PROPPHETS OF CHRISTIANITY EZEKIEL   The seventy-year period of desolation of Jerusalem is also associated with the activity of the prophet Ezekiel. God made him "a watchman unto the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 3:16) and entrusted him with a series of prophecies concerning the fate of the chosen people, both under slavery and in the future restoration process. The Bible Students' prophetic movement, therefore, clearly entered into the role of present-day Ezekiel when, from the dawn of Christ's second presence, it began to proclaim the fulfillment of prophecies concerning Israel according to the flesh.   The prophecying upon dry bones (Ezekiel 37:5)     It is probably no coincidence that the birth of the prophet Ezekiel in 642 B.C. is pointing out in time parallelism to the significant year 1878 (2520 – 642 = 1878). It was the year of the end of so called "Double", a turning point in history when God rejected apostate Christianity, Babylon, and condemned it to destruction, and began to restore His favor to the chosen people. As soon as C.T. Russell and his coworkers recognized the fact that the disfavor of "Double" was over, they immediately hurried to send a message of consolation to the Jewish people scattered around the world (Isaiah ...more

PROPHETS OF CHRISTIANITY     "And when this cometh to pass, (behold, it cometh,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." Ezekiel 33:33 "And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).   In above words, the apostle Peter declared that he assesses the Old Testament’s prophecies being expressed by "holy men of God being under control of the Holy Spirit" much more than what he personally saw during the transfiguration vision on the mountain. The words of the prophets, being recorded by them throughout the Jewish Age, and completely unclear for them, were like a flickering lamp illuminating the path of the followers of the Lord Jesus during the night of the Gospel Age. How priceless and sure this light turned out to be, however, when it flared up at the beginning of the seventh millennium (1874), when the dawn of the Lord's Day began to dissipate the darkness of the night and ancient prophecies began to be fulfilled.   The question arises: Since the time of our Lord's second presence ...more

THE DESTRUCTION OF SATAN   "That through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."   Hebrews 2:14     The last enemy of God, at the end of earthly restitution, destroyed by a secondary death (symbolic lake of fire and sulfur), will be Satan. The releasing him from prison for a "short time" at the end of the Millennium is connected with God's final purpose to show who is in harmony with His will and who is ruling by other incentives. Upon completion of this trial, Satan and his followers will be destroyed forever. Before he dies, Satan will see that the Lord Jesus has repaired in a thousand years all that he has damaged in six thousand years. The following compositions show the year 2984 (spring 2985) as the time of Satan's destruction.     * * *   * * *     Page 514     "Biblical Comments" on Rev 19:20:   The lake of fire ... Gehenna: by the aid of brimstone the bodies of specially                               detestable criminals were burned with the other refuse                               of Jerusalem in the Valley of ...more

  INTRODUCTION   "That so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old." Acts 3:20,21     When the prophets of the Scriptures foretold the "times of restitution of all things," they used various expressions and illustrations to represent them. One of the most eloquent prophecies about the time of restitution is found in the last book of the Old Testament and is: "But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings." (Mal 4:2.) The reign of Christ's Kingdom is compared here to the warming and healing rays of the sun.   For many long centuries the world trembled under the dark and frosty influences of sin. Sickness, pain, and death were the continuing results of this. But in the time of restitution, Satan, the prince of darkness, will be bound, and Christ, the life and light of the world, will extend his warming and healing power over the earth, resulting in what St. Peter ...more

INTRODUCTION   "Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh." Matthew 24:32     In the ancient world, the Israelites were the only people to worship the true God. God's providence chose the land in which this nation lived as the starting point for the joyful narrative of the Messianic salvation. Palestine is the geographical center to the continents of the inhabited world. It has direct borders with Asia, Africa and Europe. This unique location made this land the center of interest and the object of desire of the surrounding nations. A conviction has been established that "whoever rules over Palestine rules the world". This saying has remained relevant to this day.   From the very beginning of this nation, God wanted the Jews to be modest and not have an exaggerated assessment of themselves. God emphasized to them through Moses that they were the smallest of the nations, yet He chose them for specific tasks. And that hasn't changed so far. Israel is still one of the smallest countries in the world. Its territory is smaller than half of Switzerland and has about the same population as Berlin.   Before the Christian ...more

