Psalm 119:105
THE LAMP OF THE LORD

Our Lord’s light shone into a little corner of the world while He lived, and from His lamp many followers have lighted their lamps. The Master’s instruction is, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Put not your light “under a bushel, but on a candlestick [lampstand]; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matt. 5:15). He adds, “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil … But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).
 
The Prophet in this scripture is appropriating the Word of God, the message of life eternal, the basis of hopes and joys set in place for the consecrated child of God. As Bible Students we clearly see the need for this lamp and light. The evidence is overwhelming that those who do not have any light stumble in the darkness; while we who have the light of the Divine Word are not in darkness even as others—“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day” (1 Thes. 5:5). We belong to the new dispensation and our citizenship is in the new Kingdom. By faith we are dead to the world and alive toward God, and therefore are counted as children of the Light even in the present darkness; and the eyes of our understanding are enlightened by the hopes and gracious promises of the Divine Word.
 
The light, as the Apostle says, has shone into our hearts through faith and trust in the Word of God. If we look from the outward and natural standpoint of affairs, we would be as the remainder of the world. It is in proportion as we close our eyes to the things that are seen (and which we know by faith to be but temporary) and open the eyes of our understanding to the things unseen as yet and which are eternal, only in that proportion does the light by faith shine into our hearts. The glorious prospect is that soon the Sun of righteousness will shine and its rays will light to the uttermost parts of the earth, and that every child of Adam, sharer in his curse, shall ultimately be a sharer in Messiah’s great work of blessing, by being brought under the influence of that great Light which shall constitute the Millennial age, a day of blessing and of glory and of knowledge of the Lord. “That was the true Light, which [ultimately] lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9).
 
Let us ponder the promise from Jehovah given in John 1:9! The prophecy of this verse goes beyond the living of that time and assures us that the light will shine to those who are in the shadow of death—in the deadly shade, (the grave) properly a description of hades—those who are in hades, in darkness. Upon every member of our race the light must shine because Christ died for us once for all. As all of Adam’s children were condemned before their birth, so the majority prior to their birth received the benefits of Christ’s death. They are as sure to get a blessing from Christ’s redemptive work as they surely did share in the curse that came upon Father Adam (Rom. 5:12).
 
The same is true now to those who receive God’s mercy. It is a gift; they can do nothing for it; they are merely assured that they are forgiven. The difference is that now a very few have the eye to see and the ear to hear and the heart to appreciate God’s mercy as it is told to us in the good tidings which can be understood only by the hearing of faith. By and by, after the selection of His special people is complete, sight and knowledge will largely take the place of faith. The world, then realizing the grace of God in Christ Jesus, forgiving their sins, and providing them with life eternal if they will accept it, will generally rejoice to divide the great spoil, the great gift of God.
 
In contrast we have the words of Mark 4:21: “And he said unto them, Is a candle [or lamp] brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?” In this scripture reference Jesus used the lamp to mean the light of the Truth (Psa. 119:105) and called Himself the Light of the world (John 8:12). But the light of God’s Word was not given that it should be hidden. Rather, Jesus was evidently here impressing upon His disciples their duty and privilege in holding up this light as it becomes clear to them, thus sharing it freely with others.
 
The Consecrated Children of God when they learn His provisions and arrangements, one of which is that the path of “the just,” those who are justified by faith, is “as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day,” it is the “Word” that is to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Prov. 4:18; Psa. 119:105). Let us be diligent when looking for the advancing Truth (which is always in harmony with past Truth—E-5, pp. 31, par. 1, 35-39) to come from the Lord in harmony with His provisions and according to His arrangements, as explained and proven from the Scriptures by the Epiphany Messenger and his special helpers.
 
The Great Company had all the Truth that the Lord gave to the Little Flock until 1950 when its last member (which the Scriptures show was to be a star-member) left the earth, and all the Truth that the Lord has so graciously given to them since then. Bro. Johnson showed from the Scriptures (PT 1944, pp. 28-32, particularly p. 29, col. 2, top) that “the star-members would have a full service for the Little Flock until it leaves the world [italics ours], … that the star-members would serve the Great Company partially [up until Oct. 22, 1950] and that the Great Company would have to serve itself without direct service from a star-member [i.e., it would serve itself with service similar to that previously given to it by the star-members directly but now obtainable only through their writings.”
 
