NO. 609 HISTORY OF THE GOSPEL-AGE APOSTATE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

by Epiphany Bible Students


“Let no one delude you by any means, because the apostacy must come first, and there must be revealed that Man of Sin, that Son of Destruction, the opponent, who indeed lifts himself above everything called Divinity or Majesty; so as to seat himself in the Temple of God, exhibiting himself that he is a God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4, Diaglott)

Jesus, of course, established the Church in its pristine purity, which example the Apostles also followed. However, the Church greatly increased in numbers immediately after Jesus’ resurrection (“the number of men that believed was about five thousand” - Acts 4:4). This number was from just one effort of the Apostles; and others were won in various places, so that the Apostles could not have the control that Jesus had when He was with them. Thus Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 that “the mystery of iniquity doth already work,” although the worldly politicians did not enter the fray until a few hundred years later.

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT - It was not until the third period of the Church - the Pergamos epoch - that the politicians became active. Pergamos means “earthly elevation”; and it was during this period that earthly elevation really made its appearance in the Christian church - when Roman Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity - about A.D. 313. The Roman emperors have always held the notion that affiliation with some religion was essential to their success in ruling the Roman people. So, when the Church had increased in sufficient numbers, Constantine considered it good business to join with them.

And being a true Roman, he entered the Christian Church with the same ardor that he did with secular things, so he is designated as “the great.” Before his acceptance of Christianity there was raging in the Church a great controversy over the Trinity; and, when Constantine learned of this, he did what would ordinarily be considered a clever thing: He summoned the bishops of the Christian Church from all over the Empire to the Council of Nice in A.D. 325. About 350 of those "bright minds" responded - a third of all the bishops in the Empire. There they engaged in heated debate about this delicate subject. The chief opponent of this great error was the Star Member, Arius. So much had he aroused the populace that one of his opponents in that debate made this statement from the platform: This man has so agitated the people that if you go into a store and ask the price of bread, the answer you get is “the Father is greater than the Son, and the Son is inferior to the Father.” But of all that assembly only two stood with Arius; so Constantine stood with the majority - probably thinking it good politics to do so; and he banished Arius from the Roman Empire. This old man, in his seventies, went to North Africa and during the eleven years he lived there he established a flourishing Church. And what was their name? Why Arians, of course! The Catholics called Arius a heretic, and still do so to this day.

St. Augustine, also of North Africa, was considered by many the most brilliant mind of the human race in all history. When asked to explain this error, he said it is simply a mystery, not capable of explanation. Recently we read the expression of one writer, who concluded that the popes of the Dark Ages were not all bad because none of them has ever denied the Trinity.

JUSTINIAN - A.D. 483-565. This man became Roman Emperor in A.D. 527. From the year 500 onward there had again arisen a heated debate over the Trinity, and the emperor was not to be left out of that. He was a scholarly man, a great intellect. He codified the Roman law; and his legal and architectural monuments have lasted through the centuries. As a codifier of laws and as a legislator he published the Codex Justinianus in 534. He also had a very stringent ecclesiastical policy, which supported “orthodoxy” (meaning belief in the Trinity, etc.); and he forced many pagans and “heretics” to stop teaching.

The battle over the Trinity is recorded as the second great “heresy” in the Eastern Empire, the first having been “disputed by the teachings of the Alexandrian presbyter Arius, who, in an effort to maintain the oneness and majesty of God the Father, had taught that he alone had existed from eternity, while God the Son had been created in time.” Thanks in part to imperial support, the Arian heresy had persisted throughout the 4th century and was definitely condemned only in 381 with promulgation of the doctrine “that Father and Son were of one substance and thus coexistent.”

And some more from the same writer: “If the fathers of the 4th century quarreled over the relations between God the Father and God the Son, those of the 5th century faced the problem of defining the relationship of the two natures - the human and the Divine - within God the Son, Christ Jesus. The theologians of Alexandria generally held that the Divine and human natures were united indistinguishably, whereas those of Antioch taught the two natures coexisted separately in Christ, the latter being ‘the chosen vessel of the Godhead - the man born of Mary.’ In the course of the 5th century, these two contrasting theological positions became the subject of a struggle for supremacy among the rival sees of Constantinople, Alexandria and Rome. Never-theless Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople in 428, adopted the Antiochene formula, which in his hands, came to stress the human nature of Christ to the neglect of the Divine. His opponents (first the Alexandrian patriarch, Cyril, and later Cyril’s followers, Dioscourus and Eutyches), in reaction emphasized the single Divine nature of Christ, the result of the incarnation. Their belief in One God, or the nature of Christ as God the Son, became extraordinarily popular throughout the provinces of Egypt and Syria. Rome, in the person of Pope Leo I, declared in contrast of dual gods, a creed teaching that ‘two natures, perfect and perfectly distinct, existed in the single person of Christ.’

“Justinian is but one example of the civilizing magic that Constantinople often worked upon the heirs of those who ventured within its walls. Justin, the uncle, was a rude and illiterate soldier; Justinian, the nephew, was a cultured gentleman, adept at theology, a mighty builder of churches, and a sponsor of the codification of Roman law. All these accomplishments are, in the deepest sense of the word civilian; and it's easy to forget that Justinian's empire was almost constantly at war during his reign. The history of east Rome during that period illustrates, in classical fashion, how the impact of war can transform ideas and institutions alike. The reign opened with external warfare and internal strife. From Lazica to the Arabian Desert, the Persian frontier blazed into action in a series of campaigns, in which many of the generals later destined for fame in the West, first demonstrated their capacities. The strength of the east Roman armies is revealed in the fact that, while containing Persian might, Justinian could nonetheless dispatch troops to attack the Huns in the Crimea and to maintain the Danubian frontier against a host of enemies. In 532 he abandoned military operations for diplomacy, negotiating, at the cost of considerable tribute, an ‘Endless Peace’ with the Persian king Khosrow, which freed the Roman hands for operations in another quarter of the globe.”

His subjects at that time were divided mainly into two classes - the Blues and the Greens. The Blues were the landholding senatorial aristocracy - mostly orthodox in their sympathies; the Greens, in contrast, found their leaders among men whose wealth was based upon trade and industry and whose theological sympathies lay with the One-God idea. There were some very severe riots during Justinian's reign. In one of them his troops slaughtered 30,000 rioters. Their leaders were executed, and their estates passed, at least temporarily, into the emperor's hands. The western Romans preferred the rule of a Catholic Roman emperor to that of an Arian German kinglet. In those early years of the 530s, Justinian could indeed pose as the pattern of a Roman and Christian emperor. Latin was his language; and his knowledge of Roman history and antiquities was profound. In 529 his officials had completed a major collection of the laws and degrees of the emperors promulgated since the reign of Hadrean. Known as the Code of Justinian and partly founded upon the fifth century Code of Theodosius, this connection of imperial edicts pales before the Digest under Tribonian in 533. Meanwhile architects and builders worked apace to complete the new Church of the Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia, designed to replace older churches.

It took five years to complete the Church of the Holy Wisdom. It was finished in A.D. 539, which marked the beginning of the 1260 years supremacy of the apostate church, united with the kings and emperors of the various unchristian governments until 1799, of which more later.

It should be noted here that Justinian dealt with almost every aspect of the Christian life: entrance into it by conversion and baptism, administration of the sacraments that marked its several stages, proper conduct of the laity to avoid the wrath God would surely visit upon a sinful people; finally, the standards to be followed by those who lived the particularly holy life of the secular or monastic clergy. Pagans were ordered to attend church and accept baptism, while a purge thinned their ranks in Constantinople, and masses of them were converted by missionaries in Asia Minor. Only the orthodox wife might enjoy the privileges of her dowry; Jews and Samaritans were denied, in addition to other civil liberties, the privilege of testamentary inheritance unless they converted. A woman who worked as an actress might better serve God were she to forswear any oath she had taken - even though before God - to remain in that immoral profession. Blasphemy and sacrilege were forbidden, or famine, earthquake, and pestilence would punish the Christian society. Surely God would take vengeance on Constantinople, as He had on Sodom and Gomorrah when the homosexual persisted in his “unnatural” ways.

The best possible men were needed, for, in most Roman cities in the sixth century, imperial and civil officials gradually surrendered many of their functions to the bishop, or patriarch. The latter collected taxes, dispensed justice, provided charity, organized commerce, negotiated with barbarians, and even mustered the soldiers. By the early seventh century, the typical Byzantine city, viewed from without, actually or potentially resembled a fortress; viewed from within, it was essentially a religious community under ecclesiastical leadership. Nor did Justinian neglect the monastic clergy, or those who had removed themselves from the world. Drawing upon the regulations to be found in the writings of the 4th century Church, as well as the acts of the 4th and 5th century church councils, Father St. Basil of Caesarea ordered the cenobitic (or collective) form of monastic life in a fashion so minute that later codes, including the rule of St. Theodore the Studite in the ninth century, only further developed the Justinianic foundation.

Probably the least successful of Justinian's ecclesiastical policies were those adopted in an attempt to reconcile the Trinitarians and non-Trinitarians. After the success of negotiations that had done so much to conciliate the West during the reign of his uncle, Justinian attempted to win over the moderate anti-trinitarians, separating them from the extremists. Of the complicated series of events that ensued, only the results need be noted. In developing a creed acceptable to the moderate trinitarians of the East, Justinian alienated the believers of the West and thus sacrificed his earlier gains in that section.

However, that same century witnessed the growth of a Christian culture to rival it. Magnificent hymns were written by St. Romanos Melodos, and reveal the striking development of the liturgy during Justinian’s reign, a development that was not without its social implications. Whereas traditional pagan culture was literary and its pursuit or enjoyment thereby limited to the leisurely and wealthy, the Christian liturgical celebration and its musical component were available to all, regardless of place or position.

Next came the acceptance of images as a normal feature of Christian practice, which  satisfied certain powerful needs as Christianity spread among the Gentiles and certain Hellenized Jews who had broken with the Mosaic commandment. The convert all the more readily accepted use of the image if he had brought into his Christianity, as many did, a heritage of heathenism. These people taught that through contemplation of that which could be seen - i.e., the image of Christ - the mind might rise to that which could not be seen. From a belief that the seen suggests the unseen, it is but a short step to a belief that the seen contains the unseen and that the image deserves veneration because Divine power somehow resides in it. And this then was but a short step to veneration of the emperor's image - the Divine right of kings.

The foregoing detail has been given to offer very positive proof that Justinian was indeed the foundation of the 1260 years of real apostate Christianity, most of which finds no support from the Bible, the teachings of Jesus or the Apostles. Of course, the Communists in Russia saw this, probably not so clearly, when they took over in 1917, took the supposed bodies of the saints, which had never decayed, and picked them apart on the steps of the temple, to show they were nothing more than stuffed cotton dummies - much to the amazement of the Russian faithful Christians.

CHARLEMAGNE - A.D. 742-814. Latin Carolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great. King of the Franks 768-814, he united by conquest nearly all Christian lands of western Europe and ruled as emperor 800-814. His reign was characterized by a brilliant court and by an imperial unity unrivaled for centuries before and after. He conquered the Lombards and the pagan Saxons, whom he Christianized. He continued expansion of the Frankish state. His close alliance with the Papacy and the papal desire for a western emperor to counter Byzantium resulted in the coronation of Charlemagne in 800. His court became an intellectual, political and administrative center after 794.

THE PAPACY - From the time of Justinian to the reign of Charlemagne the apostate church made great strides in subduing all “heretics” and expanding their own territory and increasing their numbers. During that time the Papacy gradually developed. The word is derived from the Latin papacia, meaning pope or father. It is of medieval origin. In its primary usage it denotes the office of the pope (of Rome); hence, the system of ecclesiastical and temporal government over which the pope directly presides.

Early in the Age there developed two great divisions of the Church - the Roman and the Greek. One of the outstanding differences between them is that the Roman system forbids its priests to marry, while the Greek does not. As the conflict between the two sharpened, Rome decided to build up its prestige by naming their leader the Pope, which means Father. Not to be outdone, the Greeks then named their leader the Patriarch, which means Great Papa; and thus it stands to this day, although the Greek Catholic Church is now without a titular head.

Of course, the Roman Church claimed to be the successor to St. Peter, the “chief of the Apostles,” although there is no record at all that St. Peter ever even visited the City of Rome, much less reside there. And there is strong logic to prove that he never was in Rome. “The multiplicity and variety of papal titles themselves indicates the complexity of the papal office. In the official Vatical directory he is described as Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the prince of the Apostles, supreme pontiff of the universal church, sovereign of the state of Vatican City, servant of the servants of God. In his more circumscribed capacities as Bishop of Rome, metropolitan of the Roman province, primate of Italy, and patriarch of the West, the pope is the bearer of responsibilities and the wielder of powers that have their counterparts in the other episcopal, metropolitan primatial, and patriarchal jurisdictions of the Catholic Church. [The Bible does not give God Himself as many titles as the Pope has.]”

What differentiates his particular jurisdiction from others and renders his office unique is the Roman Catholic teaching that the Bishop of Rome is at the same time successor to St. Peter, prince of the Apostles. As the bearer of the Petrine office, he is raised to a position of lonely eminence as chief bishop or primate of the universal church. The precise lineaments of this belief have undergone considerable development over the centuries, but as defined by the first Vatican Council in 1870 (when the ruling power in Italy, the house of Savoy, severed all connection with the Roman Church) - and reaffirmed by the second in 1974. It involves these fundamental assertions: that Christ singled out St. Peter among the Apostles, conferring upon him not only a preeminence among them but also the leadership or primacy in that visible community or church which he established after His resurrection; that Christ intended this primacy to be one not merely of honor but of true jurisdiction, and one exercised not merely by Peter himself but also by his successors down through the ages to the end of time; and that the bishops of Rome are to be recognized as these successors.

