NO. 282: GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY

No. 282

At this time of the year there are so many people reminded of Jesus our Savior ­and it is a pleasure to see them rejoice in the Birth of our Savior. We well realize that much of the emphasis placed on this occasion is for commercial purposes, yet the general atmosphere is “Good Will To Men.” It seems to affect those who are not be­lievers – especially those of “good will.” Even though we know it is not the correct date for the birth of our Lord, it is not indicated in the Scriptures that we should celebrate that event; therefore, if the world wishes to honor His birth, we can join with those who from the sincerity of heart appreciate Him as their Redeemer. We now offer the following from That Servant as given in our Daily Manna, with which we are in full agreement:

“Although we cannot agree that this is the proper day for celebrating the birth of our dear Redeemer, but must insist that it was about October first (Studies Vol. 2), nevertheless, since He did not intimate His desire that we should celebrate His birthday, it is quite immaterial upon what day that event, of so great importance to all, is celebrated. Upon this day, so generally celebrated, we may properly enough join with all whose hearts are in the attitude of love and appreciation toward God and to­ward the Savior. The habit of giving little remembrances one to another at this time of the year seems to us specially appropriate. God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, He is continually giving; and we are continually receiving from Him, but amongst all His gifts the One of greatest importance is the Gift of His Son to be our Redeemer.”

That Servant never criticized or made a special difference with any one unless the matter was basic and important to the Plan of Salvation. He was indeed “That Wise and Faithful Servant”! Had the Jehovah’s Witnesses continued in the “faith once de­livered unto the saints,” they would not have caused so much heartache and anguish in the homes of their devotees. However, these people are misled, and quite a few of them do these things because they think it is God’s will. But the Jehovah’s Witnes­ses must be different, and advertise their difference. Had they followed the course of “That Wise and Faithful Servant” they would not have caused so much misery and hardship for their faithful adherents – not for the “witness of the Truth,” but for the witness of the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses. And so long as these “witnesses” do so because of their belief that they are doing God’s will, the Lord is mindful of them – and in due course will bring them to a “knowledge of the Truth.” So we should “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” (2 Tim. 2:25)

Although December 25 is generally recognized as the birth date of JESUS, there is not the slightest hint in the Bible or in secular history that this is the correct date. How then has this date been established? Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) Among the outstanding types of the Old Testament that “testify” of Him is the one on the Day of Atonement, in which sacrifice of the bullock typified Jesus as the Atonement for our sins. This service was held on the tenth day of the seventh month – the tenth day of the seventh month is Tishri, or Tizri, which is represented in our calendar by about the tenth of October. And in every institutional type the antitype must appear on the same date as did the type.

The question now comes, Why this gross error? After the “falling away” (2 Thes, 2:3) became more pronounced in the early Church, the question of the same date for the Jewish Day of Atonement and the birth of Jesus propounded some irritating and intricate questions, so the “bright minds” of the time came up with this solution: The Vernal Equinox occurs about March 25, so Jesus would begin generation in Mary about that time; and nine months from March 25 would arrive at December 25, which should be the day of His birth. Truly, “Wisdom is justified of her children”! (Matt. 11:19) And we have here an excellent illustration of that truth. But we agree with That Servant, that we may properly enough join with all those whose hearts are in the attitude of love and ap­preciation toward God and toward the Savior on December 25, which is generally accepted as the birth date of our Redeemer.

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” But the Jehovah’s Witnesses bring us “bad tidings of great misery” for all those who do not join with them. Ac­cording to them, the vast majority now living will be annihilated in Armageddon unless they join with them beforehand. So the majority of this generation will have no oppor­tunity of eternal life in the Kingdom. But the Scriptures clearly teach, there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the Just and the Unjust (Acts 24:15), which will not only include those of past generations, but those of this generation also. There has never been a time when the Adversary has deceived the children of this world more than today – so why should we be surprised at those who are unable to accept the Truth? “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:4) But we are promised that the “eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isa. 35:5) in that glorious Kingdom.

Jesus did not die for the few who become His footstep followers during this Faith Age, when sin is in the ascendancy, but He died for all mankind – to be “testified in due time.” (2 Tim. 2:1-6)  There are Two Salvations – one for the world of mankind who have been “blinded by the god of this world,” – called the “common salvation” (Jude 3); and the “great salvation” (Heb. 2:3), which is the salvation of the Elect during this Faith Age – the footstep followers of our Lord – the “called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

The story of the “good tidings” of this text (Luke 2:10) is so familiar as to re­quire no special comment – yet in its simple details lies the hope of the whole world. For four thousand years the birth of this child was promised, and during these forty centuries some faithful souls continued to trust in the promises and to look for the salvation to be brought about through Him. We may surely take it for granted that the humble shepherds to whom the message of the Lord’s Advent first came were men who thus hoped in the promises of God; for to such, and to such only, the Lord discloses His purposes.

These men were quietly tending their flocks by night when suddenly “the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.” (Luke 2:9) But their fear was soon overcome by the message of the angel, which, strange to say, has been partially omitted – leaving out one of the grand­est features of the message – viz., that it was to be to all people.

The message reads, “Fear not; for, behold I bring you good tidings, of GREAT JOY, which shall be to ALL PEOPLE.” It will be observed that the blessedness of these tidings is cumulative: first, it is “good tidings”; then, it is “great joy”; and then the crowning feature of it is that it is to “all people” – not only to you shepherds who are this night looking for the hope of Israel, but for your friends and relatives – to all their friends and relatives and neighbors far and near: to both those who now live, but to all those now in death.

Blessed tidings! Hearken to the gladsome sound: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Verse 11) Then He was to be a Saviour to all people: so the Scriptures clearly affirm, saying that, by the grace of God, He tasted death for every man, and that He gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time – for all. (Heb. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:6) The testimony, however, is quite as necessary to the salvation of the sinner as the fact that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all. The favor of salvation will not be forced upon any; but the testimony that it has been provided for every man, on condition of his accept­ance of the favor upon God’s terms, is to be given to every man, for his acceptance or rejection. And though millions of the race for whom Christ died have gone down to the grave without such testimony, still the fact remains that the testimony shall be given in due time – which due time, to all such, must be after their awakening from death.

And to this agree the words of the Lord: “The hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth; they that have done good (who in this present life have come into judgment and who have passed their trial successfully), unto the resurrection of life (the full reward of the faith­ful. Such will be the overcoming church); and they that have done evil unto the res­urrection of judgment.” (John 5:25–29) That is, the latter class will come forth from the grave to have the truth testified to them for their acceptance or rejection; and their final judgment of worthiness or unworthiness of life will be based upon their course under trial after the truth has been testified to them – in the Millennial Age – the Age now just ahead of us. Thus the angel of the Lord preached the good tidings of the restitution of all things (Acts 3:19-23) to the shepherds on the plane of Beth­lehem.

Verse 12: Then they told where and how they should find this bud of promise, so that when they would see Him they might feel doubly assured that this was He.

Verses 13,14: “Then suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heav­enly host, praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” This shows how the angels of God are interested in the affairs of men, and how they sympathize with us and rejoice over our prosperity. And this reminds us of other statements to the effect that there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner that repenteth (Luke 15:7); and that they are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. (1 Pet. 1:12; Heb. 1:14) Thus we see them to be creatures of God full of loving benevolence even toward a fallen race, and esteeming it a privilege to serve the heirs of this salvation, although they know, as they studiously look into God’s Plan, that some of this fallen race are by and by to be highly exalted, even above the angels who never sinned.

Thus we see their humble recognition of the right of the Creator to do what He will with His own, and their cheerful and joyful acquiescence in His perfect will, which they know to be determined by His unerring Wisdom and His fathomless love. Oh, what universal joy will prevail when the whole family of God in heaven and in earth is brought into fullest harmony under Jehovah’s Anointed!

Verses 15, 18 show the teachable attitude of the shepherds: they recognized the angels and their message as from the Lord, and, their fears being allayed, their hopes revived and their faith increased, they felt that they must go at once and see this which had come to pass. And when they had so determined, a strange star (evidently a meteor, as it could not have been a fixed star) appeared, moving in the direction which the angel had told them to go; and they followed the star until they reached Bethle­hem, when it stood still over the place where the young child was. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him and presented to Him gold and frankincense and myrrh, recog­nizing Him as the long-promised Messiah. And being warned of God in a dream, they dis­regarded the request of Herod to inform him of the whereabouts of the new-born king, and so departed into their own country another way. But as they went they published abroad the good tidings which the angels had brought to them, and how they had actually seen Him of whom the prophets testified.

Verse 19: “But Mary (mother-like) kept all these things and pondered them, in her heart,” doubtless calling to mind also the message of the angel to her. (Luke 1: 28–35) Again and again we seem to hear her say, “My soul doth magnify the Lord... for He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden... He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-49)

Verse 20: The shepherds returned to their flocks, fully assured of the wonderful truth that the promised seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent’s head had really come. (Gen. 3:15) And they rejoiced and glorified God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as they were told unto them.

“NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN”

(John 7:46)

At this analysis a review is in order. We begin at the Mount of Beatitudes and close with the Mount of Transfiguration, and on the way in the Master’s words and con­duct find illustrations of the wonderful teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and how faithful obedience to the instructions there given will mean to us eventually a place in the Kingdom, pictured in the Transfiguration scene. The blessings of the meek, the merciful; the persecuted for righteousness’ sake, etc., etc., all will find their fulfillment when, by the grace of God, we shall eventually be changed, transfigured, by the grace of God, we shall eventually be changed, transfigured, by the Redeemer and Lord – “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43)

How wonderful are the Lord’s dealings with us and yet how reasonable. His appeal is, “Come let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as wool.” (Isa. 1:18) He shows us how He has prepared for this: that He Himself has provided, the sacrifice for sins; that our Lord has already died the Just for the Un­just that He might bring us to God, and that God can be just when He receives us, just in His dealings with us, because the justice element of His Law has been fully met on our behalf. He gives us a glimpse of the blessings He proposes to bring to the world of mankind, points us to the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice takes away the sin of the world, and invites all those who have love and sympathy and appreciation to come now and accept not only life eternal but favor upon favor – joint-heirship with His Son in the glorious Kingdom which is to bless the world in the great uplift of “restitution, which God hath-spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21)

This message comes to us through the Son of God, of whom our text declares, “Never man spake like this man.” No wonder the apostles said to Him when some were forsaking Him, “Lord, to whom should we go? Thou hast the words (the message) of eternal life.” (John 6:68) Others may indeed think that they have eternal life in themselves – they may persuade themselves that by some inherent, immortal principle they will live forever, and that when they die it will merely be the appearance of dy­ing, and actually they will become in that moment more alive than ever. At best that is a very difficult thought, and few are able to so hypnotize their own judgments as to believe it. We on the contrary, hearkening to the voice that spoke as never man spake, hear His declaration that our hope is in Him as the “resurrection and the life.” (John 5:28,29) It is reasonable.

We can reason together with God when we take the voice of His Son and reject the voices of the “Dark Ages.” From this standpoint – that a resurrection has been pro­vided through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus – the whole matter of the redemp­tion which is in Christ Jesus – the whole matter of death and eternal life is clari­fied before our mental view. We see the condemnation through Adam, and how death is justly reigning throughout the whole world of mankind ever since. We see the death of Christ, the Just for the Unjust; that He has bought us with His precious blood, that He has paid our ransom price, and that as a result, in God’s due time, all shall come forth from the power of the tomb. We see the keys of death and of the grave in the hands of the One who has purchased all; we rejoice in the proclamation of the coming blessing to all the families of the earth, through a release from this power of sin and Satan and death.

We hearken still more intently to the voice of Him that speaketh as never man spake, and hear Him assure us that there are two resurrections – one a life resurrec­tion, the other a judgment resurrection. We hear Him tell us that only those who through faith and obedience attain a standing with God under the cover of the precious sacri­fice will be counted the good, the justified, and only they will share in the life res­urrection, because only they will have passed their trial and be counted worthy of life. All others will come forth to the judgment resurrection to be disciplined under the King­dom, to receive stripes in proportion to the willfulness in which they have cooperated in their own downfall into mental, moral and physical degradation, but to be helped by the stripes, to be corrected in righteousness, if they will, and to be brought step by step out of the sin-and-death conditions, up, up, up, by resurrection power of Jesus, to the full perfection, to all that was lost in Adam.

Well may we rejoice in this One who spake as never man spake, in Him who has the words of eternal life. Respecting those words the Apostle Peter says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might become par­takers of the Divine nature.” (2 Pet. 1:4) Yes! Wonderful words of life, tell them over again, think them over again, rejoice in them more and more – let them fill our hearts and be in our mouths a new song of the loving kindness of our God, whose tender mercies are over all His works.

Of these words, which the Master spake as never man spake, the Apostle further declares that He spake of our salvation. He says, “Which salvation began to be spoken by our Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” (Heb. 2:3) Not only was there no eternal life in our race, and no hope for attaining any except through Jesus, but all of the promises of the past would have been powerless without His work of atone­ment, and not until He came was it known how our redemption was to be accomplished. True, the Lord had provided various types and shadows in the numerous sacrifices of the past which illustrated the fact that “without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin” (Heb. 9:22); but they could not be understood until the antitype had come. Then He brought life to light and immortality to light – life for the world, eternal life to be conferred during the Millennial Age – immortality for His Church, His bride, His Little Flock, His joint–heirs. These were never brought to light before; they were faintly seen and vaguely described, but it remained for the Great Teacher ­Jesus – to set forth before us the salvation which God had proffered through Him. Thank God that our hearts have made our lips more and more tell forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Through faith in Him we are already reckoned risen to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), and through Him by and by the Father will raise us up by His own power, that we shall be like Him and share His glory, honor and immortality.

THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN

1 Tim. 4:19 shows that God will save all men from the Adamic Condemnation, but not eternally: “We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men (from the Adamic condemnation, but not eternally; after the sentence is removed from each one, he is given an individual trial for life; and only those who prove worthy in their trial gain everlasting life), especially (He is the Savior to the uttermost only) of those that believe (the faithful elect now and the faithful non-elect in the Millen­nium).”

A NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH

Another testimony, which incidentally identifies the Judgment Day with the Mil­lennium, is found in 2 Pet. 3:6-13: “Whereby the world that then was, being over­flowed with water, perished (not the literal world – the earth – nor the human family perished, but the symbolic world, the order of affairs which then existed, was de­stroyed by the flood): but the heavens and the earth, which are now (‘this present evil world’ – Gal. 1:4, the order of affairs now existing: its heavens being its re­ligious systems and teachers and its earth being its organized society), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire (a symbol of destruction—Mal. 3:2,3; 4:1,3; Matt. 3:11,12; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; Rev. 17:16; all the symbolic earth will be devoured by the fire of God’s jealousy – Zeph. 3:8) against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing (do not forget), that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (this identified the day of judgment of v. 7 as a 1000-year day). The Lord is not slack concerning his prom­ise, as some men count slackness (God’s time seems slow to the natural man); but long-­sufferingly to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord (the 1000-year Judgment Day) will come as a thief in the night (comp. 1 Thes. 5:1-3); in which the heavens (not the literal heavens, but Satan’s false religious systems – comp. Heb. 12:26,27) shall pass away with a great noise (uproar and confusion), and the elements shall melt with fervent heat (the various com­ponent elements of the present symbolic heavens and earth will disintegrate), the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up (Satan’s selfish, unjust and corrupt social arrangements shall be destroyed; but the literal earth is to remain, just as it remained after the flood – ‘the earth abideth for ever’ – Eccl. 1:4).

