NO. 294: "THE EVERLASTING FATHER"

No. 294

At this Season of the year we try to present something that will bless and en­courage all who honor our Lord and Savior by celebrating His birth December 25. As said in previous papers, 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. 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 those whose hearts are in the attitude of love and appreciation toward God and toward the Savior. The good tidings of great joy for all people announce blessings con­cerning a number of things, i.e., the forgiveness of sins, resulting in the awakening of all the dead; an accurate knowledge of the Truth; the race being placed amid conditions inconducive to sin and error, and conducive to Truth and Righteousness.

The above sentiments by That Servant have been abandoned by the Jehovah’s Witnes­ses, and by their rabid contentions about Christmas they have caused much distress in home and social life around them. Their message to all who do not join them before Armageddon is “Bad Tidings of great misery,” because they will be annihilated in that holocaust, with no chance of a resurrection according to them.

“‘His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Isa. 9:6) We have noted the propriety of the title ‘The Mighty God,’ as applied to Jesus; and few will dispute that He is indeed the Won­derful One of all the Father’s family; none will dispute that He is a great Counselor, Teacher; or that, though His Kingdom is to be introduced by a Time of Trouble and dis­turbance incident to the death of present institutions, our Lord is nevertheless the Prince of Peace, who will establish a sure and lasting peace upon the only proper basis, righteousness, conformity to the Divine character and plan. Now we come to the exam­ination of the title, ‘The Everlasting Father,’ and find it as appropriate and meaning­ful as the others.

“It does not, as some surmise, contradict the many Scriptures that declare Jeho­vah to be the Father everlasting, ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ as Peter puts it. (1 Pet. 1:3) On the contrary the Bible clearly shows a particular sense in which this title applies to Jesus at His Second Advent – that He will be the Father of the human race regenerated during the Millennium. This title is merely the equiv­alent of those we have just considered, the new Lord of David and of mankind, the new Root, the Second Adam, merely signified the Everlasting Father, the Father who gives ev­erlasting life.

“Since Jesus purchases the world at the cost of His life, and since it is by that purchase that He becomes its Lord, its Restorer, its Life-giver, and since the central thought of the word father is life-giver, Jesus could take no more appropriate title than ‘Everlasting Father’ to represent His relationship to the world about to be gener­ated – born again from the dead by restitution processes. The world’s life will come directly from Jesus, who by Divine arrangement buys it and pays Justice the full price for it. Nevertheless, the restored world will, after the restitution process is fin­ished, recognize Jehovah as the great original fountain of life and blessing, the au­thor of the Great Plan of Salvation executed by Jesus, the Grand Father and Over-Lord of all—I Cor. 15:24-28; 3:23; Matt. 19:28.” (Parousia Vol. 5, pp. 141, 142)

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) The song which the angels sang at the birth of the Savior has been seized upon and misapplied by some who do not see the Plan of God for the Salvation of the world. Becom­ing discouraged by seemingly poor prospect for the world’s conversion, these have put forth a version of this passage more in harmony with their own doubts and misconceptions. To these the prayer which our Master taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven,” has lost its meaning; for they see no hope of its fulfillment except in a very limited sense. Hence they prefer to translate the latter part of the verse, “And on earth peace, among men of good will.” We think the proper rendering, our hopes for the ultimate good of all, as far as this passage is con­cerned, would surely suffer eclipse; for very few thus far in the history of the race have been “men of good will,” men who unselfishly endeavored to any appreciable degree to bring about the good of their fellows.

However, there are quite a few men of good will in the world, even though they haven’t accepted the Truth as we know it, nor have they accepted what the Jehovah’s Witnesses now teach. They tell us that all men will have to have good will toward them, and accept them, otherwise they will be annihilated in Armageddon. But we do not believe that this is the thought of the original, which is “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Such a translation as “Peace among men of good will” eliminates the thought of God’s eventual good will toward all the world, and greatly minimizes the scope of this glorious song. It implies merely that men who have a feeling of good will are, or will be at peace among themselves. How utterly barren of hope for all men would such an expression be!  How little the song of the angels would mean if this were its burden!

On the contrary, this song was a prophecy of God’s purpose to bring about through the newly born Child the abrogation of the curse and the establishment of peace and sinless­ness among mankind, in which God and man would become at-one. It was an expression of God’s good will, His good purpose, to bring man back to the image and likeness of Himself, in which Adam was created. When this shall have been accomplished, then peace will dwell in all the earth; for the causes of inharmony will have been eliminated.

The world of mankind came under the curse, or sentence of death because of the sin in Eden – because our first parents disobeyed God’s righteous command. All humanity, therefore, are members of an accursed race – under penal servitude, which ends in the tomb. The race has been learning the lesson of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and its terrible effects. But God has promised to take away the curse and to bring a permanent blessing in its place. This will mean a return to His favor, to full harmony with Him­self. “And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it: and his servants shall serve him.” (Rev. 22:3)

PROGRESSION OF GOD’S GREAT PLAN

We speak of this song as a prophecy because the peace has not yet come, nor the good will, in the sense that God’s face is as yet not turned toward man. It is a declar­ation of what God purposes to do. He has not good will toward the present sinful, rebel­lious attitude of the race. He never has good will toward sin. We are not to understand that God was expressing His good will toward man when He pronounced the sentence of death upon him. God’s curse indicated His ill-will toward man – in other words, His displeas­ure because of man’s sin. He wished man to suffer ill as a just punishment for his willful disobedience. God cut him off from fellowship with Himself. He was not bound in jus­tice to do anything more for the race. But in His infinite mercy He provided a deliver­ance for mankind. He foreknew man’s fall, and planned his redemption from before the foundation of the world.

Through all the Ages since the fall of Adam God’s plan has been slowly, steadily pro­gressing.   While men have been learning in pain and tears and trouble the nature and re­sults of sin, God has been selecting His saintly ones, His elect – first, the elect who are to be the earthly princes in His Kingdom of blessing; lastly the Elect who are to reign over all as Kings and Priests of God on the highest plane of existence. The chief of all the elect is His well-beloved Son, the Savior of the world, whose birth the an­gels proclaimed to the shepherds watching on the plains of Judea, more than nineteen cen­turies ago. (Isa. 42:1) When all the elect ones are chosen and prepared, then the bless­ing of the world at large will be inaugurated. “For the earnest expectation of the crea­ture waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God (the Church). For the creature was made subject to frailty, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corrup­tion into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:19-21)

The coming of the Son of God to earth was only preliminary to His offering of Him­self as a ransom for the forfeited life of Adam, the father of the race, in whom all his posterity fell. But even when our Lord had died as man’s ransom-price, God’s favor did not come to the world. Jesus was next raised from the dead a glorious, Divine being. Then He ascended up on high, and appeared in the presence of God for those who were to be of the spiritual elect. Thus the last became first in God’s plan. The merit of Jesus’ death was utilized first on behalf of these. It has not yet been applied for any others. The members of the Church of Christ now have this promised peace and good will. It is granted only to those who have come into vital relationship with God through Christ – the fully consecrated ones. The Scriptures show that after these are all selected, prepared and glorified, the next step will be the application to all men of the merit which has been imputed to these elect, and through whom it is to go to the Worthies and to the entire world of mankind. This spiritual class has been chosen to be members of the Body of Christ, joint-associates with Him in the Messianic Kingdom. “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2)

The great work of the Millennial Age will then begin. It will be a work of gradual uplift during the entire thousand years of the reign of The Christ. The dead will be gradually awakened and brought to a clear knowledge of the Truth, and of the salvation of God in Christ. All will then have the opportunity of coming into the blessed condi­tion of peace and good will proclaimed by the angels. By degrees they will be brought, if they will, to where they will be ready to be received by the Father, to be introduced to Him. This will be the blessed experience of all who will be obedient to the rules and requirements of the Kingdom. If they prove unwilling and disobedient, after being brought to a clear understanding, they will be “cut off” (Acts 3:23), destroyed, as not worthy of further effort on God’s part for their reclamation.

CHRIST’S DEATH A BLESSING TO ALL

God seeketh such to worship Him as worship Him in spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23) Our thought is that all these worlds surrounding us are designed to be homes to many in­telligent beings yet to be created. We believe that it is God’s delight to give joy and blessing to many creatures, on various planes of existence. And God is making of this experience of mankind with sin a valuable lesson, a lesson that will be beneficial, not only to themselves, but to all the worlds that will ever be populated. These might be in­structed and informed in advance of their developing any sinful tendencies just what the nature and tendency of sin is – what it did for the people of earth. They will be told, probably, that sin degrades mind, body and morals; and its influence is only deteriorat­ing; that once deteriorated, one learns to prefer sin, notwithstanding all the misery and degradation it brings; and that God will never grant everlasting life to any except as they gladly cooperate to that end – that He will never influence any against their own will.

It would seem, then, that the great work accomplished at Calvary will have an influ­ence as wide as the universe. And this thought might be applied to the first part of the song of the angels, “Glory to God in the Highest!” God will be glorified by all the an­gels, by every rank of spirit beings. He will be glorified by His exalted Church, then of the Divine nature; by restored humanity, by all the intelligent creatures on every plane, in every Age! Yea, more and more glorious will be His honor as the years of eter­nity roll on, and as other peoples of other planets are brought into being and brought to know Him and to share His wonderful bounties and blessings, and to learn the blessedness of loving and serving Him.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD – THE CHRIST

“I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) The Evangelist first presented Christ to our attention as “the beginning of the creation of God,” “made flesh,” that He might be the Light of the world: after­ward, under his presentation, we considered Him as the Feeder of the hungry; then as the Giver of the water of life to the thirsty; next as the Healer of human woes, and the Supplier of human needs, spiritual as well as temporal; next as the Opener of the eyes of our understanding. In the lesson now before us He presents Christ’s mission from another standpoint – as the Good Shepherd.

This parable probably followed closely the closing incident of the reverend doctors of the law incensed at the man whose eyes had been opened, so that they cast him out of the synagogue, because he confessed Jesus as the channel of Divine favor. It was doubt­less as reproof to such false shepherding that our Lord spoke this parable. The very ones who should have been helping the poor scattered sheep of Israel to recognize the true Shepherd, and to come unto Him and become inheritors with them of the long-promised kingdom, were seeking to prevent the Lord’s sheep from recognizing the Shepherd – seek­ing to prevent the Lord’s sheep from entering the kingdom which they themselves also re­fused to enter. (Matt. 23:13)

The illustration of the Lord as a shepherd, and His people as sheep, is common to the Scriptures, and very fitly represents their close confidential relationship, but is a figure that is quite contrary to the spirit of the world. The “natural man” sees little in the figure to admire, and when he expresses his sentiments he would rather represent himself to others and have them regard him as a wolf, a lion, a tiger, or some other fe­rocious creature, which they would best not stir up, lest he devour them. We find this characteristic well borne out in the emblems of heraldry; the escutcheons of the great are emblazoned with figures representing beasts of prey, birds of prey, and nondescripts, blending various natures – but all of them ferocious, snarling, howling, screeching, or otherwise implying fierceness and intimidation of foes. But when God would represent the emblems of His royal family, His only begotten Son is called the Lamb of God, and all His people are styled His sheep – symbols of meekness, gentleness, harmlessness. “Jeho­vah is my shepherd” is properly represented as their sentiment. (Psa. 23)

Sheep-raising in Palestine, and more or less throughout that vicinity, was carried on quite extensively, and yet very differently from present methods of Europe and America. The owner of the flock or his son usually did the shepherding, or sometimes an employee who was given an interest in the increase of the flock – as, for instance, Jacob, with his father-in-law Laban. Under the circumstances it is not surprising that the rela­tionship between the sheep and their shepherds was very different from now – much more confidential. The shepherd was acquainted with his sheep and loved them, not merely as so much wealth and merchandise, but as friends, companions, with whom he conversed, and whose welfare he defended. Travelers tell us that the peculiarities of this parable are fully illustrated in eastern countries, even to this day; that a shepherd will know every individual sheep in his flock, and have a name for it, and that the sheep know their shepherd, and discern readily the sound of his voice, and cannot be deceived.

Some tell us how they have experimented and proved these peculiar statements of the parable; one asked the shepherd to call some particular sheep by name, to see whether or not it would come to him; the shepherd called one that was far off, and it immediately lifted its head, looked toward him, and when the call was repeated started, and wending its way in and out through the flock, came to his feet, where he patted its head in reward for its obedience. Thinking this possibly a solitary instance, requests were made for repetitions of the test, with similar results. Another traveler imitated the shepherd’s voice, and called the sheep, but they paid no attention. Thinking that it was because he had not on the shepherd’s garments, to test the matter, he and the shepherd changed raiment, but still the sheep would not heed the voice of the stranger; but when the shep­herd spoke to them, even though clothed in the garments of the stranger, they knew his voice and at once responded. Our Lord used these facts, well known to His hearers, to illustrate His relationship to the Lord’s people, as their Shepherd, the Son of the Great Shepherd; and He pointed out that all who were truly of His flock would hear His voice, would not be deceived by the Adversary, though he should disguise himself in garments of light, to deceive, if possible, the very elect. He declares, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Those who are not following the Lord, in obedience to His voice, expressed in word and example, are not His flock; nor are they in the way marked out by the Divine goodness and mercy, to dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

Jehovah God established a typical kingdom or sheepfold, and accepted the nation of Israel as His sheep, but as a nation they were wayward sheep and knew Him not. Never­theless, with a Law Covenant He fenced them in. They desired a king, a ruler, a care­taker, a governor, and God let them have their wish; but none of these was the true Shepherd, neither did any bring the sheep into desirable conditions. And when they were finally done away, various others presented themselves as the Messiah, falsely claiming the right to lead Israel – false Messiahs. These, as our Lord declares, were thieves and robbers, who sought the control of the sheep, not from interest in the sheep, but from selfish motives, for self-aggrandizement and exaltation. These attempted to lead out the Lord’s people, not by the door, but by climbing up other ways: by climbing over the Law, or by digging under it, they would reach the sheep and become leaders; and alto­gether in various ways a large proportion of Israel has been led astray out of the fold, some to idolatry, and some simply to wander in the wilderness.

At our Lord’s first advent this was the condition of things: God’s covenant with Israel was standing as a wall around that nation, but its door was barred by justice, as represented in the Mosaic Law – Israel’s covenant. There could be no proper ingress or egress; all were prisoners of the Law – shut up unto that hope which should afterward be revealed, namely, Christ the door or “way” of life. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Mean­while, though the door was guarded zealously by the scribes and Pharisees, the fact was entirely neglected that thieves and robbers, Satan’s servants, were at work plundering the sheepfold. (John 10:1,2,7,9; Gal. 3:24; John 14:6; Zech. 9:9-12)

Nor could our Lord Jesus rightfully open the fold and take charge of the sheep, ex­cept at the cost of His own life. This was the purpose of the Father, the Great Shepherd, and with this in view He shut up the sheep under the Law, to the intent that they would need to be redeemed by His Son (the appointed Shepherd), from under the dominion of the Law, before they could be made free with the liberty wherewith Christ makes free His peo­ple. And this was the first work that the Good Shepherd did for the sheep; the laying down of His life began at the beginning of His ministry, when He made a full consecration of Himself even unto death, and symbolized this in baptism. It was in view of this sac­rifice which He had already devoted, and was even then offering, and which was finished subsequently at Calvary, that our Redeemer announced Himself as the Good Shepherd who giveth His life for the sheep.

The Apostle declares that our Lord’s death redeemed Israel from under the curse (sen­tence) of the Law – but it not only satisfied the Law, “the porter,” so that He opened the sheepfold, but it gave to the true Shepherd the ownership and control of the sheep, that He might lead them out to green pastures, and that they might go out and in with perfect freedom, as His sheep, following Him. Our Lord testified, however, that many true sheep had gotten out of the fold, and were lost in the wilderness of sin. His ministry was a call to these as well as to those who remained in the fold – to the publicans and sinners as well as to those who were endeavoring to live near to God.

