NO. 307: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 307

At the beginning of another year, we may look with a measure of satisfaction at the results of the year past, and once again repeat with gratitude the expression of the Psalmist: “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” (Psa. 65:11) One correspondent from Africa has pretty well expressed our own views on world conditions: “Having just returned from Europe, I see that the Evil One has unleashed a Spirit of Revolution which is sweeping the world. Practically no country is exempt. This is part of the Evil One’s strategy; to break down and destroy. By shaking men’s hearts with fear he is preparing the way of the one whom Jesus Himself prophesied would come, “I come in my Father’s name and you receive me not, but there is coming another one in his own name, him you will receive! We rejoice in these signs and lift up our heads for the end draweth nigh.”

Part of our answer to this follows: “Of course, we have the signs of the times, the Bible chronology, the types and prophecies to bolster our faith; but in private con­versation I often stress that one text alone should persuade us that we are at the threshold of that Kingdom: “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4) I lived in Dayton, Ohio when the airplane was invented, and I knew Orville Wright personally (one of the Wright Brothers – inventors). The tremendous improvement in the airplane is staggering; the present cruising speed of commercial jet planes is about 625 miles per hour – a speed that was unthinkable seventy years ago.”

Had the knowledge been available seventy years ago, the performance would yet have been impossible, because those engines generate a heat of about 5,000 degrees; and at that time there was no metal known that would stand up under that terrific strain; but in the interim such metal has been found and utilized to make the performance possible. The ‘whisper jets’ of today are so silent that ordinary conversation can be very easily heard – easier perhaps than driving in an ordinary automobile. Also, silver is now used in the manufacture of batteries, which makes the battery operation just about as useful at thirty degrees below zero as it is on the ground at thirty degrees above zero.

Another item from a recent publication: “It’s possible that phone books will become outdated in the future, American Telephone & Telegraph recently experimented with an electronic informa­tion system in Albany N. Y. Eighty-three participants were supplied with video screens and a special key board that enabled them to retrieve phone numbers and other information directly from AT&T’s computers.” Clearly enough, the inventive ge­nius of the nation is still very commendable. If the political efforts of the nation had kept pace with it, the condition of the country would be much different than it is.

In Surgery – Last summer in Florida a six-year-old girl lost her left arm and right hand when she was thrown from a car. In an extremely rare operation, two surgeons used a microscope to reconnect the tiny nerves and blood vessels; and they said there was a reasonable chance that the girl would regain the use of both arms. This would have been considered impossible twenty years ago.

IN FINANCE

Our general summation of finance bears repetition of our comments last January, al­though it is more deplorable now than it was then. The US Budget deficit for 1980 is about sixty billion dollars. Back forty years ago, when the entire national debt was about 45 billion, one financial publication then made the comment that no one in Washington with any financial sense believes that that debt would ever be paid off. And it is now twenty times that much!

One financial pundit recently made the comment that the American dollar would be valueless in a few years. We do not offer full approval of this; but we state it as a warning to our readers to keep their financial houses carefully in order. In our conver­sation with some men in high position they recognize this quite well; and it brings to mind the statement in Joel 2:6: “The people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness” – “like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble.” Traditions and their outgrowths are in terrible strain.

Recently we made a remark to a sound financial man to the effect that probably not more than five per cent of the men who have been elected to govern the United States have had any practical business experience, to which he quickly stated that there is not that many. This man had himself spent six years in the Senate. Thus we may conclude that a lot of boys are trying to do a man’s job; and we have all probably had experience with homes where the children are allowed free will. The condition is always most lamentable. Again from the Prophet Ezekiel (16:49): “The iniquity of Sodom... pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her ... they were haughty, and committed abomination be­fore me; therefore, I took them away as I saw good.” This criticism could well be ap­plied to our political office holders; but it goes quite well here, too.

However, in all this we do not wish to appear too critical, because we have clear confirmation from the Scriptures that no one is now able to rescue present institutions; they are heading for the trashheap because they “are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.”

Some wits are able to see the humor in this present financial turmoil, as evidence the following news item:

“NOBODY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS, SO ELECT NOBODY PRESIDENT – Listen, this Nobody for President movement really has a lot going for it. At a rally in Texas, Wavy Gravy, the coordinator for the Nobody for President Committee, said he thought Nobody was the best qualified, and he has some facts to back it up. For example, who honored the treaties with the Indians? That’s right, Nobody. Which candidate will lower taxes? Natu­rally it’s Nobody. The 500 students who turned out for the rally at the University of Tex­as carried signs reading “Nobody is qualified” and “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.”

