NO. 194: GOD'S KINGDOM SINCE 1914

No. 194

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

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

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

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

SINCE 1914 - A SECOND COUNTERFEIT KINGDOM

The foregoing is probably not too much at variance with what the Witnesses them­selves believe of the situation up to 1914; but we shall now examine some of the hap­penings since that time. One of the first major undertakings of the Witnesses after the death of Pastor Russell in October 1916 was the publication in 1917 of Volume VII of Studies in the Scriptures – under the name of the International Bible Students Associa­tion, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, as they were then known. That Volume 7 was also titled “The Finished Mystery,” was hailed as the seventh vial fulfillment of Rev. 16: 17; and certain statements in that book concerning patriotism, etc., were construed by the United States Government as a decided interference with their prosecution of the war against the Central Powers, resulting in eight of the organization’s leaders being sent to Atlanta Penitentiary in 1918 (from which they were subsequently pardoned in 1919).

Shortly after their release from durance vile, a sharp and widespread controversy arose among the former adherents of Brother Russell over the chronology which he had pro­duced from the Scriptures; and the leaders of the Society made valiant, correct and com­mendable defense against those who were attempting to find the chronology wrong by some nineteen years. Both Volume 7 and the chronology were made tests of fellowship; and an extensive division resulted. Many were disfellowshiped because they could not accept the multitudinous errors in Volume 7, and others were disfellowshiped because they wished to reject the true chronology as given by Brother Russell. But it was only a few years un­til the Witnesses themselves forsook the true chronology, and rejected their own Vol. 7 so much so with the latter that it is now ‘Index Expurgatorious’ to their own members. This poses a timely question: If Volume 7 is wrong now, was it not equally wrong in 1917 when the uproar occurred concerning it? And, if they have been the visible Kingdom of God on earth since 1914, what explanation do they now offer for such a colossal blunder on the part of the Lord? “God is not the author of confusion.” Furthermore, if the chronology was right fifty years ago, it should still be right.  Mathematical calculations are the same - yesterday, today and forever!

SATAN CAST OUT OF HEAVEN

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

Further corroboration of Scriptural fact against the Witnesses’ Fiction is to be found in the performance of Jesus and the Apostles on numerous occasions casting out demons – evil spirits – fallen angels – Satan’s partners in the master crime of all Ages. Just a few such citations are: Matt. 4:24, 8:16; Mark 3:22; Luke 4:41 – 10:17; Acts 5:16 – 16:16-18 and 19:12, etc. Also, the words of Jesus, Luke 10:17, 19, Dia.: “The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us by thy name. And He said to them, I saw the Adversary falling from Heaven like lightning.” Certainly, this is a clear statement by the Lord Himself that Satan had been cast out of Heaven before this Gospel Age had even begun. Also, 1 Pet. 5:8, Dia.: “Your opponent, the enemy (Satan), like a roaring lion, is walking about, seeking to devour.”  Who are the “Your” in this text? We answer, they are the people to whom St. Peter addressed his letter – “To the sojourners of the dispersion, of Pontus, Galatia,” etc.  It needs no argument that those Jewish “sojourners of the dispersion” were people here on earth, so it would be interesting to hear from the Witnesses how Satan walking about in Heaven could devour human beings here on earth. Or is this just some more of their fiction against fact?

But perhaps the most compelling of all argument against their fiction is our Lord’s prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” Would any of us be foolish enough to contend that God’s will was being done in Heaven if Satan and his horde of hoodlums had been there “as a roaring lion,” seeking to devour? Yet the Witnesses now make great claim that their proclamation of these errors – this fiction – is the expression of God’s Kingdom on earth since 1914! And in all this they have been cast­ing aside one truth after another since 1914 – truths for which they stoutly contended at least through 1916. Not only so, but they have been changing their own teachings with great rapidity year after year in distressing confusion – although the Scripture is very emphatic that “God is not the author of confusion” – that when His Kingdom is actually established on earth “the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:8) In spite of this clear promise, however, we believe it is a fair appraisal that the large majority of the Witnesses’ devoted, dedicated adherents do not now have a clear understanding even of what they themselves should believe – one strong reason for this being that, as one prom­inent official, their vice-president, put it some years ago: “We don’t believe this year what we did last year, and we probably won’t be believing next year what we believe this year.” Can such bedlam possibly be the “desire of all nations” which is promised to come when God’s Kingdom really begins to operate here on earth?

At this point it is in order also to call attention to another very radical change they have made in their teachings since they have been the “representatives of God’s Kingdom,” so we quote from p. 134 of The Finished Mystery:

“Instead of teaching that the saved of our race will all be saved to the same thing, the Scriptures show two degrees or kinds of Heavenly salvation (which is correct, and exactly as Pastor Russell taught it—JJH)... the Little Flock, who are to sit down with Christ in His Throne; the Great Company who are to stand before the Throne, having the palms of martyrdom but without the crowns of glory.

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

COMFORT FOR THE JEWS

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

“JUDGE RUTHERFORD, known throughout the world as a friend of the Hebrew people, is vigorously supporting the claim of the Jews to the Holy Land... His lectures to large audiences, which have been broadcast throughout the world, on ‘JEWS RETURNING TO PALESTINE,’ have created an intense interest. This Volume is the first unbiased presentation of the subject from the Scriptural viewpoint published.”

Then an the next page is quoted Psa. 122:6: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee.” All of this is correctly based upon the clear Scrip­tural declaration (Isa. 2:3), “Out of Zion (the Glorified Messiah and His Elect Bride, who are the primary seed of Abraham, who are to bless all nations—Gal. 3:8) shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” – which city will contain the true earthly ‘Princes’ (rulers – representatives) of the Kingdom. All of this is now categorically denied in the Watch Tower of October 115, 1966:

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

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

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

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

A BRIEF RESUME

In the foregoing pages we have detailed only a few of the major reversals of teach­ing by the Witnesses over the past forty years. If we attempted to analyze all of their variations, it would probably require a good-sized book. Clearly enough, a great part of their ‘‘witnessing” could be nothing less than fiction – either then, or now – because they now teach just the reverse of what they did a few years back. For the benefit of our readers, we now offer some Scriptures which will help determine if their present-day witnessing is fact or fiction:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONCERNING ARMAGEDDON

The Witnesses’ promise to their dedicated “Large Multitude” of life eternal through Armageddon and on through the Ages to come is also some more of their fiction – is also a complete reversal of their past teachings. We quote now from p. 3 of the Publisher’s Preface of The Finished Mystery:

“In the light of Divine Prophecy, now being daily fulfilled and made clear to ‘the watchers,’ the following from the pen of Pastor Russell is further proof that he was sent of God to this generation. Long years before the beginning of the trouble now upon the nations he wrote: ‘The four exhibitions of the Lord, given to Elijah, represent, we be­lieve, four manifestations in which the Lord is about to reveal Himself to mankind, the first three of which will prepare man for the final one, in which will come the desired blessing to all the families of the earth. These are:

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

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

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

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

The foregoing is now also repudiated by the Witnesses in some of its major parts, because it makes a shambles of their present claims and fictional hopes presented to their dedicated devotees; but, as we said in our January 1966 paper, Time itself is making them appear very ridiculous. In the Witnesses’ present feverish endeavors to separate the Sheep from the Goats, there is one determining question which should prove beyond the shadow of doubt to all unbiased minds if their present teaching is fact or fiction: IS SATAN NOW BOUND?