“Because of the development of this belief the popes have come over the course of time to wield supreme legislative, executive and judicial powers [jurisdictional functions] in the church - issuing authoritative statements on matters of doctrine [the magisterial or teaching function] creating and suppressing church laws, establishing dioceses, appointing bishops, controlling missions, acting as a court of first instance as well as of appeal, and performing either by deputy or in person, a host of other functions. Also, because of this belief, they had assumed already in the 5th century the title of supreme pontiff (summus pontifex) that had earlier been borne by the pagan Roman emperors as the heads of the college of priests. During the Middle Ages the popes also began to monopolize the title of ‘vicar (i.e., representative) of Christ,’ which, like the very name of pope for that matter, the early Latin church had customarily accorded to bishops in general. The title of sovereign of the state of Vatican City refers to the pope's position as temporal ruler of the tiny sovereign state in Rome created in 1929 by Italy in accordance with the terms of the Lateran Treaty [with Mussolini]. The last title, ‘servant of the servants of God,’ an essentially pastoral designation, is the title that popes themselves have very often chosen when called upon to issue solemn pronouncements of great importance for the whole church.”

THE INSTRUMENTS OF PAPAL GOVERNMENT - “In the day-to-day exercise of his primatial jurisdiction the pope relies on the assistance of the Roman Curia, a name first used of the body of papal assistants in the 11th century. The Curia had its origin in the local body of presbyters (priests), deacons (lower order of clergy), and notaries (lower clerics with secretarial duties), upon which, like other bishops in their own dioceses, the early bishops of Rome relied for help. By the 11th century, this body had, on the one hand, been narrowed down to include only the leading (or cardinal) presbyters and deacons of the Roman diocese, while, on the other hand, being broadened out to embrace the cardinal-bishops (the heads of the seven neighboring or ‘suburban.’ dioceses). From this emerged the Sacred College of Cardinals, a corporate body possessed, from 1179 onward, of the exclusive right to elect the pope. This right it still possesses, as it does the right to govern the church in urgent matters during a vacancy in the papal office. Recent popes have extended the size of the Sacred College beyond the traditional limit of 70 [which had been patterned after the Jewish Sanhedrin of 70 members], and have attempted, with growing success, to broaden its national complexion and to make its membership more faithfully representative of the church's international character.

“During the Middle Ages, the cardinals played an important role as a corporate body, not only during the papal vacancies, as today, but also during the pope's lifetime. In the 12th century the Roman councils that the popes had hitherto convoked when urgent matters were at hand were replaced by the assembly of the cardinals, or consistory, which thus became the most important collegial (corporate) body advising the pope and participating in his judicial activity. Eventually it began to make oligarchic claims to a share in the powers of the Petrine office, and attempted with sporadic success, to bind the pope to act on important matters only with its consent. During the 16th century, however, with the final establishment of the Roman congregations (administrative committees), each charged with the task of assisting the pope in a specific area of government, the significance of the consistory began to decline, and with it the importance of the cardinals as a corporate body.”

ANOTHER AUTHORITY - Following is a quotation from Volume 2, Studies in the Scriptures, p. 310: “From Ferraris’ Ecclesiastical Dictionary, a standard Roman Catholic authority, we quote the following condensed outline of papal power as given under the word papa:The pope is of such dignity and highness that he is not simply a man, but, as it were, God, and the vicar [representative] of God... Hence the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven, of earth and of hell. Nay, the pope’s excellence and power are not only about heavenly, terrestrial and infernal things, but he is also above angels, and is their superior; so that if it were possible that angels could err from the faith, or entertain sentiments contrary thereto, they could be judged and excommunicated by the pope... He is of such great dignity and power that he occupies one and the same tribunal with Christ; so that whatsoever the pope does seems to proceed from the mouth of God... The pope is, as it were, God on earth, the only prince of the faithful of Christ, the greatest king of all kings, possessing the plenitude of power; to whom the government of the earthly and heavenly kingdom is entrusted.’ He further adds: ‘The pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, declare or interpret the Divine Law.’ ‘The pope can sometimes counteract the Divine Law by limiting, explaining, etc.’

“Thus, Antichrist not only endeavored to establish the Church in power before the Lord's time, but it was audacious enough to attempt to ‘counteract’ and ‘modify’ Divine laws to suit its own schemes. It thus fulfilled the prophecy which over a thousand years before declared, ‘He shall think to change times and laws. (Dan. 7:25)

“In a bull, or edict, Sixtus V declares: ‘The authority given to St. Peter and his successors by the immense power of the eternal King, excels all the power of earthly kings and princes. It passeth uncontrollable sentence upon them all. And if it find any of them resisting God's ordinance, it takes more severe vengeance on them, casting them down from their thrones, however powerful they may be, and tumbling them down to the lowest parts of the earth as ministers of aspiring Lucifer.’

“A bull of Pope Pius V, entitled ‘The damnation and excommunication of Elizabeth, Queen of England, and her adherents - with an addition of other punishments,’ reads:

“‘He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, committed one holy, catholic and apostolic church (out of which there is no salvation) to one alone upon earth, namely, to Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and to Peter’s successor, the Bishop of Rome, to be governed in fullness of power. Him alone he made prince over all people and all kingdoms, to pluck up, destroy, scatter, consume, plant and build.’ Saint Bernard affirms that ‘none except God is like the pope, either in heaven or on earth.’

“‘The Emperor Constantine,’ says Pope Nicholas I, ‘conferred the appellation of God on the pope; who, therefore, being God, cannot be judged of man.’

“Said Pope Innocent III: ‘The pope holds the place of the true God’; and the cannon law, in the gloss, denominates the pope - ‘our Lord God.’

“Innocent and Jacobatius state that ‘the pope can do nearly all that God can do,’ while Decius rejects the word nearly as unnecessary. Jacobatius and Durand assert that ‘none dare to say to him any more than to God - Lord, what doest thou?’ And Antonius wrote: ‘To him [the pope] it belongs to ordain those things which pertain to the public good, and remove those things which prevent this end, as vices, abuses which alienate men from God... And this according to Jeremiah 1:10: ‘Behold, I have placed thee over the nations and kingdoms, to root up and destroy, to scatter and disperse,’ that is, as it regards vices. [Here again appropriating to Antichrist a prophecy which belongs to Christ's Millennial reign.]

“‘The church can punish, indirectly, the Jews with spiritual punishment, by excommunicating Christian princes to whom the Jews are subject, if they neglect to punish them with temporal punishment when they do anything against Christians.’ Men may speedily be led into every form of cruelty and oppression, if first they can convince themselves that in the exercise of such depravities they are the more like God - imitators of God.

“‘The power of the pope is exercised over schismatics and heretics, denoted also by oxen, because they resist the truth with the horn of pride.’ The following utterances of the popes, culled from Fox's Acts and Monuments, by H. G. Guinness, an English writer of note, deserves a place of prominence... ‘If he that exalteth himself shall be abased, what degradation can be commensurate with such self-exaltation as this?’

“‘Wherefore, seeing such power is given to Peter, and to me in Peter, being his successor, who is he then in all the world that ought not to be subject to my decrees, which have such power in heaven, in hell, in earth, with the quick and also the dead.’”

SUMMARY - Much more of the foregoing can be given, but we assume that what we have written is sufficient for present conditions. Therefore we now recapitulate various dates and the occurrences of each date:

A.D. 313 - In that year Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity.

A.D. 325 - Constantine summoned the Council of Nice to consider the Trinity. Being the politician that he was, the emperor went with the crowd and accepted the error, banishing Arius and his two confederates from the Roman Empire.

A.D. 539 - Roman emperor Justinian conferred great favors upon the Roman Catholic Church, favoring them with a temple which was five years in building; and 539 marked the beginning of the 1260 years of dominance of the Church, a period that ended in 1799, of which more later.

A.D. 799 - In that year Charlemagne greatly enhanced the prestige and power of the Church by merging his vast empire (practically all of Christendom) with the Church. That marked the beginning of “The Holy Roman Empire” - the beginning of the counterfeit Millennium. When we ponder the real Millennium - “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying” (Rev. 21:4) - compared with the atrocities of their 799-1799 Millennium, we recognize the depth of insult that is attempted by assuming the name of “Holy Millennium” for that period. And we can say the same for the Jehovah's Witnesses who are now separating the “sheep from the goats” while sin is still in the ascendency - when “knowledge is not abroad in the earth.”

A.D. 1799 - In that year Napoleon (the man of destiny, and mentioned in the Bible - Dan. 11:36-45) declared himself emperor of France. He ordered the pope to come to France for the occasion; but, instead of asking the pope to crown him - as had been the custom for centuries - he boldly placed the crown on his own head, cast the pope into a French prison, where he died in deep disgrace, ending the phony Millennium and freeing the world of much of the butchery the apostate Church had been committing. But of Napoleon also it is recorded: “He shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Dan. 11:45) He was exiled to the Island of St. Helena, where he died.

A.D. 1870 - The House of Savoy severed a1l relations with the Vatican, thus divorcing the pope from all temporal power.

A.D. 1929 - Mussolini renewed Italian alliance with the Vatican; thus, the church could once more say, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Rev. 18:7); but the church has been seeing plenty of “sorrow” since that date; and will see yet much more of it in the immediate years ahead. This is well expressed in Isaiah 4:1: “In that day [in which we are now living] seven women [all the apostate church systems] shall take hold of one man [Christ], saying, We will eat our own bread [follow our own ideas and teachings], and wear our own apparel [flaunt our own respectability and position]: only let us be called by thy name [be called Christians], to take away our reproach [do not expose our apostate doings].”

“They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.”(Psa. 125:1) “Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” (John 8: 32)

(Brother John J. Hoefle, Reprint No. 470, November 1995)

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Correction:  In January-February 2008 paper, Retrospect and Prospect - Part Two, No. 606, Page 1, second column, seventh line from the bottom Pope Pius XIII should be Pope Pius XII.

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BERNSTEINS TODAY, BAPTISTS TOMORROW

When ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Avraham Bernstein of Freehold   Township, New Jersey, decided to hold a Friday evening Shabbat service in his home almost ten years ago, he had no idea he would become the object of secret, municipal surveillance and the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit.

The township claims Rabbi Bernstein is violating Freehold’s zoning laws, newly amended on September 25, 2007, that ban places of worship in residential neighborhoods without a permit. Bernstein claims the zoning laws violate his First Amendment rights. He has filed suit and is represented by the Rutherford Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Interestingly, Freehold’s laws do not prohibit someone from inviting friends over to drink beer, eat pizza, and watch sports on television they only prohibit praying. Nor do they ban Monday night football or weekly scrapbooking parties. They only ban studying the Scriptures and addressing the Almighty.

To ascertain the number of people walking to Rabbi Bernstein’s home (his guests park no cars there because they do not drive on Shabbat), the township mounted a camera on the window of the municipal building across the street and secretly filmed what it claims to be between 35 and 50 people attending the Friday evening service.

No, this did not happen in Russia. It happened in America where the First Amendment to the Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” In other words, if Rabbi Bernstein and his friends want to assemble peaceably to exercise their religion freely in a private home, the government should not be able to stop them. But it is trying, nevertheless. And if it succeeds, the implications will be far-reaching.

If Freehold wins this lawsuit, it will be free to shut down home Bible studies and prayer meetings, which actually generate vehicular traffic. And if Freehold gets away with this zoning sleight of hand, what’s to stop other municipalities from doing likewise?

Of course, we’ve seen all this before - only not in America. For example, around 167 B.C, when the madman Antiochus Epiphanes ruled the Promise Land and was determined to exterminate Judaism, he made it illegal for Jewish people to study Torah and pray. So when authorities raided a Jewish home, the Jews quickly hid their Scriptures and pretended to play games, such as dreidel (spinning top) - which evidently was okay with Antiochus, as it would be with Freehold.

Christianity has a long, distinguished history of meeting in homes to study, pray, and sing. When an angel freed the apostle Peter from prison, Peter went “to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.” (Acts 12:12) To the Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote, “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.” (1 Cor. 16:19) In America, many churches emerged from weekly home Bible studies.

Today Christians are being persecuted around the world by hundreds of thousands.  America is one of the few countries left where citizens are supposed to be able to practice their religion freely. But even in America, a big blaze begins with a little spark. If you don’t douse a fire when it’s small, you may end up watching helplessly as it burns every thing in sight. If Freehold succeeds in dismembering the Shabbat service in Rabbi Bernstein’s home, it may only be a matter of time before Baptists see their home Bible studies go up in flames. (By Lorna Simco, editor-in-chief for The Friends of Israel)



NO. 608: "EARTHQUAKE"

by Epiphany Bible Students


“Whose voice shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven.  And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Heb. 12:26-28)

Rev. 16:16-18 definitely identifies Arma-geddon as the great Earthquake: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon… And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”

Armageddon is a Hebrew word signifying the Hill of Megiddo, or the Mount of De-struction.  Megiddo occupied a very marked position on the southern edge of the Plain of Esdraelon, and commanded an important pass into the hill country. This locality was the great battleground on which was fought many of the famous battles of Old Testament history. There Gideon and his little band alarmed and discomfited the Midianites, who destroyed one another in their flight (Judges 7:19-23). There King Saul was defeated by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:1-6).  There King Josiah was slain by Pharaoh-Necho in one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of Israel (2 Chron. 35:22-25). There also King Ahab and his wife Jezebel lived, in the city of Jezereel, where Jezebel afterwards met a horrible death (2 Kings 9:30-37).

Those battles were in a sense typical. The defeat of the Midianites released the people of Israel from bondage in Midian. Thus Gideon and his band typified our Lord and the Church, who are to release mankind from their bondage to sin and death. The death of King Saul and the overthrow of his kingdom by the Philistines opened the way for the reign of David, who typified Messiah. King Ahab typified the civil government, symbolically called the “Dragon” in Revelation. Queen Jezebel symbolically foreshadowed the great harlot, Babylon, and as such she is mentioned by name. “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which called herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants.” (Rev. 2:20)

In the Scriptures, the Lord has evidently seen fit to associate the name of this famous battle-field, Armageddon, with the great con-troversy between Truth and Error, right and wrong, God and Mammon, with which the Gospel Age will close and the Messianic Age be ushered in.  He has purposely used highly symbolic language in the last book of the Bible, evidently with a view to hiding certain important truths until the due times for their revealing. But even in the due time, “None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:10)  None who are out of harmony with God shall know, but only the wise among His people.

1 Kings 19:11,12, which is a record of what Elijah (type of the true Church) saw, states: “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire: but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

The four exhibitions of the Lord, given to Elijah, represent, we believe, four manifestations in which the Lord reveals Himself to mankind, the first three of which will prepare men for the final one, in which will come the desired blessing to all the families of the earth. These are: (1) The mighty winds, rending the very rocks. Winds seem to be used in Scripture for wars.

