ON OCTOBER 31, 1916, on a railroad train eastward bound through Texas, Pastor Charles Taze Russell, familiarly known to thousands of his brethren in Christ the world over as “Brother” Russell, passed away. The news of his death spread rapidly and, for a time, those who knew and loved him for his work’s sake could think and speak of little else as they met one another except that “Brother Russell is dead.” Somehow many of us felt that Brother Russell would remain with the church in the flesh as long as there was work to do this side the veil, and it was difficult to grasp the hard fact that now he was gone.

Pastor Russell began his ministry as a very young man. Raised a Presbyterian, he took to heart the teachings of that denomination, particularly the doctrine of eternal torture for all who die unconverted. So thoroughly did he believe this superstition that at times he went up and down the streets of his home city with chalk in hand, writing on the sidewalks special warnings to all sinners. Later he began to reason matters out for himself and concluded that a God of love would not torment unbelievers; but, believing (or supposing) that the torment theory was taught in the Bible, he began to doubt that it was inspired by God.

He then made a study of various heathen religions but without finding anything to satisfy his mind and heart. Later, in the Lord’s providence, he learned that much of the misunderstanding concerning future punishment for sin was due to mistranslations of the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek words hades and Gehenna. It was the improper translation of these words in certain scriptures which had made the Bible appear to teach that God would torment sinners forever. Now, Brother Russell learned that Paul’s statement, “The wages of sin is death,” is really true— that death, not torment, is the penalty for sin.

Then he began a study of the prophecies. Others joined him. They found that a mistranslation of the Greek word parousia had led to a misunderstanding of the subject of Christ’s return; just as mistranslations of sheol, hades, and Gehenna had led to error regarding the penalty for sin. It was discovered that parousia means presence, and not “coming” and that, when used in the prophecies of the second advent, it refers to the time when Christ is present, not to when he will come. This proved to be the key which unlocked the prophecies of the second advent, and it was soon apparent from the light then enjoyed that the scriptural date 1874 marked the beginning of the second presence.

In the early seventies, Brother Russell and several others studied the Scriptures together for over two years. Telling of this experience later, he said the most outstanding truth of God’s Word which came to light as a result of this long period of study was that the return of Christ is for the restoring of the human race to life and not to destroy the earth as commonly believed in church circles. In relating this he cited that wonderful statement by Peter recorded in Acts 3:19-21 concerning the “times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”