NO. 320: THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT SURE - HEB. 6:17-20

No. 320

The various covenants discussed in the Bible have been very well defined by the Har­vest Messenger – That Servant; and a clear understanding of the covenants may be com­pared to a clear understanding of the Tabernacle. If the covenants are clearly under­stood, the possessor of that knowledge is not likely to go very far astray from the Truth. In fact, the Tabernacle is the central feature of the Law Covenant, which latter is typi­cal of the New Covenant. Every antitype is greater than its type; thus, we should ex­pect the New Covenant to overshadow the Law Covenant as the sun outshines the moon. Much of what follows is taken directly from past writings; but, not being word for word, we have omitted the quotation marks in much of it.

The Old Covenant was unsatisfactory in its results; but the New Covenant will bless all the willing and obedient with eternal life. There were two Old Covenants – ­the Grace, or Sarah Covenant, and the Law Covenant. Which did the Apostle mean has be­come old, valueless, and would pass away and give place to the New Covenant? Surely there can be no doubt on this point – he meant the Law Covenant, for he says so. He did not mean the Grace or Sarah Covenant, for he points out that our claim to relationship with God is under that original Covenant. (Gal. 3:29) Our Lord Jesus, by His obedience, became heir of all, heir of the original Covenant and heir also of the Law Covenant.

Of the people there was none with Him, neither Jews nor Gentiles. But by the Grace of God there was provision made, as we have seen, that any Jew, seeing that the Law Cov­enant was dead, nailed to the cross, might become betrothed to Christ. They did not need to wait for the New Covenant, the provisions of which apply only to those on the earthly plane. Instead, by a faith justification and a consecration unto death, they were counted worthy of begetting to the new nature – betrothed to Christ. And similarly, Gentiles favored of God by the hearing ear and seeing eye of faith, were subsequently privileged to go through the same process, except that they did not need to reckon themselves dead to the Law Covenant, because they never were under it. Otherwise, recognizing Christ’s death as the blood of the original Covenant, typified by Abraham’s offering up his son, these also were reckoned justified and, presenting their justified bodies to the Lord as sacrifices, they were begotten of the same Holy Spirit as the Jews, to be fellow-members of the same Body – the Body of Christ.

We come now to the other part of the question: What provision has God made for those Jews who bound themselves under the Law Covenant, from Moses’ day down to the First Advent; and for those who since then have not discerned the death of the Law Cov­enant, and who will not be made aware of it until after the spiritual seed shall have been completed and glorified? If they have not lost all share and privileges in connec­tion with God’s special mercies, where do they come in? We answer that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others before the Law Covenant were not bound by it, yet they were not in the fullest sense justified to life until the Abrahamic Covenant had been established at Calvary.  Their faith, then, entitled them to a share in the merits of that sacrifice. Likewise throughout the period of the Law Covenant, before it was annulled at the cross, there were Ancient Worthies (Heb.  Chap. 11) who lived by faith, living above the masses of their time, and who, although bound by the Law, had above it a living faith in the original Oath-Bound Grace Covenant. These in the Divine records were entitled to their share of that Grace when the merit of Calvary’s sacrifice had been presented on behalf of believers, when Jesus “ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Although they lived while the Law Covenant was alive, they foresaw its death and trusted not in it, but in the superior Covenant of Grace. They realized that no matter how much they tried, they could not keep the Law Covenant, because of inherited human frailty. Hence these in due time will come forth to a life resurrection – not be­cause of their relationship to the New Covenant, of which they knew nothing, but because of their relationship to and faith in the original (Sarah) Covenant of Grace. Thus the Scriptures account for the faithful ones of the past under the Covenant of Grace. (See Hebrews, Chapter 11) But what now shall we say respecting those earthly Israelites, who lived not on that higher plane of faith, but of whom the Apostle says, “Our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come unto this promise.” (Acts 26:7) Were they all deceived? Will they get those special blessings?

God’s Gifts And Callings Sure—Rom. 11:29,32: Nay, we answer, “the gifts and call­ings of God” are things not to be repented of. He knew the end from the beginning – knew exactly what Israel would be and do, and was not disappointed; and all of the plans and promises to that nation were made from the standpoint of this knowledge. Although the chief feature of the Sarah Covenant was secured by our Lord Jesus as a trophy of His victory over sin and death, and although He laid down His human nature completely to this end, nevertheless, the Divine arrangement is such that the blood of Christ, the merit of His sacrifice of all earthly things, must accrue to the benefit of the natural seed of Abraham, because it all goes to seal the New Covenant, which belongs exclusively to fleshly Israel.

