Berean Questions for Volume II: The Time Is At Hand is a comprehensive question-and-answer study guide created to supplement Volume II of Studies in the Scriptures, originally written by Charles Taze Russell. It is structured as a catechetical tool (inquiry-based learning) that breaks down the theological arguments and prophetic interpretations made in Volume II, focusing on end-time prophecy, biblical chronology, and Christ’s return. The guide helps readers critically engage with the material by asking over 500 questions divided across several studies.

1. Special Times and Seasons Divinely Appointed

This section emphasizes God's orderly arrangement of prophetic times and seasons, urging believers to awaken from spiritual drowsiness and pay attention to prophetic fulfillment. It discusses the importance of interpreting prophecy correctly, with a particular focus on the "harvest" period of the Gospel Age, believed to have begun in the 1870s. The study stresses that while some times were hidden in the past, they are now being revealed because it is the "due time."

2. Bible Chronology

This extensive section builds the foundation for understanding prophecy by establishing a biblical timeline, calculated to date from the creation of Adam to 6,000 years later—1872 A.D. The study relies on Hebrew biblical records over secular or Septuagint versions. It details how Bible Chronology is divinely preserved, covers various prophetic time periods (like the 1656 years from creation to the Flood), and explores discrepancies in historical calculations (especially Bishop Usher’s). It concludes that October 1874 marks the beginning of Christ’s invisible Second Presence.

3. Fulfillment of Time Prophecy at Christ's First Advent

This study analyzes Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy, interpreted as 490 symbolic years leading to Christ's First Advent and crucifixion. It defends the year-day principle (one prophetic day equals one literal year) and argues the accurate fulfillment of this prophecy proves the validity of this principle for other time prophecies. It also shows how the prophecy allotted specific time to Israel before favor passed to the Gentiles.

4. The Times of the Gentiles

This study focuses on Luke 21:24, explaining that the "Times of the Gentiles" refer to a 2,520-year period of Gentile dominion beginning with the fall of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. and ending in 1914 A.D. The study discusses the significance of this end date as the time when Christ begins His Kingdom rule. It examines symbolic “seven times” in Leviticus and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, using both as prophetic types foretelling Gentile rule and its end. It links this to modern political unrest and global upheaval as indicators of prophetic fulfillment.

5. The Manner of Our Lord’s Return and Appearing

This section emphasizes that Christ’s Second Coming would not be a visible, fleshly return, but rather an invisible spiritual presence. It argues that Jesus, having been resurrected in a spiritual body, will manifest His presence through events and signs, not physical appearance. It revisits Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to the disciples to support the idea that spiritual beings can materialize in human form without being permanently human. The study also contrasts popular misconceptions about Christ’s return with a symbolic and scriptural view of His Parousia (presence), suggesting His reign began invisibly in 1874.

6. Earth’s Great Jubilee

This study explores the Jubilee system in ancient Israel as a type or shadow of the coming Millennial reign of Christ, which it calls the "Times of Restitution." By examining sabbath cycles and the Jubilee law, it argues that the antitypical Jubilee began in 1874, marking the beginning of humanity's release from bondage under sin. The Jubilee foreshadows the full restoration of mankind during the Millennium. The study provides intricate chronological evidence linking Jewish historical cycles with prophetic fulfillment in the late 19th century.

7. The Parallel Dispensations

This final study outlines parallels between the Jewish Age and the Gospel Age, viewing them as type and antitype. It claims that the events of the Jewish Age foreshadow events in the Christian era, including the harvests, rejections, and restorations. The “double” period of Israel’s favor and disfavor (from A.D. 33 to A.D. 1878) is explained as a prophetic pattern. The study teaches that the call to the Church (the Bride of Christ) ended around 1881, and since then God’s favor is returning to natural Israel, with 1914 marking the full close of Gentile Times and beginning of visible world changes.

Conclusion:

Berean Questions for Volume II: The Time Is At Hand presents a prophetic interpretation of human history from creation to the Millennial Age through the lens of Bible chronology and typology. It challenges mainstream theology by asserting that Christ returned invisibly in 1874, that the Gentile lease ended in 1914, and that we are now in the early stages of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth. Through hundreds of detailed questions, it trains the reader to trace these developments through Scripture, history, and prophecy.