No. 454
My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!
“In those days there will be great distress on the land, and wrath against this people [the Jews]... and Jerusalem will be trodden down by Gentiles, till the times of Gentiles may be accomplished.” (Luke 21:23,24, Dia.)
As most of our readers know, Brother Russell accurately measured off the times (years) of the Gentiles as 2,520 literal years, beginning in the Fall of 607 BC (606 years before 1 AD) and ending in the Fall of 1914. In that year the great war erupted, which afforded positive proof that he had correctly foretold the times of the Gentiles.
However, probably quite a few of our readers may not know that a “foolish virgin,” Doctor Guiness, had come out many years before 1914 with the theory that those Gentile Times would not end until nineteen years later – in 1933. And, when the destruction of present institutions did not occur immediately after 1914, with peace being declared in 1918, quite a few brethren in the Truth movement accepted this error, and caused no little furor among the brethren at that time. On the surface it did seem that a mistake had been made; but when 1933 arrived, and not the slightest event of any consequence occurred then, the controversy just passed into limbo. And of those who did accept the error after peace had been restored on November 11, 1918, and things seemed to be going along quite peacefully (with the exception of the overthrow of the Czarist regime in the Fall of 1917), it was a puzzling situation – but no answer appeared then to solve the puzzle. And many of those who had accepted the error are now floating around more or less without any anchor at all in the chronology. It is our firm conviction that the Gentile Times did end in 1914; and this will become more manifest when Armageddon confirms the interpretation of 1 Kings 19:11, 12.
That Servant himself was thoroughly convinced that The Times of the Gentiles ended in 1914, and that the chronology was correct. Here are some quotations from his Foreword in Parousia Vol. 2, written after 1914 and published October 1, 1916:
“We could not, of course, know in 1889, whether the date 1914, so clearly marked in the Bible as the end of the Gentile lease of power or permission to rule the world, would mean that they would be fully out of power at that time, or whether, their lease expiring, their eviction would begin. The latter we perceive to be the Lord’s program; and promptly in August, 1914, the Gentile kingdoms referred to in the prophecy began the present struggle, which, according to the Bible, will culminate in the complete overthrow of all human government, opening the way for the full establishment of the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.
“Our thought is that somehow the Lord is taking a hand in the affairs of the world now as He did not do in times past. We do know that the great Time of Trouble, which has begun, very closely corresponds to the Divine declaration respecting the time and conditions of the establishment of Messiah’s Kingdom. The Lord Himself informs us that, at the time He shall take to Himself His great power and reign, the nations will be mad and the Divine wrath will come. A little later on the time will come for the judging of the dead, and the giving of the reward to God’s servants, small and great, leading on finally to the destruction of the incorrigible, who would exercise a corrupt influence upon the earth. (Rev. 21:8)
“All over the world people knew of the expectations of Bible Students in respect to the year 1914; and when so stupendous a war as the present one broke loose, when the winds of strife began to blow with such fury and destruction, thousands remembered what they had heard and read respecting the end of the Gentile Times. Thousands today have come to fully appreciate the times in which we are living.
“The author acknowledges that in this book he presents the thought that the Lord’s saints might expect to be with Him in glory at the ending of the Gentile Times. This was a natural mistake to fall into, but the Lord overrules it for the blessing of His people. The thought that the Church would all be gathered to glory before October, 1914, certainly did have a very stimulating and sanctifying effect upon thousands, all of whom accordingly can praise the Lord – even for the mistake.
“Our mistake was evidently not in respect to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles; we drew a false conclusion, however, not authorized by the Word of the Lord. We saw in the Bible certain parallels between the Jewish Age and the Gospel Age. We should have noted that these parallels follow the nominal systems to destruction in both cases, and do not indicate the time of the glorification of the New Creation.”
It should be noted here that Brother Russell put too much faith in “parallels,” and failed to heed his own faithful doctrine – “that parallels, types, as well as Pyramid dates, cannot teach a doctrine, but only corroborate a doctrine already taught in plain terms.” And Brother Johnson often reiterated this same doctrine; but he, too, relied too heavily on the “parallels” and types for the glorification of the last saint in 1956. But, as Brother Russell has stated in the above quotation of his Foreword: “This was a natural mistake to fall into, but the Lord overruled it for the blessing of His people.”
