No. 156
My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!
In Chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Joel there is the prophetic picture of present-day events – events that are specially pertinent for God’s people. The Prophet issues the edict, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain”; thus, the purpose is clear enough: It is a warning and an alert for spiritual Zion here in the end of this Age. “The Day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” (v. 1) This, then, pinpoints the exact time that this prophecy applies, the time in which it is to be understood. It is a well-established principle of Biblical interpretation that the details of any prophecy cannot be clearly understood until it is fulfilled, or in course of fulfillment. And, since we have arrived at the time when Joel is in course of fulfillment, we may logically expect to have a clear understanding of it; and many of the details are the purpose of this paper.
Many of the Bible statements are based upon some previous Scripture – just as many others are prompted by the personal experiences of the individual writers. Thus, some of the Psalms of David are the direct outgrowth of his waywardness with Bathsheba, etc. And it is our thought that Joel’s command to “blow the trumpet in Zion” finds its foundation in Numbers 10, where Moses was commanded to make “two trumpets of silver.” That these trumpets were typical is clearly stated by Jesus in Matt. 5:17,18, wherein He declares that every minute feature of the Law was typical; and the trumpets had directly to do with the Tabernacle, with the Tabernacle being inseparably linked with the Law and its services.
Moses was commanded to make two trumpets, only one of which was blown when it announced merely a routine assembly “at the door of the Tabernacle.” (Num. 10:3,4) But, in the blowing of an alarm, both trumpets sounded, the same being an immediate order for the Camp of Israel to be on the march against their enemies. Therefore, when the Prophet Joel wrote the prophetic command to “blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm,” it was a clear indication that spiritual Zion should give strict attention. It is our understanding that the trumpets of Numbers 10 typified the Gospel-Age Truth as due, given by the Lord through the great Reformers of the Age – the “seven stars in His right hand.” (Rev. 1:16) And, since the “alarm” that Joel has ordered is to be for “the day of the Lord,” it should be readily apparent that it has to do with a proclamation of truth at this present time. And pointedly pertinent to the subject would be St. Paul’s query: “If the trumpet give an uncertain sound (if the message be weak or beclouded with error), who shall prepare himself for the battle?” (I Cor. 14:8)
THE CAUSE FOR THE ALARM
“For the day of the Lord.... is a day of gloominess, a day of clouds, and of thick darkness.... a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like.” (Joel 2:2,3) The Prophet here declares the cause for the alarm, the battle cry as it were, against a devastating horde. “The land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” Some may be inclined to consider this a description of the Vandals, who overran Gaul, Spain and North Africa, invaded Italy, entered Rome and wantonly destroyed many monuments of art and literature – for the mere love of destruction. But the fifth century AD., in which they operated, was not “the day of the Lord,” although it would seem they could fit the description perfectly were they living at the time of “the Lord’s day.”
Last summer we were in Detroit at the time of the riots there – a close-up eye witness without becoming directly involved. From 8:30 Sunday evening until daylight Monday morning we were in the fifth floor of a building in downtown Detroit, with lights out, so that we could see, but not be seen; and we observed the mobs pillaging, looting and burning – racing back and forth across City Square (Grand Circus Park), smashing windows, seizing the expensive and elegant merchandise as though it were common refuse, then wrecking completely the business shops, even tossing into the street the models that had contained costly suits and furs – making a shambles of everything they touched. Indeed, we thought what a literal fulfillment of v. 9 was then occurring: “They shall run to and fro in the streets.... the earth shall quake before them.” “The land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness” a holocaust of hilarity by the totally irresponsible. All that night, the next day, and the next night the fire alarms, the police sirens, voluminous gunfire and shrieking mobs gave the impression of being in the center of a modern battlefield.
A business acquaintance related to us how he had stood on a tall building Monday noon in Windsor, Canada (about a mile across the river from Detroit), and had counted eight huge fires over a space of several miles In Detroit – to say nothing of the hundreds of smaller ones not visible to him at that distance. All the fire equipment that Windsor could safely spare was sent in relief; the same was also true of all outlying suburbs and even from cities thirty miles away. Yet they could not control the holocaust. In the final analysis, the estimated damage was 500 million dollars; prominent business streets were almost completely devastated for miles on end. It was not enough that the mobs looted clothing stores, furniture stores and supermarkets; they must also burn them to the ground. Some of the finest buildings and shops of our day were simply a heap of rubbish when the final count was taken.
