschwitz entrance with Train Tracks taking Jews to their slaughter - Sign: Arbeit Macht Frei - Work Makes Free

Concerning WWII and the Holocaust under Hitler’s Germany, a Jewish Rabbi observed that this murdering of 6,000,000 Jews (not just killing as the German, former Hitler Brown shirt youth Pope Benedict XII and former head of the Holy Office of the Inquisition or as now called Holy Office for the Doctrine of the Faith - called it, in his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on May 12, 2009) but “was because of the Christian mentality.” Because of their wrong teachings, is why all these European countries turned over the Jews for this murderous slaughter and they will have to face their actions in the Kingdom judgment to come. This was what Pastor Russell recognized back then in the hateful false teaching of nominal Christianity – doctrines which neither God nor Christ would ever own! – because the Jews refused to convert to false Christianity. – Ed., 2009]

So I say, with the thought before their minds that the great Creator has damned every Jew to eternal torment, is it any wonder that those who believe such a thing should act like demons? It is no wonder! A man is bound to be conscientious and we must admit that these people are acting according to their consciences, but if a man is conscientious he will act according to his light or according to his darkness, and this gross darkness which came upon the civilized world 1,000 years ago, from which we have scarcely emerged, is responsible for the misrepresentation of the Almighty’s character, and is responsible for the persecution of the Jews.

[NOTE: Once again manifest in the great persecution and slaughter in the Holocaust of Hitler in WW2 1938-1945, etc., and in the conflicts of the present and past and will also be in the future for which ALL involved will have to answer. – Ed. 2009]

Have we not been told that every man should seek to be in harmony with and should follow the example of his God?  Whoever, therefore, has a devilish conception of God will have a devilish form of conduct. And theoretically that has come upon Christian people who are slowly emerging from the gross errors of the Dark Ages. Many errors still cling to them; for instance, the doctrine of eternal torment. These Christian people believe this to be the doctrine of the Bible, and I thought the same. I also thought that I was getting it from the Bible, but I found out differently, my dear friends. I found out that I had been taking the traditions and creeds of men, and I had been told that these creeds fairly represented the Word of God, and under the impulse of the refusal of my mind to follow such a leading I became a kind of an unbeliever, totally rejecting both the Old and the New Testaments; and I know, therefore, how to sympathize with those who are called Higher Critics. I know how to sympathize with those who feel that there is no real intelligence in the Bible.

But, dear friends, after having had this experience, by God’s grace I came back to the Bible itself and made an examination along its own lines, and today I am a believer in not merely the New Testament, but in the Old Testament also. I have the opinion that both Jews and Christians have to a large extent neglected the intelligent study of the Word of God and I would like not only to awaken all the Christians—men and women—to study the Bible, but I would also like to awaken all the Jewish people to a study of the Word of God, a study of your own Scriptures, which contain the most wonderful message. They explain all the affairs pertaining to your people. After making a thorough study of the prophecies I found the whole picture of the world there, and I thank God so often for these prophecies! They are not yet fulfilled. Certain portions of them have been fulfilled; and then there are other things that God has for the Jews and for the Gentiles.

To my understanding, God has two salvations—a special salvation, which is only for a mere handful—merely a saintly few, and as soon as the saintly few have been selected as the body of the Great Messiah he will fulfill all the glorious things the Jews have been hoping for, which you and I have been hoping for, and which the whole world has been hoping for. Do we not all see the need of a great Deliverer for the Jew; do we not see the need of a great deliverer for the whole world; do we not see that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together, waiting, waiting for your Messiah, my Messiah, for the Messiah God has promised, the Messiah of the whole world?  When we come to see what our God is doing, then there is a great sympathetic bond I believe between every intelligent Jew and every intelligent Christian. We have one God, the Father of all, and we have one hope in his glorious plan, and the glorious hope of this plan is all centered in the Messiah that has been promised to the Jews for these 3,500 years since the day of Abraham. God, foreknowing what he would do for the blessing of the world, declared in advance to Abraham that through his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. He intimates that there would be two kinds of Abraham’s seed— he would have a heavenly and he would have an earthly seed. Remember how in the Scriptures he said, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven and also as the sands of the seashore. These two seeds eventually shall bless the world. As soon as the heavenly seed shall be completed—and we believe that that time is near at hand now—then the blessing of God will begin to come to his earthly seed. And what do we see, my dear friends? Do you see the condition in which we are as a race? Do you see the sickness and weakness of the world of mankind today? Do you realize that sin is the very cause of all this, and do you know that God has declared, as I have read in your hearing, that the time is coming when he will blot out all those things which are the results of sin? You and I, and all mankind, are suffering from these things and they will all pass away. Does this not mean that in due time the wilderness shall blossom as the rose, the solitary place shall be glad for them, the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth as the waters cover the great deep and none will need say to his neighbor, Know the Lord? We have not had that time yet! It is still in the future. That is the glorious promise of God which Israel is looking forward to if they are looking in the right direction; Christians are also looking forward to this, and all nations look forward to it.

As I have read, not only is the blessing to come to Israel but also to the Gentiles. That is my understanding, dear friends, of what the Bible teaches. Let us look for the great antitypical Moses, this great antitypical David, this great antitypical Melchizedek; this great one that is mentioned by Daniel, the prophet, when he said: Then shall Michael (the archangel) stand up (assume control) and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. God is making a record of those who are true Jews;  he has a book; he has an account, and you and I realize that. We know we are not living here in vain. You and I believe that the Great One who created us has something more in store for us than the brute beast. What is that glorious thing that he has provided?

Our Scripture tells us that under this new regime which shall be inaugurated when Michael shall take control, Israel will be the first to be blessed, as God said in the Scriptures which I have read in your hearing. It shall come to pass as the Lord God has said. After those days I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant I made with them when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, but a new covenant, like the former, but more glorious. As the first covenant had a mediator so this new covenant will have a mediator, a better mediator. As Moses led the people on the right way, so also will the antitype of Abraham, Isaac, and Moses, the greater one than Moses, do. There cometh a greater one than Moses. Now this one will be the one through whom all the promises of God will come to Israel, and through Israel to all men.

To my understanding, dear friends, the Scriptures are very clear in their statement that this New Covenant will be for Israel only and that all the nations of the world, if they desire to receive the blessings of that covenant, must come into Israel, so that during the reign of Messiah, which will be for 1,000 years, all nations will be pressing into it that they may become members of Israel, and so the nations will eventually come to be a part of Israel, as the Scriptures say—the seed of Abraham, like the sands of the seashore, filling the whole earth—and every one who will not become an Israelite, who will not come into harmony with God, with that divine law, with the New Covenant, will be cut off in the Second Death. The Scriptures say that at the end of Messiah’s reign every one will be perfect; all will be of the seed of Abraham, and his seed shall then be as the stars of heaven and as the sands of the seashore. But during his reign every one who will not hear that prophet will be destroyed from among the people.

Then, you inquire, why is it that God has so long delayed? Well, my dear brother, whether I can make the matter clear to you or not, it is a fact we all recognize, that he has delayed. And during  this delay of now more than 3,500 years from the time that  promise was made to Abraham, from the time God took his oath, bound himself to the blessing of all the families of the earth, and bound himself that the blessing should come through Abraham’s seed,–from that day to this, in all 3,500 years, your faith as a people has not failed. And in my estimation it is one of the most miraculous things in the world today to see the faith of Israel as a people. I esteem it, my dear friends, to be a miracle itself. No other country has ever done anything like this. No other nation is the seed of Abraham, as God has revealed this matter.

God gave an illustration of the delay, you remember. The covenant made to Abraham was made a long, long time before Isaac was born, and so God’s promises to Israel, natural Israel the seed of Abraham, have been long deferred, and to our understanding in a certain way that we may not have time to fully discuss this afternoon. Our thought is that now God’s time has come, as we read in Psalm 102: “To favor Zion,  for the appointed time is coming.” Do you believe that he did found your nation, and that he had a purpose in respect to that founding? Do you believe the promises? Do you believe that the Lord’s promises will yet be fulfilled? Do you believe that he is able to do so? My dear friends, I am afraid that some of the Jews are getting weak in their faith respecting the promises of God. God’s purposes ripen slowly, but if the Scriptures are true, and we have a right understanding, Messiah will very shortly be manifested in power and great glory, not visible to men, but as a spirit being, invisible to men, as Daniel described, you remember: Who as God—one like unto God, with power. Yes, my dear friends, with power; with power through Israel to fulfill all the glorious promises God made to Abraham and confirmed to Isaac and to Jacob.

Let me give you an idea of one way in which I think of this matter. I refresh your minds respecting the history of Israel; how after God dealt with your people through judges, he gave them kings, and the name of the last king you remember was Zedekiah. Upon Zedekiah God pronounced a great sentence, which has since gone into effect. Let me remind you of the words of the Prophet addressing Zedekiah, the last king of the Jews. I understand about Maccabeus, king of the Maccabees, but the Maccabees were not Jews. God has promised his blessing to Israel and Judah. Now I will quote you the words of the Prophet Ezekiel, 21:25:

“And thou profane and wicked prince, whose time has come that iniquity shall have an end. Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” Who is this one that is coming? Who is this one that is to take the throne of David? Who is this one that is to be the successor to Zedekiah? Did God not promise to David “the sure mercies of David,” that of the fruit of his loins he would raise up this one? This was not fulfilled at that time. It must belong to some future time because the sure mercies of David were pointed to after that time and they have not yet been fulfilled. That great Messiah is not a man, for no earthly being is able to accomplish for Israel, and through Israel for the world, the wonderful things which God has declared this Messiah shall accomplish. He is to bless all the families of the earth—not merely those living at that time, but also all those who have gone down into the sleep of death. That is the time of which Daniel speaks, that in this day many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall come forth; and some shall shine as stars in the firmament.

Now, my dear friends, a certain period of time from the time Zedekiah lost his crown is measured all the way down. What do we find for this measurement in the Word of God, in the Holy Scriptures? Through the Prophet, God has given a measure which reaches from Zedekiah, from the time his crown was taken away to the time that it would be restored. You remember how it was at the time Israel was discarded from divine favor as a nation—not the people but as a nation; the crown was taken away from them as a nation, was removed, to be no more until the Messiah, but still they would continue to be God’s people. This shows the difference between God’s people and God’s nation. But at the time the crown was removed from the brow of the king of Judah, a lease of power was given to the Gentiles.

Picture: Great Image of Gentile Power Daniel as seen by Nebuchadnezzar before the Stone struck obliterating it, followed God’s Kingdom.

I remind you that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the one who took Zedekiah prisoner. I remind you that he had a wonderful dream and Daniel the Prophet was there and interpreted the dream. I remind you what the dream was; that he saw a great image—head of gold, breast of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay mixed. I remind you that Daniel gave an inspired interpretation of that dream. Daniel said that Babylon was the first, or head of gold; that after Babylon would arise another kingdom, a universal kingdom; and then a third, and then a fourth. You remember who these are: First, Babylon; second, Medo-Persia; third, Greece; fourth, Rome. Rome came in fourth and was represented by the legs of iron—the strongest empire the world has ever known. Since the Roman empire departed as an empire, what do we have? Papal Rome. This was shown in the image by the feet of iron and clay mixed, the feet being part of iron and part of clay; the iron representing the Roman or civil power and the clay the religious influences or addition to the Roman civil power. So these ten toes seem to indicate also the kings of Europe of the present time, for they have been the successors and their empires are more or less of religious and civil power combined; as for instance, the kingdom of England is not merely a civil but also a religious monarchy, and so with the other monarchies in Europe. They have the religious feature represented in the clay and the civil power represented in the iron. This is a picture of the whole world and all the empires of earth to whom God gave a lease of power more than 2,000 years ago.

We see how this has been fulfilled. What will follow this? Is this great image to stand forever? No! Was Babylon to last forever?

No, it was cast away and was succeeded by Medo-Persia. Did it last forever? No, it was followed by Greece. Greece was followed by the Roman empire. Did it last forever? No, it merged into Papal Rome. What about all this? What was the end of this prophecy of Daniel? The king beheld in his vision and a stone was cut out from the mountain without hands and smote the image—Where? In Nebuchadnezzar’s days, the head? No. In the Medo-Persia days? No. Where? In the feet; smote the image in the feet at the end of the Gentile times. If you and I see it that way then we must see that we are now somewhere at the time of the feet and we should expect that the time for the smiting of the image in the feet by the stone would be near.

You remember the result; that the stone which smote the image in the feet accomplished the complete destruction of the Gentile empire. The great image went to pieces and the wind carried it away; there was no place found for it. And the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. And Daniel’s interpretation of that stone is that it represented the Kingdom of God. He is pointing out how the dominion was taken away from Zedekiah and given to Nebuchadnezzar, and to all of his successors, and that the kingdom power would revert to Israel.

Messiah, the head of Israel, will become the great stone that will eventually be the kingdom which will fill the whole earth, and bless the whole world. Is that a plain picture? I hold that it is. Is it a far-fetched interpretation? I hold that it is not. I hold that there is no other interpretation possible; we must either believe that or give up the whole matter. If we see that the first part has been fulfilled in the past, does it not confirm Daniel’s prophecy to you and to me, and to as many as have ears to hear, that the latter part is just as sure of fulfilment as the first part?

Another part of this prophecy shows us that there were seven times determined upon this great people. What is a time? A time is a year. Seven times, seven years. Not literal years. More than literal years. There is a symbolical year used in prophecy which is reckoned on the basis of a lunar year; twelve months of thirty days each, or 360 days—each day representing a year. One symbolical year, therefore, would represent 360 years. How many would be represented in seven times? I answer seven times 360 years would be 2,520 years. And if we measure those 2,520 years from the time that God took away the diadem from Zedekiah and gave a lease of power to the Gentiles, what do we find? We find the 2,520 years will soon expire. And what would that mean? That would mean the time to restore Zion has come, and that, my dear friends, is part of my message to the Jews.  You have suffered persecution for centuries; God has surely promised you a blessing, and the time of fulfilment is near, and the blessing that will come upon you is so much greater than you have ever dreamed of that we are astonished to see the grace of our God and the wonderful lengths and breadths of his mighty plan.

The reason that you and I have been inclined to go after infidelity and to reject the Bible is that we never saw the plan of God as there outlined; never appreciated its wonderful promises, never appreciated the fact that God will bless every member of our race. “In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” and that includes the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of his power, and the knowledge of his guidance, and the knowledge of the blessing that will come through the great Mediator of the New Covenant.

Well, how would we measure this period of time? You might say you would count it a few years sooner, etc., but I will tell you how I measure it. I find that the year of Zedekiah is the year 606 which we call in our common reckoning B.C. I forget how it is spoken of by the Jews, or the word that they use. 606 years B.C. and 1914 years A.D. will make what? 2,520 years. What do you see? You see forces at work today that the world has never before seen; every intelligent man sees something wonderful that he does not understand. We hold that the only proper conception of the things that are happening in your day and mine are seen only from the divine standpoint. From God’s Word we can know something of what the commotion of our day signifies. Can any deny that we have commotion in our day?  That we have wonderful things in our day? That ours is a most wonderful day, for electricity, steam and all the wonderful inventions that come along these lines? How should we understand these things?

Some tell us these are all a result of our having large heads; that we are brainier than any people who have ever lived on the earth. Is this true? As far as you are concerned, and I know as far as I am concerned, you and I recognize great characters of the past that were greater than any of our day. Is it not true that Moses has not today his equal in the world as a law-giver? Is it not true that David could touch more hearts than any other poet in the world? Surely! Shall we say, then, dear friends, that all this great blessing of our day is merely the result of ours being a “brain age” and that we are so brainy today?

Let us take the Scriptures for it, let us take the words of the prophet for it, that this is the “day of preparation.” Preparation of whom? Messiah.  That is what we have been praying for, for Messiah and for the great kingdom of God; for the blessing that God has declared shall come through the seed of Abraham to all the families of the earth. Do you not see that these are the beginning of the blessing? My understanding from the Bible is that the blessings which you and I are enjoying today, the most wonderful blessings the world has ever known, are only the beginnings of God’s blessings. I thank God that the great blessing is thus coming to all people and tongues. I thank God we have this hope of Messiah.

As an illustration, the one who has been instrumental in bringing forward many wonderful things from electricity, Mr. Edison, says himself that he has no great intelligence on the subject of electricity or any other subject; he himself tells that he merely stumbled into these things. The simple interpretation is that God’s time has come for the lifting of the veil of ignorance that has been in the world, and therefore the blessing of the Lord is coming out here and there. I remind you of your Jubilee system, inaugurated by Moses; how it pointed forward to a great time of blessing. You remember under the jubilee arrangement that on the fiftieth year every one should again receive what had been lost; everything should go back in accordance with the original arrangement. What did that mean? I agree with you that it was a very good law; I agree with you that it was a very simple law put into operation on a very similar scale to our present bankruptcy law; it was typical of something in the future, typical of a great rest day.

Do you not as Jews hold to the promise of the great period of Messiah’s Kingdom when the great Sabbath of rest and peace will come to all the world? I understand that you do. I certainly do. Now this great Sabbath year, this great Jubilee, is another picture of the great day to come, Messiah’s reign, his Kingdom, the restitution spoken of, with every man restored to his former estate—that which was lost. Do you know that our Scriptures, your holy Scriptures, read that God created man not in an imperfect condition but in his own image, in his own likeness, perfect morally, perfect in mentality? Do you agree with me that the Scriptures, your Scriptures, show that so perfect, so absolutely perfect was Adam that even when the sentence of death came upon him he did not crumble into dust in a few years, but for 930 years he was going down into death? As we mark the history of the world coming down to us we find that the average of human life is only about 35 years. In our day we have come down to the very limit almost, and I have noticed within a week the statements of some, an English physician of prominence, and an American physician of prominence, and they both reached about the same conclusion, that at the present rate of the mental decline of the human family, 268 years more would make everybody insane. The world is becoming insane so rapidly that these gentlemen figured out that we would all be insane in 268 years. What does this mean? A great fall of our race, in the strength of mind, in the strength of body, which perhaps some of you have discovered already. Many of my friends have told me that they had a nervous breakdown. That means that none of us is equal to the strain.

Now, my dear friends, if you have the Bible standpoint that God created our first parents in his own image and likeness, and that sin came upon them, and that mentally, morally and physically we have fallen—if we have this before our minds, and then the great Jubilee, we see that man will be restored to his former estate—to all that he lost. That would be restitution according to the Bible. Now I hold, that, we either stand for God and the Bible or we stand against it. I stand for the Bible, and the Bible stands for Israel, and therefore I stand for Israel; and the Bible tells of restitution; of Divine favor, and therefore I proclaim it. I am glad, therefore, of having this opportunity of addressing so many of the Jewish people here and of pointing them to their own Scriptures as teaching these things, telling of the good things God has in reservation for you.

What, in view of this, is the lesson of the hour? It is this, my dear friends: That we should seek justice, and not merely seek the land of Palestine. I may say here that it is not at all my conception of the Bible teaching that the eight millions of Jews in the world are going to Palestine, even though it has been estimated that, under most favorable conditions, the land could support more than twice that many. It is my thought that some of your most earnest and saintly people will go to Palestine quickly, and that the rejuvenation there will be astonishing to the world. We have no thought whatever that it is God’s plan respecting the Jews that all Jews will return to Palestine, but the time has come when it is the duty of every Jew who is not going to Palestine personally, to give his sympathy, to do all in his power to help every Jew that does desire to go there, and should be specially desirous of assisting financially those of the Jews who are now suffering in Russia, helping them back to Palestine, and establishing there great enterprises. (Applause.) [NOTE: Look what great enterprises are there today - the Intel chip, etc. - Ed.]

In regard to your Zionistic ideas, I believe the due time, the set time, as our text says, to remember Zion has come; therefore God raised up for you a certain great leader, Dr. Herzl. Through his efforts the attention of the whole world has been attracted to Palestine, and to the Jews, and the original covenant. This I understand was a political move—not religious in any sense of the word—for the benefit of the Jews living in places where they suffered persecutions. It was also with a certain justifiable national pride that Israel might have a home like other people, and national distinction, and this would give them a share and a proper recognition by the world of the right of a government, and the right to share with others, as members, in the blessings belonging to the human family; that was the original proposition, and it has done a great deal. It is not necessary for me to tell you that the Zionist movement has reached practically its limit, that you have gone nearly as far along that line as you can go. What then? Should you feel discouraged? I say that this is NOT the time for discouragement. This is the very time for encouragement! (Applause.)

We have come to the very time, dear friends, when that realization is to come in, when the promises given in the Word of God to your race are about to take hold upon you as a people and fire your hearts as never before. They say, as some have said to me, Pastor Russell, those who are interested in the Zionist movement are only the poor. The rich of our people do not seem to be interested in it at all. I know nothing of that matter, dear friends, but I have this to say. If my understanding of the matter is right, the voice of Moses is going to the rich, the leaders of the Jewish people; the very foundation of your national character is laid in your religion. And whatever touches your religion, and your religious sentiments, and your faith in God, and your faith in the promises made to Abraham, that is going to stir you as a nation as nothing else has ever stirred you.

I believe that we have come to the time, the set time, in which God will restore Zion, and that this fulfilment of Isaiah 40:1,2 is true: “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, Cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord double for all her sins”—a second portion for all her sins, and a blessing must immediately follow. We are in that very time, dear friends, to my understanding. How largely this will move the hearts of all, and that quickly! If I rightly understand your prophecies—God’s prophecies which you recognize—they indicate that Jacob’s trouble is not over yet, that this trouble will still be with you, and that you will have more persecution and not merely in Russia, not merely in Romania; I do not know, my dear friends, whether it will extend to this country or not; but doubtless it will be done also in the name of Christ—and I am sorry for that fact. It is sad indeed to be obliged to admit that these tribulations will probably come to you from professed Christians.** How ashamed I feel of those who thus dishonor the name and the teachings of my Master, I cannot find words to express!

[**NOTE: This had happened in Christian Catholic Hitler’s Germany in 1939-1945 where Jews were slaughtered, shot, gassed and put in ovens during the Holocaust. And a Satan inspired wave of  persecution of Jews will once more come upon the Jew from all the gathered nations of the earth against Jerusalem (Ezek. 38 and 39; Zech. 14) – but they shall be delivered in the time of  “Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30)– “every on that shall be written in the book.”(Dan. 12; Isa. 4) – Ed. 2009]

They are deluded. They have misunderstood the Teacher whom they profess to follow. Their thought is that God will torment eternally all who do not profess the name of Christ. Controlled by delusion, they are serving the great Adversary and dishonoring Jesus. At the same time God has in these trying experiences of your people a purpose—to develop your people, and to test your faith, and to keep you together as a people and make you a homogenous people. But as the trials and difficulties of the patriarch Joseph were God’s providences to lead him on to influence and power and honor, so will all these experiences and persecutions work blessings for your race and tend to drive them out of their present satisfaction and make them long for home— for Palestine.

[NOTE: Today for the Jew (- name taken from Judah the more faithful tribe), Palestine is no more the name of their land. It is now called by its ancient given name, ISRAEL – Ed. 2009].