It is clearly stated in Rev. 20:1-3 that ‘‘An angel laid hold on that old Serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more.” Would any one of sound mind – or even the Witnesses themselves –contend that Satan is now bound? And, if he is not bound, then he must still be deceiving the nations. And, if the nations are being deceived, how can they possibly be held accountable for their deception? It is exactly the same as a sleight-of-hand performer tricking his audience by his manual manipulations.

Be it noted that the Papacy made exactly the same mistake in their counterfeit kingdom from 799 to 1799, when they also were separating the Sheep from the Goats –except that they now claim that Satan was indeed bound then – that he has been “loosed for a little season” since 1799. Thus, their counterfeit kingdom was an improvement ­in theory, at least – upon the present kingdom of the Witnesses. The Witnesses do not claim that Satan is bound – at least not yet have they made such claim. But perhaps we should give them time!

But for now let us keep in mind the promise of Rev. 21:3-4: “Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men... and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” During the Papal counterfeit kingdom there was just the reverse of this great promise –violence, cruelty and oppression, prevailed in all quarters. And during the Witnesses’ kingdom since 1914 it is also evident that violence – “nation against nation” – is the prevailing order of the day. Judge Rutherford was wont to stress the “physical facts” in his lectures and writings forty years ago; therefore, we would now call upon the Witnesses to catalog the “physical facts” to prove that the benign Kingdom of God is now with us. However, we now place ourselves on record in predicting an even greater “Arma­geddon” delusion than was their “Millions Now Living Will Never Die” delusion before 1925.  “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.”

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

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

Sincerely your brother,

John J.  Hoefle  Pilgrim

(Reprint of February 1966 article – No.  140)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:  Grace and peace!

Received yours of recent date, and as always glad to hear from you – and to hear you are having such nice weather. We can understand the pressure you are under at times with the work. We are sure that you are doing your best, and we do appre­ciate your service in the Lord – and agree that it is a wonderful privilege to serve the One who has done so much for us in opening our eyes of understanding to His great Plan of the Ages.  What a blessing! while so many groping in darkness.... I am glad to say Sister is coming along nicely, and she joins with me in sending you and all at Mount Dora our warm Christian love, and His rich blessing.

Your brother and sister ------- (NEW     JERSEY)

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Dear Friends:

I enclose a very small check and express my great appreciation of the articles I have received from you. I look forward to them always. I am entirely isolated and a shut-in. My general health is better than it was for several years – but I am over 80 years old, and handicapped in several ways..... My eyes are much better than they were. I thank God I can read these messages now without help.

My special love to Sister ..... with whom I did colporteur work in 1912. God bless you and your work!

Sister ------- (OKLAHOMA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I have read your Extra Edition No. 11 re Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses In Africa. This topic hits the ailments of that sort of people right on the head. Would you please send me about 10 each of the free literature as marked: Nos. 1 through 10 – to 121? We are pretty well known among the local Witnesses, as they pester us every so often with their books, etc. They have just finished a new Kingdom Hall here in the City, and they have a large BLOW-OUT every so often here. So I would like to have this ammunition to hand to them when they come to pester me. They know that my father and mother were of Brother Russell’s organization, as some of them used to come here at this house to attend meetings when the various Pilgrims gave a talk. You see this place was a regular place for all the various brethren and Pilgrims to stop off... was always open for all of the Lord’s people in the days of Brother Russell. After he died in October 1916, everything changed – and every one seemed to be going in dif­ferent directions; “The Shepherd its Smitten, and the sheep scattered.”

God bless you;  As ever,  Brother ------- (NEW YORK)

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Gentlemen:

In this morning’s mail I received the article relative to the Bible, and found it very interesting. I am sure that the people who wrote the Bible received much of their information from the Holy Spirit of God..... I am enclosing an article I wrote entitled, “True Meaning of Christianity.” It explains my ideals of Christianity.....

Sincerely ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I have noted previously one or two of your leaflets of particular interest, but have not been struck as much by them as this your latest No. 192 – The Bible. I am not aware how many issues you have sent here. I do not believe they have been coming long. How did you obtain my name and address?

This latest paper is a marvelous reference paper. Much has been said about the glass darkly Scripture – glass not having been manufactured then.... Each of these texts we can clarify will also aid others, I believe, to believe the inspired word (your p. 7, par. 2) May I please request several copies of these papers  The Bible – ­so I can share them with others. Please send me a bill for same as soon as possible.

Many thanks! Sister ------- CANADA)

NO. 193: THE ENDS OF THE AGES

No. 193

In 1 Cor. 10:11, Dia., it is stated, “These things (the five evils related in vs. 6 through 10) happened to them typically (from the Greek tupos, meaning type), and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” This Scripture had its primary application in the end of the Jewish Age, with its secondary applica­tion applying to the end of the Gospel Age. However, there have been “ends” of other previous Ages; and with the ending of each one some outstanding event occurred ­either violent or of ominous portent, or both. But those occurrences were foreknown by only a very small minority, with the vast majority of mankind either having no knowl­edge whatever of coming events, or ignoring the warning concerning them.

Regarding Noah, it is written that he was “a preacher of righteousness,” so we may safely conclude that he did his share of preaching concerning the approaching de­luge; but Jesus said that they went on eating, drinking, marrying, etc., in the ordi­nary affairs of life “until the flood came and destroyed them all.” Thus, the first Age ended with a stupendous act of violence, which destroyed all human beings except those in the Ark.

Came next the Patriarchal Age, which ended with the death of Jacob. It also ended with a certain tenor of violence – Jacob and all his descendants (70 in number) were forced into Egypt because they were hungry. At the time both Jacob and Joseph (two of the “just” men described in Hebrews 11) considered the move into Egypt as a blessing from the Lord. Had they had the slightest premonition of subsequent events, they would certainly not have made the move; but that knowledge was purposely with­held from them because God was there beginning a “tupos” (Greek for the English word “type”), which was the most comprehensive of all Old Testament types in that it had application in the Gospel Age to the enslavement and deliverance of God’s people from antitypical Egypt (the world in sin), and to the deliverance of all the remaining sal­vable of the human race in the Millennium, and having its grand finale at the end of the Little Season, when will be fulfilled the antitype of the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, and the deliverance of all the sheep into everlasting Paradise restored. While the event at the Red Sea was not the end of an Age, it was the end of an era, and with it came the mass destruction and violence of the Red Sea episode.