In our opinion, it is doubtful that the City can fully recover for many years from the loss incurred in those three nights and two days. What had taken years of time and enormous expenditure of labor and money to create had been irreparably ruined within perhaps sixty hours of time. Surely, Eze. 7:23, 24 was markedly fulfilled: “The land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.... the worst of the heathen shall possess their houses.” When the carnage was at its height, one fireman was shot to death just for the “fun” of murdering him, as he was attempting to extinguish a fire. Indeed, “the worst of the heathen” were in command of the situation – “the land as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness.” Nor should it be concluded that only the rich and prosperous shopkeepers were ruined; many modest factory workers had their homes and all their furniture burned they were practically left helpless in the streets. But not alone was valuable property destroyed, but the morale of many of the citizens received a demoralizing blow. One man’s fine furniture store was sacked, then burned to the ground. When asked if he intended to rebuild, he answered it had taken him twenty years to build what had been wrecked in one day, and he never wanted to see the street again. We personally know one man in midtown Detroit who now attends to his business with a loaded pistol in his belt during business hours – a real revival of the days of the Old Wild West. After viewing the devastation in Watts, California, Evangelist Billy Graham remarked that if such an occurrence came at the same time in thirty large cities of the United States it would be sufficient to cause the collapse of the Government.
THE “PRIMARY” EDUCATION
In Joel 3:9, 10 the Prophet continues: “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles (the nations), Prepare (hallow, sanctify) war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near.... Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears Let the weak say, I am strong.” Clearly enough, this has reference to the first world war in 1914 – when “the day of the Lord” had arrived. The war fever was so great at that time that both sides literally did consecrate themselves to war. The Triple Entente was determined to destroy their opponents, and the Triple Alliance would “Make the world safe for democracy.” And let any one as much as question their motives, he was fortunate if they did not immediately hang him. He could be certain, however, of much verbal abuse as well as physical abuse in many instances. Here in the United States the Lutherans were praying to God to bring death upon the Lutherans in Germany, where the Lutheran religion had been established. In very pro-Catholic Austria the Roman Catholics were invoking destruction upon their Catholic Italian brethren, and vice versa. And that was ridiculous, you say? Well, at that time if you even thought such anathema, you might have your home burned down, or find yourself in durance vile.
After it was all over, and a measure of sanity returned, some of the bolder radicals, such as Norman Thomas, for instance, declared publicly that the whole engagement was nothing more than a commercial war; and quite a few agreed with him. Then came 1939 with the whole affair begun over again, this time A WAR to end wars! But the fanaticism was not nearly so intense; many had learned at least a little from the 1914-1918 experience. Many of the preachers who had been overly ardent in their support of the military operations on both sides in the first affair remained discreetly silent for the second one. Said one prominent New York clergyman, who had been rabidly against the Central Powers the first time, that they could hang him publicly before he would be guilty of another such mistake. And large numbers of ordinary citizens also failed to imbibe the extremist view on the second war. In fact, in the 1914 conflict those of us whose memories go back that far remember very clearly how Dan. 3:19 was then fulfilled against antitypical Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego: “They should heat the furnace (of persecution against the conscientious objectors) one seven times more than it was want to be heated.”
But by the end of the second great war large numbers were awakened to the trivial trickery of such slogans, “Make the world safe for Democracy,” and “A war to end wars.” There is more apprehension of war here in 1968 than there was in 1913; and much of the stimulus for the 1967 riots in Detroit and other large cities was gained from the ‘primary’ (elementary) education that many of the rioters had gained by observing the empty promises of their leaders. They would take things into their own hands to demonstrate clearly they were no longer being fooled by empty words of political tricksters.