These experiences, in connection with the voice of the prophets, which will henceforth more and more ring in your ears, will be the providences of God to accomplish for you more along the lines of Zionism than personal pride and national patriotism. There is no other race that shows such persistency as the Jewish people, and this is all centered upon the religious sentiment, faith in the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, faith in the promises of God that in the seed of Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed; and as those persecutions come and as the great time of trouble shall come upon all the world—never mind whether it be in 1916 or not; any way that you can interpret that prophecy, no matter which way you do it, you cannot land very far from 1915 to 1916–God’s promise will be fulfilled…

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[NOTE: Insofar as Gentile dominion over Israel is concerned – exactly on time, 1914-1915, it was the beginning of national recognition resulting in Israel’s restoration in 1948 as a nation among nations – Jerusalem (which is representative of the nation as a whole even though the New City of Jerusalem was not captured until 1951 and the Old City of Jerusalem until 1967) was no longer trodden down of the Gentiles. The City of Jerusalem will be temporarily taken (Zech. 14; Ezek 38, 39) but there will be failure to rout God’s Chosen People from the land and the Nation because God will fight for them as He did in the day of Battle. That Jerusalem represents the nation of  Israel is indicated by Jesus’ declaration “Jerusalem…Your house is left unto you desolate. (Matt. 23:37, 38)  They will succeed in taking the city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14); but they will not succeed! in destroying the (holy) people or the nation! Amos 9:14 “And I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them…15. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall NO MORE be pulled up OUT OF THEIR LAND which I HAVE GIVEN them, saith the LORD your God.”

Picture: Peta Tikva Established 1878 (1912 picture  above)  and Modern Israeli city of Peta Tikva, today in 2010 from Wikipedia.

When did the planting and gathering begin? The planting of Israel began in 1878 (exactly on time, Isaiah 40:1,2, at the exact end of Israel’s 1845 years of disfavor and the beginning of restored favor – “the time to favor Zion…the set time is come.” - Psalm 102:13) in Petah Tikva, Israel, the “door of hope” (Hosea 2:17) (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petah_Tikva), and later expanded in 1914-15 in requesting a Jewish homeland resulting in 1948 with the enduring nation of Israel compassed about with many conflicts from multitudinous Arab and Muslim neighbors. This will continue through defeat of the enemy called “all nations” – Muslim or Christian - who will attempt to destroy (or pluck up) Israel but fail to succeed in “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jer. 30) –Ed. 2009]

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…In every direction in the world today, my dear friends, we see signs of great trouble, not only financial, but also capital and labor storms, and the people and the governments and the religious systems of the world will all be in conflict according to the Scriptures.

I remind you of Daniel 12:1, which marks our day, declaring: “At that time shall Michael (the antitype of Michael, one like as God) stand up, the great Prince (Messiah.)” Then what? “And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,” no, nor ever will be again. “At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” My dear friends, when that time of trouble comes over Christendom, over the civilized world, a great many of the wealthy Hebrews will want a place of safety and I think that place will be Palestine.

[NOTE: And so today, it is no longer called Palestine by the name of Israel’s hated enemy (the Philistine) the name given by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian in 135, the year of conquest and scattering among the nations of the world ending their national structure. Statehood finally restored on May 14, 1948

(Below picture taken Independence Day: The Knesset is located in Jerusalem, Israel where laws governing Israel are made. Wikipedia, Encyclopedia)

after the series of events beginning at the end of 1914-1915 ; but the conflict continues up to the present and will continue until Jacob’s (Israel’s) final conflict or trouble (Jeremiah 30) - Ed., 2009]

The Bible clearly indicates to my mind that many wealthy Jews will go back to Palestine. The Scriptures clearly show that the end of Jacob’s trouble will take place right in Jerusalem; the persecution from the civilized world will drive them there and that finally the time of Jacob’s trouble [Jeremiah 30:7] will come; then, as the Lord declares, in the midst of that trouble he will reveal himself, not as a man, but manifest his Divine power, as the prophet declares: “The Lord will go forth and fight for you as he fought for you in the day of battle,” pointing back to the time when God fought for the Jewish people. In that day he will fight for Israel as in the day of battle. [Zechariah 14:2,3]

Then there will be a manifestation of his kingly power, and then the blessing will begin, and at that time also will appear, according to the Scriptures, your ancient Worthies, your saintly ones, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David—all the holy Prophets. These will not appear as imperfect men when they come because they have demonstrated their worthiness and faith in God, but will appear as perfect men, and of these it is written, you will remember, by one of the prophets: “Instead of thy fathers they shall be thy children,” and Messiah shall be made prince over all the earth; all the people of the world will be under this government; it will be a kingly government, my dear friends.

Picture: From Russell’s Photo drama CREATION (1914)   Picture: God’s Kingdom  A New Heavens and Earth – “The God of Heaven will set up a kingdom.” Daniel 2.

You remember the great King of Israel will be the Messiah on the heavenly plane, invisible to man, the Prince of Light as supplanting Satan, the Prince of Darkness, and this great one will have the earthly government; your ancient Worthies, your saintly ones, will be princes in all the earth, perfect as men, and under the direction and guidance of the heavenly Messiah they shall be rulers amongst men, as the Scriptures declare: “I will restore thy judges and counsellors as at the first.” [Isaiah 1:26] You remember he gave them a counsellor, a lawgiver in Moses and not a king, and so this represents a kind of a republic, if you please—not a real republic, but a theocracy. God will be the great one, Messiah will be his great representative to bring righteousness and peace and blessing to all the earth, and lift up mankind from the degradation and weakness and imperfection of sin, and Messiah will operate through these saintly ones of the past, to bless not only Israel, but through Israel to bless all mankind, all the families of the earth.

Picture, October, 1968 – 20th Anniversary of Israel : Prayer at 2nd Temple Wailing Wall, Jerusalem (see Psalm 83)

I thank God, my dear friends, for such a glorious hope, and I suggest to you all that you should come to the point where you will be seeking the Lord, for he says: “I will pour upon them the spirit of prayer and of supplication.” I would that all Jews were in the attitude of prayer and supplication toward God and looking for the fulfillment of all the prophecies which God has written for our admonition and encouragement. Your desires should be more and more for God and righteousness and you should be seeking to do those things pleasing to him, and to cultivate those elements of character without which no one could secure a place in the great institution that is to bless the world.

Dear friends, God will not receive a man merely because he is a Jew. There must be something in you, something specially in harmony with the divine character, or he will not use you. I think one thing God will be specially pleased with in respect to Israel is faith, faith in God, faith in his promises, and I do tell you that I love and appreciate the faith that has been manifested by Israel for these 3,500 years, and I believe Almighty God is very much pleased with that faith. We see, according to the Scriptures, that this was the very quality in Abraham which made him specially pleasing to God, and he was called a friend of God, and so then the Jews who would be in harmony with God must be men of faith and not faith without action, but faith and action, and your action will be in accord with your faith in the glorious promises which God has made in the Bible.

It has been suggested, and I think it a very good plan, my dear friends, that we close this service by the singing of a hymn which I understand you are well acquainted with. ■

Our Hope

So long the ancient fires blaze
In ev’ry staunch Jewish soul,
And Eastward we longing gaze
Toward Zion, beloved goal–

Not lost is our hope of old,
Graven in our hearts so deep,
To return to that land foretold,
Where our loved sires sleep.

While yet our eyes with quenchless tears
Yearn for our one-time land,
And by graves of sleeping seers
Our hosts resolve to stand–

Not lost is our hope of old, etc.
Thrills yet every brave Jewish heart
With love of flag and land,
Hope from us shall ne’er depart

Of our return–a triumphant band—
Not lost is our hope of old, etc.

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Anointings and Slayings of Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha

Plus Micaiah, Hazael, and Jehu as Types

This subject is complicated, and one reason is that there are two Jehoshaphats, two Jehorams, and two Ahaziahs. One Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, and the other Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehu. There was a King Jehoram and a King Ahaziah in b

oth Israel and Judah. The duplication may have been providential to purposely confuse the picture until the due time for understanding the antitype. Very few readers would take the time to carefully examine the account to see which individual was being referred to with each mention. Thus the type would not be seen clearly, let alone the antitype.

Another problem is the sequence of the anointings. In 1 Kings 19:15,16, the order is stated as follows. “And the LORD said unto him [Elijah], Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, [1] anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And [2] Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and [3] Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.” Thus the anointing sequence in the type was Hazael to be king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel, and Elisha to be prophet in Elijah’s stead.

Elijah was told to do the anointings when he got to Damascus. However, on the way to that destination, he encountered Elisha, and he never directly anointed either Hazael or Jehu because he was translated before he got to Damascus (1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:11). Not until 2 Kings 8:7-15 was Hazael anointed, and Jehu was anointed in 2 Kings 9:1-10. Nevertheless, after Jehu was anointed by a son of the prophets and some of the subsequent bloodbath had taken place, including the death of Jezebel, he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel” (2 Kings 9:36,37). In other words, even though Elijah was off the scene, Jehu accredited him with the prophecy regarding Jezebel.

Thus Elijah was instructed to do three anointings, but from the natural standpoint, he did only one anointing, namely, Elisha. That anointing occurred when Elijah was being translated, and his cloak, or mantle of authority, fell to the ground. Elisha picked up the mantle and became the prophet in Elijah’s stead (2 Kings 2:13). With the custodianship of that mantle of authority came the spirit, or power, that had previously operated through Elijah during his earthly ministry. Why was the account worded so that the anointing of Elisha seemed to be out of sequence in the natural picture? The wording made the subject more difficult to understand, for it locked the interpretation until the due time for revealment. When a subject is orderly and distinct, it can be retained with one or two readings, but that is not the case with the anointings. From the natural standpoint, therefore, Elijah could be accredited with the anointings, even though he had been translated. However, there is a double application here: (1) the natural application pertains to what Elijah did and did not perform but was accredited with, and (2) the spiritual application is on a higher plane.

The spiritual application can be harmonized sequentially in 1 Kings 19:15,16. For instance, the first two anointings were to be Hazael as king over Syria and Jehu as king over Israel, which occurred after Elijah’s translation. If we think of the risen Elijah as doing the three anointings, the sequence fits, for Elijah represents the Church. According to Jesus’ words at his First Advent, Elijah represents the Church in both the flesh and the spirit: “Elias truly shall come, and restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). (The word “first” in the King James Version is spurious.) The Elijah of the Gospel Age (the Church in the flesh) has preached, but the world has not received the proclamation, as recorded in Malachi 4:5,6, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Because the world has not been converted during the Gospel Age when Elijah in the flesh was here, God will smite the earth with a “curse.” Therefore, when Jesus said, “Elias truly shall … restore all things,” he was speaking of the resurrected Elijah.

In the natural application, Elijah did not think of this higher picture. He thought of Damascus and the earthly application and proceeded on that basis. But from the standpoint of the risen Elijah in the spiritual application, he could anoint Hazael to be king of Syria through Elisha. Knowing that Elijah had been given this commandment, Elisha obediently went about to finish the anointing work.

As discussed earlier, Elisha is a double type, representing either the Great Company or the Ancient Worthies depending on the nature of the work. The anointings of Hazael and Jehu will take place in the Gospel Age, but after the translation of Elijah. The risen Elijah will empower, instruct, or lead Elisha to anoint Hazael. For instance, Jesus as the risen Lord will smite the nations when he is King over the world. From earth’s atmosphere, he will be the power behind the performance of the work, and he will initiate the judgments of the Kingdom Age by using instruments below him. Similarly, the risen Elijah class, the glorified Church, will anoint Hazael and Jehu without being down here in the flesh; the anointings will be done during an inbetween period before the inauguration of the Kingdom. After Elijah’s translation and glorification, the sequential consummation at the very end of the age will be the deliverance of the Great Company, the deliverance of the Holy Remnant (natural Israel) out of Jacob’s Trouble, and the deliverance of mankind from the Time of Trouble.

Thus, with Elisha being a double type, the sequence of the anointings in the antitype is correct. The risen Elijah, the glorified Church, will anoint Hazael and Jehu at the end of the Gospel Age through Elisha, who represents the Great Company. The risen Elijah, the glorified Church, will do the third anointing in the Kingdom Age; namely, they will anoint Elisha, who represents the Ancient Worthies, to be prophet in their stead.

Notice that 1 Kings 19:15-17 has two categories: (1) Elijah was instructed to do three anointings, and (2) the effect of the anointings will be three slayings. Stated another way, the anointings will result in the slaying of a class. “And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.” Those who escape the sword of Hazael will be slain by Jehu, and those who escape the sword of Jehu will be slain by Elisha. To understand the antitype, we have to keep the anointings separate from the slayings (the effect of the anointings).

Now we will consider definitions. In the final account, there will be a battle in which the king of Israel enjoins the king of Judah to associate with him in fighting a common enemy, Syria, which occupied a territory called Ramoth-gilead on the east side of the Jordan River. Early in Israel’s history, when Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, Ramoth-gilead was deeded to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. These 2 1/2 tribes wanted to settle there rather than in Israel proper, and the Lord agreed to that arrangement if the men of those tribes would continue in the battle to rid Israel of its enemies. Then they could return across Jordan and settle in Ramoth-gilead.

But as history developed, there were changes in the occupancy of Ramoth-gilead. In the setting presently being considered, Syria was the occupant. Therefore, the king of Israel reasoned with the king of Judah, “The land of Ramoth-gilead belongs to us.” (More particularly, it had belonged to the northern kingdom.) In any event, the king of Judah, in a patriotic gesture, agreed to join the king of Israel in the confrontation. Thus they entered Ramoth-gilead together, and in the ensuing war, the king of Israel was wounded and returned to Jezreel, his homeland, to recover. Later Jehu raced to Jezreel and killed King Jehoram of Israel. Then Jehu himself occupied the throne of Israel.

The Micaiah picture of 1 Kings 22, which took place in the previous generation, also pertained to a battle for Ramoth-gilead. King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah likewise felt that Ramoth-gilead was theirs, and they intended to recover that land from the king of Syria and restore it to the commonwealth of Israel. Through the instigation of King Jehoshaphat, Micaiah the prophet was called in. All the other 400 prophets of Israel had already testified that the two kings should enter the battle and that they would prosper. Micaiah was the lone dissenter, for his sarcastic manner and/or the inflection of his voice showed that he was not giving his blessing on their going to war to regain Ramoth-gilead. He used the illustration of Jehovah’s being in heaven and inquiring of angels to see who could deceive the kings of Israel and Judah into entering this confrontation. This method of storytelling was often used, especially in the East. For instance, Jesus gave parables on many occasions, some of which were partially real-life stories, and others were fiction but taught a real lesson, spiritually speaking. There are both similarities and dissimilarities in the Micaiah picture with kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat and this later battle with kings Jehoram and Ahaziah, as follows.

Similarities

1. The king of Judah agreed to join forces with the king of Israel to fight a battle to recover Ramoth-gilead from the king of Syria.

2. The king of Israel was slain with a bow and arrow.

These similarities seemed to indicate that the Micaiah picture and the Ramoth-gilead battle with Jehoram and Ahaziah were the same event, the latter just being more detailed. But now we are beginning to think that the time settings are different.

Dissimilarities

1. In the Micaiah picture, Ahab died in Ramoth-gilead, not in Israel. In the later picture, Jehoram was wounded in Ramoth-gilead, but he returned to Israel, where he was subsequently slain by Jehu.

2. In the Micaiah picture, when Ahab and Jehoshaphat (the king of Judah) entered the battle in Ramoth-gilead, Jehoshaphat was not killed. Not only did he return home, but for the greater part, his deeds were looked upon favorably by the Lord. However, in the later picture, King Ahaziah of Judah died, and he was viewed as an evil king by the Lord. Thus in the final picture at the end of the age, both the king of “Israel” and the king of “Judah” will die.

Several points are of interest here. What threw us off at first is that the similarities between the two pictures are very marked. In the type with Ahab and Jehoshaphat, Micaiah was called to come and give counsel and advice with regard to the battle at Ramoth-gilead. He predicted an unfavorable outcome for the king of Israel, whereas the false prophets testified that he would be victorious. Micaiah gave an allegory about an angel who came before the throne of God in heaven and offered to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the false prophets. Immediately we think of the froglike lying spirits that will come out of the mouths of the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet to deceive the nations and bring them to the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13,14,16). This similarity seemed to confirm that the Micaiah picture and the war at Ramothgilead with Jehoram and Ahaziah are the same. But that is not the case.

We will not pursue the natural, historical standpoint because the picture is very complicated. However, we will try to give a clue from the scriptural standpoint.

Elijah’s experience included the 1,260 days (representing 1,260 years from AD 539 to 1799) of famine followed by a contest at Mount Carmel to reveal the true God, the principle being, “The God that answereth by fire, let him be God” (1 Kings 18:24). For most of the day, the prophets of Baal moaned and groaned and prayed and slashed themselves, trying to implore Baal to consume their sacrifice on the altar. In contrast, after Elijah gave a relatively short and simple prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed his offering. There the contest was between Elijah (one prophet) and the 450 prophets of Baal. In the Micaiah picture, the odds were similar: about 400 false prophets and Micaiah (one prophet). Therefore, the Micaiah type seems to fit the French Revolution time setting, which involved lying spirits.

Two definitions are important. The Pastor ingeniously suggested that the king of Israel represented Catholicism because the northern kingdom, with ten tribes, was more numerous than Judah, which had only two tribes. Thus in some pictures, the king of Israel pictures Papacy, and the king of Judah represents Protestantism.

As a result of the French Revolution, Catholicism received a deadly blow. To the contrary, the Bible societies were all of Protestant origin. Catholics tried to get on the bandwagon when they saw the direction of the wind, but Papacy’s wound and humiliation at the hands of Napoleon were so severe that even the papal states were lost 70 years later. Thus, as a result of the wound inflicted at the French Revolution, the beast died during the Victor Emmanuel dynasty.

Later, however, the beast revived. Hence Papacy will die twice, and the second death will be permanent. In other words, the beast arose from the first death—it came out of, or was resurrected from, the bottomless pit—but it will not arise from the second death (Rev. 17:8). In its eighth and final condition, the beast will go into perdition, or everlasting destruction (Rev. 17:10,11). The two deaths of Papacy correspond to the deaths of two kings of Israel. And there is another point. Before the Micaiah picture—in the preceding chapter, 1 Kings 21)— is the account of Naboth’s vineyard. Queen Jezebel manipulated events to illegally get possession of Naboth’s vineyard for King Ahab. To do this, she arranged Naboth’s death by writing a letter in the king’s name. This forged document was sent out, inviting elders and nobles to proclaim a fast to honor Naboth. Meanwhile, two false witnesses were set up. As a result, Naboth was slain, and his vineyard was taken by Ahab.

Jezebel, who lived quite a long time, is pictured in the Book of Revelation as a type (Rev. 2:20).

Inferentially, King Ahab, her husband, represents civil power, which cooperated with Catholicism to get possession of the true vineyard. Catholicism’s usurpation of this vineyard is shown in Daniel 7:8, “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” This little horn, which grew out of the Roman beast and waxed great, crushed and despoiled God’s saints for 1,260 years. Accordingly, the Roman Catholic Church took over Naboth’s vineyard. Catholicism has the name of Christianity, and in the Dark Ages, it was ostensibly the religion of Christ before the world with the pope being his representative. Those who were not identified with Catholicism were regarded as schismatics and heretics. Thus the Lord’s vineyard was occupied by the false element; the wheat field became a tare field (Matt. 13:26,27).

Now we will return to a discussion of Hazael. We had suggested that in 2 Kings 8 and 9, the king of Israel represents Papacy and particularly the primacy of its power as centered in Europe. Ahaziah, the king of Judah, symbolizes Protestantism, as first represented by the Church of England and Ireland. Subsequently the Church of England came to America, where it is called the Protestant Episcopal Church. In the final picture, therefore, England and the United States are related to Protestantism on one end of the spectrum, and Europe is related to Catholicism on the other end of the spectrum.

In the type, Hazael represents a nonreligious power that is not related in a nominal sense to the Lord. Syria was an alien power, whereas Israel and Judah were a common people, that is, Israel in the broad sense of the term. To show the opposing forces in a convenient illustration, Syria would represent a country like Russia.

We believe that the anointings of Hazael and Jehu are still future. This alien invading power will despoil, or destroy, the professions of nominal Christians in the Balkan states. The Balkan states, including Yugoslavia and other countries in Eastern Europe that were behind the Iron Curtain until recently, are a buffer zone between Europe proper and Russia. They are sandwiched in between the West and the East. Both Protestant and Catholic churches are in this buffer zone. The suggestion is that the professions of the nominal Christian element in this area will be destroyed before Russia invades Europe proper. In other words, a sequence is shown.

Therefore, as suggested in a past talk, what is being slain in this picture by these three elements—Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha—represents a pretended class of Christians (nominal professed Christians), which the Pastor likened to tares. The tares will be burnt; that is, they will be destroyed as tares but not necessarily as individuals (Matt. 13:30). With the radicalism of this destroying element, there will, of course, be some bloodshed, but the picture is primarily of the tares ceasing to call themselves Christians and discontinuing their former practices. This is one reason why both the anointing and the slaying of Hazael are mentioned first. Then Jehu will slay those who remain behind in the homeland, in Europe proper.

In the picture of Ramoth-gilead, which pertains to the Balkan states plus Eastern Europe, not only was King Jehoram wounded in the war, but also there were Israelite casualties. Hence Hazael did a slaying work. Those who escaped that slaying (tares in the antitype) will be dealt with by Jehu in Israel (Europe) proper. In the war for Ramoth-gilead, the king of Israel invaded what he felt belonged to him. Thus in the antitype, there will be an invasion from Europe proper into the Balkan states to recover (or deliver) what is felt to be a Christian heritage and world. For example, the pope thinks Russia should be Catholic because of the role the Russian Orthodox Church played in the past. Thus the feeling behind the invasion from Europe into the Balkan states will be, “This belongs to us, and it should be Christianized.”

Already we see that Russia is trying to suppress the liberties of Latvians, Lithuanians, etc., and there is a condition of flux. Therefore, if a radical element gets into power in Russia, the situation will be quite different. Remember that Hazael assassinated the king of Syria and occupied the throne in his stead, just as Jehu assassinated Jehoram, the king of Israel, and became king himself. Thus a change of power will take place in Russia, as pictured by Hazael of Syria, and there will also be a change of power in Europe, as pictured by Jehu of Israel. In certain pictures in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, Babylon represents an anti-Christian power, for example, Sheshach in Jeremiah 25:26. The Chaldeans, a fierce people and an alien power, are shown visiting judgments on Jerusalem (a representation of Christendom). The point is that, depending on context, Babylon sometimes pictures Christendom and sometimes the radical element. And in certain books of the Bible, the king of Syria takes the place of the radical king-of-Babylon element.

A lot of information is being presented, but the point is that Jehu’s change of heart took place when he was a captain of the forces of King Jehoram, who invaded Ramoth-gilead to try to liberate and restore the land to Israel. Jehu was anointed in that situation, so he came from Ramoth-gilead and replaced Jehoram. In the antitype, the Jehu element will come from the Balkans into Europe and displace the Papacy and Catholicism entirely. As we proceed in the verse-by-verse consideration of 2 Kings 9 and 10, we will see how amazingly complete the Jehu picture is.

We think all this information has been providentially hidden because of the multiplicity of detail, the confusion of the characters with duplicate names, and the repetition with Ramothgilead.

We believe that the suggested equation is reasonable from a scriptural standpoint.  Elisha was the last of the three to be anointed and do a slaying work. In the higher spiritualized picture of this whole drama, Elisha represents the Ancient Worthies in the Kingdom Age. As “princes” in all the earth, they will be teachers of mankind from a natural, or human, standpoint because the Church will be divine beings like Jesus (Psa. 45:16). The Law will go forth from Zion, the spiritual phase of the Kingdom, but the word of the Lord, the instruction,

will be down here, going forth from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3). Many nominal Christians are in the grave, having died all down the Gospel Age. When resurrected, they will still be nominal Christians with confused thinking. (As a tree falls, so shall it lie—Eccl. 11:3.) Therefore, when they come forth from the grave, they will need to be “slain” as far as their former beliefs are concerned. Elisha, the Ancient Worthies, will provide the necessary instruction. The final result is that there will be no more false, pseudo, or imitation Christians; no tares will be left at all.

