What the BIBLE's about: RUSSELL and his SERVANT GIRL
What follows are quotations from "The Finished Mystery" (Volume VII of the Studies in Scriptures), a publication by the People's Pulpit Association (1917-20, 1924, 1926-7) for the Watchtower Society. It was years later described by the Watchtower as being "a powerful commentary on Revelation" and was sold by Jehovah's Witnesses until the 1940s. The book has never been repudiated by the Society, nor have its teachings been formally recanted. And as God (who is behind the works of the Watchtower, isn't he?) is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), it must still be "Present Truth"! "For I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6)
Did you know, for example, that Ezekiel 24:15-19 refers to the successful divorce action brought by the wife of the founder of the Watchtower, Charles Taze Russell, whose official transcript cites numerous instances of highly improper (and unwelcomed) conduct by the self-styled "Pastor" with young girls who were under his supervision e.g. "the plaintiff after observing the conduct as stated by her, of her husband with Rose Ball, she went to the girl and secured from her statement that Mr. Russell at various times embraced and kissed her; that he called her his little wife and jelly-fish, and told that a man's heart was so big he could love a dozen women, but a woman's heart was so small she could only love properly one man: that after receiving this statement from Rose Ball, the plaintiff told her husband that, and he admitted that is was true.. I found him locked in the servant girl's room.. Did he make any explanation why he was in the girl's room?.. No, he did not; he just got angry."?
Didn't you know that Revelation 16:9 and Ezekiel 3:8 refer to the libels heaped upon the same poor (because he put all his money into the corporation, thereby avoiding the payment of alimony), misunderstood Mr. Russell: especially those by the infamous "Brooklyn Eagle" newspaper and by Reverend J.J.Ross?
Well, look them up below. And there is much, much more fine spiritual food from the Watchtower quoted below (sadly, much had to be omitted because of the considerations of space).
The title "The Finished Mystery" itself is a reference to Rev. 10:7: so let us see, then, what these "key" books (Revelation, Ezekiel) of the BIBLE are all about, according to the Jehovah's Witnesses. The emboldening is by myself, for those members of the "John Class" who need a hint:
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Revelation 3:1 .. And the seven stars.- .. Charles T. Russell .. had reason to expect martyrdom at the hands of ecclesiasticism.
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Revelation 3:14 .. And (unto) BY the angel.- The special messenger to the last Age of the Church was Charles T. Russell, born February 16, 1852. He has privately admitted his belief that he was chosen for his great work from before his birth.. The amount of work that Pastor Russell performed is incredible, and it is doubtful whether it was ever equalled by any other human being.. No writer, not even excepting the writers of the Bible, have ever had such critical readers. His works have been published in 35 languages. During the last eight days of his life he had appointments in California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and New York; and though for several days manifestly dying, with cystitis (caused by excessive travel and speaking), he declined to cancel any engagements, and went out of this life October 31, 1916, on a railroad train en route to his Kansas appointment. At the age of 30 he had accumulated a fortune of over $300,000, but died penniless, his own fortune, as well as all the large sums contributed to the cause, having been used up in the Master's service. He was beloved everywhere by those who 'follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.'- Rev. 14:4. For further particulars of Pastor Russell's service of God's people see Memorial Number of Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence [brief extracts from a six page eulogy to him, followed by pages of Pyramid-related calculations]
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Revelation 3:14 .. Write.- Pastor Russell was the most prolific writer of Biblical truth that ever lived.- Ezek. 9:2,3.
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Revelation 6:4 .. And there was given unto him a great sword.- .. The Lord (Joshua-Savior) has humbled them all by His own Sword of the Spirit in the hands of Pastor Russell.
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Revelation 7:2 .. And He cried with a loud voice.- Pastor Russell was the voice used. Beautiful voice of the Lord: strong, humble, wise, loving, gentle, just, merciful, faithful, self-sacrificing; one of the noblest, grandest characters of all history.. Pastor C.T. Russell, of Brooklyn, N. Y., stands out prominently as a target for the pulpits and religious press of the country today. I believe there is no one more bitterly persecuted, harshly condemned, woefully misrepresented and misunderstood than this fearless, conscientious man of God. No infidel writer, such as Hume, Voltaire or Ingersoll, ever suffered such ruthless attacks as have been made upon Mr. Russell. Whether this persecution and misrepresentation is due to prejudice or ignorance of this man's real character and writing, is not for me to say, but I believe both are elements that play a part in the widespread criticism uttered both from the pulpit and the press. Naturally, men will resent any attack made upon the creed of their persuasion, for they hold to their religious creed and affiliations with more tenacity than they realize, until some strong mind, backed by Scripture proof, begins to uproot their doctrine by showing their inconsistencies and errors. This is what Mr. Russell proceeds to do. As a logician and theologian he is doubtless without a peer today. In his research for Biblical Truth and harmony he is without a parallel in this Age. Without a blemish in his character, with the loftiest ideals of God, and the possibilities of man, he towers like a giant, unmatched. His defects fade into insignificance. He has been too busy spreading Divine Truth, as he honestly sees it, to waste time in frivolous speculation in matters not in some way connected with man's future state, as outlined in 'The Plan of the Ages.' Unselfish, liberal and courteous to Christians of all denominations, but fearlessly condemning, in unmeasured terms, the errors and inconsistencies in their creeds, as he sees them, he ranks with immortal benefactors, and is stamping his opinion on the world as no other man has done since the days of the Reformation. Efforts to throttle the press to prevent the publication of his sermons have repeatedly been made. Why this opposition?