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens (Jesus and His faithful followers, the Millennial religious ruling powers) and a new earth (human society organized on the basis of truth, righteousness and love, as against the erron­eous, unjust and selfish arrangements of the present evil earth), wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Thus by then Jesus will have destroyed the devil and all his works. Accordingly, we look for the Millennial Age to witness the destruction of the sentence of death, as well as all the effects of that sentence; sin, error. superstition, sorrow, pain, sighing, crying, sickness, famine, pestilence, drought, extreme heat and cold, scarcity, war, revolution, anarchy, oppression, poverty, ignorance, dying and death. (Rev. 21: 1-4; 22:3)

RESULTS OF THE KINGDOM’S REIGN

One of the results of the Kingdom’s reign will be the utter extirpation of all the effects of the curse as the unholy fruits of Satan’s rule, authority and power. Among other passages, 1 Cor. 15:20-26 shows this. We quote it from the Improved Ver­sion: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become a first fruit (Jesus) of them that slept. For since by (Adam) came death, by (a) man also (Jesus) shall come the resurrection of the dead. For as all in Adam die (Jesus did not die in Adam, for He was not in Adam, and therefore our correction of the translation), even so all in Christ shall be made alive (e.g., the Little Flock is in Christ; they shall be made alive first and primarily). But every man in his own order: Christ a firstfruit (the Church is here meant); afterward they that are Christ’s at (during) his presence (those who are shown to be our Lord’s faithful followers during His presence, these shall also be made alive). Then cometh the end (the end of the Little Season, when He shall have ruled over all the earth and given every man the opportunity to gain eternal life, which His Ransom-sacrifice, a corresponding price, enables Him to give), when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (for God will be the final judge over the earth and will exercise His judgment through Christ, the Head, primarily, and sec­ondarily, the Church, His Body, as His Vicegerent); when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and (all) power (every vestige of the governorship and of the pretended might of Satan, all of this will be put down by the almighty hand of Christ, the Head, and the Church, the Body, using God’s power as that almighty power in their hand). For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (thus we see that not only persons are these enemies, but also things. The Adamic death in the sense of the dying process is this last great enemy; and, because of His faithfulness, Jesus became the One who will after the close of the Millennium finally destroy it).”

But not all will obtain eternal life. Those who will not even externally reform, but will continue to be rebellious to the Kingdom during the thousand years, will after 100 years of opportunity be cut off in the Second Death (Isa. 65:20); while those who will reform externally, but without a heart reformation, will live throughout the thousand years and attain human perfection; but by the trial during the “little season” at the Millennium’s close, their unholy heart’s condition (the Adamic process) will become manifest, and they will perish in the Second Death – everlasting destruction (Rev. 20: 7-9, 15; Mal. 4:3; Psa. 37:10,35,36,38; Isa. 1:28; Acts 3:23). Those who during the Millennium will practice truth and righteousness, from the love of these principles, will be lifted up to human perfection not only in their faculties, but also in their characters (Isa. 66:10-14), and will thus be enabled to remain faithful amid the final trial during the Little Season after the Millennium; and these shall inherit the earth forever, as paradise restored (Matt. 25:35-40; Isa. 65:16-25). Such will be the grand results of the reign of Jesus and the Church in the earth (Rev. 21:3-5; 22:1-3).

The sad tragedy of sin will forever have ceased to be enacted. The ages to come will witness the realization of the angels’ song of (G1ory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will to men (Luke 2:14); and from every part of the Universe the glorious Hallelujah chorus of Jehovah’s numberless choirs, without one discordant note, shall forever and ever celebrate Jehovah and Christ, for their glorious Persons, holy Characters, wonderful Plan and great Works (Rev. 5:13)! Therefore let every lover of God and man, of truth and righteousness, pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as in Heaven”! As the hymn says, “I love to tell the Story”!.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him aloud with heart and voice,

And always in His Son rejoice.

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Is Armageddon imminent, and what can we expect will be the order of affairs after Armageddon?

ANSWER: – Yes, we believe Armageddon is imminent. At the first Advent “people were in expectation (because of certain Old Testament prophecies), and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not.” (Luke 3:15) Today all Truth groups are also “in expectation” of Armageddon – as were the Jews then in ex­pectation of the Messiah; but their “expectations” today are by no means in full ac­cord with each other. The “all men” of the text had specific reference to the Jews, although it would seem a limited number of Gentiles also had a related expectation – just as some nominal Christians and worldlings also now believe Armageddon is near at hand.

It was the Parousia Messenger’s teaching that “the Heavens” (present nominal re­ligious systems) would pass away first: “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise” (2 Pet. 3:10) – with a rushing sound” (Dia.). The Berean Comment says, “a great hissing noise, uproar and confusion.” According to 1 Kgs. 19:11-13, Armageddon is but the second spasm of the “uproar and confusion,” to be followed by the “fire.” And, while Great Babylon will fall in Armageddon, never to rise again, the peoples of the various nations will attempt some sort of civil government reconstruction – the same being forged according to the temperament of the peoples in the various countries. Having been an eye witness to the 1967 riots in Detroit, and the wanton vandalism that prevailed then, it is our opinion that the “fire” will follow Armageddon rather quickly – in much less time than has elapsed between the “wind” (the world war) and Armageddon. In that 1967 upheaval the destruction was so extensive (approximating one-half billion dollars in that one city) that Detroit has not begun to reconstruct; and if such a con­dition were to prevail in all large cities, the commercial bedlam would be too much for any new government to handle efficiently.

But our concern in this question is chiefly with the religious setting. Man is by inheritance and general upbringing a religious being; it is inherent in his blood and brain organs. Therefore, it would be foolish to suppose that man will lose his relig­ious propensities just because the systems have been destroyed. It has been forcefully pointed out by That Servant that many people would gladly embrace the Truth now were it not for the intimidation or undue persuasion by their religious leaders; and we are in full agreement with that thought. Therefore, once Armageddon offers convincing proof of present erroneous teachings, it would seem a reasonable conclusion that many will be won for the Truth.

In this connection, we mention specifically the Jehovah’s Witnesses, as they have gone far astray from the teaching of That Servant. He said Armageddon is world-wide revolution, which will be a complete disruption of the present Gentile governments; but each country will set up some sort of government that they think is suitable for their needs. The Witnesses have been telling us that Armageddon will completely anni­hilate all earthly governments. They tell us that Armageddon will clear the air for them, and that thereafter they will be in complete charge – not the Jews. But the Scriptures clearly teach us when the Kingdom is established, after Jacob’s last trouble, the faithful Worthies (Hebrews, 11th Chapter) will be in charge, with the Jews as the chief missionaries of the Kingdom.

Although we cannot see clearly the details of things just ahead of us, we do know the generalities. We are still in the Faith Age, but “Ye, brethren, are not in dark­ness” (1 Thes. 5:4); and “We, according to the promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Pet. 3:11-13) But this “new heavens” is not the “new heavens” that the Witnesses are teaching; but through hard experiences that will come to them during and after Armageddon, the sincere among them will learn that they have been deluded and will, no doubt, come to a “knowledge of the Truth.” Although there might be an attempt made by some to set up a new set of errors after Armageddon, but they won’t survive for long, the same as the new governments will be unable to sur­vive for long. And these expressions are in exact harmony with the teachings of That Servant – teachings that the Witnesses have discarded.

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

I am not sure how you got my name, but it doesn’t matter. I’m glad you did. I have your paper, and enjoyed it very much. I take the Present Truth and Bible Standard, but not having found the Truth as given by That Servant until recently, I am unable to recognize the errors you point out in RGJ’s May-June PT. What you say makes sense.

I would like to continue receiving your paper, and also a list of your publications for sale... I am enclosing a love gift to aid in the work you are doing. Until I hear from you, may you have joy and peace in serving our Beloved Master.

Sincerely your brother ------- (OKLAHOMA)

NO. 281: THE JULY-AUGUST 1978 PRESENT TRUTH

No. 281

In the above-mentioned Present Truth, RGJ again repeats his many errors on his non-existent class of Campers Consecrated, reiterating that they will be the first blessed in the Kingdom instead of “to the Jew first.” It doesn’t seem to bother him that his contentions set aside the clear Scriptures, as well as the teachings of the two Messengers that we have quoted in our papers. His “strange fire” (false doctrine) has no Scriptural foundation, nor any support from That Servant or the Epiphany Messen­ger; therefore, it comes within the scope of the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:3 – error, which has no bottom in it). “Search for the truth is the noblest occupation of man; its publication is a duty,” is a saying worthy of practice; and we again quote some of the teachings of the “faith once delivered unto the saints,” which refute RGJ’s errors:

“Hence it will be after the Gospel Age when the New Covenant will be made, and that with Israel only.” (E-6:699)

“When we ask ourselves what the blessings are that the New Covenant will Millen­nially confer upon Israelites and Israelite-made Gentiles, we find them summed up in Christ’s perfect human body and life, right to perfect human life and its life-rights.” (E-6:709)

“We are guaranteed that a full opportunity will reach all, but that opportunity will be under the terms of the New Covenant for the blessing of all the families of the earth. It will be first applied to the Ancient Worthies; they will get the bless­ings and privileges of the New Covenant immediately. After that it will be ‘to the Jew first’, because of his long waiting for such a kingdom, and his waiting for such a king­dom will be rewarded with the joy and blessing which he will at that time enter into.” (Reprints 4760, col. 1, par. 3)

“The great Mediator of the New Covenant will not be seen with the natural eye.... The first to ‘look upon him whom they pierced’ will be the natural Israelites .... they will be trained, chastened, blessed and uplifted by him during the Millennium.” (Reprints 4544, top, col. 2)

The Berean Comment on Rom. 2:10: “To the Jew first... during the Millennium, as a natural result of his training under the Law.” (Their training will have the de­sired results under the New Covenant, because they will then be able to obey and live.)

THREE GENERAL GROUPS

RGJ lists Three General Groups of the quasi-elect on pp. 50,51, which we now briefly review: The first, he says, is made up of those Jews who during the Jewish and Gospel Ages have come into harmony with the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, though not consecrating. And the second General Group consists of those Gentiles (and some Jews), while not consecrating, have repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Savior and have remained faithful to the Ransom and to righteousness. RGJ cites us to Z 5164, and quotes par. 4 of this article on p. 58, col. 1, par. 2, in an effort to “prove” that he has the support of That Servant for his false doctrine. Why didn’t he refer to the whole article? We answer, Because that article annihilates his conten­tions that the natural Jew is not “first.”

In Reprints 5163, bottom, and 5164, top, That Servant says: “This New Covenant is to be made with Israel alone: for God never purposed to make a covenant with the Gen­tiles. The New Covenant will properly be so called because it will take the place of the Old Law Covenant, which God made with Israel and was broken by them. After Israel has been fully established under their New Covenant, all other nations will be privi­leged to come into relationship after the manner set forth in the Law (Gentiles who be­came “proselyte Jews”—JJH). All the world will eventually be blessed thereby. The New Covenant, then is to be made with such of Abraham’s descendants as are able to re­ceive it.”

As our readers can see, That Servant’s Z 5164 article that RGJ cited to prove his contentions, actually “dis”proves them: the article indisputably teaches that it will be “to the Jew first,” as is taught in the Scriptures. RGJ used another of That Ser­vant’s articles to “prove” Cornelius was not “repentant and believing”; and we quoted from that same article that so annihilated his contention that we have heard no more from him about Cornelius.

Why is RGJ so confused that he quotes from such articles that refute his errors instead of supporting them? We answer, He is so confused and befuddled with his errors that he can “see” only what he wants to see; and the same is true about his sectarian helpers, who may be the ones primarily responsible for such foolish mistakes. However, it is our fond hope that RGJ will see from Z 5164 that Brother Russell doesn’t support his errors in any place, and be persuaded to cease mentioning Campers Consecrated, and related errors, as he has done with his contentions about Cornelius.

RGJ’s third General Group is the Consecrated Epiphany Campers. He says they will attain to a much greater degree of harmony with truth and righteousness in this life than do either of the two unconsecrated groups mentioned (p. 51); and on p. 53 (26) he refers to Medan – the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, the highest class among the quasi-­elect.

Here is what That Servant says about the “highest class”: “The Apostle says that it is to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. In other words, he gives us a picture that God’s blessings of every kind begin with the Jew. He gave the Jew the first oppor­tunity under the Abraham Covenant, when Christ came to His own and His own received Him not. And when it comes to the blessings of the New Covenant, the opportunity will come to the Jew first, and he must take his stand, but it is ultimately to reach all the fam­ilies of the earth. The Jews may come and share with the Church, and with the Ancient Worthies, in the matter of carrying this glorious message to the other nations ... it will be to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.” (Question Book, p. 165)

“The Scriptures teach us it (the Kingdom—JJH) will begin with the Jews. They will be the first to be favored in that restitution time. God’s favor will come first to them through the Ancient Worthies, and then through them afterwards to all nations, kindreds and tongues.” (Question Book, p. 217)

But so far it seems that RGJ will “continue in his errors,” keep “casting aside” clear Scriptures and the teachings of the Messengers, just as do the Witnesses. However, RGJ does distribute the Parousia and Epiphany books that dispute his errors, which is commendable – as he refutes himself with these writings. If his Consecrated Campers would study Epiphany Volume Four on Youthful Worthies and Tentative Justification, if they have “good and honest hearts,” they will come to a “knowledge of the truth.” They will learn that the Epiphany Messenger, as well as That Servant, taught that Youthful Worthiship would be available “until restitution begins” – also Tentative Justification would be available for such consecrators; that Tentative Justification and Youthful Worthiship are synonymous.

THE EPIPHANY PERIOD

According to RGJ, the Epiphany has overlapped into the Basileia for 24 years ­and this “overlapping” is before the three main features of the Epiphany, or the Time of Trouble, have even started: Armageddon, Anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble! His Campers Consecrated doctrine has caused him to go into one error after another in his effort to support it. At one time he was clear on Tabernacle types, Tentative Justification, etc., according to his letter in E7:165-166. But since 1954 he has taught that Tenta­tive Justification is in the Epiphany Camp and also in the Millennial Camp. However, in this Present Truth he may have come back to “Tentative Justification will continue until restitution begins,” according to p. 58 (70) where he cites E-4:346 as proof. In that same book, the Epiphany Messenger teaches that Tentative Justification and oppor­tunity for Youthful Worthiship are synony­mous – that is, both will operate “until resti­tution begins.” (E-4:342)

It seems that RGJ is like the Jews at our Lord’s First Advent: “Thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” (Luke 19:44 – see Berean Comment) If we are faithful we look to the Lord’s Word as our guide; and 2 Thes. 2:8 clearly tells us the “times” in which we are now living: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (epiphan­eia) of his coming (parousia).” So we are in the Epiphany – and will be until Papacy is destroyed, and until the end of Anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble. (See E-4:53,54) Berean Comment on 2 Tim. 3:17: “There is no need for assistance from dreams ... The Spirit shall guide you into all Truth.”

So the Lord’s faithful children know the “times and seasons” even though some of the best of the Lord’s people have made mistakes in their expectations: That Servant ex­pected the Time of Trouble to be over in a few years; and Brother Johnson thought it would be a period of forty years – although he had only types and parallels to corroborate his expectation. Such expectations by faithful Mouth­pieces were permitted for a “trial of your faith.” Had they lived they would have seen their mistakes, of course, even as they were humble enough to admit some of the mistakes they made while they were with us. However, they both taught, with Scriptural proof, the events that would occur in the Epi­phany, or the Time of Trouble. So we are indeed furnished with necessary knowledge to recognize the “times and seasons” in which we are living; and if we need further light in our walk by faith, we can rest assured that the Lord will provide such light: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7 – See Berean Comment)

THE EPIPHANY CAMP

As most Truth people know, a place in the Tabernacle types a condition in the antitype; and the Camp condition is a temporary condition in the Faith Age, as well as in the Millennial Age. The type represents a temporary and imperfect condition ­therefore, no consecration can be made in the Camp to God: He doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. Christ’s merit is in the Court during the Faith Age, therefore those that consecrate are “counted perfect,” even though they are tabernacling in imper­fect flesh. There is an embargo on the Court until all the occupants have finished their course. There is never an imputation of Christ’s merit in the Epiphany Camp or in the Millennial Camp. The Merit is applied in the Millennial Camp after the embargo is lifted from the Court.