Thus, while natural Israel had been counted enemies for our sakes, for the Gospel’s sake, our only opportunity for gaining the great prize is in connection with the sealing of a New Covenant between God and Israel. (Jer. 31:31-33) How beautifully the features of the Divine program balance! Their loss was our gain, and our gain through sacrifice be­comes their gain; and, altogether, the Lord will be glorified! As already shown, the New Covenant will not be sealed, ratified, until the sacrifice of The Christ shall have been finished. And the finishing of these sacrifices closes the work of this great Day of Sacrifice and Atonement. With the second presentation of the blood of Atonement in the Most Holy, at the end of this Age, the New Covenant with Israel will be sealed and the blessing of the Lord will begin to Israel. “For this is my Covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:27)

ABRAHAM’S TWO SEEDS

Not only did the original promise indicate two seeds of Abraham – one as the stars of heaven, and the other as the sands of the sea – but St. Paul elaborated this thought, saying of the promise, “It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of-Abraham, who is the father of us all (including you who are Romans); as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.” (Rom. 4:16) “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)

We have seen how Abraham, as a type of God, is the father of the spiritual seed and how through Christ by provision of the New Covenant, the Jewish nation, dead under the Law Covenant, is to be regenerated by The Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant; and that this regeneration will commence at the close of this Gospel Age and the opening of the Millennial Age.

But these are only two – “the (Church) holy nation,” and the (Jewish) chosen nation. How do all nations come in? It will not do to say the Body of Christ, the bride class, fulfills this prophecy, because, although they were taken out of the nations, they are not all nations, and do not represent all nations. Each first died to his earthly estate and nationality before he was begotten of the Holy Spirit – to be a member of the Holy nation, the New Creation – a member of spiritual Israel. (Rev. 7:4) The Scriptures dis­tinctly show that Christ and His Church, spirit beings, must constitute the Kingdom class, but they also show that the Ancient Worthies, and through them the nation of Israel under the New Covenant, will become the representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom amongst men.

HOPE FOR MANY NATIONS

Since God’s favors are thus marked out for the Heavenly and Earthly seeds of Abra­ham – the earthly through the heavenly – it follows that the blessing of the other nations will come about through their affiliation with these. In other words, we may understand that the Divine Government established in Israel in the hands of the Worthies will be the center of Divine favor, and the people of other nationalities must come to this center for their supplies of Truth and Grace. Thus the Prophet  represents the matter, saying, “Many nations shall go and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain (kingdom) of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his  ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth from Mount Zion (the spiritual kingdom) and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem (the  center  of  the  earthly  kingdom).”(Micah 4:2)

And thus all nations, peoples, kindreds and tongues shall be brought gradually to an appreciation of the Divine plan, they shall all be blessed with restitution privileges and opportunities and with an enlightenment from the rays of the Sun of Righteousness, which then through the appointed channels (the Worthies and natural Israel) will be flood­ing all the earth. Thus will the original Covenant have its amplified fulfillment; first, in The Christ, the spiritual Israel; secondly, under the New Covenant with Israel after the flesh; and through these bless all the families of the earth, so that all the will­ing and obedient may gradually attain to the standards of the children of God and be pos­sessed of the “liberties of the sons of God” – freedom from sin, sorrow, pain and death. (Rev. 21:4) As the Old Law Covenant was with Israel only, so the New (Law) Covenant will be with Israel only.  Other nations will share it by becoming Israelites, “Prose­lytes of the gate,” not under the Old but under the New Covenant. (Ezek. 16:60,61)

Perversions – Past And Present – Often have we directed attention to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement regarding their attempt to displace the Jews as the chief earthly class among Restitutionists under the New Covenant and the Worthies.  During the Dark Ages the Roman Church pursued much the same policy – except with much more force and abuse. Often they concentrated persecution against the Jews ­much the same as they did against the Gentile Christian protesters. But in recent years, recognizing that their dominion is tottering, they are beginning to read the un­mistakable “handwriting on the wall” – and their attitude toward the Jews has softened considerably.