The slaying work of Hazael in 2 Kings 8 will take place in the antitypical Ramoth-gilead, whereas the slaying work of Jehu in 2 Kings 9 and 10 will occur in Europe proper. The end of chapter 10 tells that later Hazael will go down and cause problems “in all the coasts of Israel,” so that Israel will be cut short, or shrunken. “In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel” (2 Kings 10:32). We believe this verse refers to Jacob’s Trouble, although details are not given.

The lying spirits of Revelation 16:13,14 apply to this picture, in which the Western world will invade the Eastern world to try to get the land of Ramoth-gilead. The invasion will eventually lead to the destruction of both. The fact that Hazael will do the first slaying suggests time. The despoliation of the Christian churches will begin in Eastern Europe and then go into Europe proper. Still later it will go into the United States. Hence the slaying will be progressive. Fi Br. rst, King Jehoram of Israel was slain in Jezreel by Jehu with a bow and arrow. King Ahaziah of Judah made a temporary escape but was slain by Jehu a little later in Megiddo in northern Israel. The details of the account show time progression with regard to the fall of mystic Babylon. The fall will be sudden in each area but progressive, starting in the east and going westward and then on into America. The same situation will occur in this country; that is, a radical element will take over.

Jehu replaced Jehoram as the king of Israel. Initially, the ten tribes, the ten horns, supported Jehoram in the battle in Ramoth-gilead. But when Jehu returned to Israel, he inherited the ten horns and despoiled both Jehoram (Papacy) and Jezebel (Catholicism), and then he continued the destruction right on down the line. Therefore, we believe that the more-detailed Jehu picture is the final one with regard to Christendom.

The suggestions we are making are quite comprehensive, and they appear reasonable to us.

However, we are not dogmatic about them. We believe the details will clarify as time goes on.

1990-1991 Study Br. Frank Shallieu

WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT HALLOWEEN?

A Day Not Approved And Soon Removed. A Druid Pagan Day Of Evil Spirits. Devoted to Celtic Pagan Goddess Pomona. Halloween Created By The Catholic Church. Encyclopedia Confirms Reason. Practice Continues. All Saints Day And Idolatry. Compromise. Luther Believed True Saints Yet in Tomb. Parochial Schools Used For Catholic Indoctrination And Conversion. Worship And Glorification of Satan. Halloween As Evil Day. Should Our Children or Adults Participate In Halloween? Halloween Will Not Be In God’s Kingdom. Turn Around And Change For God’s Kingdom To Come!

Pope Gregory the Great

The Druids Worshipping

Bobbing for Apples

The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until mod­ern times in Scotland and Wales, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween obser­vances. Traces of the Roman harvest festival (to the GODdess Ed.) survive in the custom, prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit. such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out pumpkins carved to resemble grotesque faces and lit by candles placed inside.

     “Halloween,” Encarta 98 Encylope­dia

The origin of this Pagan Holiday as mentioned had its roots with the Druids of ancient England and with the Celts in their Pagan worship in about the fifth or sixth century A.D. or earlier. At about this time, the Pagan holiday was introduced to Christianity through the Roman Catholic Church who made October 31st a Christian holiday called it “All Hallows Eve.” They named the following day, November 1st, “All Saints’ Day.” In the year 539 A.D. Papacy was set up in power backed by the military might of Emperor Justinian. The abomination of the Mass was established. Daniel 8. This became the marriage of church and state in its full­est sense — to “the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17, 18 The Pa Pa, Pope or “Fa­ther of Fathers” was there established as supreme head of all the Catholic churches — contrary to the command of Jesus, “Call no man Father.” Matthew 23:9 Today he is called “Our Father” implying “in Heaven.” Matthew 6:9; II Thessalonians 2:4 They started the worship of idols, “idolatry” in the worship of the “canonized” saints and the “virgin” Mary — “Mariolatry.” Exodus 20:4,5.

      Compromise. But, for our lesson, the important • part is compromise., The Catholic church which had to do with the bringing in of large number of Pa­gans, adopted many of their holidays and turned them into Christian holidays along with the practices of the past. Thus, they could not wait for God’s true kingdom and have established what is now called “Christendom” or “Christ’s Kingdom.” The clear teaching by Papacy, both then and now, is that “salvation comes only through the Holy Catholic church.” The Papal Teaching was that the resurrection had already taken place (Contrary to St Paul’s teaching 1Corinthians 15:52, etc.), and that you could both wor­ship and pray for those whom the Pope had canonized — such as the dead Jewess of the Holocaust. For this reason they set aside Halloween as a day to remember and worship them.

The Protestant Reformer and for­mer monk and Catholic Priest, Martin Luther, came under this great decep­tion. A good Catholic, at the time, he was almost struck by lightning and prayed to Catholic Patron “Saint” Anne for deliverance vowing to devote his life to monastic living in gratitude. He began a study of God’s Word and found out that the dead are, dead and not more alive than ever and that the resurrection was to take place when Christ would return at his second advent. He preached “soul sleep” — that mankind awaited the awakening from the sleep of death at the Second Advent. He rebelled against Tetzel of Germany who was selling for money indulgences authorized by the Pope to build the modern day St Peters Church in Rome. Tetzel taught that as soon as the money chinked at the bottom of the collection box, the soul of the departed would fly to heaven.

On the contrary, Luther believed that there were no created saints to pray to and that this was a false teach­ing unsupported in God’s word. That day was to make converts and to create demigods in the form of “saints” to worship in idols specifically forbidden in the law of God and a clear violation of the 10 commandments. Exodus 20:4,5. He made a public declaration of the fact of soul sleep, in the original “95 Theses nailed on the Catholic Church doors at Wittenberg, Germany on this very day, October 31, 1517, very likely because of his view regarding dead souls mentioned above. A record of this act may be found in Revelation 9:15 which even defines the hour. (For further information on this and regard­ing Papal rule, see the 735 page verse by verse book: The Keys of Revelation by Frank Shallieu. It can be obtained from us at cost. $28.) Modern day Lu­therans have denied soul sleep and have on their own removed and replaced it from the original thesis. Only the” truth shall make you free.”

This teaching of Satan’s original lie (Genesis 3:4) that the dead are not really dead but more alive than ever found sympathy with the pagan Druids of England who believed that the spirits of the dead were alive on Halloween. They con­sorted with witches and the evil spirits. Again, God, whose Law it was, con­demned witchcraft. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 The fires the Druids lit were to chase away those evil spirits which were there on that night according to their pagan wor­ship. Satan and the fallen angels or demons have taken great advantage of mankind causing them to worship him, ‘the Lord of the dead,” and honor him on Halloween, October 31st. “God is not a God of the dead, but of the liv­ing.” Matthew 12:32. We do no respect to God in promoting or supporting this day. We would thereby honor Satan, “the Wicked One.” He continues to deceive mankind with false religion, practices, ceremonies not only in Christianity but also in heathen worship such as Islam, Buddha, etc.

      As a result of this practice of Hal­loween by the Catholic church so early in its history, we still celebrate this holiday today — not noted for “All Hal­lows (“Saints” ) Eve or for “All Saints Day” of their teaching. This type of compro­mise was successfully used in this and in other ways to assimilate pagan con­verts into Catholic Christianity, thus causing greater corruption.  After all, they had the power and backing of Emperors, Kings and their Armies – God’s supposed kingdom on earth. God has never approved of this practice of com­promise; but condemns it as shown in the lessons of Israel in their rebellion from the ways of God. They use a similar method for converts which was practiced most successfully by the Jesuits in 1534. It is the method of converting people of other religions by condemn­ing the utility of the public schools and using tax funds from the state and federal governments to fund their Paro­chial Schools and colleges so that they can indoctrinate new and young minds in the false doctrines of Catholicism.

      This, according to Will Durant in his Story of Civilization, under Jesuits, was the single-most successful venture of Papacy and soon turned around the Reformation successes. Luther, in pointing out errors of that system and the indulgences of Tetzel in claims that the dead souls would fly out of purgatory simply by a gift of money, showed that this was not the true teaching of the Bible and rather that the dead awaited the return of Christ at his second Advent. By channeling “Youth” back into the “Mother Church,” Papacy was so successful that within almost 40 years that it cut almost all of its losses. This change back to Catholicism has continued in Germany and in England, where once Henry VIII cast out all Monasteries because of their Homosexual practices. (H. G. Wells, Crux Ansatis)  More recently as of a February 19, 2007 article in The London Times, there was a proposal on the part of the Anglican Church of England to Unite with Papacy recognizing the Pope as its head. The voucher system or any other method of draining federal, local or state government funds is illegal under the Constitution of the Unites States which declares separation of church and state because this country had feared domination from Rome. Catholicism is becoming very successful by the meth­ods it uses both here and in Europe as before mentioned and the coffers of the Vatican in Rome are overflow­ing.

       For these reasons, we do not recog­nize this day, Halloween, and will be most thankful when defacto glorification of Ghosts (of the undead), mon­sters, ghouls, demons, witches, Satan and the demeaning of God’s animal feline and harvest creation. These are all things of darkness (at night) and evil. They are of the Devil and pro­moted by his servants. Witches and mediums were used by Satan to pro­mote his evil teachings that THE DEAD can speak and act and that one can communicate with a modern day “Channelers.” This supports the false teaching that the dead are not dead and can be worshipped as  dead canonized Saints created by authority of mortal man as practiced by the Roman Church, but they are more alive in various forms and therefore there is no need of a future “general resurrection” at the return of Jesus Christ and the true establishment of his Kingdom on Earth. This is not God’s Kingdom for if it were, He would be in FULL control and you would not see wickedness abounding in the earth – Isaiah 9:7 because His Government will be one of Peace and Truth. This idea of Halloween is further supported by the false teaching of the immortality of the soul. Thus does the Catholic Church follow suit in commemorating this evil day of the dead by the celebration of  Halloween – All Hallows Eve.

Halloween is still a holi-day on our calendar and will be in the future years. Some who are alert and concerned in the public schools have recognized that there is much evil at this time in the year and have risen up calling for discon­tinuance of its observance. They recog­nize that “devil’s night,” October 30th is evil, and the tricks “of evil” on Oc­tober 31st “night” by some little cos­tumed child who may appear as the more glorified form of Satan himself, the “Devil” (I am sure he is pleased to see this), ghost, ghoul, skeleton, mon­ster or other evil form by begging for appeasement are — in reality not teaching children good — but that evil or evil threats pay. Those who recognize the evil in Halloween are astute people aware of their surroundings.

Thank God that the time is near when His prayed for Kingdom shall soon come and his righteous will shall be done in all the earth. We know that this will be after ‘the great time of trouble and “Armageddon” near at hand which will put an end to this dark night of evil and those Catholic and Protes­tant systems (“Beast and the False Prophet” / “Image of the Beast”) which corrupt humanity. Revelation 16:13-16; Matthew 24:20-22; Revelation 13:14-18.

There will no more be a day called Halloween. We do not need it now, nor will we ever need it in that day! – not for souls, not for Saints or anything of that nature. Nei­ther mankind nor their children will take the time to observe that day. It is an “abomination” before God which is excused away as a time for the little one to dress up in costume and to have fun and be rewarded. There are other ways of rewarding — even the poor. This is a deception to perpetuate this day. Our God will never approve evil or evil acts or the worship of the dead al of which are all subject to judgment in “the day of judgment” in the Kingdom age soon to come within this new millennium into which we have entered. God will judge the world in righteousness by His SON. Acts 17:31

This season of the Harvest time is properly observed in this country as “Thanksgiving Day.” We are grateful for the rich abundance of food that God has provided for our sustenance. The Jewish Thanksgiving was at Harvest time in the month of Tishri and was called the “Feast of Tabernacles” (Leviticus 23:34) with the branches and their fruits. It represents the resurrection, restoration and final deliverance of mankind who are called the “after fruits” of latter harvest. 1Corinthians 15:23. At that time, they will be under God’s New (Right­eous Law Standards) Covenant and will abide in His dwelling and He will dwell with them. He will truly be their God and they will truly be His People. Psalm 24; Revelation 21:3,4; Jeremiah 31:31. It is for this reason that the great Apostle Paul said on Mars Hill in ancient Greece: “Now, God commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained.” Acts 17:30,31 Hate evil. Learn to do good! 1Peter 3:10. You can make what­ever corrections of your life that are necessary now which will make you either prepared for the “Kingdom of Heaven” or for the “Highway of Holiness” for mankind in the Kingdom age on earth. Isaiah 35. ■  ztm 10/2007

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In the Beginning

In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.—Revelation 10:7

Who are the Bible Students? Where do they come from? These are questions frequently asked by those who seek to identify this movement and its origins. This special issue of The Herald is meant to answer these queries.

Seeking to place the Bible Student movement in a historical context, these articles trace developments in the Christian world from the Reformation to the events of the nineteenth century which led to the formation of a small group of sincere Christians who are pleased to associate under the generic term of “Bible Students.”

The opening article, The Reformation and Martin Luther, traces the development of Protestantism from 1517 to 1799. The Midnight Cry picks up the theme in the formation of the second Adventist movement, focusing primarily on the growth of interest in the return of Jesus Christ aroused by William Miller.

Heroes of Our Faith outlines the rebirth of doctrinal viewpoints largely lost since the days of the Early Church. Those elements of belief that formed an integral part of the framework of the Bible Student movement are emphasized.

The direct origin of the Bible Students is an outgrowth of the ministry of Pastor Charles Taze Russell. His ministry forms the subject for A New Wine Bottle. Turmoil and confusion reigned within the movement after the death of its founder. This difficult transition is chronicled in The Troubled Years covering the period from 1916 to 1918.

Since that time there have been many developments in the movement, resulting in the formation of a number of groups that trace their lineage to the works of Pastor Russell. A brief summary of most of these efforts is found in the treatise on Recent Bible Student History.

Finally His Pulpit Was the World shows the world-wide outreach of the man who was called “the world’s most ubiquitous preacher” by his contemporaries and gives a sketch of the Bible Student movement throughout the world.

History, at best, is incomplete and subjective, but the editors of The Herald hope this sincere attempt to record the origin and development of the Bible Student movement will be helpful to our readers.

Church History 1517-1799

The Reformation and Martin Luther

Richard Doctor

The intoxicating excesses of the Italian Renaissance were totally alien to the conservative national culture emerging in northern Europe. In Germany, Wittenberg’s nobility still took medieval pride in their collection of relics of the saints. Fittingly, the relics were set off in gold and silver artwork and—to maintain the mystery—were only brought out for the great feast day of “All Saints.” Within the castle church, carvings of the Virgin Mary and the saints looked down from their perches approvingly. It was said that they stood ever ready as heavenly intercessors if entreated in prayer and remembered by burning a candle in their honor.

Midday on October 31, 1517, the day preceding “All Saints,” an Augustinian monk who served as the theology professor at the local university made his way to the church door of Wittenberg castle. There he hammered up a handwritten document in Latin entitled a “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” The “disputation” set forth in the ninety-five theses challenging the theology of selling deliverance from sin. Martin Luther was certain this was bad Catholic theology. If a person was literate, as many of the town people were, he was literate in Latin, so Luther’s challenge was read and devoured with great interest. The literate then translated it for the benefit of bystanders.

Soon the wheels of ecclesiastical discipline began their slow inexorable movement to grind up this most recent challenger. But the world was changing. Seventy years earlier Johannes Guttenberg had built the first printing press using movable type, and the era of mass communication had begun. For the Papacy, the time-tested methods for dealing with dissent were to prove unworkable. Within two weeks, printed copies of the ninety-five theses were posted all over Germany; within five weeks they arrived at the Vatican. An emerging literate middle class could no longer be controlled by superstition and ignorance.

Soon the wheels of ecclesiastical discipline began their slow inexorable movement to grind up this most recent challenger. But the world was changing. Seventy years earlier Johannes Guttenberg had built the first printing press using movable type, and the era of mass communication had begun. For the Papacy, the time-tested methods for dealing with dissent were to prove unworkable. Within two weeks, printed copies of the ninety-five theses were posted all over Germany; within five weeks they arrived at the Vatican. An emerging literate middle class could no longer be controlled by superstition and ignorance.

As events would unfold, compromise with Rome would prove to be impossible. The Scriptural testimony that “the just shall live by faith” was to make a deeper and deeper impact on Luther’s belief. Luther was remarkable for his morally courageous, articulate, energet­ic, and unwavering stand for principle in opposition to Rome. At his trial in Worms on April 17, 1521, Luther, speaking in German, rather than Latin, stunned the audience by his closing statement:

“Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. God help me. Amen.”

Noblemen, risking their titles, lands, and lives would soon protect, hide, and actively aid Luther in advancing the cause of “Protestantism.” What began with an obscure professor’s challenge to indulgences ended with the changing of the face of Europe.

The Anabaptists

Soon blood was everywhere. Warfare, pestilence, and poverty became the rule of life. Fearsome executions awaited any—Catholic, Protestant, Anabaptist, and frequently Jew—who would not conform to the convictions of the local majority. Starting from that fateful day in Wittenberg, 131 years of unrelieved misery reigned in Europe. At long last the Peace of Westphalia (1648) set the modern map of Europe with Catholics and Protestants agreeing to an uneasy truce. But with the ending of broader warfare, a full generation of fighting continued within national borders to establish conformity to state worship, be it Protestant or Catholic.

The Reformation led to church ransacking and the burning of images and reliquaries. Church lands were confiscated. Monasteries and convents were emptied. Like Luther himself, many of the former celibate inmates were now married and raising families. In Luther’s case, his marriage to a former nun left ­pious adherents of Catholicism completely mortified.

Though Protestant churches now stood with stark interiors, they were more alive than ever. Christ was now considered the one mediator between God and man. The sermon, rather than the mass, now served as the focal point for the church service. Luther believed that “the Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the word of God.” In unison, it was the congregation that now sang the modern and soul-inspiring hymns including Luther’s chorale, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

The presses continued their labors. Soon tracts and Bible texts were placed directly into the hands of a thoughtful and increasingly literate citizenry. Wherever Protestantism went, groups emerged, earnest to learn only from Scripture, without appealing to church authority. This “grass roots” religious movement soon proved unwilling to stop the reforming where Luther did. Anabaptists were wide-ranging in doctrine, but three issues characterized them. They took strong exception to any church-state union, maintaining that this was whoredom. They took exception with Luther and the leading Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli, on the propriety of baptizing infants. Because they baptized adults, they were called “Anabaptists” or “those baptizing again.” They be­lieved that baptism was only for those who had “received Jesus Christ and wished to have him for Lord, King, and Bridegroom, and bind themselves also publicly to him, and in truth submit themselves to him and betroth themselves to him through the covenant of baptism and also give themselves over to him dead and crucified and hence to be at all times subject, in utter zeal, to his will and pleasure.”—The Ordinance of God, Melchior Hofmann (1530).

A third point of contention was Luther’s support for the mass (embracing consubstantiation rather than the Catholic transubstantiation). Here the Anabaptists, Zwingli, and other reformers argued that Christ intended the bread and the wine at the last supper as a remembrance, or memorial, not as a sacrifice. Meeting with Zwingli to discuss the mass, Luther moved to the chalkboard writing only, “This is my body.” In his passionate and irascible manner the force of this effort broke the chalk he was holding. For Luther the discussion was ended.

The Anabaptists focused on Bible study and prophecy, and studied the tabernacle recognizing that its ordinances foreshadowed Christ. Some Anabaptist fellowships in northern Italy, Poland, and Romania also denied that God is triune. Nearly one hundred years later, writing on the eve of the thirty years war, one of their highest tributes comes from an implacable enemy:

“Among all the heretical sects which have their origin from Luther … not a one has a better appearance and greater external holiness than the Anabaptists. Other sects are for the most part riotous, bloodthirsty and given over to carnal lusts; not so the Anabaptists. They call each other brothers and sisters; they use neither profanity nor unkind language; they use no weapons of defense … they own nothing in private but have everything in common. They do not go to law before judicial courts but bear everything patiently, as they say, in the Holy Spirit. Who should suppose that under this sheep’s clothing only ravening wolves are hidden?”—Of the Cursed Beginnings of the Anabaptists, Christoph Fischer, Roman Catholic, (1615).

Quaker and Huguenot Testimony

“Bear the cross, and stand faithful to God, then he will give thee an everlasting crown of glory, that shall not be taken from thee. There is no other way that shall prosper than that which holy men of old have walked.”—Thomas Loe, Quaker, (1662).

Loe’s preaching in Oxford moved young William Penn to openly criticize the Church of England, leading to Penn’s expulsion from Oxford University. Penn, the son of a British Admiral, left for France and soon found his way to L’Academie Protestante de Saumur, then a flourishing center for Huguenot Protestant learning. It may be surprising to know that such a center briefly prospered in France. This was a consequence of the liberal policies in 1598 instituted by the Protestant-born and raised Henry IV. Henry desired to make amends for the horrors his predecessor Charles IX had perpetrated in the St. Bar­tholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572. Conditions in the world were changing, and while horrors were yet to come, a new consciousness was slowly emerging. Although the Huguenots later would be expelled from France (1685), the tearing out of heretic’s tongues, nailing them to carts, burning them, or drowning them, and the horrors of massacres similar to that occurring on St. Bartholomew’s Day, were losing favor as accepted instruments of statecraft.

The air at Saumur was filled with discussion of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. Collective opinion held that the churches of Revelation were progressive and that the church was in the sixth, or Philadelphia stage. This point was not lost on Penn later in his life. Huguenot scholar Pierre de Launay (1573-1661) sought to determine when, during the Gothic and Vandal ravages of Rome, it was proper to begin counting the 1,260 days of Daniel using the day-for-a-year formula. By far, the most significant scholar of this period was Pierre Jurieu (1637-1713), then a young man himself. Writing after the Huguenot expulsion from France in 1686, Jurieu would extend de Launay’s methods concluding that the Lord’s special judgment would fall on France —the tenth part of the city—in the decade of 1780-90, and certainly by 1796.

Returning to England, Penn found himself among the Quakers and soon he was arrested for running afoul of the religious laws. The ­seriousness of the charges kept escalating, and eventually his treatise The Sandy Foundation Shaken put him in the Tower of London with the bishop charging blasphemy. Penn had criticized Trinitarian belief as unscriptural and ­illogical: “[For] what can any man of sense conclude but that here be three distinct infinites” and, “It is manifest then, though I deny the Trinity of Separate Persons in one Godhead, yet consequentially, I do not deny the deity of Jesus Christ.”

Cross and Crown

Penn’s seven months in the tower were spent writing No Cross—No Crown, a widely disseminated treatise that fixed the image of the Cross and Crown in the hearts and minds of the Lord’s people from that time forward. Penn’s words are simple, sincere, and Scriptural: “What is our cup and cross that we should drink and suffer? They are the denial and offering up of ourselves, by the same spirit, to do or suffer the will of God for his service and glory, which is the true obedience of the cross of Jesus.”

Penn reexamined Scriptural promises passed over since St. Augustine. Theologians had minimized the importance of the church’s life experiences with Augustine, considering these but memories “dissipated like clouds.” Penn recognized that these life experiences acquired under unfavorable conditions would be an eternal benefit; the consciousness of the church’s suffering with Christ was slowly emerging.

The death of Sir William Penn in 1670 left young Penn in control of the family fortune, ­including a massive debt owed to Sir William Penn by the crown. With this financial support, Penn now had the means to pursue his pilgrim ministry nearly full time, and he traveled throughout England, Ireland, and along the Rhine River preaching the Quaker doctrine. Recognizing that the crown could never remit the growing debt to his late father, he fixed upon asking the king for a colony in America in payment. His focus on this “holy experiment” of founding Pennsylvania, and planning and building its principle city of Philadelphia, would become his best-remembered legacy. Echoes of Saumur ring in the name Philadelphia.