Thus the true Shepherd showed His interest in all His true sheep, including the lame, the weak, the starved. He called sinners to repentance, and the true sheep, realizing their shortcomings under the Law, responded and came to Him as the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. But inasmuch as many of the flock had wandered far from the position of true sheep, so that there were not enough who heard His voice, to complete the elect number of His flock, this Good Shepherd has, during this Gospel Age, lifted up His voice (speaking through the members of His Body), and has called sheep from amongst the Gentiles; and a sufficient number to complete the original predestination will respond.

The call of the present time is not a general one, but as this Scripture declares, “he calleth his own sheep by name” – it is therefore a special call. “The Lord knoweth. them that are his.” They manifest relationship to Him as His flock by their obedience to His call – by following Him. The flock which is called, and which eventually will make its calling and election sure, the Scriptures inform us will be only “a little flock,” and the fold provided for these is a special one; viz., the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Throughout this Gospel Age the Lord has been caring for this class; He has speci­ally led and fed and blessed them, notwithstanding that to the appearance of others, they have passed through severe trials, disciplines, suffering. Yea, as our Shepherd Him­self declared, whosoever lives godly suffers persecution.

A part of the key to this parable, as it is also the key to many other features of the Divine plan, is found in the fact that the sheep of the “little flock,” being called and selected to joint-heirship in the Kingdom, are to be sacrificed: as the Shepherd, the King’s Son, Himself was sacrificed as the Lamb of God, and not only opened the door to those who are shut up under the Law, but by the same sacrifice also redeemed the whole world of mankind, amongst which are the “other sheep” that He is yet to seek, so the sheep of the “little flock,” called, are all to suffer with Christ – with the Lamb of God – are all to be “living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, as their reasonable ser­vice.” (Rom. 12:1) As the Apostle elsewhere declares, “Hereby we know love, because He laid down His life on our behalf: and we ought also to lay down our lives for the breth­ren,” for the fellow-sheep. (1 John 3:16, Dia.)

From this standpoint it will be seen that, as our Lord was the Father’s Lamb, and the sin-offering for the world, so we who are of Jesus’ flock are to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, in the interest of His Body, which is the Church. (Eph. 1:22) And other Scriptures show us that all of the flock thus faithful, in fol­lowing the Shepherd even “unto death,” are counted as members of the Body of the Shep­herd. Thus the entire Gospel Age has been the period of suffering with Christ, of dying daily, of laying down our lives for the brethren; and not until this sacrifice is com­plete in the close of this Age will the New Covenant be thrown open in the largest sense of the word to the world of mankind in general, and the great Shepherd be complete ­Head and Body. Then the spirit and the bride will say, Come, and whosoever will may come – whereas now, “No man can come except the Father draw him,” and in all a “little flock.” However, during the Kingdom Christ will draw all men unto Him. (See John 12:31,32)

MORE ON THE KINGDOM

In this connection we may well quote John 3:16,17, which has appropriately been called the Gospel in a nut shell: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begot­ten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved (from Adamic condemnation).”   Here God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work, for salvation on behalf of the world are clearly set forth; but as yet the world has not gotten the benefit of them. In John l2:32,33, Jesus’ death is set forth as the meritorious cause whereby all men will be favorably influenced toward Him by the Spirit: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This He said, signifying what death He should die”; but all have not in this life been drawn to Him. St. Paul tells us clearly in Rom. 5:18,19 that Christ died in order to de­liver the race from the condemnation into which it was involved by Adam, and that this deliverance will be realized: “As by the offense of one (Adam) judgment (the sentence) came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One (Christ) the free gift shall come (the future tense in the parallel expression of the next verse shows that the italicized word came should give place to the words shall come, seeing that the italicized words here as everywhere else in the Bible are lacking in the original Greek) upon all men (the purpose of) justification of life; for as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners (through heredity), so by the obedience of One shall the many be made righteous (of the Adamic sin); but manifestly this has not yet happened to all.

Very clearly does 1 Tim. 2:4-6 prove God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work for all men unto salvation: “God “will (literally, willeth to) have all men to be saved (not eternally, but from the Adamic sin and condemnation) and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth (this shows God’s love to all), to be testified (the Spirit’s work) in due times (the Greek word is plural, times, or seasons, referring to the Gospel Age and the Millennial Age as the periods for giving the testimony).

THE KINGDOM’S RESULTS

Men will be mentally perfect at that time. Memories that are unfailing, perceptive powers that are all embracing, reasoning powers that are precise, logical and inerrant will be his to have and enjoy forever. However, as in the heavenly realm, “One star differeth from another in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41), it will no doubt be the same in the earthly realm. God will prepare variety in the perfection of earthly beings the same as He has provided variety in the heavenly beings. Perfection will not be dull or monoto­nous, as some seem to think: all God’s creation, both heavenly and earthly, will be joy evermore. Righteousness has its compensation even in this “present evil world,” even though many of the righteous today have had to suffer for righteousness’ sake. But in the Kingdom that will be changed. Only the unrighteous will have to suffer stripes for dis­obedience, but the righteous will be blessed and rewarded. If the stripes don’t correct the disobedient, they will be “cut off” (Acts 3:23).

From a moral standpoint man will be perfect. There will be nothing of hatred, anger, contentiousness, malice, evil surmising, covetousness, hypocrisy, gluttony, drunkenness, unchastity, unfaithfulness, indifference, pride, cowardice, ostentatiousness, or laziness among the children of men. In their place the opposite graces will shine forth in all their beauty, loveliness and attractiveness. Every human heart will radiate peace, joy, friendliness, kindness and charity. And what a glorious world to live in will that be, in which everybody loves everybody else, in which everyone trusts, respects, and honors everyone else. Surely in these respects – in man’s relationship to his fellows – a foun­tain of joy and peace will ever be bubbling up with its waters of refreshment, gladdening the hearts of all beholders and participants.

This will be the condition after the benevolent influence of the Kingdom proper, its teaching, instruction, have brought all the redeemable – the sheep class (Matt. 25: 31-46) – to perfection; and all the unredeemable – the goat class – have been destroyed at the end of the Little Season (Rev. 20:3). Then “There shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it: and his servants shall serve him.” (Rev. 22:3)

May all our readers be richly blessed in the Holiday Season while contemplating the goodness and mercy of our Great Shepherd, as well as the blessings of our Savior and Re­deemer, in that He gave His life so that we may have eternal life. “The grace (favor) of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” (Rev. 22:21)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends:

Thank you so very much for your recent correspondence to Dr ------- Due to his very busy schedule during the past several months, he has requested that I assist him.

I am writing to let you know how much Dr ------- appreciated the booklet which you enclosed.   He wanted me to thank you for sharing it with us. It was very thoughtful of you to remember us in this manner.

We greatly appreciate all the kindness and consideration that fine folks such as you send our way. We ask you to remember us often in your prayers. May God’s hand of blessing be upon you as you continue to serve Him.

Sincerely, ------- The International Radio & Television Outreach... (VIRGINIA)

Dear Sir:

Thank you for your reply to my request for information. I found the back papers you enclosed interesting and would like to have my name placed on your mailing list. I would also like to receive a copy of each of your tracts and a list of the books that you offer for sale.

I am familiar to some degree with both the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and would be interested in obtaining papers with your refuta­tion of their errors. I would appreciate your telling me how far back I can go in get­ting back issues and also what the cost would be.

Enclosed is a check for a copy of the book The Divine Plan of the Ages. Thank you!

Sincerely ------- (VIRGINIA)

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My dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:

Many thanks for your papers and letter from Sister on your behalf. Christian Greetings!

So sorry to hear that you are not too well. How is your health now? Thank you, Sister, for confiding in me in your personal history. I feel honored that one of God’s special servants has honored me with confidentiality in their private affairs.

I have pondered much over your financial needs, and I have feared for your feel­ings had I probed and queried too deeply. I got the impression that Brother Hoefle was a little sensitive in this area. I know that discretion and discernment are necessary before revealing such personal information. It is enough for me that Brother ------- has vouched for you, having met you. May God bless and provide for you adequately in your long and faithful service to Him. Hoping that you both will always keep a good conscience toward Him – the whole-knowing God, as a priority.

It must be a most severe test as one’s health and strength fails – yet He knows our limitations. So be of good cheer, dear Brother and Sister. I have faith that your reward will come, and your labors of great value to many (so hard to measure) bringing people to a more accurate understanding of what He has originally purposed us to know.

Our Christian love in and through the saving power of our Lord Jesus’ blood, we remain as always, Your faithful Brother and Sister ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Brother and Sister:

My most sincere thanks and warm appreciation for your blessed material ministry to Christian Action for Israel, which – I can tell you – arrived at a most opportune time. I have just returned from a trip to find your donation and... letter. It would be most interesting to read the Studies in the Scriptures by Brother Russell, and I look forward to receiving this book. Please let me know if there is any charge.

With warmest blessings to you in your ministry to the body of Christ and the unbeliever. Yours sincerely for His sake ------- (AFRICA)

PS – Parcel of books just received. God bless you!

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CORRECTIONS

Inadvertently part of the quotation is omitted in No. 293, Nov. 1979, page 2, be­ginning with the top line after “the fallen angels.” Please add “with its wind, which is World War (1 Kings 19:11; Ps. 48:7; 107:25); (b) the winds, which are the fallen angels.” Also, page 7, line 1 of No. 293, please change E–5:45 to read E–3:45.

In No. 291, Sept. 1979 paper, on page 7, line 10, please change the text Rom. 8:36 to read Rom. 8:38. Also, inadvertently part of the quotation is omitted in No. 291, page 4, par. 1, line 5, after “presence, of Christ before.” Please add “Time of Trouble, and the later epiphaneia, or REVEALING.”

NO. 293: THE BEGINNING AND ENDING OF THE "TIME OF THE END" - PART THREE

No. 293

In our September 1979 paper, Part Two, we were discussing the High Calling, and we will now give

MORE ON THE HIGH CALLING

“And I saw (mentally and physically) another angel (God’s people in their capac­ity of ministering the Truth to their brethren not yet in the Truth—C 303; Rev. 7:3 ‘until we have sealed’—Ezek. 9:2-5, 11 – and not Jesus alone, as Vol. VII teaches) as­cending from the east (Jesus and the Church – The Christ – are the Sun, Light, of the world, John 9:5; Matt. 5:14) and having the seal (the Truth as due), of the living God (given in the Scriptures), and he cried with a loud voice to (as the Salt of the earth, the Light of the world, and the City set upon a hill—Matt. 5:13-16 – the faithful have with a great message, reproved the world for sin, righteousness and judg­ment to come—John 16:8-11 – this work having had a wholesome effect upon the world and having inculcated such principles as, measurably imbibed, have measurably re­strained the selfishness of mankind from giving way to the full will of the fallen an­gels and thus arrested these unholy beings, who if unchecked by) the four angels (the four groups of mankind, as above, would long ago have brought the ruin of the Time of Trouble upon the race) to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea (evidently from this clause it can be seen that these four angels do not, as Vol. VII teaches rep­resent the Little Flock, whose work in the flesh is not to injure organized society, nor themselves, nor the earth’s great ones, the symbolic trees of v. 3. The symbolic ‘great trees’ are the Lord’s faithful people.” (E–5:148,149)

“The Bible teaches that all of the saints, the entire 144,000, would be given the honor of executing (spiritual) vengeance upon the nations, and (spiritual) punishment upon the people, of binding the kings and princes, and executing upon them the judg­ment written (Psa. 149:5-9). This was done from the Fall of 1914 to that of 1916, as we have already shown in Vol. III, Chapter II, to which we refer our readers for a full­er discussion of this point.” (E–5:150,151)

“‘That Servant’ was made Steward of all the Lord’s goods for the whole reaping time following his appointment, and ruler over the whole household, according to Matt. 24:45­47 and Luke 12:42–44. Therefore, he must have set forth on the table all the meat for the reaping time, and controlled the entire work for the whole household during the reaping time following his appointment. Conse­quently, before his death every one of the Elect was working in harmony with his teachings and under his direction of the work. Hence, before his death, October 31, 1916, all of the Elect had been reaped, sealed in the forehead, and were engaged in serving others under that Servant’s general direction.” (E–5:153)

“According to the Bible (Rev. 7:1–3) the Elect of each country must all be sealed before the war would strike that country. Therefore there could be no unsealed Elect in any war–involved country after the war involved that country. This refutes the assumed, but unfactual, view that the Lord abruptly ended the war, and that in order to seal the war–involved countries’ supposedly unsealed Elect whose sealing could os­tensibly not be done during the war...... To escape this conclusion the article under review, contradicting our Pastor’s known definitions of the winds and the wind of v. 1 (see Berean Comments), confuses a number of things: (a) the winds of v. 1, which are the fallen angels, with its wind, which is the World War (1 Kings 19:11; Ps. 48:7; 107:25); (b) the winds, which are the fallen angels, but which are in the article falsely defined as destructive power, with the whirlwind, which is the revolution and anarchy of the Time of Trouble (Jer. 25:30–38); and (c) the four winds of Jer. 49:32-46; Ezek. 5:10–12; 17:21; Dan. 11:4, which stand for the four points of the compass with its falsely defined symbolic winds, wind and whirlwind. (3) The Bible also teaches that the reaping would end shortly be­fore the war would reach the reaper. See Studies, Vol. III, 387–404.” (E–6:305 to end of par. on p. 306.

MORE FROM THAT SERVANT

In Reprint 5631, col. 2, Feb. 15, 1915, there is a subheading KINGDOM WORK THIS SIDE THE VEIL: “What time, then is signified by the expression “in the days of these kings,” when the kingdom of God was to be set up in power? To our understanding the first step in the setting up of this kingdom was the raising of the sleeping saints of the Gospel Age, which we believe was in the Spring of 1878. Then began the glorifica­tion of the church. The work of setting up the kingdom has, we understand, been pro­gressing from that date, and is now lacking the last members of the church class. When these shall have taken their places as members of the church in glory, the kingdom will be fully set up.”

Regarding the foregoing, it is our understanding that as each one of the Christ completed his earthly journey, that person then joined the Lord in glory – and which was the ‘marriage of the Lamb.’ Then was fulfilled the words of Rev. 19:7, Dia.: ‘the marriage of the Lamb came, and his wife prepared herself.’ Then was completed ‘a stone cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet.’ (Dan. 2:34) That stone could not begin its work until complete. While those still on earth could have fallen out, yet the foreknowledge of God recognized that they would not do so ­just as was true of the twelve Apostles after being spirit–begotten could have fallen from their position in the Body, yet none of them did.

“This does not signify, that there may not be a part of the kingdom work begun while some of the members of Christ are still in the flesh. Indeed some Scriptures seem to imply that there will be a kingdom work done this side of the veil. We read, ‘Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds.’ This seems to imply, as we have mentioned before, that there is a special work to be done while these saints still have beds, while they are in a condition of repose – not ‘tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine,’ but fully at rest in God’s great plan. The Scripture goes on to say that they have a two–edged sword in their hands – this is the Word of God ... This would not be true of them on the other side of the veil.” (Reprint 5631, par. 5, Feb. 15, 1915)

“Our thought is that we should look for still further evidences day by day that the Gentiles Times have ended, and that God’s kingdom has begun its work .... The present step is the war of the nations. The next step will be Socialism – an attempted Social­ism – (after Revolution—JJH) among the people. Then the third step, anarchy, will grad­ually come on. When this symbolic fire shall prevail, then the world will realize what we are trying to tell them now; namely, that God’s Kingdom is taking control, and that these various demonstrations are evidences that our Lord is taking His great power. But the many will not begin to see until the flaming fire is revealed...

“Now the time has come for God’s kingdom to displace them; but they will not will­ingly resign their crowns and scepters; they are in defiance. Therefore force is re­quired to destroy them. Their 2520 years of rule are in the past, and they must now submit to a complete overthrow.” (Reprint 5632, col. 1 – Feb. 15, 1915)

“We believe that the Times of the Gentiles ended just on time, as shown in Vol. 2... The hand of justice is now doing the breaking – the nations shall be broken as ‘a potter’s vessel.’ The whole cataclysm of trouble may be upon the world during the next ten months or it may be longer deferred. We believe that the time for the set­ting up of the kingdom was on September 21, 1914. At that time, when it was due for our Lord to take up His great power and reign, the nations were already angry. They were at war over a month in advance of the tine, because so angry.