However, there are other “Christian” organizations besides the above three making themselves heard in our day by their antagonism toward the Jew. Just recently one such sect returned our paper on the Jewish situation, with which they enclosed one of their booklets. They take caustic exception to our Scriptural interpretation concerning the present and future status of the Jews. Here is a little of what their booklet contains:

“The evidence proving the present-day ‘Jews’ are NOT ‘The house of Israel’ is end­less. History gives abundant proof that the White, Caucasian Race sprang from dispersed Israel. WE ARE ISRAEL.”

In substance, the Witnesses teach the same; They are God’s Israel; they are the “chosen people.” They are ready to proclaim the founder of their movement, and boast about him (See Isa. 4:11 and 5:13, and Berean Comments) even as they grossly and per­sistently revolutionize against their founder’s clear and persuasive interpretation of those prophecies that emphatically designate “to the Jew first.” Likewise, although in lesser degree, the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement teaches the same, with the excep­tion that they apply these Jewish promises to their new converts since 1954; they teach that their present-day converts will be ‘first and chief’ next to the Worthies, instead of the Jews – thus taking away from the Jews their God-given promises, as they usurp those promises.

Perhaps it is well to recall here that the usurpers all during this Age have pre­vailed in numbers, power and prominence (“In Thy name ... done many wonderful works”—­Matt. 7:22); but this will all be changed under the benign Kingdom reign. “HE THAT HATH AN EAR TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR!”

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

Both the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant are Scripturally styled “The Ever­lasting Covenant” in contrast with the Law Covenant, which passed away – a failure be­cause of its “unprofitableness.” However, not unprofitable in its precepts, because they are perfect, which precepts will be incorporated in the New Covenant when man will be able to keep them. (Heb. 7:18 and Gal. 3:24,25) The one is perpetuated in the other, even as the spiritual seed (spiritual Israel) will rule and bless through the earthly seed (fleshly Israel). Note the Scripture testimony that the original Grace (or Sarah) Cov­enant is everlasting (Gen. 17:7,13,19; 2 Sam. 23:5; Psa. 105:8-10) Also note other Scriptures which apply the same term prophetically to the New Covenant: Jer. 32:40; 31:31,32; Ezek. 16:60.  Note carefully the context in each instance that reference is to the Millennium.

The Blood Of The Everlasting Covenant – The blood of the Everlasting Covenant is the “blood of Jesus,” under the Grace or Sarah Covenant (not by the New Covenant which does not yet exist and which is to be made only with Israel). And the blood or sacrifice of Jesus is “the blood of the New Covenant,” yet to be established with fleshly Israel, just the same – only that by the Father’s good pleasure Jesus is now accepting the “little flock” as His members and counting their sacrifice or blood as a part of His own – the sin offering in two parts.

Note how this is set forth in Isaiah 55:1-3. Here believers of this Gospel Age are described as those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Under the Father’s draw­ing they come to Jesus now.  They are not of those who, blind and deaf under Satan’s power, love darkness rather than light and will need the Kingdom regulations and cor­rections to make them bow and confess, under the New Covenant arrangement with Israel and indirectly with all nations.

Come now to Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Jesus), through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect.” Does this refer to our justification from Adamic guilt and reconcil­iation to God? Not at all! The Father will have nothing to do with us (except to draw us to Jesus for justification and consecration) until after our justification. Then His mighty power which brought our Great Shepherd from the tomb to glory and immortality be­gins to mightily “work in us to will and to do His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) If we abide in His love, He will perfect us as New Creatures by the privilege granted us of sharing in the sufferings of Christ – participating in the shedding of the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, which as the New Covenant will bring blessing to Israel, and then to the world. The Greek word here rendered “perfect you” signifies “knit you together,” that is, make you completely one with the Shepherd as His “members” both in sufferings and in glory to follow.

