NO. 346: HISTORY OF THE GOSPEL-AGE APOSTATE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

No. 346

A request has come to us to give the history of the apostate Christian Church during the Gospel Age, which we shall now attempt:

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

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

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

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

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

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

And some more from the same writer: “If the fathers of the 4th century quarreled over the relations between God the Father and God the Son, those of the 5th century faced the problem of defining the relationship of the two natures – the human and the Divine – within God the Son, Christ Jesus. The theologians of Alexandria generally held that the Divine and human natures were united indistinguishably, whereas those of Antioch taught the two natures coexisted separately in Christ, the latter being ‘the chosen vessel of the Godhead – the man born of Mary.’ In the course of the 5th century, these two contrasting theological positions became the subject of a struggle for supremacy among the rival sees of Constantinople, Alexandria and Rome. Nevertheless Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople in 428, adopted the Antiochene formula, which in his hands, came to stress the human nature of Christ to the neglect of the Divine. His opponents (first the Alexandrian patriarch, Cyril, and later Cyril’s followers, Dioscourus and Eutyches), in reaction emphasized the single Divine nature of Christ, the result of the incarnation. Their belief in One God, or the nature of Christ as God the Son, became extraordinarily popular throughout the provinces of Egypt and Syria. Rome, in the person of Pope Leo I declared in contrast of dual gods, a creed teaching that ‘two natures, perfect and perfectly distinct, existed in the single person of Christ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“‘He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, com‑ misted one holy, catholic and apostolic church (out of which there is no salvation) to one alone upon earth, namely, to Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and to Peter’s successor, the Bishop of Rome, to be governed in fullness of power. Him alone he made prince over all people and all kingdoms, to pluck, destroy, scatter, consume, plant and build.’

“Saint Bernard affirms that ‘none except God is like the pope, either in heaven or on earth.’

“‘The Emperor Constantine,’ says Pope Nicholas 1, ‘conferred the appellation of God on the pope; who, therefore, being God, cannot be judged of man.’

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

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

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

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

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

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

313 AD. – In that year Constantine the Great was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity.

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

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

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

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

1870 AD. – The House of Savoy severed all relations with the Vatican, thus divorcing the pope from all temporal power.

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

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

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends,

We are writing you for your free literature – Nos. 1‑11, 121, 130, etc. We would like you to send us your editions of The Herald of the Epiphany when issued. We have obtained your copy of The Herald at a local supermarket, dated July 1, 1980. Please send some more recent editions.

Please send enough free literature so that we can distribute it on the streets and elsewhere. A quick response to this letter would be greatly appreciated – especially if we could receive the literature before Christmas.

Sincerely yours, ------- (CONNECTICUT)

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Dear Friends: Greetings!

“May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ love you and give you peace.” (Phil. 1:2) I obtained your address from a list of, pardon the expression, “Watchtower Splinter Groups.” I am very much interested in your association, because I understand we have similar understandings of Scripture. My wife and I Both revere Jehovah (Yahweh) alone as Almighty God, believe in the mortality of the soul, and deny hell‑fire. We would appreciate some information from you explaining your beliefs in fuller detail – the purpose of your group, and How you differ from other groups that stem from C. T. Russell, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dawn Bible Students, etc.

Taking 2 Tim.4:1, 2 personally, we try to be active in sharing the Good News with those in our community. Enclosed is a copy of our humble tract. We welcome your constructive criticism. We’re looking forward to hearing from you. Love, ------- (California)

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Dear Friends,

Again I have procrastinated much too long. I have received notice from David Horowitz that you have sent in a subscription to the United Israel Bulletin. I fully intended sending you a check quickly so you could forward it in your letter. But, as usual, I made the mistake of laying your note aside. However, I’m finally getting around to making out a check,

I have often wondered what Jewish people were thinking about current times, and I believe this Bulletin will help me to understand. Thank you for suggesting it.

Sincerely, ------- (PENNSYLYANIA)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace be multiplied!

We here are all so happy to learn of Brother Hoefle’s recovery. You are in our prayers daily. We are all reasonably well. Eustace has had no attack for this year, for which we are thankful to God. Vinessa is suffering with arthritis, but she can move around with the aid of a cane. Only today I had to visit my physician due to cardiac disorder, but he assures me that with medication and a slowing down of activity, there should be no cause for concern.

There has been so much in your papers, particularly the May‑June, July‑August and Sept.‑October issues. We thank God for your work!

Day after day on the world scene, things are unfolding right on our doorsteps prophecy is being fulfilled. You must have read of the events in Grenada where the Prime minister, members of his Cabinet and many other people were killed – and the intervention of US Forces. This has caused panic among some folks, But we know it is all the fulfillment of Divine Plan.

As the year comes to an end, we thank God again for your recovery and wish you both all God’s blessings in your work. With Christian love from us all, Your sister, ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Sister Hoefle,

Thank you for your very dear letter. My best wishes for Brother’s health. I shall translate some passages of your good literature, and distribute these articles here. The people here have not had enough testimony of the Gospel, so I shall spread the Truth all over our country. Thank you very much for your good wishes and prayers. The Lord bless you and Brother Hoefle. Faithfully and very sincerely,

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

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NO. 345: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 345

The Annual Observance of our Lord’s death occurs this year after six p.m. April 13, which date is reached as follows: The Vernal Equinox this year arrives at 12:25 p. m. March 20 at the 30th Meridian East, this Meridian being used as it is the nearest to Jerusalem, Thus Nisan 1 occurs at six p.m. March 31, Bible reckoning. The moon becomes new at 2:10 p.m. April 1. The proper date for the Passover would thus be fourteen days later, or 6 p.m. April 13. We expect to observe this service at 7:30 p.m. at Mount Dora, Florida; and we extend a cordial welcome to any of our readers who may be in this vicinity at that time.

This date is exactly 3,598 years since the real Passover was kept in Egypt; and we would stress that the annual observance of that event is simply a memorial for that awesome event. There was only one Passover; and the Jews were instructed: “Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons forever.” (Ex. 12:24). And the faithful Jews have scrupulously done this every year since that time.

Few and simple are the memorials of the true Church in contrast with those of heathendom and formalistic nominal Christendom. Instead of the numerous fast and feast days and weeks, we have only three memorials: (l) Baptism, the symbol of the death and burial of the already justified human will into the will of God in Christ. (2) The Memorial Supper, emblematizing the literal breaking of our Lord’s Body and shedding of His blood (His death as “the man Christ Jesus” at Calvary) – and reviving our covenant to “be dead with Him, that we may also live with Him”; to “suffer with Him,” that we may also be glorified together. (3) The memorial of our Lord’s resurrection on the first day of the week, now commonly called Sunday.

Our Lord instituted all three beautiful, yet simple, memorials. His baptism was different from the baptism of John, preached to Jews only, a “baptism unto repentance”; for He had no sins to repent of. His was the first baptism of the new order, symbolizing the death of the will of a justified human being, already acceptable to the Father, and full submission to God’s will, a full surrender, complete consecration. It took the place of “John’s baptism.”– Acts. 19:3‑5.

Our Lord instituted the observance of the first day of the week, in the same manner that He instituted the Memorial Supper and baptism; namely, not by command, but by example. He met with the disciples on the first day of the week, immediately after His resurrection; with Mary near the sepulchre, with Simon Peter, with the two who went to Emmaus, and with the ten disciples in the upper room. (John 20:1, 14, 19; Luke 24:13‑31, 34, 36) Then He waited another week, and again appeared to them on the eighth day, probably meaning the day after the seventh, the first day of the week. (John 20:26) The disciples seem to have expected something of the kind and had come together, and thereafter remembering the opening of their eyes of understanding to know Him, that it was in connection with the “breaking of bread.” They afterward not only met regularly on the first day, but regularly had a simple meal together, called “breaking of bread.” This some in our day have mistaken for a commemorating the death, and the other celebrating with joy the resurrection. The first day of the week was not only honored as the memorial of our Lord’s resurrection and manifestation and communion, but was again marked by Divine favor at Pentecost, and became the memorial of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1; 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2)

Our Lord instituted the Memorial Supper after, and to take the place of, the Jewish Passover supper. The killing of the Passover lamb was to be done on the fourteenth day of the first month of each Jewish year, in commemoration of the deliverance of Israel’s first‑born from the last plague of Egypt, and subsequently the deliver­ance of the entire nation from slavery. Our Lord was Himself the Antitype of the Lamb. His Church is the Antitype of the spared first‑born of Israel; and the near approaching “restitution” (Acts 3:21), in which all who love God will be delivered from the slavery of sin and death under Satan, will be the antitype of the deliverance of the nation – all mankind.

The Memorial Supper, with unleavened bread and wine, representing the flesh and blood of the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice takes away the sin of the world, making reconciliation for iniquity, was intended to keep fresh before the memory of the Church of the first‑born the remembrance of her purchase price, and to pledge her to fellowship in the sufferings of Christ, (‑1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:26) It was instituted, therefore, in the same night in which our Lord was betrayed, in the same day in which He was crucified (the Hebrew day counting from 6 p.m. until 6 p.m.).

It was not the intention of our Lord to commemorate the feast of Passover, which began on the 15th of Nisan and lasted for an entire week, but merely to give us a Memorial of His death on the 14th of Nisan. So far from being a feast of rejoicing, it was an occasion of sorrow and perplexity to the early Church. Jesus Himself was “exceeding sorrowful.” (Matt. 26:38)

Seeing that this Memorial celebrates the antitype of the killing of the Passover Lamb, we can see that it is properly celebrated on its anniversary – not monthly, quarterly, weekly nor daily, but yearly – and properly at the same time of the year at which our Lord died, and at which He instituted the Memorial. This was the custom of the early Church, which reckoned its date according to the Jewish method of reckoning time. The first deviation from this was by the churches represented by the Bishop of Rome, which substituted, appointed and observed the nearest Friday, when the 14th of Nisan fell on some other day, as it most frequently did. This was the origin of “Good Friday,” and the third day following was known as Passover Sunday, and later as “Easter Sunday.” Later, by the decree of the Council of Nice (AD 325), and still later under the revision of the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII, the so‑called Catholic churches have been brought into practical agreement, and annually fix dates for “Good Friday” and “Easter Sunday.”

During recent years we who are seeking the “old paths” (Jer. 6:16) have celebrated the Memorial Supper upon its anniversary, as reckoned according to the Hebrew usage, which was recognized by our Lord and the Apostles. Theirs is an easy and simple method. They begin their year (Nisan being their first month) with the new moon at the Spring Equinox, and on the night of the 14th, at 6 p.m., commences the 15th, which is the first day of their Passover feast. (Ex. 12:2)

Following this honored custom, therefore, we here at Mount Dora will meet on the evening of April 13 at 7:30 p.m., to commemorate the greatest transaction known to mankind. As heretofore our services will be very simple, consisting of praise, prayer, a review of the significance of the emblems and the realities celebrated, partaking of the emblems, “Passover bread” (i.e., unleavened bread), and “fruit of the vine.”

The special feature of the occasion is the heart communion with the Lord, facilitated by the appreciation of the significance of the emblems revealed in the Word. They are to be appreciated, not only as representing our Redeemer’s sacrifice, but also as representing our privilege of fellowship with Him in suffering for righteous­ness’ sake. Concluding with an appropriate hymn of praise (the Hallel – See Matt, 26:30 margin), we seek to avoid conversation, and to perpetuate the “communion” by thought respecting the great event just commemorated, and to follow our Lord reflectively to Gethsemane, and the day following to Calvary, thinking meanwhile of how little we are able to do to show our love for Him, and resolving to be more jealously careful in the use of every hour and every mite of influence in His service,

Let each one be thoroughly willing to sacrifice his own preferences in the interest of the fellow participants. Remember all the dear flock of the Lord, not forgetting us here at Mount Dora in your prayers, and we will remember all of you. “Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation.”

Let each one be on guard against the wiles of the devil. Remember that we near the anniversary not only of our Lord’s sufferings, but also of Judas’ treachery and false kiss, and question “Is it I?” Let each one examine his heart and see that it is in such an attitude of love and devotion to the Lord, and to every other participant, that he can have communion with the Lord and all who are truly His, In any other attitude there is danger that Satan “enter in.” (Luke 12:45; Luke 11:26).

We believe the foregoing is all sufficient to bring to mind once more our obligations to “do this in remembrance of Me”; and it is our hope and prayer that all our readers may be richly blessed in their preparation for and participation in this year’ E Memorial as they “consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:13)

ANSWER TO SEPTEMBER‑OCTOBER PRESENT TRUTH

The Sept.‑Oct 1983 Present Truth, p. 77, under Questions and Answers, there is this statement at the heading of the questions: “Youthful Worthy Call Was Not To Remain Open Until Restitution Sets In.” Then the question: “Was not the call, the opportunity, to become Youthful Worthies to remain open until the time that restitution really sets in? Answer: No. Nothing in the Scriptures teaches such a thought.” And later in the answer: “At the time Bro. Johnson wrote in E 10, beginning shortly before 1941, he stated plainly on the basis of Rev. 22:11 (and we believe correctly), that ‘after 1954 no Youthful Worthies will be won’ (E 10, p. 114).”

