Important Events of 1878 and Onward

The following is from PT. 1978 Pg. 36-40. Notice that the Youthful Worthies as an important event are never associated with 1878 date because they didn't exist. The emphasis of this class is always referred to after 1914 since up to that time, Jehovah's main focus was to complete the Church.

IN OUR Sept.-Oct. 1974 issue (a copy free on request), we called attention to many significant events and marvelous evidences of progress during 1874-1974, the first century of "the thousand years" of Christ's Reign (Rev. 20: 4, see Diaglott)...

...THE PARALLEL 40-YEAR HARVEST REAPING PERIODS ENDED IN 69 and 1914 A.D.

In treating of the Harvest parallels, Bro. Russell stated (B245, par. 2), "Remember that the forty years' Jewish harvest ended October, A.D. 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the forty years of the Gospel age harvest will end October, 1914, and that likewise the overthrow of 'Christendom,' so-called, must be expected to immediately follow."

The Scriptures, reason and facts show that the close of the Gospel-Age Harvest reaping was in Oct. 1914 (in harmony with Bro. Russell's statement) and that the close of the gleaning was in 1916. Such passages as Isa. 66: 7; Amos 9: 13; John 9: 4; Rev. 6: 9-11; 7: 1-3, show this. It is corroborated by the end of the floor line measurement of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid, which comes at its juncture with the Grand Gallery's south wall, indicating Sept. 16, 1914 as the end of the Spirit-begetting...

Bro. Russell never gave up 1874 as the date for the Harvest reaping's beginning, though when he saw too many people coming into the Truth in 1916 to constitute a gleaning, he changed his mind as to the close of the Harvest reaping's ending. The Lord for very wise reasons withheld from him the understanding that these people were not prospective Little Flock members, but in almost all cases were antitypical Lot (crown-losers) and his two antitypical daughers (Youthful Worthies and tentatively-justified believers) escaping from antitypical Sodom in America before it here would begin to go into destruction (Luke 17: 28-30; for details on the Z 5950 article, see PT No. 515)...

Like 1874, the year 1878 also marks some very important happenings and the beginnings of other significant events in God's great Plan of the Ages. We will note a number of these here. It is fitting that we consider at this time what the Lord has accomplished during these past 100 years, the marvelous evidences of progress...

CALLING GOD'S PEOPLE OUT OF BABYLON

Conjoined with Jesus as King casting off the nominal Jewish system in 33 A.D. was His call to Israelites indeed to come out of that system, into separateness and closer fellowship with Him, lest they become involved in "the wrath to the uttermost" that would soon come upon it (1 Thes. 2: 16). They were not to expect God to give the seasonal Truth through that system.

In the parallel 1845 years later, in the Spring of 1878, 100 years ago, God's declaring through Jesus that Babylon was fallen was conjoined with the call to God's true people to "Come out of her, my people," into separateness and closer fellowship with Him, lest they would be partakers of her sins and receive of her plagues (Rev. 18: 4, 5; comp. Isa. 52: 11; Jer. 51: 45).

God's people were not to expect the seasonal Truth, "the voice of the bridegroom and the bride," to be heard at all in Babylon—through her instrumentality—any more forever (Rev. 18: 23). But whereas the Lord would no longer speak through her instrumentality after 1878, He would speak from outside her to those in her, calling them to come out, to be gathered to Him (Psa. 50: 5; Matt. 24: 31), so that they could feast with Him on the seasonal Truth (Matt. 24: 28; Luke 12: 37; 17: 37; Rev. 3: 20).

This call for Little Flock members to "come out of her" continued until the last member of the Little Flock was sealed in the forehead (April 18, 1916), i.e., was given enough intellectual understanding of the Truth to leave Babylon or wherever they were (Rev. 7: 3).

As already mentioned, the door of entrance to the High Calling closed on Sept. 16, 1914, and since then the voice of the Bridegroom is no more being heard in Babylon inviting any to the High Calling. But He has still been inviting others to be of "those consecrating between the ages" (5761, col. 2, pars. 1, 2; comp. Z 4836, pars. 3-6, 10, 11; F 156, 157; Question Book, pp. 147, 151-158), the Spirit-enlightened, non-Spirit-begotten consecrators; and by the seasonal Truth He has been inviting them to come out of Babylon or wherever they are, into closer fellowship with Him and feasting on the Truth. We rejoice in the many consecrating since 1914 and also many coming out of Babylon into the Truth.

"THE FULNESS OF GENTILES" COMING IN

By "the fullness of the Gentiles" (Rom. 11: 25) we understand the full number of the elect Little Flock who are gathered out from the Gentiles to be meant. Because there were not enough fleshly Israelites in the Jewish Harvest who were "Israelites indeed" to fill up the elect 144,000, God visited the Gentiles to complete the predestinated number (John 1: 11-13; Acts 15: 14; Rom. 11: 5, 7, 11-15, 17-24; Rev. 5: 9, 10; 7: 1-8).

We should not confuse "the fulness of the Gentiles" with "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21: 24), which is the period of (7 x 360) 2,520 years from 607 B.C. to 1914, in which God gave a lease of power to the Gentiles. It is also referred to as the "seven times" (Lev. 26: 18, 21, 24, 28; Dan. 4: 10-37).

We understand that "the fulness of the Gentiles" came in probationarily at Passover 1878. In other words, those who from Pentecost onward until then had made their calling and election sure as Little Flock members, plus prospective Little Flock members who were then under the call but had not made their calling and election sure, plus those of them who at that time came under the call, totaled the entire 144,000.

Then, in the Spring of 1878, the John class (the Lord's enlightened consecrated people at the time of the fulfilment) saw the grand vision for the first time of the Lamb standing on Mt. Zion, and with Him the full 144,000. Jehovah in 1878 set His King upon the holy hill of Zion (Psa. 2: 6; Z 5990, par. 2).

The small sifting involving disgruntled Adventists in 1875 and the No-Ransomism sifting beginning at Passover 1878 imply that a large number lost their crowns between 1874 and 1878, which crowns were not only assigned to others, but enough of still other Gentiles came under that call during the Oct. 1874-Apr. 1878 period to fill up the 144,000 probationarily.

After 1881 special calls went forth to fill up the places of those who under test proved unworthy to be of the Little Flock. This continued until Sept. 16, 1914 (as already shown), when the door of entrance into the High Calling closed forever, as Scriptures, reason and facts show, corroborated by the Pyramid.

Now that 100 years have passed since "the fulness of the Gentiles" came in probationarily in 1878, and 64 years since 1914, it is high time that all Truth people should realize that they are not in the High Calling, but rather that all new consecrators since the Fall of 1914 are of "those consecrating between the Ages," the Spirit-enlightened, non-Spirit-begotten pre-Millennial seed of Abraham.