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Revelation 7:3 .. Neither the sea.- I will see to it that the work of Harvest shall hold in check those not under religious restraint until the work of Harvest is finished and the demons are released, when, maddened by the obsession of the evil spirits, there are no lengths to which the godless will not presume to go. All Bible Students, followers of Pastor Russell, know how urgently he has warned for forty years that this deluge of evil spirits is sure to come.
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Revelation 7:3 .. Nor the trees.- we inquire whether there was any indication of a move on Satan's part 7 years prior to 1915, showing that he expected the restraints to be removed from the evil spirits at that time; and we answer that there was something very definite indicated at that time. In the Vow, advised by Pastor Russell in that year, and in the experiences of many, for and against it, it is plain that the Enemy then attempted to come in like a flood, but was held back - restrained until the sealing work is done. (Matt. 10:25; Luke 22:42-44; Heb. 12:4; Isa. 63:3.) After the demons have been turned loose on the swine class, we shall see what happens. (Matt. 7:6; 8:31-34.) Those now fearful that they might learn some thing will be terror-stricken then for a different reason.
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Revelation 7:3 .. In their foreheads.- .. 'Since the year 73 A.D. saw the complete overthrow of nominal Natural Israel in Palestine, so in the parallel year 1918, I infer we should look for the complete overthrow of nominal Spiritual Israel; i.e., the fall of Babylon. (Rev. 18.) Brother Russell replied: 'Exactly. That is exactly the inference to draw.'
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Revelation 7:5 .. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.- Juda signifies Celebrated, lauded, praised. Nothing is more praiseworthy than justice, noble-mindedness, the doing to everybody as one would wish to be done by. Our Lord was the Just One of the tribe of Juda. All who knew Pastor Russell intimately, recognized that justice was the foundation principle of his character
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Revelation 7:16 .. They shall NOT hunger (no more).- Poor things, how hungry they have been! How the light has shone in their poor, hunted, starved faces, as they have listened to Pastor Russell, by the tens of thousands; and yet, when the lecture was over, they have wearily gone back to the 'husks,' from a sense of duty to the memory of some man, dead for hundreds of years, who would, if alive today, be a follower of the Reformer, Charles T. Russell, because he followed Christ.
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Revelation 8:3 .. And another angel.- Not the 'voice of the Lord,' mentioned in the preceding chapter, but the corporate body- the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which Pastor Russell formed to finish his work. This verse shows that, though Pastor Russell has passed beyond the veil, he is still managing every feature of the Harvest work. 'The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is the greatest corporation in the world, because from the time of its organization until now the Lord has used it as His channel through which to make known the Glad Tidings.' - Z.'17-22; Rev. 14:18; 19:17.. Came and stood.- Waited before the Lord, after the Pastor's death, ready to do the Master's will.
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Revelation 8:13 .. And I beheld, and heard an (angel) EAGLE.- One of Pastor Russell's humble followers (Matt. 24:28) apprehending correctly the significance of the three woes.
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Revelation 9:13 .. (And) AFTER THESE THINGS the sixth angel sounded.- .. 'Christian Heralds' that refused to publish advertisements of Pastor Russell's books now give space to advertisements of godless, Christless, Buddhist, demoniacal books, glorifying the New Thought system of mind worship, the boot-strap system of religion by which men, by cultivation of the will, lift themselves into money, piety and immortality, and by making assertions to and demands of the alleged 'sub-conscious mind' invite and receive the assistance of evil spirits, and finally come under their control.
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Revelation 9:16 .. (And) I heard the number of them.- Heard, heeded, or noted, the count as given in the World Almanac, as correct. This is a tribute to a journal notorious for its ignoble, unjust and dishonest attacks on Pastor Russell. 'Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee.'
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Revelation 10:3 .. And cried with a loud voice.- Pastor Russell was the voice used.- Rev. 7:2. As when a lion roareth.- Symbolical of Justice.- Rev. 4:7; Amos 3:8. And when.- In 1881 A.D. He had cried.- With the first great cry, 'Food for Thinking Christians,' 1,400,000 copies given away, free. Seven thunders.- Seven volumes of 'STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.'- Rev. 8:5.
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Revelation 10:4 .. And (when) WHATSOEVER the seven thunders had uttered (their voices), I.- Pastor Russell as a representative of the John class. Was about to write.- Intended to put on paper at once. And I heard a voice from Heaven.- The guidance of the Heavenly Father, directing and overruling, knowing that the results would be better if the interest of His little ones were sustained by expectancy throughout the whole time of Harvest, rather than to give them all the light at once.- John 16:12. Saying (unto me), Seal up (those) WHAT things (which) SOEVER the seven thunders uttered.- Do not immediately disclose their full contents.- Dan. 8:26; 12:4,9. And write them not.- Observe how the Lord retarded the publications: Vol. I was published in 1886.
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Revelation 10:7 .. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.- Pastor Russell was the seventh angel.- Rev. 3:14. When he shall begin to sound.- In the autumn of 1881, at which time FOOD FOR THINKING CHRISTIANS was circulated, and the General Call ceased.- Rev. 11:15.
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Revelation 11:15 .. And the seventh angel.- Pastor Russell. See Rev. 3:14; 10:7.
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Revelation 12:3 .. And behold a great red dragon.- The Pagan Roman Empire .. The matter is treated by Pastor Russell at greater length in C 76,77, and all his statements are, of course, correct.
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Revelation 14:17 .. And another angel- Pastor Russell himself, after the harvesting of the saints was finished. (Volumes IV, V VI are not shown inn this strictly Harvest chapter, as they are more used for the upbuilding of the saints than as Harvest instruments. They are, however, shown in Rev. 10:4; 15:8; 16:1-18.)
