NO. 321: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 321

Comes again the observance of our Lord’s death, and particularly so as regards His last Passover observance the night before He died. We now follow the procedure He pre­scribed at that last Passover with His disciples, using the bread and wine in what is commonly termed The Lord’s Supper. When the typical lamb was gathered in on Nisan 10, as they were told to do that first time in Egypt – held until Nisan 14 – they were un­doubtedly soberly impressed with the serious performance at hand. In previous papers we have stressed the meticulous care each Jewish household portrayed when they removed all leaven from each house the day before eating the Passover. And so it should be with us also. As St. Paul stresses it: “Let a man examine himself.” (1 Cor. 11:28)

First of all, we stress that it is now exactly 3,596 years to the day from that awesome event in Egypt – that night in which every firstborn of man and beast in Egypt was slain. And that event is still indelibly impressed upon the mind of every orthodox Jew to this day – as well it should be. We are often inclined casually to read of this event without great serious thought; but let us consider the condition that prevailed in Egypt at that time: The firstborn of man and beast in every household! Thus, the land was literally filled with corpses; certainly not enough undertakers to care for all of them, which burdened the head of every house with burying his own son. In our day we consider it sad enough when children must bury their own parents in accepted manner; but it is indeed much sadder when parents must bury their own children – and especially so, if those children have been good children; thus, the death of such a child will add double grief upon the parent of that child.

And the Jews were emphatically told, “Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons forever.” (Ex. 12:24) And their performance of this ritual every year is one of the strongest proofs that the Bible is indeed “the Word of Truth.”

THE DATE

The proper date for observing this sacred event is still a source of much confusion – although the Bible is very positive on the subject: “And ye shall keep it (the lamb) un­til the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Ex. 12:6) From this clear statement it should be readily clear to every one that the condition of the moon is by no means a determining factor; yet it does influence quite a few in setting the time of observance. Some de­cide that the moon must be full; and it is substantially so by the 14th of Nisan, but not always so. Last year (1981) the full of the moon did not occur until about two days after the fourteenth of Nisan, so the Jewish Passover was two days later than it should have been had they used Nisan 14.

The only consideration of the moon in this matter is to determine Nisan 1; but once that is established, then it is just fourteen days until the observance should be held. And Nisan 1 is established by the moon which becomes new nearest the Spring Equinox ­unless that moon would date the “remembrance” before the Vernal Equinox – in which case the new moon of the following month should be used. Never before the Vernal Equinox is a hard and fast rule determined by both Brother Russell and Brother Johnson – based upon what we are told by the Jewish historian Josephus, who tells us that limitation was al­ways used by the Jews when Jesus established the Memorial the night before He died.

But in spite of the foregoing, two Truth groups have set aside this reckoning; and in the past few years (1981 being one of them) they have kept the Memorial a few days before the Vernal Equinox. As we have often stated in previous papers, the prop­er date should not be used to determine fellowship, because the very best of Christian leaders have used the wrong date in previous times. However, if we know the truth on the subject, then we, as Truth people, should use the truth because it is the truth; and we suggest that our readers be governed accordingly.

In this year 1982 the moon nearest the Vernal Equinox becomes new at 12:17 p.m. at the meridian nearest Jerusalem, which fixes Nisan 1 at 6 p.m. March 24, according to our calendar. And, counting fourteen daysfrom that, our observance should be any time after six p.m. of April 6. We use Jerusalem as the starting time for this because it was in that locality that the Bible was written. Greenwich, England, or anything west of that, was not known by the Jews, or civilized men at that time; thus, there is no justification for using any of our ‘modern’ locations for arriving at the proper date. The process may sound complicated, but it is really quite simple once it is clearly under­stood. Here in Mount Dora, Florida, we shall keep the Memorial at 7:30 p.m, April 6; and we welcome all of like mind who are in this vicinity to join with us at that time,

THE CORRECT MEANING OF THE MEMORIAL

Over the meaning of no other Biblical words have there been more and sharper contro­versies waged than over those as recorded in Matthew and Mark concerning what Jesus said – and did. As on all other Scripture doctrines, so on this, Satan has spread much vi­cious and confusing error. One of these is the Mass, which requires as its basis the doc­trine of transubstantiation, the central feature of the desolating abomination – one of the great errors about the Lord’s Supper.

Broadly speaking, there are two general views, with varying shades of difference, on the meaning of the words, “This is my body; This is my blood.” No. 1 is that group of views that teaches the real presence of the body and blood of Christ actually in the Lord Supper; and second, that group of views that teaches the representative meaning of the bread and wine in that service. Great ingenuity has been used in the exposition and de­fense of the doctrine of the real presence. We ourselves believe that there is no actual presence of the real body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, as those hold who teach the doctrine of the real presence; for we regard the bread and wine as representa­tions of Christ’s body and blood. Briefly, we shall now examine both of these views.

First, the doctrine of the real presence, that is, that the words, “This is my body ­This is my blood,” teach that the actual flesh and blood of Jesus are present and are given to the communicants. Let us consider its three main views, the first of which is that of the Roman Catholic Church – transubstantiation – that is, the actual change of the bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Jesus during and through the priest’s uttering in the consecration service the words, “This is my body – This is my blood.” The Romanists concede that the bread and wine retain what they call “the ac­cidents,” i.e., the appearance, form, taste, color, weight, etc., of bread and wine – af­ter their consecration; but, they claim, actually they lose the essence of bread and wine and take on the essence of the body and blood of Christ. The body and blood of Christ, i.e., Christ, so created, the priest proceeds in the Mass to sacrifice afresh for the sins of the living and the dead. This indicates the basic relation of transubstantiation to the Mass. Against this view we offer the following objections:

The Romanist view implies a change in the words explanatory of the institution, so that, if their view were correct; the language should read, This has been changed into My body; this has been changed into My blood. The fact that they teach a doctrine whose sense requires a decided change in the wording of the language explanatory of the institution disproves that their claim that their interpretation is correct, because they interpret the language just as it reads, which is a false one.

Further, the Bible contradicts their view. If their view were correct, it would be incorrect, after the consecration of the elements, to speak of partaking of bread and wine, as the Bible does. It should then speak exclusively of partaking of the body and blood of Christ. But the Bible five times calls one of the elements bread after its consecration and during its eating. (1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:26-28); and in all of these passages, except the second, using the familiar figure of the container for the thing contained: It calls the other element the “cup,” and elsewhere defines the contents of the cup, after its consecration and during its drinking, as the fruit of the vine, i.e., wine. (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25) Hence, the Bible by calling the elements bread and wine after their consecration, contradicts the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Facts prove that the bread and wine remain bread and wine after the consecration of the elements. The following are some of these facts: Blood does not make drunk, but wine does. Frequently, priests in their many masses must drink so much wine that they became drunk. It is now openly stated that about ten percent of the Catholic priests are alcoholics. Hence it is wine that they drink, not blood. Chemical analysis will demonstrate that there are exactly the same amount and same proportion of certain chemi­cal elements in a given amount of bread after consecration as there were before; while the same amount, proportion and kinds of chemical elements will not be found in a human body. Moreover, the amount, kinds and proportion of chemical elements will vary in the analysis of different consecrated breads exactly in proportion to the changes in the mill­ing of the flour, which causes them thus to vary in their proportion of carbonates, ni­trogen, phosphates and mineral salts. The chemical analysis of the wine proves the same truth. But the elements of Christ’s flesh and blood would remain the same. Hence, these facts prove that there has been no change in the substance of the bread and wine after the consecration by the Roman priests. Other arguments refute the doctrine of transubstan­tiation; but as they apply equally against the other two views of the “real presence” we will discuss them in connection with points against all three of these “real presence” views.

THE REAL PRESENCE AN ERROR

Some of the Oriental Christian sects teach consubstantiation – a mingling of the bread and body and wine and blood. The Lutheran Church and some Episcopalians teach what may be called instrumentalization, though they do not use that term; for they teach that by means of the bread and wine, which they teach remain bread and wine throughout the service, the actual body and blood of Jesus are given the communicants. Accordingly, transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and instrumentalization have in common the thought of the “real presence.” The arguments that we will now advance apply equally against all of them.

The Bible account of the original supper proves that Jesus did not give His actual body and blood to His disciples: (a) His blood was not yet shed when He instituted the Supper, but was in His veins; therefore, it was not in the cup. (b) Jesus held the bread in His hand after He blessed it and used over it the explanatory words, “This is my body;” hence, what He gave was a different thing from His body. (c) He did not arise from His couch and put Himself into the hand of each of His disciples; for He remained reclining on the couch, while He handed them the bread. (d) The disciples did not handle His body and blood for they remained on the couch. (e) They did not put them into their mouths, which would have been too small to receive His body; for He remained on the couch speaking, while they put the bread into their mouths. (f) They did not eat His body and blood; for these remained on the couch. (g) There is not the slightest suggestion in the whole event that either Jesus or His disciples thought that there was an actual giving of His body and blood to the disciples. The expression of such a thought would have aroused questions, especially in Peter, requiring answers before the disciples could have proper­ly partaken in the service. Hence, the conclusion is unavoidable that in the original Lord’s Supper Jesus did not give His actual flesh and blood to His Apostles to eat and drink; and therefore, in none of the subsequent celebrations of that Supper which Jesus instituted were the celebrants given what the original Supper did not give its partici­pants. To claim that subsequent celebrations have given the communicants what the orig­inal Supper did not give its communicants implies that they are not the same thing as the original Supper, i.e., they are not the Lord’s Supper at all!

These three doctrines of the “real presence” contradict various Scriptural doctrines, especially the central doctrine of the Bible – the Ransom. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ laid down His humanity as the Ransom Price for mankind. (1 Tim. 2:6) For Him to take back His humanity implies the taking back of the Ransom Price, which would undo the Ransom. The doctrine of the real presence implies that Jesus took back His humanity; for it is claimed by its adherents that by virtue of its personal union with His Divinity it is present in the Lord’s Supper, and this doctrine implies His taking back the Ransom Price. Again, these doctrines of the real presence contradict our Lord’s resurrection as a spirit being (1 Cor. 15:45–49; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Pet 3:19); for they imply that He arose a human being. As a consequence of the unscriptural implications involved in the doctrine of the real presence the entire Plan of God as centering in the Ransom becomes inoperative, especially in its justification, High Calling and Restitution features.

The doctrine of the real presence contains other unscriptural implications. The first of these is that Jesus’ body and blood can be in many places at the same time, which is untrue; for according to this doctrine wherever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated the body and blood of Christ are present. But it is often celebrated at different places at the same time; hence, according to this doctrine Jesus’ Body and blood are at many places at the same time, an impossibility. Again, this doctrine implies that Jesus has millions of bodies and rivers of blood; for according to it each communicant receives the complete body of Jesus and some of His blood. According to this doctrine billions have received them and millions of them at the same time, implying that Jesus had millions of bodies and rivers of blood. Hence the “real presence” doctrine is an absurdity.

The doctrine of the real presence is contrary to facts. Not one fact in connec­tion with the original Supper or its subsequent celebrations implies it; but all the facts connected with them contradict it.

The doctrine of the real presence is contrary to reason. There is nothing reason­able about it; and reason must be suspended to believe it. It can therefore not be included among the Divine mysteries, whose breadth and length and height are comprehended by the saints. (Eph. 3:4, 18; Matt. 13:11) It belongs to the mystery of iniquity, not to the mystery of God.

It contradicts our five senses, especially in its forms of transubstantiation and consubstan­tiation; and since these five senses were given us to help us to ascertain facts (Luke 24:39,40), the “real presence” must be untrue. The doctrine of the real presence is unprovable; for since neither the Bible, Reason, or facts prove it; and since it contradicts the Bible, Reason and Facts, it is evidently unprovable.

It is used to palm off some of the greatest delusions ever presented; it is calcu­lated to exalt the clergy and degrade the laity; and by Satan has been used to accom­plish these ends in the most brazen of all priestcrafts. These doctrines foster super­stition and credulity unbecoming to saints of God; for the services that express them are really hocus pocus ceremonies and sleight of hand tricks, when viewed from the standpoint of the erroneousness of these doctrines. These doctrines, especially transub­stantiation and consubstantiation, bring inevitably in their train questions and strife of words subversive of piety and reverence, e.g., whether mice eating the consecrated bread eat the flesh of Christ, etc.’

For all three doctrines of the real presence above reviewed it is claimed by their advocates that they are based upon the literal interpretation of the words of our text. However, if any literal interpretation of these texts would imply any of these three views, the above given reasons would prove that the words should not be given such lit­eral interpretation; and, if there were but one literal interpretation, it would not, of course, yield three different views.

THE UNDERLYING ERROR

The error underlying their claim as to a literal interpretation is due in part to the fact that advocates of each view argue as though the word is has but one literal mean­ing. Our understanding as to the matter is that the word is like many other words, has several literal meanings. Those who teach the real presence take but one of these and stress it as though it is the only literal meaning that the word has, though their literal interpretation yields three varying views! In this they greatly err. There are espec­ially two literal meanings that the verb “to be” has: (1) it is the predicate to express actual existence; (2) it is the predicate to express actual representation; but in both cases the meaning is literal. Thus, if we should say, A dog is an animal, we make a lit­eral statement in which the word is would be literally used as the predicate of actual existence.” And if we should say of a parental photograph, This is my father, or This is my mother, we would be making a literal statement in which the word is would be liter­ally used as the predicate of actual representation. In both statements the word is is literally used, but is used in different literal senses – just as the word comprehend is both times used literally when in one sentence it means to understand (Eph. 3:18) and in another sentence it means to contain. (Rom. 13:9)

The verb “to be” in its various forms is used as the predicate of actual representa­tion, to give an explanation, an interpretation, of a thing that stands for some other thing. Thus in ordinary conversation, as above shown, we may say of a photo, This is my father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, neighbor, employer, employee, etc., as the case may be. Every one would understand that we are explaining whom the photo represents, and would understand us to be predicating, not actual existence, but actual representation. Thus Gen. Fred Grant, in the company of some friends, pointing to a statue of his father in New York, said, “This is my father.” Here, too, actual rep­resentation was literally predicated by the word is. The statement was perfectly literal; for he was giving a literal interpretation of that statue. Again, at the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, it was often said of Booth as he impersonated, represented, Hamlet, He is Hamlet. The predication was literal, not, of course, of actual existence, but of actual representation. Of an effigy or image we would say, this is so and so, and thereby would predicate actual representation. These examples suffice to prove that the verb “to be” in its various forms may be used literally to predicate actual representation as well as actual existence. And this is always the case when it is the predicate in a sentence that interprets the meaning of a representative thing. And in such interpretation the word is literally means represents.