And in the Reprints 5522 and 5523 Brother Russell corroborates his above statements in regard to the Time of Trouble beginning after the Gentiles Times End – also that the Epiphany period started with the Time of Trouble: “These Bible students call our attention to the fact that the Bible distinctly differentiates between the Parousia of Christ and His Epiphania at His second coming. The word Parousia [5522, bottom] signifies presence, without any sense of the word indicating that the presence is visible. The word Epiphania signifies the revealing of one who is already present. These Bible students claim that in the end of this Gospel Age Christ will be present, invisible to men, during a period of forty years doing a work especially to His Church – rewarding the faithful, as shown in the parables of the Pounds and the Talents, and receiving the ‘wise virgins,’ as in the parable of our lesson... The world will know that He has taken His great power and begun His reign of righteousness, not by seeing Jesus in the flesh, but by seeing the great Time of Trouble which then will break upon the world – ‘A time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.’ (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21)”
“The Scriptures indicate that the Gentile governments will receive from their own peoples their first notice that their lease of power has expired... The judgments of the Lord will begin to be manifest in the world, and will run counter to many of their interests. This manifestation of His presence is Scripturally called the Epiphania, the shining forth, the revealment, of the King of Glory. ‘He shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (2 Thes. 1:7‑10) As a result, the nations of earth will be broken to pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Psa. 2:8,9)
“The picture given of the end of Gentile Times is that of a stone striking the image of Gentile supremacy in its feet. (Dan. 2:34, 35) The impact will be so sharp and so thorough as to leave nothing of them. Having had their day, they will cease to be ‘become like the chaff of the summer threshing floor.’ The next event in order will be the Messianic kingdom, of which it is written, ‘The desire of all peoples shall come.’“ (Reprint 5527, top, col. 2, par. 2)
“Emphasizing the suddenness with which the calamity will overtake the world, Jesus said that on the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained down fire and brimstone from heaven; and he declared that thus it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. The Greek text shows a difference between the Parousia, or presence, of Christ before the time of trouble, and the later Epiphania, or revealing.” (Reprint 5456, col. 1, par. 2
Under the Caption of Present Duty and privilege of the Saints in Reprints 5630‑5633 Brother Russell gives us the following: “What time, then, is signified by the expression ‘in the days of these kings,’ when the kingdom of God was to be set up in power? To our understanding the first step in the setting up of this kingdom was the raising of the sleeping saints of the Gospel Age, which we believe was in the spring of 1878. Then began the glorification of the Church. The work of setting up the kingdom has, we understand, been progressing from that date, and is now merely lacking the last members of the Church class. When these shall have taken their places as members of the Church in Glory, the Kingdom will be fully set up.
“This does not signify, that there may not be a part of the kingdom work begun while some of the members of Christ are still in the flesh. Indeed some Scriptures seem to imply that there will be a kingdom work done this side the veil, while a work of still greater magnitude and authority is progressing on the other side of the veil. We read, ‘Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds.’ This seems to imply, as we have mentioned before, that there is a special work to be done while these saints still have beds, while they are in a condition of repose – not ‘tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine,’ but fully at rest in God’s great plan. The Scripture goes on to say that they have a two‑edged sword in their hands – this is the Word of God. They use it as the sword of the Spirit. This would not be true of them on the other side of the veil. They would have no use for a sword there. The Scriptures also declare that the high‑sounding praises of God are upon their lips. This, too, seems to be applicable to those this side the veil.” (Reprint 5631, col. 2, par. 4)
“The final phrase, ‘to execute the judgments written,’ would seem to imply that there would be something for the saints on this side of the veil to do in connection with the execution of the judgments upon the nations. As to just what this means, we have not yet fully learned. But we see nothing here to conflict with the thought that the Lord’s kingdom may be properly understood to have begun operations and the present smiting of the nations is under kingdom control. The fact that some of the members of the kingdom class are still in the flesh does not militate at all against this thought. We see the kingdoms of the world now being dashed to pieces, and we are expecting to see the process continued until they are completely ground to powder. They shall become as the chaff of the summer threshing‑floor, and the wind shall carry them away. Then shall they be found no more at all. (Dan. 2:35)
“The Kingdom of God Set Up: Because certain important things are to be accomplished, we see that God is permitting what to others might seem to be purely human devilishness. For a wise purpose He permits this reign of lawlessness, this condition which evokes universal odium. Our thought is that we should look for still further evidences day by day that the Gentile Times have ended, and that God’s kingdom has begun its work. We are expecting to see multiplied proofs of the kingdom power, though the world will not recognize it as such until it is manifested in the flaming fire of anarchy, which is still further along... But many will not begin to see until the flaming fire is revealed. When we endeavor to tell them now they will not receive it, but they will be thoroughly convinced when they see the destructive fire of anarchy.
