1878 - Harvest   &   Resurrection

 

 

eng flag

1891 |-->

[...] but Behold he has come, and we are now living "in the [parousia] presence of the Son of man." And this has been the character of the present movement, from then until now, -a proclamation of the Lord's presence and of the kingdom work now in progress. The writer, and co-laborers, proclaimed the fact of the Lord's presence, demonstrating it from prophecy, and on charts or tables, such as are used in this book, until the fall 1878, when arrangements were made for starting our present monthly publication, ZION'S WATCH TOWER, and the Herald of Christ's Presence." By the Lord's blessing, millions of copies of this publication have carried the tidings that the Time is fulfilled, and that the Kingdom of Christ is even now being set up, while the kingdoms and systems of men are crumbling to their utter destruction.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 93

When, three and a half years later (A.D. 33), our Lord assumed the office of King, a,d permitted (what before he had refused - John 6:15) that the people should mount him upon an ass and hail him King, it marked a point in this antitypical Gospel harvest more important far than of the type. The parallel to this, as we have seen, points to 1874 as the time of our Lord's second presence as Bridegroom and Reaper, and to April 1878, as the time when he began to exercice his office of King of kings and Lord of lords in very deed, - this time a spiritual King, present with all power, though invisible to men.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 150

The taking of the kingly office by our Lord in A.D. 33, and his firdt official act in rejecting the national church of fleshy Israel, taken in connection with all the striking parallels of two ages, indicates very clearly that at the parallel point of time in the present harvest, i.e., 1878, mystic Babylon, otherwise called Christendom, the antitype of Judaism, was cut off; and there went forth the message, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and cage of every unclean and hateful bird." - Rev. 18:2.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 153

But for the wheat's sake God's favor extended even to these mixed bunches or Babylonish systems; and not until God's time for effecting a complete and final separation - in the time of harvest, 1878 - were those systems completely, and forever cast off from all favor, and sentenced to swift destruction, and all of God's people explicity and imperatively called out of them.In the very beginning of the age, God's people were warned against the deceptions of Antichrist, and taught to keep separate from it, and yet they were permitted to be in a mesure deceive by it and more or less mixed up with it, for their trial and testing. Every awakening to a realization of unchristian principles, doctrines and doings, which led to reform measures, tested and proved the wheat class, and helped to purify them more and more from the pollutions of Antichrist. But this last testing and positive call, coupled with the utter rejection of those systems, no longer to receive divine favor (as they had formerly received it, for the sake of the wheat in them), is to effect the final separation of the wheat class from all anti-christian systems and principles. [...] The expression, "Babylon is fallen : Come out her, my people," clearly marks two thoughts which should be distinctly remembered. It indicates that at one time, babylon was not fallen from divine favor; that for a time she retained a measure of favor notwithstanding her mixed character; that however large the proportion of error which she held, and however little of the spirit of Christ she manifested, she was not entirely cast off from God's favor until the harvest time of separation. It indicates, too, that at some time a sudden and utter rejection is to come upon Babylon, when all favor will forever cease, and when judgments with follow - just such a rejection as we have shown due in 1878.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 154, page 155 and page 156

But note another itel here. Between the time when Babylon is cast off, falls from favor (1878), and the time when the plagues or troubles come upon her, is a brief interval of time, during which the faithful of the Lord's people are all to be informed on this subject, and gathered out of Babylon. This clearly shown in the same verse; for with the message, "Babylon is fallen" is coupled the call, "Come out of her my people, that ye... receive not her [comig] plagues."

