NO. 219: THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT SURE - HEB. 6:17-20

No. 219

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

The New Covenant is to take the place of the Old and unsatisfactory one. There were two Old Covenants – the Grace, or Sarah Covenant, and the Law, or Hagar Covenant. Which did the Apostle mean had grown old, valueless, and would pass away and give place to the New Covenant? Surely there can be no doubt for misunderstanding on this point. He meant the Law Covenant, for he says so. He did not mean the original Grace or Sarah Covenant, for he points out that our claim to relationship to God is under that original covenant, as members of the body of Christ, members of the bride of Christ, joint-heirs with Him. (Gal. 3:29) Our Lord Jesus, by His obedience, became heir of all, heir of the original Covenant and heir also of the Law Covenant. Of the people there was none with Him, neither Jews nor Gentiles. But by the Grace of God there was provision made, as we have seen, that any Jew, seeing that the Law Covenant was dead, nailed to the cross, might become betrothed to Christ. They did not need to wait for the New Covenant, the provisions of which apply only to those on the earthly plane. Instead, by a faith justification and a consecration unto death, they were counted worthy of begetting to the new nature – betrothed to Christ. And similarly, Gentiles favored of God by the hearing ear and seeing eye of faith, were subsequently privileged to go through the same process, except that they did not need to reckon themselves dead to the Law Covenant, because they never were under it. Otherwise, recognizing Christ's death as the blood of the original Covenant, typified by Abraham's offering up his son, these also were reckoned justified and, presenting their justified bodies to the Lord as sacrifices, they were begotten of the same Holy Spirit as the Jews, to be fellow–members of the same Body – the Body of Christ.

We come now to the other part of the question: What provision has God made for those Jews who bound themselves under the Law Covenant, from Moses' day down to the First Advent; and for those who since then have not discerned the death of the Law Covenant and who will not be made aware of it until after the spiritual seed shall have been completed and glorified? If they have not lost all share and privileges in connection with God's special mercies, where do they come in? We answer that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others before the Law Covenant were not bound by it, yet they were not in the fullest sense justified to life until the Abrahamic Covenant had been established at Calvary.  Their faith, then, entitled them to a share in the merits of that sacrifice. Likewise throughout the period of the Law Covenant, before it was annulled at the cross, there were Ancient Worthies who lived above the masses of their time, and who, although bound by the Law, had above it a living faith in the original Oath–Bound (Sarah) Covenant of Grace. These in the Divine records were entitled to their share of that Grace, as soon as the merit of Calvary’s sacrifice had been presented on behalf of believers, when Jesus “ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”   Although they lived while the Law Covenant was alive, they foresaw its death and trusted not in it, but in the superior Covenant of Grace. Hence these in due time will come forth to a life resurrection – not because of their relationship to the New Covenant, of which some of them knew nothing, but because of their relationship to and faith in the original (Sarah) Covenant of Grace. Thus the Scriptures account for the faithful ones of the past under the Covenant of Grace. But what now shall we say respecting those earthly Israelites, who lived not on that higher plane of faith, but of whom the Apostle says, “Our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come unto this promise.” (Acts 26:7) Were they all deceived? Will they get those special blessings?

GOD'S GIFTS AND CALLINGS SURE—ROM. 11:29:32

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

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

ABRAHAM'S TWO SEEDS

Not only did the original promise indicate two seeds of Abraham – one as the stars of heaven, and the other as the sands of the sea – but St. Paul elaborates this thought, saying of the promise, “It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (including you who are Romans); as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.” (Rom. 4:16) We have seen how Abraham, as a type of God, is the father of the spiritual seed and how through Christ by provision of the New Covenant, the Jewish nation, dead under the Law Covenant, is to be regenerated by The Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant; and that this regeneration will commence at the close of this Gospel Age and the opening of the Millennial Age.

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

HOPE FOR MANY NATIONS

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

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

PERVERSIONS – PAST AND PRESENT

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

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

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

In substance, the Witnesses teach the same: They are God's Israel; they are the “chosen people.” Likewise, although in lesser degree, the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement teaches the same, with the exception that they apply these Jewish promises to their new converts since 1954: they teach that their present-day converts will be 'first and chief' next to the Worthies, instead of the Jews – thus taking away from the Jews their God–given promises, as they usurp those promises to their new converts.

Of course, like most sects in Big and Little Babylon, they are ready to proclaim the founders of their movements – and boast about them – (See Isa. 4:11 and 5:13 and Berean comments), even as they grossly and persistently revolutionize against their founder's clear and persuasive interpretation of those prophecies that emphatically designate “to the Jew first.” Perhaps it is well to recall here that the usurpers all during this Age have prevailed in numbers, power and prominence (“in Thy name.. done many wonderful works” – Matt. 7:22); but this will all be changed under the benign Kingdom reign. “HE THAT HATH AN EAR TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR!”

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

Both the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant are Scripturally styled “The Everlasting Covenant” in contrast with the Law Covenant, which passed away – a failure because of its “unprofitableness.” (Heb. 7:18) The one is perpetuated in the other, even as the spiritual seed (spiritual Israel) will rule and bless through the earthly seed (fleshly Israel). Note the Scripture testimony that the original Grace (or Sarah) Covenant is everlasting (Gen. 17:7,13,19; 2 Sam. 23:5; Psa. 105:8–10) Note other Scriptures which apply the same term prophetically to the New Covenant. (Jer. 32:40; 31:31,32; Ezek. 16:60) Note carefully the context in each instance that reference is to the Millennium.

THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

The blood of the Everlasting Covenant is the “blood of Jesus,” His sacrifice, through the merit of which believers are now “justified by faith” under the Grace or Sarah Covenant (not by the New Covenant which does not yet exist and which is to be made only with Israel (the Witnesses now boldly and openly deny this Truth). And the blood or sacrifice of Jesus is “the blood of the New Covenant,” yet to be established with Fleshly Israel, just the same – only that by the Father's good pleasure Jesus is now accepting the “little flock” as His members and counting their sacrifice or blood as a part of His own – the sin offering in two parts.

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

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

OTHER PERTINENT TEXTS

Let us now briefly refer to some Scriptures which mention the New Covenant, that we may note their full harmony with the foregoing. We have already examined the one statement connected with our text and see that it applies to the closing of this Age a shaking of the nations and everything out of harmony with God, preparatory to the establishment of the Kingdom, as the foundation of the New Covenant blessings to the world during the Millennium. There are just eight other texts in the New Testament which refer to the New Covenant:

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

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

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

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

It was necessary that Jews be redeemed from the “dead works” of the Old Law Covenant and that a New one be made for them by Christ – Head and members. The old one was sealed by the blood of bulls and goats, but the New one by “better sacrifices.” Antitypically the blood of the bullock has been offered, and soon that of the goat will be presented. (Heb. 9:14-23)

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

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

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

Much of the foregoing is by That Servant – Reprints 4319-4322 – which we continue to believe and teach. If any are inclined to criticize us because we attack and refute the errors that set aside these Truths, we comfort ourselves with the assurance that so long as we “contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints,” we will not only get the criticism of the errorists themselves, but also the 'reproaches' of those who prefer peace rather than stand the “heat of the day.” The Truth is not for easygoing Christians. 'For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” (Rom. 15:3) The September 23 Manna Comments by That Servant are pertinent here:

“This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants – against the creeds and theories of men, which would misrepresent the Good Tidings of Great Joy which the Lord and the Apostles have announced, and which shall, thank God, yet be unto all people. As the Apostle again says, 'I am set for the defense of the Gospel.' We can do no less than defend the Truth. The Truth is God's representative, Christ's representative, and hence our standard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

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

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;

My heart shall reap where it has sown,

And garner up its fruit of tears.

It is our conviction that the Lord's promises to the Jews are essential doctrine for our day – because we stand at the very threshold of their fulfillment. Grace and peace through our Beloved Master! The terse summation of those promises is that they will be ‘first and chief’ of the afterborns under the New Covenant (“beloved for the fathers' sake”) – “to the Jew first.” Thus, we “count it all joy” if cantankerous brethren – “the unstable and unlearned” – cast abuse at us because we champion the Jewish promises in like manner as did That Servant. Any who attempt to “take from” (See Rev. 22:18,19) those promises belonging exclusively to the Jews, and appropriate them for themselves, they are engaging in Satanic usurpation whether wittingly or unwittingly; and those who have once been enlightened in present truth, who appropriate those promises belonging to the Jews, are not only engaging in Satanic usurpation, but they are grossly revolutionizing against the Truth. (See Psa. 107:11 & E–3:406 – also E–12:722,728 with reference to Rev. 22:18,19)

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

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

MAY-JUNE 1973 PRESENT TRUTH

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

If he had just added a few thoughts in harmony with the Truth as given in that article, that should be acceptable to any of us; but he has not only added a “few thoughts,” he has discarded some parts of Brother Johnson's treatise, and inserted his pet error of Campers Consecrated – and their pre–eminence over the Jews. On p. 39, col. 1, par. 1, he says:

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

If we are to accept the classes in the order RGJ lists the above, then there are two classes superseding the Jews in New Covenant blessings – The Consecrated Campers and the loyal tentatively justified. We now quote what Brother Johnson says in the 1923 PT, pp. 150, bottom, and 151, top:

“St. Paul adds, ‘God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ The promise has three parts, as already shown. Its heirs are the Christ class, though it also has an application to the Great Company. Another application of the promise is for the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, and another for fleshly Israel.”

Yes, all the elect and fleshly Israel can now be comforted with that promise – the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.” Of course, Brother Johnson did not know about Campers Consecrated – that they would be recipients of the chief blessing of the Afterborns; that it should be “to Campers Consecrated first,” instead of “to the Jew first.”

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

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

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL  INTEREST

Dear Friends in Florida:

Many thanks for your letters, phone calls and concern for us. We appreciate it very much. Your papers are wonderful and so convincing. Concerned people should read both sides as you suggest, but apparently do not...... We will read and study in the Sixth Volume that our mother always read for the Memorial. We have difficulty reading as our eyes fill with tears of remembrance – but realize they will eventually turn to tears of joy only because of the sacrifice following that last supper. Remember us in your prayers and we will also ask a blessing for you all.

Christian love, ------- (OHIO)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings through our dear Redeemer!

On Monday I visited Brother ------- wife to deliver to her some receipts from payments which I made for her, but before seeing her I found this paper on her floor. She is not in a condition to know about it – neither could her servant say how it got there. She takes sleeping pills to allay the pains of a bad leg and scarcely leaves her bed. Do not send her papers. Have you ever heard of this man that writes the enclosed paper? I feel he would be pleased to meet you. I have read the paper. I believe all the Lord's faithful people would be pleased to meet you. Enclosed are some clippings. Christian greetings to the family and Household of Faith with you.

Sincerely in the Lord ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in our beloved Savior's name!

Thanks for your kind letter. So sorry to be so late in acknowledging it. My weakness! We all enjoyed your visit and especially the service to the brethren. It was strengthening to them. It was a very eventful week-end, and I am sure of the Lord's direction. It was not of chance...

The boys are trying and are earnest in doing what will honor the Lord. The Adversary is surely seeking to draw them away. Only wisdom from above will guide them in the right paths.

My Dad and all here join in sending you and all the family with you our warm Christian love. In our beloved Savior's love always ------- (MASSACHUSETTS)

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Dear Brother: Greetings in the Name of Jesus!

Thank you for sending me your literature. I would like to notify my change of address to the above from my old address. I shall continue to be pleased to receive your literature. Thanking you in anticipation, I am Yours fraternally ------- (ENGLAND)

NO. 218: WISDOM - MADNESS - FOLLY

No. 218

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

Says Solomon in Ecc. 1:17,18: “I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know mad­ness and folly: I perceived... that in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increas­eth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” But the Wise Man observes also in Ecc. 7:3 – “Sor­row is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” Surely, all God’s Fully Faithful people will be in accord with the conclu­sion that that by which “the heart is made better” is to be more desired, for “out of the heart are the issues of life.” Solomon’s wisdom is legend and truth with a large portion of the human race, whatever may be their religious beliefs or disbeliefs. As Solomon realized he was King in Israel after the death of his father David, the enor­mity of his task had a very mollifying effect upon him. as was also true of the Epi­phany Solomon after the death of his spiritual father – That Servant.

The thought never once seized the Epiphany Messenger that he should be ‘king in Israel’ after 1916 – just the reverse of others of much less ability who were ambitious to be “somebody” in the Lord’s Household. This is beautifully outlined in 1 Kgs. 3: 7, 9, 10 and 12 – “I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad... And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him... Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.” And further in 1 Kgs. 4:29–31, “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and large­ness of heart... And Solomon’s wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men.”

On one occasion we quoted this Scripture to Brother Johnson, asking how this could be true, since he freely admitted that Brother Russell had a position much su­perior to his own in the end of the Age. His answer: I have the knowledge and under­standing of God’s word that he had, plus what I now have; and that makes more than he had. Knowledge is a matter of “due time,” even as was true of our Lord – who was su­perior to all.

It is well stated that “Genius speaks only to genius.” St. Paul expresses a kindred thought in 1 Cor. 2:11-16 (Dia.): “Who of men knows the thought of the man, except that spirit of the man which is in him... We have received that spirit which is from God, that we may know the things graciously given to us by God... Now an ani­mal man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; and he is not able to understand, because they are spiritually examined.” Thus, our approach to God or to understanding the genius of man is calculated entirely upon our own ability to reach a viewpoint on the same level with such genius. Therefore, a lawyer sees eye to eye with another lawyer of the same caliber, a doctor of medicine to another physician, and so on. And, by the same token, the more we acquire of the Spirit of the Lord, the more shall we know the “mind of the Lord.”