We call Tabernacle Shadows the “greatest little book” that has ever been written ­because these types and shadows are all-inclusive of the Plan of Salvation for all man­kind – for the elect in the Faith Age, and for the non-elect in the Millennial Age; and these types and shadows have clear Scriptures to corroborate them. When types and paral­lels are produced that don’t have plain Scriptural terms to corroborate them, we should be wary of them. As Brother Russell says: “A type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms.” But the types in Tabernacle Shadows are unmistakably corroborated by plain Scriptural teaching. The Epi­phany Messenger often emphasized that those thoroughly instructed in Tabernacle Shadows and Justification would never go too far into error.

But what do we find among some of the Truth groups! JFR cast aside Tentative Justi­fication, Tabernacle Shadows and the Six Volumes of Scripture Studies; and RGJ has perverted Tentative Justification and cast aside many basic types of Tabernacle Shadows – also has revolutionized against many basic Truths of both Parousia and Epiphany teach­ings. All his Campers Consecrated who have a “good and honest heart” would come to a “knowledge of the Truth” if they were given an opportunity.

No imperfect person can consecrate in the Epiphany Camp and God accept his conse­cration; but it will be different in the Millennial Camp, all Restitutionists will be imperfect, but they will not only be permitted to consecrate but will be commanded to consecrate – or commanded to obey the rules of the Kingdom. The “sinners” against the New Covenant will not be allowed to hurt or harm any one else: they will not be permit­ted to teach others error – there will be no error there – “no night there” (Rev. 21:25). In the Faith Age the “sinners” against their Covenant have been permitted to harm others, to teach them error, etc. The Measurably Faithful and the Unfaithful have done others much harm during this Age both spiritually and physically.

During the Kingdom the Restitutionists make their consecration to the Christ ­and they have a Mediator between them and God’s Justice. God has turned the whole process over to Jesus and the Church. In the Gospel Age their consecration is to God ­and instead of a Mediator they have an Advocate – He is not only the Advocate for the Church, but also for the Great Company. How could the Great Company receive Divine forgiveness for the willful sins that lost them their crowns unless they have an Advo­cate to plead their cause for them? Also the Youthful Worthies need an Advocate – although their Advocate is tentative the same as their justification. But they need Jesus, too. They daily ask for forgiveness of their trespasses – through Jesus.

Why does RGJ emphasize the Epiphany and Millennial Camps! We answer, It is his fantasy about Campers Consecrated – a new doctrine he has produced. The Epiphany Mes­senger clearly and emphatically taught that no Great Company can produce a new doctrine ­not only Great Company, but none of the members of the Little Flock can do so, aside from the Star Members. (See E-11:495) We should remember that the Camp condition in the Kingdom applies only to the imperfect condition of the Restitutionists. As they walk up the Highway of Holiness, they are entering a righteous condition: their per­manent abode will not be the Camp! It is only the people who are imperfect: the New Covenant is perfect with perfect Laws that will continue forever. However, during the Kingdom, there will be an iron rule – Marshall Law will be enforced. That is not true of the Gospel Age – nor will it be true of the Ages following the Kingdom. When per­fected, the Restitutionists will be sons of God.

The New Covenant is Israelitish, and, therefore, to the natural Jew first; but RGJ says on p. 52, col. 2, top, that the Consecrated Epiphany Campers are secondary after the Worthies. So the way he has it now, it will be “to the Gentile first,” as it was the Gentiles “first” who became Campers Consecrated. So far as we know, no Jew has embraced RGJ’s doctrine. RGJ’s teaching makes the Apostle Paul, Brother John­son and Brother Russell false teachers when they say “to the Jew first.”

TYPES AND PICTURES

RGJ admits his fantasy for making types and drawing pictures (See his Nov. 15, 1910 letter in Reprint 4716); and that may have been a contributing factor in losing his crown. But, be that as it may, since Brother Johnson’s demise he has run the gamut of type-making, picture-making, paralleling, etc. Types, pictures and “flashes” are all he has to support his false doctrine. Any one with a vivid imagination, and a knowledge of the histories of the Bible, can “make types and pictures” of characters and events given. But such erroneous types lack harmony with the “faith once delivered unto the saints,” as well as the Plan of Salvation as taught in the Scriptures. We can see this lack of harmony in the types and doctrines “delivered unto the Measurably Faith­ful” – the crown-lost leaders.

In the Present Truth under review RGJ has about 515 questions for his sectarian adherents to “study” his false doctrine. There are about 400 questions in Tabernacle Shadows – a book of 128 pages; and it has taken some classes two years or more with a weekly study to complete that book. Also, have his Campers Consecrated studied Taber­nacle Shadows, the Six Volumes of Studies in the Scriptures, and any of the Epiphany books – especially Epiphany Volume Four on the Epiphany period, Youthful Worthies and Tentative Justification, etc.? If they don’t have a basic knowledge of Parousia and Epiphany Truth they will be susceptible to errors, and while studying RGJ’s Present Truth, they will be “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7 – See Berean Comment)

CONSECRATION “UNTO LIFE” AND “UNTO DEATH”

On p. 62 there is a question as to whether it would be proper for Campers to con­secrate “unto life” since they will receive eternal life if faithful. RGJ’s answer to that is, the emphasis should be placed on “consecration to do God’s will” – and not whether “unto life” or “unto death.” He says that all consecrators should do so “in the same spirit” in which Jesus consecrated Himself.

All Jesus’ life He had practiced Duty Love, and had kept the Ten Commandments ­had done all that will be required of Restitutionists to gain eternal life; but when Jesus offered Himself to God as a living sacrifice – to walk a “narrow way” under ex­tremely adverse conditions – it was a different spirit (mind) than the obedience he practiced up to Jordan. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8) The Berean Comment on this text: “What it means to be obedient under most adverse conditions.” Restitutionists will learn obedience under most favorable conditions: those favorable conditions do not require self-sacrifice, so they are not required to consecrate with a “spirit” of sacrificing “unto death.” They are not required to have a faith that can trust Him where they cannot trace Him: they must have some faith, but they will be able to “trace Him” at every step of obedi­ence as they walk up the Highway of Holiness in their consecration “unto life.” So only the “called ones” during the Faith Age can make a consecration “unto death,” which is quite different from a consecration “unto life.”

The rules for the Faith Class during the Faith Age are given in the Bible; but the rules for Restitutionists are from “another book of life”—Rev. 20:12. The rules are quite different during the Millennial Age: they are reasonable to the natural man; but the rules of the Faith Age are more than the natural man can appreciate ­only Spiritual Israelites can appreciate them. So it is impossible for Restitution­ists to consecrate in the “same spirit” of our Lord and His footstep followers. A sacrificial spirit is not required of natural Israel, and other Restitutionists, in the Faith Age, nor will it be required of them in the Kingdom. We have known a few who have learned about the Kingdom and its blessings, after “counting the cost” of do­ing God’s will under adverse conditions, they decided that Restitution was good enough for them. Restitutionists will not be asked to “count the cost” of doing God’s will in the Kingdom: they will be commanded to obey. The spirit of Jesus was to give His life as a “living sacrifice” unto death, which is not required of Restitutionists in this life or in the next life.

THE “NARROW WAY” AND THE HIGHWAY

The Law Covenant was given to the Jews to live by – to obey and live. Had any of the Jews been perfect they could have kept a perfect Law; but those who honestly tried to keep the Law would have kept it had they been perfect. However, they were blessed as they honestly tried to keep it to the best of their ability. The Apostle Paul tells us: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us (Israelites – the “Jew first”) unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” There never was a “narrow way” for the natural Jew; the “narrow way” (the difficult way) was given to Spiritual Israel. There is no hint in the Bible that the faithful orthodox Jew would have to walk a “narrow way” to receive the promise – to be “first” under the New Covenant.

The New Covenant is made for the Jews, as well as for all others who become “pros­elyte Jews.” The blessings of the New Covenant will go to the natural Jew first, and then to the Gentile-made Jews, as That Servant taught. The blessings and privileges offered to Spiritual Israel, were offered to natural Israel first – and so the bless­ings of the New Covenant, to the natural Jew first.

Justification in this Faith Age is instantaneous; in the next Age justification will be gradual – prompted more by sight than by faith – although they will have to have faith in God’s promises. When the Restitutionists see the progress in themselves and in others in their obedience as they walk up the Highway of Holiness, it will encourage them to “keep on keeping on” in duty love toward God and Man. The place (condition) for walking a “narrow way” is only in the Court – and that in the Faith Age. There is no “narrow way” in the Epiphany Camp, and no “narrow way” in the Millennial Camp. Con­secration “unto death” is for the Faith Age – and that “way” is in the Court condition. Consecration “unto life” is in the Kingdom – and the “way” is to the Highway of Holiness. In the “finished picture” of the Epiphany Camp only the “repentant and believing” Jews and Gentiles, though unconsecrated, are represented there. They make a partial consecra­tion – a consecration to practice righteousness, and duty love to God and Man. They cannot do that perfectly in this Age, but will be able to do so more and more as they walk up the Highway of Holiness. They will renew their consecration under the New Covenant and will readily walk up the Highway of Holiness.

The voluminous writings of That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger regarding the New Covenant’s blessings “to the Jew first,” together with Scriptural corroboration, should convince any one with the “spirit of a sound mind” that it is the Truth. There is a measure of willfulness in any one who sets aside this faithful teaching. It seems to have become an anathema with RGJ to say, “to the Jew first,” as given in the Scrip­tures. All who set aside the faithful teaching of the Star Members also set aside the Apostle Paul’s teaching – God’s inspired Word!

THE “ISRAEL ANNIVERSARY NUMBER”

The June 1978 Bible Standard is RGJ’s “Israel Anniversary Number,” so we read it very carefully to see whether he is teaching them his “new light” (?) on Consecrated Epiphany Campers; and we found no mention of this doctrine in that Bible Standard ­or in the report of the trip to Israel by G. Hermetz. The question has been asked, Is RGJ only using the faithful Truths taught by That Servant? or is he teaching them his “new commandment” that they will have to walk a “narrow way” in the Epiphany Camp and become a Consecrated Epiphany Camper if they are to receive the promise, “to the Jew first”? If he is not informing them of this important new discovery, then Why not? Our answer is, that we only know what is presented in the Present Truth and the Bible Standard – and no mention of this doctrine is made in the Bible Standard that we have noticed; and we don’t know whether he is sending the Present Truth to the orthodox Jews. He should tell his readers what his policy is toward the Jews. Is he teaching one thing to the orthodox Jews and another thing to the Gentiles?

We know of no Scripture that tells us that the faithful orthodox Jews must consecrate and walk a “narrow way” in the Epiphany Camp to receive the promise. However, if RGJ believes his own doctrine, then it is his duty and obligation to inform the Jews of his “new commandment.” We know of no Scripture – no hint in the Scriptures – that the blessings of the New Covenant will be “to the Jew and Gentile” who consecrate and walk a “narrow way” in the Epiphany Camp. The blessings will go to the natural Jew and the Gentile-made (“proselyte Jews”) first – and these blessings will go to them “last,” as the New Covenant is Israelitish!

Why do we constantly refer to and quote the Messengers’ teaching? We answer, because they taught the Truth – and because “necessity is laid upon us” if we would be faithful to the Lord, the Truth and the Brethren. If RGJ believes his own teaching, he would be like the Apostle Paul: “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Certainly, he should not “shun” to declare his doctrine to the Jews, as it is more important for them to know about it than it is for the Gentiles. There is no Scripture promising the Gentiles they would be first to receive the New Covenant blessings.

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isa. 29:13) The Berean Comment on this text: “Far from me...’Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof’... The precept of men... The eternal torment theory is a man-made doctrine, not a Scriptural doctrine.” (Any doctrine not taught in the Scriptures is a man-made doc­trine – Consecrated Campers, Great Multitude, Justification in the Epiphany Camp, etc.—JJH)

“Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?” (Isa. 29:15) Berean Comment: “Their counsel... Schemes, plans... Who seeth us ... ‘The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.’“

“Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potters clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?” (Isa. 29:16) Berean Comment: “Upside down Perverting the Lord’s plan and doctrines.”

We repeat, if RGJ believes his own doctrine of Campers Consecrated, he should de­clare it to the Jews and Gentiles alike. As Brother Russell says, however, all God’s favors begin with the Jew first – and also reminded us that all who bless and comfort the Jews would be blessed themselves. So RGJ shouldn’t be teaching one thing to the Gentiles and another thing to the Jews. But, “A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8) As the Lord has said, “Thou shall speak my words unto them whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious” (Ezek. 2:5); And this we continue to do.

MORE FROM THAT SERVANT

“But strictly speaking, they (the benefits of the New Covenant—JJH) will not be for all people, because they will be applicable only to those who will become, in the Millennial Age, true Israelites. If any refuses the opportunity of becoming the ‘seed of Abraham’ he will not get the benefits of the Atonement .... Just as in Israel’s time, if there were any Gentiles who desired to become Jewish proselytes and who would conform to the terms and conditions appertaining to joining of the Jewish nation, they might become Israelites with the privileges of an Israelite; but if they declined... such failed to become Israelites, failed to get any of the blessings that were under the Mosaic Law. And similarly during the Millennial Age: Any one who will refuse to come under the terms ... of the New Covenant ... will fail to get the blessings.” (Reprint 4607, col. 2, par. 1)

“The orthodox Jews, those who still hold to the teachings of the Law and the Prophets, and have faith in God, will be the first to receive the blessings of the New Age.” (Reprint 5721, col. 2, par. 4)

It should be noted here that RGJ has repudiated large sections of the writings of both the Parousia and Epiphany Messenger – and also has set aside all their teach­ing, “to the Jew first,” to accommodate his false doctrine of Campers Consecrated. As an example, we quote:

“And what is typed by burning those parts of the lamb that re­mained uneaten? We reply: making it cease to exist as an imputable thing: the entire merit, then freed from the former outstanding imputations, through the death of all for whom imputations of it were made, will then cease to be used for further imputations, that it may be used as an entirety for one general application for the restitution class.” (E-11:170, bottom)

SUMMARY

As mentioned, the Lord’s faithful people are not in darkness as to what period we are now living. Not only does 2 Thes. 2:8 tell us that we are yet in the Epiphany, but there are other corroborating Scriptures: “But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you... Ye are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thes. 1:1,5)

It should be noted that RGJ cites his past errors in the Present Truth to “prove” his present errors. Any reference to the articles of the Messengers is to a paragraph that he thinks supports his errors, which paragraph taken alone is out of context with the general teaching of the article by That Servant. Note the paragraph RGJ quoted on p. 58, col. 1, par. 2, of this July-August Present Truth from Z 5164 – and read the article, if you have this Watch Tower; also note our quotation from the same article on p. 2 of this paper. As will be noted, That Servant is teaching in harmony with all his articles – “to the Jew first.” The same is true regarding his contention that Cor­nelius was not “repentant and believing” before the door of opportunity was offered to the Gentiles. He quoted a paragraph from an article by That Servant that he thought up­held his contention. But when we quoted another paragraph from that same article prov­ing that Brother Russell did not - and never had - upheld his contention, we have heard no more from him about Cornelius not being “repentant and believing” before the door was opened for the Gentiles. His audacity in setting aside the clear Scriptures on “to the Jew first,” as well as the teachings of both Messengers, is indeed a sorry testimony against him – especially since we have repeatedly cited and quoted so many of them!

And we now quote Brother Johnson’s teaching on this subject, which is most perti­nent to the above: “The advancing Truth does not set aside the Truth formerly received, as some deceivers teach.” (E-9:19)

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1) So, let us therefore, “Continue thou in the things thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” (2 Tim. 3:14)

It has truly been said: “There is a destiny that makes us brothers – none goes his way alone.” But we want to make sure that we don’t go in the way of “sinners.” “Blessed is the man... that standeth not in the way of sinners.” (Ps. 1:1) Berean Com­ment on this text: “Sinners against their covenant of consecration (crown-losers—JJH)”

“The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psa. 12:6) “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psa. 27:1)

Sincerely your brother,

 John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren:

I recently read the enclosed leaflet and enjoyed it very much. I would appre­ciate one copy each of your leaflets as checked. Thanking you, I am

Sincerely for this service, ------- (FLORIDA)

...........................................................................

