A MISCELLANY

AUTHOR'S FOREWORD 

IN THE third volume of the EPIPHANY STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES the Little Flock, on the one hand, and the Great Company and Youthful Worthies, on the other hand, in the separate and mutual relations of their offices as God's mouthpieces to the world, were studied, as they were set forth in the Elijah and Elisha types. In the fourth volume the Epiphany, the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies from a variety of standpoints were studied. But these two volumes do not exhaust these subjects. The Little Flock, the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies during the Parousia and the Epiphany are set forth from still other more or less related standpoints. These appear in such a variety of subjects that they do not permit themselves easily to come under one clarifying title. Accordingly, they will be discussed in this volume under the title, A Miscellany, which all will at once recognize gives, as a title, no clear idea of the book's contents, except that the topics therein discussed are more or less not a coherent whole, since they are not the parts of one general subject. While this is true, the topics herein to be presented are more or less related, and are of no small importance as a part of the subject matter belonging to these STUDIES. So important and elaborate are they that they will take, as they deserve, a full volume of this work for their elucidation. 

It will not have failed to strike the reader, so far as he has studied them, that the two series of books: STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, and EPIPHANY STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, are more or less related. And this is true from a variety of standpoints. Had the beloved author of the first anticipated the coming of the second series, he could, in harmony with the facts, have properly entitled his series, PAROUSIA STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES; for such they are. And with that title the relation of these two sets of STUDIES could easily be seen. Since in the Parousia it was due to complete the development of the Little Flock, as the special Parousia work, naturally the Truth teachings of that time centered in Christ and the Church. And since in the Epiphany it is due to develop the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies, naturally the Truth teachings of this time center in these two classes. The Parousia Truth is the more important of the two, since 

iii 

the class for which it was given is by far the most important in God's Plan. It is at the same time the foundation of the Epiphany Truth; for the latter is built upon, elaborated out of, and in harmony with the former. Hence the latter bows in subjection to the former in all things of Truth due in the Parousia. And as things not due cannot be seen before they are due, so during the Parousia, specifically Epiphany truths could not be seen. Thus when the Parousia ended, 1914, all error was removed from the Parousia truths, i.e., the truths needed for the development of the Little Flock. But by the same token not all error was by 1914 removed from matters pertinent to the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies. This will have taken place by 1954, each of these things being set forth respectively by the purification of the mother of a son in forty, and that of a mother of a daughter in eighty days (Lev. 12). Hence as the Epiphany advances the immaturities on the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies of the Parousia and of the past Epiphany times give way to clearer light, even as this same principle operated during the Parousia as to its immaturities. Thus "the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect [full] day" (Prov. 4:18). 

Accordingly, no new Truth for the development of the Little Flock for the Kingdom has come since the Parousia's end; all of it that has since come is for the development of the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies. Does this mean that the Little Flock should not concern itself with the study of the Epiphany Truth, and thus be indifferent to the EPIPHANY STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES? If such were the case, how would it know what, why and how it should act out its missions toward the Great Company and Youthful Worthies? To fulfill these missions the Little Flock, of course, will have to study the Epiphany Truth. Hence the EPIPHANY STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES are primarily intended for the Little Flock, and secondarily for the Great Company and Youthful Worthies. And upon these their Divinely intended purposes, as we send each book of these STUDIES forth, we pray the Divine blessing, and request God's people everywhere to join us in such prayer. 

Your Brother and Servant, 

PAUL S. L. JOHNSON. 

Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A., Feb. 12, 1938 

iv

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES AMONG TRUTH PEOPLE.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE SINCE OUR PASTOR'S DEATH. SEPARATION OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA. AZAZEL'S GOAT. SIXTY LEVITE GROUPS. THE ADVANCING LIGHT. THE FIRSTFRUIT WAVE LOAVES. THE FLOOD YEAR. BEREAN QUESTIONS       7

CHAPTER II.