Physically speaking, the human race is divided into three classes – the magnet­ics, the repulsives, and the neutrals. In the Bible the human face is often used to portray the quality of love; and, even in man’s fallen condition, seldom do we find a human face that is repulsive to our vision. Consequently, there is only a small minority of repulsives – just as there is also only a small portion of magnetics; the vast majority are found among the neutrals. Also, the vast majority of human beings must receive their entertainment and relaxation outside themselves, which ac­counts for the great demand for actors and artists of various sorts. A few, however, are able to draw their pleasures from within themselves, and such people are never alone. Jesus was one of these, and to His disciples He had said, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” (John 4:32) He had that strong assurance, that inner rest, calm and fortitude which were always His “meat and drink.”

Of course, with almost every human being there is some brilliant experience ­perhaps vague and passing quickly, interspersed with the great expanse of woe that clings as a blanket in this “valley of the shadow” – that brings some few heights of joy to ease the broad and persistent depths of sorrow. From such experience is spun the web of character which flows from the active loom of life, and which will be fine and beautiful, or coarse and homely, according to the skill, carefulness and fineness with which the individual weaves his “garments of needlework” into a final destiny. It has been well spoken that if we sow a thought, we reap a word; if we sow a word, we reap a sentence; if we sow a sentence, we reap a habit; if we sow a habit, we reap a destiny. This makes clear why St. Paul ever sought to have God’s people culti­vate right habits of thought – “whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, think on these things.” Such thinking is certain to determine our destiny. “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” And any who come into God’s Household and faithfully seek to “be transformed” by His Word, Spirit and Providence, develop a firmness of character and brightness of countenance that they otherwise did not have – whatever their classifi­cation and position according to this world’s standards, in life may have been.

“The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together,” nor should God’s people be foolish enough to think it shall not come nigh unto them. Even our Beloved Lord “learned obedience by the things which He suffered”; and “as He was, so are we in this world.” Few people can stand adversity, and fewer still can receive prosper­ity and still maintain an even keel. One shopkeeper put the sign in his window, “Hats enlarged to fit any promotion”; and it is little wonder that Solomon was forced to conclude that “vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” “What is that in thine hand?” the Lord said to Moses; and this query comes with equal force to each in his own place, for “it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.” The vast majority strive and strain for the pelf that perisheth, but which they think will permit them to say, “Soul, take thine ease,” as had been true of the inhabitants of Sodom, where “pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was found in her”; but to all who regard the things of time as transient and elusive, the following verse will find acceptable lodging:

When fortune smiles, and full of mirth and pleasure

The days are flitting by without a care.

Lest you should be content with only earthly treasure,

Let these few words their fullest import bear:

This, too, will pass away!

It is a common expression, “You can’t take it with you”; and, while this may be true of what we have in perishing things of clay, it is certainly not true of what we are in excellency of character. This latter none can take from us, nor does God ever forget it, as evidence Isa. 49:15,16, “Can a woman forget her suckling child? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Thus, riches may vanish, health may fail, friends forsake, and enemies take up reproach and revile us – yea, even “brethren cast you out” – despair and despondency may come in like a flood [“reproaches have broken my heart”], yet full victory is assured to those who keep up the “good fight”; the promise is theirs, “Ye shall reap if ye faint not.” It is aptly stated that we may never have full appreciation of good food until we have been raven­ously hungry, nor enjoy the cool refreshing waters of the hidden spring until we have first crossed the desert. One philosopher once intentionally forced himself to go with­out water for three full days in high summer that he might experience the gripping joy and satisfaction of assuaging such a thirst. Please consider we do not advise any of our readers to pursue a like experiment; we are certain to have a sufficiency of trib­ulation to tax the strength of the least unto the greatest even as we do our best to travel life’s pathway in even stride. “In the world you shall have tribulation.”

ENDURING HARDNESS AS “GOOD SOLDIERS”

In the midst of the cares, perplexities and difficulties, from “fightings with­out and fears within,” we may find solace in the example of Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job. 13:15) God’s Fully Faithful people may rest in the sublime words of St. Paul (1 Cor. 10:13), “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able [to bear]; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.” There­fore, if we break a leg, let us remember that thousands of others “without God and without hope in this world” also have broken legs; if we suffer the loss of loved ones, “we sorrow not, even as others which have no [substantial] hope” (1 Thes. 4:13), and who also mourn the loss of those dear to them.

“Behold, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10); but the arm of flesh has its limitations in ourselves and in others, nor will weak man ever be permitted to stay God’s great purposes – in His people as individuals, or in His great eternal purpose for humanity as a whole. ‘When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?’” Those who have never served as a “good soldier” under the Great Captain can know nothing of such consolations. Such “good soldiers” may appear to men to be soli­tary sentinels on the isolated outposts of the “good warfare” for Truth, but each may rest secure that he is never alone – “Lo, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the Age.” And the years of experience, if properly applied, enable one and all to “endure hardness as a good soldier,” even as St. Paul gave eloquent testimony of the refining and enduring effects of his own faithfulness as a “good soldier” – “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appear­ing.” (2 Tim. 4:7,8)

THINKING IN THE HEART

Mankind in general does much too little thinking. Even here in the United States, where the burden of the curse has been eased so very much during the past fifty years, there is a large segment of the population that works eight hours a day, sleeps eight hours a day, eats and drinks and is entertained in some insipid form for eight hours a day – and they think the rest of the time! However, there are those who do think, and think very straight and clearly; as Shakespeare put into the mouth of one of his char­acters, “Yon Cassius thinks too much; such men are dangerous!” And, while schemes dark and sundry may emanate from those whose thoughts are evil, yet there can never be too much of thinking on the better things – those things St. Paul gives in his epistle to the Philippians. Much of the thinking of human beings has been based upon unsound premises, such as the old Roman philosophy, “Without slaves there can be no leisure; without leisure there can be no thinking; and without thinking there can be no prog­ress.” All the more enlightened nations have long since discarded that doctrine.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” and good listeners often gain quick and sure insight into the hearts of those they meet just by allowing them to talk. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”; and the thoughts of the heart are certain to reveal themselves in one form or another, because “A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and changeth the strength of his countenance.” Thus, a wise and good man will be motivated by just and good thoughts – which will cause him to speak and act justly, nobly; “the wisdom which cometh from above is without partiality and without hypocrisy.” This is the grand ideal, of course, which no member of the fallen race can achieve in perfection; but the appeal on every hand to “think” offers elo­quent testimony to the rating that the better-born among men give to it. It is said that the one and all-gripping slogan of John D. Rockefeller was, “I am bound to be rich”; and rich he became – perhaps the world’s first billionaire. But those who labor for “the wisdom from above” also acquire a wealth which the world cannot know, neither can it take away; whereas, “the meat that perisheth” is so often only too quickly dissi­pated. It is a proper observation that “distance lends enchantment,” and that the pas­ture in other fields always appears to be greenest; yet it is also a solid truth that “familiarity breeds contempt.”

Perhaps the most tragic example in all history of this sage expression is to be found in Jesus’ own family and the locale in which he grew to manhood. It was in Naz­areth that His boyhood acquaintances had contemptuously said of Him, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And they were offended because of Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not with­out honor, but in his own country, and among His own kin, and in his own house. And he could do there no mighty work... And he marveled because of their unbelief.” (Mark 6: 1-6) There is no record that any of Jesus’ brothers and sisters accepted Him when He was here; and at the cross there is the pathetic spectacle of Jesus resigning His mother to “that disciple whom Jesus loved” [the Apostle John], rather than to one of her own sons. We have often pondered, What will His brothers and sisters think of themselves when they experience the “common salvation,” and realize that they then stand in life because of the One they knew so well that they would have no part of Him during His ministry of sorrow!

“BE YE TRANSFORMED”

But the appeal to all who have accepted Him is that they be “transformed by the renewing of their minds” that they may know what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:2) Nor shall we succeed in this “transformation” ex­cept by “thinking on these things”; therefore, it is well that we “give our hearts to know wisdom” – the wisdom which is first pure, then peaceable, etc. And this appeal to all God’s people to “get understanding” enables them to “know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” This is just the reverse of all heathen and of all false Chris­tian religions, which instruct their adherents to allow their priests to think for them on matters religious; otherwise, they may become confused. This is especially true of the Roman Catholic system, which forbids its devotees to read the Bible for themselves, or to read any literature not accepted by the board of censors – as is also true of its “Little Twin” (the Jehovah’s Witnesses). This same attitude was followed by the So­ciety after Brother Russell’s death, just as it has been advocated by some since the death of the Epiphany Messenger.

In Epiphany Volume 3, p. 311, we find this: “J.F.R. sought to prevent the Soci­etyites from partaking of the spiritual feast offered... Personally, by letter and by instructions to his pilgrims he not only counseled against reading that and other teachings that appeared in The Present Truth, but he specifically told his adherents, some of whom were burning the copies of The Present Truth that were being sent to them, not to burn them, but to send the papers back to the publisher unopened, with the word “refused” written on the wrapper... and thus he sought to prevent their get­ting any more copies of this journal.”

Since the demise of the Epiphany Messenger, the Executive Trustee of the LHMM, and the Editor of the magazine “Present Truth” does the same thing that JFR did to our publications. We have received many of the same kind of “refusals” written on the wrapper from his sectarian devotees. History is repeating itself! But we should “think it not strange,” when such errorists follow in the footsteps of their predecessors in error. Such bigotry should sound an immediate warning to all who have been enlightened in even slight degree by Present Truth. Of the Roman system it has been aptly observed that their slogan is, “Reading [other than Catholic literature] is doubt; doubt is heresy; and heresy is Hell.” It was indeed reading of the Bible that made of Martin Luther a ‘heretic’; had he not read, he would have remained a loyal “believer,” a cringing serf of the Roman system.

And, while thinking of the right sort is advocated throughout the Holy Writ, we should ever consider that thinking of the wrong sort can quickly lead to the morass of confusion which is to be found in so many quarters. The words of Jesus are so very pertinent here, “Wisdom is justified of all her children.” Thus, the Roman Church correctly teaches that there is but one true Church, which is the custodian and stew­ard of the Truth. This Truth none can deny; but they then proceed with the next step We are that true Church. All who accept this second premise are then easily led cap­tive to the enslaving precepts of the system. By the same token, if one is falsely labeled a ‘sifter,’ those who believe the falsehood would then easily be deterred from investigating that person’s teachings. But we are admonished to “stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” However, even while advocating the fullest freedom in God’s Household, there is also that restraining precept, “Ye were called unto liberty, only use not lib­erty as an occasion to the flesh.” Thus, “all things are lawful, but all things are not expedient.”

We are told to “prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.” However, if this text be not read with sanctified reason, it may be badly misleading. It is not possible for any of us to prove all things; but it is possible – and proper – to prove all things we accept that pertain to religious truth; otherwise, it would not be pos­sible for us ever to “know the Truth.” As the Bereans of old “searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things taught to them were true,” so should we also; and this alone will make us “rooted and grounded in the faith as ye have been taught,” a burning and a shining light. All such, who “hunger and thirst after righteousness [the Truth and the spirit of the Truth] shall be filled.”

 “GOD IS LOVE”

“God is love in the sense that the term love represents the central principle of the Divine character. There is nothing contrary to love in God. The Scriptures do not teach that there is nothing except love anywhere – that God is everywhere and love is everywhere. But they teach that God is a loving character. This does not militate against the other statements that God is just, wise and powerful. But this quality of love best of all represents the Divine Being. All of His justice is in harmony with His love. There is no exercise of justice or power in an evil sense, for all His attri­butes work together for good to all His creatures.

“The Scriptures encourage us to reason from the known to the unknown. They tell us that although God is so great, so wise, so powerful, He is also just and loving. And the more we consider the matter, the more reasonable the Bible description of the Almighty appears. His power we see demonstrated. The Wisdom of One so great cannot be doubted. When we come to consider, Could One so wise and so powerful be unjust or ungenerous? Our hearts answer, No! No one is really great who is devoid of justice and love. So surely as our God is Jehovah, He must possess the qualities.

“When we came in contact with the Bible, and particularly after we learned some­thing of its teachings and got rid of the misrepresentations which gathered about it during the Dark Ages – then we began to recognize it as the message of Jehovah to His creatures. It informs us that the great Creator of the Universe is not only Almighty and all-wise, but loving and kind, with Justice as the foundation of His empire. (Psa. 89:13,14) From the Bible we learn, too, that our Creator has been pleased to make us in His own image, in His own moral likeness, to the intent that we may enjoy Him and the fruits of His righteousness to all eternity.

“All the power, all the justice, all the wisdom, of God must be used in accord­ance with His own character, which is love. It will therefore be loving wisdom, lov­ing justice, which He will use toward all creation in the exercise of His loving pow­er for their good.” (Reprint 5210)

Therefore, let all consider that “wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding.” Such is our prayer for all our readers.

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – The Jehovah’s Witnesses are again suffering abuse in another African country. If you are informed on that situation, will you please give your analysis of it?