(2) An earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures an earthquake seems always to represent revolution, conditions which follow such a war would make revolution the next in order.

(3) The fire from Heaven - an epoch of Divine judgments and chastisements upon a maddened, but unconverted world, wild in anarchy, as other Scriptures show us. The results of the wars, revolutions and anarchy and the failure of the schemes of the world will prepare mankind for God’s revelation of Himself in

(4) The still small voice. Yes, He who spoke to winds and waves of Galilee will, in due time, speak peace to the people.

The two World Wars were just a prelude to the worse trouble to come. We should not confuse the natural earthquakes that have occurred recently with the great antitypical worldwide earthquake. Certainly natural disasters, not only earthquakes, but floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., will accompany the entire Time of Trouble, but they will not be the real trouble, which will consist of a rebellion of the people against the order of affairs that exists, including religious, financial, social and political. In fact the present war in Iraq now has brought protesters against it in all countries. So this war may be just the impetus to set off Armageddon, or Revolution.  The Time of Trouble is not designed for the Church, but is to and for the world of mankind. It is the introduction of mankind to the change of Dispensation, which will consist of the establishment of the New Covenant.

The trouble is inevitable; the powerful causes are all at work, and no human power is able to arrest their operation and progress toward the certain end; the effects must follow as the Lord foresaw and foretold. No hand but the hand of God could stay the progress of the present current of events; and His hand will not do so until the bitter experiences of this conflict shall have sealed their instruction upon the hearts of men.

The French Revolution provides an example of what Armageddon will be like. In the symbolic language of Revelation, the French Revolution was indeed a “great earthquake,” a social shock so great that all “Christendom” trembled until it was over; and that terrible and sudden outburst of a single nation’s wrath, more than two centuries ago, may give some idea of the fury of the coming storm, when the wrath of all the angry nations will burst the bands of law and order and cause a reign of universal anarchy, which will follow Armageddon, the earthquake. It should be remembered, too, that that calamity occurred in what was then the very heart of Christendom, in the midst of what was regarded as one of the most thoroughly Christian nations in the world, the nation which for a thousand years had been the chief support of Papacy.  In fact the French Revolution is referred to by Jesus in His Revelation to John on Patmos as a prelude to, and an illustration of the crisis now approaching (Rev. 12: 15,16). (See Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. 3, pp50-54 and pp 64-69.) That pestilence of infidelity and anarchism has not been cured by Nominal Christianity and it is powerless to avert the further outbreak predicted in the Scriptures to be the greatest trouble ever to be known to earth (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21).

A GRAND PARALLEL

A wonderful parallel to this change of dispensation is shown by That Servant in Volume 4, page 630: “At the making of the Law Covenant, at Mount Sinai, Moses seems to have been a type of the complete Christ (Head and Body) at the introduction of the Millennial Age, when the New Covenant will be introduced to the world, after ‘the sound of the great [seventh] trumpet,’ and the black darkness and ‘great earthquake,’ etc., of the Day of Vengeance shall have appalled mankind and made them ready to hear the voice of the Great Teacher, and glad to accept His New Covenant. This is distinctly pointed out by the Apostle (Heb. 12:18-22) who seems to mark every step of the parallelism. Israel had been approaching and had finally reached Mount Sinai, that might be touched, and from which such fearful sights and sounds emanated that all feared and quaked; but we are nearing Mount Zion and its wonderful glories and blessings far superior to those at Sinai; but accompanying the greater blessings will be the more terrible trumpet, blackness and earthquake shaking - the final shaking of all that can be shaken (all that is sinful and contrary to the Divine will), that only what is true and enduring may remain. The solution of the whole matter is in the words: ‘Wherefore [anticipating thus] receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let is have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably.’ (Heb. 12:28)”

Another illustration is given by That Servant in Volume 1, page 336: “The Deliverance of Israel from Egypt and from the plagues which came upon the Egyptians seems to illustrate the coming emancipation of the world at the hands of the greater than Moses, who he typified (Acts 3:22; Deut. 18:18). It will be a deliverance from Satan and every agency he has devised for man’s bondage to sin and error. And as the plagues upon Egypt had a hardening effect as soon as removed, so the temporary relief from the pains of the Day of the Lord will tend to harden some, and they will say to the poor, as did the Egyptians to Israel. ‘Ye are idle,’ and therefore dissatisfied and will probably, like them, attempt to increase the burden (Ex. 5:4-23). But in the end such will wish, as did Pharaoh in the midnight of his last plague, that they had dealt more leniently and wisely long ago (Ex. 12:30-33). To mark further similarity, call to mind that the troubles of this Day of the Lord are related to the ‘seven vials of wrath,’ or ‘seven last plagues,’ and that it is not until after the last of these that the great earthquake [revolution] occurs, in which every mountain [kingdom] will disappear (Rev. 16:17-20).

“Another thought with reference to this Day of Trouble is that it has come just in due time - God’s due time… evidence is adduced from the testimony of the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament, as well as from Jesus and apostolic prophets of the New Testament which shows clearly and unmistakably that this Day of Trouble is located chronologically in the beginning of the glorious Millennial reign of Messiah. It is this necessary preparation of the coming work of restitution in the Millennial Age that precipitates the trouble.”

In Rev. 7:1 the angels are said to be on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth. We understand this to mean that the fallen angels are holding back the winds from the east, north, south and west, which on coming together constitute the whirlwind, revolution and anarchy. This “wind” is not the “whirlwind,” which will only come when the fallen angels are fully loosed than they were when causing the war, and as such meet in great conflicts among themselves and produce among mankind the symbolic whirlwind, revolution and anarchy (Jer. 25:29-33). The wind, as this text implies, must precede the whirlwind, which occurs as a result of the hostile meeting of the fallen angels, after the wind should not blow on the earth [society], nor on the sea [the restless, rebellious, lawless masses], nor on any tree [great one; the Lord’s people are counted great ones by Him] (Rev. 7:3). There will be a hectic cessation of pangs between the earthquake and the fire, just as there has been between the wind and the earthquake.

The Scriptures abound with allusions to Armageddon. Our Lord Jesus calls it “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) The prophet Daniel describes it as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1) Closely in connection with this statement Daniel declares that God’s Representative, “Michael shall stand up, the great Prince which standeth for thy children, thy people, Israel.” The word Michael signifies “He who is like God,” the God-like One. He will stand up for the salvation of God’s people, for rectification of error and wrong, for the establishment of right and truth, to bring to the world of mankind the great Kingdom of God, which has been preached from the days of Abraham.

But there is another great trouble, which is not mentioned in the 1 Kings text, because it is not to be upon the whole world. This trouble will be upon fleshly Israel. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer. 30:7) There is great trouble upon them now, but we cannot say for certain that this is Jacob’s Trouble. We will not be able to discern this until more time has passed and we observe following events. But one thing is sure and that is that God’s promise to them is that He will “save them out of it.” “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee, though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and I will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” (Jer. 30:11)  In the midst of the trouble God will reveal Himself as Israel’s defender as in ancient times, when His favor was with them nationally. Their extremity will be His opportunity; and their blindness will be removed.

The testimony of all the prophets is to the effect that the power of God will be so marvelously manifested in Israel’s deliverance by His fighting for them [thus for all], with weapons which no human power can control, including pestilence and various calamities, poured upon the wicked [Israel’s enemies and God’s opponents] until speedily all the world will know that the Lord has accepted Israel again to His favor, and become their King, as in olden times; and soon they, as well as Israel, will learn to appreciate God’s Kingdom, which shall speedily become the desire of all nations (Hag. 2:7).

If this great cataclysm of trouble were all we had to look forward to, we would think it the course of wisdom to say nothing about it. We would say, Do not think about it or speak of it; for it will be bad enough when it comes. But when the Bible tells us that the great trouble is designed merely to sweep away the outgrown religious systems, social systems, political systems, etc., and that God will on the wreck of all these things establish the Kingdom of Messiah for the world’s blessing, then we are glad of the trouble, and see that it is a necessary thing. This knowledge would be a great comfort and relief of mind to many bewildered ones who see the trouble coming on with increasing momentum; yet who cannot see the ultimate good to result, who feel that revolution and anarchy are confronting the entire world, but see not the golden lining to the black clouds of trouble.

Speaking about this Time of Trouble, St. Paul says, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light and the children of the Day.” (1 Thes. 5:4,5) God’s people should have general information regarding His plans, purposes and arrangements.

In 1 Kings 19:12 it says “after the fire a still small voice.” This is the voice of our Lord saying: “Peace be still” after the final phase of trouble, which is the fire of anarchy. He who spoke to the winds and the waves of Galilee will, in due time, speak peace to the people. It will be then that: “For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9); and “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.” (Isa. 29:24) In other words, all people will be in harmony because they will all know the Truth. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God shall fill the whole earth as the waters cover the face of the great deep (Isa. 11:9; Heb. 2:14). “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 31:34) Ultimately every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, to the glory of God (Phil. 2:11: Isa. 45:23).

“MESSIAH WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW”

Can we not see the wisdom of the great Creator’s program? He has determined to permit mankind to convince themselves of their own impotency, of their need of a God, and of the fact that there is a God, and that His glorious purposes for humanity are revealed in His Word. Ah, it is no wonder that the Bible speaks of that revelation of the Lord as the “still small voice of God,” speaking to mankind through Messiah’s Kingdom! No wonder the Lord declares that “then he will turn to the people a pure message that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”

St. Peter gives us a vivid picture of the new order of things in Messiah’s Kingdom. He says, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up… the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved… Nevertheless, we, according to his

promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Pet. 3:10,12,13)

The “new heavens” will be the glorified Church, consisting of Jesus the Head and His Bride class, selected from the world during the past centuries. The “new earth” will be the new social order under the control of the new heavens. There will be no patching of present institutions, but a clean sweep of them by the fire of Divine wrath preceding the establishment of the new order, where only that which is righteous, just, equitable, true, will be recognized.

We rejoice that such glorious things are coming - even though the world must necessarily reach them through the tribulation of the Time of Trouble. Happy are those whose eyes and ears of understanding are open now; and who are in such heart relationship with the Lord that He can make known to them in advance something of the riches of His grace, and show them how the coming troubles will work out blessings for the human family.

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OVERCOMING DESIRES FOR EARTHLY THINGS

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

The Apostle Paul is here using the illustration of a race course. In certain races there are what are called handicaps; that is, one who is weaker is given a certain allowance of time in starting, and is granted a victory if he gets in on time. That would be an accommodation for only a few. It is called a handicap from the standpoint of the others. But in the Christian race there is accommodation granted to all; for there is none perfect - all come short of the glory of God, and we could never gain any reward that God has offered, had it not been for the satisfaction which the Redeemer has made.

Yet it is also true in this race that some have more allowance than others. Those who have many weaknesses have a corresponding allowance of grace made for them; and those who have fewer weaknesses have a less allowance. “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly,” said St. Paul. He was fully determined. He had a definite goal in view, and meant to win. This is the only attitude, if we would gain the prize that God has offered us; and the whole matter is dependent upon our zeal, our faithfulness and our earnestness.

The Greek games had other exhibitions of strength and agility besides racing. There were contests with wild animals, in which a man would attempt to slay an animal. Then there were others between men, in which a man would attempt to deal his antagonist a fatal blow, if possible, with his brass knuckles. In preparation for this contest, the contestants had a wind bag to practice on. But this was not the real battle, it was merely the preparation.

So the Apostle says that he was not using his strength merely in practice. He was trying to do something. He was fighting a real battle. What battle was it? The answer of the Bible is that a great battle began away back in the days when Satan became the adversary of God. Our first parents came into slavery to Satan, and later some of the angels fell. Now many are fighting, and some are thoroughly ignorant of whose side they are fighting for. Those who are fighting for unrighteousness are on Satan's side. Whoever is fighting for moral reforms, etc., is on God's side, rather than the side of the enemy of mankind.

The world is fighting more or less - some more intelligently, some less intelligently. There are in every army some who could not tell you what the fight is about. So now, many do not know that a battle is being waged between Righteousness and Sin. The millionaires have their own battles and contentions; and the little store-keepers have their battles, in competition with the larger merchants. The attorney has his battles. He may sometimes take a case that is on the side of justice, and defend it with zeal; and again he may take a case that is on the side of injustice, and prosecute it with equal zeal. But the world does not recognize the real battle. The same man may be on the right side one day and on the wrong side the next day.

The Apostle had enlisted under the true banner. Christ lifted up a standard in opposition to Satan, and he will yet win a glorious victory on the very field where sin has reigned for six thousand years. He had a personal conflict with the powers of darkness, in which he was victor. And his victory was gained by his overcoming his own natural desires, and fully submitting himself to the will of God. This was the only condition on which he could be exalted from the earthly state, to the glories of the Divine Nature. He has met the required condition, of dying the Just for the unjust, and has gotten the great victory over Satan.

The heavenly Father, in harmony with his own arrangement, has empowered the Lord Jesus to take out from the world a company to lay down their lives with himself, during a time when everything seems contrary, when evil seems to triumph more frequently than do righteousness and justice. These, walking by faith, and not by sight, are to lay down their lives for the sake of righteousness, to carry out the purposes of God.

OUR PRIMARY BATTLE IS WITH SELF

Do we ask, Whom, or what, shall we fight? The answer is that one would not enter the real conflict at all, if he should follow the impulses of his own mind. In such case he would not have any part in this fight. He might engage in the ordinary battling of the world - sometimes in the right, sometimes in the wrong. But if he would get into this company which is being guided by Jesus, he must come unto God by him, and must sacrifice earthly hopes, aims, and ambitions, and walk in Jesus' footsteps - steps of suffering unto death. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb: 2:l0) Thus the battle begins in our mind, our will. We submit our mind to the mind of Christ.

In the typical Day of Atonement sacrifices, the body of Christ is represented by the Lord's goat. And as the high priest killed the goat in the type, so in the antitype the animal nature is to be killed, slaughtered, sacrificed. It is not to be yielded up to sin, but to be overcome. The new nature is in mortal combat with entrenched sin, and the cravings of human nature. He has made a consecration of himself to God. As a result, the Advocate has placed his own merit upon the consecrated one. When this is done, the battle immediately begins, that the new nature may keep down the old nature, the old will (Gal. 5:17).

