Foreigners Worship With God's People

What, though, of the foreigners?  The prophecy now returns to these, and Jehovah has words of great comfort for them.  Isaiah writes:  "The foreigners that have joined themselves to Jehovah to minister to him and to love the name of Jehovah, in order to become servants to him, all those keeping the Sabbath in order not to profane it and laying hold of my covenant, I will also bring them to my holy mountain and make them rejoice inside my house of prayer.  Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be for acceptance upon my altar.  For my own house will be called even a house of prayer for all the peoples." -Isaiah 56:6, 7.

In our time, "the foreigners" have made their appearance gradually. Before the first world war, it was understood  that a greater number of individuals would receive salvation than the number of those with the hope of ruling in heaven with Jesus-the ones we recognize today as the Israel of God.  Bible students were aware of Jesus' words recorded at John 10:16:  "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd."  These "other sheep" were understood to be an earthly class. But most Bible Students believed that the other sheep would make their appearance during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

Eventually, progress was made in the understanding of a related scripture that speaks of sheep.  In Matthew chapter 25, there is record of Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats. According to that parable, the sheep receive everlasting life because they support Jesus' brothers.  Hence, they are  a class separate and distinct  from the anointed brothers of Christ.  In 1923, during a convention in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., it was explained that those sheep must make their appearance, not during the Millennium, but during the concluding days of this system of things. Why?  Because Jesus gave the parable as part of his answer to the question:  "When will these  things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of they system of things?" -Matthew 24:3.

During the 1920's, some individuals who were associated with the Bible Students came to feel that Jehovah's spirit was not witnessing to them that they  had a heavenly calling.  Yet, they were zealous servants of the Most High God. In 1931 the position of these was better understood when the book Vindication was published. As part of a verse-by-verse discussion of the Bible book of Ezekiel, Vindication explained the vision of "the man" with the writers inkhorn.  (Ezekiel 9:1-11) This "man" is seen going through Jerusalem and marking the foreheads of those sighing and crying over the abominations being committed there.  "the man" represents  Jesus' brothers, the remnant of  anointed Christians alive one earth during the time of judgment of anti typical Jerusalem, Christendom.  Those marked are the other sheep  living during that time.  In the vision they are spared when Jehovah's executioners bring vengeance on that apostate city.

Next time: Conclusion of Foreigners  Worship with God's People

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001