NO. 258: JESUS A POWERFUL SAVIOR

No. 258

My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!

“Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21) In Olden Times it was customary for parents to give their children names which would represent their wishes or desires or hopes for the children’s des­tiny, and which would therefore be in measure prophetic of their future. The Bible mentions a few instances in which God Himself indicated the name, and thus propheti­cally marked the child in advance. One of these cases is the name in our text.  Through His angel God had directed that the babe, miraculously born of the Virgin Mary, should be named Jesus, signifying deliverer, savior. In the Hebrew language this name is Joshua, or Jeshua. Thus the angel’s message was a prophecy that the babe to be named Jesus was the One appointed of God to deliver His people from their sins. It should be noted that Mary was not told to name him Jesus Christ. The word Christ means ‘anointed’; and he did not become the Christ until He was ‘anointed’ with the Holy Spirit after His baptism by John in the River Jordan.

The more we consider the statement, “for He shall save His people from their sins,” the more wonderful it seems; and naturally we ask ourselves, “Who are His people? It is true that at the time of our Lord’s birth the Jews were still the people of God, and that no other nation has ever had this distinction. For more than sixteen centuries He had dealt exclusively with the nation of Israel. (Amos 3:2) “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” But it was not the Divine purpose to ignore all other nations forever. The promises of the Scriptures set forth this fact; for they declare that in due time God would make provision for all mankind, so all those who desire might become His people.

After His resurrection Jesus had gone into Galilee to meet the Disciples (Matt. 26:32); and there He spoke to them what is commonly declared to be “The Great Commis­sion” (Matt. 28:19,20): “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The Diaglott gives this much better: “Go, disciple all the nations, immersing them (submerging them in water) into the name (the heart and mind, the disposition) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (See also Acts 19:3-5, Dia.) This opportunity for returning to harmony with God was embodied in the promise which He made to Abraham, saying, “In thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3)

The question naturally arises: Who are the “Seed”? The Seed are the “called out ones” whom He has been selecting in this Faith Age for His Name’s sake, to be the bless­ers of “all the families of the earth.” The Apostle Paul assures us, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) So all the faithful footstep followers of Jesus will be part of the “seed” of Abraham ­they will be the blessers of all nations. The Seed have blessed quite a few during this Faith Age, but not with the blessing they will be privileged to do during the Mes­sianic reign when “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) We know that is far from the case in this present “evil world.” Nor can they eliminate the suffering of the “groaning creation” during this Age: “For we know That the Whole Creation groans together and travails in pain together till the present time. And not only it, but ourselves also, possessing the First-Fruit of the spirit, even we ourselves, waiting for Sonship – the redemption of our Body.” (Rom. 8:22–23,Dia.) Not only will His footstep followers suffer the physical infirmities of the “groaning crea­tion,” but in addition have had to endure persecutions, as well as physical violence in many cases, in “bearing witness to the truth.” (See Matt. 5:10-12; 24:9.) “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, and cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed.” (Isa. 66:5 – also see John 12:42)

In “due time” the Seed that has been so unpopular during the reign of sin and evil will bless mankind – will help and bless those who have persecuted them, and give them an opportunity to repent and believe, and turn away from their sins. God sent His hon­ored Representative, the Logos (Jesus), into the world in order that He might deliver all mankind from the curse pronounced upon Father Adam and transmitted by the Law of heredity to all his posterity. “By one man sin entered into the world, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” All of us have inherited a sentence of death – through no fault of our own.

According to the flesh, the Jewish people, to whom our Lord Jesus had come, were His people, for they had entered into covenant relationship with God at Mount Sinai with Moses as mediator. From the Scriptures we learn, however, that only a few of them received our Lord, and that the remainder of the nation were cast off from spe­cial relationship to Him. “He came unto His own, but His own received Him not: But as many as received Him to them gave He power (privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His NAME.” (John 1:12) He saved this remnant of Israel from their sins in the sense that by faith they were able to understand that their sins were forgiven them; that they were no longer under the domination of sinful injustice; that they were reckoned dead according to the flesh, but alive according to the spirit. (Rom. 6:11) The sins of the flesh would not be accounted against them; but they would be covered by the imputed merit of Jesus, their Savior, their Deliverer. Thus from Pentecost all down through the Gospel Age our Lord has saved all those who have  believed upon Him. Their deliverance in full will be accomplished through the power of the First Resur­rection. (See Rev. 20:6.)