In practical politics William Penn proved highly capable as a lawgiver, mediator, and practical pacifist. His bold unarmed approach to the Indian chiefs at the great elm of Shaka­maxon had caused them to set down their bows and arrows. Penn’s governance was becoming legendary. Long after his passing there still was talk of the Indians deep mourning over the death of their dear brother to whom they had bound themselves “to live in love.” Voltaire, who usually could manage only derisive comments about religion, praised Penn as the greatest lawgiver since antiquity. Although the revolution to follow was not to be accomplished by pacifist means, Penn’s hopes were that God would make his colony “the seed of the nation.” And so it would prove.

With the religious wars of Europe ended, the following century was one of explosive growth on every front of human inquiry. Modern medicine and science began. The earth was known to revolve around the sun, the orbit of the moon was explained, light was understood, and mechanical engines were developed to replace the muscle-power of draught animals. Math problems unsolved for thousands of years were solved. New musical forms opened unexplored realms of experience for the human spirit. The social well-being of common people became the focus of interest for new sciences seeking to understand social, political, and economic theory. All of this fed the minds of those who thought about a revolution in the social and political order. Most importantly, this all impacted religion. With an eye to the recent past, there was a suspicion of all things religious among the elite. Agnosticism, deism, and Unitarianism became the preferred expressions of spirituality among society’s leaders.

France and Philadelphia—1776-1799

While France was the focal point for much of this effort, it would be pamphlets in English and distributed overseas that were to fan the embers of revolution in the American colonies. Following a declaration of independence originating from Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, the American colonies successfully broke from England after five years of fighting. Seizing on this example, the revolution came home to France. Heeding cries of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity,” it was the common citizens who led an exceptionally bloody revolution, serving notice to monarchs everywhere that their days were numbered. The French revolution also led to the rise of Napoleon.

Napoleon represents a decisive watershed in world history, for the world had never seen anyone quite like him before nor has it since. Like Alexander the Great, Napoleon had a vision not only for conquest but for remaking the culture of Europe. The pope’s co-operation with the Allies against the French Republic, and the murder of the French attaché, Basseville, at Rome, led to Napoleon’s attack on the Papal States, concluding in the Truce of Bologna (June 25, 1796). But in an attempt to revolutionize Rome, the French General Duphot was shot and killed; whereupon the French took Rome on February 10, 1798, and proclaimed the Roman Republic on February 15. Because the pope refused to submit, he was forcibly taken from Rome on the night of February 20 and brought first to Siena and then to Florence. At the end of March 1799 though seriously ill, he was hurried to Parma, Piacenza, Turin, then over the Alps to Briançon and Grenoble, and finally to Valence where he succumbed to his sufferings before he could be brought further.

Entering into a concordant with Pius VII, the successor of Pius VI crowned on March 1800, Napoleon tersely laid out his terms. The refusal of Pius VII to acquiesce ­sufficiently resulted in fourteen years of house arrest and his removal from Italy to Fontainebleau. Although Pius would return in triumph to Rome in 1814 after Napoleon’s fall, for the rest of the century the Papacy would see only an unremitting loss of prestige, power, and property.

None of these epoch-defining events was lost on John Lathrop (1731-1820), a Yale-educated divinity scholar. Lathrop was particularly active in drawing attention to the prophetic studies of Jurieu, who had predicted the French revolution nearly one hundred years earlier. Lathrop’s work recognized the critical importance of biblical chronology. Soon William Miller (1782-1849) and others would bring out additional pearls long hidden.

Freedom of Religion

At the same time, U.S. president John Adams’ prudence alone prevented a war in 1799 that would have placed the young republic into combat against Napoleon. From Adams’ office in Philadelphia, the first seat of government, it was possible to look out on the streets and witness the great changes wrought by acting on religious vision. He knew that the power of religion could be exercised for good or ill. In general, Adams’ belief was that it had been exercised for ill and he strongly supported the separation of church and state. In this he played a critical role. As soon as the constitution for the new nation was ratified, he immediately criticized it as incomplete because it had failed to define the protection of human rights. Jefferson and Madison agreed to draft a “Bill of Rights” to correct this oversight. The opening phrase of the first of ten amendments to the constitution ratified December 15, 1791, marks a turning point for church and state. For the first time in any nation’s history freedom of worship was official state policy: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

It had been 265 years since Felix Manz, the first Anabaptist martyr, perished in the “third baptism” under the freezing waters of the Limmat River near Wellenberg, Switzerland. At last the Anabaptist entreaty for the separation of church and state was law. As the nineteenth century dawned, a culture in Europe and North America holding religious, social, political, and scientific world-views unimagined by Luther held world stage. This fulfils Christ’s promise to the church of Philadelphia, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” (Revelation 3:8). In the next century, economic upheaval from a movement soon to be called the “industrial revolution,” and scientific advances, would provide Christianity with its greatest challenges, and its greatest triumphs.

The Adventist Movement

The Midnight Cry

At midnight there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.
—Matthew 25:6, ASV

Charles Ryba

Christian history can be a profitable study. The views and experiences of those preceding us provide lessons for our profit. Two significant examples are the advent ­movement (1830-1870) and the early Bible Student movement (1870-1890). Many of today’s questions have their roots in these times. How long before the kingdom comes is foremost among them. Time is the issue; the kingdom of God is the goal.

Intense Scriptural searching and examination were the mark of many individuals within this time frame. Second advent speculations generated new Christian fellowships crossing old denominational lines. This precipitated new movements not dominated by trained theologians, though many came from the ranks of mainline Protestant ministers. “Laymen” became capable of intelligent inquiry as biblical scholarship became more accessible through Bible societies and missionary efforts. Circumstances in that era shaped theological currents and millennial expectations. The signs of the times were being noticed.¹

William Miller Feb. 15, 1872-1849

 William Miller became one of the lightning rods for much intense prophetic interest in America during the 1830s. His message was simple. The return of Christ was very near. He even assigned a date, 1843, as the time when it would happen. Then current events brought new focus to biblical prophecies. Items of interest included Daniel’s time of the end, the Antichrist, Palestine (Ottoman rule would fail, Jewish restoration was imminent), but specially the personal, visible coming of Christ to establish an earthly Millennial kingdom. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation were distinctly favored.

William Miller was a Baptist preacher, but his message went well beyond that. He utilized Daniel and Revelation as keys to the Bible’s prophetic outline. His arguments for Christ’s return focused largely on the time of his return; the manner and object were to be visible and awesome. Time elements that Miller considered biblical encompass the days of Daniel (1,260, 1,290, 1,335, and 2,300), the Times of the Gentiles, the Jubilee cycles, and the six thousand years of human history. He reckoned them (­except the 1,260 ending at 1793-98) to a terminus of 1843.

Historic Prophetic Interpretations

The historic interpretive school of Daniel and Revelation was widespread among European and American scholars of that era. Building upon the earlier works of Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Newton, persons like J. A. Brown, William Cunningham, T. R. Birks, John Cumming, and E. B. Elliott were prominent exponents of an historically fulfilled Apocalypse. In spite of impressive biblical arguments, most Christian leadership at the time believed the second coming to be post-Millennial, that is, after a gospel age of world conversion. Many agreed with the historical general time interpretation; they differed only on when and what the Millennium or the second advent would be like.

The Futurist view originated by a Jesuit priest, F. Ribera [circa 1590], was hardly mentioned by serious prophetic students of the time. This view placed most of the book of Revelation (after 6:11) into a future seven-year tribulation period; many insurmountable problems were recognized. These anticipated the present day quarrels among Futurists, pre-, mid-, and post-tribulationists. Birk’s volumes titled First Elements of Prophecy and Visions of Daniel are pointed essays in defense of the historical school. These writings, among many others, provided vital resources for the early advent believers of the 1840s as well as renewed growth among later Advent Christian believers in time prophecy. Nelson H. Barbour described examining these in ­European libraries during the 1860s.

Unfortunately, historic pre-Millennial positions were often abandoned during the mid-1800s. Competing theories swept most Christians into conflicting winds of futurism and preterism (fully past views, also of Jesuit origin).

Wide-ranging discussions about prophecy in general, and the second coming in particular, took place within Millerite camps and with contemporaries. It encompassed journals, conferences, camp meetings, books, pamphlets, speaking tours, and debates. Miller himself devoted years to public speaking on the advent to whomever would listen. Many others joined in. Of note are Joshua V. Himes, Charles Fitch, Josiah Litch, Joseph Bates, and George Storrs. Advent journals included The Signs of the Times, The Bible Examiner, and The Midnight Cry among many others. Use of charts to ­illustrate God’s prophetic plan was common. Based on Habakkuk 2:2, they endeavored to make the vision plain. Tabernacle and temple symbolism was prominent, especially in connection with the vision of the 2,300 days in Daniel 8. Christ as antitypical high priest would return soon to cleanse and restore his spiritual temple. Much of later Seventh Day Adventist revisions was based on this imagery.

Henry Grew wrote booklets concerning the nature of man. That, in turn, spurred George Storrs to spread the view more widely. Grew also wrote The Divine Testimony Concerning The Son of God, delineating a Christology later adopted by Pastor Charles Taze Russell and others. Of special interest are thoughts concerning the ­nature of God, the nature of man, and eternal torment. George Storrs was one of Miller’s able supporters. Through his book, journal The Bible Examiner, a compilation of essays known as Six Sermons on the Inquiry: Is There Immortality in Sin and Suffering?, and numerous other booklets and tracts, he injected among Adventists a strong argument for conditional immortality. Miller himself did not accept these ideas but tolerated them for the greater good of awakening the people to the near advent and judgment.

Second Advent Focus

The greatest focus of the advent movement was the nearness of Christ’s return. All else in life was to be left behind in preparation for the bridegroom’s return. In the period of about 1840 to 1844 the advent interest greatly increased throughout the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and mid-western states. It never took root in Europe. But the original 1843 date provided a first shock to the hopeful because nothing significant happened in that year.

Re-examination twice led to six-month adjustments, culminating in the Seventh Month Movement of 1844, spearheaded by Samuel S. Snow. His conviction was based on the high priest (Christ) in the day of atonement picture. He interpreted the leaving of the temple to bless the people as corresponding to Christ’s second coming. This was to be on the tenth day of the seventh month, October 22, 1844. Correspondence to the “proper” figuring of the Jewish year justified altering the earlier 1843 view. He revived the faint-hearted advent movement in the spirit of the wise virgins of Matthew 25. Miller himself was reticent to accept this after the earlier disappointment, but joined in as the time approached.

Disappointments

Again there was great puzzlement and disappointment. Explanations based on the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins sought to rationalize the mistakes. The time of delay of the parable was compressed into the first (1843) and repeated (1844) experience of the watchers. Search for fulfillment led to spiritualiza­tion or collective prophetic tests. Was the door shut? The controversy would flare at every date since. In 1844 and 1878-81, 1914, and beyond. Several times many would regard themselves as true heirs to the dates: 1844 (Seventh Day Adventists and the “cleansed sanctuary”), 1873-1874 (Nelson Barbour and Pastor Russell, with the view of Christ’s invisible presence), and 1914 (Bible Students and Jehovah’s Witnesses differ as to what really happened in that year). After each date, prophecy had to be reconciled with reality.

The Aftermath of Disappointment

Following the 1843-1844 disappointments, Storrs continued to preach the advent without dates. He drifted into an extreme position during the 1860s with the group known as Life and Advent Union. It was analogous to the unsaved non-resurrection position of Christa­delphians. In later autobiographical sketches he recounts his encounter with books of the English writer Henry Dunn about the ransom doctrine and the restitution of all things. One book was titled The Destiny of the Human Race. He then reactivated The Bible Examiner in 1871 (after a lapse of about eight years) and reworked it to incorporate the thoughts of the ransom for all and restitution of all things. The masthead verse was 1 Timothy 2:5,6. His conclusion: the plan of God extended beyond the few faithful to the entire human race. The Abrahamic promise applied to all men during a soon-to-come earthly kingdom. The general concept of God having a plan was popular among contemporary Advent Christian writers like I. C. Wellcome and Clarkson Gould in their The Plan of Redemption of 1867. But Storrs incorporated much more of the “wider hope” than they would allow. On the other hand he avoided the modernism and speculation rampant among Universalists in their great social tolerances. God provided reasonable provision for mankind’s recovery unlike Universalism’s belief in unconditional salvation.

Parallel Movements

Parallel movements also arose during this ­period. Relatively mainstream Protestant dis­pen­sationalists were inspired by men like John Darby and Edward Irving. They restructured prophetic timetables into futurist patterns. In the long run they would become more influential than the Adventists in the minds of most Protestants. More diverse movements like the Christadelphians and Church of God (Abra­hamic Faith) sprung out of a common pool with those of Alexander Campbell’s Disciples of Christ. Their earthly millennial hope was more distinct than that of many Adventists. They placed less emphasis on date setting (although 1866 was of significance to some), tended to have “closed” fellowships, believed in water baptism for salvation, believed in conditional immortality, and developed non-trinitarian theologies (the last two concepts traceable to F. Socinus of the sixteenth-seventeenth century Polish Brethren). They shared with Campbell a prophetic remnant assumption for the recovery of lost early church teachings. Benjamin Wilson, author of The Emphatic Diaglott, was a member of the Church of God (Abrahamic Faith). The remnant concept was shared by Pastor Russell and Nelson Barbour, who may have been influenced in their perspectives by their thoughts concerning the Gospel age harvest.

Seventh Day Adventists

The Seventh Day Adventists became the largest prophetically-based movement. Having a common derivative in Miller, they had solidified their thinking along much more exclusive lines than other advent groups. A novel doctrine of an 1844 heavenly cleansing of the sanctuary was fostered by reliance on the prophetic “gift of prophecy” claimed for Ellen G. White. Sabbath keeping became an outward distinction which shaped much of their views on prophetic events. Their prophetic point, however, was a novel concept of the millennial reign of Christ. It was to be in heaven while the earth lay desolate, earth being restored after a thou­sand years. No hope was held out for the unsaved of this or previous ages, so their view of restitution matched that of prophetic Babylon from which they had separated. Only Christians would be saved. The same can be said for their trinitarian position, after some debate within their ranks.

The general historic prophetic interpretation was bolstered in several important areas during the interim of 1840 through the 1870s. The Ottoman empire was in decline, fueling expectations about a Jewish restoration. The Papacy was also losing ground in its temporal power, reinforcing the view that Daniel’s time of the end had indeed been entered. The American Civil War of the 1860s also focused people’s attention on the fragility of earthly governments as well as on the need for true, but unattainable, justice for all peoples. These were the signs of the times that influenced the interpretations of Adventists such as Nelson Barbour.

Pastor Charles Taze Russell 1852-1916

Pastor Russell was not alone at the beginning. He had the able help of several seasoned elder Christian brothers to shape the nascent Bible Student movement. They were reaping the fruits of those before them.

 George Storrs’ Bible Examiner would soon cease publication at his death in 1879. The pastor contributed a few short items as early as 1877 to those pages. The mature Nelson Barbour and John H. Paton were early collaborators in sort­ing through the prophetic charts. Barbour’s Herald of the Morning (John Paton and Pastor Russell were assistant editors) reawakened hopes in many advent believers that the return of Christ was here (though originally set at 1873). It also presented similar thoughts to those of Storrs about restitution. Thoughts about a harvest separation also renewed an earlier Millerite call to separate from that Christianity which was merely nominal and sinful. In the early period they faced ­opposition from their parent movement, the Second Advent Church, publishers of The World’s Crisis. Later, many early collaborators in turn would set off in their own directions, including Nelson Barbour, John Paton, A. P. Adams, and A. D. Jones. By then young Pastor Russell was well under way in his publishing efforts of Zion’s Watch Tower and the Millennial Dawn studies.

Pastor Russell built on the Miller movement as a prophetic prelude, but also as a test and lesson learned by faithful Christians. Nelson Barbour had constructed an ingenious concept of first- and second-advent parallels, as can be seen on each cover of his journal. It included the delays and missed opportunities for the true and false wheat of each age. The tarrying bridegroom was so near in time as to be actually present. Since he was a divine spirit being, Christ had no need to be seen physically. The coming was real and personal, in the same sense as it was with Miller, but invisible in the same sense as those holding to a secret rapture. Pastor Russell’s first publication, The Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return [Herald of the Morning, 1877], was in line with this theme. Also of note is the cooperative publication of The Three Worlds, also in 1877.

Israel Regathered

Peta Tikva – First JEWISH Settlement 1878  (1912 and now)

The opening prophetic steps in Palestine were coming to pass in 1878 with the Berlin Congress of Nations. The first Jewish immigrants were returning to Israel because of the Russian pogroms in the early 1880s. The kingdom to come was beginning to affect the world. Optimistic missionary activities and post-Millennial expectations were fading in the face of bloody nineteenth century wars, social revolutions, and economic and political instabilities. The time for harvest had come and the call to come out of Babylon was renewed. The saints were to be gathered to be with the Lord in 1878, later by 1914, and then at an indefinite future point. Pastor Russell always maintained his belief and conviction that the kingdom of God must continue to be preached until the Lord said it was time to stop during the gathering troubles of earth.

Restitution for All

Realistic interpretations of Scripture concerning the state of the dead, the place of common sense beliefs, and a strong moral call for justice that all might receive salvation were crucial in the early Millennial Dawn movement. The age to come was accompanied by a unique concept, known as the permission of evil, which was illustrated by charts. Restitution was to be for all who have ever lived. Christ had an object to his return beyond the confines of ­orthodox theology. Distinguishing the work of the Christian age from the Millennial age was pivotal in rightly dividing a host of Scriptures. The tabernacle was brought to a valued place in God’s plan illustrating salvation.

The environment of exploration and exchange between various leaders, journals, and local groups began to fade. Adventist remnants, Christadelphians, Conditionalists, and Universalists built walls to stifle their controversies. Sadly many of these separated sincere Christians into specialized, often mutually antagonistic, groups.

Heirs of William Miller

Looking at the Miller movement after 1844 suggests that the true heirs of that movement are Bible Students, founded by Pastor Charles Taze Russell and his associates. One of the few leaders of the original movement to retain and build on the original advent faith was George Storrs. He anticipated (founded) central points of Bible Student thinking. Most of the other Adventist leaders mentioned earlier had no part of the innovations introduced by Hiram Edson’s visions which were promulgated by James and Ellen White in the late 1840s founding the Seventh Day Adventists.

The advent doctrine was augmented by explaining the manner and object of Christ’s return in new terms. It extended the horizons of that imminent, but somehow remote, second coming. Bible Students determined a progressive series of events which fit into a prolonged invisible parousia, or presence. The real innovation was for devoted Christians to live on a continuing basis at the threshold of the millennium. Hope and watchfulness were awakened in those who heard the spirit speaking to the churches. The “bride” was making herself ready (Revelation 19:7,8).

Background of Bible Student Beliefs

Heroes of Our Faith

The happy era must come when the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty shall rise in the majesty of truth, and, with holy indignation, burst the debasing shackles of human dogmas and traditions, which have so long fettered the noble mind, and walk in the holy liberty wherewith the Son of God makes his disciples free.—Henry Grew (1832)

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is THE WORD which ye have heard from the beginning.—1 John 2:7, ASV

Jeff Mezera

After the apostles died, there arose a weakness of Scriptural precept and precedent for church order. Soon thereafter human interference in the order of the church of God carried the once spiritual church onto the stepping stones into mystical Babylon. The Sanctuary of God was polluted.

In this spiritual Babylon were many years of superstition, human-based philosophy, and dogma based upon the traditions of men. It was a crime punishable by death not only to have a copy of the Scriptures, but especially to have it translated into one’s own language. It was in these centuries that the light from the word of God grew dim.

All of this was foretold in Scripture. Although such a lack of faith is disturbing, there have been faithful saints throughout the centuries who have stood the test, strong in faith, strong in doctrine, and strong in practice.

When the French Revolution came upon the world, Charles Dickens called the era “the best of times and the worst of times.” It was the beginning of the time of the end for the papal system.

“Napoleon’s work, together with the French Revolution, broke the spell of religious ­superstition, humbled the pride of self-exalted religious lords, awakened the world … and broke the Papal dominion against which the religious Reformation had previously struck a death-blow … this … also clearly mark[ed] the beginning of a new era of liberty of thought, and the realization of individual rights and privileges  … notice the rise and work of the various Bible Societies … the sacred volume which once she confined in chains, kept covered in dead languages, and forbade her deluded subjects to read, is now scattered by the million in every nation and language.”—Thy Kingdom Come, p. 50.

After the American and French Revolutions, life continued as it had for centuries in the past. It was still very much an agricultural society, but there was a new enlightenment in the thinking of everyone. As a result of this change in thinking, people began to free themselves from the chains of oppression, and superstitions that had prevailed so long over science, philosophy, and religious thought.

It was in the breaking of these chains in America in the early nineteenth century that a new spirit of liberty entered into the Christian Church.

The Christian Connexion

A different denomination sprang up in the United States at the dawn of the nineteenth century. It was referred to as the “Christian Connexion.” These “Christians” as they preferred to be called, had been dissatisfied with the creeds of the churches and were determined to return to the simple faith of the apostles and the Scriptures.

They assembled wherever they could, and because of their dissatisfaction with the traditions of men, they threw out the former creeds they had believed. They determined that the only way to find the true doctrine of the Scriptures was to study the Scriptures alone.

They wrote that “the name Christian is the only name of distinction which we take, and by which we, as a denomination, desire to be known, and the Bible our only rule of faith and practice” (McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia).

The “Christians” believed that each congregation should be independent; they took the Bible as their only standard of doctrine. They believed that:

1. The Scriptures are inspired and are of divine authority.
2. Every one has a right to interpret the ­Bible for himself, and therefore differences of theological views are no bar to Church fellowship.
3. There is one God; the doctrine of the Trinity was not generally received.
4. Christ is a divine being, existed as a spirit being before coming at his first advent, and is the mediator between God and mankind.
5. Christ’s death atones for the sins of all who, by repentance and faith, may be saved.
6. Immersion is the only proper form of baptism, and believers the only proper subjects (rejecting infant baptism).
7. Communion at the Lord’s table is open to believers of all denominations.

Through simple faith and study of the Scriptures alone as the only basis of doctrine, “Christians” at this time had corrected several errors of the dark ages. One of these was the doctrine that all who would not accept Jesus would burn in hell for eternity.

One of the associates of this “Christian Connexion” was Henry Grew 1781-1862. He was born in Birmingham, England, in 1781 and came to the United States at the age of fourteen with his Congregationalist family.

His father was a merchant and although he wanted his son to pursue a similar career, he allowed him to choose the ministry instead.

While he was studying for the ministry, he was led to an understanding that the Scriptures teach baptism by immersion. This prompted him to join the Baptist denomination. Soon ­afterward, in 1807, he was licensed to preach and became Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hartford, Connecticut.

“He was an earnest and consecrated Bible student, and a marked revival developed early in his pastorate there, many converts being added to the church.”—Froom, Leroy, The Conditionalist Faith of our Fathers.

After studying the question of the nature and destiny of man from the Bible alone, Grew came to the conclusion that the true Bible hell was the grave.

He served as pastor of the Baptist Church in Hartford, Connecticut, for fourteen years; it was dissolved because of his adoption of views the Baptists deemed heretical. His piety was never questioned though, and a portion of the church that sympathized with his views went with him.