Gentlemen:

Please send me the following papers: No. 5, Two Distinct Salvations; No. 6, God’s Great Sabbath Day; No. 9, The Day of Judgment.

Sincerely, ------- (NORTH CAROLINA)

NO. 280: IN MEMORIAM

No. 280

On Oct. 31 it will be 62 years since our beloved Brother Russell left us; and on Oct. 22 it will be just 28 years since our dear Brother Johnson joined him. All our readers who knew these brethren even passingly well know they both had superior intel­lects. Brother Johnson graduated from Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio, with the highest honors of any one who had attended that University up to that time. He was a Greek and Hebrew scholar, was well conversant with seven languages; and in his younger days he could give an oration in Latin, which very few college professors of Latin can do. He was so well educated in the Hebrew and Greek that he would quote copious sections of the King James Bible, then quote the same passages from the Hebrew or Greek, as the case might be. We were intimately acquainted with him for 27 years, although we never had the pleasure of meeting Brother Russell.

However, we did know brethren who had known him well, one of these having been his private secretary for quite some time; and a number of these told us about him within a year after he died, which somehow gives us a feeling of having known him personally. He had none of the institutional learning of Brother Johnson; but we believe that none of our readers will dispute the fact that he was an educated man. In fact, one Professor of English remarked that he considered The Divine Plan of the Ages as nearly perfect in Eng­lish and grammar as any book he had ever read. But his enemies often hurled the slur at him, as they did with Jesus Himself – When He was come into their own country, He taught them so much that they were astonished, and said: “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Matt. 13:54) Also, “having never learned.” (John 7:15) His memory deserves to be kept fragrant among us; and we honor his memory more by abiding in the beautiful system of truth that he left us, and by not accepting the many errors of our day – errors that set aside the fundamental truth that he established. And with this brief introduction we now proceed to a discussion of

THE LAODICEAN STAR

“One like unto the Son of Man ... had in his right hand seven stars”– Rev. 1:13-16. “The Finished Mystery” offered the following explanation for this text, which that book quoted from p. 345 of the 1916 Watch Tower:

“This One whom we thus know, thus recognize, as the Instructor and Caretaker of the candlesticks, we are also to recognize as having in his right hand – in His favor as well as His power – seven stars, the angels, the messengers, of the seven churches. That they are in His right hand seems to teach us that these should be considered as in some special sense under the Master’s guidance, protection and care in the interest of the Churches which they represented.” We have offered this quotation from Brother Russell because it fits exactly our own understanding of the text.

However, the book then goes on to name the “seven stars” as St. Paul, St. John, Arius, Waldo, Wycliffe, Luther and Russell. This part of the book is not from Brother Russell, but is the private interpretation of the writers of the book which we believe is contrary to sound Bible analysis. We disagree also with most of their time predic­tions, because time itself has demonstrated them to have been nothing more than the im­agination of the writers of the book – a sure proof that they were not qualified to write the book at all; and anything they have presented which is not directly from Brother Russell should be given very careful scrutiny. As instance, they say: “The chronology as it appears in the Studies in the Scriptures is accurate.” With this statement we fully agree, but the Witnesses themselves (those claiming to be the “chan­nel” for Divine Truth at the time they wrote the book) are now in complete disagreement with their own teaching in 1917; and we simply offer these few conclusions as an intro­duction to our own analysis of the”seven stars,” etc. In Rev; 12:1 it is stated that “the woman” (the true Church) – “had upon her head a crown of twelve Stars.” That these “twelve stars” are the twelve Apostles needs no elaboration; but we direct attention to the fact that there is just nothing in the state­ment to indicate that “star differeth from star in glory” – the twelve in the picture ap­pear as equals. And the statement by Jesus to all twelve of them confirms this: “He that heareth you, heareth Me”; they all received the miraculous gifts of the Spirit; they all were empowered to “bind and loose” on earth as occasion might require. Therefore, if the “star” to the Church at Ephesus contained more than one individual, we should be war­ranted in believing the six succeeding “stars” to those six churches of the Age would have more than one individual in them.

It is our understanding that the “seven stars” are the same as the seven “angels” (messengers) of Revelation Two and Three; they are the same as the “seven shepherds” of Micah 5:5; and they are the same as the “seven pipes” and the “seven eyes” of Zech. 4:2 and 4:10. Rev. 1:20 directly states “The seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches.” The Bible seldom uses different words just to be different; there is usually a specific meaning in the different words used, and this seems to be true here. “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write.” (Rev. 2:1) This might be better stated, “Unto the angel of the church for Ephesus write.” The message to be given was not for the in­dividual benefit of the star who delivered it; it was rather “for” that Messenger at that particular time to deliver to the church. As the “seven shepherds” of Micah 5:5, these same persons would guard and protect the sheep – “take heed unto all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers.” As the “seven pipes” of Zech. 4:2 they were the channel through which the Holy Spirit was administered to the Church; and as the “seven eyes” they were God’s watchmen – “I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel” (Eze. 3:17), “The watchmen shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.” (Isa. 52:8)

As the “seven stars” those shepherds of the sheep not only gave enlightenment to the Church during the night of sin and death, but they also gave a measure of light to the Christian world in general – “you appear as luminaries in the world” (Phil. 2:15, Dia.). Some of these “luminaries,” such as the Apostles, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and a few others, stand out prominently in the pages of history; but many of them have received only passing notice in the records.

We instance particularly Arius, of whom many in the Christian world have never heard at all; yet he is probably one of brightest of them all, aside from the very Apostles. We give just one example: When he was at the Council of Nice in 325 defend­ing the Truth that there is but “one God,” he was overwhelmingly out-numbered by the bishops assembled from the then Christian world. Yet one of those opposing him shouted forth during the heated debate: This man has the populace so stirred up that if you go into a store and ask the price of bread, the answer you get back from the clerk is, The Father is superior to the son; the Son is inferior to the Father. While there is little mention made of him today, it is clear enough that Arius was “a burning and shining light,” a true “luminary” in 325; and this, and similar incidents concerning the other “stars” give us a more vivid conception of Jesus’ words concerning all the fully faith­ful – “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” Eventually, when the lives and works of such “stars” are skillfully written by capable writers during the Kingdom reign, we can see how the words of Jesus will then be fully understood and appreciated. But considering now the Laodicean Star, it is our under­standing it contained two members, the first of whom we discuss as

THE PAROUSIA MESSENGER

This is the title we offer for Brother Russell because he officiated during the small Parousia from 1874 to 1914, and because he made crystal clear the meaning of the Greek Parousia – as PRESENCE, and not COMING, as it is generally given in the King James translation. Once that became clear to him, it began to sweep away many of the accumu­lated errors of the past, leading directly to his understanding of the 16th Chapter of Leviticus, the same being a concise picture of the entire Atonement, which culminates in “the restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19-21)

It is pertinent to our subject to consider here Micah 5:5, as it pertains to Brother Russell: “When the Assyrian shall come into our land (The Assyrians were a very warlike and destructive people, well portraying the errorists of this Gospel Age), and when he shall tread in our palaces (by devastating the Truth and the Spirit of the Truth among God’s true people), then shall we raise up against him seven shepherds, and eight princi­pal men.” The fact that there are “eight principal men” among the “seven shepherds” is additional proof that the seven shepherds were composite groups, and not seven individuals.

If we view the Bible as the origin of all spiritual Truth, then we must admit that it came first of all; but, if we consider those who have vitiated its teachings (the antitypical Assyrians – the errorists), then it is clear that the error came first, with the Lord sending deliverance through His stars, angels (messengers), eyes, shepherds and eight principal men – who have “wasted the land of Assyria with the sword,” the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Truth. If we consider Brother Russell as the seventh one of those eight principal men to appear on the Gospel-Age stream of time, all of us who are familiar with his teachings must admit that he did wield the “sword of the spirit” most mightily against the accumulated errors of the past.

It had been prophetically stated of him – “I ordained thee a prophet unto the na­tions” (Jer. 1:5); and his true calculation of the chronology, with 1914 as the end of the Gentile Times, put the finger of identification upon him as a prophet who had spoken in the name of the Lord. He had predicted the outbreak of a world war by the fall of 1914; and this had received much ridicule from his enemies, who had contended that civi­lization had advanced much too far to allow of such a conflict. We have been told that when the Gideon’s had their convention in Toronto in 1913 they there openly stated that such an expectation was simply beyond belief, what with the advances in science, medicine, art and culture that had been experienced in this generation. But when the war came ex­actly on time many of his critics openly confessed that he had indeed spoken the truth, and should receive due recognition for it.

But here we concern ourselves mainly with two of his teachings that still vitally concern us – Tabernacle Shadows and his refutation of Combinationism as it appeared in the Chicago Parliament of World Religions in 1893. When the Parousia Messenger began his ministry, the erroneous doctrine of eternal torment as the wages of sin was so deeply en­trenched that it was generally considered sacrilege to gainsay it. Many were the promi­nent and forceful orators who appeared as evangelists in their crusades to save the poor sinner from such an awful fate, so that Brother Russell was faced with what seemed an im­possible assignment. This is so graphically revealed in Judges 6:5 and 7:12: “The Mid­ianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grass­hoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea­side for multitude.”

And against this portentous force Gideon was arrayed with his band of 300 – out­numbered by probably more than a thousand to one. This was precisely the situation when Brother Russell began his attacks on human immortality, the consciousness of the dead, and eternal torment as the wages of sin. His most popular public discourse was, Where Are The Dead, which always included a good exposition on Restitution. When he sent out brethren from Bethel for Sunday discourses he always urged them to include a good portion of their public discourse on Restitution; and he himself occasionally remarked to Breth­ren “That’s the subject!” when he was to speak on Where Are The Dead.

He kept steadfastly at the subject and its pertinent errors, so that he was able to see certain victory ahead by the time he had finished his ministry. By 1916 it was con­sidered by many intellectuals as a distinct mark of ignorance on the part of those who still regarded eternal torment as the wages of sin. This is probably best stated by repeating what Pilgrim Brother Sidney Morton once told us; He was spending some time at Bethel, as all the pilgrims occasionally did. Brother Russell wanted all the breth­ren to keep abreast of current events, so he appointed two or three to peruse the lead­ing newspapers each day, and give a resume at the dining room table. This saved the re­maining brethren from spending valuable time with the newspapers. On one occasion one of the reviewers began to read:

There is a man in our town

Who thinks he’s wondrous wise;

He fell into a bramble bush

That put out both his eyes.

There were several more similar stanzas, and Brother Russell was beginning to show his annoyance at what seemed to be pretty much on the vaudeville side of things, when the final lines were read:

There is a man in our town

Whose name I need not tell;

I’m sure you all must know him,

For he put the fires out of Hell.

Certainly Brother Russell was the “principal man” of God’s Household in his day; he was the “angel” (messenger) to the Church in Laodicea; he had a message to deliver and he delivered it with telling force – until the very day his Great Captain finally said to him, It is enough! But his ministry brought upon him the most vicious attacks from the brightest lights of Satan; and they were legion. When they could not gainsay or resist the Truth he preached, they devised the most vicious sort of slander against him – he was grossly immoral, a thing he could deny, but he could not disprove; and the human mind being as it is today, the advantage was with the slanderers. Many were ready enough to believe the evil side of things. Others referred to him as “That braying Balaam’s Ass!” Here was indeed the antitype of Jeremiah’s being “let down in the dun­geon .... where there was no water (truth), but mire (filthy words).” (Jer. 38:6) All this he took in stride, being mindful of Jesus’ words: “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His Household?” (Matt. 10:25) The Lord Himself had called him “blessed”; and this more than compensated for the slanders hurled at him by “the workers of iniquity.” (Psa. 37:1)

Combinationism: He was adamant against the Combinationist sifters, which sifting had become prominent at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Combina­tionism takes the position that it matters not what one believes so long as he is sin­cere in his belief. In that Convention in Chicago such an attitude tended to place all the assembled heathen dignitaries on equality with Christian ideals. And it might be observed that the quality of Christianity that was displayed at that Convention by some in attendance tended to confirm such a conclusion. In fact, some of the heathen were heard to remark that they thought they should be coming to America to convert us to their ways and beliefs, instead of us sending missionaries to them to change their ideals.

Combinationism is Scriptural fornication – a combining of forbidden things. It finds its type in Num. 25:1-18, where some of the Jews were engaging in illicit union with the heathen round about in direct violation of the sixth Commandment. St. Paul pinpoints this situation in 1 Cor. 10:8: “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.” And in v. 11 he states that those things happened to them “as types” and “are written for our (special) admonition and learning, upon whom the ends of the Ages are come.” Being in the clos­ing “end” of the Gospel Age and the opening “end” of the Millennial Age (the ‘ends’ of the Ages), in the closing of the Jewish Age and the beginning of the Gospel Age, when Paul wrote about it.

Brother Russell was rigidly opposed to Combinationism, and he made his stand known in no uncertain terms. In this he is individually typed by Phinehas (Num. 25:7, 8), who was the chief underpriest at that time. Certainly, those of us who are familiar with the history of the Harvest will offer no argument against the conclusion that Brother Russell was decidedly the chief underpriest in God’s Household during his ministry. Phinehas means “brazen mouth”; and those of us who know the record know there was never any compromise of principles by Brother Russell; and it was his unyielding stand against the Combinationist sifters that revealed him as “That Servant” of Matt. 25:46 for the first time to the brethren generally. For his uncompromising adherence to the “rules” many today still pray, God bless his memory. But this becomes only an empty and meaningless expression if we fail to follow the grand ideals he left. He was indeed that wonderful “man of God” – and “of – and to – the believers.” And with Combination­ism everywhere rampant today, we do well to take heed to ourselves lest we also fall un­der its deceptive lures.

To start from nothing against tremendous odds – as evidence the case of Gideon with his 300 – and to achieve the success he did, required remarkable ability. It could be said of him that he was versatile, efficient and immensely capable in whatever manner he applied himself. One outstanding business man once remarked that his services would be worth $2,000,000 per year to any corpora­tion large enough to afford that kind of help. Another man once remarked to him, Pastor Russell, you have put the standard of Christian living entirely too high. His answer – I didn’t put it there, Brother; the Lord did.

While his great ability was essential to his ministry, another item contributed much to his success. When he appeared upon the scene there were many in the various systems who were longing for reform – “men in the midst of the City who sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done there.” (Eze. 9:4) Thus, there were some who were not only ready to hear him, but they also joined enthusiastically with him in the work. Over a period of time he attracted to himself quite a number of the best minds in Christendom; and it is elemental to the success of any enterprise that its organizer surround himself with capable assistants. This That Servant did; and, following St. Paul’s counsel to “prefer one another in honor,” he freely delegated authority to any who showed the capac­ity to act accordingly. In this also he was a noble “example of the believers.” But he continued only to promote them so long as they also were uncompromising to principle and fundamental doctrines of the Bible. All during his ministry his shibboleth was, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4) He was a determined and unyielding foe to Combinationism to the end of his ministry.

When That Servant appeared on the scene all of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible – except Restitution – were being taught in some section of Christendom; but all of them were either directly cumbered with some error, or were not clearly understood by those attempting to teach them. Before he had finished, every one of those doctrines, including Restitution, had been relieved of all rubbish, and had been made crystal clear. This was foretold in Mal. 3:1-3: “The Messenger of the Covenant ... shall sit as a re­finer and purifier of silver.” The word ‘purifier’ in this text would be better ren­dered ‘polisher’; and who of us will not admit that That Servant did ‘polish’ the Truth (silver) in admirable brilliance! And in doing this he never resorted to the tricks of oratory. There were better orators than he, but certainly no better preachers. And in him was a living proof of our Lord’s sure words, “I will give you a mouth (eloquence) and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” (Luke 21:15) Every one that “was of the Truth” heard his voice gladly.