Even though the First (chief) Resurrection is for His Body – the Saints, the Very Elect – there are others who have been justified by faith who had no opportunity to be of the High Calling. The Ancients mentioned in the 11th chapter of Hebrews are one Class – a special “faith” class. Although they will have no part in the First Resurrec­tion, they are promised a ‘better resurrection, than the world of mankind. They, too, will have part in blessing all the families of the earth. Their resurrection will be glorious, but not so glorious as that of the Little Flock. The Seed is primarily Christ and the Saints.  “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2) “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be­lieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) All know that a large number have died who not only did not believe in Him, but they didn’t even know about Him – never heard of Him at all.

When He came to the Jews and they received Him not, they knew something about a Messiah and should have recognized Him as their Messiah. But the majority did not recognize Him as their Messiah. Acts 3:17 tells us that “through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers,” even though they had “Much (advantage) every way: chiefly be­cause unto them were committed the oracles of God.” (Rom. 3:1-2) It is clear that the Jews are not cast off forever. “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.” (Rom. 11:7) “Blindness in part is happened to Israel.” (Rom. 11:25) “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:26)

And as the Jews were blinded, so is the world in general today: “In whom the god (Satan) of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:4) “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how un­searchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:32,33)

When we consider the evil influences so prevalent today, it is small wonder that so many of the people succumb to it – either from necessity, or from the thought that this is the only way to succeed. Some begin to think that Satan and evil are more powerful than the Lord. However, that will not always be the case, because Satan will be bound to deceive the nations no more during His Messianic Kingdom. (Rev. 20:2) At that time the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” (Isa. 35:5) “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) “And it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:8) The “wayfaring” men in this text are those who are not “justified by faith” during ­this Age when sin and evil are in the ascendancy.

SAVED FROM WHAT?

“The son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Matt. 18:11) The question arises, What was lost? We would answer that four things were lost, things which man once had in his pristine purity. First of all, after the transgression in the Garden of Eden, he lost his intimate and friendly relationship with his Creator – Fellowship with God. Second, he lost his perfect home in that Garden.  “The Lord sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove the man out.” (Gen. 3:23,24) Third, man’s dominion was lost. “Let man have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the cattle, and over the fowl of the air... and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:26–28)

In Heb. 2:8 St. Paul quotes from Psa. 8:4-8: “Thou has put all things in subjec­tion under his feet...   But now we see not yet all things put under him.” It surely needs no argument that man has lost his dominion; animals often trample man under foot, instead of man dominating them. We have been told that the Kodiak bear (a brown bear larger than the grizzly) is so ferocious that it is not necessary for the hunter to look for him; once he knows there is a hunter in his locale he will come looking for him ­and often with deadly results to the hunter.

And the fourth thing that man lost is his life. “Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” (Gen. 3:22) Man was not cre­ated to die; he was created to live; and the Scripture is clear enough that he would have continued to “live forever” had he remained in his perfect Edenic home. It is a common expression for men to say, We are living in London, New York, or wherever; but the raucous truth is we are all dying in those places. The dying process is a matter of years, but it eventually exacts its terrible toll from all. “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) Note the marginal reading of this text: “dying thou shalt die.” And in all four of these things Jesus A Powerful Savior said He came to “seek and to save.”

SAVIOR OF THAT WHICH WAS LOST

Just as there were four things lost, so our blessed Savior uses four component parts to accomplish the Restitution, the restoration.(Acts 3:19–21). These are clear­ly set forth in Psa. 103:2–5: “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all His bene­fits: (1) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; (2) Who healeth all thy diseases; (3) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; (4) Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies... Thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’”

The fourth process will also require man’s cooperation, and will receive it with a clear understanding of its import: “Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” This is emphasized in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats: “Then shall the King say to them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” (Matt. 25:34) Today, in earth’s affairs, when a prince inherits a kingdom from his father, he is seated on a throne, and a crown placed upon his head. Figuratively speaking, this same procedure will be followed when the restitution proc­ess has completed its work. Each of the ‘sheep’ will then inherit a kingdom – his full right to life and its accompanying life rights – just as Adam had it in Eden, when he was given dominion over all things on earth. He was then in every sense monarch of all he surveyed.