“The due time for the ‘wrath’ (the “great tribulation”—JJH) was September 21. We are expecting to see this wrath still more manifest. The nations have been in just this same unloving spirit one toward another for a number of years, but apparently they have been under some forcible restraint. We believe that God’s time has not yet come.” (Reprint 5632, col. 2, pars. 4 and 5 – Feb. 15, 1915)

Yes, the ‘wrath’ is still more manifest today, but God’s time has not yet come for the second phase of the trouble – Armageddon. The Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted Armageddon for 1975, but self–evidently, that was not God’s time. But we may be sure that it will come in God’s due time. God’s faithful people need not be disturbed as they see these things coming to pass. However, we do indeed pity the ‘groaning crea­tion’ as we see these things coming on them, but we “lift up our heads and rejoice,” knowing our deliverance is near – not only ours but that of all mankind.

Brother Johnson saw no reason to depart from the Truth on the Time of Trouble, or the Epiphany, that Brother Russell taught us – nor do we. If we cast their teach­ing aside, we might as well say they were far from knowing the Plan of the Ages. The following is from E–4:55,56:

“We now will quote and expound passages that prove that the Epiphany will end with the Anarchy and Jacob’s trouble, i.e., will end with the end of the trouble. A passage that proves this with reference to Anarchy, though it also refers to the War, Revolu­tion, Famine and Pestilence, is 2 Thes.1:7,8: ‘The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (the agents whereby He will pour out vengeance) in flam­ing fire (destructive troubles – War, Revolution, Famine, Pestilence and Anarchy), taking vengeance on them (the Second Deathers in the Nominal Church) that know not God and (on them, the Second Deathers in the Truth) that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Accordingly, this passage proves that the Epiphany will be completed by the Anarchy.

“A passage that proves this with reference to Jacob’s trouble, so far as the Lord’s revelation of Himself to Israel is concerned, is Zech. 12:9,10: ‘It shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (in the time of Jacob’s trouble, Zech. 12:1–8; Ezek. 38; 39); and I will pour upon the House of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of sup­plication, and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced (Rev. 1:7); and they shall mourn for it’ (the piercing, I.V.), etc. All Truth people recognize at once that this passage refers to the end of Jacob’s trouble, and that it proves our Lord’s revela­tion of Himself to Israel as their long rejected Messiah. Hence these two verses prove that the Time of Trouble and the Epiphany are identical.”

JUDGMENT FOR ALL THE ELECT

In 1 Pet. 4:17,18, Dia., there is this: “The season is coming for the judgment to begin from the house of God. (Berean Comment: “Krisma, final decision”)... And if the righteous person scarcely is safe, where will the impious and the sinner appear?” Three classes are mentioned in this text: “the righteous” – the Little Flock; “the im­pious” – the Second Deathers; “the sinner” – the Great Company. Note the Berean Com­ment on Jas. 5:20: “He that was once a member of the Royal Priesthood.” We are now in “the evil day,” the day in which we should expect to see the fulfillment of Mal. 3:3: “The sons of Levi” – typical of all believers (see Berean Comment); “gold” – the Little Flock; “silver” – the Great Company. All of this was much emphasized by That Servant as occurring in the Time of Trouble – this Epiphany day.

Mal. 3:2 raises the question, “Who may abide the day of his coming? (the Parousia day from 1874 to 1914) and who shall stand when he appeareth (when he maketh manifest – by the bright shining of the Epiphany day).” The Epiphany is called a period of time in the Bible: “This know also that in the last days (the Parousia and the Epiphany days) perilous times shall come.” (2 Tim. 3:1, 8,9) Psa. 91:6 speaks of “the pesti­lence (destructive error) that walketh in darkness,” The Epiphany is also described as a night; and the pestilence that is so rampant in so many quarters is visible evidence that we are in that dark time. Recently a paper came to us, which has a sub–heading “False Prophets” – then he describes Brother Russell as follows:

“He was particularly interested in the second coming of Christ, as were a few others at that time. He had aligned the prophecies pertaining to the Lord’s coming fairly accurately; but made the mistake of applying them prematurely. His error of assuming that Christ had arrived in 1874 was the basis for all his false claims rela­tive to the Lord’s coming.”

It will be recalled that, shortly after Brother Russell’s death, the claim came forth that he had made a 19–year mistake in the Chronology – that the Gentile Times would not end until 1933. Of course time itself made clearly manifest the error of that claim; nothing at all happened in 1933 to give any semblance of Truth to that figure.

As may be expected, that contention created a great furor; and J. F. Rutherford entered into the controversy. And it is our opinion that he offered a very good de­fense of the true chronology – just as Pastor Russell had given it to us. However, at that very time he presented some rank error on the Jubilee cycles and the time involved there, during which he came up with the prediction that Millions Now Living Will Never Die – after 1925. Of course, he was one hundred per cent wrong on that. He also produced the error that the door to the High Calling closed at Passover 1918, which he later changed two or three times; and as of this writing it would seem that the Je­hovah’s Witnesses are not certain about it yet. Also, in view of other statements they have made – such as Armageddon beginning in 1975 – they don’t know where they are with the chronology; they are simply floating around in space.

In its wide sense the Time of Trouble began in 1874. After that date the radi­cal elements of society became much more radical. And it was during the time after 1874 that the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were formed – each glaring at the other, and was one of the principal causes for the outbreak of the great war in 1914. At this date the Time of Trouble began in its real violent stage; and the war in 1914 was up to that time the world’s greatest calamity. It put all involved nations into financial insolvency; and this has continued to grow worse each year since 1933. Just before this last great war began the national debt of the United States was about forty billion dollars; and one leading Washington publication made the statement then that no one with any real financial judg­ment believes this will ever be paid. At this writing it is now about twenty times that amount – with the situation growing alarm­ingly worse each year.

The 1914 war broke out in one day that year, with the assassination of the Aus­trian Archduke in Servia; and it brought sharply to mind the great prophecy of Jesus in Luke 17:26,27: “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in mar­riage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” It will be noted that this text refers to “days” (plural), indicating more than one day. It is our understanding that there are two days in the end of the Age – the Parousia day that commenced in 1874 and ended in 1914, at which time the great tribulation began, corresponding to the flood that burst upon the world immediately after Noah entered into the ark. However, Luke 17:30 speaks of only one day: “Thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (uncovered, from the Greek apok­alupto, having the same root as the apokalypse, or the book of Revelation).”

This “revelation” is still in process, and we do not now know how long it will continue; but its presence is apparent to those in the Lord’s Household who have been enlightened to perceive it. However, it is also apparent to some in the world ­in a rather foggy way, of course. One speaker at a conclave we attended a few years back made the statement that the world’s money situation has never been the same since the outbreak of the great war in 1914 – “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things coming on the earth (the present social order).”

Says the Apostle Paul in 1 Thes. 5:1,2: “Of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (quietly, stealthily, and after it has come many will not know they are in it).” This statement is as true now as it was when Paul wrote it. The first of these seasons was the small Parousia, which began in 1874 and continued during the Harvest to 1914; the second, the Epiphaneia; and the third the Basileia (Kingdom). All of these are a part of, and run concurrently with the large Parousia day (1874–2874); but none of them run concurrently with each other; and there is good reason for this. In each of those periods there is a main, though not exclu­sive, objective. The small Parousia was for the purpose of reaping; and that day and that work ended at exactly the same time – September 1914. “Thrust in thy sickle, and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap.” (Rev. 14:15) Second is the Epiphaneia (the revealment “in flaming fire”); and the Basileia (the Kingdom).

When the small Parousia ended, the Epiphany immediately began, although there was a small overlapping of around two years. There was a threefold main objective: (1) “To execute upon them (the kings, nobles and people in general) the judgment written” (Psa. 149:9); (2) to judge “the quick” (2 Tim. 4:1); and (3) “devour all the earth (the pres­ent social order) with the fire of my jealousy” (Zeph. 3:8) – in the time of violence which began in 1914, and which will continue to the end of Jacob’s Trouble, just preced­ing the end of Anarchy. As soon as the Epiphany arrived all three of these objectives began to operate: Jordan was smitten in 1914–16 (“bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron”—Psa. 149:8); the “manifestation” (epiphanizing) of the “quick” in their various classes began to appear; and “the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come.” (Rev. 11:18)

The Basileia (the Kingdom) will have as its main objective Restitution (Acts 3:19-­23); and it will appear also as soon as “the word of the Lord goes forth from Jerusa­lem” (Isa. 2:3). There was a 25–month overlapping of the Parousia into the Epiphany (Sept. 1914 to Oct. 1916); but that did not deter in the least the beginning of the Epiphany work exactly on time. However, it is well to note here that of all the erst­while Truth groups only two contend that the Basileia is already with us; namely, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement. But instead of observing any of the benign influences of the Kingdom, worse things are coming upon the world –crime and misery worse than at any time in history, but the Word of the Lord tells us that the Kingdom is to “wipe away all tears.” It seems unbelievable that brethren who were once blessed with the logical and sober teachings of That Servant could swallow such errors; and it simply proves that “they received not the truth in the love of it, and on this account God will send them an energy of delusion, to their believing the falsehood.” (2 Thes. 2:10,11, Dia.)

THE WIND, FOUR WINDS, WHIRLWIND

In Rev. 7:1–3 we are told that the four angels should “hold the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth ... till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” The four winds in this text are the fallen angels (see also Dan. 7:2); the wind is the great war that started in 1914; and the forehead seal­ing refers to the administration of the Truth to those who came into the Truth before that war began in each country. It should be noted here that all the saints were spirit–begotten by 1914, but all of them had not been sealed in their foreheads with present Truth. They were saints (wheat) that had not come out of Babylon, just as most of the saints were in Babylon during the Parousia. But all of them were “sealed in the forehead” in time to take part in the first Smiting of Jordan” during the time of 1914­-1916. (Psa. 149:8)

Some have the mistaken idea that the above is Epiphany Truth; but the Berean Com­ments show this view was held as far back as 1898: “The four winds” – which are to con­stitute the whirlwind of the time of trouble – (Anarchy—JJH); “That the wind” – the great wars between nations which are to be expected shortly; “Blow on the earth” ­Society; “Nor on the sea” – the restless, anarchistic masses of men; “Hurt not the earth” – the present favored time, with its liberties and advantages, divinely arranged; “Until we” – the Lord’s saints on this side of the veil; “Have sealed” – marked, sepa­rated, distinguished; “In their foreheads” – given them an intellectual appreciation of the Plan of God, with its time features, etc., as a comfort, shield, and mark, seal, or evidence of their sonship.

EPIPHANEIA – APOKALYPSIS

That Servant defined these terms as synonymous (as an act and as a period of time). However, they are not synonymous in the strict sense of the word. Many translators give Epiphaneia as “bright shining,” “forthshining,” “uncovering,” etc.; whereas they offer “revelation” as the meaning of Apokalypsis. The Diaglott labels the last book in the Bible THE APOKALYPSIS. Viewed critically, it is impossible to have one without the other, which explains why they are synonymous as an act and as a period of time. Thus, it requires the bright shining to produce the revelation. The Book of Revelation, for instance, has been with us since the Apostle John wrote it; but it cannot possibly be understood – revealed, uncovered – until the bright shining (Epiphaneia) makes it clear. While Martin Luther saw the explanation for some parts of Revelation, other parts of it he could not possibly understand because the “bright shining” had not arrived to reveal it – in the “due time.” Just one instance: The 1260 days (1260 literal years) in Rev. 13:5 could not possibly be clear to him because those years did not end until 1799, and prophecy cannot be clearly understood in detail until it has been fulfilled, or is in the process of fulfillment. And those years did not end until 1799 – about 250 years after Luther’s death.

Thus, it will be seen that the “bright shining” and the “revelation” have contin­ued in limited measure throughout the Gospel Age; but there is also an Epiphaneia – Apok­alypsis – designated as a special period of time here in the end of the Age; but it cannot be truthfully stated that there is a special Apokalypsis period apart from the Epiphaneia – or the Epiphany, as we call it.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

In 2 Tim. 4:1 it is stated that the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing (Epiphaneia) and at his kingdom (Basileia). There is no men­tion of His judging in the Apokalypsis, as a period apart from the Epiphaneia. And we believe all Bible Students will surely admit that we are yet in the judging period of the Elect and of the world – the world in the sense of the “judgments of the nations” (not individuals).

Regardless of how little time that judging would consume, it must be evident that it is nevertheless a special period of time. When we paraphrase 2 Tim. 4:1, the text becomes much clearer: “He shall judge the quick at His Epiphaneia, and the dead at His Basileia.” The judging of the Basileia has not yet started at all; but we think the judging of the Epiphaneia began when the Time of Trouble began in 1914.

Not only did the judging begin then, but it brought special trials on all the true Household of Faith. It stirred up a rabid patriotism in each country involved; and a great rage was unloosed against those who were not in harmony with such an attitude. In the third Chapter of Daniel we have the story of Nebuchadnezzar and his golden image, which the three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) refused to recognize. This made the King furious, and he ordered that they be cast into a fiery furnace – “that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.” (v. 19) That furnace typified the extreme fury that was unleashed then through militar­ism and the church federations. Those of us who were involved at that time know only too well of the truth of this conclusion, and it is still vividly recalled by some of us. Some of the Objectors were actually killed, and many were brutally tortured.

Here are some of the details: We were closely and intimately acquainted with three brethren who were inducted into the army early in 1917 – right after the United States entered the great war. In January of 1918, with the temperature at zero, those three were taken into the shower room, alternately showered with hot and cold water, then scrubbed with a rough floor brush until they bled; and this was continued until they fell over in a faint. One brother died as a result of that treatment; and another lost his mind, was sent to a mental institution and recovered after two years of treat­ment. But, when he eventually came out, he could not remember ever having seen us, although we were closely associated with him in the army. He has been dead for some years now. Yes, the furnace was heated “seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated.” All of this is now ancient history, completely unknown to most of our readers; and not known at all to those too young to remember World War One. But we know personally what happened then, and we can give an accurate account of it. The Epiphany has indeed been a time for judging “the quick.”

ELIJAH AND ELISHA

In the second chapter of 2 Kings there is related the last association of Elijah and Elisha – how they left Gilgal, went from there to Bethel, then to Jericho, then to Jordan (at which place Elijah wrapped his mantle, smote the River, which divided it into two parts and the “two went over on dry ground”). “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire... and Eli­jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” In Bible symbolisms chariots often typify organizations; and that is its meaning in verse 12.

Many of our readers know that Pastor Russell said the time would come when there would be a clear separation of Elijah and Elisha here in the end of the Age; and that separation became an established fact in the summer of 1917. One of the very big is­sues then was the contention over “the channel, The Society” (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society) – the antitypical “chariot” over which Elisha lamented, “my father, my father, the chariot of Israel (God’s Household at that time – the organization founded by That Servant), and the horsemen (the leaders, the guides of that chariot) thereof.” The Berean Comment on v. 11: “of fire” (probably signifying severe persecutions on the last members of the Elijah class).

The following is taken from E–3:45: “The fulfilled facts antitypical of 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-25, prove that antitypical Elijah, after functioning for many centuries, called antitypical Elisha in 1846, afterwards journeyed with him to antityp­ical Gilgal, 1874, to antitypical Bethel, 1878, to antitypical Jericho, 1881, to anti­typical Jordan, 1914, and separated from him in 1917, since which time antitypical Eli­sha functions without antitypical Elijah.”

Follows now something from Tower Reprint 5772, col. 2, bottom, and 5773, top: “It was while the two went on, with no knowledge of how far they would go, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘What would you like as a reward for your faithfulness in journeying with me?’ Elisha responded that he would most prefer a large measure of the spirit of the Lord, which so notably was manifested in Elijah. The reply was that he could get this great blessing only under special conditions; namely, that he would continue faithful in co­operation until the last – until Elijah would be taken. This would be a hard matter; for, if Elisha’s attention was permitted to wander, he would not get so rich a blessing.