Now we quote from that same E‑10, p. 209: “The Gospel‑Age Camp is the condition of the unjustified people of God, while the Epiphany camp in the finished Picture is the condition of truly repentant and believing, but not consecrated Jews and Gentiles.”

Brother Johnson repeatedly tells us that the Time of Trouble and the Epiphany are one and the same. So, according to his teachings, we are still in the Epiphany. The LHMM has the “repentant and believing,” the tentatively justified unconsecrated, and the tentatively justified consecrated or the Campers Consecrated, in the Camp now, with the door closed to the Court. From this it would seem that the LHMM has all the “unjustified people of God” remanded to outside the Camp, with the Camp containing all this conglomeration. The LHMM Camp also contains the “repentant and believing,” so it seems that the Camp is also closed for future entries. Just when will the LHMM Camp contain only the “repentant and believing,” as taught by Brother Johnson? The Editor should clarify this for his readers.

The two Messengers clearly refute the Consecrated Campers’ error: “Quite likely, therefore, there will be some in the end of this Age who, although faithful unto death, will not have been begotten of the Holy Spirit and not attain the spirit plane of being in the resurrection, but who will come forth members of the same class as the Ancient Worthies, who were developed before this Age began. ....

“We can assure them that, to our understanding, after participating in that glorious work, these princes will be uplifted at the close of the Millennium to the spirit plane of being – as part of the antitypical Levites.” (Reprint 4836, top, colt 1 and 2, June 15, 1911)

From the Epiphany Messenger: “The Scriptural doctrine that those faithful consecrators from 1881 until Restitution sets in, for whom there are no crowns available, and no Spirit‑begetting for Gospel‑Age purposes possible, will be the Millennial associates of the Ancient Worthies in reward and service.” (E‑4:342)

Here is a clear conclusion by both Messengers, which is now directly disputed by the Editor of the Present Truth. So we counsel our readers to determine for themselves if they prefer the teaching of the two faithful Messengers – or prefer the teaching of the LHMM, or other pseudo Pastors and Teachers who do not “continue in the Faith” once delivered unto the saints. we would also draw attention to the fact that Ancient Worthies were won on up to the opening of the Gospel Age – just as Youthful Worthies will be won so long as consecration is available before “Restitution Sets In.”

On p. 77, col. 2, under the heading of “1954 A Biblically Marked Date,” he stresses 1954 as the date all developing truth for the Great Company had been clarified. And we agree that all the Great Company developing Truth was clarified by 1954; and no more Truth has been given, and no additional Truth on the Great Company is needed. Also, all Great Company members were to get their first enlightenment of Truth in 1954 to bring them into the Truth by Passover, 1956; and Brother Johnson was to be here in 1956, when Anarchy would have its beginning. Did any of this happen? Brother Johnson taught there were many Great Company members in Babylon, as well as in the Truth groups – also said there were more saints in the other Truth groups than were with him. Did all these saints die in 1950?

In regard to the length of the Epiphany, or the Time of Trouble, Brother Johnson relied too heavily on parallels and types, just as did Brother Russell in his expectation for 1915. Parallels, types and the Pyramid do not teach a doctrine, only illustrate a doctrine that is clearly taught in the Bible.

On the basis of Rev. 22:11, there would be no chance for any one to become tentatively justified, or for sinners to repent when it applies. The Editor tells us this text now applies to the Holy and Court, but not to the Camp after 1954! This is a composite text and when it applies, it will not only apply to the Holy and the Court, but also to the Camp. “Certainly, when we come to a time when no more consecrations are possible for Gospel‑Age purposes, it would be useless to exhort the tentatively Justified to consecrate and sinners to repent, for the tentatively justified and sinners could arise no higher from their standings before God under such a condition.” (E‑10:114)

When the tentatively justified unconsecrated are in the Court it is for the very purpose of consecration. So the Epiphany Messenger had no reference to the Court, as all the unconsecrated had been ejected from the Court when he taught that the tentatively justified could not consecrate. He referred to the formerly faith justified that were ejected from the Court. He often referred to them as the tentatively justified, as we refer to a Judge who has completed his official office, as Judge. So after the tentatively justified have been ejected from the Court, even though they retain the same good character that they developed in the Court, Brother Johnson says it would be useless for them to consecrate, as they could arise no higher in their standing before God. However, all who have forsaken sin and live righteously, will be better fitted for the Kingdom under the New Covenant. Zeph, 2:3 well applies to the “repentant and believing”: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”

So consecrations in the Camp are the same as Cornelius’ consecration: God held his consecration and prayers in remembrance until the door was opened for the Gentiles. So it is with the quasi‑elect in the Camp, their consecration for Restitution purposes will be held in remembrance until the New Covenant is inaugurated, when it will be “due time” for Restitutionists to consecrate. But those on a “narrow way” in the Court are on trial for their faith and obedience, and, if faithful, will share in reward and service with the Ancient Worthies – the unbegotten consecrators in the end of this Age.

However, among the quasi‑elect, the faithful orthodox Jews will be first, as God has promised, but the Gentile quasi‑elect will share with them in the Kingdom by becoming Jews, All will have to become Jews if they receive the blessings of the New Covenant. As Brother Russell repeatedly taught, with Bible support, the Kingdom will be ISRAELITISH. All will have to become Israelites if they get the blessing of the Kingdom. When the Court is closed, then, according to Brother Johnson’s teaching, the Camp will contain only the quasi‑elect – unconsecrated Jews and Gentiles. But according to the teaching of the LHMM, the Camp contains the tentatively justified unconsecrated, the “repentant and believing,” and the chief and foremost, the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, who are supplanting God’s promises to the Jews. It would be interesting to know how many Jews have been converted to this new doctrine, so they can get God’s promise to them and be first and chief in the Kingdom’

“The camp in the finished picture represents the formerly faith‑justified ones who hold to the Ransom and practice righteousness, and converted Israel; while the territory outside of the camp represents the condition of those who were the Gospel‑Age Camp, or who are excom­municated ones.” (1940 Present Truth, p. 13, col. 2, bottom) And on p. 14 of this same Present Truth he says the Camp in the Millennial Age represents the condition of the world undergoing restitution. The quasi‑elect, together with the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, are included in the world “undergoing restitution,” Even the LHMM correctly teaches they will have no part in the “better resurrection” of the Worthies! What a reward for those Epiphany Campers who are now walking a “narrow way” in the Camp! The unconsecrated “repentant and believing,” according to Brother Johnson’s teaching, will share with the Jews in being missionaries to the world. All Restitutionists will be equal in the end of the Kingdom – all will be made Kings,

Both Messengers taught that the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble are one and the same: “In its narrow sense it covers the period from the beginning of the World War in 1914 until the end of anarchy and of Jacob’s trouble. We understand that the special tribulation period and the Epiphany as a period are one and the same thing.” (E‑4:53, 54) It seems that the Editor is following in the steps of the Witnesses in his setting aside the basic Truths for his “advancing Truth” (?). They “turn up their noses” at those who are faithful to what they have been taught, saying, “that’s old stuff’“ The Bible is “old stuff,” too!

At one time Brother Russell was convinced that the Time of Trouble would be over by 1915, and the Kingdom set up then for the blessing of the world, So Rutherford announced that the Kingdom was set up for the separation of the sheep and the goats. The Witnesses are now “separating” the sheep and the goats, telling us that all who fail to join them by Armageddon will experience annihilation – no more hope for them!

Most of the Bible Students under Brother Russell were convinced, too, that the Kingdom would be set up in 1914, Brother Russell also relied too heavily on types and parallels. He certainly did not have a clear Scripture for his expectation, because if he had, then it would have occurred as he expected. In fact, our dear Brother John Edgar gave a convincing discourse at Asbury Park, N. J., in 1906, as given in the Souvenir Report of 1906, pp. 16‑24, to prove by types and parallels Brother Russell’s expectation for 1915. Nor is this meant to disparage dear Brother Edgar, nor does it disparage Bro. Russell for his wrong expectation. Indeed it was a test of faith, and many of them left the Truth when things didn’t mature as expected by Brother Russell.

It was the same with dear Brother Johnson with his 40 years for the Epiphany. He also relied too heavily on parallels and types to support his contentions; and his parallels and types were convincing! But types and parallels do not teach a doctrine. R. G. Jolly produced numerous figures in the Pyramid to support his expectation for 1954-56. The Pyramid does not teach a doctrine either. But after this Pyramid fiasco, when Brother Johnson died in 1950, R. G. Jolly shortly thereafter published another set of Pyramid figures to “prove” that Brother Johnson was the last saint – but died in 1950! As said, all these mistaken expectations were indeed a test of faith! However, the two years of overlapping broke the parallel. But the LHMM went right on claiming that the two‑year “overlapping” was a mistake. The LHMM is now in its 30th year of overlapping. A few more years and the “overlapping” will be longer than the Epiphany proper!

Neither Messenger claimed infallibility, as have the popes, but their basic teaching on the Plan of Salvation is correct, as they had Scriptural proof for these basic teachings. Time has also proved these basic teachings are correct. If we keep in mind that the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble are one and the same, as taught by both Messengers, we won’t be led astray by the “snare of the fowlers.” (Psa. 124:7) This Present Truth has a question on p. 78, col. 1, bottom: “What are the hopes and prospects for those who have consecrated since Oct. 1954 and who are now consecrating? Answer: While the opportunity to be of the Youthful Worthies, antitypical Levites, ended in Oct. 1954, this does not mean that all opportunity to be of the class Bro. Russell designated ‘Those Consecrating Between the Ages’ (Z 5761) has ended.”

All of the Present Truth readers know what the LHMM teaches for the “hopes and prospects” of Consecrated Epiphany Campers. Their “hopes and prospects,” according to the LHMM teaching, are to be “first and chief” in the Kingdom arrangement – the promises that God gave to the Jews.

However, the very reverse of “proof” for such a class is given by Brother Russell in Z 5761, ‘Those Consecrating Between The Ages,’ which we now quote: “It is our thought that with the closing of the ‘door’ of this Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them – the high calling not being yet open, and the restitution opportunities not open. (For the Restitutionist Campers – JJH) But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would, in the future life, have a ‘better resurrection’ than would the remainder of the world.

“Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make a full consecration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in his ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel Age. (This would include all those who have made such a consecration an opportunity to receive the blessings in partnership with the Ancient Worthies – no matter how much they have been deceived by such errors as Campers Consecrated or by such errors as the Great Crowd of the Jehovah’s Witnesses – JJH). We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a consecration after the close of the Gospel Age High Calling and before the full opening of the Millennium.” Reprint 5761, Sept. 1, 1915, column 2)

It is moronic for the Editor to cite Z 5761 as “proof” of Brother Russell’s support of his Consecrated Campers’ error, when this article clearly disputes his claim. However, it may be that he does not understand what he reads, and depends upon his readers to blindly accept his word without looking up the citation. While we realize that such as he are not in the hands of Azazel, yet it is certain they are not directed by the Lord, as “God is not the author of confusion,” or error.

We agree with Brother Russell that those who make a full consecration, acceptable to the Lord and are faithful and loyal thereto, during the interval between the Ages until Restitution sets in – will be rewarded with the Ancient Worthies (See Hebrews, Chapter 11). So we would offer a word of comfort to those faithful consecrators who believe they are in the Camp: If God has accepted their consecration, they are in the Court condition, not the Camp condition. A type represents a condition and not a place in the antitype.

The Executive Trustee makes the same mistake with his citation of Z 5761 that the previous Executive Trustee made when he cited Brother Russell’s teaching as “proof” that Cornelius was not “repentant and believing” before the door was opened to the Gentiles. We quoted from his same citation that Brother Russell taught that Cornelius was not only “repentant and believing,” but also consecrated. We heard no more from him about Cornelius after that’ We said that Cornelius’ condition, before the door was opened for the Gentiles, is the same condition of the faithful “repentant and believing” Campers in the finished picture – in the end of this Age: God will hold in remembrance their faithfulness in righteous living.

On p. 78, col. 2, bottom under the heading “Beginning Of Antitypical Taber­nacle,” there is this: “Question: When did the antitypical Tabernacle begin?” He states correctly that the Ancient Worthies were regarded in an anticipatory sense as antitypical Levites. Then he quotes from E 8, pp. 622‑24, supposedly to add to his “proof” that Brother Johnson supports his error of Campers Consecrated. This is just another fiasco, the same as his citation of Z 5761 to “prove” Brother Russell supports his error. There is nothing in this whole Chapter IX of E‑8 to support his contentions. The Tabernacle does not include the Camp – just the Most Holy, the Holy and the Court. However, we will quote from his quotation of E‑8: “This has been their (the Church’s) peculiar prerogative; for in the sense that they have these none others do. This is typed by the cloud resting upon the tabernacle and not, e.g., on the camp or on the territory without the camp.” (p. 79, par. 2, col. 2)

The Editor’s quotation of Brother Johnson’s treatise as his “proof” that Brother Johnson supports his error of Campers Consecrated actually refutes his error, and makes nonsense of his position. Is the Editor so blinded by the Adversary that he cannot understand what he reads – or is he willfully trying to mislead his readers?