CORROBORATING TESTIMONIES FROM THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

Because of Adam’s transgression the sentence was pronounced against him – “For the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17 – “dying thou shalt die.”) After Adam’s transgression, he and his wife were driven from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:23) to toil the ground among thorns and thistles. (Gen. 3:17-19) Adam did sure­ly die in that day: “Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and a watch in the night.” (Psa. 90:4) Adam died in that thousand-year day, and all his posterity have been dying ever since that time. “Adam lived Nine Hundred and Thirty years; and he died” – seventy years before his “day” had expired. (Gen. 5:5) But the Apostle Paul tells us, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21-22)

The Scriptures teach that all will “know the Lord” – meaning, of course, they will be properly instructed: “They shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the great­est. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquit­ies will I remember no more. 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.” (Heb. 8:11-13) The ‘old’ is the Law Covenant which the Jews could not keep because it was a perfect Law, and they were imperfect. Only a perfect man could fulfill this Law Covenant, which Jesus did.

Also Jer. 31:31-34 gives us a clear picture of the New Covenant: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

David gives us a beautiful picture of the Kingdom in Psa. 103:2-13, part of which has been quoted above: “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities (as High Priest); who healeth all thy diseases (as Physician); Who redeemeth thy life from destruction (as Deliverer); who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things (as Provider); so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth right­eousness and judgment (instruction) for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not  always chide: neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his chil­dren, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (reverence) him.” (Psa. 103:2-13)

Although God’s great attributes are Wisdom, Justice, Power and Love, the Scriptures do not say God is Wisdom, God is Justice, God is Power – but the Apostle John tells us “God is Love.” (1 John 4:16) “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:15,17) David’s description of our great Jehovah certainly attests to a “God of love.”

TWO SALVATIONS

Not many people know there are two salvations taught in the Scriptures. Most of us have been taught that all are on trial now – and all the unsaved of this life will be lost forever. The majority of the world is not saved, according to the standard the Lord sets for His people – to be footstep followers of Jesus during this Age. How­ever, there are two Salvations taught in the Bible – a ‘great’ salvation (Heb. 2:3), and a ‘common’ salvation. (Jude 3) The common salvation is future – for all the un­saved of the past and present. But the ‘great’ salvation is for this Faith Age. All who have part in the “great salvation” will be part of the “Seed” of Abraham that will bless all the families of the earth in the Kingdom. They are those “justified by faith” – the footstep followers of Jesus during this Faith Age when sin and evil are in the ascendancy. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” (Heb. 2:3) “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) “For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14)

But there is also a common salvation – a salvation for the world of mankind – the ‘unsaved’ of the Faith Age. “For all men have not faith.” (2 Thes. 3:2) “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Gal. 3:8) It is through the faithfulness of Jesus and His footstep followers that they will have the privilege in the Kingdom of blessing all nations – those who have not come to a “knowl­edge of the Truth” during this Age. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) We are not to forget the ‘common’ salvation that will bless the world, because the Lord loved the world (John 3:16).

These two salvations are separate and distinct – one for this Faith Age and one for the Kingdom, when the residue of mankind will receive their salvation – their judg­ment and their instruction: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth.” Indeed, there is a ‘common’ salvation – common to all men not of the Faith-Age salvation. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

The faith “which was once delivered unto the saints” is clearly taught in Acts 24:15: “And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” The ‘just’ are those who are “justified by faith” during the Faith Age – footstep followers of Jesus; and the ‘unjust’ are those who are not “justified by faith” (Rom. 5:1) during this Age.

