NO. 214: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 214

Comes again the Memorial of our Lord’s death, the correct time this year 1973 being after 6 p.m. April 15. The nearest new moon to the Vernal Equinox comes new at the 30th Meridian East (the Meridian nearest Jerusalem) at 1:45 p.m. April 3, thus establishing 6 p.m. April 2 as Nisan 1. Adding 13 days to this, we come to 6 p.m. April 15 as Nisan 14. We here at Mount Dora will observe the service at 7:30 p.m., and extend a cordial invitation to all of like mind who are in our vicin­ity to join with us as we “do this in remembrance.”

“GO TO HIM WITHOUT THE CAMP”

“And Moses proceeded to take a tent and pitch it by itself outside the camp afar off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting, – and so it came to pass that whosoever was seeking Yahweh went out unto the tent of meeting, which was on the outside of the camp.” (Ex. 33:7, Rotherham) Moses in this instance types our Lord as He arranged to remove the Star Members and His fully faithful people from the midst of the measurably faithful and the tare class, beginning in the Per­gamos epoch of the Gospel-Age church in 313 A.D., and continuing until 1799. The second period of the Church – the Smyrna period – followed the administration of the Apostles, and ended in 313 A.D. Smyrna means ‘bitter’; and it terminated with ten years of the most vicious persecution by Diocletian, the last of the pagan Roman em­perors to persecute the Christian church.

At the Council of Nice in 325 Emperor Constantine made determined effort to woo the growing Christian church, at which time also the Pergamos ‘principal man’ Arius was banished from the Roman Empire. Thus, he went “outside the camp” of the nominal church, into measurable obscurity, as the nominal church prospered in numbers and in favor with the Roman State. Pergamos means ‘earthly elevation’ – a name well adap­ted to the happenings of the time. Pertinent to this subject, we quote from E-11: 430: “God had our Lord do another thing indicative of His displeasure with His nom­inal people, i.e., remove the faithful servants of the Truth and its spirit from places of prominence and influence in the nominal church – caused the symbolic woman, the Covenant promises and the servants who apply them to the brethren, to go into the wilderness condition (Rev. 12:6) – to the Tent of Meeting, not the Tabernacle, but Moses’ official residence – and that not but slightly away from the erroneous doctrines, practices, organization and disciplines of the nominal church, but very far from these (Arius was forced to go to Africa—JJH), and made the Truth and the servants who applied it to the brethren, as well as these last, the place where God resided, met with His people and blessed them. Henceforth every one who in heart’s loyalty sought fellowship with the Lord in spirit, truth, righteousness and holiness went forth from the nominal church to such Truth, its applying servants and others of His real people apart from the nominal church (without the camp)... When our Lord busied Himself with Truth matters, its applying servants, etc., the Truth and its Spirit as due became manifest (the cloudy pillar descended), and remained at the en­trance, consecration, where God revealed truths to Jesus in the star members.”

The foregoing is very well complemented by St. Paul’s invitation in Heb. 13:13, Dia.: “Let us, then, now go forth to Him outside of the camp bearing reproach for Him.” Thus is given the clear-cut and definite procedure for all who elect to “fol­low in His steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21) It was during the Pergamos period that the rebel­lious nominal people of God flourished, as those faithful ones went to Him without the camp in relative obscurity – typed by the camp of Israel, with Moses well outside the camp. At the time St. Paul wrote his epistle to the Hebrews the typical camp had long before ceased to exist; but its prototype had developed as represented in the City of Jerusalem. When Jesus was crucified outside the gate of the city, He was in effect do­ing the same thing as going outside the camp. Jerusalem was eventually replaced by the nominal church; and this is clearly stated in the criticisms that St. John re­corded about the Pergamos church: “Thou hast them there that hold the doctrine of Balaam (type of those who teach error for profit – See Berean Comment)... also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (the lordship of the clergy), which thing I hate.” (Rev. 2:14,15)

CHANGING THE CALENDAR

When the Passover in Egypt was kept, the instructions were correct and very rigid, even as respects the time it should be kept. Up to that time the Jewish year began with the first day of the seventh month – Tishri; but the institution of the Passover changed that. The month Abib was then to become the first month. Since that time the Jews observe two years – the religious year beginning with Abib, or Nisan, and the business year beginning with Tishri. However, this is purely of their own making; no­where does the Bible sanction such an arrangement. Any time recordings in the Bible after Passover are reckoned as from the month Abib, or Nisan.

This change was not without purpose. Prior to the Passover the Jews had no or­ganized religious ritual. The religious order which they had when they entered Canaan some forty years later was the one arranged for them through Moses at Sinai in the wilder­ness, when the Aaronic priesthood and the Tabernacle ceremonies were first instituted. This would seem to suggest to us that the secular year revealed the character of the dispensation previous to the present one – commonly known as the Jewish Age. It would be followed by the ecclesiastical year, and would suggest the spiritual character of the present dispensation. Here then is contrasted the dealings of God during the Jew­ish Age along the rigid lines of the Law to His Grace dealings during the present Age. Prior to the Gospel Age God’s dealings with His covenant people were along earthly and secular lines; whereas, during this Gospel Age the dealings have been along ecclesia, church – spiritual lines.

In that God made the change in the beginning of the year in connection with His institution of the Paschal Lamb, its feast and the entire Passover festival suggests that the change of the year is typical of the Lord’s dispensational dealings chang­ing at the beginning of the Gospel Age; for the change in the type was made because of the Passover Lamb, its feast and its following festival, which properly type Christ our Lamb (“Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us”), with the privileges and bless­ings of the Christian life that attach to it.

The change in the year’s beginning would seem also to complement the change in the name of Jacob. “Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel (a prince of God, see marginal reading): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men”—Gen. 32:28. This would seem to represent the opportunity that came to the Jews at the beginning of the Christian era to elect a change of names – from Jews to Chris­tians. And in this connection, from Genesis 32:28 throughout the Old Testament, the name Jacob used in the texts usually, but not always, refers to fleshly Israel; whereas, the name Israel usually, tho not always, refers to spiritual Israel.

And concerning the date on which the Passover and its subsequent memorials were to be kept the instruction is very specific – it was to be on the 14th day of the first month. The date for Nisan 1 was determined by the condition of the moon – when it became new nearest the Vernal Equinox, provided the date for Nisan 14 would not occur before the Vernal Equinox. The Jewish religious festivals were tuned to the seasons. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the Passover was a Spring festi­val; therefore, it could not occur before Spring began. The same would be true of the Atonement Day service – it was set for the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishri), and thus observed in the Fall. To this day the Jews attempt rigid adherence to the right date, altho their failure to use the right calculation usually brings them a day or two or three off the right day. And the same may be said for the Christian world: they seldom have the right date for the Memorial of our Passover. It remained for the bright shining of the Harvest Truth to reveal the correct method of setting the date; but most Truth groups do not seem to understand it even yet. But on this point we see no occasion for much altercation. As Bible Students we should want to do every­thing exactly right, but human limitation often causes miscalculation. Very few people observed the right date for the Memorial during the Age; and even during the Harvest mistakes were often made. Thus, the spirit in which it is observed is vastly more im­portant than the correct date, altho it is much better to have the right spirit and the right date if that is possible.

In the Bible two names are given for the first month. The first of these is found in Ex. 13:4 – “This day came ye out in the month of Abib.” It means ‘sprout or earl (of grain). The name Nisan first appears in Neh. 2:1 – after return from captivity in Babylon. It means ‘blossom’ or ‘blossoming time.’    We are given no reason for this change. However, it is the name of the Babylonian god of Spring; and it may be that the Jews wished to placate the Babylonians in any way they could – not wishing to re­turn to Babylon for more of their captive experiences. In any event, the meaning of either Abib or Nisan fits the occasion, because the blossoming time would well comple­ment the time of the new life which Jesus received at His resurrection.” “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Cor. 15: 20)

The foregoing had been counterfeited by Satan centuries before in the Babylonian religion. One of their gods was Tammuz. He was god of the pasture, the patron of flocks and their keepers; thus, was himself entitled shepherd. Every Spring he was supposed to die, but was brought back to life again by the weeping of the Babylonian women. This myth had become so prominent before the capture of Jerusalem that the Jew­ish women had also been captivated by it. “He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.” (Eze. 8:14) It is thus quite a coincidence that women were weeping for Jesus as He was being led to Calvary. “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” (Luke 23:28, Dia.) Such tales form the background for the popularity of colored eggs at Easter time. The egg tho a dead ob­ject, may, by proper treatment, produce a life – all of which has a certain logic, Satanic tho its origin be; a chicken hatched from an egg is a fitting illustration of the resurrection from the dead.

In Ex. 3:22; 11:2, the Jews were told to borrow “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold” from their Egyptian neighbors just before they were to leave Egypt; and Ex. 12:35,36    states that they “borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment... And they spoiled the Egyptians.” On the fact of it this action would seem a rather underhanded trick – borrowing without any intention of repaying. Bible critics have taken this episode as ‘proof’ of the unreliability of Bible teaching; but their arguments all fall to the ground when the proper translation is taken. The word ‘borrowed’ should be translated ‘asked.’

This is all clarified when we consider the pertinent oriental customs of that time. Then, when a servant left his master’s employ, it was customary for him to ask whatever he desired as a parting boon. (2 Kgs. 2:9,10); and the prevailing custom bound the master to give whatever is asked, if that were possible. To refuse such a request was a legal offense and subject to suit for damages, which was always decided in favor of the servant, if he could prove that he had been reasonably faithful. Such refusal was considered as a discredit and defamation of the servant. Since Is­rael certainly deserved some compensation for their lengthy servitude in Egypt, God properly charged them to ask in accordance with the prevailing custom; and, in keep­ing with their inherent cupidity, they asked for plenty – so much so, in fact, that they impoverished the Egyptians, and had more than enough silver and gold to construct the Tabernacle furniture when they reached Sinai.

Another item is worthy of note here: Dr. Young’s translation says, “They (the Egyptians) caused (the Israelites) to ask (for the jewels, etc.)” After the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, they were very intent upon ridding themselves of these un­desirables in their country, so they told the Jews, Take whatever you want – just get away from us! The antitype of all this is to be found in the “gold, silver and prec­ious stones” (1 Cor. 3:12) which spiritual Israel attains in their characters during this Age as a result of the abuse that has come to them through the antitypical Egyptians.

And the Jews then left in haste – so much so that they had not time to prepare food before leaving. Thus, the unleavened cakes which they consumed in the early part of their journey fittingly typified “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (l Cor. 5:8) with which spiritual Israel keeps the Memorial each Spring. All who have come into the “Church of the Firstborn” during this Age acted this type out – some for only a short time (thus losing their crowns), and some throughout the entire life, receiving a “crown of righteousness” which the Lord had promised to those that love Him.

SPRINKLING THE BLOOD

After the lamb was killed that night the blood was to be sprinkled on the door­posts and the lintel, which things also had typical significance. The doorposts rep­resented Justice – Justice toward God and Justice toward man, which Justice was satis­fied by that blood sprinkling. “According to the Law, almost all things are purified by blood, and without an effusion of blood no forgiveness takes place.” (Heb. 9:22, Dia.) “Now where there is a forgiveness of these, an offering for sin is no longer needed.” (Heb. 10:18, Dia.) Thus, those that remained “under the blood” that awesome night in Egypt had no need to fear the Angel of Death; only, if they went outside, would they then be vulnerable, as were all the Egyptians.

But the blood was also sprinkled on the lintel, the same being “a horizontal mem­ber spanning an opening to carry a superstructure.” Here again was intricate typi­cal significance. The lintel over the door forms the base for the building superstruc­ture; and this well typifies the character superstructure of each one who has had the blood applied to him and for him. The “foundation,” therefore, is by the grace of God. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) However, the superstructure on that foundation is the result of each individuals effort – the “wise man” building upon a rock, and the “foolish man” upon the sand. (Matt. 7:24-28)  Therefore, it may be emphasized that character is not a gift; it is a victory. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith.” There is nothing in the record to indicate that a single Jewish indivi­dual went out from under the blood that night; but we know from clear Scripture that many have gone out from under the blood during the antitype – during this Gospel Age, the record expressly stating that “Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place... Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein.” (Acts 1:20,25)

And not only was the sprinkling meticulously done, but the manner in which the lamb was to be prepared and eaten was also most rigid. “Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire... And let nothing of it remain until the morn­ing; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.” (Ex. 12:9,10) “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover.” In Bible symbols the girdle signifies service. Thus, Elijah was “girt with a girdle of leather about his loins” (2 Kgs. 1:8); and he was an outstanding type of those dur­ing the Gospel Age who would be known for their service to one another – ready to lay down life for friends. “By this we have known love, because He laid down His life on our behalf; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16) The staff in the hand would indicate the necessity for leaning upon the precious promises of God in the wilderness journey toward the Heavenly Canaan; and it is sound conclu­sion that none could ever complete that wearisome and hazardous journey without the sustaining strength of the precious promises. This is also shown by the High Priest eating of the shewbread on the golden table in the Tabernacle Holy, that bread repre­senting the Sarah features of the Abrahamic covenant, which affords sustenance to those who assimilate it in proper fashion.

AN ORDINANCE FOREVER

“Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever... And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyp­tians and delivered our houses.” (Ex. 12:24-27) To the present time we find relig­ious Jews carrying out this ordinance in their preparation for and eating of the an­nual paschal lamb. After meticulous preparation for the service, with the food on the table, the head of the family – to be certain this service would be as commanded, tells the oldest son to ask the question, What do you mean by this service? after which the father proceeds to explain why the annual affair is performed. The present­-day Jews are usually off a little on the correct date – due mainly to the fact that they are guided by the condition of the moon, rather than the direct instructions of the Bible. The moon governs the fixing of the date only in the establishment of Nisan 1; after that date is determined, then the service is to be on Nisan 14, regardless whether the moon is full or not.

‘And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth.” (Ex. 13:9) Here is set forth the symbolic relation between the annual Passover feast, and the original performance. Also, it proves the symbolic relation of the Lord’s Supper to the antitypical Lamb and our feasting upon Him, and gives added emphasis to “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” It reveals also the true meaning of the words, “This is My body... My blood” – not as actual existence, as a large part of the Christian world believes, but a rep­resentation of those things. “And for a memorial between thine eyes” also proves the same thing, because the eyes are expressive of understanding or knowledge. At every annual service the Jews knew full well that they were not eating the original Passover as it occurred in Egypt; thus, we also should know that we are not actually eating the antitype of the lamb in Egypt; but the bread and the wine are merely a representation of the antitype.

There is no doubt that the Lord used good intoxicating wine as He instituted the Memorial; and many today still use such wine. But plain grape juice is “fruit of the vine,” even tho it be not fermented, and is sufficient for the service. However, if some are inclined to argue about this, then a teaspoonful of fermented wine could be added to the cup, which would readily lose its identity, and could not be tasted. There is just nothing in the original ceremony that says how much alcohol should be in the cup; therefore, one drop in the cup would be just as persuasive as would a full cup of potent wine. And any unleavened wafer would be proper for the bread at the ser­vice, such unleavened wafer representing for one thing the freedom from sin’s condemna­tion in those who eat it ‘in sincerity and in truth.”