He was engaged in “the good fight” until the very day he died; and it could be said of him as one historian wrote about Martin Luther: He fell peacefully asleep in Jesus. “Them that honor Me, I will honor, saith the Lord”; and the Lord did honor him greatly. And if we wish to honor him, we can do so in no better way than to adhere to and uphold that Truth that was so dear to him. As Jesus said of Himself: “He who has My command­ments (the Truth) and observes them, that is he who loves Me.” (John 14:21, Dia.) It is our hope and prayer that this brief review may prove a rich blessing to all our readers as we approach now the 62nd anniversary of That Servant’s death.

THE EPIPHANY MESSENGER

The second member of the Laodicean Star was Brother Paul S. L. Johnson, whom we style the Epiphany Messenger because he clarified the Epiphany as an act and as a period of time in a manner never before done by any one else – so far as we know. He clearly demonstrated from the Scriptures that the Epiphany would follow the small Parousia, and would be the last period of the Gospel Age, that this special period would manifest per­sons, principals and things with a brilliance before unknown. Of course, That Servant had predicted there would be an Epiphany following the small Parousia, which would begin when the Time of Trouble would begin (See Reprint p. 2979) – but he gave no elaborate details about it, although what he did say formed the foundation for what the Epiphany Messenger wrote about it.

While the Greek Epiphaneia occurs six times in the New Testament, we here select only two texts as pointedly pertinent to our present discussion. In 2 Tim. 4:1 it is stated that “the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and kingdom.” The general concept throughout Christendom is that the “quick” in this text means those human beings still alive, and the “dead” are those in the tomb; but That Servant properly defined these classes as those quickened by the Holy Spirit and the fall­en angels, with the dead including all other human beings – whether in the tomb or out of it; that is, those “dead in trespasses and sins.” “God hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the (dead) world,” that “day” being the 1000-year day of His reign – a time that was future when Paul wrote, and is still future for the great mass of persons, although the foundation for its operation began to be laid in 1874. But “the quick” were to be judged in His Epiphaneia. Thus, the text would be more clearly expressed in this manner: He shall judge the quick at His Epiphaneia, and the dead at His Basileia (kingdom).

The various features of these great accomplishments by the Lord were given in lucid detail by the Epiphany Messenger. And the second text to have our attention is 2 Thes. 2:8 (Diaglott): “Then will be revealed the lawless one (whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of His mouth, and annihilate by the appearing of His presence).” “The appearing of His presence” is literally, “the Epiphaneia of His Parousia.” The Epiphan­eia (bright shining as an act and as a period of time) has been gradually eroding the very foundation stones of the Man of Sin’s structure, until today it is visibly falling over. But it has not yet fully done so, so we have here a sure proof that we must yet be in the Epiphany, and that this period will continue until the “annihilation” is fully accomplished. This feat is much nearer than many suppose; and it is our intention to say much more about it in the near future.

Another feature of this period would, according to That Servant, be to reveal those who have built their “house upon the Rock” and those who have built their “house upon the sand.” So long as this revealing has not yet been fully accomplished, we have here another proof that we must now still be in the Epiphany. But the Epiphany is definitely a time of separating, and a time of combining. Of His Parousia our Lord had foretold: “In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares (combine them), and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matt. 13:30) Clearly enough, from this text Combinationism would be rampant be­fore the harvest had been completed; and it offers explanation as to why both members of the Laodicean Star were so emphatic in their denunciation of it, and their warning for the faithful to have none of it.

The Epiphany Messenger had emphasized that the Gospel Age would be repeated here in the Epiphany on a small scale insofar as the Truth is concerned. The chief culprit of the Gospel Age in overthrowing the Truth has been the Man of Sin – that system hav­ing perverted or counterfeited every important feature of the Great Plan of the Ages. And in this Epiphany the Little Man of Sin (the Society, the self-styled “Channel”) has done the same thing with many important features of the Harvest Truth. Most of our read­ers know too, how determined was the Epiphany Messenger in exposing the errors of JFR and his cohorts in the Society.

Tabernacle Shadows was basic for a proper understanding of the Harvest Truth; and Brother Russell himself said that the Six Volumes of Studies in the Scriptures all had their origin in that book. The Epiphany Messenger elaborated considerably on that con­tention, and emphasized that every important feature of God’s Plan was revealed in the typical Tabernacle that Moses constructed. But hardly had That Servant been buried before the Society editors began to demolish the Tabernacle teachings, which brought forth determined exposures by the Epiphany Messenger – so much so that they eventually aban­doned the Tabernacle completely. The heat of exposure became more than they could bear. The Epiphany Messenger contended – very logically – that if Tabernacle Shadows were basic for the Parousia Truth, it must also be basic for the Epiphany Truth; it was the founda­tion stones, and any superstructure must therefore be built upon that solid foundation.

Thus, it became his privilege, and duty, to defend almost every feature of the Har­vest Truth – just as the Gospel-Age reformers were compelled to defend every feature of God’s Plan against the encroaching errors of the Man of Sin. This embroiled all of them in constant warfare – even as their Captain had also been involved in much controversy during His 31-year stay on earth. This caused resentment on the part of many who had once been his bosom brethren; and “they walked with him no more.” And many of those who resented him became ready candidates for the evil of Combinationism.

Combinationism is an illicit union or cooperation of God’s people with persons, principles, things and practices not fully approved by God. Examples of it are evident in the union of church and state (probably the worst form of it), of denominations with denominations, of Christian people with religio-secret-societies, of Christendom gener­ally with Judaism, and heathenism. Of all the movements that originated from the Parou­sia Messenger’s organization, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been among the most rigid against actually combining with other movements; but they have also been probably the most remiss of all of them in adopting the methods of those people they studiously avoid in actual contact.

After the death of Pastor Russell, J. F. Rutherford decided to ‘modernize’ the or­ganization he had formed, and he introduced a sales campaign to distribute their liter­ature after the same pattern used by business organizations to sell their products. Lest we be misunderstood, we find no fault with secular businesses using their advertis­ing and sales ingenuity to dispose of their wares – so long as they adhere to the Truth; but the use of such methods to disseminate Christian principles, literature, etc., is violently contrary to the high ideals given by Jesus in the fifth, sixth and seventh chapters of Matthew. Nor would the Parousia Messenger adopt their technique. But JFR had some seasoned business salesmen in his group, and these he persuaded to go from city to city to teach their sales technique toward the sale of his literature. The ideals of his adherents immediately began to decline – until now the high ideals of the Parousia Messenger, based upon sound Bible principles, are almost completely gone from his group.

In a very short time the Epiphany Messenger who had a strong love for the Parou­sia Messenger and the ideals he had established saw the trend of things, and objected so strenuously that a complete and irreparable separation resulted within a matter of months. Others joined themselves to him through the same motives – although the great major­ity, many of them not too well grounded in the Parousia Truth, remained with the Society. And in a very few years those who remained were so engulfed with the spirit of Combina­tionism in practice that the Parousia ideals were a lost asset. In lesser degree, the same thing has resulted in the LHMM, which is the organization founded by the Epiphany Messenger. We ourselves say, God bless the memory of both Messengers, as we seek to “continue in the things we have been taught” by the both of them; and we abide in the conclusion of Solomon: “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.” (Prov. 17:1)

A fitting conclusion to the foregoing is to be found in Parousia Vol. 6, p. 658: “The Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God – is the only offensive armor of the Lord’s little band. The Captain prevailed in His ‘good fight’ against the Adversary, saying, ‘It is written’; and this is the battle-cry of His followers. Others than the true soldiers have fought for the Lord with carnal weapons, and with human philosophies and worldly wisdom and organization (the methods used by the Society and the LHMM—JJH), and decrees of councils and synods and presbyteries, but we must depend in the struggle of this ‘evil day’ upon the Word of God – ‘It is written.’ We must use no darts like Satan’s – anger, malice, hatred, strife. And ‘the Sword of the Spirit’ can only be possessed by careful study and leading of the Spirit after consecration, after enlistment in this army.” And to the foregoing we would add another paragraph from Parousia Vol. 2. p. 361:

“We desire again to impress our readers with the fact that Papacy is the Antichrist, not because of its moral obliquity, but because it is the counterfeit of the true Christ and the true Kingdom. It is because of a failure to realize this fact that many Protes­tants will be deceived into cooperation with Papacy in opposition to the true king of glory.”

The above was written about ninety years ago, but it has the ring of yesterday; and persuades us all the more in our conviction that the Parousia Messenger was indeed “the prophet unto the nations,” and that he was That Wise and Faithful Servant of Matt. 24:45. It should also now be given its true evaluation by all who “have an ear to hear what the spirit sayeth unto the Church” at this very time; and to avoid Combinationism for the evil that it is – lest we “receive of her plagues.”

“We are a sweet odor of Christ to God ... not like the many, which adulterate and negotiate the Word of God for their own lucre and advantage; but really from sincerity, and as from God, in the presence of God, we speak concerning Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:15-17. Diaglott footnote)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF GENERAL INTEREST

The Parousia Messenger spent much time in his ministry in the “good fight” against the two King Errors of Consciousness of the Dead and Eternal Torment; and Brother Johnson did likewise. He instituted an Epiphany Arrangement for Fall and Spring for a Special Effort in Antitypical Gideon’s Second Battle against these two King Errors; and we con­tinue in this Arrangement – and suggest Sunday, October 15 through Sunday, November 5 for our Fall Effort. The Battle is not over, and if we “faint not” the victory will be ours. We will supply the pertinent literature for this Battle, free of charge and postage paid, to all who wish to join us in this good work. We invite all who honor these two Messen­gers to join us in the prayer, God bless their memory! (1 Sam. 2:30)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Gentlemen:

A friend sent me a copy of your pamphlet No. 271... and I like this paper very much because of the truths it contains. I would like to buy about 25 copies if they are available, as I wish to pass them on to others. I would appreciate an early answer.

Sincerely ------- (WISCONSIN)

...........................................................................

Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in the Master’s Name!

A little donation is enclosed for the Lord’s work, with the hope it finds you and all with you in the best of whatever is best for all of you and your welfare. That was not an easy thing to say – and there are very few people that I know who it could be said to – and would be understood.

It will be a great blessing if one can wake up on the Resurrection Morning and not have to go back and make a lot of repairs. May the Good Lord forgive us daily for our mistakes, and give us the strength and wisdom to do accordingly.

Your brother through Jesus ------- (FLORIDA)

NO. 279: THE MAY-JUNE 1978 PRESENT TRUTH

No. 279

In the above-mentioned paper RGJ has some Questions and Answers on pp. 45-47 in which he is attempting to answer our April 1978 paper No. 274 – although he doesn’t iden­tify the paper or the “sifter.” There is method in his madness, however, for if he were to identify the paper and the “sifter” he is castigating, some of his readers might send for the paper to read for themselves what the “sifter” had to say. Similar to JFR who told his followers to send Brother Johnson’s papers back: “Don’t read them or burn them – just send them back unopened”!

Such sleight-of-hand and bombasity are always sure proof that the Truth this “sifter” is using against his errors is hurting him; and, as Brother Russell has so aptly said, When such people resist the Truth, they always go deeper and deeper into error; and RGJ is a living example of that truth! Our papers have undoubtedly stung him deeply, which has elicited his attitude toward us. When we refuted RGJ so effec­tively with quotations from That Servant on his contention that Cornelius was not “re­pentant and believing” before the Door to the Gentiles was opened, he no longer mentions the subject; and we had the fond hope that our refutation of his pseudo class of Camp­ers Consecrated would silence him there also – thus “turn back a sinner from his path of error... save his soul from death.” (James 5:20, Dia.) But with all the annihilating refutations that Brother Johnson used against JFR’s non-existent class of Jonadabs, or “great multitude,” he just continued to repeat, repeat and repeat his error – “Deceiv­ing and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13) His new class set aside the Youthful Worthy class completely; while RGJ’s non-existent class only partially sets aside the Youthful Worthy class.

RGJ sets aside That Servant’s teaching on an unbegotten class of consecrators to be won between the Ages – “until restitution begins” – a class, if faithful, that will be rewarded in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. He tells us that his Camp­ers Consecrated are the ones to be won from 1954 “until restitution begins.” And he also teaches that his Campers Consecrated walk a “narrow way” in the Camp – although they will not receive any reward above restitution. Of course time itself is making glaringly ap­parent R. G. Jolly’s folly – just as time is also giving the Witnesses nervous sweats. It is a similar comparison to JFR setting aside Tentative Justification altogether, with RGJ not setting it aside – just perverting it. He now has Tentative Justification in the Epiphany and Millennial Camps. Here is another Truth taught by both Messengers, as well as taught by himself before 1950, that he has cast aside – to replace with his “new light” – actually “new error.”

SELF-EVIDENT ERROR

In his first question on p. 45, it seems that RGJ would have his readers believe that the “sifter” (JJH) is teaching that Gentiles would have to become NATURAL Jews be­fore they can receive the blessings under the New Covenant. We want to make it clear to all our readers that we have NEVER said such a thing, or even hinted such a thing. He asks: “Will all Gentiles have to become ‘proselyte (natural) Jews’ in order to re­ceive the blessing of the New Covenant?” We have underscored the ‘natural’ in parenthe­sis in this question, because we want to make it clear to our readers that RGJ is insinu­ating that the “sifter” is teaching such foolishness. He is using some more of his jug­glery and sleight-of-hand to deceive his readers. Surely any twelve-year-old school boy knows it is not possible for Gentiles to become blood descendants of Abraham – but all Truth people should know that all Gentiles will have to become “proselyte Jews” if they receive the blessings under the Covenant – which is Israelitish.

“JEWS OR CONSECRATED CAMPERS – WHICH?”

In his reference to our question as above stated, he attempts to make a comparison between JJH and JFR’s “Character or Covenant – Which?” But his comparison simply reveals the unsound condition of his mind. JFR was pitting one sound Scriptural doctrine against another; and Brother Johnson had no trouble in refuting the contention; but in our question we have just one ­sound doctrine – The Jew First – and one gross error, Campers Consecrated. This latter ­expression is not to be found anywhere in the Bible or in the writ­ings of That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger; it is a pure invention of RGJ – and a direct contradiction of both Messengers. He has Tentative Justification operating in the Epiphany Camp and in the Millennial Camp. Here is what Brother Johnson says about it:

“During the Millennium there will be neither a tentative or vitalized justification, since both of these kinds of justification operate on the basis of the imputed ransom merit, as distinct from the applied ransom merit; and the Millennium will have no imputed, but an applied ransom merit operating.

In the above statement the Epiphany Messenger based his teaching on the clear teach­ing of That Servant: “Those who do not get the imputation of Christ’s merit now, as the church, will never get it (the “imputed” merit—JJH); but instead will get the benefit of the New Covenant. The effect, however, in either event, will be a life or death trial and a life or death sentence.”

RGJ’s answer to the question on p. 46 is honeycombed with his expressions of “tenta­tive justification” for his Millennial restitutionists; but both quotations given above clearly and emphatic­ally contradict his teaching. However, that does not make any difference to RGJ anymore than it made any difference to JFR: he knows more about this matter than both Star Members!

QUESTION THREE, PAGE 46

Here he speaks of “Some differences in the sheep class”; and at the top of p. 47 col. 2, he says, “All kings are not equal in every respect, but in some ways differ con­siderably.” Here again he is making himself appear ridiculous if he is making a compar­ison to the kings of this earth. Some kings during this Age have been idiots; they should never have been on any throne anywhere. Is RGJ contending that that same condition Will prevail at the end of the Little Season – when the “kings” inherit the Kingdom? when they are fully restored to what Adam was before he sinned?