ANSWER: – According to the May 1, 1973 Watchtower, the trouble in Malawi is precipi­tated by refusal of the Witnesses to “buy political party cards.” This does not tell us very much – not nearly enough for any one to pass proper judgment on the matter. If they would have people properly informed, they should tell us what is printed on those cards, if anything at all; and also what obligations are incurred by any one who buys a card. Just the mere purchase of a card as a fee for freedom could not Scripturally be said to violate any one’s conscience. If the card contains printed matter contrary to Divine principles as we understand them today, then the Witnesses are certainly fully justified in refusing to comply; but we are not informed by them if this is the case.

Jesus gave us a broad rule for such situations in Matt. 5:40-42: “If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away.” In verse 25 there is more of the same: “Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge de­liver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.” Here we have a comprehen­sive doctrine of non-violence by God’s people against unjust impositions of the powers that be. Here is some of Pastor Russell’s comment on these verses: “Settle peace­ably, even if it costs more than you would lose by letting the case go into court..... Exercise a benevolent spirit whenever possible and proper for you to do so.”

This question is discussed further in Matt. 22:21: “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” This raises the ques­tion – What things are Caesar’s, and what things are God’s? Generally speaking, we would say that anything that Caesar has directly or indirectly produced, and which we may own, could be said to belong to him. This would include money, real estate, and personal property of all kinds. What, then, would belong to God? St. Paul gives us a clear answer to this in 1 Cor. 6:19, 20: “Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Thus, any demand by Caesar for our bodies to serve in any way contrary to Divine law would not properly be his to demand; and it would be our duty to refuse such service. If the Malawi card carries such an obligation, then the Witnesses would be justified in refusing; but not otherwise, as we see the matter.

However, in abuses such as the Malawi case it should be noted that it is the underlings – the poorest of the flock – that receive the most severe punishment; and not the heads of the organization in Brooklyn. This is just the reverse of the pattern set before us in Scripture and secular history of the Gospel Age. Jesus was the principal target of the dissenters of His day. When the Shepherd was smitten the sheep were scattered, but not crucified with Him. Later, when the Apostles had re­ceived the Holy Spirit, they were the main targets of those who opposed the Christian religion. In the case of Arius, Luther and others, they also were the principal tar­gets of the Papal system and Papal spirit.

Bringing the case down to our own time, Pastor Russell was certainly the prime object of the vicious attacks against the Truth group. It is a sound observation that he was the most loved, and the most hated man on earth. Some of this did spill over on to his faithful supporters; but he was always the one on whom his enemies con­centrated their calumny – pretty much the reverse of what we see with the Witnesses to­day. We cannot bring ourselves to approve abuse of any one, regardless of how much the abuse may be invited by those who receive it. The President of Malawi says the Witnesses are the “Devil’s Witnesses”; and to the extent that they are preaching er­ror, he is speaking the truth – brutal though the expression may be. Of course, the Wit­nesses tell us all other organizations – Government and Ecclesiastical – are the Devils organizations. Here we probably have an instance of the pot calling the kettle black, so our sympathy goes out to both of them in limited measure.

In our Special No. 11 we offered the opinion that the Witnesses had brought upon themselves the persecution they received in Cameroon – by disregarding the sage coun­sel of Brother Russell concerning voting if the Government requires it. In the Malawi situation the Witnesses have probably invited the trouble they are having there. On page 245 of the April 15 Watchtower there is this statement:

“In that universal war of the great day [Armageddon] all the people who are found backing those human govern­ments instead of God’s Kingdom by Christ will be annihilated with them. They will not survive.”

Annihilation means that those who continue to support these Governments, and fail to come with the Witnesses, will be utterly destroyed with no chance of an awakening, or resurrection. In the United States, where great freedom of speech is permitted, such statements as the foregoing are ignored by the Government; but we may readily understand the positive resentment that would arise in undeveloped countries where the Government is having great difficulty to survive. To tell such people that they will soon be annihilated is simply inviting trouble, as we see it. As that “Wise and faith­ful Servant” aptly observed – “It is no more obligatory upon the Lord’s people to de­nounce every wrongdoer whom they may meet in the street than it is for them to tell all homely persons they may see of their lack along the lines of beauty.” And he has this to say concerning John the Baptist, who was beheaded for criticizing the Roman Governor Herod: “Perhaps acting imprudently and exceeding his duty.”

It should be noted that the Witnesses pay taxes to “Ceasar,” the same as the rest of us. They expect and receive police protection from those very Governments whom they advise their readers not to support. In short, they are telling all people they should not support their Governments: they should join them if they expect to survive Armageddon. If every one in the United States accepted their advice, we would not have any Government at all come next election, because no one would appear to offer a choice of rulers. When they speak of “God’s Kingdom by Christ,” they mean the Jehovah’s Wit­nesses, of course. After Armageddon, according to them, there won’t be anybody on earth except the Witnesses, so they will then be the ruling class. They use “survival of Armageddon” just as did Papacy, their prototype, in their heyday used Eternal Tor­ment to frighten the people into their counterfeit “Christ’s Kingdom” on earth. Error always tend toward an unsound mind, but the Truth gives “the spirit of a sound mind.” When we consider the beautiful system of Truth they inherited in 1916, and the repre­hensible system of error they have invented since that time, it is little wonder they offer the unsound advice they do, and which brings upon their faithful devotees much grief – over which they now shed copious tears.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Thank you for the February and March papers. We had read the Present Truth, so we were not surprised that you wrote a very timely article on the Epiphany Taber­nacle. It is very good! Also the Convention report was good to get. I am now re­reading the articles – and I am glad I have them in a notebook, thanks to Sister.

I have been studying the Numbers book this past week. It is so very good! I studied it in Class once, but my memory isn’t so good now.

Do hope all of you are well, and I know you are busy. Enclosed is a small do­nation. Please give my love to all there. Much love to you ------- (KANSAS)

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Dear Brother:

Received your mail – and thank you! I’ve read it now, and will be pleased to read more when you send me. I got No. 194 from my wife. She was visiting her sis­ter in Anderson, Indiana, and she gave it to my wife, saying that I might like to read it. Some Dawn Bible Students gave it to my wife’s sister.

Yes, I would like to be placed on your regular mailing list. I am not affi­liated with any group at this time. I was with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but left them about five years ago. I would like to know more about H. C. Covington (lawyer) leaving the Society – and would also like to know more about the working of the Watchtower under N. H. Knorr.... Thank you again!

Sincerely ------- (KENTUCKY)

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Our dear Brother Hoefle:

Dearly Beloved of the Lord, may Grace, Mercy and Peace be your continued portion! Your letter is much appreciated. We looked up Exodus 23:22–24, and also comments from Brothers Russell and Johnson. It is good to realize we shall overcome through the Lord the common enemies – the world, the flesh and the Devil. One longs for the Kingdom under the New Covenant!

Sister ------- from Manchester came for a week and celebrated the Memorial with us. Brother ------ came too, and we had a blessed and refreshing time, as we remembered what the Lord had done for us – and our prayers and thoughts were with you and all the Lord’s faithful people...

Sister ------- appreciates the tracts we send her and asks us questions. She appre­ciates the answers and seems to understand. She enjoyed her visit with us – also en­joys the tape recordings.

Now, dear Brother, we enjoy your articles. The one on the Tabernacle is espec­ially good. Your March paper is excellent, so lucid. All should see “He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet.” (I Cor. 15:25) The Little Season is the last part of His reign before The Christ will deliver the perfected race to the Father, that, “God may be all in all.” (I Cor. 15:28)

Brother came across one of his old addresses based on the article by Brother Russell – The Voices of the Three Signs, Reprint 4057. Brother says “Brother Hoefle’s rod (serpent) swallows up all of RGJ’s serpents.” We think the Lord is manifesting the true significance of this type – and that the Lord is using you now since the two Star Members have entered into their reward.

Our united love to you and all the dear faithful Bible House family.

PS – 18 names enclosed.

Your brethren, ------- (ENGLAND)

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Gentlemen:

I am curious to know how you got my name. I am also interested in knowing more of your belief regarding Eternal Torment and the Consciousness of the Dead.

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

NO. 217: TIMES OF REFRESHING - TIMES OF RESTITUTION

No. 217

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

In Acts 3:19–24 the Apostle Peter was calling to the attention of the Jews the promise that God had made to Abraham, saying “in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” The word ‘restitution’ in the text means restoration; or, as Rotherham states it, “the times of the due establishment of all things.... But in­deed all the prophets – from Samuel and those following after – as many as have spoken have even announced these days.” The Apostle here is contrasting the ‘refreshing times’ to come with the present dry and dying condition of the human race – likened to grass that withers and sears for lack of rain. And he proceeds to stress that the Prophet Samuel and all who came after him had spoken of these ‘refreshing times’ to come. This was one of the first public speeches that came from any of the Apostles after Pentecost, and it is in fact just another way of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Often it is recorded of Jesus that He “went about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom,” which the Apostle Peter here declares to be the ‘times of restitution,’ so the question is prop­erly in order, What conclusions are we to draw from this?

It would seem that such an important and far–reaching doctrine as this should have prominent recognition wherever and whenever the Christian religion is preached. But what do we find? So far as we are concerned, we have never once – over the past fifty years – ever heard Acts 3:19–24 even mentioned from the pulpits of Big Babylon; much less has any attempt been made to explain it. Since men usually preach the things they understand and love, we can but conclude that the silence on this part of Scripture is due to the lack of knowledge of those who should be declaring it.

Perhaps about every one of us who has any understanding at all of Harvest Truth would testify that one of the very first things we heard from the platform, and in pri­vate conversation, too, was discussion of the “times of restitution”; and this is still a very prominent and favorite discussion among the various groups of Truth people who have emanated from Parousia Truth. But, tragic though it be, almost all of them have per­verted the real truth on the subject – have twisted it out of all recognition to the way That Servant gave it to us. All during the Age, since the death of the Apostles (or shortly thereafter), the doctrine of Restitution was completely lost, as repre­sented in Luke 15:8,9, by the woman in the parable who had ten pieces of silver, had lost one – sought diligently till she found it, then “calleth her friends and neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.” The woman in the parable is the Church, which had lost sight of one cardinal doctrine of the Bible – Restitution – and it was not until the Harvest that this great truth was once more recognized with great rejoicing. After the Harvest work had attracted a following, and the Pilgrims began to circulate, That Servant often urged them all to preach Restitution. That was especially emphasized with those Sunday speakers that were sent out from the Bible House on week–ends. It was indeed “Good Tidings of great joy” to all who received it with grateful hearts.

Those of us who are at all familiar with the situation know that That Servant gave a very clear and convincing presentation of the times of Restitution; and his entire following was almost a solid unit in accepting it the way he taught it. But what do we find since his death? We find many who once seemed to understand the subject have now perverted it out of all recognition to the manner in which they had once accepted it. Chief among these is Jehovah’s Witnesses, who now have consigned Adam to annihilation, which idea is actually a denial of the Ransom – although they would not admit that. How­ever, since Adam was the only perfect man on earth aside from Jesus Himself; and since the word Ransom itself means a corresponding price, an exact duplicate, Adam is actu­ally the only one who could be ransomed. Therefore, St. Paul gives the philosophy, “As all in Adam die, so all in Christ shall be made alive.” When ransom is provided for Adam, that act becomes the inheritance for all of us – just as all of us inherited the penalty for sin which was passed to him. But the Witnesses now leave out a very large section of the human race in their presentation of Restitution.

Also, the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement now perverts Restitution, though not nearly to the same extreme as do the Witnesses. Their chief errors are to be found in their down–grading the Jews in Kingdom standing, and by insisting that 1 Cor. 15:24 ­“then cometh the end” – refers to the beginning of the Little Season, instead of at its full end.

Many of our readers are familiar with the teaching of the Witnesses, by which, for a number of years, they put forth their ‘Jonadabs’ as the Restitution class. They still retain much the same view, except that they now call their Jonadabs the Great Multitude of Rev. 7:9–17. All Bible logic is against such an interpretation, because the lan­guage and the setting of Revelation 7 are clearly depicting a class on the spirit plane “before the throne” – which is in Heaven. There are at least two other Truth groups that likewise teach a Restitution class that is being developed now – Consecrated Epi­phany Campers and Quasi–elect Consecrated. These are identical twins to the Jonadabs, now styled the Great Multitude by the Witnesses. To dispute these errors we need only bear in mind that we are still in the Gospel Age – the Faith Age; and during this Age the merit of Jesus is only for Himself and His house – for all those who honestly ac­cept Him as their Savior. And during this Faith Age there is only one place where His merit can be obtained – tentatively or reckonedly – that is, in the Court of the anti­typical Tabernacle.

But both these groups have their non–existent classes outside the linen curtain of the Tabernacle – outside the righteousness of Christ in this Faith Age. The anti­typical Camp is Christendom in general – those people, those systems which make at least a token acceptance of Jesus as their Saviour – who wish to be on ‘speaking terms’ with Him, although they do not wish an intimate acquaintance – they do not wish to know Him well enough to do His “good, and acceptable and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:1–3) “I am the way”; and there is only one manner in which that “way” can be obtained, and that is by taking the step from the Camp, through the Tabernacle Gate, and into the Court, whereby “justification by faith” has been obtainable all during the Faith Age; and it is still the only way, because we are yet in the Gospel Age.

There would seem to be little excuse for such distortions. According to Mal. 3:3, one of the specific missions of Jesus at His Second Advent would be to “sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  The ‘silver’ in this text is the Truth; and all familiar with the situation know that the Truth has shone with great brilliance during the Har­vest period.

