My intent is to post the viewpoint that explains our stance on the status of the high calling as well as to just where we are... thus far I have 11 posts here of varying lengths...I've sought to be brief enough to not assault your sense of patience. These posts are designed for those who are seeking answers as to how we think about this and that... and to alieve any trampling where no man has gone... Bro Johnson said this or that... when in fact he did not...

I will be using primarily Bro Russell's work... for it is our claim that the Epiphany Truth is built firmly on the foundation of the Parousia Truth as he gave it... as he was the Messenger..."that servant" and the steward of the Penny Parable. We have been asked to abandon Bro Johnson and to "stick to Bro Russell"... but our claim as the moderator also stated, is that no Bible writer since 1874 has "stuck more closely" to Bro Russell than Bro Johnson, and indeed it is the other groups who have jumped ship on numerous of his teaching which I think these posts will prove in part.

Bro Russell pointed out clearly the event that marked the ending of the
70 weeks (490 Years) of Daniel's prophecy in AD 36 -- the conversion of
Cornelius, when the Gentiles began to be received into God's covenant
favor. He set forth clearly additionally the 1845-year parallel in volume
2, page 235 and volume 3, page 217-18.

"As in the type the date, 3 1/2 years after Jesus' death, marked the end of
all special favor to the Jew... so we recognize 1881 as marking... the
close of the High Calling."

Thus this date, October 1881, and the conjoined closing of the general
call to the High Calling is very significant and important to God's people
since then, in that it affects the hopes and eventual standing in God's
arrangement and reward in the Kingdom of many of them, though comparatively
few are aware of this. The end of the general call did not mean however,
that the door of opportunity to enter into the Body of Christ was then
forever closed to new entrants. Bro Russell states in volume 3, page 361 "
that the call proper ended in October 1881, while a period would follow
during which, though the general call had ceased, in order to supply the
places of some already among the called who, under trial, will be found
unworthy of the crowns allotted to them when accepting the call." Indeed, all 144,000 were in in a probationary sense in 1878... and the 3.5 years that followed were the special testing time on these brethren. By the Fall of 1881 a significant number of them had proven unworthy and were cast aside and others began to be called in to take their places.

Since October 1881 there have been special calls that have been
responded to by many new consecrators, some of whom have been begotten of
the Spirit in order to be assigned crowns forfeited by others because of
insufficient faithfulness or unfaithfulness. (Matt 20:1-7; Volume 3
219-225; Epiphany Volume 5 chapter 2).

Thus some -- comparatively few in comparison to the large number of post-1881 consecrators -- have been fully faithful amid severe testings unto and until death, and so have eventually been given crowns by the Lord (Rev 2:10; 7:1-8). Others, who have not been fully faithful, but loyal at heart to the end, have received their eternal reward in the Great Multitude (Rev. 7: 9-17). Still others, who have been unfaithful went into the Second Death.

It is obvious that with the comparatively few exceptions just mentioned
-- the post-1881 consecrators were not Spirit-begotten, ... were never
assigned crowns of unfaithful ones. What about the hopes and rewards of
this large number of surplus consecrators? Are they in many cases after
faithfully following Christ and even enduring much self-denial and
suffering for His sake until death to have no greater reward than the
non-elect, who come in under the easier conditions in the Mediatorial reign
and go up the Highway of Holiness and obtain everlasting life on earth?
Bro Russell left us in no doubt about such consecrators and their
rewards, which is far higher than that of the non-elect. He wrote this in
Z4836, pars. 3-5...

"But suppose that some should present themselves after the close of
the acceptable time; what would be their status and God's dealing with
them? Since God is unchangeable, we must assume that He would always be
pleased to have his creatures devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to
the doing of his will, as He was pleased with the faithfulness of the
Ancient Worthies to lay down their lives before a covenant of sacrifices
was in force. We may reason that as God has promised human perfection to
those Ancient Worthies who laid down their lives, He would be willing
similarly to reward any who might follow the same course after the
completion of the church -- after the ending of the acceptable time of
sacrifice.
"Quite likely, therefore, there will be some in the end of this
age who, although faithful unto death, will not have been begotten of the
holy Spirit and not attain the spirit plane of being in the resurrection,
but who will come forth members of the same class as the Ancient Worthies,
who were developed before this age began."

In Z5761, he wrote this...