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 165

he rejection, or fall from favor, of Babylon ("Christendom") in 1878 was the rejection of the mass of professors - the "host," as it is termed by Daniel, to distinguish if from the sanctuary or temple class.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 180

Just so there is here in this harvest a cleansed sanctuary, and closely associated with it some who are not clean. And since the casting off of Babylon in 1878, and the call there made, to come out of her, a testing and sifting work has been going on amongst those who have come out. [...] This testing and sifting of the temple class, in this harvest since 1878, was foreshadowed by our Lord's typical act of cleansing the typical temple after assuming the office of king and pronouncing judgment against the nominal Jewish church.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 189

This taking off the wedding garment, by a rejection of the value of Christ's ransom-sacrifice, first made its appearance amongst those in the light of present truth, in the summer of 1878 [...]

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 202

In considering these parables, we must not make the mistake of presuming that all the wise virgins have already gone in to the marriage -to the guest-chamber of special and final preparation- and that the door is shut before the inspection reffered to in this parable begins. The door of opportunity still stands open to all the consecrated, robed by faith in the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness; the message, "behold, the Bridegroom !" is still going forth; the wise virgins are still going out to meet him, and entering in with him to the mariage; and the foolish have not yet returned with oil in their vessels. But, since "the King came in" (since 1878 parallel in time to our Lord's typically assuming the office of King of the Jews - Matt. 21:1-13), the inspection of the guests, and the testing of their appreciation of the wedding robe, have been in progress.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 204

The middle of that covenant week, A. D. 33, was the date of the rejection of Israel as a system or church-nation, and was marked by our Lord's death on the cross, and by his words just before his death, "Your house is left unto you desolate." And the parallel of this, here, is the rejection and fall from favor of the sectarian systems, called Babylon, in 1878. [...] the 3 1/2 years from April 1878, where so-called Christendom, or "Babylon," was rejected and fell from all favor, to October 1881, was the closing period of the Gospel favor of the high-calling to individual believers here.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 217

Looking back to the type, we see that in the spring of A. D. 33, three and a half years the beginning of the Jewish harvest (A. D. 29) our Lord typically took unto himself his power and exercised kingly authority. (See, Matt. 21:5-15) And the only object of that action evidently was to mark a parallel point of time in this harvest, when he would in reality assume the kingly office, power, etc., viz., in the spring 1878, three and a half years after his second advent at the beginning of the harvest period, in the fall of 1874. The year 1878 being thus as the date when the Lord began to take unto himself his great power, it is reasonable to conclude that there the setting up of his kingdom began, the first step of which would be the deliverance of his body, the church, among whom the sleeping members are to take precedence.
And since the resurrection of the church must occur some time during this "end" or "harvest" period (Rev. 11:18), we hold that it is a most reasonable inference, and one in perfect harmony with all the Lord's plan, that in the spring of 1878 all the holy apostles and all "overcomers" of the Gospel age who slept in Jesus were raised spiritual beings, like unto their Lord and Master. And while we, therefore, conclude that their resurrection is now an accomplished fact, and hence that they as well as the Lord are present in the earth, the fact that we do not see them is no obstacle to faith when we remember that like their Lord they are now spiritual beings, and like him invisible to men.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 233 and page 234

Our belief that the Kingdom began to be set up, or brought into power, in April 1878, be it observed, rests on exactly the same foundation as our belief that the Lord became present in October 1874, and the harvest began there.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 235

[...] the Life-giver is present; and since 1878, when he took his great power and began the exercice of his authority, none of his members need to sleep; hence with all of "the feet" who die since that date, the moment of death is the moment of change. They die as men and like men, but in the same instant they are caught away from earthly conditions, to be forever with the Lord -"in the air"- in kingdom power and glory.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 240

Besides, as already noted (Vol. II., Chap. vii.), all recognized as the natural seed of Abraham, who would continue to reject Christ, were cast off from all favor from the time of Christ's death to the year 1878, when, chronologically, divine favor was due to return to them, and their blindness to begin to be removed.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 252 and page 253

Prophecies already examined point us to the year 1878 as the date at which Israel's "double" time of waiting for the King was fulfilled, and from which their return to favor and the turning away of their blindness were due to date: the time after which it would be due to "speak comfortably unto Jerusalem and cry unto her appointed time [of waiting-her "double"] is accomplished and her iniquity pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand [her] double for all her sins." - Isa. 40:1, 2.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 259