At the end of the Jewish Age and the beginning of the Gospel Age came again events of great portent – the Advent of Jesus, followed by great violence in the year 70 in the destruction of Jerusalem and the unbelieving Jews, with only a very small minority once again understanding the turn of things. The Jews had been given the Divine reve­lation at Sinai, with the strict ritual of the Aaronic priesthood and their whole re­ligious system; and that system had become so imbedded in their hearts and minds that it was indeed meat and drink to them – although they had strayed far afield from the real intents and purposes of the various ceremonies. St. Paul had told them that the things that happened to the fathers during their forty-year stay in the Wilderness of Sin were very pointedly “tupos” (types) of things that were happening during St. Paul’s life; but they “made their hearts as an adamant stone (diamond point), lest they should hear the law, and the word which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the prophets.” (Zech. 7:12) And extreme violence by the Roman Army resulted in the destruction of many of them.

Once more we have come to “the end of the age” – the Gospel Age; and again a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation” – extreme violence on every hand – a greatly enlarged repetition of the condition in the days of Noah, when “the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen. 6:11) And here once more only a mere seg­ment of the population have had even a blurred understanding of events. When the vio­lence broke forth in 1914 there was perhaps thirty or forty thousand Watch Tower sub­scribers, from a total of about two billion members of the human race. A certain num­ber of the latter had heard the forecast of impending doom, but gave little or no heed thereto, although many millions then living had not even heard of what was coming.

And just as great changes came with the passing of the Jewish Age, so even greater changes are now in progress, with just a small minority understanding their signifi­cance. And this applies with more or less force even to those who claim to understand “the present truth.” All who have even a smattering of present truth understand that the time will arrive here in the end of the Age when there will be no further opportun­ity to partake of the “high calling.” Some have properly concluded that such a condi­tion has already arrived – in the rather recent past – that the “plowman overtook the reaper” when the reaping work came to a stop in those countries of Christendom that were engulfed in the world war in 1914.

The Jewish Age reached its fullness at its end – when the Messiah made His appear­ance. “The people that sat in darkness saw great light.” The time of favor for the Jews reached its sad end at the time they “crucified the Lord of Glory.” Immediately thereafter the nation began to wane, and was completely unbalanced in the year 70, when the dispersion began, the priesthood and the ceremonial features of the Law were completely obliterated. A certain degree of analogy may be made here in the end of the Age with the Truth Movement, which reached its climax in 1914-16, after which that Movement also began to wane. All who are at all familiar with conditions then know it would be an insult to Brother Russell to compare his brilliant performance with that which followed after his death. And that change at 1916, when he died, has been sadly deteriorating in the years that have followed. Shortly after the Apostles passed away the great Apostasy appeared, which developed in scope and strength until the Bible it­self was given little or no study; people believed what they were told by their rene­gade leaders. And similar phase has been developing with us since 1916, so that today many so-called Truth people do not even know what Brother Russell taught; he is seldom quoted by many, as they also blindly accept what their leaders tell them.

Most Truth people today still believe that the 144,000 described in Rev. 7:4; 14:1, etc., is a literal number; but it is impossible to reconcile that belief with some of their other teachings. Taken as a whole, those organizations that have developed from the Parousia Truth Movement contain many more than 144,000 who think they are of that number; thus there is something sadly askew somewhere. Brother Russell was firmly convinced that he was conducting the reaping of the Gospel-age Harvest, which persuaded him to the further opinion that it would end shortly, after which no more would enter that select group of 144,000 who “stood with the Lamb on Mount Zion.” He saw, too, that a considerable time would elapse between the selection of the last one of that group and the establishment of the Kingdom in power and great glory. This prompted him to write the following article (Reprints 4835), into which we have inserted a few com­ments of our own, none of which change the thought of the writer; they simply offer a little elaboration:

THE REWARDS OF SACRIFICE

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1) Nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded by the Lord to sacrifice our earthly rights and privileges. The Divine commands end at the line of justice.

In other words, justice and righteousness are one and the same thing. Sacrifice, self-­denial, taking up the cross to follow Jesus, are all propositions away beyond the Di­vine law. The Law Covenant proffered a perpetuation of human life to all who would fulfill its requirements. None of the Jews, with whom that Covenant was made, were able to fulfill those requirements, except the One who came from above and for whom was pro­vided a perfect human body, which enabled Him to keep the requirements of the Law Cov­enant, entitling Him, therefore, to everlasting earthly life.

The New Law Covenant, under the antitypical Mediator, will offer the same reward of everlasting human perfection to all who will fulfill its requirements. Its superior­ity over the first Law Covenant will consist in its having a better Mediator, capable of helping mankind fully out of condemnation, death and weakness and authorized so to do because of the merit of His “better sacrifices.”

But while Jesus, born under the Law, was obligated to the conditions of that Cov­enant and fulfilled them and through them had a right to everlasting earthly life ­He did more. He sacrificed that earthly life – laid it down – permitted sinful men to take it from Him without resistance, although He had the power to call for legions of angels for protection. This was His sacrifice. He did not sacrifice sinful weaknesses, for He had none. He sacrificed perfect life and all His legal rights and privileges. His reward for so doing was exaltation from the human nature to the Divine nature – far above that of angels, principalities and powers. (Eph. 1:21) Thus exalted, He has the human rights (which He never forfeited) to give Adam and his race – their ransom-price. These He will give to them in the end of this Age, applying them to the sealing of the New Law Covenant, under which Israel and all mankind may be restored to all that was lost through the first man’s disobedience.

SIN-OFFERING SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE DURING THE GOSPEL AGE ONLY

Throughout this Gospel Age the Law Covenant has continued upon the Jews only, the remainder of the world of mankind being without any Covenant with God and waiting for the “times of restitution” under the New Law Covenant of the future. (Acts 3:19-21; Jer. 31:31-34) It is during this time (the Gospel Age) that God draws and calls a certain loyal class and gives them an opportunity of sharing with their Redeemer in sacrificial death. The faithful will be counted His members, or His bride or joint heirs in His Kingdom of Glory and honor and immortality. All men, in proportion as they know the Divine will (what is just, from the Divine standpoint), are correspond­ingly duty bound to fulfill that righteous requirement or Law of God to the extent of ability. But those desirous of following in the footsteps of Jesus are shown what they can do more than justice; but they are not commanded to do more. All sacrific­ing is a privilege, not a duty, not a command. In harmony with this, St. Paul writes, not commandingly, but entreatingly, “I beseech you, brethren,....present your bodies living sacrifices.” He did not command this. To have made it a command would at once prevent the opportunity of sacrifice. What we sacrifice is something that is not com­manded. Whatever is commanded of God is obligation and not sacrifice.