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Revelation 14:18 .. And another angel.- The corporate body which Pastor Russell organized to finish his work. See Rev. 8:3-5, which describes the same matter as here narrated. Came out from the altar.- The place of sacrifice. The Society is maintained by the sacrifices of the saints. Which had power over fire.- Authority over the publication and distribution of expositions of Ezekiel and John the Revelator, symbolical 'coals of fire.'- Isa. 6:6; Ezek. 10:2. And cried with a loud (cry) VOICE to Him that had the sharp sickle.- What a disappointed cry went up from the whole Church that dear Brother Russell went beyond the veil without writing the Seventh Volume of Scripture Studies, for which we all have looked so long!
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Revelation 15:5 .. And after that I looked, and, (behold),- Another vision of the same thing. The Temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.- Pastor Russell was given a clear, beautiful, complete comprehension of the Plan of God as revealed in the Tabernacle arrangements and sacrifices. (Acts 7:44). This is the foundation of all his works.
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Revelation 15:6 .. And the seven angels came out of the Temple.- The seven volumes of Scripture Studies, emerged, all in harmony with the teachings of the Tabernacle, from which they proceeded.
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Revelation 16:1 .. And I heard great voice out of the Temple.- Pastor Russell was the voice of the Lord thus used. (Rev. 7:2; 10:7.) He was of the true Temple, and 'out of' the nominal temple at the time these plagues were poured out. Saying to the seven angels.- The seven volumes of Scripture Studies. See Rev. 8:2-5 and 14:17-20. 'The plagues upon Egypt were intended in some measure to foreshadow, to illustrate, the plagues with which this Gospel Age will end.' (F175.) Pastor Russell walked in the light. When the plagues actually appeared, he no longer held to the explanation published in 1883, before they appeared, and so stated on many occasions. Go your ways, and pour out the SEVEN vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.- In the prefaces to the several volumes of Scripture Studies such expressions abound as 'I send forth this volume with prayers,' 'and now it is sent forth in the faith.' etc., etc.
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Revelation 16:2 .. And the first went, and poured out his vial (upon) INTO the earth.- Volume I was distributed among those already under religious restraint. And there fell a (noisome and) grievous AND NOISOME sore.- The book seemed to ecclesiastics like an evil and malignant ulcer, a painful, running sore, which eats, corrupts and destroys. Upon the men which had the mark of the beast.- Roman Catholics.. And upon them which worshipped his image.- Protestants affiliated with the Federal Council of Churches. Rev. 13:11; 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24. Another view of the book, from the standpoint of the clergy, is afforded by the plague of flies (Ex. 8:20-32.) It seemed to them like an old-time Egyptian curse, with which they were quite familiar, namely, one more of the Evangelistic firms already cursing society, and interfering with the regular clergy business. 'The Scriptural details are as follows: The arab filled the houses of the Egyptians, they covered the ground, they lighted on the people, the land was laid waste on their account. A biting, insidious creature, which comes like a dart, with great noise, and, rushing with great impetuosity on the skin, sticks to it most tenaciously. They boldly beset cattle, and not only obtain ichor, as other flies, but also suck out blood from beneath, and occasion great pain. They have no proboscis, but, instead, have double sets of teeth, like wasps, which they infix deeply in the skin; they greatly infest the ears of dogs. This genus is most impudently pertinacious in its assaults, spares neither man nor beast, gorges itself to bursting with blood, infusing an irritating venom at the same time. No idea can be formed of their obstinate rapacity. It is in vain to drive them away; they return again in the self-same moment, and their perseverance wearies out the most patient spirit.' (McC.) These flies, flying a short distance into the heavens, do their work around the dunghill of human tradition, but the collections of one of them recently amounted to $400,000 in eight American cities, so the business can be made a money maker by those willing to cater to the demand for sensationalism, and who have no hesitancy in repeating ancient blasphemies against God's holy name. These flies are called dog-flies, because they infest the ears of dogs; and when it is remembered that the Scriptures refer to the clergy as 'dumb dogs' (Isa. 56:10, 11; Phil. 3:2) we can readily see the application. The clergy of an entire city will sit on a platform, facing virtually the whole population, and hear themselves called liars, hypocrites, false-alarms and other villainous names. But because they hope to get a few 'converts,' and therefore a few shekels for the 'sanctuary,' they will take it all meekly, and prefer to take it rather than humbly admit one item of truth in all Pastor Russell's beautiful writings. After the firm has left town, they frequently bemoan the treatment received and think longingly of the wherewithal taken by the fly that was not satisfied with mere ichor, but wanted the real blood. At this point it may be well to explain the plagues of frogs and lice. The former seems to represent the Old Theology Quarterly which Pharaoh found everywhere contaminating his kingdom, but which, at the hand of the Lord, suddenly died out completely. The latter seems to represent The Bible Students Monthly. There is no record that the plague of lice was discontinued, and even yet the Egyptians (people of the world) and Pharaoh (the Devil) and his magicians (the clergy) scratch their heads many a time, wondering how to deal with a plague which they cannot duplicate.