IN POLITICS

The political situation here in the United States is badly moth-eaten and collaps­ing, One Congressman in Detroit has been convicted of 28 felony counts – crimes of brib­ery, kickbacks and sleight-of-hand maneuvering. And this is just one instance; in numer­ous other cases the unlawful grab for money has been exposed, and some of the offenders have already been convicted, with others still awaiting trial. Sad to note, many of the people themselves are ready to condone such crimes, and would vote the same people back in­to office.

In Israel the political situation continues to engulf our close attention. Egypt gives lip service to peace with Israel, much to the aggravation of other Arab countries over there. In this matter it is well to keep in mind that Egyptians are not descen­dants of Ishmael, so there is probably not the deep-rooted antagonism against the Jews that exists in the Arab countries. According to a very good encyclopedia, Mohammed is a direct descendant of Ishmael; and of Ishmael it is recorded: “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (Gen. 16:12) For centuries they have been a group of nomadic Gypsies; and for the past two thousand years they have done nothing to improve the heaps of sand upon which they lived. The remainder of the human race largely just ignored them; but now that the Jews have introduced their skill and industry, and are making something out of Palestine again, the Arabs now want it. It is somewhat of a Com­munistic attitude.

Presently the Jews are receiving some help through the war between Iran and Iraq (written November 3), as both these nations are avowed enemies of the Jews. It is well to keep in mind that Isaac and Ishmael are half brothers, Abraham being the father of both of them; but they have been bitter enemies since Isaac was five years old; and the years have accentuated that hatred rather than to soften it. In October Israeli Presi­dent Yitzhak Navon visited Anwar Sadat, at which he expressed the opinion that “Obstacles in the way of peace will be removed and other nations, sooner or later, will surely join the caravan of peace.” As we have previously stated, it is our opinion that the animos­ity will increase, thus leading up to “Jacob’s Trouble.” (Jer. 30:7), after which there will indeed be peace – a lasting peace much superior to anything that is now expected.

IN RELIGION

Under this subject also some strange things are occurring. Under the heading CATHO­LIC DIOCESE AIDS A LUTHERAN MISSION there is the following news item: “Old wounds slowly are healing. Sunday October 26 traditionally commemorates the break between the Roman Cath­olic Church and the groups that came to be known as the Protestants. But two weeks ago, the Catholic Diocese of Orlando (Fla.) stretched out a helping hand to a fledgling Lutheran mission in the Tuscawilla area of Seminole County.

“The Rev. Franklin Ledvinka came to Central Florida to start an American Lutheran con­gregation that would serve Casselberry, Winter Springs and the Tuscawilla area. He has no place to hold his first services. The San Pedro Center, a retreat facility owned by the diocese, offered to help. The Rev. Guy Noonan, assistant director of the center, talked to Ledvinka, rearranged some schedules and made the center’s facilities available to the Luther­an Mission.

“It’s a turnaround, Ledvinka said. Here is a Roman Catholic Church helping a Lutheran Church find life and get started. The churches are finding they can agree on many things and can grow together. This is a new day in the church. Churches are finding a new one­ness in the spirit that allows us to share together the joy and love and celebration of be­ing in God’s family.”

Well, the Bible puts quite a different construction on it. “They shall gather togeth­er, but not by me.” (Isa. 54:15) Further, from Isa. 34:1-4: “The indignation of the Lord is upon all the nations ... the mountains (powerful monarchies, such as Russia, etc.) shall be melted (overcome by the radical elements) ... the heavens (the present religious systems) shall be rolled together as a scroll, and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf fall­eth off from the vine.” This is accentuated in Rev. 6:14: “The heaven (present relig­ious systems) departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.”