The Ancient Worthies presented their bodies, laid down their lives, renouncing earthly rights, but they did not sacrifice. Why? Because it is one thing to kill and another to have the slain creature accepted of God as a sacrifice. God did not call for human sacrifices prior to Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself. God was unwilling to accept imperfect, blemished creatures at His altar. They might lay down their lives, but He would not count them sacrifices. Jesus was accepted as a sacrifice because He was perfect and His followers, since Pentecost, have been acceptable as sacrifices, because they were perfect – made so by the Redeemer’s imputation to them of a sufficiency of His merit to compensate their blemishes.

Thus this Gospel Age is called the “acceptable day (or time) of the Lord,” because, during this Gospel Age, God is willing to accept a predestinated number as joint-sacrifi­cers with Jesus. But as soon as that predestinated number shall have been completed the acceptable time will immediately end. No more presentations will be accepted as sacrifi­ces – the antitypical Day of Atonement will have ended (in its sacrificial part—JJH).

But suppose that some should present themselves after the close of the “accept­able time”; what would be their status and God’s dealing with them? Since God is unchangeable, we must assume that He would always be pleased to have His creatures devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to the doing of His will, as He was pleased with the faithfulness of the Ancient Worthies to lay down their lives before a Covenant of Sacrifice was in force. We may reason that as God has promised human perfection to those Ancient Worthies who laid down their lives, He would be willing similarly to re­ward any who might follow the same course after the completion of the Church – after the ending of the “acceptable time” of sacrifice.

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.

THE PRESENTATION OF ONESELF ALWAYS A REASONABLE SERVICE

In view of these facts our advice to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him is the same message that has gone forth throughout this Age – “We beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies living sac­rifices.” We cannot now assure them that, after presenting themselves as sacrifices, God will accept them as such and grant them spirit-begetting to a new nature; but we can assure them that it will be their reasonable service and that God always gives large rewards to those who manifest their faith and loyalty towards Him and His cause. We can tell them, too, that, to our understanding, the Scriptures teach that the Ancient Worthies (of which they may be a part if they fail to be accepted to the new nature) will be highly honored of God, perfect on the human plane and made “princes in all the earth.” We can assure them that, to our understanding, these princes will have a glor­ious precedence over the remainder of mankind as the Special Representatives of the in­visible Messiah class for a thousand year. 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 Levite.

Since none can know when the elect number will be fully completed [written in 1911, when the Truth on the subject was not yet due—JJH], all should be alike anxious to lay down their lives in the service of God and of His truth. To say that we would refuse to serve because any uncertainty would prevail in our minds respecting the character of our reward would be to show our unworthiness of any favor of God, for, to be acceptable to Him, our service must not be rendered to obtain the reward, but to serve righteous­ness and to please God! It is not our privilege to try to drive a bargain with God. “I delight to do thy will, 0 God” – everything written in the Book. Hence at Memorial season all of the consecrated should manifest their love, loyalty, obedience, faithful­ness, by symbol­iz­ing the Redeemer’s death and symbolizing also their own desire to share in the sufferings of Christ as parts of the “broken loaf” and as participators in the cup of His suffering.

We are to remember that none can enter either of these planes of instantaneous per­fection in the resurrection unless his trial be finished successfully in the present life and by passing into death. The remainder of mankind, however, as already shown, will then have glorious opportunities and possibilities before them.

THE TIME IS AT HAND

The question properly arises, Is there any Scriptural support for the foregoing opinion of That Servant? If it is “due truth,” then we should logically be able to find clear and ample substantiation for it in the Bible. It may be well to insert here that the largest group to emanate from the Parousia Truth Movement is the Jehovah’s Wit­nesses; and they now accept the fact that the High Calling is closed. In fact, they were the first to make such announcement, claiming the date for it was Passover 1918. Based upon this, they named their Seventh Volume “The Finished Mystery,” the name being derived from Rev. 10:7, “The mystery of God (the secret features of His Plan, but espec­ially that the Christ is 144,000 and One) should be finished.” However, they have since changed the date more than once, the last time being about forty years ago.

Of course, such announcement forced them to find some place for the new ones who came with them, which class they first styled Jonadabs, but they now find them in Rev. 7:9, as the “great multitude,” or great crowd. Their “founder,” however, taught that the “great multitude” would be a spiritual class, but that doesn’t bother the Witnes­ses; they have changed so many of his teachings that they bear no more resemblance to the truths he gave than do the Roman Catholics in their system of error to what St. Peter taught when he was on earth.

The Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement also believes that the High Calling is closed; and up to 1954 they had a name for the new ones who came with them; namely, Youthful Worthies. But since 1954 they have changed that, too, now styling their new converts Consecrated Epiphany Campers. (Note the striking similarity here with the course of the Witnesses above.) However, here again, they pay no attention at all to what Brother Russell taught, or what their founder taught, because neither of these two men ever gave the slightest hint of a class of consecrated “Campers” in the Household of Faith dur­ing the faith Age. More than this, this Movement claims their “Campers” are now walk­ing the same “narrow way” in the Camp as did those who came with them before 1954 in the Court, so we cannot know the difference unless we ask them about the date. And for these they offer no more reward than will come to those who have traveled the way of sin and death in this Age – although they do teach that these will have some ‘honorable mention’ when the Kingdom is established. Of course, it is a consoling teaching that Virtue is its own reward – to which some pundit offered the quip, Have you ever stopped to think what a poor reward it can sometimes be? And we believe this would well apply to the ‘reward’ now offered Consecrated Campers for their sacrificial efforts under present ad­verse conditions.

Of course, in the article quoted above Brother Russell said such consecrators in “the ends of the ages” (the closing of the Gospel Age and the beginning of the Millen­nial Age, as suggested in the plural “ends”) would be rewarded along with the Ancient Worthies, which the LHMM now rejects – partially, at least. It is well to note here, however, that Brother Russell gave us only his opinion – sound though it developed to be ­as he had no Scripture whatever to prove his point; and he offered no specific name for them. But, when the Epiphany Messenger concentrated upon the issue, he found numer­ous compelling Scriptures to substantiate the teaching, chief of which is Joel 2:28,29, from which text he coined the name Youthful Worthies.

Some may argue that this name is not found in the Bible, and we would agree that it is not exactly so stated; but the same may be said for the Ancient Worthies. That name also was coined for the purpose by Brother Russell, but it has sound basis in Scripture. In Heb. 11:2 St. Paul says “the elders obtained a good report through faith.” The Diaglott says “By this the ancients were attested.” In Psa. 119:10 it is said, “I understand more than the ancients”; and the Hebrew word for ancients in the text is “zaqen,” which same word is translated “old men” in Joel 2:28. Paul refers to such as those of whom the “world was not worthy,” so we come easily by the name Elder Worthies, or Ancient Worthies. Much the same analysis applies to the Youthful Worthies, for the words translated “your young men” in Joel 2:28 are literally “your youthfuls,” from which we easily arrive at the term Youthful Worthies, because they are the same class of people as were the Ancient Worthies.