Other Pertinent Texts – Let us now briefly refer to some Scriptures which mention the New Covenant, that we may note their full harmony with the foregoing. We have al­ready examined the one statement connected with our text and see that it applies to the establishment of the Kingdom, as the foundation of the New Covenant blessings to the world during the Millennium.  There are just eight other texts in the New Testament which refer to the New Covenant:

(1) “For this cause he is made mediator of a better covenant (not better than the Grace or Sarah Covenant, but better than the Law Covenant), which was established upon better promises.” (Heb. 8:6) Our Lord Jesus had already begun the work necessary to His fulfilling this office of Mediator of the New Covenant. He had laid the founda­tion, but He had not yet accepted to Himself all the members the Father intended and fore knew and predestinated. We notice from the context that the contrast still is be­tween the Law Covenant and its mediator Moses, and the New Covenant, superior because of its better mediator, the Messiah. Moses could offer only imperfect sacrifices, but Christ, by antitypical sacrifices of the bullock and goat (Himself and His Body), makes satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, and prepares to mediate the New Covenant, which, God has promised shall be His channel of blessing Israel and the world.

(2) In the succeeding verse (8) the Apostle supports his argument by a quotation from the Old Testament promise to Israel of a New Covenant, saying, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Clearly this does not refer to spiritual Israel, or to any others during this Gospel Age.

(3) Neither does the next reference to the New Covenant, which is a part of the same quotation from Jer. 31:31, refer to spiritual Israel. “Not according to the cov­enant I made with their fathers’ ... and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” (See Heb. 8:8-10)

(4) “In that he saith, a New Covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” Notice that the Apostle is not saying one word about the New Covenant being for the Church of Christ. His readers understood very well that they came in under the Sarah Covenant. But certain Judaizing teachers insisted that they must be under the Hagar Covenant, as well as under the Sarah Covenant. And this is what the Apostle is disputing. He is making clear that the (Hagar) Law Cov­enant would not continue, but perish, and that, in God’s due time, He would provide a New Covenant to take its place with Israel.

(5) It was necessary that Jews be redeemed from the “dead works” of the Old Law Covenant and that a New one be made for them by Christ – Head and members. The Old one was sealed by the blood of bulls and goats, but the New one by “better sacrifices.” Anti­typically the blood of the bullock has been offered, and soon that of the goat will be presented. (Heb. 9:14-20)

(6) “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them; and there is no more offering for sin.” (Heb. 10:16-18) The Apostle is arguing along gen­eral lines. He would have his readers understand that when an acceptable sacrifice has been offered to God for sins, the transaction is a closed one, and the sacrifice needs no repetition. He shows that this will be so in the future for the world. When the “better sacrifices,” sealing the New Covenant, shall have been offered to God by our Re­deemer, and accepted by Him, it will mean the cancellation of all condemnation.

(7) “For this is my Covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins. As con­cerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the elect, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.” (Rom. 11:27,28) There is no room to doubt that the Apostle here is referring to Israel’s Covenant, the New Covenant, which God will make with them after this Gospel Day. The time for their deliverance is nigh – the time when He will mediate that New Covenant, satisfy the demands of Divine justice on behalf of the world. Then He will become, as previously intended and declared, the great Mediator of the New Covenant between God and mankind in general. Then will He begin His Millen­nial Kingdom: “For he must reign until he shall have put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 15:25,26)

(8) “But ye are approached unto Mt.  Zion ... to the New Jerusalem ... to the gen­eral assembly and Church of the firstborn .... and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling.” (Heb. 12:24) Here spiritual Israel is pic­tured as an army marching, and the things at the farther end are seen and to be reached. Jesus is the Mediator, but He has accepted the Church as His bride, His body, and waits her arrival. The picture shows that the New Law Covenant will be established as the Old Law Covenant was, only on a higher plane and through a greater Mediator and by better sac­rifices. (Acts 3:23)

Much of the foregoing is by That Servant – Reprints 4319-4322 – which we continue to believe and teach. If any are inclined to criticize us because we attack and refute the errors that set aside these Truths, we comfort ourselves with the assurance that so long as we “contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints,” we will not only get the criticism of the errorists themselves, but also the ‘reproaches’ of those who pre­fer peace rather than stand the “heat of the day.” The Truth is not for easy-going Chris­tians. “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” (Rom. 15:3) The September 23 Manna Comments by That Servant are pertinent here: “This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants – against the creeds and theories of men, which would misrepresent the Good Tidings of Great Joy which the Lord and the Apostles have announced, and which, thank God, yet be unto all people. As the Apostle again says, ‘I am set for the defense of the Gospel.’ We can do no less than defend the Truth. The Truth is God’s representative, Christ’s representative, and hence our stan­dard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

A firm stand for the Truth always costs something; and we are admonished by the Lord to “count the cost” before embracing it. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matt. 10:34) Thus, we often lose friends as we “fight the good fight” and wage warfare for the Truth.  But,

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;

My heart shall reap where it has sown,

And garner up its fruit of tears.