“As they went on, behold, a chariot of fire parted them asunder.” In symbolic lan­guage, this seems to signify that the Elijah class would be involved in very fiery trouble, persecutions, and will thus be separated from their fellows. The next symbol of a whirlwind taking Elijah to heaven also implies further trouble. Prophecies are generally understood after their fulfillment – and only vaguely before. It was thus at our Lord’s first advent in respect to the prophecies then being fulfilled.

“We may not hope to clearly understand in advance the full import of the fiery char­iot nor of the whirlwind. To some the thought of being taken away from the present life suddenly, violently in fiery troubles, etc., would be a terrible prospect; not so will it be with the members of the Elijah class. Waiting for their change, and living in daily readiness of heart, therefore, they go on without trepidation. On the contrary, in whatever way they shall be taken, it will be the culmination of their hopes for which they so long have waited and prayed – their deliverance.”

Then this from Reprint 5846, col. 1, pars. 1 and 2; col. 2, pars. 1 and 3: “But here is the way the Lord pictures the matter: First, there will be the chariot of fire. We do not know what this will be; but we understand that some fiery exper­ience will cause a separation between the two classes of the Lord’s people. Then will develop the whirlwind of anarchy. Perhaps this will be mobs that will destroy the lives of the faithful ones. We do not know .....

“This picture is not given for nothing. ‘What does it mean?’ you ask. Ah, we know that most prophecies are understood only after they are fulfilled.

“‘Do you think that this has not yet taken place?’ may be a question in your minds. We think it has not yet fully taken place. ‘Do you think that the PhotoDrama of Crea­tion has had a part in it?’ It may be.......

“So, then, you see what we are looking for. Whether this will take place in a few months or in a few years more we may not be sure. But we think that we shall see something that will bring a division in the sentiments of the people before we get into the fiery chariot.”

That 1917 separation has continued to pyramid over the years, with more and more of anti­typical Elijah leaving the Society, and associating themselves with various Truth movements. But whether these superior brethren left the Society, or whether they stayed, it is our conviction that all of them had their fiery chariot trials. We have known quite a few of them since 1917, so we speak from personal experience.

Many brethren attempted to interpret the account in the second chapter of 2 Kgs.; but, so far as we know, none of them were harmonious if they departed from That Servant’s general interpre­tation. While the brethren were in prison in 1918, vice–president Wise supervised the work of the Society. On one occasion he came to Dayton, Ohio, where we then lived; and during one of his discourses he said he had been bombarded with about 400 Bible articles in a few months’ time – most of them on Elijah and Elisha; but quiet reflection now convinces us that That Servant gave the correct generalities, and any correct interpretation would have to harmonize with his thoughts. During 1917-1920 many of the brethren – those that stayed, and those that left – were truly in the fur­nace of affliction.

It is our fond hope that these papers will convince all our readers that we are now in the “Time of the End,” and have been so since 1799. But one writer has expressed himself very well: “Carry a cross patiently, and with perfect submission; and in the end it shall carry you.”

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

My prayer is this will find you pleasing in His sight in helping spread the Truth, which is not easy to come by anymore.

All is well with us at the present time, for which I am thankful. I think your July 1979 issue is a masterpiece. There is more meat in it than you could find in the Chicago stock yards. You were a little conservative with the number of newspapers that carried Brother Russell’s sermons. The publisher says it was approximately 3,000, and the number to receive the message was approximately 10,000,000.

May the Lord bless you and yours real good.

Your brother ------- (FLORIDA)

NO. 292: IN MEMORIAM

No. 292

Comes once more the anniversary of the demise of the Parousia and Epiphany Mes­sengers – both in late October, one in 1916 and the other in 1950. That these brethren were giants in their understanding of Holy Writ and related subjects was con­ceded by all who knew them well. A very pertinent proof of this statement is one of­fered by one of the Parousia’s outstanding and able pilgrims, who said, after the split in 1917, “He (the Epiphany Messenger) made us all (the other pilgrims) look like thirty cents.” Despite this glowing praise, which we consider warranted, we would emphasize at the outset that neither of them was infallible; they both made mistakes, some of which resulted in a festering sore for quite a few of their supporters.

In fact, during the Parousia, from 1874 to 1914, there were five siftings, which St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 10:6-11 were typified by the experiences of the Jews dur­ing their forty years’ wandering in their journey to Canaan. Among the worst of these was the 1908-1911 sifting, which shook the entire Church – particularly here in Amer­ica – to its very foundations. Those of us familiar with the situation know the phys­ical and mental distress that gripped the Parousia Messenger during that time – because he thought the blame for it rested mainly at his doorstep.

A PROPHET UNTO THE NATIONS

Despite the foregoing, we think and believe he was definitely and clearly the anti­type of Jeremiah, of whom it is written in Jer. 1:5: “I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” It is clearly recorded in the Bible how the ancient prophet foretold the overthrow of Israel (typical of Christendom) for forty years – just as the Parousia Mes­senger foretold the overthrow of Christendom. No one else during that time opened his mouth about the Gentile Times ending in 1914; and the Parousia Messenger accepted meek­ly and humbly a tremendous amount of ridicule and persecution for his predictions con­cerning that date. But, when the great War burst like a bombshell out of a sunny sky, that event certainly shut the mouths of all his 1914 critics – although many of those same people then began to cudgel him about his doctrinal teachings; and we know the punish­ment he received from that source. However, those of us who were living then know what a terrible event that War was.

The Bible Students (his supporters) received vicious treatment in many countries of Christendom; some of them were actually killed, while others rotted in foul jails, with food of the worst sort. All this was typified by the experience of the three He­brews in Dan. 3:13-23 – when they “heated the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.” Here in the antitype they would be sure to rid themselves of those hated Bible Students. We speak now from personal experience in the affair; but we also speak from personal experience when we quote the result for the three Hebrews – which exactly described our own delivery at that time: “Those men upon whose bodies the fire had no power, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

MORE ON JEREMIAH

The foregoing all happened at the very end of the Parousia Messenger’s ministry ­1914-1916; and we now resume explanation of those Scriptures that applied more to the beginning of his ministry. In Jer. 4:1 the Prophet pleads with the Hebrews to repent and forsake their evil ways – just as did the Parousia Messenger in his message to Christendom: “Return, 0 Israel... put away thine abominations out of my sight.” If they would do this, the nations would bless themselves in Abraham’s seed in the Millen­nium, thus boasting in God, and not in themselves. (2) Then in v. 3 God addresses nom­inal spiritual Israel (Christendom during the Parousia) – they should consecrate them­selves to God, putting away sin, error, selfishness and worldliness from their hearts, lest the great tribulation come and destroy them as an incurable evil – because of their great sins. The Prophet then tells them in v. 6, “I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction,” – which indeed the great war turned out to be. Continuing as it did for about 4½ years, it made insolvent all the nations directly involved, devaluing their currencies so greatly that quite often some of them were used to light a cigar.

Unknown to them (but clearly recognized by the Parousia Messenger), the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Jesus) had secretly returned, and by secular and religious truth was shaping things toward the great tribulation (the Epiphany—JJH). At the same time Sa­tan had also arisen to scheme the desolation of society, and especially so the various sects. (v. 7) Of course, the sects did not like to hear this; and here they come well within the criticism of Zech. 7:12-14: “They made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of Hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets... they cried, and I would not hear... but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not... the land was desolate after them ... they laid the pleasant land desolate.”

On account of the great tribulation, these sects will be in great mourning (both Big and Little Babylon), for the fierce anger of the Lord is toward them. (v. 8) As a result, it should come to pass in that day that combined courage of State and Church shall fail; the leaders will be dumfounded, and the general members will wonder. (v. 9) They have been greatly deceived in believing that peace would prevail, but they received just the reverse. “They have sown the wind (the great war), and they shall reap the whirlwind (Anarchy)... Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” (Hos. 8:7,8) This shall touch the Jews also in Ja­cob’s Trouble. Then it shall be said of these sects and the State-Church combination that a most distressing war – a figurative dry and dusty wind – (a literal one in Pales­tine is called a sorroco), in which one cannot fan or cleanse himself for comfort – a malady that cannot be relieved by human effort (v. ll), during which time the true church would pronounce the judgment written. (Psa. 149:5-9) The tribulation will come as troubles (which it certainly did in 1914 and subsequently, and is still continuing) ­followed by revolutions and anarchies, becoming now more apparent with every passing day. On every hand the peoples are crying, “Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.” (v. 13)

The Church-State combination will be told to cleanse itself from evils – how long will unprofitable plans remain with it? From one end of Christendom to the other (from Dan to Ephraim) will the great tribulation be publicized. Let it be told to the nations that the radicals. (Communists, Anarchists, etc.) will besiege Christendom (which is now in the year 1979 apparent on every hand). The afflictions of the radicals besiege the unclean sects on all sides because they have sinned against the Lord. Their teachings and practices have brought these evils upon her. They are as gall and wormwood upon them, the evils reaching into their hearts. At all this antitypical Jeremiah’s sympa­thies were deeply touched; he could not be quiet because his very soul heard the strifeful agitations and the call. One destructive battle after another was announced; all society was disturbed; homes (especially of the rich – as seen in Italy particularly) were suddenly despoiled. Yet, despite all this, the warring flags and trumpet sounds of war are much in evidence. (v. 21)

Jeremiah in the type (and Jeremiah in the antitype) lamented the folly of the people in ignoring his teachings – they are stupidly drunk with error, no real intelligence, wise in evil doing, but quite stupid in their understanding of what is good. (22) And because of this society would be destroyed, and their spiritual powers in full error. (23) “The mountains (powerful autocracies) are trembling, and the hills (democratic governments) are easily moved.” (24) The result would be no civil leaders or ecclesiastic promot­ers. (25) The places of prosperity would be made desolate, with all the sects over­thrown through God’s hostile presence (by His Son) and fierce wrath. (26) The whole land will be desolate, although a “full end” will not come to the human race. Some will survive the trouble. (27) Therefore, society and the powers of spiritual control will be clothed in mourning; the Lord will not repent from His purpose in this. (28)

This condition will bring about the downfall of all Christendom; they shall bear the brunt of controversial theorists and those with sharp tongues. They shall try to hide themselves in secret places (“Let the mountains fall on us”); and flee to the strong fortresses of society; the sects shall be abandoned and no longer have leaders to comfort them. (29) And the question was put to the nominal church, What will you do when this happens? Their attempt to put on better clothes will avail them nothing, and attempts to make themselves appear attractive will avail them nothing; all her former supporters will forsake them (the sects). Antitypical Jeremiah heard the anguish pangs of Christendom – the voice of nominal Zion in utmost mourning, lamenting over her growing destruction, pleading for deliverance, but finding none – worn out by ruthless slaying of her supporters. “My soul is wearied because of murders.” (31)

Antitypical Jeremiah continues in Chapter 5, by writings and oral discourses, the fallen condition of Christendom. The people search earnestly for a true leader, God promising to forgive them if they should find one. (5:1) But those who claimed to be doing their Christian duty were simply lying. (2) The Parousia Messenger, in his dis­appointed search, cried to the Lord that he was intent on the Truth and its Spirit. He said that God had afflicted His nominal people to bring them to their senses, but they had not responded, that he had tried to reform them, but they had rejected this also. They hardened themselves like flint; they refused to return to their first love (3) They were then told that they were lacking in spiritual wealth, knowing not the conduct or teachings approved of God. (4) Therefore, he sought the company of their great men to see if they had the conduct and teaching that God approves; but he found they had forsaken these, although still claiming the powers once Divinely given them, attempting to ‘beauty-parlor’ their despicable qualities and acts to make them appear attractive; but failed completely. Therefore, God would bring upon them war, revolu­tion and anarchy, which would slay, devastate and tear them to pieces. (6) This be­cause they had given up God, and embraced various forms of sin, error, selfishness and worldliness – after He had satisfied their hunger and thirst with the bread and water of life. They had formed an unholy alliance with the world and its allurements. (7) They behaved as fully-fed horses who were ‘feeling their oats.’ (8)

To the true church God charges they should attack the nominal church’s powers and do a demolishing work there, but not to complete the destruction, since their evils were not God’s. (10) Then comes the scathing rebuke – Both the houses of Israel (fleshly and spiritual) have dealt very treacherously with God. (11) They have misre­presented Him to the extent that they by their works and teachings had denied Him, con­sidering themselves safe therein. But the leaders “shall become wind” (13); the word will devour them in their standing as professed Christians.

Therefore, God threatens to bring upon them the radical elements of Christendom ­whose language the so-called Christians do not understand, nor do they appreciate the meaning of their theories. These radicals are mighty men who will devour the nominal church’s theories. They will devour their middle and strong members. They will impov­erish all her sects, eat their bread which their children should eat, and destroy them as imitation Christians – “tares” (18) And when those tares should ask of the Truth people why God does these things to us, you may answer them that as they have forsaken the Truth and its spirit, so the Lord has forsaken them. (19)

God then declares that the following message should be delivered to the nominal church in Europe and America: Should not these foolish and undiscerning ones fear the Lord and tremble at the presence of Him who is so powerful – who holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands? (22) But these tares are revolting and rebellious people; neither do they admit that ours is a God of justice, wisdom, power and love – who gave them much Truth in the Jewish and Gospel-Age harvests. (24) Then God tells them that their iniquities and sins have hidden these truths from them. For among the tares there had arisen many evil leaders, who set traps to catch men – especially those with money and influence. (26) They are saturated with defiling errors and deceptions; they are experts in wielding the cheap psychology which they acquired in many of the higher insti­tutions of learning. This makes them appear magnified and attractive, yet they do not practice justice or render real help to the poor who are in need. They are waxen fat, and they shine as great ones. The preachers preach error – error so deceptive that it keeps the great ones in undeserved power and influence. Yet there must come a reckoning, and how will they meet it when it comes?

JEREMIAH CONTINUED

Chapter 6 – Here God addresses His real people, admonishing them to flee out of the midst of the nominal church, and declare that destruction is sure to come upon the nomi­nal church. (6:1) God likened Zion to a polished and beautiful woman, against whom the Truth leaders and their supporters would besiege and make prey. (3) These are exhorted to make war against nominal Zion – increasingly so as the Parousia Day was drawing to its close. After 1914 the first smiting of Jordan occurred, and judgment began to be exe­cuted against the nations—Psa. 149:9. (4) Her main teachings began to be overthrown.

The Truth people were told to prepare pertinent teachings for her besiegement. She is to be punished because she is a complete oppressor. (6) Like a spring pouring forth its waters, so she brings forth sin, error, selfishness and worldliness. She is infamous for her violations of the Truth and its Spirit, causing sorrow and wounds, which cry con­tinually to the Lord for stripes. (7) Yet God tells her to reform, lest she become des­olate and bereaved as to the Truth and its Spirit. God asks as to who it is to whom He should appeal, since her ears are stopped; and the Word is a reproach to them, in which they have no joy. Their denominations will be given to foreigners, along with their labors and state-allianced churches. He will stretch forth His power against the sphere of their teachings. For the least unto the greatest are devoted to avarice; preachers and main leaders alike deal erroneously (13), pretending to heal easily the ills of God’s nominal people with assurances of prosperity, prosperity, when there is none. They were not ashamed because of their abhorrent acts; therefore, God declares they would fall and be abased at the time of their visitation. (15) Therefore, God exhorts them to retain what little Truth they do have, and to seek for it in the Bible as made clear by God’s mouth – a way that will bring rest to the seeker; but they refused to do this. (16)

God also sent teachers among them – especially the Parousia Messenger and his pil­grims – but they refused to hear. (17) Therefore, God exhorted them to recognize the wrath that was in their midst. Addressing all classes, God warns that He would bring tribulation upon the whole assembly, since they had refused and rejected God’s words and law. To no avail do they sacrifice their choice human powers in missionary work to the Jews and the heathen. Some of us will recall that late in the Parousia the nominal church declared that if God would give them thirty million dollars, they would convert the world to Christianity. They received the money; then asked for a man big enough to do the job; and He gave them Billy Sunday! Their burnt offerings have been unac­ceptable, and the sacrifices unacceptable. (20) Therefore, the Lord would place stum­bling-blocks before them; neigh­bors and friends alike would perish, as we see it progres­sing at this day. (21)

God declared that spirits, good and bad, would sally forth against the nominal church, and servants of these would spring up in all directions. (22) Some of these would use sharp sayings against Zion – hard-hearted, merciless, revolutionists arrayed against nominal Zion. They have heard of these people, and anguish seizes them progres­sively unto a climax. (24) Zion exhorts its members not to go into the world, neither accept the Truth, for such are armed with weapons that arouse fear everywhere. (25) They are advised to put on sackcloth and sit in ashes – “for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.”