The two ends of the scroll are Protestantism and Catholicism; and these two ends have been making tedious effort to “roll together,” although the intimacy is definitely a vexatious accomplishment. The two reformers that Papacy has despised most are Martin Luther (Ger­many) and Thomas Cranmer (England), because these two have done them the most harm. it was Thomas Cranmer who goaded on Henry VIII of England to throw off the papal yoke by his stewardship truth that the Church is subject to the civil powers in civil matters – a truth that is emphatically taught in the New Testament; whereas, the Papacy ruled the nations with a “rod of iron” from 799 A.D. on to the reformation. But Napoleon definitely broke that power in 1799, when he so openly humiliated the Pope by crowning himself as Emperor of France.

Israel A smattering of religion has been injected into the mid-east fighting: “Israeli fighter-bombers attacked a major Palestinian Guerrilla camp only eight miles south of Beirut Wednesday in what Prime Minister Menachem Begin said was a “holy task” to prevent further terrorist attacks upon Israel ... Begin told reporters in Jerusalem that the “preemptive strikes” were aimed at stopping Guerrilla attacks on Israel. “We want to prevent these murders, and this is the way. This is a holy task, he said.”

Big Money Embraces Religion – The following news item speaks for itself: “More than 100 of America’s wealthiest and most powerful people have given or pledged to raise $1 mil­lion each in a $1 billion drive led by Nelson Bunker Hunt to save the world by taking the Christian gospel to every soul. The campaign is called Here’s Life World. It is one of more than two dozen ministerial offshoots of the Campus Crusade for Christ International Inc., an evangelical movement with headquarters in Arrohead Springs, California ...

“Hunt invited 500 supporters and potential supporters to Houston last month. ‘You and others who have invested their time, money and influence can play a major role in help­ing to reverse the atheistic tide of darkness which threatens to engulf the world,’ Hunt wrote. ‘We encourage you to join us.’

“Hunt, of course, is better known for another type of investment – in silver. He and his brother, William Herbert Hunt, made huge purchases before the silver market collapsed and the price tumbled from $50 an ounce to below $11. At one time they owed almost $1.8 billion in silver-related debts. They have pledged almost everything they own to obtain a $1.1 billion line of credit to offset the losses.”

Another item of interest here: “Tv Preacher Asking $5 Million: The Rev. ------- says he faces a ‘do-or-die’ battle to save his ‘Old-Time Gospel Hour’ television program and that $5 million is needed to keep it on the air... He blames his financial troubles in large part on attacks against him because of his involvement with Moral Majority, a con­servative political action group.”

On one occasion we heard this same Evangelist ask a million of his listeners to send him just $12 a month (only twelve million a month, or 144 million a year) to help him win the nation for Jesus.

Another Educated Teacher – A man in our neighborhood has the following to say: “Will only 144,000 go to Heaven? The false teaching that only 144,000 will go to heaven is taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In their book, ‘Let God be True’ they say ‘All who by reason of faith in Jehovah God and in Christ Jesus dedicate themselves to God’s will and then faithfully carry out their dedication will be rewarded with everlasting life ... The Bible plainly shows that some of these, that is, 144,000, will share in heavenly glory with Christ Jesus, while the others will enjoy the blessings of life down here on earth!

“There are several errors to this doctrine. First, the 144,000 is not a literal number. The book of Revelation abounds in figurative expressions, and this is one of them. For example, in Rev. 7:4 the 144,000 are Jews and in Rev. 14:4, they are virgin men. Therefore, if all this is to be taken literally, then only 144,000 Jewish virgin men will go to heaven! No women, no married, and no Gentiles! Not even the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach this! Truly then, the 144,000 is a figurative number, and even Rev. 7:9 speaks of a ‘great number, which no one could count’ as being in heaven.

“Another error is to teach that there will be an earthly kingdom. Micah 4:1-5, Isaiah 2:2-4, Dan. 2:44 and Joel 2:28-32 all refer to the same event when the Messiah would set up His kingdom. This was fulfilled when Jesus established His Church, which is a spiritual Kingdom.

“A third error of the Witnesses is to teach that the earth will be eternal so that it can be inhabited eternally. The Bible teaches that when Jesus comes again the earth will be destroyed (2 Pet. 3:10-12).”

There is more of this, but this should be more than enough. This man is willing to teach any one the Bible – at a price!

