PREFATORY

Judge J. F. Rutherford,
            Brooklyn, N. Y.

Dear Sir:

The advance proof pages of your brochure, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die", which you kindly allowed me to read, have proved to be even more interesting than hoped for, and I embrace this early opportunity to express to you my sincere appreciation of the work. The admirable way in which you have marshalled the sayings of the Lord Jesus, of the apostles, and of the prophets of old, and supported them by abundant secular evidence, all going to show that a time would come when millions then living would never die -and that we are now living in that time- will inspire hope and confidence in the mind of every honest, truth seeking reader.
As the one who had the esteemed privilege of syndicating Pastor Russell's sermons in thousands of newspapers in many lands, I was naturally anxious to know how you would treat the prophecies so often referred to in Pastor Russell's sermons. I am glad, indeed, to note that you treat the major part of your evidence from the standpoint of fulfilled prophecy. For one, I am glad that you gathered such an array of evidence to substantiate your claims and to show the people, as a basis for the worth-while hope, how they may live for ever. It will not be necessary for anyone to consider your statement as a guess.
Again thanking you and wishing you rich eternal blessings for your labor of love, I subscribe myself as

G. C. DRISCOLL

Santa Monica Calif., May 17, 1920

THE emphatic announcement that millions now living on earth will never die must seem presumptuous to many people; but when the evidence is carefully considered I believe that almost every fair mind will concede that the conclusion is a reasonable one.

For nearly nineteen hundred years Christians have been looking forward to a time coming when life everlasting will be offered to all the peoples of earth. Their expectations and hopes have been based upon the combined testimony of the inspired prophets of old -from Moses to John- upon the testimony of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, and upon the testimony of his inspired apostles.

About 4,000 years ago God made a promise to Abraham in which he said that he would bless Abraham and through his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. Not only did he make this promise, but he bound it with his oath; and St. Paul plainly tells us that these two things, God's word and oath are unchangeable, and that his promises must be fulfilled. Based upon that oathbound promise and subsequent like promises made to the offspring of Abraham, devout Jews of the world have since looked forward to the time coming when blessings

of life and happiness eternal will be offered to mankind.

Today the eyes of orthodox Jews of earth are fixed upon Palestine. They are looking up and lifting up their heads and the hope is springing into millions of hearts that the time is at hand for the regathering of the Jews to Palestine and the establishment there of a state or government of the Jews and for the Jews, according to the divine arrangement. Since the time of Abraham they have looked for the Messiah, but have not yet discerned who constitutes the Messiah.

Life everlasting in a state of happiness is the greatest desire of all men. Whether men have faith or not in the divine promises, each one would be glad to know for a certainty that there was before him life everlasting in a happy state. In view of this strong desire, and of the cumulative evidence given by the holy men of old concerning such coming blessings, it seems strange that more people have not tried to inform themselves upon the subject. The reason, as assigned by the Apostle Paul, is that "the god of this world [Satan, the invisible ruler of the present social order of things] hath blinded the minds of those who are perishing, lest the glorious glad tidings of Christ Jesus, who is the image of God, should shine into their hearts".-2 Corinthians 4:4.

Many men of ability in the past centuries have entered the Christian ministry. The great

adversary, knowing their vulnerable points, has used others to flatter and cajole them and to turn their minds toward worldly things, and by far the greater number of these clergymen, yielding to the baneful and seductive influence of the adversary, have themselves turned away from the Bible, and have blindly led the people in the wrong direction. They seem to have lost sight entirely of the fact that God has a great plan which he is causing to work out in an orderly, majestic manner. But the hour has struck when the people shall know the truth, and they that know the truth shall be made free from the bondage of ignorance and superstition and their minds shall be turned into the channels leading to unending joy.

It is the purpose of the writer to try to turn the minds of the people to a careful and prayerful consideration of the divine promises. It is to be deeply regretted that the clergymen would oppose an effort to teach the people the Bible truths; nevertheless, we find much opposition everywhere, and many clergymen will attempt to prevent the people from reading what is here written. We, therefore, assure the reader that we have no ulterior motive in putting out this message. It is not propaganda. There is no desire nor effort to induce the reader to join anything. The motive for this publication is wholly unselfish. The writer has but one desire and that is to induce the people to read and rely upon the divine promises and thus fix their

hearts and minds in this hour of distress upon mankind; to comfort those that mourn and point them to a better day which is near at hand.

We should have in mind that the great, all-wise Creator has been nor for more than 4,000 years dealing with certain people, preparatory to bringing to every man an opportunity for life everlasting. If he whose wisdom is perfect would devote so much time and energy to the outworking of a great plan, then surely it is worthy of the careful and painstaking examination and consideration of every man, without regard to his creed, religious training, or his political view.