DIFFERENCES IN TYPE AND MEMORIAL

In the original service the lamb was set aside on the tenth day of the month ­four days before it was slain and eaten. In the subsequent memorials this was not done, as is clearly revealed in Matt. 26:17: “The first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt thou that we pre­pare for thee to eat the Passover?” Nor was the lamb’s blood sprinkled on the door posts and the lintel – just as there is nothing in our memorial to represent this. Nor was the lamb eaten in haste in the subsequent observances. Rather, the memorials, altho solemn occasions, were also an evening of rejoicing for the liberation that had come to them from their Egyptian taskmasters. And the Jews reasoned that good wine was about the best thing they knew to lift the spirits of those at the paschal table. ‘Wine maketh glad the heart of man.” (Psa. 104:15) Consequently, four cups of wine were used in the service by Jesus at the last supper. Before any food was eaten at all a cup of wine was drunk, as set forth in Luke 22:17 – “He took the cup and gave thanks.” During the meal there was two more cups of wine; then a final one as a closing service, as given in verse 20 – “Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you.” All of this in­formation is not contained in the Bible, but it is obtained from secular writings.

BENEFITS FROM PROPER UNDERSTANDING

Often the remark is heard that it is not the date, or the knowledge that is pre­dominant in the Lord’s Supper, but the spirit in which it is observed. There is a certain amount of truth in this statement, but it cannot be used as an excuse for be­ing “willingly ignorant.” Those of us who have come to a clear and complete under­standing of this service realize full well that participation with proper knowledge deepens love for God, and for Christ Who died for the world, and for all fellow parti­cipants, because we know it symbolizes Christ’s death, appropriation of His merit, and fellowship with one another. It deepens, increases and elevates faith in justifying and sanctifying aspects; it fosters hope in the glorious consummation for the entire family of God in suggesting the “new wine” in the Heavenly Canaan. It also strength­ens obedience as we comply strictly with the letter as nearly as possible, as well as the spirit of the occasion; it refreshes heart and mind on the grace of God underly­ing the service; and stimulates zeal and self-sacrifice by holding “Christ our Pass­over” upon our minds before, during and after the Memorial service.

Much of the foregoing is deeply hidden in Ex. 12:34: ‘The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.” In leaving the nominal church, and coming into the Truth, we became free from the slavery of error. “Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” If faithfully continued, it eventually frees us from every vestige of Satan’s empire, not simply from its ecclesiastical part. In both of these deliv­erances we perform the antitype of this Scripture. The dough represents the Truth; and the kneading-troughs represent our minds. The wrapping of the dough within the troughs in the Israelites’ garments very fittingly represents our graces laying hold on these and making the Truth our own – through faith, love, hope and obedience. Just as the Jews were freed from Egyptian bondage by exact performance of that Passover, so we are also freed from the bondage of antitypical Egypt. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” But this comes in the fullest sense only to those who know what they are doing in the service, and why they are doing it.

Those who have come to that understanding of the Memorial in its various features may well be represented in Luke 23:26: “As they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” The word Simon in this text means ‘hearing one’; and all who have “followed in His steps” during the Age have been hearing ones (“blessed are your ears, for they hear”), and have faithfully borne the cross ‘after Jesus.’ It is presumed that Jesus bore His part of the cross at its heaviest part – at the cross beam – and this is as it should be. He had also received the Holy spirit without measure; whereas, those who have borne the cross “after Him” have received the Holy Spirit with measure – in a limited degree. Thus, it is only reasonable to conclude they would also receive the lighter part of His cross in their journey through life; and so it has been.

CONCLUSION

What has been presented herein is in no sense intended to replace the excellent presentation of the Passover to be found in Volume Six of the Parousia Studies in the Scriptures – which we commend at this time to all our readers. But it is our fond hope and prayer that we may “stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” And in this spirit we wish one and all the Lord’s rich blessing in preparation for, and par­ticipation in this service.

“And no Creature is concealed in his sight, but all things are naked and exposed to his eyes, whose word is addressed to us. Having, therefore, a great High-priest, who has passed through the Heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, we should firmly retain the confession. For we have not a High-priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses; but one having been tried in all respects like ourselves, apart from Sin. We should therefore, approach with confidence to the Throne of Favor, that we may receive Mercy and Favor for seasonable help.” (Heb. 4:13-16, Dia.)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Why do you accuse Brother Jolly of forsaking what That Servant and the Apostle Paul taught on the Jews being first and chief in the Kingdom, when what he gave us in “Jewish Hopes and Prospects” is in strict conformity with what we have “learned and been assured of”? This is also true of his splendid article in the August 1967 Bible Standard concerning the Jews.

ANSWER: – We did not refute his booklet on “Jewish Hopes and Prospects” in our No. 209, Nov. 1, 1972 paper; we were refuting his errors that appear in his Present Truth magazine and his verbal expressions at Conventions regarding his Campers Consecrated, which are not in harmony with his “Jewish Hopes and Prospects” ­nor in harmony with his August 1967 Bible Standard. He is presenting much of the Truth as given to us by the two Messengers in his Bible Standard and in his booklet, but is teaching the brethren in his Present Truth magazine that his Campers Conse­crated precede the Jews in Kingdom blessings. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)

In the Bible Standard of August 1967 there are some comments that are mislead­ing to both Jews and Gentiles. He says the Jews were cut off because of unbelief, “If the unbelief class were given an opportunity to gain elective salvation, lack­ing the requisite faith they would inevitably be lost.” This is a half-truth, and half truths are often more misleading than whole errors. This is true of the Gospel Age up to 1881, but after that all consecrators were not spirit-begotten. The Youth­ful Worthies are an elect class – and opportunity for entrance into that class – to both Jews and Gentiles – was still open after 1914. This is the last class to have opportunity for elective salvation – the last class to have opportunity to walk a nar­row way. However, we agree that after this opportunity is no longer available, all others – including all the quasi-elect – will have their opportunity for salvation with the unbelievers: they will receive their resurrection by judgments – they will have no part in a “better resurrection.” None but the spirit-begotten will go into the Second Death in this Age – and the Youthful Worthies are not spirit-begotten.

This unbegotten class selected “between the Ages” will be rewarded in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. (See Hebrews, Chapter 11) However, if they make such a consecration and fail to be faithful thereto, they will be remanded to the Camp, and some of them possibly to beyond the camp, and will have their trial for life with the unbelief class. They will not “inevitably be lost,” as RGJ’s Bible Standard teaches. Such will not go into the Second Death because they are unfaithful to their vows now – altho if they refuse and fail to have the Adamic Death Process plagued out of their characters during the Kingdom – even tho outwardly obeying – they will enter the Little Season with imperfect heart condition, and will then lose life altogether: they will go into the Second Death. (See Rev. 20:14,15)

There have been only three opportunities to enter into elective salvation: (1) To the faithful before the High Calling was opened; (2) to the ones who made an acceptable consecration under the High Calling, and were spirit-begotten; (3) and to those who consecrate “between the Ages” – after the door is closed to the High Calling, and before the New Covenant is inaugurated. However, there are four elect classes, but only three opportunities for entrance into elective salvation. Those who failed to be “more than conquerors,” during tho Gospel Age were not faithful enough to retain their crowns, but not unfaithful enough to go into the Second Death, constitute the fourth class. We call them the Measurably Faithful. They were not called to this class – God in mercy provided a place for those who were ejected from the Holy into the Court. They are the “Great Multitude” of Rev. 7:9, and will serve “before the throne.” Only two classes – the Little Flock and the Great Company – can go into the Second Death during this Age. They are spirit-begotten, while the two classes of Worthies are not spirit-begotten. The Worthies will be “princes”, in all the earth – and, as That Servant tells us, will be unique in that they will be perfect physically because they will receive a “better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35), which is instantaneous physical perfection – their initial reward for their faithfulness while sin and evil were in the ascendancy. They also will be the visible rulers in the earth when the New Covenant is inaugurated.

We do not have any major difference with RGJ about his teachings to the Jews, except as outlined above – altho even there he should be telling them that they must become “Consecrated Campers” in order to be among the chief of the restitutionists ­that is, if he believes what he is teaching about Campers Consecrated and wishes to bless the Jews by giving them an opportunity to become one of the quasi-elect “Consecrated.”

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

I cannot tell you how much your bulletins have meant to me. They are my only contact with any of those in the Truth – the magazines and letters. May the enclosed help you in His work.             Sincerely ------- (OREGON)

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Dear Sirs:

I would appreciate a copy of the following editions: Where are the Dead, What is the Soul and The Resurrection of the Dead. I will gladly forward to you a check after receiving same.

Sincerely, ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings of Christian love in our dear Redeemer’s name!

We have been receiving your papers and have enjoyed them very much. We recently moved so that we haven’t been getting the papers. We would like to get the back issues and continue to receive your monthly papers. Our old address ------- and our new address is ------- Thank you very much! May the Lord bless you and yours in the work. Enclosed is $--- for the work.

Much Christian love, Sr ------- (CALIFORNIA)

PS – What is the subscription price?

NO. 213: THE CHICAGO CONVENTION - OCT. 27-29, 1972

No. 213

QUESTION MEETING – Sunday Oct. 29 – In an hour and a half RGJ did not “have time” to answer nearly all the questions that had been presented; but some of those he did try to answer made him uncomfortable enough to display clearly what manner of person he is. We shall report on just a limited number of those questions now:

No. 1 – Is Tentative Justification in the Court and in the Camp the same thing? (we are not giving the questions or the answers verbatim, but our paraphrase gives the general idea – truthfully.) This question caused RGJ to go into quite a tantrum about it being a “tricky question”; but the only trickery we could see was in the an­swer he gave. He immediately resorted to his usual confusion of issues, and his “Lo­quacious, repeti­tious and false-accusing foolish effusions.” (E-10:591) Then he pro­posed the question, Do those in the Court have the same justification as those in the Holy? Well, we would answer that in the Epiphany Court there are two classes of peo­ple – those tentatively justified, and those vitalizedly justified. The vitalizedly justified are the crown-losers – those new creatures ejected from the Holy; but they still have the same vitalized justification they had when their new creatures were in the Holy – and will have it so long as they remain in the Court under the imputed merit. Thus, his answer was simply “profusion of words” to becloud the issue; there is no analogy whatever between his illustration and the question. Nor can it be argued that his answer was produced just on the occasion. He had at least a day to think it over; and for him to offer such a response after studied consideration merely offers tangible proof that he is going blind on the Tabernacle truths.

Also, we know that Jesus was asked many tricky questions; but never once did He complain about that. Rather, He took the occasion to demonstrate His own wisdom ­so much so that no “man from that day forth durst ask Him any more questions.” (Matt. 22:46) But His responses were far removed from the confusion and complaints dis­played by RGJ. The only people that appeared foolish before Jesus were the tricksters themselves.

No. 2 – What does Romans 16:17 mean – “Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” His answer: It means just what it says! We rather opine that he himself put this question in ­to give him a chance to offer tirade against the “sifters.” Be that as it may, this text has been a handy tool throughout the Age for the worst characters in the church to use against those who opposed their sins of teaching and practice. It was used by the Roman Church to inflame their servile sectarians to murder the saints. It was used by JFR repeatedly after 1917 to inflame his servile sectarians to excommunicate those that opposed his errors. And the Witnesses command their dedicated devotees, “Don’t even speak to him,” when they meet one on the street who has been ejected from their midst. He used it effectively against RGJ himself at a time when he was under the benevolent influence of the Epiphany Messenger, at which time he had enough cour­age and clarity of Truth to go to their meetings, just the same as we now attend his meetings.

Now RGJ is using this same Scripture, in the same way, and for the same purpose, as did That Evil Servant – although we have previously pointed out in our writings that this is a gross revolutionism against Parousia and Epiphany Truth. Both Messengers recognized that such application of Romans 16:17 would surely deprave the characters of their followers – and this neither of them wanted. On occasion in the past, when it seemed convenient for that time, RGJ has related the conduct of Brother Johnson with E. A. Williamson, when he met him on the street. He not only spoke to him; but, when Williamson extended his hand, Brother Johnson accepted it with the remark, “Well, Ed, for old times’ sake.” It will be noted he did not address him as Brother, but he did give him the common courtesy that he would give to any “heathen man.” (Matt. 18:17)

At Jamaica in 1957 RGJ went out of his way to approach us and shake hands when that seemed the political thing to do – although he himself had disfellowshiped us some­time previously. However, even there it soon became apparent that his gesture was simply a hypocritical performance; as he denounced us from the Convention platform as Devils, etc., and warned his audience not to recognize us. It is to the commendation of many of them, however, that they ignored his blustering antics; But his conduct there did not surprise us, as we know “a doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways.” (Jas. 1:8) As the Berean Comment on Matt. 27:21 states it, “Religious fanaticism is the deepest, wickedest and most conscienceless of hatreds.” We mention, too, that his “cousin” Krewson commands his sectarian adherents “not to read anything from us.”

On Oct. 29, 1972 RGJ also quoted the Scripture, “They went out from us, because they were not of us.” (1 Jno. 2:19) In his application of this text he either re­veals that the “oil in his lamp has gone out” – has lost the spirit of understanding (Matt. 25:1-10) – or presents a willful wresting of the Scriptures. “The uninstructed and unstable (doubleminded) pervert, as also the other Scriptures, to their own destruc­tion.” (2 Pet. 3:16, Dia.) JFR also played this text to a frazzle after the separa­tion in 1917 – against RGJ himself, and against others who exposed his errors. But Brother Johnson did not “go out” from him; he was “cast out” (Isa. 66:5) – just as we also were “‘cast out” by RGJ; and this text did not apply to Brother Johnson then, nor does it apply to us now – as we “continue in the things we have learned and been assured of,” knowing of whom we have learned them. Actually, the facts are clear, that many of those who voluntarily “went out” from JFR were so much like him – and worse in some re­spects – that they left because they were “of him” – rogues who could not tolerate one another. As one instance, we cite the case of the “Standfast” Movement, as recorded in E-6:722-748, where we have a record of their “cruel disfellowshipments,” refusal of ordinary commonplace greetings on the street with those they had “cast out,” etc. Our readers would be well advised to read that record. As we consider the sober and super­ior schooling those people received under That Servant, it is tragic to note that they could sink so low; and we are forced to the sad conclusion that they were “in the Truth, “but not much of the Truth was in them. And it depresses us much to reach the same conclusion now concerning many of our brethren who were taught by the Epiphany Messenger, who also now “pervert the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Pet. 3:16, Dia.)

In this connection, we now quote from E-4:277, bottom: “In every case of Great Company leaders they have been guilty of power-grasping and lording. When we pass them one after the other in review we will see this to be the case. From first to last they want more than the Lord gives them (such as trying to re-enter the Holy to secure “new light” – and such as claiming to be equal with God’s mouthpiece – E-10: 585—JJH); hence under Satanic temptation they grasp for power and lord it over God’s heritage, which makes them fall under God’s disfavor.”

No. 3 – Where do the Youthful Worthies consecrate in the Court? Again his an­swer was filled with “foolish effusions.” (E-10:591) Were there more than two goats tied at the first veil? he asked. Here again he revealed his confusion on Tabernacle types. There was excellent reason for having but two goats and one bullock on the Atonement Day performance: the Bullock and the Lord’s Goat for the “sin-offering” and Azazel’s Goat (the live goat) for the expiation of the world’s willful sins. In fact, when his “cousin” Krewson came up with his “new light” (?) that the Worthies shared with the Great Company in this “expiation of willful sins,” this Atonement Day type clearly refuted his error. But RGJ would do well to inform himself with the text, “Thou shalt have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country.” (Lev. 24:22)

There is only one place in the Tabernacle where consecration is pictured – and that is at the first veil. But, since 1881, those who came to that veil had no as­surance that they would be admitted into the Holy. Once any one came to that veil after 1881 it was then up to the Lord to determine what his standing would be. How­ever, if he did not receive admittance into the Holy, then his consecration could be accepted for other elective purposes – namely, as a Youthful Worthy. Nevertheless, such consecrators came to the first veil just the same as those whose new creatures entered the Holy; and what would apply to a few would apply to all – not represented in either of the goats, of course; but in essence their course up to the first veil was the same as that of those who entered into the Holy. We assume RGJ once knew that; so here is just one more point on which he is going blind on the Tabernacle types.