We leave for another writing the time elements pinpointing the above conclusions, other than to state now that the chronology is equally as convincing as the names them­selves. However, Brother Russell has stressed the importance of “rightly dividing the word of Truth” here in the end of the Age, and we would join with him in this counsel. If we do not do so, much confusion and useless effort is sure to result. “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.” (Psa. 101:6)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Did the Epiphany end in a “restricted sense” in 1954?

ANSWER: – No! That idea is pure invention by RGJ. In the March-April P.T., pp. 22-32 he attempts to refute some of the Dawn errors on the Epiphany, but he resorts to errors of his own to do so. On pp. 30-31 he offers a quotation from Brother Johnson on this subject, and on at least three different occasions he inserts the words “in its restricted sense” without indicating that it is his own opinion and not Brother Johnson’s. This is not the first time he has resorted to this trickery in quoting from the Epiphany Messenger’s writings. He does this, of course, to give cre­dence to his perversions of the Epiphany period. Had he been honest in his dealings with the Epiphany Truth, he would have inserted his initials, as we do our initials when we inject a comment of our own into a quotation from either Messenger. Of course, had he added “RGJ” to show what he had done, some of his readers just might begin to think for themselves, and inquire into the matter, and then they would find out that Brother Johnson at no time ever referred to the Epiphany period in its “restricted sense” and that might not be desirable at all! Yet this same RGJ states on p. 29 that the Dawn leaders tried “with the usual trickery of practiced sophists in hiding parts of the in­volved things”; then does exactly the same thing himself on the next pages.

Furthermore, on p. 30 he states “The Epiphany and the Time of Trouble are identi­cal,” which statement is correct. However, if that be true, then, if the Epiphany ended “in its restricted sense” in 1954, the Time of Trouble must self-evidently also end “in its restricted sense” in 1954. Is that what he is trying to teach? If not, then he should make himself clear here. Not one single event occurred in 1954 that would direct the attention of the most devoted “watchers” to that date. Thus, RGJ’s se­lection of that date is just one more example of his “advancing Truth” – an idea that is contrary to the clear teachings of both Messengers on items of prophecy.

We do know, however, that the Epiphany Messenger did teach that the Time of Trouble has a “wide sense” and a “narrow sense.” He taught that the “wide sense” began in 1874 and would end with anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble; also that in its “narrow sense” it be­gan with the World War in 1914 and will end with anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble. (E-4:53, bottom) Also on p. 54 of Epiphany Vol. 4, top, is this: “We understand that the spe­cial tribulation period and the Epiphany as a period are one and the same thing.” And from this teaching we will know by the “signs of the time” when the Epiphany period will end in its real “sense.” We also know that the Time of Trouble will end in both Its “wide sense and its “narrow sense” at the end of anarchy and Jacob’s Trouble. The Great Tribulation and the Epiphany period are one and the same – with no “restrictions” what­ever on the Great Tribulation’s end or the Epiphany period’s end.

Also, since 1954 RGJ has justification in the Epiphany Tabernacle Camp – some­thing the Parousia Messenger and the Epiphany Messenger never taught; but that now forces RGJ to have two Epiphany Tabernacles – one up to 1954, and the second one from that time onward. He has never explained how this could be. He should give the brethren his tab­ernacle chart from 1954 onward. Or is he using the Epiphany Messenger’s Basileia Taber­nacle? Or is he using a similar tabernacle to JWK’s, only calling his either the Epi­phany overlapping or Basileia instead of the Apokalypsis? – just as he does with his non-existent class in the Camp: calling his Campers Consecrated, with JWK calling his Quasi-elect consecrated.

Then, on p. 32 he attempts to refute J. W. Krewson on his two separate and dis­tinct Epiphany and Apokalypse days; but here again he refutes himself. No one is able successfully to refute error with error. In discussing Luke 17:22-26, 30, he places great stress upon verse 30 – “in the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” say­ing this “day” is singular, not plural. Thus, it cannot mean two different periods ­which is right. But this statement offers not the slightest hint that that one day is divided into two parts, or is “restricted” in any manner, as he contends from his state­ments on pp. 30-31. Indeed, “they that be drunken are drunken in the night” – the Epiphany night (1 Thes. 5:7); and St. Paul further informs us that “for this cause God shall send them strong delusion.” No, there is nothing whatever in the Epiphany writ­ings prior to 1950 that teaches the Epiphany would “end in its restricted sense” at any time. That is purely RGJ’s invention. As quoted above, there is a “wide sense” for the Time of Trouble, and also a “narrow sense,” which narrow sense is the Epiphany per­iod. “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.”

And with this faithful teaching in mind, we will surely know by the “signs of the times” when the Epiphany period will end, and will “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

We know how Papacy “deceived the nations” during the Dark Ages with their counter­feit Kingdom – telling the people that all who refused to join with them would suffer eternal torment; also, we are very much aware of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ present teach­ing, and their counterfeit Kingdom, telling the people now if they don’t join with them they will suffer annihilation (the Second Death) in Armageddon. And they tell us that this is “Glad Tidings of great Joy, which shall be to all people”! None who have a reasonable knowledge of Present Truth will be deceived by their “great swelling words,” because they know by the “signs of the times” that their claims are false: we know that when Christ’s Kingdom is inaugurated, Satan will be fully bound and spirited away, and will “deceive the nations no more” (Rev. 20:3). However, there are quite a few of “the unstable and the unlearned” who are being deceived, and will be deceived, by the present perversions and revolutionisms on the Epiphany period, justification and conse­cration in the Camp, Youthful Worthiship not now available, etc., etc., but who will not be deceived by the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ gross deceptions on Christ’s Kingdom reign.

Let us bear in mind that the Jehovah’s Witnesses did not go into all these gross errors in one month or one year – they, too, invented a non-existent class, and from there went from bad to worse. It is well to consider here that one of the Witnesses’ first major deflections from the Harvest Truth was their denial of Tenta­tive Justification. And, in keeping with this, it is well to remember, too, that one of RGJ’s first major deflections from the Harvest Truth was his perversion of Tenta­tive Justification: he now has it outside the linen curtain. Thus, he can no longer direct the attention of Campers Consecrated to Jesus as “the way (the Gate), the Truth (at the door of the Tabernacle), and the life.” JFR’s disposal of Tentative Justifi­cation did not become generally evident until he was abandoned to Azazel in 1917 ­after the death of That Servant. So also, RGJ’s perversion of Tentative Justification did not become public knowledge until after he was abandoned to Azazel in 1950 – after the death of the Epiphany Messenger. A very striking coincidence!