And in the midst of all of it the Prophet comments, “Let the weak say, I am strong.” The development of present-day firearms has effected a great equality among men. A twelve-year-old boy, with a modern pistol, is more to be feared than a 200-pound man without one; and the smallest weak nation, with an atomic bomb, inspires more dread than a much larger nation without one. And this was forcefully impressed upon Mr. John Q Citizen through his ‘primary’ education in the armed forces of his respective country. The experience aroused him to a realization that if he could do that against the Germans, the Japanese, etc., he could just as easily do it against his real or imagined enemies in his own home land; and he would have less to lose than he did while serving in the armed forces of his native land. Indeed, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing! And the Scripture comes sharply in focus, “They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hos. 8:7)
THAT SERVANT’S COMMENTS
More than seventy years ago That Servant foresaw today’s events, although he did not then see them with that clarity that is now ours because of actual eye witness to present happenings. However, it is a great tribute to his analytical ability of prophecy that he did predict present events as correctly as he did, so we offer below some of what he wrote from “the sure word of prophecy” respecting conditions as we now see them developing on every hand:
‘‘We have noted the work of preparation for the conflict of this evil day – the organizing, equipping and drilling of immense armies, the building of great navies, the invention of new and wonderful engines of war, the making of new and powerful explosives (the atomic bomb had not then even been begun—JJH), and the draining of the national resources in every land for purposes of military equipment (none of the present colossal debt had then been dreamed of—JJH); and we have noted the mutterings of the angry nations as they all stand armed to the teeth, scowling upon one another.
“As we view these millions of armed and disciplined warriors, we inquire, Which of all these mighty hosts is that army to which the prophets point as the Lord’s great army? Can the prophetic references be to any of these? And if so, in what sense could they be considered the Lord’s army, since none of them are actuated by His spirit? Or, can this reference be to the people of God, the soldiers of the Cross, whose weapons are described by the Apostle Paul as not carnal, but mighty, through the pulling down of strongholds? (2 Cor. 10:3-5) Can it be that the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17), in the hands of the people of God, who are filled with His spirit, shall accomplish the great work of overthrowing all the Kingdoms of this world and giving them to Christ for an everlasting possession?
“Would that it might be so! but that such will not be the case we have already seen, both from the prophetic viewpoint and from the signs of the times. On the contrary, the protests and the warnings of the righteous are steadily ignored by the world, and the nations walk on in darkness, and in consequence all the foundations of the earth (the present social structure) are out of course (Psa. 82:5), so endangering the whole social superstructure which is now being terribly shaken.
“Hear the prophetic description: ‘A great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like; neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots, on the tops of mountains (kingdoms) shall they leap; like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.... Into the city they hasten forward; they shall run upon the wall; they shall climb into the houses; through the windows they make their entrance like a thief. The earth (present social order) shall quake before them: the Heavens (ecclesiastical powers) shall tremble: the sun and the moon (the illuminating influences of the Gospel and of the Mosaic Law) shall be dark, and the stars (the apostolic lights—Rev. 12:1) shall be obscured – shall withdraw their shining (the dark night will have come wherein no man can labor—John 9:4; Isa. 21:9, 11, 12). And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army; for His camp is very great; for He is strong that executeth His word, for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it?’—Joel 2:2-11.
“Where is there such an army, under present instruction and training? – an army before which the earth (society) shall quake and the heavens (ecclesiasticism) shall tremble (Joel 2:10); which shall boldly array itself against the conservative forces of Christendom, both civil and ecclesiastical, and hope even to cope with its present strength? Where is the army that in the near future will deny Christendom’s time-honored doctrines, its statescraft and priestcraft? that will sullenly ignore all its anathemas, spurn its orders, and hurl back its thunderbolts of authority and organized power?
“That such an army is coming into existence and preparing for the desperate conflict we are nonetheless forcibly assured by the signs of the times. And it is the recognition of this fact (without any reference to or knowledge of the word of prophecy) that is now filling the heart of Christendom with fearful foreboding, and impelling everywhere to take extraordinary measures for protection and defense.