When asked how much the Youthful Worthies should deny themselves of earthly pleasures, Brother Johnson answered that their consecration is no different than that of the Little Flock – and that would mean “one manner of law for the stranger-: “They (the Youthful Worthies and Little Flock) make the same vows (tie themselves up at the veil, the door—JJH) of deadness to self and aliveness to God. The difference is, therefore, not in the obligations that they take upon themselves, but the use God makes of their consecration: the consecration of some is accepted by God through the begettal of the Spirit and that of others is not. But the same antitypical Passover doctrines and practices both classes are to live out – one statute to the stranger and to the one born in the land. But as the Youthful Worthies now do these things, not as the parts of a trial for life, but of faith and loyalty, they will unto a completion do these things Millennially and in the Little Season as the parts of trial for life.” (E-8:620)

The Gospel Age, including its last special period – i.e., the Epiphany – is the only time for a consecration “unto death”; and the only place (picturing forth a con­dition in antitype) for such consecration is in the Court where the merit is imputed. Any consecration made in the Camp will be “unto life” under the New Covenant – and the “way” is not “narrow,” but a Highway of Holiness. There are two distinct salvations –separate and distinct, as was taught by That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger.

“There is not the slightest intimation in the Scriptures that those who consecrate too late to have a crown assigned them; but before the highway of holiness is opened, make a different kind of a consecration from those whose consecration was accepted by the begettal of the Spirit.” (E-4:422) As Brother Russell has said, “after he ties himself up at the Door of the Tabernacle he has done everything he can do. The next thing must be done by the Lord...” And this from E-8:532: “Both tentative justifi­cation and vitalized justification are acts performed in Heaven.” (Heb. 9:24)

From his unclear comments on the goats, it would seem RGJ believes that the anti­typical Lord’s goat is in the Holy; but neither the antitypical bullock nor the Lord’s goat ever enter the Holy – only their new creatures, as represented in Aaron, are in the antitypical Holy. Their humanity still remains in the Court – sacrificed on the brazen altar – so long as they continue faithful. When they become sufficiently un­faithful, they lose their crowns and are ejected from the Holy; and their humanity also makes a coincidental move – from the Court into the wilderness to be buffeted at the hands of the fit man (unfavorable circumstances and persecuting persons). He that discerns clearly teaches clearly; so we can but conclude that he not only has lost the “spirit of understanding” on a place in the tabernacle picturing forth a condition in the antitype, but this is just one more part of the Tabernacle types on which he seems to be going blind. The faithful Youthful Worthies, however, continue in the Court in their new wills and in their humanity until they finish their earthly course.

We have selected just three of the questions treated in that Sunday morning meet­ing – although there were many more. Some of the answers deserve some criticism, while others deserve some commendation. He was not floating around in space with all his an­swers; especially was this true where he could adhere to the teaching of the Messengers on subjects that didn’t impinge against his newly-invented errors.

THE NOV.-DEC. 1972 PRESENT TRUTH

On pages 84-90 of the above paper is an article on FAITH, which is by Brother Johnson – a superb treatise on the subject, which we are happy to praise. It gives this PT a superiority, which any one schooled in Present Truth will readily concede.

Then there is an article on pages 90-93 on UNEQUALLY YOKED, which is mainly a quotation from an article by Brother Russell through the second paragraph of column two of page 92 – after which RGJ injects his tirade against those who oppose his errors, the same including some caustic remarks about “another sifter,” which is a reference to us. In this he goes into quite some detail about his “avoid them” policy toward the “grievous wolves” of Acts 20:29. If he had wanted to be fair in his comments, he would then have included also the comments by Brother Russell on page 1559 of the Reprints (written just three months before the “Unequally Yoked” article) – where he defines “wolves in sheep’s clothing, who would not spare the flock while selfishly seeking their own temporal advantage.” Had he quoted this, even the sleepiest of his readers might have been aroused to make some inquiry.

Those familiar with our record over the past fifty years are well aware that our pursuit of the Truth never brought us any “temporal advantage.” Nor is there anything in the Epiphany writings to dispute this. Thus, we freely invite close examination of our past performance in comparison with the record to be found there about RGJ. In fact, we offer now RGJ’s own comments about our past, as he published it on page 70 of his September 1952 Present Truth:

“Bro. John J. Hoefle, of Detroit, Mich., was one of Bro. Johnson’s special assistants in a more potent way than most of the brethren realize. Throughout most of the Epi­phany, and even to the end of his life, Bro. Johnson leaned on Bro. Hoefle in special ways, finding in him an ever ready and willing helper, often under very exacting con­ditions that involved much sacrifice and self-denial. Probably the largest financial contributor to the Lord’s Epiphany work, he came to Bro. Johnson’s relief in times of special need, making possible the purchase of plates and other materials for various books that were published, donating the Bible House property free from debt to the work and additionally donating thousands of dollars, to the exhaustion of his finances, in the spirit of the Lord’s instruction in Matt. 6:19-21. He also ably helped Brother Johnson in legal and general executive matters. E.g., in 1937 he started action in the courts which resulted in the LHMM obtaining income-tax-free status, donations made to it by others now being free from taxation and deductible in individual income-tax-re­turns. This has resulted in quite an increase in funds for carrying on the work, and has served as a precedent in obtaining for the LHMM more favorable positions and decis­ions, e.g., in connection with various bequests, deeds, U.S. Customs, U.S. Courts and other agencies, employment tax exemptions, tax-free services, lower rates, etc. In 1947 ‘at a most inopportune time’ he left everything to serve at Bro. Johnson’s bedside, assisting ­in correspondence work, etc. Bro. Johnson spoke of him as ‘my real son Timothy’ and later wrote him: ‘I love you because of your personal good qualities, which I appreciate, and because of the great service you have been to the Epiphany Truth.’ Bro. arranged for him to act as executor for himself and Sr. Johnson, and made special request that he serve at his funeral. Indeed, Bro. Hoefle, who also served as a Pilgrim, was one of Brother Johnson’s seven special helpers.”

From the foregoing it should be crystal clear to all that not even RGJ himself believed we were “seeking our own temporal advantage” up to 1952; and we have the testimony of many faithful brethren that we have not done so since that time either. We opine that RGJ would not think so now were we not exposing his revolutionisms against Parousia and Epiphany Truth; and this we shall continue to do so long as we have the physical and financial strength to do so. And in so doing, we rest secure in the blessed promise that “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love” (Heb. 6:10); but we now know from sad experience that an uncleansed Levite is sufficiently unrighteous to forget that work.

THE REIGN OF THE SAINTS

On page 93 of the article mentioned aforegoing, attack is once more made upon us regarding our “sophistry” on the saints’ reign. We had rather concluded that RGJ had cleared the cobwebs from his mind on this subject – inasmuch as he himself had made statements in his magazine that are in exact agreement with what we believe and teach about it. But it seems he is so befuddled by Azazel that he does not know from one paper to the next just what he does believe. In this present paper he says,

“The Scriptures and the Parousia and Epiphany Messengers teach that the saints must first live, i.e., have part in the first resurrection before they can reign with Christ.”

Now let us compare the above with what he says in one of his previous papers:

“We agree fully with Brother Russell and Brother Johnson that the Christ’s thousand-­year-reign (the thousand years when Satan is bound) began in 1874, even though the only part of the Christ that will by 2874 have reigned the full thousand years is Jesus; thus as a class, including Head and Body, the Christ’s reigning as well as living dates from 1874 onward.”

Note the direct contradiction of these two statements! Which statement would he have his readers believe? We know the Scriptures distinctly teach that the saints will reign with Christ one thousand years. (Rev. 20:4) Here again, he is reeling to and fro like a drunkard!

We now quote from E-6:427, bottom: “Please note: this work (of dealing with Azazel’s Goat) belongs exclusively after the entire Christ is won, i.e., in the Epi­phany, hence on the Church’s wedding day (Col. 3:4; Rev. 19:7,8) AFTER THE ENTIRE CHURCH HAS BEEN WON (emphasis by Brother Johnson), when, from God’s standpoint, every part of the Church in the flesh is in the kingdom. This is similar to God’s viewing Aaron in beauty and glory at the time of consecration typing how He looks upon the faithful as a class at their consecration, i.e., as though they were in glory, in view of what they will become.” The World’s High Priest was not in position “to execute the judgment written” until September 1914 – at which time those in Glory and those on earth cooperated as one complete unit in dealing with Azazel’s Goat, and “binding their kings with chains.”

Complementing the above is the following from E-4:11,12: “St. Paul seems in Timothy to address the Lord’s people generally,... encouraging them to be faithful, until that period of our Lord’s return which He here calls His appearing, Epiphany (which period did not begin until September 1914—JJH).... Which He will manifest in its separate time periods when, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He takes to Him­self His great power and prepares to reign in Millennial glory over the earth (Rev. 20:4-6)

In no place does either Messenger teach that the Church began “living and reign­ing” in 1874; that is just RGJ’s invention – and a slipshod invention at that. Here is a quotation from Brother Johnson re 1 Cor. 15:24, which we have used in previous papers, which we now quote again so that our readers will have the subject clearly in mind:

“What is meant by all rule, and all authority and power? We answer every vestige of Satan’s governing, of Satan’s claim of right, and of Satan’s might; all of this must be destroyed utterly and forever, and this will be done at the end of the Little Season.” (And RGJ’s “faulty disc” wouldn’t help him much on this quotation—JJH)

This is further emphasized and confirmed by the Berean Comment on Rev. 20:14, the part that RGJ omitted in his answer to a question on this text at the Labor Day Convention – which would have nullified his whole contention there had he done so (please see our p. 1, No. 210, Dec. 1, 1972 paper): “And death... Including aches, pains, mental and moral imperfection of every sort” (the “mental and moral” imperfec­tions, which are not overcome by the goats – plagued out of them, as Brother Johnson states it – at the beginning of the Little Season—JJH). The “aches, pains,” etc., will be plagued out of all the willing and the unwilling, but the “mental and moral,’ imperfections, or deflections (the Adamic Death Process) will never be eliminated from the unwilling – the goats of the Little Season – until they are cast into the Lake of Fire. Then it can be said that “Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.”

The following quotation from Brother Russell is also directly to the point: “He who now holds the scepter, whose right it is to rule, will at the expiration of the Gentile Times receive the crown also; and ‘unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.’ The scepter, or title to ‘all power in heaven and in earth,’ was given unto Him at His resurrection, but He awaits the Father’s appointed time, the limit of the Gentile Times, before He will take His great power and begin His glorious reign.” (And, as King of kings, and Lord of lords, He will evict these Gentiles – and the saints will also reign with Him – Rev. 20:4—JJH)

According to the above quotation, Jesus did not even have “The crown” – the right to reign – until the expiration of the Times of the Gentiles in 1914. And in corroboration of this, we quote now from Reprints 2739, col. 2, bottom:

“The Scripture declaration respecting the saints, the ‘overcomers’ is, ‘They lived and reigned a thousand years.’ The reign of the saints cannot be properly said to begin before all the ‘jewels’ have been gathered, nor before the ‘Times of the Gentiles’ end, in 1914. Nor is it said that their reign will be no longer than a thousand years (The thousand years is from 1874 to 2874, but “a thousand years is promised to the saints,” as the Scriptures clearly teach, and as That Servant has said—JJH) After the thousand years’ reign, Satan shall be loosed and the above trial shall ensue; but the reign of Christ and the church will evidently continue long enough after the thousand years to destroy all found unworthy in that final test, and to thus complete the work for which this reign is instituted; for, as expressed by the Apostle, ‘He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet.”

Further, a quotation from the 1915 WT, Reprint 5632: “The Kingdom of God Set Up – Our thought is that we should look for still further evidences that the Gentile Times have ended, and that God’s kingdom (Christ and the Church—JJH) has begun its work... The present step is the war of the nations. The next step will be Socialism – ­an attempted Socialism – among the people. Then the third step anarchy.. The Time For Judgment is Ripe – We believe that the Times of the Gentiles ended just on time.. The hand of justice is now doing the breaking – the nations shall be broken as ‘a potter’s vessel.’.. We believe that the time for the setting up of the kingdom was on Septem­ber 21, 1914. At that time, when it was due for our Lord to take up His great power and reign, the nations were already angry... The due time for the wrath (the Epiphany—JJH) was September 21... Now the restraining hand has been removed. The time is ripe.” (The time was ‘ripe’ for the Judgment of the Nations – and the time will be ripe for the Judgment of the individuals when the New Covenant is inaugurated—JJH)

Much of the present outburst in the LHMM is a vicious attempt to substantiate the newly-invented doctrine of Campers Consecrated, so we offer this observation concerning that: The Epiphany Messenger was one of the fully faithful Elect who had not been ejected from the Holy, yet he never attempted to produce a new class; he merely elaborated on the unbegotten class that That Servant had already taught – a class of consecrators “between the Ages” that would be associated with the Ancient Worthies in reward, honor and service in the Kingdom reign. It was likewise his privilege to pre­sent and clarify many pertinent Scriptures and types on this class. He also elabor­ated on the Great Company, and gave us much additional light on this class, which has become so prominent in this Epiphany – the same being another class That Servant had taught and dealt with at great length, especially during the final years of his life.

Thus, both Messengers classified all the Elect, and made a clear demarcation be­tween the Elect and the non-elect, the Court and the Camp – the just and the unjust ­the faith salvation and the works salvation. But comes now a crown-loser – one who no longer has access to the Holy – to mix the two salvations – the faith Age with the works Age – and tells us it is difficult to discern the difference between his newly ­invented restitution class in the Camp and the elect class in the Court. Neither Mes­senger could see such a class in the Scriptures, but he has no difficulty in seeing it. And in offering his “strange fire” before the Lord he discards a well-established doc­trine – one emphasized by St. Paul and the two Messengers – namely, the preeminence of the Jews in the Kingdom: “to the Jew first,” even as it was to the Jews first in the High Calling salvation.

Further, he has the effrontery to become viciously vituperative toward any one who refuses to accept his “advancing truth” (?). Likewise, That Evil Servant was similarly abusive toward all who refused to accept his error and revolutionisms, and his newly-invented Jonadab class, etc. Here we have a real parallel in fact set be­fore us by two crown-lost-leaders. And to this we would simply quote St. Paul: ‘When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” (Heb. 5:12)

“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sin­cere and without offense till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1:9-11)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Please excuse the delay in letting you know that I received your two parcels of tracts quite safe, which I shall by the Grace of God make good use of.. Also, your November article, which gave me the answer to something I couldn’t understand: Why some who came into the Truth, through the doctrines as given to Pastor Russell from above, then later gave out part of the Truth themselves, but end up with something quite different. It isn’t as if one is judging them, but we cannot help but notice the change. They appear to be so kind, and have a great belief in our Heavenly Father and His Son (Many hypocrites in high religious office show the same characteristics—­JJH); and yet, as you mention, God does permit these things to happen, and for a good reason. How plain it is to me now, for I can see it is the heart and character that finally shows up, for we are all on trial once we consecrate ourselves to God, and there must be something of the world that makes them change so much.