Our Lord makes this very clear in John 5:28,29: “Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; And they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” The word “damnation’ in this text is from the Greek word Krisis, which means judgment. ‘Damnation, is a mis­translation and has caused a lot of misunderstanding. So they who have done evil – all those who have not been “justified by faith” during this Age, whether they are good-­intentioned or bad–intentioned, God counts them all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all. (Rom. 11:32) The ‘just’ are those who will have a “resurrection unto life” ­the footstep followers of Jesus; they are of the Household of Faith. The resurrection of the Unjust is for the very purpose of giving them an opportunity of coming to a knowl­edge of the Truth – the truth of the Divine Plan for human salvation. This will be a much less difficult way, because the Highway of Holiness will be there: there will be no error there – the Truth, and only the Truth will be taught. Those who are fully sub­missive to the Lord will be privileged to become His people. However, there will be no compulsion – each individual must decide for himself whether or not he will obey and live, or disobey and die – be destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:23)

The presence of the Lord will continue throughout the thousand years of the Messianic Kingdom – on earth. All who will take advantage of the opportunity then offered them will have a full deliverance from the curse of sin and death. Those who will neglect that opportunity will not be forced to come into harmony with the Divine arrangement, but they will be destroyed in the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery. (See Rev. 20:14-15.) Their destruction will be for their own good as well as for the good of mankind in general. It is because they prefer sin to righteousness that they will be accounted better off to be destroyed, as the Scriptures declare.

Those who are saved from their sins during this Gospel Age are Scripturally called the Church of Christ, and consist of the Very Elect who are the “Bride and Lamb’s Wife” – His joint–heirs in the Messianic Kingdom. There are other elect classes that have walked a narrow way,’ and they, too, will receive a resurrection “unto life” (John 5: 28,29) as part of the just, although they won’t have part in the chief resurrection – the First Resurrection. All who are saved from their sins during the Millennium will be the people of Christ by reason of being His children; for they will receive life from Him, “the Everlasting Father” of the race. (Isa. 9:6) They will be given the right to everlasting life on the human plane, which our Lord Jesus surrendered on behalf of the Adamic race, when He became the Redeemer of Adam, and thus indirectly the Redeemer of Adam’s posterity. Those who lost life in Adam will be privileged to receive it again in Christ.

Thus Jesus will save His people from their sins – not merely His Church of the Gospel Age, His Bride and Joint-heir, but also all those of the world of mankind, the children of Adam, who will accept of His grace during the thousand years of earth’s com­ing glory, and become His people by the process of regeneration. They will be regener­ated on the human plane; for our Lord will give them the life-rights and the right to life which Adam lost in Eden, but which Jesus redeemed on Calvary. The earth was made for man: “The earth abideth forever.” (Ec. 1:4) “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” (Isa. 66:1) “I will make the place of my feet glorious.” (Isa. 60:13)

However, this cannot become true in the full sense of things until the causes that now send men to the grave have been eliminated. St. John states this very graphically in Rev. 21:3-5: “I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men... And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” And the Angel who gave those words to John evi­dently realized the disbelief with which the message would be received by the present sick and dying race, for he then emphasized it with these words: “Write: for these words are true.”

This forces the logical conclusion that the Restitution processes will eliminate all crime – all thievery, physical violence, moral depravity, sickness; no more need for locks on doors; no more destructive armies; no more rigid police protection; no more jails, and no more criminals. “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa. 2:4) “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9)

The question is asked, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.” (Isa. 28:9) The Bible is not a text book, as so many people think, but is a book of texts. “For precept must  be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.” (Isa. 28:10) But, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear (reverence) him; and he will shew them his covenant.” (Psa. 25:14)

JESUS A POWERFUL SAVIOR indeed! “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10) “He shall save his people from their sins.”

Sincerely your brother

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Will the heathen and others be saved by their ignorance?

ANSWER:  – We believe not; for there is no power or anything else good in ignorance to save anyone.  Instead of ignorance being Scripturally a ground of salva­tion it is Scripturally set forth as a reason for alienation from God (Eph. 4:18; Hos. 4:16; Rom. 2:12). Furthermore, the Scriptures show that knowledge is essential to faith and salvation (Rom. 10:14-17; Acts 4:12). This is likewise implied in the fact that obtaining salvation presupposes personal acts by the intellect, sensibilities and will, i.e., a matter pertaining to the domain of character, requiring, as it does, on our part the steps of repentance, faith and consecration. It is for this reason that the Church was commanded to teach, i.e., make others know, that those taught might by their knowledge gain salvation (Matt. 28:18–20); also see 2 Pet. 1:2,3; 2:2–21.