The Apostle Peter writes, “Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness… that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless!” (2 Peter 3:11,14) With this anticipation, how serious life should be!

The Christian who knows about these things of the future, and who lives in anticipation of them, has a joy and a peace of which the world knows nothing. One week of such living is worth more than an entire lifetime with only such things as the world has to offer. And if now we enjoy living the new life, and entering by faith into the things that the Lord has in reservation for us, what will be the realization! If we would lose much in the present time by losing our hope and faith, what would it be to lose these things eternally!

As we realize this, we see that we cannot afford one moment of carelessness. The man engaged in combat with the animal knows that the bruised and wounded animal seeks to kill him. So the Apostle tells us, the old nature strives to kill the new nature. Therefore the new nature must see to it that it uses all its strength to gain the victory. The Lord has promised us grace sufficient for every time of need. If we are overcome by the old nature, it will be because we have not strength sufficient for the victory; for if we call upon the Lord he will sustain us. But the Lord will test our loyalty, our faith, our strength of character, our alertness of mind. And the victory is sure, so long as our trust is in him! (Pastor Russell, Reprint 5777,5778, October 1, 1915)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

                                            Emily Jane Horn Hoefle

With much sadness it is our duty to report that our beloved Sister, Emily Hoefle, entered the sleep with Jesus on January 1, 2008. She was born April 5, 1906, the youngest of seven children of William Belt Horn and Amanda Crater Horn. They lived on a farm, although her father also ran a country store. Her parents were faithful Christians, but it was not until Emily was a youngster that her Mother came into the truth. In fact Emily and her sister, Augusta, were indirectly responsible for her getting the Truth. Their Mother was visiting her natural sister, Sally, and the two children were playing too roughly with some books, so Mother remonstrated with them. But her sister, Sally, said it was all right for her preacher had said those books were from the devil. This piqued Amanda’s interest, so she asked if she could have the books. They were Pastor Russell’s books; she read them and recognized that it was the truth right away. Afterward all of the children accepted it, although not in consecration right away.

As a young woman, Emily moved to the city of Winston-Salem, North   Carolina. There she began to work for a Justice of the Peace [magistrate], who was a Jew. He soon recognized that Emily was very smart, even though she had no schooling or experience as a secretary. He also understood that she favored the Jews. Therefore, he came to rely on her a lot.

In 1951 Emily married Brother John J. Hoefle and they moved to Mount Dora, Florida. Brother Hoefle was founder of the Epiphany Bible Students Association, and Sister Hoefle assisted him in his work of expounding the Truth and refuting errors. She continued the work after his death until she became disabled. She then guided and coached others in the work. She was a driving force in the lives of many Bible Students, as well as much witnessing to others. As a faithful student of Bible, she always testified of the promises of God - namely the coming Kingdom, resurrection of the dead, times of restitution of all things, and healing set forth in Rev. 21:4: “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.” She always pointed out that those things are possible because of the central doctrine of the Bible as found in 1 Timothy 2:6 - Christ, “who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.”  The result being what Christ stated in his own words (John 5:28,29, Dia.) “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth: they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment.”

Brother and Sister Hoefle were true friends of the Jews. “The New Covenant will be made with the Jews.” (Jer. 31:31-34) The Kingdom will be Israelitish. God’s plan of Salvation for all mankind will come through Spiritual Israel and Natural Israel.

The two of them were excommunicated by the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement because they refuted the errors that were issued after the death of the Epiphany Messenger, who founded that movement. Emily, like her husband, was always appreciative of the Lord's overruling Providence, and counted the rebuffs and ostracism as “all things but loss for the execellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8), as she “earnestly contended for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) We may be sure that the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance (Psa. 112:6).

 



NO.607 "WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH"

by Epiphany Bible Students


Dear Brethren, the time has come for the Memorial of our Lord’s death, which he said “do this in remembrance of me.” The date this year is March 20, 2008, after 6:00 P.M.

We extend our prayers and best wishes to all for a very blessed Memorial. May it be a

time of renewing our consecration to do the good and acceptable will of God.  We pray and trust that all be faithful and obedient.

We here at Mount Dora, FL, will meet at 2501 Morningside   Drive at 7:00 P.M. All in the vicinity, who are of like mind, are welcome to meet with us.

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John 1:35-51

“Thou art the Son of God: thou art the King of Israel.”

John's Gospel was written after the other three, and quite evidently with a view to setting forth matters not set forth in the other Gospels. Thus we find that it does not attempt to give a full history of the Lord's ministry in all particulars, but chiefly deals either with matters omitted or with details not given by the others. Our present lesson furnishes details respecting the gathering of the first apostles to the Lord. Much of its interest centers in the fact that it well illustrates the diversity of the Lord's dealings and providence as these are still exercised in the world in the drawing of others to himself, some in one way and some in another.

While the Scriptures inform us that at the time of the Lord's presentation “All men were in expectation of him,” of Messiah, nevertheless we are to remember that all were expecting something totally different from what the Lord presented. They were expecting a personage of high rank, of great influence, of striking and commanding character; and our Lord, if he had been an imposter, would have sought to fill this public expectation. Either he would have given them to believe he controlled wealth and influence, or he would at least have been boastful and heady, thereby making up for any deficiencies along the line of their expectation. By a studied exclusiveness of manner, and haughty disdain of the poor and the sinful, an imposter would have sought to rank himself in the public estimation by claiming the possession of every noble and lofty sentiment above others.

He was of the royal tribe of Judah - more than this, he was of the royal family of David - and had he been an imposter we may be sure that this relationship to the kingly line, and references to Divine prophecy respecting the same, would have been flaunted on every possible occasion. On the contrary, we find our Lord “meek and lowly of heart” - not bombastic, not boastful, not self obtrusive. Bearing these things in mind we see all the more clearly why he attracted special characters for his disciples, and why he failed to attract the masses: we see that it was the Father's design that he should attract to himself as disciples the meek and lowly of heart, the reverential, the sincere, and that he should more or less repel the word1y wise, the rulers, and the masses who subsequently crucified him. Let us note, too, that these same principles of attraction and repulsion have persisted throughout this Gospel Age and are still operative. The masses may be temporarily influenced and even say “Never man spake like this man,” or again, “When Messiah cometh can he do greater works than this man doeth?” But the masses will not be attracted, because the Lord does not wish to attract those whose hearts are not in the proper attitude of consecration and faith. Consequently, all down through the Gospel Age, those who have been the Lord's followers in the highest and truest sense of the word, “forsaking all to follow him,” have been comparatively few, and, as described by the Apostle, “Not many great, not many wise, not many learned, not many

noble according to the course of this world, but the poor of this world, rich in faith” - shall be heirs of the Kingdom.

LOVE BOASTETH NOT - VAUNTETH NOT ITSELF

 Notice the quiet, unostentatious, meek manner in which our Redeemer began the announcement of his mission. Quietly he presented himself to John for baptism, and after receiving there the anointing of the Holy Spirit he went into absolute seclusion in the wilderness for more than a month, for forty days studying what the Divine plan had arranged to be his course. True, he did not have the Bible, but he had the perfect memory, and for thirty years he had heard the reading of the 1aw and the prophets in the Synagogue and was thoroughly familiar with them. He had the entire matter before his mind, and under the light of the Holy Spirit he weighed the various declarations of the law and prophets, noted the course of sacrifice which these meant, his temptation lying in the suggestion that easier, less sacrificing course seemed to present themselves as feasible. He triumphed over all the adversary's allurements and blandishments - determined not to do Satan's will, nor even follow his own judgment, but strictly and implicitly follow and obey the outlined program which the Father had laid down in the Word. He returned to John, seeking companionship with those who were nearest to the Lord and waiting for Divine providence to guide in his affairs.

1t was at this time, in the presence of his disciples, that John prophesied of Jesus, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Andrew and John were disciples of John the Baptist, and when they thus heard his testimony respecting Jesus and the declaration that he had a witness from God that Jesus was the Messiah, they sought the Lord's acquaintance. They followed after him, overtook him, and inquired where he was stopping. Apparently their object was to learn of him, to ascertain what further blessings the Lord had, and what further service than that they had engaged in with John the Baptist. They wanted the best that was to be had. They had not the partisan spirit to say, “We belong to John the Baptist and must stand up for him,” as some of the Lord's dear people are inclined to do in respect to the various denominations. There were some of John’s disciples who heard his testimony who did not seek to become followers of the Lamb of God, but who were quite content to remain John's disciples. We may properly enough suppose that being content with the lesser blessing and privilege implied that they were not so worthy of the higher privileges and blessings. They doubtless never became apostles, though some of them, probably, became followers of Jesus after the imprisonment of John.

John does not mention the other disciple that went with Andrew on this occasion, but this seems to have been his modest style of omitting special mention of himself. The two spent the remainder of the day with the Lord, and doubtless “learned of him,” much to their comfort and joy and the establishment of their faith. The record is “They abode with him.” This may refer to the temporary stay of one day, but it may with equal propriety be understood to mean that they remained with the Lord as his disciples thereafter - to the very end of life. We remember on one occasion, when some took offence at certain teachings of our Lord which they did not understand, how our Lord addressing the twelve said, “Will ye also go away?” But Peter answered, “Lord, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life,” we must abide with you. So it should be with all of us who have become the Lord's followers. We are not his disciples for a day, but for all eternity. We abide with him in loyalty of heart whether we go to seek others or whether we listen to words at his feet, and he abides with us, as expressed in his own statement, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

“Not a brief glance I beg, a parting word;

But as thou dwell’st with thy disciples, Lord;

Familiar, condescending, patient, free,

Come, not to sojourn, but abide, with me!”

On the basis of that brief acquaintance, John and Andrew started forthwith to find others and bring them to the Master. The intimation of the Greek text is that Andrew and John both started out, each to find his own brother and bring him to the Lord, and that Andrew found his brother first, implying that John found his brother, James, a little later.

There are some points here that are well worthy of our attention: 

(l) Andrew and John were not content to have the great blessing of fellowship with the Lord alone; they desired to make known their great find.

(2) They did not attempt to influence others until they were fully satisfied themse1ves and could give a definite positive message, saying, “We have found the Messiah” - the Christ. (Messias is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Messiah, and is the equivalent of the Greek word Christ, which means the Anointed One.)

(3) They did not go to benighted heathen, speaking a different language. They did not say, “Our brethren and all the Jews here are already God's people and good enough and instructed enough by the scribes and Pharisees, and we will go and hunt up some outside Gentiles.” They did not even say, “We will go and look up some of those sinners who are coming to John for baptism, and who ought to know about Messiah, the great Sin-Bearer.” They did better than either of these things - they thought first of all about their own brethren, brethren according to the flesh, and in this case brethren also in religious faith and effort. There is a lesson here for us, easily applied: Our first duties lie toward those who are near to us as neighbors, friends, and especially as members of our own family circles. We should begin the proclamation of the Messiah whom we have found with them; then, after they fail to hear, or after they have heard the way of God, proclaim it to the next in turn, and so on and on.

This is the very plan we are pursuing at the present time, and to which some of our dear friends in the various denominations object. They say, “Take your tracts and books to the sinners, or go to the heathen.” We reply that the message ought to go first of all to those who ought to be the most ready for it. They answer us that they have Moses and the

Prophets and the doctrines of the dark ages, but we reply that these only obscurely disclose the real character and the plan of God, and the real Messiah and his great work. We fain would tell all of them who have ears to hear and hearts to appreciate the lengths and breadths and heights and depths, that they may appreciate with us the love of God which passeth all human understanding. This is our proper course, too, whether they hear or whether they forbear, and as the testimony goes on the circle will widen. It is widening, as reports in our last issue show. The knowledge of the King of kings and the Kingdom which he is about to establish is scattered throughout Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, etc. We seek to cultivate the best fields and find them nearest home, but as the numbers and implements increase we extend operations in the name of the Lord, and with the firm conviction that ultimately in this harvest time he will find every true heart, everyone fitted to be a disciple.

KNOWING JESUS AS THE MESSIAH

Many have seen or heard of Jesus as those who were with John the Baptist heard of him, but have not learned to know him as the Messiah - the Christ. This word Messiah covers a particular thought that today is very generally ignored amongst the Lord's professed followers. Remarkably few Christians know Jesus to be the Messiah at all. The word Messiah as already pointed out signifies the Anointed. The Jews, under the great promise made to Abraham, had been expecting a Messiah, a King, a Deliverer, who would exalt them as his special people and assistants, and use them in presenting the law of God to all peoples, nations and languages, and as authorized and empowered co-laborers to enforce those laws with rewards and penalties.

The word Messiah, or Anointed, thus signifies the great King who was looked for - the great Prophet, Priest and King - for prophets, priests and kings under the Divine arrangement were anointed to their offices, and thus signified that in due time Christ would combine all three of these qualities in himself, and associate his Church with himself in the exercise of the various offices as joint-heirs in his Kingdom. The Scriptures show us that Israel as a nation was found unworthy to enter into all these blessings and privileges, and that, after selecting the Israelites indeed from that nation, the Lord has been gathering to himself and associating with him as his Church, as his spiritual Israel, the faithful ones who have ears to hear and hearts to obey the same message from every nation, kindred, people and tongue.

Thus we see that to recognize and speak of Jesus as the Messiah means to speak of him as the great King who ultimately shall reign to bless the whole world, as the great King whose joint-heirs in the Kingdom will be members of his bride. This grand work of the Redeemer and the grand privileges to which the elect are being called have been lost sight of under the delusions and misrepresentations of the Dark Ages, which have worked the minds of many of the Lord's people into a frenzy of confusion and fear of eternal torment, and led them to believe that escape from that torment was the salvation offered, causing this erroneous idea to take the place of the gracious hopes set before us in the Gospel, that if faithful we shall be heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord in the great Kingdom for which he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

JESUS FOUND PHILIP

Note the varying methods of bringing the blessing to different persons. John the Baptist announced Jesus. Andrew and John heard him and sought the Lord. In turn they sought Peter and James, and now note a third method in Philip's case - the Lord himself found Philip. Particulars are not given, but we may be sure that in all these various findings the Lord had a hand, he was supervising. We are not to imagine that the Gospel work is left to chance. The Lord knoweth the heart, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and the truth is specially sent to the truth-hungry. We may safely say, all of us, that the Lord found us, else we should not be where we are or what we are. The poet has expressed this, saying,

“Yet he found me; I beheld him bleeding on the accursed tree;

 And my wistful heart said faintly, ‘Some of self and some of thee.’”

