“He answering, said, ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom; the darnel are the sons of the evil one, that enemy who sowed them is the Adversary; the Harvest is the end of the Age; and the reapers are messengers’ ” (Matthew 13:37-39, Diaglott).

That the Scriptures distinctly point forward to a special period in the end of this Dispensation marked by unusual and severe tests upon the Lord’s people we presume is not disputed by any who are really familiar with the teachings of the Bible. The Apostles and Prophets alike make mention of that peculiar time, and declare that it will be a season of fiery trial in which every man’s work shall be tried so as by fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). “In the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). “There shall come in the last days scoffers,” etc. (2 Peter 3:3). The words of the Savior, the solemn import of which is realized by all the thoughtful of our day, declare: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12); and the Master with equal solemnity alleges that in the conclusion of this Age God shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity Matthew 13:41).

How Long is the Harvest Period?

For a number of years past many of the brethren pursuing the study of this subject, have been made quite familiar with the lessons of this as well as other of our Lord’s parables. It is not therefore our purpose to specially review the details here. All the evidence brought together bearing upon the matter of the time has convinced us that for a number of years past we have ourselves been privileged to observe that there has been a harvest work in progress; a gathering of consecrated Christians, ripe wheat, out of a state of bondage and error into a state of liberty, light, and oneness with their Divine Lord, that they may be ready for their final glorification with him. We have seen the fulfilment to a considerable extent of the details of the parable. A harvest work has been going on, a separating work, which has meant indeed very severe trials for the Lord’s people. The question of the length of the Harvest period is one of deep concern to all the saints at the present time. Some years ago many of us were under the impression that the Harvest was a period of only 40 years, and that it would come to an end by or during the year 1914. The circumstances and events, however, as we have been carefully observing them, cause us to seriously doubt the truthfulness of that impression, indeed, convince us that we were in error in our conclusion that the Harvest was 40 years long and ended in 1914.

But it is asked, Did not the Harvest truly end in that year? and are we not to think that the work since that time is of another kind and not to be considered a part of the Harvest? Our reply is that we should require sound Bible reasons for all that we assume or believe. Looking for evidence that the Harvest ended 11 years ago, we look in vain. We can find not the slightest ground for assuming or concluding that the Harvest work ended in 1914 or that it has yet come to a close. While it is true that the work has not continued upon as large a scale, and not all the same methods or instrumentalities have been continued in operation, yet it is nevertheless a matter of fact that the message of Truth has continued to go forth enlightening the faithful and calling the attention of these to various Babylonish entanglements, which has meant of course that a gathering and a separating work has progressed unto this present time.

No New Work Authorized

We consider the evidence wholly lacking that the Harvest has ended. Nor is there any evidence that the Lord has instituted another and different work. We earnestly urge upon the Lord’s people to use moderation in their reasoning upon this subject as upon all subjects — to use the spirit of a sound mind and to require positive evidence, a “thus saith the Lord,” for every doctrine or thought that we accept. Whatever others may do, whatever changes in the work others may presume to institute without proper authority, let us not be affected by it, nor be alarmed, but let us look carefully to the Lord and his Word for guidance in this matter as in every affair of life. “The meek will he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach his way.” The Great Head of the Church is still our only Teacher and faithful Guide. There are no reasons whatever why we should institute some work different from that of the past. The Message has not changed the slightest. It is still the old, old story of Jesus and his love, the Message of the risen Christ and of our hope of joint-heirship with him in his glorious Kingdom, in the turning of the curse away from the earth, and the blessing of humanity. The great commission given by the Savior to his followers was that they should bear this Message onto the very end of the Age. We conclude, therefore, that it is pleasing and acceptable to God that we continue bearing testimony to the Truth in simplicity and in love, and allow the work of separation — the Harvest work— to go on under the providence and supervision of the Great Chief Reaper, fully conscious that he is able to have that work discontinued at any moment it may please him.

As for the Harvest being a period of 40 years, or as to how long that period is, we believe this is a matter entirely proper for us to investigate and discuss. The question is, Is there anything in the Bible that will enable us to determine how long this work of harvesting in the end of the Age will last?