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Revelation 16:3 .. And the second (angel) poured out his vial upon the sea.- Volume II, Scripture Studies seemed to the beast and his image to reach and affect only the discontented, those who never were very subservient to the ruler of this present evil world, or any or his systems. And every living soul died in the sea.- To the worshipers of the beast and his image it seemed as though such would be lost and would surely go to hell to be tormented forever. An 'evangelist' who held these views called at the home of a lady in Scranton. Entering the hall he saw an elegant picture of Pastor Russell. Instantly he lost control of what mind he had and vehemently said, 'I called here as a Christian minister, but I see you have old Russell's picture here. Are you a follower of his?' The lady replied that she was. He then said, 'He is in hell, and you will be there too, if you follow him.' Quick as thought the lady reopened the door through which he had just entered, invited him to the porch overlooking the valley; and as he stood there gazing into space she said, 'Tell it to the atmosphere,' and left him while she attended to more important duties. Another picture of the effect of Volume II on the antitypical Egyptians may be seen from the plague of the murrain (Ex. 9:1-7.) 'This consisted in some distemper that resulted in a sudden and dreadful mortality among the cattle in the field, including horses, asses, camels, oxen and sheep. It was, however, confined to the Egyptian cattle, and to those that were in the field; for though the cattle of the Hebrews breathed the same air, drank the same water, and fed in the same pastures, not a creature of theirs died. The Egyptian cattle that survived in the sheds, and were afterwards sent into the fields, were destroyed by the succeeding storm of fire and hail.' (McC.) These creatures were valuable to the Egyptians. They used them for bearing their burdens, for sacrifices and for food. They represent the classes that go to make up the nominal church and support it. Thus it seemed to the worshippers of the Beast and his Image that the only way to prevent the loss of all their live stock would be to keep them securely impounded, allowing them no liberty whatever.
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Revelation 16:4 .. And the third (angel) poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters.- It seemed to the worshippers of the beast and his image that the teachings of Volume III of the Scripture Studies had contaminated the Scriptures, the Waters of Life, at their very source, by extending the call to people to come out of Babylon while they were busy trying to get people in.
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Revelation 16:8 .. With fire.- Perhaps some of the clergy became a trifle warm as they read Volume IV, as their later conduct seems to suggest. Why they should have disliked Pastor Russell when he told the truth, and proved it, is remarkable.
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Revelation 16:9 .. Were scorched with great heat.- Became warm, indignant at the Pastor's kindly explanation of the whore and the harlots, and the plainly evident application to the Papacy and the Protestant sects. And blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues.- Misrepresented the name and character of the mighty one, Pastor Russell, to whom the Lord committed the task of presenting to His Church this meat in due season. This misrepresentation burst like a storm after the publication of Volume IV, Studies, and continued until the Pastor's death, yea, and shame to say it, even afterwards, in the columns of such sheets as the New York World and the Brooklyn Eagle. What monuments of infamy these people have reared for themselves! They richly deserve all they will get when the tide turns.
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Revelation 16:16 .. Unto a place called in the Hebrew tongue (Armageddon) ARMAGEDON.- .. While this plague was still in progress, Moses said to Pharaoh, 'I will see thy face again no more.' It is even so; Pastor Russell passed forever out of reach of the antitypical Pharaoh, Satan, in the fall of 1916. But in steadfast belief that 'his works do follow him,' we hold that he supervises, by the Lord's arrangement, the work yet to be done. See Rev. 16:1.
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Revelation 16:17 .. And the seventh (angel).- Volume VII, Scripture Studies.
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Revelation 17:10 .. Is not yet come.- But is due to make its appearance with the close of the war, some time about October 1st, 1917. (See comments on Rev. 16:17-21; Ex. 10:23.) Pastor Russell foretold the darkness would come Oct. 1st. 1914, and it did!!
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Revelation 18:2 .. And he cried (mightily) with a (strong) MIGHTY voice.- How apt are these Scriptures that refer to Pastor Russell as a 'voice'! (Rev. 7:2; 10:3; 16:1.) So modestly are his works written that the author is nowhere manifest, but attention is always and everywhere drawn to the Lord. Saying, (Babylon the great is) fallen, is BABYLON THE GREAT (fallen).-
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Revelation 18:4 .. And I heard another voice from heaven.- The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the corporate body which Pastor Russell personally organized to conduct the Harvest work (Rev. 8:3; 14:18). This voice has been exerted continuously since 1884. 'Our thought is that it is the Lord who calls His people out of Babylon; the call is to be recognized especially as a Voice from Heaven. Apparently, the Voice is Present Truth.'- Z.'14-180.
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Revelation 18:19 .. For in one hour is she made desolate.- 'To them the fall of Babylon at first is astounding, a perplexity, but will work no real injury, because the reign of Babylon over the earth will be superseded by the reign of the New Jerusalem- the Kingdom of God's dear Son.'- Pastor Russell; Rev. 18:8; 3:14; 11:11.
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Revelation 21:20 .. The twelfth, an amethyst.- Royalty. A stone of a violet color, bordering on purple, composed of a strong blue and deep red. The name is derived from the Greek a, not, and methyskein, to intoxicate, expressing the old belief that the stone protected its owner from strong drink. It was held that wine drank out of a cup of amethyst would not intoxicate. It crystallizes in double pyramids (base to base) of three sides on each pyramid. Amethyst was Pastor Russell's birth-stone; and behold how perfect its application! He was true blue in his faithfulness, and fully loyal to the blood of Christ, as shown by the red. He has the royalty now, thank God! The cup which he poured never intoxicated with error those who drank its live giving draughts from the Fountain of all Truth, our Father's Word. The six-sided crystallization represents his Six Volumes of Scripture Studies, and this, the Seventh, a summary of all, represents the stone as a whole.. It calls to mind a dream of Pastor Russell's, often told in private. In his early youth he dreamed of sleeping in an attic. Suddenly he awoke to see the morning sun, just emerged over the hill-top, blazing directly in his face. He Jumped to his feet with a start, thinking that it must be late. In doing so he stumbled over several forms still asleep. He was about to reproach himself for thus rudely awakening them, when he discovered that not one of the sleepers had been disturbed. The application is evident.. They were arranged in beautiful order in the casket- every one in its place- without any visible pains on the part of the man (Pastor Russell) who cast them in. I shouted for joy; and that shout awoke me.