" THOSE CONSECRATING BETWEEN THE AGES

It is our thought that with the closing of the 'door' of this Gospel
Age there will be no more begetting of the holy Spirit to the spirit
nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the
inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the
spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come under the
same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The
Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them -- the high calling
not being yet open, and the restitution opportunities not open. But they
freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their
consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they
would, in the future life, have a 'better resurrection' than would the
remainder of the world.
Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make
a full consecration to the Lord, to leave all to follow His ways, and will
live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be
counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel Age. We know
of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a
consecration after the close of the Gospel Age High Calling and before the
full opening of the Millennium."

In the Question Book, pg. 152 (compare w/ p. 153), he wrote this...

Q "If any consecrated now and failed to be begotten of the Holy
Spirit, where would the Lord place them?"

A "We would presume that if they were faithful, as the prophets of
old were faithful, to the extent of laying down their lives in the service
of righteousness and truth, that God would give them a share some way with
the Ancient Worthies. In other words, that if such should pass into the
time of trouble to a considerable degree, and there lose their lives
because of faithfulness to the Lord, that He would do just the same for
them that He will do for the Ancient Worthies - they will be counted in
with the Ancient Worthy class"

Again, in volume 6 , pg. 157, we read:

"Possibly they may be counted in with the Ancient Worthies who had
the sacrificing disposition that is pleasing to God, prior to the beginning
of the 'high calling'."

Thus, Bro Russell taught clearly that those consecrating after October
1881 for whom no crowns were available would if faithful be "a similar
class" to the Ancient Worthies and would share with them in similar nature
and reward.

The Lord in due time brought forth Scriptures that Bro Russell was not
given, as evidence of the existance of a consecrated, non Spirit-begotten class
he spoke of here in the end of the Age. It was through Bro Johnson that He pointed out the Youthful Worthy class, the "young men" of Joel 2:28 (literally
youthfuls) and the "earthen vessels" of 2 Timothy 2:20, the Millennial
Gershonite Levites, a part of antitypical Elisha, Abed-nego in the fiery
furnace, antitypical Ruth gleaning the fields behind the reapers, the men
of Ephraim of Judges 7:24 - 8:3 who were not part of Gideon's army; the
flock of Habakkuk 3:17 (compare Z5383), etc...

"That Servant," among other places, treats of this class in F. 156, 157; Z '11, 181, pars. 5-10; Z '15, 269, pars. 11, 12; Question Book, 151, 152.

Sorry 'bout that "Chicken" thing... or course it was me.



Pastor Russell taught that the Greek words epiphaneia and apokalupsis refer to an activity of our Lord Jesus during His parousia, His second presence. But he taught clearly also that eth epiphaneia, or apokalupsis, is a period of time that follows the first 40 years of the Parousia, that it would begin in 1914, and that the Epiphany in the wide sense was equivalent with the Time of Trouble. Note these few quotation from his booklet entitled, Our Lords Return

Parousia is used in respect to the earliest stage of the second advent, while apokalupsis relates to the same advent later not that apokalupsis and epiphania relate to another, or a third advent, but merely to a later feature from page 12

note here that he refers to the parousia as the first stage of the return and the other two greek words as the second stage a second feature to the same general return.

The Watchers also notice that he Scriptures clearly indicate that after the Lord has done certain things during His presence (parousia) and unknown to the world, He will later make a manifestation of His presence; - a manifestation wich will be discerned by all mankind; and the outward manifestation is designated His epiphania. 13 bottom.

Note: the epiphania is AFTER the parousia

During the PERIOD of the parousia (presence), preceding the epiphania (shining forth) a certain work will be accomplished, unknown to the world, unknown to the nominal Church, known only to the Watchers p. 14 par. 2

note: he calls the parousia the period that precedes the epiphania and notes that only those watching at that time will recognize the work of the day as opposed to those who are looking for a present fulfillment of a past work which is destroyed by the former society adherents being split into many and various factions who have almost no communication together for the last near-90 years.

the days of the Don of Man are the days of His presence [days a period of time] or parousia, invisible and unknown to the world, known only to the Watchers and seen by them only with the eye of faith. Pg. 16; par 1

His clearest statement:

As though we softly whisper behold the Bridegroom!... it is not with any hope of arousing the world to faith in the Lords presence,etc. By and by, in the Lords due time, they shall know in the PERIOD of the epiphania dn apokalupsis of the Son of Man. They will be awakened by the great crash of the day fo trouble. Pg. 39 par. 1

Also see Z14, 252, 6,7; Bible Students Monthly 1914, No. 1 Page 1 last two paragraphs and page 2 paragraph 1.

