The Ransom for All

Ronald R. Day, Sr. H. E. Phillips makes the following assertions regarding Charles Taze Russell: One of the claims made by Russell was that he alone was the true prophet of God in his day. In Watch Tower, July 1, 1899, page 208, we read: “If any man does not hear that prophet he shall be cut off from among the peoples.” This was said of Charles Russell. By 1912 Russell was called that “faithful and wise servant” of Matthew 24:45. This he accepted willingly.  We should note that not everything written in the pages of the Watch Tower was originally written by Russell. Evidently, however, he often edited articles before they were published, and the words are often credited to him although much of the words may not have originated from him. Many of the quotes in the study may be found online. We hope to eventually provide links to the articles, books, etc., being quoted, so that one may examine the context of each quote. Did Russell ever claim that he himself was the true prophet of G...

Matthew 13:31 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; Matthew 13:32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.  Mark 4:26 He said, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed on the earth [ground, farm land, soil], Mark 4:27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how. Mark 4:28 For the earth [ground, soil, farm land] bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. Mark 4:29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:30 He said, "How will we liken the kingdom of God? Or by what parable will we compare it? Mark 4:31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the...

{Matthew 12:39} But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Matthew 12:40} For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of the Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. {Matthew 12:41} The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here. {Jonah 1:17} Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. {Jonah 2:2} He said, "I called because of my affliction to Jehovah. He answered me. Out of the belly of sheol I cried. You heard my voice. Some claim that there is a discrepancy in the Bible's account since Jesus had proclaimed that he would be dead for three days and three nights. The claim appears to be that i...

The question was presented: How could the earth be made in seven literal days, since without the earth, there would have been no days? The argument seems to be that if there is no earth, then there could have been no days in which the earth was created. Actually, the scriptures nowhere state that the planet earth was created in seven days, but rather that the heavens and the earth were created in six days, and on the seventh, Jehovah rested from creation. (Exodus 20:11; Exodus 31:17; Genesis 1:1-2:2.  This would mean that the "beginning" referred to in Genesis 1:1 includes the entire six days. The skies and the land were created during the six days described. -- See our study: The Six Days of Creation How could the heavens and earth be created in "six days," if there were no "days" until the earth was created? To understand this, we need to realize that in the Bible, as in well as in our common speech today, "earth" does not always mean ...

Luke 12:42 - And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? . -- American Standard Version. Many of the believers in the "ransom for all" believe that Brother Russell himself fulfilled the role of being the faithful and wise servant or steward that Jesus spoke of. Brother Russell was certainly used by God in bringing forth many things from the Bible, and much of his writings are explanations of or in defense of the ransom for all. We should certainly appreciate God's use of Brother Russell in his use of all his resources to proclaim the truths related to the ransom. As a result of his work, some have sought to find Brother Russell in the Bible, and thus have claimed -- among other things -- that he was the faithful and wise servant of Matthew 24:45, the steward of Luke 12:42. Sadly, some have been so zealous for this belief that they would disfellowship a brother f...

"Lucifer" is found in the King James Version only once, at Isaiah 14:12: Isaiah 14:12 -  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.  Some background information concerning the word “lucifer”. The word “lucifer” is taken from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation. In the Vulgate, the Hebrew word often transliterated as hê-lêl  (Strong’s #1966, meaning “shining one, or morning star”) is rendered “lucifer” in Isaiah 14:12, which is part of the words of the dead kings in sheol figuratively speaking (Isaiah 14:9,10) to the king of Babylon. (Isaiah 14:4) However, the king of Babylon evidently was being used as a type of Satan. The King James Version brings this Latin word over into English as a proper name in Isaiah 14:12, and from this the word has traditionally been applied as a proper name in retrospect to the angel who later became Satan. In the Vulgate the Latin word is also found in Job...

Often, the Westcott and Hort tex t is discredited by many for various reasons. While we cannot say that the Westcott and Hort text is 100% accurate, much that is presented against the Westcott and Hort text are distortions of truth concerning Westcott and Hort. Also added to this is the fact they were Catholic. One of the claims is that one cannot trust the Westcott and Hort text because of their Catholic influence on the text. If one were consistent in such reasoning, one should also reject the Masoretic text of the Old Testament, since it was created by Jews who did not believe in Jesus. The King James Version as well as many other translations are based on the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament. Yet this text was prepared by the Masoretes, who were Jewish. Jesus spoke of the Jews (represented by Jerusalem): Luke 13:35 - Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of Jehovah!'" (Lu...

Many, usually those who wish to have certain scriptures to support their pet doctrines, have been spreading a gossip-style rumor that Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort were spiritualists. The accusations are often presented in such a manner to incite the emotions of the readers against Westcott & Hor t, with the goal of discrediting their Greek text, which has been used by many modern Bible translators. We have examined the arguments and conclude that the actual historical documents do not support that Westcott & Hort were Spiritualists, Occultists, etc. Once the ball of gossip gets rolling, falsehoods and misrepresentations spread much faster and by many more supporters than those who have sought to present the truth. And as the gossip spreads, many appear to add more imaginative assumptions along the way. Additionally, in response to the accusations being made against Westcott & Hort, supporters often have also been inaccurate in their counter-cla...