Here is part of a symposium talk from the Ohio convention, given by a brother from Michigan. It continues the discussion of the Executive Trustee's manufactured Youthful Worthy call in 1878. While we highlight the error on the sealing of the servants for your awareness, our real focus is on the two latter highlights.
"So, we find that the General Call ceased in 1881, just as in the corresponding date of October 36 saw the end of Jewish favor. But although the General Call had ceased, it did not mean that the opportunity to make their calling and election sure had ceased. While the door stood open, it indicated that any believer who was anxious to enter and ready to comply with the conditions, was yet welcome to do so. The door or opportunity to labor and sacrifice had no yet ceased, even though the General Call had ceased in 1881. This was the time for the sealing of the servants of God in their forehead, before the time of trouble started in 1914, as we read of in Revelation 7 verse 3 as you are very familiar with. It says, ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ This means that they were given an intelligent appreciation of heavenly things. God prepared His faithful ones. He prepared them by granting them increased knowledge in His will and plan. But before 1881, none of the deeper truths of God’s plans and purposes could be understood by those who were not begotten of the Spirit. All of the true faithful servants of God needed to appreciate this great privilege. But not only for their own intellectual sealing with the present truth, but also for engaging in the Harvest work of sealing others, those of the wheat class. This was needed to be done before the night cometh of the dark time of trouble and the door of opportunity to labor would be shut. They needed to do as the LORD told them in Luke 13: 24 “Strive to enter thru the narrow gate, for many I say unto you will seek to enter and not be able.” But since who responded under the General Call failed to keep their covenant, the door stood open for some to take their places. But at that time, more people consecrated to the LORD than could be provided crowns. And so these consecrators were not Spirit begotten…begotten of the Spirit. The LORD seemed to hold them in reserve. And as from time to time as crowns were lost by the measurably unfaithful, he selected the most faithful and eligible of these by Spirit begettal to have the lost crowns. And as time when on, a number of these in reserve seemed to have increased more rapidly than the number of those who had lost their crowns. So a large number of them was in reserve, when all of the Elect had been won. Before the General Call ceased in 1881, these non-Spirit begotten ones, as Bro. Russell referred to them, non-Spirit begotten consecrated…excuse me…did not exist as a class. But since that time, they have been so, and continue till today. They are separate and distinct from the Little Flock and Great Company. And what do we call this class? Youthful Worthies…as Bro. Johnson pointed out. And we know brethren, these are referred to many places in the Present Truths…”
In the second highlight, the brother says that only the Spirit-begotten could understand the deeper truths before 1881. That would certainly confuse the Executive Trustee's manufactured 1878-81 Youthful Worthies. But if we turn to E4, page 468, we can see that the brother's statement is accurate because there were no Youthful Worthies during that time: "That the Youthful Worthies understand the deep things is, as we have already indicated, due to the fact that they are consecrated," ... "for between Pentecost and 1881, to which time alone his words are limited, all the consecrated were New Creatures."
In the third highlight, he is most likely summarizing a familiar statement made by Bro. Johnson that is also found in E4 on page 318. We have already shown the proper reading of this statement in English in previous posts: "Before the General Call to the Divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ ceased in 1881, the persons that we call the 'Youthful Worthies' did not exist as individuals of a class; but since that time [the date given, 1881] they [plural, these persons or individuals] have been [in existence], and now [when written, in the Epiphany] are coming as such [a class] into existence, and are showing some evidence of existence as such [a class]."
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