“But in these very measures for self-defense devised by ‘the powers that be,’ there is probably a snare which they do not realize. The armies on which they depend for defense, be it remembered, are the armies of the common people: these millions of disciplined warriors have wives and sons and daughters and brothers and sisters and cousins and friends in the ranks of the common people, with whose interests their own are linked by nature’s strong ties; and their service of thrones and kingdoms is only secured by imperative orders, and made endurable by a remuneration which they are fast coming to consider as no satisfactory compensation for the hardships and privations which they and their families must undergo, not to mention perils to life and limb and health and fortune. Year by year these armed hosts are less and less infatuated with the ‘glory’ of war, more keenly alive to its sufferings and privations, and less and less devoted to the sovereign powers that command their services, while the armies of toilers, of the common people at home, are becoming more and more irritated and dissatisfied with their lot, and more and more apprehensive of the future.
“Just what conditions and circumstances will be used of the Lord as His ‘voice’ of command to marshal this mighty army we may not now be able clearly to surmise; but we live in a day which makes history rapidly; and on general principles it would not be unreasonable to expect movements in this direction at any time. These are already overshadowing the world, and are as sure to come as that they are foretold. A very few years would seem to be abundant space for their full accomplishment. Already ‘men’s hearts are failing them for fear and for looking after (forward to) these things coming upon the world.’
“Mankind in general is unconscious of the Lord’s interest in this battle: and almost all the contestants gird on the armor for personal and selfish interests in which they rightly realize the Lord could not share; and hence, while on every side they are ready to invoke the Lord’s blessing, few count on it; all seem to rely upon themselves – their organization, numbers, etc. None will be more surprised than the ‘powers of the heavens,’ the great ones of present ecclesiastical control, who, going about to establish a plan of their own for the Lord, have neglected His plan as revealed in His word. To these the Lord’s work will indeed be a ‘strange work.’ Hear the Lord’s word on this subject:
‘The Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the Valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.... For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption (an expiration, a consummation) even determined upon the whole earth.’—Isa. 28:21,22.
“The social system, the ‘earth,’ the ‘elements,’ the ‘course of nature,’ cannot be set on fire until the Lord permits the match to be struck: the great decisive battle cannot begin (Note this well!) until the great Michael, the Captain of our Salvation, stands forth and gives the word of command (Dan. 12:1), even though there will previously be frequent skirmishes all along the lines.
“Meanwhile let us remember the Apostle’s inspired description of this trouble that it will be as travail upon a woman with child, in spasms or throes of trouble, with shortening intervals between. It has been just so thus far (as was so clearly demonstrated in Detroit and other localities during the past few years—JJH); and each future spasm will be more severe, until the final ordeal in which the new order will be born in the death-agonies of present institutions.
“While the Lord forbids His people to fight with carnal weapons, and while He declares Himself to be a God of peace, a God of order and of love, He also declares Himself to be a God of justice, and shows that sin shall not forever triumph in the world, but that it shall be punished. ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:19; Deu. 32:35) And when He rises up to judgment against the nations, taking vengeance upon all the wicked, He declares Himself ‘a man of war’ and ‘mighty in battle,’ and having a ‘great army’ at His command. And who can give assurance that the multitudes who now compose the marshaled hosts of Christendom will not then constitute the great army that will throw its mighty force against the bulwarks of the present social order—Ex. 15:3; Psa. 24:8; 45;3; Rev. 19:11; Isa. 11:4; Joel 2:11.
“‘The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea roar: He shall prevail against His enemies.’ The cry and roar of His great army, and their success in accomplishing His purpose of revolution, He thus attributes to Himself; because they are accomplishing, though ignorantly, His work of destruction. He says: ‘I have long time holden my peace; I have been still and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman: I will destroy and devour at once.’”—Isa. 43:13,14.