It is our conviction that the Lord’s promises to the Jews are essential doctrine for our day – because we stand at the very threshold of their fulfillment. The terse summation of those promises is that they will be ‘first and chief’ of the afterborns under the New Covenant (“beloved for the fathers’ sake”) – “ to the Jew first.” Thus, we “count it all joy” if cantankerous brethren – “the unstable and unlearned” – cast abuse at us because ye champion the Jewish promises in like manner as did That Servant. Any who attempt to “take from” (See Rev. 22:18,19) those promises belonging exclusively to the Jews, and appropriate them for themselves, they are engaging in Satanic usurpa­tion – whether wittingly or unwittingly; and those who have once been enlightened in present truth, who appropriate those promises belonging to the Jews, are not only en­gaging in Satanic usurpation, but they are grossly revolutionizing against the Truth. (See Psa. 107:11 and E3:406 – also E12:722,728 with reference to Rev. 22:18,19)

Not too long since, we exchanged some considerable correspondence with a Doctor in the Ministry of Religion in Jerusalem; and he was warm in his praise of our papers, and of the Epiphany books we sent to him. Although he is no longer among the living, we are persuaded that he was one of those Jews who possessed “the faith of Abraham.” He had the Six Volumes of Scripture Studies; was an ardent admirer of That Servant; and was quite caustic in his resentment of those groups who claimed to be faithful to Pastor Russell’s teaching, but who openly revolutionized against his teaching on the Jewish promises. Because of his knowledge of Parousia Truth, his exposures and refutation of the Witnesses’ errors were among the best we have yet seen.

In Reprint 5689, May 15, 1915, That Servant says this: “Those who have been for some time drinking from the fountain of Truth, and feeding at the table of the Lord, where the food is pure, unadulterated, nourishing, should be fully established in the first principles of the doctrine of Christ.  Much of the superstructure of ‘gold.’ silver and precious stones should be already erected and the good work of character-­building should be progressing steadily day by day. We should be firmly rooted and grounded in Christ, so that nothing can move us. We should be able to discern clearly between truth and error on every important point (such as the Jewish promises, etc.—­JJH). We should know what we believe and why we believe it, and be courageous and un­compromising in declaring the Truth which has blessed our own hearts and lives.”

May-June 1973 Present Truth – Due to this paper containing the elevating articles of That Servant, and another splendid article by the Epiphany Messenger, large parts of it are edifying and refreshing. There is this at the head of the article on pp. 35-42: “This article, first published in Oct. 1923 PT, was written as applying to the Little Flock on earth; the other classes of God’s people can benefit greatly from ap­plying to themselves its principles and those promises that apply to them.  A few thoughts have been added.”

If the “added few thoughts” were in harmony with the Truth as given by the Epi­phany Messenger in that article, that should be acceptable to any of us; but in the “thoughts” added is inserted the pet error of Campers Consecrated, and their pre-emi­nence over the Jews, as well as discarding some parts of Brother Johnson’s treatise.

On p. 39, col. 1, he says: “The apostle adds, “God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ As already shown, the promise has three parts and its heirs are the Christ class, though it has also an application to the Great Company, another to the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, and to the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, another to the loyal tentatively justified and to the loyal fleshly Israelites, and in an attenuated sense an applica­tion to those who will become God’s consecrated people after the earthly phase of the Kingdom is established:”

If we are to accept the classes in the order listed above, then there are two classes superseding the Jews in New Covenant blessings – The Consecrated Campers and the loyal tentatively justified.

We now quote what Brother Johnson says in the 1923 PT, pp. 150, bottom, and 151, top: “St.  Paul adds, ‘God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ The promise has three parts, as already shown. Its heirs are the Christ class, though it also has an application to the Great Company. Another application of the promise is for the Ancient and Youth­ful Worthies, and another for fleshly Israel.”