Two Scriptures were set forth which show clearly that the Epiphany, or Apokalupsis is also a period i.e. 1 Tim 6: 14, 15

That thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the [epiphaneia] appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in its own times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

2 Tim 4:1

I charge [thee] in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his [epiphaneia] appearing and his [baseleia] kingdom:

Bro Russell set forth from the Scriptures the dates, with outstanding events, of 29, 33 and 36 AD and their Scriptural indicated parallels, with significant events, in 1874, 1878 and 1881.
In volume 2, page 245 [ also Z5602 para. 6] he wrote

The forty years Jewish Harvest ended October, AD 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the forty years of the Gospel Age Harvest will end October 1914. [comp. vol. 3 pgs 128-29, 135, 153] and that likewise the overthrow of Christendom so-called, must be expected to immediately follow.

Thus he expected the end to the 40 years Gospel-Age Harvest reaping to coincide with the end of the Gentile times in 1914 and the beginning of Christendoms overthrow in the Word War, Phase I.
Once again, Bro Johnson was just affirming and supporting with Scriptures, Scriptural considerations and facts what Bro Russell stated, and as time goes on, it becomes more and more evident that the Fall of 1914 was indeed the logical, factual and Scriptural time for the last Spirit-begettal, that by then enough consecrators had been assigned forfeited crowns who God [not they!] knew would prove faithful, in a period of years following 1914, so that not more Spirit-begettals were necessary.
Bro Johnson showed from many different standpoints, including the facts of the Jewish Harvest, 29-69 AD and what occurred from the fall of 1874 to the fall of 1914, that 40 years reaping is a Bible teaching, and he set forth many Scriptures and Scriptural considerations proving that the door of entrance to the High Calling closed finally and forever in the fall of 1914 These considerations can be found in Present Truth whole# 515 Is the High Calling Finally Ended?

Elijah is clearly proven to be a type of the true Church (in the flesh), the 144,000, as Gods reformer mouthpiece [vol. 2 chapter 8] His first awakening and meal [1 Kings 19: 5-8] began in 1829; his second falling asleep began just after the disappointment in 1844; and his second awakening and meal began in 1874, with feasting on Harvest truths.
Elijahs 40 days in journeying to Horeb, the mount of God, after the second awakening and eating, type the 40 years of reaping as distinct from gleaning reaching to the time when the last one was Spirit-begotten; and thus antitypical Elijah had fully and fixedly, though reckonedly, reached the antitypical Mount of God, the Kingdom of God, in its full and final New Creature membership, which was therefore reached in the fall of 1914, 40 years after his second awakening in the fall of 1874.

In vol. 3 [page 223] Bro Russell applied the penny of the Penny parable [Matt 20:1-16] as representing Kingdom honors, and in June 1914 [Z5473, col. 1, bottom] he referred to the murmuring coming after the Penny was received, and asked:, How then can we apply this Parable consistently in harmony with the teachings of other Scriptures respecting the reward of the Kingdom class? He answered:

We can think of only one way, and that is to apply the parable entirely to present-life experiences of the kingdom class, especially of those who will be living at the close of this Gospel Age.

Thus seen, the Penny proved to be a special feature of the hundredfold received in this life [Mark 10:29, 30]. Its first distribution at the hands of Bro Russell, that servant, the steward of the parable [Matt 20: 8,9; Matt 24: 45-47], was the granting of a special Kingdom honor for all the saints, all the remaining Little Flock members the honor of sharing in a particular service from the fall of 1914 to that of 1916. This special honor is pictured also in all the saints use of the symbolic two-edged sword in executing judgment in Psalm 149:5-9. See Z5451; 5631-32; 5803 and in their taking part in the antitypical first smiting of Jordan.

Gods Word presents different types, illustrating from various standpoints the Little Flocks special work that took place from the fall of 1914 to 1916 The Penny parable is one of these; it also proves that the reaping of the Little Flock had ended be fore the fall of 1916, for their reaping had to precede their receiving the Penny, their privilege of engaging in this special work.
The evening of the Parable ended the 40-year reaping day, because at the coming of the evening the steward began to give the Penny to the reapers as their hire for the completed days work. But the Penny was the special kingdom honor corresponding to the privilege given to the Little Flock, the antitypical Elijah, of engaging in the antitypical first smiting of Jordan, which began Sept 20, 1914, therefore the reaping ended before that day.
Bro Russell stated The due time for the wrath was Sept. 21 Z5632 col. 2 - para 5

It was then that the trench warfare of WWI began.

The measurements of the Grand Gallerys length given by the Edgar Brothers point clearly to the fall of 1914 as the limit, not of the Churchs presence on earth, but of the reaping and Spirit-begetting work. They give the Grand Gallerys north [lower] end wall as marking the date of our Lords death and resurrection, Spring of the year 33 AD or 33 ¼ years.

The measurements from there up the Grand Gallery and through the step to the Grand Gallerys south [upper] end wall is 1881.598, or about 1881 ½ pyramid inches. Thus if we add 1881 ½ to 33 ¼ , we have 1914 ¾, which brings us to the fall of 1914.

In harmony with Bro Russells statement from vol. 3 page 350.. and Bro Johnsons from E3, we conclude that we have here clear corroboration of the Scriptural teaching that the call to the Divine nature ended in the fall of 1914 -- on Sept 16.

According to Isa 66:7, at every place where Zion [the nominal church see berean comments and compare Romans 11:26 and Z1649, par. 1] was, before she would there begin her travail [the great Time of Trouble; 1 Thes. 5:3; Matt 24:20-22], The Christ, Head and Body [the man-child] would there have all left her. Her travail, which will result eventually in her dying [being destroyed completely; 1 Sam 4: 19-20], started with the beginning of the World War in 1914 which was the first stage of the great Time of Trouble [see Z5673, 5680 last par. And 5731 last par.]; and it spread quickly until in the Spring of 1916 it was universal for Christendom, which proves that by then both the reaping and the gleaning of the 144,000 were finished. [Z1648-49; 5574]
The Man-child is, therefore, Abrahams Seed in its restricted sense, the Christ, Head and Body [ Eph 1:22, 23], through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed, as it is written, There shall come out of Zion [the Nominal House or Church] the Deliverer [The Christ, Head and Body], and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob [Fleshly Israel] Romans 11:26.
This great Deliverer, the Man-child, began to be delivered from nominal Zion when Jesus and some members of His church as Israelites indeed were separated from the nominal house of Fleshly Israel; and it continued until the rest of the Body members were brought forth from the nominal house of Spiritual Israel. Thus Isa 66:7 refers to the true Churchs figurative birth, separation, or deliverance fro the nominal church Nominal Zion, which preceded its later literal Spirit-birth into the spirit realm in glory, honor and immortality, the First Resurrection.

Revelation 7: 1-3 shows that the Elect, the Little Flock, the full 144,000 were all to be sealed in their foreheads [sufficiently enlightened by the Truth to enable them to leave Babylon or the worldi.e. to be reaped] before the Great Tribulation, which began with the World War the wind of 1 Kings 19: 11, 12 see Berean Comments and Z5753. This occurred in each pertinent country before the war involved that country.

The wind, the World War, is the first stage of the great Time of Trouble. It is not to be confused with the whirlwind, which only then comes when the four winds of the earth [4 groups of fallen angels who rule over 4 sections of humanityi.e. clergy, aristocracy, rulers and labor] are more fully loosed than there were when causing the war, and when they meet in great conflicts among themselves and produce among mankind the symbolic whirlwind the revolution and anarchy stages of the Time of Trouble.

[ Jer. 25:29-31, esp. vs. 32; 2 Kings 2:1, 11]. According to 1 Kings 19: 11,12 the wind precedes the earthquake thus war precedes revolution which is the first part of the whirlwind. Every country of Christendom was involved in and balefully affected by the World War before the end of the Spring of 1916. Therefore all of the Elect were sealed in their foreheads reaped before the Spring of 1916 ended.

In John 9:4 we read: We [according to the Vatican and Sinaitic MSS] must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

The work that Jesus and the Apostles were then doing was a reaping work see John 4: 34-38; 3: 29-30; Matt 9:35- 10:7; Mark 3: 13-15; Luke 9: 1-6

This work could no longer be done after the 40 year Jewish Harvest reaping day would end and its night would come. The night Jesus referred to was not the time of His death as the Dawn leaders in Dawn of June 1970, p. 45 proclaimed. Leaders in Babylon also teach this but was the Time of Trouble with which the Jewish Age ended. Z3519 par. 8, 9.

Correspondingly there is a night, with which the Gospel Age proper ended The Great Time of Trouble. See Isaiah 21:11, 12; Joel 2:2; Amos 5:20; Daniel 12:1; Matt 24:21-22; Z1773 last par.; Z4926, par. 3 It is not a night time that faces each individual Christian The end of the way as the Dawn again taught in Dawn June 1981, pp. 53, 54.

This night of the great Time of Trouble consists of three marked stages, war, revolution and anarchy with famine and pestilence interspersed [ Ezekiel 14:21]. It began in its first stage in each country of Christendom as it became involved in the World War. Therefore after the war had greatly affected all of Christendom, the night, wherein no man could do REAPING WORK, had overtaken it. This was true in the Spring of 1916. Accordingly, no more Little Flock members could possibly be reaped after that time, after the night of the great Time of Trouble had set in universally in Christendom.
After the Little Flock were all reaped and gleaned, the other features of the Harvest work continued with them, namely, sheaving, drying, threshing, winnowing, sifting and garnering. And the zealous brethren continued the preaching of the Truth message wherever possible. But it was no longer for the reaping and gleaning of Little Flock members. Rather, it was to develop the great company class, to win many of those consecrating between the ages and also to be a witness to the whole world [Z5761]

Bro Russell wrote in Z 5827, par. 1 the following

Even if the general harvest work should stop, it would seem that the Lord will never leave His people with nothing to do. Surely there will always be some opportunities of service if we watch for them!

It is unthinkable that a time would come when the Little Flock members in the flesh could not do any kind of witnessing work at all, after the 144,000 all had been reaped and the night of the great Time of Trouble had set in. As Bro Russell once said, even if they were to cast him into solitary confinement in prison, he still could say to the jailer who would bring him his food, God is Good.

Amos 9:13

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

The plowman is the Time of Trouble see Berean comments; volume 3 page 216; and Z 5761 and the grape-treader [Revelation 14: 18-20] overtook the reaper including the gleaner and the seed-sower [ the Little Flock as reprover of the world for sin, righteousness and judgment to come John 16: 8-11] and put an end to their work.

[ Z5761]
The overtaking began as the Divine judgments commenced upon some nations in the outbreak of the World War in 1914 and was completed as soon as all Christendom was involved in that war, which occurred in every country before the end of the spring of that year [1916]. Accordingly, by that time all reaping and gleaning of the Little Flock had ended.
A man who would attempt to do reaping work after a literal plowman has overtaken him would be very foolish indeed Let us not likewise be foolish.

Some have pointed here on this board to statements made by Bro Russell in the forward of vol. 3 and especially in Z 5950, 5951, to the effect that the Harvest was not then ended, to try to prove that the Gospel Harvest reaping did not end in the fall of 1914. I quote the article

the harvest work is going grandly on; it is not ended by any means
At first we were inclined to surmise the harvest proper had closed in October 1914 and that the work since going on was a gleaning work; but the facts seem not to bear this out Evidently it is a par of the regular harvest.

we may expect that quite a good many will yet be gathered to the heavenly garner, and we know of no time-limit here

As to Bro Russells statements, he plainly refers, not to the Little Flock reaping, but to garnering the last of the harvest processes Yes, some of the wheat was still here but it all had been separated from Babylon which was beginning to be burned. While the garner of the Jewish Harvest was the Spirit-begotten condition, the garner of the Gospel Harvest is very different, namely, the Spirit-born condition of the Little Flock. Bro Russell shows this e.g in Z5049, col. 2 top [comp to Z1923, col. 2 par. 6], as follows:

This gathering into the heavenly garner is elsewhere represented as being the change from earthly to heavenly conditions, which will be accomplished for the bride class in the end of the harvest by the first resurrection.

Thus Bro Russells statements here obviously had reference to the gathering of the last members of the Little Flock into the Spirit-born condition of the Divine nature. And he anticipated that perhaps a year or two or three after 1916 would see this accomplished. Accordingly, there is nothing in these statements of Bro Russell to show that he taught that the Little Flock harvesting would continue a large number of years after 1914.