“It was merely during the interval between the destruction of the kingdom of Israel and the setting up of the kingdom of the heavens that the opportunity was given to these Gentile kingdoms to see what they could do toward establishing a righteous government on earth. Now the time has come for God’s kingdom to displace them; but they will not willingly resign their crowns and scepters; they are in defiance. Therefore force is required to destroy them. Their 2520 years of rule are in the past, and they must now submit to a complete overthrow. We are expecting that the work of their crushing will steadily continue until its full accomplishment.
“But finally, when the Lord’s ‘due time’ has come to permit it, they broke through their restraint. The Lord has at this particular time especially to do with the affairs of the nations. And this war was allowed to occur at about the end of the Times of the Gentiles, at the appropriate time when they are to be dashed to pieces with the iron rod of the iron rule. (Psa. 2:6‑12)... Now in this great day of the Lord everything that can be shaken is to be shaken to pieces and shaken out, to the intent that nothing unrighteous or unworthy shall remain. God Himself is doing the shaking.” (Reprint 5632, col. 1)
“The Time For Judgment is Ripe: We believe that the Times of the Gentiles ended just on time, as shown in Vol. 2 of the Studies in the Scriptures. The hand of justice is now doing the breaking – the nations shall be broken as ‘a potter’s vessel.’ The whole cataclysm of trouble may be upon the world during the next ten months or it may be longer deferred. We believe that the time for the setting up of the kingdom was on September 21, 1914. At that time, when it was due for our Lord to take up His great power and reign, the nations were already angry. They were at war over a month in advance of the time, because so angry.” (Reprint 5632, col. 2)
THE EPIPHANY
From the foregoing we believe there can be no sound argument against our statement that Brother Russell believed that an Epiphany – as a period of time – would become apparent once the Gentile Times ended and the Time of Trouble had arrived. We have gone into quite some detail on the subject, quoting much from Brother Russell. It is our belief that many of our readers still hold him in high regard; they believe that he was That Servant – just as we do. And it strikes us as most unusual that many of those same brethren pay little or no attention to his teachings about the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble.
It is probably in order here to state that the Time of Trouble in the broad sense had its beginning in 1874, between which date and 1914 the reaping work was pretty well consummated. During that forty years such movements as the IWW (International Workers of the World), the Communists, Nihilists, etc., persuaded many that the time for radical change had come. When we were in the U.S. Army in 1918 we came into close contact with some of these. And often when we spoke the Truth to them about the Times of the Gentiles, that the lease of power had expired, and that the Lord was then in process of evicting them, they admitted that they agreed. The only thing then preventing them from tearing down the social institutions of the time was the great war for which they had no sympathy, but were persuaded that the common enemy – the Central Powers – must first be defeated. After the war ended, some of their leaders, or friends, such as Norman Thomas, openly declared that the conflict had been nothing but a commercial war; and that those who refused to cooperate with the Government were the only ones who had shown good sense.
As most of our readers know, fire in the Bible is often a symbol of destruction; and this was certainly true of the Great War. Note 2 Thes. 1:7‑10, Dia.: “The Lord Jesus from Heaven... in a flame of fire dispensing retributive justice to those not acknowledging God [the Second‑Death class in Big Babylon], and to those not being obedient to the glad tidings [the Second‑Death class in the Truth Movement]... when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all those who believe, in that day.” In this Scripture St. Paul is directly identifying the Time of Trouble as a period of great destruction.
Further the same Apostle identifies this destruction as a period of time in 2 Tim. 4:1, Dia.: “Christ Jesus is about to judge the living [those who have “passed from death unto life,” and the fallen angels who have never been under the death sentence] and the dead [the dead world of mankind whether in the tomb or those still living on this earth], by his appearing [the Epiphany] and by his kingdom [the thousand‑year reign of the saints on earth].”