Discarding Former Calculations

As is well known, the view held by Brother Russell up to within a short time before his death and concurred in by many of the Lord’s people was that the Harvest was a period of forty years, beginning in 1874 and ending in 1914; and this thought was based upon what was supposed to be certain parallelisms between the Jewish and Gospel Ages. But it must be recognized today that the accumulation of developments and circumstances through the years up to the present make manifest that some of our conclusions with regard to pictures and parallels were not sufficiently grounded, and we cannot do otherwise than discard some of these today. Those who were following carefully Brother Russell’s trend of thought just prior to his death will readily recall that he himself had begun to re-examine matters pertaining to the times and seasons, and particularly this feature involving the parallels that are related to the Harvest periods. He published a review of his latest findings in the September 1st issue of his journal in 1916. He there plainly called attention to what he designated “our mistake,” and said that “the parallelism between the Jewish Age and the Gospel Age could not include anything belonging to the new dispensation. The parallels affected merely the nominal Jewish house there and the nominal Chris- tian house here.”

Some Parallels Not Well Established

His statements furthermore show that his mind was undergoing a radical change with regard to the subject of parallels, for he said that it was his conviction then that “No parallels as between the Pentecostal Church [commencing AD 33] and the true Church now are to be looked for.”

We desire to emphasize this point of his revised views as clearly indicating his open mind and his readiness to change his position on one point or another as further study of the Word and developments of the times might indicate. His concluding remarks bearing upon the subject convey unmistakably the thought that in his judgment there was now no way to determine the length and ending of the Harvest; neither any way to determine the time of the destruction of the nominal Church system. His reasoning on this subject is well worthy of consideration, in view of the fact that many have taught since that time that the Harvest is ended, and have been engaged in setting particular dates for these great events to occur — all we believe without proper Scriptural authority. His words summing up are:

“We should not have looked for parallelisms between the starting of the Gospel Church [at Pentecost] and its experiences [here], and the starting in this Harvest time of the Heavenly Church [since 1878] and its experiences. These are no part to the parallel. The parallel belongs to the nominal Jewish system, which went to destruction [in 70 or 73 AD], and to the nominal Gospel Church, which is now [in 1916, when he wrote] going [not gone] to destruction.”

His words go on to show that whereas his former calculations had been that the Jewish Harvest lasted from AD 30 to AD 70, a period of 40 years, and that that 40 years would parallel a similar period here, from 1874 to 1914, he now believed this was a “mistake.” He thereupon tentatively set forth that the Harvest of the Jewish Age might more properly be regarded as starting AD 33 in connection with the Pentecostal blessing and possibly ending AD 73, at which time it is claimed that the Jewish time of trouble came to an end. Reasoning on that basis he stated that the 40 years from AD 33 to AD 73, supposed by inference to be a type, might cover the period from 1878 to 1918, applying to the nominal Christian systems, and meeting fulfilment in 1918 in their utter destruction. Everywhere there is now the evidence that this suggestion also proved a failure, in that nominal Christendom still continues.

Cannot Determine Length of Harvest

As the end of the time of trouble on the nominal Christian systems did not occur in 1918, which trouble would of course have meant their destruction, is it not reasonable and Scriptural to say that the antitype, so far as it related to the 40-year time feature, has failed both as applying to the nominal and true Church? Would he not have understood it this way if he had lived until April, 1918? Would it not also prove that the Gentile date of 1914 must be considered as having no direct bearing upon the change of the Church, but to Gentile authority only? And still further we ask, Would it not be much the wiser and the more Scriptural course of the Church to be looking to the fulfilment of events yet to come to pass, rather than to dates? Let him that readeth understand?

Finally his conclusion is clearly stated, showing that in his mind the 40-year time feature of the Harvest as it relates to the gathering of the Church, was wholly an inference and was discarded by him. He said:

“We imagined that the harvest work of gathering the Church would be accomplished before the end of the Gentile times; but nothing in the Bible so said. Our thought was purely an inference, and now we see that it was an unjustified one. This Harvest work belongs to the New Dispensation [beginning in 1874] and cannot be identified with the Old. Anyway, the harvesting of the Jewish Age, gathering ‘Israelites indeed’ into the Gospel Church, did not close with AD 70, but progressed in various parts of the world thereafter. Quite a good many Jews, doubtless, profiting by their terrible experience, were all the better prepared to be gathered into the Gospel Garner after the destruction of their national polity. Similarly, we may expect that quite a good many will yet [since September, 1916] be gathered to the Heavenly Garner, and we know of no time limit here.”