In one of my letters I mentioned going occasionally to a meeting of Brother ------- class; but it was not my intention to become a member and attend regularly – which they seem to think was my intention to do. However, I thought it best to stop going, as it was so confusing. One can hardly believe his ears to hear some one who was called into the Truth, teaching from the Plan of the Ages, then ending up by telling his congregation to look up to the time coming soon when “every eye shall see our Lord coming in a cloud,” when in the twinkling of an eye they shall all be changed and caught up to meet our Lord in the air, and taken to their Heavenly home to be with the Lord in Glory. I’ve received a letter from him saying “he hopes I haven’t stumbled.” I hope by the Grace of God it was my last stumbling when I ‘stumbled’ into Pastor Rus­sell’s teaching and Brother Johnson’s teaching, but I do believe all their teachings will come back again in God’s “due time.” In the meantime, I hope you and all the brethren with you, will continue to be able to carry on the Lord’s work.

Your sister by His Grace, ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Brethren:

Recently I was able to examine a copy of a monthly paper written by John J. Hoefle. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to enter my name on your mailing list for this publication. I would also be interested in knowing if it is possible to obtain copies of back issues? Please send any information that you have to the address below.

Sincerely, Brother ------- (Michigan)

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Dear  Brethren:

Please change my address to read ------- Thank you for the monthly publications. I enjoy reading the papers. Enclosed is a donation of $.... ------- (MICHIGAN)

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Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n

Mount Dora, Florida  32757

Dear Sir:

Please send to me your free copies of the following: Nos. 2, What Is The Soul? 3 – The Resurrection of the Dead; 4 – The Three Babylons; 5 – Two Distinct Salva­tions; 6 – God’s Great Sabbath Day; 7 – The Great Reformer; 8 – The Permission of Evil; 9 – The Day of Judgment; 10 – God’s Standard; 121 – The Roman Church and its Little “Twin.”

Sincerely ------- Pastor – Konnoak Hills Moravian Church, (N. CAROLINA)
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Dear Brethren: Please put me on your mailing list....

Sincerely, ------- (TEXAS)

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SPECIAL EFFORT IN ANTITYPICAL GIDEON’S SECOND BATTLE

Our Memorial date for this year is April 15, after 6:00 p.m., and we suggest for our Special Effort in Antitypical Gideon’s Second Battle Sunday, April 1 through Sunday, April 22 for our volunteer and sharpshooting in the slaying of the two King Errors Eternal Torment (Zebah), and Consciousness of the Dead (Zalmunna). Our tracts No. 1, Where are the Dead, No. 2, What is the Soul, and No. 3, The Resurrection of the Dead are available free and postage paid. Also L-D-H and The Divine Plan of the Ages are available, and can be used to good advantage in this Effort. So place your orders early enough, if you desire to participate in this good work.

Our prayers for all those who “continue in His Word,” and who appreciate these fundamental Truths given to us by the two Messengers – that they may have blessed ex­periences in all their efforts to serve Him in Truth and Spirit.

NO. 212: THE PROGRESSIVE TABERNACLE PICTURE

No. 212

In the Sept.-Oct. 1972 Present Truth there is an article with the above caption, the same occupying almost the entire paper. In this presentation there is recourse to profuse jugglery and “sleight-of-hand” by the editor in a devious effort to en­mesh Brothers Russell and Johnson in his quagmire of error – in an elaborate attempt to deceive unwary brethren. Those of us familiar with the situation know that That Evil Servant did the same thing exactly with That Servant’s writings when he was in the clutches of Azazel. If this observation seems too harsh, we would answer that an honest presentation of any subject should first offer a clear definition of the thing to be discussed before any other comment is given. And it seems now we are called upon to present the real Truth on Tentative Justification and Tabernacle Shad­ows, just as the Epiphany Messenger had to do with J. F. Rutherford – if we would be faithful to the Lord, the Truth and the brethren. In discussing the present-day Tab­ernacle, the elementary truth on the subject is given in E-11:591 as follows:

“There is a threefold set of antitypes of the tabernacle types: (1) the Gospel ­Age antitype, (2) the Epiphany antitype, and (3) the Millennial Age antitype. ONLY ONE of these three antitypes operates at a time, i.e., only one can be visible as working at any one time, and the other two are kept out of sight at such a time.”

Thus, the question logically arises – Which tabernacle is now operating? Our own answer to this query is that the Epiphany Tabernacle is now the only one in sight. In previous papers we have presented this same premise; but RGJ persistently ignores it and for good reason. If he contends that the “finished picture” of the Epiphany is now operating since 1954, he has a problem, because his present picture of the Holy, Most Holy, Court and Camp are far different from what Brother Johnson taught. On. p. 13 of the 1940 Present Truth we are given a clear definition of the Gospel-Age, Epi­phany or transitional, and the Millennium and post Millennium tabernacles – to which RGJ no longer refers in his present perversions. We shall concern ourselves herein with the Epiphany Tabernacle only:

“For the Most Holy we have Divine beings; for the Holy crown-retaining new creatures only; for the Court the Great Company and Youthful Worthies; for the Camp the formerly faith-justified who hold to the Ransom and practice righteousness, and converted Israel.” This is the “finished picture” of the last special period of the Gospel Age – namely, the Epiphany. It will be noted that there is not the slightest hint of a consecrated class in the Camp in that picture; and, if there is any question regarding Brother Johnson’s meaning, we need only to quote from E-10:209:

“The Gospel-Age Camp is the condition of the unjustified people of God, while the Epiphany in the finished picture is the condition of truly repentant and believ­ing, but not consecrated Jews and Gentiles.”

If RGJ is forced to admit the Epiphany Tabernacle is now operating, then we have a clear picture of what is contained in the Camp – “the repentant and believing, but not consecrated.” Of course, if we accept the teachings of Brother Johnson, we have sufficient foundation for rejecting the whole effort of the article under review. The whole purpose of the article is to justify a non-existent class of consecrated per­sons in the Camp after 1954 – just as J. F. Rutherford contended for his non-existent class of Jonadabs, or Great Multitude, after 1914.

With equal emphasis we may add that Brother Russell never once hinted at a conse­crated class in the Camp here in the end of the Age – although he did see an unbegotten consecrated class “between the Ages” who would be rewarded in partnership with the Ancient Worthies – a class we designate as Youthful Worthies in the Court. This “new light” on the Camp is pure invention by RGJ; and we now quote from E-7:138:

“The Levites (especially crown-losers here in the end of the Age—JJH) are not to seek to discover ‘new light’ and spread it before the Church, as this would be at­tempting to go into the Holy, from which they have been excluded, and would result in their offering strange fire.”

By his own admission, RGJ was ejected from the Holy about 35 years ago; but that doesn’t bother him now as he persistently revolutionizes against this clear Epiphany teaching. But to those of us who still adhere to Epiphany Truth, we shall be suffi­ciently alerted against such revolutionism, and not be led astray by any Azazelian trickery, regardless of who may attempt it.

On p. 71, col. 2, top, he quotes a “‘sifting errorist” (meaning JJH, of course) to the effect that “the Camp in the Gospel Age Tabernacle and Epiphany Tabernacle is assigned to the unjustified by both Star Members.” When we are told, as quoted above, that the Camp is for the “formerly faith-justified,” it should be clear enough to any one not befuddled by Azazel that those people in the Camp in the finished pic­ture would lack the justification they “‘formerly” possessed – as they are in the Camp awaiting their works-justification. This is their condition, of course, in the “finished picture” – and not a place. They can be in Timbuktu, or any other place, literally, but if they are “repentant and believing” they are in the Camp condition; and, if they are tentatively justified they are in the Court condition, no matter where they might be on earth. If they consecrate, and the Lord accepts that consecra­tion, they will remain in the Court, if faithful. In this connection we quote fur­ther from E-7:186-187:

“All Great Company leaders, as graspers for power and lords over God’s heritage, have the same spirit, and, like their kindred-spirited brethren in the nominal church all through the Gospel Age... have found fault with the faithful shepherds of God’s flock (just as RGJ found fault with the Epiphany Messenger—JJH), and perse­cuted them because of their interfering with their selfish plans... They change things (by offering a “progressive taber­nacle picture,” etc.—JJH) to give them a false set­ting and they invent things to make their theory of things seem plausible.”

CONCERNING TENTATIVE JUSTIFICATION

It is almost unbelievable that we should have to reassert the Truth on Tentative Justification to Epiphany-enlightened brethren – particularly to RGJ, since he himself once contended for Tentative Justification in refutation of JFR’s errors, just as we now contend for Tentative Justification against his (RGJ’s) errors in kind. To bol­ster his invention as described aforegoing, RGJ then quotes Brother Russell to this effect (p. 73, col. 2, top): “The world’s justification will not be instantaneous, but will progress during the thousand years – the Millennium. The world tight then be said to be TENTATIVELY JUSTIFIED through the Mediator and his kingdom, but their justi­fication will be accomplished only in their absolute perfection at the close of the Millennium when they will be presented to the Father and accepted by him... They will be approaching gradual justification, and every one of that time who will be in the right way, and seeking to be in harmony with the Lord, will be said to be tentatively justified.”

From this, any reader would be forced to the conclusion that RGJ is now teaching, contrary to the clear Epiphany Truth as given to us by Brother Johnson, that tentative justification, as it now prevails, will continue right on through the Millennium.

If that is his belief, and it would seem to be such from his emphasis in the above quotation, then we have here just one more example of the “strong delusion” (2 Thes. 2:10) that is meted out to crown-losers as a part of their fit-man experiences. The tentative justification that exists now is a faith justification; but the tentative justification mentioned by Brother Russell for the Millennium is a works justification; and any attempt to merge the two can result only in spiritual bedlam. The tentative justification of the Millennium will result in actual justification to all who apply themselves properly; whereas, the tentative justification that prevails now will never bring any class to actual justification in this life – regardless of how long or how ardently they apply themselves to gain perfection. The tentative justification of the Gospel Age and the Epiphany is a tentative imputation of Jesus’ merit; but in the Millennial Age there will no longer be an imputation of the merit. Nor can there be any imputation of the merit in the Camp during the Gospel Age, the Epiphany or the Millennial Age. Why? Because the merit as an imputable thing is in the Court – for the Household of Faith. And Brother Johnson clearly teaches that when the tentative­ly justified fail to consecrate in the “finished picture,” they are remanded to the Camp, and cease altogether to be of the Household of Faith; while those who do conse­crate and prove faithful, retain their Tentative Justification, and are thus of the elect Gospel-Age Household of Faith who persist into and during the Epiphany. (See Epiphany Vol. 4, p. 406)

A quotation from E-11:169 is directly to the point: “There will be no more faith justification working during the Millennium, no more Gospel-Age study, spread and prac­tice of the Truth then, nor will there be any more suffering for righteousness and truth during the Millennium. It must, therefore, be completed before the Millennium begins, i.e., we must finish our faith justification feast while it is yet the Gospel Age...... When this Age ends Christ’s merit will cease to be an imputable thing.”

In harmony with this thought we now quote from E-11:473, top: “We understand that Jesus’ pertinent work as Executive for the antitypical tabernacle and its appurtenances will continue with the Little Flock, Great Company and Youthful Worthies until they re­spectively finish their courses, but will cease with the faith-justified when their faith-justification lapses, which seemingly will occur in every case by Oct. 1954, according to Rev. 22:11.”

The “faith-justification” mentioned above will lapse when its possessors are ejected from the Court into the Camp in the “‘finished picture.” And to the Epiphany Messenger that would ‘seemingly’ occur in Oct. 1954, because he firmly believed we would have had Armageddon, and the beginning, at least, of Anarchy would be upon us by 1956. But the “signs of the times” in 1954 did not corroborate this, nor did the “signs of the times” after 1914 indicate that the world as individuals were on trial. But that didn’t faze JFR, nor does it faze RGJ in his present efforts to dis­tort the Truth as given to us by the two Messengers, in his attempt to offer consecra­tion to the Restitutionist “between the Ages,” instead of offering it to those Youth­ful Worthies who are assured they will have an opportunity, if faithful, to receive a reward in partnership with the Ancient Worthies. The above quotation by Brother John­son should leave no doubt in unbiased minds that it was definitely not his idea that present tentative faith-justification would extend to the Camp after 1954 and would go right on through the Millennium. This is further emphasized in E-11:480-482:

“Faith justification reckons to its beneficiaries all the Millennial blessings of restitution, hence rest or freedom from the curse... This rest separate from the curse is a reckoned one – the rest of faith-justification – and will be an actual one – ­the rest of the Millennium, the rest of works justification.”

In harmony with the foregoing, we now quote from Brother Russell himself: “Those who never go on... make a consecration, never get justification in full in the present life. Their hope will be the same as that of the world – a hope of actual justifica­tion.” (Reprint 4656, col. 1, bottom – August 1, 1910)

Then further from Question Book, p. 414: “Now, the Court represents all the be­liever’s experiences in justification, from the time he enters the gate, coming into the Court passing the Brazen Altar, till he comes to the door of the Tabernacle.. He begins to draw near to God just as he passes through the gate to the Brazen Altar. He draws still nearer while he is washing at the Laver, and still nearer when he ties himself up at the Door of the Tabernacle. When he has done this, he has done every­thing he can do. Next thing must be done by the Lord, represented by the High Priest of Israel.” (Up to 1881 all faithful consecrators were admitted to the Holy by spirit­-begettal; but after that date there were individual faithful consecrators who were not spirit-begotten—JJH)

In E-8:384 there is this: “Justification by faith makes one no more than a nom­inal Christian.” This is true of those in the Court condition but fail to consecrate – their eventual standing will be in the Camp with the nominal Christians. At the end of this Age they will be remanded to the Camp to await their opportunity to enter the Highway of Holiness. In corroboration of this, we quote from E-11:182,183:

“The charge not to leave the house (the Household of Faith as repre­sented in the Court—JJH) until morning means that entirely throughout the Gospel Age, until this Age completely ends, i.e., so long as there is yet a faith justification operating, God’s people must remain under the imputed merit (in the Court, the place picturing the condition where Christ’s merit is imputed – JJH)”

Again RGJ attempts to fit E-10:114 into his revolutionism; but each effort at this only reveals his folly more acutely. We have repeatedly quoted from this same citation on p. 114: “After 1954 no more persons will enter the tentatively-justified state.” In the present P.T. he stresses that this should be considered as applying “only for Gospel-Age purposes.” Well, in the same paragraph on p. 114 we are also told (“seemingly after 1954”): “It would be useless to exhort sinners to repent.” (But RGJ continues to “exhort sinners to repent.”)

In the “finished picture” Brother Johnson tells us that the Camp will contain the “repentant and believing, but not consecrated.” Those repentant and believing Campers will be awakened with the unjustified world: they will receive the Resurrection of the UNJUST – a resurrection by judgment. RGJ admits that his ‘consecrated’ Campers will not receive the ‘better resurrection’ of the Worthies – instantaneous physical perfection. It is self-evident that RGJ is still advising sinners to repent and be­lieve, which would be useless, if we accept the Epiphany Messenger’s teaching, after the gate to the Court is closed. A converted sinner “arises higher” than he was before his conversion; and according to RGJ’s teaching, Campers Consecrated “arise higher in their standing before God” – precede the Jews in honor and service in the Kingdom. However, we continue to teach “to the Jew first,” even as did That Servant, the Epi­phany Messenger and the Apostle Paul.