GREAT TRIBULATION "For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be."   Matthew 24:21     "This great cataclysm of trouble, which all intelligent people perceive with more or less distinctness, is described in the Bible under various symbolic terms. Sometimes it is described as a whirlwind; at other times the description is that of a storm; again, of a great tidal wave – the sea (representing the masses) will swallow up the mountains (representing the kingdoms). (Ps 46:2,3.) Again it is described as a fire, which will consume the whole earth. (Zeph 1:18; 3:8.) Yet in each case there is connected with the symbol something to show that it is merely a symbol, and that the utter destruction of humanity is not meant. As, for instance, after describing the storm, the Lord through the Prophet declares that He will command the nations to be still and to recognize Him as God, and that the result will be a great calm. (Ps 46:8-10) In the case of the fire, we read that after it has consumed the whole earth (the social fabric), then the Lord will turn to the people a pure language, ...more

    * * *   * * *   Expressions in the above compilations: "The apostate Roman Catholic church," "The papacy" and "The Great Rome Empire" are derived from the volumes of Studies in the Scripture in Greek.     * * *   * * *   Page 410     * * *   * * * * * *   Page 411     "The same terrible premonition on the part of the secular authorities of all civilized nations is the basis on which to base the recent conciliatory attitude of all secular authorities of Europe towards the Pope It is now starting to look quite conducive to his long-held hope of regaining much of his lost earthly power. ”This kind of attitude of nations was most significantly illustrated in the costly gifts offered to the Pope on his papal jubilee a few years ago by the heads of all Christian governments. their own ineptitude to deal with the mighty force of the awakening world, the secular authorities in sheer desperation recall the former power of the papacy, the tyrant who once held all Christianity in their grip. thus they will manage to keep n in check dissatisfied nations". [written in 1897] D-131       * * *   * * *   Page 412       ANOTHER HORN, A LITTLE ONE     "Biblical Comments" on Dan 7:8:   There come up ........ ...more

BIRTHDAY FEAST OF KING HEROD     On the occasion of his birthday, king Herod made a feast to which he invited his officers and princes. He was preparing for the war with King Aretas, and this gathering of the country's leaders and dignitaries was a kind of patriotic celebration, intended to ensure the favor of all the leading and influential dignitaries. Herodias used the feast for a secret and criminal plot. John the Baptist condemned her adulterous relationship with Herod, so Herodias, full of fear for her future, decided to destroy the prophet at all costs. The special, sensual dance of her daughter, Princess Salome, so delighted the drunken Herod and the dignitaries that the king promised to grant her every request, "unto the half of [his] kingdom"." Salome, instructed by her mother, demanded the head of the prophet. Because of the oaths, a birthday’s guests and probably for pride's sake, the king yielded and ordered John to be beheaded. R-3777   Herod's birthday feast represents a three-and-a-half-year temporary change in the policy of the socialist camp. Joy at the achievements of the 60th anniversary of socialism, relaxation in revolutionary activity, manifested, among other things in cooperation with the papacy, is to last ...more

DANGEROUS STINGS (THE INVASION OF THE LOCUSTS – 1917)     The locusts, which came out of the bottomless pit in the first woe (1914-1918) were to harm for five months all who did not have God's seal on their foreheads (Rev. 9:2,9,10). The locusts were the communists with their materialistic propaganda – atheism. The five months mentioned in the description are the period from October 1917 to February 1918 (according to the old style calendar) during which Soviet power was constituted in all the main centers of the country.         Page 357     THE WATERS OF THE EUPHRATES DRIED UP (THE INVASION OF THE LOCUSTS – 1939)     Before God's Kingdom comes, the plough of trials must plow the role of the world. It is the necessary preparation of human hearts to receive the long-foretold Kingdom of God on earth. The vision of Revelation presents these experiences as three woes that plague the inhabitants of the earth. The first woe is the First World War. During its duration, the October Revolution broke out, as a result of which the first socialist state in the history of mankind was born. Until the second woe began, the revolutionary ideas of this state were locked within the borders of the Soviet Union.   This ...more