Nathanael's case was still different. Philip found him, but he was naturally skeptical, fearful that his friend was being led astray by a false hope to follow a false Messiah. Philip's message to him briefly summed up was, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” His name is Jesus, and he comes from a place called Nazareth. Nazareth did not have a very savory reputation for wisdom and piety. On the contrary, the Nazarenes were looked upon as rather a fanatical people, and Nathanael skeptically answered his friend Philip, Did you ever hear of anything good coming out of Nazareth? - what you say of this man seems to contradict any reasonable hope or expectation you may have.

All along, in every sense of the word, the Lord has allowed his truth and his plan to come through channels more or less impaired. Our Lord Jesus seemed to have something of this kind in mind when he said. “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Luke 10:21) The Lord hides his truth in the sense of permitting it to come through unpopular channels. Sometimes the unpopularity is deserved and sometimes undeserved, but it always serves to keep away those who are not in the right attitude of heart. They are not, however, stumblings to the pure in heart, because the Lord will help them over these difficulties as he did in the case of Nathanael, under consideration.

A WORTHY MAN'S CHALLENGE

Philip’s answer was, “Come and see;” test the matter for yourself if you are not satisfied - I have nothing more to say. Although nothing is said specially respecting Philip's character, we may reasonably assume from this incident that he was a man whose word and manner and general character had weight, that he was not given to foolishness of thought or word or conduct, otherwise Nathanael would have said within himself, if he had not said it to Philip, “I know you anyway to be rather flighty, always going off at a tangent,” or, “1 know you to be a man of poor moral character, and the thing which would commend itself to you would be discredited in my judgment in advance.”

Alas, that such arguments should be forceful as against some of the Lord's followers who presume to invite others to him. In several instances we have known of the present truth being much injured by being advocated by some who were not of good character as well as by some not wise. It would be in the interest of the truth that any such who have given their hearts to the Lord, and therefore have passed from the foolish and sinful condition to the justified relationship, should make well known the fact of their radical change, of their thorough conversion from sin to righteousness, from folly to wisdom, before they begin to invite their neighbors and friends to the Lord.

Repentance and reformation are therefore placed in the forefront in the instructions given us through the Lord's Word respecting our coming to him and our discipleship and service. “To the wicked [the unrepentant, those not seeking to live according to the Lord's way, those walking after the flesh and not after the spirit] God saith, What hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee.”

“THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT”

When Jesus saw Nathanael he made the way very clear for his faith to accept. His salutation was, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” This gives us a suggestion that it is entirely right for us to express at proper times our confidence in the religious character of those with whom we are conversing. We are neither to say, neither to think, nor in any sense of the word to manifest a doubt of the sincerity of all who are not fully with us in every point of faith and doctrine. On the contrary, we are to realize that any one whom we may expect to find interested in the message we have to present must beforehand be an Israelite indeed, without guile, without hypocrisy - otherwise the truth would not appeal to his heart and the Lord would not bless him in connection with our service and message.

Nathanael evidently took it that the Lord was flattering him, and he rather repelled at first this forwardness on the Lord's part to speak of him in such praiseworthy terms without a knowledge of him, and he answered, “Whence knowest thou me?” Our Lord's answer shows clearly the Divine care over all who are in the right attitude of heart, and how the Lord himself has the direction of his message and his ministers that they may find all the true wheat. With this in mind we have every assurance that not a single grain will be left with the tares in the field - that all will be gathered into the “barn” condition of glory.

The Lord's answer was, “I saw thee under the fig-tree before Philip called thee.” How much that meant to Nathanael! He doubtless had already heard about his friend Philip having accepted one who was proclaimed the Messiah, he doubtless was fearful for himself as well as for Philip; and under these circumstances went to a fig-tree as a closet for prayer, for the fig-tree has foliage which hangs low and would constitute it quite an arbor or shelter and a very suitable place for privacy and prayer.

We are not told of what took place under the fig-tree, but we are at some liberty to imagine that an Israelite indeed in whom was no guile there prayed to the heavenly Father for wisdom, for guidance, for instruction, for protection from deception, whether it came through his friend Philip or however it might come, that he might not be misled into following a false Messiah. And now to hear this one refer to his very prayer, his very petition, of which not a soul in the world had knowledge, and to tell him that this was before Philip had called him, meant to Nathanael that the Lord had supervised in the matter and had full knowledge of all his affairs, and therefore he had the assurance that the one he had come to under the guidance of Philip was none other than

“THE SON OF GOD, THE KING OF ISRAEL”

Addressing Nathanael and the other disciples incidentally, our Lord said, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater works than these,” than this sure evidence of my Messiahship. As an Israelite indeed you are in the attitude of heart which would permit you to receive the Lord’s blessing and to have the eyes of your understanding opened wider and wider to an appreciation of the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the Lord’s great plan of salvation which centers in me. “Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye [all of my disciples, all who will follow me in the narrow way] shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Our Lord evidently by this expression called the attention of his hearers and of all his followers back to the days of Jacob and the vision which he had at Bethel, in which he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven on which angels of God were ascending and descending. Our Lord would have us understand that Jacob's vision was a pictorial illustration of the methods of Divine grace: that our Lord himself was the ladder upon which communication between heaven and earth would be reestablished. And so, as our eyes of understanding open, we increasingly see this is the case. Upon this ladder, upon this connecting link between heaven and earth, between God and man, have descended to us the angels of Divine favor, messages of love and mercy, forgiveness and adoption, and on this same ladder are messages returned to the Father, our prayers. We are accepted in the Beloved, we enter into the holies by faith, we receive the incoming and send back again the outgoing messages and messengers, and all of them upon the ladder, the connecting link, the Son of man, our Lord and Master, through whom alone we have access and relationship to the Father, and receive from him the exceeding great and precious things not only of this present life but also of that which is to come. (Pastor Russell, Reprints 3481-3483, January 1, 1905)

____________________________________________________________________

“THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”

“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16)

In the Bible symbols light stands as the representative of God, of Christ, of the Church, of truth, of influences for righteousness, which by and by as the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in its beams for the cure of all the masses of  the earth. It will scatter the darkness of sin, ignorance and superstition - the works of the prince of darkness, who will then “be bound for a thousand years that he may deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are finished.” Of the heavenly Father we read, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Of Jesus we read, “1 am the light of the world.” Of the Church in her present condition we read, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” “Hide not your light under a bushel, but set it on a candlestick that it may give light unto all that are in the house.” Nevertheless, “The darkness hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,” and “the whole world lieth in the wicked one” - in darkness. Notwithstanding the faith-fulness of Jesus and the few light-bearers enlightened with the Holy Spirit of which they are begotten, still “darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the heathen.”

This same thought pervades the Scriptures from first to last, namely, that for six thousand years, from the time of the entrance of sin to the second coming of Jesus, the world will be subject to a reign of sin and death - it will be under a pall of darkness, ignorance, superstition, sin, etc. The only ones who will see the path of righteousness distinctly will be those guided by the “lantern” - God's Word. They are represented as saying, “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a lantern to my footsteps.” St. Peter, writing to the Church from the same standpoint, declares, “We [the Church] have a more sure Word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that, shineth in a dark place until the day dawn.” (Psa. 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19)

The prince of darkness has been in command for centuries. The only lights of the past were the noble prophets of the Jewish line whose lights affected few in their own nation, and were not discernible at all amongst the heathen world. John the Baptist, we are told, was a burning and shining light; and Jesus was a still more brilliant light, and his faithful few during the past eighteen centuries have shined forth, reflecting their Master's light. But all of these have had comparatively little influence in the world. It still lies in the wicked one - in darkness, seeing not, neither understanding Divine things; it is still “waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

A BETTER DAY COMING

Our text tells of a better day sure to come. It is not sure to come because of the operation of the evolutionary law, for the natural law would seem to contradict such a thought. Darkness leads on to darkness more intense, and while light begets light, darkness begets darkness, and the masses are in the darkness, and in the wicked one, the prince of darkness. Never, then, might we hope for the abolishment of darkness except in the way in which God has foretold it - through the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom - through the shining forth of the Son of Righteousness - the Church in glory (Matt. 13:43).

Our text is a quotation from the Old Testament; it had a beginning of its fulfilment in our Savior and in the Apostles. The people of Palestine, long in doubt, uncertainty, etc., saw a great light in Jesus and his teachings. And throughout this Gospel Age, for more than eighteen centuries, this great light has been exercising a feeble influence amongst men. The Light itself has been pure - the Divine Word and the principles of Divine righteousness. But, alas! few have been faithful in receiving the light in its purity and in reflecting it forth upon others.

In general the light has been corrupted by human selfishness, by sin. As a consequence the name Christian today does not stand for all the blessed light and truth and grace and faithfulness to God and to the principles of love which the Master showed forth and inculcated. Instead the name Christian today is borne by about four hundred millions of humanity, many of whom, judged by the Divine standard of their “fruits,” are children of the wicked one, children of darkness, who merely use the garment of light, “the name Christian, as a heavenly livery whereby to appease their own consciences and to increase their opportunity for selfishness and acquisition, quite contrary to the Leader whom they profess to be following, “the true Light.”

“WHICH LIGHTETH EVERY MAN”

The Apostle declares that Jesus “is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) The expression, “true light,” implies that there are false or imitation lights, and of these we know that there are many - lights of heathendom and lights of Christendom. The only true light, however, is that which shone forth in our Savior's teachings and example. It has thus far enlightened only a few, a “little flock.” These, like their Master, are urged to let their light shine before men that others may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus and learned of him - that they are his disciples, his followers, bearing, in his footsteps, the same light which shone forth from him.

After eighteen centuries of experience of the light battling with the darkness, and at times being almost quenched thereby, we might well ask, what hope is there that this prophecy will ever be fulfilled - that Jesus, as the Light of the world, will enlighten every man born into the world? The Bible answers that God will fulfill this very matter in his own time, but that God's time cannot be hastened - that before the world will be enlightened, a saintly class, the Church, the Bride of Christ, must be enlightened, and must be completed and glorified together with her Lord.

FOR ONE THOUSAND YEARS THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL SHINE FORTH

Then, and not until then, will the Savior and His Church in glory be the great Sun of Righteousness which will arise over the earth, and shine forth for the healing of the people, for the scattering of the darkness of sin and the lies of error - the bringing of life, peace, joy and blessing to all who will accept the favor in harmony with the Divine requirements; but to smite down and utterly destroy the night, and those who will still love darkness, and would corrupt the earth.

For a thousand years the glorious Sun of Righteousness (Christ and the Church, His Bride), will shine out. The work will be thorough and complete. Adam and his every child will be fully brought to a knowledge of the truth, and will enjoy the blessed opportunity of coming back into harmony with God, by the restitution process, of which St. Peter tells us in Acts 3:19-23. This will not mean that the world will ever become members of the Bride class, or ever attain the spirit nature. It means restitution to the condition first enjoyed by Adam, lost by sin, but redeemed by the sacrifice finished at Calvary. It means human perfection to all the willing and obedient of Adam's race through the heavenly Second Adam and the heavenly Second Eve.

It means a world-wide paradise, filled with the blessings of the Lord, who has promised that the earth, as his footstool, shall be made glorious. It means that, with the destruction of the wilfully disobedient, this earth will be like heaven. The Savior's prayer will reach fulfillment; God's will shall be done on earth even as it is done in heaven. This in turn will mean that “every knee will bow and every tongue confess,” both of the things in heaven and of the things on earth, to the glory of God. And this signifies that there shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more dying on earth, even as none of these things are in heaven.

Then our text will have most ample fulfillment - all mankind shall see the great Light which God has provided; even those “in the shadow of death” must come forth, that all may be enlightened by this “true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” O the happy day that is coming to our poor, sin-cursed earth! There shall be no more curse, thank God! Instead of the curse shall be the Divine blessing; “and every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth shall be heard saying, ‘Praise and glory and honor and dominion and might be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever'"!

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 4987, 4988, March 1, 1912)

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IN MEMORY OF SISTER HOEFLE  

She never tried to be the head,

But pushed others forward instead.

For others to prosper for the Lord

Was for her the greatest reward.  

 

Before us she did not try to shine,

But never forsook the battle line.

Fighting hard for truth and right,

                                    She did what she could with all her might.                                           

With a sense of humor in highest form

Breaking admidst the fiercest storm,

Her eyes twinkled and danced,

With humor in every circumstance. 

 

"Without a sense of humor on which to call,"

She cried, "I would have no sense at all!"  

 

God bless her memory. 

 


NO. 606 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART TWO

by Epiphany Bible Students


JEWS

“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

“Surely we see fulfilled the declaration that Israel shall be separate from all other nations. What other nation of that day remains a people of preserved identity?

“How true the statement that those who have cursed, or injured, Israel have brought injury upon themselves! As we scan the whole field of the world, we find that every nation which has dealt harshly with Israel has received severe chastisement or blight. On the contrary, Great Britain and the United States, nations which have blessed the Jew, have in turn received great blessings.

“The lines referring to Messiah's Kingdom are equally true. The scepter did rise out of Israel. The one who is to have the dominion of earth is of Jacob’s posterity, according to the flesh. As the bright and morning Star, he is leading on to a glorious sunrise - the dawning of the Messianic day, which is to scatter the earth's night and to bring blessings instead of the curse.” (Reprint 5323, col.2, near bottom)

“Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the world would soon witness the destruction of the State of Israel. According to the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency, the hard-line president said that last summer’s war between Israel and Hizbullah showed for the first time that the ‘hegemony of the occupier regime [Israel] had collapsed, and the Lebanese nation pushed the button to begin counting the days until the destruction of the Zionist regime.” (World Jewish Congress, June 4, 2007)

Comment: “You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit… His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity... May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.” (Psa. 50:19; 10:7; 12:3) Ahmadinejad has cursed Israel and he will be cursed.

