Esther

Esther 2: 17: "And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti."

E10, p. 283: "We will now by the Lord’s help proceed to the study of Esther 2. The casting off of antitypical Vashti from special favor began April, 1878, and was completed by Oct., 1881, just as in the parallel Israel began to be cut off from special favor, April, 33 A.D., and was completely cut off from it, Oct., 36 A.D. While the Lord’s wrath against her subsided (wrath . . . appeased, v. 1), He always remembered against her what she had done, and what He had decreed against her (what . . . against her).”

E10, p. 284: "Here the Laodicean Messenger in his first member, Bro. Russell, is introduced (a certain Jew . . . Mordecai [humble, warrior], v. 5) as being among Truth people (Shushan the palace).". . . After leaving the nominal church as Youthful Worthies, from 1878 onward, and coming into the Truth, these were as a class taken by Bro. Russell as a symbolic daughter. It should here be remarked that Mordecai in the book of Esther represents both members of the Laodicean Messenger, his first member acting as the antitype of Mordecai up to and including v. 18;”

Is the above statement similar to the Ruth account, where they left Moab in 1878 as consecrated Tentative Faith Justified believers as Bro. Russell suggested in P6: The New Creation?

P6, page 124: "As the consecration of the Levites in the type was a measurable consecration to follow righteousness, but not a consecration to sacrifice, so this next step of sanctification which belongs to those who accept God's call to the Royal Priesthood was symbolized in the type by the consecration of Aaron and his sons in the priestly office—a consecration to sacrifice. It was symbolized by white linen robes representing righteousness, justification, and by the anointing oil and by the sacrificing, in which all the priests participated. Heb. 8: 3."

"In the Levitical types two consecrations are distinctly shown: (1) the general consecration of all the Levites; (2) a special consecration of the few Levites who were sacrificers or priests. 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, as the Apostle explains, "the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart" (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."

When did Pastor Russell first recognize the unbegotten consecrators? Ruth 2: 5.

E4, p. 377: "asking his superintending reaper as to Ruth's identity types our Lord's raising in that Servant's mind the question as to the identity of the antitypical stranger—the Youthful Worthies. This occurred from 1881 onward, as various Tower articles suggest. The superintending reaper's answer (v. 6) types that Servant's explanation, given from 1881 onward in Towers, etc., that more were consecrating than could have crowns, because there were less crowns available, and that such surplus consecrators therefore constituted a class by themselves—the unbegotten consecrated, whom, basing the thought on the Youthfuls of Joel 2: 28, we now call Youthful Worthies, in contrast with and in partial allusion to the Ancient Worthies."

E10, p. 285: "then for a while in this book first one and then the other acts as such antitype up to and including Esther 3: 5; thereafter the second member of the Laodicean Messenger acts exclusively as such antitype. As said above, at Mordecai’s first appearance (v. 5) and, in fact, in all his appearances up to and including v. 18, he types the Laodicean Messenger in Bro. Russell alone. Returning now to the antitype: After their begettal this Esther class, of course, became the Church probationarily. This begetting and becoming the probationary Church set in with its first members in 1881 and progressed as such up to 1914; and, of course, this class was beautiful in holiness (fair and beautiful [literally, of fair form and good appearance]), for we are to keep in mind that after she was crowned Esther represents the overcoming Church in the flesh after Sept. 16, 1914. The pertinent facts that will be brought out as we go on prove that after Sept. 16, 1914, the door of the high calling was closed to consecrators.

E10, p. 286: "among the Lord’s people (king’s house) under Bro. Russell’s charge, as the one who had charge of the household (custody of Hegai, keeper of the women). The spirit of this class pleased him (maiden pleased him, v. 9); and it effected favors to be given them from him (obtained kindness of him). He zealously gave them the corrective and ethical teachings of the Word as the means of their sanctification (speedily gave her . . . purification), as well as the doctrinal and refutative teachings needed by them (things as belonged to her [literally, her portion]) and all needed consecrated companions (seven maidens [crown-losers and Youthful Worthies]) that were proper for them to have (meet to be given her), from among the Lord’s people (out of the king’s house). He assigned these and their companions (her and her maids) to the best place among the consecrated (best place . . . women)."

"Their humility, as well as Bro. Russell’s teachings (Mordecai charged her, v. 10), prevented their claiming for themselves Little Flockship (not shewed her people), nor even Spirit-begettal (kindred), for as yet neither of these things were certain, hence could be held only as a matter of faith, not of knowledge, since from 1881 onward these things were not certain in individual cases, because all consecrators were not accepted into the high calling. All through the years (every day, v. 11) of the special calls, 1881-1914, Bro. Russell very zealously approached (walked . . . house) these faithful ones, to learn (know) of their prosperity (how Esther did) and of their experiences (what should become of [literally, what was done with] her). Before each consecrated one’s (maid’s, v. 12) time would come for each of his testings (turn was come to go in) by the Lord (king Ahasuerus), he had to undergo a sufficient preparation (after she had been twelve months), as was customary with the consecrated. In the type naturally the full preparation preceded any of the testings, but in the antitype the preparation and the testing are intermittent things, i.e.,