All the Camp gets is from their nearness to the Court, and that is true for the Gospel Age and Epiphany Tabernacles, including the finished picture of the Epiphany. As Brother Johnson often asked: Why do these errorists cite Brother Russell’s writing for proof of their errors when they actually dispute their errors? Also, Why do they cite Scriptures that refute their errors instead of supporting them? And we now say, Why does the Editor follow in the footsteps of such errorists, cite Brother Russell’s and Brother Johnson’s teachings to “prove” his errors, when these same citations not only dispute his contentions but actually refute his errors better than we could?

The Editor has the temerity and impudence again to cite Z 5761 in his preamble about the Tabernacle and the Cloudy, Fiery Pillar. Brother Johnson called the Witnesses’ Great Crowd a non‑existent class, which is just as true of the Campers Consecrated. The Witnesses do use the Scripture in Rev. 7:9 – erroneously, of course – to support their error – teaching that the Great Crowd is an earthly class instead of a spiritual class. Brother Russell correctly taught that the Great Crowd are those who lost their crowns. They were spirit‑begotten the same as the Little Flock, therefore a spiritual class. They were not remanded to the Second Death: they were permitted to wash their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev. 7:14) They are before the throne (Rev. 7:15). Those who didn’t wash their robes were sentenced to the Second Death. God is very merciful and provided every opportunity for them to become over­comers; and those who cleansed their robes will be overcomers – not ‘more than conquerors’ as were the Little Flock. (Rom. 8:37)

The LHMM has no clear Scriptures whatever on which to base their error for their nonexistent class. The only Scriptures they use for their Campers Consecrated are types. Brothers Russell and Johnson both taught that types do not teach a doctrine. “A type must not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to illustrate one that is already taught in plain terms.” (Berean Topical Index, p. 25)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in the name of the Master!

Thank you for your letter acknowledging our change of address. Also thank you for reminding me that I have been on your mailing list since 1969. Yes, we receive all the papers. After I read the articles I pass the paper on to my mother‑in‑law. She is 94 years old and her mind is still very sharp and clear. She looks forward to the publication and reminds me about it if I fail to bring it to her.

Please find enclosed my check to help cover cost of mailing.

Yours in His service, ------- (ILLINOIS)

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Dear John,

I not only appreciate your papers on Zionism but would like you to keep in touch with me with your further thoughts on that subject as well as others dealing with Israel and the Jewish people.

I’m putting you on our mailing list so you’ll receive my monthly Shalom letter and know what’s happening on this end. It’s good to know you’re in the battle and building those bridges of love to a very special people with whom we will always have our roots – the Jews.

You’ll find enclosed around a half dozen of the last Shalom letters to give you an idea of some of the bases we’ve been covering. God bless you and yours, John. Have a blessed Christmas and may your New Year be filled with a newer and sweeter dimension of our Lord. Shalom, ------- (NEW HAMPSHIRE)

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Dear John and Emily: Shalom and Shalom!

Your lovely letter of the 15th, Emily, at hand with enclosures. Heartfelt thanks. I am thankful to God, first and foremost for the happy news that “John has made a wonderful recovery.” YHVH has heard our prayers, and it is as you say, out Rock’s “overruling Provi­dence.” And it is the goodness of John himself that invoked the Healer’s healing unto strength. Both Nan and I have felt the warmth of his love and affection. Thank you, John’

May the blessings of the Everliving One ever attend you and John, and may good tidings come your way. Heartfelt greetings from us both. With love, ------- (NEW YORK)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

BROTHER J. Will HORN – also a natural brother of Sister Hoefle, finished his course December 4, 1983 at the age of 84. He loved the Truth with a zealous activity for its accomplish­ment. He was faithful in all his commitments, doing what he could. He and his beloved wife came to the Bible House every week to help in the work as long as they were physically able to do so. We will miss him very much, and grieve for him – even as all his family and friends will miss him. We cherish his memory, but are persuaded that he is now “asleep in Jesus,” awaiting the resurrection of “the Just.” (Acts 24:15) We repeat for him the words of the Apostle Paul a few days before when he knew the Romans were to chop his head off: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7) To this we can add nothing – as it expresses everything we believe to be his due.

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BROTHER C. GEORGE PIERSON, of Illinois, finished his course December 29, 1983 at the age of 99. He was a long‑time member of the Household of Faith, having had a good and useful life in the service of the Truth. He had a clear and discerning mind, and was always able to “rightly divide the Word of Truth,” which caused him to readily accept Epiphany Truth. He was our good friend and loyal supporter for many years. Thus with his family and friends we will miss him. We hold many dear and refreshing memories of this beloved brother and faithful co‑laborer; and we rejoice in the reflection that he will appear in the resurrection as one of the “princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:11)

We publish his last letter written in his own handwriting, after which his beloved daughter-­in‑law wrote for him:

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

“Enclosed is a check to help you with the work. I hope this will find you in good health... I just had my 97th birthday last week, and it is hard for me to write, as I am so shaky in my hands. God bless you and keep you.

“Your brother in the Lord, ---------”

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NO. 344: THE RIVER JORDAN - TYPES AND ANTITYPES

No. 344

The land, the terrain and the peoples of Palestine are all markedly typical this being especially true from the Exodus from Egypt to the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Romans under Titus in the year 70 AD. Outstanding among these types is the River Jordan, some of which we shall treat in detail as to type and antitype.

Today this river pretty well marks the eastern boundary of Israel, When the Jews came to possess Canaan they camped east of the Jordan not far from the City of Jericho. That city was located about five miles from the north end of the Dead Sea and about seventeen miles from Jerusalem – at the foot of the ascent to the mountainous tableland of Judah. By previous agreement, the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half Tribe of Manasseh, accepted their inheritance to the east of Jordan, with the remaining 9 1/2 tribes locating west of the River to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the Jews crossed the river on that momentous occasion it has been prominent in history to the present day. This prominence is now especially marked, as the Jews and Arabs continue to glare at each other from their respective sides – actually engaging in extensive armed conflict.

Its rise is in the upper hill country from clear water springs. This is augmented considerably in time of harvest (March or April) by the melting of the snow on Mount Herman. This explains why “Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest.” (Josh. 3:15) Some of its characteristics are among the most peculiar of any stream on earth. So far as is known, it stands absolutely alone among the rivers of the world in the fact that throughout the greater part of its course it runs below the level of the ocean. At its headstream, when it issues from the cave at Banias, it is 1,000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean. By the time it enters Lake Hulah, twelve miles away, it has fallen to within seven feet of sea level. From Hulah to Galilee is 10 1/2 miles; and as it enters the Sea of Galilee it is 682 feet below sea level; and when entering the Dead Sea it is 1,292 feet below the ocean’s top.

The Dead Sea has no outlet, and its low level and warm climate have tended to make it the saltiest body of water on earth – about 27% salt. In such heavy brine an egg will float, and it is not possible for a human being to sink; in fact, when a man lies on his back he stretches straight out like a plank of lumber, and some effort is required to reach an upright standing position again. Its main supply of water comes from the Jordan River, which empties into it an average of 6,000,000 gallons of water every 24 hours. The sea is about 47 miles long. It reaches about 1,300 feet depth, so that its own surface level is almost exactly half way between its bottom and the level of the ocean. Like the Jordan River, this sea is also one of the most remarkable bodies of water on earth. No other is known to occupy so deep a hollow on the surface of the globe.

The Biblical associations with the Jordan attach mainly to the stretch from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The river was fringed in ancient times, as it still is, with a thicket of trees and shrubs, principally tamarisks, oleanders and willows, among which lions lurked. (Jer. 49:19; Zech. 11:3) It was never bridged until Roman times, but was forded. The fords are frequent and easy in the upper stream and as far down as the mouth of the Jabbok, where Jacob crossed. (Gen. 32:10; 33:18) Below that point the river is rarely fordable, and then only at certain seasons of the year. The current is so rapid near Jericho that the numerous pilgrims who go thither to bathe are always in danger, and not infrequently are swept away.

When Joshua led the Jews across Jordan some miracle or extraordinary happening occurred which checked the waters long enough for the Jews to pass over with great ease. The river has been occasionally blocked by landslides, which sometime damned up the water for many hours; and this could have occurred in Joshua’s case, but we cannot be certain about that. Including the two lakes, and taking no note of the windings, the river from Banias to the Dead Sea is 104 miles long. Immediately north of the Dead Sea there is virtually tropical country, which produces crops of tropical luxuriance when properly irrigated. Gen. 13:10 tells us it is “even as the garden of the Lord”; and it had such appeal to Lot that he chose to settle there, disregarding the reprehensible character of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah – “wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” (Gen. 13:13) Also, it was at Jericho that Elijah smote the Jordan, and he and Elisha “went over on dry ground.” (2 Kgs. 2:8) Shortly after reaching the east bank of the river “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (v. 11)

A GRAND TYPE

Having such a steep fall from its source to the Dead Sea, Jordan’s name is well adapted to its action, the same meaning “The Descender,” or “Judged down.” It is a tortuous attempt to travel by river from Galilee to the Dead Sea; and one United States Navy officer who made the effort in 1848 wrote as follows: “In a space of sixty miles of latitude and four miles of longitude the Jordan traverses at least 200 miles. .....We have plunged down 27 threatening rapids, besides a great many of lesser magnitude.”

With such facts as the foregoing to guide, it certainly requires no great stretch of imagination to state that the Jordan (Descender) types the course of the human race in its sinful activities. Of the first man Adam it is recorded, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him.” (Gen. 1:27) Nor does it require any argument that man is presently far from “the image of God.” “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” – inventions of evil things. (Eccl. 7:29) This is graphically set forth in Dan. 4:16: “Let his heart be change and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.” The whole history of man is largely occupied with a story of blood and tears. Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn. And this has been intensified especially during the passing of the “seven times” – the Times of the Gentiles (“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” – Luke 21:24; or as That Servant has said regarding Rom. 11:25, “until the full number from among the Gentiles, who are to be members of the body or bride of Christ, would be fully selected.” – Vol. 2. p. 77)

Since the “times of the Gentiles” began in 607 B. C., and have continued to their end in 1914 (a period of 2520 years) the violent and the brutal have dominated the affairs of men – “The Most High hath dominion over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Dan. 4:17)

This is well portrayed in the Metal‑Man dream as recorded in the 2nd chapter of Daniel. In that dream the King saw the image with the “head of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” In giving the interpretation of the dream, Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, “Thou art this head of Gold.” Babylon was the first universal empire. “The God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell… He hath made thee ruler over them all.” It is said that the streets of Babylon were literally paved with gold; thus, the brilliance of the empire was well portrayed by the head of Gold. Babylon in turn was succeeded by the Medo‑Persian empire – represented in the breast and arms of silver. But silver is much less valuable than gold, indicating the increase of evil in the second universal empire. “After thee shall arise another Kingdom inferior to thee.” Following the Medo‑Persian came the universal empire of Greece under Alexander the Great. “Another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” Came then the fourth universal empire, Rome – with two legs of iron, showing the two divisions of the Roman Empire – one in Rome, and one in Constantinople. “The fourth Kingdom shall be strong as iron... As iron breaketh all these, so shall it break in pieces and bruise.” The dominion of Rome was well described as “the iron rule.”

Then follows the description of Rome’s decline. “The feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it the strength of iron... As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” Here we have an excellent description of the nations of Europe – some very strong, as instance Russia under the Czars, and the British Empire under Victoria; with some of the other governments of little consequence.

At the time of the 1914 war there were about 22 governments in Europe, with many more than that today; but there are only ten language groups, as shown by the ten toes of the metal‑man feet. These groups are the Scandinavian, the Anglo‑Saxon, the Teutonic, the Gaulic, the Hispanian, the Latin, the Greek, the Turkish, the Slavic, and the Magyars. These are the divisions of the old Roman Empire in Europe – the ten toes of the image, “iron‑mixed with miry clay.” “But they shall not cleave one to another (no longer one dominion, as was true of the previous Babylonian, Medo‑Persian, Grecian and Roman rules) even as iron is not mixed with clay.” “And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom (“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in Heaven”), which shall never be destroyed... It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms (their disintegration has been steadily proceeding since 1914), and shall stand forever.”

It is well to emphasize here that the iron toes were “mixed with miry clay.” Very dry and hard clay may be easily mistaken for stone, and this point is not without purpose in the picture, because the various governments of Europe have combined with the different religions of Christendom – in counterfeit of the real Kingdom of God and the real religion (“Then will I turn to the people a pure language – not the imitations that we see today – that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9) And this is to be accomplished by the “stone cut out of the mountain without hands” – by the Christ Company that has been gathered “without outward show” (Luke 17:20) all during this Age. The stone “cut out without hands” is slowly but surely breaking in pieces and consuming all these counterfeit combinations.