Jeremiah in type and antitype is set as a tower and a fortress among God’s nominal people. The latter are declared to be melted silver, powerful in evil and corrupting the Truth; but the wicked are not plucked away. They shall be called “reprobate silver” ­Truth cast off, because the Lord has rejected them.

Chapter 7 – Here again the typical and antitypical Jeremiahs are told to tell God’s people of their failings, saying that He would bless them if they would amend their ways. Especially here in the end of the Age was the message to be declared that Greek, Roman and Protestant Churches were not God’s temple. He told them if they would amend their ways, he would spare them, but they trust in lying words that cannot profit. (8) But they burn incense to Baal (type of power-graspers and false teachers). Is my house become a den of robbers, asks the Lord? Therefore, will God utterly cast them away, as He did the primitive church and the less favored people of God. (15)

Then both Jeremiahs were forbidden to pray for these reprobate churches, asking the question, Do you not see what is going on? The small and the great there all work to­gether and bow to “the queen of heaven” (antitypical Semiramis). Therefore, God’s full wrath will be poured out against the nominal church. He reminds them that he brought their fathers out of Egypt (type of this present evil world), and told them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God.” But they would not listen; thus they went backward and not forward. Then the charge is leveled against them: “Since your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt (type of this present evil world) I have sent unto you all my servants (the Star Members and lesser special teachers), but they hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.”

Despite their obstinate refusal to hear, antitypical Jeremiah was told to warn them still more; but they would not receive correction or accept the Truth. Thus, the nomi­nal church lost more and more of the Truth and its Spirit, and God rejected and forsook them. They had set up detestable things in God’s house, such as eternal torment, etc., and offered their strong and weak as victims of this abominable teaching, which God had never taught them because it was a direct contradiction to His great attributes of Jus­tice, Wisdom, Power and Love. But it was emphasized to them that they would reject this abomination as the day of wrath increased – and we see this going on at the present time. Very few intelligent people now believe in eternal torment as the wages of sin. Accord­ing to God’s inspired Word, the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23) And saith the Lord, that this eternal torment thing shall be known as the valley of slaughter. Unburied, the dead of revolution and anarchy will lie from one end of the earth to the other, with none to mourn or bury them: They “shall be meat for the fowls of heaven.” (33) The voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride would be heard no more in her at all. This was true in 1916 when all the Very Elect came out of Babylon.

Chapter 8 – The condemnatory message then continues: In that great trouble the mem­ories of their past evils will come vividly to mind, and their false teachers will be ex­posed. The anarchists will discuss the evils of the past – before the Roman and Protes­tants, hierarchs and clergy; their past deeds will be considered as refuse everywhere in society. And death, rather than life, will be the choice of those who remain. The ques­tion arises, Why do my professed people backslide and hold fast deceit? And though these backsliders hear, they do not repent. This is apparent on every side at this day, although Anarchy is yet some years away. The birds and beasts observe their times and seasons, but not so with backsliding Israel. (7) They have set at naught the law of the Lord, and the writings of their scribes are a vain effort. “They have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?” (9) Therefore, their supporters will be given to more deserving leaders. The charge is hurled at them that they are covetous. From the least unto the greatest every one deals in error, and have accomplished little, although they yell, Peace (prosperity), peace, when there is no peace (prosperity).

They were not ashamed of their abominations; therefore shall they fall in the time of their visitation. (12) These people reproach one another and agitate that peo­ple join the churches as defendable and safe places, but maintain silence at the Truth attacks leveled against them; they have been forced to drink water of gall. Their hopes for prosperity faded; and their hope of healing gave way to trouble. (15) The babble of theories was heard from one end of Christendom to the other. As has been well stated, Put two economists into a room to discuss the day’s problems, and they’ll come out with three different opinions. Thus the Lord sends subtle and poisonous theories with which they cannot cope, and which usually injure them. And this bad situation greatly troubled the Parousia Jeremiah. It also caused the church members to inquire in desperation, Is not the Lord in Zion? Is Christ not in the nominal church? But the answer comes back to them, They have displeased Him with their man-made creeds and use­less practices. (19) The Parousia Jeremiah was much grieved with this sad situation; and he asks the question, Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there not something in the Word that would give them soothing relief?

Chapter 9 – He was greatly pained at the fallen condition in nominal Zion, and wept over them. He was told to “put a mark upon the foreheads” (instruct them in the Truth); and offered great solace to those who would receive it. But he found the most of them steeped in combinationism and blinded to the real understanding of the Word of the Lord. They speak lies, and are not valiant for the Truth, going from one evil to another. (9:3) Therefore, he warns his true supporters to beware of such, as they are bent upon wrongdoing, and they are clothed in deceit. Therefore, the Lord would cast them into the crucible of trouble, because their utterances are sharply deceitful; and for this God must punish them – that His own name might be vindicated.

God will bewail the autocratic kingdoms. The first of these to fall was Russia in the Fall of 1917. At that time it was one of the most absolute nonarchies that had ever existed; and for the Parousia Jeremiah to predict the sudden-downfall of such a strong civil power received only sneers from the upper crust of society. However, the follow­ing Fall the German Empire collapsed, forcing the Kaiser to flee into Belgium for safety. Since then one after the other has gone down, the last of which was Ethiopia. The “moun­tains” (strong autocratic governments) have all now been carried “into the midst of the sea” (Psa. 46:2), as the Parousia Jeremiah had predicted they would be. “The hills” (the democratic forms of government) also are being slowly disintegrated; and they will re­ceive the same fate as have the mountains. All faces are “gathering blackness” (Joel 2:6)

The religious systems also are being overthrown – just as had been predicted – “no hire for man, nor any hire for beast, no peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: I have set all men every one against his neighbor.” (Zech. 8:10) All of this had been vividly foretold in Parousia Vol. 4 many years before any of it had made its appearance; and man’s inability go regulate himself becomes more glaring with each passing year. As he had so well stated, the worst form of government is better than none at all; and this is slowly dawning upon some of the better minds. When Batista was giv­ing Cuba such a wretched administration, some well-meaning Americans went there to help Castro throw him out; but it is clear enough now that what he provided was vastly super­ior to what they have now. And the same may be said for about all the others that have overthrown their governments. In Iran now (written April 1979) the situation is a step away from anarchy. “the waters (the peoples) thereof roar and be troubled” (Psa. 46:3); yet we may calmly say, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” (Psa. 46:11)

Much of Jeremiah’s writings may be classified as historical rather than prophetic; yet he (antitypical Jeremiah) also foretells those events with phenomenal accuracy; and he is due “double honor” for his courage and insight into human affairs when we consider the vicious opposition he received during his life. Thus we once more say of him, God bless his memory! And we may say the same for the Epiphany Messenger when we consider the valiant help he gave That Servant – and markedly so during the 1908-1911 sifting. As he said of himself concerning that experience, he had worked so arduously that he was well nigh unto death from exhaustion. They both were examples of the believers; a tower of strength to the lesser lights of the Harvest period. On one occasion a critic sneered to one of his supporters, You are just a follower of old Man Russell; to which the brother replied, You are certainly right there; all these years I have been following him, but I have never been able to catch up with him!

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle ,Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Does the parable of the Sower, where some bring forth an hundredfold, etc., (Matt. 13:8), refer to any other class besides the Little Flock?

ANSWER – No, this parable refers solely to the Little Flock. As That Servant says in the June 23 Manna, “The different measures of fruitage... mark different means of grace.” So none of the fruitage in this parable refers to the Measurably Faithful – or other classes. Crown-losers can’t properly use the sixtyfold or thirty­fold to apply to themselves, much less the hundredfold. As Brother Russell says in Re­print 1973: “But all such fruitful characters are appreciated and rewarded as ‘over­comers,’ and are of the ‘Little Flock’ to whom ‘it is the Father’s good pleasure to give the kingdom.’”

In this parable (Matt. 13:3-23) the Lord describes four classes of people: (1) “The wayside” – referring to those hardened hearts that are irreligious and impossible of conversion in this Faith Age. In those days there were very few fences in Palestine; and the roads often went right through the sower’s field, so it was easy enough for some of the seed to go beyond the ground for which he intended it.

(2) The stony places” – not much earth. This represents that class who attend re­vival meetings, become temporarily exhilarated with the oratory, go to the altar and make loud confessions of faith; but quickly resort to their old habits when any ridi­cule or opposition comes upon them.

(3) “Some among the thorns” – “upon thorny ground” (See Dia.). This would imply that the thorns were not there when the sower cast forth his seed (“all called in the one hope of your calling”—Eph. 4:4), but the “thorns sprung up (grew after the plant­ing) and choked them.” As That Servant has so well explained, the thorns in Palestine grew to great height; and they represent the crown-losers during this Age, some of whom have grown to great height. In many instances they have outshone the Fully Faithful – ­gained more recognition.

However, they are all doubleminded (Jas. 1:8 – “the Great Company who are incon­sistent” –Berean Comment). They work part of the time for the Lord, but their fleshly minds worked for Satan, as they built up Great Babylon – which they will continue to do until their fleshly minds are destroyed. They are “delivered unto Satan for the de­struction of the flesh (fleshly mind), that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor. 5:5—this Epiphany Day)

The above statement needs some clarification: There have been quite a few spirit-­begotten brethren who lost their crowns during the Gospel Age. And many of them have failed to recognize themselves as such; they were not aware that they had lost “the pearl of great price.” (Matt. 13:46) This is confirmed by our Lord’s statement in Matt. 7:22,23, Dia.: “Many (a Great Multitude) shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?... and in thy name done many wonderful works? Then I will plainly declare to them, I never approved of you.” Certainly, the Lord did not approve of the work of John Calvin in his torture and murder of Star Member Servetus, or of some of the work of St. (?) Augustine, Whiteside and similar characters.

However, that situation changed noticeably here in the end of the Age – especially so since 1910 when That Servant wrote numerous articles about crown-losers in the Watch Towers; and from that time on his articles were so clear and forceful that even a novice in the Truth could not but recognize some of these qualities in some of the brethren. And some of these people have since openly admitted they are crown-losers. Therefore, there is no excuse for them, or others in the Truth, to apply texts to crown-losers that apply exclusively to crown-retainers. See the Parable of the Sower, especially those on Thorny Grounds. (See Matt. 13:7 and Berean Comment) So any of them who recog­nize themselves as such and apply these Little Flock texts to themselves, simply reveal themselves as shallow thinkers, or else they are power-graspers and manifest the opera­tion of Baal (worshipers) in the worst form.

Rev. 14:13 tells us that the “works” of the Little Flock follow after them (see Dia.); and nowhere do the Scriptures tell us that any of their works shall be burned. However, 1 Cor. 3:15 tells us that the ‘‘work’’ (singular) of the Great Company shall be burned. What work is to be burned? The work of their “fleshly minds” – which is the work for Azazel. The outstanding work of such people is the construction of Babylon the Great, which made “all nations drunk.” (Rev. 18:3 – Berean Comments: “Of wine, mixed wine; false and true doctrines mixed”) Is it not the construction of Great Baby­lon that has made “all nations drunk”? One of the chief evils of Babylon the Great has been sectarianism; and there were quite a few in the Parousia Movement afflicted with this malady, even though the Parousia Messenger vigorously denounced sectarianism. He told his supporters not to put out any of his literature until they had read it first, and were convinced that it was the Truth. But, sad to say, there are many in the various Truth groups today that are grossly sectarian. Of course, the destruc­tion of Great Babylon in the “fire” of Armageddon when “all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousy” (Zeph. 3:8), will cleanse quite a few of the Lord’s people from the evil of sectarianism.

Class No. 4 – The wheat class that brought forth fruit – “an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” As has That Servant so ably explained, this does not re­fer to different classes, but refers exclusively to the “wheat” class – the Little Flock. Therefore, to speak of crown-losers as bringing forth an hundredfold, sixtyfold or thirtyfold, is a claim with no Scriptural foundation – and is presumptuous.

There are some Scriptures which apply to the Little Flock that in substance can apply to other classes; however, no other classes can apply Scriptures to themselves that are meant exclusively for the Fully Faithful Little Flock. One of these texts that belongs exclusively to the Little Flock is, “Well done, thou good and faithful Servant.” (Matt. 25:21,23) This is the Talent Parable, and the crown-losers are rep­resented in the “one-talent” man. (Matt. 25:24-28)

Certainly the Great Company “who through fear of death (fear of the sacrificial death) were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:15) could not apply Scrip­tures to themselves that apply only to the Fully Faithful Little Flock, who were all their lifetime “singleminded” instead of “doubleminded” – they were not “subject to bondage” but rather free indeed. (See Mark 7:11; John 8:32,36 – also see Berean Com­ments on Heb. 2:14,15) “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.” (1 Cor. 3:15 – See Berean Comment)

Note Rev. 14:13, Dia.: “From this time blessed are those dead who die in the Lord; ... that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow after them.” (An exclusive Little Flock text – See Berean Comment)

Although many of the Scriptures quoted herein are descriptive of the Great Company in their uncleansed condition, we rejoice in the Lord’s goodness to them when they are fully cleansed. Rev. 7:14-17 assures us they will be victors, even though they are not “more than conquerors” as are the Fully Faithful; and Psa. 25:8 is also comforting: “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore, will he teach sinners (the Great Company) in the way.” And further in Psa. 45:14,15: “The virgins (the Great Company) her compan­ions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter in the king’s palace.”

NO. 291: THE BEGINNING AND ENDING OF THE "TIME OF THE END" - PART TWO

No. 291

The Epiphany Messenger tells us that the seventy years’ desolation of Christendom began in 1914 (typed by the seventy years’ desolation of the land of Israel during their Babylonish captivity), which seems reasonable. If the type works out, it will bring us to 1984; and if the prophesied events occur in the next five years, then we can have the strong assurance that it is a true type “for our admonition and learning, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Cor. 10:11) Surely no one instructed in Harvest Truth will deny that Christendom is now being desolated. But the Lord’s faith­ful people have no need for apprehension, because the Lord is mindful of His people. He has a time for all His purposes, and He will reveal them to His faithful servants in their time of need. (Amos 3:7) Indeed if this type doesn’t work out, there is no reason for us to lose faith in God, for “He is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23)

FURTHER COMMENT

“The Time of the End is a long-drawn-out period, because it began, as just proved, October 1799, and will end just before Daniel’s resurrection and reward as an Ancient Worthy (Dan. 12:13) – ‘he will stand in his lot at the end of the days.’ This has not yet occurred, nor will it occur for years yet. Hence this disproves ‘approximately October 1, 1914,’ as the Time of the End. When our Pastor wrote Vol. III, he believed that the trouble would all be over by Oct. 1914, and that the earthly phase of the king­dom would then be established, and therefore in that volume he taught that the Time of the End, while beginning Oct. 1799, would end Oct. 1914. But when in 1904 he came to the conclusion that the trouble would begin in 1914 and refused thereafter to set a date for its end, he implied that the end of the Time of the End would come later than 1914...

“In the Time of the End Michael stands up (Dan. 12:1). This set in at Nisan 10, 1878 (paralleling His riding into Jerusalem 1845 years before and casting off Israel and cleansing the temple) when He began to exercise executive authority in casting off Baby­lon, and when by the first Harvest sifting He began by the Truth to drive out from His temple class the unworthy. It continued by His awakening the sleeping saints Nisan 16, 1878, and associating them with Him in the Kingdom.

