Post by ResLight on Dec 29, 2014 13:21:52 GMT -5
Did Russell Believe the New Jerusalem Is a Literal City?
The following is a reply I have given to person who has presented a video on youtube entitled, "JWS Proof New Jerusalem not a myth". It presents a quote from page 320 of "The Finished Mystery", which is, as follows:
And shewed me [that great] THE HOLY City, [The holy] Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God.— The city came down from Heaven to earth. If we went up to Heaven, it would not be found there. ‘If Rev. 21 is to be literally interpreted, then the whole surface, of Palestine is far from sufficient to hold a city of this size. Besides, its height, length and breadth were to be equal.— Rev. 21:2.
My reply:
As best as I can determine the quote from "The Finished Mystery" is alleged to mean that the authors of the Firnished Mystery believed that there would be a literal city that would come down from heaven? If this is the thought, this is not true. The very quote given shows that the city is NOT a literal city, for it states *****IF***** it would be literally interpreted, and then shows the nonsense of a literal interpretation.
Brother Russell taught that the "New Jerusalem" is symbolic -- he believed that the New Jerusalem is symbolic, just as "lamb", "wild beat", "seven heads", "ten horns", etc., are all symbolic, and just as the city of Babylon the Great is symbolic, etc. He was not expecting that a literal city was going to come down out of heaven to earth, nor does the Finished Mystery claim that such is to happen.
The book, The Finished Mystery, was not written by Russell; nevertheless, it does not say that there will be a literal city that will come down out of heaven. In that very book, Brother Russell is quoted as saying:
A295 refers to Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 1, page 295.
Again, on page 229 of "The Finished Mystery", we find the statement;
D625 refers to Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 4, page 625.
Brother Russell, in his sermon,
JERUSALEM ABOVE, THE GOLDEN CITY, THE CAPITAL OF THE GREAT KING
plainly states that the New Jersusalem is symbolic. As presented in "The Pittsburgh Gazette, October 10, 1904, under the subheading:
THE NEW JERUSALEM SYMBOLIC
From the scriptural standpoint the New Jerusalem represents the millennial kingdom primarily the kingdom class, the glorified church, called in the scriptures a royal priesthood. This New Jerusalem has been under construction for more than 1, 800 years, for we are specifically told that it is "the Bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9); hence it dates from the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit adopting the waiting believers and constituting them the nucleus of the gospel church. There the handful of Jews who had believed into Jesus, and consecrated their lives to follow in his footsteps, became "living stones" to be fitted, shaped, polished and prepared for places in "the Holy City." The walls of this symbolical city and its stones are as symbolical as the city as a whole. We are particularly told that there were 12 great foundations to the city wall, which represented the 12 apostles; and from their day to the present time other living stones have been in process of preparation and are now in process of aggregation in process of being gathered into the glorious union and completeness of the first resurrection Rev. 21:2-14
The entire sermon is online at:
www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/harvest_gleanings_3/HG069.asp
A statement is made regarding the symbol on the front of "The Finished Mystery" that it has to do with the sun-god.
The "sun of righteousness" symbol does not have to do with any "sun-god", athough similar symbolism has been employed in worship of the alleged sun-god.
ctr-rlbible.com/?cat=102
The following is a reply I have given to person who has presented a video on youtube entitled, "JWS Proof New Jerusalem not a myth". It presents a quote from page 320 of "The Finished Mystery", which is, as follows:
And shewed me [that great] THE HOLY City, [The holy] Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God.— The city came down from Heaven to earth. If we went up to Heaven, it would not be found there. ‘If Rev. 21 is to be literally interpreted, then the whole surface, of Palestine is far from sufficient to hold a city of this size. Besides, its height, length and breadth were to be equal.— Rev. 21:2.
My reply:
As best as I can determine the quote from "The Finished Mystery" is alleged to mean that the authors of the Firnished Mystery believed that there would be a literal city that would come down from heaven? If this is the thought, this is not true. The very quote given shows that the city is NOT a literal city, for it states *****IF***** it would be literally interpreted, and then shows the nonsense of a literal interpretation.
Brother Russell taught that the "New Jerusalem" is symbolic -- he believed that the New Jerusalem is symbolic, just as "lamb", "wild beat", "seven heads", "ten horns", etc., are all symbolic, and just as the city of Babylon the Great is symbolic, etc. He was not expecting that a literal city was going to come down out of heaven to earth, nor does the Finished Mystery claim that such is to happen.
The book, The Finished Mystery, was not written by Russell; nevertheless, it does not say that there will be a literal city that will come down out of heaven. In that very book, Brother Russell is quoted as saying:
"A city is a symbol of a kingdom or dominion, and so God's Kingdom is symbolized by the New Jerusalem, the new dominion coming from Heaven to earth. At first it will consist of only the Bride of Christ."—A295; Heb. 12:18-22.
---- The Finished Mystery, page 52.
A295 refers to Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 1, page 295.
Again, on page 229 of "The Finished Mystery", we find the statement;
Was trodden without the city.— "In symbolic prophecy a ‘city' signifies a religious government backed by power and influence. Thus, for instance, the holy city, the new Jerusalem,' is the symbol used to represent the established Kingdom of God, the overcomers of the Gospel Church exalted and reigning in glory." (D625.)
D625 refers to Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 4, page 625.
Brother Russell, in his sermon,
JERUSALEM ABOVE, THE GOLDEN CITY, THE CAPITAL OF THE GREAT KING
plainly states that the New Jersusalem is symbolic. As presented in "The Pittsburgh Gazette, October 10, 1904, under the subheading:
THE NEW JERUSALEM SYMBOLIC
From the scriptural standpoint the New Jerusalem represents the millennial kingdom primarily the kingdom class, the glorified church, called in the scriptures a royal priesthood. This New Jerusalem has been under construction for more than 1, 800 years, for we are specifically told that it is "the Bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9); hence it dates from the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit adopting the waiting believers and constituting them the nucleus of the gospel church. There the handful of Jews who had believed into Jesus, and consecrated their lives to follow in his footsteps, became "living stones" to be fitted, shaped, polished and prepared for places in "the Holy City." The walls of this symbolical city and its stones are as symbolical as the city as a whole. We are particularly told that there were 12 great foundations to the city wall, which represented the 12 apostles; and from their day to the present time other living stones have been in process of preparation and are now in process of aggregation in process of being gathered into the glorious union and completeness of the first resurrection Rev. 21:2-14
The entire sermon is online at:
www.mostholyfaith.com/bible/harvest_gleanings_3/HG069.asp
A statement is made regarding the symbol on the front of "The Finished Mystery" that it has to do with the sun-god.
The "sun of righteousness" symbol does not have to do with any "sun-god", athough similar symbolism has been employed in worship of the alleged sun-god.
ctr-rlbible.com/?cat=102