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Revelation 22:6 .. And he.- The same angel mentioned in Rev. 1:1; 19:9, 10; representing Pastor Russell, beyond the veil.
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Ezekiel 1:1 .. Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.- Christ promised that at His Second Advent He would raise up a 'faithful and wise servant,' or 'steward,' who should watch and give forth in due season meat for the Household of Faith. This one should be given charge of all the Storehouse, the Word of God, to bring out of it things new and old. (Matt, 24:44-47; Luke 12:42-44.).. In the early seventies Charles Taze Russell found himself engaged in commerce, but earnestly studying the Word of God, and striving to teach what he found therein. In fulfilment of the Divine promise the Heavenly things were opened to him (Matt. 3:16), and he saw the significance of the visions, prophecies, given in olden times by the Almighty. He was given a crystal-clear understanding of the character of Jehovah.
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Ezekiel 1:2,3 .. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jeholachin's captivity, the Word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzl, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.- God made special use of .. Charles T. Russell. The significance of the word Ezekiel is 'God is strong,' and epitomizes the faith and the message of Pastor Russell. He shows the power of Jehovah to save His people now (Acts 15:14), and later to save all the willing and obedient of mankind. (Acts 15:17.) As Ezekiel was the son of Buzim, 'Contemned of God,' Pastor Russell was born the child of a nominal religious system which is unfaithful to Jehovah. Pastor Russell, by the faithful carrying out of his vow of consecration to Divine service, was accepted as a true priest of the Almighty. He sacrificed himself and all that he had until, in October, 1916, he died penniless, but rich in the things of God. Chosen expressly by God to declare the message of Present Truth to the last, or Laodicean age, of the Church, the hand, power, of Jehovah was upon him.
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Ezekiel 1:4 .. And I looked and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.- As a young man Charles T. Russell was looking intently to see what might be discerned in the Word of God. 'Watch,' said the Master. Pastor Russell took for his motto, 'I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me.' (Hab. 2:1.) He called his semi-monthly publication, 'The Watch Tower'; and, firm in the belief that the Second Advent took place in 1874, he included as a sub-title, 'And Herald of Christ's Presence.'
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Ezekiel 2:2 .. 'And the spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me.'- 'The words which I speak, they are spirit.' (John 6:63.) When the full import of the Word was discerned, Pastor Russell took a firm stand. The spirit, power, influence of God entered into him, never to leave. He stood firmly, before God, before his friends, and before all the hostile hosts of Mystic Babylon the Great.
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Ezekiel 2:3 .. 'And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day.'- Pastor Russell's work was largely among professing Christians - not slum work, Christian work among the professedly non-Christians, or a revivalistic work calling to repentance and conversion. This was not the work appropriate to the Harvest of the Christian Age. John the Baptist announced the First Presence of Messiah, and began the harvesting of Jewry, and was not sent to the heathen, but to the Lord's people, the Jews, to acquaint them with the First Advent, expose those withholding the keys of knowledge (Luke 11:52), and warn of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and Judea in A.D. 70 and 73. (Matt. 3:7; 24:2.) A like work was to be accomplished in Spiritual Israel, Christendom, after the Lord's Second Advent in 1874. The man raised up, 'set upon his feet,' and given wisdom, grace and power for the task, was Pastor Russell.
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Ezekiel 2:5 .. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a Prophet among them.- .. Whether the clergy and people of Christendom wished to heed Pastor Russell, or not, they certainly heard his words. (Z.'03-436.) His work was peculiarly prospered. Against difficulties it grew and extended beyond the wildest dreams, until it compassed the civilized world. In the face of the united opposition of Protestant and Romanist clergy, the steward of Almighty God accomplished the most gigantic preaching work ever done by one man. 'I cannot open the morning paper without Pastor Russell staring me in the face,' said a prominent minister. In the newspapers, in the theatres, on the bill-boards, in billions of tract pages distributed gratis, in millions of home libraries, in the questions of inquiring church members, it was evident everywhere that a great preacher was faithfully sounding forth a trumpet message. With a voice of many waters, reverberating like thunder throughout the world, spoke Pastor Russell; and ere long 'they shall know that there hath been a Prophet (preacher) among them.'
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Ezekiel 2:6,7 .. 'And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak My words, unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.- Fearlessness characterized Ezekiel and Pastor Russell, both outcasts among the 'best' people. Pastor Russell was thrust by the church people into a wilderness condition, amid the briers of opposition and reproach. Though the thorns of persecution crowned his head, he was never afraid of word nor of angry looks. (Jer. 1:8-10.) 'I would rather see him stoned to death,' said a Wilkes-Barre, Pa., preacher, in answer to a kindly invitation to come and hear Pastor Russell preach. 'He ought to be skinned alive, and his hide stretched on a door,' remarked a Chicago 'divine' to another 'divine,' coming out from one of Pastor Russell's addresses. A scorpion has a great swelling, formidable looking head, but it stings with its tail. (Rev. 9:5, 10.) Ecclesiasticism is made up of organizations whose heads utter boastful, swelling words, but which do injury through their followers. The sting of a scorpion - of the followers of synods and popes - is through poisoned words. Every great reformer has had some turn on him who were very close to him. Not from outside did Pastor Russell suffer most. A few from among life own household, whom he had befriended, helped, pushed, advanced, struck at him to ruin him and destroy his influence and his work. It is characteristic of the scorpion to sting and poison in the dark corners of a man's own home. 'Be not afraid, though thou dost dwell among scorpions.'