Let us turn to the Scriptures and see whether this is not also Biblical usage. Let us first look at its interpretations of parables, which, of course, are representative things. In Matt. 13:24-30 Jesus gives the parable of the wheat and tares, and in re­sponse to His disciples’ request (v. 36) He explained the parable, in verses 37–42. In His explanation He repeatedly used the verb “to be” in various of its forms, in the ex­planatory clauses to mean to represent. Thus He said, “He that sowed the seed (the sower) is (represents) the Son of Man; the field is (represents) the world; The good seed are (represent) the children of the Kingdom; but the tares are (represent) the chil­dren of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is (represents) the devil; the harvest is (represents) the end of the world; and the reapers are (represent) the angels. Un­doubtedly a parable by certain things represents other things; and in interpreting each of its representing parts when the verb “to be” is used in the interpretation to predi­cate the meaning it always means, to represent, which is one of its literal meanings.

Let us notice the Biblical interpretations of types, which, of course, are repre­sentative things, and ye would find the word is in the explanatory terms means repre­sents. “This (one, John the Baptist) is (represents) Elias (the Church) that is to come.” (Matt. 11:14, Rev. Ver. ) “That rock was (represented) Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4) “These (women, Sarah and Hagar) are (represent) two covenants.” (Gal. 4:24) In these three passages the Scriptures interpret three types. In the explanatory term it uses various forms of the verb “to be,” and in every case the verb “to be” is used to mean “to repre­sent,” because a representative thing is being interpreted.

Symbols are likewise used in the Bible as representative things; and in all such cases where an interpretation of the representative symbol is given and where one of the forms of the verb “to be” is used to predicate the explanation it always means to repre­sent. As an illustration of such an interpretation of symbols we might cite Rev. 17:9, 12, 15, 18: “The seven heads are (represent) seven mountains.” “The ten horn? ... are (represent) ten kings.” “The waters ... are (represent) peoples,” etc. “The woman is (represents) that great city.”

Visions are also representative things; and whenever the Bible explains the mean­ing of their parts and uses the forms of the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation it is always used to represent. As an example we might cite Ezek. 37:11: “These bones are (represent) the whole house of Israel.” Images or effigies are also representative things; and whenever the Bible explains them and uses the forms of the verb “to be” to predicate the interpretation it always means to represent, e. g., of the golden calf Aaron made this explanation: “These be (represent) thy gods.” (Ex. 32:4)

If the Bible had offered an interpretation of its two fables – the trees choosing their king (Judg. 9:8–15), and the encounter of the cedar of Lebanon and the thistle (2 Kings 14:9) – and had used the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation, it would have meant to represent. It could have no other meaning.

Some Biblical institutions are representative things; and whenever the Bible ex­plains them and uses the verb “to be” to predicate the interpretation, it always uses it to mean to represent. Circumcision is such an institution (Rom. 4:11): “He re­ceived the sign of circumcision” of which God speaks as follows: “This (circumcision) is (represents) My Covenant.” (Gen. 17:10) Actually God’s Covenant with Abraham and his Seed was the promised blessings which circumcision represented, in that it symbo­lized what God does to the Seed in bestowing the promised blessings. Therefore, God called circumcision “the token,” representation, of His Covenant (Gen. 17:11). The an­nual passover – the paschal lamb – and its sacrifice, constituted another such institu­tion. Of it the Lord commanded the Israelites, when they would be asked by their chil­dren in Canaan as to what the slaying of the annual lamb represented, to answer, “It is (represents) the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover” – the paschal lamb slain in Egypt.

THIS REPRESENTS MY BODY – MY BLOOD

According to these many illustrations and examples we see that it is the regular Biblical usage, whenever explaining representative things, and using the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation, this verb always means to represent, and that is its lit­eral meaning in such connections. The many reasons given above prove that the word is is not used in the texts, “This is my body – This is my blood,” to predicate actual ex­istence. It must therefore be used to predicate actual representation; and as such is used by Jesus as the predicate to explain the meaning of some representative thing – a thing standing for some other thing. With this thought the Scriptures are in thorough agreement. And when the relationship of the Lord’s Supper to the annual passover ser­vice is recognized as the antitype of the latter, this becomes a matter of demonstration. In the Old Testament there were two things each of which had a reality and a symbol. Thus there was a real circumcision – that of the heart – and a symbolic circumcision ­that of the flesh. (Rom. 2:28,29) Thus there was also a real Passover – that slain in Egypt – and a symbolic passover – that slain annually. In the Gospel Age we have the antitypes of these two sets of things – the real baptism, consecration – the antitypes the circumcision of the heart in the Ancient Worthies, and symbolic baptism – water immer­sion – that antitypes their circumcision in the flesh; and the real antitypical Passover – Christ (1 Cor. 5:7) that antitypes the passover slain in Egypt, and the symbolic antitypical Passover the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper – which antitypes the an­nual passover slain in Egypt. And the relation of these two symbolic institutions of the Israelites to their Old Testament realities; as the symbols of these realities, proves that water baptism and the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, the two Gospel Age institutions, typed by these two symbolic Israelitish institutions, sustain the same relations – symbols of them – to the two Gospel Age realities – consecration and Christ as the antitypical Passover – typed by the two Israelitish realities – heart circumcision and the paschal lamb in Egypt. When this relationship is seen, one at once recognizes that as the annual lamb was a representation and commemoration of the original lamb slain in Egypt, so the bread and wine, as the antitype of the annual lamb, are a representation and commemoration of Christ as our Passover slain in the world for us – the antitype of the passover lamb slain in Egypt. And this once seen, it follows that we must interpret the words, “This is my body – This is my blood,” to mean, This represents my body; this represents my blood; for Christ by this language was explaining for what the representa­tive things – the bread and wine – in the Lord’s Supper stand – they stand for, repre­sent, His body and blood. Another consideration proves that the word is in our text is used to predicate actual representation and not actual existence – the language that Jesus uses in connection with the cup, as given by Sts. Paul and Luke: “This cup is the New Testament.” (1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:20) Certainly in this text the word is cannot be the predicate of actual existence; for the New Testament, or Covenant, is not a cup at all – it will be a contract between God and man, mediated by the Christ during the Millennium. Hence the word is in these passages is used as the predicate of actual rep­resentation. This cup is (represents) the New Testament – the New Covenant. This be­ing true, it follows that the word is has the same meaning in all of the sentences in which Jesus explained the import of the bread and wine.

THE DEEPER THOUGHT

The Lord Jesus (Luke 22:20) and the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 10:16,17; 11:25) point out a still deeper meaning in these words. Briefly would we examine this deeper thought. In 1 Cor. 10:17, by the language, “We, being many, are one bread, one body,” the Apostle shows that the one bread to be broken represents the Church also, as well as Jesus; for the Church is the one Body of Christ (Rom. 12:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 13, 27; Eph. 1:22,23; 4:4, 12, 13, 15, 16; Col. 1:24) St. Paul calls the Church both the one bread and the Body of Christ which in the preceding verse he said is represented by the bread of bless­ing. Hence the bread, in addition to representing the Body of Jesus, also represents the Church, as Christ’s Body. For a more detailed exposition of these verses we refer our readers to F 465–469. Indeed as a help in preparing for the Memorial we suggest that all of our readers read the entire chapter on The Passover of the New Creation in Volume VI.

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER

When St. Paul tells us that “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7), he is clearly stating that the Passover Lamb in Egypt was a type of our Gospel-Age Pass­over. And, since every antitype is greater than its type, so we recognize that “Our” Passover is infinitely greater than was the typical lamb that awesome night in Egypt. And all the minute details that were so scrupulously observed have antitypical setting; but we shall mention now just two of them. The lamb in Egypt served two very important purposes: Its blood preserved the life of every Jew that night; and the eating of its flesh gave them strength and courage to undertake the march to goodly Canaan land. These same things our Lamb does for us, but in much grander scale. “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7); thus our life is preserved so long as we remain under that blood!

This is further corroborated by the two stacks of shewbread of six slices each that were always on the golden table in the Tabernacle Holy. That “bread of presence” was changed every Sabbath; and the old loaves were eaten by the priests in the Holy Place. That bread was also known as the “continual bread.” Placed side by side, the two stacks made 66, which is the number of the books in our Bible; they represented the twelve tribes of Israel. And being in the Holy Place, they represented Jehovah’s continual presence with His people so long as they remained faithful to Him. The Ko­hathites had the charge of it; and it represented the precious promises upon which the travelers to the heavenly Canaan feed continually in their wearisome journey.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes if him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:13) “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” (1 Cor. 7:24)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

My dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:

I just got home and got your loving Christmas remembrance... When the Lord says He will supply all your needs He really means it! I don’t want to distress you, but this morning about 5:30 I heard a great crash. I jumped out of bed and there was a man in the corridor. He broke through the window at the top of the bathroom, and collided with a flower pot that was near the door. I just rushed at his throat and we had a wrestling match. I managed to push him into the kitchen and pushed him up against the door. He put his hand over my mouth and I bit him so he dragged off a silver chain I had around my neck. I pushed him against the door and told him to open it. I said, Open the door – why don’t you open the door? So he drew back the bolts, still holding on to me, he attempted to put his hand over my mouth again – and I bit him for all I was worth; and he escaped outside and I screamed for all I was worth.

The neighbors came running, but by that time he had fled. I went to the police and to our Health Centre and got an injection for the bruises and a lot of tablets. I am starting to ache all over. But what I am saying, is that I had to call in a man to grill up all the windows. So thank you, thank you very much for your very useful Christ­mas present! See the other wonderful thing: I wear one of these diabetic chains round my neck. The day before all the girls insisted to treat me to a silver chain for Christ­mas, because you see I had been running a thrift club for them – and they were grate­ful. If I had not switched chains the man would have strangled me when he held on to it, for it would not have given so easily... I know that you have a hard time keep­ing up with all your correspondence – what a heavy mail bag you must have to go through! I really don’t expect you to answer all my letters, but you will never know how nice it is to hear from you both...

Warm Christian greetings to you all during this Holiday Season. Blessed be the tie that binds us together in this family of faith. I promise not to write such a long letter for awhile. I don’t want to tax your strength, So press on and the Lord will be with the good.

Sincerely your sister ------- (JAMAICA)

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

Dear Brother: Grace and peace in the name of our Lord, Jesus!

I went to Lencyzk Drive, as you requested. Mr. Miles is no longer living at this address – and the people living there now have never heard of him. Therefore, I was unable to pursue this any further.

I read with great interest the material you and Sister gave us upon our recent visit with you; and I find that we agree with you completely. It is now clear to us that the LHMM has in the past (since Brother Johnson’s death), and is now, following the way of Balaam. Their mission of comforting the Jews, exposing Great Company er­rors, etc., his been abandoned, and their inventing a new Class – “Epiphany Campers” ­to comfort, instead of the Jews, is blasphemous to say the least.

For quite sometime now, I have been gravely concerned, as to why I did not discern the Spirit of the Lord, among the majority of the adherence of the LHMM, especially among the LHMM hierarchy. But after reading your paper No. 205, July 1, 1972, it is obvious that they have resorted to the antics of an ACTOR; and, as you pointed out, are well described in Prov. 6:12,13,14.

Please send me, dear Brother, a list of your publications, prices, etc., that I might obtain those that I do not now have.

Your brother in the Lord’s service, ------- (FLORIDA)

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

Dear Friends:

The threat of a strike in the Postal Department made me realize I’ve been pro­crastinating again. I hope this note finds you all well and coping with the unusually hot weather our TV reports indicate you are having.

We’ve had some lovely summer weather, but gardeners and farmers would like more rain. All storms seem to move south of us and let more rain fall where they seem to get more than they want. It is so good to know that the day will come when the good earth will get the moisture it needs when it needs it.

I wish the very best for you and yours.

Most sincerely ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

(Enclosure for the Lord’s work)

NO. 320: THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT SURE - HEB. 6:17-20

No. 320

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

The Old Covenant was unsatisfactory in its results; but the New Covenant will bless all the willing and obedient with eternal life. There were two Old Covenants – ­the Grace, or Sarah Covenant, and the Law Covenant. Which did the Apostle mean has be­come old, valueless, and would pass away and give place to the New Covenant? Surely there can be no doubt on this point – he meant the Law Covenant, for he says so. He did not mean the Grace or Sarah Covenant, for he points out that our claim to relationship with God is under that original Covenant. (Gal. 3:29) Our Lord Jesus, by His obedience, became heir of all, heir of the original Covenant and heir also of the Law Covenant.

Of the people there was none with Him, neither Jews nor Gentiles. But by the Grace of God there was provision made, as we have seen, that any Jew, seeing that the Law Cov­enant was dead, nailed to the cross, might become betrothed to Christ. They did not need to wait for the New Covenant, the provisions of which apply only to those on the earthly plane. Instead, by a faith justification and a consecration unto death, they were counted worthy of begetting to the new nature – betrothed to Christ. And similarly, Gentiles favored of God by the hearing ear and seeing eye of faith, were subsequently privileged to go through the same process, except that they did not need to reckon themselves dead to the Law Covenant, because they never were under it. Otherwise, recognizing Christ’s death as the blood of the original Covenant, typified by Abraham’s offering up his son, these also were reckoned justified and, presenting their justified bodies to the Lord as sacrifices, they were begotten of the same Holy Spirit as the Jews, to be fellow-members of the same Body – the Body of Christ.

We come now to the other part of the question: What provision has God made for those Jews who bound themselves under the Law Covenant, from Moses’ day down to the First Advent; and for those who since then have not discerned the death of the Law Cov­enant, and who will not be made aware of it until after the spiritual seed shall have been completed and glorified? If they have not lost all share and privileges in connec­tion with God’s special mercies, where do they come in? We answer that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others before the Law Covenant were not bound by it, yet they were not in the fullest sense justified to life until the Abrahamic Covenant had been established at Calvary.  Their faith, then, entitled them to a share in the merits of that sacrifice. Likewise throughout the period of the Law Covenant, before it was annulled at the cross, there were Ancient Worthies (Heb.  Chap. 11) who lived by faith, living above the masses of their time, and who, although bound by the Law, had above it a living faith in the original Oath-Bound Grace Covenant. These in the Divine records were entitled to their share of that Grace when the merit of Calvary’s sacrifice had been presented on behalf of believers, when Jesus “ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Although they lived while the Law Covenant was alive, they foresaw its death and trusted not in it, but in the superior Covenant of Grace. They realized that no matter how much they tried, they could not keep the Law Covenant, because of inherited human frailty. Hence these in due time will come forth to a life resurrection – not be­cause of their relationship to the New Covenant, of which they knew nothing, but because of their relationship to and faith in the original (Sarah) Covenant of Grace. Thus the Scriptures account for the faithful ones of the past under the Covenant of Grace. (See Hebrews, Chapter 11) But what now shall we say respecting those earthly Israelites, who lived not on that higher plane of faith, but of whom the Apostle says, “Our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come unto this promise.” (Acts 26:7) Were they all deceived? Will they get those special blessings?