It should be stressed here that Brother Russell saw much of what we have written herein – perhaps not as clearly as we see things now; but he gave us the foundation upon which to build. Thus it is our firm conviction that his chronology is correct, and that most of his dates are also correct, especially so of the Gentile Times. However, as he himself admits, some of his expectations about those dates were not realized. He used types, parallels, etc., to reach his conclusions; and, when we consider the vast amount of error that was so rampant at the time he entered the ministry, we often marvel that this “man of God” did not make more mistakes than he did; so we are generous in our appraisal of his mistaken expectations and most grateful for the Scriptural doctrines he gave to us – in fact, the whole Plan of Salvation, something no other man could do except that Faithful and Wise Servant, “whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season.” (Matt. 24:45)
SOME BRIEF CORROBORATIONS
In many places does That Servant offer reasons for his faulty conclusions, but the following from Parousia Vol. 2, p. 245, par. 2, serves the purpose quite well: “Remember that the forty years’ Jewish harvest ended October, AD 69, and was followed by the complete overthrow of that nation; and that likewise the forty years of the Gospel Age harvest will end October, 1914, and that likewise the overthrow of ‘Christendom,’ so‑called, must be expected to immediately follow.”
In 1 Cor. 10:11, Dia., the Apostle Paul makes this statement: “These things [the waywardness of the Jews during their forty‑year march to Canaan] occurred to them typically and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” And after they came into Canaan – and until they were ejected in AD 69‑73 – any number of things “occurred to them typically” as forecasts of the things that would occur in Christendom during this Gospel Age. And let us keep in mind that the above quotation from Vol. 2 was published in 1889, 25 years before 1914, and was probably actually written for the printer many months before that date. So it was a reasonable conclusion. On the face of it, the logic of it is very convincing.
MASADA: In the above we are told that the Harvest ended in AD. 69, but the complete subjugation of the Jews did not occur until the year AD 73 at Masada – just forty years after they had “crucified the Lord of Glory.” We now quote some comments from one of the prominent Encyclopedias on this subject:
“Masada, Hebrew Horvot Mezada (meaning ruins of Masada) ancient mountain top fortress in southeast Israel, site of the Jews last stand against the Romans in the revolt of AD 66‑73. The name means ‘stronghold, fortress.’ It occupies the entire top of a great mesa near the southeast coast of the Dead Sea... renowned for the palaces and fortifications of Herod the Great, king of Judea under the Romans, and for its resistance to the Roman siege 72‑73.
“The Romans fired the defenders’ wooden walls. The Zealots, however, preferred death to enslavement, and the conquerors found that the defenders... had taken their own lives (April 15, AD 73). Only seven women and children – who had hidden in a water conduit survived to tell the tale... lots cast by the last defenders to determine who should die first. It took 15,000 Roman soldiers to defeat completely less than 1,000, including women and children, almost two years to subdue the fortress.”
That small group of defenders were imbued with the idea that they were God’s “chosen people”; and, with what seemed to them an impregnable fortress, they concluded that the Romans could not overcome them. But at that time the Romans were experts at destruction; and the Jews were unaware of the words of Jesus just before He died, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matt. 23:38) Thus, they no longer had the Divine protection that followed their fathers. They had become a part of “the great city, which is called spiritually, Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” (Rev. 11:8, Dia.)
But with the Jews so thoroughly eliminated, the early Church – after the Apostles passed away – was readily prepared for the encroachments of the “secret of lawlessness” (the rise of the Papacy to power, especially after AD 539, and which eventually dominated the governments of Christendom until Napoleon broke that power in AD 1799 a period of 1260 years). “The holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” – months of 30 days each, 1260 symbolic days, but actually 1260 literal years. “Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth, and annihilate by the appearing of his presence.” (2 Thes. 2:7, 8, Dia.) The word appearing in this text is from the Greek epiphaneia; and this offers just one more proof that the Epiphany is a period of time that we are still in the Epiphany because the Papacy has not yet been destroyed. See Berean Comments on these texts. The Papacy has truly been guilty of all the crimes that the Gentile nations have perpetrated upon their enemies, and upon their own people pouring hot lead into their ears, cutting off their noses, putting them on the rack, etc. In 2 Thes. 2:9, 10, Dia., St. Paul details his prophecy of how the apostate church (Roman Catholic) would perform when they would have the power: “Whose coming is according to the energy of the Adversary, with all power, and signs, and wonders of falsehood, and with every deception of iniquity to those who are perishing.” Certainly history offers indisputable proof that this Scripture is true in every detail.