“But in the Scriptures there are also intimations that there may be others beyond the revolting hosts of Christendom who will also form a part of the Lord’s great army. And the Lord, through the Prophet Ezekiel, referring to this same time, and to the approaching calamities of Christendom, says: ‘And I will give it into the hands of strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil: and they shall pollute it.... Make a chain (bind, unite them together; let them make common cause), for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city (Christendom) is full of violence. Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the great to cease, and their honored places (their sacred places, their religious institutions, etc.) shall be defiled.’ (Eze. 7:13-24)
“This may be understood to signify that the uprising of the masses of Christendom in anarchy will, during the prevalence of lawlessness, be so extremely brutal and savage as to out rival the barbarities of all heathen invasions – as was the case in the French Revolution. Or it may signify an uprising of the peoples of India, China and Africa against Christendom. Our opinion, however, is that ‘the worst of the heathen’ are those in Christendom who are ‘without God’ and without Christian sentiments or hopes (such as those who are denying the very existence of God and of Jesus as our Redeemer—JJH); who hitherto have been restrained and held in check by ignorance, superstition and fear (the light of the day having rid many of the people of the erroneous doctrine of eternal torment—JJH), but who in the dawn of the twentieth century are rapidly losing these restraining influences. (A few years back a man was arrested in Detroit for murdering a helpless old man; and it was developed during his investigation that he had amused himself during the last great war by cutting off the ears of the Japanese prisoners—JJH).
“According to the predictions of the prophets, the conditions of this battle will be without historic precedent. As already suggested, this final struggle is graphically portrayed in symbols in the 46th Psalm (Compare also Psa. 97:2-6; Isa. 24:19-21; 2 Pet. 3:10). The Hills (the less high, less autocratic governments) are already melting like wax; they shall retain their form, but as the earth (society) gets hot they yield to its requirements, little by little coming down to the level of popular demand. Great Britain is a good illustration of this class. High mountains (representing autocratic governments) will be ‘shaken’ by revolutions, and ultimately ‘carried into the midst of the sea’ – lost in anarchy. Already ‘the sea and the waves roar’ against the bulwarks of the present social system: ere long the earth (the present social structure) will reel and totter as drunken man, vainly endeavoring to right itself, maintain a footing and re-establish itself: by and by it will be utterly ‘removed,’ to give place to the ‘new earth’ (the new social order) wherein righteousness, justice will prevail.”
All of the foregoing from our Pastor sounds as though it were written yesterday instead of more than seventy years ago. Surely, the prophecy of Isa. 24:20 now comes vividly before us, “The earth (the social order) shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage (in exact fashion as a modern builder removes a worn-out useless structure before constructing a useful new one)... it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day (this day of the Lord now before us) that the lord shall punish.... the kings of the earth.” But for all who would accept this “sure word of prophecy” (2 Pet. 1:19), we offer the consoling words of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you..... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Sincerely your brother,
John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim
....................................................................
LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST
Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in Jesus’ name!
Please send me 300 tracts...... also Where are the Dead.
We surely have good news for those who have lost their loved ones in death. Thanks for your monthly letters. Has Brother Jolly ever admitted and apologized for any of his mistakes, his mistakes in letters, Journal articles, etc.? He likes to correct others.
Much love to you both ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)
....................................................................
Dear Brethren: I am not at the ------- Nursing Home anymore... It is now over 50 years since I have heard of Brother P. S. L. Johnson. I have been among various Bible Students for many year, and have seen many changes over the years.
My new address -------
Yours In Christ.... (NEW HAMPSHIRE)
....................................................................
Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace be multiplied!
Your good letter received, which we enjoyed reading. Thank you! Your letters are so encouraging and uplifting; they strengthen our faith and stimulate us to Holiness. We want to again thank you for the Nos. 151, 152 and 153 articles. We read and re-read them. They are wonderful, dear Brother Hoefle. We received a rich blessing, and we are delighted to tell you just how we feel.
We have received a letter from Bro ------- and he is not in the best of health but not complaining...... He said, “We have been busy mailing out some of Brother Hoefle’s tracts.” We are sending you these messages to show how much the work is growing. We are continuing the same here, dear Brother, in our new home – serving the churches here.
We trust that you and Sister Hoefle are quite well, and that God will bless you both as you continue to serve the dear brethren.... Remember Sister and me to all the dear friends in Mount Dora – and God bless you all as you continue in the Lord’s good work. And may our dear Heavenly Father bless you, our dear Brother and Sister, as only He can bless, and keep you steadfast in the Faith.
Your brother and sister ------- (NEW JERSEY)
....................................................................