God’s Gifts And Callings Sure—Rom. 11:29,32: Nay, we answer, “the gifts and call­ings of God” are things not to be repented of. He knew the end from the beginning – knew exactly what Israel would be and do, and was not disappointed; and all of the plans and promises to that nation were made from the standpoint of this knowledge. Although the chief feature of the Sarah Covenant was secured by our Lord Jesus as a trophy of His victory over sin and death, and although He laid down His human nature completely to this end, nevertheless, the Divine arrangement is such that the blood of Christ, the merit of His sacrifice of all earthly things, must accrue to the benefit of the natural seed of Abraham, because it all goes to seal the New Covenant, which belongs exclusively to fleshly Israel.

Thus, while natural Israel had been counted enemies for our sakes, for the Gospel’s sake, our only opportunity for gaining the great prize is in connection with the sealing of a New Covenant between God and Israel. (Jer. 31:31-33) How beautifully the features of the Divine program balance! Their loss was our gain, and our gain through sacrifice be­comes their gain; and, altogether, the Lord will be glorified! As already shown, the New Covenant will not be sealed, ratified, until the sacrifice of The Christ shall have been finished. And the finishing of these sacrifices closes the work of this great Day of Sacrifice and Atonement. With the second presentation of the blood of Atonement in the Most Holy, at the end of this Age, the New Covenant with Israel will be sealed and the blessing of the Lord will begin to Israel. “For this is my Covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:27)

ABRAHAM’S TWO SEEDS

Not only did the original promise indicate two seeds of Abraham – one as the stars of heaven, and the other as the sands of the sea – but St. Paul elaborated this thought, saying of the promise, “It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of-Abraham, who is the father of us all (including you who are Romans); as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.” (Rom. 4:16) “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)

We have seen how Abraham, as a type of God, is the father of the spiritual seed and how through Christ by provision of the New Covenant, the Jewish nation, dead under the Law Covenant, is to be regenerated by The Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant; and that this regeneration will commence at the close of this Gospel Age and the opening of the Millennial Age.

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

HOPE FOR MANY NATIONS

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

And thus all nations, peoples, kindreds and tongues shall be brought gradually to an appreciation of the Divine plan, they shall all be blessed with restitution privileges and opportunities and with an enlightenment from the rays of the Sun of Righteousness, which then through the appointed channels (the Worthies and natural Israel) will be flood­ing all the earth. Thus will the original Covenant have its amplified fulfillment; first, in The Christ, the spiritual Israel; secondly, under the New Covenant with Israel after the flesh; and through these bless all the families of the earth, so that all the will­ing and obedient may gradually attain to the standards of the children of God and be pos­sessed of the “liberties of the sons of God” – freedom from sin, sorrow, pain and death. (Rev. 21:4) As the Old Law Covenant was with Israel only, so the New (Law) Covenant will be with Israel only.  Other nations will share it by becoming Israelites, “Prose­lytes of the gate,” not under the Old but under the New Covenant. (Ezek. 16:60,61)

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

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

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

In substance, the Witnesses teach the same; They are God’s Israel; they are the “chosen people.” They are ready to proclaim the founder of their movement, and boast about him (See Isa. 4:11 and 5:13, and Berean Comments) even as they grossly and per­sistently revolutionize against their founder’s clear and persuasive interpretation of those prophecies that emphatically designate “to the Jew first.” Likewise, although in lesser degree, the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement teaches the same, with the excep­tion that they apply these Jewish promises to their new converts since 1954; they teach that their present-day converts will be ‘first and chief’ next to the Worthies, instead of the Jews – thus taking away from the Jews their God-given promises, as they usurp those promises.

Perhaps it is well to recall here that the usurpers all during this Age have pre­vailed in numbers, power and prominence (“In Thy name ... done many wonderful works”—­Matt. 7:22); but this will all be changed under the benign Kingdom reign. “HE THAT HATH AN EAR TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR!”

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

Both the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant are Scripturally styled “The Ever­lasting Covenant” in contrast with the Law Covenant, which passed away – a failure be­cause of its “unprofitableness.” However, not unprofitable in its precepts, because they are perfect, which precepts will be incorporated in the New Covenant when man will be able to keep them. (Heb. 7:18 and Gal. 3:24,25) The one is perpetuated in the other, even as the spiritual seed (spiritual Israel) will rule and bless through the earthly seed (fleshly Israel). Note the Scripture testimony that the original Grace (or Sarah) Cov­enant is everlasting (Gen. 17:7,13,19; 2 Sam. 23:5; Psa. 105:8-10) Also note other Scriptures which apply the same term prophetically to the New Covenant: Jer. 32:40; 31:31,32; Ezek. 16:60.  Note carefully the context in each instance that reference is to the Millennium.

The Blood Of The Everlasting Covenant – The blood of the Everlasting Covenant is the “blood of Jesus,” under the Grace or Sarah Covenant (not by the New Covenant which does not yet exist and which is to be made only with Israel). And the blood or sacrifice of Jesus is “the blood of the New Covenant,” yet to be established with fleshly Israel, just the same – only that by the Father’s good pleasure Jesus is now accepting the “little flock” as His members and counting their sacrifice or blood as a part of His own – the sin offering in two parts.

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

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

Other Pertinent Texts – Let us now briefly refer to some Scriptures which mention the New Covenant, that we may note their full harmony with the foregoing. We have al­ready examined the one statement connected with our text and see that it applies to the establishment of the Kingdom, as the foundation of the New Covenant blessings to the world during the Millennium.  There are just eight other texts in the New Testament which refer to the New Covenant:

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

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

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

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

(5) It was necessary that Jews be redeemed from the “dead works” of the Old Law Covenant and that a New one be made for them by Christ – Head and members. The Old one was sealed by the blood of bulls and goats, but the New one by “better sacrifices.” Anti­typically the blood of the bullock has been offered, and soon that of the goat will be presented. (Heb. 9:14-20)

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

(7) “For this is my Covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins. As con­cerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the elect, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.” (Rom. 11:27,28) There is no room to doubt that the Apostle here is referring to Israel’s Covenant, the New Covenant, which God will make with them after this Gospel Day. The time for their deliverance is nigh – the time when He will mediate that New Covenant, satisfy the demands of Divine justice on behalf of the world. Then He will become, as previously intended and declared, the great Mediator of the New Covenant between God and mankind in general. Then will He begin His Millen­nial Kingdom: “For he must reign until he shall have put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 15:25,26)

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

Much of the foregoing is by That Servant – Reprints 4319-4322 – which we continue to believe and teach. If any are inclined to criticize us because we attack and refute the errors that set aside these Truths, we comfort ourselves with the assurance that so long as we “contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints,” we will not only get the criticism of the errorists themselves, but also the ‘reproaches’ of those who pre­fer peace rather than stand the “heat of the day.” The Truth is not for easy-going Chris­tians. “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” (Rom. 15:3) The September 23 Manna Comments by That Servant are pertinent here: “This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants – against the creeds and theories of men, which would misrepresent the Good Tidings of Great Joy which the Lord and the Apostles have announced, and which, thank God, yet be unto all people. As the Apostle again says, ‘I am set for the defense of the Gospel.’ We can do no less than defend the Truth. The Truth is God’s representative, Christ’s representative, and hence our stan­dard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

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

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;

My heart shall reap where it has sown,

And garner up its fruit of tears.

It is our conviction that the Lord’s promises to the Jews are essential doctrine for our day – because we stand at the very threshold of their fulfillment. The terse summation of those promises is that they will be ‘first and chief’ of the afterborns under the New Covenant (“beloved for the fathers’ sake”) – “ to the Jew first.” Thus, we “count it all joy” if cantankerous brethren – “the unstable and unlearned” – cast abuse at us because ye champion the Jewish promises in like manner as did That Servant. Any who attempt to “take from” (See Rev. 22:18,19) those promises belonging exclusively to the Jews, and appropriate them for themselves, they are engaging in Satanic usurpa­tion – whether wittingly or unwittingly; and those who have once been enlightened in present truth, who appropriate those promises belonging to the Jews, are not only en­gaging in Satanic usurpation, but they are grossly revolutionizing against the Truth. (See Psa. 107:11 and E3:406 – also E12:722,728 with reference to Rev. 22:18,19)

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

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

May-June 1973 Present Truth – Due to this paper containing the elevating articles of That Servant, and another splendid article by the Epiphany Messenger, large parts of it are edifying and refreshing. There is this at the head of the article on pp. 35-42: “This article, first published in Oct. 1923 PT, was written as applying to the Little Flock on earth; the other classes of God’s people can benefit greatly from ap­plying to themselves its principles and those promises that apply to them.  A few thoughts have been added.”

If the “added few thoughts” were in harmony with the Truth as given by the Epi­phany Messenger in that article, that should be acceptable to any of us; but in the “thoughts” added is inserted the pet error of Campers Consecrated, and their pre-emi­nence over the Jews, as well as discarding some parts of Brother Johnson’s treatise.

On p. 39, col. 1, he says: “The apostle adds, “God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ As already shown, the promise has three parts and its heirs are the Christ class, though it has also an application to the Great Company, another to the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, and to the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, another to the loyal tentatively justified and to the loyal fleshly Israelites, and in an attenuated sense an applica­tion to those who will become God’s consecrated people after the earthly phase of the Kingdom is established:”

If we are to accept the classes in the order listed above, then there are two classes superseding the Jews in New Covenant blessings – The Consecrated Campers and the loyal tentatively justified.

We now quote what Brother Johnson says in the 1923 PT, pp. 150, bottom, and 151, top: “St.  Paul adds, ‘God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ The promise has three parts, as already shown. Its heirs are the Christ class, though it also has an application to the Great Company. Another application of the promise is for the Ancient and Youth­ful Worthies, and another for fleshly Israel.”

Yes, all the elect and fleshly Israel can now be comforted with that promise ­“the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.” Brother Johnson did not produce such a class. He called a similar class produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Jonadabs, or Great Multitude – a non-existent class, just as we call Epiphany Campers Consecrated a non-existent class. Had the Epiphany Messenger known that such a class would be the recipients of the chief blessing of the Afterborns – that instead of be­ing “to the Jew first” it would be to the “Epiphany Campers Consecrated” first, he would have been prompt to make it known to the Jews so they could become part of Camp­ers Consecrated and receive their God-given promise. Does the LHMM include the doctrine of Epiphany Campers Consecrated in their efforts to “Comfort the Jews”?

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

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

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

Reprint of No. 219, September 1973 with revisions.

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

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:  Greetings in our dear Redeemer’s Name!

Enclosed please find check for $--- to help you with the mailing. Hope this finds you in good health. I am fairly well – just had my 97th birthday last week. It is hard for me to write for I am so shaky in my hands.

God bless you and keep you! Your brother in the Lord ----- (ILLINOIS)

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

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

Just a short note to let you know that our dear Sister Guy received your papers on Tuesday while I was present. I visited her because three weeks ago she fell and broke her left arm. If she lives to December 3, she will be a hundred years of age. Her daughter readily began reading as soon as she received the papers. While speaking to me Sister said she does not mind who does not read your paper, because they say you are not one of them, but she and her daughter read all of your papers; because, she says, they are the Harvest Message, and from the Star Members. So they are worthwhile and interesting. I was greatly pleased when I noted with what pleasure she spoke of them. She says she reads all, which I interpreted her to mean that the others are silly not to do the same..... She has the full assurance of Faith, Hope and Love for God and our Lord Jesus, the Truth, the brethren and all mankind – very sympathetic for the world of man.

Hoping that you are enjoying much better health than when last I heard from you. God will, I am positive, keep you in His watchful care and will not give you more than you can bear. I firmly believe your present condition is a test of your Love, Faith, Courage, Peace and Grace of God. Let us in every circumstance of life give thanks, which I believe you, Sister Hoefle and all with you do – though you do feel the pinch. Let us all glorify God.

My Christian love to you, Sisters Hoefle and Moynelo and all the brethren with you. God bless you all! (2 John 2)

Yours in the Truth ------- (TRINIDAD)

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

Dear Brother Hoefle:  Greetings in Jesus Name!

I received the Bible Students Manual, and the article, No. 312, “Think It Not Strange.” Thank you ever so much. I shall treasure it always. It will be much help in my pursuit of the Wisdom which is from above.

I am enclosing a little offering to help a little in the good work you are doing for Truth Seekers. Thanks again for your concern for the Truth and its dissemina­tion to all who love the Truth.

May God’s richest blessings rest with you and yours!

Your brother in Christ ------- (OKLAHOMA)

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

Dear Brother Hoefle: May grace and peace abound!

Your letter was received and Sister and myself are so glad to learn of your in­creasing convalescence. Do you think some juice of your fine California carrots will expedite the recupera­tion? Or maybe a mixture of grapes and carrots freshly juiced when convenient to have it?

Be assured of our everloving thoughts and prayers concerning the spiritual and temporal well-being of yourself, Sr. Hoefle and the friends on your side. May the Lord direct you all in His service as you continue to uphold His Truth and the princi­ples of righteousness. It is the humble prayer of Sister and myself that His bless­ing and care be upon you and all the dear ones who still faithfully trust in His Name. Moreover, it is the gist of the joint-supplication that is constantly being made on the behalf of you and yours by the friends here.

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

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

The Epiphany Bible Students:  Warm Christian greetings in our Lord’s Name’

I would like a one-year subscription to your monthly news letter. I recently received the Bible  Standard, which  cost  $1 per  year. Enclosed is the $1. However, if this is not enough, let me know.

Thank you very much. Brother ------- (CALIFORNIA)

NO. 319: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 319

Coming to a New Year, once again we offer a resume of many of the happenings in 1981, along with some opinion for the year ahead. “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be estab­lished in the present truth.” (1 Pet. 1:12) Again we marvel at the inventive genius. The great “increase in knowledge” (Dan. 12:4) is alone sufficient to convince all in­quiring minds that we are indeed in the “time of the end.”

On November 14 a second Columbia Space Shuttle began its flight – at a speed of 17,345 miles per hour – a performance which dazzles the intellect. Our planet earth is about 25,000 miles around at the Equator, which means that the Space Shuttle went around the earth in about one and one-half hours; and continued this pace for two days and six hours, making a perfect landing at its conclusion. Ten hours before landing it was stated that the Shuttle would land in California about 4:20 p.m.; and it actually accomplished the feat at 4:22 p.m. – just two minutes off the estimate. The human skill involved in this feat is indeed a marvel of the first order.

Another most interesting item: A small hand-size clock has now come into the mar­ket, which, just by pressing the button, speaks out the correct time. What a blessing this will be to all blind people!

