Only one call during the Gospel age and its Harvest

Eph. 4: 4

 

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Question ─ Are the Great Company and Youthful Worthies classes of the Gospel Age Harvest? How is it that Bro. Russell never had any part in developing either of these classes?

Answer ─ We are not to understand that during the Gospel Age God has been calling two classes to salvation; for the record is: "Ye are called in the one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4: 4);" E-4, p 89. . .

But, as our Pastor’s work was not that of gathering the Great Company and Youthful Worthies as such, the truths that he gave on these subjects were not full enough for the work of gathering these as such. E-5, p.39. . . . 

The Epiphany Truth consists of such truths as are needed by the Little Flock to equip her for her Epiphany work, as are needed to furnish the superstructure of Truth required to develop the Great Company and Youthful Worthies, E-5, p. 502. . . . 

Let us all humbly and diligently study God's Word and hold to and follow only such teachers as have not lost the Parousia and Epiphany Truth and hold only to such teachings as are proven to be Scriptural, reasonable and factual (1 Thes. 5: 21). PT 1977, p. 93, par. 54.

The Great Company as individuals, from shortly after Pentecost onward, and as a class from Nov. 25, 1916 ─ Jan. 14, 1917," E-13, p. 20.

The Lord’s work that has since been going on has been building the Epiphany Tabernacle, which had its beginning in the call of the Youthful Worthies from 1914 onward, E-11, p. 493.

Truth agrees with Truth and does not contradict it. E-5 Page 37

Question ─ What were the latest thoughts of Bro. Johnson's on the beginning of the Youthful Worthies as individuals and as a class? What should be The Present Truth position on these later thoughts be?   

 

Answer ─ P.T. 1947, p. 51

The Youthful Worthies as individuals have been developing since in 1881 the general call ceased, and as a class since the last Little Flock member was won in 1914.

PT 1949- page 156, col. 1

Another wonderful happening of these past years is the many consecrators who are given the privilege of Youthful Worthiship. While there were Youthful Worthies from 1881 to 1914, . . . Grandly is this class coming to the front; and its members give evidence of acceptableness to the Lord as Youthful Worthies.

E-5 Page 42 Par. 40

(40) "The Present Truth and Herald of Christ's Epiphany stands squarely and sincerely for the Parousia Truth, as basic for all further development of the Truth. Thus it heartily embraces the system of Truth which is presented in the writings of our beloved Pastor, as well as holds to its principles and spirit. Whenever he gives two or more harmonious views of a Scriptural passage or doctrine, we accept all; whenever, as in a few instances in the great system of Truth which he presented, these cannot be harmonized, we accept the latest expressions, unless they are manifestly not so harmonious with the Scriptures, Reason and Facts as earlier ones. In all cases of unfulfilled types and prophecies we hold to his thought as the one along whose lines we look for their fulfillments. And as he in many cases rejected a former interpretation of a type or prophecy after its fulfillment proved that he misunderstood it, e.g., the deliverance of the Church, the restoration of Israel, the [complete] destruction of organized evil in the world and the establishment of the earthly phase of God's kingdom at certain times; so only after a type or prophecy is fulfilled differently from his understanding of it, would we attempt to set aside his interpretation in favor of what the fulfillment of the type or prophecy proves to be its proper interpretation. Thus it will be seen that we honor him as God's appointed channel for the Parousia Truth [and for giving the foundations of the Epiphany Truth]; but like him do not believe him to have been infallible, and therefore make only changes as in principle he made; i.e., such as clear fulfillments force us to make. All sober and non-partisan brethren and friends of his will agree to the propriety of this course. It was his own method under such circumstances, and we follow it.

Bro. Johnson E-Volume 5 Page 43

"The Present Truth Will endeavor to subject all its teachings to the Word, on the basis of the Parousia Truth, in harmony with the seven axioms of Biblical interpretation. Every Scriptural passage or doctrine must be interpreted harmoniously, (1) with itself, (2) with all Scriptures, (3) with all Scriptural Doctrines, (4) With God's Character, (5) with the Ransom and Sin-offerings, (6) with Facts and (7) with the purposes of the Bible, and will reject everything contrary to any of these axioms."  