THE TIME OF THE HARVEST

“Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of Harvest.” (Josh. 3:152 In Matt. 24:3 the Disciples asked Jesus, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” In addition to the answer given there by Jesus, there is this in Matt. 13:39, “The harvest is the end of the world.” With Jordan typing the race under the curse, and overflowing its banks “all the time of harvest,” we should expect to see a marked increase of sin, error and death during harvest. This was markedly true during the Jewish harvest, when the Jews were under the Roman yoke, and were eventually expelled from their homeland, with great numbers of Jews being slaughtered in the dispersion; and we are witness to its great increase since 1874 in Christendom, when the harvest began. It requires no great intelligence to note the facts as they abound all about us. Greatly increased is vice in the form of white slavery, unnatural sins (as evidence the immorality and rowdy debauchery in many of the ‘hippie’ gatherings), drunkenness, gluttony, gang lawlessness, vicious narcotics and dope addiction on the part of many – even among teen‑age school children.

Many of our elite educational institutions are markedly on the downgrade, details of which come to us from time to time from friends who are acquainted with the conditions. In statecraft the same condition prevails. One wit has stated it quite well when he commented, “Politics is running the public’s business for private interests.” With so much money being handled in all places, it is only logical to expect that the temptation to dip into the public treasury would be just too much for the politicians to withstand. One prominent man had had his portrait made by a noted artist; and he asked Will Rogers what he thought of it. Rogers answered, It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you with your hand in your own pocket.

Militarism has likewise become much more active. The war that began in 1914 was up to that time the world’s greatest calamity. Then came the 1929‑1932 depression, which may not have caused so many deaths as the war, but it caused more suffering in general over the world, which would classify it as a greater calamity than was the war. This was followed by the 1939‑1945 war, which was worse in every way than the two calamities we have just described. And, following logically on, we may expect the next holocaust to be even worse than anything that has yet transpired “in the time of harvest.” We hear much talk about treaties between nations that will bring “peace and safety,” but we know from experience that many nations today are interested only in a treaty that will be kept by the other party, but not by them.

In the financial and industrial world we see similar conditions, such as huge and fraudulent stock manipulations and outright swindles. One has recently appeared in California where it is said about a quarter of a billion dollars is involved. “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” (Luke 17:26) In Noah’s time “there were giants in the earth” (Gen. 6:4). ‘Giants’ is from the Hebrew ‘Nephilim,’ which means a bully or a tyrant. When the ten spies brought back their evil report about Canaan they said, “There we saw the giants (Nephilim), the sons of Anak ... and we were in our sight as grasshoppers.” (Num. 13:33) And when the Jews heard this “the people wept all night.” (Num. 14:1) Clearly enough, legend had thoroughly inoculated the Jews with the tales of the giants (Nephilim), so that they were terrorized at mere mention of the name.

Today – “in the time of harvest” – we have the antitype of the giants in the giant corporations that have developed, mainly since 1874. Some of these giants may have been in existence before that date, but they were then as grasshoppers compared to their present size and crushing power. Laws have been passed to curb their power, to prevent the destruction of competition; yet they continue to increase in size and prestige. Today they pretty well control the news agencies by the advertising they place with them, the agencies knowing they will lose this source of income if they antagonize the giants. We know of one instance personally where a newspaper writer had exposed a certain stock fraud; and he stated, I am practically a prisoner in this place now; I don’t dare to open my mouth. Such situations have tended to increase greatly class hatreds, of which we shall treat a little later. Concerning these matters, Mr. F. Simonds, the Historian, writes:

“Seventeen years (since 1914) of almost continuous conflict, interrupted only by incomplete truce, have reduced the whole European Continent to a state of economic and social disorder unparalleled since the Thirty Years’ War. Nations are bankrupt, trade is reduced to barter, money has lost its value, even the pound sterling has faltered. (This is even more true now than it was in 1931 – JJH) The unemployed millions are meagerly fed by public treasures, themselves filled by taxation which is extortionate. The miseries of the so‑called peace of today, miseries reaching to every human being within national limits, defy exaggeration. It is clear that what has been going on since 1914 cannot continue.”

Along this line family life should also receive attention. Selfishness has increased greatly; divorces have increased greatly; children are disobedient to parents in greatly increased numbers. Often children do not receive proper support and care from parents. The Law of Moses offers quite a contrast to conditions today: “If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father... they shall say unto the elders of the city ... Our son is stubborn and rebellious ... he is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die – so shalt thou put away evil from among you.” (Deut. 21:18‑21) Such a suggestion today would produce screams to high heaven; and we would stress that we are not offering such counsel to our readers now. Today capital punishment of the most vicious criminals is ruled to be inhuman.

The foregoing vices and dereliction of morals are graphically portrayed in the downward course of the River Jordan, which broadens to a width of 200 feet as it enters the Dead Sea. And the Dead Sea is most appropriately named, because it is indeed “dead.” The increasing corruption of the human race will eventually produce a “dead” condition on earth. “These days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I have set all men every one against his neighbor.” (Zech. 8:10) When such a condition arrives, commerce will be “dead”; and peace will be a scarce article – all of which is vividly portrayed by the Jordan ending in the Dead Sea.

ANOTHER DISTINCTIVE TYPE

The Prophet Elijah was much occupied in his criticism and attempts to reform the wicked rulers of Israel – especially so with King Ahab and his heathen Queen Jezebel. In this he typed the true church of the Gospel Age in its attempt to reform this “Present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) And just as Elijah failed completely, so also the Christian Church has failed completely. As related in the foregoing pages, practically all the evils known to man have been accentuated here in the end of the Age.

Since Elijah was such a prominent type of the Gospel‑Age church, anything he had to do with the River Jordan would also be typical. The most outstanding example of this is found in 2 Kings 2:1‑12, wherein Elijah was taken by “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire... by a whirlwind into heaven.” Just before this occurred, however, Elijah, accompanied by Elisha, had taken his mantle and had smitten Jordan, which parted the waters “so that the two went over on dry ground.” In this picture the Jordan types the peoples of Christendom undergoing a condemnatory sentence in their organized capacities. Water in the Bible symbols represents people: “The waters which thou sawest are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Rev. 17:15); and this same thought is inferred in Rev. 16:12, where it is stated that “the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great River Euphrates, and the water (popular support of the people) thereof was dried up. The waters of Jordan, then, would represent the nations – especially the nations of Christendom – viewed from the standpoint of their political, ecclesiastical, financial and industrial organizational aspects; hence, the rulers, the clergy, the aristocrats, the labor leaders and their supporters. Therefore, the nations as organized in these four relations are represented as being severely censured and given a condemnatory sentence by antitypical Elijah (the true church – as it existed in all parts of Christendom), which is what is meant by Elijah taking his mantle and smiting Jordan. Elijah’s mantle was emblematic of his power as God’s Prophet to Israel; and it typified the power of antitypical Elijah in the Truth messages that were given right after the outbreak of the war in 1914, because that war was the direct result of the many evils enumerated aforegoing. The word mantle in this text is from the Hebrew ‘adareth,’ and carries with it the idea of an insignia of honor, power, splendor.

Just as the mantle was symbolic, so also was its wrapping, which would represent the combination and concentration of all the truths pertinent to the case, coupled with the financial and intellectual ability to accomplish the purpose. Thus, the “Divine right” of kings and clergy to occupy their offices was given devastating exposure by those members of the church who clearly understood the situation. This was carried on by lectures and the printed page, with such subjects as “The World On Fire,” “Distress Of Nations Preceding Armageddon,” “Why Financiers Tremble,” etc. Anent this last, the New York Stock Exchange was closed for three months after August 1, 1914, so that no one could buy or sell their stocks.

The smiting of Jordan that followed outbreak of the war involved several things: First, a truthful and irrefutable presentation of the evils, violative of the Golden Rule by those claiming to rule by Divine right; Second, a passing of the sentence of destruction upon all those institutions claiming Divine right; Third, the announcement of dismissal from office, and pronouncement of future punishment of all who made claim to Divine right. This work is accurately, literally and figuratively set out in Psa. 149:5‑9: “Let the men of lovingkindness (the true church) exult as they glory ... a two‑edged sword in their hand (the sword of the spirit – the Word of God): to execute an avenging among the nations; rebukes among the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their honored ones with iron bands; to execute upon them the sentence written.” (Rotherham translation) This work was done so thoroughly and clearly that very few indeed, especially in America, continue to believe in the Divine right of rulers or clergy. The Kaiser himself was much obsessed with that idea; but very few in Germany harbor such belief today.

As stated, the “waters” of Jordan represent peoples; and the dividing of those waters would represent the division of the peoples involved into two classes – the Conservatives and the Radicals. It certainly places no strain upon the imagination to recognize that this condition is sharply present with us now; and has become increasingly so since 1914. It is now pretty well admitted by responsible men that the 1914 war was nothing more than a commercial war; but no one dared make mention of such a thing while the war was on. At that time both sides in the conflict had their subjects aroused into a frenzy of patriotism perhaps never before equaled in the history of man. Certainly not with so many involved on each side. But, as 1918 passed, the cooling‑off began to appear, at which time large numbers arrived at the humiliating realization that they had been merely dupes and pawns in the conflict.

In the purely secular conflict that developed between the Conservatives and the Radicals the church stood aloof, not joining with either side, realizing, as they did, that both sides held sadly distorted views of the cause they championed. This is typified in the picture of Elijah and Elisha walking “over on dry ground.” However, that dividing of the waters of Christendom produced great changes. The Czar of Russia and his family just disappeared in late 1917. Up to that time Russia had been one of the most autocratic and powerful governments in all history. Also, the German Kaiser was forced to abdicate; and in both instances new governments were formed that were far removed from those they replaced. And this continues to proceed in the various countries of earth; and it is well portrayed in the division of Jordan into two bodies of water as shown by the smiting by Elijah with his mantle.

GENTILES NOT GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE

We stress here that the Gentiles are not now – and never have been – God’s Chosen people. However, the Gentile governments have been in power since the Fall of 607 B. C. – at which time the Jewish polity was taken from them; and they no longer had a government of their own. But, during the years before Jesus came, the faithful Jews were expecting a strong man to arise among them who would restore the glory of Solomon. Thus, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Prior to Jesus’ arrival the Jewish nation alone was God’s chosen people: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.” (Deut. 14:2) But it is recorded that He came to His own, and His own received Him not – although the very few did accept Him; and they formed the nucleus of the Christian Church. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore, I will punish you for all you iniquities.” (Amos 3:2) However, all the writers of both Testaments of the Bible were Jews; and the only way a Gentile could come into the chosen nation was to become circumcised, and accept the Law Covenant; and it is recorded that a few Gentiles did this, for instance, “Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch.” (Acts 6:5)

The first Christians were all Jews, although it is recorded that only about 500 of them had responded to the teachings of Jesus during His life – but thousands came in during the 3 1/2 later (Acts 2:41 and 4:4). Then, 3 1/2 after the death of Jesus, the unresponsive Jews were considerably ignored – and it is stated, “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” The first of these Gentiles was Cornelius with his entire house (Acts, Chapter 10). Before Jerusalem was taken by the Romans in 70 A. D., the general Jewish population so despised Jesus that even the mention of his name would cause the prejudiced Jew to turn around and spit on the ground; and since 70 A. D. scarcely a Jew was won into the Christian Church. But the Jews were offered the first opportunity to become Christians – just as they were first and exclusively the only ones of whom God called His chosen nation.

Since the conversion of Cornelius the call to Christianity has been mainly to the Gentiles – although this did not bar any Jew from becoming a Christian if he chose to do so; but as stated, very, very few of them have done so. This chief favor has extended to the Gentiles to the full end of the Gentile Times, as Jesus has said it would be: “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) This select group is designated by several different names: Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Little Flock, Saints, etc. It is our understanding that all of this Class had been completed in time for them to participate in the first smiting of Jordan, which occurred from 1914 through 1916: “This honor have all the saints.” Since that time they have had the privilege of “executing the judgment written” – in the ejection of “the powers that be.” Note the Berean Comment on ‘this honor’: “Of a share in the establishment of the Kingdom, and the overthrow of Gentile power.”

The “overthrow of Gentile Power” has been proceeding since it began in 1914, and will increase in severity until they are all ground to dust. But during this same time a call has proceeded to others than the Saints – a class that will be rewarded in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies (See Hebrews, Chapter 11); and they will be among the earthly visible rulers of the Kingdom.

In summation, we would state there have actually been but two classes of God’s chosen people: the “House of Servants” (Heb. 3:5) under Moses, and continuing to the present time; and the “House of Sons” and servants – (Heb. 3:6) extending from Cornelius to the present time. The Jews were the first during the Gospel Age to become spiritual Israelites; and they will be the first under the Kingdom reign to receive the earthly blessings.

But so long as we “continue in the things we have learned and been assured of, knowing of whom we have learned them” (2 Tim. 3:14 – God’s special Messengers – particularly the last two Messengers), we may repose “in quietness and confidence” in the blessed promise of Psalms 91:7‑11.

“My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure: ... yea I have spoken it, I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” (Isa. 46:1O,11)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

It is hoped that you both will accept our apology for waiting so long to write. But we can assure you that although we have not written for a long time, we often think of you. We hope that you are getting along fine, and above all continuing to fight the good fight of faith that you may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Tim. 6:12) The reason we haven’t written is because we have been so involved in moving. Hopefully we are now settled down for awhile.

