Preserving Parousia and Epiphany Truth: January 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Reserved List II

E4. Page. 420

Apparently the Lord made between 1881 and 1914 a reserved list of those consecrators for whom there were no crowns available at the time of their consecration; and when a vacancy occurred, He selected the most available one on the reserved list for that vacancy. Doubtless the Lord considered at least three things in deciding the availability of the candidates: (1) their spirit of faithfulness, (2) their talents for that particular place in the Body for which there was a crown vacant, and (3) their providential situation.

The current Executive Trustee's "present view" is exposed as an error. Reserved List? If there was a class of Youthful Worthies in 1878 or 1881, what was the purpose of having them on a "Reserved List?"

See Reserved List III. Coming soon...

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Reserved List I

E4 Page. 419
(18) Question: Is it correct to say that some who consecrated after 1881 and before 1914 were put into the Youthful Worthies class, because there were no vacancies at the time in the Little Flock, and that subsequently some of them were received by Spirit-begettal into the High Calling to fill vacancies there, while others remained among and are now of the Youthful Worthies class?

Answer: Yes

Taking the question out of the present perfect and with some creative mental gymnastics one might be able to twist the meaning to infer there was a separate and distinct class for the Youthful Worthies in 1881. In the next sentence, Bro. Johnson dispels this notion and explains why this can't be so. See "Reserve List II" coming soon.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Permanent Marker Series: E4, Page 469

(Click the above image for best quality.)

Well, here we are. We've reached the end of E4. Page 469 offers us the strongest reference contradicting the Executive Trustee's view that Youthful Worthies existed from 1878-81. Bro. Johnson tells us that between Pentecost and 1881, ALL the consecrated were New Creatures. We have no choice but to use the last bit of our purple marker to move that date back to 1878. Who knew that the Executive Trustee's error would need so many markers, ink and changes to E4.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Permanent Marker Series: E4, Page 463

(Click the above image for best quality.)

Page 463 has part of the answer to the question posed on page 462 about the Youthful Worthies seeing spiritual things. Just like that page, any reference to 1881 on this page needs to be changed to 1878 in order to help the Executive Trustee. Otherwise, his new Youthful Worthies from 1878-81 don't have that ability and that makes no sense at all.

Sifters—Who Are The Sifters

Question (1968)—Bro. Russell called Messrs. Barbour, Paton, Williamson, Henninges, McPhail and other similar disseminators of error sifters, and they in turn called him a sifter; Bro. Johnson called J.F.R. and others like him sifters, and they in turn called him the same; and now you speak of certain ones as sifters and they accuse you of being like J.F.R., who “accused Bro. Johnson of being a sifter.” It is rather confusing. Who are the sifters anyway?

Answer.—It should not be confusing if we hold carefully to the Truth as unfolded for us from the Word of God and look for His holy Spirit. In all cases Satan is really the sifter—the one who originates, initiates and carries on persistently a sifting (Luke 22: 31; 1 Pet. 5: 8). Through pride, ostentation, self-exaltation, envy, jealousy, deceit, misrepresentations, falsehoods, slander, favoritism, unfaithfulness to the Truth, malice and other works of the flesh he appeals to God’s people and uses those who respond to Him as his agents to oppose the Truth and to spread error, which of course sifts out the unfaithful ones. We are not to forget that God’s approval or disapproval is manifested through testings and siftings (1 Cor. 11: 18, 19; see also P. ’53, pp. 50, 51). Nations are sifted “with the sieve of vanity,” but “through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down” (Isa. 30: 28-31). The Assyrian here, as in Micah 5: 5, 6, represents “those who make spoil of God’s people by devastating the Truth and its Spirit” (E. 10, p. 115).

Satan’s emissaries “call evil good, and good evil” and “put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isa. 5: 20). Many leaders who once had the truth, given by the Lord through Bro. Russell, on Jesus’ Second Advent, His invisible presence, the Bible chronology and the forty years’ Harvest reaping, now claim . . . that the Bible chronology as given by Bro. Russell is wrong,. . . The Lord’s true sheep will heed only the voice of the Good Shepherd; they will study to show themselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2: 15). They will keep themselves in the love of God and in the most holy faith. The Truth and its Spirit will be the touchstones that will determine for them which is true and which is false. Teachings that do not agree with (1) themselves (2) all other Scriptures, (3) all other Scripture doctrines, (4) with the Ransom, (5) with reason, (6) with facts, and (7) with the purposes of Godliness, should be rejected as erroneous. ’68-46