In the “Progressive Tabernacle picture” in this Present Truth magazine, his Camp is neither the Gospel Age, the Epiphany (finished picture), or the Millennial Camp. His presentation finds no corroboration anywhere in the writings of That Servant or the Epiphany Messenger. It would seem, from his present gymnastics in error, that he has lost sight of an important elementary truth – namely, that a place in the taber­nacle types represents a condition in the antitype. Where is the condition of tenta­tive faith justification shown in the type? In the Court – a place in the type, but a condition in the antitype. All this is set out very clearly in Tabernacle Shadows. In this P.T. he contends it doesn’t matter where they are – in the Camp or in the Court – just so long as they are tentatively justified and consecrated! However, we accept the teachings of the two Messengers, in preference to that of a crown-lost leader, that it isn’t possible to obtain tentative faith justification without being in the Court condition; neither of them ever taught such a thing. And, if we decide to reject their teachings on the Tabernacle Camp, why call it a Camp at all? JFR did not place his non-existent Jonadabs in the Camp: he rejected Tabernacle Shadows altogether. The Epiphany Messenger gives a clear picture of the Camp condition for the Gospel Age, the Epiphany and the Millennial Age as follows:

“For the Gospel-Age... the camp represents the condition of the nominal as dis­tinct from the real people of God.... (2) For the Epiphany... the camp in the fin­ished picture represents the formerly faith-justified ones who hold to the Ransom and practice righteousness, and converted Israel... (3) For the Millennial Age... the camp represents the condition of the world undergoing restitution.” (1940 PT, pp.13, 14)

If our readers will firmly grasp the truth that a place in the type represents a condition in the antitype, they will have no difficulty in recognizing the perver­sions of the Witnesses, the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement, or any other perver­sions presented on Tabernacle Shadows.

Concerning these attempted changes by RGJ, it is directly to the point here to quote what was said about J. F. Rutherford, when he attempted similar changes after Brother Russell died:

“More than once have we noted the fact that, when JFR wants to introduce a ‘new view,’ he either intimates that our Pastor had doubts on the sub­ject, or that he changed his opinion, or that he taught thus and so, when he did neither. According to this wrong practice, he is claiming that our Pastor changed his opinion on Tentative Justification (and so is RGJ as he teaches tentative justi­fication it the Camp—JJH), so that his final thought, according to JFR, was that there is no tentative justification.”

Thus, RGJ now tries to tell us that Brother Russell changed his view on Tenta­tive Justification, and that Brother Johnson changed his view on the “finished pic­ture” of the Epiphany Camp – to the effect that it will contain only “the repentant and believing but not consecrated” Jews and Gentiles. He would be well advised to consider seriously and prayerfully Psa. 1:1: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.”

As things stand now, in this Present Truth he has done a pretty good job of eliminating the Tabernacle types in his Camp. Since he closed the gate to the Court in 1954 – some eighteen years ago – he is forced to tell newcomers something like this: The Tabernacle is over there, but you cannot become a part of it, and it cannot become a part of you. Thus, viewed in proper perspective, his “Progressive” Tabernacle picture is making much the same “progress” as That Evil Servant accomplished when he began to tamper with the Tabernacle Shadow types. His “progress” did not go forward; it went backward – so far backward that he was forced to reject the Taber­nacle entirely in its typical aspects – just as RGJ is forced to set aside the typi­cal aspects of the Epiphany of his present Camp. And let us not forget that Arma­geddon is still future – and that the Epiphany Messenger told us in E-10:672 (middle) that new Youthful Worthies would be won after Armageddon. Thus the question prop­erly arises, Will those new ones be won in the Camp, and be forced to remain there, or just what will their position be? And, when that time comes, will his present Consecrated Campers be allowed to became Youthful Worthies, or will they remain where he now has them? Indeed, his “progress” is developing an ironic confusion. The “signs of the times” will be the determining factor in this matter; the night has not yet come wherein no man can work to win new consecrations.

And we are distinctly taught by both Messengers that those who come to the Lord in consecration “between the Ages,” and before the New Covenant is inaugurated ­while sin is still in the ascendancy – will have opportunity to receive a reward in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. But the time will come when “the signs of the times” (the violent features of the Time of Trouble) automatically inform us that the “time is at hand.” The world will be in such turmoil that it will be im­possible for worldlings to receive the Truth, consecrate and walk a narrow way under such conditions. However, so long as any of the elect are here, they will be able to make their calling and election sure.

In 1913, when all was calm and serene in the world, Brother Russell was much dis­turbed about his predictions for 1914, so he arranged for a thorough and critical exami­nation of his chronology; but he could find nothing wrong. However, had 1914 come and gone with just nothing of importance occurring (as is the case with 1954), we may be sure he would then have declared there was something wrong; but the “signs of the times” amply verified his calculations for that date. But there is just no such com­parison to be offered for 1954. RGJ, like JFR, is going along as though we are in the beginning of the Basileia – manufacturing “new light” so that Restitutionists can ‘ded­icate’ their lives to Jehovah, replacing the Jews in the Kingdom arrangement.

A REFUTATION OF HIS PRESENT ERRORS FROM RGJ HIMSELF

“In the March 23, 1920, issue of the New Era Enterprise is a report of J.F.R.’s discourse delivered March 1, at the St. Louis Convention, in which occurs the follow­ing statement: ‘The moment Jehovah accepts you under these conditions you are justi­fied, begotten. Justification is not a progressive work. It is an instantaneous mat­ter. You are accepted instantaneously, accepted as a sacrifice. Tentative justifica­tion impossible. Tentative means probation. Pastor Russell at first thought there was a tentative justification; but after studying into the matter more closely, changed his mind.’

“In view of J.F.R.’s denying clearly established doctrines given us by the Lord through that Servant, it is not surprising to me to see him also going blind on Tenta­tive Justification. Nor is it unusual to see him endeavoring to support his position by belying dear Bro. Russell, and trying to drag him in as a party to the same error. Alas, for many unwary sheep who are being so easily blown around by every wind of doc­trine! In the interests of these, permit me to call your attention to the following statements from pen (and mouth) of that Servant just before he left us, with the hope that they may be of use to you in arousing those of the lord’s dear sheep who are sleeping under the spell of that newly invented ‘Channel’ which in so many ways con­tradicts and repudiates the teaching of the true Channel (Luke 12:42).

“In the Sep. 15, Tower, 1916, page 281, Bro. Russell gives his last Tower article on Justification, in which he says (col. 1, par. 5), ‘We describe the person who has taken this course (represented by progress from the gate of the court to the door of the tabernacle) as being tentatively justified; that is to say, he is in the right course, doing what he is able to do to attain (vitalized) Justification.’ (This is clear and to the point.)

“Does J.F.R. refer to September 15, 1916, at the time when Pastor Russell (was still in the mental condition in which he) first thought there was a tentative justi­fication? If so, then at what date would he say that Bro. Russell, ‘after studying into the matter more closely, changed his mind,’ seeing that Sep. 15, 1916, was only a few weeks before his death? How grossly he misrepresents Bro. Russell is further evidenced by the latter’s comment on this very Tower article, just a few days before he was taken from our midst, as recorded in the Question Book, What Pastor Russell Said, p. 418, in answer to the following question: ‘Comparing articles on Justifi­cation in Vol. VI, Tabernacle Shadows and Sep. 15, 1916 Tower: Do these harmonize? Has Bro. Russell changed his views on Justification? Answer: Bro. Russell has not changed his views on Justification. Justification is justification, has always been justification, and will always be justifi­cation, and Bro. Russell could not change justification for himself or for anybody else.’ (In part of the rest of the answer he shows how one must be in the Court, walk up to the door of the Tabernacle and consecrate himself before his Justification is vitalized through Christ’s imputed merit.)

“Whom shall we believe, Bro. Russell, who just before his death claimed that he had not changed his views on Justification, or J.F.R., who now claims that he did? Doubtless some would prefer to believe J.F.R....

“These and other similar statements made during his last few days with us, should convince any open-minded Truth seeker beyond any doubt that Bro. Russell never denied the doctrine of Tentative Justification. To deny this doctrine would be to deny and to become confused on many Scriptures and to repudiate important features of Taber­nacle Shadows. How could anyone appreciate the Brazen Altar, wash himself at the Laver and be tied at the door of the Tabernacle in consecration, and have his Justi­fication vitalized, without first being in the Court, the place of Tentative Justifi­cation (T 19, 20)? Surely the Brazen Altar and the Laver were not taken into the Camp in order that those not tentatively justified might use them preparatory to making a consecration!.... But what consolation that the Very Elect shall be manifested as not being deceived! May the Lord continue to use you in His blessed work of delivering His Little Flock ‘from the snare of the fowler’, and from the noisome pestilence.

Your brother in Him,  (Signed) R. G. Jolly”

The above letter is recorded in E-6:166-68, and is a clear and correct presenta­tion of the truth an tentative justification. Thus we see him revolutionizing against his own teachings, which painfully reminds us of the following in E-11:383:

“If one who, having an evil heart condition, and consequently having lost Little Flockship and its Truth on doctrine and practice, has thus depastur­ized the Truth for his followers... God will put such an one into such controversial disadvantages that amid them to defend his error he will be continually surrendering formerly held truths that impinge against his new errors... Thus does God punish such invasions, which are usurpations.”

It will be noted that RGJ thought he was still numbered among the priests in the Holy when he wrote the above letter to Brother Johnson – and he was more capable of discerning between “truth and error” then than he is now, since he became a manifested crown-loser, and has been abandoned to Azazel. But to eliminate all doubt in the minds of our readers, we now quote from E-15:261:

“Let us see the conditions of Justification that will prevail during the Millen­nial Age. During that Age there will be neither a tentative nor a vitalized justifi­cation, since both of these kinds of justification operate on the basis of the imputed ransom merit, as distinct from the applied ransom merit.”

If we are now in the Basileia Camp, as this PT would imply, and Consecrated Camp­ers have tentative justification, it would logically follow that all restitutionists will have tentative justification also. But the teachings of both Star Members clearly contradict such a thought. It will be recalled that JFR prevented many from entering tentative justification by his false teaching (E-10:392); and, as RGJ now joins hands with him in revolutionizing against the truths given by That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger, we are reminded of the statement in E-4:276: “The Great Company teach error to the justified.” And, we would use the statement in E-11:169: “No faith justifica­tion in the Millennium”; and one in E-6:713: “Tentative justification will cease after the Gospel Age.”

CONSECRATED CAMPERS AND THE JEWS

Despite the fact that we have quoted copiously from That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger that the Jews would be first in the Kingdom arrangement, RGJ has the effront­ery to reiterate his gross revolutionism against that Truth, citing Brother Johnson as his ‘proof’ and companion in his sins of practice and teaching. In the Sept.-Oct. 1972 PT, there is this on p. 75, col. 1 (45):

“Because of being consecrated while sin is still in the ascendancy, and being faithful thereto and thus coming more closely into harmony with God and His principles than any of the rest of the quasi-elect, and because they may, in some of their members, live through the Time of Trouble, the Con­secrated Epiphany Campers, like the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, will be among ‘the first to come under the terms of the New Covenant, and that just before the earthly phase of the Kingdom is established over the Jews’ (P ‘38,p.158,last par.; ‘50,p.15, par. 7; ‘58, p.6).”

The part we underscored above is what is quoted from Brother Johnson as though Brother Johnson supports the false doctrine of Campers Consecrated. So we now quote what the Epiphany Messenger actually said in the 1938 PT, pp. 158-159:

“Question: When the Ancient Worthies are resurrected under what covenant will they be raised? Answer: They will be raised under certain earthly features of the Oath-bound Covenant by merit of the blood of the New Covenant; for while the Oath­bound Covenant promised them a better resur­rection (Heb. 11:35), it is through the blood of the New Covenant that God will fulfill that promise to them. Then shortly after their resurrection they will come under the New Covenant, which will a little later be made with the Jews. This latter matter is to be shortly after the Kingdom’s earthly phase is initiated; for the Ancient and Youthful Worthies will be the first to come under the terms of the New Covenant, and that just before the earthly phase of the Kingdom is established over the Jews.”

As our readers can see, Brother Johnson did not include Campers Consecrated, nor any of the Restitutionists as coming in under the “earthly phase of the King­dom” (the Worthies) but the Jews. The “earthly phase of the Kingdom” is vested with the Worthies. So we now quote RGJ’s own words hurled against JFR for similar sins of teaching and practice, as quoted herein from his letter in E-6:166-68:

“Nor is it unusual to see him endeavoring to support his position by belying dear Bro. Johnson, and trying to drag him in as a party to the same error. Alas, for many unwary sheep who are being so easily blown around by every wind of doctrine!”

The two Messengers taught there would be a class of consecrators here in the end of the Age, before Restitution sets in, who would be rewarded in honor and ser­vice in partnership with the Ancient Worthies. According to RGJ’s “Progressive Tab­ernacle,” his Campers Consecrated are right in with the Worthies! Apparently, the only difference in them and the Youthful Worthies is the name. JFR chose another name, too, for his non-existent class. However, not only will Campers Consecrated NOT BE FIRST in the Kingdom blessings and favor, but they won’t be there at all as such – because there is no such a class. There may be many truly consecrated among the Jehovah’s Witnesses Great Multitude and among RGJ’s Campers Consecrated, who are now being deceived; but we are assured that “The Lord knoweth them that are His.”

We now quote what the two Messengers taught us about the Jews: “The New Coven­ant is not to be made with any other than the Jews, for no others were in Covenant relationship with God. The words ‘New Covenant’ seem, therefore, to indicate the repetition of God’s favor to Israel under the better Mediator.” (Question Book, p. 205)

“Having seen so many features of God’s plan successfully carried out by God’s zeal, he has the full assurance of faith that the unfulfilled parts as due will be zealously carried out by God... He confidently looks for the zeal of God to establish God’s Kingdom at the hand of His Elect under Christ, on the ruins of Satan’s Empire, to offer the Kingdom blessings, first to the living Jews, then to the Gentiles.” (E-1:302)

“So the Millennial favors will be to the Jews first, even as by reason of the Covenants, etc., the Gospel favors were offered to them first. And so it shall be finally as Simeon prophesied: ‘This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel.’ And the time for raising up that nation, so long fallen from favor, is at hand.” (Parousia Vol. 3, p. 256)

It is our fond hope that all our readers will continue in that Wisdom from Above, which was so apparent in the Parousia and Epiphany Messengers. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isa. 40:8)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

NO. 211: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 211

During the year just past scientific achievements rank high on the list of cur­rent events. We are told that radar can now be employed to detect crop blight in plants before the farmer is able to see it, thus allowing for corrective action much sooner than could formerly be done. Also, consideration is now being given to the installation of windmills on our high buildings, which would aid much in the solution of our power problems.

It is sound logic that necessity is the mother of invention; and the efforts in outer space have played quite a role in this respect. On one television inter­view Wernher Von Braun, who heads this Government Department, illustrated the inven­tion of fireproof paper. He displayed one sheet of paper, half of which was the reg­ular fibre, touched a match to it and allowed it to burn away; but the other half ­the fireproof half – was not affected by the flame at all. The fire simply went out when the first half had been consumed. Along this same line, a material has been developed which will nullify lightning activity; but there is a deterrent here – ­this material interferes with radar, so it cannot be used in cities, or where air­planes operate.