Since the days of Abraham many men of unusual intellect not only have diligently studied the divine plan, but have devoted their lives to having a part in making it known to others. There were twenty-four holy prophets, whose messages are recorded in the Bible. All of these foretold a coming time of great blessings to the human race. Their utterances were not their own, but they spake as the spirit of Jehovah moved upon them. It was impossible for a human mind to look down through the corridors of the ages and to foretell what the future would bring forth; but these various prophets, guided by the all-wise Creator who knew the end from the beginning, wrote and spake merely as the instruments of God. God never failed in one of his promises. He says, "For I am the Lord, I change not". (Malachi 3:6) "There hath not

failed one word of all his good promise. (1 Kings 8: 56) All students of the Bible agree that the time must come when every promise of Jehovah will be fulfilled. Jehovah does everything orderly and on time and exactly in his own due time, and not man's due time. One day with him is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day; and what might seem to man a long deferred fulfillment of a promise would be to God only a question of a very brief space of time.

All students of the Bible also agree that it has pleased Jehovah to divide the social order of things existing from the beginning of the world into epochs, which epochs we call worlds, and which the Lord speaks of as worlds -such a use of the word "world" meaning a social order of things existing within a given period of time. For nearly nineteen centuries students of divine prophecy have expected and looked for the world to end, because Jesus taught it would end. Many Christian men, however, failing to recognize the distinction between the symbolic and literal phrases of the Bible, have been confused concerning the end of the world. For instance, the great John Calvin taught that upon the happening of that event Jesus, reappearing near the earth, would cause fire to be emitted from the clouds, setting the earth aflame and totally destroying it and everything on it. He being a clergyman of great renown was supposed to have based his conclusions upon a proper interpretation of the Bible, and great numbers

believed his teaching; and for this reason, with fear and trepidation, many have looked forward to the ending of the world.

Reason would lead us to the conclusion that Jehovah would not create a wonderful earth like this, permit man to bring it to a high state of cultivation in many places, and then completely destroy it. Such is wholly out of harmony with his character. Likewise such is wholly out of harmony with the plain teachings of his Word, which says: "The earth abideth forever". (Ecclesiastes 1:4) "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited". (Isaiah 45:18) When the Bible speaks of the world ending it does not meand the literal earth, but it does refer to an epoch or dispensation of time during which a certain arrangement of things or social order exists. In proof of this the Scriptures disclose that there was a "world" which existed from the time of Eden until the great deluge: "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished". (2 Peter 3:6) At the end of the flood a new "world" began, and the promise is made by the same Scriptural writer that it shall end. The period of that world is from the flood until the coming of Messiah's kingdom, and his kingdom is to mark the beginning of another new world or new order of things.

The first world, then, began with the creation

of man and ended with the flood. At the time of the deluge began the second world, which the Scriptures speak of as "the present evil world ; and God clearly foretold that the second world, or social order of things, visible and invisible, would pass away during a fiery time of trouble; and then would follow the world to come, the social order or arrangement of things. St. Paul instructs us to "rightly divide the word of truth"; and this means, amongst other things, to apply the texts of Scriptures within the period or epoch to which they belong; and applying these in their proper place, one can discern the orderly and majestic forward movement of the divine arrangement.

All students of the Bible further agree that just before Jesus was crucified he told his disciples that he was going away, but that he would return again and receive them unto himself, and that his second coming would mark the end of the world, i.e., the social order of things existing at the time he was on the earth. Other Scriptures show that at that time the great blessing long promised, viz., life, liberty and happiness, would be offered to the entire human family.

All students of divine prophecy agree that the promises of God made through the prophets must have a fulfillment some time, and that the time for fulfillment relating to the restoration of the human race to life, liberty and happiness has its beginning at the end of this world and at

the beginning of the new world, i.e., at the time when the social order of things existing in Jesus' day shall pass away and the new order be established. By faith the prophets of old looked for that time and hailed its coming as the Golden Age, because during that age the Messiah shall reign and establish righteousness in the earth.