In our paper No. 274 we asked whether Campers Consecrated were Spiritual Israelites or proselyte (natural) Jews, the Jews to whom the promise is made – “to the Jew first.” The question was clear enough, but we now revise the question for RGJ’s benefit: Are Campers Consecrated Spiritual Israelites or prospective proselyte Jews when the New Coven­ant is inaugurated? Salvation is of the Jew – and the Gospel-Age elect are Spiritual Is­raelites – whether Jews or Gentiles. The same condition applies to the Kingdom – to re­ceive the blessings of the New Covenant Gentiles will have to become Israelites. When im­migrants come to the United States and become citizens, they become Americans the same as those born in the land.

There is no hint – or teaching – in the Scriptures that the faithful orthodox Jew would have to walk a “narrow way” in the Epiphany Camp to receive the promise, “to the Jew first”; they don’t have to walk a narrow way now, nor will they have to walk a “ narrow way” in the Kingdom. A “narrow way” is for the Elect only – the Highway of Holiness is for all restitutionists. The “repentant and believing,” who are faithful in practicing righteousness be better prepared to walk up the Highway of Holiness ­just as was true of Cornelius who was prepared to walk in a “narrow way” when the “way” was opened up for the Gentiles to become Spiritual Israelites. God kept his prayers in remembrance until the “due time”; and the same will be done for the quasi-elect.

At one time RGJ was loudly saying regarding the “Jew first,” That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger “made an exception of the Worthies – the most of the Youthful Worthies being Gentiles, etc.” We answer – Neither Messenger made any exception “to the Jew first” of any Restitutionist. The Worthies are elect classes, and are excepted the same as the Little Flock and the Great Company. He also said in another PT that the Worthies were to be the first of the Restitution Class to receive the Kingdom blessings. Here is what the Epiphany Messenger says about the Youthful Worthies:

“The Youthful Worthies as a class are pointed out in various Scriptures... 2 Tim. 2:20: ‘in a great house (the great house of the typical Aaron, Lev. 16:6; Num. 17:2,3; 3:6-9, consisted of his sons and the three typical classes of Levites – the Kohathites, Merarites and Gershonites; accordingly in the great house of our Great High Priest, there are four classes antitypical of these)”....(E-17:39,40)

“And all three classes of Levites in the type were given special locations about the Tabernacle (Num. 3:23,29,35), separate and distinct from the Israelites in general, who encamped in their twelve tribal groups at a greater distance from the Tabernacle, so these three classes of antitypical Levites are given an inheritance separate and dis­tinct from the world of mankind, the Restitutionists...” (E-17:41)

Even though the Epiphany Messenger sets out all Levites as “separate and distinct” from Restitutionist, RGJ tells us they will be the first to receive the Kingdom blessings as part of the Restitution class! So, according to RGJ the Jew will be first after the Worthies and the Campers Consecrated. And his types prove that, even though plain Scrip­tures “dis”prove” it.

“This errorist obviously makes an unwarranted and wrong conclusion, for, as we shall see, Bro. Johnson did not mean by his statement that post-Millennially all humans would be equal in every respect,” says RGJ. (p. 47, col. 1, par. 1)

We “obviously” quoted Brother Johnson’s opinion without drawing any conclusions of our own. There is “obviously” no reason for our own conclusion when we quoted Brother Johnson’s conclusion as follows:

“All human beings found worthy of everlasting life will henceforth be equal. (Matt. 25:34; Rev. 21:24) Thus it would follow that the Youthful, as well as the Ancient Worthies, from being the Millennial superiors, would be degraded to being the eternal equals of the world of mankind, if as human beings they remained eternally on this earth. Thus God would not only not give them any reward for their Mil­lennial and post-Millennial service and suffering, but would post-Millennially give them no more than He will give to those who would not serve Him, but serve Satan, sin, error and death, during the period that these were in the ascendancy and domination among men.”

If the Worthies would be equal to those who practiced sin in the Faith Age, but became one of the sheep in the Kingdom, it is “obvious” that Brother Johnson distinctly said more than one time that at the end of the Kingdom all Restitutionists would be equal. We will continue to accept what the Messengers have given us, unless we have a clear Scripture, or time itself, proving different. We take their opinions in pref­erence to our opinions when we have no Scripture to support our opinions. That was Brother Johnson’s attitude toward That Servant.

“Star differeth from star,” says RGJ to prove his teaching of his superior resti­tutionist in the “new earth.” He says, “like the heavenly classes, they will have differ­ences in character, office, honor, glory, service, etc.” Neither of the two Messengers give us this information regarding the restitution­ists in the “new earth” – nor do we know of any Scriptures that give us such information. RGJ must get his information from some other source besides the Bible – otherwise he would have cited the Scripture for his “advancing light.”

THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

If RGJ will answer the following questions he might clarify his present teaching for his readers: Is the Abrahamic Covenant Israelitish? Are God’s people in this Faith Age Spiritual Israel­ites? It seems that he wants the Scriptural teaching, “To the Jew first,” changed to the Consecrated Epiphany Campers first – whether Jews or Gentiles. He castigates us for our Scriptural reference as well as for the many quotations we have presented from That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger. Here are a few more quotations from That Servant:

“And when it comes to the blessings of the New Covenant, the opportunity will come to the Jew first.” (What Pastor Russell Said, p. 165)

“Any Gentile that came under the Law, became a Jew. There was a specified way in which they became Jews. There were some Gentiles who did become Jews. There is a record of them in the Scriptures – numerous places. When they became Jews, they had all the rights and privileges of Jews, as far as we have any knowledge.” (What Pastor Russell Said, p. 286)

“Furthermore, the blessed privilege of that New Covenant will not be confined to those of Jewish birth, but all the nations of the earth will be privileged to become ‘Israelites indeed,’ without guile..... but to the Jews in the next Age and through them to all nations.” (What Pastor Russell Said, p. 133)

“Since the Mediatorial work or the Millennial Kingdom is to be accomplished through natural Israel, and since all the families of the earth are to be blessed through them, it follows that nothing can be done until Israel shall have been recovered from their present outcast condition. Then the blessing of the Lord will go forth and the Media­torial work will be accomplished through natural Israel.” (What Pastor Russell Taught, p. 204)

“But we are not to understand that any one will become an Israelite unless he has the faith of Abraham, sincere faith, trust in God, faith that will be manifested by obedience..... The New Covenant is not to be made with any others than the Jews, for no others were in Covenant relation­ship with God” (What Pastor Russell Taught, p. 205)

It seems according to RGJ that Pastor Russell “obviously” meant to say Consecrated Epiphany Campers. The “repentant and believing” Jews and Gentiles scattered about ­then living – will be among the first to be blessed under the New Covenant, but “ob­viously” the faithful orthodox Jews in Jerusalem will be the very first to be blessed. When they cry unto the Lord, He will “send his word, and heal them, and deliver them from their destruction.” (Psa. 107:19)

Self-evidently, “proselyte Jew” has become an anathema to RGJ, although it is a Scrip­tural expression. In Acts 6:5 when naming some natural Jews, reference is made to “Nic­olas a proselyte of Antioch.” “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stran­ger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 24:22) The stranger in this text refers to those Gentiles who had become proselyte Jews. Apparently, RGJ realizes that “proselyte Jews” makes a shambles of his erroneous teaching on Campers Consecrated.

If we accept RGJ’s teaching on Campers Consecrated for Restitutionist, then we might as well say “Court Consecrators” for the elect in this Faith Age – instead of Spiritual Israelites. On p. 46, col. 1, par. 1, RGJ says that this “sifting errorist” beclouds the issue by stating that ‘all restitutionists will have to become proselyte Jews.’ The only “issue” we “becloud” is RGJ’s issue; we certainly don’t ‘becloud’ the issue of the Scriptures. We don’t ‘becloud’ the issue of That Servant as quoted above. Where is RGJ’s Scripture that tells him Restitutionists must become “Consecrated (Epi­phany or Millennial) Campers” if they are to get those blessings? “Salvation is of the Jew.” (John 4:22) According to RGJ our Lord should have said, “Salvation is of the Court and Camp.” RGJ’s expression is clearly a fantasy created in his mind; and he has found types and pictures that teach him this!

EXCERPTS OF LETTERS FROM RGJ AND BRO. HAVILAND

In his Nov. 15, 1910 letter (Reprint 4716) RGJ says: “I sought to make pictures and draw types from nearly every chapter in the Bible .... Finally I came to the point where it became quite difficult for me to distinguish between truth and error; and I was in danger of losing my appreciation of the truth and devoting myself to the fanci­ful. Nor did I realize the great danger I was in until ... the Lord used our dear Bro. Saphore to point out to me my mistake .... Most of my Bible study for a whole year was not only of no account, but of a negative influence not only to myself, but to those I may have influenced. Signed: R. G. Jolly.”

It seems that his weakness then – as well as now – is not being able to “distinguish between Truth and Error,” and between good and evil. According to his own admission he did not know it was wrong to withhold help from a starving sister (E-10:585, 586) – he wasn’t acquainted with 1 John 3:17: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” He did not know he had revolution­ized against Epiphany Arrange­ments until the Epiphany Messenger pointed it out to him – although he had been in the Epi­phany Truth for 20 years.

The following is RGJ’s letter in the Feb. 1951 PT, p. 31, consoling Brother Havi­land: “I realize what trials you have been going through and I know just how you must feel, for I went through it all myself .... I think the Lord gave it to me in a marked de­gree so that I could really sympathize with my dear new-creature brethren. I can truly say that I recognized no willfulness in anything that I did, for I verily thought I was doing only the Lord’s will, but the Lord gave me to see through our dear Brother Johnson’s assistance that a motion that I made in the Philadelphia Church was really contrary to the Epiphany arrangements.”

Isa. 66:5 is an accurate description of such brethren: “Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.”

Excerpts from Brother Haviland’s letter: “God has watched over me and protected me through my 77 years. He has blessed me with the Epiphany Truth. He has given me the seven witnesses of the Spirit (E 15); and to realize now that I have not been suffi­ciently faithful to maintain my place in the Lord’s Body is the greatest sorrow I could have.” (Feb. 1951 PT, p. 31)

Brother Haviland’s sin, according to RGJ was to be living after October 22, 1950! He made this edict the night after the Epiphany Messenger’s funeral: All New Creatures now living are crown-losers – a man’s death manifested them as such! The Epiphany Mes­senger taught that the only gauge for manifesting crown-losers is REVOLUTIONISM – revo­lutionism against the Truth or its Arrange­ments. But RGJ had a “flash” at 4 a.m. while in bed that told him this truth! So he set aside the Epiphany Messenger’s teaching on the subject. Self-evidently, he thinks he can cast out any teaching of the two Messen­gers, as well as any Scripture, that conflicts with his present errors.

In all our writings we try to keep close to the expressions used in the Scriptures, as well as the expressions used by the last two Messengers; and we don’t find the ex­pression Epiphany Campers Consecrated in any of their writings or in the Scriptures. Brother Johnson did not “see” any new class – he only elaborated on the classes set out by That Servant; and it has been our policy to keep close to the “faith once delivered unto the saints.” In Jude 3 he exhorts us to “contend for the faith,” and in this same text he mentions one of the doctrines we are to contend for:

“I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.” It was no accident that Jude mentions the common sal­vation. It is a text that applies to this Epiphany period. The “lost coin” was not found until the Parousia – and the “common salvation” was grossly perverted in this Epiphany. It was first perverted by JFR early in the Epiphany when he produced his non-existent class of Jonadabs, or Great Multitude. He discarded the Youthful Worthy class for a Restitution class. And later in the Epiphany RGJ produced a non-existent Restitution class and discarded the Youthful Worthy class to be won between the Ages ­“until restitution begins” and substituted his Campers Consecrated to be won from 1954 “until restitution begins.” This is the class to whom the promise is made, says RGJ ­not “to the Jew.” Of course the Jews may become Epiphany Campers Consecrated, and walk a “narrow way,” as well as Gentiles who consecrate in the Epiphany Camp and become Epi­phany Campers Consecrated and walk a “narrow way” in the Camp. However, Restitutionists do not walk a narrow way in the Epiphany and do not walk a narrow way in the Kingdom. The Highway of Holiness is their “way.” Jude 3 tells us to “contend” for the common salvation “once delivered unto the saints.” The Errorists pervert the common salvation, but the faithful contend for the common salvation.

A few years back we had some extended correspondence with a Jew high up in the min­istry of Religion in Jerusalem. He was a great admirer of Brother Russell – had all the Studies in the Scriptures and was well grounded in Parousia Truth. He sent us some of his papers where he had refuted the Jehovah’s Witnesses on their pseudo class – and we doubt that any Truth Brother could have handled it better. As he stated, God made the promises “to the Jew,” and to no one else – unless they became a Jew of the Abrahamic faith. He was a brilliant man, had written many books and was in the process of writing another book. He asked us if he might use excerpts from some of our papers. Of course we gave him per­mission. We planned to visit him, but he died before that visit could be arranged. We never asked him if he had accepted Jesus as the Messiah – whether he was known there as a Jewish Christian or an orthodox Jew. However, we assumed that like Josephus, he recog­nized Jesus as the Messiah. He was heartily against the pseudo classes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the LHMM who claims their classes will supplant the Jewish promises.

Another brother saw the error in RGJ’s teaching of a class consecrated in the Camp before he had ever read any of our papers. He wrote us that it was hard for him to op­pose RGJ, as he had been good to him – introduced him to the Parousia Truth, etc. But, he said, I must be faithful to the Lord and His Truth. He, too, planned to visit us in Florida, but died before he could make the visit.

Does RGJ contend that all Jews who accept Christ as their Messiah are Epiphany Campers Consecrated, even though they teach eternal torment and many of the errors of Big Babylon? We have some of these Jewish Christians on our mailing list, and some of them are good people just as some of the nominal Christians are good people – but self-evident­ly, they are not “of the Truth.” (John 18:37) The “god of this world has blinded the eyes of them that believe not, lest the glorious gospel will shine therein.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

There is no place in any of the Parousia and Epiphany writings, or the slightest hint, of consecration in the Camp during the Faith Age – nor is Consecrated Campers a Scriptural term or Scriptural idea. The “idea” is in RGJ’s mind – and he manufactured types and pictures to corroborate his idea. He has written copiously about such a class, with Berean questions for his followers to study. When Brother Russell wrote Tabernacle Shadows – the greatest “little book” that was ever written – he had clear Scriptural doc­trines which the types in Tabernacle Shadows illustrated and corroborated; and these types and shadows have strengthened the faith of God’s people. Types do not teach a doctrine, only illustrate and corroborate a doctrine clearly taught in the Scriptures. That Servant and the Epiphany Messenger both emphasized this Truth.

It is our opinion that type-making and picture-making are some of RGJ’s besetting sins – and we base our opinion on his Nov. 15, 1910 letter. He said he wasted one year in such type-making and picture-making in the Parousia; and it has been many times more during the Epiphany that he has wasted time in type-making since 1954. And when he wasted a lot of time and energy to present false figures for 1956 in his Pyramid findings, he did the same thing before 1954. And when these figures proved to be false, he immediately accepted the Pyramid findings of JWK to prove 1950. He also accepted Brother Russell’ Parallels and presented them in the Present Truth. Of course, he had no idea that JWK was using these articles as a “proof” that God had appointed him as Pastor and Teacher for Advancing Truth. Much of this “advancing truth” by JWK was set aside by him after their separation. RGJ should have exercised more caution about Pyr­amid findings after his fiasco of 1947. It should be mentioned here that many paral­lels, types and Pyramid findings predicting future events have been wrong.