But the moon shot last April (written Nov. 20, 1972) was once again the stellar scientific performance of the year. It attained a speed of 26,000 miles per hour, and the men involved were able to talk to their colleagues on earth almost as clear­ly as if they were simply calling on the telephone in the same city. Also, they landed almost to the minute, and at the exact spot in the ocean they had marked be­fore leaving the earth.

The President’s trip to China also is entitled to mention in this respect. The television coverage of his visit there revealed it as clearly as if he had been right in his own neighborhood – which events tend to bring the human race in much closer relationship in this “time of the end.” (Dan. 12:1,4) This is a direct reversal of conditions of the past. In Gen. 11:1-9 there is related the attempt to build the Tower of Babel – at which time “the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” The confusion of tongues which resulted then tended to scatter the races; and the language barrier effectively kept the various nations pretty well sep­arated. But Zeph. 3:8,9 tells us that in the “time of the end” this situation would be reversed – “My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the king­doms.” Thus, the “United Nations” assembly in New York is well named for this time. The enormous increase in speed of travel, and the easing of the language barriers have made their imprint upon human relations in a manner readily determined when we make comparison with events and conditions as they existed at the beginning of this century. The tragedy in all this is that the human race has not advanced in quality with the in­ventive genius that has done so much for the people of earth. In fact, it would seem that many of the luxuries that have resulted from the tremendous inventive efforts have hurt many persons more than they have helped them, so that the solid integrity is dis­appearing, which tended to maintain law and order among men.

IN FINANCE

The financial structure of the nations continues to “reel to and fro like a drunkard.” The amount of worthless paper now in existence is beyond the grasp of most men. The national debt of the United States is fast approaching the half tril­lion level – with no end in sight. Presently there is approximately fifty billion of foreign bank deposits in this country that are payable in gold upon demand; but there is only about ten billions of gold at Fort Knox with which to meet this situation. And some skeptics contend that even the ten billion is an exaggerated figure. If our Gov­ernment bank examiners came upon any bank in that condition, that bank would not be al­lowed to open for business the next day.

In this connection, we offer some comments from one writer, who has a pretty good grasp of the situation, although he tends to be extreme in some of his statements:

“We keep electing new Presidents who seemingly promise faithfully to halt the world-wide Communist advance, put the blocks to extravagant spending, douse the fires of inflation, put the economy on an even keel, reverse the trend which is turning the country into a moral sewer, and toss the criminals into the hoosegow where they belong. Yet, despite high hopes and glittering campaign promises, these problems continue to worsen no matter who is in the office...

“The chief liberal gains in the past generally remain on the statute books when the conservatives recover power... liberalism grows constantly more liberal, and by the same token conservatism grows less conservative.”

An interruption to the quotation is properly in order here. The Assyrians under Nebuchadnezzar were waging war with Judah, in which they were increasingly victorious; and the conflict ended in complete triumph when they finally captured Jerusalem in August of 607 B.C., at which time they destroyed the temple that Solomon had built and carried away to Babylon the gold and silver vessels. (2 Kings 25:8-21) The Assyrians in that victory were typical of the radicals today that are attacking Christendom it their determination to wreck the present “establishment,” which they will eventually succeed in doing. The various successes of the Assyrians against the Jewish nation bare close analogy to the radicals of today in their onslaughts against the institu­tions of Christendom. If we keep this in mind, it will aid greatly in understanding the turmoil we see now in every quarter of Christendom.

Much of what this writer has to say may be classified as political, but it has a direct bearing on the financial establishment, so we use it under the latter caption: “Socialism is usually defined as government ownership – control over the basic means of production and distribution of goods and services. When analyzed, this means govern­ment control over everything, including you. All controls are ‘people’ controls. If the government controls these areas, it can eventually do just exactly as Marx set out to do – destroy the right to private property, eliminate the family and wipe out relig­ion.....  You know, the one thing I can never figure out is why all these very, very wealthy people like the Kennedys, the Fords, the Rockefellers and others are for so­cialism. Don’t they have the most to lose?... Men like Rockefeller, Ford and Kennedy are for every socialist program known to man which will increase your taxes. Yet they pay little, if anything, in taxes themselves. An article published by the North Amer­ican Newspaper Alliance in August of 1967 tells how the Rockefellers pay practically no income taxes despite their vast wealth. The article reveals that one of the Rocke­fellers paid the grand total of $685 personal income tax during a recent year. The Kennedys have their Chicago Merchandise Mart, their mansions, yachts, planes, etc., all owned by their myriads of family foundations and trusts. Taxes are for peons! Yet hypocrites like Rockefeller, Ford and Kennedy pose as great champions of the ‘down­trodden’....

“In order to understand the conspiracy it is necessary to have some rudimentary knowledge of banking and, particularly, of international bankers. While it would be an over-simplification to ascribe the entire conspiracy to international bankers, they themselves have played a key role. Think of the conspiracy as a hand with one finger labeled ‘international banking,’ others ‘foundations,’ ‘the anti-religion movement,’ ‘Fabian Socialism’ and ‘Communism.’ But it was the international bankers of whom the Professor was speaking when we quoted him earlier as stating that their aim was nothing less than control of the world through finance.

“Where do governments get the enormous amounts of money they need? Most, of course, comes from taxation; but governments often spend more than they are willing to tax from their citizens and so are forced to borrow. Our national debt is now $455 billion (written more than a year ago—JJH) – every cent of it borrowed at inter­est from somewhere.

“The Public is led to believe that our government borrows from ‘the people’ through savings bonds.   Actually, only the smallest percentage of the national debt is held by individuals in this form. Most government bonds, except those owned by the govern­ment itself through its trust funds, are held by vast banking firms known as international banks.”

Once more we would inject a few thoughts of our own: These international bankers are the very people who know very well that the money policies of the various nations are thoroughly unsound; but they never utter a word of protest about it because they themselves are continually growing richer – and without any risk at all on their part by the unsound course now being followed. This policy tends to encourage do-nothing by the very wealthy. Why should they risk their funds in various business ventures when they can garner enormous income from government bonds, which are as safe as the banks of those governments? The banks will stand so long as the government stands. Thus, it should be quite clear to even the ordinary reader that it is not the govern­ment in the money business; it is rather the money in the government business!

At the time Rothschild established his European banking system he placed one of his five sons in the central bank of five ranking nations – Germany, Austria, Eng­land, France and Italy. However, whenever a war broke out between any of those five countries, it mattered not to Rothschild which country won it – because he would reap a handsome profit from both sides. Thus, the Rothschilds became incredibly wealthy during the nineteenth century by financing governments to fight each other. As one com­mentator puts it:

“If you will look back at every war in Europe during the nineteenth century, you will see that they always ended with the establishment of a ‘balance of power.’ With every re-shuffling there was a balance of power in a new grouping around the House of Rothschild in England, France or Austria.    They grouped nations so that if any king got out of line a war would break out and the war would be decided by which way the financing went. Researching the debt positions of the warring nations will usually indicate who was to be punished.”

One outstanding instance of the foregoing is the feud between England and Ger­many. When Napoleon was overrunning Europe it was England and Germany that combined to defeat him; and the German histories claim it was actually Von Bleucher with his elite German army that actually turned the tide at Waterloo in 1815; but the Duke of Wellington reaped the glory for the victory. But regardless of that, in the last two great wars it was England and France against Germany. As one Rothschild once said it, “Let me control the money, and I care not who makes the laws.”

Thus it could properly be said of them that they remained different from ordi­nary bankers in several ways: they were cosmopolitan and international; they were close to governments and were particularly concerned with government debts, including foreign government debts; these bankers came to be called ‘international bankers.’ After the outbreak of the great war in 1914 Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany made the re­mark that he had made one great mistake before that war began: The House of Morgan in New York had offered to lend Germany a half billion dollars, which the Germans de­clined because they did not then need the money. However, said the Kaiser, had he accepted that loan, the United States would then not have been influenced to enter on the side of England, without which help the Allied cause would have been lost. It is a matter of record that during our Civil War the North was financed by the Roths­childs through their American agent August Belmont, and the American South through the Erlang­ers, Rothschild relatives. Also, in the Fall of 1931 – when the great depression was at its worst – the Austrian Reichsbank failed, forcing England off the gold standard. And in that manipulation the Rothschild in charge ‘legally’ swindled the Austrian people out of $105 million dollars. Then, when Hitler annexed Austria to Germany, he imme­diately seized Rothschild and exposed him to such punishment that in 24 hours he agreed to repay that $105 million. That one event had a very far-reaching effect in the out­come of the 1939-1945 war; and probably more than any other one thing contributed to the defeat of Germany.

But, while wars and revolutions have been useful to international bankers in gaining or increasing control over governments, the key to such control has always been control of money; a creditor is in position to demand the privileges of monop­oly from the sovereign. Solomon understood this matter very well: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Prov. 22:7) In keeping with this thought, money-seeking governments have granted monopolies in state bank­ing, natural resources, oil concessions and transportation. However, the monopoly which the international financiers most covet is control over a nation’s money.

It is pretty much common knowledge that in the 1912 Presidential campaign Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt proceeded to whistle-stop the country trying to out-do each other in florid (and hypocritical) denunciations of the Wall Street ‘money trust’ ­the same group of insiders which was financing the campaigns of both. Back in the twenties Morgan & Co. on one occasion advanced ‘credit’ to the President to subscribe to 2,000 shares of a certain stock they were promoting; but by the time the issue came to the general public, it had gone up twenty points, netting a clear profit of $40,000 to the President – without the investment of one dollar by him. Such gratuities make it very difficult later on to refuse any request of the ‘philanthropist’ who had thrown such a windfall into his lap.

Quoting further from the above-mentioned writer: “Neither Presidents, Congress­men nor Secretaries of the Treasury direct the Federal Reserve. In the matters of money the Federal Reserve directs them! This power was admitted by Secretary of the Treasury David M. Kennedy in an interview on May 5, 1969... How successful has the Fed­eral Reserve been? It depends on your point of view. Since Woodrow Wilson took his oath of office the national debt has risen from $1 billion to $455 billion. (It is even higher than that now—JJH) The total amount of interest paid since then to the international bankers holding that debt is staggering, with interest having become the third largest item in the federal budget. Interest on the national debt is now $22 billion every year, and climbing steeply as inflation pushes up the interest rate on government bonds. Meanwhile, our gold is mortgaged to European central banks, and our silver has all been sold. With economic catastrophe imminent, only a blind dis­ciple of the ‘accidental theory of history’ could believe that all this has occurred by coincidence...

“As a concrete example – During the ‘war to end all wars’ (1914-1918), Insider banker Bernard Baruch was made absolute dictator over American business when President Wilson appointed him Chairman of the War Industries Board, where he had control of all domestic contracts for Allied war materials. Baruch made lots of friends while plac­ing tens of billions in government contracts, and it was widely rumored in Wall Street that out of the war to make the world safe for international bankers he netted $200 million for himself....

“The farther a government goes into debt, the more interest is paid to the power­ful Insiders who ‘create’ money to buy government bonds by the simple expedient of bookkeeping entries... The man who campaigned as Mr. Frugal in 1968 is, in his third year of office, out-spending by $80 to $100 billion what he said his predecessor should spend... While it took LBJ five years to run up a $55 billion deficit, Sen­ator Harry Byrd notes that the accumulated deficit for Mr. Nixon’s first three years will reach at least $88 billion. Congressional experts are now predicting Richard Nixon could well pour on the red ink to a total of $124 billion in this term of office alone...

“When the government runs a deficit, brand new money in the amount of the defi­cit is put into circulation. As the new money percolates through the economy it bids up wages and prices... You could not have a wage price spiral if you did not have an in­crease in the money supply with which to pay it. This is not just economics, it is physics. You can’t fill a quart bottle with a pint of milk. To say that the wage-­price spiral causes inflation is like saying wet streets cause rain... Now we see that Nixon has repudiated his own promises and carried out those of his opponent... There is little difference between the leadership of the two major parties.”

Perhaps more than enough has been given herein on the financial situation to give our readers a clear understanding of the trend of things, and to take whatever steps are possible for them to protect themselves in ‘this evil day.” Thus, we shall now offer a few comments:

IN POLITICS

The election in the United States in 1972 is now a matter of history, suffici­ently detailed in the newspaper to need no elaboration here. However, while the President received a landslide approval, both houses of Congress are still Democratic, so there is certain to be plenty of friction in the sessions ahead. This time there was not much promised by the incumbent President; he simply won on his record of the past four years, coupled with the evident weakness of the opposition. However, some­time back one commentator summed things up pretty well when he said an election plat­form is like a railroad station platform; it is simply used to get into the train, but not to ride on. Considering the promises made by some of the candidates, one is forced to conclude that their chief stock in trade is their unlimited gall.

In this connection, one writer puts it this way: “In 1972, the Republicans will try to make you forget that Richard Nixon was elected on George Wallace’s platform, but has been carrying out Hubert Humphrey’s. The pitch will be ‘party unity.’ if not Nixon, then who?’ will be the typical response to complaints about Nixon’s actions. But unity with evil is evil. During the campaign of 1972, Nixon will again talk con­servatively while the Democratic candidate will sound frighteningly radical to stam­pede you into accepting the lesser of two evils... The watchdogs tend to go to sleep with a Republican in office... The Insiders want the issues between the parties to be cloudy and gray, centering on personalities, not principles... In the near future we may anticipate restrictions on taking money out of the country and on the establish­ment or retention of a foreign bank account by an American citizen... Laws limiting the number of people allowed to meet in a private home.”

The above comments are simply the predictions of one individual; time itself will demonstrate how sound they are. As for ourselves, we try to be alert and in­formed on all important issues, although we are often limited by our inability to secure the correct information. Our studied observation concerning the political situation in all civilized countries is that it has deteriorated to the point of no return. It is presently impossible for any individual or group of individuals to restore order from the chaos that is so apparent on every hand. But, even if a Solomon should ap­pear with a program that is 100% sound, the temperament of the people is such that they would not have the moral fibre to allow sufficient time for its demonstration. “The earth (the present social order) shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” (Isa. 24:20) One news item puts it this way: “The amazing thing about anybody arrested for disturbing the peace is that he found any.”

IN RELIGION

The religious morale continues to decline in keeping with the financial and poli­tical. In August a news bulletin discussed the Quadrennial Conference of the United Methodist Church, held in Atlanta April 16-29, 1972:

“The United Methodist Church is a case of great American success story that is going bad.  Once a movement that leaped like brush fire along the 19th century fron­tier, the UMC has suffered a net loss of 518,000 members in the past four years – the biggest of any church in U.S. history. Over a longer time span Sunday school atten­dance has slid by one-fourth, the once-prized foreign missionary force by one-fifth. A recent survey by UMC program planners found that grass-roots Methodists bitterly dis­trust church officials.”

In contrast to the foregoing, we would now quote John Wesley, whom we consider one of the finest Christians that ever lived:

“I am not afraid that the people called Metho­dists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”

ITALY – Here is a news item concerning the Roman Catholic Church in Italy:

“A group of 33 progressive Roman Catholic theologians from seven countries have at­tacked the leadership of the church and called on all Catholics to resist the misuse of authority by the hierarchy... They said the church was going through a complex crisis of confidence and authority... It was signed by theologians from Holland, West Germany, Switzerland, Spain, the United States, Austria and Canada... ‘The credibility of the church is dissolving in a disquieting manner,’ they asserted... Justice and peace are preached where they cost nothing to the church and its hierarchy... The manifesto urged Catholics to speak up against decisions by the hierarchy which they considered wrong or harmful, and to adopt a policy of collective protest.”