While the truth on Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the state of the dead, etc., were understood fairly well by some groups of Christendom before 1874, it remained for the Harvest Messenger to refine and elaborate upon every one of them with telling force. This is better understood when we consider that the word ‘purifier’ in our text would be better rendered ‘polisher.’ It is from the Hebrew ‘metaher,’ one of whose meanings is brightener or polisher. Thus, at His Second Advent our Lord not only refines ­purges the dross of error from the Truth – but He also brightens or polishes it.

Our text says He ‘shall sit’ as a refiner and polisher. At the time of the first Advent the speaker usually sat down, as the audience stood up; and in the Talmud ‘to sit’ is almost synonymous with ‘to teach.’ Jesus was indeed the teacher; but when He said the Scribes and Pharisees “sit in Moses’ seat,” He meant they were setting themselves forth as the teachers of the people – just as Moses had done when he gave them the Law at Sinai. Also, Jesus now sits on His throne, as does a king, a judge on his bench, etc. Thus, He is the executive, the authority, the official opponent of error and developer of truth. And this is not only true of religious truth, but it is also true in great degree of secular truth, as is apparent on every hand. Satan has done an excellent job of corrupting secular and religious truth over the centuries; and none but our all–powerful Divine Lord would be capable of undoing the damage. But He has come with the golden crown on His head as evidence that He has the power and the authority to extirpate the damage of the past.

To polish anything requires a cleansing agent to be applied with muscular strength. And how has this been specially done since 1874? Mainly through much controversy. In con­troversy the Truth comes out – just as necessity is said to be the mother of invention. Therefore, those who object to controversy are actually objecting to one of the special missions of our Lord since 1874, and are imposing a deception on those who listen to them. But our chief purpose in giving this explanation is to focus attention upon the ‘outer darkness’ (See Matt. 25:30 on the “unprofitable servant” and the Berean Comment) of those who once saw Restitution in its brilliance and clarity, but who have now sul­lied it so badly by their perversions. We can but conclude that this reveals something woefully wrong in the hearts of such; the evidence clearly points to just that.

SEEKING THAT WHICH WAS LOST

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

In Heb. 2:8 St. Paul quotes from Psa. 8:4-8 – “Thou hast put all things in subjec­tion under his feet... But now we see not yet all things put under him.” It surely needs no argument that man has lost his dominion; animals often trample man under foot, in­stead of man dominating them. We have been told that the Kodiak bear (a brown bear larger than the grizzly) is so ferocious that it is not necessary for the hunter to look for him; once he knows there is a hunter in his locale he will come looking for him ­and often with deadly results to the hunter. And the fourth thing that man lost is his life. “Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” (Gen. 3:22) Man was not created to die; he was created to live; and the Scripture is clear enough that he would have continued to “live forever” had he remained in his perfect Edenic home. And all four of these things Jesus said He came to “seek and to save.” We shall offer detail on this later in this article.

THE RESTITUTION PROCESS

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

The first two of these processes come to man without any effort on his part; and, generally speaking, with little, or no knowledge that he is receiving these “benefits.” St. Paul says of us, who presently believe, “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) Thus, “He made Himself an offering for sin” for us before we knew anything about it being done. And, “Christ gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” In “due time” all men will recognize what we now know that a propitiation for sins was provided by the Redeemer without men asking for it Christ “forgiveth all thine iniquities.”

And the same may be said for the second restitution process, “healing all thy dis­eases.” In the resurrection day it is self–evident that the disease which brought man to the grave must be cured before his resurrection; otherwise, he would immediately die again. The natural and artificial causes that have caused death for centuries must be eliminated in all men before they are returned from the grave. This also will be ac­complished without men asking for it.

The third and fourth processes will operate somewhat differently. The third: “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction,” will require cooperation on the part of the recipient. “God will have all men to be saved, and come to an accurate knowledge of the Truth.” But this “knowledge of the Truth” will not be forced down the throats of the unwilling; they must all show some desire, and willingly cooperate, in the educa­tional process. That educational process will not only teach men the religious truth on the facts of life and death, it will also teach them the physical, mental, moral and religious philosophies of life which will enable them to live forever in perpetual youth. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave (that power which now turns man to destruction, to the grave, will be stayed); I will redeem them from death: 0 grave I will be thy plagues (by depriving it of its present power over all): 0 grave, I will be thy destruction.” (Hos. 13:14) Then will come to pass the prophecy of Job 33:24, 25: “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth.”

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

However, this cannot become true in the full sense of things until the causes that now send men to the grave have been eliminated. St. John states this very graphically in Rev. 21:3–5: “I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men... And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” And the Angel who gave those words to John evidently realized the disbelief with which the message would be received by the present sick and dying race, for he then emphasized it with these words: ‘Write: for these words are true.” This forces the logical conclusion that the Restitution pro­cesses will eliminate all crime – all thievery, physical violence, moral depravity, sickness; no more need for locks on doors; no more destructive armies; no more rigid police protection. “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa. 2:4)

THEN COMETH THE END

Confirmation of the foregoing is graphically stated by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 15:20­26, which we quote from the Improved Version: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become a firstfruit (Jesus) of them that slept. For since by man (Adam) came death, by (a) man also (Jesus) shall come the resurrection of the dead. For as all in Adam die (this would exclude Jesus, for He was never ‘in Adam’), even so all in Christ shall be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ a firstfruit (meaning the entire Christ Company, and not merely Jesus only); afterward they that are Christ’s at His presence. (His presence – Parousia – will continue for at least 1,000 years, while Satan is bound.) Then cometh the end (the end of the Little Season, when He shall have ruled over the earth to the full elimination of death and the dying processes), when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power (complete elimination of Satan and his evil acts). For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (not only evil persons, but their evil character­istics. The dying process – all the mental, moral, physical and religious ills now prev­alent in the human race – is the last great enemy, which will finally be destroyed at the end of the Little Season).”

The foregoing is vividly illustrated in Ex. 15:26–31 – a picture which is probably the grandest type of the entire Old Testament: “And the Lord said unto Moses (type of Christ), Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians (Pharaoh and his hosts being typical of Satan and his henchmen)... and the sea returned to his strength... and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea... All the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one.” Then the conclusion of St. Paul in Heb. 2:14 will be realized: “Jesus (through His sacrificial death) would destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” And the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea typically sets forth how and when that will be done. At that same time the ‘goats’ of the parable in Matt. 25:41 will come to their complete annihilation from earth’s activities, leaving the ‘sheep’ the unmolested and perfected rulers of all they survey – free from all the evils that Satan’s deceptions have inflicted upon the human race during the past 6,000 years.

SOME CONTRARY VIEWS

“God will have all men to be saved.” Like all other fundamental teachings of the Bible, this text has been given the extremes of erroneous interpretation. Some contend that if God will have all men to be saved that is a guarantee of eternal life for every human being that has ever lived. Universalism goes even further, and insists that even the Devil and his angels will also eventually be saved – despite the clear statement from St. Paul quoted above. Others contend the text to mean that God would like to have all men saved, but He just can’t seem to accomplish it.

The above perversions are based upon a misunderstanding of the salvation process. God will have all men to be saved. But saved from what, to what? St. Paul offers the proper help here in Rom. 5:12: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men.” All of Adam’s progeny inherited the death sen­tence from him – through no fault of their own; and it is relief from that sentence from which God wishes all men to be saved. Often in human affairs we hear of a condemned man being ‘saved from execution’ by official decree; but that does not mean that he shall continue to live forever. It simply means that he is saved from the sentence that had been passed upon him by judicial process.

Much the same explanation may be given for the entire human race being saved; they will be saved from the sentence now hanging over them, and thenceforth will be given the privilege of regaining perfect life – as Adam had it – IF they wish to take advantage of it. If they do, they will be classified as the ‘sheep’ of the parable; if they do not, they will be classified as the ‘goats’ of the parable, and will be sen­tenced to death once more – that time for their own transgressions, and not for something they have inherited. This is well stated in Jer. 31:29,30: “In those days they shall no more say, The fathers have eaten a sour grape (sins of the fathers visited upon the chil­dren unto the third and fourth generation), and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every man shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.”

A few years back we exchanged quite some correspondence with a preacher in Jamaica, who insisted that St. Paul’s words mean that every man will eventually receive eternal life – although there is just nothing in the text to warrant such a conclusion. Man will be relieved from the present load upon his back, and given the opportunity, under favor­able conditions, to free himself from its effects if he will take advantage of the oppor­tunity. Nothing more than that, nothing less. During our exchange of letters the Ja­maican brother cited Matt. 25:46, and argued that “everlasting punishment” simply means age–lasting; that man will continue to receive one opportunity after another – for a full Age – until he eventually avails himself of eternal life. But the same adjectives are used for the righteous as are used for the unrighteous – which forces the logical conclusion that the life received by the sheep will also be limited to the Age. It is well to note here the footnote for verse 46 in the Emphatic Diaglott:

“The Common Version, and many modern ones, render ‘kolasin aionion’ everlasting punishment, conveying the idea, as generally interpreted, of ‘basinos,’ torment. Ko­lasin is derived from ‘kolazoo,’ which signifies ‘to cut off’; as lopping off branches of trees, to prune... Thus, the righteous go to life, the wicked to the cutting off from life, or death.”

If we cut the limb from a tree, we know that limb no longer will continue to live; it withers and disintegrates – in much the same manner that Adam withered for 930 years, then disintegrated in the grave. “Dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

A SUMMATION

At the birth of Jesus the angel declared, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” In 1 John 2:2 this is elaborated: “He is the propitiation for our tins (those who accept Him in this present Age): and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” “He forgiveth all thine iniquities.” As we look back with joy at the Savior’s birth and subsequent atonement for “all men,” so the ancients looked forward to it. “Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56) The 72nd Psalm gives considerable detail on the subject, too: “God shall come down like rain upon the mown grass (times of refreshing): as showers that water the earth. In His days shall the righteous flourish (the ‘sheep’ of the par­able); and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also (that which was lost) from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. The kings of Tarshish shall bring presents – the kings of Sheba shall offer gifts (“every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”—Phil. 2:10,11): all nations shall serve Him... to Him shall be given the gold of Sheba... daily shall He be praised... they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth... All nations shall call Him blessed... Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.”

Biblical names are often significant of the character and accomplishments of the persons to whom they are given. Thus, Jesus is the Latin word for Joshua, or Jeshua. which means ‘Jehovah is salvation,’ the same being very expressive of the work He would do. Thus, He not only delivers, saves, believers in this Age, but in the next Age He will deliver the world in general from the sentence now resting upon men. This He will accomplish by His Priestly, Mediatorial, Kingly, Legislative, Judicial, Prophetic and Paternal offices by His good Word and works. He is indeed mighty to save!

Then will be realized the words of Psa. 22:26–31: “The meek shall eat and be satis­fied (none to hurt or make them afraid): They shall praise the Lord that seek Him. All nations shall worship before thee. For the Kingdom (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth) is the Lord’s and He is the Governor among the nations... A seed shall serve Him... They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born.”

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle,  Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – In 2 Pet. 3:3,4 we have the prophecy, “There shall come in the last days scoffers, saying, Where is the promise of His coming?” If we are living in the ‘days’ referred to by our Lord, do we have any evidence that this pre­diction is being fulfilled at this time?

ANSWER: – Before giving such evidence of this ‘scoffing,’ we quote from That Servant something pertinent to our subject from Parousia Vol. 2, page 167: “The Apostle Peter describes how the unfaithful servants and hypocrites will scoff during the presence of the Lord, even as they scoffed in the days of Noah. Notice that the Apostle wrote to the Church, and that the scoffers he describes are in the nominal church and professedly interested in the Lord’s work and plan, and believers, therefore, that He will come some time... Christians generally, until they investigate the subject, have such ideas of literal manifestations of fire, trumpets, voices, etc., and of seeing the Lord descending through the air, a shining body of flesh, as when they hear of His invisible presence, without taking time to investigate a subject upon which they feel so sure... they will dismiss the matter quickly as unworthy of investi­gation. It is to this class of professed Christians the Apostle refers.”

Recently a popular magazine commented on this very subject; and it would seem from the expressions used that they are affiliated with some religious group. They say:

“IS THE END NEAR? Jerusalem has been recaptured by the Jews. Soviet power threatens the Mideast. Communist China is working on an H–bomb delivery system. Nine nations are now in the common market. To growing thousands of us Christians, these political facts are portents of doom, part of a detailed scenario for the Apocalypse. While most Christians were concentrating last week on the First Coming ­Jesus’ nativity at Bethlehem – these believers were concerned with Christ’s second com­ing at the end of time, which they are convinced is at hand... The 19th century was rife with Second Coming excitements: one movement, the Millerites, eventually became the Seventh–day Adventists. The ‘Millennial Dawn’ group expected the end in 1914; they are now the Jehovah’s Witnesses... Both the Apostles and the Nicene creeds at­test belief in a returning Christ who will judge the living and the dead... There is the Revelation of St. John, that stunning piece of apocalyptic biblical literature that has fascinated and frustrated interpreters for nearly 19 centuries... in Chapter 20 the vision of Christ’s 1000–year reign, the Millennium. Oxford Scholar G. B. Caird, a modern interpreter of Revelation, calls Chapter 20 ‘the paradise of cranks and fanat­ics.’ In Modern times, much of main–stream Protestant scholarship has virtually dis­missed the idea of a second coming, preferring to view the apocalyptic literature as a metaphor... To be curious on this score merely proves that one does not understand the events of history. The coming salvation can only be awaited in a state of com­plete preparedness. That would seem to be good advice. After all, the Gospels carry Jesus’ own warning about expectation of the end: ‘Of that day or hour no one knows.’”