We believe the following quotation from That Servant is most appropriate here: “The church has been responsible in a considerable measure for the stumbling of those whom it has recognized as elder-brothers and teachers. While they should not think evil, surmise pride, or surmise arrogance, they should be so wakeful to their own duties and responsibilities toward these brethren that they would not unduly flatter them, nor unduly encourage them, nor stimulate them to manufacture new light.

“On the contrary, all who are spiritual should be helpful to those elder-brothers; should compliment them on their loyalty to the Lord, and the old, old story, rather than commend them for fanciful fictions (such as inventing a consecrated justified class in the Camp who are said to walk a ‘narrow way’ there—JJH), or encourage them further along such lines. The Gospel of Grace has not changed;... it still includes the thought of our calling and election by faithfulness to the terms laid down in the Scriptures. The brethren should be encouraged along these lines (the thought of their “calling and election”—JJH) rather than along the lines of manufacturing types by guess-work with­out any authority of the Word of God (such as the hill Ophel for RGJ’s non-existent class – See also his letter in the Nov. 15, 1910 Witch Tower—JJH).”

(Reprint 4503, col. 1, Nov. 1, 1909 Watch Tower)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends:

Please send to me two copies each of No. 4 and No. 5 – also The Great Reformer.

Enclosed is $ ... for the work.

Brother ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n
Mount Dora, Florida

Gentlemen: Please send me two copies of Where Are The Dead.

Thanks kindly - Mrs. ------- (GEORGIA)
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Gentlemen:

Will you please send copies of the “Herald of the Epiphany” special editions – Nos. 2, 3 – and others.

Mrs. ------- (INDIANA)

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Gentlemen:

Would you please send me some sample copies of your publications – monthly papers and Special Editions “The Herald of the Epiphany”? Thank you!

Pastor ------- (VIRGINIA)

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Dear Sirs:

I have received two pieces of your literature, WHERE ARE THE DEAD? and PERSECU­TIONS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES IN AFRICA. These were helpful readings. I would appre­ciate receiving some more of your literature – and also something about your Association.

Sincerely,... Pastor ------- United Methodist Church (NORTH CAROLINA)

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Dear Sir:

I wonder if you would be so kind as to Inform me if you distribute the works of Pastor Charles Taze Russell. I am interested in securing the book “Photo Drama of Creation” by Pastor Russell. Do you know where I could locate a copy? Would you also send a copy of your monthly paper! Do you have any information on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Joseph Rutherford?

Thanks very  much!  RFM ------- (MICHIGAN)

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Dear Brethren in the Lord:

I have just finished reading “The Herald of the Epiphany” of June 1970, also the Extra Edition No. 11, and found them very, very good. Of times we think that we are alone in declaring such truths, so when we come across one of like faith, it is very encouraging. God hath not left Himself without faithful witnesses.

I will pass on this information to my associates here and in other countries. May the Lord continue to bless your ministry.

Sincerely yours by His Grace, Pastor ------- (NEW YORK)

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Dear Mr. Hoefle:

Such a long time has passed since I sent you a word with thanks for your Epiphany Bible Students’ monthly letter. I have before me No. 187, dated Jan. 1, 1971. Your saluting the flag is a deep feeling of courtesy to our symbol of our great nation.

Please forward me No. 11, as I would like to receive a copy. Your magazine is a worthy outspoken Symbol of Life itself – and awaiting the Lord’s near Existence for us.

Trust this finds you all right. Your words from your academic point of view are forthcoming like a Light in the Dark – stimulating, soul-awakening and peace-meaning.

Sincerely yours, Colonel ------- (CALIFORNIA)

NO. 192: THE BIBLE

No. 192

My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!

The request has come to us that we offer a treatise on the Bible, and it is our fond hope that all our readers may benefit from the effort. We have acted upon the suggestion because we believe a clear understanding about the Bible is perhaps as con­fused and misleading with the majority in Christendom as an understanding of the things taught in the Bible. The word Bible is from the Greek “biblia,” meaning “little books,” of which there are 66 in the Protestant Bible – and 80 in the Catholic Bible, which in­cludes the 14 Apocryphal books. Thus, when it states in Rev. 20:12 “the books were opened,” it may just as properly be said, “The Bible was opened” – that is, the Bible was explained, made clear.

The most popular work among English-speaking people of Christendom is what is com­monly designated the King James version, which is an elegant piece of work from a liter­ary standpoint, but is admitted by scholars to have about 20,000 mistakes in it. There­fore, it is not the Bible, but a translation of the Bible; and this conclusion may be recorded of every other translation – although some translations show much less defect than others. It was about 1610 that King James of England (whose name attaches to the King James version) selected 56 outstanding scholars in England, divided them into seven or eight groups, and assigned to each group a certain section of the Bible for translation. Before they had finished seven or eight of them had died; but the work was finally completed. And, considering the material at hand, the difficulties of the times, the deep-rooted errors in the minds of the men involved in the work (such as eternal torment as the wages of sin, the immortality of the soul, etc.), we would con­clude that they did a commendable piece of work; and the King James version of the Bible is yet today the world’s best seller of all publications.

The decree of King James was probably instigated by the effort of the Roman Catho­lics to introduce a Bible of their own – known as the Douay (France) version – the first edition of which appeared in 1582, reprinted at Antwerp in 1600, and again in 1621, with a fourth edition coming off the press in 1633 at Rouen. The fifth edition ­much the same as the previous four – appeared in 1728; but a sweeping revision was at­tempted by Bishop Challoner in 1749-52. His purpose was “to meet the practical want felt by the Catholics of his day of a Bible with notes more suitable to the time.” His changes were so many, and so much different than the original Douay attempt that Cardinal Newman declared it to be almost a new edition entirely – no longer sensible to refer to it as the Douay version. Said he: “It has been altered and modified until scarcely any verse is as it was when originally published.” And in all of their edi­tions there are copious footnotes to give the Catholic interpretation of the Scripture involved; but these, too, have had to be revised along with their translation of the text itself.

Akin to the foregoing is the course of Jehovah’s Witnesses with their Bible, which they have translated to fit their own ideas of what they wish the text to say. A clas­sic example of this is their book copyrighted in 1963, and titled “All Scripture Is In­spired of God And Beneficial” – a pseudo-translation of 2 Tim. 3:16-17. Even the veriest novice should know that the word “is” is not in the original text at all – because the word “is” is in italics, indicating no corresponding word in the original. Fur­thermore, Webster’s first definition of scripture is “anything written”; and in later detail he says “Any sacred writing; as Buddhist scripture.” We assume the Witnesses would in no sense consider the Buddhist scripture as “inspired of God and beneficial,” yet their caption on the 1963 book would indicate they do believe it. A proper trans­lation of 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 is this: “All Scripture that is God-inbreathed is beneficial.” That is, inspired Scripture – that which results from the Holy Spirit in the sense given us by St. Peter, “Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”, is prof­itable. This leaves no doubt about the real meaning and purpose of St. Paul’s word.