“In my researches after truth some years ago, my faith in the common doctrine of the Trinity was shaken. Deeply impressed with a sense of the importance of obtaining, so far as is revealed, a correct knowledge of ‘the only true God,’ and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent; I have humbly endeavored to ‘search the Scriptures,’ look­ing unto Jesus for the guidance of his holy spirit which he promised his disciples to lead them into all truth.”—Henry Grew, The Examination of the Son of God (1824).

George Storrs 1796-1879-wrote:

“The penalty of the divine law is literal death, or cessation of conscious being … if the impenitent and unbelieving are raised to life at all, it must be a mortal and not an immortal life. … Numerous divine testimonies … teach a universal judgment both of a ­judicial and executive character: passages which declare facts relative to the judgment of the wicked, which necessarily imply life and its functions, … many who will be made alive by ‘a resurrection [to] condemnation,’ will be still mortal and ­liable to a second death. … The sacred Scriptures distinctly teach that some will be made alive by a resurrection, in a ‘mortal’ state.”—George Storrs, Bible Examiner, February, 1856.

“It is indeed true that ruling also is included in Christ’s judging the world, yet it will be perfected by reward and punishment.”—George Storrs, Bible Examiner, December, 1855.

Grew began to write more booklets and tracts advocating his new views and in the early 1840s many of the members of the “Christian Connexion” found themselves advocating these same views.

They also found themselves accepting the views of another Baptist, William Miller, who believed that the Lord was soon to come.

One of these Millerites named George Storrs found one of Henry Grew’s tracts on the floor of a train. He was so intrigued by what he read that for the next three and a half years he researched the Scriptures himself, and decided that the Scriptures really taught that the true Bible hell was the grave. Though George Storrs no longer believed in hell fire, his views differed from that of Henry Grew in that he did not believe that the wicked would be resurrected. The two men debated this issue for ­decades until the death of Grew in 1862.

Because of his new convictions, Storrs started a new publication advocating his views. He called this magazine The Bible Examiner and it found its way into the hands of many of the Adventists.

While William Miller Feb. 15, 1872-1849 criticized the views of George Storrs on the condition of the dead, many of the Millerites accepted them. It is for this reason that most of the splinter groups of Miller’s followers, such as the Seventh Day Adventists and the Christian Adventists, do not believe in hell fire or the immortal soul; many do believe in the resurrection of the wicked.

One of the Millerites who accepted these views was Charles Fitch. Upon accepting Storrs’ view of the dead, Fitch did all he could to broaden the reach of this doctrine. It was only a few months after accepting this view that Fitch immersed some brethren in a lake in ­October. As a result, he contracted pneumonia and died.

In the early 1860s George Storrs and several others who accepted his views formed “The Life and Advent Union.” Storrs ceased publication of The Bible Examiner and he and the Union published these views in a weekly newspaper called The Herald of Life and the Coming Kingdom.

George Storrs was the editor-in-chief of this paper for almost a decade when he became ill and unable to continue. He was so ill for several months that he almost died. Unable to pay his doctor bills, several of his friends took up a collection and paid his bills for him.

It was during his sickness that he had time to think and reconsider several of his views. One was that of the resurrection of the wicked, the same doctrine he and

Henry Grew debated for years. When he returned to the editorialship of the paper, he changed his view to conform to that of Grew. Afterward he began to publish editorials on this subject in a series of articles he titled, “God’s Promise and Oath to Abra­ham.”  He wrote:

1. God has promised, and confirmed it with an oath, that in Abraham and his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
2. This promise and oath is to be understood in the literal sense of the words in which it is made.
3. This promise and oath is not yet fulfilled in its fullness.
4. Therefore, there is to be an age, or ‘ages to come,’ in which fulfillment will be perfectly accomplished.”—George Storrs, The Herald of Life and the Coming Kingdom, April 26, 1871.

The same friends who paid his bills soon removed George Storrs from his post as editor because of these views. For this reason he restarted his previous publication, The Bible ­Examiner. In the few years before his death he wrote:

“The next age of Messiah’s personal reign of one thousand years, will open with a ­resurrection of all the sleeping saints who have suffered with or for Christ in this or the previous ages: such ‘shall reign with him.’ … These having suffered with Christ, and overcome the seductions to abandon His cause, will ‘together be made perfect’ in body and mind … That there will be more than two classes of men on the earth at the opening of the next age, or at the second advent of Christ, to me is clear … there is yet a … class of men at the second advent of Christ, who ‘have not heard God’s fame, neither have seen his glory,’ etc. … This class constitute by far the largest part of the inhabitants of the earth … will be the subjects of trial under Messiah’s personal reign.”—George Storrs, Bible Examiner, January 1877.

Those who opposed him accused him of ­accepting the views of a Henry Dunn of England. Since Storrs did not know who this Henry Dunn was, he began to search for his writings. He was surprised to find that Dunn had come to these same conclusions a few years earlier and had been advocating them in England at the same time Storrs was spreading these ideas in America. Dunn wrote:

“The heathen, regarded as tributary to Israel, they believed would also live again, in accordance with the promises of restoration they had received; but it was to be only as the subjects of the chosen race, who as kings in the kingdom of God were to rule over them.”—The Kingdom of God, p. 11.

“What he [the Jew] looked for and anticipated was … distinction, high service, rule over the nations, the possession of a boundless kingdom, in which every Israelite should be a kingly priest. So he read the word of the Lord to Moses on the mount, ‘Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests.’ (Exodus 14:6) All other nations were, he supposed, to be governed and taught by Israel. This privilege, with all that it involved, he believed would be his simply as a child of Abraham. For the Messiah that was to introduce this kingdom he watched and waited with an unwavering faith from infancy to old age.”—The Kingdom of God, p. 15.

“They did not even contemplate anything like a ‘new testament,’ the result of their national perversity, and of the calling of the Gentiles. … Ezekiel had distinctly told them that when Jehovah should gather Israel, he would put a new spirit within them; would ‘take the stony heart out of their flesh, and would give them a heart of flesh’ (Ezekiel 11:19). Jeremiah, in almost the same words, had similarly characterized the day of restoration (Jeremiah 31:33). Isaiah had said that then all their children should be taught of God (Isaiah 54:13); and Micah had enforced the same truth in connection with the period when the nations should come and go up to the house of the God of Jacob (Micah 4:2).” —The Kingdom of God, p. 20.

Another of the Millerite splinter groups was called “The Second Advent Movement.” These Second Adventists also accepted the early views of George Storrs on the condition of the dead, but their main focus was the second advent of the Lord. They had set several dates, and had many disappointments.

Jonas Wendall 1815-1873 A Second Adventist preacher was preaching the soon coming of the Lord in a book titled Present Truth in 1870. In this book he projected the date of 1873 as the second coming of the Lord.

It was through his preaching that he rekindled the faith of a man “almost by accident.” This man stumbled into a dirty, dingy hall one day when Jonas Wendell was preaching and was so intrigued by his views that his faith in the Bible was restored.

That man was…

 Pastor Charles Taze Russell

The parents of Pastor Russell were Presby­terians. His mother was very strict and tried to explain to him that she was exacting with him because she did not want him to go to hell. This impressed the mind of her young son enough that a few years after the death of his mother he (at age 16) wrote warn­ings on the sidewalk urging others to repent or they would go to hell.

Though it was the doctrine of hell that kept his interest in his early years, the young Charles Russell soon lost all interest and faith in the Scriptures as the inspired word of God. He then began a search of several world religions, trying to find something that would give him peace. It was the preaching of Jonas Wen­dell that reignited his love for the Lord.

Nelson Barbour 1824-1905

One of Wendell’s associates, Nelson Barbour, had also set 1873 as the date for the coming of the Lord. In 1871 he published the book Evidences for the Coming of the Lord in 1873 or The Midnight Cry on why he believed the Lord would come then and gave several reasons from different time prophecies and chronology that he believed proved this doctrine.

Nelson Barbour had been a Millerite and was disappointed along with all of the other Adventists in 1843, disappointed enough that he had lost his religion. He wrote that in that portion of his life he dwelt in total darkness.

While on a boat trip from Australia to London he had been discussing the time prophecies with an English chaplain. The chaplain proposed that they systematically study each of the prophecies to fill the time of a long trip. When they came to Daniel 12 Barbour noticed something that he had never seen before in the verse about the “abomination that maketh desolate.” He had read the prophecy several times but never thought about why the Millerites began the prophecy thirty years before the abomination was set up. Barbour deduced that this must have been the mistake and upon recalculating this time prophecy he decided that the days ended not in 1843, but in 1872.

Nelson Barbour went to the British Museum library when he arrived in London and found a book which had a chronology ending the six thousand years from Adam in 1873.

The book was titled Horae Apocalypticae (Hours with the Apocalypse) and was written by Edward Bishop Elliott.

This chronological list is found in the book under a long footnote, where Elliott wrote that “this Scripture Chronology, with the Scriptural authorities in brief” was “drawn up by the Rev. C. Bowen.”—Horae Apocalypticae, 1851, p. 236.

By writing “this Scripture Chronology” in the footnote, Elliott was referencing another Chronology written in the 1820s by a Henry Fynes Clinton.

Elliott wrote, “Mr. Fynes Clinton, in his Essay on the Hebrew Chronology has greatly elucidated the subject” stating that the “only real appeal is to Scripture” as to “what the world’s present age, dated from Adam’s ­creation, and when is the termination of its sixth millenary.”—Horae Apocalypticae, 1851, p. 230.

Though Clinton ended the six thousand years in 1862, Elliott used Clinton’s chronology as the basis for his own work in which he ended the six thousand years in October of 1872.

Even with this chronological evidence pointing to the time of the coming of the Lord, Nelson Barbour and his associates were disappointed that the Lord did not come in 1873 as they expected. After some recalculation the new date of 1874 was advanced, and again they were met with disappointment by not seeing Jesus coming in the clouds as they waited for him in expectation. Barbour recalculated and reevaluated his ideas several times and was unable to find any place where he could make further adjustments.

He was about to give up thinking that the Bible could supply an answer when correspondence from one of the readers of his magazine arrived. B. W. Keith wrote that he had been studying the Scriptures about the return of the Lord and had decided that they were looking for the wrong event to prove the presence of the Lord. Through their studies on this subject they discovered that the Lord had indeed returned in 1874, but invisibly; it was this discovery that gave them hope and encouragement once more. It was also B. W. Keith who published early ideas of the “sin offering” doctrine in Barbour’s magazine. He wrote:

“As suffering with Christ, must mean to suffer for the same purpose, it is necessary to know why he suffered. If he is the head and the church is his body, and the body is to ‘fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ,’ would not the plan be a failure without the suffering of the body? … if reigning with him, and being glorified together, means to share with him, in reigning and glory; then suffering with him, means to share in the sufferings. … If we shall be faithful to him who hath called us; if we hold fast, firm unto the end, we shall be made like him, ‘a royal priesthood’; and having been tried in all points, we shall be able to sympathize with, and deliver those who shall be tempted in the future dispensation.”—B. W. Keith, “Suffering With Christ,” Herald of the Morning, October 1878.

Nelson Barbour and his associates continued their studies and uncovered further understandings similar to this as well as more on time prophecy. It was through these studies that they formed their views on the parallels, doubles, ­Jubilees, the 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 days, as well as the Gentile Times prophecy ending in 1914. It was early in 1876 that Pastor Russell ­received Nelson Barbour’s paper which was called The Herald of the Morning.

Concerning this magazine, Pastor Russell wrote that he “learned from its contents that the editor was beginning to get his eyes open on the subjects that for some years had so greatly rejoiced our hearts … that the object of our Lord’s return is not to destroy, but to bless all the families of the earth” (Reprints, p. 3822).

He was so excited about seeing there were others who believed like he did that he “paid Mr. Barbour’s expenses to come to see me at Philadelphia (where I had business engagements during the summer of 1876), to show me fully and Scripturally, if he could, that the prophecies indicated 1874 as the date at which the Lord’s presence and the “harvest” began. He came, and the evidences satisfied me.” (Reprints, p. 3822).

After this meeting ­Pastor Russell started his ministry and encouraged the true Church of God to come out of Babylon.

All of these things happened because this was the time for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The errors from the Papal dominion had defiled the church. But there was hope. It was not only prophesied that this would happen, it was also foretold that the sanctuary would be cleansed.

We not only have examples of the Ancient Worthies who were faithful to God, but we have the examples of many faithful Christians throughout the Gospel age: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” (Hebrews 12:1-4).

We are part of this sanctuary class that is still here today. Let us trust in the Lord who protected and led all those who were his through the past ages, and who cleansed the sanctuary, the church, from the errors of the dark ages.

We should consider that since our offering to God has not yet cost us our lives, we must keep pressing on and striving against sin; we can keep spreading these beautiful truths that God has given to us, truths that we may take for granted, but truths that we should make a part of our daily lives.

“Are you willing to follow on to know the Lord through evil and through good report? Are you willing to forsake all, to follow as he may lead you by his Word?—to ignore the wishes of friends, as well as your own desires? It is hoped that [you] … may by it be so quickened to fresh zeal and fervency of spirit, through a clearer apprehension of the divine plan, that they will be able to say, By the grace of God, I will follow on to know and to serve the Lord, whatever may be the sacrifice involved. Like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11), let such studiously set themselves to prove what has been presented in the foregoing pages. Prove it, not by the conflicting traditions and creeds of men, but by the only correct and divinely authorized standard—God’s own Word.”—Charles T. Russell, The Divine Plan of the Ages, ppg. 347-348.

Summary

Henry Grew

No “immortal soul.”   No “hell-fire.”
No trinity.
All men will be resurrected to judgment

George Storrs

“Two salvations”
Church’s part in the instructing of men in righteousness during the Millennium.

Henry Dunn

Restoration of both the nation of Israel and mankind.
Church will judge men and angels in Millennium.

E. B. Elliott

Six thousand years end in 1872 / modified chronology from Henry Fynes Clinton.
Elliott’s chronology drawn up and modified slightly by Rev. C. Bowen.
Jubilees end 1874; Gentile Times end 1914.

Nelson H. Barbour 1824-1905

Jewish and Gospel Age Parallels and Harvests, 1845 year doubles.
Published idea of invisible presence in 1874 in his magazine.
Views concerning the prophetic time periods taught by Pastor Russell originated with Barbour. (1,260, 1,290, 1,335, 2,300 day-for-year time prophecies).
The dates, 1798-99, 1828, 1846, 1872, 1874, 1878, 1881, 1914.
Taught six thousand years ending in 1872 from E. B. Elliott.

B. W. Keith

Introduced idea of invisible presence.
Early concepts of “Sin Offering.”

Pastor Charles Taze Russell
First to combine the ideas of time prophecy, chronology, and the purpose of the return of Christ to bless all mankind. Attributed his understandings to some of those listed above.

Ministry of Pastor Charles Taze Russell

A New Wine Bottle

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.—Matthew 9:17

Brian Kutscher

During the Reformation many Christians became convinced that the creeds of the Dark Ages contained errors. The great reformers and those that followed in their wake began restoring the truths as taught in the Bible.

Pastor Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) was no less a reformer than Martin Luther. Indeed his work went beyond that of Luther. Many Christians who were touched by his message claimed that he was the special messenger to the church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), though he himself was hesitant to accept such a claim.

Pastor Russell made no claims to special revelation from God. His only claim was that it was God’s due time for the Bible to be better understood. Because he was fully consecrated to God and ready, able, and willing to serve God, he was permitted to have an understanding of that plan and the privilege of transmitting it to others. He wanted merely to communicate the beauty of God’s plan to other Christians.

Old Truths Revived

Rather than search out new truths, Pastor Russell revived the great truths taught by the apostles, which had been previously spoken by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets (Acts 3:21). He consecrated his life to the Lord at an early age and became a member of the Congregational Church as well as the Y.M.C.A. Unable to accept eternal torture and related creedal concepts, he temporarily fell prey to the logic of infidelity and turned his energies into the commercial world, managing his father’s haberdashery business.

In 1869 Pastor Russell came into contact with Adventism in what he described as “a dusty, dingy hall where I had heard religious services were held.” He stopped by “to see if the handful who met there had anything more sensible to offer than the creeds of the great churches.”

Faith Rekindled

Jonas Wendell was the preacher of the day, and, while attracted to his thoughts on the second advent, Pastor Russell did not believe that the Lord was coming to burn up the world. He reasoned that “if  Christ’s coming was to end probation and bring irrevocable ruin upon ninety-nine of a hundred of mankind, then it could scarcely be considered desirable, neither could we pray with proper spirit, Come, Lord Jesus, Come quickly.” As a result he joined in organizing a Bible study class in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

This introduction to Adventism at the mouth of Wendell was sufficient to convince him that the words of the apostles and the prophets were “indissolubly linked.” It sent him back to his Bible with increased zeal and care. This study showed him that “great masses of Scripture spoke glad things of millennial glory and how blessings would come out of it.” His conclusion was that thus “though Adventism helped me to no single truth, it did help me greatly in the unlearning of errors, and thus prepared me for the truth.”

The Love of God

From 1870 to 1875 the Allegheny Bible study class “came to see something of the love of God, how it had made provision for all mankind and how all must be awakened from the tomb in order that God’s loving plan might be testified to them … as a result of Christ’s redemptive work.” Then the willing and obedient of mankind might be “brought back into harmony with God. This we saw to be the restitution work of Acts 3:21.”

During the year 1872 his contacts with George Storrs and George Stetson, former co-workers of William Miller, led him to fully appreciate the Lord’s ransom work. This supplied the necessary basis for the doctrine of restitution. By 1873 it was clear to him and his group that restitution was for all in Adam, not just those of sufficient age and mental capacity as he had previously thought. At the same time, they understood the subject of natures being separate and distinct.

The Object and Manner  of Our Lord’s Return

The failed expectation of the Adventists that the world would be burned up in 1873-1874 led Pastor Russell in 1877 to write his first pamphlet, The Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return.

After seven years of study, before attending a display for his father’s business at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, his attention was drawn to a magazine entitled The Herald of the Morning published by N. H. Barbour. Arranging to meet Nelson Barbour in Philadelphia, Pastor Russell saw merit in Barbour’s interpretation of chronology.

Linking this chronology with the previously published thoughts on the object and manner of the Lord’s return, Pastor Russell and Nelson Barbour concluded that the Millennium had begun and that it would be a time of blessing for all mankind. The two entered into a publishing arrangement with Nelson Barbour handling the lion’s share of the printing and editing, and Pastor Russell providing the funding, contributing articles, and serving as a traveling lecturer to promote their newfound beliefs. Although it was a worthy paper, The Herald of the Morning was not reaching the masses so means were sought to increase its circulation.

A Meeting of Ministers

By 1877 Pastor Russell had become an influential businessman, having been a partner in his father’s firm from the age of eleven. He had gained the respect of the business community and was apparently well known also by the ministers of Pittsburgh. In 1877 he called a meeting of all the ministers of the Pittsburgh and Allegheny area to explain what light the Lord had revealed to their Bible study group.

He wanted to spread these truths, letting the established churches carry the message to all the people as had been done a half century ­earlier by William Miller. He reasoned that if he could convince the ministers that there had been a digression from the Bible’s teachings in the past and that now the Bible could be more clearly understood, these ministers could use their influence to convince their colleagues nationwide and worldwide, spreading the message through their pulpits to the people. It was a remarkable meeting. About a third of the invited ministers attended, but none agreed with the concepts he presented.

He presented the scriptural reasons for believing that the Lord had returned and was in the process of establishing his kingdom, to bless and uplift the world of mankind, through restitution processes which were already underway. Among the first of these blessings was the ­revealing of truths respecting the time period man was entering, the seventh millennium. But these truths held certain problems for the ministers. The teaching of future probation for the masses of humanity did not square with their understanding of the immortal soul and the fear of eternal torture in hell. Future probation would remove this powerful rule by fear. The restitution concept of the Lord’s return could mark them as liars in the eyes of their parishioners on these other subjects. It also challenged their view about judgment, for they anticipated a judgment day of twenty-four hours, not a thousand years.

Because Pastor Russell was not a trinitarian, he was shut out from further consideration. The Evangelical Alliance of 1846 identified the Trinity as an “essential” doctrine for membership. From the very beginning the Trinity was not taught in either the Watch Tower or Barbour’s Herald of the Morning. The ministers were suggesting that he keep his mind on sales figures and other business work and leave the Bible and religion to them.

Whatever their reasons, the ministers rejected the message presented that night in Allegheny. Pastor Russell reasoned that this was not the way the Lord wanted the work to go forth. He concluded that the Lord did not want the new wine of Bible truth served in the old wineskins of ecclesiasticism. There had to be another way of getting the truth to the listening ears of the saints in the churches.

Controversies

Pastor Russell decided to give up his earthly business interests and dedicated himself whole­heartedly to the work of ministering to the saints. During the second half of 1878 and the first half of 1879 he became more active in writing for The Herald of the Morning.

A controversy soon sprang up concerning the change to heavenly glory of the saints. Pastor Russell and Nelson Barbour agreed that the resurrection of the dead saints was due to occur in 1878 but disagreed as to whether to expect a rapture of the saints living at that time. Pastor Russell presented the thought that the dead (or sleeping) saints would be raised in 1878 and that the living ones would be changed instantaneously as they died, no longer sleeping in death.

Difficulties arose in the working relationship of these two as Nelson Barbour began inserting his “corrections” as editorial comments in Pastor Russell’s articles. As co-editor Pastor Russell felt he had a right to have his comments free of insertions from Barbour, all the more so since he was paying the bills and even offering free two-month magazine subscriptions to all interested. The breaking point came when Pastor Russell ­became convinced Nelson Barbour was denying the efficacy of Jesus’ blood, thus invalidating the concept of Christ’s ransom sacrifice.

And so it was in the early part of 1879 that Pastor Charles Taze Russell withdrew his financial and editorial support from The Herald of the Morning and formed The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, publishing, as its journal, Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.

1916-1918

Troubled Years

James Parkinson

As 1916 began, Christ’s Ransom and the Restitution hope for mankind were ..being preached far and wide. About eight million volumes of Studies in the Scriptures had already been circulated worldwide, colporteurs were distributing them on every continent, and Pastor Russell’s sermons were published weekly in over a thousand newspapers. But foreign work was being impeded by the war in Europe. Pastor Russell made no overseas trip in 1916. He was slightly ill as he began his last railroad trip, destination Los Angeles. His discourse there was delivered with a weak voice, and in a chair, rather than with his usual ambulatory presentation. Afterward Joe Brown drove him and Menta Sturgeon to the railroad station for the return trip. On October 31 on the train near Pampa, Texas, the pastor died. The body was removed from the train in Waynoka, Oklahoma. A Presbyterian minister offered his home for the viewing of the body, although it was taken to the lone mortuary in town. Helen Noah (later Williams, then Swanson) and her carload from Alva were the first on the scene a few hours later.

Menta Sturgeon wired his wife that Pastor Russell had died. A. H. MacMillan intercepted the telegram at the Brooklyn Bethel home and wired J. F. Rutherford, then at a convention in Oakland, Maryland, “The old man is dead.¹ Rutherford came immediately to Brooklyn and took over.

Pastor Russell’s will had designated a five-member Editorial Committee: Wm. E. Page, Wm. E. VanAmburgh, H. Clay Rockwell, E. W. Brenneisen, F. H. Robison. Then, “The names of the five whom I suggest as possibly amongst the most suitable from which to fill vacancies in the Editorial Committee are as follows: A. E. Burgess, Robert Hirsh, Isaac Hoskins, Geo. H. Fisher (Scranton), J. F. Rutherford, Dr. John Edgar.” The declaration of “five” names, followed by six names, could possibly be because John Edgar (of Scotland) had died (although seemingly Ruther­ford’s name should have appeared after Edgar’s if that were an added codicil), or because as keeper of the will, he had added his own name. (It is said that Rutherford denied all requests to see the will.) Rutherford added himself to the Editorial Committee.