Immediately upon reading the foregoing, we recalled the words of Jesus, “Wisdom is justified of all her children.” (Luke 7:35) Also, the worldly axiom, A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. These people not only attempt to take figurative statements literally, but they also rely upon false translations; and a combination of these two vagaries can do nothing but make their readers dizzy and skeptical. They quote Rev. 10:6 from the King James version – “There should be time no longer” –, but just a little consideration should suggest that there must be something wrong here. If there is time no longer, then there couldn’t possibly be anything at all to continue.

When J. F. Rutherford’s time predictions failed completely one after the other, causing him much spiritual indigestion, he came up with the interpretation that this really means we should no longer include time in our Bible considerations. (However, it would seem the Witnesses are again attempting to inject ‘time’ elements into their declarations – especially regarding impending Armageddon.) Once the text is properly translated, it removes much of the confusion – “The time shall be no longer delayed.” The context has to do with the blast of the seventh angel; and the clear inference is that the proclamation of the seventh angel would be that the time had come for fulfill­ment of the sayings of the book – things that had been delayed for 1900 years would now certainly come to pass. Thus, the correct translation proves the exact opposite of the opinions we have quoted above.

Further, “Of that day or hour no one knows”: If we wish to be argumentative, we could answer that this may be true concerning the day or the hour; but this would be no proof at all that we may not understand the generalities as respects the time ­just as we may not know the exact hour when the Vernal Equinox will arrive, but we do know that about that time Spring is sure to arrive. However, there is more to Matt. 24:36: “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Fa­ther only.” At the time Jesus made that statement He is telling the Disciples that He Himself did not know the day or the hour, but He later – after His resurrection – said, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) And, in keeping with this, the very first verse of Revelation states that He “would show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass.” Today no one may know when he will die, but that certainly is no reason to conclude that no one ever will know about that event.

The Apostle Paul gives proper analysis of the present situation: “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolishness the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor. 1:20) Also, 1 Cor. 3:19,20: “The wis­dom of this world is foolishness with God... He taketh the wise in their own crafti­ness... The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” This forces us to the conclusion that ‘scoffers’ are the so–called ‘wise’ of this world; and that we have now, and have been having during most of this century, plenty of evidence that we are “in the last days,” and that such scoffers are legion, and their words are even more so.

No intelligent person will now say that we are not in a world of trouble, but when this “time of Trouble” was predicted to start in 1914 with a World War, many of those ‘without’ (Mark 4:11) laughed at such a prediction; but quite a few intelli­gent people of the world now tell us that since 1914 there has been no peace for him that cometh in or for him that goeth out. (Zech. 8:10) Some of the wise and good men of this world are doing their best to find a solution to present-day crime, but they have found none so far; rather, it grows steadily worse. “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent...... the world by wisdom knew not God.” (1 Cor. 1:19,20) Surely no one will dispute that “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

The prediction for 1914 was based on the chronology of the Bible – also the end of the “Times of the Gentiles,” and the returning favor to the Jews. All this has come about at the right day and hour: we now know it is here, and were informed ahead of time that it would be here. Thus, we have confidence that any other important phase of this great “Time of Trouble” will come at the appointed time and hour – and that the Lord’s faithful servants will not be in ignorance concerning that time.

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren: Christian greetings!

Enclosed is a check for which please extend my subscription to your periodical. Please note the change in address. Wishing you and all at the Bible House the Lord’s continued blessing and guidance. Your brother in the love of the Truth’. ------- (VIRGINIA)

NO. 216: THE MARCH-APRIL 1973 PRESENT TRUTH

No. 216

On pages 25-30 of the above-mentioned paper is an article entitled “Special Favor to Abraham’s Seed,” which is replete with “sifting errorist” name-calling, the same referring to us, of course. RGJ is greatly aroused because we continue to refute his error concerning his Campers Consecrated, as he continues to revolu­tionize against the teaching of St. Paul, Brothers Russell and Johnson, that the Jews will be ‘chief and first’ of the Afterborn, in the Kingdom arrangement. The Firstborn of the Millennial Age will be the Worthies, who will be “princes in all the earth.” On p. 27, col. 1 (13) he makes this statement:

“If God makes an exception to the general principle ‘to the Jew first’ in the case of the Youthful Worthy class, who come in under the New Covenant but are main­ly of Gentile lineage – as this sifting errorist himself admits – there is surely no reason why He cannot make an exception of another consecrated class – the Conse­crated Epiphany Campers (a class RGJ admits will be of the Afterborn—JJH), who will come in under the New Covenant but are mainly of Gentile lineage – which class like­wise is faithful while sin is still in the ascendancy.”

In the foregoing RGJ is quite certain – “there is surely no reason” against his conclusion; and we would reply that there are several good reasons – that his “reason” is some more of his ‘foolish’ reasoning, which we classify as nonsense. When the New Covenant is inaugurated the Youthful Worthies will occupy a front-row seat at that roll call, as one of the elect classes – and of those who receive the “better resurrection,” the resurrection of the Just; whereas his Campers Consecrated will receive the resurrection of the Unjust. Most, if not all, of his Campers Conse­crated won’t even be there to answer at all; they won’t be there at all as such. For a time RGJ taught that his Campers Consecrated would receive the resurrection of the “Just,” – because, he said, they are a “justified” class; but our refutation of that error was so decisive that he has been forced to recant. He now tells us that those quasi-elect Jews who will be right there in Jerusalem when the New Covenant is inaugurated under the leadership of the Worthies, will not be immediately blessed ­will not be the ‘chief and first’ of the Afterborn – as the Messengers have taught; but they will have to take a back seat to his Campers Consecrated – who will not be there at all!

And it is certainly in order to ask here, Why did RGJ not consider the “excep­tions” in the Ancient Worthies? Has the “oil in his lamp” gone so far out, or is he “willingly ignorant”? The first three names by St. Paul in the 11th chapter of Hebrews are Abel, Enoch, Noah, who were certainly not Jews, so God made an “excep­tion” there, although we know the large majority of the Ancient Worthies were Jews; and they were the first elect class to appear among the human family. Yet the “first” of that class were not Jews, so we could not say of the Ancient Worthies – “to the Jew first.” Abraham, the father of the faithful, was a direct descendant of Noah, who definitely was not a Jew. Isaac, too, was a direct descendant of Noah; and there may have been others up to that time not named in the Bible. (Heb. 11:32) However, in all of this, numbers are not the determining factor – it is “Who comes first.” That is the issue RGJ is raising.

Furthermore, we remind our readers that Brother Russell and Brother Johnson were acutely aware of the Worthies, but they mentioned no “exceptions” when they stressed “to the Jew first.” That is because both of them clearly understood and adhered to the clear Bible distinction between the elect and the non-elect, between the Firstborn and the Afterborn – between the Just and the Unjust, and the Two Distinct Salvations. Of course, neither of them had been instructed in RGJ’s “advancing Truth,” so they did not recognize that there would be two classes of consecrators “between the Ages”: Youthful Worthies in the Court, and Campers Consecrated in the Camp – with a “narrow way” in the Camp as well as in the Court.

The emphasis, of course, on ‘to the Jew first’ is with the Little Flock – and then to the Restitutionists; although it was ‘to the Jew first’ under the High Calling, the 144,000 being mainly of Gentile lineage – just opposite to what it was with the Ancient Worthies: to the non-Jew first, but the majority of that class Jews. So far as we know, the majority of all the elect classes have been Gentiles, with the exception of the An­cient Worthies; and that one class was certainly not ‘to the Jew first.’ The large majority of Restitutionists will be Gentiles, too – but it will be ‘to the Jew first,’ as taught by the Apostle Paul and the two Messengers.

The High Calling – the Great Salvation – was ‘to the Jew first,’ and the Restitu­tion blessings – the Common Salvation – will also be ‘to the Jew first.” ‘To the Jew first,’ will place them in the forefront as the chief of the Afterborn; they will become the first missionaries of the Kingdom. The reason for this, as That Servant has said: “This condition of affliction in which the Jews have been throughout the Gospel Age, in addition to the overthrow of their nation in the year 70 AD., has really been a favor from God. All the tribulation through which this people have passed during the en­tire ‘seven times’ of chastisement, will finally be found to have been to their advan­tage, preparing them for the blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom.... Subsequently all nations will come into Divine favor and blessing, becoming members of Israel.”

The Gospel-Age experiences of the covenant-keeping Jews have been strikingly simi­lar to those of the Little Flock; but this is not true of many – perhaps most – of the Gentile quasi-elect. Many of these Gentiles have been honored and favored for their Christian principles. As instance, we might mention such men as John Wanamaker, J. P. Morgan, the various compilers of concordances, Bible translators, and the like. Many of these have received much of their reward in this life, some having attained consider­able wealth and respect in high places. But such will yet be blessed in the Kingdom reign – as quasi-elect, repentant and believing Gentiles.

Yet, in spite of the foregoing, Brothers Russell and Johnson both emphasized that the New Covenant is to be made with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah (Jer. 31:31-34) – with Jacob, natural Israel, who have attempted to keep the Law Coven­ant. In Epiphany Volume 11 there are two complete chapters on the Firstborn and the Afterborn – Chapter 3 on the Firstborn, and Chapter 4 on the Afterborn. In these two chapters Brother Johnson made a distinct cleavage between the Firstborn and the Afterborn – between the Just and the Unjust. Our readers would be well advised to read those chapters to fortify themselves against “the pestilence that walketh in darkness.”

Let us note also that every Gentile who came into the Little Flock during this Age has been forced to accept the teachings of the twelve Apostles – all Jews; thus, they became part of the twelve tribes of spiritual Israel. (“An hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel”—Rev. 7:5) And, as both Messengers have so clearly taught, every member of the Afterborn in the Kingdom will be forced to accept the teachings that come through the Jews - forced to become a member of one of the twelve tribes of fleshly Israel before they can receive any blessings at all under the New Covenant, because that New Covenant will be made primarily and ex­clusively with fleshly Israel (Jacob) – under the princeship and tutelage of the Wor­thies. And this will apply to all the Gentiles – whether they be quasi-elect or not: the New Covenant is Israelitish.

The main difficulty with RGJ’s presentation is that he apparently does not clearly understand the difference between the elective and the non-elective salvations – his confusion probably being the result of the punishment inflicted upon those who are in the hands of Azazel. “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thes. 2:11) As brother Russell has said, the Devil also probably first de­ceived himself before he tried to deceive Mother Eve.

When the Apostle Paul and the two Messengers taught “to the Jew first,” there is no question at all but that they were referring to fleshly, natural Israel. However, when we refer to any in the elective salvation we do not designate them ‘natural’ Gen­tiles or ‘natural’ Jews; we properly include them all under the heading of the Elect ­with each one in his respective class. And in presenting what we do now, RGJ says this “sifting errorist” is attacking the presentations of Brothers Russell and Johnson. Well, as we have repeatedly stated, the Star Member says that the Epiphany Camp “in the finished picture” will contain the ‘not consecrated” (See E-10:209); whereas this crown-lost leader is now telling us the Epiphany Camp in the finished picture will con­tain the consecrated – his Campers Consecrated. Hence, we offer the simple thesis: Let those who wish to accept the vagary of this crown-loser, do so; but, as for us, we shall continue to adhere to the clear and sound teaching of the crown-retainer and Star Member.

As That Servant has faithfully taught, “After the Jews have thus received mercy through the complete and glorified Church of Christ, they will indeed be used as the Lord’s instruments for blessing all the families of the earth, and so the Abrahamic promises will be fulfilled to both the seeds, both that which is according to the flesh, and that which is according to the spirit...! To the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham.’—Rom. 4:16.”

The following from Reprint 4575: “The justification of the Millennial Age will not be a faith justification, but an actual-justification, gradually attained under the New Covenant conditions, ‘Do and live,’ but also under the merciful provisions arranged through the Mediator of the New Covenant.” And further from Question Book, p. 205:

“The Ancient Worthies appear and Israel under the New Covenant arrangements, when they are established (the Ancient Worthies as princes, and the Jews as ‘chief and first’ of the Afterborn—JJH) the other nations will see their blessings and pros­perity under God’s supervision, and will see that they (the Jews—JJH) have the Ancient Worthies, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.,... They will see that the only way for them to get God’s blessing will be by coming in under the New Covenant arrangements through Is­rael.”

By their newly-invented classes, the JW’s and RGJ cast aside That Servant’s teaching as set out above. They grossly revolutionize against the teaching of the in­spired Apostle – “to the Jew first.” They are “Such as sit in darkness... because they rebelled (revolutionized) against the words of God.” (Psa. 107:10,11) “Because they re­ceived not the love of the Truth... God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” Both Messengers saw a class of consecrators between the Ages who would, if faithful, share in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies; but neither saw a second class of consecrators who would precede the Jews in Kingdom standing. RGJ ‘sees’ such a class, although he doesn’t dispose of the Jews altogether as did JFR; he just demotes them, thus making null and void the inspired teaching of the Apostle Paul.