It must be conceded, then, by all that the first important question for our determination is, When does this world end? If we can definitely fix this period, then it is an easy matter to determine when the divine promises with reference to life everlasting will be opened to the world in general. We therefore propose to prove in this argument that the social order of things, the second world, legally ended in 1914, and since that time has been and is passing away; that the new order of things is coming in to take its place; that within a definite period of time the old order will be completely eradicated and the new order in full sway; and that these things shall take place within the time of the present generation and that therefore there are millions of people now living on earth who will see them take place, to whom everlasting life will be offered and who, if they accept it upon the terms offered and obey those terms, will never die. If these facts can be established by competent testimony to the satisfaction of the reasonable mind, then every man should hail it with gladness, every one should be delighted, even though

it upsets his preconceived opinions, formed from the study of the creeds and plans of men. We invite the reader, therefore, to examine each point carefully as here made, compare the argument with the Scriptures cited, and view the same in the light of present day events which are discernible to all eyes, and upon all this evidence reach a conclusion. Every man should be persuaded in his own mind and no man should permit himself to be deterred from examining a question based upon the Bible because a clergyman or any one else makes the unsupported assertion that it is dangerous or unworthy of consideration. Error always seeks the dark, while truth is always enhanced by the light. Error never desires to be investigated. Light always courts a thorough and complete investigation. Light and truth are synonymous. They are progressive, and "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day". (Proverbs 4:18) The Psalmist plainly tells us: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path".—Psalm 119

GENTILE TIMES

The term Gentile times as used in the Scriptures designates a period of time during which the Gentiles were to govern the peoples of earth. At the death of Jacob God organized Israel into a nation and dealt with that nation, to the exclusion of all other nations of earth, for a specific time. Time and again they departed from their

covenant with Jehovah and he punished them. Time and again be warned them against a punishment of greater duration unless they profited by previous experiences. They had many kings -some good, some wicked. Zedekiah was the last king, and he became so very wicked that God issued this decree against him, saying: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose night it is; and I will give it him." -Ezekiel 21:24-27.

It is a well-known historical fact that Zedekiah at the time here mentioned was taken prisoner by King Nebuchadnezzar and carried away to Babylon. Afterward the Israelites were permitted to maintain a national existence by other nations exercising a supervisory control oven them, and this condition continued until the year A. D. 73. What happened at the time of the dethronement of Zedekiah was that the crown, or dominion, or ruling authority oven the peoples of earth, was taken away from the

Jews and permitted to be assumed by the Gentiles. The first universal empire was that of Babylon, followed by Medo-Persia, then by Greece, and later by Rome; and out of the Roman empire have grown all the Gentile nations of Christendom. As to how long this punishment should be inflicted upon the Jews, and therefore how long God would permit the Gentiles to have the dominion, is fixed by the Scriptures as seven symbolic times. (See Leviticus 26: 18) A time in the Scriptures is used to represent a symbolic year. According to the Jewish method of calculation a year is 360 days. A day for a year, then, would make each time 360 years in duration. The seven times would be a period of 2520 years, during which the Gentiles should have the lease of power, and at the end of which their lease of power would legally cease to exist.

The date of Zedekiah's overthrow and the establishment of Nebuchadnezzar's Gentile dominion, which was the first Gentile world government, is definitely fixed both by secular history and the Scriptures as B. C. 606. In the year A. D. 1, 606 years of the whole period had expired. Adding 1914 years to the 606 would make a total of 2520 years, therefore bringing the period of the Gentiles' lease of power or dominion to an end in the year 1914. This date corresponds with the circumstantial evidence proving conclusively when the world would begin to end, i.e., when the old order would

begin to pass away, and fixes the time for the manifestation of Messianic power and the bringing in of the new order of things.

By way of illustration, if a man purchases a piece of property on which is situated a decayed building and upon which lot he expects shortly to erect a new structure, the first work in which the new owner engages is to clear the lot of the decayed building, preparatory to erecting the new. By analogy, then, if the old order began to pass away in 1914 and Messiah began to exercise his power, preparatory to setting up the kingdom of righteousness, then we should expect that his first work would be the destruction of the old systems of unrighteousness.

We here introduce the testimony of a witness whose competency cannot be questioned and whose testimony must be accepted as absolutely true. This witness is Jesus of Nazareth. To orthodox Jews he was a great teacher amongst the Jews. To Christians he was not only a great teacher, but by them is accepted and recognized as the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, the Savior of the world, the King of glory. He testified that the Jews should be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. {Luke 21:24) He gave to John the Revelator instruction as to what would take place when that time should arrive and when he, the Messiah, should begin to exercise his kingly power. He pictures the prophets, the mouthpieces of Jehovah, as saying concerning

himself, the Messiah: "We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned [exercised regal authority]. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come."—Revelation 11:17, 18.

Here, then, we definitely see that the Gentile times ended in the fall of 1914. At that time, true to the prophetic statement, the nations did become angry and God's wrath has been upon the nations since. Every nation under the Sun has been growing weaker.