In the Lord’s showing through Bro. Johnson that He would give the Little Flock’s Truth (the Parousia and the Epiphany Truth) to the Great Company, He did not mean that the Youthful Worthies and others could not share in understanding and enjoying it, but rather that the public mouthpieceship and the Parousia and Epiphany Truth were placed into the hands of the Great Company (not into the hands of the Youthful Worthies or others), as their special charge, to reaffirm, defend, advance and embellish the Truth already received, and to set forth, defend and embellish the advancing Truth, as the Lord would unfold and reveal it to them.
 
Furthermore, the Lord through Bro. Johnson showed from the Scriptures that “the Little Flock will designedly give its chief service to the Great Company and its secondary service to the Youthful Worthies” (E-10, p. 658, top), and also that in the small antitype the Good Levites are typed by Benjamin and as such receive the antitypical 300 pieces of silver, “the fulness of Truth for Great Company and Youthful Worthy matters, and five sets of authorizations” (Gen. 45:22; E-10, pp. 609, 651; comp. PT 1956, pp. 29, 66, par. 2). Antitypical Joseph’s cup was placed into antitypical Benjamin’s sack; and in harmony with the factual fulfilment we understand the five sets of authorizations to represent the Good Levites’ spheres of authority in service toward (1) the Great Company, (2) the Youthful Worthies, (3) the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, (4) the loyal tentatively justified for the Epiphany Camp particularly, and (5) the loyal Jews for the Epiphany Camp” (E-10, p. 649; PT 1959, pp. 37-41).
 
Under the influence of God’s Word a quasi-elect class has also been developing. This class is pictured, e.g., by the clean animals that went into Noah’s Ark. Generally speaking, they consist of three groups: (1) Those Jews who during the Jewish and Gospel Ages have in faith and practice come into harmony with the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, and remained faithful therein, though not consecrating, (2) those Gentiles (and some Jews) who throughout the Gospel Age, including our day, while not consecrating, have repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Savior and remain faithful to the ransom and righteousness, and (3) the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, who consecrate prior to the opening of the Highway of Holiness, but after the call to Youthful Worthiship is closed. (See PT 1955, pp. 21-23 for a more complete description of the four elect classes and the quasi-elect.)

In the incoming Millennial Age, the quasi-elect will have a higher standing in God’s favor than the nonbelievers. This is illustrated in Joel 2:28, where they are referred to as sons in contrast with the non-faith class, the weaker ones—the daughters. This same distinction between the quasi-elect and the non-elect (the heathen and the masses of mankind in general) is found also in Isa. 60:4. This chapter describes Millennial conditions, when the Spirit and the Bride will invite “whosoever will” of Adam’s race to come and “take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). In that day of regeneration, “when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory” (Matt. 19:28), the masses of mankind, awakened from their sleep of death (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15), as they are regenerated unto life by the Lamb and the Lamb’s Wife, His Joint-heir (Rom. 8:17; Rev. 20:4, 6), as the Second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45-47) and Eve, will come to the Christ: some (the quasi-elect, those who were previously justified by faith) as sons, while the unbelieving masses of mankind, the heathen, etc., will have to be taught the simplest truths, the “milk of the Word” (1 Pet. 2:2); thus God speaks of these weaker ones as “thy daughters” that “shall be nursed at thy side.”
 
Luke 11:1 suggest another method of having a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path: “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” In answer to the request of His disciples, the Master gave them a sample prayer, which was surely very different from the prayers that the majority of people offer, who seemingly do not heed the example at all. The proper thing is to hearken to the Word of the Lord and not do too much speaking to Him. We are to do a great deal of listening, while He speaks to us. The poet has well expressed this important thought:
 
We are to “pray without ceasing.” We are to do this in the sense of not being discouraged when the good things promised us and asked for do not come quickly. We are to remember that the Word of Promise is sure. We are to rest in these promises and to continue to ask and to wait for their fulfilment—patiently, hopefully. Thus, we pray unceasingly, “Thy kingdom come,” not by repeating the words every moment or every hour, but by continuing the thought, the expectation, the waiting for it, and by laboring in the interests of that Kingdom and in the preparation of our characters in order that we may have a share in it. For our part we feel that the Lord has already granted so many blessings that we would be ashamed to ask for many more. Our own requests, therefore, must be few.
 