And our agriculture is keeping pace with the foregoing. It is reported now that one farm worker produces enough food for 68 people; and 150 to 200 bushels of corn per acre is common production. When we were a boy on the farm in Ohio we had a field that produced fifty bushels per acre; and it was the talk of the whole county. And now we have machines that go through the field at harvest time, shell off the corn and load it in bags for delivery to the grain elevator. Nothing is taken from the land but just the pure grain. After harvest a machine carrying about twelve-inch heavy chain then goes through the field, chops the corn stalks into small pieces of about ten inches, which are then plowed under and allowed to rot during the winter; then just enough fertilizer is required in the Spring to produce the large crops mentioned above. When the corn planted is about three inches tall a machine goes through the field spraying between the rows. This destroys all weeds without injuring the growing corn, and no further labor is necessary until harvest time. Thus a farmer may enjoy himself in the shade of his front yard and watch his bumper crop develop. The back-breaking labor of sixty years ago is no longer required for present production.

More Of The Same: “The nation’s micro-electronics industry may take a significant bound forward with the announcement of the development of a new ultra-sophisticated com­puter chip capable of processing the information contained in 1,000 books in a single second. A spokesman for the high technology firm said that scientists have developed a computer chip with 450,000 translator capacity – making it by far the most powerful and sophisticated computer chip in the world. ... Scientists say the new chip – a stan­dard one-sixteenth of a square inch in size – is so fast that all the information in 1,000 books can be processed in a single second – which will ultimately result in lower market prices and expand the fast-growing market for electronic products. This is a major breakthrough that will make computers smaller, faster and a lot more powerful, the spokesman said. An electronics professor called the announcement ‘incredible advance.’”

IN FINANCE

The national debt of the United States has now skyrocketed to One Trillion Dollars; and the annual interest on this colossal burden is more than One Hundred Billion Dollars. These figures are beyond the grasp of the human mind; and former President Herbert Hoover made this sage observation – when the national debt was less than five per cent of what it is now: “Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”

The pundits are now offering various solutions for this mess. One of them has told us they are now considering a shrinkage of ten for one dollar. If that should occur, we shall just wake up one morning to learn that the thousand dollars we had on deposit in the bank is now just one hundred. We do not say yea or nay to this; we just repeat it to show how some people are thinking on the money question.

One financial publication recently gave out this report: “The rise of new Arab banks threatens to politicize the international banking system.... They readily combine political and financial goals ... Although Arab bankers in the past worked through western banks both because of their conservative outlook and their own lack of managerial skills, today they want greater control of their money. By the end of 1981, it is predicted that Arab oil producing states will have $340 billion in assets world-wide, a figure that could rise to one trillion by 1984 should oil prices remain stable. Such astronomical sums not only translate into vast economic power but also to political influence and con­trol.”

And more from another publication: “At a time when business failures in the United States are up 43 percent from a year ago, when the housing industry is selling off as­sets and laying off workers and when the stability of a third of the nation’s savings and loan associations is threatened by high interest rates, banks at home and abroad have made $32.65 billion in loan commitments to nine companies linked to either the pursuit of or the defense against takeover bids... Critics complain that the borrowing binge for mergers represents an unproductive form of investment because no new plants, equipment or jobs are created, and profits may be reinvested outside the United States.”

Of course, the politicians know that the easiest way out is to print more money, thus creating greater debt, which doesn’t bother them very much because they feel they will be dead before the day of reckoning arrives. The one thing that gave Hitler such a build-up was to print sufficient paper money to wipe out the national debt of Germany, thus enabling him to start with a clean slate. Any ordinary intelligence can rule well for a time with a clear start like that. He also nationalized the banking system with the help of a very shrewd financier; and it would seem France may now be considering a move somewhat related to what Hitler did.

IN POLITICS

During this year 1981 the political turmoil in the United States has completely re­versed itself; and we seem headed for great confusion and social conflict. It is our opinion that conditions are now too much out of hand to permit correction. As one humor­ist has stated it: “Remember the good old days – when the Government lived within its in­come; and we kept ours.” All of the four Universal Empires – Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome – came to ruin because of too much prosperity. “Pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness” (Ezek. 16:49) explains rather well the reason for the downfall of all of them.

In desperation, the people rush to changes, which invariably result in worse government than the previous one. We need only to consider Russia, Cuba, Iran, etc. All of them had atrocious forms of government before the change was made; but in every one of them the present government is much, much worse than the previous one.

In Egypt – It is reported that one of the oil-rich moguls of the Middle East offered one million dollars to any one who would murder Anwar Sadat. Whether that is the direct cause of his assassination we do not know; but an interesting side light has developed: When the now President of Egypt was asked why they did not set up bullet-proof glass cages for their prominent speakers, he stated that nothing like that had ever before occurred in Egypt, so they were not expecting it, and did not prepare for it. Egypt, one time top ruler of the world, and among the very oldest of empires, had never had assassination it its history; whereas, in the present-day “advanced” countries such action is commonplace!

In France – The new Premier of France has stated that he is asking various employ­ers to lay off their present workers for one year – with full pay while they are idle – ­then for the employers to hire others to take their places at the same wage as those now working there. In the ninth Chapter of 2nd Kings we have recorded some of the ac­tions of Jehu, who was a type of present-day conservative labor; and it is said of him that “he driveth furiously.” A more explicit translation reads “He driveth crazily.” And about everywhere we look that seems to fit the picture pretty well. Here in the United States the air controllers were receiving only (?) $36,000 per year; and they demanded to the tune of $680 million per year for a few less than 12,000 men. At the Ford Auto Plant in Michigan the average hourly pay is more than $11 per hour; whereas, in Japan the same type of worker is receiving about $3 per hour. Is it any wonder we cannot compete with them?

IN RELIGION

Strange things are occurring in the religious world – much in keeping with the idiocy in the financial and political realms. Following is part of a news item: “It is not unknown for constitutional rights to collide head-on. In the news business, our rights to a free press may collide with the right of an accused to a fair trial. But you will seldom encounter a stranger collision than a Missouri collision now before the Supreme Court.

“At the University of Missouri’s Kansas City Campus, it is permitted for students to sit on the lawn and read the works of Karl Marx. It is forbidden for students to sit on the lawn and read the Bible. The University tolerates a student homosexual so­ciety and grants the gays a room to meet in; but such is the University’s bizarre view of the First Amendment that it prohibits a student Christian Society and denies its mem­bers the same privilege. On this Kansas City campus, free speech stops with ‘in the be­ginning.’

“Court observers cannot recall a case in which different provisions of the First Amendment are pitted so directly against one another. The Constitution says that Con­gress (and by extension, the States) shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Neither shall there be any law ‘respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’

“In January of 1977 a group of evangelical Christian students applied for permis­sion to use a vacant classroom for Saturday night meetings. Their purpose was to join in group worship and Bible study. Their request was denied.

“The University’s position in Widmer vs. Vincentis is that the University is an agency of the state; its grounds are the property of the state. For the state to per­mit any organized religious group to use its grounds or buildings is to entangle the state in an establishment of religion, and this the Constitution forbids..............

“It’s worth remembering that our nation already has a kind of establishment of re­ligion. It is the religion of freedom. We ought to practice that religion more devoted­ly, in Missouri and everywhere else.”‘

Jehovah’s Witnesses – The following is from a Canadian publication: “A ‘witch hunt’ within the Jehovah’s Witnesses has touched a man who has done much to further religious freedom and liberty in Canada and to promote the cause of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Anne Penton, speaking on behalf of her father James Penton, says she is angered that the organization should turn on her father, stabbing him in the back. ‘The organization in past has used him a lot, whenever problems came up. They used him to go to the media.’

“Penton, a University of Lethbridge history professor and author of Jehovah’s Wit­nesses in Canada, Champion for Freedom of Speech and Worship, has been denounced as a blasphemer and for all practical purposes removed as an elder in the society, she says. Such action has affected the entire family. ‘I have heard of people being warned not to associate with us.’ Because the Witnesses are encouraged not to make friends outside the organization, such a move was aimed at isolating the Pentons in the community.

“Penton says her father will not sit back and ignore what is happening. He intends to launch a civil suit against an official in the Watchtower Society for slander and defamation of character, after trying for eight months to settle matters internally... Penton adds that what is happening here is happening across Canada and the United States. There is a witch hunt in the organization, using inquisition tactics.

“The organization is frightened because literally hundreds of thousands of Witnes­ses have left the organization since 1975 and have started questioning the chronology, she says. The Chronology is based on the belief that the end of the system is coming – ­that governments and the wicked will be destroyed...

“Among the Witnesses, any one who gets an education beyond high school is considered weak spiritually. The idea seems to be to keep them ignorant. If they don’t know a lot, they can’t say anything. ‘I was very bitter and hurt at first,’ she says, ‘but now I feel really good; I’m no longer under the oppressive weight. Our family is still very religious. We do what we feel is right, in accordance with the Bible.’”

There are other religious organizations that are firmly set against any education above grammar school. Some thirty years ago the congregation of one such group in Ohio practically ostracized one of its members because he rented an automobile to hurry his sick daughter to the city hospital. The father sued the elders for $5,000 and gained a judgment against them. By hitting them in their pocketbook the man changed their out­look considerably.

The Roman Catholic Church – It is reported that “influential Italian cardinals in the Vatican’s central government are unhappy about the way Pope John Paul II is running the Roman Catholic Church. They are unhappy about the Pope’s special emphasis on Polish issues and his retinue of Polish assistants. They do not pardon the Pope for being a Pole – for surrounding himself with an impenetrable screen of Polish followers, his speaking frequently about Poland and his favoring audiences with Polish pilgrims. No immediate comment from the Vatican.

“Also, a critical shortage of Catholic priests is developing in certain sections of the United States. Some of the priests are working ten hours a day seven days a week; then they cannot do the work necessary to be done.”

Scandal In Chicago – From a prominent newspaper: “Cardinal John P. Cody, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, had vowed to defy apparently unprecedented efforts by the Justice Department to investigate allegations that he improperly diverted up to $1 million in church funds to a lifelong woman friend, associates told the newspaper. This defiance could set the stage for a confrontation between the federal government and the church over the government’s right to investigate church finances and the Con­stitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

“The associates of the ailing 73-year-old head of the largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the country said Cody has no intention of complying with grand jury sub­poenas seeking his personal banking records and some archdiocesan financial records covering the last thirteen years. Dan Webb, the US attorney in Chicago, would say only that his office ‘received allegations of improper diversion of church funds by Cardinal John P. Cody’ and was looking into them. But other Justice Department sources said the matter has been before a grand jury for some time and that subpoenas issued in January (date of this publication Sept. 11, 1981—JJH) to the cardinal and to the archdiocese had not been complied with. These sources also said that the Internal Revenue Service was involved in the probe.”

Shortly after the foregoing was given to the public press an order came from the Vatican to investigate Catholic seminaries. The news item goes something like this: The heads of seminaries across the country were calling each other this week to try to assess the intentions behind the Vatican measure and determine its probable impact on academic freedom. One seminary president described the study as a “rogue elephant” that he said is certain to go beyond the concern about finances and ‘the best use of personnel and resources’ that were expressed in the official church statement.

Enrollment at Catholic seminaries has been dropping steadily in recent years, and many seminaries have closed. Pope John Paul II has strongly emphasized the need for doctrinal conformity, and made that point during his visit to the US in 1979. The con­troversial study was discussed at a recent administrative meeting in Washington of about 45 American bishops. It is known that there have been vigorous attacks on the plan in some discussions of it between bishops and seminary educators. One of them called it a “witch hunt.”

Regarding Cardinal Cody, his lawyer stated that his client “answers only to Rome and to God.” One commentator said, “This is what is known as having a numbered account in Heaven.”

The Adventists – “The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, founded in the United States more than a century ago after a prophesied second coming of Christ failed to occur, and now a world-wide institution headquartered in Takoma Park, Md., today faces what may be the most serious crisis in its history. Already divided by theological differences, the church has been plunged into a financial tangle that may cost it and its members millions of dollars and, conceivably, ensnarl it in legal battles.

“The financial problems were precipitated by the bankruptcy suit filed last month by Dr. Donald J. Davenport, a California physician, who relied on his credentials as a faithful Adventist to solicit the investment of millions of dollars in his real estate empire. Davenport’s preliminary bankruptcy petition lists 27 Adventist institutions among his creditors, and more than 200 individuals, the majority of them fellow Adven­tists...

“The Davenport case comes at a time when the church is embroiled in theological differences that pit church administrators against some pastors and Bible scholars. In recent months several well-known pastors have been stripped of their ministerial standing, about fifty congregations have left the denomination, and some members report that an atmosphere of fear and suspicion has invaded the church, which traditionally has fostered strong bonds of fellowship...

“Adventists give their church massive amounts of money; well over half tithe ten percent of their income...... for the support of regional church bodies known as con­ferences and unions, and for mission work. Additional offerings are required to finance the local congregations, to build and maintain schools, to support a massive program of world missions and other special projects...

“A spokesman for the church said last week that officials expect to know sometime this month (September 1981) the full extent of investments by units and members of the church in Davenport’s real estate empire. Preliminary estimates put the total he owed to his creditors in excess of forty million.”

The Jews – “Christians for Israel on the GROW-HOUSTON-DALLAS: The Board of Direc­tors Christians for Israel Bible Fellowship in two recent board meetings outlined plans for expansion in 1981. Mr. Joe Dean will act as Executive Director and will spend time making presentations at Churches, Sunday School Classes, Bible Studies, and groups. Increased correspondence with all Christians who are interested in Israel will include more frequent newsletters, expansion of the ISRAEL Letter, educational materials and books on subjects relating to the role of Christian concern for God’s chosen.”

Following is a quotation from Heinrich Heine: “Even those Jews who have long drifted from the faith of their fathers... are touched when the old familiar Passover sounds chance to fall upon their ears.”

Now follows a quote from Dispatch from Jerusalem: “ISRAEL’S RED AMBASSADOR – ­What is red outside, sweet inside, and is rapidly becoming one of Israel’s best Ambas­sadors in the Common Market Countries? The answer: the huge, sweet, red pepper named Maor. What is the reason for its success? It is genetically styled for export – ­tailor-made to suit the tastes of Europeans – bright in color, the size, almost square box-like shape, meaty, sweet flavor.

“A few years ago, this product did NOT even exist! In 1972, a study was made of European tastes and the vegetable was bred to match these tastes. All of the develop­ment has been conducted by Dr. Chen Shifriss, senior research scientist at the genetics department of the Agriculture Research Organization. Benefits: High profit, high yield – six tons per dunam (1/4 acre), one of the healthiest of all vegetables, eaten raw, high concentration of vitamin C – 200 mg. of vitamin C per 3 Oz. – higher than any other vegetable!

“Dr. Shifriss is developing other varieties of sweet and hot peppers suited to taste – disease resistance – industrial use – dried and powdered for coloring agent. A few years ago, Israel did not export peppers. Today, over 10,000 tons are exported, with more on the way.”

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE: “The Israeli scientist Dr. Hugo Boyko, more than thirty years ago, discovered a method of raising vegetables and fruit in the desert with saline water... Here in this Israeli pilot project on the use of sea water mankind may find the so­lution of the great peril of famine facing the world ... This has brought about a miracle – sandy deserts restored to life... now possible to grow a variety of plants by irrigat­ing them with saline water, and even with salt water.”