THE FIRSTBORN AND THE AFTERBORN

The Scriptures make clear and distinct cleavage between the Firstborn and the Afterborn; between the Elect and the Non-elect. As the Epiphany Messenger taught, the resurrected Worthies will be the Firstborn of the Millennial Age, which places them in a class to themselves – perfect physical specimens. None of the Afterborn will have the ‘better resurrection.’ Those who receive their resurrection gradually are the Afterborn – and all the others, aside from the Worthies, will be included in this gradual process – including the quasi-elect Jews and quasi-elect Gentiles. How­ever, the Kingdom blessings will go ‘to the Jew first,’ the first of the Afterborn to come under the New Covenant after the Worthies have been established as the visible rulers of the Kingdom. Both Messengers have emphasized the fact that there are two distinct salvations – one for the Just and one for the Unjust. RGJ ignores this dis­tinction to make room for his Campers Consecrated – which he admits are of the After­born.

On p. 27, col. 1, par. 3, he says – “It should be reiterated that it was Bro. Russell’s and Bro. Johnson’s teaching that some present-day consecrated believers of Gentile lineage (counted by God as Israelites) would be given precedence over the fleshly Israelites in general in the Kingdom – therefore in railing against this teach­ing as reaffirmed and defended in our day in the PT and otherwise, this sifting error­ist is really railing against Bro. Russell and Bro. Johnson.”

When did we “rail” against Brothers Russell and Johnson, or any one else, for teaching that the Youthful Worthies precede the Jews and all other Afterborn in the Kingdom? Of course, all Firstborn will precede all Afterborn! RGJ understood this at one time, we believe. The Youthful Worthies do not walk a “narrow way” to become Restitutionists! They endure the rigors of a “narrow way” during the ascendancy of sin and evil because of the promise of a reward above restitution blessings. As Bro. Johnson has taught, none of us could faithfully carry out our consecrations under such conditions without the promises. When he says the Youthful Worthies are “counted by God as Israelites,” why doesn’t he tell us that the Youthful Worthies will be the Gershonite Levites in the Kingdom, and will have no inheritance in the land? All the Afterborn – all Restitutionists will have “inheritance in the land.”

“GAZING”

To give emphasis to the foregoing, we now quote from E-11:495: “None of these brothers (Little Flock members—JJH) were the first to see new doctrines, which under Jesus is the exclusive privilege of star-members. As non-star-member scribes instruc­ted unto the Kingdom of God, they have been privileged to find new confirmations of doctrines previously made known by Jesus to His star-members.”

Even Little Flock members not Star Members would be guilty of the forbidden “gazing” (Ex. 19:21) if they went contrary to this teaching, and would cause them to lose their class standing if they persisted in it. How much more, then, would it apply to those in other classes! Yet, we have before us a crown-lost leader who is telling us this teaching does not apply to him. He does not state in so many words that he is the 50th Star Member, as does J. W. Krewson – but he is actually putting himself forth as an equal to the Star Members when he produces a “new” doc­trine to foist upon the Lord’s people. However, we should ‘think it not strange”, when he and the other “good” Levites did the same with the Epiphany Messenger when he was living. (See E-10:586-594) “Apologetically they asked, knowing that they were presumptuous in attempting to read God’s mouthpiece their lectures and largely false criticisms, to be endured somewhat, and would then teach J. in (alleged defense of God – v. 2), declaring that they would draw their knowledge from far-off Bible teach­ings, and thus ascribe justice to God – v. 3.” (E-10:591) Campers Consecrated is some more far-off Bible teaching!

All this from the “good” Levites – with RGJ usually J.’s main opponent – “And R. G. Jolly again was J.’s main opponent...” (E-10:585, bottom, and p. 586, top) It may be possible, if not probable, that in some instances crown-lost leaders have found “new confirmations” of doctrines previously made known by Jesus to His star ­members, but the record is clear that they all have been guilty of “perverting” the stewardship doctrines of the Star Members before them – and also guilty of setting aside true doctrines for false doctrines of their own. In the case of JFR he per­verted the “Great Multitude” from a heavenly class to an earthly class; and RGJ with his second class of consecrators “between the Ages,” has perverted the teachings of both Star Members before him – telling us that his “new set” of consecrators will not receive a reward in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. The two Messen­gers did not see such a class of consecrators, but RGJ “sees” such a class, which con­firms the teaching of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thes. 2:11: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

RGJ admits that he was forced out of the Holy some thirty-five years ago, so he is not even of the Little Flock – but that doesn’t seem to bother him as he makes desperate effort to foist his “strange fire” (false doctrine) upon the Lord’s people. This one point should be sufficient for any of us to reject such an erroneous presen­tation. Nor is it surprising, with such a wretched cause to defend, that he is forced to resort to name-calling, both in his writings and orally, to offset the devastating Truth presented against such error.

THE ABANDONMENT PROCESS

On p. 210 of E-4 we are given the seven steps involved in the abandonment pro­cess of Azazel’s Goat:

1 – Confessing the sins: a declaration of the willful sins of organized Christen­dom by the World’s High Priest.

2 – Loosing the Goat: The World’s High Priest giving the Great Company a measure of Liberty: by taking away certain truths (such as “to the Jew first,” – the prohibited “gazing,” etc.—JJH), and by removing Providential hindrances to their measurable freedom of action.

3 – Leading to the Gate. The World’s High Priest resisting their revolutionism.

4 – Passing it through the Gate: The High Priest withdrawing priestly fellowship.

5 – Delivering to the fit man: The High Priest delivering them up to unfavorable circumstances and persecuting persons.

6 – Leading to the wilderness: Unfavorable circumstances and perse­cut­ing persons giving them distress.

7 – Letting go in the wilderness: Unfavorable circumstances and perse­cut­ing people putting them, through occasioning them to commit willful sins, into a condition of utter loss of the favor and help of God’s Real or Nominal people – ­i.e., the loss of their brotherly fellowship, because of their coming in matters of faith and practice into the control of Azazel, who uses them to further his purposes.

RGJ contends that the foregoing does not apply to him either, or to those crown-losers in the LHMM, because they are “good Levites,” and it happened to them only in an “Attenuated” manner. But the Epiphany Messenger teaches that it applies to every crown-loser without exception – whether they missed the Little Flock by the skin of their teeth, or whether they escaped the Second Death by the same margin – that they all must have brotherly fellowship withdrawn from them by the World’s High Priest before they can be cleansed. (E-15:525) Thus, we have here one more instance of No. 2 above – “taking away certain truths through permitting errors to blind their former understandings.” By his own admission, he tells us that the large majority of crown-losers in The Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement did not even have priestly fellowship withdrawn from them during Brother Johnson’s lifetime – although he does ad­mit that he had that experience meted out to him personally.

THE HILL OPHEL

In referring to this hill by name, RGJ would have us believe he is bringing forth some “new light” here; but the only thing he is telling us that Brother Johnson did not say is simply in the name itself. Here is the statement in E-12:526 – after describ­ing the typical significance of Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, and the Hills Akra and Be­zetha:

“The valley between these eminencies symbolizes the Restitution class – the higher parts the quasi elect, believing Jews and faithful faith-justified, and the lower parts the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles of this life.”

Brother Johnson knew there was more than one hill in the City; but he did not attempt to name any one of them individually, but simply grouped them as “the higher parts” being those Restitutionists that had made some progress in character attain­ment before the New Covenant was inaugurated. So far as we can recall, RGJ has not given us any reason at all for selecting the Hill Ophel to type his Consecrated Camp­ers. It would be quite interesting to know what distinguishes it from the Evil Hill, or other “higher parts” of the City.

SEEKING HELP FROM BROTHER RUSSELL

At the top of page 30, col. 1 (36), and (37), we are told that when Brother Rus­sell wrote Volume 1 he believed that the Ancient Worthies would remain on earth for­ever – along with the remainder of the “sheep,” but that he later came to see this was not a logical deduction, with which we agree. When he later came to see that they would obtain the spirit nature at the end of the Little Season, we are presented with just one more instance of ‘The path of the just shining more and more unto the perfect day.”

Then RGJ proceeds to apply Brother Russell’s analysis of the Ancient Worthies –before he saw that they would be rewarded with spirit nature – to his Campers Conse­crated. He says Brother Russell’s opinion in Volume 1 “applies very well in the case of the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, whose important part and labor of love in the great blessing work of restitution will never be forgotten by their grateful fellow men.” It is indeed very strange that RGJ should ignore Brother Johnson’s opinion on this very point, as he has it in E-4:332 (26):

“As the Ancient, so the Youthful Worthies would be everlastingly degraded in­stead of being everlastingly rewarded for their Millennial service and suffering for the world, and their post-Millennial service for the faithful of the world, and for their post-Millennial suffering for righteousness at the hands of the Second-Death class if they would remain forever on earth; for since all human beings found worthy of everlasting life will henceforth be equal (Matt. 25:34; Rev. 21:24), it would fol­low that the Youthful, as well as the Ancient Worthies, from being the Millennial superiors, would be degraded to being the eternal equals of the world of mankind.”

If what we have underscored above – all human beings, etc. – means what it says, then we have here just one more open contradiction between the priestly Star Member and the crown-lost Levite. And again we advise – Let each one decide for himself which teaching he will accept. When Brother Johnson said “all human beings” he cer­tainly had in mind the quasi-elect, because he himself was the first one to emphasize such a class in the Kingdom arrangement. And the opinion expressed by the Epiphany Messenger regarding the Worthies would also apply to RGJ’s Campers Consecrated – because they, too, would receive nothing more than the rest of the Restitutionists in the final accounting; they would receive nothing for walking a “narrow way” during the ascendancy of sin and evil. God requires no one to sacrifice during this Age in order to gain restitution. Such faithful consecrators who faithfully endure the rigors of a ‘harrow way” will receive more than restitution.

AGE-OLD “SLEIGHT OF HAND”

For many months past we have been using the statements in E-10:114; E-10:209; E-10:672 and the Four-Fold Tabernacle Picture as given in the 1940 PT, pp. 13-14 against RGJ’s errors on his Campers Consecrated – even though he has used the same ref­erences on occasion to mislead his sectarian devotees. Using such quotations that clearly contradict his position, is an Age-old trick of the confidence man; it is one of the prime ruses of Azazel. Early in the Epiphany RGJ’s kinsmen employed the same technique; and here is what the Epiphany Messenger says about them in E7:370:

‘We ask, Why do they so often quote passages to prove points positively dis­proven by those very passages? Is it not because they are in Azazel’s hands, and are thus blinded by him, and at his direction palm off his errors on the dear unsus­pecting sheep of God’s flock?”

Therefore, so long as we see him mimicking his kinsmen of some fifty years ago, we may be certain he is being dominated by Azazel – just as they were. Surely all who have the “spirit of a sound mind” and have “continued in what they have learned and been assured of” can readily see that the references cited above clearly dispute his errors, instead of supporting them.

ADDITIONAL SIFTING CIRCULARS

On page 32 of this same Present Truth is a further statement under the above heading, in part of which says: “These circulars (of JJH) abound also in his usual misrepresentations, twisted, perverted and one-sided applications and definitions, half-truths, quotations from the Truth writings favorable to his purposes with omis­sions of unfavorable ones, re-statements of old errors... which from Scripture, reason and facts we have refuted thoroughly.” Yes, he has “refuted thoroughly” with such mater­ial as we mentioned foregoing – items which directly contradict his contentions, although he palms them off to his readers as his “proof”; he also cites his previous errors to “prove” his present errors.

He further states that we “pervert the statements in E-4:53 and E-11:473.” Well, for the benefit of our readers, we accept these two statements just as they are, ex­cepting the time features involved. For emphasis we quote once more E-4:53 (51):

“The expression, The Time of Trouble, is used in two senses. In its wide sense it covers the period from 1874 until the end of anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble. In its narrow sense it covers the period from the beginning of the World War in 1914 until the end of anarchy and of Jacob’s trouble. It is in the narrow – the second – sense of that that we use it in our subject. We understand that the special tribulation period and the Epiphany as a period are one and the same thing.” There is no hint or suggestion in this statement about the Epiphany in its ‘narrow’ or ‘restricted’ sense. That is something RGJ has been tenaciously trying to read into it – and foist upon the unsuspecting brethren. This effort on his part is simply a trick of Azazel! We accept the statement just as it is in the book – because we believe what the Epi­phany Messenger taught about the Time of the Trouble and the Epiphany being one and the same period; but RGJ no longer believes this Truth, as he injects his own words into it. Yet he has the effrontery to accuse us of “perverting” it.

On p. 34 of the same book there is this statement: “THE TIME OF TROUBLE AND THE EPIPHANY ARE ONE AND THE SAME PERIOD.” RGJ IS NOW TELLING US THAT THE EPIPHANY ended in its “restricted sense” in 1954. If so, then the Time of Trouble also ended in its “restricted sense” in 1954. Further from p. 15 of Epiphany Volume 4, we have this: “The Epiphany... is the time of trouble – the time from 1914 onward for a con­siderable number of years yet.” Then at the bottom of the same page: “since the tribulation began – 1914, and will increase and finally come to a climax at the end of the Epiphany – “the end of the Time of Trouble.” However, we now offer some mod­ifying thoughts from this same volume, p. 52, middle: “On this subject (“the time features”—JJH) ‘now we know in part’ only. Later we trust to know perfectly on this line of thought... Therefore, in discussing this matter let us be cautious not to be positive in our statements. Until the advancing light will justify a more positive statement, let us confine ourselves to such sobriety of speech as leaves the details of this time feature as they have been set forth in this article, which as above stated are a matter of inference and not of positive proof.” (Emphasis by Bro. Johnson)

“The details” (of the time features of 1954-56) in the above “inferences” were manifestly incorrect when 1954-56 arrived – just as some of Brother Russell’s expec­tations for 1914-15 were proven incorrect when the time arrived. But the “time fea­tures” of these events do not change the doctrinal Truths of the Time of Trouble ­even though RGJ insists that we accept 1954 for the ending of the Epiphany in its “re­stricted sense,” as if the expected events had occurred – just as though the violent fea­tures of the Time of Trouble had taken place, as the Epiphany Messenger expected.

