Saturday, April 22, 2017

Some Historical Errors (moved)

 Moved to:
https://ransomforall.blogspot.com/2024/02/cetnar.html

Can The Ethiopian Change the Color of His Skin?

We are presenting below an article often being cited as proof that Russell was a racist. Of course, if one is looking for something racial, one can find something in the works of practically any author that could been imagined to be racist. Such characterization, however, does not necessarily mean that the author had actual racial intent or racial motives in what was written.

The article is related what God is able to do versus what man cannot do for himself. The title is actually a quote from the Bible itself.
Watchtower, February 15, 1904, page 52. http://mostholyfaith.com/Beta/bible/Reprints/Z1904FEB.asp#Z52:13

"CAN THE ETHIOPIAN CHANGE HIS SKIN?"

We answer, No. But all will admit that what the Ethiopian cannot do for himself God could readily do for him. The difference between the races of men and the differences between their languages have long been arguments against the solidarity of the human family. The doctrine of restitution has also raised the question, How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was the original? The answer is now provided. God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time.

Prof. H. A. Edwards, Supt. of Schools in Slater, Mo., has written for the public press an elaborate description of how Julius Jackson, of New Frankfort, Mo., a negro boy of nine years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-tenths white. He assures us that this is no whitish skin disease; but that the new white skin is as healthy as that of any white boy, and that the changed boy has never been sick and never has taken medicines. Realizing that his story would be doubted, he interested Dr. F. A. Howard, chief division surgeon of the Chicago and Alton Ry., who corroborates the statement in the following published extract from a letter:
"I am obliged to you for an opportunity of seeing and examining the negro child, Julius Jackson. 
"I found his heart action, respiration and temperature perfectly normal and his mental faculties seem acute for one of his age.
"The white skin now covering at least 90 per cent. of his body is, so far as I am able to judge, in full possession of all its organs and those organs seem to be performing their natural functions – no roughness, chalky, or ashen appearance is present.
"It seems to me that the conditions warrant your opinion – the change is certainly caused by chemical conditions of the blood.

Very truly, "F. A. HOWARD."

Jeremiah 13:23 - Can the Ethiopian change his skin? -- World English

Those familiar with Brother Russell's writings know that he was always looking for news items that he could relate to prophecies and/or the coming times of restitution (restoration). (Acts 3:21) Such is the case here, for Brother Russell was not emphasizing any racial prejudice, but his intent was related to the fulfillment of what he thought could be related to the times of restitution of all things.

Some conclude from Russell's statement: "We now know the answer", that he was showing that he was a racist, for this, as they reason, means that Russell was saying that God is turning all mankind into the white race. One claims: "The reason for printing such a story, of course, is to demonstrate that God can and will change the “Ethiopian” (black man) into a white man in the New World." While Brother Russell certainly presented this to illustrate that God can certainly change the color of a person's skin, he did not say that that black people will be turned to white people in the times of restitution. In harmony with what Brother Russell presented elsewhere, we believe that he was just saying that all will eventually become one color as was Adam, whatever that original color was. The question is, was it Russell's intent to be racist in what he stated? Obviously not. Most often, Russell referred to all mankind as being "one race", regardless of color of skin. We believe, however, that Russell's point was that God can change the color of anyone's skin, if he so desires.

Elsewhere Brother Russell wrote concerning the original race as created by God:
We may suppose that they were neither as white as some of us, nor as black as the negro, but of a swarthy, tawny color. If this be true, the extreme whiteness of some peoples is not to be considered the original standard, but a deflection on the one side, as the negro and others are deflections on the other side. -- Watch Tower, July 15, 1902, page 216.
While many see "racism" in the article under consideration, if one is consistent in their reasoning, it would seem that such should also imagine such racism in the Bible itself. There are indeed some who claim the Bible is racist; such are usually not believers in the Bible, but are, in effect, opposers of the Bible. Such who claim the Bible is racist, however, are usually not believers in the Bible, but if one is a believer in the Bible, to be consistent, if they consider Brother Russell to have been a racist for his statements, it would seem to us that consistency would require them also claim that God is racist. If they are consistent, they would have to consider God to have been racist in choosing the descendants of Jacob as his chosen people. (Exodus 19:5,6; Deuteronomy 7:6; 26:18; Amos 3:2) They would have to also consider God to have been a racist for even asking the question, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin?" (Jeremiah 13:23) Additionally, one could consider Jesus as having been "racist" when he said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." -- Matthew 15:24.