We read with great interest the articles in both your paper and in the LHMM Present Truth magazine regarding the tyranny of the JW’s against those associated with them. It then occurred to me that the JW’s are not the only so‑called Truth organization involved in wielding the heavy hand of tyranny over the Lord’s people. In my opinion, based upon personal experience and observation of both the JW’s and the LHMM, that the only difference between the two is that the JW’s are more open and direct, while the LHMM indulges in covert actions and dirty tricks. In this manner they attempt to force absolute obedience in words, thoughts and deeds, to the little hierarchy, which they have established since the death of our dear Brother Johnson. It is not altogether by words, but by their acts they have shown that the head of this little hierarchy is to be considered as the absolute and exclusive MOUTHPIECE OF GOD, in which all the Lord’s people must render obedience as unto God. If the Lord’s people do not, they will suffer the consequence of the organization’s unholy covert actions, while they sanctimoniously deny any involvement but, nevertheless, their unholy covert actions support and approve all such actions against those who steadfastly remain faithful to the Lord.

In this manner they subvert the worship due God and Christ our Lord, to the organization or hierarchy. But those who love the Lord, and are earnestly seeking to make their calling and election sure, will turn away from such, for they cannot walk in the counsel of the ungodly, for the spirit of the Lord is not among them. For truly it is as the Apostle Paul assured us, “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)

Your brother in the service of our Lord Jesus, ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

Thank you for your dear letter with three of your articles – Nos. 246, 335 and 336. My address is correct – you have written it correctly. I found your Association through a book, Encyclopedia of American Religions from US Information Service. I have read in this book many passages about Jehovah’s Witnesses and its history and its sects. The teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong (false), as well as Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. There are also errors in their teachings. I get regularly The Bible Standard, and it is better than “Awake”’ and the Watchtower.

In my childhood I have met Jehovah’s Witnesses here in Austria in my village, St. Nokolai in Sausal. This village is not far distant from Deutschlandsberg. I was enthusiastic about some Truths in Teaching, so I overlooked the errors. Many years later I have contacted the small group in Graz – “Dawn Bible Students Association.” I held the Last Supper of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with them; They had no brother, just only some sisters. The Association in Graz has come to an end, so I’m alone. I am happy to have found your group. I believe it is the Truth. Please send me further papers – from No. 1 and on. I will read all articles from your Association. If possible, I shall translate some of them into German, so I can spread the Truth here in Austria.

If you have booklets or books, please send me some of them. I am a young man – 31 years old, and sincerely interested in the Truth.

God’s blessings and all good wishes, ------- (AUSTRIA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings’

Thank you for your prompt reply to my inquiry. I saw your name listed (incorrectly as “Mr. & Mrs. R. E. Hoefle” on page 142 of the book Magog, 1982, by David Allen Lewis and published by New Leaf Press. Your name is under the heading, “American and Canadian Organization active in Support of Israel.” I had heard of the Association only sparsely, as somehow associated with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. So I wrote you to learn exactly what the Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n is.

I appreciate the newsletter and would be pleased to be on your mailing list. I’ll never be able to tell you briefly of my background.

However, I was raised a Roman Catholic, but early became involved with drug abuse and “fast living.” At 21 years of age I was wonderfully converted to faith in the Lord Jesus; and for the past seven years have sought to walk in His way. I count myself a stranger and pilgrim, only temporarily sojourning on the earth, looking for “that city.” I have never joined a man‑made denomination, believing in a world‑wide Church of God maintained by the Holy Spirit. I do, however, regularly fellowship, work and fellowship, with a local expression of the Messiah’s Body in the Rockville, Md. area. It is a small gospel outreach founded by my in‑laws, called the Church of the Vineyard. I have come to the realization that much Truth is outside the Camp of so called mainstream orthodoxy and have sought to form relationship with brethren that others may call “controversial.” Outside of God’s Word one of the greatest sources of inspiration to my Christian experience has been the writings of Leonard Rovenhill..... I also really enjoy reading of the lives of great men of God – John Wesley and others.

I look forward to receiving your newsletters. Sincerely ------- (MARYLAND)

PS – Enclosed see an ad in a Christian magazine. You might be interested

NO. 343: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 343

The scientific achievements of this nation continue to evoke our admiration. The Space Shuttles have again performed with great precision. The miles they travel in such short time we would have considered impossible as little as twenty‑five years ago; and their entire performance is a great tribute to the scientific ability of the men who operate them.

Some months back a newspaper columnist headed his column article with these words: “Israel an exciting nation with its high technology and modern industry.” And here is part of what he wrote: “I will never forget the emotion I felt the afternoon I crossed the Allenby Bridge from Jordan and first set foot in Israel. It was an almost mystical experience, and I’m neither Jewish nor particularly religious. But there is an excitement in the very air, and you can feel the vibrant life and energy all around you. The country literally hums and has an aura.

“Israel’s birthday always is a happy occasion. If you are ever in need of having your faith in miracles restored, hop on a plane and visit Israel where miracles still occur on a daily basis. This is the Israel where there are 50,000 engineers doing innovative research and scoring breakthroughs in everything from telephone systems to solar energy to cancer research to computerized irrigation systems.”

It is indeed inspiring to note that Jewish scientific minds have transformed large parts of Palestine from a pile of sand to a flourishing Garden of Eden. For three thousand years the Arabs sat on that sand, and did nothing to improve it; but, now that the Jews have performed many wonders with it, they want it. Thus, the attacks on Israel continue to increase; but little do they realize with whom they are dealing. The Prophetic Page had recorded these events some thousands of years ago; and those statements were read by many devout Christian believers as interesting reading matter, and that was all. Now those writings have become living reality – humanly speaking, by the tremendous surge in scientific process.

IN FINANCE

Many of the top financial writers continue to paint a very gloomy picture about money matters. A number of the third rate nations, to whom many billions of dollars have been loaned, are said to be ready to repudiate their foreign debts. If just one of them should do this, we shall see “All faces gather blackness” (Joel 2:6) in the money markets. One of these writers reports an interview with Dr. Franz Pick, the world monetary expert, in which he says, “We are now witnessing the destruction of the U.S. dollar. The growing invisible debt will be the pacesetter for a new inflationary cycle. We can continue this for another two or three years,” he warns. “The final step in the crash of the dollar will be the government’s confiscation of gold.”

Although we quote the above, we do not say we are endorsing it fully. In fact, we ourselves do not have a real firm opinion about future money events, although we are positive that serious trouble lies ahead; and we simply quote the opinion of this Doctor Pick to inform our readers how some of the financial authorities are thinking. Thus, we advise all to keep out of debt, because “we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well if ye take heed”(2 Pet. 1:19) that the immediate future will produce much peril to all, and particularly so to those encumbered with financial obligations.

IN POLITICS

The political situation throughout the world is on a par with the financial condition. As usual, money is involved with politics. It is the wretched condition of the money that is prompting upheaval in politics in many nations. However, changing politics is not changing anything for the better; in fact, almost all the changes that have been made only put a worse group in the government – as instance, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and others. Many people here in the United States were quite happy when Batista was forced out of Cuba; the same goes for Nicaragua. But what they have now is probably ten times worse than what was formerly there. But, assuming that a change would be made for the better, with the new government well intentioned and honorable, the temperament of the people is so badly worn that they would not give such an administration time enough to put its methods into operation.

Again, we mention Israel: It is our opinion that Mr. Begin earnestly tried to give a good and honorable administration; and we believe he did an excellent job, despite vicious obstacles both within and outside the nation. It is common knowledge that some mideast countries are determined to destroy Israel, thus placing all the obstacles possible to accomplish their purpose. We have the sure Word of God that they will not succeed, that eventually the enemies will be destroyed; but they are making things difficult now.

In this connection we have a booklet written by a woman on “Modern Israel – Fulfillment Of Prophecy”; and we offer some material from that booklet because we feel it has a direct bearing on much that is going on there:

“Why is it, I used to ask myself, that when prophecy was being fulfilled, people never seemed to recognize it? Today in Israel, however, the evidence of prophetic fulfillment is overwhelming. Events are taking place which confirm the Bible’s prophecies of the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, and of what would happen to the land and the people when they returned. ....

“In a seemingly spontaneous movement, they have come home to build a new nation on the foundations of the past. After 2,000 years, the Jews in Palestine all learn to speak their ancient Hebrew language for use in the modern world. .....

“The area we think of as Palestine was defined by the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations. Jews began to return, singly and in groups, buying small parcels of the worn‑out old land as they could. In the 1940s hundreds of thousands of Jews poured in from the ghastly death camps of Hitler’s Europe to the only haven offered them. Then, upon the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948, nearly a million escaped to Israel from the Arab lands in the ensuing years. .....

“For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out from all countries and will bring you into your own land, and a new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and do them, and ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God. (Ezek. 36:24; 26; 28)

“The Rev. Norman McLean, chaplain in the British royal family, said, ‘There is no other experiment in human uplift, now to be seen on the face of the earth, that can compare to the work of the Jews in Palestine. If I were a Jew, I would deem it the highest honor earth could offer, to have a part in a work so noble.’

“When a new independent state of Israel was created from a portion of Palestine, Leon Keyserling, economic advisor to President Truman, stated, ‘Israel, relative to its size and resources, has rescued more victims of tyranny, sheltered and fed more people, provided more jobs, developed more medical facilities than any other nation in history ancient or modern! ‘ .....

“Jesus Christ, the Savior of the Christian faith and the greatest teacher that the world has ever known, was a Jew. ……Asked how the thirteen American colonies were formed into a democratic republic such as had never been before, Thomas Jefferson replied that it was copied from the social organization laid down by Moses in the wilderness. Thus the ancient Jews provided the blueprint for the United States of America.

“Moses issued a decree that when a father died, daughters were to have equal rights of inheritance with sons. This established greater respect for women in Biblical times and through the ages. .......

“Development of serums to do away with the curse of polio and the blindness of trachoma, are among their recent contributions. Jews are among our greatest scientists, writers, scholars and physicians. ......

“The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was Britain’s recognition of the Jews’ right to their homeland in Palestine. In 1923 the League of Nations gave Great Britain the Mandate ‘to facilitate in the establishment of a Jewish National Homeland.’ But Great Britain soon decided that she did not want this new progressive movement in Palestine to upset the status quo in which she ruled through the princes of India, the pashas of Egypt and the effendi of the Middle East as they exploited the masses. She partitioned off four‑fifths of the Jewish National Homeland and set up Jordan as an Arab kingdom under Sheikh Abdullah. In the 10,000 square miles west of the Jordan River left for the Jews, she exercised a divide‑and‑rule policy and continually obstructed Jewish development.

“The final tragedy was brought on by Britain’s ‘White Paper,’ which in 1939 forbade all further Jewish immigration into Palestine on the basis that there was ‘no further economic absorptive capacity for the Jews.’ Thus the British shut and padlocked the doors of Palestine during the dark years of Hitler’s extermination policy, cutting off the only place in the world where the Jews could go by right. Those who entered during the 1940s came illegally, spirited into the country by their brethren in the night, and absorbed into the homes of Jewish Palestinians‑. ......

“Great Britain decided, however, that her interests lay with the large Middle Eastern Arab countries and their vast oil fields. She repudiated her obligations to the Jews. The British Ambassador to Washington at the time stated, ‘There are times when moral obligations must give way to political expediency.’ This ‘political expediency’ brought down on the British Empire the same curse that befell all other nations who had mistreated the Jews. Britain’s colonies broke away, and we have seen her stripped of her possessions, prestige and riches, and left a small, poor little island struggling with massive problems. .........

“Britain armed the Arabs and allowed armies of neighboring Arab nations to come in and occupy 70 military fortresses as she vacated them. Meanwhile she had thoroughly disarmed the Jews. They were to be ‘driven into the sea’ by combined Arab armies. The new nation was to be stillborn. Then the God of Israel took over and miraculously gave the lusty newborn nation stunning victories.

“The Arabs did not accept Israel’s existence. In 1956 they again prepared for war, this time with air runways in Sinai which brought in Russian arms and volunteers to assure the total defeat of Israel. But again the God of Israel gave a stunning victory to His people, although President Eisenhower caused a cease‑fire just before the Jews reached Suez, forcing them to withdraw. Along with them, however, the Jews brought back about a billion dollars’ worth of Russian and Egyptian equipment, and the promised use of the Gulf of Agaba and the Suez Canal ....

“Israel’s enemies then sold their souls to Russia for equipment for another attempt to defeat Israel. They‑mortgaged the cotton crops of generations to come and allowed their ports to be taken over by the Russians in return for military supplies. Again the God of Israel tried to show the enemies of Israel that the return of the Jews to their promised homeland was a part of His plan to bring about a better way of life for the masses of exploited farmers of the Middle East through Israeli example and technical assistance. The 1967 six‑day war proved to be the most stunning victory of all history, one that will be studied by military experts for years to come. .......