Some More About The Witnesses – From a news item: “According to an official announce­ment, ‘Five persons at Bethel and one outside of Bethel, have been disfellowshiped on the charge of apostasy.’ Bethel in Brooklyn, New York, is the world headquarters of the Watch­tower Bible & Tract Society, the corporate structure of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The an­nouncement was made June 29 at the close of a four-day ‘1980 Divine Love Convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ held in Long Beach, Cal., one of a series of conventions, in an apparent attempt to squelch many rumors of an apparent major doctrinal controversy among the members of the ‘Governing Body’ and other high level officials within the organiza­tion. The sources state that the reason for the disfellowshiping and forced resignations was that those involved hold the doctrinal position that all Jehovah’s Witnesses must ex­perience a spiritual rebirth and be ‘born again... Only a very small number of the Witnesses alive today, less than 10,000, may experience spiritual rebirth which they con­sider a ‘heavenly hope,’ while remaining Witnesses have only an ‘earthly hope’ and cannot have this spiritual rebirth... The resigning member of the governing body is Raymond V. Franz, a nephew of the current President of the Watchtower, Frederick W. Franz. Sources agree that Raymond V. Franz was considered as one of the three possible successors to his aging uncle as President of the Society.”

Now that the six have been written out of the “Remnant” (approximately 10,000), it will be necessary to replace them with six others if the 144,000 select group of Rev. 7:4 is to remain intact. This forces the inevitable conclusion that – to them, at least ­the High Calling is still open; and this conclusion puts the select group in pretty much the same category as their Chronology; they are floating around in space, with nothing solid upon which to hang their hats.

GENERAL – A recent news item offers the following comment on the tumultuous conditions in the world: “PARIS – West European terrorism now goes on for its own sake. Its politi­cal objectives are more and more remote from reality. Its result thus only increases pop­ular loathing for the terrorists. This is a new development. One could feel encouraged if it were not for the dead.

“In Bologna, Italy, 80 people were killed in a railroad terminal explosion. France until now has largely been spared terrorism, but in recent months a government min­istry and a police van have been machine-gunned .... The apparent intention is to launch in France something like the Italian leftist terrorist movement... Why are terrorists or­ganizing in France? The answer appears to be the same. Terrorism itself is the aim... they are in love with death, looking to spread it... Their avowed aim can only be articu­lated in abstractions – the revolutionary transformation of society, complete liberation.”

“Complete liberation,” of course, means the elimination of all governments; but it is a sage observation of sound minds that the worst form of government is better than none at all.

And here is another one: “The Daily News Digest reveals that recent large-scale rioting by the youth in Switzerland is yet another indication that the whole world is be­coming more unstable. In its September 24 issue, the Digest points out that the Soviets are reported using some sort of knockout gas in Afghanistan. Within the last 30 days, the North Koreans used the same (or a similar type) gas against an American patrol in South Korea.”

Much of the foregoing presents a real gloomy picture; but we offer to our readers the words of Jesus: “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” As the Prophet Isaiah has advised us: “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

THE JEWS

The turmoil in the Middle East has engaged our attention very closely because we be­lieve that some prophecy is now being fulfilled there; and we shall yet see much more of it. As instance, Zech. 14:1-3: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh (we have been in the “evil day” –Eph. 6:13– since 1914, with the “evil” steadily becoming worse and worse), and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.”

As In The Day Of Battle. Some outstanding instances where the Lord fought for Israel in former times are (1) when He gave a great victory to David in the Valley of Rephaim in close-by Baal-perazim (2 Sam. 5:17-21); (2) when Gideon commanded 300 men, who were used to inflict a miraculous defeat upon the Midianites and Amalakites, who were “in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude – their camels as the sand by the seaside for multitude” (Judges 7:12-23); and (3) with Joshua in Ajalon, where “the Lord discomfited them. (Josh. 10:8-14)

AJALON – On these citations we shall give detailed analysis on only one, mainly be­cause this one, we believe, may find close kinship in the years immediately ahead of us. Upon the “death of Moses ... the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying... there shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life ... I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee... be thou strong and very courageous.” (Josh. 1:1-7) As we come to the narrative in Ajalon, the various units of Canaan had heard of the prow­ess of Joshua, of the great defeats he had inflicted upon his enemies in various places. This struck such terror into their hearts that thirty-one kings combined to fight against Joshua; and the battle was joined in the Valley of Ajalon.