EIGHTH EGYPTIAN PLAGUE – LOCUSTS TWO INVASIONS OF THE LOCUSTS’ SWARMS: IN 1917 AND 1939   Exodus 10:12-15     The Egyptian plagues represent various adverse conditions and events that, by God's permission, haunt the world, and Egypt is the biblical image of this world. The time of this providential activity covers the period from 1874 to 1984. It is at this time that Christ, present for the second time, as the antitypical Moses, liberates mankind from the dominion of the evil systems that support the kingdom of Satan – the pharaoh. The plagues upon the world overlap and multiply, making the situation ever more difficult to control. Satan and his earthly representatives, that is, the secular and religious authorities, are unable to remedy the situation that arises. Ultimately, they will be forced to yield to the One who came with the power of attorney from the Lord of the Universe to bring order to the earthly world. One of the Egyptian plagues was the invasion of locusts. It presents the socialist movement in its sharpest ideological profile – Bolshevism. The formation of the Bolshevik party at the Second Congress in 1903 foreshadowed future experiences. This movement, with God's permission, emerged from the underground and was victorious ...more

THE SECOND PRESENCE OF THE LORD LET MY PEOPLE GO   Moses, despite his high education, was not very eloquent. For this reason, he was shy and refrained, to go to Pharaoh as God's representative on the mission to deliver the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage. So God called on Moses’ brother, Aaron, who, as a gifted speaker, would be "the mouth" of Moses (Ex 4:10; 6:12.30; 7:1).   This picture has a profound meaning. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who came for the second time to deliver mankind from the bondage of Satan, is an invisible spiritual being. On the other hand, its earthly representative, "mouth," is the Church on this side of the veil.   The coming of the Lord in 1874 marks the beginning of the seventh thousand years from the time sin’s entering into the world.   Pharaoh represents the prince of this world – Satan, the usurper of power, who is trying to prevent the liberation mankind of bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom 8:20,21).   * * *   * * * Page 300 * * *   MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH     In this subject, Moses represents of our Lord. His birth at the time Pharaoh gave the command to destroy the male children; ...more

  THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES     The Scriptures teach that the nation of Israel constituted the typical kingdom of God on earth for several hundred years. Because of the infidelity of the Israelites, God took this kingdom from them and gave the rulership of the world to the Gentile nations.   "The removal of God's kingdom in the days of Zedekiah left the world without any government of which God could approve, or whose laws or affairs he specially supervised. The Gentile governments God recognized indirectly, in that he publicly declares his decree (Lk 21:24) that during the interregnum the control of Jerusalem and the world should be exercised by Gentile governments. This interregnum, or intervening period of time between the removal of God's scepter and government and the restoration of the same in greater power and glory in Christ, is Scripturally termed 'The Times of the Gentiles.' And these 'times' or years, during which the 'kingdoms of this world' are permitted to rule, are fixed and limited, and the time for the re-establishment of God's Kingdom under Messiah is equally fixed and marked in Scripture." A-249   Babylon was the first Gentile kingdom to which God gave control of the world at that time. Then ...more

  SARAH   In the story of Abraham's life, God hid the main features of his Plan of Salvation. Abraham is type of God, and his three wives are types of the three great covenants through which God's blessings flow to the world. Presently are flowing to the Church, and in the future will flow to Israel and all mankind. By the term "Covenant" we mean the contract, promises, orders, and also the servants subject to these orders. The covenant under which the Little Flock class grows throughout the Gospel Age is represented in Sarah. This covenant includes:   – all the promises of the Word of God which are a instrument of begetting    of the Holy Spirit to the new life and ultimately attaining of spiritual divine nature; – the office of the Advocate; – all sacrificers of the Gospel Age who clung to these promises by faith and,    taking advantage of the blood of the Lamb daily, have been developing    as children of promise, that is spiritual seed of Abraham.   The Gospel Age for the election of the 144,000 members of the Church’s class began with the baptism of the Lord in the fall of 29 C.E. and it end when the remnants of that class will pass beyond ...more

THE SPONTANEOUS JOY OF THE MOTHER   The apostle Paul, explaining the prophecy of Isaiah 54:1, applies it to the pictorial story of Sarah, Abraham's wife, who had the desired offspring. The story states that Abraham and Sarah, in spite of their old age, had no children. Sarah, therefore, did what all the women in a similar situation did in those days: she gave Abraham her slave girl, Hagar, so that she could give birth to her child. Indeed, Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael. Then God visited Abraham and promised him that his wife Sarah would bear a son. Sarah received this news with embarrassment, but also with great joy (Gen 21:1-7). In this mother's joy, described in Isaiah's prophecy, God hid a deep meaning that was explained by the apostle Paul.   Page 211   The Apostle explains that a woman rejoicing in many children represents the Covenant (Promise) under which Christ – Head and Body – develops. The type of this complete Christ is Isaac, son of Sarah (Gal 4:22-31). Isaac – Christ is the heir of the Abrahamic promise, his Seed, in whom all families of the earth are to be blessed. The seed to be so gloriously privileged is the Lord and all ...more