“His standing up – then proceeded in a Truth attack upon Satan’s empire (Satan, the individual, having been bound from 1874-1878 preparatory to the spoiling of his house, Matt. 12:29), in its religious, aristocratic, political and industrial features, which attack made such a division in Satan’s empire between the conservative classes and the radical masses as to threaten it with an overthrow by a revolution of the dissatisfied masses. To avert this threatening revolution and preserve his empire, Satan mustered the nations in two rival alliances for a war in which he hoped to wipe out the division between the conservatives and radicals by making them believe, in each set of nations, that the other set sought their national destruction. Hence the world war... Michael did not begin to stand up about Oct. 1, 1914; though about that time an important phase of His standing up did set in. His standing up began in 1878 and will continue as against Satan’s empire until the end of anarchy and Jacob’s trouble.

“During the Time of the End the whole trouble is to occur. Dan. 12:1 does not say, just the early stage of the war part of it, but the entire Time of Trouble, occurs in the Time of the End, including all its stages: war, revolution, anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble, with famines and pestilences interspersed; for the reason of the trouble is Michael’s standing up in an attack on Satan’s empire from 1878 onward, in order utterly to destroy it through the troubles above-mentioned... Jesus says that the great tribula­tion would be greater than anything that had yet occurred up to His time of anything that would occur after His time: ‘Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world unto this time (the time of His speaking). No, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) Since Dan. 12:1 teaches that in the Time of the End the entire trouble will occur, evidently the Tine of the End is not identical with the end of the Gentile Times, which occurred in 1914. It began before and ends later.” (E-6:453 -2)

CONFLICTING OPINIONS

It should be clear enough to any studious mind that we have been in the Time of Trouble in its violent stages since 1914. However, more and worse upheavals are still ahead of us. This is not merely our opinion; it is the combined thought of both Mes­sengers – both of whom taught that the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble in its violent stages are identical. Therefore, it should be apparent that those who teach we are in the Apokalypse or the Basileia are confused and indulging in rampant error. Of those who embrace those errors one of them contends that the Epiphany as a period of time ended completely in 1954; the other says it ended in a “restricted sense” in 1954. Even at this late date – over 24 years after 1954 – we have not witnessed even the sec­ond of the two fierce violent features that both Messengers taught we would see in the Epiphany – the Epiphany being the last special period of the Gospel Age.

In 2 Thes. 2:8 St. Paul tells us that the Man of Sin will be annihilated by the Epiphany of the Lord’s presence. Therefore, those who now tamper with the Epiphany not only cast aside the clear teachings of both Messengers, but they also dispense with the inspired Word of God. Thus they came under the condemnation of Rev. 16:6: “Thou has given them blood (error) to drink; they deserve it.” We suggest to our readers that they search the Parousia or Epiphany volumes, as well as the Berean Comments for the faintest semblance of proof that these teachings are correct. We know such proof is not there, so that the leaders of both groups are not now “contending for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints,” but are openly rejecting it. We refer espec­ially to the bottom of page 12 in the Instructor’s Guide, where the Parousia vs. Epi­phania and Apokalupsis are thoroughly analyzed, which analysis definitely rejects these teachings. Thus we quote here from Rev. 22:18,19: “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.”

THE DESTRUCTIVE FEATURES

The question now arises – If the Time of the End began in 1799, when will it end? We do not now have any definite answer to that question; however, we know that the Time of the End includes all the destructive features of this Old Order – the World War, Armageddon and Anarchy. Also, we know that the Time of Trouble and the Epiphany are identical. In the broad sense we might say that there is only one period of time ­the Time of the End – but included in that period are the Parousia from 1874 to 1914, and the Epiphany – the Time of Trouble in its violent features – from 1914 to the end of Jacob’s Trouble. Thus the Time of the End runs concurrently with all of them – and the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble in its violent features are identical. When we say one, we mean either one as a period of time. The Scriptural proof for the Time of Trouble is to be found in Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14. Of course, the two pe­riods just mentioned are of much shorter duration than the Time of the End: the Parou­sia did not begin until 1874, and the Epiphany, or the Great Tribulation, did not begin until 1914 – and is ever increasing in intensity until the grand smash comes. Toward the end of the Epiphany will come Jacob’s Trouble: “That day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s Trouble.” (Jer. 30:7) “Jacob’s Trouble” will terminate with the final throes of Anarchy, at which time “there will be no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither any peace to him that goeth out, or cometh in, because of the affliction: for I will set all men every one against his neighbor.” (Zech. 8:10) The Epiphany and the Time of Trouble in its narrow sense are identical; both began in 1914 and both will end with the last phase of the trouble. This is clear Scriptural teaching.

TWO JUDGMENTS

Two judgments are described in the Bible: (1) the judgment of the quick, and (2) the judgment of the dead. In 2 Tim. 4:1 it is stated that our Lord Jesus “shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom.” The nominal church has concluded that the “quick” in this text are those who are walking about and alive as we see them, and the “dead” are those in the tomb. This is a wrong conclusion; and we now offer the text from the Emphatic Diaglott: “Christ Jesus is about to judge the living and the dead, by his appearing and by his kingdom.” His appearing in this text is the Epiphany; and the living at that time are certain members of the Household of Faith – members of His church. “You hath he quickened together with him” (Col. 2:13), who were “dead in trespasses and sins.” The remainder of the human race – whether in the tomb, or out of it, are reckoned as dead. This is plainly stated by Jesus in Matt. 8:22, Dia., “Leave the dead ones to inter their own dead.” Thus, 2 Tim. 4:1 becomes much clearer if we paraphrase it: “He will judge the living during his Epiphany, and the dead ones (the world of mankind, whether in their graves or living) during his Kingdom.” “Because he hath appointed a day (a thousand-year day – Christ’s Kingdom), in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given as­surance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

IS THERE AN EPIPHANY?

Did That Servant teach an Epiphany period? Quite a few of the Lord’s good people think – and say – they are faithfully adhering to his teachings as they deny an Epiphany period, as well as a class of consecrators between the “closing of the door” and until Restitution begins. But we would say there are two meanings to the word – a condition (bright shining) and a period of time. Both of these are taught in 2 Thes. 2:8, which we quote from the Diaglott: “Then will be revealed the lawless one (the man of sin): (whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth – His sharp pertinent teachings – and annihilate by the appearing – Epiphaneia – of his presence – Parousia).”

That this is the thought of That Servant we now prove from the following quotations, which we hope will persuade all our readers on this point: “At (or during—JJH) the epiphania, or bright shining, of the Lord’s manifestation, God will have completed his present work of directing the church (in bringing in the 144,000—JJH) – and the world will be informed that they are under a different dispensation.” (Reprint 5359, top, col. 1, par. 2)

“The Scriptures speak of a great time of trouble in the conclusion of this Gospel Age. Our Lord in the prophecy recorded in Matthew 24 mentions this great time of trouble... In connection with it He says, ‘When ye see these things begin to come to pass, then lift up your heads and rejoice; for your redemption draweth nigh’ – linking this great climax to the deliverance of the Church, their change from earthly nature to heaven­ly nature ... Our Lord speaks of this same time of trouble and says that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21: 24) These ‘times of the Gentiles’ represent a period during which the world was to be ruled by Gentile nations... A stone was to smite the image upon the feet, which were iron and clay, and break them to pieces. (Dan. 2:44,45) This crushing of the feet of the image was to come in the end of the Age, and would be the preparatory step to the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom. (Dan. 2:31-45) .... The present terrible war is not the great time of trouble in the fullest sense of the word, but merely its forerunner. The great time of trouble of Scriptures will be brought on by Anarchy – the general up­rising of the people.” (Reprint 5526, col. 1)

“The Scriptures indicate that the Gentile governments will receive from their own people their first notice that their lease of power has expired. The people will take note of the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens. The judgments of the Lord will begin to be manifest in the world, and run counter to many of their interests. This manifes­tation of his presence is Scripturally called the epiphaneia, the shining forth, the re­vealment, of the King of Glory. ‘He shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (2 Thes. 1:7-10) As a result, the nations of the earth will be broken to pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Ps. 2:8,9; Rev. 2:27)... The picture given of the end of Gentile Times is that of a stone striking the image of Gentile supremacy in its feet (Dan. 2:34, 35). The impact will be so sharp and so thorough as to leave nothing of them. Having had their day, they will cease to be – become like the chaff of the summer threshing floor. The next event (after the Epiphany—JJH) will be the Messianic kingdom. of which it is writ­ten, ‘The desire of all people shall come.’“ (R-5527, col. 2, pars. 2,3 -Sept. 1, 1914)

And from Reprint 5456, col. 1, par. 2: “Emphasizing the suddenness with which the calamity will overtake the world, Jesus said on the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained down fire and brimstone from heaven; and He declared that thus it will be when the Son of Man is revealed. The Greek text shows a difference between the Parousia, or presence, of Christ before the Time of Trouble, and later epiphaneia, or REVEALING. (The Epiphany, or Apoka­lypse, and the Time of Trouble are one and the same period of time. There would be no necessity of a “bright shining” if it didn’t reveal something. In other words, there is no Epiphany without an Apokalypse—JJH).”

“We are now in the beginning of this great day (the Epiphany day, April 15, 1914—­JJH) of the Lord. All the forces which are to play a part in this mighty upheaval which is to introduce the reign of Messiah are rapidly gathering. The nations of the earth and all the various elements which form society as at present organized – politi­cal institutions, financial institutions, ecclesiastical systems, etc. – are now before the bar of judgment (in 1914 at the end of the Gentile times and the beginning of World War One—JJH), and are being found wanting. All Christendom is trembling before the mighty forces that are coming in today. Morals are at a low ebb.” (Reprint 5442, col., par. 7 – April 15, 1914)

“The earlier part of the judgment upon Christendom (in the Epiphany—JJH) will be upon the antitypical sons of Levi, the silver class... The fire of this great day (the Epiphany—JJH) shall ‘try every man’s work, of what sort it is.’ It will likewise discover who have built upon a foundation of sand. (1 Cor. 3:11-15)” (Reprint 5442, col. 2, pars 1 and 2)

The above quotations should certainly convince any open mind that That Servant recognized the Epiphany as a period of time; and present-day events certainly attest mightily that we are indeed in that period of time – the time of trouble, the Epiphany.

SOME EPIPHANY OBSERVATIONS

“Doubtless the Adversary knew that a modern war would weaken his empire; but he preferred a weakened empire to none. He invented through perverted human brains the horrible weapons and munitions of the world war, whose destructiveness doubtless con­vinced him that the war would be short. To Satan’s ruthlessness God opposed a ‘so far, and no farther.’ There God did not permit Satan to end the war with a speedy and easy victory for the Central Powers... Thus the war had two results directly opposite to those that Satan had planned: (1) the side that he favored was ultimately defeated; and (2) his empire was weakened and debt-burdened almost to collapse. Moreover, the Lord overruled to the complete frustration of Satan’s purpose of making each nation emerge from the war with the masses and the classes thoroughly united with each other, instead of their being divided against each other as they had been before the war. This purpose of Satan was frustrated by the Lord’s making known, not only the human, but also the Satanic causes of the war, particularly as these were connected with the doc­trines of the Divine Right of Kings, Aristocrats and Clerics, which doctrine and its re­sultant practices were the basic human causes of the war. The making of these things known has had various results: (1) the almost complete abolition of autocracy – a child of the Divine Right doctrine; (2) in some countries a large abolition, and in other countries a large limitation of aristocracy; (3) greatly decreased belief in the Di­vine Right of the Clergy and a correspondingly immense decrease of their influence; (4) greatly increased embitterment and opposition of the Radicals to what is Satan’s order of affairs; (5) greatly increased demands for more liberty from State, Aristo­cracy and Clergy; (6) most threatening imminence of world-wide revolution. Thus in a deeper sense than most people recognize Satan emerged from his adventure in the World War as the worst defeated sovereign of all history.” (See E-2, pp. 136, 137 and 138)

“The World War was no usual war. From the above description it will be seen it was a greater conflict, with larger issues involved, than mankind recognizes. As a mat­ter of fact the World War was the great war of prophecy – the war that, according to the Scriptures, would precede Armageddon, the war that would be the first part of the great Day of the Lord, the Day of Vengeance. In many places the Bible refers to it. The following are among the more important of these references: Joel 3:9-14; Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21, 22; 1 Thes. 5:1-3. This war, and the very year – 1914 – in which it was to begin, were forecast from the Bible by Pastor Russell years before it began. According to the Bible it is after an ever increasingly stormy interval, to be followed by sudden world-wide Revolution, which will overthrow the present form of Satan’s em­pire in state, aristocracy and religion. And according to the Scriptures even greater famines and pestilences than those accompanied the World War will accompany the World Revolution. According to the Scriptural delineations, the Radicals, in the coming Revolution, will attack the present order with crushing and relentless blows, under which it will collapse with but scant resistance, due to its greatly weakened condition resulting from the wounds received in the World War and its aftermath. This is another great blunder Satan made in bringing about that war; for by greatly weakening his em­pire it will have prepared that empire to become an easy prey to the attacks of the Rad­icals in the coming World Revolution. Events on all hands indicate that we are rapidly sweeping toward this great social upheaval.” (E-2:138,139)

“Of the coming upheaval, the following are some of the Biblical description clothed in figurative language:

‘The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty’ (Rev. 16:14; Zeph. 3:8; Isa. 13:4,5), ‘Armageddon’ (Rev. 16:16), ‘a great earthquake’, Rev. 16:18; Heb. 12:26), ‘the fire of Jehovah’s jealousy’ (Zeph. 3:8; 2 Pet. 3:10,11,12; Mal. 4:1), ‘a whirlwind’ and a ‘storm’ (Neh. 1:3,6,7), ‘a tempest of hail,’ ‘a destroying storm,’ and ‘a flood of mighty waters’ (Isa. 28:2; Neh. 1:4,5,8), ‘the besom of destruction’ (Isa. 14:23), ‘a furnace of fire’ (Matt. 13:42), ‘a lake of fire’ (Rev. 19:20), and ‘the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God’ (Rev. 19:15)

“As one reads these many terms descriptive of one and the same event, the con­clusion is irresistible that they set forth in symbolic language an appalling calam­ity just ahead of the race.

“The present European powers are symbolized in their entirety in the seven-headed Beast of Rev. 17:7-12 .... We look for the coming of another (symbolic) Beast, which seems to represent the form of European government to be set up after the Revolution (Armageddon), and which, we opine, will probably be socialistic in form. This being a part of the ‘present evil world,’ Satan, of course, will be its invisible ruler.” (E-2:139)

“The Scriptures teach that after this government shall but briefly pilot the ship of State amid the storms of the social sea, Anarchy will set in, and like a devouring fire will completely destroy every vestige of Satan’s empire. More severe famines and pestilences than those accompanying the Revolution will accompany Anarchy. Fire is the most frequent Biblical term describing the Anarch­istic phase of the Great Tribulation. The prophet Elijah was given a vision of the three great phases of this Trouble – war, revolution, and anarchy – by the wind, earthquake and fire of 1 Kings 19:11,12.