And this turn in Jewish affairs has been since 1878; and the shaping of events since that date has caused ans is causing a remarkable awakning on this subject, which in itself is a significant sign of the times.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 268

[...] the blindness of Fleshly Israel, otherwise called Jacob, will not be due to pass away, until the selection of Spiritual Israel has been completed. And we are expressly advised (Rom. 11 : 26) that their recovery and deliverance from blindness and prejudice then will come out of (mount) Zion, the glorified Church or Kingdom. But as the kingdom of Zion to some extent began in 1878, when our King took to himself his great power to reign, although the '' feet " class were not yet fully developed and glorified, so the favor of God toward "Jacob, through Zion, properly had a beginning there, though it will not reach them in fullest measure until the " feet " members of Christ's body are also glorified. And as 1881 was the time-parallel to the turning of the light from Jacob to the Gentiles, so it marks the time for the beginning of the turning back again of special light upon the long blinded Jews.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 281

They have shown us that in the days of these Gentile kings, before their lease of power expires, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, and that the setting up of that kingdom has actually been in progress since the year 1878; that there the resurrection of all the dead in Christ was due ; and that therefore, since that date, not only is our Lord and Head invisibly present in theworld, but all these holy messengers are also with him. And observe further, that this date of the resurrection of the dead in Christ parallels the date of the resurrection of the Head of the body. Our Lord's resurrection occurred three and a half years after his advent as the Messiah, in A. D. 30 ; and the resurrection of his body, the Church, we have seen, was due in the year 1878, three and a half years after his second advent, in October 1874.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 299

And what blessing and joy come to us in the assurance that since the summer of 1878, when the King took his great power and began his reign by the resurrection of those who slept in Jesus, it is no longer needful that his members should ''sleep" and wait for glory, but for each the moment of finishing his course in death is the moment of the joyful ''change" to the full perfection of the divine nature and likeness. Indeed, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth" forever.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 300

Thus, exactly, does the stone "Witness" corroborate the testimony of the Bible, and show that the period from the exodus of Israel from Egypt until the full end of their national favor, A. D. 36 (See Vol. II., Chap. III.), was 1650 years. But let none confound this period with the period shown in the Parallels of the Jewish and Christian dispensations— showing the two ages to be each 1845 years in length, the one from the death of Jacob to A. D. 33, and the other from A. D. 33 to A. D. 1878.

Source : MILLENNIAL DAWN, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come (1st-ed - 1891), page 341

1911 |-->

Our Lord's resurrection occurred three and a half years after his advent as the Messiah, in A.D. 29; and the resurrection of his body, the Church, we have seen, was due in the year 1878, three and a half years after his second advent, in October 1874.

Source : Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come, page 305

And what blessing and joy come to us in the assurance that since the summer of 1878, when the King took his great power and began his reign by the resurrection of those who slept in Jesus, it is no longer needful that his members should "sleep" and wait for glory, but that for each the moment of finishing his course in death is the moment of the joyful "change" to the full perfection of the divine nature and likeness. Indeed, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth" forever.

Source : Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.III, Thy Kingdom Come, page 306

1897 |-->

Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874, A.D....and the formal inauguration of his kingly office dates from April 1878, A.D.

Source : Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.IV, The Day of Vengeance (1897), page 621

1906 |-->

The Kingdom of God is already begun, which is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in A.D. 1878, and that the "battle of the great day of God Almighty" which will end in 1914 with the complete overthrow of the earth's present rulership, is already commenced.

Source : Studies in the Scriptures Vol.II (1906), page 101

 

1931 |-->

An approximate return of Jesus in 1878

The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of the Lord Jesus-Christ is invisible and began approximately in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-eight (A.D.)

Source : Watchtower, 1931, Sept 15, page 283

 


french flag

French Quotes