Solemn Lessons of This Hour

What now must be our reasonable conclusion on this subject, seeing that ten years beyond the time when the above was written there is still evidence of a harvest work, a work of testing and sifting, a work of cleansing, going on among God’s children today? Surely the lesson to all is to let their moderation be known to all men, to accept the facts and circumstances as they are clearly before us and act upon them. This will mean that as coworkers together with God we will accordingly continue to engage in assisting fellow-members of the Body of Christ in every quarter. Remembering that the significance of the Harvest is that of gathering or assembling together the ripe fruitage of the Age in the glorified state, the present phase of this work must relate to that of preparing the hearts and minds of the Lord’s people for their final gathering unto Him. It implies that in whatever state of bondage to error, to various organizations or systems of men the Lord’s people are, they must be enlightened and freed from these in order to properly fulfil their engagements and obligations toward their Divine Master.

Present Harvesting Work

The efforts of our great Adversary all along the line have been to divert the attention of true children of God from that of “holding the Head” to that of rendering homage and support to some man-made headship or authority, and those who yield to this influence are bound to suffer injury spiritually, are sure to suffer from lack of spiritual nourishment and a proper appreciation of spiritual things. The great call of our Master specially applies: “Come out of her, My people, that, ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,” which signifies to come out of all Babylonish confusion and teaching, and to remain free from all man-made authorities and powers in the Church— free from all organizational headships, as well as self- constituted authority and headship of any one individual. Doing this, such will understand more fully what it means to “hold fast to the form of sound words,” and to “stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.” Such will recognize that no individual in the Church may claim the right to dictate to fellow-members what is the faith or what they shall believe, or what work they shall do. As the Master instructed in the beginning of the Age that there was but one Lord and head to his Church, it must mean that he is dealing with his people as individuals. To him alone and his divinely inspired Apostles let us look for our instruction and support to the end of the way; meantime continuing to herald the message of comfort that his kingdom draweth nigh. “The Lord knoweth them that are his,” and he assures us that the work of gathering, the work of the Harvest, will yet be consummated, and then shall both the sowers and the reapers rejoice together and shine as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The great gathering place or Garner, therefore, is the Kingdom itself, beyond the veil, and not another human system or organization here on earth.

“Though it Tarry, Wait For It”

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall Speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Habakkuk 2:3).

The Divine purpose of the Ages is without doubt the vision seen by the Prophet Habakkuk, who was told to write it and to “make it plain upon tables, that every one may read it plainly” (Leeser’s translation); that in the end the vision should “speak and not lie”; though it would seem to tarry, it would not tarry. To all humanity, through the ages the great Plan of God has seemed to be long delayed; the groaning creation in their ignorance think of the Heavenly Father as being very slack, or they are inclined to lose their faith altogether in respect to the great Seed of Abraham, and to think that God has forgotten the promise which he made, that ultimately all the families of the earth should be blessed. We know what disappointments have come to God’s people all along the line. The Jews were disappointed in their expectations at the First Advent; all along through the Age since, at various intervals Christians have been disappointed, as time after time they have thought that their deliverance drew nigh. But still the disappointed ones continued to wait and hope and pray.

In our day after getting rid of many of the errors of the past, the subject of prophecy is forcefully before the attention of God’s people. Again wrong impressions are given out, and the subject of time prophecies and the Lord’s Second Advent have been brought into disrepute. Just as the wrong impression that our Lord was born in Nazareth was a reflection upon Him, and some said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? so it is now said, Can any good thing come out of the study of the times and seasons, chronology, or the prophecies relating to the coming of Messiah? Are not all these things written in the prophecies mere fanciful dreams of men — of the rebuilding of Zion and the restitution of Jerusalem? Thus there are scoffers today as foretold, and they are inclined to discourage everything in the direction of the examination of prophetic testimony that may give light upon our pathway and become a means of fresh encouragement and hope. The Lord tells us that although the vision may seem to tarry, yet we are to exercise faith, because in the end it will speak, it will make itself heard, and will not lie. It will then be seen to be the truth. Let us then have faith in God; faith that will hold fast to the Divine promise, being fully assured that the great Plan of God will yet, in the near future, speak and unfold the story of love Divine to all humanity and bring in the long looked for morning of joy.

A Word in Conclusion

A word in conclusion in regard to the subject and the matter treated in this issue: We urge none to accept the views herein presented, nor the conclusions drawn, merely because they are presented in this journal. All should carefully study and weigh the facts and evidences themselves and accept the conclusions only after they are convinced that they are well grounded and represent the truth. Nor should the acceptance or rejection of these conclusions be the cause of disturbance of harmony amongst the brethren, or be made a test of fellowship to any extent. The spirit of Christ dwelling richly in his fellow-members will lead all such to guard against the spirit of contention and selfishness and at all times to stand in defense of the holy Spirit of liberty and love. Let brotherly love continue.