“The enemies of Israel still refuse to accept Israel’s victories and are openly planning her destruction. In reality, they are creating situations which will only bring about more trouble for their own peoples, for they are fighting not only against Israel, but against the God of Israel. .... Perhaps the outcome of these conflicts was intended to show the enemies of Israel that God is still the Jehovah of Israel and that the return of the Jews to Palestine is part of His plan. If God is for a thing, who can stand against it? Had other nations recognized this fact, there would have been no battles, no Arab refugees, no humiliating defeats and bitter hatreds. Instead, Israel would have spent more energies on land reclamation, on a TVA for the Jordan River and on progress in all fields of endeavor that would have been an example and benefit for all the peoples of the Middle East. ......

“Israel is the success story of all the emerging nations. She did what no other nation in the history of the world has done – she doubled her population in four years and at the same time reclaimed worn‑out lands to increase production, keeping pace with her increasing population. Israel now produces the bulk of her food needs, and she already exports enough agricultural products to pay for the food she imports, such as tea, coffee, hard wheat and some meats. The details of Israel’s progress and industry are an inspiration and an example for the world.

“No nation in history has ever treated her defeated enemies as Israel has treated the Arabs. In none of her wars has Israel demonstrated any boasting, gloating, looting or raping after her stunning victories. Rather, the Israelis provided tens of thousands of loaves of bread and cartons of milk for the besieged Arabs in Jerusalem and certain other cities. They cared for Arabs wounded in Israeli hospitals, and immediately implemented vaccination programs for all Arab children against polio and trachoma ....

“During the seventh and eleventh centuries fierce Arab nomads swept into Palestine from the desert and gradually killed off the inhabitants. They cared nothing about a permanent abode, but cut down trees or pulled up vines for fuel and moved about wherever their herds could find food. Gradually their herds broke down the terrace walls. Then soil erosion – the great enemy of the good earth – like a cancer, began to tear away the soil with each winter rain. .... Once prosperous inhabitants became peasants among Arab nomads and their herds. Thus the high Roman culture was supplanted largely by a ‘goat culture’ which brought progressive destruction to the land until the modern return of the Jews brought a new era of reclamation to the land. The success of the Jews in this effort has been fantastic. ........

“And what does the Bible say about the neglected and long‑eroded mountains? ‘But ye, oh mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are at hand to come. For behold I am for you and ye shall be tilled and sown, and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes all be builded, and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and bring forth fruit; and I will settle you after your old estates and will do better for you than in your beginnings, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people of Israel, and they shall possess you and thou shalt be their inheritance.’ (Ezek. 36:8‑12)

“How could the mountains be better than in their beginning, before at least three feet of soil had eroded off all the mountains of Judea and Galilee? The soil had been devastated for centuries. Fortunately the hills are of limestone and are shot through with solution pockets which retain the ancient fertile terra rosa, the famed red soil of the Holy Land. The roots of planted trees seek out these soil pockets and trees grow beautifully today. By 1975 the Jewish National Fund, Israel’s official land reclamation agency, reported that the Jews of Israel have planted 140 million trees! Many of the forests have already transformed the barren hills into green emeralds on the landscape. ....

“Water formerly sank completely underground in the limestone hills, flowed steeply downhill and emerged far out onto the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. Israeli geologists discovered that by sinking deep wells immediately at the foot of the mountains they could tap this Turonian water aquifer (the permeable material which carried underground water) and pump water to the surface in abundance. Thus the very mountains are productive, with vineyards and orchards on the reconstructed terraces, cities and towns rebuilt and waste lands too rocky for grazing or farming turned into green forests ‘shooting forth their branches.’ The United States and the Middle East should have an added Eleventh Commandment concerning man’s responsibility to the Holy Earth, something like this: ‘Thou shalt inherit the Holy Earth as a faithful steward, conserving its productivity and resources from generation to generation. Thou shall safeguard thy fields from soil erosion, thy living waters from drying up, thy forests from desolation, and protect the hills from over grazing by thy herds, that thy descendants may have abundance forever. If any shall fail in this good stewardship of the earth, thy fruitful fields shall become sterile, stony ground or wasting gullies, and thy descendants shall decrease and live in poverty, or perish from off the face of the earth.’

“The people of Israel took this challenge from the very beginning. The visitor today finds an Israel well on the way to restoring the Holy Land to its ancient fertility. Her people combine this ambition with an ever‑constant search for peace. While so doing, they work toward this fulfillment of this Bible prophecy: ‘And I will make them a covenant of peace, and I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land and shall know that I am the Lord.’”

The above was written some years before 1982; consequently, no mention could be made of the smashing victory the Jews gained in Lebanon in the summer of 1982. However, that victory was incomplete because our President commanded the Jews to refrain from the clean‑up that should have been made at that time. Therefore, we now have the devastating uproar in that country. It is our opinion that our President did not wish to restrain the Jews because of any animosity toward them; it was probably an honest mistake – doubtless prompted by what then seemed to be political expediency. But we rest in the calm assurance that in spite of some colossal blunders, we have “the sure word of prophecy” that Israel shall eventually prevail.

In this connection, we consider it apropos to reprint here an article by That Servant in the March 15, 1914 Watch Tower, with the heading: “The Memorial Supper April Tenth.” We quote from this article as follows:

“In the Lord’s arrangement the moon symbolized the Jewish prospects (as the sun now symbolizes the Christian prospects – the Christian prospects outshine all others, just as the sun outshines the moon – JJH), the sun symbolizing the prospects of the Gospel Age. The Law dispensation was a shadow, or reflection, of the things future (see Heb. 10:1‑3 – JJH), as the moon’s light is a reflection of the rays of the sun. We are near the time of the rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his beams, to flood the world with the light of the knowledge of God. Seeing this, we lift up our heads and rejoice, as the Master directed. Since all the overcoming members of the Church are included in that Sun of Righteousness, according to our Lord’s parable (Matt. 13:43), it follows that the elect church must all be gathered, and her glorification must be completed before the full light of the Millennial glory will shine forth upon the world.

“In partaking of the Memorial we may look forward with the eye of faith to the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, in contrast with the conditions which prevailed at the time when the first Memorial was observed (the evening before Christ’s crucifixion – JJH) Then, the Moon (the Law Covenant) was at its full; and immediately after the rejection of Jesus and His crucifixion the Jewish polity began to wane. (Matt. 23:38) It is worthy of note that the very day on which Jesus was crucified the moon was at its full, and the waning began at once. So this year (1914) on April 11, the moon will be at its very full, and will then begin its wane. The 11th, therefore, corresponds to the day on which our Lord was crucified; and the evening of the 10th corresponds to the night of the first Memorial Supper.”

As it was with the Jewish nation then, so now, with the outbreak of the Great War of 1914, the Gentile Halo began to fade, and is becoming increasingly obscured with each passing year ‑ until these Gentile nations will be completely obliterated, as was true of the Jewish nation in the year 70 AD – when the Romans broke down the walls of Jerusalem, leveled the Temple to the ground, and dispersed the Jew to all corners of the civilized world. Now, just the reverse is occurring: the Jews are being regathered into the Land from every far‑distant point to which they were scattered in the year 70 AD. Thus, the prophecies herein cited are having a fulfillment, which is plainly visible to all who have an eye for the Truth on the subject. And much more is yet to come’ “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” (Zech. 14:3)

IN RELIGION

Under the headline, Lutherans, Catholics Find Grounds For Unity, we quote the following: “An official panel of Lutheran and Roman Catholic scholars announced Monday that it has reached substantial agreement on ‘justification by faith,’ a key issue that divided the two churches in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The issue – whether any human merit or faith in God’s grace alone brings about a person’s salvation – has been a source of mutual misunderstanding and conflict ever since the churches broke apart.”

There is considerably more in the paper, but we believe the above is sufficient for us to declare the error on both sides of the subject. Luther’s key Scripture on the subject is found in Rom. 5:1, 2: “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have been introduced into this favor in which we stand: and we boast in hope of the glory of God.” (Diaglott translation) But to have a clear and correct understanding of any Scripture, it must be in harmony with all other Scripture; and there are certainly other Scriptures which greatly modify the Lutheran contention based upon this Romans text when standing alone. For example: James 2:20: “Faith without works is dead.” And further in v. 18: “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.”

In this faith controversy, as was true of so many of the reformers, they clearly saw the error in their opponents, but they were much off the truth on their own subject so that their opponents made them look equally ridiculous. St. Paul tells us in another text in Rom. 10:17: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” From these Scriptures it should be clear enough that we should have a moving faith before we can offer any acceptable work to God; but without such a faith, it is dead; because the faith of such a person has not become vitalized sufficiently to motivate activity in acceptable works.

Follows a recent News Headline: Pope Will Preach To Lutherans, with the following comments: “This will be the first time a pope has participated in a Protestant service in his own diocese. It is considered by some Vatican observers as one of the most significant and symbolic steps toward reconciliation in modern times. .....

“In another apparent effort at Christian unity, John Paul took note in a letter that November 10 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luther and said that Luther was not solely to blame for the divisions that led to the foundation of the first Protestant church 462 years ago.”

Now we offer some Biblical prophecy clearly foretelling this performance: “The Heavens Shall Be Rolled Together As A Scroll” – Isa. 34:4. The ‘heavens’ in this text refer to our present‑day church systems – reconciling their differences for the sake of peace. This union would have been considered impossible a hundred years ago; but the disturbed condition of the world today is causing many to decide that union is the best price of safety. Of course, the clear Bible teaching is opposed to such a thought. Again from the Apostle Paul: “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” (Eph. 4:5,6)

Quoting now from another news item: “In a recent flurry of ecumenical activity, Lutheran theologians have looked right to Rome and announced a major doctrinal breakthrough. Then they looked left to the Reformed tradition and urged steps just short of a merger .... The Lutheran Reformed statement could be sweeping in its implications, It is recommending more than any other Lutheran theological discussion has ever recommended. The question has been raised, Why not merge? The recommendation was made that joint communion services be approved, thus acknowledging that differences between the two traditions are not as great as they were in the 16th century.”

The “differences” in the 16th century are something like this: In performing the Mass, Rome contends that the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus are in the sacrament – known as transubstantiation; the Lutherans say the presence of the two are implied – known as consubstantiation. The real truth of the matter is that the bread and the wine represent these two things. This thought has been analyzed very thoroughly in past papers, so we shall not detail them here, but just a little reflection will reveal the fallacy of the two teachings. If actually present, then the Lord’s Body would have to be in thousands of places all over the world at the same time – an impossibility! And when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He was still living and talking with His disciples, as He had not yet been crucified.

Isa. 34:4 tells us that “the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and shall fall down as the leaf falleth from the vine.” And Rev. 6:14 says, “The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain (strong Gentile governments) and island (republican governments, such as the US and Great Britain) shall be moved out of their places (be dissolved by the anarchistic masses) – as a millstone cast into the sea (the lawless elements of society).”

Much more could be said about this, of which we may treat in a subsequent paper; but for now we offer a few texts concerning the Jews and their position in the coming Kingdom:

“Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters (the Gentile nations) and I will give them unto thee for daughters (the Gentiles are to be instructed and blessed),but not by thy covenant (by the New Covenant – Jer. 31:31) And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek. 16:61,62)

The Gentile nations will be blessed through the Jews, as the Kingdom will be Israelitish. Now one nation out of every four is at war with some one else; but we have the strong assurance that all this will be completely reversed in the approaching Kingdom. “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa. 2:4)

A pamphlet giving much detail about Jerusalem, ends by saying, “This Is The Jerusalem Of Today – The Capital Of Israel. This Will Be The Jerusalem Of Tomorrow,”

We add to the above, Jerusalem Will Be The Capital Of The World in the Kingdom, when the New Covenant is made with Israel.

Once more we wish to express our appreciation and gratitude for the loving concern, the prayers and good wishes that have come to us for our health and prosperity. As some of our readers know, we experienced a very bad fall in 1983, which could have crippled us or any one else. However, we are recovering, although not completely. But we are thankful to our gracious Heavenly Father for His overruling providence, and for giving us strength sufficient to do the work He has given us to do.

We reciprocate the moral support of our faithful brethren and friends, and quote the words of the Apostle John as our message to them:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (Third John, v. 2)

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ANNOUNCEMENT

The proper date for the Memorial this year is any time in the evening of April 13 – after 6 P.M. On the Jewish Calendar this should be Nisan 14.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Yours of Oct. 19 is received and again I apologize for the delayed answer. My job in the government is reflective of the world situation .... and that, as you might imagine, is very, very busy these days. I, too, am not certain of just what 1984 will prove in regard to prophecy and the Time of Trouble. However as ... “wars and rumours of wars; ... many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased; and ... there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” are certainly with us and seemingly becoming more common place on a daily basis.

I am keeping a fairly complete notebook of articles relating to what is happening in the world today; and on the first page I have placed a copy of a quote from our dear Pastor:

“It is not our purpose, in calling attention to this subject, to arouse a mere sensation, or to seek to gratify idle curiosity. Nor can we hope to produce that penitence in the hearts of men which would work a change in the present social, political and religious order of society, and thus avert the impending calamity. The approaching trouble is inevitable: the powerful causes are all at work, and no human power is able to arrest their operation and progress toward the certain end: the effects must follow as the Lord foresaw and foretold. No hand but the hand of God could stay the progress of present current of events; and His hand will not do so until the bitter experiences of this conflict shall have sealed their instruction upon the hearts of men.