At the next Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society annual meeting on January 6, 1917, Rutherford insisted that some new by-laws needed to be passed to continue Watch Tower operations, though he did not allow the new by-laws to be read to the elders meeting or the membership meeting. Among the by-laws were provisions that votes for officers of the Watch Tower board would be counted only for those nominated, and that election as president of the Peoples Pulpit subsidiary would be for a life term.² At the annual meeting A. H. MacMillan was chairman; for election as president he recognized only those who would nominate or second for J. F. Ruther­ford, and then those who moved and seconded that all votes be cast for him. Rutherford’s assertion in the January 15, 1917, Watch Tower that “There being no further nominations … Brother Rutherford was declared the unanimous choice of the convention as President of the Society for the coming year,” hardly seems to epitomize the matter.

Pastor Russell’s last will and testament left “all my voting shares … in the hands of five Trustees, as follows: Sr. E. Louise Hamilton, Sr. Almeta M. Nation Robison, Sr. J. G. Herr, Sr. C. Tomlins, Sr. Alice G. James. J. F. Rutherford convinced these five that it was contrary to law for them to vote those shares (which constituted a majority of all shares). It is unclear whether Rutherford then proceeded in the name of the Watch Tower to vote those shares himself, as he did in subsequent elec­tions.

Rutherford’s efforts to establish control met increasing resistance from the majority of the board. On July 17, 1917, Rutherford claimed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society charter provided for the election of directors annually, so only the three officers of the board (elected January 6) were truly members of the board; and so he appointed A. H. MacMillan, G. H. Fisher, J. A. Bohnet, and W. E. Spill to replace Ritchie, Wright, Hoskins, and Hirsh.³ The board majority, joined by F. H. McGee, countered that officers of the board cannot be elected unless they are first members of the board; therefore there are either seven members or no members. Both sides purchased legal opinions to support their claims. The ousted members decided not to institute legal proceedings, per 1 Corinthians 6:6,7.

A series of publications were issued from various sides, including:

w    Light After Darkness (summer; by the ousted board members)

w    Harvest Siftings No. 2 (October 1917; by Rutherford)

w    Harvest Siftings Reviewed (P. S. L. Johnson)

w    Facts for Shareholders (November; by the ousted board members)

The Watch Tower proxies for the January 5, 1918, annual meeting were solicited with Power of Attorney (granting the proxy holder the right to override the designated vote). About 13% of the votes recorded were for M. Sturgeon, A. I. Ritchie, H. C. Rockwell, I. F. Hoskins, R. H. Hirsh, J. D. Wright, and W. J. Hollister^.4 The convention then voted to ask R. H. Hirsh to resign from the Editorial Committee.

Thereupon several withdrew to a hastily-convoked mini-convention at the Fort Pitt Hotel. A Committee of Seven was elected to carry on work outside the Watch Tower and IBSA (International Bible Students Association, as a voluntary association, not the British corporation of the same name). The first convention scheduled outside the IBSA was held July 26-29, 1918, at Asbury Park, New Jersey. Two or three hundred attended the Providence, Rhode Island, convention November 8-10, where it was resolved to form the Pastoral Bible Institute (PBI): The first board of directors consisted of J. D. Wright, chairman; Ingram I. Margeson, vice-chairman; I. F. Hoskins, secretary; P. L. Greiner, treasurer; H. C. Rock­well; F. H. McGee; and E. J.  Pritchard. (The Committee of Seven was dissolved.) The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom commenced publication in December under an editorial committee of I. F. Hoskins; R. E. Streeter of Providence, Rhode Island; I. I. Margeson of Westwood, Mas­sachusetts; H. C. Rockwell; and Dr. S. N. Wiley of Philadelphia. PBI offices were in Brooklyn.

When P. S. L. Johnson, Raymond Grant Jolly, and Robert Hirsh were not re-elected to the Committee of Seven, they, with most of the Philadelphia church, severed association with the Committee. They then organized the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement (LHMM) and began publishing the Present Truth and Herald of Christ’s Epiphany in 1919. The Bible Standard began publishing in 1920 for public witness work. The LHMM calls Pastor Russell the Parousia Messenger, and P. S. L. Johnson the Epiphany Messenger.

When the seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures was published in July, 1917, suggesting that the Gospel age harvest period was to end in the Spring of 1918, the IBSA  classes in the Pacific Northwest backed it completely. But C. E. Heard, of Vancouver, and many others, felt Rutherford’s recommendation in the spring of 1918 to buy war bonds was cowardice, and sacrilegiously perpetuating harvest work. The Stand Fast Bible Students Association was organized in December 1, 1918, at Portland. It published the monthly Old Corn Gems (Joshua 5:11,12) and organized many conventions in the northwest and in some midwestern states. Perhaps 40% of the Watch Tower adherents in the Northwest left in favor of the Stand Fasts. Many (non-doctrinal) divisions followed a July 25-27, 1919, Seattle convention.

In 1922 John A. Hardeson and C. D. McCray organized the Elijah Voice Society for an ambitious regathering and witness work. They published the Elijah Voice Monthly, and became the most prominent seventh volume group, though they never quite regathered “Gideon’s 300.”

In 1923 Ian C. Edwards and C. E. Heard organized the Stand Fasts into the Star Construction Company in Victoria (although Heard was persuaded by his wife to stay in Vancouver). Fearing the prophesied time of trouble, Edwards in 1924 took the company of more than 300 to Sooke and the Gordon River on the southwest part of Vancouver Island. The business failed in 1927 so most packed up and went home.

From twelve hundred adherents in 1919 in the Northwest and near Wisconsin, these seventh volume movements have now dwindled to the vanishing point.

Overseas, Alexander Freytag started the largest movement to break with the IBSA, the Man’s Friends group (or Philanthropical Society). They numbered around 50,000 until the French and Swiss groups divided.

In Great Britain, Jesse Hemery was progressively centralizing power in himself⁵ but was opposed by Henry J. Shearn and Wm. Crawford. P. S. L. Johnson was sent by J. F. Rutherford to England, where he expelled Shearn and Crawford. Secession from Hemery and the Watch Tower Society progressed rapidly after World War I ended. The Bible Students Committee was constituted on April 5, 1919,  in London to coordinate publishing, pilgrim service, etc., outside the IBSA. Its seven initial members were H. J. Shearn, W.  Crawford, and Frank B. Edgell of London (west side); Fred G. Guard, Sr. and Alex Guy of Forest Gate (London east side), William Seager of Ipswich; and George B. Tharratt of Bishops Stortford. (The Committee was dissolved in 1945.) Edgell began publishing Fellowship in 1923. Shearn began publishing the B.S.C. Monthly (then Bible Students Monthly until 1951, now Bible Study Month­ly) in 1924. Crawford commenced The Old Paths in 1925 (continuing to 1961).

In Australia, R. E. B. Nicholson rejected the seventh volume. In 1918 he formed the Berean Bible Institute in Melbourne and began publishing Peoples Paper, which continues today.

In India, S. P. Devasahayam (“Davey”), from near Nagercoil, had begun the work in 1912 including the translation of Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 1, into Tamil and then Malaya­lam. After Pastor Russell’s death, contact with the Watch Tower was lost for many years, but contact with the Pastoral Bible Institute was quickly established.⁶ Davey appointed V. Devasandosham to succeed him circa 1920. It was Devasandosham who organized the Associated Bible Students (later, India Bible Students Association) and centered the work in Madras.

In Germany and Switzerland, Samuel Lau­per published Herold des Königreiches Christi, which was the German Herald of Christ’s Kingdom. He also published a German translation of R. E. Streeter’s two Revelation volumes.

Polish activity outside the Society began with the journals Strasz [Watchman] in 1923, edited by R. H. Oleszynski, and Bzask Nowej Ery [Dawn of a New Era] in 1930. Oleszyn­ski also translated the six volumes and Tabernacle Shadows into Polish.

Probably a few thousand left the IBSA in the U. S. and Canada at this time, and many thousand did so overseas. Of the several groups, all continued to stress Ransom and Restitution. While the Stand Fasts, Elijah Voice Society, P. S. L. Johnson, and A. Frey­tag all believed the door to the high calling was now closed and that the hope of newcomers would be Restitution on Earth, Johnson rejected “The Finished Mystery” as the seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures, and was not associated with the other two groups. Freytag’s claims to direct divine revelation were a concern to those outside his group.

The Pastoral Bible Institute, Bible Students Committee [England], and similar committees on the European continent (also in India), and the Berean Bible Institute [Australia], all stressed that the high [heavenly] calling remained open, though the called, chosen, and faithful were getting fewer. The Second Presence of Christ to accomplish the return of Israel and bring to an end the present evil world was also prominently featured. It seems a majority of those with the heavenly hope eventually left the IBSA though not all for the same reason.

In the 1920s F. H. Robison contacted Adolph Ernst Knoch of the Concordant Publishing Concern, then in Los Angeles, and was converted to universal reconciliation. He soon persuaded Menta Sturgeon, O. L. Sullivan, Walter H. Bundy, W. T. Hooper, and most of the ex-IBSA Bible Students in Finland and Sweden to go with him.

None of Pastor Russell’s nieces and nephews stayed with Rutherford: Alice Land Williamson was sister-in-law to A. Ed. Williamson, a leader in the 1909 New Covenant movement; Ada Land White, in Kansas, followed P. S. L. Johnson; May F. (“Thelma”) Land Kendall, in Florida; Joseph Russell Land, in Atascadero, California, associated with the Dawn.

Prominent Personnel

Many who had been with Pastor Russell were well known to Bible Students around the U.S. and Canada, and some overseas as well. All were well versed in Scripture.

Alfred Ritchie (1871-1946): Watch Tower Vice-President, was the principal ­administrator of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society including its main office and publishing plant. Originally from Nova Scotia, Ritchie was a capable administrator though not gifted as a leader.

Alex Hugh MacMillan (born 1877): The greatest orator the IBSA had. Widely known for his September 1914 discourse, “I am Ready to be Offered,” in which he said, “This is positively my last public address on this side of the veil” [i.e., in this life]. But Pastor Russell then persuaded him to speak at the New York Temple the following Sunday. (MacMillan did not get along well with A. I. Ritchie and several others at the Bethel home.) He apparently was given charge of the Brooklyn Bethel, home for the Watch Tower workers, in 1916.

William E. VanAmburgh (died 1947, age 83): Secretary/Treasurer of the Watch Tower. Originally from South Dakota and a man of financial integrity. Had some gift for writing, including poetry.

Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1861-1942): Came from a large Calvinist family; formerly a small-town lawyer in Missouri; at least once appointed to serve as judge in a case; politically active in Democratic politics. Custodian of Pastor Russell’s last will and testament. Apparently dismissed from Bethel in early 1915, lived in Monrovia near Los Angeles and worked as a lawyer for a department store in Los Angeles. Forceful in disposition and persuasive. Debated Rev. John H. Troy at First Baptist Church in Glendale, California, April 21-24, 1915.

Clayton Woodworth (died 1951, age 81): A bright idea-man, living in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1907 he had assembled a Bible commentary from Watch Tower publications, called the Berean Comments.

James Dennis Wright (died 1920):­Elderly, of gentle manner. The senior member of the Watch Tower board of directors.

Isaac F. Hoskins (died 1957): An able journalist with a sharp tongue for those who differed with him. One of many Hoskins brothers and sisters in the IBSA. Was a Watch Tower director.

Paul Samuel Leo (formerly Levitsky) Johnson (1873-1950): A converted Jew, then Lutheran pastor, and then one of Pastor Russell’s personal secretaries. A brilliant man, delved heavily into Bible types; had suffered a nervous breakdown (“brain fag”) in 1910. A strong leader, though controversial.

Robert H. Hirsh (died 1949): An able journalist.

Fredrik Homer Robison (1885-1932): Formerly Disciples of Christ, later a personal secretary to Pastor Russell. Perhaps the most scholarly in the Watch Tower office.

Menta Sturgeon (died 1935): An able speaker. Older than most of the others. Was Pastor Russell’s personal attendant on his final train trip to and from Los Angeles.

John G. Kuehn: Had a large Ohio family, all in the IBSA. Managed the extensive Watch Tower pilgrim work.

Henry Clay Rockwell (died 1950): Was on the Editorial Committee, but a relatively new member of the Watch Tower board of directors.

Francis H. McGee: A lawyer in Freehold, New Jersey. Assistant to the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey.

Charles E. Heard: A Watch Tower pilgrim from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

George H. Fisher (died 1926): Another from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Active also in the German Watch Tower. In 1926 he urged the German classes to disfellowship J. F. Rutherford.

R. Hipolit Oleszynski (1857-1930): Polish immigrant to Chicago. Active in Watch Tower work in the U.S.A. beginning 1891, and intermittently in Poland beginning 1894.

Jesse Hemery (born circa 1863, died 1963): Manager of the IBSA (the British subsidiary corporation of the Watch Tower) in London, England.

Henry J. Shearn (died 1946): Secretary of the IBSA in London.

William Crawford (died 1957): From Scotland. Treasurer of the IBSA in London.

R. E. B. Nicholson (died 1955): Former colporteur. Manager of the Australian branch of the Watch Tower beginning 1909.

Alexander Freytag (1870-1947): Manager of the Watch Tower office in Switzerland. Capable in the French language, as well as German and English.

______________________________________

[1] It remains to determine to what extent J.F. Rutherford’s conduct there had motivated this trip.

[2] It is perhaps possible the wording was a coded message, rather than simply disrespectful.

[3] J.F. Rutherford was the only one seeking that office. (The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was a Pennsylvania corporation; the Peoples Pulpit Association was a New York subsidiary, incorporated to do business in that state when Watch Tower offices were moved to Brooklyn, N.Y.)

[4] The simultaneous release of “The Finished Mystery,” advertised as the 7^th volume of Studies in the Scriptures, appears to have been irrelevant to the arguing that followed this move.

[5] If the shares C.T. Russell had contributed to the Watch Tower were excluded, this percentage might have been closer to 16%. Had Power of Attorney not been exercised, it is unknown how much higher it would be.

[6] Hemery later published Futurist interpretations of Revelation, but he could not be forced out of the London Bethel home on account of a lifetime contract with the I.B.S.A.

[7] A letter from S.P. Davey of S. Travencore appears already in the Herald of 1918 Dec. 15.

[8] MacMillan’s version, “This is probably…,” is less positive than others remembered it.

In Foreign Lands

“His Pulpit was the World”

And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord,
and see how they do.—Acts 15:36

Carl Hagensick

Pastor Charles Taze Russell was called the “ubiquitous preacher” by the London Press because he traveled so extensively and “had the world for his congregation.” His annual travels overseas kept him in regular contact with the adherents of his message in scores of countries, as well as numerous evangelistic opportunities to preach “present truth” to thousands of enthusiastic listeners. On one occasion, in a public lecture at the vast Royal Albert Hall in London (capacity, 5,222), the crowds were so large that ushers were posted at all the doors to prohibit further entry.

Foreign Language Translations

In 1883, only four years after beginning the Watch Tower publication, a poll was taken as to which language group had the most interest in having it translated into their tongue. The winner was Swedish, with German following not far behind. Eventually the semi-monthly journal was issued in five languages.

Two popular monthly tracts, People’s Pulpit and Everybody’s Paper, each consisting of four newspaper-size pages, were produced in thirty-one different languages. Some parts of Pastor Russell’s messages had been translated and published in thirty-five to forty languages ­before his death in 1916. The circulation of these tracts in 1912 had reached 848,000 in languages other than English. A partial report in 1914 indicated these figures had grown dramatically as follows:

Foreign Travels

The London Press, because of the frequency of Pastor Russell’s travels across the Atlantic, coined the title of “the ubiquitous preacher.” His first such journey was in 1891 to the British Isles, where the popularity of his message reached such proportions that he began making annual trips to oversee the activities there.

It was not long before these treks were extended into continental Europe, including Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. In 1912 Pastor Russell and six other prominent Bible Students traveled by ship around the world, including Japan, the Philippines, India, Egypt, Israel, and Greece among their ports of call.

The burgeoning interest in his writings soon resulted in ten main branch offices being set up to more efficiently handle distribution of literature in Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, France, South Africa, and Australia. Other smaller offices were also set up.

The tumultuous years from 1916-1918 divided the Bible Student movement into a number of segments. Most notably were the Pastoral Bible Institute and the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement, formed from those who left the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

In Great Britain, Jesse Hemery was progressively centralizing power in himself. Secession from Hemery, J. F. Rutherford and the Watch Tower Society progressed rapidly after World War I ended. The Bible Students Committee was constituted on April 5, 1919, in London to coordinate publishing, pilgrim service, etc., outside the Society.

H. J. Shearn (d. 1946) began publishing the B.S.C. Monthly (1924-1927), Bible Students Monthly (1927-1951), and then Bible Study Monthly (since Aug. 1951). There is cooperation with the PBI in the U.S.  William Crawford (d. 1957) commenced The Old Paths in 1925, which continued publication through 1961. Crawford was strict in doctrine and felt the harvest was essentially over. Frank Edgell began publishing Fellowship in 1923. Frederick Lardent was publishing Gleanings. Jesse Hemery, departing from the Society later than the others, established Goshen Fellowship and published futurist interpretations of Revelation, which have some adherents today. A monthly publication, Pyramidology by Dr. Adam Rutherford of Newcastle, began in 1941. The Forest Gate Church (London) ­Bible Monthly was published 1936-1985. Phillys Stracy compiled an evening devotional book, Songs in the Night. A Dawn office was established in England shortly after World War II. The annual Conway Hall/London convention (1931-1970), sponsored by four classes, was Great Britain’s largest. An annual convention was held in Portrush, Northern ­Ireland (1950-1980) [which corresponded roughly to the U.S. General Convention, though proportionately much smaller]. The annual Maranatha [Our Lord Cometh] Conference (1950-1980) corresponded approximately to the Berean (Grove City, Pennsylvania) Conference in the U.S.

In Australia, R.E.B. Nicholson rejected the seventh volume in 1918 and thence formed the Berean Bible Institute. This Institute has published Peoples Paper in Melbourne since 1918 (edited by E. E. Martin, ca. 1926-1988), and it represents both the PBI and the Dawn there. There are several associated Berean Bible Student ecclesias (including Polish) in Australia and also a few in New Zealand. At the same time Henninges in Melbourne continued publishing New Covenant Advocate and Kingdom Herald from April 1909 to March 1943. It was later resumed by H. S. Winbush.

In India, S. P. Devasahayam (“Davey”), from near Nagercoil, had begun the work in 1912, including translation of Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 1, into Tamil and then Malaya­lam. After Pastor Russell’s death, contact with the Watch Tower was lost for many years, but contact with the PBI was later established. Davey became physically weak about 1920 and became involuntarily inactive until his death in 1936. Then, also, many associates left the Society en masse.

Davey appointed V. Devasandosham to succeed him ca. 1920. A capable organizer, Devasandosham organized the “Associated Bible Students” (later India Bible Students Association) and centered the work in Madras. Tamil publications included “Babylon and her Daughters,” “Is Saturday the Sabbath of the Christians?,” and “The True Bible Catechism.” Later, he suggested 2520+30 years might signify the end in 1944; after 1939 many sold everything for the sake of the Christian work, which afterwards led to serious problems.

Originally from Singapore, Bro. Pakian (of poor health) bought a small printing press in Madras, 1920-1924. Pakian Press printed many Tamil tracts, and a monthly magazine (since 1922) for the Associated Bible Students. After Devasandosham’s death, the press was moved to Coimbatore, in 1966 (with a press bought by the Dawn) to Madurai, and in 1974 to Trichy (Tiruchiripali, where there were about 300 in the ecclesia). Sr. Ryer Pillai gave a trimming machine for books ca. 1960.

As head of the India Bible Students Association, Devasandosham (1920-1944) was succeeded by T.C. Devakannu (“TCD;” 1944-1970), by S. Rathansami (1967-1975) of Tiruchiripali, and Sebastian (1975- ). The India Bible Students ­Association [Tamil language] convention has been held annually since 1921. Currently it lasts about three days, attracts roughly a hundred, and from year to year rotates among a few cities. The Bible Students Press published a monthly magazine in the Tamil language. A few hundred Bible Students are scattered throughout India, but primarily in the south.

Sundar Raj Gilbert left an engineering career to begin his activity. His outreach beyond the Tamil state began in 1940. Solomon Subamangalam and Bro. George by chance found a small Dawn booklet at Madras and wrote for free literature early in 1946. In 1947 Subamangalam gave some of it to Sundar Raj Gilbert. Then correspondence between H. A. Livermore of Portland, Oregon, and Peter Sundar Raj Gilbert led to foreign support of the India work beginning in 1947. The Northwest India Committee (in America later renamed Northwest Committee for India, and now Friends of India) receives cooperation from several ecclesias and individuals in the U.S. and Canada. The South India Bible Students Committee was formed in 1965 (in conjunction with G.R. Pollock’s visit) to publish literature also in the other native languages: including Telugu, Kanada (Canarese), Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Oriya. The Bible Students Press has a working agreement with the Dawn in America.

In Germany and Switzerland, Samuel Lauper (d. 1938) published Heroldes des Köni­greiches Christi, which was the German Herald of Christ’s Kingdom. Lauper also published a German translation of Streeter’s Revelation volumes. Ewald Vorsteher published Wahr­heitsfreund [Friend of Truth] in the 1920s. Conrad C. Binkele began publishing Der Pilgrim ca. 1930. These efforts were all suspended around the advent of the Hitler regime. After the war many Bible Students again received Watchtower literature (for the first time in a decade) and forthwith left the Society. ­Joseph Huber began Die Brennende Lampe [The Burning Lamp], similar to the American Herald and Dawn (though more Futurist). A. Freytag published Jedermanns­blatt [Everybody’s Paper]. Emil Sadlac of Kirchlengern began Christliche Warte [Christian Watchtower] in 1949, which offers a pre-harvest theology. The German Tagesanbruch [Daybreak, the German Dawn], began in Berlin around 1950 and later moved to Freiburg. The German general convention began in 1955 and now typically hosts 200. There are Bible Students in the former East Germany also. They published Christliche Verantwortung [Christian Responsibility] for two years ca. 1950.

The French Dawn, Aurore, began publication ca. 1951. Journal de Sion began near Lille, France, in 1956 and publishes translated writings of Pastor Russell and some current articles. The Polish constitute the largest proportion of Bible Students in France. Along a different line, Alexander Freytag formed the Man’s Friends (or Philantropic Assembly) group in 1920. Freytag claimed special revelations and looked for Christ’s Second Coming in the future. The Swiss and the French groups are divided now and publish their own journals. They claim an earthly hope and endeavor to do many good works.

The New York Greek ecclesia was established in 1933 and in 1934 began publishing a Greek Dawn, He Haravgi. Frouros [Watcher] was a doctrinaire publication (by Geo. Loum­bardas) in Toronto. In Greece most of the ­Bible Student activity is in Athens. Activity in Greece was often hampered by anti-proselytizing laws.

A publication in the Italian language, L’Aurora Millenniale [The Dawn of the Millennium] was attempted in Hartford, Connecticut, beginning ca. 1933. The Italian Dawn, Aurora, began publication in 1953.

Prominent among Scandinavians who left the Society was (Count) Carl Lüttichau of Copenhagen. The Dano-Norwegian Dawn, Daggry Forlaget, began publication ca. 1951.

Swedish efforts outside the IBSA commenced about 1920, with Mr. Mellinder of Harnosand and Axel Sjo prominent. A 1922 winter convention in Stockholm was attended by nearly one hundred. (A few years later most of these turned to universalism.) Anders Kar­len stressed the divine plan in the Great Pyramid of Egypt. A Swedish Dawn, Dagnigen, was published 1951-1960.

