Charles Taze Russell (1852 – 1916)

 (…continued from part IV)

I doubt whether Charles Russell (Feb. 16, 1852 – Oct. 31, 1916) did not harbour an unchristian agenda when he decided to form this Jehovah’s Witness sect. If not, he should have allowed the omnipotence of Jesus to enlighten him. How did he read or treat Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He has been given all ‘power’ that is: exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah): ‘privilege, that is, (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence.’ A delegated authority that extends, from the heavenly assizes even to the belly of the earth is omnipotent. Jesus got this authority after the resurrection, to restore Christ to His preincarnate eminence.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Worshipped in heaven, the earth and under the earth.

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” this is what Philippians 2:10 says. The noun ‘things’ are in italics meaning that they were translators’ insertions which, therefore, were not in the original script. Every being in heaven recognises the Lordship of Jesus in a bending worship! The same One receives adored prostration on terra firma. Even the wicked souls of Hades, knowing that they are doomed forever, must bend double in worship of this enigmatic Personage! He can only be God to have His sphere of influence beyond imagination.

I am just wondering what Charles Taze Russell would had made of the Omnipresent nature of Jesus. Matthew 18:20 records the promise of Him “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” More than two billion people go to, let us say, one million churches on Sundays. All prayer sessions and places of Christian assemblage host the Lord Jesus just because He has promised to be there. Is this not indicative of His Omnipresence?

He said in Matthew 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Not only on the Lord’s days of worship has He actually promised His divine presence, He is with us always. How could a created being achieve this miraculous feat? And when He asseverated the words of John 8:58, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am;” He spoke as God. The last two words, “I am,” is egō eime.

The myopic view, concerning Jesus, of their display has cost them their inability to know that He is very Omniscient. John 10:15 reads, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” The adverb ‘as’ is kathōs (kath-oce’)‘just (or inasmuch) as, that.’ ‘Knoweth’ is ginōskō (ghin-oce’-ko) ‘to “know” (absolutely), in a great variety of applications.’ Can Christ possess an absolute knowledge of God without being an omniscient deity Himself? 1Corinthians 1:24 “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” The whole world’s affairs are basically standing on two legged stance of religion and politics. Both of the Greek insatiable lust for global political glory, and the Jewry anticipatory rejuvenation of her sacerdotal calling before Jehovah come under the preeminence of Jesus, who wields the worshipful pantokrator political and religious power.

This is what Colossians 2:2-3 say: “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3) In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The mystery of the Omniscience of Jesus is, in these verses, revealed in Colossians 2:9,“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” The profundity of this scripture is that Jesus containerizes the eternity of all of the attributes of the Godhead. Will a created being possess enough capacity to bank all the fullness of the Godhead bodily? I think not!

The Jews were ready to assassinate Jesus for equalling Himself with Jehovah, not knowing that He was the same Personage who told their father Abraham to leave Ur; was the very One who visited him to announce the procreation of the yet to be gestated Isaac when He and two angels supped in his tent. Little did they know that standing before them was the One whose power erected the saline ocean which stood at attention for their great, great, great grandparents to have a miraculous dry access through the Red Sea! They could not phantom how the One whose finger etched the Decalogue and whose mouth read it to them would be standing in flesh and blood before their mortal presence.

      With dyed garments from Bozrah!

How could their (Jehovah’s Witnesses) imperviousness not allow them to believe that standing before them was the Personage of the prophetic afflatus, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save” [Isaiah 63:1]? There is only one Jehovah made visibly known to those who truly seek Him – He’s Jesus. Are these Jehovah’s Witness people of an errant Charles Taze Russell truly witnessing the true kerygma? Selah.

You can get born again by praying this prayer with all your heart and truthfully: Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins and You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I receive Him as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory, Amen.      (…to be continued…)       

Read part IV by clicking here

Click to read part VI

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