This from another newspaper: “Baron Guy de Rothschild, head of the family that for almost two centuries has been the symbol of wealth in France, is a bitter man. ‘This office in which I am receiving you is empty because I’ve already taken all my belong­ings out,’ the soft-spoken, gray-haired banker and financier told a visitor to the head­quarters of the Banque de Rothschild on Rue Laffitte. ‘This has been my home, perhaps even more than where I live, because I’ve changed places where I live. This has been my constant home in every respect for the last fifty years.’

“The 72-year-old de Rothschild is in the process of leaving Rue Laffitte and the banking business. His bank is one of 36 private banks being nationalized by the new socialist government of President Francois Mitterand. ‘The government, even if they wanted to nationalize all banks, which I think is an extremely bad idea, should have done things properly. That means carefully,’ he said. ‘They are acting in haste as if they are being pursued by an enemy and they wanted to burn everything before the enemy caught up with them, which is totally absurd.’

“As of 1978, the Rothschild bank was 19th among France’s 53 largest banks, with an annual turnover of more than $1.8 billion.

“The future of the house of Rothschild is clouded. ‘It’s a very open question that I can’t answer,’ the baron said of what lies ahead... It is not the first time the French Rothschilds, who descend from Meyer Rothschild, early 19th-century German money­lender, have seen their domain ended... He said French banks that had been previous­ly nationalized operated in a competitive industry, keeping the outlook of private bank­ing.”

There is much more to this situation, but lack of space prevents our quoting it.

GENERAL – Newspaper item of Nov, 21, 1981: “Two Episcopalian priests who said it was ‘God’s will’ for them to ferry 402 Cubans to Florida ferrying the Mariel sealift, were just found guilty of violating the Trading with the Enemy Act ... No sentencing date was set. The maximum penalty would be ten years in prison and a $15,000 fine for each man ... The clergymen said they hired a former World War II sub chaser and took it to Mariel, Cuba, on May 18, 1980. The ship returned to Key West June 12... ‘Did they know they were violating the Law? Of course they did... of course they knew. They knew from their own experience that private deals with foreign governments concerning unscreened immigrants was illegal. These were no naive little men sailing to Mariel in a rowboat!”

Whether these Episcopalian priests knew the civil law or not, they should certain­ly know what the founder of the Episcopalian Church taught: “Let every person be sub­missive to the superior authorities; for there is not an authority, except from God; and those existing have been arranged under God; so that he who sets himself in oppo­sition to the authority, opposes the institution of God; and the opponents will procure punishment for themselves.” (Rom. 13:1,2--Dia.) It was this and other Scriptures that Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) used so effectively against the Church of Rome, to the praise of King Henry VIII of England. However, when Henry’s abominable daughter, “Bloody” Mary, ascended the throne after Henry’s death, she had Bishop Cranmer burned at the stake. She herself was a rabid Roman Catholic. All this can be found in any reliable history book, and would certainly be taught in any upstanding Episcopal theological sem­inary.

Another Episcopal Priest – “A used car salesman who became an Episcopal priest and subsequently confessed he was a two-time bigamist, has been suspended from his duties at St. Peters American Episcopal Church here (Deerfield Beach).

“‘It is a sad business,’ said Bishop Clavier, who ordered the suspension of Frank Pannitti Thursday........ Pannitti, 43, was ordained a priest Oct. 3 by Clavier and con­tinues his work in Delray Beach as a used car salesman. He is married to a third wife, Kristine. The unusual combination of priest and used car salesman drew media attention.

“Pannitti’s second wife saw a newspaper story and revealed the bigamous relation­ship. The priest then admitted he had married his current wife while still married to his second wife. He divorced his first wife in November 1972. But he was married to Laurie in 1968, four years before that divorce became final. Pennitti explained that in both cases, he thought the women had taken care of the divorce arrangements.”

Italy (May 1981) – “Prime Minister designate Arnaldo Forlani’s attempt to form a new government was rocked yesterday by newly discovered documents, indicating that scores of high-ranking officials were members of an illegal Masonic lodge whose leader has been charged with espionage. ... The latest documents were seized from a lawyer in Tuscany, the central region where police found the original list of 962 names of top officials apparently belonging to the lodge. ... The new documents listed lodge membership sub­scriptions paid by named personalities and in some cases substantial payments of up to $35,000 paid to some members for unspecified services.”

“Wisdom Of Their Wise Men” – The following from a recent newspaper item: “A cave in northern Spain has yielded what scientists say is the first intact religious sanctu­ary from the early Stone Age, a find dating back 14,000 years and including an altar topped by a sculpted stone head with a half-man, half-animal face. ... Dr. Leslie Fried­man said the find is unique because previous evidence, some dating back 50,000 years, deals almost exclusively with death, only a single aspect of a system of religious be­liefs...The El Juyo face is without parallel in the Paleolithic world. There is no other case in Paleolithic art of a face divided by a midline into two halves, each with a different nature... It seems almost certain that it represents the supernatural be­ing to whom the sanctuary was dedicated. That being had a dual nature, celebrated in the rituals.”

It requires a real well-educated man to understand this foolishness; and it gives us a better appreciation of St. Paul’s words: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it has been written, ‘He captures the wise in their craftiness.’” (1 Cor. 3:19) Also, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the under­standing of the prudent.” (1 Cor. 1:19) Lest we should be accused of offering unfounded criticism, we offer this constructive fact: The first date in secular history on which scholars can agree is 536 B. C. That is the year in which Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to return to Palestine after they had experienced seventy years of captivity in Babylon.

Here we would emphasize, however, that other occurrences are recorded many years before 536 B.C. – both in the Bible and in profane history; but the various writers have different dates for those events. But here we would stress that it seems most strange that if human beings have been on this earth for 50,000 years or more, we should certainly have a reliable date prior to the last 2,500 years. Here again the words of St. Paul are pertinent: “Avoid profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

In almost all quarters reports of corruption and fraud emanate; the moth-eaten condition of present governments are now being decimated. However, we have listed quite a few for the benefit of our readers – especially for those who “know these things” will transpire in this “evil day.” But we are told to “lift up our heads,” because our deliverance draweth near. The Scriptures tell us that the religious element of present institutions “shall pass away with a rushing sound” (2 Pet. 3:10); and other Scrip­tures indicate quite clearly that this segment of the economy will be first to go into annihilation.

With this comes our prayer that our readers may all be fortified against present difficulties – all of which offer cogent proof that we are now in “The Time of Trouble” spoken by our Lord and the Prophet Daniel. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) And we thank God for “Nor ever shall be.” “But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in time of trouble.” (Psa. 37:39),

We are most appreciative of the many Holiday good wishes, the love and prayers of our brethren, that have come to us in recent weeks; and we reciprocate now, as we have not been able to do so individually.

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: The correct date for our Lord’s Memorial this year is after 6 p.m. the evening of April 6.

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

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

I hesitate to write to you as I am such a poor hand at writing and expressing my­self. I must thank you for the letters. I look forward to their coming. They keep me with the Truth. I have no one to talk with. Some of my family give me a bad time about my belief. I thank God for them, as they keep me defending the Truth. I grow stronger for them. I do pray for the day when we can all know of God’s Great Plan.

I met you once, when you were in Los Angeles with Brother Johnson. That has been many years ago. I had just left the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was at the Convention in Los Angeles when it was announced that Brother Johnson had died. My sister and I used to have wonderful times studying. She has been ill for more than four years now. I miss her. Her grandson is in the Truth and a very fine man. He has his obligations and responsibilities to his family, and we don’t get together very often...

I have been reading The Ransom in Epiphany Vol. 15. Truly, the Ransom is the hub of the Scriptures! I am sending you a gift for you to use anyway needed. Sorry it can’t be more. I thank God for you and all in the Bible House. I need your prayers. May God bless you!

Your sister ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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

Dear Brother Hoefle:

I received your letter a couple of days ago and also received the set of books that you sent me. I like them very much! I will read them very carefully. I read the papers over that you sent me. I like them also, and I believe that they speak the Truth. Yes! I would like very much to be put on your mailing list. I am 57 years old and am married. We have been married 35 years, and have six children...They are all grown up now...

God bless you and your family! Sincerely your brother ------- (OHIO)

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

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

I am writing to tell you that although I once greatly enjoyed your papers, I can no longer read them. I thought I’d tell you so that you could save postage. I have lost most of my eye sight... I can see only a little... I am very sorry because I do love to read and I did enjoy your literature. I often wish that all these articles were on cassette tapes so I could hear them, but I guess you don’t have the tapes. Thank you for your service to our Lord and the brethren. God bless you!

Christian love, Your sister, ------- (CONNECTICUT)

NO. 318: GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

No. 318

As is our custom for this time of the year we try to bring to our readers “Good Tidings of Great Joy” when so many people have the Savior uppermost in mind. Even though we can’t agree that December 25 is the correct date of our Savior’s birth, it matters not as the Scriptures do not mention that we should celebrate His birth. However, the Christian world in general has done so on December 25, and we are happy that our Savior is specially remembered by all those who rejoice in Jesus as their Redeemer. So we join with all who have the proper attitude of heart in this remembrance.

God’s promise that the Seed of Abraham should ultimately bless all nations has in­fluenced thought the world over, but particularly amongst those nations living contig­uous to Abraham’s home and northward and westward from there, in directions in which the message of Divine favor has gone. At first the Jews thought of this promise as be­ing fulfilled in them as a nation – that, without assistance from on High, they could approve themselves to God through obedience to the Law Covenant, and then, as instruc­tors of the world, they would teach all nations to keep the Divine Law, and thus bring the world to the blessed state of perfection, Divine favor and life everlasting. This hope was crushed out as they found themselves unable to keep the Law, going down into death, instead of attaining to perfection of life. Even Moses, the special servant of God, could not, and did not, attain the blessing of the Law.

Then God made them the promise of some better thing – of a greater Mediator and of a more successful Covenant through that Mediator. The Mediator of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) was to be greater than Moses; as he himself declared, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you from amongst your brethren like unto me (but greater) – him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall come to pass that the soul that will not obey that Prophet shall be destroyed from amongst the people.” (Acts 3:22,23) Thenceforth their hearts and hopes looked down through the stream of time to when the glorious things hoped for through this great Prophet should be accomplished.

“THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS”

As surrounding nations and those afar off heard of Israel’s hope – that to them would come a great Savior, Deliverer, who would bless them and exalt them in the world and through them bless all peoples, the beauty of the thought took root in every direc­tion. Messiah was more or less looked for under various names, and the glories of His Kingdom were pictured by heathen poets as the Golden Age.

Thus it happened that when our Lord was born, when He was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, “All men were in expectation of him” – not of Jesus, but of the promised Messiah, whom Jesus was. Thus it was that wise men in the East were attracted to see and worship Him that was born King of the Jews. Thus it was also that during Jesus’ ministry certain Greeks came to the disciples saying, “Sirs, we would see Jesus.” They had heard of Him and recognized that in some respects His magic power implied a rela­tionship with the long-expected Messiah. And so it was with the multitudes of Palestine. They heard; they listened. That said, Is this He? The rulers said No, this is not the Messiah. Then the people asked, When Messiah cometh can He do greater works than this man? Never man spake like this man!

Nevertheless, there were few ready to receive Him, even amongst His own – only “Israelites indeed,” to whom, because of worthiness of heart, God specially revealed His Son. This was in harmony with the prophecy of old, “The secret of the Lord is with them that reverence him and he will show them his covenant.” (Isa. 49:8) Neither Jews nor Greeks nor Persian wise men knew to expect that Messiah would first appear to offer Himself, through obedience to the Truth, a living sacrifice for sinners. None of them knew that a long period must elapse from the time when Messiah would be the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, of whom the people would be ashamed, until He would appear in power and great glory to establish His Empire under the whole heavens, in fulfillment of the prophetic picture of Daniel 2:34; 7:13, 14-27.

Few understand God’s great secret or “mystery” hidden during past Ages and dispensa­tions (Col. 1:26), that, during this long period of the Gospel Age a saintly “little flock” would be selected from amongst men to be Messiah’s bride, and joint-heir with Him in His Messianic reign. Few see that this “little flock” has been selected during these nineteen centuries from every nation, people, kindred and tongue, and that they are all saints, in spirit of their minds, at least, and follow the Lamb, withersoever He goeth, walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Few understand that, as soon as these joint-sacri­ficers with the Master shall have filled up the measure of afflictions appointed, then the Kingdom of Glory will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together and all shall be blessed by it, the Jew, Abraham’s natural seed first, and also the Gentile – all the families of the earth.

A SAVIOR – CHRIST THE LORD

It was prophetically, of course, that the babe of Bethlehem was called Savior – He was to be their Savior, The Christ, the Lord. But as a babe He was none of these. He became the Christ before becoming the Savior and Lord. The word Christ signifies anointed. In the Divine purpose it was arranged that Messiah should be anointed High Priest of Israel on a higher plane than Aaron – after the order of Melchisedec. (Psalm 110:4) And every priest must be anointed to his office before he could fill it. Sim­ilarly, it was prophesied that Christ would be the great King, greater than David and Solomon, who were his types and foreshadows.

The anointing of Jesus was not with literal oil, but with that which the oil upon the head of the kings and priests of Israel typified – the Holy Spirit. He received this holy Spirit at the time of His baptism, the Spirit falling upon Him and abiding with Him, anointing Him for His great work of antitypical Priest and antitypical King of Israel, who, as the Messiah long-promised, would bless them, and through them, the world. But every priest was ordained to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, and in this also they typified Jesus, who, under the Divine arrangement, must first offer up Himself as a sacrifice acceptable to God for the sins of mankind – in order that He might restore them and their earthly home to the glorious condition of perfection repre­sented in Adam and his Eden home. Hence it was necessary that Jesus should not only consecrate His life to the Divine service and be anointed with the holy Spirit, but that, sacrificially, He should lay down His life, even unto death – even the death of the cross. As a part of His reward He was raised to glory, honor and immortality, on the third day thereafter.

CONCERNING MESSIAH’S KINGDOM

Our understanding is that Messiah’s Kingdom will be a spiritual one, invisible to mortals, yet all-powerful, for the accomplishment of the great things promised in the Law and Prophets. The empire which He will establish, invisible to men, will take the place of the empire of Satan, of darkness. We now see the evils of Satan’s invisible presence, and will then see the righteousness of our Lord’s invisible presence in that blessed Kingdom. The King of glory will replace the prince of darkness. Principal amongst Messiah’s earthly agents and representatives will be Abraham, Isaac and all the Prophets, resurrected in full human perfection, we well as all the Worthies (Hebrews, Chapter 11). Instead of their being, as heretofore, the fathers, they shall be the children of Messiah, and all people will be privileged to come in under Israel’s New Covenant, then established by the great “Messenger of the Covenant, whom you delight in.” (Jer. 31:31-34) Jesus received the holy Spirit at the time of His baptism, the Spirit falling upon Him and abiding with Him, anointing Him for His great work of antitypical Priest and antitypical King of Israel, who, as the Messiah long promised, would bless them, and through them, the world.