Using Jerusalem as a figure of Christendom, the prophet Ezekiel by the term of ‘sword’ describes the War and Revolution, and by the figure of the noisome beast (a beast is opposed to law and order) fittingly describes the Anarchy of the Time of Trouble (Ezek. 14:21). Additionally, in the same passage, he shows that famines and pesti­lences will play their part in these troubles, as we by observation know they played their part in the war.” (E-2:140)

“Satan will, after the Anarchy, attempt but one final effort against God’s people, and that not against his spiritual, but against His fleshly Israel. One of the signs of our times as a fulfillment of prophecy has been Israel’s returning to Palestine. This has had several stages.... Arab opposition has given a temporary setback ... but in due time this obstacle will be removed. Present world-wide conditions have influenced many wealthy Israelites to divert vast millions of treasure to their Home Land, and the land is being richly built up ... All this is in fulfillment of prophecy relating to our times. (Ezek. 36:8, 12) Satan, beholding these prosperous Israelites, and realizing that his days of mischief are about over, will, after anarchy has de­stroyed the future socialistic governments, in hatred against Israel stir up the an­archistic remnants of all nations to plunder the Israelites in Palestine. These plun­derers, as described in Ezek. 38, 39 and in Zech. 12:1-9 and 14:1-3, will be gathered by Satan from among all nations and will sorely afflict Israel in what the Bible calls Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:1-9). This will be a very severe trouble, according to the prophetic description given in the above citations, and will be Israel’s final chas­tisement. It will effectually turn them to the Lord Jesus in thorough conversion, when they in the complete overthrow of their plunderers by the Lord Jesus, will remem­ber that their trouble and their troublers’ overthrow of their anarchistic plunderers were forecast to them by the Truth people. And their affliction and the overthrow of their anarchistic plunderers will be the last act of Satanic oppression as the god of this evil world. With that wicked effort his days as man’s supreme oppressor will be over, for which we thank God. ( E-2:142)

Yes, in the last effort of Satan the Jews will call upon the Lord and He will answer their prayers: “Fools because of their transgression (crucifying the Lord of Glory), and because of their iniquities (their violations of the Mosaic Law), are af­flicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruc­tion. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psa. 107:17-21) “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:3)

MORE ON THE HIGH CALLING

“The night began in each country as it was involved in the World War, the first part of the great tribulation, which began when the first countries entered the war in August 1914. Accordingly, we recognize that the night began in 1914. But this sym­bolic night, just like the natural night, did not set in everywhere at the same instant of time, rather it reached each country only as it became involved in the war. While every government did not declare war, every one of the nations was involved therein; because every one of them was afflicted by the war. Now every nation is in the night, and has been since the war afflicted, and thus involved all nations, even those that did not declare war. Therefore the reaping is complete the world over; the Elects’ forehead sealing is finished.

“Closely connected with our text in thought is Rev. 7:1-3, which we offer as a second proof that the forehead sealing of the Elect is complete. As these verses have, we think, been greatly misinterpreted in Vol. VII, we will introduce and ex­pound them briefly: “And after (seeing) these things (in Chap. 6) I (the Little Flock) saw (with both physical and mental eyes) four angels (the messengers of wrath, C165, i.e., (1) rulers, (2) aristocrats, (3) proprietary business men and proprietary farmers and (4) laborers, who bring about the trouble, and thus pour out the sufferings, the wrath of the Time of Trouble; the Harvest workers are not the messengers of wrath, as Vol. VII claims, but are messengers of peace, announcing and working for real peace, Isa. 52:7; Eph. 6:15) standing (each group stationed in the section of society to which it belongs) and the four corners of earth (the symbolic earth, society – the symbolic heavens are not here included – is divided into four sections, each one corresponding to one of the four messengers of wrath: (1) government, (2) aristocracy, (3) bourgeoisie, (4) labor holding – these groups, prompted more or less by their selfishness, which worked in different forms in the various groups, followed a course that restrained the fallen angels from bringing the great tribulation sooner than the due time), the four winds of the (fallen angels, who seem to be divided into four classes—Rom. 8:38; Eph. 6:12 – and who are ruling over the symbolic) earth – society so – that the wind (the World War, 1 Kings 19:11; see Berean comments, also on Rev. 7:2. This ‘wind’ is not the ‘whirlwind,’ which will only then come when the fallen angels are more fully loosed than they were when causing the war, and as such meet in great conflicts among them­selves and produce among mankind the symbolic whirlwind, as this text implies, must pre­cede the whirlwind, which occurs as a result of the hostile meeting of the fallen angels, after ‘the wind,’ – 1 Kings 19:11, 12 – should not blow – bring tribulation on the earth—Society—, nor on the sea – the restless, rebellious lawless masses nor on any tree – great one: the Lord’s people are counted great ones by Him; and the leaders among the four sections of society are also by their partisans).” (E-5:147-148)

There will be more on the High Calling in Part 3. We trust that the first two parts of this series have blessed and strengthened the Lord’s people to a better understanding of the “Times and Seasons” in which we are now living.

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim. 3:14); and “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psa. 27:14)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren: Loving greetings from Above and from us!

Just wondering why the LHMM group say the last member of the Great Company is gone. I had a letter from Florida which said, he (RGJ) is with God. I knew RGJ for many years, and it gave me a sad feeling to learn of his death; and I hope he is not among the lost souls, but will be resurrected.........

Praying all of you are in better health. We haven’t had any problems other than bad colds and my stomach flaring up. But I guess that is my fault, as I eat every­thing.....

The time is really nearing to the end, with troubles everywhere. I enjoy read­ing your writings – and because of reading your papers I became more aware of RGJ.

I should have paid more attention. However, keep up the good work, as there are very many friends who read your papers. I was informed that Brother ------- and family are having classes with the Dawns. He feels he may be able to win them over to his class in the LHMM.

May God continue His blessings and guidance and ease your pains.

Much Christian love, ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Sirs:

I am interested in finding out about your work, and would appreciate any­thing you could send me concerning your history, doctrines and the literature available from you.

Thank you!  Sincerely ------- (VIRGINIA)

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Dear Brethren in Christ: Greetings in our Lord’s most beautiful Name!

Enclosed is a check to help cover expense for your magazine. I truly enjoy read­ing them. God bless all of you and your work that is put into enriching our lives with the Truth.

Warm Christian love ------- (ILLINOIS)

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Dear Sir:

I would appreciate your pamphlet “Where Are The Dead.” Thank you!

Yours ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Friends: Please send me copies of the free papers – list enclosed. Enclosed is a small contribution.

Sincerely ------- (NORTH  CAROLINA)

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Epiphany Bible Students:

Please send me information on the Epiphany Bible Students, including a price list of any literature that you may sell.

Sincerely ------- (HAWAII)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Greetings in our precious Savior’s Name!

Thank you so much for letting me know about Sister Ruth. I didn’t know her family nor their names. She was trying so hard to have faith to live. I didn’t feel she would live when she told me her condition. But there is something about death which we are never ready for – even though we know we can’t live. I feel that I failed her, yet I called and would get no answer......... When she came back from Mexico the first time, she came by and we had a wonderful time together in the Lord. She stayed quite some time, and I was so glad and wanted her to stay longer. She was looking forward to the time we could get together for more study........

Thank you for ordering the Manual for me. I do study it quite a lot. I surely respect Brother Russell and Brother Johnson for the Truth God gave them. When I read the account of Brother Russell’s death, I read and cry till 2:00 o’clock in the morning. I only wish I could have known him.

I don’t want to take up too much of your time now, so you just take your time answering. Life is hard sometimes, and with sickness it’s almost more than we can bear at times..

I do hope this finds all is well there. May God bless and keep every one there.

A sister in Christ ------- (ARIZONA

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF GENERAL INTEREST

It is nearing the time for our Fall Special Effort in antitypical Gideon’s Second Battle. We suggest Sunday, October 14, through Sunday, November 4, for this good work. On October 31 it will be 63 years since the Parousia Messenger finished his course; and on October 22 it will be 29 years since the Epiphany Messenger joined him. We also suggest that the various Classes hold a joint Memorial service for them some time during the last week of October. Of course, we honor them most by “bearing wit­ness” to the Truth they left us. Please order the pertinent tracts and literature in time if you wish to join us in this Special Effort.

We invite all of like mind to join with us in the prayer, God bless their memory! (1 Sam. 2:30)

NO. 290: THE ANTICHRIST

No. 290

When “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” He provided the foundation for two religions – the Christian and the Antichristian. The first of these set forth the highest of ideals for His followers, to perfect them in every good word and work; the second did pretty much the exact opposite, often arousing the basest of human inclina­tions toward heinous crime. The ideal of the true Christian is to attain equality in character and vision with their Leader, an ambition which none of the human race has ever achieved. Had any of them ever been able to do this, the ideal would then be largely dissipated – no more hills to climb, no more conquests to accomplish. Thus, throughout the writings of the Apostles the ideal of “Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) is ever prominently in their writings, “Christ” being the ransom price for our justifi­cation, and “Him crucified” being the narrow way in which “He set us an example that we should follow in His steps.” All of this is summarized in perfect love for the Lord, the Truth and the brethren, which, when properly comprehended and practiced, delights in doing good unto all men as we have opportunity, but especially to them which are of the Household of Faith.

Thus, St. Paul counsels “Husbands, love your wives, even as the Anointed One loved the congregation, and delivered Himself up on her behalf.” (Eph. 5:25, Dia.) And among the last of the Lord’s thoughts on the night before His death was toward those who would cleave to Him in spirit and in truth – “That they all may be one... that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me.” (John 17:21-23)

All who know anything at all about Christianity admit that its fundamental precepts are good; but, they say, no one lives up to it. And, while it is true that the vast majority of those calling themselves Christians deserve such criticism, yet it is equally true that there have been some outstanding “examples of the believers” throughout the Age. Aside from the twelve Apostles, mention may be made of John Wesley, founder of what is now the Methodist Church. The focal point of all his teaching was that disinterested good will toward all men is the ideal for Christians; and there is little doubt that he practiced what he preached. Much the same may be said for George Fox, founder of what is now the Quaker Church. Similar appraisal may be made of Balthasar Hubmaier, founder of the Baptist Church. And the preaching of these three men, along with others throughout the Age, was potent and magnetic enough to cause many of their adherents to exemplify true Christian principles in their daily lives.

But alongside the few throughout the Age there have been great multitudes who did other­wise, many of the latter with such wealth, education and mental brilliance that they have almost completely eclipsed those faithful few who held “the testimony of Jesus, and the spirit of His Prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10, Dia.) This deplorable situation was already making its first glimmering appearance in the early Church, so that St. Paul was prompted to write: “The secret of lawlessness is already working.... then will be revealed the law­less one... whose coming is according to the energy of the Adversary, with all power, and signs, and wonders because they admitted not the love of the Truth (true Christian­ity) in order that they might be saved.” (2 Thes. 2:7, Dia.)

Here is an excellent description of the Antichrist that would appear after the Apos­tles had left this earth; and, while we stated in the first sentence of this treatise that our Lord had laid the foundation for this monstrous apostasy, it should be kept in mind that such was not His design; it was merely that He provided the opportunity for “evil men and seducers” to join a good cause for their own selfish purposes – much the same as the Bible itself has also provided a very convenient conveyance for those to en­hance and enthrone themselves who in fact were really motivated by most selfish and un­holy ambitions. It is well for us to keep in mind here that Antichrist not only means opponent, but it also means “in the place of” Christ. St. Paul had warned in 2 Thes. 2:3-5 that Jesus would not come again until “there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be re­vealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God... so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” The attempts to interpret St. Paul’s words here are legion, quite a few would-be interpre­ters – being very emphatic that this refers to an individual. During the 1914-1918 war there was quite some agitation to the effect that St. Paul’s words were just another de­scription of the “Beast” of Rev. 13:2-5: “The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet as a bear’s, and his mouth as lion’s mouth... and they worshipped the beast. saying Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war with him? And there was given to him a mouth speaking great and blasphemous things (note the close similarity to St. Paul’s words); and authority was given him to act forty–two months.” The theory gained quite some followers back there that this was a prophecy of the German Kaiser, which meant that the war would end in forty–two months. But when the war went on for nine months more than the forty–two, and the Kaiser suffered complete defeat, was forced to abdicate and flee to Holland, that theory died as quickly as it had been born. Their mis­take, of course, lay in their failure rightly to comprehend one of the basic rules for the understanding of The Revelation; namely, that the numerals in that book are literal, but almost all the common nouns are symbolic. Those months are 30-day months, making a total of 1260 days, as can be readily seen from Rev. 11:2,3: but, applying the principle of “a day for a year” (Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6), the period of time then involved would be 1260 literal years.

THE PAPACY

That the foregoing Scriptures could not possibly refer to an individual will, we be­lieve, be apparent from certain considerations, one of which is that no individual has ever survived for 1260 years. Also, the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, The Beast, all sim­ply portray different characteristics of the same thing: Antichrist being “in the place of” Christ – Man of Sin (in place of “Son of Man” – Mark 2:10), the degrading disposition and influence – The Beast, the vicious destructive and inhuman qualities. The beast “was like unto a leopard.” A leopard is black and white spotted, indicating that in some places the beast would be black as night, but in others appearing lily white in hypocriti­cal manner – professedly Christian!

This latter has been outstandingly true of the Papacy; e.g., Spain, Mexico, Italy, tolerance has been foreign to their teachings. Not long back they tried to chase the YMCA out of Italy – revealing the black spots of the leopard. But in America, where they are much in the minority, they are very outspoken for tolerance – for them, that is – ­manifesting the white spots of the leopard.

In 2 Thes. 2:1–5 St. Paul states that the Lord would not return to earth again “ex­cept there come a falling away first.” Certainly, this would not mean just one indivi­dual; the very construction of Paul’s expression shows he was meaning many individuals ­a great apostasy – that would be influenced, deceived, and overawed by “the man of sin” – “the son of perdition” (destruction) – yet professedly Christian. The only entity in Gospel-Age history that properly fits this description is the Papacy; it meets all the requirements perfectly – its own record is enough – we need not go to its opponents or critics for argument to sustain this conclusion. But, in coming to this conclusion we do not wish to convey the impression that every Roman Catholic is included in this opin­ion – any more than every Protestant should be held accountable for the vagaries of the various protesting systems. There have been, and still are, many noble and magnanimous individuals among Protestant and Catholic churches, who for various reasons have failed to recognize the true situation; but this does not alter the fact that the Lord Him­self referred to certain features of the Roman Church as “the abomination of desolation.” (Matt. 24:15)

Giant oaks from little acorns grow; so also the Roman Church came to its present prominence from a very small beginning – at first meekly bowing to the powers that be, but gradually, very subtly, telling them what to do, until from 799 to 1799, the Papacy “as God sitteth in the temple of God (“Ye – the true church – are the temple of God” – ­1 Cor. 3:16), showing himself that he is God.” Said Pope Innocent III: “The pope holds the place of the true God.” Innocent and Jacobatius state “the pope can do nearly all that God can do – none dare say to him any more than to God, Lord, what doest thou?” We here present a mere fragment of what has been written about this subject – enough, we hope, to establish a firm base for our position.

MARTIN LUTHER

In our No. 7 tract we offered quite some detail about Luther’s problems and wars with papal error and intrigue – a member of antitypical Elijah against antitypical Jez­ebel; and we now offer some of his statements about Antichrist as taken from the book of Roland H. Bainton, first published in 1955:

“The faith and the Church are at stake, I rejoice to suffer in so noble a cause. I am not worthy of so holy a trial. I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is Antichrist.” (p. 124) “If he is inviting me to my death, then I will come. I hope none but the papists will stain their hands in my blood. Antichrist reigns. The Lord’s will be done.” (p. 139) “I was wrong. I retract the statement that certain articles of John Huss are evangelical. I say now, ‘Not some, but all the articles of John Huss were condemned by Antichrist and his apostles in the synagogue of Satan. I say freely that all the condemned articles of John Huss are evangelical and Christian, and yours are downright impious and diabolical.” (p. 128) And on page 120 is a print showing “On the left Christ is washing the disciples’ feet. On the right Antichrist, the pope, is having his toes kissed by monarchs.”

In their efforts now to embrace Martin Luther, to praise his teachings and work, are the Roman Catholics also accepting what he taught about the pope being Antichrist, sitting in the synagogue of Satan? Let us not forget that the very book from which we quote aforegoing was banned by Catholics shortly after it appeared just twelve years ago (written in 1968 – now in 1979 23 years ago), and many stores were intimidated from further sale of it. And those who continue to pay homage and worship at the feet of Antichrist are in truth also “sitting in the synagogue of Satan” so long as they assemble in the same company with Antichrist. No sane human being would logically do this, of course; but the eyes of many are being opened, and they forsake such company. And we have the “sure word of prophecy” that many others will shortly do likewise. Thus, this writing is no indictment of Roman Catholics as individuals; and we urge all our readers to follow St. Paul’s counsel: “A servant of the Lord must not be contentious, but be gentle towards all, fit to teach, patient under evil; in meekness correcting the oppos­ers; perhaps God may give them a change of mind in order to a knowledge of the Truth; and that they may be recovered from the snare of the enemy, who have been entrapped by him for his pleasure.” (2 Tim. 2:24-26, Dia.)