CALLS—SIFTINGS—SLAUGHTER WEAPONS.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ARTICLE, THE LAST RELATED ACTS OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA. GENERAL REMARKS ON MATT. 19:27—20:16. GENERAL REMARKS ON 1 COR. 10:1-14. GENERAL REMARKS ON EZEK. 9:1-11. THE FIRST CALL—SIFTING—SLAUGHTER WEAPON. THE SECOND CALL—SIFTING—SLAUGHTER WEAPON. THE THIRD CALL— SIFTING—SLAUGHTER WEAPON. FOURTH CALL—SIFTING— SLAUGHTER WEAPON. FIFTH CALL—SIFTING—SLAUGHTER WEAPON. SIXTH CALL—SIFTING—SLAUGHTER WEAPON. BEREAN QUESTIONS.         97

CHAPTER III.

THE TIME OF REAPING.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS. REAPING COMPLETED BEFORE "THAT SERVANT'S" DEATH. REAPING BEGAN IN 1874. OUR PASTOR DID NOT TEACH THE REAPING PERIOD TO BE FROM 1878 TO 1918. OUR PASTOR'S CHANGE OF THOUGHT ON THE REAPING'S END. BEREAN QUESTIONS       143

v

CHAPTER IV.

GIDEON—TYPE AND ANTITYPE.

ANTITYPICAL ISRAEL'S OPPRESSION. JESUS' PREPARATION FOR THE WORK OF DELIVERANCE WHILE IN THE FLESH. SALIENT FEATURES OF JESUS' GOSPEL-AGE MINISTRY PREPARATORY TO OVERTHROWING THE MAIN ERRORISTS AND THEIR ERRORS. THE GOSPEL-AGE ELECTIVE  AND  REJECTIVE   WORK.  JESUS'  FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE CONFLICT. DIRECTIONS FOR AND PARTICIPATION IN ANTITYPICAL GIDEON'S FIRST BATTLE. THE LEVITES' PARTICIPATION IN THE WARFARE. THE YOUTHFUL WORTHIES' PARTICIPATION IN THE WARFARE. THEIR DISSATISFACTION AT BEING TOO LATE FOR THE HIGH CALLING. JESUS' TACTFUL ANSWER TO THEIR MURMURING AT HIM FOR NOT INVITING THEM TO THE HIGH CALLING. THE ORDER OF THE NARRATIVE. OUR LORD'S SEEKING SINEWS OF WAR FOR HIS ARMY. THE FINAL MARCH AND BATTLE. BEREAN QUESTIONS         183

CHAPTER V.

THE SMALL AND LARGE EIGHT WONDERFUL DAYS.

JESUS' LAST EXPERIENCES TYPICAL OF THE CHURCH'S  LAST EXPERIENCES. THE SMALL EIGHT WONDERFUL DAYS. A POSTSCRIPT WRITTEN IN MARCH, 1930. THE LARGE EIGHT WONDERFUL DAYS. FIFTEEN EARLIER EVENTS OF THE LARGE SIXTH WONDERFUL DAY FORECAST. LATER EVENTS OF THE LARGE SIXTH WONDERFUL DAY. PARTS OF MATT. 27:51-54 AN INTERPOLATION. BEREAN QUESTIONS.       263

CHAPTER VI.

OUR LORD'S PAROUSIA AND EPIPHANY MISSIONS.

JESUS' SECOND ADVENT SEVENFOLD MISSION TO HIS OWN. IN ONE HOUR. SOME THOUGHTS ON REVELATION 17. THE HOUR OF REV. 17:12. GOD'S POST-APOSTOLIC MOUTHPIECES WHILE FALLIBLE ALWAYS GIVE THE TRUTH AS DUE. BEREAN QUESTIONS     395

CHAPTER VII.

TWO HOUSES BUILT AND TESTED

EXPLANATION OF MATT. 7:24-27. THE FOURFOLD BUILDING PROCESS: INSTRUCTION; JUSTIFICATION; SANCTIFICATION; DELIVERANCE. THE THREEFOLD TESTING PROCESS: DOWNPOUR OF TRUTH; A FLOOD OF ERROR; SPIRITUAL WARS. BEREAN QUESTIONS   473

vi

‍