“INVESTORS FIND SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT IN ISRAEL: The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) has confounded conventional wisdom by proving that despite whatever hiccups are taking place on the Israeli landscape, the reasons to invest in Israeli companies are stronger than ever. With 37 new IPOs in 2006 and an annual appreciation of over 20% experts are bullish in touting TASE as a sound investment opportunity. And the numbers bear that out.”

(Israel 21c, August 20, 2007)

“KING HEROD FOUND: A team of Israeli archeologists from Hebrew University are believed to have found the lost tomb of the Jewish King Herod who ruled the Holy Land under the Romans around the time of the second Temple in 40 B.C. The tomb was discovered amid the ruins at Herodium east of Jerusalem in the Judean Desert.

“King Herod is best known for the massive construction projects undertaken during his reign, such as Massada, Caesarea and the still-intact wall around the Old City of Jerusalem.” (July-August 2007)

“PIUS CONFLICT: Thirty-five Jewish and Catholic scholars have called on the Vatican to open its Holocaust-era archives so that the role of Pope Pius XII, the pontiff during the period, can be examined ahead of rumored Vatican plans to have him beatified, the first step in achieving sainthood.

“The Pope's role during World War II has been a source of friction between Jews and Catholics.” (February 2007)

“REST IN PEACE: In response to protests from Jewish groups, spokespersons of the Church of Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, say that the name of Jewish Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who died in 2005, has been removed from the Church's International Genealogical Index, a database of names of people baptized posthumously.

“In 1995, the Church agreed to stop the practice of baptizing Holocaust victims, and removed 400,000 names from its Index.” (February 2007)

“BIASED IMAGE: Google Earth, an online mapping and navigation service, had been found to be replete with anti-Israel propaganda. The interactive atlas program contains incorrect data and biased images relating to Israel.” (March 2007)

“BAH, HUMBUG: An email Christmas greeting card sent to members of Poland's Parliament by the ultra-right-wing nationalist NOP party shows an image of Santa Claus giving the Nazi salute and calling for a ‘Free Nationalist and Catholic’ Poland.

“The NOP is openly anti-Semitic and was actively involved in the defense of convicted Holocaust denier David Irving.” (March  2007)

“PREACHING HATE: According to a documentary film, aired recently on British television, one of London's most established mosques is selling DVDs featuring two radical Islamic preachers predicting the mass-extermination of the world's Jewish community.

“The film is based on a twelve-month undercover investigation of hate-preaching and extremism in Britain's Muslim religious institutions.” (March 2007)

“HATE DETERRED: A neo-Nazi website that praised Adolf Hitler and alleged a ‘Jewish takeover of the most important Canadian social institutions has been taken down by unknown hackers.’

“The site, belonging to the National Socialist Party of Canada, but hosted on a U.S. based server, was created in 2006, calling for an end toJewish influence’ on Canadian institutions and ‘restoring white sovereignty in the country.’” (April 2007)

“WARNING: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Britain's most senior Anglican Christian leader, has condemned the recent Holocaust denial conference held by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling it a ‘disgrace,’ and called for the Holocaust to be remembered so that future generations could not challenge it.

“The statement followed a British poll that found that 41% of those asked believe that a Holocaust could happen in Britain, and 35% thought that most people would do nothing to stop it.” (April 2007)

“PUBLIC ENEMY: A white supremacist gang, calling itself Public Enemy Number 1, has been growing in power at an alarming rate throughout California, and has a strong presence in the state's prisons, operating together with such racist groups as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Nazi Law Riders. According to a report, in the past several months, more than 67 members of the gang have been arrested.” (April 2007)

“SOBERING REPORT: According to a recent annual report by the Tel Aviv-based Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism, 2006 saw the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide since 2000, with a twofold increase in physical attacks against Jews from the year before.

“The primary cause for the increase, according to the study, was Iran's increasing use of Holocaust denial and the Second Lebanon War. Of greatest concern was the large rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Western countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Canada.” (June 2007)

(The above 10 items are from World Jewry)

“EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HOST ANTI-ISRAEL HATE-FEST: Under the auspices of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a ‘Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace’ will take place on August 3-31 in Belgium. These meetings are part of a round-robin of anti-Israel gatherings organized year-round by the UN 16-member Division for Palestinian Rights.

“It all dates back to 1975 when these mechanisms were installed within the UN on the same day that the General Assembly adopted its infamous ‘Zionism is Racism’ resolution. What is new, however, is the venue: the European Parliament in Brussels.

“What the conference will pronounce is pre-determined, the UN Palestinian Division runs a tightly controlled operation that accredits only anti-Israel NGOs and speakers. And recently they've become quite clever. Without altering the virulently anti-Israel nature of their meetings, the organizers instead seek to make their activities under such innocent-sounding titles as ‘support for Israeli-Palestinian peace...’

“None of the radical Israeli Jews at the Brussels conference represents even a tiny segment of the Israeli Jewish population. So it’s like holding a conference on U.S.-Islamic rapprochement and inviting John Walker Lindh - the American who joined the Taliban - to represent America's position. Technically, Walker is as American as Warschawski and Hass are Israeli. But only a scoundrel or a fool would treat either exercise as anything but a sham.

“Who was behind the European Parliament's decision to play host to this poorly disguised hate-fest? With the conference facade removed, who in Europe will now have the courage to speak out?”

(UN Watch, April 17, 2007)

“Over the past half-century, many of the most important breakthroughs in science, medicine and computers have happened in Israel, like: Sophisticated medical equipment, such as ultrasound scanners and surgical lasers. A miniature camera that can be swallowed and used to diagnose gastro-intestinal disease. A computer mouse that allows the visually impaired to ‘read’ text and graphics on screen.

“New computer applications for digitizing, processing, transmitting and enhancing images, speech and data.”  (Israel: Global Edge of Technological Development, August 14, 2007)

“ISRAEL’S IOPTIMA SHINES A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE GLAUCOMA TUNNEL: An Israeli specialist in complex eye surgery for glaucoma patients has developed a new laser technology that promises to transform the difficult and rarely done surgery into a commonplace procedure that can be carried out by regular eye surgeons all over the world. The technology, being developed by Israeli start-up IOPtima, is aimed at making glaucoma surgery a fast and effective treatment for the three million Americans who suffer from the irreversible condition that is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S.”

 “TREATING ALZHEIMER’S - THROUGH THE NOSE: Israeli scientist Prof. Beka Solomon used her brain when coming up with a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease which affects over five million Americans. Or, rather she used the nose to get to the brain. Solomon found in mouse trials that a harmless bacterial virus can be an effective treatment against Alzheimer’s when carried to the brain through the nose. There the bacteria locks onto the extracellular plaques associated with Alzheimer’s and dissolve them, reducing inflammation in the brain without any side affects. Solomon’s research is on the verge of being commercialized and licensed to a startup company.”

(The above 2 articles are from Israel21c Newsletter, October 4, 2006)

“ISRAEL’S ECONOMY FIVE GOOD YEARS: ‘Israel’s economy now has experienced five years of continuous growth, the longest period in the state’s history,’ reports Israel news agency Arutz Sheva, and unemployment is down to 7.6% from 9.2% in 2005. Whereas the United   States only experienced a 0.6% gross domestic (GDP) increase in the first half of 2007. Israel’s was 6.6%, jumping beyond the predictions of even the Bank of Israel and Finance Ministry. And, Israel21c reported that the ‘Tel Aviv stock Exchange (TASE) seems unstoppable,’ and that the ‘market has appreciated 20% in the first half of the year.’

“‘Since the beginning of 2003, investors have earned a 100% return in dollar terms in long-term Israeli government non-CPI linked bonds,’ Vered Dar, chief economist at Tel

Aviv investment house Psaget Ofesk told Isrrael21c. ‘Equity investors have earned 250%.’

“Despite the Second Lebanon War last summer, the government is now experiencing a U.S. billion surplus due to strong earnings growth and increased tax revenues from Israeli corporations, reports microanalyst Avinoam Nachum.”

(BFP, Dispatch from Jerusalem, September/October 2007)

Comment: The above shows that Israel is a country on the upward move, in contrast to the other countries that are on the downward course.

      “SUBSTITUTE TREES: Three professors at Tel Aviv University are conducting research into the Kenaf plant, a distant cousin of cotton with the potential to replace wood pulp in the manufacturing of paper.

“Originally from Africa, Kenaf holds a gene, which could produce a longer, thinner, and more environmentally friendly fiber. Several international firms, including some from Italy and Brazil, have shown interest in developing this substitute paper.”

(World Jewry, October 2007)

  “SUBSTITUTE BRAIN: A professor and graduate student at Tel Aviv University are conducting experiments into a chemical stimulation that imbues the brain with specific neurological patterns which could in the future be read by computer software.

“The link between brain functions and computers holds the potential to treat neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The findings were published in the May issue of Physical Review E, and were also highlighted in Scientific American.”

(World Jewry, October 2007) 

“ISRAEL’S MINI-NOSE SNIFFS OUT IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVES: An Israeli company has developed a hand-held device that digitally mimics the human nose to sniff out would-be terrorists trying to sneak through an airport or port with homemade explosive devices.  Funded partly by the Pentagon and Israel’s ministry of Defense, Scent Detection Technologies’ Mini-Nose has won the support of former heads of the CIA and Mossa. The non-radioactive ‘green’ device, which is already in use at airports across Europe and the US, replaces today’s cumbersome, slow and radioactive explosive detection devices, making screening fast, efficient and safe.”

(Israel 21c, September 3, 2007) 

“ISRAEL: Turkey and Israel have agreed in principle to build a water and gas pipeline system connecting the Black Sea to the port of Eliat on the Red Sea. The ambitious project involves the building of oil, gas and water pipelines, as well as electricity and fiber optic cables, as part of a seabed pipeline system in the eastern Mediterranean. Passing through Turkey and bypassing Syria and Lebanon - countries which are hostile to Israel - the pipeline will reach the port of Ashdod, where an existing pipeline terminates at the port of Eilat at the Red Sea. The Turkish-Israeli pipeline could convey crude oil to East Asian markets. The system could also be used to bring Turkish water to parched Israel.”  (Israel National News.com, January 10, 2007)

“EPILERT - an Israeli warning system for epileptic seizures: As any parent of a child with epilepsy knows, there's been a long needed solution for monitoring their child when a seizure occurs. Israeli startup Biolert says they have the solution - the Epilert - which will detect and recognize epileptic seizures within 20 seconds and alert caregivers or parents that an epileptic episode is occurring, according to the company's CEO Amos Shaham. Developed by one of Israel's most experienced doctors in epilepsy, Uri Kramer, the Epilert idea has proven to be so popular that it won a ‘Start Up is Born’ contest two years ago beating out 700 other submissions, and this summer won a prestigious British award - the Medical Futures innovation Award for Best Medical Device.”  (August 20, 2007)

      “ISRAELI-DEVELOPED DRUG COULD MINIMIZE BRAIN DAMAGE AFTER HEAD TRAUMA: A researcher from Israel’s Weismann Institute of Science is developing a drug that could drastically reduce damage to the brain after a head injury. The new treatment pumps glutamate, a toxic chemical released after a head trauma, out of the patient's brain where it kills healthy neighboring cells, and into the blood supply where it can be safely disposed of else where in the body. The drug is now being developed by Braintact, a startup in Kiryat Shmona, and is set to be fast-tracked through FDA regulations.” (June 25, 2007)

“Israeli scientists have developed a tiny 'submarine' robot that has the unique ability to 'crawl' through tubes with the width of human veins and arteries.” (June 25, 2007)

“Israeli company Solel has signed a contract to build the world's largest solar energy park in California.” (June 25, 2007)

(The above four items are from Israel21c Newsletter)

“Did You Know: A U.S. investment company has invested $45 million in 15 Israeli companies.”

(Israel 21c, October 1, 2007)  

“BRITISH HOLOCAUST DENIER PLANS COMEBACK SPEAKING TOUR: Discredited British historian and Holocaust denier David Irving has announced that he is to launch a comeback with a speaking tour of UK cities and a series of new books.

“Described by a High Court judge as a Holocaust denier and a racist, Irving was imprisoned in Austria for three years in February 2006 on Holocaust denial charges after a judge ruled that two speeches he made in 1989 breached Austrian law. He questioned the existence of extermination camps in his speeches and dismissed the gas chambers at Auschwitz as a “fairy tale…”

“Irving was released halfway through his sentence last December following a successful appeal. A judge said his crime had been committed a long time ago and Irving had since undergone an ‘impeccable conversion.’

“However, Irving says his views on the Holocaust have crystallized, rather than changed.  He says that the Jews were responsible for what happened to them during World War II and that the ‘Jewish problem’ was responsible for all the wars of the past 100 years…

“‘In 2000, a British High Court judge branded David Irving a ‘falsifier of history’ and a ‘racist,’ Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said…

“She added: ‘We must not tolerate Holocaust denial in whatever guise it may unfold, and the best vehicle for challenging it is through educating and informing future generations about the lessons of the Holocaust.’”

(The International Jerusalem Post, October 5, 2007)

    “ISRAELI GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO DIVIDE JERUSALEM: As the U.S.-sponsored East peace summit approaches next month, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is actually suggesting his government is now open to the previously unthinkable prospect of dividing their capital city of Jerusalem.

“‘Wouldn’t it be the right deal today for the Palestinians, the Western world, and the international community to recognize (Israel’s) annexation of… (Jewish) neighbor- hoods as part of Jerusalem, and for us to quit the Arab neighborhoods?’ Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio.

“Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denounced the government’s talk of giving up control of Judea and Samaria (commonly known as the West Bank), as well as East Jerusalem, as dangerous and destabilizing, especially in the light of the rising Hamas and Iranian threats to the Jewish state.

“‘The unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon created an Iranian outpost - from which Israel is being attacked - in the North, and the unilateral pullout from Gaza created a second Iranian base in Gaza, Hamastan,’ Netanyahu said on the floor of the Knesset [Parliament]…

“‘Jerusalem is an inalienable asset of the State of Israel, Palestinian refugees will not be returned to Israel, and Jerusalem will not be divided,’ said Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former chief of staff and member of the prime minister’s own Kadima party.

“Now is the time to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), not carve it up and serve it to the radical Islamic jihadists now in charge of the Palestinian Authority.”