Finnish efforts apart from the IBSA commenced early in 1921. A year later a Finnish journal had fifteen hundred subscriptions, five hundred attended a convention in Helsinki (one hundred fifty spoke Swedish), and a thousand attended public meetings. Mr. Nor­tamo was a full-time pilgrim, and W. Berg­häll (pronounced “Berryhill” in English) appears to have been a guiding light. There were active ecclesias of about fifty in Tampere (Tam­mer­fors) and Turku (Åbo).

A journal, Strasz and corresponding to the Polish Straz, was published from Winnipeg in the Ukrainian language. A Ukrainian radio broadcast, Peter and Paul, was also sponsored by the Ukrainian ecclesia in Winnipeg.

Spanish broadcasts of Francisco y Ernesto are heard throughout Latin America and the southernmost U.S. The Spanish work was spearheaded by Roberto Montero in San Diego, California.

Romanian activity was curtailed by World War II. Afterwards, property was confiscated and activity suppressed during the Ceausescu regime. Several thousand there had no contact with Bible Students from other countries until the fall of the Ceausescu government in 1989.

Africa work began in earnest in 1972-1973 with visits to interested groups in Nigeria, though the Layman’s Home Missionary Movement had been active there for years. Recently a number of visits have also been made to Ghana.

Still more recently the New Brunswick, New Jersey, congregation has begun an extensive ministry of comfort to Israel. Kenneth Rawson has traveled extensively to Israel and many eastern European countries with the audio-video presentation Israel, Appointment With Destiny that has been well-received not only in the Holy Land but by thousands of Jews of the Diaspora.

The International Convention

Although there were Bible Students in many countries of the world, there was little communication and co-operation between them. It was largely to facilitate such collaboration that the International Convention of Bible Students was organized in 1982. A committee of representatives from Poland, France, Germany, Greece, England and the United States was formed to make the ­arrangements. The first convention was such a success that the gathered brethren voted to become self-sponsoring with an international committee and meet every two years. Venues have included Kufstein and Obsteig, Austria; Willingen, Germany; DeBron, Holland; Poitiers, France; Miskolc, Hungary; and Polanica Zdroj, Poland.

From the first conference held in Austria, with an attendance of about two hundred fifty to the last such meeting in Poland, with almost a thousand attending, brethren have come from over fifteen countries, including Japan, Russia, Nigeria, India, Argentina, and Brazil in addition to the U.S. and Canada, and many countries in both Eastern and Western Europe.

These gatherings have also spawned international youth camps with over a hundred at­tending and such multi-country gatherings as a joint French-German convention every year.

Present Activity

Bible Students now live and/or hold meetings in at least these countries: Russia (including Siberia), Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovenia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, India, South Africa, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Guyana, United States, Canada, the Philippines, and the West Indies. Some work has recently begun in Sri Lanka.

The most sizeable movements, with over a thousand each, are in the United States, Poland, Romania, and India. The Herald magazine currently reaches a readership in 47 different countries and, through its web page, has an outreach to many more.

Short Subjects

Several beliefs, while not necessarily unique to the Bible Student movement, when taken collectively, outline a doctrinal position that is distinct from mainstream Christianity. Some of these teachings are:

1. Inspiration of the Bible: Bible Students are united in holding that the sacred Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are inspired and are the final authority for authentic truth. Correct doctrine is to be established in beliefs that harmonize all Scriptures on each subject. No non-Scriptural words may be made an article of faith.
2. Creation: Bible Students believe in Creation, while allowing for some evolution in the animal creation, and that man (and hence, woman) was a direct creation of God, physically and mentally perfect.
3. Original Sin: Believing that Adam and Eve were created perfect, the Bible Student position is that the sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden resulted in all their parents being born under the blight of sin, imperfection, and death.
4. Nature of God: The Bible Student position is neither Trinitarian nor Unitarian. While they believe that Jesus was the Son of God and possesses the nature of God since his resurrection, they do not accept the positions of co-eternity ir co-equality between the Father and the Son. Rather than accepting the doctrine of incarnation, they hold that Jesus was wholly flesh while on earth, having divested himself of his spirit nature. Nor do they accept the concept of the holy spirit being a person: it is the disposition or influence of God.
5. Nature of Man: In distinction from inherent immortality, the Bible Student view is that man is mortal by nature and that immortality is available only be meeting conditions of obedience. They hold that the human soul is not a distinct entity but is the result of the union of the body and the breath, or spark, of life, and that death is the dissolution of these two elements.
6. State of the Dead: Because death is the dissolution of body and breath, the soul that sins dies and goes out of existence until the resurrection process in the future kingdom of Messiah. The Bible “hell” is the grave and neither a place of eternal fire nor of conscious separation from God.
7. Virgin Birth: While Jesus was miraculously begotten by God through the holy spirit in the womb of Mary, the Bible implies that she did not remain a virgin thereafter and probably had children by Joseph after the birth of Jesus. Her nature was the same as others of the fallen race, and there is no biblical implication of an “immaculate conception” of Mary.
8. Ransom and Restitution: The main purpose of Jesus’ first advent was to provide a ransom, or substittutionary atonement for Adam and hence the entire human race descending from him. This Ransom was provided at the cross of Calvary and is efficacious for all who have ever died. It promises resuscitation from death for all humanity in Christ’s 1,000 year kingdom, along with an opportunity to obtain and maintain perfect life for eternity. The ransom also provides for the rehabilitation of planet Earth to perfect Edenic conditions.
9. Resurrection: After Jesus Christ was crucified, he was raised to spiritual life by his Father, God, and given a divine body in the express image of God’s person.

10.  The Heavenly Calling: At his first advent, Jesus began calling out from mankind a special class to be his church or bride. To these he promises a part in heaven with him and his Father, and a kingdom role of reigning over mankind with himself for the blessing of all the families of the earth.

11.  Second Advent: As with most Christians, the expectation that Jesus Christ would return to finish the work he began two thousand years ago is an important part of their faith. Most Bible Students share the following beliefs in the second advent.

1. Object: That the object of his return is the resurrection of the dead and the establishment of a new world order of peace and righteousness in which all sin, sorrow, and death will be eliminated.
2. Manner: That Jesus returns invisibly, at first unnoticed by the world at large, though eventually manifesting that presence to all.
3. Time: Though not in universal agreement, the majority of Bible Students feel confident that the time for his return was in the near past (1874) and that he in process of finishing his church, evicting the old regime of the adversary, and supervising the preparation of Israel for kingdom work,

12.  Return of Israel: The establishment of the nation of Israel and the return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland is an indication of the restoration of the favor of God to that nation and an indication of the nearness of Messiah’s kingdom. Bible Students anticipate a return of Israel to the borders promised to Abraham and a final conflict in the Middle East, in which their ancient prophets will be resurrected and God will, through them, bring about an unprecedented miraculous deliverance introducing the worldwide kingdom of Christ, expanding thence to a worldwide dominion of peace.

13.  Church Organization: The Bible Student community is organized on a strict congregational basis with each local group being totally autonomous. Each group selects its ministry (elders and deacons) by a local vote of their consecrated members, and co-operates with other congregations as determined by that local group. All expenses are paid entirely by free-will voluntary offerings with no collections nor mandated costs; the ministry serves in a voluntary and non-paid basis.

Christians Before the Reformation

There are glimpses of Protestant teachings from earliest Christian times to the Dark Ages. The Epistle of Barnabas explains a typical significance of the Sabbath: “The meaning of it is this: that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end. For with him one day is a thousand years. . . . And he rested the seventh day: he meaneth this: that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the Wicked One, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and moon, and the stars; then he shall gloriously rest in that seventh day. . . . the Sabbath, says he, which ye shall keep are not acceptable unto me, but those which I have made: when resting from all things I shall begin the eighth day, that is, the beginning of the other world.”¹

Willingness to suffer martyrdom for the cause of Christ is illustrated in Ignatius’ epistle to the Romans (ca. A.D. 110) 2:2-4, “Suffer me to be food to the wild beasts; by whom I shall attain unto God. For I am the wheat of God: and I shall be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather encourage the beasts, that they may become my sepulcher; and may leave nothing of my body; that being dead I may not be troublesome to any.”

Similarly, the contemporary Polycarp writes,² “I exhort all of you that ye obey the rule of righteousness, and exercise all patience; which ye have set forth before our eyes, not only in the blessed Ignatius, and Zozimus, and Rufus; but in others among yourselves; and in Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles.”

We hear of Arius first in A.D. 313 pleading for restoration of primitive purity in an Alexandrian church gone worldly. The leader of the worldly faction, Athanasius, could hardly accuse Arius of being too honorable; so after five years he accused Arius for heresy for not calling God a Trinity.³ Ultimately the Athanasians poisoned Arius to death, and called it the righteous act of God.

About A.D. 538 Jacobus Baradaeus (literally, James of rags, as he declined to spend money on clothing), of Syria, defended the monophysite concept of Jesus at his first advent having just one nature, the human. He ranged from Egypt to Babylon, and ordained 80,000 bishops. (The modern Syrian Orthodox Church descended from him and remains monophysite.)

The Paulicians in Asia were outside the Catholic Church, and began evangelizing in Europe. Likely from them came the modern Cathars (lit. Puritans, though the Catholic hierarchy called them “Ketzer,” heretics). Already in A.D. 1140, in Monteforte, they said Jesus did not have a soul, but by identity he was a soul. They looked forward to the “Rejuvenation Day.”

Other notable pre-Reformation Christians included Peter Waldo and the Waldenses in the Alps; John Wycliffe, who before William Tyndale’s time translated the Bible into English (though it would be incomprehensible a century later), had followers who were called Lollards; Jan Hus in Poland/Czech Republic; and Johann Wessel-Gansfort in the Netherlands, who said, “It is not by works, but in works, that faith lives.” All faced opposition, most were hunted, and some were burned at the stake.

1. Epistle of Barnabas 13:1-10 (Likely the Barnabas who was with Paul.)
2. Epistle of Polycarp (bishop of Smyrna) to the Phillipians 3:5-9.
3. Curiously, the word Trinitatas was invented by Tertullian ca. A.D. 200, but he was outside the main body of professing Christians. Irenaeus did not share the concept, but he was declared a Catholic saint, not Tertullian.

Grew was born in Birmingham, England, but moved to Boston with his parents at age fourteen. At age 23 he was elected deacon of the Baptist Church he attended, and was later licensed to preach in Hartford, Connecticut, where he served ten years until he was dismissed for view the church deemed heretical.

He not only preached slavery, but from the Bible alone. Henry Grew determined that the doctrines of the immortal soul, hell-fire and Trinity were not Scriptural. He wrote several books against the doctrines, one of which was picked up by George Storrs, who was later convinced of Grew’s views regarding the state of the dead, Grew’s clear Scriptural exposition and ideas later influenced the Adventists and other individuals, directly to such as George Stetson and George Storrs, and indirectly through these to Pastor Charles Taze Russell.

Although he had only a moderate income, he was able to bestow half his income to charity. He gave a considerable about to missionary work as well as to the poor of the city. He not only cared for their well-being, but also for their spiritual welfare.

While traveling on a train, Storrs picked up a tract be found on the floor which was on the condition of the dead. He found out later that it was written by Henry Grew. In 1842, after a few years of study on this subject, Storrs began to preach this message to many of the Adventists. After writing a  book on the subject, he started a magazine entitled The Bible Examiner for the same purpose. He differed from Grew’s teachings in respect to the wicked. Storrs believed these would go into second death and not be resurrected to judgment. The two debated the matter for years until Henry Grew’s death in 1862.

A decade later, during a severe illness, Storrs reconsidered his views on the wicked, and determined that the Scriptures taught that the wicked would be resurrected to an education in the knowledge of God, to judgment, and that all the families of the earth would be blessed because of the promise to Abraham. He was later surprised to find other individuals teaching these same doctrines, one of whom was Henry Dunn, who a decade earlier had been teaching these things in England, unknown to Storrs. Because of these views, his friends forsook him and Storrs became an independent publisher of these teachings. During these years Pastor Russell wrote for Storr’s magazine until Storr’s death in 1879.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was born in Lincolnshire on Christmas day nearly two months premature, and posthumous to his father. In the superstition of the day, all three of these circumstances of his birth were considered to portend a child of exceptional abilities, and so he was to prove. He was born in the last year in which a witch was burned at the stake in England. When he went to his grave at age 85, he was and still is remembered as one of the greatest scientists of all time. During the age of Revolution (1796), a declassed French aristocrat, Champlain de la Blancharie, issued a manifesto denouncing England for its failure to honor Newton and proposing to re-date the calendar for the new era from the date of Newton’s birth.

But the advocates of rational thought were inventing a fiction, for first and foremost Newton was a man of faith. The community has long ignored or belittled Newton’s strong commitment to Christianity and earnest non-conforming Bible study. Although it is easy to take exception with a number of details in interpretation, his keenness of mind permitted him to see truths that we might believe were little known until the time of the harvest. Nearly one million words, mostly unpublished even today, range over Biblical prophecy, the Times of Restitution, translation and manuscript errors, chronology, the measurements of Ezekiel’s temple compared against the New Jerusalem, and the Great Pyramid and its measurements as a witness, to name but a few. Albert Einstein, whose reformulation of gravitation three hundred years later has far displaced Newton’s classic work, spent some time in 1940 perusing the Jerusalem-based Yehuda collection of these massive religious writings. Einstein, whose faith in God always was firm but who was uncomfortable with theological dogmatism, took the time to compose a letter praising the papers for the insight they afforded into his famous predecessor’s “spiritual workshop.”

Newton’s public anti-Trinitatian positions and writings continually created difficulties for his patrons. These kept him out of the Royal society and required special royal dispensation for him to hold a post as professor, ironically enough, at Trinity College, Cambridge. Most significantly, he is responsible for the scholarship that challenged the acceptance of the spurious 1 John 5:7 into the Greek NewTestament.

In Of the World to Come Newton shows a clear grasp of the heavenly salvation, the earthly salvation, and “the little season.” He dismisses eternal torment with this opening salvo: “So then the mystery of this restitution of all things is to be found in all the prophets; which makes me wonder with great admiration that so few Christians of our age can find it there. For they understand not the final return of the Jews from captivity . . . and the setting up of a peaceable, righteous, and flourishing kingdom at the Day of Judgment is this mystery . . . First, the earth shall continue to be inhabited by mortals after the day of Judgment, and not only for 1,000 years, but even forever . . . And that the citizens of this city are not the saints raised from the dead, but a race of mortal men like the nations over whom they reign . . . [That after the judgment of Isaiah 66] the saving in these and such like places of Scripture is of mortals at the last day from both misery and death both temporal ad eternal. . . . [for] the rest of his kingdom are the nations that have been saved; and they are mortals remaining on earth.”

Newton castigates misunderstandings arising from “fancies . . .occasioned by understanding in a vulgar and literal sense what the prophets wrote in their own mystical language.” He then goes on to explain that fire and melting of elements are references to social calamities and not to be interpreted literally. He closes by explaining that since Christ after his resurrection made only rare appearances, “so it is to be conceived that at his second coming, he and the children of the resurrection [the Church] shall reign invisibly unless when they see fit upon extraordinary occasions to appear.”

Although he published several seminal scientific works within his lifetime, when Newton died unmarried, the executors of his estate large found his religious writings to be an embarrassment. They kept all but four sequestered where they remained unread until the twentieth century.

1. This synopsis is based on the highly recommended The Religion of Isaac Newton by Frank E. Manuel, Oxford (1974). See also H. MacLachlen, Isaac Newton (1950).

Four articles by Henry Dunn appear in Zion’s Watch Tower (Reprints, ppg. 644, 649, 653, and 796). All come from Dunn’s book, The Study of the Bible, written in 1871. “Bros. George Storrs, Henry Dunn and others were preaching and writing if ‘the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets’ (Acts 3:21) and that ‘In the ages to come God would show the exceeding richness of his grace’ (Ephesians 2:7).” − Charles Taze Russell, Supplement to Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, July 1, 1879.

For many years Dunn was secretary of the British and Foreign School Society and was identified with the history of public education in England. After retirement he went to Italy and joined the Protestant missions there, devoting his life to a study of the Scriptures and the writing of Christian literature. He published his own magazine, The Interpreter, in 1860-61 and was have said to be heard to “express his obligation to a remarkable book, never much known and now almost forgotten: Dunbar Isidore Heath’s Future Human Kingdom of Christ. It was this book that inspired Dunn’s Destiny of the Human Race that is credited by both George Storrs and Charles Russell as helpful in the thoughts on the doctrines of two salvations and times of restitution. Shortly before his death, Dunn wrote a series if articles for Storrs’ magazine, The Bible Examiner. Pastor Russell wrote that on these doctrines both Storrs were influential in his thinking.

Dunbar Isidore Heath was a Reverend at Cambridge, elected scholar in 1836, and again in 1843. As a recognized authority on Egyptology, he was one of the early translators of the papyri in the British Museum. In 1852 Health wrote The Future Human Kingdom of Christ in which he distinguished the “saved nations from the glorified saints” by outlining an early concept of “the two salvations.” He was prosecuted for heresy in 1861 by the Bishop of Winchester and sentenced by the Court of Arches for publishing these ideas. He would not recant and tried to appeal his sentence by attempting to defend his character and doctrine from the Scriptures through the writing of several booklets. All of this failed and as a result of this prosecution he suffered not only the loss of his profession, but sustained heavy financial losses as well.

The first Stetsons arrived from England in 1634; fourteen years after the Mayflower and the pilgrims arrived in America. For over 40 years he followed in the footsteps of Christ and associated with Henry Grew and George Storrs in his early ministry and even later with Jonas Wendell and Charles Russell (Reprints, p. 3821). He was not only a minister, but also a school teacher and physician. As a member of the Advent Christian Church he and Wendell worked together in several churches throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio in the 1870’s. They also wrote for George Storrs’ magazine The Herald of Life and the Coming Kingdom, and for other magazines such as The World’s Crisis.

“He had been a faithful under-shepherd, ever holding before his hearers, as the great incentive to holiness and purity of life, that which filled his own soul with joy and peace and helped him to live ‘above the world’ − viz: the appearing of the Heavenly Bridegroom − the King of Glory, and our gathering together unto him Our brother was a man of marked ability, and surrendered bright prospects of worldly and political honors to be permitted to preach Christ when the glories and beauties of God dawned upon his heart. The truth cost him much, yet he bought it gladly” (Reprints, p. 46).

For ten months during 1872 Stetson pastured the church in Pittsburgh, where he met young Charles Taze Russell. Then he led the Edinboro, Pennsylvania for six years until his death. His dying request was that Pastor Russell give his funeral sermon (Reprints, p. 46) where over twelve hundred attended and heard the good news of the kingdom of God.

Jonas Wendell became a Christian in 1843. “About 1845 he came into the truth of life and immortality in Christ only, of his soon coming, and reign with the saints on earth renewed, and the everlasting destruction of the impenitent wicked. He began preaching these views at Syracuse in 1847.” − The World’s Crisis, September 10, 1873.

It is quite possible that he had some association with George Storrs through letter he wrote to the Bible Examiner in the 1850’s. He was committed to the date 1854 for the return of the Lord and was so disappointed that he went astray for several years. In the winter of 1864-1865 he faith was restored by a traveling preacher friend, and he resumed preaching for the Second Adventists in the Advent Christian Church in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and New England from 1865 to 1871. Like Nelson Barbour, he set upon 1873 as the date for the soon coming of the Lord. In 1870 he wrote a booklet advocating his 1873 views entitled The Present Truth or Meat in Due Season.

In 1869 when preaching in Pittsburgh he rekindled the faith of a young man who stumbled “seemingly by accident” into a dirty, dingy hall where he was preaching (Reprints, p. 5909). That person was Pastor Charles Taze Russell who wrote: “Though his Scripture exposition was not entirely clear . . . it was sufficient, under God, to re-establish my wavering faith in the divine inspiration of the Bible, and to show that the records of the prophets and apostles are indissolubly linked. What I heard sent me to my Bible to study with more zeal and care than ever before, and I shall ever thank the Lord for that leading; for though Adventism helped me to no single truth, it did help greatly in the unlearning if errors, and thus prepared me for the Truth” (Reprints, p. 3821).

On August 7, 1873, Wendell fell down a flight of stairs and received severe internal injuries from which he never recovered.

R. E. Streeter was one of the founding fathers of the Pastoral Bible Institute and an original member of the editorial board of The Herald magazine. He became a Christian in 1877 and originally associated with the Free Baptist Church. Finding denominational restrictions too binding he left that church and joined the Evangelical Advent Church. He first received The Divine Plan of the Ages in 1896 but rejected it as a false teaching. The following year he was sent on a successful missionary assignment to South America and the West Indies where he received another copy of that book and read it on his return journey. This time he accepted its message.

As editor in 1892 of a small journal, The Testimony of Jesus, he continued its publication and presented to his readers the new views he was learning. Eventually he discontinued the magazine and in 1902 entered the pilgrim ministry under Pastor Charles Taze Russell.

He was a member of The Herald’s editorial committee beginning in 1918 and was elected a trustee in 1923, serving in that capacity until his death the following year. He was a deep student of prophecy and was the author of Daniel, the Beloved of Jehovah and The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Speaking of Dwight Moody and his associates, Pastor Russell wrote: “It is our thought that the Lord used these men, and through their ministry the fore-ordained number was completed at the fore-ordained time, 1881” (Reprints, p. 4303).

Moody was born seventeen years before Pastor Russell. He was one of the most successful evangelists of the nineteenth century. His ministry differed somewhat from those of his contemporaries in that he laid stress on a full commitment to God rather than merely the “believe and be saved” formula of his peers. He urged his hearers to find a way to leave their earthly careers and spend their full time in service to God.

Moody was never endorsed by a seminary, disdaining such ordination as a qualification for the ministry of the Gospel. Though an aggressive fund raiser, Moody refused to be personally financed by members of his audiences. Influenced by a strong personal friendship with the Jewish Christian, Joseph Rabinowitz, Moody was vitally interested in the development of Israel as a nation headed for a great destiny in the plan of God.

W. Norman Woodworth became a Bible Student in the last decade of the nineteenth century and devoted his life to his convictions. After serving for several years as a colporteur in the maritime provinces of Canada and the state of Maine, Pastor Russell asked him to come to Bethel to learn to operate a movie projector and assist in the developmental work of The Photo-Drama of Creation. He presented the Drama in the Ohio cities of Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo before being assigned to Chicago where his first day’s were 1,500 in the afternoon and 3,500 in the evening.

After the death of Pastor Russell, his duties were temporarily suspended until he received an invitation to re-enter the ministry in 1923. He soon became involved in developing a radio program for the IBSA. Music was an important part of early programming and he played a trombone in the Bible Student orchestra that accompanied the broadcast.

He was soon asked to prepare one of the programs and developed the format for Frank and Ernest in 1924. Disagreement with the new teachings of the Society soon led to his disassociation with the IBSA. In his new surroundings he found other brethren to assist in reviving the program and $1,300 was raised for a broadcast on WOR in New York for thirteen weeks. The first of these programs in 1931 produced over 200 responses. From twenty-two stations carrying the programs in 1941, the coverage reached a high of 352 stations on the MBS network in 1950.

To follow up the responses, the New York ecclesia published a small pamphlet, Radio Echoes. This grew into the magazine The Dawn by 1932 and Norman Woodworth volunteered to do the printing. He remained the editor and wrote many of the articles until his death.

And Finally

“In Memorian — C.T.R”
Beloved One!
Beyond earth’s sunshine and its rain,
Beyond all weariness and pain,
Thou art at rest.
E’n though we mourn our loss, we joy to feel
Thou art so blest.