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Ezekiel 2:10 .. And He spread it before me; and it was written within and without; and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.- What an honor to be the person before whom the Almighty would clearly spread out His purposes, - the honor which came to Pastor Russell, and with it a witness work of vast extent and responsibility! The purpose of Present Truth is to inform the Lord's people and the people of the world, as far as they may listen, concerning the significance of the times. All classes profit more or less from the warning of Pastor Russell, as the message goes broadcast throughout the world.. Truly, 'mourning, lamentation and woe' were the burden of God's Prophet Ezekiel, as he foresaw the destruction of his beloved city, Jerusalem - and of Pastor Russell, as he foreknew the desolation of a world!
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Ezekiel 3:1 .. Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.- The Prophet was to find something. As Ezekiel ate the book in the hand of God, so the 'faithful and wise servant' of this day absorbed, assimilated, the Plan of the Ages which was in the power (hand) of the Almighty. Pastor Russell searched diligently to find all that he could of the purposes of God. As he understood, he was to go speak to 'the House of Sons' (Heb. 3:6), all the children, sons of God - to nominal Spiritual Israelites.
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Ezekiel 3:2 .. So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll.- 'I never knew any one so willing to do the will of God,' said the private secretary and traveling companion of Pastor Russell. He was eager to learn all he could about the Heavenly Father's will. It was not of himself that he learned and taught the Divine Plan; but God Himself caused him to learn, believe and teach.
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Ezekiel 3:6 .. Not to many people of a strange speech and of hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.- If the Message of Present Truth had been sent to the heathen with its glad tidings for all, they would have turned from devil worship, to worship the true God. (Matt. 11:21, 23.) On two occasions the trumpet sound was heard by 'people of a strange speech and of a hard language.' Pastor Russell passed through Japan and India on a round-the-world tour. In Japan the people requested that he stay. It was the message they had longed for. In India the natives heard him gladly. In eastern and southern Africa a believer in Present Truth found his way from Nyassa to the Cape, and many thousands of natives embraced the Truth and were baptized.
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Ezekiel 3:8 .. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.- Whatever situation Pastor Russell faced, God made him more than equal to it. This last and most illustrious of the reformers never asked for money; yet he had enough entrusted to him to carry on the work. Champions of Christendom met him on the debating platform; each encounter widened and strengthened the witness for Present Truth. He faced the modern enemies of Reformation with books by tens of millions, and they were unable to combat their power. 'To read the Studies in the Scriptures,' admonished a Southern preacher to his flock, 'is to believe them.' No argument could be devised to stem the flood of Truth, only a ban on the reading of the books. In innumerable places priestcraft caused the public burning of the books. Practically every home in America, England, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and other Protestant countries was reached by a deluge of free tracts. Such a tracting of the world with billions of pages, was never known. The enemies of Truth were wholly unable to check the spread of knowledge. A further situation faced was the production of the free Photo-Drama of Creation, seen and heard by twelve millions. No answer could be put forth by clerical foes of truth, but baseless, cruel libels on the private life of one of God's noblemen. Audiences by the thousands listened to Bible lectures by Pastor Russell and by hundreds of public speakers, and their voice is still heard all over the world. Stinging assaults of slander were ignored by a man of destiny, who had too much of God's work to do to pay attention to the yelpings of little men- of the D.D.'s of Christendom (Isa. 56:10), who love slumber, but who snarl and bite when disturbed in their dreams of 'peace, peace' (Jer. 6:14), social and civic gospels, church unity, and evangelistic raids on the pockets of the masses. Not a situation or a person but was faced victoriously.- Isa. 54:57.
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Ezekiel 3:9 .. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.- The forehead is symbolic of wisdom. A man of high forehead, as was Pastor Russell, is of a high type of intellect. Pastor Russell's mind was made strong against opponents of the Reform, which is ushering in the everlasting Kingdom of Messiah. It is impossible for error to withstand truth. (Luke.21:15.) As in apostolic days, believers in Present Truth call themselves 'in the Truth' (2 Pet. 1:12), the teachings of the Word of God are termed 'the Truth' (1 John 3:19), and those who believe them are known as 'Truth people.' (3 John 4.) The mind of Pastor Russell was filled with Truth. Crystal clear, with hard, irresistible logic, the Present Truth, which constituted his wisdom and understanding, was the hardest proposition ecclesiasticism ever encountered. (Isa. 50:7.) The mind of God's steward was as adamant. Adamant is literally, in Hebrew, 'a diamond point.' With diamond hardness (Rev. 4:3), the Present Truth cuts its way through all opposition, though the opposing thought be hard as flint. The diamond is the most crystal clear of stones, and represents the truth in irresistible form. It is futile to oppose the mind of any Present Truth believer, for truth is irrefutable. To those who have it, it imparts the mind of an intellectual giant - the mind of Christ, of God. (1 Cor. 2:16.)
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Ezekiel 3:10 .. Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, all My words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.- Like Ezekiel, Pastor Russell was to hold back, nor pervert, nor wrest nothing.
