Charles Taze Russell, the greatest expounder of Biblical truths since the days of Saint Paul, and the staunchest defender of “the faith once delivered to the saints”
since Luther, at an early age fell prey to the logic of infidelity in an endeavor to convert an infidel, which “wrecked my confidence in human creeds and systems of misinterpretation of the Bible,” Dissatisfied with the dashing, discordant, and wholly unreasonable creeds of ecclesiasticism. he investigated the claims of the leading Oriental religions, all of which he found to be unworthy of credence.
He finally undertook systematic BIBLE research, and was brought to a complete confidence in the BIBLE as being inspired by an all-wise, powerful, just and loving Creator, worthy of adoration and worship. It was logical, it appealed to reason, and it was just what one should expect from such a benevolent Father. He found that the Bible reveals a Divine Plan which reflects the attributes of His glorious character, and that the grandeur and breadth of the Plan which the Scriptures present more than meet the most exalted conception of what it purports, to be— “Good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people.”
The discovery in the Scriptures of the divine plan of the ages (Eph. 3:11, Diaglott) links them all together as parts of one harmonious whole which cannot be broken. With ail the fervor of his convictions, he sought to remove the foul stain that has been attached to the name of our loving Heavenly Father, by practically all the creeds of “Christendom” and which have been handed down to us from the Dark Ages, when the most atrocious things were done in the name of God, of Christ, of Christianity. His purpose ever was to assist mankind to a right understanding and proper appreciation of the Divine Character; and to this end he bent all the powers of his being.
A copy of the Diaglott showed that in Matthew 24:27, 37, 39, the word which in our Common Version is rendered coming is translated presence. The Scriptures fully indicated 1874 as the date at which the Lord’s presence and harvest began. During the summer of 1876, “the knowledge of the fact that we were already in the time of the Harvest gave to me an impetus to spread the truth such as I never had before, I therefore resolved upon a vigorous campaign for THE TRUTH.”
As a very young man, he was one of the pioneers in the development of the
marvelously successful idea of the chain-stores which soon enriched him to a
quarter million dollars. He dosed out his business and gave his time, as well as
his fortune, to the great Harvest Work.
Being a person of positive convictions and fully consecrated to the Lord, he
revived the great TRUTHS taught by Jesus and the Apostles, the Law, and ail
the holy Prophets, and turned the light of the twentieth century upon these. He
did more than any other man of modern times to establish the faith of the people
in the Scriptures.
He devoted himself to the development of the fruits and graces of the holy
spirit, and the promise was fulfilled in him— he was permitted to understand the
doctrine (Isa. 28:9; John 7:17; 2 Pet. 1:8 ; Matt. 24:45; Luke 32:42).
Pastor Russell consistently taught what it meant to he a Christian and how to
become a genuine Christian. As he taught, so he lived— according to the spirit.
He said he would be ashamed to beg for his God especially since he knew that all
the gold and silver are His. Besides, to Him belong all the cattle, sheep, goats, on the
thousand hills.
He therefore emphasized that nowhere does the Bible authorize anybody to beg
in Jehovah’s name and for His cause. The money came, without solicitation, from “the
poor and needy,” as well as from the more affluent; and in sums ranging from fifty
cents to fifty thousand dollars. He commented that “very many people having their
own souls blessed, feel as though they wanted to do something for others, so they
will hand in money.”
Pastor Russell was hailed as “the world’s favorite preacher.” He became recognized as “the only theologian of the Gospel Age who had been able to demonstrate the harmony of the Bible with itself.” He modestly asserted that “this clear unfolding of TRUTH was due to the simple fact that G od’s due time has come\ and if I did not speak, and no other agent could be found, the very stones would cry out.” He was one of the noblest, purest, grandest characters of all history.
It is doubtful whether the amount of work he performed was ever equaled by any human being. It seems almost incredible. During the forty-two years he was actively engaged in the Lord’s work, he was never known to take a vacation. When reminded that he was overtaxing his strength— he was subject to sick headaches, and suffered other distressing physical infirmities— he replied characteristically that he would have all eternity in which to rest if he worked faithfully while here.
In 1912, one of the sessions of a general eight-day convention of Bible Students
at Washington, D.C., “demolished hell, eternal torment,” as unscriptural. A resolution was unanimously adopted repudiating this monstrous doctrine of the dark ages
— the eternal torture of nearly all of mankind. This resolution agitated considerable
discussion amongst the various clergymen in ‘all parts of the United States and
Canada. The famed Pastor of the Brooklyn and London Tabernacles, and President
of the International Bible Students’ Association which was also chartered in England,
addressed the Convention. He had been chosen Pastor of twelve hundred congregations scattered throughout the world.