O, faithful one!
Now privileged to see unfold
God’s purpose in the scroll unrolled
By Christ’s own hand;
And thou hast made report: I’ve done as Thou,
Lord, didst command.

O, radiant one!
Along the dark and narrow way
Thy faithfulness casts back a ray
Of hope and cheer;
For thou so joyously thy cross didst bear,
With scarce a tear.

O, blessed one!
We pray for strength to do God’s will,
To wait and suffer and be still,
As thou hast done,
Nor faint, nor fear, but run on until
The prize is one.

− Gertrude Siebert, Poems of the Way, p. 108

The (un)Holy Trinity

DENYING THE SON OF GOD PUTS DARKNESS FOR LIGHT
(An Answer To Robert C. Hill)

I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.  John 1:34

“Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby ye know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ IS COME IN THE FLESH is of God: And every spirit that confesseth NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come.” “And we have seen and do testify that the FATHER sent the SON to be the Savior of the world. Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the SON of God, God dwelleth in him.”  –  1 John 4:1-3,14,15″

About three-fourths of all the preachers are vehement enemies against the truth of God’s Word on this subject. Because they cannot resist the force of the true Bible teachings, they misrepresent and vilify others who dare to speak out the truth. They classify them under a “cult” designation, warning others to stay away from such, that thus by clerical control, they may hinder good people from hearing and from reading what the Scriptures really have to say. By their fruits ye shall know them, said the Master, and evidently many clergymen must be seriously wrong of heart; else they would not bear these unscriptural fruit’s — unmanly fruits “works of the flesh and of the Devil.” Gal. 5:19-21; 1 John 3:8

We would not slack our efforts to make known the true character of the God of the Bible, so in contrast with the Satanic god of the creeds. Many have come to know the truth and have been set free from this God dishonoring, third century, dark-age creedal teaching of Papacy fostered upon Christianity. Christians of all faiths, have thrilled to know who their Father and God really is. They have received new life and joy in the Lord through a more correct understanding of His Holy Word. We are encouraged to go on in the narrow way which the Master and the Apostles trod. We would not render personal abuse in retaliation. To do so would be contrary to the Word and Spirit of the Lord. But the creeds and false doctrines, we would continue to smash with all the power granted us, that thus hungering, thirsting souls might be delivered from error into the joyous liberty of the children of God.

DENYING THE SON OF GOD

Walter Martin and some, of more recent times, have joined other evangelists and preachers in the slanderous misstatements, that Bible Students are in denial that Jesus is the Son of God. By such false statements, we declare, they seek to prevent people from coming to hear and from reading Bible expositions of truths. Yet how foolish it is for them to make such deliberate misstatements; for eventually their falsehoods will be found out! People who learn of the gross misrepresentation realize that only desperation, attempting to support a weak cause, could lead men professing to ministers of the Truth to thus do it violence. Really, it is true Bible students, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, while the great majority of preachers and evangelists do not clearly so teach. They confuse their argument and bewilder their hearers by telling in one breath that Jesus is the Son of God, and in the next breath that He is His own Father.

According to them, He is Jehovah God, who sent His Son into the world to die, and He is the Son who sent Himself as God. When He prayed to the Father it was a mockery; for He was the Father “one in person.” When he said, The Father is greater than I, He misrepresented the facts, according to these preachers, evangelists and creed-makers. He spoke of the Cup which the Father had poured for Him, and said He could do nothing of Himself, and that He would return to the Father. He prayed, My God! My God! Why hast Thou forsaken Me? and said to Mary, I have not yet ascended to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God. But these wiser-than-the-Bible teachers contradict Him, and feel like saying, Jesus must have been a Millennial Dawner! But we know better.

Such teachers make void the Word of God through their traditions. Luke 11:51; Mark 7:9,13; Col. 2:8. In claiming that Jesus is Jehovah God, they really deny that He is the Son of God; for common sense tells everybody that a son receives his life from the father. This is exactly what the Bible tells us respecting Jesus.

TRUTHFUL CRITICISMS INVITED

We invite truthful criticisms of our teachings; but our opponents know that to treat us fairly, justly, would be to turn all thinking people to our side the Bible side — the reasonable side. For more than a century, they ignored our presentations, lest people should find out; but as sermons, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.1-6 (particularly Vol.5) and booklets, radio, television and Internet, now reach millions. They are alarmed for the safety of their musty creeds, and resort to rank falsehoods, misrepresentations and slanders — the weapons of moral cowards, who realize their own weakness.

They would charge Bible students with disbelieving the doctrine of the Trinity that three ones are one, we would cheerfully admit it, and point them to the fact that the word Trinity is not found in the Bible. And, that the thought of a trinity is not there, except in one passage, which Billy Graham and all scholars of all denominations admit is a forgery of the Seventh Century 1 John 6:7, 8. See Revised Version

 We believe in the Heavenly Father, Jehovah God – which ORIGINAL word Jehovah, found in the Hebrew Text, was arbitrarily changed in almost versions to LORD in order to confuse readers in thinking that Jesus and Jehovah (mentioned in 6,000 or more Hebrew texts) were one in the same as part of a Trinity. (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 5, pps. 65,66) The 1901 American Standard Version has God’s NAME correctly translated as Jehovah; however the NEW American Standard version, seeing an apparent problem in so rendering, reverted back to LORD. That is an irresponsible deception. We believe in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who left the Heavenly nature, took the human nature, died for our sins, and was afterward highly exalted to the Divine nature. We believe in the holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Truth, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ. Our crime is that we do not believe that the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit are one in person, equal in power and glory, neither one existing before the others, neither one together in any sense, the Son and neither together in any sense, the Father, really. The Bible says nothing of this kind; and we are glad that our heads are not so illogical as to lead us to deny the Bible and common sense for the sake of being in harmony with creeds or traditions made of men in the Dark Ages. Jesus said, to Paul, “Is it hard for you to kick against the prickly briars?”

 THE MAN, CHRIST JESUS

The Bible makes no mystery of who Jesus is; and we would not have been in confusion had we relied solely upon the testimony of Jesus, the Apostles and the Prophets. Our misleading came during the twelve hundred years [in 325 AD especially] when the Bible was ignored, because it was believed that the living bishops were Apostolic and had the plenary powers of the original Apostles. This serious error Jesus emphatically warned against in advance. Rev. 2:2

The Bible tells of Jesus’ present glorious station, far above angels, partaker of the Divine nature. Phil. 2:8,9; 2 Pet 1:4; 1 John 3:2. But many ignore this, and claim that Jesus is a man in Heaven, completely out of touch with His surroundings; for a man, according to the Bible, is a little lower than angels (Psa. 8:5), whereas the Apostle declares that Jesus, at His resurrection, was exalted far above angels. John 3:6. It tells of Christ “Who (as in the oldest Greek Siniatic MS text — not “God” who) was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Tim. 3:16. This glorious One, although of a different nature, is the same One who, while on earth, was the Man Christ Jesus, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isa. 53:3. St. Paul tells us how Jesus left the Heavenly glory, how He humbled Himself to take a bondman’s form — to take the same nature as humanity, which had come into bondage to sin. Phil 2:7,8. He was neither a God man, nor a man God. “That which is born of the flesh IS flesh.”

The Bible explains how Jesus could be of our race, and yet be holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Heb. 7:26. It tells us plainly that Jesus had a human mother, but that His life came not from a human father. Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:35. It is also “blasphemy” to call “Mary, the Mother of God,” Jehovah. Rev. 13:1 And, that therefore He was perfect, and able to be the Ransomer of the race, redeeming us from the penalty that was against Adam and consequently against all his posterity. This was accomplished by giving to God sacrificially a full corresponding (1 Tim 2:5,6 Greek antlutron) price for Adam, whose life was forfeited (John 6:51) [as that substitutionary sacrifice] because of sin. Rom. 5:12-14. Thus the Bible explains that Jesus death is sufficient for Adam’s sin and the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2); for the world was not condemned individually, but merely partook of Adam’s condemnation to death — “all in Adam die.” 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 5:12-14  See Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.5, The Atonement Between God and Man.

Whoever thinks of Jesus as being the Father and also the Holy Spirit all one in person must be confronted with nonsensical errors such as these: How did the Universe manage to progress during the period leading up to Jesus birth and on to manhood? How did the affairs of the Universe prosper during Jesus ministry, when He was fully engaged with earthly affairs to the extent of weariness? How did the Universe get along when Jesus died, and until He arose from death?

Some even go to this absurd length: to wit, that Jesus raised Himself from death; whereas the Apostle declares positively that the Father raised Him from the dead on the third day. Gal. 1:1. How refreshing it is to get out of the fog into the clear statements of God’s Word, which declare (1) To us there is one God, the Father, (2) and one Lord, Jesus Christ! 1 Cor. 8:6. No matter how thin you slice it, one plus two or three in substance or any other form DOES NOT EQUAL ONE.

BEGINNING OF GOD’S CREATION

It seems astounding if our opponents have never heard the plain Bible statement that our glorious Redeemer was the First-born (Greek -  prototokos) of all creation (Gk. ktiseos — a created being) (Col. 1: 15), the beginning (Gk. arche) of the creation (Gk. ktiseos) of God. (Rev.3:14) If they have read these simple, plain Bible statements, why do they prefer confusing (Athanasian, Catholic) views of the Dark Ages respecting a Trinity of three persons, yet one person? Some say one God in three persons; others say three Gods in one person, or three essences in the one God. It is a matter of semantics. Both propositions are alike unscriptural and absurd and falsely, in defamation, attribute to Jehovah God, that which does not belong to him. Rev. 17:3; 13:1.

The “Athanatian creed” declares, “The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.” Athanatius, at the Council at Nicea, in 325 AD,  was a violent opponent of learned Arius, whose Scripture arguments that the Father was indeed only the Father and that the Son was indeed only the Created Son, neither coequal nor coexistent, were documented in the Library at Alexandria. He was murdered on his return from Constantinople (Church History, Phillip Schaff, 1910) and the Alexandria, Egypt library was burned in 416 AD — so strong was the Satanic hatred in knowing the true Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We see such hateful feelings increasing through the coming Church Union.

“This [Trinitarian view], the (Catholic) church teaches, is the revelation of God’s nature”… “and which she proposes to man [the Trinity] as the FOUNDATION of her whole dogmatic system.” — The Catholic Encylopedia. Protestants vociferously agree with this catholic dogma. It is, therefore, not surprising that in the end time, when the beast and (the image of the Beast) false prophet (Catholic and Protestant in church-union) gain their final power, that the required mark to buy or sell Bible Truth in the Christian realm would be under the restriction of having this TRIUNE “foundation” mark of “6  6  6.” “It is the number of a man”– the “Man of Sin,” Papacy. It is “the number of his name.” In the Latin, — “Vicarius Filii Dei.” Rev. 13:16-18. See Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 2, pps. 267-361. This is the primary doctrine both Protestants and Catholics have mutual agreement with; and in opposition to which many were killed in the Dark Ages.

Jesus Himself, in His last Message to His Church, declared, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last” (Rev. 1: 8, 11) as God, so here, says. Thus He clearly differentiates between Himself and the Father; for the Father had no beginning “From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God.” Psa. 90:2.

Do our opponents claim that Jesus is God? We agree most heartily, provided the word God is understood in the sense in which the Bible uses it. Throughout the Old Testament the word for God is “elohim” — mighty one. It is applied to Jehovah, the Almighty One; it is also applied to angels and to men whom He sent as His messengers. Thomas exclaimed at his recognition of the risen Christ, “My Lord (kyrios) and the mighty one (ho theos) of me.” According to this view, our Lord Jesus Christ is “a” God. (Diaglott, Greek NT Interlinear, John 1:1). The Bible clearly indicates that He is above all other gods except Jehovah. “I am Jehovah your God…you shall have no other Gods (elohim) before me” (in my place). Exo. 20:1,3.

In harmony with this we read respecting Messiah and His Kingdom: Thy throne, “O God, is for ever and ever.” Heb. 1:8 This Scripture is based on Psa. 45:6. The declaration there is, “O God (and simply means O elohim).” The Hebrew text does not say, “the” God; but “O God.” The Hebrew word God, from which this text comes, is the word elohim. Its meaning is “mighty one.”

We have found, according to Biblical Archeology Review, March, 1978, that there has been much tampering (condemned in Rev. 22:18, 19) with the Greek text. The Review states, “These examples are sufficient to suggest that the removal of the Tetagrammaton [JHVH - consonants for Jehovah] from the New Testament and its replacement with the surrogates kyrios [kurios -- Lord] and theos,  (qeos –  God) blurred the original distinction between  the Lord God and Jesus Christ, and in many passages made it impossible to tell what was meant.” –  Professor of Religion and Hebrew, Geo. Howard, University of Georgia. His article continues, “Thus it may be that the removal of the Tetragrammaton [JHVH, Jehovah] contributed significantly to the later Christological and Trinitarian debates.”

More than that. This is a forced area that has, through instigation, effected alterations of Scripture such as Matt. 28:19 which early first century Christians quote as “baptizing them in my [Christ's] name.” We also quote from Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 5, pg. 66 footnote: “The Trinitarian translators probably preferred to use the word Lord [LORD] instead of Jehovah, in order that Christians accustomed to use the word Lord as a title for our Savior, Jesus, might in reading the Old Testament, think that he and not the Father, Jehovah is usually referred to.”

“Christ’s rulership or throne as a “mighty one” is “to the age” (Heb. 1:8, Diaglott) or “olam” (to a completion) in Hebrew to the completion of limited rulership of earth and not forever. I Cor. 15:24. The Apostle applies these words distinctly to Jesus, but does NOT say this proves that Jesus was His own Father, nor does he ignore the Almighty God, of whom are all things. On the contrary, the context tells us explicitly that the Father, who always was above all, as a reward exalted His Son to his (Jesus’) glorious Kingship and Headship, declaring that even “the angels” of Heaven should worship Him. Heb. 1:5-8;Phil. 2:9

GOD? OR SON OF GOD

One very simple statement confuses some needlessly. It reads, “I and My Father are one.” John 10:30. It does NOT say one person. By the context it can be easily seen, it refers to the oneness of spirit, or harmony, between the Father and the Son; and this oneness is explained by our Lord, assuring us that He came not to do His own will, but the will of the Father, since He accepted the Father’s will in everything. He and the Father were always one in purpose. Jesus prayed for the Church, saying, I pray for them that Thou hast given Me, that they all may be one in Us, even as Thou, Father, and I are one. (John 17:9, 20-24) Surely no one would claim that Jesus expected His Church to become one person! And it is equally absurd to think that He and the Father are one person.

A probable basis for the erroneous conclusion that Jesus was Jehovah God is the remark made in John 10:33 by the Jews. “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” The Emphatic Diaglott, Interliniary Translation reads: “makest thyself a god.” Here, the correct thought is expressed – a mighty one NOT the Mighty One which would be referring to Jehovah. Going back to the beginning of the lesson, let us consider the whole matter. Beginning with John 10:30 we read, “I and my Father are one. 31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him [to death]. 32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for BLASPHEMY; and because that thou, being A MAN, makest THYSELF [a] god.”

There was no reason for the translators to capitalize the word “God” in this text, the Jews recognized that he was NOT God but that his claim was coming too close to the heavenly “living God.” (Matthew 26:63) The word for god in the Greek text is theos. It is equivalent to the Hebrew word “elohim” meaning a god (small g) and is without the article “ho” as in the Greek. “ho theos” meaning “the God” or Jehovah. (As to why the word “Lord” was used as a smokescreen, non definitive, between the Father and Son in the translations, see comment from Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 5, p.66 footnote) Therefore, the Jews knew Jesus was not making the claim that he was God but they recognized the fact that his claim was that he was the SON of “God,” because it was Jehovah who was “the God” and NOT Jesus.

34 “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ‘Ye are gods?’ 35 This is in the Plural form — more than one. It is a reference to the large body of Christian followers who would become gods – Elohim, mighty ones.] If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world,  Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the SON of God?” Note, Jesus never, never in all he said, CLAIMED to be his Father, Jehovah. In view of what was said concerning him, he made the very plain statement that he was what Peter said, “…The SON of God.” 37 “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” – not literally because he was NOT the Father; but in the unity of oneness by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, by which those works were done.

Let us consider the response of the High Priest at his trial. Who did he recognize that Jesus claimed to be? Matthew 26:63 “But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the SON of God. 64Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.” Caiaphas, the High Priest, knew what Jesus’ claim was: There was NO mistaken identity that he was considered God, himself. He knew that the true claim was that he was the Son of God – contrary to the acting of Anthony Quinn who as representing the High Priest raged, “He said that he IS God.”

Concerning the statement of our Lord, “Before Abraham was, I am,” (John 8:58), it should be noted that the Trinitarian’s reference back to Exo. 4:14 where the expression I AM is used. It should be clearly noted that this is “a descriptive term” but is not mentioned by God as being His NAME. He clearly states, verse 15 “Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is MY NAME forever” – and it does NOT say in the previous verses of Exodus 4: that I AM, is my NAME. It is repeated in verse 16. God’s name is mentioned more than 6000 times in the Old Testament and has almost been entirely obliterated there. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” he clearly meant, and it was in simple plain statement,  “I have continued in existence from long, long before Abraham was ever born.” He was not saying he was Jehovah.

Because Jesus was thus the Father’s representative, in the only sense that men could see the invisible Jehovah, He answered Philip on one occasion, He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. John 14:9 Thus the President’s secretary would say to a caller, I represent the President.

“IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE LOGOS”

Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels make very plain how the glorious Son of God was made flesh, yet NOT a partaker of human sin. So, St. John’s Gospel provides us with information still further back, pointing out and explaining clearly the glorious prehuman nature of the Son of God. The translation, however, is slightly defective, and hides from the English reader the full import of the opening verses which, literally translated, reads:

“In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with the God, and the Logos was “a” god. The same was in the beginning with “the” God.” By Him were all things made, and without Him was not one thing made… And the Logos was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we behold His glory, the glory of an Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1: 1-3, 14

The beautiful simplicity of this account is wonderful. The beginning it mentions was not that of Jehovah’s existence, which the Bible declares was “without beginning.” The word refers to a beginning. 

John 1:1 “In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word. John 1:2 This was in a beginning with the God.” (Emphatic Diaglott, Interliniary Translation, according to the original Greek Text) Note this does NOT refer to the beginning of the universe or even of planet earth but rather “a beginning” – a new thing – the start of the creation of angelic beings.

This immediately introduces us to the great Logos, “the Beginning of the creation of God.” (Rev. 3:14) While the name Logos may be not improperly translated Word, it has a much fuller significance; namely, representative, messenger, mouthpiece.

Jehovah’s entire Message has been, and will be, given to angels and to men through the great Logos. He was the Alpha, the first; the Father created none before Him. He is the Omega, the last; the Father has directly created none like Him. (Rev. 1:8 –The Keys of Revelation, p.11-13) This explains simply, satisfactorily, that all subsequent things done, while executed by Jehovah’s Power, were worked out [made, done] on behalf of His great Son, the Logos. Heb. 1:2 by [Greek di' ou: on account of] whom also he [God] made the worlds [Greek aionas: ages].” Jesus was NOT the Creator.

When the time came for the outworking of the great Divine Plan for human salvation, and, incidentally, the showing forth of God s Justice, Wisdom, Love and Power, the offer properly came first to the Logos. Heb. 1:5  The proposition to be man’s Redeemer carried with it a great blessing, as St. Paul explains. (Heb. 12:2; Col. 1:18) This exaltation to God’s right hand, far above all other creatures, was an advance step. Although originally higher than all the others, the Logos was not so far above them.

It was God’s purpose to have a New Creation; and the Logos, through the redemptive Plan, was to be the first and chiefest on that highest plane the Divine nature. During this Gospel Age, God has been calling and accepting the honest seekers, lovers of righteousness, haters of iniquity to be associates with Jesus in the Kingdom and participants with Him in the highest nature of all, the Divine. So, St. Peter declares, God hath given unto us, (the truly consecrated, the Church) exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might become partakers of the Divine nature. 2Pet. 1:4; Heb. 2:10

CULT ACCUSATIONS – SATAN, ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN

“The Accuser of the brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:10  Satan’s binding is completely future, when he shall be cast into the  pit for the greater portion of the kingdom age, yet this Scripture declares that the personality of Satan  can be found in those who name the name of Christ — well meaning, but deluded brethren –persecutors of the Saints. Many have been put to death by those,  his instruments,  having the belief that “whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God a service,” as was done in support of  of the “Trinity creed”,  during  the “dark ages,” — from the time of days of Arius forward. The days of persecution are not yet past. John 16:1

” ‘The Devil’ ” comes from the Greek diablos, signifying one who misrepresents, hence a slanderer, and accuser (of the brethren — Rev. 12:10. ‘Satan,’ as a title, means one who is an open and unabashed opposing spirit; that is an adversary, an opponent, a resister (Zech. 3:1).” 1 The Keys of Revelation, 1993, by Frank Shallieu

Is it right, is it Christian, is it true, is it manly, to charge our teachings with denying that Jesus is the Son of God? What object could there be in so doing except to keep the Lord’s hungry sheep away from the green pastures of Divine Truth? Well do our traducers know that they have nothing Biblical, sane or sensible to give instead. The very bitterness manifested by ministers against us is being used of the Lord to arouse investigation amongst those who are truly His people. If our reputation must be thus assassinated in order that the true sheep may hear the Master’s voice, we shall acquiesce as joyfully as possible, remembering that it will be difficult for them to say bitterer or untruer things of us than they said of our Master.

The crime is the same that incited the Pharisees against Jesus and the Apostles. They were angry that they taught the people. Luke 19:47;  Psa.2:1 Preachers who do not believe in eternal torment any more than we do are angry that we are informing the people; for they fear that the people will justly think that their ministers deal dishonestly, receiving wages for keeping them in darkness. The time has come when all who are for the right, the Truth, for light, should manifest themselves. We have  letters from ministers, fearful to come out boldly. I am sorry for these. The Lord exhorts, Be thou very courageous. He “that hath a dream (an imagination), let them tell the dream (if he has nothing better to tell); but he that hath My Word, let him speak my Word (fearlessly) faithfully.” Jer. 23:28

A SOMBER WARNING

A somber warning about “Church Union,” (the foundation of which is the Trinity). Such  “union” was manifest by the “Justification Document” in signing between Pope John Paul II of  the Catholic and of Lutheran churches on October 31, 1999. It was 482 years exactly to the day, when Luther’s “Reformation” began (1517) and, now, Rome agrees purposefully  to “lay the ax to” that starting  time to begin to end that Reformation, sweeping aside all Rome’s past muderous acts. Rev.18:24

We conclude with these remarks from our Parochiaid Vs. Freedom — Church and State (1999): “So popular will Federated ["United"] Christianity become, that to even criticize it will be a “crime” worthy of crucifixion in some form — socially, financially, if not [literally to kill, Rev. 13:15] physically. Politicians will quickly realize that their bread is buttered [supported] on that side, and be ready to enact legislation of any kind desired by the Federation [Church Union]. Mamon-worship will take on new forms temporarily, but power will soon debauch the unregenerate mass and drive out the regenerate faithful who may temporarily be misled by the great “Union” movement “in the name of Christ,” but without his Spirit and authority.” [Anarchy would soon follow]. ZWT Journal, January 1, 1906, Reprint p. 3697,  Charles T. Russell, Editor.

As our knowledge of God and of His glorious Son, and our true understanding of the Holy Spirit, becomes clearer, we can the better worship God. Because, the eyes of our understanding are opening wider and wider, we shall comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths, the heights and depths, and know the love of God — whom to know aright implies fitness for life everlasting. Eph. 3:17-19.