[422]This great work of gathering together Christian people can be designated in no other way than as a harvest, and fully meets that which was foretold by the Lord Jesus.  This work, which has covered a period of about forty-five years, has never had for its purpose the forming of any arrangement by which Christians join anything.  Its purpose and work has been and is to enlighten men and women concerning the great divine plan, and by this means of proclaiming the message of truth has gathered together Catholics and Protestants, Christians from all denominations in all parts of the earth.  These Christians are not the followers of Pastor Russell, but are followers of the Lord and rejoice to feed upon the food that the Lord has provided for them through his wise and faithful servant.

[423]Furthermore, Jesus said with reference to his second presence:  “For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together”.  (Matthew 24:28) And so it is.  The carcass here refers to the spiritual food provided for the household of faith.  The eagles are those of keen vision and sharp appetite, anxious to know of the Lord’s Word, and equally anxious to feed upon it.  Hence we find gathering together many earnest Christian people in groups in various parts of the earth, who know no nationality, whose citizenship is in heaven, whose allegiance and devotion is to the Lord and to his kingdom of righteousness.

[424]Jesus defines the wheat class as the true followers of himself, children of the kingdom, and the tares as the imitation Christians, who are Christians in name only.  He declared:  “Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”—­Matthew 13:  30.

[425]It is a well-known fact that since 1878 there has been a tendency on the part of all denominations to bind themselves into leagues and combines, associations, Interchurch World Movement, etc., thus fulfilling this prophetic statement of the Lord of binding together the merely nominal Christians preparatory for the great fire, the great time of trouble, which is now upon the earth.  To the truly consecrated people of God, who have been identified with these various sectarian or denominational systems the Lord has been calling in this time of the harvest, saying:  “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and receive not her plagues”. (Revelation 18:4) Concerning his work with the others, the wheat class, Jehovah through his Prophet long ago said:  “Gather my saints together unto me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice”. (Psalm 50:5) The great work of the harvest, that is to say, the proclaiming of the second presence of the Lord and the gathering together of those who truly love his appearing, has been so remarkably fulfilled since 1874 that it is one of the most striking and conclusive proofs of the Lord’s second presence.