In the spring of 1914, the PHOTO-DRAMA OF CREATION was in full swing. It was marvelous! The Drama was purely a philanthropy; it was unsectarian and interdenominational. Millions of the rich and the poor witnessed these exhibitions— they were FREE! Many people were thus brought to an appreciation of the goodness and wisdom of God— and consecrated their lives to Him and His service.
The expense may be imagined when we note that forty thousand dollars’ worth
of blank paper had been used for the first printing of the free Scenario which was
also several years in preparation. The production alone cost more than a million
dollars. The moving pictures were the grandest, most beautiful, as well as the most
instructive, of anything ever seen on the cinema-screen. The superb coloring on slides
and film was applied by artists.
W hile the pictures (moving and slides) were the acme of beauty and charm,
and correspondingly entertaining and instructive, the most marvelous part of the
whole drama was the interesting and profitable lectures delivered by a Talking Machine combination with the volume and tone of an orator, superior to anything which
had ever before been produced— and no one recognized that the words came from
a machine. Thus Pastor Russell was a pioneer, introducing sound and color to moving pictures for the first time. “Talking movies” came to the theatres years later
in 1930, and not until 1935 were they produced in color.
Pastor Russel! was the master mind of this the most astounding feature of the Harvest Work ever devised and developed. We quote his words: “God kindly veiled our eyes as respects the amount of labor connected with the drama. Had we foreknown the cost of time and money and patience necessary for the start, we would never have begun it. But neither did we know in advance the great success that would attend the Drama as millions of people at home and abroad are hearing a glorious message from the WORD OF GOD, ‘wonderful words of life,’ in their own languages. Our difficulty lay in procuring copies of fine art pictures illustrative of the history of the world from the dawn of creation to the present and into the future. The special advantage of the drama seems to have accrued to a certain class of people whose faith had well-nigh slipped, who were beginning to doubt the Bible and everything connected with the future. Some of these have written us very beautiful and pathetic letters of appreciation and thanks to God. A gentleman who visited the Cincinnati Exhibition remarked, “I am a U. B. minister, and I want to say to you that I have learned more about the Bible and about God in my visit to this Drama than I learned in my entire three-years’ course in the Theological Seminary.
In 1915, Pastor Russell gave a discourse on “Why Financiers Tremble,” which was widely distributed. A committee representing the “money interests” centered in W all Street offered him a fabulous salary to give them one hour a week in their board meetings; they recognized that here was a man who had a dearer understanding and better grasp of the world’s financial position than any of them. But this offer he graciously declined by informing them that ail his time and talents were consecrated to the Lord.
Pastor Russell’s writings were said to have a greater newspaper circulation every week than those of any other living man, greater than the combined circulation of all the priests and preachers of North America. Approximately fifteen hundred Editors published weekly Pastor Russell “copy,” furnished in various countries through Press Associations, News Syndicates or Lecture Bureaus. In a special endeavor to serve the interests of the Editors receiving their services, the American Lecture Bureau and Press Association invited Pastor Russell to make a Round-the World Tour, hoping thus to enable him to give his many millions of readers the benefit of his keen observation and wonderful power of description when applied to the present status and prospects of Christianity in heathen lands. This he accomplished between regular engagements abroad. He was acclaimed by the London
Press as “America’s Spurgeon” and as “The World’s Ubiquitous Preacher,” for the reason that he traveled so extensively, and “had the world for his congregation.”
Pastor Russell visited the Holy Land, and he has written much on Jewish topics and has addressed many Jewish audiences (including Jerusalem) on Biblical Zionism, pointing out the significance of the many unfulfilled promises to them by Jehovah. He found positive corroborative evidence of the time prophecies of the Prophets of old in the wonderful stone building, the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, at the border, yet in the center, of Egypt where the Occident and Orient meet (Isa. 19:19-20). And most remarkably the message of encouragement, The Voice (Die Slimme), has gone forth to the ends of the earth. This message points to the Messiah of Glory. It gives assurances that the time of the establishment of his Kingdom is near, and that then the Jews will be blessed. It points them to the land of Palestine as the place where the national blessings begin; and theirs is the chief of earthly blessings. By FAITH and OBEDIENCE Abraham, father of nations, is heir of the world (Ge 17:5; Ro. 4 :1 3 ).
His books on Biblical research, STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, are indispensable to Bible scholars the world over. They are worth their weight in gold to all wishing to understand the BIBLE. “FAITH triumphs over reason by accepting the revelation of THE GOD OF REASON.” Ezekiel 2:5, 33:33