Indeed the theory that the heathen and others are saved by their ignorance is a patent absurdity – although some good people want to believe they will be thus saved ­believing as they do that they will have no opportunity of salvation otherwise. But, why send missionaries to teach them salvation, if they are saved by ignorance? Accord­ing to this theory to teach them would cause most of them – those who will not believe to be lost who otherwise would have been saved by their ignorance. So all through the generations of the Gospel Age to preach to them would have been the cause of perdition to almost all who heard the message. Are we to believe that God who desires that the people may gain life (Ezek. 18:32) is so lacking in common sense and practicability as to institute the office of teaching the Word of God as the means of saving people ­when only a comparatively few are saved by that method – when leaving them in ignorance would have resulted in the salvation of all of them. Manifestly the thought that the heathen are saved by ignorance is unbiblical, unreasonable and unfactual.

Actually the purpose of the Gospel Age is to take out a people for his name. See Acts 15:14. There are comparatively few who become “footstep followers of Jesus” ­as He has said: “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14) The only ‘way’ open for salvation in this Age is a “narrow way” – becoming a footstep follower of Jesus, and bearing “wit­ness to the Truth” as did Jesus. See John 18:37. Our Lord said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matt. 5:11) Not many are able to “drink of His cup”: they don’t have sufficient faith; “For all men have not faith.” (2 Thes. 3:2)

After He has selected a people for His Name, He will return, “and will build again the tabernacle of David... That the residue of men might seek after the Lord.” (Acts 15:14–17) This “people” will bless the residue of mankind, which includes the heathen: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Gal. 3:8) And the seed is expressly mentioned in Gal. 3:29: “And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3: 29) Instead of a “narrow way” unto life as it is in this Age, there will be a High­way of Holiness. See Isa. 35:8. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” (Isa. 35:5) It will be just the reverse of what it is today when “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which be­lieve not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) “Darkness still covers the earth, and gross darkness (error) the people.” (Isa. 60:2)

His way of saving the residue of mankind in the Millennial Age will be by the power of teaching – and by such teaching enabling them to use for their uplift the restitution processes (Acts 3:21) whereby all may be saved – but only the willing and obedient – and no others – will be saved. There will be no “night” (error) there. (Rev. 22:5)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends in Christ: Sincere Christian greetings to you all!

We enjoy so much the newsletter each month, as it gives us much spiritual uplift. Continue to send the papers. Also please send me a copy of The Bible Students Manual. I have studied and enjoyed The Divine Plan of the Ages.

Is the Trinity Scriptural? How are the writings of Pastor Russell viewed by Bible Students? How do you view the LHMM?

Your brother in Christ, ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I read in No. 254, in the letter section, something about a Bible Students Man­ual. What is it, and what is the cost?

May I also have copies of the March and April issues that tells of the various methods of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, etc. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely, ------- (OHIO)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Many thanks for yours of the 14th. I was thinking of writing to say that the three E Volumes One had not yet arrived, but they are here this morning and arrived in good condition. And surprise, surprise! with the official LHMM label. Very good! We trust this is a good omen..........

Brother’s wife is not so good and may have to have further treatment and nursing in hospital.  Otherwise we two continue fairly well – rejoicing in the Lord for all His blessings and goodness toward us. We continue to enjoy your papers which are always instructive and helpful – keep us in touch with the developments among the Lord’s people.

We join in sending our Christian love to you and yours. May the Lord continue to bless you as you seek to serve Him in ministering to His people. With Christian love, too, from Brother -------

Yours by His Grace ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in the Lord!

Your letter received, and I was glad to hear everybody is well. My prayers for you every day – May God bless you and bless your home.

Please send some more literature for me to distribute. The people like to read the papers. I go to the other Islands and give them out. All the family send Christian love to you and all. May God bless you more and more.

Brother ------- (ST.   VINCENT)