(By Joel C. Rosenberg, Reported by Bridges for Peace, October 9, 2007)

“SELLING OUT ISRAEL ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN: Name one concession Israel has made in recent years that has been reciprocated by its sworn enemies. This is not a trick question. There is none.

“That’s why next month’s announced ‘Middle East Summit’ in Annapolis, Md., should be viewed as one more installment payment in the sellout of Israel and of American interests in the Middle East. While the United States continues to struggle to shore up democracy in Iraq, the Bush administration - like administrations before it - proceeds in undermining the likelihood that the region’s first democracy will endure.

“At every negotiating session, Israel is pressured into making concessions for ‘peace’ and receives more war in response. Mostly this is because of the wishful thinking in the West that has replaced sound policy. Why should the Palestinians make concessions when they are drawing closer to their objective of eradicating Israel by throwing stones and bombs and stonewalling negotiations?

“In an address to the Israeli Knesset, President Shimon Peres reaffirmed the flaw of Western thinking: ‘…even if there are some who express doubt at the ability of the Palestinians to achieve peace, the impression must not be created that Israel has doubts regarding the need and the willingness to achieve full peace.’ So it’s not about hard bargaining resulting in the preservation of Israel with defensible borders and the cessation of terrorist attacks, its about ‘impressions’? No wonder Israel’s enemies are emboldened as never before.”

(By Cal Thomas, Orlando Sentinel, October 6, 2007)

“ISRAELI RESEARCHERS SHOW THAT GREEN TEA HAS REJUVENATING AFFECT ON DAMAGED CELLS: Research-ers at the Technion Institute in Israel have been working for almost a decade to show that an extract of green tea could be an effective treatment for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study presented in Washington DC, the research team fed green tea extract to mice suffering from the degenerative diseases and found it protects brain cells from dying and helps rescue already damaged neurons in the brain. Tests are now underway on early Parkinson’s patients in China, under the auspices of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to check whether green tea extract is slowing down the progression of the disease.”

“ISRAELI ‘SMART’ SYSTEM PRE-VENTS BLOOD AND DRUG TRANS-FUSION ERRORS: An Israeli startup has developed a new pro-active solution that could prevent costly intravenous drug and blood transfusion errors. The simple and easy to use system, PRIDE (Prevent Intravenous Drug Errors), ensures that transfusions can only be administered to a patient only once five predefined conditions are met. With some 35-40 percent of all medical errors in hospital due to mistakes in IV administration, Pro-IV Medicals solution is already sparking great interest with investors and customers alike. A prototype will be ready in a month, and clinical trials begin this year.”

“WIDENING THE WINDOW OF TREATMENT FOR STROKE SUFFERS: Stroke patients need to get treatment fast - within three hours, in order to prevent serious damage that can affect movement and speech. But the good news is that an Israeli research team has discovered that minocycline - an antibiotic used traditionally to treat severe acne and urinary tract infections - will significantly reduce brain damage and physical impairment of a stroke if taken within the first 24 hours. Chief researcher Dr. Yair Lampi says he now plans to confirm the results of the successful clinical trial in a larger double-blind trial. If it goes well, ‘[minocycline] will be probably one of the most used and effective treatments of ischemic stroke that we have,’ said Dr. Argye Hillis of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.”

“GENE DISCOVERY COULD LEAD TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINE FOR MS SUFFERERS: A group of Israeli scientists have identified genes responsible for positive response of many multiple sclerosis patients to the drug Copaxone. The first original Israeli drug to be approved by the FDA, Copaxone is today marketed in over 40 countries worldwide, including the US, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. The findings of the study conducted by the Technion, the Weizmann Institute and Teva may contribute to the development of personalized medicine for multiple sclerosis sufferers.”

“ISRAEL - DARING IN QUALITY: Even if Israel is small in body, its scientific head is large.”

(The above five articles are from Israel21c, October 1, 2007)

“ISRAEL: The Israel Antiquities Authority’s excavations in Tiberias have exposed a Byzantine church paved with polychrome mosaics decorated with geometric patterns and dedicatory inscriptions. The discovery, in the heart of the ancient Jewish city, refutes the theory that the Jews of Tiberias prevented Christians from establishing a church in the middle of their neighborhood. The church’s remains were discovered adjacent to ancient public buildings, among them a basilica, bathhouse, streets, and shops that were exposed at the site in the past.”

(Israel Antiquities Authority, August 7, 2007)

“With fewer than seven million inhabitants, Israel has more companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange than any country except the U.S. Its start-up companies attracted nearly $2 billion in venture capital over the past two years, equal to the amount raised during that time in the much larger United Kingdom.”

(Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2007)

“A nuclear power plant for the production of electricity may soon be built in Israel. The country has toyed with the idea for decades, but recent discussions in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Infrastructure Ministry point to a more serious consideration of nuclear power as an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. If the idea were to become a reality, Israel would be forced to allow international supervision of the power plant. Officials discussed the probability of harsh international opposition, should Israel decide to go ahead with building the plant.”

(Netnews.Com, August 1, 2007)

“PARIS: Marcel Marceau, 84, who revived the art of mime and brought poetry to silence, died on September 22 in Paris, French media reported. A French Jew, Marceau survived the Holocaust and worked with the French Resistance to protect Jewish children.”

(Jerusalem Report, October 15, 2007)

ENVIROMENTAL CONCERNS BRING ISRAELIS, JORDANIANS AND PALESTIN-IANS - A new initiative called the Dead Sea Triangle has been launched by Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian scientific and community leaders, in an effort to protect the unique environment of the Great Rift Valley, which passes through all three communities.  Under the program, which includes research facilities in all three regions, the founders hope to introduce a range of projects to study and conserve the valley’s fragile ecosystem, preserving it as a haven for the 500 million birds that migrate along the route twice a year.  And just as importantly, it will forge new areas of cooperation between the neighbors of the region.

US-CANADIAN FUND LOOKS TO ISRAELI CANCER RESEARCHERS FOR ANSWERS - Researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have identified a specific family of proteins that enables breast cancer cells to spread via the blood stream to other organs.  The team hopes the discovery will facilitate the development of drugs that block or inhibit the production of these proteins to stop the spread of cancer elsewhere in the body - the leading cause of cancer death.  This is just one project being carried out under the auspices of the US-Canadian founded Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), which aims to stem the scientific brain drain from Israel and provide crucial ideas to help bring an end to the cancer crisis. (The two above  are from Israel21cNewsletter,October 4, 2006)



NO. 605 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

by Epiphany Bible Students


“Wait upon me, saith the Lord, until that day when I rise up to the prey; for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, that I may pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for the whole earth [social structure] shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.” (Zephaniah 3:8)  

The picture of the Time of Trouble and of the glorious epoch of blessing to follow is graphically depicted by the Prophet Zephaniah. So terrible will be the Time of Trouble, so sweeping the overthrow of present institutions, that the Lord here symbolically pictures it as a fire consuming everything of the present social order.

But that it is not a literal fire, and that it will not consume or destroy mankind but prepare for their greater blessing, is shown by the next statement of the prophet: “Then I will turn unto the people a pure Message [in contrast with the confused message that has been promulgated by all the various sects of Christendom, Babylon], that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent.”

Surely, no one will deny that we are in the Time of Trouble, and that it is progressing rapidly. It has been reported that there is corruption in the governments of practically every nation of the world. Certainly we can see it rampant in the U.S. government, and as well in practically all state and local governments. Also, there have been many natural disasters in the past year, and are continuing to occur.

What wonder then, that we appreciate the statement, “Blessed are your ears, for they hear.” (Matt. 13:16) Harkening we not only have heard the Message of God's love and favor for our race, and how a Ransom has been provided, and that in consequence a preparation is being made for the blessing of all the world.

Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel - life everlasting, life which we now see is possible of attainment by all the families of the earth, and immortality as attainable by those who, in the Gospel Age, had the hearing ear of faith and the heart desire to follow in the footsteps of their Redeemer.

Let us continue to pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is done in Heaven.”

He's come! Let all the earth adore Him!

The path His human nature trod

Spreads to a royal realm before Him,

The Life of life, the Word of God!

 

WORLD EVENTS

“Russia’s announcement that it would work to promote international support for the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority [PA], its intention to supply missiles to Syria, and its opposition to sanctions against Iran presents a worrying trend for Israel. The Russian move toward funding the Hamas regime found an echo in a report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which suggested that the Western-led economic boycott of the PA must be lifted in order to fight poverty in the Gaza area. According to information received by Israel, Russia is set to conclude a deal, worth several hundred million dollars, to transfer thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles to Syria.” (Arntz Sheva, February 27, 2007)

“U.N. DECLINES TO CONDEMN IRAN PRESIDENT’S REMARKS ON ISRAEL: UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council refused to approve a statement yesterday that would condemn remarks about Israel's impending destruction attributed to Iran's hard-line president because of objections from Indonesia, council diplomats said.

“Qatar, the only Arab nation on the council said that it had no instructions, which also meant that approval yesterday was impossible, the diplomats said. The statement must be approved by all 15 council members.

France's U.N. ambassador, Jean Marc de La Sabliere, who called for condemnation of the remarks attributed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that it was unfortunate that the council could not act immediately. He said he would try again. At stake is... a real question of principle, de La Sabliere said.”  (Associated Press, June 9, 2007)

“SECRET TALKS: According to a report in the Yedlioth Ahronoth newspaper on August 16, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas have been meeting secretly during the past few months for discussions that might lead to a permanent agreement between the two sides.”

(The Jerusalem Report, September 17, 2007)

“CREATION MUSEUM CAUSES STIR IN SCIENTIFIC CIRCLES: LOUISVILLE, Ky. -   A museum where Adam and Eve share exhibit space with dinosaurs is drawing criticism from groups of science educators as it nears completion.

“The $27 million Creation Museum tells a biblical version of the Earth's history, asserting that the planet is just a few thousand years old and man and the giant lizards once coexisted. The educators say its exhibits, inspired by the Old Testament, are geared toward children but lack scientific evidence. ‘When they try to confuse [kids] about what is science and what isn't science, scientists have an obligation to speak out,’ said Lawrence Krauss, an author and a physics professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. ‘There's no doubt these are documented lies.’

“Krauss has signed one of two petitions circulated by national groups that challenge the facility's exhibits.

“The museum, built by the nonprofit ministry Answers in Genesis with private donations, includes a 200-seat special-effects theater, a 40-foot-tall depiction of Noah's Ark and robotic, roaring dinosaurs. The 60,000-square-foot facility in rural Petersburg, Ky., will open on Memorial Day.

Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham said most natural-history museums and textbooks for students are devoted to teaching evolution. He said critics need to tour the museum before making judgments.

“One petition, started by the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, says the museum is part of a ‘campaign by the religious right to inject creationist teachings into science education.’

“Krauss said about 2,000 educators have signed the petition. A second petition from the National Center for Science Education attracted support from nearly 600 university professors. It says there are ‘scientifically inaccurate’ exhibits at the museum.”

(By Dylan T. Lovan, The Associated Press, May 19, 2007)


IN FINANCE

As we approach 2008, there is a lot to be desired.Housing sales are still declining. Homeowner’s are facing foreclosure. Banks write off millions of dollars on sub prime loans. Assets are falling in value. Oil could rise to over $125.00 per barrel.

Oil affects most everything we do or have in the U.S.A. Food is one thing that affects inflation. Corn prices are very high. Milk prices worldwide are rising at the fastest rate ever and won’t be falling anytime soon. Food prices will raise 4-5%.

Inflation could rise in 2008, meaning we could be on the edge of a recession. Banks are hurting. Job growth is getting weaker. Retail sales are leveling off. The dollar is at an all time low. The stock market is up and down. In 2008 we will be electing a new president. One candidate wants to raise taxes. Some financial advisors are optimistic and some pessimistic.  Matthew 24:39 tells us “they knew not” or “understand not.” It is only by the understanding of God’s plan of Salvation that we know this present “evil” order of things must be destroyed by the Time of Trouble before Christ’s Kingdom can be established. Our advice at present is to “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righ-teousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)

IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

“Researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types, A, B, and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood that can be given to anyone - an achievement that promises to make transfusions safer and to relieve shortages of type O blood. Bacterial enzymes [are used to] safely remove from red blood cells the sugar molecules that provoke an immune reaction in the recipient. Mismatching of blood causes at least half of all transfusion-related deaths.”

(Los Angles Times, April 2, 2007)

“Mosquitoes genetically engineered to resist infection with a malaria parasite outbreed their normal cousins and might be used to help control malaria, researchers said yesterday. The team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said their study suggests that releasing such genetically altered insects could help battle malaria, which kills up to 3 million people a year around the globe, most of them small children.”

(Reuters, March 20, 2007)

“ISRAEL’S ORMAT MAKES CLEAN FUEL THAT IS GOOD TO GO: Until now, biodiesel may now be the exclusive province of environmentalists or celebrities, but Israeli company Ormat has unveiled a new formulation that promises to bring the clean car fuel into our gas stations within two years. The world class alternative and renewable energy company, which was set up 40 years ago and specializes in geothermal energy, aims to help phase out traditional polluting diesel. According to founder Dita Bronicki, ‘We are talking about having independence from Middle East oil in countries like Canada and the U.S. - what we are doing is an important step in making that happen.’”

(Israel 21c Newsletter, June 25, 2007)

“AN ISRAELI COMPANY DRILL FOR OIL IN ALGAE: Israeli start-up Seambiotic has discovered a way to produce a safe, non-toxic and biodegradable bio-fuel by channeling smokestack carbon dioxide emissions through pools of algae. Not only does the algae, which thrives on carbon dioxide and sunlight, clean the emissions but it created 30 times more bio-fuel per hectare of land than traditional plant crops used in bio-fuel production. For two years Seambiotic has tested the idea at the Israel Electric Company power plant in Askelon, sparking interest from all over the world.”

“U.S,-CANADIAN FUND LOOKS TO ISRAELI CANCER RESEARCHERS FOR ANSWERS: Researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have identified a specific family of proteins that enables breast cancer cells to spread via the blood stream to other organs. The team hopes the discovery will facilitate the development of drugs that block or inhibit the production of these proteins to stop the spread of cancer elsewhere in the body - the leading cause of cancer death. This is just one project being carried out under the auspices of the U.S.-Canadian founded Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), which aims to stem the scientific brain drain from Israel and provide crucial ideas to help bring an end to the cancer crisis.”