Did Bro. Russell show Scripturally two types of consecration?

Partial Consecration and Full Consecration:

PT. 1977, Page 90 par. 29;

By causing others through the Word to become tentatively justified, these servants have figuratively fathered such into partial consecrations, consecrations to righteousness (comp. F 124, 125). These consecrations are not to be confused with full consecrations, which in the Gospel-Age proper made full consecrators into Spirit-begotten new creatures and which since 1881 additionally have made many others Spirit-enlightened, non-Spirit-begotten fully consecrated ones.

Par. Volume 6 Page 124, 125

In the Levitical types two consecrations are distinctly shown: (1) the general consecration of all Levites; (2) a special consecration of the few Levites who were sacrificers or priest. The first represents the general consecration to holy living and obedience to God which all believers make, and which by God's grace, through Christ, accomplishes for them, tentatively, "justification of life" and peace with God. This is what all true believers understand and experience in this age. But the Apostle explains, "the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heard" (1 Tim 1: 5); that is to say, God foresees that our compliance with our first consecration, our compliance with the terms of our justification during the present age will in its end, lead us up to the second consecration as priests for sacrifice.

Youthful Worthies - See Deeper Features of God's Word

1 Cor. 2: 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.   

E4, p. 462, (64).   

(64) Question: Does the fact that some since 1914 have seen the hidden mystery prove that there have since 1914 been Spirit-begettings?   Answer: No; for the fact that ever since 1881 the Youthful Worthies have seen the hidden mystery, though not Spirit-begotten, proves that since 1914 the Spirit-begettal is not indispensable to seeing the hidden mystery nor other spiritual things. St. Paul's statement (1 Cor. 2: 14) that only the Spirit-begotten can see spiritual things is not a statement that applies to all times, but only until the general call would cease, i.e., until 1881; for not only do Youthful Worthies since 1881 see spiritual things, and not only some justified ones since 1881 see spiritual things, but in the Millennium not only the Ancient Worthies without Spirit-begettal but also the restitution class will See them since they will understand everything in the Bible. Hence St. Paul's statement in 1 Cor. 2: 14 does not apply to all times, but is limited in time; and that time limit is 1881;. . .   

E4, p. 469   . . . . Thus the Ancient Worthies were privileged to understand all the Truth due in their days; so, too, will the restitution class understand all of the Bible as it becomes due for them. 

What St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 2: 14 does not contradict this; for between Pentecost and 1881, to which time alone his words are limited, all the consecrated were New Creatures; hence during that time the term New Creature and the term consecrated applied to the same persons and were interchangeable. That St. Paul did not mean 1 Cor. 2: 14 to apply to all times is evident from the fact that the Bible teaches (Rev. 20: 12; Is. 29: 18, 24) that everything in the Bible will sometime be understood by the restitution class, who, of course, will not be New Creatures.

 

The Time of Reaping - Changed by the Society

Question ─ Should we or anyone set aside the writings of "Pastor Russell" to mislead others like the Society did in republishing "Pastor Russell's Sermons" in 1917?

See E5, page 173 Par. (56)

(56) Statements in "Pastor Russell’s Sermons" (pp. 287, par. 1, and 289, par. 3) are cited by not a few as a proof that our dear Pastor taught that the reaping began in 1878 and ended in 1918. We reply that in the book of sermons printed late in 1917 by the Society these dates will be found on the pages cited above; but not in the sermon as our dear Pastor published it. The sermon in question was first published in 1908, and correctly gave the dates 1874 and 1914 as the beginning and end of the Harvest. Our Pastor never changed those dates in that sermon. They were changed after his death, seemingly to palm off as his certain time features that he never taught, thereby misleading many, even as was done by the interpolated verse, 1 John 5: 7. The one responsible for this change has much to answer for. Such a course cannot but arouse distrust that other misleading changes have been made, or may yet be made, in his writings. In the Lord’s name we serve these Levites notice to refrain from further presumption and fraud in tampering with the priestly writings of "that Servant." They are not qualified for the work of correcting them, and do it at their peril (Lev. 10: 1, 2)!