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Ezekiel 3:12 .. Then the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.- Through the begetting of the Holy Spirit we are raised up to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), to sit with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), in the Spirit-begotten condition. The Spirit raised Pastor Russell up to an understanding and appreciation of Heavenly things. (Matt. 3:16.) At Pentecost the place where the Apostles were sitting was filled with a rushing sound as of a mighty wind, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2.) The mighty rushing sound represented Pastor Russell's receiving a rich endowment of the Spirit of God, to whose leadings he was fully consecrated and to whose influence and guidance he wholly devoted his life. The words of Christ and of God are contained in the Bible, written thousands of years ago, behind in the stream of time. It was in the Word of God, behind him in time (Isa. 30:21), that Pastor Russell perceived the rushing sound, the utterances of the Holy Spirit. The message of the Bible has been perverted by Catholic and Protestant misunderstandings into anything but a glorious and blessed Gospel. It is a thing to be dreaded, if the glory of God is to eternally torment the vast majority of humans. But the Message of Truth sounded forth by Pastor Russell declares the grace of the Gospel which is to reach every man, woman and child (1 Tim. 2:6) with its blessed influence; power, wisdom and love, so that all creation in due time may join in a mighty paeon of praise. 'Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from His place.'- Psa. 106:48.
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Ezekiel 3:13 .. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.- Many Christian ministers have had glimpses of the Word of God, knowledge of some details of the Plan, some measure or the Holy Spirit; but to Pastor Russell, God's messenger to the last stage of the Church, was given a superabundance of gifts, to set the things of God in order (Isa. 44:7), to proclaim an harmonious understanding of all the Divine purposes for mankind and of some for the angels. (Eph. 3:10.) He heard the full harmony of 'the song of Moses and the Lamb.' (Rev. 15:3.) To him the wings (Rev. 12:4), the Word of God, Old Testament and New, sounded their Glad Tidings, a message whose parts 'touched one another,' were in complete touch, full harmony. He heard for the first time since Apostolic days the Plan of God, 'the noise of the wheels (cycles, ages).' He heard the manifestations of the operation of the Holy Spirit, the 'noise of a great rushing,' and was filled with the Spirit in a measure beyond the portion of most Christian men. His patience with the stupid and erring was godlike and his love-lit face was an inspiration.
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Ezekiel 3:14 .. So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.- 'God hath taken you out of the world' (John 17:16); raised 'to sit with Christ in Heavenly places.' (Eph. 2:6.) The Spirit took Pastor Russell away from earthly aims and raised him up to the plane of sacrificing priesthood. He turned from commercial pursuits to devote his life to the Heavenly Message. He tasted the hitter herbs of persecution, of suffering with Christ; and amid ostracism and persecution he lived the life of Christian service. He carried on his work in fervency of spirit; for the power of God was upon him, strengthening him with might in the inner man (Eph. 3:16), and with wisdom to deliver, in the face of the determined opposition of priestcraft, the trumpet message announcing the Presence of Christ- the sound of the Seventh Trumpet, the trump of God.- Rev. 10:7.
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Ezekiel 3:15 .. Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.- Future historians will record, as most remarkable, the mental, moral and spiritual bondage in which professing Christians were held during the Gospel Age, through the machinations of priestcraft, under the king of the age, Satan himself. Pastor Russell came with his message, in a day of supposed enlightenment, to a people bound hand and foot. Tel-abib in Hebrew is 'Hill of Grass' (from 'Tel,' hill, and ' Abib,' sprouting, budding). Abib was another name for Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew sacred year, corresponding to April. In type or symbol a place represents a condition, or a stage in historic development. The 'hill of budding,' the beginning of the sacred year, symbolizes the dawn of the Times of Restitution, the 'Millennial Dawn.' The Millennium (Rev. 20:8, 4,7) began in 1874, with the Return of Christ. It was at about that time that Pastor Russell came to his fellow-Christians with the beginning of a better understanding of the Bible, 'the vision of God.'
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Ezekiel 3:16 .. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying.- In a time prophecy a day in the prophecy usually signifies a year in fulfillment. For seven years after Christ's Return in 1874 - until 1881 - Pastor Russell, although he knew much of God's Plan, was in some degree in the same condition as other Christians in imperfect understanding of God's Word. In 1881 a former associate, Mr. Barbour, of Rochester, N. Y., who had been a faithful fellow-watcher, developed into the 'Evil servant' of Matt. 24:48-51 and Zechariah 11:17, and produced a work on the Hebrew Tabernacle types in opposition to the fundamentals of true Christianity. Pastor Russell desired the truth on the subject. He gave himself up to prayer and study of this matter alone. For days he struggled with the problem and wrestled with God in supplication. At length the matter cleared up. He then wrote 'Tabernacle Shadows of the Better Sacrifices.' of which 1,500,000 copies have since aided Christians to understand the deeper things of the Word and to make complete consecration unto death. This was in 1881, at which time he also published 'Food for Thinking Christians,' a work embodying much afterwards expanded into the six volumes of 'Studies in the Scriptures.' The same year 1881, is prophetically marked as the time for the final withdrawal of favor from the churches, a favor which had begun to be withdrawn in 1878 - the year in which the clergy were cast off as representatives of the Divine Word, and when Pastor Russell began his work by the publication of 50,000 copies of 'Object and Manner of the Lord's Return.' In 1878 the stewardship of the things of God, the teaching of Bible truths, was taken from the clergy, unfaithful to their age-long stewardship, and given to Pastor Russell. In the interim, until 1881, the new steward was setting the things in order, getting the truths of the Bible in logical and Scriptural form for presentation, until the last great item of the Hebrew Tabernacle types, was ready. Then, in 1881, be became God's watchman for all Christendom, and began his gigantic work of witness.