Yes, all the elect and fleshly Israel can now be comforted with that promise ­“the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.” Brother Johnson did not produce such a class. He called a similar class produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Jonadabs, or Great Multitude – a non-existent class, just as we call Epiphany Campers Consecrated a non-existent class. Had the Epiphany Messenger known that such a class would be the recipients of the chief blessing of the Afterborns – that instead of be­ing “to the Jew first” it would be to the “Epiphany Campers Consecrated” first, he would have been prompt to make it known to the Jews so they could become part of Camp­ers Consecrated and receive their God-given promise. Does the LHMM include the doctrine of Epiphany Campers Consecrated in their efforts to “Comfort the Jews”?

However, if we accept the teaching of That Servant and the Apostle Paul, we will have no trouble in “discerning between truth and error” on this important doctrine. We are to give the Jews the comfort of this promise to them at every suitable opportun­ity. As Brother Russell has truly said, All who will help and comfort the Jews now will be rewarded. But we don’t know what the ‘reward’ will be for those usurping groups who have invented other classes to displace the Jews, and cast aside God’s Oath-Bound Covenant; but we offer for consideration Isa. 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil (referring to those who oppose their errors as “the evil-slave class,” tools of Satan, etc.); that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Here is the Berean Comments on “Light for darkness”: “Denouncing the Truth as a device of the Devil.”

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints.” (Rom. 15:30,31)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

Reprint of No. 219, September 1973 with revisions.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:  Greetings in our dear Redeemer’s Name!

Enclosed please find check for $--- to help you with the mailing. Hope this finds you in good health. I am fairly well – just had my 97th birthday last week. It is hard for me to write for I am so shaky in my hands.

God bless you and keep you! Your brother in the Lord ----- (ILLINOIS)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Greetings in our Savior’s Name!

Just a short note to let you know that our dear Sister Guy received your papers on Tuesday while I was present. I visited her because three weeks ago she fell and broke her left arm. If she lives to December 3, she will be a hundred years of age. Her daughter readily began reading as soon as she received the papers. While speaking to me Sister said she does not mind who does not read your paper, because they say you are not one of them, but she and her daughter read all of your papers; because, she says, they are the Harvest Message, and from the Star Members. So they are worthwhile and interesting. I was greatly pleased when I noted with what pleasure she spoke of them. She says she reads all, which I interpreted her to mean that the others are silly not to do the same..... She has the full assurance of Faith, Hope and Love for God and our Lord Jesus, the Truth, the brethren and all mankind – very sympathetic for the world of man.

Hoping that you are enjoying much better health than when last I heard from you. God will, I am positive, keep you in His watchful care and will not give you more than you can bear. I firmly believe your present condition is a test of your Love, Faith, Courage, Peace and Grace of God. Let us in every circumstance of life give thanks, which I believe you, Sister Hoefle and all with you do – though you do feel the pinch. Let us all glorify God.

My Christian love to you, Sisters Hoefle and Moynelo and all the brethren with you. God bless you all! (2 John 2)

Yours in the Truth ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:  Greetings in Jesus Name!

I received the Bible Students Manual, and the article, No. 312, “Think It Not Strange.” Thank you ever so much. I shall treasure it always. It will be much help in my pursuit of the Wisdom which is from above.

I am enclosing a little offering to help a little in the good work you are doing for Truth Seekers. Thanks again for your concern for the Truth and its dissemina­tion to all who love the Truth.

May God’s richest blessings rest with you and yours!

Your brother in Christ ------- (OKLAHOMA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: May grace and peace abound!

Your letter was received and Sister and myself are so glad to learn of your in­creasing convalescence. Do you think some juice of your fine California carrots will expedite the recupera­tion? Or maybe a mixture of grapes and carrots freshly juiced when convenient to have it?

Be assured of our everloving thoughts and prayers concerning the spiritual and temporal well-being of yourself, Sr. Hoefle and the friends on your side. May the Lord direct you all in His service as you continue to uphold His Truth and the princi­ples of righteousness. It is the humble prayer of Sister and myself that His bless­ing and care be upon you and all the dear ones who still faithfully trust in His Name. Moreover, it is the gist of the joint-supplication that is constantly being made on the behalf of you and yours by the friends here.

Your brother by His Grace, ------- (TRINIDAD)

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The Epiphany Bible Students:  Warm Christian greetings in our Lord’s Name’

I would like a one-year subscription to your monthly news letter. I recently received the Bible  Standard, which  cost  $1 per  year. Enclosed is the $1. However, if this is not enough, let me know.

Thank you very much. Brother ------- (CALIFORNIA)