“The main object of this volume is not, therefore, to enlighten the world, which can appreciate only the logic of events; but to forewarn, comfort, encourage and strengthen ‘the household of faith,’ so that they may not be dismayed, but may be in full harmony and sympathy with even the severest measures of Divine discipline in the chastening of the world, seeing by faith the glorious outcome in the precious fruits of righteousness and enduring peace.

“The day of vengeance stands naturally related to the benevolent object of its Divine permission, which is the overthrow of the entire present order of things, preparatory to the permanent establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, under Christ, the Prince of Peace.” Brother Johnson was right: “Hallelujah, what a Savior”’

What will be the result of those potential Youthful Worthies of today that are spreading error – such as LHMM? I particularly enjoyed Issue 341 on the Jews and Issue 342 on our Beloved Lord and Savior. Bless you for the wonderful work you are doing! I must close for now. I love you both, ------- (VIRGINIA)

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

I feel so sorry I haven’t written you sooner. I have looked for your phone number, but can’t find it. I promised Sister Hoefle I would call a long time ago. We are the people who lived in Scottsdale, Arizona and came to Missouri in 1979. It seems we are so busy, but have decided not to farm anymore.

We do enjoy your papers very much. I try to read them as soon as I get them. They are food for our souls! I do wish we could have a study here. All we have are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they are too dogmatic. Most people here are Baptist or Church of God – Pentecost. Church of God minister said he would come over and study sometime, but hasn’t come yet. I do hope every one there is well and happy in the Lord.

Thank you for your literature. My husband has been in the hospital or I would send you some money. Christian love, Sister ------- MISSOURI)

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hoefle:

My heartfelt gratitude to you and your Association for your most kind support of Israel and her people!

Kindly mail me information on your Association ‑ and feel free to place my name on your mailing list. Best always ‑ Shalom, ------- (CANADA

NO. 342: BLESSED IS THE KING

No. 342

“And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the Kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Mark 11:9‑10) The multitude hailed Him King, but a few days later they cried, Crucify Him! “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye that I shall do unto Him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify Him.” (Mark 15:12‑13)

The message of John the Baptist was, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” This same message was the burden of His preaching and the theme of his parables. Finally, at the close of His ministry, the Kingdom came to the Jewish nation in the sense that it was offered to them – it was theirs for the accepting. Thus “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” – except a few. His own nation rejected Him, and four days later crucified Him.

A little later, at Pentecost, a few who received Him were begotten of the Holy Spirit and became the nucleus of Spiritual Israel, in preparation for the glorious Kingdom and the work which is to be accomplished at His Second Advent. On the second evening preceding the story of this lesson, Jesus and His disciples were at Bethany, the guests of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, who had prepared a special feast for Jesus, whom they loved so dearly. This was the Lazarus whom He had awakened from the sleep of death but a short time before. The feast took place at the close of the Jewish Sabbath day. The next morning corresponded to our Sunday, the first day of the week, and on Monday Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In preparation for presenting Himself as King, Jesus sent two of His disciples for an ass’s colt, telling them where they would find it, and instructing them to say that it would be returned after the Master had used it. By the time the colt arrived, a considerable multitude had gathered – people of the village of Bethany and others who had come out from Jerusalem, about two miles distant, to see Jesus and to see Lazarus, upon whom the notable miracle had been wrought. It had long been the custom of the kings of Israel to ride to their coronation upon an ass; and the multitude seemed to enter into the spirit of this occasion and to realize what it meant that Jesus was about to ride into Jerusalem on this colt. It signified that finally He was ready to assume the office of King.

For some time the disciples had recognized Him as the Messiah, the glories of whose Reign they were to share; and the multitude in general had learned so to regard Him, saying, “When Messiah cometh, will He do greater works than this man?” – could we expect anything more of Messiah than we see being accomplished by this man Jesus’ But this was the first time Jesus had formally put Himself forward. On previous occasions, when they had sought to take Him by force to make Him a king, He had withdrawn Himself, realizing that the time was not yet come. Now, so far from withdrawing, He was taking the active part, sending for the colt, preparing for the triumphal ride to the capital of the nation as its King.

We may be sure that the hearts of the Apostles thrilled with excitement as they thought of the nearness of their Master’s glory and of their own share in it; for as yet they did not realize the full import of His words to the effect that He must be crucified and must depart to a “far country,” even Heaven itself, and be invested with authority, and later return to establish the Kingdom which would bless the world. Jesus, however, was fully aware that the presentation of Himself as King was a formal matter, fulfilling the prophecy and leaving the nation of Israel without excuse. If, when He entered the city, the people should rise en masse, acknowledge and acclaim Him, then indeed they would be in line with the Divine requirements which would bring them the greatest of all blessings. But Jesus knew that prophecy had already declared that He would be despised and rejected, and that His own people would hide their faces from Him in shame (Isa. 53:3). The journey and the preparation for it, therefore, meant something very different to Jesus from what it signified to the disciples and the multitude.

ENTERING JERUSALEM

When the ass arrived, some of the people put their garments upon it in lieu of a saddle; Jesus mounted and the procession began. Some went before Him, and some followed after. The people were familiar with the prophecy relating to Messiah’s coming, which declared, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.” They were familiar also with the “shout” the prophets had foretold and the responses – one party crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord” Then the response, “Hosanna in the highest!” These different expressions are recorded by the different evangelists.

But not all were enthusiastic acclaimers of Jesus; a discordant note was heard. Some of those who had come from the city through curiosity criticized the shouting, and wondered why Jesus did not rebuke the people for ascribing so great honor to Him. They sent word to this effect to Jesus through His disciples. Jesus made answer that a great prophecy was being fulfilled. The Prophet Zechariah had by inspiration said, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem”’ and such a shout must be made. Jesus declared that if the multitudes had failed to shout, the prophecy would still have been fulfilled – the very stones would have cried out. The record tells that on the journey many of the people strewed their garments in the way, as a mark of respect and honor, waiting until the little animal had passed over them, and then running on before and placing them again. Others brought ferns, flowers and grasses, and strewed them on the way. Still others, John’s Gospel tells us, brought palm tree branches.

It was a jubilant procession, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. Yet to Jesus it had the sad feature, as indicated by the account. When they had reached the turn of the Mount of Olives, which brought Jerusalem into view, the Master halted the procession while He looked over the city and wept, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your House is left unto you desolate; and verily I say unto you, Ye shall see me no more, until that Day (over nineteen centuries later) when ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of Jehovah’

Jesus realized that that day was a turning point with their rejection by the Heavenly Father for a long time. It meant that during those long centuries the highly favored people of Abraham’s natural seed would be in distress. It meant that the favor of God, which had been with them for centuries, would instead be extended to the Gentiles, to gather out of the Gentiles a company of faithful, saintly ones to be associates and joint‑heirs with Jesus and the faithful ones of the Jews in the Heavenly Kingdom. It meant that not until this elect, Heavenly, spiritual Kingdom class should be received to glory would the Jewish people be again received into fellowship with God. St. Paul markedly calls our attention to this fact that the rejection of Israel is not permanent, but only for a time – only until the complete number of faithful saints be gathered out from amongst the Gentiles. Then God’s favor will go to Israel, and all earth’s families. (Rom. 11:25‑32)

THE KINGS OF THIS WORLD

How different was this entry of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, from the triumphal marches of earthly conquerors and kings! In the excitement of human passion and the prejudice of human minds a special halo of glory has surrounded the world’s conquerors. Heroic deeds, valiant conquests, as pictured by historians have a charm. The rising generation reads with thrilling interest of the prowess of Alexander the Great, of the Spartans of Greece, of the Caesars of Rome, and in more modern times of Robert Bruce, of Napoleon and Wellington, of Generals Grant and Lee, Pershing and Eisenhower. The homecomings of all of these were triumphal marches, in many cases rendering honor to whom honor was due. Nevertheless, in every instance the mind’s eye necessarily closes against scenes which led up to such triumphs. We try to forget the millions of slain and wounded, and other millions of mourning widows and orphans. We try to forget the smoking ruins of homes behind those victorious armies.

However necessary war at times may seem to be for the maintenance of justice, nevertheless all must concede that the blessings purchased by the sword are procured at a terrible cost. From this viewpoint Jesus, the Prince of Peace, followed by an army of saints who are walking in His footsteps, presents a beautiful picture – even to the worldly. These victors – Leader and followers – conquer by dying. Thus Jesus said to His followers, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s shall find it.” Thus viewed, all the followers of the Lamb are self‑sacrificers, as the Bible declares: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1) Such a victory – victory through death – is difficult for the majority of people to understand! What is the philosophy of it? Where is the victory?

VICTOR‑KINGS THROUGH DYING

Well may it be asked, Wherein is the victory of Christ and His followers in laying down their lives for the brethren and in support of truth and righteousness? Only the Bible answers the question, and only those who exercise faith can understand the Bible answer. The Bible declares that the real victory of Christ and the Church is over self. Their crowning day is future – their triumph will be then. The triumphal entry of Jesus on the ass was only typical. The antitype will be glorious – beyond the veil. As Jesus after His resurrection was “received up into glory,” so also He has promised His Church that their resurrection shall change them from imperfect human beings to perfect spirit beings, joint‑heirs with their Master, their Redeemer, in the glorious Millennial Kingdom which is to bless the world.

After Jesus had risen from the dead, He explained to His perplexed disciples what his death signified, saying, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things (death) and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26) So St. Paul has declared in respect to all who will be Jesus’ associates in the Kingdom – they must suffer with Him if they would reign with Him; they must be dead with Him if they would live with Him. (2 Tim. 2:12) Christ and His Church die to human hopes and interests, present and everlasting – laying down their lives, suffering for righteousness’ sake. Their reward is two‑fold: (1) Their own personal exaltation to a Heavenly, spirit glory, like unto the angels, and yet more glorious – “far above angels, principalities and powers and every name that is named.” (2) The Kingdom glory – the joy of being the Divine agents for human restoration.

From this, the Bible viewpoint, the Christian warfare is different from every other warfare known to the world. It is a fight against sin, a fight against self‑will, a full submission to the Divine will, a victory through death. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne.” (Rev. 3:21) No wonder that a proposition of this kind is but imperfectly understood by the world! “The world knoweth us not, even as it knew Him not.” And this is one of the requirements of the Gospel, that Jesus and His followers shall submit themselves to be misunderstood by the world. We are counted fools for Christ’s sake. (1 Cor. 4:10)

It requires some stamina to be a loyal follower in the footsteps of Jesus, misunderstood as He was misunderstood by those of His day, reviled as He was reviled. “They shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.” It is only when we understand through God’s promises that in these trying experiences of Christ and His followers there is a glorious purpose, that we are able to endure them with any measure of rejoicing. Only these are granted glory, honor and immortality, and the Kingdom which the Lord has promised to His faithful followers. Since Jesus is the Prince of Peace, how shall we understand the various passages of Scripture which refer to Him as a mighty Conqueror in blood‑stained garments, taking vengeance on His foes? But especially, how shall we understand the declaration that, at His coming in the clouds of heaven, all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him?

Of this Prince of Peace it may be said that He will wound to heal, that whatever disasters He may bring or permit to come upon the world will be so overruled as to make of them blessings in disguise. Undoubtedly much that is said respecting our Lord is highly symbolic. For instance, He is to smite the nations with the Sword that proceedeth out of His mouth – the Word, or Message, of Truth. Such a smiting is in full conformity with the declaration that when St. Peter preached the Gospel at Pentecost, some of the hearers were “cut to the heart” – not with St. Peter’s literal sword, but with “the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Eventually, that Sword will smite all opponents of righteousness for their good. Only the willfully wicked will eventually be destroyed in the Second Death. We are not to forget, however, that the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom is to be in the midst of the Time of Trouble, and that Christ will have to do with the bringing, or at least the permitting, of that Trouble. Apparently mankind will be permitted to bring the great trouble at the end of this Age upon themselves. There are forces of evil, Satan and his angels, ready to do us harm and, through human forces, sin‑forces entrenched in human nature, ready to do us harm to the social fabric.

The New Covenant is the Scriptural name for the new arrangement between God and man which will be instituted at the beginning of the Age to follow this, and by which God purposes to receive the world of mankind again into favor with Himself. The covenant relationship which Adam originally enjoyed with his Maker, and its resultant harmony with Him, was contingent upon obedience to the expressed will of God, and was forfeited by disobedience. This covenant relationship with God was renewed typically at Mount Sinai, with Israel (Ex. 19:1‑9; 24:3‑8). Through Moses as mediator, God promised that if Israel would keep His Law they should have everlasting life. The inauguration of that Law Covenant was effected by their mediator, within six months after Israel left Egypt, through the sacrifices of bulls and of goats, the children of Israel solemnly agreeing to their part of the covenant. Later the Atonement Day sacrifices were repeated year by year continually: “for the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin.” (Heb. 10:1‑9) Israel failed to gain the blessing promised in their Law Covenant. God foreknew that Israel would fail; but through their endeavors He was giving an abject lesson which in the future would be a lasting blessing to Israel and to the whole world.