For some years the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been telling their “great multitude” of Rev. 7:9, that they will live right on through Armageddon and never die. Sensing the great appeal such a message has upon the “unstable and the unlearned,” RGJ has been leaning toward the same error. Note his statement on p. 28 (21) of this March-April PT: “The third class to benefit from the ransom will be the Consecrated Epiphany Camp­ers class – typed by Medan, Keturah’s third son – in members who will then be living. (Emphasis by RGJ) Then in par. (22) he tells us about the fourth class – the quasi­-elect fleshly Israel. Even if his statement may be accepted as the Truth, it still leaves much to be answered for those of his Campers Consecrated who do not survive the trouble. He has admitted they will not receive a “better resurrection”; but it is not clear to us whether he is telling them they will be the first – exclusively first to return from the grave, or if they will come back as one great unit. He should have an answer for this if his teaching on this class is the Truth. But, as we have repeatedly stressed, his contention is a direct revolutionism against the teachings of the Apostle Paul, That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger. Therefore, we say once more: Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!

“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, 0 Lord, forever.” (Psa. 93:4-5)

Sincerely your brother

John J. Hoefle , Pilgrim

===========================

CORRECTIONS: (1) We wish to correct what we inadvertently stated in our paper No. 212, Feb. 1973 on p. 1, par. 3 – that RGJ no longer refers to the 1940 PT, etc., in his present perversions. He quoted the 1940 PT in the same paper he perverted these Truths by his errors – in an attempt to deceive his readers into believing the Epiphany Messen­ger supported his sins of teaching and practice.

(2) Also, in our No. 215, May 1973, please change on p. 4, par. 5, line 2, from “The Amramites (Moses, Aaron, etc.)” to read, “Aaron and his sons, the Priests, Amram’s descendants, to the east of the Tabernacle.” Likewise, change line 5 of the same paragraph from “the Amramites (no longer Levites in any sense)” to read, “Aaron and his sons (no longer Levites in any sense).” Please note these corrections on your papers.

NO. 215: THE TABERNACLE

No. 215

In Matt. 5:17,18 we have these words of Jesus: “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill... I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.” Complementing this statement is one by St. Paul in Heb. 10:1: “The Law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices.... make the comers there­unto perfect.” Here then are clear Scriptures that tell us in direct words that every feature of the Law was typical; and the Law in the broad sense is the Pente­teuch – the first five books of the Bible (Luke 24:44), although the Law in the strict sense does not appear before Exodus. It is thus a sound conclusion that every person, principle and thing mentioned therein are typical, and must have an antitype to be fulfilled.

Of those things given to Moses in Sinai the Tabernacle is the central figure. It became the foundation premise for the entire Jewish religion; and it may be prop­erly concluded that every important feature of the Plan of the Ages is somewhere re­vealed in the Tabernacle and the rituals pertinent thereto. Therefore, if any one has a good clear grasp of the Tabernacle, as it is presented in Tabernacle Shadows, and retains that truth structure, he is not likely ever to go out of the Truth; where­as, if we see any one losing the Tabernacle truths, we may conclude that something has gone badly wrong with that person, and we should be governed accordingly.

A close analysis of most religions will reveal that they began with a priesthood, then deteriorated to priestcraft, then degraded to priestgraft. This is strikingly true of the Jewish priesthood. When the Tabernacle had been set up, and Aaron was called of God (Heb. 5:4) to officiate, there was then given the Jews a religious sys­tem in its pristine purity; every detail was the embodiment of perfection – “The true tabernacle, which the Lord fixed, not man... divine service for a symbol and shadow (typical) of the heavenlies; even as Moses, when about to construct the tabernacle, was divinely admonished; for, See, says He, that thou make all things according to that pattern shown to thee on the Mount.” (Heb. 8:2-5, Dia.) “And Moses, indeed, was faithful in his whole house, as a servant, for a testimony of the things to be spoken.” (Heb. 3:5, Dia.) And this same Scripture could be applied in like manner to Aaron as Priest. “Like the precious ointment (typical of the Holy Spirit) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his gar­ments.” (Psa. 133:2) Tradition has it that Aaron’s beard reached almost to his knees; and his anointing with the holy oil is a fitting picture of the anointing of the true church during this Age with the Holy Spirit, which came first upon the Head Jesus, then continued down to the last members of His Body here in the end of the Age.

However, Aaron’s example soon became a lost art. In the strict sense the Jews had only one high priest – Aaron, “called of God” to the office. Others received that office through heredity, the oldest living son aspiring to the office – much the same as the kings in the nations today have come to the throne as successor to their fathers – although the Sanhedrin (counsel of the 70) had altered this somewhat before Jesus’ first Advent. Thus, some of the high priests after Aaron made honest effort to continue his per–formance; some, such as Eli (1 Sam. 3), feebly attempted to give proper service; while some were very much renegades. When we reach the fall of Jerusalem prior to 607 B.C., priestcraft was definitely inevidence. “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof.” (Jer.5:31)

At the time Jesus arrived the priesthood had degenerated to priestgraft – they had reached the very bottom of the dirty barrel. “Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matt. 21:12,13) A little from secular records will emphasize this. It had been ordered in the Law that the sacrifices brought to the priest should be “Without blemish.” Taking advantage of this, the priests in the temple gave minute scrutiny to any animals brought to them. It is said they had as many as seventy different points on which they would reject a lamb – such as a wart on its belly, and the like. Thus, when a penitent and humble Jew came in from the hills to make himself right with God, it was almost a certainty that the priest who examined his lamb would find something wrong with it, which made it unacceptable for sacrifice. So what was the poor man to do?  Must he go all the way back to the hill country for another? Why, no, of course not! The priest had a lamb in the backyard that he could have – if he had the price – ­so much money, plus the lamb he had brought in. Then the priest took the rejected lamb, put it in the backyard and sold it to the next innocent victim. It is little wonder that Jesus was so outraged that He overturned their tables and uttered the con­demnation against them that He did.

And much the same pattern was followed in the Christian Church as we trace it through the years. The Christian Church under the Apostles (also called and chosen of God) offered proper comparison to Aaron and his sons. But when Martin Luther appeared on the scene, the sale of indulgences was in full sway, with the repulsive Tetzel raking in the money – almost an exact duplicate of what Jesus saw in the temple. It is not surprising that Luther referred to the Roman Church at that time as “the synagogue of Satan.” Or that we have the prophecy against the reprobate church today, “I will spue thee out of My mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)

CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Cor. 10:11) The Diaglott puts this much clearer: “These things occurred to them typically, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the Ages have come.” St. Paul thus clearly identi­fies “these things” as types, and they have to do with the wilderness journey of the Jews on their way to Canaan, during which time the Tabernacle was the focal point of all their religious activity.

It is not our purpose herein to discuss all the intricate details given to Moses in the Mount, but we believe a few of them will prove quite helpful. Ex. 26:15 says, “Thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.” Clearly enough, the Jews were not to gather broken-down logs for construction of the Tabernacle, but trees “standing up” – alive and growing. And is this not exactly what the Apostle says in Rom. 12:1: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice”? During the building of the Gospel-Age Tabernacle the Lord did not want a dead sacrifice; He wanted a “living” one. This is confirmed by St. Peter, 1 Pet. 2:5, Dia.: “Be you yourselves also built up, as living stones (in the temple, or Gospel-Age Tabernacle), a spiritual house for a holy priesthood (fully faithful and competent, as was Aaron), to offer sacrifices, well-pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul counsels, “Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” and this characteristic of the “living stones” is well typified in the Shittim wood “standing up.” This timber was plentiful in the wilderness of Sinai, and used in the construction of the Tabernacle, for the woodwork in the Ark, the altars and their staves, the table, the boards, bars and pillars. It was used in Egypt in boat building, and Josephus speaks of its strength and durability. (Antiq. III 6,5) The wood is hard and close-grained.

In recent months the Jehovah’s Witnesses are attempting to revive the study of the Tabernacle in their Watchtower periodical; but it is readily clear enough that, once having lost the Truth on this important edifice, they will have plenty of error in what they send forth. As instance, they quote 1 Pet. 2:5, and they use the King James version, which says we “offer spiritual sacrifices” during this Age. Just a little reflection should reveal the folly of this. In Rom. 12:1 St. Paul says, “pre­sent your bodies” as a sacrifice. We do not sacrifice our spiritual qualities; rather, we develop them in every good word and work, and we do this at the expense of our human bodies. Thus, we are told to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus,” even as St. Paul says of himself and his abused physique, “I die daily.” (1 Cor. 15: 31) He was “putting off the old man with his deeds, and putting on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge” (not sacrificed, but built up, invigorated)—Col. 3:9,10.

Also, in this same Watch Tower, Dec. 1, 1972, p. 717, col. 1 bottom, there is this statement: “The temple ‘curtain’ illustrating the fleshly barrier, was now indeed passed for the resurrected Jesus Christ, and so on the fortieth day from his resurrec­tion he could ascend to heaven itself and appear before the person of God with the precious value of his sin-atoning blood, to present it at God’s propitiatory throne in behalf of all mankind. With that presentation the great antitypical Day of Atonement came to an end.”

The foregoing is a rank perversion of what That Servant wrote about the antitypi­cal Day of Atonement. He taught that it continued throughout the entire Gospel and Mil­lennial Ages; and just a little scrutiny should prove that he was right. The real work of the antitypical Day of Atonement has not yet even begun, which work is to ac­complish the “restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:21) Jesus is simply the antitypi­cal bullock of that day’s sacrifice – “first for His own sins, and then for the peo­ple’s” (Heb. 7:27).

It was not until the bullock and the Lord’s goat had been placed upon the brazen altar in the Court, their blood sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy, fol­lowed by Azazel’s Goat being delivered to the fit man and led off to the wilderness, that the High Priest (Aaron in the first instance) then appeared in robes of Glory and Beauty and blessed the people. This antitypical blessing – “the times of refresh­ing, restitution of all things” – has not yet even begun; therefore, it should be quite apparent the antitypical Day of Atonement is not nearly at an end. When we re­call the treatment the Watch Tower leaders dispensed to their faithful brethren after Brother Russell’s death, we are painfully forced to apply to them the Scripture ­“Because they poured out the blood of saints and of prophets, Thou gavest them also blood (error) to drink; they deserve it.” They would be well advised to follow Tabernacle Shadows if they attempt further treatise of the subject – to prevent further er­roneous teachings.

When work was to begin on building the Tabernacle, the people were asked to bring the material necessary for the job, “And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold.” (Ex. 35:22)   “And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work... The stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.” (Ex. 36:5-7)    The antitype for these verses is to be found here in the end of the Age, when the general call closed in 1881. From that time on more people came into the Truth than there were crowns available – they were bringing “much more than enough” to complete the Gospel-Age Tabernacle. Many still do not recognize this great truth, so they con­tinue to bring more than enough, but this can but result in their eventual chagrin.

While some have been overly ambitious in this respect, others have adopted just the opposite course. When the sad and disturbing conflicts appeared shortly after Brother Russell’s death, many concluded they wanted none of that, so they simply with­drew and did nothing after that. Thus, they were no longer antitypical shittim wood “standing up” (“living sacrifices”); they became as it were ordinary spiritual flot­sam floating about in time and space, with no definite purpose. They completely for­got that their covenant was with God and not with men. We still see that same attitude among quite a few.

THE TABERNACLE AND THE PEOPLE

Much detailed comment is given in Tabernacle Shadows regarding the general con­struction of the Tabernacle, and its typical significance, which we shall review very briefly. The Most Holy typified, or represented the Divine presence; the Holy repre­sented those Gospel-Age believers who were aspiring to the Divine presence (“exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature”—2 Pet. 1:4); the Court represented the tentatively justified of the Gospel Age ­those believers who were progressing toward the Holy. The Court was enclosed by a linen curtain, which was held in place by sixty posts. Tabernacle Shadows very prop­erly explains that those posts type justified believers displaying the righteousness of Christ. These would properly represent sixty sections of the Gospel-Age Levites and their various activities, shown also by the sixty heads of Levite families.

Isa. 52:11 counsels, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” When that was written, the Jews recognized it as advice to the priests and Levites who had to do with the Temple, which had replaced the Tabernacle of the Wilderness. Apart from the censers, there were four sets of vessels belonging to the brazen altar in the Court (Num. 4:14; Ex. 38:3), four sets to the golden table in the Holy (Num. 4:7); four to the golden lampstand (Num. 4:9). This may also have been true of the golden altar in the Holy, this conclusion being drawn from the fact that the brazen altar in the Court had four sets of vessels. These four sets of vessels would properly represent the four groups of Bible teachings that are profitable (1) “for teaching (doctrine), (2) for conviction (refuting), (3) for correction, (4) for that discipline which is in righteousness; so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly fitted for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17, Dia.) Self-evidently, all of these “vessels” would be neces­sary in the life of those who were holding up the linen curtain of Christ’s righteous­ness; and especially would this be true of the leaders in the Gospel-Age church.