The glorious Messiah, whom the Jews identify with “Michael, the great Prince, which standeth for the children of thy people” (Dan. 12:1), the Mohammedans also expect and identify with Mahamet of the Past. The Free Masons also expect the same glorious per­sonage and, in their traditions, identify him with Hiram Abiff, the great Master-Mason. This same great Messiah, Michael, the archangel, the antitypical Melchisedec, Priest as well as King, we identify as “the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Tim. 2:5,6) But when the great King shall appear in His glory and establish His Kingdom with Israel He will be, as promised by the Prophets, “the desire of all nations.” (Hag. 2:7) Then all the blinded eyes will be opened and the deaf ears will be unstopped. (Isa. 35:5) Then who He is and how He should be iden­tified with Abraham’s seed and David’s line, will be clearly known to all – in heaven and on earth. Not now, but when the King shall reign in righteousness – after this Time of Trouble – all shall fully understand the significance of Zechariah’s prophecy in Zech. 12:7-10. Content that Messiah shall show the Truth in His Day of Revealment, we are glad to point Jews, Mohammedans, Christians, and all, to the glorious Messiah and the great work of blessing for all the nations which He will accomplish through the seed of Abraham, according to God’s Covenant and His oath.

GOD’S DEALINGS UNDER DIFFERENT COVENANTS

The Decalogue of the Law Covenant was composed of probations – “Thou shalt not.” God’s dealings with those who will become members of the “House of Sons” seem to be dif­ferent from this. Instead of telling us what we shall not do, He tells us what we shall do.

How will it be with those with whom God will deal during the existence of the Mes­sianic Kingdom, under the New Covenant arrangement? We answer that during the reign of Christ they will be under a very similar arrangement to that of the Jews under Moses. Thou shalt, and Thou shalt not, will be enforced by the great Mediator. And the enforc­ing will be necessary, because of the sins and imperfections and degradation in which the people will be. In harmony with this we read that “Whosoever will not obey that Prophet will be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) The word obey implies a command to be backed up by the authority to enforce.

The fact is that there will be a reign of Law in Messiah’s Kingdom: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion (the invisible Kingdom) shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem (the visible ruling power – the Worthies).” (Isa. 2:3) And those who will not fall into line with this Law will have tribulation that they may learn righteousness. “The judgments (the instructions of the Law) of the Lord will be abroad in the earth” (Isa. 26:9) – and the people will take notice of these. They will not be dealt with as under the Covenant of Grace. The will to obey will not be taken as instead of the deed. They will have the ability to obey all that is required of them.

They will not have an Advocate as those under the Grace Covenant who have the will to do but due to the imperfections of the flesh are unable to do perfectly. We are promised, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9,10) “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

On the contrary, the great Mediator will, during the thousand years of the Mediatorial Kingdom, instruct and reward and bless and uplift all the willing and obedient, to the in­tent that all those during that reign who desire to be helped will be helped and will be ready to be turned over to the Almighty at the close of the Age. “And when all things shall be subdued under him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him, that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor. 15:28) Not until the end of that Age will any of the world, under the New Covenant arrangement reach sonship. But, by that time, they have been perfected as sons, and will endure the tests then given, the Father will accept them and give them the blessings of eternal life, etc., as sons.

A certain Scripture gives us intimation of how this will proceed. This Scripture shows us the injunctions and precepts God will put upon the world. “And this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer. 31:33) He also says, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh.” (Ez. 11:19) This brief statement implies a full restitution to all that was lost in Adam.

Adam was created perfect, but depravity of mankind and the intensification of this in many cases have brought the world today in a condition of stoniness of heart, until the inhumanity of man toward man is appalling. The precepts of God will be gradually brought before the human mind and engraved and interwoven in the whole fiber of his be­ing, so that man at the end of the Millennial Age will be as Adam was in the beginning ­fully in accord with every principle of righteousness and unsympathetic with everything that is evil. This condition will come to be the very fiber of human nature again and only to such as will attain this will come the blessing of eternal life.

NEW COVENANT BENEFITS WORLD-WIDE

All mankind will receive some benefit from the New Covenant, irrespective of accep­tance of Christ. That benefit will be that they will be awakened from the tomb. As the Scriptures tell us, as by one man condemnation passed upon all, so likewise through one man justification to life is to pass upon all. (Rom. 5:12,18) Therefore, we would say that the benefits of the New Covenant will be applicable to everybody. If God had foreseen that nobody would adopt this arrangement, that fact no doubt would have altered His plan.

All of the accounts against humanity having been canceled by justice, mankind will be turned over to the Mediator. If man were not put under the Mediator. if he were kept under Divine justice, he would immediately be condemned, because of his inability to do right. Therefore the Father will not take cognizance of sinners. They will be left to the Mediator. All who will be obedient will receive the blessings of the King­dom, and those who do not become obedient under those conditions will go into the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery – unlike the Adamic death from which there will be a recovery by our Redeemer who died for us. “For the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice ... And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” – Krisis, Judgment. (John 5:28,29 – Also Acts 24:15)

FUTURE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS

The Scriptures tell us that “out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3) The Ancient Worthies are to be made princes in all the earth. (Psa. 45:16) This, of course, would appeal first and primarily to the Jew – those who have faith in God’s promises – who would naturally be the first to come under the new regulations, as the New Covenant will be made with the Jews. (Jer. 31:33)

We may not say that all of the Jews, who are Jews according to the flesh, will do so, but we believe that a considerable number of them will. The Jews who do not hold to God’s promises are not “Israelites indeed,” and will not be counted as Jews in the New Covenant arrangements. However, others will join them of every nation, and will come under the New Covenant with them. The Kingdom will be Israelitish. There are many good people who have not taken the vow of consecration during the Faith Age, but who would like to help rather than to hinder others. Such will in due time attach them­selves to the Kingdom, which shall be “the desire of all nations.” (Hag. 2:7)

In the case of the Worthies their freedom from imperfection will make them conspic­uous. As the world comes to know about these, they will say, Are not these God’s people? Mankind will perceive that God has rewarded the Worthies by giving them a better resur­rection, and will learn that their “better resurrection” was given because of the faith­fulness in the past. (Heb. 11:1,39,40)

SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

The fact is that Jesus is not merely the Savior of the Church, but that He is also the Savior of the world. In the past Bible students have overlooked this great truth, to their confusion. Now we see that God has provided two distinctly different salva­tions – one for the Church in the Gospel Age – the Faith Age – and the other for the world in the Age to follow this – the period of Messiah’s Kingdom. That period is the Judgment Day for the world. The world is under the sentence that was passed on Adam ­and are not sentenced for their own sins, but the sin they inherited from Adam. But in the Kingdom their judgment will be an individual one: all who love righteousness and hate iniquity will gain eternal life; and all who prefer unrighteousness will be cut off from among the people – will die the Second Death, from which there is no recovery. “Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2) The Church’s sal­vation is the “great salvation” (Heb. 2:3), while the world’s salvation is the “common salvation” (Jude 3).

Not only do we see that there are two different salvations, but also that they are wholly different in kind. They are alike in some things, however. Both are salvations from sin and from its power and its penalty, the curse – sorrow, pain, crying, sighing and dying. Both are salvations to an everlasting happiness. But there the similarity ends; for the Church is to be saved by a change of nature, while the world is to be saved without a change of nature – by a resurrection to the perfection of human nature.

The Church’s salvation has its beginning in the “hearing” of faith. The message of God’s grace is proclaimed here and there by stammering lips, which do not appeal to many of the great or wise or learned, but chiefly to the poor of this world. “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he has prom­ised to them that love Him?” (James 2:5) These are charmed with the message of forgive­ness of their sins, as they approach and seek to draw near to God, who through His prov­idence draws near to them. If they continue to hunger and thirst after the Lord and His message, He will satisfy them and will show them His covenant. (Psa. 50:5) He will enable them to understand the terms and conditions upon which they may be received back into fellowship with God as dear children – no longer aliens, strangers, foreigners ­– no longer condemned to death, but on the contrary justified to life.

Here comes to them another test of their love of righteousness, their hunger for fellowship with God; for the requirements, as stated by the Master Himself, are: “If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself (renounce his own self-will), take up his cross (begin to live contrary to his own preferences in that he will do according to the Divine will, instead of according to his own will, where it crosses the Divine), and follow me.” Then he must continue to follow in the Master’s footsteps – faithful unto death. But we are not to think of those who reject the Lord’s cross and refuse to make a full consecration of their lives as being, therefore, condemned either to eternal torment or to anything else. The Gospel Age is a Faith Age, and some do not have faith, or sufficient faith to walk a “narrow way” during this Age. “For all men have not faith.” (2 Thes. 3:2) And if all men who do not have the faith for a Faith Age, God is not unrighteous to condemn them because they do not have enough faith to walk a “nar­row” way, but will open up a “way” for them in the Kingdom – a Highway of Holiness, that will be easier for them to travel. (Isa. 35:8)

THE COMMON SALVATION

The point we are here especially making is that God has provided a salvation for the world, as well as a salvation for the Church. The Bible tells us of the general facts of these salvations. It assures us that “God so loved the world (as well as the Church) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We noticed at first that the sentence that is upon the world is not an eternal torment penalty, but the penalty that was passed on Adam – dying and death. (Gen. 3:19) Christ died that the race might not perish, but in due time recover from the death penalty through faith in Christ and obedience to Him. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

Only the few can exercise the great faith that is necessary to a place in the Heav­enly reward. It is an invitation to walk a “narrow way,” and not a command; but in the Kingdom it will be a command to walk up the Highway of Holiness if they attain eter­nal life. By and by, however, when the knowledge of God shall fill the whole earth as the waters that cover the great deep (Isa. 11:9; 26:9), all will understand; all will hear and be able to believe in God’s goodness and in His wonderful arrangement on man’s behalf. Those who will then believe, and who will then accept God’s favor on its terms of loyalty and obedience to the best of their ability, will be blessed by Messiah’s King­dom reign of righteousness.

The blessing, as the Bible describes it, will be the rolling away of the curse (Rev. 22:3) and the rolling on, instead of the curse, “the blessing of the Lord, which maketh rich; and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Prov. 10:22) This work of rolling away the curse and the rolling on the blessing is the appointed work of Messiah’s Kingdom for a thousand years. We may be sure that by the time His Kingdom shall end, and shall be de­livered up to the Father, our Lord will have fully accomplished all the great work which was committed to Him of the Father and for which He has shown His worthiness by His co­operation in the Father’s plan, to the extent of dying for the race.

THE LAW COVENANT AND THE NEW COVENANT

There is a marked superiority in the Christmas message that has come through Jesus to the Law given at Sinai. The Law Covenant has two very distinct divisions: “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not.” While the New Testament does make clear mention against character depravities, its main theme is toward the development of the virtues and graces of the Holy Spirit as it works in those who have it. And all of this is presented in an ap­pealing manner; whereas, the Law Covenant is a definite command, which is typical of what the New Covenant will be like during the Kingdom. “God has given Him a name that is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heav­en, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11) We know that “every tongue” does not “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” today. If it would be a command while sin and evil are in the ascendancy all would have to do so. But in the Kingdom it will be a command, which will be obeyed by all who will get eternal life.

Note now the difference in the address to “all the saints in Christ Jesus”: “That ye may approve things that are excellent ... sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness ... unto the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1:10,11) Then Phil. 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (with great carefulness). Note well that this address is not given to the world. However, if the world would now repent of their sins and “seek meekness and righteousness” they would be better prepared for the Kingdom. (Acts 17:31)

As is it now in the Faith Age with those who walk a “narrow way,” that they are not, required to do more than they are able to do, it will be the same in the Kingdom – no one will be required to do more than he is able to do. All of our readers know full well that now “there is none righteous, no not one,” but our imperfect works are accept­able to God through the merit of Jesus who “bought us,” so long as we are faithful in all we are able to do. However, in the Kingdom no imperfect works will be acceptable, but all imperfection will be corrected in the truly penitent until such time as they will be able to offer perfect works and praise to God. They will then keep the Law perfectly ­just as Jesus did it when He was here: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain (Kingdom) of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3) And “Whosoever will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23)

We trust that this Christmas message has made the Plan of God clear enough for all our readers to praise God for all His benefits toward us, as well as to thank God for His “unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15)—the gift of His only begotten Son for our Redeemer! Hallelujah what a Savior! “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psa. 107:31)

Our best wishes to all our readers for the Lord’s blessing during the Holiday Season and for a blessed New Year. Let the Lord be your trust and your guide – for “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Prov. 30:5)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

It is rarely that I write you, but I think you will be interested in the following, although you may know most of it.

Recently we made a short trip to Valdese (near Morganton), a Waldensian settlement in which they have an outdoor drama about the history of the sect. It was interesting. We went to the Museum there, too, and I told the women there that the Waldensians were the oldest Protestant sect, dating from about the llth or 12th century. They didn’t seem to know that, so one of them went to look it up. She found a book of their history and came back and told me I was right. The book was for sale, so I bought it, and have been reading it. It is kind of sketchy and not a very well written book, but it does give quite a bit about the persecutions, even naming some who were martyred. It makes you stop and think about how we might act under such circumstances. Contemplation of their faithfulness and zeal is quite inspiring.

One interesting thing in the museum was a Bible all charred and burned. It had been found in the wall of a building, or house in one of the cities that had been ravaged by the Papal armies. Evidently, it was hidden, and, as I understand, was found not too many years ago.

According to this book, they protested the mass, transubstantiation, absolution, confessing one’s sins (except to God), special fasting days forbidden, forbidding of marriage; and they claimed there were only two sacraments – Baptism and The Lord’s Sup­per, at which they included fish with the Bread and Wine. They also spoke of the Cath­olic church as the Anti-Christ. Of course, they kept the errors of trinity, eternal torment and predestination.

Well, this is a long letter for me. But this, to me, was something to write about. I could say more, but I won’t burden you to read all about it. I’m sure you know some­thing about this anyway.

My warm Christian love and prayers are ever with you.

By His Grace, ------- (NORTH CAROLINA)

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

Dear Sirs:

I am writing to you about your Church or faith. I read some about it in the book that is called, The Encyclopedia of America’s religions at Springfield, Ohio Library.

I am very interested in what you believe. Could you please send me some of your literature? I have read about Charles T. Russell’s doctrines as well as some of his books. They seem all right. So I would like it very much if you would send me some of your literature. Could you do this?

Thank you! ------- (OHIO)

(Note: The above writer is a former Jehovah’s Witnesses)

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

The Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n:

Please send the Creation book and Daily Heavenly Manna to me. Check enclosed. Thank you!

Sincerely ------- (OHIO)

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

Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in our Lord’s Name!