Our prayers should be thank-offerings, praise-offerings, indications of our devotion to the Lord and trust in Him, petitions for wisdom and grace to guide in life’s affairs. When we come to know that the holy Spirit is the influence, the disposition of God, then we know what we are praying for. We want more and more of the holy Spirit of God, that it may make us more gentle, more kind, more loving; we want more and more of the mind of Christ (mind and spirit are used here interchangeably). We realize that we must strive to have this mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-8).
 
While prayer is absolutely indispensable to the Christian, as we have said, yet it is the Word of God which teaches us God’s will and Plan and which points out the way for us to go. We believe it is the failure to see this that has been largely responsible for the great want of faith of many professed children of God. No amount of praying will make up for a neglect of the study of the Lord’s Word, which is the only Lamp to our feet given to us as our guide in this long, dark night in which sin has reigned in the world. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105).

FROM WAR TO PEACE

Jehovah’s Plan of salvation includes a time of war and a time of peace, yes; “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). The duration of the present evil world has been especially a time of war. The promised “new earth” will usher in a time of peace, and God’s purpose in permitting war will reach its fulfillment.
 
God’s Word assures us that the time is indeed coming when earth’s governments will all hand in their resignations and recognize the authority of the great Prince of Peace, upon Whose shoulders the government of earth will then rest. Isaiah 9:6 foretold that a child would be born to us, a son given, who would be called, “The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” And St. Luke records the birth of one Whose advent was announced by angels and was specific in its reference to peace on earth. He was named Jesus (Isa. 9:6; Luke 2:10-14). God had indicated through Daniel that one would come “like the Son of man” who would be given authority and a kingdom. All nations and people would serve Him and His Kingdom would never be destroyed. Though the Kingdom is primarily the Father’s, He appoints His Son as “heir of all things” to administer the affairs of the new government of earth. Jesus understood His destiny and at the close of His first advent ministry told His followers “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth” (Dan. 7:13, 14; Heb. 1:1- 8; Matt. 28:18).
 
The promised peace will not be merely a patching up of present hostilities by parties still distrustful of one another. It will be first of all a restoration of peace--a holy reconciliation—between God and the human race, a healing of that breach between the Creator and His wayward creatures, making possible the free flow of life in all its glory. When the Savior first came, His purpose was to heal that breach. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The bestowal of that life has been deferred while other Divine purposes have progressed, not least the subjection of earth’s millions to such an experience with evil as will persuade all right-minded men and women to accept most gladly the new order of affairs when its benefits are seen. The first part of the Divine Law will then be observed: “Thou shalt love Jehovah thy GOD with All thy HEART, and with All thy SOUL, and with All thy MIND” (Matt. 22:37, Diaglott).
 
The streets of many cities are becoming a battle ground of unrest and killing a fellow man is becoming common. Jehovah is permitting the minds of mankind to be filled with hate, selling of drugs, unauthorized sexual behavior; Christian minded people are becoming weary of warfare and God’s Plan of Salvation has a method of repairing the trouble. The prophet Isaiah addresses this issue by assuring us that the Lord will be the One to settle local and international disputes. The large arsenals of destructive weapons will be surrendered, and the marvelous technology formerly used for such malign purposes will be used to bring life-enhancing blessings to all (Isa. 2:4). “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [Kingdom]” (Isa. 11:9). Viewing these coming conditions from a domestic standpoint, city streets will no longer be places of danger. No more will every man’s hand be against his neighbor. Nothing will be permitted to hurt or harm under the new administration. While the Lord’s exact methods are not yet revealed, we can be sure that personal as well as national hostilities will be neutralized, and the second part of the Divine Law as summarized by Jesus will become universally observed: “Thou shalt love thy NEIGHBOR as thy self” (Matt. 22:39, Diaglott).
 
Religious warfare will cease. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9); the darkness under which the vast majority of mankind have lived and died will be dispelled and it will be apparent to all that God’s chosen means of salvation to life is Jesus Christ. There is no other (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). God so loved the world—all nations—that He sent His Son to offer life abundant to all. The eventual glad acceptance by all of the Divine invitation to life is reflected typically in the words of Isa. 19:22-25, where people formerly at bitter enmity on matters of faith are seen united in peace. Some supporting Scriptures are Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Jer. 15:16, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Psa. 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

A BRIGHTER LIGHT

For most of history the light of God’s revelation has shone only dimly. The promises made to Abraham and others, and typically represented in the covenant law and ceremonies of national Israel, were only shadows and gave only a vague idea of God’s gracious designs. As we reach the days of Jesus the light increases.
 
