Who was Charles Taze Russell?

Millennial Dawnism is a religion invented by one man, the self-styled “Pastor” Russell, now dead, and set forth by him in one work, entitled “Millennial Dawn,” comprising six volumes, containing over 3,000 closely printed pages, presenting an official setting forth of the doctrines of this system.

With these verses we reach the heart of this chapter. Christ, the Son of His love, having been named in the prayer, the Holy Spirit reveals Him now in His Person and glory as well as the work of redemption accomplished by Him. It is a remarkable portion of this Epistle in which all the errors about the Person of Christ are refuted and silenced. Arianism, Socianism, Unitarianism, Russellism, Christian Science and other "isms" which rob the Lord Jesus Christ of His full glory and deny His deity, are completely answered in the brief words which unfold His glory. It was Arius of Alexandria who taught in the beginning of the fourth century that the Lord Jesus was a creature, the first of all created beings, though superangelic, yet not eternal in His being nor a partaker of the divine essence. The council of Nicea (325 A.D.) condemned the wicked theory of Arius. Socinus in the Reformation period revived this error, as did Priestly and Martineau in England and Channing and others in America. It remained for one Charles T. Russell, whose system is known by different names, to popularize these false and corrupt views and spread them throughout Christendom. Russell with Arius asserts that in His preexistent state Jesus was a pure spirit, higher than the angels, yet only a creature. When born of the Virgin Mary, He dropped His spirit nature while on earth. He teaches that the atonement offered by our Lord was only human, having nothing divine about it. Russellism also denies that the human body of our Lord was raised from the dead. The whole system is a conglomerate of Arianism, Ebioniteism and Rationalism. Christian Science equally denies the deity of Christ and contains in itself all the fatal errors of Gnosticism, which the Colossians were facing in their day.

I do not know that those of whom I have now to speak would claim the title of "Overcomers" as distinctively theirs. It is, however, a popular name for them, which has evidently its ground in some of their known doctrines. I use it thus for the body of people not long since arisen whose headquarters are in Alleghany, Pennsylvania, and whose monthly organ, edited by C. T. Russell, is "Zion's Watchtower."

Mr. Russell himself seems to be not merely the head but the whole inspiration of the movement; and the books which contain its principles are but reprints from the "Tower." These principles are fearlessly stated, and challenge universal acceptance, being pressed by diligent colportage and very active tract-distribution upon the attention of the masses. They are professed to be purely scriptural — indeed to give the full explanation of Scripture — to settle all difficulties and to solve all problems. "Be it known," says Mr. Russell, "that no other system of theology even claims, or has ever attempted, to harmonize in itself EVERY statement of the Bible; yet nothing short of this can we claim for these views." This is no slight assumption, and that many are examining it may be inferred from the fact that my copy of the volume which contains it purports to be one of the seventieth thousand, a number which it must by this time have far exceeded.

The views are evidently, as are Mr. Baker's, an evolution from Mr. Dunn's. Redemptive resurrection; full and equal trial for all by a gospel to be announced after resurrection to the unsaved; and the annihilation of the finally impenitent: these are the cardinal points. But Mr. Russell has in other respects, as we shall see, gone far beyond Mr. Dunn and the rest of his disciples, as he is far beyond them in assumption. What they more or less timidly advance, he asserts with the fullest assurance; and this is a well-known element of success. The Watchtower principles are gaining ground in many and unlooked-for places, if we may trust its frequent notices of accessions from the ranks of denominations accounted orthodox.

The late Judge J. F. Rutherford, the chief exponent of the teaching of “Jehovah's Witnesses,” was the author of numerous religious books and pamphlets. They boast an enormous circulation, and, we are told, they have been published in thirty languages. Under the title of “Jehovah's Witnesses,” he was really teaching in a new dress “Millennial Dawnism,” whose inventor, the self-styled “Pastor” Russell, died on October 31st, 1916, in a Pullman car on a railway journey in the United States, leaving no dying testimony of joy or brightness.

The second view maintains that the resurrection of both the just and the unjust will occur at the beginning of the Millennium, and that the former will preach Christ to the latter as affording them their final trial. This has been very widely spread by the writings of C. T. Russell, the author of a set of books known as "Millennial Dawn," which, through the untiring efforts of his adherents, has had an unparalleled circulation. There are also many, not associated at all with Mr. Russell, who practically advocate that element of his system. The accompanying paper exposes the unscripturalness of this view.

The life of a religious teacher should correspond with his teaching. Scripture makes this plain. Had the late “Pastor” Russell—the founder of Millennial Dawnism—clean hands and a pure heart? He instituted libel proceedings against the Brooklyn Eagle, an American newspaper, for damages amounting to $100,000. He lost the case. Examined on March 17th, 1913, Russell swore that his wife had not divorced him, and that the court had not granted alimony from him. Mr. Staunton, the opposing counsel, cross-examined Russell. He was compelled to admit that the court had divorced him from his wife, though not “absolutely,” and that the court had granted alimony. Russell swore deceitfully on those two counts.

We are asked as to the Great Pyramid. We would warn our readers against being deluded by the guesses and speculations that are being made as to the meaning of this structure. We are astonished that true lovers of the Word of God should be engrossed with it. Those who occupy the saints of God with it are doing them a great disservice, for they are turning them from the Word of God which is our only inspired and infallible guide. "ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Those who are sober-minded and who rightly divide the Word of truth need nothing else than the Word for their instruction and guidance, but the unstable and those who love sensations run after other things. Christians ought to be specially suspicious of any deductions drawn from the structure of the Great Pyramid since so much was made of it by the late C. T. Russell of Millennial Dawn fame.

Mr. Russell's creed is a peculiar form of Arianism. His Christ is but "the chiefest of all God's creatures" ("Food," p. 139), or, as he quotes it for his purpose, "the beginning of the creation of God" ("Millennial Dawn," vol. 1, p. 226). He was "'in a form of God' — a spiritual form, a spirit being" (p. 174). For the angels are not the highest form of spiritual being, and Jesus was higher than the angels, yet not so high as He is now (p. 174).

The reader can read between the lines. “The due time had come,” when none other than Charles Taze Russell appeared upon the scene, and the Lord’s “earnest, faithful children” are those who swallow what Charles Taze Russell has to say—without proof.

The year 1914, was vastly important to Russell, for he prophesied that the Seven Times of the Gentiles would expire about October 1st, 1914. This statement was adhered to by Russell for years, but as the time drew near he began to be less dogmatic, and to cast about to find some way out of the difficulty.

The late Judge J.F.Rutherford, the chief exponent of the teaching of “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” was the author of numerous religious books and pamphlets. They boast an enormous circulation, and, we are told, they have been published in thirty languages. Under the title of “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” he was really teaching in a new dress “Millennial Dawnism,” whose inventor, the self-styled “Pastor” Russell, died on October 31st, 1916, in a Pullman car on a railway journey in the United States, leaving no dying testimony of joy or brightness.