Aside from the brazen altar in the Court, there was also the laver, at which the priests washed, as well as the tentatively justified (the Household of Faith ­only for those in the Court). This laver was said to be of copper polished so bright­ly that it served also as a mirror to those standing in front of it. It would proper­ly represent the entire Bible, the base typing the Old Testament, and the upper part containing the water typing the New Testament. “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” (Eph. 5:26 – See Berean Comments) During the Gospel Age those progressing from the gate of the Court would pass the brazen altar, then approach and pass the laver on their way to the door of the Holy.

The Tabernacle was situated pretty much in the center of the Jewish Camp. Just outside and around the Court we find the Levites – Aaron and his sons, the Priests, Amram’s descendants, to the east of the Tabernacle, the Kohathites to the south, the Gershonites to the west, and the Merarites to the north. All of this has a Millen­nium significance – Aaron and his sons (no longer Levites in any sense) typing the Gospel-­Age “royal priesthood,” the Kohathites the Ancient Worthies, the Gershonites the Youth­ful Worthies, and the Merarites the Great Company. These four groups type the four elect classes who will bless and uplift the non-elect in the Kingdom.

It will be noted that Tabernacle Shadows states that the Gershonites typified the world of mankind; but this is not a logical deduction, since none of the Levites had any inheritance in the land. A question was put to Brother Russell – If the Gershonites type the saved world, wouldn’t that indicate that the entire saved world would become spiritual, and that this earth would not be man’s eternal home? After some discussion That Servant dropped the matter, but later taught that the Ancient Worthies would become spiritual during the Little Season. He also taught a class of consecra­tors “BETWEEN THE AGES” who appeared on the scene too late to be of the royal priest­hood, but who would rank in honor, reward and service, with the Ancient Worthies. The only difference between the two classes is that the Ancients lived too soon to be of the royal priesthood; whereas, the Youthful Worthies lived too late to be of that se­lect group. Since 1916 many very pertinent Scriptures to substantiate that teaching have been presented, the Epiphany being the “due time” for them to be understood. That Servant confirms the above in the Sept. 1, 1911, Reprint 5761, which we now quote:

“THOSE CONSECRATING BETWEEN THE AGES”

“It is our thought that with the closing of the ‘door’ of this Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them – the High Calling not being yet open, and the restitution opportunities not open, But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would, in the future life, have a ‘bet­ter resurrection’ than would the remainder of the world.

“Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make a full con­secration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in His ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel Age. We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who would make a consecration after the close of the Gospel Age High Call­ing and before the full opening of the Millennium.”

And continuing from Reprints 4836: “Suppose that some should present themselves after the close of the acceptable time; what would be their status and God’s dealing with them?... Quite likely there will be some in the end of this Age who, although faith­ful unto death, will not have been begotten of the Holy Spirit and not attain the spirit plane of being in the resurrection, but who will come forth members of the same class as the Ancient Worthies, who were developed before this Age began.”

The Jewish Camp encircled the Levites as the Levites encircled the Tabernacle; and they fittingly typed the rebellious nominal people of God in this Gospel Age. Once this picture is fully visualized, much may be deduced from it. Those in the Jew­ish Camp were not allowed in the Court or the Tabernacle, although those immediately con­tiguous to the Levites would have a much better view of it than those farther away; and those at the extreme outskirts of the Camp might barely see it at all. Beyond the Camp was the heathen world having no knowledge or interest of any kind in the Tabernacle or its ceremonies.

All this would well represent the condition in Christendom during this Age. The “royal priesthood,” as parts of the antitypical Tabernacle, would have an intimate close-up view of the Gospel call, its privileges and obligations. Next comes those in the Court – the tentatively justified unconsecrated who had accepted Jesus as their Savior and practiced righteousness – who were on more or less friendly and intimate terms with the priesthood, and understanding some features of the priestly call. Be­yond this class would come what might be termed noble worldlings – motivated by good principles, and with more or less knowledge of the priestly aims and ambitions. Be­yond these would be the antitypical outskirts of the Camp, consisting of those who had little or no interest in Christian teachings; while the heathen world would be those people beyond the realm of Christendom.

VARIOUS PERVERSIONS

Much of what we have given on the Tabernacle, its appurtenances, its relation to the Camp and to the Jewish people has been gleaned more or less directly or indirect­ly from the writings of Brother Russell. He himself recognized some mistakes in the original Tabernacle Shadows book, most of which he corrected in later Watch Towers; but we are reliably informed that he often stressed the fact that the six volumes of Scripture Studies, which he wrote, were the direct outgrowth of that book, which was first published in 1881. In his Foreword that appeared in subsequent printings he said:

“It was specially intended for the royal priesthood. Many of this class have confessed that as the Lord’s finger it pointed out to them meanings in Old Testament types never before appreciated, leading them to see the true significance of the Scrip­tural declaration – ‘Present your bodies living sacrifices,’ ‘Fill up that which is be­hind of the afflictions of Christ,’ etc.... The author rejoices that this is true... The understanding of the subjects herein set forth seems to have been heaven directed, ‘taught of God,’ at a time when the light was absolutely necessary to the full and clear presentation of the Plan of the Ages...... The author has sought to prove every point and every application by the Word of the Lord, and has taught nothing of himself... The careful student will discern that, the applications of the types herein presented being correct, the entire Plan of the Ages is thereby corroborated – justification, sanctification and glorification first for the Church, and subsequently restitution for whoever will, of all the families of the earth.”

With such a forceful endorsement as the foregoing by Brother Russell himself, it would seem that any and all who still hold any respect for him would tread very soft­ly before attempting to tamper with such an important book. However, it is a matter of record that all during this Age those stewardship truths that were emphasized by the Lord’s special mouthpieces were perverted, and often badly distorted by the crown-lost leaders who followed them. Therefore, we should ‘think it not strange” if the same class of people – crown-lost leaders – should follow in the footsteps of their kinsmen of the past, and pervert the writings of the Lord’s important mouthpiece here in the end of the Age. In fact, we should be surprised if this were not so, because they all had the same teacher – Azazel, whose name means Averter or Perverter.

And true enough, That Servant was hardly in the tomb before Tabernacle Shadows was attacked by those who succeeded him in administrative office – subtly at first, then openly and boldly – replacing the faithful teachings of this book with “new light” (?). It was just a matter of a few years before J. F. Rutherford declared the book was entirely worthless, and cast it into the ash can. However, their treat­ment of Tabernacle Shadows has gone unheeded by others – and we make specific mention of the leader of the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement, who has also cast aside some of its basic teachings. He has not discarded Tabernacle Shadows altogether, but has set aside its teaching on the Jews being ‘first and chief,’ and now teaches his newly-invented class of Campers Consecrated precede the Jews in Kingdom blessings. He is now grossly and persistently revolutionizing against the teachings of Taber­nacle Shadows, p. 33:

“Concerning the natural seed of Abraham... they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the election they are (still) beloved for the father’s sakes... They are to be first (emphasis by Bro. Russell) blessed by the spiritual or true Seed and may later become associate laborers.—Rom. 11:26-29.”

He now teaches tentative justification in the Camp – a ‘harrow way” available there for his Consecrated Campers; and in his same Camp a “broad way” for the un­consecrated tentatively justified and others. Surely, all who have an elementary understanding of Tabernacle types, know that Christ’s merit, as an imputable thing, is available only during the Gospel Age and only in the Court, for the Household of Faith. Christ’s merit, as an imputable thing, is not now available in the Camp, nor will it be available in the Camp in the Kingdom. Actual justification will prevail in the Camp under the benevolent Kingdom arrangements for the sheep, enabling them to walk up the Highway of Holiness. Christ’s merit continues to apply only to the House­hold of Faith, and will so long as there is any part of this Household with us. That Servant corroborates this Truth in the May 15, 1911 Reprint 4819, as follows:

“He has not applied the merit of that sacrifice as yet to Adam or his children, but merely to those who, in the type, were represented by the underpriests, and to the Levites, the brethren and servants of the priestly family.”

And from the types in Tabernacle Shadows, p. 55: “And Aaron shall offer his bul­lock of the sin-offering which is for (represents) himself, and make an atonement for himself (the members of his body – the underpriests) and for his house (all believers, the entire ‘Household of Faith’—the Levites).”

THE MILLENNIAL TABERNACLE

While the Millennial Tabernacle will differ sharply in some respects from the Gospel Age Tabernacle, the typical features established in the arrangement given to Moses at Sinai are clearly in evidence as we consider its structure. The Most Holy will contain the glorified Christ serving Godward for the people; the Holy will repre­sent the condition of the Christ serving peopleward for God; the Court will contain the other three elect classes – the Ancient Worthies, typified by the Kohathite Levites, the Great Multitude by the Merarites, and the Youthful Worthies by the Gershonites. The Camp in that Tabernacle will contain the world undergoing restitution – actually accom­plishing what the Jews in their Camp expected to do – to gain life by keeping the Law, but failed because of their inherited weakness. The Sheep in that Camp will eventually gain that perfection that was first in Eden; while those outside the Camp will be either those that have not yet made a start toward restitution, or “the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” (Isa. 65:20)

And, when that Tabernacle progresses to the end of that Age, another spiritual class will appear; namely, the Worthies who have been “princes in all the earth” dur­ing the Kingdom reign, but who will leave this earth when their work is done, and join those in the spirit realm. We quote something on this point from the February 15, 1913 Watch Tower (Reprint 5182):

“In the case of the Ancient Worthies, who as perfect human be­ings, will be in an imperfect environment for a thousand years, it would seem as if they will undergo much suffering. Knowing what we do of our Heavenly Father, we are inclined to believe that, if they are faithful in serving the Almighty, He will abun­dantly reward them, more than they could have asked. Should any one inquire, What re­ward will the Father give them, if they maintain their obedience? we answer, During the Millennium they will receive no special reward for their service, so far as we can see; but we think that from God’s standpoint, theirs will be a meritorious service which He will be pleased to reward...

‘We cannot think of any greater reward than to bestow the spirit nature upon these faithful Ancient Worthies... There is nothing in the Scriptures, however, which distinctly says that they will ever be made spirit beings... A part of the evidence leading to the deduction that the Ancient Worthies will be made sharers of the spirit nature and become members of the Great Company class is built upon the fact that they seem to be represented typically by the tribe of Levi. The fact that this tribe had no inheritance in the land seems to imply that the Ancient Worthies will have no earth­ly inheritance. We might think that their exaltation to be princes in all the earth (Psa. 45:16) would be an abundant reward; but inasmuch as God will give the spirit nature to the Great Company, who passed through no more severe experiences than did the Ancient Worthies, and inasmuch as the lowest form of life on the spirit plane is high­er than the highest form on the human plane, it follows that the Great Company would receive at the hands of the Lord a greater blessing than would the Ancient Worthies... “Since this rebellion (of Rev. 20:9) is to occur at the close of the Millennial Age, and since mankind will at that time have reached perfection, therefore, this separation of the Ancient Worthies from the rest of the world seems to imply that God has some special purpose in respect to them. The term camp itself implies that theirs is only a temporary condition or arrangement, and that God has some better thing in store for them.”

DEATH AND HELL INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE

“Death and hell (Hades) were cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:14) For man­kind in general this brief statement makes comprehensive summation of the typical Tab­ernacle and its services on the Day of Atonement as given in Leviticus 16. Since the Bible does not use words indiscriminately, we may conclude that ‘death’ and ‘hell’ do not mean the same thing. It is our understanding that hell (Hades) is the Adamic death state – the grave; whereas, death refers to all those things that send man to the grave. This is clearly taught in Tabernacle Shadows, p. 111, respecting the ashes of the Red Heifer:

“The cleansing of defilement through contact with the dead would seem to teach that this cleansing, effected by and through the experiences of the Ancient Wor­thies, will specially apply to the world of mankind during the Millennial Age, while they are seeking to get rid of all the defilements of Adamic death – seeking to attain human perfection. All the blemishes of the fallen condition are so much of contact with death; all constitutional weaknesses and blemishes through heredity are contacts with death; and from all of these the ashes of the Red Heifer are to be used for the cleans­ing of all who will become the people of God.” (Self-evidently, the disobedient and unwilling will not be cleansed.)

This is emphasized in the Berean Comment on Rev. 20:14: “Death – including aches, pains, mental and moral imperfections of every sort.” In its totality this will not be accomplished until the end of the Little Season – when the antitypical Atonement Day will have come to its full end. Some have thought that the Epiphany Messenger had pro­duced some new teaching with respect to the Millennial performance – also that we are doing the same by copying what he has said; but the only thing new about it is the name coined by the Epiphany Messenger, when he summed all this up as the Adamic death process. However, this expression simply says in one sweeping phrase what Brother Rus­sell states in detail on p. 111 of Tabernacle Shadows, and in the Berean Comment for Rev. 20:14. Our Lord has said of David – and antitypical David – “I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be estab­lished: mine arm also shall strengthen him.” And of those who have disregarded his teachings: “But thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground... Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.” (Psa. 89:39,40)

“O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day... I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.” (Psa. 119:97,102)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

This is to let you know we received the tracts in good condition. Thank you! We will write again to let you know how the ecclesia stands in the election..... Please remember me in warm Christian love to all the dear brethren with you.

Yours in the same hope – Sister ------- (JAMAICA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

Thank you for the No. 211 paper. I am most interested! Can you give me more information about yourself – your work? Please send me another copy of No. 211.

Sincerely, Pastor ------- Community Church (FLORIDA)