(The above 2 items are from Israe121cNewsletter, October 4, 2007)

IN RELIGION

“START USING ‘ALLAH’ INSTEAD OF ‘GOD’?: WASHINGTON - It was bound to happen - and it seems fitting that a cleric named Tiny would think of it. Roman Catholic Bishop Tiny Muskens of the Netherlands has decided that the way to ease Muslim-Everybody Else tensions is to start using ‘Allah’ instead of ‘God.’ Noting that God does not care what we call him, Muskens thought, why not yield a little to Muslim ways? Or would that be ‘submit,’ the literal meaning of ‘Islam’?

“‘Allah is a very beautiful word for God,’ Muskens said on Dutch television a few days ago. ‘Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?’

“Muskens pointed out that in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country where he spent eight years, priests use the word ‘Allah’ in Catholic Mass.

 “For the sake of peace, prosperity and clarity in the shire, let the record reflect that Muslims did not ask for this, though some of the Netherlands embraced the idea as a conciliatory gesture and in the U.S., some Muslims greeted the suggestion with enthusiasm.

“Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told FoxNews.com that calling God ‘Allah’ wouldn’t require a theological leap for Christians. ‘It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God,’ Hooper said. It’s not hard to understand why Muskens would tilt toward compromise. The Netherlands, which is now home to 1 million Muslims, hasn’t been quite the peace’n’love axis of the multicultural world, despite clouds of Silver Blue cannabis wafting from the Amsterdam’s famously mellow coffee houses.

“Between the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh, guilty of making a documentary film critical of Islam, death threats against fellow documentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and the recent Muslim attack of the head of a Dutch group for ‘ex-Muslims,’ one could begin to think of invoking Allah as a savvy survival technique.

“Besides, as Muskens pointed out, Allah is a lovely sounding word. Thus, in the spirit of Christian charity and Western tolerance, I’ve been trying it out with mixed results.

“The Doxology of my Protestant childhood is problematic with the two-syllable Allah instead of the monosyllabic God, but not impossible: Praise Allah, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Not perfect, but workable.

“America’s familiar childhood blessing is downright euphonious: Allah is great, Allah is good, let us thank him for our food. But the Apostle’s Creed is a mess: I believe in Allah the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son…Oops.

“Contrary to Hooper’s one-God claim, Christians and Muslims don’t really worship the same God. Although both religions are monotheistic - and if there’s just one God, there’s just one God - Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God and Muslims think otherwise.

“That’s not a small doctrinal difference. In fact, at the risk of exhausting the obvious, Christianity doesn’t exist without, um, Christ. Of course we could rewrite the Apostle’s Creed to include Muhammad: ‘I believe in Allah the Father Almighty… and in Muhammad, his favorite prophet…’

“The possibilities are infinite, really. Alternatively, we could pretend to be sane and suggest that everybody go to his or her own house of worship, pray to his or her own version of the Creator, and otherwise get a grip.

“Changing Western language, symbols and making other accommodations to ease relations between old Europe and new isn’t only a conciliatory gesture or even mere appeasement. It is submission by any other name.

“Language may be a manmade limitation, as Janaan Hashim said, speaking for the

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which endorses Muskens’ idea. But language is not meaningless. The words we use to define and express ourselves are the fundaments of cultural and social identity. John Stuart Mill put it this way: ‘Language is the light of the mind.’

“Muskens, who retires in a few weeks, conceded that his idea likely wouldn’t catch on right away. We might need another 100 years or so, but he predicted that, eventually, Allah will be the word.

“Given that European Muslins are procreating at three times the rate of non-Muslims - and given the ‘logarithmic rate’ of growth of jihadist ideology in the U.S., according to a new report by the New York Police Department’s Intelligence Division - it may be sooner than that.

“Peace be upon us.”  (By Kathleen Parker, Orlando Sentinel, August 19, 2007)

“GEORGIA TAKES STEP TO ADD PUBLIC-SCHOOL BIBLE CLASSES: ATLANTA - A pair of Bible classes are set to appear in Georgia’s public-school classrooms next year, with supporters calling them a chance to teach students an important historical text and critics fearing they could be a jumping-off point for pushing religious beliefs. Literature and History of the Old Testament Era and Literature and History of the New Testament Era were on a list of classes the Georgia Board of Education voted to add to the state’s curriculum Thursday. The vote sets in motion a 30-day period, after which the board is expected to give the classes their final approval.” 

(Compiled from wire reports, June 11, 2007)

“Passive indifference of faith has left Europe’s churches mostly empty. But debate over religion is more intense and strident than it has been in many decades. Religion is reemerging as a big issue in part because of anxiety over Europe’s growing and restive Muslim populations and a fear that faith is reasserting itself in politics and public policy. That is all adding up to growing momentum for a combative brand of atheism, one that confronts rather than merely ignores religion. According to a prominent British author on religion, Karen Armstrong, the movement ‘mimics the ardor of Christianity, Islam and Marxism, all of which have at their core an urge to convert nonbelievers to their worldview.’” 

(Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2007)

“During his visit to India, the head of the World Council of Churches lamented the decline of Christianity in the West, while also praising the rapid growth of the faith in developing countries. ‘Churches are being sold in Europe and are being converted into bars. It is sad to hear that liquor is being served from pulpits where the word of God used to be preached.”  (Eni, February 20, 2007)

“NOTE: The KJV is the most elegant version in any language, perhaps much too often exceeding that of the original Greek and Hebrew. Its title page has caused some to refer to the translation as the ‘Big JAMES and little GOD’ Bible. Although it is doubtful any of the translators had been baptized as an adult, for some of them it would not have implied much anyway. Nevertheless, others seem to have manifested a good Christian character.” 

(From A Book Review, June 2007)

“A shortage of qualified young clergy could be on the horizon for churches nationwide as large numbers of ‘Baby Boomer’ pastors prepare to retire and fewer seminary students show interest in leading a congregation. A recent study by the Lewis Center for Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary shows a significant 20-year decline across major denominations in numbers of clergy under age 35, both Protestant and Catholic. Other reports indicate only about one-third of seminary students in North America today plan to be ordained and serve a congregation,” (Fund For Theological Education, June 1, 2007)

“The Joshua Project, an outreach program sponsored by the Unreached People’s Network, estimates that nearly 2.6 million people worldwide have limited or no access to the message of the Gospel.”

(Religion News Service, May 14, 2007)

“CHRISTIANITY DECLINING IN THE WEST: Although Christianity remains the largest of the major world religions - with over 2.1 billion professed adherents - and the fastest growing in worldwide total adherents, the statistics for Europe and North America are depressing. Christianity in the West may be dying. Many once mighty cathedrals in Europe sit empty. According to Dr. Todd  M. Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, ‘Whereas in 1900, over 80% of all Christians lived in Europe and Northern America, by 2005, this proportion had fallen to under 40% and will likely fall below 30% before 2050.’ A recent USA Today article contains the following quote from George Weigel, a Catholic columnist and the U.S. biographer of Pope John Paul II: ‘Western Europe, the cradle of modern Christianity, has become a ‘post-Christian society’ in which the ruling class and cultural leaders are anti-religious or ‘Christophobic.’  According to the 2005 European Spiritual Estimate, only 4.2% of Europeans would identify themselves as ‘born again’ or personally committed, faith-based Christians.

“The situation in North America is somewhat better, but still depressing. According to Canada’s General Social Survey 2001 data, attendance at religious services has fallen dramatically across the country over the past 15 years. Nationally, only one-fifth (20%) of individuals aged 15 and over attended religious services on a weekly basis in 2001, compared with 28% in 1986. In 2001, 4 in 10 adults (43%) reported that they had not attended religious services during the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with only 26% in 1986.”

(Bridges For Peace, September 2007)

“ATHEISTS GROW IN NUMBER, STILL MOST AMERICANS NOT BUYING IN: A legion of the godless is rising up against the forces of religiosity in American society. ‘People who were ashamed to say there is no God now say, ‘Wow, there are others out there who think like me, and it feels ~#*+ good,’ said Margaret Downey, the president of the Atheist Alliance international, whose member-ship has almost doubled in the past year to 5,200. It has a 500 person waiting list for the convention in Crystal City, VA., later this month…

“In the past two years, five books promoting atheism have hit the best seller lists, outselling such religious tomes as Pope Benedict XVI’s book on Jesus, and popular Christian novelist Tim LaHaye’s latest book Kingdom Come, according to Nielson BookScan…

“A study released in June by the Barna Group, a religious polling firm, found that about 5 million adults in the United   States call themselves atheists. The number rises to about 20 million - about one in every 11 Americans - if people who say they have no religious faith or are agnostic (they doubt the existence of God or a supreme deity) are included…

(The Washington Post, September 16, 2007)

Comment: The above 2 items indicate that the great system of mystic Babylon is about to be cast into the sea (the restless sea of ungovernable peoples). The “sea” of anarchy will swallow up the false systems as prophesied (Rev. 18:21). This is what was done with Ancient Babylon, which is a type of mystic Babylon (Jer. 51:63,64). But let us be careful to differentiate between the system and the individuals connected with those systems. The prophesy applies to the system only.

“SIX NUNS EXCOMMUNICATED FOR HERESY; FIRST TIME IN DIOCESE’S 165-YEAR HISTORY: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Six nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday.

“The Rev. J. Gaston Herbert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.

“The Vatican has declared all members of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Herbert said the excommunication was the first in the diocese’s 165-year history.”

(Associated Press, September 27, 2007)

Comment: We cannot condone the sect, whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, because this reeks of spiritism. She may be possessed, but not of the Virgin Mary, but by evil spirits. But this case shows, once again, that the Catholic church and its dioceses cannot control their devotees as they once could. It is just another sign of their impending destruction.

“Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader that he holds hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a groundbreaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alecy II.”

(Associated Press, June 16, 2007)

“POPE SHUT HIS EYES TO VIOLENCE OF CONVERSION: Pope Benedict XVI apparently, sort of, admitted the truth about the forced religious conversions of the native peoples of the New World. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that ‘unjusti-fiable crimes’ were committed during colonial-era evangelization in the New World. But he did not repudiate the statements he made on this subject during his visit to South America earlier this month, as was demanded by indigenous groups and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Chavez even accused the pope of ignoring the ‘holocaust’ that followed Columbus' ‘discovery’ of the New World in 1492...

“On May 13, while speaking to Latin American and Caribbean bishops, the pope demonstrated an amazing ignorance of the history of the violent cultural and religious oppression of indigenous peoples in the New World by European Christians. Benedict stated that the native people had been ‘silently longing for Christ without realizing it.’ He said that their conversion was not a conquest but an ‘adoption’ that made ‘their cultures fruitful, purifying them…’

“Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of the ‘civilization’ and

massacres of natives in North, Central and South America when he stated that the church had not imposed itself on indigenous peoples. That Christianity had not been detrimental to their way of life...

“But he by no means apologized for his earlier statements: ‘While we do not overlook the various injustices and sufferings which accompanied colonization, the Gospel has expressed and continues to express the identity of the peoples in this region.’

“Clearly, this pope has a long way to go

in understanding the truth of the colonization and the history of forced religious conversion of the Americas.” (Special to the Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2007)

“POPE REMOVES RESTRICTIONS ON HOLDING MASSES IN LATIN: VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI removed restrictions yesterday on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was all but swept away by the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

“The decision, a victory for traditional, conservative Roman Catholics, came over the objections of liberal-minded Catholics and angered Jews because the Tridentine Mass contains a prayer for their conversion.

“Benedict, who stressed that he was not negating Vatican II, issued a document authorizing parish priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite if a ‘stable group of faithful’ requested it.” (Wire Report, July 8, 2007)

“POPE: OTHER CHRISTIANS NOT TRUE CHURCHES: Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

“Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of The Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.”  

(Yahoo News, July 10, 2007)

Comment: Benedict says he is not negating the Vatican II Council, but that is exactly what he is doing. It is our understanding that according to Vatican law, once a decision is made by a Council it cannot be rescinded, because the church councils are considered perfect and do not make mistakes.

“EPISCOPALIANS REBEL OVER APPROVAL OF GAYS: Some plan to leave the Central Florida diocese after failing to oust the bishop… The long-simmering dispute over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church, USA,

which has threatened to tear the denomination apart, is now roiling the Diocese of Central Florida…” (Orlando Sentinel, November 4, 2007)

“EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF PITTSBURG VOTES TO SPLIT FROM NATIOAL CHURCH: JOHNSTOWN, PA. - By more than a 2-1 vote, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted in favor of separating from the national church because of a theological rift that began with the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003…”

(The New York Times, November 4, 2007)

Comment: These two items, among others, indicate the falling of the Nominal systems.  But it is not because of the gay and same sex unions, etc. that they are falling. These are only the symptoms of the real problem. If the denominations could discuss the real Biblical teachings rather than these social problems, perhaps they could survive. However, they have not considered the cardinal doctrines of the Bible for many years. For instance, such important doctrines as the Ransom, Resurrection, (which is never mentioned except at Easter), Justification by faith, Sanctification and Restitution to name a few. Their only concerns are the social questions, which would be taken care of, if their minds were on the real Bible Truths. Other denominations are having similar problems. (Jer. 51:7; Rev. 14:8; 18:23)

“SOUTHERN BAPTISTS FACING CROSSROADS OVER IDENTITY: Southern Baptists head into their annual national meeting this week at odds over whether they have become too conservative and wed to partisan politics or whether a harder line is necessary to give the Nashville, Tenn.-based denomination a clear identity, Beginning Tuesday in San Antonio, proposals about issues such as political involvement, clergy sexual abuse and speaking in tongues should provide a glimpse at where the 16.3 million-member denomination is headed, 28 years after the ‘conservative resurgence’ swept liberals out. What’s at stake is the direction of the SBC and how the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. will work to reverse stagnating membership.” 

(Orlando Sentinel, June 11. 2007)

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Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the many beautiful Christmas cards received expressing love and prayers. Be assured that our warm Christian love and prayers are ever with you. We wish for all our readers that they will grow in Grace and Knowledge of the Lord for a blessed New Year as “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18)

ANNOUNCEMENT: The date of our Memorial is March 20, 2008, after six p.m.