I have received your letter and two papers. I have read both papers and enjoyed them very much. I am looking forward to receiving more from you. I would like to thank you, Brother Hoefle, for the letter you sent to me, and for putting me on your regular mailing list..........

I would certainly like to learn some of your thoughts on the Youthful Worthy class, I especially enjoyed what you had to say about Noah’s ark. Brother Hoefle, I want to thank you for your time and consideration. I’ll be in touch.

Your brother in Christ, ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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

Dear Brother Hoefle: Christian greetings!

We trust you and Sister Hoefle are reasonably well and quite reconciled to Sister Dunnagan’s death. Sorry you were again saddened by the death of another of your relatives. We are sending you a card and trust it will be of some consolation.

As we are completely out of tracts, we will be glad if you would send us an assorted number at your earliest convenience.

All join in sending warm Christian love to you, Sister Hoefle and all the friends there.

By His grace ------- (TRINIDAD)

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

Dear Hoefle Family:

This envelope has been “on hold” until I was certain the mails would go through. We are having telephone trouble since the last storm, and the repair man has been here all morning to locate our trouble.......... Just one of life’s minor problems!

The advance copy of the Armageddon paper is with my sisters. We all enjoyed it very much, and appreciate the fact you sent it to us. It follows so well the releas­ing of the Four Winds. It will be interesting to see just how much turmoil on this earth it will take to make people see that these are not ordinary times. Many I know do realize that something unusual is going on. Begin in Israel seems to have courage to take a more positive stand against the world – because I suppose he knows God is with them in the end. I hope he has some knowledge of the Truth. David Horowitz should be able to give him encouragement.

Just discovered a second telephone man has been called in. Hope we have a phone before the day is over.

Christian love to you all, ------- (OHIO)

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

Dearly Loved Ones; Loving greetings in our Beloved Savior’s Name!

Our thanks are long overdue. We enjoyed the write-up on Horowitz – United Nation’s most human touch, etc., and the advance copy of Armageddon, very much. Also received tracts in good order.

It is very heart-cheering to observe the stately workings of our Heavenly Father and our Beloved Savior. Surely the dissolving of the nations is progressing! The handwriting is plain, But Oh, how we long for the blessing feature of His Kingdom!

How long, Oh-Lord! Heard reports on TV of the multi-million dollar business on foods, shelters, guns, etc., for dooms day or Armageddon. How good to have the assurance of His Word that all things shall work for our good. Also, seek meekness and righteous­ness, etc. His Grace is sufficient.

Trust this finds you comfortably well. Our thoughts and prayers are with you often for His peace and strength sufficient for every time of need. Thanks again for your kindness to us.

Our warm Christian love, ------- (MASSACHUSETTS)

NO. 317: ARMAGEDDON

No. 317

In these days we hear much about Armageddon being imminent, although many of the Lord’s people knew about Armageddon long before now – already in 1897 Pastor Russell had pub­lished the fourth book of the Studies in the Scriptures, “The Battle of Armageddon.” This book is so descriptive of our day, it is as though it were written by some one observ­ing the turmoil that is now upon us. Of course, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been pre­dicting Armageddon for many years, and have prophesied dates for it to occur. However, as Armageddon didn’t occur at the times predicted, the Witnesses were so disappointed they have not set another date since 1975, when Armageddon did not begin as they had ex­pected.

Pastor Russell predicted that the great Time of Trouble would begin in 1914 with the World War. He predicted the World War 25 years before 1914 – in 1889 – and many people laughed at this “preacher of doom.” But he had arrived at the date 1914 from Bible chronology, Bible prophecies and the parallel dispensations. However, when the world seemed so calm in 1913, a World War seemed unthinkable, so he and several other capable scholars went over the chronology very carefully to see if there might be some mistake. They couldn’t find a thing wrong, so Pastor Russell let his prediction stand, and continued to proclaim 1914 as the date for the World War, as well as the end of the Gentile Times.

But when the World War broke out in 1914, many unbelievers became believers. How­ever, after 1918, when conditions became more stable, quite a few believers became un­believers. Many will say that we still have the Gentile governments, social systems, etc. Which we do! But their lease expired in 1914; and the present turmoil in every nation today is due to the fact that these govern­ments are being evicted.

Pastor Russell taught a very different Armageddon than do the Witnesses today. They teach that Armageddon will be the end of the Gentile Rule – and after that Christ’s benevolent Kingdom will be established, with their Great Crowd as earthly rulers of that Kingdom. Pastor Russell taught that there would be other Gentile governments estab­lished after Armageddon – a socialistic or Communistic regime – but the Gentile govern­ments will not be fully destroyed until Anarchy, which will set in shortly after Arma­geddon. The Witnesses not only teach error on the Time of Trouble, but also error on Christ’s Kingdom and its benevolent purposes for all mankind.

It does not surprise us that the world is waking up to realize that something is now happening that cannot be stopped by human hands, even though this Time of Trouble was taught and predicted in practically every country in the world long before 1914. But it was not the time for the world to wake up, as this message was to enlighten and encour­age the Lord’s faithful people. The prediction then was that the world would not re­ceive it until it reached a crisis – extreme disorder, crime and social unrest in every country in the world as it is today. So many people are waking up, including quite a few clergy today who are preaching an imminent Armageddon – talking as though they were the first to see it from their study and search of the Bible. Surely most people know that the Witnesses have made Armageddon prominent in their world-wide ministry! But the cler­gy don’t mention that, or them. And they (the clergy) are “profiting” by their proph­ecies! When Pastor Russell taught these things they were for those who had “an ear to hear.” He spent not only his time, energy and health, but all of his large fortune to “bear witness to the Truth,” in which there were other capable people who joined him.

These clergymen today are educated men, but they seemingly haven’t had time to read a book published long before 1914 – the Battle of Armageddon – which is still distributed and sold to all interested people. In fact, there are groups of Christians today who are studying this book in class studies. But these educated clergy are too busy with their own ideas to bother with the Truth as given in this informative book written by Pastor Rus­sell, just as the Scribes and Pharisees were too busy with the “traditions of men” to be bothered to learn of that “Carpenter,” when Jesus was here teaching the Truth to all who had an “ear to hear.”

So 37 years after His crucifixion (in 70 A.D.), their city was taken by the Romans and their beautiful temple demolished. And so it will be today with those who are ignor­ing the Truth: they, too, will have the same experience of those Jews who did not have an “ear to hear.”! They, too, will have their “temples” destroyed. The Witnesses will also witness the destruction of their errors – especially when Christ’s Kingdom is estab­lished. They are more responsible for their errors, as they have received more light than have these clergy. The Witnesses still claim Pastor Russell as their founder, while dis­carding many of the fundamental Truths he left them. His message to the world was indeed “Good Tidings of Great Joy,” while theirs is bad tidings of great misery to all who do not join with them before Armageddon. Pastor Russell is not the founder of their errors, but he is the founder of their organization, which they unlawfully seized after his demise in 1916.

THE HISTORICAL RECORDS

The word Armageddon occurs only once in the Bible – Rev. 16:16: “He gathered them together into that place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon.” Here is the descrip­tion given of it by one writer: “(Mountain of Destruction) a place in Samaria, east of Caesarea; the Mountain of Mageddon, or Megiddo, a city at the foot of Mount Carmel, and noted for scenes of carnage. The Canaanites and Philistines, Jews and Egyptians, Chal­deans and Persians, Greeks and Romans, Moslems and Christians, of almost every age and nation, have encamped around Megiddo, because of its commanding position, its abundant supply of water and rich pastures, ... In the Apocalypse this place is referred to prob­ably as a symbolical name for great slaughter.”

Another writer, who spells the name as Har-Magedon, says this: “A prophetic battle­field, where the kings of the whole world gather together unto the war of the great day of God. The name is framed with evident reference to the sanguinary contests which took place near the town of Megiddo; the first, that in which Sisera and the Canaanites were defeated at the waters of Megiddo (Judg. 5:19); the 2nd, that which resulted in the death of Ahaziah, King of Judah, at Megiddo (2 Kgs. 9:27); and the third, that in which King Josiah, was killed when in conflict with the army of Pharaoh Nechoh (2 Kgs. 23:29; Zech. 12:11). The historical associations with Megiddo in the past were seized upon by the prophet to supply a name appropriate in a description of the future sorrows and tri­umphs of God’s people.”

And this further comment from another source: “The fact that the tell of Megiddo was about 70 feet high in John’s day, and was in the vicinity of Carmel Range, justified the use of Hebrew ‘har,’ used loosely in the Old Testament for ‘hill’ and ‘hill country.’ The ‘waters of Megiddo’ (Judg. 5:19) and the ‘valley-plain of Megiddo’ (2 Chron. 35:22) have witnessed important battles, from one fought by Tuthmosis III in 1468 B.C. to that of Lord Allenby of Megiddo in 1917. The ‘mountains of Israel’ witness Gog’s defeat in Ezek. 39:1-4. This may be in the writer’s mind.”

THE BOOM IN DOOM

A few months back there came to us an article captioned as above; and we believe our readers will appreciate reading quite a lot of it, interspersed with some remarks of our own, for which reason we shall avoid much of the quotation marks:

“Fear No Evil,” a new horror film about Lucifer battling three archangels over the second coming of the Creator, was only two weeks into its shooting schedule when trag­edy struck: A mobile home used as a makeup and wardrobe studio exploded in the middle of the night and burned to the ground. The next morning, hair stylist Frank Montesanto searched the rubble for salvage. All he could find was a Bible. “It was slightly charred, but mostly intact,” he said. “The plastic cover had been melted, and fused to the Bible was a charred copy of the ‘Fear No Evil’ script. I couldn’t believe it.”

Montesanto thinks the episode might have been some sort of omen. For those who seek them, portents of catastrophe are not hard to find these days. Fascination with fini­tude is spreading. Fundamentalist Bible believers who take prophecies of the end of days quite literally number in the tens of millions, according to polls. And there are signs that the public at large is detecting omens. “Impending disaster has become an everyday concern,” says historian Christopher Lasch, who believes that humanity has lost faith in the future and awaits some kind of ending.

Armageddon is a growth industry as well as a box office draw. In addition to ‘Fear No Evil’ the latest in a spate of devil and disaster mania films is ‘The Final Conflict,’ the last chapter in the ‘Omen’ trilogy. The chilling saga of Damien Thorn, son of Satan, as an adult is said by production consultant Robert Munger to be “part of a mission to warn the world of what is coming.” A burgeoning array of books on apocalyptic themes are selling briskly in supermarkets, drugstores and airports as well as in Bible book­stores.

Hal Lindsay, chief apostle of biblical future fright, has sold 18 million copies of his “The Late Great Planet Earth,” the New York Times No. 1 best-selling non-fictional book of the 1970s. Lindsey’s update “the 1980s – Countdown to Armageddon,” is expected to land quickly on topseller lists. And now, to keep pace with prophetic events, Lind­sey is offering a monthly cassette service, “Prophecy Hotline.”

Jim McKeever, an Oregon investment counselor, Bible teacher and futuroligist, is urg­ing the discerning to join – at once – the 250,000 subscribers who already read his End­Times News Digest. And, for those who can’t wait for the mail, Salem Kirban of Pennsyl­vania offers a weekly recorded prophecy message over a toll-free line (for a donation of $10 or more).

Television preachers Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson (of “the 700 Club”) and others are keying on Armageddon apprehension. They preach that Jesus will return very soon and they warn believers to get ready for grim worldwide and personal adversity.

The staples of the modern-day fundamentalist interpreters of the Bible prophets are the rise of the Antichrist and Jesus’ imminent return to and judgment of America.

Based on a patchwork of passages from the Old and New Testament, the most popular scenario for the Second Coming unfolds along these lines:

After the Israelites return to the ancient land and set up a government, Israel’s neighbors and other nations turn against her. Their hostile armies move on Jerusalem, the capital city, and conquer half of it, looting houses and raping women. At that point God intervenes, and the attackers, alarmed by supernatural signs, fall back to Megiddo, or Armageddon (a site southeast of modern Haifa). There, a climactic and incredibly gory war involving the entire world takes place. (Same of these “prophets” have heard the real Truth on these things, but they have heard a bell ringing, but can’t locate the bell.—JJH)

At some point – prophecy scholars disagree about exactly when – Jesus visibly par­ticipates (his visibility will become more and more apparent as He ejects the present powers in a more pronounced manner—JJH), leading an army out of heaven, and touching down on the Mount of Olives just outside of Jerusalem. He destroys the remaining armies and establishes a reign of a thousand years of utopia and peace – the Millennium. (With all the ignorance of that blessed Millennium, it will far surpass the prediction of the imagination of the worldly-minded. They, too, will appreciate God’s Great Plan of Salva­tion if they are in harmony with righteousness and justice, when they see the wonderful works of Christ’s Kingdom for all mankind—JJH)

The Second-Coming scenario includes the rise of a “one-world” dictator who, as the Antichrist, heads a 10-nation confederacy in the Middle East and leads the world to nu­clear holocaust. (It will indeed be a “one-world” dictator – The Christ – who will head all nations—JJH)

Most of those who hold this view believe that Jesus will snatch up believing Chris­tians to heaven just before the terrible tribulation breaks out. Or, at least, he will give true believers supernatural strength to endure until he returns. Why apocalypse now? Told that all previous predictions of the Second Coming – and there have been many through the centuries – have been wrong, fundamentalists counting down to Armageddon reply that never before have all the elements described in Bible prophecies occurred to­gether. “All is falling into a predicted-plan,” says Lindsey, 51, who is in great de­mand on talk shows and the prophecy lecture circuit. “Today’s dramatic international events conform exactly to the Bible’s signs of the last days.”

Lindsey, a mustachioed, muscular man whose expression sometime conveys a hint of impishness, quotes Matthew 24:34, in which Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you, this gen­eration will not pass away until all these things take place.” What things? In his books and in personal interviews, Lindsey lists the following:

“Israel has been miraculously reborn as a nation,” the United States is fading as a superpower and the Red Chinese “continue to build their awesome army.” All of the world’s powers appear ready to involve themselves in a Middle East war because of their need for oil. Meanwhile, Arabs and the world’s Moslems threaten a war that would de­stroy the state of Israel. The European Common Market community of 10 nations grows stronger and begins to doubt the effectiveness of the United States as an ally. Nuclear holocaust “seems more possible every day”: Famine spreads as population explodes; pol­lution threatens survival; and earthquakes, volcanic activity and droughts increase. Told that leading scientists disagree with some of his observations about natural dis­asters, Lindsey shrugs and says: “I don’t major in that aspect of prophecy..... Hal Lindsey may be wrong, but the Bible can never be wrong.”