Such talk would have been adjudged extreme heresy in the Roman church a hundred years ago. Follows now another news item:

ITALY DOWN THE DRAIN: “In recent months the flow of capital has reached the proportions of a tidal wave. Those in the know are preparing safe havens for the day when the country goes under. The threat of a Communist takeover in Italy has fright­ened more and more Italians into joining the renascent facist movement in the belief that this will protect them from the Reds. In the not-too-distant future the two move­ments are bound to collide. If the Reds take control, everyone with money or prop­erty is bound to be despoiled, even if he gets through alive. Meanwhile, civil warfare between the Communists and their fascist opposition is inevitable. So Italians with money are buying property and apartments across the nearest border in order to have a place to hide when disaster comes.”

Another news comment discusses various sects: “When Vatican II opened the doors to modern scholarship, especially biblical research, theologians were quick to seize their new opportunities. Within a few short years, some of them were questioning everything from the church’s teachings on sexual ethics to papal infallibility – even such root doctrines as the nature of the Eucharist and the divinity of Jesus Christ.. It lets students decide for themselves, for instance, whether Jesus was God; it offers the resurrection as an inspiring belief rather than historical fact. The authors are convinced that this open-minded approach is the best way to reach question­ing teenagers.”

EPISCOPALIANS – “The Rt. Rev. John E. Hines recently startled a meeting of San Francisco priests when he called himself ‘the worst administrator of any Episcopal Pre­siding Bishop in history.’ Last fortnight his fellow Episcopal Bishops got a greater shock in the mail: a letter from Hines outlining his plan to retire as presiding bishop in the Spring of 1974, after the triennial general convention next Fall can elect a successor. Hines is the first Presiding Bishop in the church’s history to quit early for reasons other than illness, but he may have good cause to step down. His years in office have been marked by factional dissension, especially over a ‘Special Program’ which he proposed in 1967... has since paid out some $6.5 million in grants for ‘minor­ity group empowerment.’ Some of the money went to groups that were non-Christian or were too radical for local Episcopalians. In some cases, congregations retaliated by cutting off contributions to the national church. Church financial receipts have since rebounded, but statistics of the Hines years reveal attrition in other areas. Membership has dropped from 3,616,000 in 1965 to 3,445,000 in 1971; church school en­rollment is down 24%, confirmations are down 26%, infant baptisms 21%, adult baptisms 44%.”

PRESBYTERIANS – “For several years now, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (Southern Presbyterians) has been rumbling with rumors and threats of schism. The mildly liberal majority of the 960,000-member denomination favor a merger with the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Northern Presbyterians), which would heal a breach reaching back to the Civil War... Courts in Georgia have recently allowed congregations to take their property with them, and now six of the seven defecting Southern Presbyterian congregations (scattered from Virginia to Alabama) are trying to do just that by simply renouncing their ties with the national church. The 843-­member West End Church of Hopewell, Va., however, is going through channels and has pe­titioned its district presbytery to ‘dismiss us with our property.’“

Our readers may not grasp the full import of the “minority group empowerment,” because it is composed of mild words which seem rather tame on the surface. But these “minority groups” include Communists, Black Panthers, the NAACP, etc. One church con­tributed $10,000 to the defense of Angela Davis; and her acquittal has caused acute resentment in a large segment of the American population. In fact, this was so pro­nounced in Detroit that the Roman Catholic University of Detroit was forced to cancel a proposed speech by her in their auditorium. Protesting parents informed the offi­cials there that they would withdraw their children from the University, and cancel further financial support if the meeting were allowed; so it was called off.

Also, we have a news report from Rome that a new group of Roman Catholic priests and laymen, Protestants and unaffiliated intellectuals have warned (in July) that anti-­Semitism was being revived in Italy. Some of the literature was said to be circulated by information services of Arab states, but printed in Italy, and disguised as left-­wing material. Other anti-Jewish pamphlets were traced to marginal Roman Catholic factions and to neo-Fascist and Neo-Nazi groups. Jewish groups have lately protested against the desecration of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in various places in Italy. Jews have lately complained in Rome and in other cities that they had been attacked or were being threatened by anonymous letters and phone calls. The Italian Jewish commun­ity numbers about 40,000 in a nation of 55 million. A few hundred Italian Jews have emigrated to Israel during each of the last few years.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND LHMM – These organizations continue their downward path of error, and this aberration becomes more glaringly noticeable with each passing year. Their leaders are becoming increasingly confused and unclear on a number of subjects on which they once clearly had the Truth. This is in keeping with certain Old Testament types, which give the picture that the leaders of such groups would be given error to defend as a punishment from God in their Fit Man experiences. “Because they poured out the blood of saints and prophets (especially enlightened teachers in the Gospel-Age church), Thou gavest them also blood (error) to drink; they deserve it.” And, as they produce their errors, those teachers with the Truth expose their igno­rance and their failures. “An exhortation will go out to invade the teaching, spirit and service of the Great Company in the Truth (and especially their leaders—JJH) as guilty of double rebellion – once in the nominal church, then in the Truth – and against the exposed ones. God charges that these spheres be utterly destroyed, and that they keep His pertinent charge.” (E-14:472, bottom)

In this treatise mention is made of the “attrition” that is now so apparent in some of the sects in Christendom; and it is well to note how this has occurred. For sometime they prospered in both members and money (“rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”—Rev. 3:17); but at that very time they were becoming ­“wretched, and miserable, and poor (spiritually), and blind (were embracing error which “blinded” them), and naked” (they were losing, or had lost, the fine Christian principles of the founders of their Movements – by forbidding to “prove all things,” and by disfellowshiping those who tried to “prove all things”).” “Your brethren that hated you, that 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)

The Witnesses have made great progress in numbers, influence and “increase of goods” – as has also the LHMM, although in a much less degree, of course – even as they tread the path of their “big brothers” in Christendom – “blind and naked” in doctrine and Christian principles. And because of this, God has especially “given them blood (error) to drink – they deserve it.” (Rev. 16:6) The “attrition” in these groups is also glaringly apparent in many areas.

THE JEWS – The Black September Band is a group of about two or three hundred fanatical Arabs who are dedicated to torment the Jews. It was members of this band that were responsible for the Munich massacre at the Olympic Games. They are young fatalists whose parents were displaced from their homes in Palestine; and they feel they have nothing to lose. This gives them a reckless bravado that is extremely dif­ficult to subdue. Undoubtedly, they are playing a part – which will increase in the months ahead – in the second phase of “Jacob’s Trouble.” But, when “they (the Jews) cry unto the Lord in their trouble, He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalms 107:19,20)

Observing the gloom and confusion so prevalent in many quarters, it gives us much pleasure to report that our own work in spreading the Truth has steadily pro­gressed during 1972 – and the witness work has been more far-reaching than in prev­ious years. Our activities at the Bible House are efficiently organized, which en­ables us to accomplish a maximum amount of work with a very small group of willing and devoted helpers. We are most grateful for the physical and financial strength that has been ours in accordance with His promise: ‘And my God will fully supply all your need, according to his glorious wealth by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19, Dia.)

“Now, thanks be to that God, who always leads us forth to triumph with the Anointed One, and who diffuses by us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place. Because we are a sweet odor of Christ to God, among those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing; To these, indeed, an odor of death to death, and to those, an odor of life to life; and for these things who is qualified? For we are not like the many, trafficking the Word of God; but really from sincerity, and as from God, in the presence of God, we speak concerning Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14-17, Dia.)

With the coming of another year we send cordial good wishes to all our readers for their physical and spiritual health; and we reciprocate with much appreciation and thanks the many expressions of good will that have come to us during the Holidays. “The God of all Grace, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

NO. 210: LABOR DAY CONVENTION 1972

No. 210

In the Question Meeting at the above Convention this question was presented: “Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of fire. This is the second death (Rev. 20:14). When does this take place, during the Kingdom, or in the Little Season?” With RGJ’s usual “profusion of words” he placed great emphasis upon the Berean Com­ment by “That Servant himself”: “Were cast – Gradually, from the beginning of the Millennial Age to its close.” Then he proceeded to elaborate that the Millennial Age began in 1874 and will end in 2874; and that one of the Epiphany ‘sifters’ is now teaching contrary to this sound doctrine. Since he was resorting to Berean Com­ments to demonstrate his point, why did he not also use the Comment on 1 Cor. 15:24: “Then – Having finished the work of redeeming the race, of bringing many sons to glory, of destroying the reprobate and of filling the earth with perfect human beings.”

Is he now telling us the destruction of the reprobate (goats) will be an accom­plished fact by 2874? If he meant what he said on Labor Day morning, then it is very clear that he does not understand the meaning of these texts at all – or the Berean Comments that explain them. The Comment on Rev. 20:14 (to which RGJ resorted with much verbosity) says “gradually, from the beginning of the Millennial Age to its close.” We are now almost 100 years into the Millennium; and none of this has had an infinitesimal beginning, Thus, its beginning is still future. But, if RGJ under­stands the text, why did he not explain that “death” means the Adamic death process, and that “hell” means the Adamic death state? “Hell” is the exact Greek equivalent in the New Testament of the Hebrew “Sheol” in the Old Testament.

And when will Hell (Hades) be destroyed? We are told that Brother Russell once offered the surmise that all would be raised from the grave in the first 500 years of the Mediatorial reign. There is no proof for this, so we do not argue the point; but we do know it will be an accomplished fact at least 100 years before 2874. How­ever, whenever any human being is raised from the dead, in that very instant “Hell” (the Adamic death state) is cast into the lake of fire insofar as he is concerned. And, once the last person is raised from the tomb, at that very instant Hades will have been cast into the lake of fire. The Adamic death state will have been forever eliminated. This is a gradual process.

The Adamic death process – death – will also be a gradual process with the sheep class, but they will have the Adamic death process plagued out of them by the begin­ning of the Little Season. In the case of the “‘goats” that condition will continue with most of them until the end of the Little Season – although many of the “sheep” will have eliminated it as individuals some hundreds of years before the Little Season even starts. The Adamic death process will be plagued out of the willing and obedient, but not out of the incorrigible. Had RGJ understood this, he would have explained; but he apparently is in a fog concerning these terms, and he confuses his hearers as much, or more, as he himself is confused. This is clearly revealed by the way he contradicts himself from one session to the next. On this subject he is “‘reeling to and fro like a drunkard” even as he screams “sophistry” at JJH for giving the Truth on it.

All the descendants of Adam have been born with the Adamic death process in their very beings (“I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” – ­Psa. 51:5), which consigns almost all of them to Hades (the Adamic death state) in due time. Ecc. 9:10 tells us “there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wis­dom in the grave (Sheol – the Adamic death state), whither thou goest.” One transla­tion says “whither thou art hastening.” The Adamic death process, which all have in­herited, “hastens” to place all into Hades, the Adamic death state, from which condi­tion all will be saved in the Mediatorial reign. This will indeed be a gradual pro­cess for the entire race; but an instantaneous event for each individual. At each awakening Hades will be cast into the lake of fire for that particular person, although the Adamic death process will continue with each one until perfection of physical being and of character is reached, or the punish­ment of the goats is meted out – to some during the Mediatorial reign (the “sinner a hundred years old, who is accursed”), but to the majority at the end of the Little Season, when “death” (the Adamic death process) is cast into the lake of fire – wiped out of existence forever through destruction of the goat class at that time.

In line with the foregoing we now offer his statement in May-June 1971 Present Truth, p. 36, col. 1:

“Mankind’s dominion over earth will not be fully restored to them by Christ until the end of the Millennial Age, after the ‘little season,’ when He will say to the righteous of mankind, ‘Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

And on the same page, col. 1, par. 4 is this: “This restoration of the obedient of mankind will not be completed until at the end of Christ’s mediatorial reign, ‘for He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under His feet.’ Then He will deliver up the kingdom to God. (1 Cor. 15:24-28).”

Considering both of these statements together, it would seem RGJ is in this May-June 1971 Present Truth teaching that the Mediatorial reign will continue until the end of the Little Season. Will he make himself clear here? In our September 1, 1971 paper we asked this question, but we have no answer as yet.

In the January-February 1970 Present Truth, RGJ has this to say: “The Adamic death process (emphasis by RGJ) was not in Adam when he was created, nor will it be in mankind when fully restored. This was provided for in Christ’s Ransom.”

We fully agree with this statement, because all the Restitutionists when fully restored will have perfect characters, and will receive eternal life. However, the goats of the Little Season – and those who die during the Mediatorial reign – will not be fully restored; will not have the Adamic death process eliminated from their characters. “Hades” will have been cast into the lake of fire for them, but not “death” (the Adamic death process) – but all of the goats in the Little Season will be fully restored physically, and have perfect faculties, but they will not have perfect heart condition – perfect characters – not having the Adamic death process plagued out of them. Only the willing and obedient will have these evils plagued out of them.

He also quotes from Brother Johnson on this same page, col. 2, top of page:

“Our Lord will operate restitution processes on the race so powerfully during those thousand years as to bring ALL THE OBEDIENT to PERFECTION – those obeying only ex­ternally, and not from the heart, to perfection of physical, mental, moral and relig­ious faculty, but not to perfection of character (will not have the Adamic Death Proc­ess eliminated from their hearts – JJH); and those who obey externally and also from the heart to perfection of both faculty and character. Thus the entire race will be perfect when the Millennium is over (in 2874 – JJH), and it will be in a better posi­tion to be tested for fitness or unfitness for everlasting life than inexperienced Adam and Eve were when they were put on trial for life in Eden. (E 2, p. 145)”

He emphasizes that the Adamic death process was not in Adam when he was created ­with which we are in full agreement. Is he here contending that all will be restored to Adam’s condition before he sinned, including the goats of the Mediatorial reign and the goats of the Little Season, by the beginning of the Little Season? Brother Johnson says, “The human salvation implies actual justification, or restitution to all that was lost in Adam and redeemed in Christ.” (E-8, p. 662) It is an elementary truth that all will have opportunity to receive actual justification, or full restitution, but the goats of the Mediatorial reign and of the Little Season will not avail themselves of that opportunity – they will not submit to having the Adamic death process plagued out of their characters. It will be plagued out of the willing and the obedient by the be­ginning of the Little Season, and the sheep will enter the Little Season with perfect faculties and perfect characters; but the goats will enter the Little Season with un­holy hearts (the Adamic death process still in their characters). They will not re­ceive full actual justification, or full restitution.

If what RGJ now contends is the truth about the Adamic Death process – that those who possess it will be dying the Adamic death – then the Adamic Death Process will be eliminated from each individual as soon as he is delivered from the tomb – delivered from Hell (Hades) – because we know that none of the Restitutionists will die the Adamic death after they are resuscitated from Hell (Hades). So, with such reasoning, we will have to set aside Brother Johnson’s teaching that the Adamic Death Process will be plagued out of the willing and the obedient but not out of the unwilling and disobedient.

In his January-Feb. 1970 magazine, RGJ cites many references from That Servant. We now quote from Reprint 5031: “It is understood that people will be more or less in the Adamic death during the thousand years and will rise gradually out of Adamic imper­fection and death to the perfection of human nature.” Also he cites Reprint 5780, par. 1, from which we now quote:

“It will be a grand work. The promise of Jesus is that eventually there shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more dying; for the former things of sin and death will have passed away and He will have made all things new, as the great King of kings and Lord of lords. – Rev. 21:4,5; 19:16; 1 Cor. 15:26,54.”