RESURRECTION – YEAR 1977 "And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them." Revelation 14:13     The Scriptures show that the first resurrection was to come after the end of the Gospel Age, when the whole Church would be completed. The light of the unfolding truth in due season, after the opening of the seventh seal, not only pointed out to the time of the end of the High Calling, but also showed that this end, falling in the Autumn of 1977, is also the beginning of the resurrection of the Body of Christ. From then on, the holy Apostles and all the victors of the Gospel Age who slept in Jesus Christ were raised up to the nature of spirit beings and made in the image and likeness of their Lord and Master. We find no mention in the Scriptures which would link this momentous fact with any outward manifestation. On the contrary, accepting this truth is solely a matter of faith in the testimonies of the Scriptures regarding the resurrection of the Church, and also faith in the ...more

THE WEDDING IN CANA OF GALILEE     The wedding at Cana in Galilee was held on the third day. The time when it took place hides an important spiritual secret.   Here is a note in the "Biblical Comments" on Jn 2: 1:   On the third day ... The marriage of the Lamb will take place on the third                                  thousand-year day of the Church’s existence as the body of Christ,                                  and in the seventh of the world’s history.   From the above words it follows that there is an interdependence between the marriage in Cana of Galilee and the Mrriage of the Lamb. In the Gospel Age, the Church, like those stone jars, is filled with the "water" of truth to the very top (justification). Our Lord's first miracle of turning water into wine represents the joy that the Church will experience beyond the veil.   * * *   "The Lord's consecrated people are symbolized not only by the water-pots and by the servants who fill them, but also they are symbolized by the bride at the marriage, just as ...more

DISAPPOINTMENT IN YEAR 1914     Here are excerpts from the foreword of Charles T. Russell to the Second Volume of Studies in the Scriptures:   "This Volume sets forth, what its author has been preaching for over forty years, that the 'Times of the Gentiles' chronologically ended in the fall of A.D. 1914. (...) The author acknowledges that in this book he presents the thought that the Lord's saints might expect to be with Him in glory at the ending of the Gentile Times. This was a natural mistake to fall into, but the Lord overruled it for the blessing of His people. The thought that the Church would all be gathered to glory before October, 1914, certainly did have a very stimulating and sanctifying effect upon thousands, all of whom accordingly can praise the Lord – even for the mistake. (...)   Our mistake was evidently not in respect to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles; we drew a false conclusion, however, not authorized by the Word of the Lord."   It can be seen from the above that, as was the case with the Miller movement, the movement of brothers who began in 1874, knowing the purpose, manner and time of the Lord's presence, was ...more

    THE LORD AROSE   Psalm 16     Our Lord, after His resurrection, said that all that was written about Him in the Psalms must be fulfilled (Lk 24:44). As the Lord spoke, many of the prophecies in the Psalms concerning him had already been fulfilled. The resurrection of our Lord was prophesied by David in Psalm 16. The Apostle Peter referred to this well-known announcement when, inspired with the Holy Spirit, he explained to frightened listeners that the One they had crucified was alive. The quoted Psalm expresses the prophetically unshakable faith of our Lord in the promise and power of the Father, to raise Him up to a glorious new life. The resurrection prophecy of this Psalm was fulfilled on Nisan 16 (Lev 23:11) 33 A.D., as the following compilations confirm.     * * * Page 93     "Biblical Comments" on Ps 16:11:   Thou wilt shew me ...Cause me to have knowledge of The path of life ........ The narrow way, the way of the cross, now,                                     and the highway of holiness in the age to come At thy right hand ...... In the condition of favor.                 ...more

THE FIRST COMING OF THE LORD BEING SHOWED IN THE LIFE OF MOSES   "Biblical Comments" on John 1:11: Come unto his own ... His own people: "The lost sheep of the house of Israel "(Mt 10:6).                                        "You only have I known" (Amos 3:2).                                       Not merely to the true Israelites, but to the entire mass And his own ............... As a people, as a nation Receive him not not ...Typified by Moses' experiences when he left the court of Pharaoh's in the interests of his brethren   Page 78   Here are the words of Stephen: "This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent [to be] both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush." (Acts 7:35)   * * *   In the fortieth year of traveling in the wilderness, Moses repeated God's Law to all Israel. Israel's forty-year period of punishment for its unbelief in the accounts of Joshua and Caleb had now come to ...more

THE ONLY GATE   Exodus 38:18     Here are quotes from "Tabernacle Shadows of the better sacrifices", pages 18, 22: "There was only one gateway to enter the 'Holy Place' or 'Court' area; the type thus testifying that there is only one way off access to God – one 'gate' – Jesus. 'I am the way, ... no man cometh unto the Father but by me' (Jn 14:6); 'I am the door' (Jn 10:9)."   "By faith in Christ's ransom-sacrifice, represented in the Brazen Altar, we enter the "Gate" to the "Court" – the veil of unbelief and sin is passed."   It follows from the above that our Lord became for the condemned in Adam the way to regain the fellowship with God. He did not become a "way", "gate" and "door" for people until He laid down his life for Adam, and in him for all mankind.         We can find a confirmation for this fundamental truth in the numerical values of God's instruction in Sinai and in the report on the accomplishion of the Gate leading to the Court.     Page 46   "There was only one way to become the true shepherd of God's sheep, to have the right to lead them to green fodder, to the still waters of ...more

INTRODUCTION     The sin offering is a fundamental teaching of the Scriptures. It speaks of the sin of our first parents and the need to reconcile with God as a condition for restoring people's lost happiness and eternal life. The remarkable harmony of the testimonies of the writers of the Old and New Testaments points to Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection as the basis of the blessings that will flow into the world in his glorious Kingdom.   Divine love prepared a sin-offering in the person of the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. At Jordan, the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, John the Baptist, pointing to Jesus, proclaimed salvation to people: "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! "   All the sacrifices of the Law, all the blood that sprinkled the Jewish altars, indicated the future great sacrifice of the One who agreed to die for us. The history of the Pentateuch teaches that mankind in its original state of perfection was tested in one representative, Adam, who fell, and the present imperfections, disease, and death are its result. God did not abandon man, but would save him through a Redeemer, born of a woman, whose death is a ...more

    GOD IS LOVE   The highest of God's qualities is love. It was God's love that dictated the plan to sacrifice his beloved Son for human sins. Fatherly love and the victorious sacrifice of the Lord Jesus constitute the steadfast foundation (rock) of the Gospel, that is of the joyful news. This most important outline of the Divine Plan for mankind is pictured in the sacrifice of Isaac, the beloved, only son of Abraham.     * * * * * * Page 1 * * *   Page 2     MY SERVANT   Our Lord was a foretold servant of Jahveh, about whom the prophet Isaiah wrote in several parts of his book. The mysterious Servant is God's chosen one, whom God is pleased with. The basis of His high rank with God was the great obedience He showed to the Father's will. Our Lord came to earth to fulfill the Father's merciful plan, to redeem mankind with its death. Already at the very beginning of our Lord's sacrifice, God did not fail to reveal to John the Baptist a high appreciation of His Son and great love for Him (Mt 3:13-17).     * * * Page 3 Page 4       I AM   "The incident of his birth as a human being, "a little lower than the angels," for the ...more

INTRODUCTION   The words of the Apostle John, "God is Love," are supremely substantiated by the teachings of the Scriptures, which reveal the activity of Divine Love in the very work of creation, during the fall of man and in the future work of restitution of the world. The first of the books of the Bible already draws in front of our eyes the image of God's Love when describes the shaping of the earthly planet for human habitation; when it is getting the earth out of chaos, filling it with vegetation and lower creatures of unparalleled wealth of types, sizes, shapes and colors, to make it a lively garden for the king of the earth – man. In every detail of creation we can see the tender hand of the Heavenly Father who did everything to ensure full happiness for His earthly children. Together with the Psalmist, we cry out: "O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Ps 8:10). God did not abandon man even when he, unmindful to God's goodness, at Satan's instigation, fell into darkness of sin. From the very beginning, Divine Love was shining with ever stronger rays of hope through rigorous orders and ...more