Now those kings were sun and moon worshipers, so the Lord caused a heavy cloud to appear – so dark that it was almost night. This terrorized the enemy, thinking their gods had turned their backs on them, so they turned and fled, at which the Lord “cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword... And Joshua said... Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged them­selves upon their enemies.” (vs. 11-13)

A similar situation exists today in the Middle East: About twenty of those Moslem rulers have banded themselves together to destroy Israel; but the “sure word of prophecy” is there that the Lord will again “fight for them as he did in the day of battle.” And the promise is sure, “By myself have I sworn saith the Lord,... that in blessing I will bless thee (Abraham)... thy seed shall be as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” (Gen. 22:15-17)

Perhaps a bit of historical humor may be acceptable here: After America gained its independence, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first American ambassador to France; and the French leader in France, the English ambassador and Franklin were having lunch to­gether, when it was suggested that a toast be offered by each one of them for the nation he represented. The Englishman: Here’s to England, whose sun never sets; the Frenchman: Here’s to France, who like the moon controls the tides and the sea; Franklin: Here’s to the United States of America, who, like Joshua in Ajalon, commanded the sun and the moon to stand still – and they stood still!

As we contemplate the great victory of Joshua in Ajalon, we come to a much better ap­preciation of his final address to the Jewish people: “This day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof” ....(Josh. 23:14) And further from Josh. 23:9,10: “No man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God he it is that fighteth for you, as he has promised you.” And we may accept the statement literally now, that in our day “the Lord will fight against those nations (now combined against Israel), as when he fought in the day of battle.”

Benjamin Disraeli – We believe emphasis will be added to the foregoing if we consider this Jew, and what one authority says about him: “Statesman and novelist, twice British prime minister (1868; 1874-80), was one of the most extraordinary figures to reach the pin­nacle of British politics. He was of Italian Jewish descent. As a result of his father’s quarrel with the synagogue, he was baptized as a Christian, but for which curious accident his career could not have taken the form it did. After some failures in his pursuit of political opportunity he was returned to Parliament (1837) as a conservative member for Maidstone in Kent. In 1848 he acquired a claim to the leadership of the opposition in the House of Commons after being elected to Parliament as member for the County of Bucking­hamshire in 1847. He served as chancellor of exchequer for a period in 1852 and again in 1858. Disraeli became prime minister in 1868, but when the autumn election was won by Liberals, he resigned. His second period as prime minister was 1874-1880. In 1876 he ac­cepted a peerage, taking the title of earl of Beaconsfield.”

Berlin Congress Of Nations – The foregoing is given about Disraeli because he was the first Jew ever to become prime minister of England; and he was a prominent figure at the Berlin Congress which was held June 13 - July 13, 1878. That Congress was attended by all the major European powers, and it replaced the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878 at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78. At that time England was the greatest empire on earth. London was the financial center of the world; and English ships controlled the sea. And Disraeli used that tremendous power to force acceptance of his move to gain favor for the Jews in Palestine. That was the beginning of various efforts to promote the Jews to where they are today. At that Berlin meeting Disraeli secured cer­tain rights for aliens in Palestine that were not previously tolerated – the principal ben­efactors of that decision being the Jews. It is of interest here to note that the date 1878 is exactly 1845 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, previous to which they had en­joyed great favor from the Lord for 1845 years – from the death of Jacob. This “double” is mentioned in Isa. 40:1-3; Jer. 16:18; Zech. 9:12; and the word means an exact dupli­cate, as if we should fold a piece of paper in the middle, the lower half would be exact­ly the same size as the upper part.

Zech. 8:23 – At that time in 1878 we believe the following prophecy was fulfilled: “In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men out of all the tongues of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” The “ten men” of the text are the various nations of Europe. While it is true that there are many more than ten governments in Europe, yet there are only ten-language nations (aside from the Jewish): (1) The Scandinavian (Nor­way, Sweden, etc.); (2) The Anglo-Saxon (,England, Scotland, etc.); (3) The Teutonic (Germany, Austria, etc.); (4) The Gallic (France, Belgium, etc.); (5) The Hispanic (Spain and Portugal); (6) The Latin (Italy); (7) The Greek (Greece; (8) The Turkish (Turkey); (9) The Slavic (Russia, Poland, etc.); and (10), The Magyars (Hungarian).