When the Star Members were convinced that their expectations were correct for a certain date, they welcomed a parallel or type that confirmed their expectations. But their expectations were not realized when time itself proved them incorrect. Brother Russell expected the Time of the End to culminate in 1914 – and published a parallel that corroborated his expectations. However, he lived to see that this date didn’t work out. Brother Johnson had many types and parallels which he believed confirmed his expectations, but again time itself proved that the Time of the End and the Epiphany didn’t end with 1954-56, as he expected. Both Messengers taught, with Scriptural proof, the events that would occur before these periods ended. 2 Thes. 2:8 proves that we are still in the Epiphany, therefore still in the Time of the End and the Time of Trouble. If we abide in God’s Word we will know the “time of visitation.” (Luke 19:44)

However, these mistakes in expectations based on types and parallels should not cause us to lose confidence in these faithful mouthpieces of God, as such mistakes are permitted for a “trial of your faith.” As said, they both taught correctly, with Scrip­tural support, the events to occur in these periods. So we have their teaching, as well as the clear Scriptures, to guide us in this Epiphany period. We also mention Brother William Miller who had expectations for events that did not mature on the expected date, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a faithful mouthpiece of God – a Star Member.

THE NUMBER FORTY

Most Bible Students accept 40 in the Bible to represent a trial period – although this doesn’t mean 40 days or 40 years every time. In the case of the wilderness exper­ience of the Children of Israel it was 40 years, and in the Temptation of Jesus it was 40 days. It is reasonable to accept the reign of Saul, the reign of David and Solomon to symbolize trial periods: the reign of Saul, the Jewish Age – the reign of David, the Gospel Age, and the reign of Solomon the Millennium – all of 40-year duration. If this is true, the 40-year reign represents much longer periods than 40 years. Much the same can be said of a Day and night in symbology. In the large picture, the night of sin is 6,000 years long, and the Day of the Millennium is 1,000 years long. Also the Jewish Harvest was a day of 40 years, and the Gospel-Age was a night – a much longer per­iod. So the Day and Night are not usually the same length in symbology.

As said, Brother Johnson wrote profusely and elaborated on Parousia Truth, yet not producing a new class – just made the truth clearer on the four elect classes, the quasi-­elect and the world of mankind. But we now have a self-admitted crown-loser who boldly foists a new class on the brethren – and castigates any one that opposes him. He es­pecially attacks us for our refutations of his errors – especially for the Truth we quote from the Messengers that makes a shambles of his errors. And his main weapons against us are name-calling – “sifting errorist” and the Devil’s emissary, etc., etc. He has cast us out, even as he has done to others who do not agree with him. He does not use the same expression, “Let the Lord be glorified,” when he casts his brethren out – but when he says he does this because it was the Lord’s will for him, it means the same.

QUESTION 4 - P. 47

He has this question: “Rev. 22:11 – When Fully Applicable?” And he quotes Bro. Johnson: “1954 is the date that the last member of the Great Company will get his first enlightenment that will bring him into the Truth by Passover, 1956.” Then RGJ makes his analysis of this statement: “Not necessarily into the Parousia or Epiphany Truth, for some of them are still in Babylon and have been dying since 1956, but suffi­cient Truth to enable them to make sure their final standing in the Great Company; Passover, 1956 parallels Passover 1916.” Parallels to be true parallels must have a general similarity. So we ask, When Passover 1916 came, did large numbers of the Little Flock still continue in Babylon, or did they come into the Truth movement? And what Truth did the Great Company have after 1956 that they did not have prior to 1954? And when we speak of any one “coming into the Truth,” haven’t we always meant the real Truth – that Truth given to us by Brother Russell and Brother Johnson? And isn’t that what Brother Johnson meant when he said the last member of the Great Company would “come into the Truth by Passover 1956”? That sort of mumbo-jumbo is not palatable; and it reveals the desperate situation in which RGJ now finds himself. JWK has a different story for the Great Company “coming into the Truth by Passover 1956” – equally as foolish.

As most of our readers know, RGJ has written us out of the Household in a desper­ate effort to save face with his supporters. At no time have we done this to him. He is now past ninety; and we have entertained the idea that the Lord may be keeping him here so long to give him an opportunity to cleanse himself. As we have said on other oc­casions, those who have the Truth are always more lenient with the errorists than the er­rorists are with them. And there is good reason for this – the brethren with the Truth do not become antagonized with disputations when they have the strong assurance that they stand on the solid rock, and not on sinking sand. It may truly be said that Truth and Love are two of the most powerful things in the world; and when they both go together they cannot easily be withstood. “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” (1 Cor. 13:8)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren:

Please can you communicate with me how many Churches or Assemblies you have of the Bible Students Association. When was the Association organized? For your answer, many thanks.

With friendly greetings, your brother ------- (GERMANY)

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Greetings Brother Hoefle through our mutual love for Christ our Lord:

Thanks for the many pamphlets you have sent me for the past several months – all have been enlightening. I am wondering if you have an article on the age-old issue of the date for the “Passover” meal – that is, the 14th or 15th of Nisan. If so I would be very pleased if you would send a copy to me on your next mailing.

By His Grace, Brother ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in Jesus Name!

Thank you so much for your kind and informative letter. I really appreciate your kind words. I am so hungry for the real Truth. And I was very perturbed with the dif­ferent groups – and then I got your literature – so the best thing to do is to inquire about it. Thank you so much for sending the tracts and the article on The Three Babylons.

I don’t know Sister ------- and I can’t find her phone number in the directory. Will you please send me her address?

Yes, I know the Dawn teaches the High Calling is still open, and I know what Bro. Russell and Bro. Johnson teaches on that; and I can see the Big Babylon errors that came in at Brother Johnson’s death.

My experience in coming into (as much truth as I have) when I was still going to my own church, God began to tear out the false from me. I kept asking the Pastor’s wife if she had really ever studied about hell. She said No, because I am not going there. But that didn’t satisfy me, for I carried the world on my shoulders – I didn’t want any one to go there! So I prayed all night long for every one I knew and every one I didn’t know.

When I was studying the Bible History, I began to see that the Catholic Pope had started the doctrine of Hellfire, as well as other false doctrines. I began to realize the resurrection was different from what the churches taught. I kept telling my friends..

Then when I ordered Brother Russell’s and Brother Johnson’s books ... so many Scrip­tures became clear to me..... Then we have gone to the LHMM meetings – they are a lonely people – just a few there..... Thank you for all your time and for the articles you have sent.

Much Christian  love ------- (ARIZONA)

NO. 278: GOD'S KINGDOM SINCE 1914

No. 278

In the Watch Tower of October 15, 1966 (pp. 613-626) The Jehovah’s Witnesses pre­sent an article titled What Has God’s Kingdom Been Doing Since 1914; and, since we our­selves being intimately familiar with the events that have occurred since that date, we believe our readers will welcome an analysis – a presentation of Fact against Fiction. In their treatise the Witnesses stress the year 1914 as the time for the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth – with themselves as the earthly visible representatives of that Kingdom. That 1914 is a very marked date in human history needs no argument; nor is any argument necessary for informed Bible students that that year is also clearly set forth in Old and New Testament prophecy. Clearly enough, then we have no objection to the date itself; it is then only with the events that occurred in 1914 – and since ­and their Biblical and secular significance that we part company with the Witnesses’ expressions.

Let us first consider Mal. 4:5,6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet be­fore the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” These are the last words of Old Testament Holy Writ; and for centuries that have intervened the Jews have given a literal interpretation to the prophecy – so much so that many of them to this day have a vacant chair at their Passover table each year, for the use of Elijah – just in case he should make unexpected appearance. But a critical examination of Matt. 11:14 will reveal clearly enough that Jesus interpreted Elijah as a type of the Gospel-Age Christ Company, which, coupled with the Malachi text, sets him forth as a type with specific purpose – namely, Elijah pre­figured the Gospel-Age Church in its endeavors to reform “this present evil world” ­to reform the irreformable – which task has never yet been accomplished.

In discussing John the Baptist, and his status, Jesus had said of him: “If ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was to come.” The American Revised Version gives the text like this: “This (one, John the Baptist) is (represents) Elijah that is (literally, the one being about) to come.” And what John did then on a small scale for Israel in preparing “the way of the Lord” for Israel makes him an antitype of Elijah. Note now Matt. 17:12,13: “Elias is come already, and they knew him not... Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the Disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist.” And, since John antityped Elijah announcing Jesus at His first Ad­vent, so the Gospel-Age Church would antitype Elijah in much greater degree in announc­ing Jesus at His second Advent in power and great glory.

Jesus having so clearly marked Elijah as a type, we are now justified in studying the events in Elijah’s life for helpful information concerning the antitype. In 1 Kgs. 19:8 it is stated that “he did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the Mount of God.” In Heb. 12:18-20 St. Paul very clearly declares that Horeb (or Sinai) was a type of the greater mountain (king­dom), which would be the answer to the prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” And Elijah’s going “forty days” in the strength of the food he received would antitype the Greater Elijah (the Gospel-Age Church) going forty antitypical days (or forty years) from 1874 to 1914 – when, for the first time in Gos­pel-Age history “the stone cut out of the mountain without hands” (Dan. 2:45) was col­lectively and individually sufficiently complete to begin to “break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms.” The end of the Gentile Times had been reached, and their eviction then immediately begun. This is in exact harmony with Brother Russell’s teaching on the subject.

SINCE 1914 – A SECOND COUNTERFEIT KINGDOM

The foregoing is probably not too much at variance with what the Witnesses themselves believe of the situation up to 1914; but we shall now examine some of the happenings since that time. One of the first major undertakings of the Witnesses after the death of Pastor Russell in October 1916 was the publication in 1917 of Volume VII of Studies in the Scrip­tures – under the name of the International Bible Students Association, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, as they were then known. That Volume VII was also titled “The Finished Mystery,” was hailed as the seventh vial fulfillment of Rev. 16:17; and certain statements in that book concerning patriotism, etc., were construed by the United States Government as a decided interference with their prosecution of the war against the central powers, resulting in eight of the organization’s leaders being sent to Atlanta Penitentiary in 1918 (from which they were subsequently pardoned in 1919).

Shortly after their release from durance vile, a sharp and widespread controversy arose among the former adherents of Brother Russell over the chronology which he had pro­duced from the Scriptures; and the leaders of the Society made valiant correct and com­mendable defense against those who were attempting to find the chronology wrong by some nineteen years. Both Volume VII and the chronology were made tests of fellowship; and an extensive division resulted. Many were disfellowshiped because they could not accept the multitudinous errors in Volume VII, and others were disfellowshiped because they could not accept the true chronology as given by Brother Russell. But it was only a few years until the Witnesses themselves forsook the true chronology, and rejected their own Volume VII ­so much so with the latter that it is now ‘Index Expurgatorious’ to their own members. This poses a timely question: If Volume VII is wrong now, was it not equally wrong in 1917 when the uproar occurred concerning it? And, if they have been the visible Kingdom of God on earth since 1914, what explanation do they now offer for such a colossal blun­der on the part of the Lord? “God is not the author of confusion.” Furthermore, if the chronology was right fifty years ago, it should still be right. Mathematical calcu­lations are the same – yesterday, today and forever!

SATAN CAST OUT OF HEAVEN

The article under discussion also proceeds to say that in 1914 Satan was cast out of Heaven, and “his angels were hurled down with him.” The account of the angels that sinned is discussed by the Apostle Peter, and we now quote it from Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott translation (2 Pet. 2:4-6): “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but hav­ing confined them in Tartarus (translated ‘Hell’ in the King James version – from the Greek Tartaroo, meaning the thick murky atmosphere about this earth) with chains of thick darkness, delivered them over into custody for judgment; and did not spare the Old World, but kept in safety Noah, the eighth, a Herald of righteousness, bringing a deluge on the world of impious men; and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes, making them an example for the impious hereafter.” It should be noted that all of this text is stated in the past tense – that it is a chronological narrative, giving the events in order of time. Thus, the first one mentioned is “the angels who sinned”; the second, the “deluge on a world of impious men”; and third, and final, Sodom and Gomorrah. Surely, this is clear evidence that the “angels who sinned” had been cast down to Tarta­roo (confined to the atmosphere of this earth) even before the flood destroyed the “world that was.”

Further corroboration of Scriptural fact against the Witnesses’ Fiction is to be found in the performance of Jesus and the Apostles on numerous occasions casting out de­mons – evil spirits – fallen angels – Satan’s partners in the master crime of all Ages. Just a few such citations are: Matt. 4:24, 8:16; Mark 3:22; Luke 4:41, 10:17; Acts 5:16, 16:16-18 and 19:12, etc. Also, the words of Jesus, Luke 10:17, 19, Dia.: “The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us by thy name.

And He said to them, I saw the Adversary falling from Heaven like lightning.” Certainly, this is a clear statement by the Lord Himself that Satan had been cast out of Heaven be­fore this Gospel Age had even begun. Also, 1 Pet. 5:8, Dia.: “Your opponent, the enemy (Satan), like a roaring lion, is walking about, seeking to devour.” Who are the “Your” in this text? We answer, they are the people to whom St. Peter addressed his letter – “To the sojourners of the dispersion, of Pontus, Galatia,” etc. It needs no argument that those Jewish “sojourners of the dispersion” were people here on earth, so it would be interest­ing to hear from the Witnesses how Satan walking about in Heaven could devour human beings here on earth. But perhaps the most compelling of all argument against their fiction is our Lord’s prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. How could God’s will be done in Heaven if Satan was there “as a roaring lion,” seeking to de­vour?

Yet the Witnesses now make great claim that their proclamation of these errors – this fiction – is the expression of God’s Kingdom on earth since 1914! And in all this they have been casting aside one truth after another since 1914 – truths for which they stoutly contended at least through 1916. Not only so, but they have been changing their own teachings with great rapidity year after year in distressing confusion – although the Scripture is very emphatic that “God is not the author of confusion” – and when His Kingdom is actually es­tablished on earth “the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:8) They have modified and changed much of their teaching since this paper was first published in 1966. However, in spite of this clear promise, we believe it is a fair appraisal that the large majority of the Witnesses’ dedicated adherents do not now have a clear understanding even of what they themselves should believe – one strong reason for this being that, as one prominent official, their vice-president, put it some years ago: “We don’t believe this year what we did last year, and we probably won’t be believing next year what we believe this year.” Can such bedlam possibly be the “desire of all nations” which is promised to come when God’s Kingdom really begins to operate on earth?

At this point it is in order also to call attention to another very radical change they have made in their teachings since they have been the “representatives of God’s King­dom,” so we quote from p. 134 of The Finished Mystery: “Instead of teaching that the saved of our race will all be saved to the same thing, the Scriptures show two degrees or kinds of Heavenly salvation (which is correct, and exactly as Pastor Russell taught it—JJH) .... the Little Flock, who are to sit down with Christ in His Throne; the Great Company who are to stand before the Throne, having palms of martyrdom but without the crowns of glory . “

At present the Witnesses have made their “Great Company” of Rev. 7:9 a “large multi­tude” of human beings – their present dedicated devotees, who are to live right on through Armageddon and continue to live forever right here on earth – a complete reversal of what they received from Brother Russell, and which they enthusiastically taught some fifty years ago – after 1914; so our readers may determine for themselves which is fact and which is fiction in this extreme change they have made. However, they have modified their teaching about the “great multitude” living through Armageddon, as quite a few of their faith­ful followers have since died.

COMFORT FOR THE JEWS

Another complete reversal is their present teaching on the re-gathered Jews in Palestine to what it was forty years ago. In 1925 their then President J. F. Ruther­ford produced a new book – COMFORT FOR THE JEWS – and here is some of the comments to be found on the Frontispiece:

“Judge Rutherford, known throughout the world as a friend of the Hebrew people, is vigorously supporting the claim of the Jews to the Holy Land ... His lectures to large audiences, which have been broadcast throughout the world, on ‘JEWS RETURNING TO PALESTINE,’ have created an intense interest. This Vol­ume is the first unbiased presentation of the subject from the Scriptural viewpoint pub­lished.” Then on the next page is quoted Psa. 122:6: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee.” All of this is correctly based upon the clear Scriptural declaration (Isa. 2:3), “Out of Zion (the Glorified Messiah and His Elect Bride, who are the primary seed of Abraham, who are to bless all nations—Gal. 3:8) shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” – which city will con­tain the true earthly ‘princes’ (rulers – representatives) of the Kingdom. All of this is now categorically denied in the Watch Tower of October 15, 1966:

“The earthly Jerusalem has nothing to do with it,” they say; “Since Jesus was put to death on Calvary outside the walls of Jerusalem in the year 33 C.E. that city has no connection with God’s Messianic Kingdom.”