Furthermore, the Bible shows that the races (and consequently the various skin colors) did come about as a result of the God's curse on the peoples at Babel (Genesis 10:1-32; 11:7), for before that dispersion all spoke one language. (Genesis 11:6) If that curse is lifted (Revelation 22:3), it would seem that the various races will no longer exist. Additionally, it is apparent from the Bible that all mankind originated from ONE man (Luke 3:38; Acts 17:26; Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22,45), and that one man was one color, no matter what that color that might have been. Since mankind is to be restored to what he was originally (Acts 3:21; Romans 5:12-19), to Brother Russell it seemed reasonable to conclude that all will be restored to whatever color man was originally. We are sure, however, that Brother Russell would not at all be upset if all mankind is brought back with their separate colors, it surely was not something that he was making an issue over. Indeed, the only ones who seem to be creating a major issue over it are those who, for some reason or other, hate Russell, or hate what Russell stood for, that is: the good news of great joy that will be for all the people, and yet it is this very message that causes many others to appreciate Brother Russell's works..

At most, however, it would only be one's personal opinion that Brother Russell had an intent of being racist in the article. And to whatever extent Russell is deemed racist in his application of scripture, to the same extent one would have to consider God Himself to be racist. Nevertheless, God certainly has permitted racism to be a divisive factor among mankind, which is all part of the original curse in that, due to Adam's disobedience, God has subjected all races of mankind to vanity and corruption. -- Genesis 3:17-19; Job 7:1,3; Psalms 39:5,6; 62:9; 144:4; Ecclesiastes 1:2,8-15; 2:11,17,23; 3:19; 4:4; 7:13;  11:8; 12:8; Romans 1:18-22; 5:12-19; 8:20,22.

Much that could be said about this article, however, would be similar to what we stated concerning the earlier article, "Can Restitution Change the Ethiopian’s Skin?"









Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Angels and Women (moved)

This page has been moved to:
https://ransomforall.blogspot.com/2022/12/angels.html

Did Russell Claim that the Gentile Times Had Not Ended in 1914?

We are quoting the following from a website:
In 1876, Russell wrote an article that appeared in the October, 1876 issue of the Bible Examiner under the title, “Gentile Times: When do they End?” On page 27 he was writing about Luke 21:24...
The entire article has been reproduced in the collection entitled:

We wish to say to begin with that the article represents Russell's view before 1904; in 1904, he came to realize that the "time of trouble" was to begin in 1914, not end in 1914. See our research on this at:

The author of the site continues:
He said that the “Seven Times” will end in AD 1914. However, the anticipated Kingdom of Jehovah did not come. Big surprise! None, zero, zip, nada of the events concerning Jerusalem, mentioned in Luke 21:24 occurred in the predicted year, 1914. The Society then concluded that 1914 was not the end of the “Seven Times” but was to be a turning point in human history. Two years later, Russell died. (Maybe the dejection and depression that God was actually not using him took its toll.)
There are several misrepresentations being presented here. Although Russell was expecting God's kingdom to be established in 1914, he was not expecting that it would all of a sudden bring peace to the earth in 1914, rather just the opposite: from 1904 onward, he was expecting that with the influence of God's kingdom the world would enter into the worst time of trouble and warfare that it had ever seen, the nations would become angry. Thus, it is absolutely not true that nothing happened in 1914, and the fact that the greatest war the world had ever seen began in that year does give reason to believe that the spasms of the time of trouble did begin that year.

The quote from the site, after declaring that nothing happened in 1914, then states: "The Society then concluded that 1914 was not the end of the 'Seven Times' but was to be a turning point in human history." This is totally false! The Society in 1914 certainly never concluded that 1914 was not the end of the Gentiles, and as far as we know, it has never concluded such! Russell certainly never made any statement that the Gentile Times had not ended in 1914, and he made many statements to the effect that they had ended up to the day that he died. We have no doubt that Russell died rejoicing that he was seeing the Bible prophecies come true.

On other sites, some have claimed that when 1914 "failed," Russell changed the date to 1915. We have discussed this elsewhere, so will not duplicate such here.

That Brother Russell had not concluded that the "seven times" had not ended can be seen from the following quotes from the The Watch Tower, all made after October 1914.
Because certain important things are to be accomplished, we see that God is permitting what to others might seem to be purely human devilishness. For a wise purpose He permits this reign of lawlessness, this condition which evokes universal odium. Our thought is that we should look for still further evidences day by day that the Gentile Times have ended, and that God's Kingdom has begun its work. We are expecting to see multiplied proofs of the Kingdom power, though the world will not recognize it as such until it is manifested in the flaming fire of Anarchy, which is still further along. The present step is the war of the nations. The next step will be Socialism--an attempted Socialism--among the people. Then the third step, Anarchy, will gradually come on. When this symbolic fire shall prevail, then the world will realize what we are trying to tell them now; namely, that God's Kingdom is taking control, and that these various demonstrations are evidences that our Lord is taking His great power. But the many will not begin to see until the flaming fire is revealed. When we endeavor to tell them now they will not receive it, but they will be thoroughly convinced when they see the destructive fire of Anarchy. The Watch Tower, February 15, 1915.
The Bible indicates that the Gentile Times have ended. Their kings have had their day. They have made a good showing, in many respects. Many of these governments have done wonderfully. The Watch Tower, July 15, 1915. We believe that Gentile Times have ended, and that God is now allowing the Gentile Governments to destroy themselves, in order to prepare the way for Messiah's Kingdom. The Watch Tower, April 15, 1916
It still seems clear to us that the prophetic period known as the Times of the Gentiles ended chronologically in October, 1914. The fact that the Great Day of Wrath upon the nations began there marks a good fulfillment of our expectations. The Watch Tower, September 1, 1916
We only chose those quotes that are most precise; more quotes could have been given. These, however, are sufficient to show that Brother Russell did not then, in 1914 (or any other time after 1876), conclude that the "seven times" had not ended in 1914. Indeed, Russell died in 1916 rejoicing in the belief that the Gentile Times had ended in 1914, and that the time of trouble had begun in 1914 as he had been expecting since 1904.