PSALMS 75:6–7

Psalms 75 carries fitting application to our subject matter – the true Christ and to Antichrist. Verses 6 and 7: “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Here is veiled reference to Baal, the sun God of the nations round about Is­rael.

Almost from the beginning of Israel’s conquest of Palestine, after their deliver­ance from Egypt, there was constant conflict between the Lord God of Israel and the false Baal of the Heathen round about. In our paper on The Great Reformer we gave some detail of Elijah’s engagement with the Prophets of Baal, who received equal recognition in Is­rael because of Queen Jezebel, the wife of Ahab; and Elijah’s complete victory over them forecast the complete victory during this Gospel Age of antitypical Elijah (the true Church attempting to reform this “present evil world”), over antitypical Jezebel (the Ro­man Church) before this Age comes to a close.

The Heathen Baal was typical of power-graspers in the Christian Church during this Age; and those who “bow the knee to Baal” refers to all who do obeisance to that Anti­christian system. Thus, an identical conflict has transpired during this Age to the one that raged in Israel in the centuries preceding the Christian era. And those on the side of Baal have received no “promotion” – no lasting recognition – from the God of Heaven. In fact, in almost every instance when the Pope asks special blessing upon some event or locality or populace, the very reverse occurs: Great calamity is often the result. We instance just one example: We detailed in The Great Reformer (copy free upon request) how King Philip II of Spain is said to have laughed for the first time in his life over the horrible massacre in France on St. Bartholomew’s Day. It was this same King Philip who a few years later prepared the Invincible Armada to annihilate Protestant England for rejecting the papal domination. And that Armada received the very special blessing of the Pope for its mission – a mission which culminated in complete failure and the destruc­tion of a major part of the ships and men in that expedition.

Thus, the warning is given in Psa. 75:5: “Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck.” The “horn” in the Bible is often used to symbolize power (see Psa. 18:2): “The Lord... the horn – power – of my salvation”; also Mic. 4:13, “I will make thine horn (power) iron.” This exhortation is companion to St. Peter’s words: “God resisteth the proud” (1 Pet. 5:5); and then the Psalmist warns: “for promotion com­eth neither from the east, nor from the west” nor from following the course of Baal and his devotees; but God will exalt whom He will exalt – those who resist the power-grasp­ing system of Baal.

Inasmuch as the Psalmist is here contrasting “the horns (powers) of the wicked” and the “horns (powers) of the righteous” (v. 10), it is certainly no strain on the imagina­tion to conclude the “promotions” of the righteous must come from the north, since they do not come from the east, west or south. This is quite clearly confirmed in Isa. 14:12-­14, where the power-grasping course of Lucifer is described – identical twin to the course of the Papacy. Note the very similar language of v. 14: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High,” to that of 2 Thes. 2:4: “Who (the Papacy) exalteth himself above all that is called God... he as God sitteth in the temple (con­gregation) of God (“ye are the temple of God” – l Cor. 3:16,17), showing himself that he is God.” And Lucifer would make his attempts “upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” (his abode would rival that of the Most High).

THE DARKNESS HATETH THE LIGHT

It needs little argument that throughout the Age true Christians have been much in the minority.   The Lord had promised, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the Truth” (John 8:31, 32); but this promise “to know the Truth” would not apply to the vast majority who did not “continue” to keep it. To such came the “strong delusions” – also promised to those who “received not the love of the Truth.” (2 Thes. 2:10) But it is a sad commentary concerning the many that they were not content to lose the truth, they must also persecute those who did faithfully retain it. Thus developed the monstrous crimes, the heinous tortures by the Antichrist against those who “protested” against their errors. Some of this was given in our No. 7 tract, so we need not repeat it here. However, the Antichrist was not the only system that re­sorted to the persecution of those who retained Present Truth; and we now catalog some of these:

Michael Servetus was one of those true Christians who accepted, and defended the truth that there is but one God. This aroused the ire of John Calvin (strong advo­cate of, and chief organizer of, the Presbyterian Church), so he tricked Servetus into Geneva, had him arrested for ‘heresy.’ The trial lasted about 2½ months, with Servetus thoroughly defeating Calvin on the Truth that there is but one God. But the judges, being also in error as was Calvin, found Servetus guilty, sentenced him to be burned at  the stake. The next day, October 27, 1553, Servetus was taken from the city, made to sit on a block. Instead of using dry wood, green timber was used, placed some distance from him, which subjected him to a slow roasting of over a half hour duration. Also, in mock­ery – like the crown of thorns that was placed on the brow of Jesus at His crucifixion by the errorists of His day – a chaplet of straw and green twigs, besprinkled with brim­stone, was made to encircle his head. This ‘crown’ was ignited first, and produced such a cry of anguish that it struck terror into the hearts of the spectators. That was his only expression of pain.

Perhaps the saddest part of the above recital is that John Calvin himself had strong­ly denounced the persecuting spirit of Antichrist in France; had addressed a noble publi­cation to the King of France in defense of religious tolerance – tolerance for him, that is. But he readily forgot all about tolerance when he could not meet the Truth that came from Servetus, and blackened his memory with one of the worst examples of cruel intoler­ance ever to be recorded. This is indeed a sad record against Calvin, who was considered one of the most brilliant religious minds of the entire Gospel Age, and a zealous cham­pion of his idea of Christianity.

“Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents. and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Mark 13:12-13)  And, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:16) “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” (Psa. 24:4)

Coming a little further along in history, there is the case of the pilgrim fathers who left England because of religious persecution; but, hardly had they landed in New England in 1620, than they began to heap much the same abuses upon those who disagreed with them. But let us keep in mind that, while Wesley and his adherents were sorely per­secuted in England, he himself and those who fully embraced his teachings, never perse­cuted, or recommended persecution of those who disagreed with them. The same could be said of George Fox and the Quakers; the same for Balthasar Hubmaier and the Baptists. And this is definitely our own position now.

By the time the Parousia had arrived the physical manhandling of dissenters had pretty much become out of date, but those who embraced the Harvest Truth were subjected to considerable verbal abuse and vilification, with considerable vicious slander heaped upon That Servant. This increased in severity as the 1914 war began, during which time some of the Truth people did incur actual physical violence, with even a few of them dy­ing from that abuse. During that time those in “present truth” were a unit in advocat­ing religious tolerance; and it would seem the lessons of the past, plus their own un­toward experiences, should have taught them thoroughly the quality of tolerance. But, sad to say, hardly had That Servant died than quite a few of them took up the very unchris­tian weapons against their former brethren that had been previously used against them. Were we not personally witness to this, it would be difficult to believe.

And from 1916 on those brethren who were being defamed by the Society also were loud in their acclaim of tolerance, the Executive Trustee of the LHMM being one of the fore­most in denouncing intolerance; and he did an excellent job of declaring the evils of intolerance. It was easy enough for him to do that, too, because he had the Truth as his ‘shield and buckler’: and it was no problem to prove that it was once more error perse­cuting truth.

But scarcely had the Epiphany Messenger left us until the Executive Trustee began to cudgel his opponents with the same weapons that had formerly been used against him and others – with the situation now reversed: The former champion of the Truth on tolerance was now forced to intolerance by the Truth which appeared against his error – just as was true of those intolerant ones in the Society after 1917. Here is a sad illustration indeed of human frailty – the accumulated experience of the Age, coupled with extreme brilliance of Harvest Truth, availed them little as those who still retained Parousia Truth began to expose their decline into error. The formerly excommunicated became the excommunicators in very pronounced fashion: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” (Isa. 66:5)

In so many instances the founders of present-day religious organizations – John Wesley, Martin Luther, William Miller, Thomas Cranmer, Robert Brown, George Fox, Bal­thazar Hubmaier, Michael Servetus, Zwingli, Charles T. Russell, et al – were mercilessly opposed because of the truth they presented; a number of them were actually burned at the stake. Yet, quite often those who were outraged witnesses to such abuses, adopted the tools of the persecutors when the situation became reversed. However, the underly­ing cause of such conduct was largely due to the fact that they themselves had departed ­in whole or in part – from the teachings of those they claimed to follow. All during the Age it seems it never took long until the examples of the respective reformers were for­gotten, and much of the truth they presented was perverted or lost completely; and, as the truth was lost, so also was lost the spirit of true Christianity which had actuated their leaders. “Strong delusion” (2 Thes. 2:11) regarding the truth usually inculcates “strong delusion” in conduct also, which in turn develops fanaticism in those who fall prey to it. It is certainly sound appraisal that religious fanaticism is the deepest, wickedest and most conscienceless of hatreds.

THE TOWER OF BABEL

Some years after the deluge, when the population had begun to increase, men said, “Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto Heaven” (Gen. 11:4). They would have insurance against another flood (in spite of the promise that another flood would never be – Gen. 9:15); they would build Babyl (Gateway to God). As retribution for this affront, the Lord confused their tongues; they could no longer understand each other. Thus, the effort became known as Babyl, meaning confusion, the same being typi­cal of the Roman Church’s effort also to build a “Gateway to God”; that is, We are the one true church – no salvation outside of us – no other access to God – their popes are now the successors to St. Peter (despite the fact there is no evidence whatever that St. Peter ever once visited Rome). But their shibboleth over the centuries has been, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” (Matt. 16:18)

In further explanation, we quote this text from the Emphatic Diaglott: “I also say to thee, Thou art a rock, and on this rock I will build my Church.” Reference to Peter as ‘a rock’ is from the Greek Petros; and ‘this rock’ as the foundation for the Church is from the Greek Petra – the difference in meaning being Petros is a small stone, with Petra as a huge boulder. Once this is clearly understood, it is easily comprehended that Jesus was not referring at all to Peter as the rock upon which He would build His Church, but to the great indisputable Truth that Peter had just spoken: “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” Indeed, in the words of the hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” He is truly the Christ; and “other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11) He is the Petra, the unlovable rock, upon which the Church has been built. “There is none other name (neither Peter, nor any other) under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) But the Roman interpretation is TRULY ANTICHRIST – “in place of” Christ. And to them also God sent confusion of tongues – a “Babyl”; their teachings today are completely foreign to the truth given us by the Lord through St. Peter.

In identical manner, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have made similar pattern; they claim also to be the “Channel for present truth’“ no salvation apart from them – they, too, would build “Bab-El.” And to them also has come retribution: a confusion of teachings so far removed from that presented by their founder that there is almost no similarity now to their beliefs of fifty years ago. And they also – in true Roman spirit – would suppress the truth presented by us; they have actually seized our papers from the hands of their dedicated deluded devotees and trampled them in the street. Yet they still boast of their founder, just as the Catholics boast of St. Peter. Was such conduct ever in evidence by the Master, Apostles, or by those true reformers mentioned aforegoing? Indeed, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20) The spirit of Antichrist readily reveals itself to all unbiased observers. The following excerpt from Reprints 5172 (Feb. 1, 1913) is most appropriate here:

“All down the Gospel Age, those who have been faithful to the truth of God have been put ‘out of the synagogue.’ The creeds of men have been barriers to keep out those who understood the word of God.”

And there is sound logic in explanation: The Truth always brings out the best in the faithful, but it often brings out the worst in the unfaithful or measurably faithful. “We (the faithful) are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death (as they go deeper and deeper into error); and to the other the savour of life unto life (as the Truth per­fects them in every good word and work).” (2 Cor. 2:14,15) “The light (Truth) shineth in darkness (amid error); and the darkness (error) comprehended it not.” (John 1:5) It is an evidence of human frailty that physical force is usually applied when the intellect is not sufficient. Thus, for a thousand years the Antichrist resorted to the rack, boil­ing oil, hot lead in the ears, etc., against the ‘heretics’ whose truth they could not gainsay or resist. But there is no record of the fully faithful ever using such weapons against Antichrist. St. Paul also had counseled “Resist not evil with evil” – “the wea­pons of our warfare are not carnal.” He also wrote in 2 Cor. 3:17: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (tolerance).” Con­versely speaking, we may draw the ready conclusion that without liberty there is none of the Spirit of the Lord. And from such we are advised to turn away! Woe unto those who fall prey to the spirit of Antichrist!

“For we are not like the many, trafficking the word of God; but really from sincer­ity, and as from God, in the presence of God, we speak concerning Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:17, Dia.)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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The following is an answer to the letter in the July 1979 paper:

Dear Brother Emry: Grace and peace through our Beloved Lord!

Delay in answering your letter of Feb. 23 is due to my illness... My wife has been unable to take care of some of the correspondence. However, I am now regaining my strength.

Your frank expressions on the subject of the Jews are appreciated. I especially ap­preciate the compliment you give me regarding my knowledge of God’s Word and His “plan of the ages.” I have endeavored to “continue in” the Truth I have learned and been assured of; and our Lord promises, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31,32) Also, the Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy to “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” (2 Tim. 3:14)

First of all, I wish to emphasize the fact that I am not a Jew – although I am not un­mindful of the wonderful heritage the Jews have, even as I am acutely aware of the objectionable qualities that the renegade Jews have. As the Apostle Paul tells us, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly.” (Rom. 2:28) God does not recognize these renegades as Jews: His promises are only to the faithful orthodox Jews who will eventually accept Christ as their Savior. Also, there are many renegade Christians, who outwardly profess Christ but do not so do from the heart.

At our Lord’s First Advent He opened up the way for the natural Jews to become Spiri­tual Israelites, but only a few availed themselves of that opportunity. “O Jerusalem, Je­rusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matt. 23:37,38)

After our Lord’s crucifixion, in “due time,” the Lord opened up the way for Gen­tiles to become Spiritual Israelites. But only a small minority of the human race have availed themselves of this opportunity – and quite a few of those who did... have made shipwreck of their profession. I am sure, my Brother, that you recognize this condition.

In the genealogy of Jesus we are clearly told that David was his ancestor. And cer­tainly David was a Jew. And the inspired Scripture gives us what our Lord said: “Ye wor­ship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22) However, the faults of those renegade Jews, who are only Jews according to the flesh, may easily blind us to the overall picture. Ezekiel and Jeremiah are positive in disputing your opinion. I shall quote just one citation from Jer. 16:14: “I will bring them Again into the land that I gave unto their fathers.”

As you undoubtedly know, Israel is just another name for Jacob, as he was originally called; and Jacob’s 12 sons are the progenitors of the 12 tribes of the children of Is­rael; and Jesus is referred to as “the lion of the tribe of Judah.” He was in a class by Himself when conducting His ministry at His first advent; and at that time He certain­ly demonstrated that He was the lion (the King) of the tribe of Judah.

Note, too, Zech. 14:1-3: “I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to battle... then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” I assume I need not cite those ancient outstanding times when the Lord did fight for Israel; and the record tells us of Jesus: “He came unto his own (the Jews), and his own received him not.” Also, Zech. 12:10: “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn because of it.” St. Paul corroborates this in Rom. 1:16: “To the Jew first.”

As footstep followers of Jesus, we should not hate any race because of the evils of some – perhaps many – individuals. Although the Lord beholds the good and the evil (Ec. 12:14), He is not dealing with any individual now but only with those who are in covenant-relationship with Him. “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.” (Acts 17:31) “For when thy judgments (instructions) are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9) “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) But their eyes will be opened in that Blessed Kingdom: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” (Isa. 35:5) “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” (Rom. 11:32)

If at any time I can be of assistance to you, do not hesitate to call upon me ­as I consider you my brother. We here try to write “in sincerity and in truth,” as we rely upon His inspired Word.

With this comes my Christian love and the assurance of my prayers for your highest welfare. The Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.

Sincerely your brother and servant,

John J. Hoefle

PS – I am enclosing a tract on The Two Distinct Salvations and our May 1979 paper, which I hope you will find interesting and helpful.

Also, I have a few Jewish-Christians on my mailing list, and have exchanged per­sonal correspondence with them. I find them most generous with those who have departed from the Truth – especially so with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, et al, who no longer teach the Truth on the promises to the Jews: “To the Jew First,” which is clearly taught in the Scriptures, for both the elective salvation as well as the salvation of the world in general in Christ’s Kingdom.

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CORRECTION: In our May 1979, No. 287 paper, please correct par. 6, line one, on p. 8, to read “Yes, Hagar was an Egyptian, and her son Ishmael and Isaac were half brothers; both had Abraham as their father.”