After correctly discussing the dispersion and the terrible afflictions of the Jews all during this Gospel Age, the Judge then proceeds to say on p. 45 (also correctly):

“But is Israel cast off forever? The answer is No indeed! Mark the statement made by our Lord to Ezekiel at the time of pronouncing the final decree against them. It is: ‘I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him’—Eze. 21:27. (Emphasis by the Judge) The mere fact that the Lord said He would overturn it until a set time, is conclusive proof that it is God’s purpose to restore Israel to His favor upon certain conditions. But when? The answer is, With the coming of Shiloh, the Messiah, to whom shall the gathering of the people be, as promised in Gen. 49:10. Then He of whom Moses was a type shall come into His own... That will mark the time when the favor of God may be expected to return to Israel.” (“Comfort For The Jews” by J. F. Rutherford)

This clear and emphatic statement by the Judge is indeed the truth, and the Witnes­ses believed it to be the truth forty years ago; but THEY DON’T BELIEVE IT NOW – although they claimed to be witnessing to God’s Kingdom then, just as they claim to be doing so now. Thus, again the question: Were they teaching fiction then or – are they teach­ing fiction now? To help our readers to arrive at the correct answer to this question, we now quote Zech. 14:1-3: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh (the times of restitu­tion spoken by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets—Acts 3:19-23), and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations (Gog and Magog, the hosts of merciless plunderers of regathered Israel) against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle” – as He did for Joshua against the Amalekite kings at Gibeon (Josh. 10:1-14), as He fought for David against the Philistines at Baal-Perazim (2 Sam. 5:17-21), and as He miraculously delivered Israel from the hosts of Midian by Gideon and his band of 300 men, the Midianites and the Amalekites being “like grasshoppers for multitude; and their cam­els without number, as the sand by the seaside for multitude.” (Judges 7:1-25 This mi­raculous help is to come to the Jews at Jerusalem in “the day of the Lord” (just before the real Mediatorial Kingdom is established at Jerusalem), clearly testifying that this delivery from their enemies is an event yet in the future.

A BRIEF RESUME

In the foregoing pages we have detailed only a few of the major reversals of teach­ing by the Witnesses over the past forty years. If we attempted to analyze all of their variations, it would no doubt require a good-sized book. Clearly enough, a great part of their “witnessing” could be nothing less than fiction – either then, or now – because they now teach just the reverse of what they did a few years back. For the benefit of our read­ers, we now offer some Scriptures which will help determine if their present-day witness­ing is fact or fiction:

“When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn right­eousness” (Isa. 26:9). Have the inhabitants of the earth really been learning righteous­ness by this somersaulting change in teachings with each succeeding year? “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my Holy Mountain (Kingdom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9). Which shall we con­sider “the knowledge of the Lord” – what the Witnesses gave us forty years ago, or what they are giving us now? And have men ceased to “hurt or destroy” as a result of their “knowledge,” or do we not see more hurting and destroying than ever before in human history?

All of this performance by the Witnesses is an identical twin to the Papacy claims during their false “kingdom” from 799 to 1799, when they also went from one error into another, freely excom­muni­cating the ‘heretics’ who did not agree with them – just as the Witnesses also now do. And, as they now claim to be separating the Sheep from the Goats, so Papacy also claimed to be separating the saved from the damned – then, the same as now, offering false promises to the ‘faithful,’ and decreeing false punishments to the ‘un­faithful.’ And, also like the Papacy, they have been guilty of drastic mistranslation of the Scriptures to make them fit their present contentions.

Let us emphasize the very close similarity of the first counterfeit Kingdom of the Papacy in 799-1799 to the second counterfeit now being preached by the Witnesses. Said the Papacy, If you do not accept us, you are lost – in eternal torment. Say the Witnes­ses, If you do not accept us, you are lost – in unending death. Said the Papacy, We are the Vicar of Christ on earth, the infallible repository of God’s Word - no salvation out­side of our domain. Say the Witnesses, We are the visible representatives of God’s King­dom on earth since 1914, no salvation outside of us and the teachings we offer. And in both counterfeit kingdoms the teachings were repeatedly changed – diametrically contra­dicting previously-held beliefs, yet loudly proclaiming themselves to be the Mouthpiece of God on earth, while shouting anathema at all dissidents, excommunications for so much as a question against what comes from the “Channel.”

As That Servant has so aptly said, “When the Truth comes in conflict with error, when the Sword of the Spirit, wielded by some of the Lord’s simple followers, proves mighty in the overthrow of error – when the light of Present Truth, and the clearness in which it is presented, and the beauty in which it can be seen and appreciated, is contrasted with the error, the result is either that the Truth is seen in its beauty, or the erring one opposing it becomes more densely blinded than before.”

And it is a very pleasant observation that the Truth always deals much more gener­ously with the errorists than do the errorists with those who have the Truth. During Brother Russell’s ministry the preachers of error all over Christendom were consigning him to “the hottest corner in Hell” – all the while he himself was allowing for them the “Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom” under the benign mediatorial reign of the Christ. Likewise, the Scribes and the Pharisees were labeling Jesus as an emissary of “Beelze­bub,” as He himself was predicting for them that they would “see Abraham, Isaac and Ja­cob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:28) So also the Papacy ­during their counterfeit kingdom – not only sentenced the “heretics” to eternal torment, but actually started the torment for many of them by splitting their noses, pouring mol­ten lead into their ears, tearing them apart limb from limb on the rack, while the recip­ients of their heinous torture were praying peace and forgiveness for their tormentors. In similar manner, the Witnesses now consign to everlasting extinction those who reject their errors – although those of us who have the Truth allow for the deluded devotees of their “kingdom” a full opportunity to imbibe the “knowledge of the Lord” (the Truth) under benign real Kingdom conditions. Recently one of the Witnesses called at our res­idence, while we were absent, with intent to berate us. At the end of a courteous hear­ing, he said of us as he left the house, “He’s a dead man!” It is indeed a sad commen­tary that the tendency of errorists always seems to be to heap imprecations, excommunica­tions (“make fire come down from Heaven in the sight of men”—Rev. 13:13) and revilings upon those who expose their errors – even while those with the Truth make generous allow­ance for those in error. All of the Heathen Gods are cruel Gods, as can be seen from their hideous portrayal on the totem poles and other idol constructions.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim Pastor Russell as their founder, but this is what he says about the true Kingdom in the very year of 1914 – a most forceful contradiction to their present claim that the appearance of their organization constitutes the visible Kingdom on earth:

“The Ancient Worthies (not their earthly organization!—JJH) will be the earthly represent­atives of the Messianic Kingdom (See the 11th chapter of Hebrews for a list of the names of some of these faithful Ancients—JJH). The Christ, however, will be the great Teacher in glory, from whom all instructions will come through these earthly representatives. As people begin to get the true, the real knowledge about the glorious character of God, they will begin to see how inferior they are. Then (when “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets, are in the Kingdom” – in Jerusalem – ­Luke 13:28—JJH) they will be in condition to receive instruction.” (See Reprint 5583, Dec. 1, 1914) The prophets were “holy men of God’ (2 Pet. 1:21), so they will be “in the Kingdom.”

CONCERNING ARMAGEDDON

The Witnesses’ have promised their dedicated “Large Multitude” life eternal through Armaged­don and on through the Ages to come (although they have modified their teaching on this since this article was first written) is also a complete reversal of their past teachings. We quote now from p. 3 of the Publisher’s Preface of The Finished Mystery:

“In the light of Divine Prophecy, now being daily fulfilled and made clear to ‘the watchers,’ the following from the pen of Pastor Russell is further proof that he was sent of God to this gener­ation. Long years before the beginning of the trouble now upon nations he wrote: ‘The four exhibitions of the Lord, given to Elijah, represent, we believe, four manifestations in which the Lord is about to reveal 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:

“(I) The mighty winds rending the very rocks. Blowing winds seem to be used in Scripture for wars ...

“(2) An earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures an earthquake seems always to repre­sent revolution.... conditions which would follow such a war would make revolution the next thing 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 their wars, revolu­tions and anarchy, in the failure of their schemes, will have a humbling effect, and will prepare mankind for God’s revelation of Himself in

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

The foregoing is now also repudiated by the Witnesses in some of its major parts, because it makes a shambles of their present claims and fictional hopes presented to their dedicated devotees; but, as we said in our February l966 paper, Time itself is making them appear very ridiculous. In the Witnesses’ present feverish endeavors to separate the Sheep from the Goats, there is one determining question which should prove beyond the shadow of doubt to all unbiased minds if their present teaching is fact or fiction: IS SATAN NOW BOUND?

It is clearly stated in Rev. 20:1-3 that “An angel laid hold on that old Serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more.” Would any one of sound mind – or even the Witnesses themselves – con­tend that Satan is now bound? And, if he is not bound, then he must still be deceiving the nations. And, if the nations are being deceived, how can they possibly be held ac­countable for their deception? It is exactly the same as a sleight-of-hand performer tricking his audience by his manual manipulations. The Witnesses keep right on separ­ating the Sheep from the Goats, however, with high reward for those who accept them and eternal death to all others who do not join them before Armageddon.

Be it noted that Papacy made exactly the same mistake in their counterfeit kingdom from 799 to 1799, when they also were separating the Sheep from the Goats – except that they now claim that Satan was indeed bound then – that he has been “loosed for a little season” since 1799. Thus, their counterfeit kingdom was an improvement – in theory, at least – upon the present kingdom of the Witnesses. The Witnesses do not claim that Satan is bound – at least not yet have they made such claim. But perhaps we should give them time! But for now let us keep in mind the promise of Rev. 21:3-4: “Behold, the Taber­nacle of God is with men... and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” During the Papal counterfeit kingdom there was just the reverse of this great promise – violence, cruelty and oppression, prevailed in all quarters. And during the Witnesses’ kingdom since 1914 it is also evident that violence – “nation against nation” – is the prevailing order of the day. Judge Rutherford was wont to stress the “physical facts” in his lectures and writings forty some years ago; therefore, we would now call upon the Witnesses to catalog the “physical facts” to prove that the benign Kingdom of God is now with us. However, we now place ourselves on record in predicting an even greater “Armageddon” delusion than was their “Millions Now Living Will Never Die” delu­sion before 1925. “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.”

Let us consider also the promise of the conditions when the separation of the Sheep and Goats is in order: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain (King­dom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” (Isa. 11:9) Today we find just the reverse of this in the earth – “men’s hearts failing them for fear” – the violence of the atomic bombs, etc., is multifold greater than was the violence that filled the earth in the “world that was.” (2 Pet. 3:6; Gen. 6:11) Also, according to the Wit­nesses’ own contentions, the vast majority of religious teachers in the earth today are rank frauds – deceiving the people with error, instead of teaching them the “knowledge of the Lord.” But, when God’s true Kingdom is actually in operation in the earth, “they shall no more teach 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 of them.” (Jer. 31:34) It should need no argument that millions upon millions of human beings today have not the mental capacity to recognize the truth when it is presented to them; that is why it is so easy for “grievous wolves” to prosper greatly today – something all should expect in this great “Time of Trouble.” (Dan. 12:1)

However, the Witnesses do teach a reign of “righteousness and Truth” after Arma­geddon, with them as the chief rulers in the earth. But, they say, “The generation now living who do not accept us before Armageddon will perish in that holocaust, and will have no part in that Kingdom – nor any opportunity of ever being resurrected.” This is a gross perversion of the true Kingdom – the “Good Tidings of Great Joy, which shall be to all people.” In that true Kingdom, “All that are in their graves will hear his voice and come forth.” (John 5:28,29) This “all” will include the present generation, as well as past generations. The Worthies will be the earthly representatives then – and the “Word of the Lord” will go forth from Jerusalem. (Isa. 2:3) Their Gospel(?) is very “bad news” to the large majority of this generation – and cannot be too joyous for some of their adherent who will have relatives and friends perishing in Armageddon – if they fail to accept and join the Witnesses beforehand.

“Now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.” (Mal. 3:15) This is just the reverse of what we may expect when the true Kingdom of God is here – when “the Tabernacle of God is with men.” “Do you therefore, Beloved, being forewarned, be on your guard, lest being led away by the deceit of the lawless, you should fall from your own stability; but grow in favor and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:17,18, Dia.)

(Reprint of No. 194, Aug. 1, 1971)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Will you please give us your analysis of the May 15, 1978 Watchtower article on “What Draws You to God”?

ANSWER: – What draws men to God is His Truth. He is not drawing “all sorts” during this Faith Age – only those of a “good and honest heart” – and only those who are “of the Truth.” “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (Jn. 18:37) “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:16,17) The Witnesses are sancti­fying all people, whether “of the truth” or not, when they come with them (set them apart for service – so many hours a week, etc.). Many are “sanctified” because of fear of Armageddon annihilation.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) Here is the Berean Comment on this text: “During the Millennium.... By giving them a knowledge of the Lord.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses make changes in texts to be different ­and to suit their teaching; so in this text they say “He will draw all sorts” instead of “all men.” (p. 5, col. 2, par. 2)

In this same paper they tell us “that the Devil has caused the negative way of think­ing to permeate every form of false religion.” (p. 7, col. 1, par. 1) If the Devil is now causing the “negative way” of thinking, then how can they expect such people whose minds are blinded by “the god of this world” to “discern between good and evil,” Truth and Error? (Heb. 5:14) In that glorious Kingdom the “eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” (Isa. 35:5) Most assuredly that Kingdom will include the people of this generation, as well as those of past genera­tions, whose eyes have been blinded by the “god of this world.” (2 Cor. 4:4) This is indeed the Gospel – “Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

They do suggest that their adherents ask themselves: “Am I doing so with a willing and happy heart? Or, is it possibly with the thought of avoiding destruction at the fast ­approaching day of Har-Magedon?—Eccl. 12:13; Rev. 16:15,16.” (p. 7, col. 2, par. 1) No doubt they well realize that many of their adherents come with them because of such fear. One former Witness told us that he left that organization some time before their Armaged­don prediction for 1975, but when 1975 drew near he thought he had better “get right with God” beforehand, so he went back with them. However, when their prediction proved to be another hoax, he left them again.

For now, as well as all during the Gospel Age, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44) The Father is not “drawing all sorts” – nor all men – during this Faith Age – only the called ones: “For many be called, but few chosen.” (Matt. 20:16) “For you see your call­ing, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (I Cor. 1:26) Those who are called are “footstep followers” of Jesus, and walk the “narrow way to life.” (See Matt. 7:14) All who are not called in this Age will have an opportunity to walk up the Highway of Holiness: “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:8) The “wayfaring men” are those who didn’t walk a “narrow way” to life in this Age – and since there will be no error taught then, they will learn Truth and Righteous­ness. “God is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Gentlemen:

Thank you for the two editions recently sent to me regarding What is the Soul? and Where are the Dead? Did someone give you my name and address to send these to me? I have not heard of this group before. I would like to read what you say regarding the Scrip­tures – The Resurrection of the Dead, Two Salvations and The Three Babylons.

Very truly yours ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Hoping you are keeping well and all in the Bible House with you. I was very glad to get two Truth papers from you the other day. I see in them the great Pastor and Teacher (RGJ) is falling down before the good truths that are left to his care – either because he is like Charles the first of England, he is too ugly to look into the glass or what – but something is wrong! The Class in Kingston is split in two...........

Please send me one or two parcels of tracts for the Gideon work.

Yours, dear Brother, in the good hope of the Kingdom ------- (JAMAICA)