When the gospel which Jesus taught came to be understood after Pentecost, it was seen by the Church that the blessings for the world were to be of an enduring character, and that for the accomplishment of this purpose the Kingdom would be spiritual, and composed of those Jesus termed Israelites “indeed”—men and women who, in attitude and character, lived in the spirit of the Law and held on to their prophetic faith.
 
The true Church was to be a “little flock” selected from among both Jews and Gentiles, a class to be exalted to the spirit nature and great power. We read that Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). Since Jesus’ day yet more light shines, as He foretold, saying, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: … and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:12, 13).
 
After the Apostles died, this new Church began to look to human teachers for leading. Worldly and ambitious for power, many of the leaders assumed grand titles and offices, and began to lord it over God’s heritage. By degrees a separation was made between the “clergy” and the “laity,” leading eventually to the enslavement of the believer to a rigid set of unscriptural dogmas. From this slavery a bold and blessed strike for liberty and the Bible was made, in what is known as the Reformation. God raised up bold champions for His Word, among whom were Luther, Zwingli, Melanchthon, Wycliffe, Knox, and others. Apathy (lack of emotion) toward religious matters generally marks western society in today’s world!
 
High levels of violent crime, property theft, and the widespread rejection of ethical codes permeate most democratic countries. There are many complex factors which account for this, but undoubtedly the abandonment of belief in an overseeing God is one of them. We must go back to the words of the prophets and apostles for any knowledge of the present and the future. The Apostle Paul tells us that God has made known to the Christian Church the mystery of His will though He had it recorded in dark sayings which could not be understood until due (Eph. 1:9, 10, 17, 18; 3:4-6).
 
Ironically, neither prophets nor angels understood the meaning of the prophecies uttered. Peter says that when they inquired anxiously to know the meaning, God told them that the truths concealed in their prophecies were not for themselves, but for us of the Christian Age (1 Pet. 1:12). It is evident that though Jesus promised that the Church should be guided into all truth, it was to be a gradual unfolding.
 
As though by instinct, the whole creation groans, and travails in longing for the Millennium, yet most people grope on in ignorance, unaware of Jehovah’s gracious purposes for them. The great Creator is preparing a great feast, open to all, which will astound mankind—a treat abundantly beyond what they could ever expect.
 
There have been many Manifestos (a public declaration) written justifying and promoting the ambitions and revolutionary views of mortal mankind (see PT 1969, p. 60). However, the Manifesto that we cling to is Jehovah’s Word: “The ten commandments!”

A TIMELY QUESTION
WILL OUR PASTOR’S WORK ENDURE?

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods” Matt. 24:46-47.
 
We answer: Of a certainty! As Consecrated Children of God we have the pleasure of keeping our Pastor’s memory fragrant among us and we do that best by our faithfulness in the study of God’s word given through His chosen vessels. We certainly recognize that the bulk of those who have claimed him as their Pastor are rapidly drifting away from his teachings and practices; thus, error is being taught by the sifted ones.
 
Words from our Pastor in R-2512: “Many, as they note the mighty opposition to present Truth, the comparatively few who have ears to hear it, and hearts to obey it, are inclined to discouragement.”
 
How true it is that this condition has been manifested in every age during the reign of this present evil world! Sometimes it has seemed as though the world, the flesh and the devil might have conquered all, so widely and so arrogantly have the allied forces of sin, error, selfishness, and worldliness increased and spread over the earth. Despite this, the faithful servant of God will not despair, but will take heart from God’s promises. We understand that this famine for truth will prevail until the inauguration of the New Covenant and the establishment of God’s everlasting Kingdom here on earth (Matt. 6:9, 10; Rev. 21:1- 4). That time will begin with the resurrection of the Ancient Worthies in Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4; Jer. 31:31- 34; Rom. 1:16; 2:9, 10). Satan’s reign of evil is permitted by God, with good reason, for under the supervision of the Almighty, it will eventually result in the highest blessing for all (PT 1984, p. 73).
 