The words of Disraeli are most pertinent here: “Had it not been for the Jews of Pal­estine the good tidings of our Lord would have been unknown forever to the northern and western races. The first preachers of the gospel were Jews, no others; the historians of the Gospel were Jews, no others. No human being has ever been permitted to write under the inspiration of the holy Spirit except the Jew.” Truly, Disraeli was a man of destiny; one among the greatest Jews in all history!

Thus, the situation in the Middle East today is indeed an engaging “prospect.” And we conclude this feature about the Jews with Jer. 30:7: “That day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” “Jacob’s trouble” will be the climax – the grand finale – of that trouble over there – when those Arab countries make a combined attack upon Israel, and God will then “fight for them as he did in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:3) As That Servant has said: “How true the statement that those who have cursed, or injured, Israel have brought injury to themselves! As we scan the whole field of the world, we find that every nation which has dealt harshly with Israel has received chastisement or blight. On the contrary, Great Britain and the United States, nations which have blessed the Jew, have in turn received great blessings.” (Reprint 5323, October 1, 1913)

Again it has been necessary to curtail the number of our usual individual greeting cards; but we are most grateful for the cooperation, prayers and good wishes of our many readers. You may be sure the same sentiments exist here for all of you. We repeat with hearty approval the words of the Psalmist: “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness” ­and we express our sentiments toward all for the year 1981 in the words of 3 John 2:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

Sincerely your brother

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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 LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

Thank you for your kind, Christian letter. I have probably told you once that some ministers I have reasoned with have been anything but kind. They certainly did not reflect the lovely character of Jesus. That love of Jesus shines out of your letters. It is heart-warming. I do receive your bulletins and thank you for them and the paper en­closed in your letter. I have not yet had time to peruse it (it came today), but I shall do so.

So many things have happened in this confused world of ours since our last correspon­dence. I do believe it is near midnight on God’s prophetic time clock. May dear Jesus come soon to take us HOME. That is our earnest prayer – my wife and I – and we send our Christian love to you and your wife.

Sincerely your brother, ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

“Surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psa. 23:6)!

Perhaps you don’t remember meeting me in your home a few years past. However, I feel impelled to let you know that your Scriptural comments and article about Pastor Russell are much appreciated. Numbers 303 and 304 are outstanding.

A heart condition and the resulting weakness keep me pretty much confined to home ­and articles such as you send me are a blessing. The Lord and His Truth continue to shine brightly! I hope this message of THANKS will be accepted as a profusely sincere expression.

Christian love, ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I am sorry I could only phone you from New York and not actually come and see you. I had four days during which I also had to go to Dayton and Washington for a day each. This left little time for other “business.”

However, I am glad that you are well and that the Lord is blessing you. I was at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem with 1000 other Christians from around the world and experienced great rejoicing. I will send you a copy of our report...

Many believe that things are moving to a God-appointed climax in the Middle East. Derek Prince is here as our guest at the moment, and this is the thrust of his ministry with great blessing to Christian and Jewish audiences. As ones who love Zion and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, I would suggest you send your name and address to our good friend Harry Hurwitz, who is the Minister of information for Israel...

My first visit to your country was blessed and I was greatly impressed by the many beautiful and positive things I saw there which did much to offset the very negative re­ports one reads in the newspapers these days.

My prayers and love are for your continued well being and blessing in the Lord. I remain, in Christ’s love. Yours sincerely,------- (AFRICA)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

SISTER MAUDE H. DUNNAGAN finished her course on Oct. 17, 1980. It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we make this announcement, as she was an integral part of the Bible House Family, having been with us since its inception. She was a “good soldier of Jesus Christ” and not only helped with the Truth work, but was overseer of the house­hold chores and of the grounds, flowers, etc., doing much of the work herself. As “A true yokefellow who labored with us in the Gospel” (Phil. 4:3), she leaves a great ache in the hearts of all of us, and a void in our activities here which cannot be replaced. As Jesus said of Mary, we can truly say of her: “She hath done what she could”!

Due to our close association with her for these many years, we asked a good friend and brother of the Dawn to officiate. This he readily and obligingly did, even canceling an important business engagement to give us help. Many friends and good neighbors attended the funeral; and all were warm in their commendation of the excellent service of Brother William Vrooman. All of us here in the Bible House, as well as her children, are most grateful for the help he gave us in our time of need.

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The Proper Date for the Memorial this year is any time after 6 p.m. April 17. Details on this will appear in our Memorial article.

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