As we all know, there will be another siege of sin and evil during the Little Season. And during that siege there will be sighing, crying, grief and sorrow. Certainly, not until the end of the Little Season can it be said, “there shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more dying; for the former things of sin and death will have passed away and He will have made all things new, as the great King of kings and Lord of lords.”

In our December 1969, No. 174 paper we quoted from E-8:608 as follows: “The de­filement and its condemnation lasting seven days types the fact that one must undergo actual or reckoned cleansing of the Millennial Age, the antitypical seventh day, in order to be rid of the Adamic defilement and condemnation (the Adamic death process, sin, error and selfishness—JJH).”

And further on p. 616: “If he (the defiled ones—JJH) leaves any part of these (Christ’s right to life and life rights—JJH) unappropriated, he enters the Little Season with an imperfect character (hasn’t been willing to have the Adamic Death Process plagued out of him—JJH) and thus will fall in the final trial during the Little Season (he will be cast into the lake of fire, the antitypical Red Sea, along with the Devil and his angels at the full end of the Little Season—JJH).”

Note from the foregoing how clear it is that Brother Johnson considered the “defiled” ones as entering the Little Season still contaminated with the Adamic death process (sin, error, selfishness) – which, therefore, cannot be destroyed until its possessor is also destroyed. “That final trial will be the last stand that Satan, sin and error and all in sympathy with them will ever make; for oppression (of Satan, sin and error, with their concomitants of dying and death (the Adamic death process—­JJH) shall not rise again. The final trial and its outcome will leave a universe forever free from sin, error and their effects.” (E-11:268)

Follows now a very clear statement from the Nov. 15, 1949 Herald of the Epiphany: “He (Christ) shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power (every ves­tige of the governorship and of the pretended authority and of the pretended might of Satan, all of this will be put down by the almighty hand of Christ, the Head, and the Church, the Body, using God’s power as that almighty power in their hand). For He must reign until He hath put all enemies under His feet (thus we see that not only persons are these enemies, but also things. The Adamic death in the sense of the dy­ing process (a thing and not a person—JJH) is this last great enemy; and, because of His faithfulness, Jesus became the One who will after the close of the Millennium finally destroy it.”

And be it noted that the Jehovah’s Witnesses also treat 1 Cor. 15:24, giving it the exact interpretation offered by RGJ, in his August 1967 Present Truth, in their August 15, 1967 Watch Tower, which to say the least is quite a coincidence in timing and in doctrine. However, in this instance the Witnesses simply present their views without calling others “sifting errorists,” etc., who may differ with them.

And in keeping with the above, we quote from E-17:124-125: “Then cometh the end (the end of the Little Season, when He shall have ruled over all the earth and given every man the opportunity to gain eternal life, which His Ransom-sacrifice, a corre­sponding price, enables Him to give), when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (for God will be the final judge over the earth and will exer­cise His judgment through Christ, the Head, primarily, and secondarily, the Church, His Body, as His Vicegerent); when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and (all) power (every vestige of the governorship and of the pretended authority and pretended might of Satan, all of this will be put down by the almighty hand of Christ, the Head, and the Church, the Body, using God’s power as that almighty power in their hand). The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (thus we see that not only persons are these enemies, but also things. The Adamic death in the sense of the dying process is this last great enemy; and, because of His faithfulness, Jesus be­came the One who will after the close of the Millennium finally destroy it).”

The Judgment Day for the world of mankind as individuals begins with the inaug­uration of the New Covenant and will end with the Little Season, the Harvest of the Millennial Age. There was a Harvest at the end of the Jewish Age, and a Harvest at the end of the Gospel Age. The Epiphany is the last special period of the Gospel Age. Just as the final separation of the Great Company and the Second-Death class occurs in the Epiphany, the final separation of the Millennial Sheep and Goats will occur in the Little Season. We realize that some of the Lord’s people know these things, but we also realize that “in the last days perilous times shall come” when “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” We are assured that all those who have received the “love of the Truth” will appreciate our efforts to reassert the “faith once delivered unto the saints.” We are not discouraged by those who prefer other “‘voices” with “new light” subversive to the true faith.

Another question on Matt. 7:20: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Since the Bible says we are not saved by works, how could this be harmonized? RGJ’s answer: “The Bible does not say we are not saved by works.”

However, we would emphasize that the Bible does say, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8) “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:17) Works in this text refers to character develop­ment, according to the Berean Comments. RGJ refers to the “fruits” of the spirit as service, just as his “cousin” J. W. Krewson referred to it regarding those who continued in their High Calling Hope after the edict “Last Saint Gone” was given by RGJ. JWK said of them that they were not showing any “fruits of the spirit” because they didn’t order tracts and distribute them (service). The same was said about the faithful who did not go along with JFR’s errors. Rutherford immediately disposed of the “‘fruits of the spirit” in his works’ salvation – and to this day the Jehovah’s Witnesses are manifest to one another by their “works” (the hours they spend in ser­vice). This is another elementary Truth, and should have been learned at the outset that the Lord judges His people by their character development and not by how many hours of service they spend in distributing literature from the group they uphold. Brother Russell’s comments on Hosea 6:6 in the September 3 Manna is pertinent to our subject:

“Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, is a lesson which should be deeply en­graved upon the hearts of all the sanctified in Christ Jesus. To have the spirit of obedience is necessary, too, and whoever has the spirit of obedience will not only obey the Divine will, but will seek to know the Divine will more and more that he may obey it. It is of this class that the Scriptures declare, ‘His word was found and I did eat it’; and again, in the words of our Lord, ‘I delight to do Thy Will, 0 My God; Thy Law is written in My heart.”

Matt. 7:21 tells us, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

There are quite a few in Big and Little Babylon who can say they have done many “wonderful works” in building up their quarters (sects). The Great Company leaders have always emphasized service – works. They often draw attention to their wonder­ful works – which will eventually be burned. They try to keep their adherents so busy they won’t have time to “study, to show themselves approved before God,” or to question the errors that are being fed to them.

Then this question: Will the Youthful Worthies have to receive their instructions from the erring Great Company leaders after your demise? RGJ answered that he did not think there would be any Great Company living after he dies. It seems he believes he will be the last Great Company member to leave the earth. He also said that the Great Company has a call – and that it is a ‘sifting error’ that there is no call for the Great Company – as the Bible taught they had a call.

Well, this ‘sifting error’ was repeatedly and emphatically taught by That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger, and we have only reasserted their teaching. The Berean Comments on Rev. 7:9 says, “Could number... Is able to tell; not foreordained or fixed number because no one was ever called to be of this company.” One of the be­setting sins of Great Company leaders is to come up with “new light” and spread it among the brethren.

“Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:30). Commenting on this text in the September 15, 1897, Reprint 2221, That Servant says: “These, he says, will speak perverse things; that is, they will distort the truth, to make it harmonize with some theory which they have accepted and which they wish to impress upon others, thereby exalting them­selves as the discoverers of new light. No less than five of these false teachers who arose in the Church of Ephesus, some before and some after, are mentioned in the Apostle’s epistles to Timothy, – Hymenus, Alexander, Phygellus, Hermongenes and Phi­letus. (I Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 1:15; 2:17)”

The Lord loves the Great Company, and the Great Company love the Lord – although not sufficiently enough to forsake all and faithfully follow in His footsteps. They “re­ceived not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thes. 2:10) in the High Calling, to which they were called. Since the Lord gave them every assistance to re­main in that “Call,” there is no excuse for them to become castaways, as Brother Rus­sell so often stressed. In the August 1910, Reprint 4655, there is this: “These are not hypocrites, however, but since the Time of Trouble is properly for the hypocrites, they will have their portion with the hypocrites.” All of them have double minds (E-15:519), which necessitates that they have their fleshly minds destroyed. So the Lord abandons them and permits them to undergo many rough experiences at the hands of the “fit man” – in “great tribulation.” When they become truly repentant, and “wash their (spotted) robes in the blood of the Lamb,” God will then “deliver them who through fear of death (the sacrificial death) were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2:15) Then God will wipe away their tears, and will provide a place for them. He calls them “blessed” after they have renewed their vows and resolves, which (indeed they are: “Blessed are those who have been invited (not called) to the marriage sup­per of the Lamb.” (Rev. 19:9, Dia.)

We “think it not strange” for RGJ to come up with “new light” on a ‘call’ for the Great Company, since he previously came up with a ‘call’ for Restitutionists to become Campers Consecrated. In both cases his “new light” casts aside the True Light taught by That Servant. He now has two ‘calls’ for the Epiphany. We have quoted Brother Russell’s writings on ‘no call for the Great Company,’ but he complains that this is a ‘sifting error.’ We reassert his teaching because we believe it is required of us, if we would be faithful, and in harmony with the following Manna Comments for Sept. 23:

“Our good fight of faith consists in a considerable measure in our defense of the Word of God... This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants – against the creeds and theories of men... As the Apostle again says, ‘I am set for the defense of the Gospel.’ We can do no less than defend the Truth. The Truth is God’s representative, Christ’s representative, and hence our standard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

Another question – In Micah 4:2 it says the Word of the Lord will go forth from Jerusalem. Will the Jews receive this ‘Word’ first and become zealous missionaries, or will the Epiphany Campers be there to receive it first?” His answer – Neither one would receive it first – said the Ancient Worthies would be the first to receive the ‘Word,’ and referred to Joel 2:28 for his proof.

The question was on the missionary work – the ‘Word’ going forth from Jerusalem. Of course, with his present error of demoting the Jews, it was a difficult question for him. But with his usual “sleight-of-hand” he came up with the Ancient Worthies. Surely all of us know that God’s earthly representatives receive the ‘Word’ that goes forth through them. It will ‘go forth’ from His Mouthpieces – “to the Jew first.” (Rom. 2:10)

The Berean Comments on Rom. 2:10 are: “To the Jew first – During the Millennium, as a natural result of his training under the Law.” And the Berean Comments on Micah 4:2 are: “The God of Jacob... Natural Israel; Walk in His paths... ‘All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth’... ‘They shall return even to the lord and He shall be entreated of them and shall heal them’.... Go forth of Zion... The spiritual phase of the Kingdom, the glorified Christ, Head and Body... ; Word of the Lord... Divine mes­sages, through the ‘Princes’...; From Jerusalem.... The seat of the earthly representa­tive government in the hands of the ‘Princes.’“

“I will go in the strength of the lord God: I will make mention of thy righteous­ness, even of thine only. I will also praise thee with the psalter, even thy truth, 0 my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, 0 thou Holy One of Israel.” (Psa. 71:16,22)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Epiphany Bible Students Association

Mount Dora, Florida

Thank you for your Special Edition of What is the Soul? and Where are the Dead?

I would like to have Nos. 3, 4, 9, 10 and 121. You are doing a good work! Thank you again – and God bless you!    Sincerely ------- (NORTH  CAROLINA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Thank you for the paper. It was the same – and some would believe that the Great Company teaches the Truth as given by the Star Members. Also, thank you for your No. 202. May the Lord bless you all! Hymn 275.

Your brother, ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

I would like to have your periodical and publications – and please send me free. May the lord continue to bless you! Sincerely your brother, ------- (POLAND)

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Dearly beloved Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

The July and August writings came and I really haven’t words to express how good they really are. They are superb, instructive and “Out of this world,” as the saying is. We both think they are really splendid, although ------- hasn’t received hers yet. She read mine.

We hope this will be the end of our company until later. Ralph has inventory and tries to have things quiet at home, since he has to work Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays. But I find time to study, because I entertain the boys while I work forenoons, and they usually go some place afternoons, town or swimming.

Love from all of us to all of you. Sister ------- (KANSAS)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

Must write you, sending greetings through our dear Lord for the blessings I have received through your writings. I have enjoyed receiving them, and have received much valuable learning from them.

The Lord has been good to me, has helped me through much sickness the past six years and I am enjoying much better health now. I hope all is going well there. Give my love to all the Bible House family. I’m sending a little help for the lord’s work.

Much Christian love, Sister & Brother ------- (OHIO)

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Dear Sir:

I was greatly helped by your articles on What is the Soul and Where are the Dead. May I have a copy of God’s Great Sabbath Day? Thank you!

Sincerely, ------- (TEXAS)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

May Grace and Peace be your continued portion, as you seek to serve the Lord and His people!

Your monthly papers are excellent and they are eagerly looked forward to! Brother ------- joined us for our meeting. Sister ------- joins me in sending warm Christian love to you all and to all the dear ones with you. Hymn 294.

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

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Epiphany Bible Students Association

I am writing for No. 3 – The Resurrection of the Dead – No. 8, The Permission of Evil and No. 5 – Two Distinct Salvations. Thank you! Sincerely, ------- (KANSAS)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I send this little donation for the work – and may our dear Lord Jesus bless you! With Christian love, Brother ------- (MASSACHUSETTS)

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Epiphany Bible Students Association

I was given a copy of No. 194, and I would like more information if I may have it. I would like to read literature exposing the Jehovah’s Witnesses – also expos­ing the Watch Tower since Rutherford died.

It is shocking, but worth knowing about. Hope to hear from you. Thank you kindly.

Sincerely ------- (KENTUCKY)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Christian greetings!

I trust you have my letter in which we requested some books. I forgot to mention that we are completely out of tracts and would like to participate in the Special Effort in Antitypical Gideon’s Second Battle. Kindly let us have an assorted number of tracts suitable for the occasion. You may include others, as we have none here.

Christian love to you and the friends there.

Your sister ------- Secretary ......... (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Loving Christian greetings in His dear Name!

You will never know how happy and thrilled I was to hear your voices Sunday morn­ing. I haven’t words to tell you – and the song sounded so pretty. Every word came through so clearly ........ Of course you had a good time at the Convention, and we were glad to hear about it......

The last portion of Brother ------- recent letter is as follows: Brother Hoefle men­tioned the number of Watchtowers published each month – a little over 15,000,000, but he did not speak of the number of the Awake! magazine published each month, which is also about 15,000,000. Then there are the many books which are published each year and brought out in their summer assemblies. I believe that upwards of 500,000 each of them are published each year.

The JW’s have visited me from time to time for several years. They at first were interested in my Reprints, and the fact that I had been in the Truth in Brother Rus­sell’s time. They have urged me at times to return to “God’s Organization,” that is, to accept their teachings, etc. They are warning that it may soon be too late to ob­tain eternal life in the Kingdom; the world is now being judged, and the Sheep are be­ing separated from the Goats, they say. Also the time of Armageddon draws near, when the evil institutions of the world and the Goat class (all who do not accept the JW’s teachings) will go down to utter destruction. They set that date as 1975. Although they teach that Jesus gave Himself a Ransom for all, it is clear that not “all” will have the opportunity to receive eternal life, except as they see it.

At present the world population is estimated to be 3.7 billion. At their Memorial service in 1971 they reported a world-wide attendance of 3,453,542. And this number is hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the world population. So if they expect any great numbers to pass through Armageddon in 1975 into their New World, they will have to do a lot more witnessing than they are now doing, and bring in many more converts ­which they claim is around 200,000 a year.

May the Lord bless and keep you is my prayer.

With much Christian love, ------- (KANSAS)

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Epiphany Bible Students Association

Please send me your leaflet on Where are the Dead free of charge, as per stated in your Herald. Thank you.  Mrs. ------- (FLORIDA)