Dear Brother Hoefle: Loving Christian greetings! At last I am managing to pen you a few lines. You are so right – we are one in spirit! Isa. 58:8. I must say you and Sister Hoefle have been a real joy and comfort to us both – when so many whom we had grown to love have become drunken with the follies of R. G. Jolly. Daily do we thank the Lord for your faithfulness and pray you to be kept in the Faith. And this also for the dear ones with you.
Next week we hope to have dear Brother and Sister ------- with us. They have now gone to ------- seacoast to a relative’s wedding, and expect to come to us afterward. The four of us will find much to talk about in Truth matters. June 1969 will be our joint golden wedding. They were married just after we were. They would like for us to celebrate it together.....
It was when we returned from our honeymoon that we had an invitation to attend a lecture on The World Has Ended. It was quite a few years afterward that we found out that the meeting we have attended had been postponed from an earlier date – a date when we would not have been there. Another one was interested, but a New Covenant brother came along and she succumbed to his views. It was a real test, but Brother and I studied what Brother Russell had to say – and that established us in the Truth – and what a blessing we have received! Then we began to see the Watch Tower was bringing in contrary ideas to the Studies in the Scriptures, so we studied the various topics and found Brother Russell’s presentations sound and Scriptural.
J.F. Rutherford was saying that Babylon had never been a golden cup in the lord’s hand – when the Scriptures directly says, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand.” (Rev, 17:4,5; Jer. 51:7) The Philadelphia and Laodicean periods we could not accept – nor the Second Advent articles. The book “Light” made Brother... emphatically declare: I am not taking this for the public to buy! Brother was then elder and service director for a class of about 7 or 8. It meant we both had to resign and take a stand against the errors ....... replied and said I had been actuated by an ‘Agent of the Devil’ (Note: These same words RGJ uses against us now in 1968 – see Mar-Apr. PT, p. 31, col. 2, par. 1; the “cleansed” Levites also called Jesus Beelzebub—Mark 3:22. This seems to be the age-old refuge of all “workers of iniquity”—Matt. 7:23 – when they can’t withstand the Truth. We are labeled “Satan’s Agents” because we are persuaded by the Truths taught by both Messengers – Star Members – rather than those errors now offered by a crown-loser—JJH). Sister .......... got the volumes for us – she never accepted JFR’s errors. Brother King (now deceased) passed on Present Truth papers to Brother and me, and we recognized it to be sound – more so than anything else presented to us......
It was quite a shock to find we were in another sifting after Brother Johnson’s demise. However, it is true to the history of the Gospel Age – and it is for us to keep in the love of God, continuing in that which has blessed us all along our married life. The Lord has been gracious to us, and we both desire heartily to honour and try always to do His will. We feel very humble for the Truth to have come our way...
Just been impressed with “God’s Little While,” in Volume One Reprint. It reminded me of the “due time” we used to hear the brethren quote when first the Truth came our way. It is still applicable! Brother ........ came into the Truth through reading E Vol. One. He said he would get the best answers to his questions from it. He was a very nice brother – but RGJ made him temporary representative after Brother Johnson died. Yes, Horn is a very good name when used rightly – and you have used your power and influence for good (your talents). God bless you continually! Brother ------- and Sister ------- send their love to you. My love also Sisters Dunnagan and Moynelo.
Sincerely your sister ------- (ENGLAND)
....................................................................
Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n
Mount Dora, Florida
Dear Sir: One of your followers who did not have the courage to reveal himself sent some of your literature to my sister upon the death of our mother.
I would appreciate knowing your doctrinal beliefs and what group you are associated with, as you seemed to be evangelic but your definitions of death as such are not clear. Are you speaking of death of body or soul? There is quite a difference. Your follower was from this area.
Please identify yourself and your basic beliefs.
In His Service ------- (NEW JERSEY)
....................................................................
Gentlemen: Enclosed is my check for $ ... for you to use as you see fit to carry on your work. We enjoy the articles you send us from time to time.
Very truly yours ------- (NEW JERSEY)
....................................................................
Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n
Mount Dora, Florida
Gentlemen: Please send me some of your Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6. Thank you!
------- (CALIFORNIA)