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Ezekiel 3:17 .. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.- The function of watchmanship was not given until 1881. (Jer. 6:17; Isa. 21:6-12.) Faithfulness in individual watching during a trial period of seven years was rewarded by the bestowal of the office of the greatest servant which the Church of God has had since the Apostle Paul. ' Whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant.' (Matt. 20:27.) Pastor Russell at all times served the Church in great things and small. No request was too insignificant to get his careful attention. Rich and poor alike were faithfully served in every possible way. This work prior to 1881 was a great work for any ordinary man, but insignificant compared with what was to follow. By 1884 the watchman's work had grown to such proportions as to cause the founding of The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This is the agency through which God's appointed watchman has delivered his message to Christendom. Pastor Russell paid no attention to the words or opinions of man, however learned or pious, whether men of modern days or the 'early fathers' of post-apostolic times. He listened to the word direct from the mouth of God, spoken by holy men of old as moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21.) Ezekiel was raised up shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem to warn the Hebrews of the impending calamity. Pastor Russell's warning to Christendom, coming direct from God, has been of the imminent collapse of the present 'Christian' civilization in a welter of war, revolution and anarchy, to be succeeded by the early establishment of the Kingdom of God. In all his warnings he claimed no originality. He said that he could never have written his books himself. It all came from God, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
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Ezekiel 3:18 .. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.- Pastor Russell saw and revived the teaching of the Word of God .. To all erring mankind Pastor Russell was directed by God to reiterate the Divine penalty for sin, as death, and not eternal torment. This was a fundamental part of the message both of Ezekiel and of Pastor Russell.
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Ezekiel 3:19 .. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.- Pastor Russell faithfully warned the wicked. He published a complete exposition of the Bible statements regarding the Adamic death - 3,000,000 copies of a pamphlet, 'What Say the Scriptures About Hell,' quoting all Bible passages mentioning Sheol and Hades, the death state. He scarcely ever spoke in public without dwelling on this cardinal tenet, that the dead are dead. To the very best of his ability he taught Christendom the truth. By faithful testimony he delivered himself from liability.
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Ezekiel 3:20,21 .. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.- Another cardinal teaching of God's Word, clearly taught by Pastor Russell, is the nature of the eternal punishment to be visited upon the incorrigible backslider.. An important feature of Pastor Russell's teaching is that the Scriptural punishment of the incorrigibly wicked is not life in torment but oblivion, annihilation, the 'second death' (Rev. 21:8); that every one is, either in this life or after the resurrection, to be brought to a full knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:4), receives some measure of the Holy Spirit; that those who incur the extreme penalty for sin will be only those who backslide beyond recovery. In full conformity with Ezekiel's prophecy Pastor Russell taught that 'when a righteous man doth commit iniquity, he shall die' - the Second Death.
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Ezekiel 3:22 .. And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and He said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.- Ezekiel was impelled by the Holy Spirit to depart from the river Chebar with its teeming activities. Pastor Russell's consecration led him to separate himself from commercial activities and to give his life to the service of God. The hand of the Lord was upon him to do this. The Lord's people, the Hebrews, mingled with the Chaldeans, living in the plain- literally 'vale' or 'valley.' Pastor Russell turned from ordinary avocations to all the people dwelling in the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psa. 23:4); and in that condition God communed with His true Watchman. Pastor Russell has been known to pass entire nights in prayer, and go about his work the next day as though nothing unusual had taken place.-Rev. 3:14.
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Ezekiel 3:23 .. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain; and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.- Continually the vision was before Pastor Russell of the character, p)an and work of the Almighty. Daily he renewed his covenant of consecration and daily sought to carry it out.
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Ezekiel 3:24 .. Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.- A thought possesses propulsive power, and must result in action unless hindered by an opposing thought. The Spirit, thoughts, words of God were continually entering, from the Bible, into Pastor Russell's mind and setting him into action. All who have set themselves apart to do the will of God and have received the Holy Spirit, are members of Christ, in the House of Sons (Heb. 3:6), the Royal Priesthood. In the consecration of the typical priesthood, the priest shut himself in the Tabernacle for seven days. (Lev. 8:33.) (Seven symbolizes completeness.) So Christ and those in Him abide continually in the antitypical Holy, the spirit-begotten condition. Pastor Russell lived in the Spirit from his consecration to his death.
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Ezekiel 3:25 .. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them.- Each forward step in any branch of knowledge renders institutions based on past partial knowledge functionless; and consequently the adherents and beneficiaries of such institutions oppose the march of events. The clergy, trying to stem the tide of Truth, to uphold an effete ecclesiasticism tottering to its fall, put every restraint upon the influence of Pastor Russell; but the bands upon him served also to bind the tares more tightly into the organization bundles. (Matt. 13:30.) In fulfillment of the prophetic parable the bundles are to be destroyed in the anarchy about to ensue. Church members have been urged to get rid of every scrap of paper bearing the Message of Present Truth; the Truth has been preached against in practically every church in the English, German and Swedish speaking world; people have been warned against reading the Truth; Truth people have been discharged or refused employment; in Europe they have been imprisoned at hard, labor; some have been done to death by firing squads; they have been forbidden to hold meetings. Neither Pastor Russell nor his fellow-believers were permitted to utter the Bible Truth before the congregations of ecclesiasticism. It was not to go out among 'them,' and his greatest work was the deepening of the spirit of consecration among those of the 'House of Sons.'
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Ezekiel 3:26 .. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.- It is impossible to witness spiritual things to the carnally-minded (1 Cor. 3:1; John 16:12). But Pastor Russell never refrained from speaking or publishing the Word of God. The Bible teaches that the service of God must be of a willing heart. It is a privilege which may be accepted or rejected, as the hearer desires. Yet to the worldly, Pastor Russell was as 'dumb', for they would not hear.
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Edited by - Focus on 26 February 2001 8:45:17