God will introduce this new Law Covenant through the Mediator of the New Covenant, Christ Jesus, in whom the entire arrangement centers, and through whom it will be carried out. He will be assisted in this work by the Church and the faithful Worthies, who will be the visible representatives in the earth. (Hebrews, Chapter 11) This New Covenant will succeed, because of its better Mediator. And He will be not only Mediator, but Priest, Prophet, King and Judge. As a Priest, He will uplift and bless humanity and receive their offerings. As King, He will rule mankind in righteousness; as Prophet, He will teach them; as Judge, He will test them, decide and pass sentence, favorable or unfavorable. It will require the full thousand years to Bring the people out of their condition of death and degradation, to restore whosoever will of all mankind to the image and likeness of God, lost in Adam.

OUT OF ZION AND JERUSALEM

The Scriptures tell us that “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2). So Jerusalem will then be the capital of the world, and the Ancient and Youthful Worthies will be made “princes in all the earth” (Psa. 45:16). This arrangement will appeal first and primarily to the Jew, who would naturally be the first to come under the new regulations, because a nucleus of these Jews who were faithful to the Law Covenant, will be in Jerusalem when the Kingdom is inaugurated. The Scriptures tell us they will be humbled by the last phase of Jacob’s trouble in Jerusalem, and they will “cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psa. 107:19,20) They will then recognize their Messiah, and will become the most active and zealous missionaries of the Kingdom. They will receive their instructions first‑hand from the Worthies in Jerusalem, and will then appreciate the Lord’s promise to them: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake... 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. 31:31‑34)

We may not say that all the Jews will do so, but that this will be true of at least a considerable number of them. Quite a few have become infidels – unbelievers of God’s promises: “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.” (Rom. 2:28) There are many well‑meaning people among the Gentiles who have not taken the vow of consecration to the Lord. They have accepted Jesus as their Saviour, and have practiced righteousness to the best of their ability; but have not taken the second step of full consecration to the Lord, because the narrow way was too difficult for them: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14) during the reign and ascendancy of sin and evil. These Gentiles will be the first to join with the Jews and become Israelites – and like the Jews, they will become faithful and zealous Missionaries of the Kingdom. We refer to these Gentiles as the quasi‑elect Jews.

In that day “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and excellency of our God. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it: but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isaiah, Chapter 35) This Highway of Holiness will be an easy way for all who love righteousness, and we believe there will be many who find it – which is in contrast with a “narrow way” under the reign of sin and evil.

By the close of the Mediatorial Reign those who have responded and made earnest effort to advance will be brought to a condition of human perfection, as was Adam at the beginning. Then they must be subjected to the same loyalty as was Adam, with no Mediator between them and God’s justice. How many will maintain their loyalty under the test, and how many will lose out and suffer destruction, we cannot know – because there will be some who have obeyed outwardly during the thousand year, but not inwardly – were not in heart‑harmony with righteousness – the goats of the Mediatorial reign.

Covenant relationship with God means perfection, either reckoned or actual. During the thousand years of Messiah’s Kingdom, mankind will be approaching actual perfection. The New Covenant, with all that goes with it, is the blessing which The Christ gives to mankind. It is God’s Covenant, and He has arranged that it shall go to the world through the Christ class, Head and Body. These glorious things are clearly set forth in various types in the Old Testament, as well as plainly stated in the New Testament.

For instance, St. Paul explains that Isaac, the heir of Abraham, was a type of The Christ, Head and Body. Isaac did not receive his inheritance by a new covenant, but by the original Covenant with Abraham, as does the Church (Gal. 3:8,16,29; 4:22‑31). In Mic. 4:1‑4, we read: “In the last days ... that Mountain (Kingdom) of the House of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains (kingdoms of earth), ... and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His way, and we will walk in His paths.”

The succeeding verses of the chapter depict the influence that will be exerted. The blessings and prosperity will then be with those who will be in harmony with God. Now it is different, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions.” (2 Tim. 3:12)  The world thinks that Christians, true followers of Jesus, are making their lives miserable. But the world is greatly mistaken on this matter. On the contrary, we are enjoying ourselves greatly, we are having a good time. We have much advantage in every way, in spite of our afflictions; for we know that in a very little while our trials and afflictions will all be over. We know that the glorious Kingdom of Messiah, in which, if faithful, we are to share, is about to be set up on the earth.

OUR BLESSED HOPE

When ‘er the storms come down on thee,

And days of peace all seem to flee,

This thought thy peace again shall bring,

Why should I fear? – the Lord is King.

E’en when the tempest rages high

And darkest clouds are drawing nigh,

With hands of faith to this, oh, cling,–­

Why should I fear? – the Lord is King

Amid the stormy waves of life,

Above the tumult and the strife,

The chimes of hope still sweetly ring,–

Be not afraid, – the Lord is King.

Thy ship is toss’ d by wind and wave,

But there is One whose power can save;

Across the sea He hastes to bring

Both rest and peace – the Lord is King.

Yes, Jesus walks upon the sea,

And in the storm He comes to thee;

Then trust in Him, rejoice and sing;

He calms the waves, – the Lord is King.

He stretches out His hand to thee,

And from thy fears He sets thee free;

Beneath the shadow of His wing

He keeps thee safe, – the Lord is King.

In the future Dispensation, God tells us, the tables will be turned. None of the wicked shall prosper. THEN whoever is unrighteous shall suffer, and whoever does righteously shall receive a blessing. (Psa. 37:1, 2, 7‑17, 22) NOW the wicked very often prosper, and the poor and needy and the good of earth are oppressed. When the Times of Restitution come to the world, all will be changed. The result will be a clean universe in which everyone in heaven and on earth, and such as have been in the sea, the rebellious race, will glorify and praise the God of perfect wisdom, Justice, love and power, and the Lamb that sitteth with Him on His throne forever and ever, saying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” (Rev. 5:13)

The basic concepts of the foregoing are from That Servant as he sought to encourage and uplift the saints during the Gospel Harvest. But he also taught that after that Harvest work was finished there would be a class of unbegotten people who would make the same kind of consecration as did the saints – and that they would, if faithful, be rewarded in honor and service with the Ancient Worthies. We believe such opportunity is available for them now. We know this “Time of Trouble” is a precursor to the establish of the Kingdom, and so it is the only time such a class can have such an opportunity. However, when the “Time of Trouble” becomes so disrupting there will be little chance of appealing to outsiders for such consecrations.

It is our desire to reproduce the “faith once delivered unto the saints,”’ so we now quote from Question Book, p. 162, answer to a question under the heading of CONSECRATION – REWARD FOR THOSE NOT BEGOTTEN:

“We would presume that if they were faithful, as the prophets of old were faithful, to the extent of laying down their lives in the service of righteousness and truth, that God would give them a share some way with the Ancient Worthies. In other words, that if such should pass into the Time of Trouble to a considerable degree, and there lose their lives because of faithfulness to the Lord, that He would do just the same for them that He will do for the Ancient Worthy class.” (Also see Vol. 6 of Studies in the Scriptures, pp. 156,157; Z 1911, p. 181, pars. 5‑10; Z 1915, p. 269, pars. 11, 12, for That Servant’s teaching on this class, as well as in other places. – JJH)

It seems that all the faithful Truth people should realize that we are in the “Time of Trouble,” and if there is such a class of consecrators that this is the only time they will have such opportunity. Also, please see Question Book, p. 150 and 152 for further information on this class.

Brother Russell also teaches that the Worthies will have a Heavenly reward at the end of the Millennium. So we would say that all will be amply rewarded for walking a “narrow way” – especially during this Time of Trouble – whether begotten of the spirit, or the unbegotten class who later make a consecration. No one will be disappointed in the reward God has in store for the faithful.

As much of the beauty and harmony of the Truth has been distorted, set aside, and revolutionized against, since the demise of That Servant, it is our hope that what is presented herein will commend itself to all our readers and better enable them to appreciate the “Good Tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

“May that peace of God which surpasses all conception, guard your hearts and your minds by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7, Dia.) Our cordial good wishes to all for a Blessed Holiday Season – and “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22) be yours.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

I received your letter of the 29th, and I want to say you are the most unusual Brother I have ever had correspondence with. Even though we have sharp differences, yet you are so nice about it all. You have created a special place of respect for you in my heart and I value you very much as a Brother in Christ.

I think you will find that we are of the same spirit in our view of the Pastor. I would feel selfish to accept your check for this work as you have sent so much already. No doubt you have spent many thousands of dollars in your printing. Perhaps much more than I have. I am in the 13th year of this activity, and I think the average would be at least $2,500 per year. Just out of curiosity I took a tape on the last two years of the printing costs and found them a little over $2,500 per year. Yours is perhaps much, much more, and you turn out beautiful work to send out to those on your mailing list.

You ask about some of my history. I was born May 19, 1903. My Mother took up the Truth in a big way in 1914 after seeing the Photo Drama of Creation. I was 11 years old at the time and the truth appealed to me very strongly. It took a little time to bring me to full surrender. I never did have robust health, neither did my mother. She was a heavy woman and died Oct. 25, 1929 when she was 50 years old. My Father never caused us any problems on religion, but he simply did not have faith. He was a very slim man and was a shingle weaver. My Mother and I were very close to one another. Neither of us had good health. I was plagued with much heart palpitation in my young years, and did not feel capable of going out to earn a living or marry. I kept up a home for my Father and myself for 12 years and used much of my time in Reprint studies and taking notes. I became acquainted with Bessie Stampfly who came down from Canada to live with her folks after she lost her husband, Bro. Jo Stampfly. We met at conventions and were very close Truth friends and corresponded much. In 1919 we decided to marry, thinking it the Lord’s will to do. She had a 17‑year old daughter who finally married and had five children. She finally died in Southern California (she was married to a Navy man) with a bad case of cancer.

Bessie was an ideal companion in the Narrow Way. We were married almost 40 years when she died on my 76th birthday, in 1979. She had liver cancer. So I have been a widower for a little over three years now. Bessie was 80 when she died. We think an electric and also a shock of losing her daughter contributed to the breaking down of her defenses and that is why she finally died of cancer.

My Father lived to Be 95 and died in 1970. I have never had to go out and struggle for a living. My Father and Mother were both very careful in their finances, and my Father worked up enough financial backing to keep things going comfortable. Being the only child, my Father gradually transferred his investments in real estate mortgages and contracts to my name and also to Bessie’s. I am the trustee for Bessie’s share of the investments. ... I think I have dwelled enough on my personal life, but I thought you would be interested to know a little bit about me. ....

We are a very small group and there are two elders, one from Vancouver, B.C., and myself. We have two studies Sunday forenoon. The Canadian friends (three) go back in the early afternoon. Sunday evenings, those of us who live in Bellingham, have Reprint studies. Wednesday nights we have Testimony meetings – just the three of us. ......

In reading over this letter I see it is a very rambling epistle, but I will send it anyway. Christian love to you and Sister Hoefle.

In the best of bonds, Bro. Ted ------- (WASHINGTON)

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NOTE: We are happy to give this brother our tribute of praise, as we believe he was an example of the believers – faithful in all his commitments. He will be missed by those who loved and knew him well. As he said, we did have our sharp differences, but, even so, we enjoyed our fellowship by mail. His main difference, of course, was in the teachings of the Epiphany Messenger. However, we told him to take what we sent him and appreciate that with which he could agree, and let the other pass until he could accept it as Truth. This was the advice of Brother Johnson to us when at first we could not agree with all he presented. He said we are brethren, and this advice helped me much. So such study eventually worked out to be a great blessing to us. Brother Smith finished his: course February 21, 1983.

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace’

Your letter of May 21 is received, and I was quite saddened to hear of the condition of Brother Hoefle. I was quite cheered to hear that he is lots better and stronger, and I sure hope he will continue to gain his strength. Sure was glad to hear that your niece came to help out, as I know the burden was too much for you to bear alone. The Lord always provides somehow. We often wonder to ourselves, Why? Why? this had to happen to us ?

My burdens are as heavy as ever it seems, as Sister’s mental condition does not seem to improve. She has lost interest in about everything, and gets quite confused at times. .....

Well, I must close for now. I sure hope and pray that Brother John will continue to improve. Drop me a card now and then if you get the time. Rest assured that I will pray for you folks always, as I know you do For me. With much Christian love and greetings, I remain as always, Your Brother by His Grace, ------- (MICHIGAN)

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Sirs: Please send me monthly mailings concerning Biblical prophecy and Israel. I desire to be kept ahead of prophetic occurrings. Your in Jesus.------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Brethren:

Many thanks for the papers as you are sending me every month. I am sending you a check to cover some of the costs of postage, Your sincerely, ------- (SWEDEN)

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hoefle: Christian greetings!

Could you please send me information about the Epiphany Bible Students? I would greatly appreciate it, Thank you’ Sincerely ------- (MARYLAND)

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Dear Mr. Hoefle: Christian greetings!

Enclosed is my personal Money Order for the renewal of my subscription to your magazine. I would like also to bring to your attention that I am still waiting for the May issue that I have not received. I thank you in advance.

Sincerely yours, ------- (NEW YORK)