Lindsey, who promotes biblical prophecy theories that he learned when he was a stu­dent at Dallas Theological Seminary about 20 years ago, denies that he possesses super­natural insight or that he is a prophet. (Pastor Russell denied that he possessed “super­natural” insight, too, before 1897 and was only proclaiming prophesies taught in the Bible; and these prophecies concerning a World War in 1914, etc., were fulfilled accordingly ­and much more accurate of the events transpiring today than those of present-day “prophets”—JJH)

Though he (Lindsey) may be a non-prophet, his products are not non-profit. The hard­cover edition of Lindsey’s “Countdown to Armageddon,” has sold 360,000 copies in nine months. With 50 cents’ royalty per copy, it has brought Lindsey $180,000. And with 8 percent royalties on the first printing of the new Bantam paperback “Countdown,” Lind­sey will be counting up at least as much. His prophecy cassette tape service grosses another $150,000 a month.

McKeever, the economist, advertises his books and newsletters widely in Christian pub­lications. His End-Times News Digest, grossing $3 million annually in subscription fees, capitalizes on disaster mania: “I see a time of famine, earth upheaval, persecution, wars and economic calamity coming,” McKeever predicts. “God has laid it on my heart to warn the Body of Christ about this coming period of intense turmoil that will precede his re­turn, and to encourage Christians to get ready.”

Salem Kirban, head of Second Coming Inc. in Huntington Valley, Pa., advertises, “the first toll-free prophecy hotline in the United States” and sells by mail the 35 books he has written. Titles include “Guide to Survival,” “666,” “The Rise of the Antichrist” and “Satan’s Angels exposed!” The latter, one of “two extra bonuses” sent to persons who contribute $25 or more, is anti-Catholic in tone and reveals “how secret organizations, whose threads of horror reach back centuries ago, are carefully weaving their power plot to control the world for Satan.”

Here we would emphasize: “Prophets and Profits usually go together!”—JJH.

Then the paper goes on: If Armageddon is inevitable, why fight it? As Radio Bible preacher Vernon McGee has said, “You don’t polish brass on a sinking ship, a capsule rationale for not wasting time and effort on political activism or improving the social order. Most historians believe that premillennialism, the doctrine that Jesus’ return is imminent, has inhibited social action by fundamentalists. But surprisingly, perhaps, many religious leaders who stress a Second Coming, soon manage to harmonize their social action and apocalyptic views.

Jerry Falwell, who heads the new right political and religious coalition called Moral Majority, preaches about Jesus’ imminent return. His apocalyptic message appar­ently heightens his urgency to transform American culture. He warns godly people to keep their thumb in the moral dike or “we may have only a few years left.”

Our comment on the foregoing: With many of these preachers, their preaching is so saturated with error that it is a wonder indeed that they can attract any substantial following at all. They often quote the Bible for their authority, but every false relig­ion in existence does that. They all have some Truth in them; otherwise, no one would believe them. However, we believe the words of St. Paul are most appropriate here: “When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.” (Heb. 5:12)

Some months back one of these uplifters (?) told his television audience that if one million of them would each send him just $12 per month (only 12 million a month, or 144 million a year), he would not only explain the intricacies of prophecy to them, would make Christians of enough of the social ax-wielders that Armageddon could be avoided here in the United States. Surely the words of St. Peter loom largely here: “They shall make merchandise of you.” (2 Pet. 2:3) And it is certainly in order here to note that Jesus or the Apostles never at any time took up a collection to help them make more Christians! “Judge” Rutherford, one-time president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, told his trusting ‘ded­icated’ supporters that, if he could obtain a million dollars, he would break the Devil’s back in one year’s time. His deluded devotees went to work with unstinted vim and vigor and secured the million for him. But, even though he got the million, the Devil is more ac­tive and more mischievous than ever to any unbiased mind.—(JJH)

Then the article continues: Lindsey, credited with being the most influential person in the current prophecy movement, is fully convinced that Armageddon cannot be stopped – ­only temporarily delayed at best. On the one hand, Lindsey says the Antichrist is al­ready alive, thus making the final conflict less than a lifetime away. On the other hand, he advocates a massive U.S. armament buildup to stop the Soviet Union from taking over the world. This hawkishness, coupled with his call for America to return to moral right­eousness, is an effort to insure that the nation is spared “until the Lord comes to evac­uate His people.” (Note now the words of St. Paul: “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”—2 Tim. 3:13—JJH) In other words, Lind­sey hopes this generation of American Christians will be spared from seeing the destruc­tion of their country. They would be gone – raptured – before the holocaust.

McKeever has a different slant on the end times, combining prophecy and pragmatism. He teaches that Christians will live under the reign of the Antichrist and must endure famine, persecution and nuclear war before Jesus returns to end the great tribulation. In his survival handbook, “Christians will go through The Tribulation,” McKeever tells Christians how to build bomb shelters, live without utility and food distribution systems and get along without police, fire and other services.

Sitting snugly in their solar-powered, radiation-proof underground homes, Christians must nonetheless face a knotty ethical problem, McKeever warns: What if, during a fam­ine, a Christian householder’s ample food supply is threatened by takeover from others? McKeever’s answer: “You must do whatever God tells you to do at the moment .... I be­lieve that God might lead one Christian family to protect their food with all their might, even to the point of killing those who would attempt to steal it.

I also believe that God would lead other Christians to give most or all of it away. (Remember, our confidence is not in the food we have stored, but in God!)

Some religious observers say that today’s purveyors of doom, lacking a clear scrip­tural blueprint, seem to base their projections more on secular news, military pessimism and right-wing political tracts.

If this is so, Lindsey’s opening sentence in the final chapter of “Countdown to Armageddon” may be telling: “Even if I didn’t know anything about prophecy, I would know enough from studying what is going on in our world to see that we are headed toward catastrophe. In any case, millenarian fever is likely to spread as the end of true mil­lennium the year 2000 – approaches.” (Jesus’ words are appropriate here: ‘‘Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven (the present ecclesiastical systems) shall be shaken.”—Luke 21:26—JJH)

THE TRUTH ON THE SUBJECT

All of the foregoing “prophets” freely admit that they are somewhat in a fog about this Armaged­don matter; but the Bible gives us a very vivid pre-view of the whole sit­uation in 1 Kgs. 19:11,12, where the great War, Armageddon, and Anarchy are portrayed in symbolic language as “a great and strong wind” (war), after the wind an earthquake (Armageddon – certainly a world revolution will cause the earth – present society – to quake); “and after the earthquake fire” (Anarchy – Fire in the Bible is usually used to describe destructive force of some kind; and when the Bible tells us that the final spasms of this trouble will bring “every man’s hand against his neighbor”—Zech. 14:13 – that will be the final great destructive force).

In connection with the above, we quote St. Paul in 1 Thes. 5:2,4: “Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night .. But ye, breth­ren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” From other Scriptures we know definitely that we are “in the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4); there can be no guesswork about it! For more than 25 years before 1914 the “watchers” were well informed about the approaching holocaust, and made public declaration of it, but they received the scorn and ridicule of most of the wiseacres. The idea was pure non­sense, they said. Follows now a quote from Reprints 5659 (written April 1915):

“The Battle of Armageddon, to which this war is leading, will be a contest between right and wrong, and will signify the complete and everlasting overthrow of the wrong, and the permanent establishment of Messiah’s righteous kingdom for the blessing of the world. All these things are probably easier to be seen from this side of the ocean than by the dear friends who are nearer to, and more directly influenced by the war and their national and personal interest ... Our hope is broad enough and deep enough to include all in the great blessings which our Master and His Millennial Kingdom are about to bring to the world.”

Further now from Reprints 5735 (written July 1915): “The Lord’s faithful, watching people, guided by the Word of Truth, will have an understanding of temporal affairs. As St. Paul has assured us, though this day shall come as a snare upon the whole world, it shall not so come upon God’s children who are living up to their privileges. ‘When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your deliv­erance draweth nigh;’ ‘When ye see these things ... know that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand.’ (Luke 21:28,31) The Master does not say, When ye see all these things, but When ye see the beginning of them (In World War One the Lord’s faithful people saw the beginning of these things, and lifted up their heads and rejoiced, gladly proclaiming the “good news” of the Kingdom to others.—JJH) – not rejoicing in the trouble, nor in the sufferings of others, but in the fact that these things are the foretold signs that the present order is about to be succeeded by a new order, which will be far better, and more advantageous and desirable for all.

“Now we who are living in this day see the beginning of these foretold events. We see the prelude to the great Battle of Armageddon. Our thought is that Armageddon it­self will be the mighty ‘Earthquake’ spoken of in Rev. 16:16-18 (and enacted in panto­mime in 1 Kgs. 19:11,12--JJH). In this great revolution and in the succeeding anarchy all earthly institutions will be swept away. The result of the anger, hatred and strife – if permitted to continue indefinitely – would be so terrible that it would bring about the total destruction of the race; but for the elect’s sake (“on account of the chosen” —Matt. 24:22, Dia.—JJH), they may begin their glorious reign, God will cut short the carnage, and will set up His own Kingdom under Christ and His elect Church. Christ and His bride will take over the kingdoms of this world, and thus will hinder the strife of men from going to the extreme that it would otherwise go. But it will not be stopped until the present order shall have been wholly dissolved.

“With the uproar so prevalent everywhere, our readers are admonished to be peace-­makers and not strife breeders. When all around men’s souls give way, a special oppor­tunity comes to the people of God for pointing their distressed fellow-creatures to the great blessing which God has provided for the near future, and for re-establishing faith in the Creator and in the future life, and for pointing out that it is to be attained only by those who learn the true lesson of life and who come to love righteousness and hate iniquity. We would be inclined to expect this great trouble to break out very soon were it not that the Scriptures apparently indicate that it will be preceded by a very powerful Church Federation, which will flourish outwardly in unrighteousness and will be the first to succumb.”

“You know the Bible gives us the symbols of the loosing of the ‘winds,’ which is the Great War. Then comes the ‘earthquake,’ which is the great Revolution (Armageddon—JJH) to follow. Then comes the ‘fire,’ the Anarchy-Armageddon experiences. I think the Church, the Bride Class, will be gone before that Armageddon experience, but we cannot be sure. We will leave the subject here.” (Question Book, p. 617, middle)

Our comments: In all this Armageddon hullabaloo the Jehovah’s Witnesses take first rank, and have accumulated considerable resources in the things of this world and in the very large following they have amassed; and it is quite some spectacle now to see the leaders in Babylon joining the procession, and making it pay well, as evidence the many citations listed in the earlier pages of this article. So here we would quote also the Apostle James (5:3, Dia.): “Your gold and silver have become rusted; and the rust of them will be for a testimony against you, and will consume your bodies like fire. You have laid up treasures for the last days.”

Now from reprints 5456: “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 in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (World War One – the reference here is to Christendom, “the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified”—Rev. 11:8—JJH) The Greek text shows the difference between the Parousia, or presence, of Christ before the Time of Trouble (before the World War One) and the later Epiphania, or revealing.” (The “revealing” began with the outbreak of the Great War, and is becoming increasingly manifest ever since; and will become much more pro­nounced in the very near future—JJH)

Further now from Reprints 5523: “The judgments of the Lord will begin to be mani­fest in the world (which began in 1914 with the world War—JJH), and will run counter to many of their interests. This manifestation of the presence is Scripturally called the Epiphania, the shining forth, the revealment, of the King of Glory. (To the world in the Time of Trouble – the Epiphany—JJH) ‘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)

“These Bible students call our attention to the fact that the Bible distinctly dif­ferentiates between the Parousia of Christ and His Epiphania, at His second coming. The word Parousia signifies presence, without in any sense of the word indicating that the presence is visible. The word Epiphania signifies the revealing of one who is al­ready present, invisible to men, during a period of forty years (1874 to 1914—JJH), do­ing a work especially in His church – rewarding the faithful, as shown in the parables of the Pounds and the Talents, and receiving the ‘wise virgins,’ as in the parable of Matt. 25:1-13 ... In other words, the revelation of Christ to the world will be subse­quent to His revelation of Himself to the ‘wise virgin’ class. The world will know that He has taken His great power and begun His reign of righteousness, not by seeing Jesus in the flesh, but by seeing the great Time of Trouble which then will break upon the world – ‘a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.’—Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21.” (May 1915) (The great World War of 1914 was something the world had never wit­nessed before – the greatest calamity up to that time—JJH)

As to those who are making merchandise of their “prophecies,” our Lord said to those of His Day as He drove them out of the temple: “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” (John 2:16) “The Lord shall have them in deri­sion.” (Psa. 2:4) “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion ... Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.” (Psa. 2:6,8) Also, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

At His first Advent Jesus “went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” (Mark 1:14) The “gospel” means “good news,” and we emphasize the good news that is to fol­low “this evil day.” (Eph. 6:13) Isaiah Chapter 35 gives us a beautiful picture of the Kingdom. “And an highway (an easy way of traveling) shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men (the world of mankind), though fools (atheists – see Psa. 14:1), shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:8) The reason no one will err therein is because, “When thy judgments (instructions) are in the earth, the inhabitants will learn righteous­ness.” (Isa. 26:9) And further: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9)

All will surely agree that the “knowledge of the Lord” is not abroad in the earth today. We are indeed living in that “evil day” when erroneous teaching is more ac­ceptable to the masses than the Truth – even though the “gospel” is indeed good news and the error not palatable. But all that will be changed in the Kingdom: No error will be taught there. All who wish to learn righteousness can do so, and they will be given the ability to do righteously if that is their hearts’ desire. So we who have believed continue to preach the “good tidings” to all who have an “ear to hear,” because we know God is faithful that promised. (Heb. 10:23)

Much more could be written on this subject; but we believe we have made sufficient­ly clear the real meaning and import of Armageddon – what it will accomplish, and also what it will not accomplish. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are presently teaching a very different explanation of this subject from what the founder of their organization taught, as is readily apparent from the many quotations we have presented from what he taught about it. We continue to believe and teach the Truth as he gave it to us, as “the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.” (Psa. 117:2) The Lord has promised to give the faithful a “mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” (Luke 21:15) And verily we have found it so!

It is not our wish to overly dramatize present conditions; but being forewarned is being forearmed; and it is our fond hope that our readers will accept this article from that standpoint. “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me.” (Jer. 9:23,24)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother John:

Oh, I enjoyed your teaching. And I shall look forward to your future papers. Thank you for putting me on your list.

At the end of the month some friends will be returning from Israel. Hopefully Clarence will have the book for you. Thanks again for your donation. It helps so much.

Sincerely ------- (OKLAHOMA)

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

Dear Friends: Greetings in the blessed name of our risen Lord and Saviour!

I have been reading through a leaflet entitled The Herald of the Epiphany” ... and I will be very grateful if you will send me the following: Where Are The Dead, The Resurrection of The Dead, Two Distinct Salvations, The Three Babylons, God’s Great Sabbath Day and the Great Reformer. Thank you and may the Lord bless you richly.

Yours truly, ------- (ST. VINCENT)

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

NOTE: Additional copies of this paper will be sent free upon request. Also, The Resur­rection of the Dead, Two Distinct Salvations, etc.