By Ronald R. Day. Sr.

A Lying Spirit Lies About Charles Taze Russell

By Ronald R. Day, Senior 

We are here addressing a report claimed to have been given by Rodolfo Acevedo Hernandez, who is reported as claiming to have had an out-of-body experience during which he visited hell and heaven. This same info has also been presented in several videos on Youtube and elsewhere. Our studies of the Bible alert us that such experiences may actually be visions given by demons who wish to promote their lies. 

At any rate, Mr. Hernandez claims that he saw Jesus,  and it is claimed that Jesus showed him “many things in hell, heaven and the condition of my church on earth.” We will first state the possibility that this vision never actually took place, and that the entire story is simply made up. Indeed, from the way it reads, it does sound like something that someone fabricated. 

On the other hand, the demons evidently are indeed using such methods, often associated with a near-death experience, in order to spread their lies. Regardless, we believe that wicked spirits are behind this, since we know that the real Jesus would not tell such lies as related in this account. We should note that in Mr. Hernandez’s experience, one appeared who claimed to be Jesus Christ, but a closer examination reveals if Mr. Hernandez saw a spirit, that this spirit was actually a lying spirit pretending to be Jesus.

In what is related, Mr. Hernandez supposedly saw a man, and Mr. Hernandez states, “The Lord said that this man was the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” In the context, this "man" is supposed to be Charles Taze Russell. That this spirit is a lying spirit pretending to be Jesus can be seen from the fact that Charles Taze Russell was NOT the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russell never heard of the "Jehovah's Witnesses." Russell did not believe in such an organization, and he did not believe in the message that is preached by that organization. Indeed, Russell preached against such a message as the Jehovah's Witnesses present, and he also preached against the authoritarianism claimed by the organization. After Russell died. Rutherford created the Jehovah's Witnesses by rejecting the core teachings of Russell and the Bible Students. The real founder of the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” organization was Joseph Rutherford. It was not Charles Taze Russell. The real Jesus would have known these facts, and would not have made such a statement as presented. At this point, however, the fact that such a idea is presented does seem to indicate that this whole report may have been made up, since it is generally conceived that Russell was the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

For links to research related to: Russell and the Jehovah's Witnesses

It is reported that "Jesus" supposedly stated:
Charles Russell is in hell because he taught lies!!
Of course, if Charles Taze Russell is now in the Bible hell, then, according to the Bible, he is unconscious and waiting for the resurrection. See our study: What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell?

This writer, for one, will be eternally grateful to the Heavenly Father for all the truths that Charles Taze Russell has brought forth from the Bible, and his defense of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for sin. However, the JWs actually reject the core teaching of Russell regarding the atonement in Christ, replacing it with a teaching that basically states: join us, or be eternally destroyed in Armageddon. Thus, the Armageddon message preached by the JWs is almost the very opposite of the good news that will be for all the people that Russell preached.

What lies is Russell supposed to have presented? The report states that Jesus supposedly stated::
This man taught that God was only a God of love.
Anyone familiar with Russell’s teachings knows this is not true; indeed, Russell continuously presented Jehovah as being balanced in justice, love, power and wisdom, with each attribute working harmoniously together with all his attributes to bring forth the marvelous plan of redemption that is in Christ. The real Jesus would know the truth about what Russell taught, and would not need to present a fabrication.

We are told: The Bible says that God is a consuming fire.