If we were to answer our question from the standpoint of human experience and probability, we should have to admit that the trend of the teachings and practices among the vast bulk of the Truth people is in the direction of abandoning his work and nullifying his accomplishments. That this will not actually be accomplished we are Scripturally convinced; but undoubtedly human reason, in the light of the vast and varied revolutionisms over the past years among Truth people, would suggest that our Pastor’s work will not stand.
 
If the forces which have operated with such marked external success in revolutionizing against his teachings and practices throughout these past years should continue so to operate for yet a few more years, no man’s power, humanly speaking, could prevent the vast bulk of professed Truth people from being perverted in their teachings and practices to such an extent as to give them no more relation to our Pastor’s work than the Catholic Church sustains to the work of the Apostolic Church. In view of the Society’s gross revolutionisms against his works, one of the most amazing things to fathom is the mental attitude of many Society adherents who believe that the Society is faithfully carrying out our Pastor’s teachings, policies, and arrangements. Of course, such an undiscerning attitude would point to a complete apostasy from our Pastor’s work, if it should continue.
 
But, beloved brethren, despite the unfavorable retrospect, aspect, and prospect, we have the full assurance of faith that the work of our Pastor will not perish from the earth! In due time his teachings will emerge unscathed from the burning that will devour the Levitical errors. His methods of doing the Lord’s work will be re-established and will successfully carry forward the Lord’s cause after the fire shall have burned up the Levitical revolutionistic methods of doing Truth Work and counterfeit Truth Work; and after the bad Levite leaders will come out of the fire discredited because of their revolutionism, and abased because of their self-exaltation, our dear Pastor’s teachings and practices will shine with all the greater splendor because of their successful effects contrasted with the failures of the Levitical perversions! Faith, being fully assured of this outcome, can quietly await the Lord’s good time for the fulfilment of its confidence; “for the zeal of the Lord will accomplish it,” “in due time.” Temporarily it has suffered and will continue to suffer a partial eclipse—it may even for a while suffer almost a total eclipse—but as surely as the Truth is powerful and will in the end prevail, so surely the work that Jehovah gave antitypical Eleazar—our Pastor—to do (Num. 3:32; 4:16) will be fully re- recognized, and thus will endure.
 
As the Lord’s sheep we are under His constant shepherding care. He will never leave nor forsake us. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Pro 4:18). This is well illustrated in the typical cloudy, fiery pillar, which “types the Truth as due and its Spirit, in their capacity of leading God’s people of the Gospel Age from antitypical Egypt to antitypical Canaan” (E- 8, p. 622). “While He became darkness more or less to the unfaithful and measurably faithful, He never once failed His own with a sufficiency of His Truth as due and its Spirit to lead and guide them to His Holy Hill, the Kingdom. Nor will He ever fail them in this respect; for ‘so it was alway: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.’ And, beloved, so long as we abide faithful we may ever look for the antitypical fiery cloudy pillar among God’s real people, and we will always find it resting upon them; for God designed it thus to be” (pp. 631, 632).
 
As Consecrated Children of God we recognize that advancing truth as Due continues to be brought forward 107 years after our Pastor Russell’s death. In our Pastor’s words there are special features of Truth constantly becoming due, and of these Christians have been deprived by their creed fences. To illustrate: It was a truth in Noah’s day, and one which required the faith of all who would walk in the light then, that a flood was coming, while Adam and others had known nothing of it. It would not be preaching truth now to preach a coming flood, but there are other dispensational truths constantly becoming due, of which, if walking in the light of the lamp, we shall know.

The cloudy, fiery pillar rested directly only on the Tabernacle proper, it did not rest on the court or the camp. As it was with the AW’s, God now gives appropriate enlightenment and blessings to those in the antitypical Court and the “truly repentant and believing,” the tentatively justified ones, in the Camp who have consecrated. The consecrated in the Epiphany Court and the Epiphany Camp are therefore, now God’s place of residing, meeting with and blessing the people, just as the Ancient Worthies were in their day, [and since the spiritual elect all have been selected, ‘Those Consecrating Between The Ages,’ the YW’s and the CEC’s, are recipients of this great favor].
 
God’s enlightened Children recognize that the Ancient Worthies [figurative rye], Little Flock [wheat], Great Company [barley], Youthful Worthies [beans] have been garnered; but the Consecrated Epiphany Campers [lentils], and the rest of the Quasi-elect [millet] are a work in progress. Oh, the Gospel Age has been a sowing time. He that sowed the good seed is the Son of Man (Matt. 13: 37), and His disciples have assisted under His direction. It is followed by a “harvest,” as it was preceded by an Age of breaking up and preparing men by the plow and harrow of bitter experiences with sin and the Law. So, too, there are as many harvests as there are kinds of seed (1 Cor. 15: 35- 44), but order governs all.
 
