Sunday, February 15, 2009

Using a Type to Teach a Doctrine?

Using the book of Ruth (a type) as the main supporting proof for the current Executive Trustee’s “Present View” is out of harmony with what our servants taught.

Br. Russell: You cannot use a type to prove a doctrine. BEREAN BIBLE TEACHERS MANUAL “Berean Topical Index” page 25 reads: “types and figures (see “SYMBOLS”) a type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but to merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms.” Also see ZWT 1892 (R1386)

Youthful Worthies as Individuals in 1881 and a separate and distinct Class in 1914 was already taught in plain terms prior to 2004.

Br. Johnson: E. Vol. 10 xxvi “And again we raise our voice as a pertinent mouthpiece of the Lord thereon, exhorting the brethren everywhere, as imperiling their class standing before the Lord, to refrain from speculating, especially in its worst present form-typing”.

Should the current (ET) be changing the writings of the Spirit Begotten servants?

Br. Jolly: PT 1951 Page. 108 Par. 2 “You refer to the statement in E Vol. 10, page xxviii, "no doctrine of the plan should be based solely on a type" and a similar statement in the Berean Bible comments (Berean topical index, p. 25) on Types, "A type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms."

All THREE Spirit Begotten servants agreed with each other. Why does the current (ET- Ralph Herzig) feel he needs to change their writings to prop up his "Present View"?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Digressive Tabernacle?

E Vol 6. Page. 189 

"Truth is Progressive; Error is Digressive"


PT 1972 Sept - Oct.

(38) They (Ancient Worthies) came upon the scene before that Door was opened; hence their consecration could not be pictured at that Door, nor could their standing as fully consecrated ones be typed in the Holy, as was the case with all consecrated believers under the High Calling. Instead, the Ancient Worthies' standing was pictured by Levites (T 27).

(39) It is similar in the case of the Youthful Worthies, who as a class came upon the scene after the strait gate, the Door of entrance into the Holy, had closed forever, in the Fall of 1914. As shown in pars. (10) and (11).


Par. (10)

As already mentioned, Bro. Johnson proved clearly from the Scriptures that the door of entrance into the High Calling, into the antitypical Holy, closed finally and forever in the Fall of 1914, so that no more could be admitted (comp. Ezek. 44: 1, 2; E Vol. 5, p. 160). Though throughout the Gospel Age, under the High Calling, ALL consecrations unto death had been typed at the First Veil, in the Fall of 1914 a decided change set in, as the Tabernacle picture progressed to the building of the Epiphany Court as distinct from the Holy; and we must recognize this change if we would walk in the advancing light. NEVER AGAIN after the Fall of 1914 would a consecration be pictured at the First Veil!


Par. (11)

A decided change came about in other respects also. After the adjustment of matters in the Holy set in, in the Fall of 1914, no one could consecrate and have his standing as a fully consecrated believer pictured in the Holy, even though throughout the Gospel Age, until the High Calling's general call ceased in 1881that was the place where every one of the fully consecrated believers had his standing pictured (T 22, par. 3). Thus something new began to exist which had not existed before the Fall of 1914 while the door of entrance into the High Calling was open, viz., a situation in which ALL who became fully consecrated believers had their standing pictured IN THE COURT, and not IN THE HOLY.


(39) continued:

their consecration also was not pictured at that Door, nor is their standing as fully consecrated believers pictured in the Holy; it likewise is pictured in the Court. They cannot enter the strait gate, nor walk the Narrow Way, which leads to (immortal) life, for it is closed; the Narrow Way and its entrance is not found in the Court and its entrance. Nor can the Youthful Worthies be on the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35: 8), though they will be on it after it is opened up, following the application of the Ransom merit on behalf of the world. However, because they consecrated unto death while sin is still in the ascendancy, they may be said to have entered a strait gate when they consecrated, and to be on a narrow way thereafter as they faithfully remain dead to self and the world and alive to God amid many besetments and much opposition (P '55, pp. 57, 58), though actually, because they do not have the Adamic sentence removed from them as yet and have not been placed on trial for life, they are still on the Broad Way. But while dying the Adamic death they are, nevertheless, also, from another standpoint, dying a ministerial death in God's service (P '52, pp. 45, 46). But their strait gate into the difficult way of consecration is not pictured at the First Veil, the Door to the Holy, nor in the Gate of the Court, for that pictures their gateway into the tentatively justified condition. It is a serious error to teach that consecration is pictured at the Gate of the Court, as J.F. Rutherford taught (E Vol. 6, pp. 190, 373).  


The Worthies are like bookends. Notice how one group existed before the door to the High Calling opened and the other group (CLASS) comes into existence after the High Calling closed in 1914.


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Seven Years of Favor, Followed by Thirty-three years of Falling and Destruction...

Watchtower (R 224)

*see Vol. 3 Studies in the Scriptures.


The harvest of the Jewish house was of two parts, viz: Seven years of favor to the church, and thirty-three years of wrath and trouble upon the then rejected and desolate one, from which the wheat was gathered.


These parallels being prophetic and in harmony with the prophecies already fulfilled, give reason for believing that the harvest to this age which began in 1874, will be like the shadow, viz: Seven years of favor to the church, to be followed by thirtythree years of falling and destruction upon the "Babylon" company which will completely separate all grains of wheat from tares.  (Col. 1 Par. 3) The seven years of favor to the church, commencing with 1874, will end in 1881--about the 2nd of October…


(Col. 2 Par. 1) Since 1878 (and never before that) we have felt at liberty to call God's children out of the nominal churches to a position of freedom and liberty, where they would be free to serve Him fully, as well as to study his word and be taught of Him: saying, "Babylon... is fallen and become the habitation of devils and a hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (This falling of the nominal church and receiving into her bosom the corruptions of earth has been in process for some time). Now comes the message: "And I heard another voice saying, Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:2-4). The favor of the present (and which we believe will end in October, 1881) is not to the nominal church but to individuals in her, that they may come out and receive the present Lord. He says: "If any man (not church) hear my voice, and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me." (Rev.3:20).


Notice how Pastor Russell stressed 7 years of favor to the CHURCH, 1874 - 1881. Notice there is no mention of the Youthful Worthies; because they didn't exist.

  

Youthful Worthies didn't have their inception in 1878 as individuals as the current (ET) would want us to believe. The INDIVIDUALS being called up to 1881 were Spirit Begotten as Pastor Russell taught.


* This is a perfect example of Br. Russell's early thought which progressed further as more truth on the subject became due (Proverbs 4: 18).  The foreward in E 5 informs us that Parousia teachings like these by 1914 progressed and became pure - purified for Little Flock purposes as Br. Johnson expounded.