Yes, the Bible does say this, and Brother Russell agreed with this. For instance, Brother Russell stated:

The whole world is becoming involved, just as the Bible has predicted for this Day. As the fire of trouble spreads, the light of Truth spreads also. God represents Himself as "a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:29) We also read that "God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5) The figures of fire and light are both applicable to Him. The sun is a ball of fire, and at the same time a source of light. God is a consuming fire to every form of iniquity and injustice; and all systems founded upon selfishness and inequity must go down during this great Day of the Lord, when He has risen to shake terribly the earth. Isa. 2:12-19

In the present time of trouble and distress of nations, however, there is light for the "children of light," while the consuming fire is doing its work of destroying everything that is wrong. We have come down to "that Day," wherein "the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." The fire has already started. -- "Present Burning of False Faith Structures", sermon delivered August 6, 1916. 
One familiar with his writings would know that he on many instances spoke of God as being a "consuming fire." Again, the real Jesus would know this, so if someone actually spoke to Hernandez, it had to be a lying spirit pretending to be Jesus. 


Hernandez claimed that Jesus said:
This man Charles Russell took the word hell from the Bible
Again, this is pure nonsense. One can verify from Russell’s own works that he did not at all take the word “hell” from the Bible. Russell did explain from the Bible itself what “hell” is. See our links related to Russell and the Bible hell.

Of course, the real Jesus would know what Russell taught, and would not have to make up such a lie. However, given the fact that any wicked spirit pretending to be Jesus would also know this, it would appear that a wicked spirit would have been more cunning than to just state such an outright lie. While we would not say that a lying spirit definitely would not have spoken such, this statement does appear to support the theory that this whole report may actually be a fabrication, based on the thought that even a lying spirit would be more cunning in the presentation of his lies. But at the same time, we realize that a lying spirit may indeed present such a lie if that is what the hearer would wish to hear.

Hernandez reported that "Jesus" supposedly continued to say of Charles Taze Russell:
and he took out all the words sheol and Abaddon.
The reality is that Russell definitely never "took out: either the word “sheol” or “Abbadon,” whatever this is supposed to mean by "took out." He certainly never took these words out of the Bible. Why would he do such a thing? The statement really makes no sense. How could Brother Russell take those words out of the Bible? Again, assuming that there was actually a spirit speaking to Hernandez, the spirit certainly did not speak the truth; the real Jesus would not promote such a lie.

Hernandez further reported "Jesus" as supposedly saying:
Also, he denied the deity of Jesus Christ and also denied the deity of the Holy Spirit
Brother Russell certainly did NOT deny the deity of Christ; he did show from the Bible what the deity of Christ means.

We could not find any place that Russell specifically denied the deity of God’s Holy Spirit; we can say that Jehovah’s Holy Spirit is deity in the sense that God to whom the Holy Spirit belongs is deity. Russell certainly did not add to and read into the scriptures that the Holy Spirit of God is a person of the Supreme Being.

It is further claimed "Jesus" said of Brother Russell:
and he put only the Word Jehovah in the Bible.
We are not sure what this is meant to say. As stated, it makes no sense, and certainly does not relate to anything Russell did, said. or wrote. Brother Russell, however, certainly never put "only the Word Jehovah in the Bible," whatever this is supposed to mean. Brother Russell did often quote from various translations by others that presented the Holy Name as “Jehovah”. At any rate, the real Jesus would know exactly what Brother Russell did or did not do, and definitely would not need to create such nonsensical statements.

It claimed that Jesus said of Brother Russell:
He took out Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
This is absolutely false! All one has to do is read just a little of Russell's works and no that this is not true! Surely the real Jesus would not present such a lie! Nevertheless, the naivety of attributing such to Russell again would seem to indicate that this whole narrative is a fabrication. But still, we can say that it is possible that a lying spirit may have said such an outright lie to satisfy those who wish to hear and believe such a lie.

Hernadez next claims "Jesus" stated;
For this cursed man, all these souls are falling into hell.” (Rev 22:18-19).
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

There is nothing in these verses about the Bible hell. Nevertheless, since Russell did not take away from or add to the actual words of the prophecy as given to John, the warning spoken of here has no application to him. 

Hernandez continues:
Then the Lord said: “I curse that man”
Assuming that Hernandez actually received a message from a spirit being, whom Mr. Acevedo claims to be "the Lord", this spirit proclaims a curse on Charles Taze Russell. If this report is a fabrication, this curse would actually be coming from the ignorance of a man who does not know any better. In such a case, I am sure Russell himself would remember the words of his Lord as recorded in Luke 6:28: "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you." And Russell would also remember the words of the apostle Paul: "Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don't curse." -- Romans 12;14.

Hernandez then states:
When we left this place, these prison doors closed and caught fire and this man Charles Taze Russell cried and screamed and cursed Jesus repeatedly because Jesus said “The judgment has been set for this man”.
What can we say? If Hernandez actually received a vision, then the lying spirits will give people a vision of whatever falsehood they determine the person will have a tendency to believe. It would appear that, in addition to promoting the lie that the dead are not actually dead, the real reason for this report is to try to dissuade people from reading the truths that Russell presented. The Bible nowhere presents any idea that the soul is alive while the body is dead; indeed, the Bible shows that if the body is dead, the person is a dead soul.

For links to some of our studies related to what happens when a person dies: