January 1926
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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
destroyed, can be resurrected. It would have to be re-created and en dowed with a conscience and soul which had already been utterly des troyed! He simply states that these re-created beings will have an Adamic nature, and are to be tested as Adam was. IV. As to the Millennium: Pastor Russell teaches that the Mil lennium will be the final stage of pro bation, and a time of universal resur- rection. The Scriptures teach that the resur rection at this time is only partial (Rev. 20:4-6), and that there is to be another time of testing after the Mil len n ium {Rev. 20:7, 8 ), the final Judg ment taking place afterwards (Rev. 20:12, 13): «And I saw the dead, sm all and great, stand before God) and the books w ere opened) and another book wan opened, which Is the book o f life ) and the dead were Judged out o f those things which were w ritten In the books, according to their w ork s. . __ . __ . . k «A nd the sea g a ve np the dead w kiea were la It) and death and hell delivered up the dead which were In them ) and they were Judged every man according “ Pastor” Russell died- some years ago, but the propaganda is still being carried on and many really earnest conscientious people are being de ceived by the plausible sophistries. Pray that it may please the Lord that, through your efforts, some of these deluded souls may be delivered from this dreadful error. (The suggestion s given above are taken from a Correspondence Course on “Personal a n d P ractical Christian W o rk ,” by T. C. Horton, one o f the many courses offered by the Correspondence School of the Bible Institute o f L o s Angeles. Further Information concern ing these courses w ill be cheerfully given by the Secretary, K eith L. Brooks, 536 S. Hope St., Los Angeles, C alif.) the letter carefully in his hair (the usual way among his people of carry ing letters), he was absent for a whole day, and on returning said the answer was “ All right.” The American knew that his letter demanded a dif ferent answer. At last they got him to admit that while on his errand he had laid down and gone to sleep, and the ants had got at the letter and torn it to .bits, because he had wrapped it round a bit of refined chocolate that he valued and was carrying in his hair. So it is with many in the Church, who have been given the Gospel mes sage to pass on to others— they go to sleep on the job. They do not actually wrap the Bible around chocolate, but they do Introduce such unwholesome worldly sweetness, such cloying anx iety to please the masses, that the power of the old Gospel is destroyed. A minister who will allow the Sunday School hall to be used for dances, movies, and so on, to “ attract the young folks,” will find his power as a messenger of God fading, and his Employer will surely withhold pay- ment, in the day that is to come!
II. As to the Atonement: Mr. Russell quotes 1 Tim. 2:6, “ Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (that is, in Mr. Russell’s time!), as a proof that Christ’s death was a ransom for all, and says that those who reject this provision for their salvation in this age, will have a second chance during the Millennium, it being sup posed that their experience with sin in this age will incline them to make the most of this second chance. Mr. Rus sell holds that Christ was not the only one who could have made atonement, but simply that it was appropriate for Him; that it was not the cross, the blood, the sufferings or any moral or spiritual element in Christ’s death that paid the ransom, but simply the dying (extinction of His being) that paid the ransom, and that every member of the body of Christ must also die (become extinct) in order to complete the ran som. It is to be noted that Mr. Rus sell makes no provision for the ransom price being paid for Eve, but only for Adam. (Evidently he did not favor the suffragettes.) in. As to the Dead: (1) n ie ir Present State: It teaches that all who die become extinct. Their spirits are not with Christ. Christ Himself was annihilated because He was a mere man. For refutation of this teaching, see (Matt. 10 :28 ): «A n d fear not them whlck k ill the body, b a t are not able to k ill the soul) but rather fear him w bleh In able to destroy both soul and body la hell.” (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5 :8 ). (2 ) Their Resurrection: According to Russellism, there is to be a resur rection in the next age, but Pastor Russell does not explain how an ex tinct personality, that has been utterly In the State of Sonora, Mexico, there is a tribe of Indians, who are said to have such great reverence for letters— “ the paper that speaks”— that they stitch the letter they are to carry fast to their skin, using a thread made of the yucca or agave fibre, threaded through a needle made from a cactus thorn. That letter may be of small importance in the light of eter nity; but on every band today we see the letter-carriers of God handling the ONE LETTER that counts for eternity, with the utmost carelessness. Who are the letter-carriers of God? Are they not those who have been entrusted with the Gospel, to carry the “ Love-Letter of God” to a lost world? Every Christian is called to help in God’s great “ postal service,” until the uttermost isles of the sea have heard of His salvation,— but how many are “ obedient to the heavenly vision” ? Alas, and alas, that too many pro fessing Christians are like a certain semi-savage, on the island of Cozumel. We are told that this man was em ployed by an American to take a letter “ in great haste” less than four miles. After making a great show, of folding
was simply exactly what Adam should have been. Now Jesus claimed to be "Qod mani fest In the flesh” (John 14 :9 ): “ Jesus Malth unto him» H ave I beea so Iona tim e w ith you. and y e t hast thou not known me» Phil ip T He that hath seen me» hath seen the Father) and how sayest thou then» Shew ns the F ath err* (3 ) As to the Resurrection of Christ: Russell says that at His death, Christ became extinct, body and soul, and that His body was not raised. Concerning the Scriptures which Speak of Christ coming into the upper room after His resurrection, etc. Pas tor Russell says that He did not enter through closed doors, but that He cre ated a body and clothes and put them on right there, and so on all occasions when He appeared after His resurrec tion. His body was stolen from the tomb, and probably passed off into gases. He is now a spirit being with out a body. He returned to this world in 1874, and the Millennium com menced in 1914, but being a spirit, no one could see Him. The ScriptureB absolutely deny this teaching of Pastor Russell. In the upper room He pointed to His hands, His feet, His side, and also ate food to prove that he was the same Jesus (Acts 1 :11 ): «W h ich also said, Y c men o f Galilee, w hy stand ye s a s in a up la to h eav ea t this sam e Jesus, which Is tak ea up from you la to heaven, shall so come la like manner an ye have seen him s o la to heaven.” All of 1 Cor. 16th chapter; John 17:3; 1 Tim. 3 :1 6 ); He was born of a virgin according to the prophecy in (Gen. 3 :15 ): «And I w ill put enm ity between thee and the w om an, and between thy need and her seed) It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Jesus Christ was not of human origin, but the seed of the woman, and conceived by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1 :35 ): «A nd the angel answ ered and said unto her, the H oly Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power o f the H ighest shall overshadow thee) therefore also that holy thing which shall be born o f thee shall be called the Son o f God.” He had both a human and a di vine nature. He wept (John 11 :35 ); He was weary (John 4 :6 ); He was hungry (Luke 4 :2 ). In His divine nature He read the hearts of men (John 2 :26 ); manifested His divine power in the working of miracles, as, for instance, in the feeding of the five thousand (John 6 :7 -13 ); in exercising authority over the winds and waves (Matt. 8 :26 ); in casting out demons (Matt. 17:18) and raising the dead (John 11). (4 ) It denies all personality to the Holy Spirit, teaching that He is only mind, power or influence. All expres sions and evidences of the Spirit’s per sonality are ignored by Pastor Russell, or distorted by his method of inter pretation. The teaching of the Scriptures as to the Holy Spirit is simple and plain. The terms used of the Holy Spirit and the acts attributed to Him, all prove His personality (2 Cor. 3 :17 ): «N ow the Lord Is that Spirit, and where the Spirit o f the Lord is, there Is liberty.” (1 Peter 4:14; John 16:13). i
S TR AN G E LE TTER CA R R IE R S Hornera Hodgson
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