MORE FROM THAT SERVANT
Now follows some brief quotations from Parousia Vol. 2, pp. 73 and 101: “The term Times of the Gentiles was applied by our Lord to that interval of earth’s history between the removal of the typical Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Israel (Ezek. 21:25‑27), and the introduction and establishment of its antitype, the true Kingdom of God, when Christ comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day. Strictly speaking, the Times of the Gentiles is the period during which God leased earth’s dominion to the non‑Jewish nations. [Thus, they are now operating without that authority which expired in 1914, although it is still the obligation of God’s people to be “submissive to the superior authorities.” – Rom. 13:1, Dia.]
“Be not surprised, then, when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of the Kingdom of God is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the exercise of power in AD 1878, and that the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Rev. 16:14), will begin in AD 1914, and that it will end in the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God’s Word.”
When 1914 had come and gone, it caused no little concern in the Truth Movement; and Brother Russell then commented that it seemed the reaping work was not yet ended. He was prompted to this decision because so many people were coming into the Truth after 1914. But he failed to consider that many crown‑losers in Babylon had been watching 1914 very closely; and, when the war broke out as predicted, many members of antitypical Lot (Gen. 19:23‑26) were fleeing from that “great city, which spiritually is called Sodom” when the fire and brimstone (the destructive effects of the war) began to fall on it. They knew the prediction had been correctly made, so they fled from spiritual Sodom, and came into the Truth Movement – although many of them later left the Truth Movement after the Armistice was arranged and things were going along rather smoothly. We were personally acquainted with some of them, and we heard their conclusions about it.
Now more from Vol. 2, p. 73, par. 3: “During this interval, the dominion of earth was to be exercised by Gentile governments; and Israel, both fleshly and spiritual, have been and are to be subject to these powers until their time is expired. While God does not approve or commend these governments, he recognizes their dominion. In other words, He has for wise ends permitted their dominion for an appointed time.”
During these Gentile Times some of the basest of men ruled – as instance Nero, Ivan the Terrible, Hitler, et al. However, the glory that was Solomon’s had so captivated the Jewish minds that they failed completely to recognize their Messiah when He came to them “meek and lowly of heart.” Their national standing had been taken from them in the Fall of 607 BC; and their idea of a Messiah was one who would cast off the Roman yoke and rule Israel again as had Solomon, when all nations had admired his great wisdom – “wiser than all men” 1 Kings 4:31 – his great wealth and the magnificence of his palace and the Temple he had built, the Holy of Holies containing that priceless piece of furniture, the Golden Ark of the Covenant, for which the Jews had extreme reverence, and which had been lost when Jerusalem was taken in the Fall of 607 BC.
And when Jesus mentioned “the times of the Gentiles,” it seems the statement had passed right over the heads of the Apostles; they still expected some great person who would throw off the Roman yoke. And this view they held until they were enlightened by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. All this is well confirmed by their question to Jesus just before He ascended to Heaven: “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) We are told in 1 Chron. 29:23 that “Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord”; and this caused quite a few Gentile rulers to conclude that they were ruling “by Divine right.” And especially in England this opinion was cherished by some of the most debased kings that ever ruled there: it was a general belief that “the king can do no wrong.” Gentiles should learn from bitter experience the futility of their efforts at self‑government while the world is in its present sinful condition.
Solomon – “wiser than all men” – gave such a poor performance during the forty years of his reign that there was revolution in Israel immediately after his death; and the ten tribes that left became known as the nation of Israel, and the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, became known as the House of Judah (Jer. 31:31). Thus we have an excellent example of the Christian Church; the Roman Catholic Church became so corrupt that it produced the great Reformation, with Martin Luther as its hero – altho the great bulk of believers still stayed there, just the reverse of what happened in Israel. In that separation by far the most of the Jews forsook the City of David and accepted Jeroboam as their king; and it is said in the Bible at least seventeen times of the various kings that ruled Israel until it was carried captive into Assyria by Shalmanezer in the year 739 BC: “They walked in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.” (2 Kings. 10:29) Eventually they were so absorbed by their captors that they disappeared as a nation and as Jews; they became the “ten lost tribes.