The quasi-elect are designated by that name because they are treated by God as if they actually were an elect class. Bro. Johnson in speaking of them as the “fifth order of the seed of Abraham” (the lowest order of Abraham’s Pre-Millennial seed) even refers to them as the “fifth elect class,” showing their close resemblance to one of the four elect classes. The quasi-elect will be the “sons” of Joel 2:28 and Isa. 60:14 in the Millennial Age Kingdom, and as such will be given many privileges of service. This will be especially true for the Consecrated Epiphany Campers. The Consecrated Epiphany Campers, like the elect classes, consecrate “unto death.” As long as sin is in the ascendancy, and Satan operates as the god of this world, any consecration to the Lord, to be carried out faithfully, requires that it be made “unto death.” Besides the conditions of the present which deal out death to the faithful, their covenant of consecration implies deadness to self and the world and aliveness to God.
 
Bro. Jolly brought this advancing Truth to our attention in PT 1960 p. 63: Doubtless the Lord desires that after our demise the same general arrangement shall continue, with our successor as Executive Trustee as such having control only of business matters, but as leader of the Youthful Worthies and Consecrated Epiphany Campers having a much wider sphere of service. Obviously, the Lord will not appoint a Consecrated Epiphany Camper as the leader of the Youthful Worthies, for, as Bro. Johnson has shown from the Scriptures (e.g., Ex. 19: 12-21; E-11, pp. 336, 339-342), it is contrary to God’s arrangements for Him to appoint one of a lower class to act in such an office function over a higher class. Nor did He after the end of the Great Company’s earthly sojourn desert His people by leaving them without a leader, to wander in measurable darkness, without further unfoldings of present Truth pertinent to their needs; He will not leave His people unprotected and at the mercy of sifters; nor will He allow our work to be revolutionized.
 
Advancing Truth is the light for this day in God’s plan: The Consecrated Epiphany Campers, those who consecrated since the Fall of 1954 (since which time no Youthful Worthies can be won—Lev. 12; Rev. 22:11; E-10, p. 114; E-11, p. 473), surely believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and are therefore justified by faith; therefore from this standpoint they are to be numbered among the just, even as the Ancient and Youthful Worthies are similarly numbered among the just. And the Consecrated Epiphany Campers did not receive this grace of God in vain, for they consecrated and thus made it their own. Will this faith justification be taken from them in the resurrection awakening? Surely not! If they die believing in the Lord, they will come forth in the resurrection still believing in Him; their condition will still be the same. Dying as of the just, they will be raised as of the just.
 
Though not on trial for life in this Age, there are some things in this life and some things in the Millennium that will be wrought in the Consecrated Epiphany Campers to prepare them for eternal life. In this life, in order to prove faithful as the secondary earthly seed of Abraham, they need to pass their trial of faith and obedience — in fact, they will need to crystallize these two graces. Also, they will need to develop a large measure of unselfish love, which is necessary in order to faithfully carry out a consecration unto death. Perhaps some will reach the mark of perfect untested love.
 
It was during the Lord’s Epiphany or Apocalypse in a wider sense, during the Time of Trouble, that the Great Company received its resurrection to the spirit nature, that the Youthful Worthies will finish their course, having proven themselves worthy to share with the Ancient Worthies in the “better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35), and that the Consecrated Epiphany Campers [“And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” Luke 14:14] will be prepared for their Kingdom glory. These classes, also being God’s consecrated people and thus having His holy Spirit, groan within themselves, waiting for their deliverance. Yes, the CEC’s have been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
 
This privilege is true now to those who receive God’s mercy. It is a gift; they can do nothing for it; they are merely assured that they are forgiven. The difference is that now a very few have the eye to see and the ear to hear and the heart to appreciate God’s mercy as it is told to us in the good tidings which can be understood only by the hearing of faith. By and by, after the selection of His special people, sight and knowledge will largely take the place of faith. The world, then realizing the grace of God in Christ Jesus, forgiving their sins, and providing them with life eternal, if they will accept it, will generally rejoice to divide the great spoil, the great gift of God.

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