That most of these Gentile governments have failed miserably to uplift their Gentile subjects is proven by the prophecy that they will go to extreme ruin in the end of this Age; they will be involved in “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” What the prophet wrote about Zedekiah regarding the overthrow of the Jews is strangely befitting of the Gentile nations now, as we see them “reeling to and fro like a drunkard.” “The earth [society as presently organized] shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” (Isa. 24:20) This is given in more vivid detail in Ezek. 21:25‑27: “Thou, profane wicked prince of Israel [Zedekiah], whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end... remove the diadem, and take off the crown... I will overturn [in the great war], overturn [in the approaching Armageddon], overturn it [in complete anarchy]... until he [the glorified Christ] come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”
There is much more to be said about the Times of the Gentiles, and we may discuss it again in some future paper; but we think we have said enough about it herein to convince our readers of the truth in St. Peters statement (2 Pet. 1:21, Dia.): “Not at any time was prophecy brought by the will of man, but men from God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” And may this help us all to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.” Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim
(Reprint No. 287, May 1979)
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A VISITOR TO ISRAEL TELLS OF THE HORRORS OF VISITING CAVE OF MACHPELLAH
I cannot bear the vilification of Baruch Goldstein. He was correctly known as the Tsadik of Kiryat Arba, a doctor who well knew the value of human life. He saved many lives during his lifetime and his act of martyrdom will save many more lives. I believe he prevented or at least forestalled another Arab massacre of Jews.
I visited the Cave of the Patriarchs on four occasions during the week prior to Goldstein’s courageous act. Each time I was threatened and struck by the Arabs. On Friday night, February 18, 1994, during Sabbath prayers, some of the Arabs rioted and came running into the area which had been assigned to Jews only, Jews and Israeli soldiers forced them back into “their area.”
The following morning there were several scuffles which resulted from death threats and insults by Arabs who had again spilled over into contact with Jews during their prayers.
I was shocked by the Arabs’ violent threats and actions. I had not witnessed such aggressiveness during previous visits to this holy Jewish site.
Immediately following havdalah Saturday night, February 19, 1994, the Arabs came pouring into the area where Jews were congregated, yelling “Itbah ha yehudi” (“murder the Jews”). They overran some of the soldiers who fought to protect local Jews and a contingent of 120 American Jews who were touring Gaza, Samaria and Judea. Some of the Arabs broke through and struck me, but more soldiers came until the Arab mob could be pushed back at gunpoint into the room where the Arabs were supposed to be praying. It was the scariest moment in my life. I don’t know what could have incited the mob each day to attack us, but certainly it was not quiet prayers that characterize Jewish worship.
I returned on Wednesday afternoon, February 23, and it was apparent that nothing had changed. Arabs made certain that they gave me an intimidating bump as they walked past me.
In my opinion another Arab massacre of Jews was imminent. History has shown time and time again that the mob of “slaughter the Jews” has preceded the vast number of mob murders of Jews. Only the sneak attacks on innocent individuals have been exceptions.
Dr. Goldstein being aware of the record of violence and murder of Jews in Hebron and elsewhere, and knowing the symptoms of yet another slaughter, preemptively struck, thus saving many Jewish lives. He may even have become aware of the details and time of such a plot. Only G‑d knows the mind of any man, but it is clear that any attempt to save Jewish lives and decrease the desecration of G‑d’s name at the tombs of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, is an act of sanctification. The Bible is full of accounts of such brave acts.
(Carl Bishop, Rancho Mirage, CA, The Jewish Press, March 11, 1994)
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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”
BROTHER WILLARD J. CLINARD finished his course March 10, 1994. He was 73 years old September 13, 1993. He was not only our brother in the spirit but also a member of our family in the flesh. He came into the Truth when a young man, and has been a “good soldier” in the Lord’s Army since that time. He was our loyal yolkfellow, and was loved by all who knew him well. When such good brethren leave us we have a void that cannot be filled. He is now asleep in Jesus awaiting the resurrection of the Just (Acts 24:15). We mourn his passing with his family and friends.
Brother Roy Ekroth conducted his funeral March 13, 1994, in Winston‑Salem, NC. Brother Leonard Williams furnished a private plane for five who attended the service. The plane left Orlando at 9:30 a.m., arrived in Winston‑Salem at 12 noon, the funeral service was at 2 p.m.; the plane left at 4:00 p.m., arriving back in Orlando at 6:30 p.m. We are thankful to the Lord for His overruling Providence to us in our time of need.
Although we have many proofs of the time in which we are living, this alone would convince us that we are living in the “time of the end.” This is a vivid illustration of Daniel 12:4: “Seal up the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
We are most grateful to our friends for the many expressions of love and sympathy that have come to us.