There are very many translations of the Bible, some much better than others. Many of them have fewer mistakes than the King James version, but none of them equal the King James in literary style and fluency of reading. The best of modern translations for both the Old and the New Testament is probably the one by Dr. Joseph Bryant Rotherham. The honesty and humility of the learned Doctor are revealed beautifully in his prefaced statement: “It must be obvious to all, that just in proportion to the importance of these documents must be the obligation to translate them as accurately and adequately as possible; and since in the very nature of things no translation can be perfect, improvement is always possible... It remains only to render hearty thanks to the scholars whose labors have made this work possible... but first and last – especially in view of pre­served life and eyesight and mental freshness – to Him from whom all blessings flow.”

As an example of Doctor Rotherham’s intention to be scrupulously honest in his work, we cite his translation of the word Hell. This word occurs 31 times in the Old Testament of the King James version. Each time it is translated from the Hebrew Sheol; but this same word Sheol is also translated 31 times by the word Grave, and three times by the word Pit. Thus, Sheol occurs 65 times in all in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the word Hell occurs 23 times – eleven times from the Greek Hades, eleven times from the Greek Gehenna, and once from the Greek Tartaroo. The Hebrew Sheol is the ex­act equivalent of the Greek Hades; and recognizing the prevailing confusion about the meaning of the subject of Hell (his translation was copyrighted in 1897, after about twenty years of work in its preparation), he did not attempt to provide an English word for it in his Bible. Thus, in the 65 times that Sheol occurs in the Old Testament the Doctor simply uses the Greek word Hades, which is exactly the same in meaning as the Hebrew Sheol; it means oblivion, or the death state. In the New Testament he leaves the eleven occurrences of Hades just as it is in the original, as he also does with Gehenna; although he does give some English words for the Greek Tartaroo: “pits of gloom in the lowest Hades.” (2 Pet. 2:4) From this example it will be noted that he did not attempt to read his own beliefs into his translation; and this tends to make it a superior piece of work.

THE BIBLE WRITERS – OLD TESTAMENT

For the 39 books of the Old Testament (not counting the 14 apocryphal books, which are not in the King James, but are included in the Douay version) there are 24 writers, the same being styled the “24 elders” in Rev. 4:4, etc. St. Peter says of them that they were “holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21) It should be noted that all of them were Jews; and some of them were among the finest intellects ever to appear among the entire human race. We shall consider only a few of them

MOSES – Just a little reflection should convince us that he was one of the greatest intellects of all time. He spent forty days in Mount Sinai with God, receiving in­structions of a wide variety. He could be counted remarkable if we consider only the tabernacle and its appurtenances. God gave to him the intricate and veriform details of the tabernacle construction, the dimensions, style, construction and material with which the different items of furniture were to be made; and all of these Moses remem­bered in finest detail – did all exactly according to “the pattern showed him in the Mount.” We need but to read those instructions in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deu­teronomy; then reflect how long it might require of us to fix those things clearly in mind – after having them before us on the written page. But Moses remembered all without anything written out for him. As an executive, a law-giver, and administrator he was also among the foremost of all time. And even in his death he was phenomenal. “Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” (Deut. 34:7) And the poet gives sublime expression to that final event in his life:

By Nebo’s lonely mountain,

On this side Jordan’s wave,

In a vale in the land of Moab

There lies a lonely grave;

And no man knows that sepulchre,

And no man saw it e’er;

For angels of God upturned the sod

And laid the dead man there.

That was the grandest funeral

That ever passed on earth;

But no man heard the trampling

Or saw the train go forth;

Noiselessly as the daylight

Comes when the night is done,

And the crimson streak on ocean’s cheek

Grows into the great sun.

This was the truest warrior

That ever buckled sword;

This the most gifted poet

That ever breathed a word;

And never earth’s philosopher traced,

With his golden pen,

On the deathless page, truths half so sage

As he wrote down for men.

God hath His mysteries to grace,

Ways that we cannot tell,

He hides them deep like the hidden sleep

Of him He loved so well.

He may well be regarded as perhaps the grandest character that ever lived; and the Jews have a saying that God kissed him there that final night,

DAVID – He is the greatest religious poet ever to be found in Israel, and probably in the entire world. The Psalms which he wrote are in poetry in the Hebrew. Next to Moses, he is probably the greatest intellect among the Jewish race – a great gen­eral, a gifted ruler and administrator – a very versatile man. And this is all the more remarkable when we consider his humble boyhood, and his phenomenal rise to power. “I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel... and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.” (2 Sam. 7:8, 9) Unlike Moses, who was reared in the palatial surroundings of the Egyptian court, David’s early life was spent in the peaceful hills of Palestine as a lowly sheep boy. To arise from such surroundings to the pinnacle of his nation would self-evidently place him head and shoulders above his fellows, many of whom had greatly superior advantages of physique, birth, family, wealth, etc. He is one not to be easily discounted from whatever angle we view him.

SOLOMON – Solomon is familiarly known as “The wise man,” and for good cause. “God said, Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. God gave Sol­omon wisdom and understanding exceeding much... Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men... his fame was in all the nations round about. And he spake three thous­and proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees... of beasts, and of fowl, of creeping things, of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth, which had heard of his wis­dom.” (1 Kgs. 3:12; 4:30-34) While the Proverbs of Solomon are most familiar to the general public, his masterpiece of expression is to be found in the Book of Job, which many scholars regard as the finest piece of poetry in existence. Even Gibbon, an unbe­liever, ascribes the supreme place of all literature to the book of Job. It is so su­perb in the Hebrew that it cannot be properly translated into English; therefore, the poetic force of Job is lost to the English reader. Thus, in some respects Solomon out­shone his illustrious father David.

ISAIAH – He is regarded by many as the gentleman of the Old Testament, which is re­flected in his scholarly writings. According to tradition, he was of royal blood – at least of noble descent, but there is no certainty about this. However, the quality of his writings reflect a finely-tuned intellect. Some of his statements offer proof appar­ent that he was indeed one of those “holy men of old who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” as evidence Isa. 44:28: “Cyrus, he is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” This Scripture was written about 200 years before King Cyrus was born; therefore, it can only be attributed to inspiration. And the same may be said about the 53rd chapter of the book, which offers the very minute details of Jesus’ experiences when He was on earth – even forecasting that he would die in company with criminals. “He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors.” This was written about 800 years before Jesus’ appearance on earth, and could have been predicted only through inspiration, as the writer was “moved by the Holy Spirit.” Isaiah, too, must be counted with the great intellects of all time.

THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS

As stated, the 39 books of the Old Testament were all written by Jews; and all of the 27 books of the New Testament were also written by Jews – excepting only the Gospel by Luke. And when we consider that St. Paul dictated that book to Luke, then we may say with assurance that all 27 of the books were written by Jews. Thus, the entire Bible of 66 books has come to us through Jewish writers. And this poses an intriguing theory: Either the New Testament writers also “spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” or they were rank frauds. As we examine the record, it is not too difficult to determine which supposition is the correct one. While it is true, that most of the Apostles were “ignorant and unlearned men” (Acts 4:13), there is no evidence of this at all in their writings. Thus, their coarse exterior must have received a speedy overhaul, or they wrote what they did by inspiration. But the question logically arises, If they were frauds, what benefit did they received from their knavery? We know that all of them suffered much privation, and most of them came to a violent end – extremely so in the case of Peter, who is reported to have been crucified head down; Paul who had his head chopped off in Rome; and James with a sword in Jerusalem. It is also rumored that John was thrown into a kettle of boiling oil. However, we shall offer detail on only two of the Apostles:

ST. PAUL – This Apostle was a master logician, a lawyer, a Pharisee, from a wealthy and influential family in Israel – a man who had everything according to the standards of this world. Hear, then, his own statement of his estimation of it: “I esteem all things to be loss, on account of the excellency of the knowledge of the anointed Jesus my Lord; (on whose account I suffered the loss of all things, and consider them to be vile refuse, so that 1 may gain Christ.”) – Phil. 3:8, Dia. If this statement be true ­and even his critics do not dispute it – then his sincerity is not to be doubted. It is contrary to all human logic and thinking that a man should perpetrate fraud to bring great loss upon himself; so we are forced to the evident conclusion that Paul must be classed with those “holy men of old who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

ST. JOHN – He is described as “that disciple whom Jesus loved” – because of his warm affability and open sincerity. Next to St. Paul, he is the most copious writer of the New Testament – although the Gospel that bears his name, and the Revelation are pre­sumed to have been written during the last ten years of the first century AD. That would be about sixty years after Jesus had died, and would put John close to 100 years of age. Yet, even at that advanced age, he has given us in minute and fluent detail the happenings of the last night before Jesus died – chapters 13 through 19 of the Gospel bear­ing his name; and he provides in those chapters an exact reproduction of the prayer given by Jesus that night, along with some of the most sublime and appealing of all Scripture. This, too, we conclude would have been impossible at his advanced age had he not written by inspiration.

CONCLUSION – With this sort of evidence to guide us, we ask in wonder why the Jews have not raised the same questions. With the many keen and brilliant men in their na­tion since the dispersion in 70 AD, it is one of the marvels of the Age that such overwhelming logic should not have persuaded them to inquire into the matter. St. Paul did recognize this situation, and he offers the proper answer: “Brethren (addressed to the Gentiles), that you may not be conceited with yourselves, I wish you not to be igno­rant of this secret, that blindness in part is happened to Israel.” (Rom. 11:25) In Psa. 107:17 David has offered a proper appraisal of their situation: “Fools because of their transgression (they crucified the Lord of Glory), and because of their iniquities (sins against the Mosaic Law Covenant), are afflicted.” All plainly in evidence during this entire Age since 70 AD.

THE BIBLE’S AUTHENTICITY

There is no original text of the Hebrew Old Testament. The originals had been scrupulously preserved by the Jewish priests, so much so that they would have given their lives to preserve them; but Nebuchadnezzar and his army were more than the priests could withstand. Therefore, when he overcame Jerusalem in the fall of 607 BC, the sa­cred writings suffered at his hands, as did also the sacred vessels of the temple. “He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and every great man’s house..... and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.... And took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door, and the principal scribe... and three­score men of the people.... and slew them at Riblah.” (2 Kgs. 25:9-21) This account tells what was done with the sacred vessels: they were demolished and carried away to Babylon for their intrinsic value. But nothing at all is said about the sacred writings.

However, it would seem reasonable that some zealous keeper of those writings did succeed in preserving them, because the Massoretes, who were Hebrew scholars during the years 450 to 900 AD, worked on the writings then in existence, and produced what is commonly known as the Massoretic text. After they completed their work, they destroyed all other texts, leaving only the product of their own minds. But it seems they did a commendable job, so much so that Dr. C. D. Ginsberg used their work in his rescension of the Hebrew Bible, the latter being one of the foremost of Old Testament translations.

Then there is also the Septuagint, which is a Greek version of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew. It is so-called because 70 (actually 72) learned Hebrews at Alexandria, Egypt, undertook in 285 BC to produce the Greek copy. All things con­sidered, it is the most valuable of all translations of the Old Testament – with many marginal notes, some of which are valuable, but some self-evidently wrong, in view of in­formation now available. Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Septuagint, but they corrected it when necessary – when it contradicted well-established teachings.

As for the New Testament, the three oldest manuscripts are the Vatican, the Sinaitic and the Alexandrian. The Vatican (dating about 250 AD) is in the Vatican Library in Rome, and considered the Roman Church’s richest treasure. The other two (about 100 years later than the Vatican) are both in England. There is also the Vulgate (about 400 AD), which is the Latin, by Jerome. Another very influential translation is the one by Mar­tin Luther. There are many others, of course, but we shall not now detail them.

THE BIBLE’S VERACITY

In view of the foregoing, the question properly arises, What are we to believe? Ad­mitting that the originals were by inspiration, they are now lost, so we know not defi­nitely what the originals contained. Some atheists, scoffers, etc., attempt to make cap­ital of this, which offers the conclusion that men usually believe what they want to be­lieve. Jesus gave us the “Golden Rule”: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” (Matt. 7:12) Today we find this high ideal so little prac­ticed that the scoffers attempt to discount it because of human frailty; but the fact still stands: A universal practice of this teaching would make immeasurable improvement in human relations. It would indeed end all wars, all violence, robbery, rapine, etc. Thus, the critics must admit the sound philosophy and the general good that it contains.

This Rule by Jesus is the only all-embracing teaching of known religions. Con­fucius offered a negative in the same direction: Whatsoever ye would not that men do to you, do not to them. But a little analysis reveals the weakness of the statement. In Luke 10:25-37 is given the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which it will be noted that the Priest and the Levite passed by the man that had been beaten and robbed. The rule by Confucius would absolve them; they did not attempt further abuse upon the vic­tim, which was a negative attitude. But the Rule by Jesus demands a positive response when distress is in evidence, which the Samaritan indeed did proffer.

As presently composed, the normal man is possessed of four appetites: (1) The ali­mentiveness, the desire for food and drink; (2) The procreative, the desire for the oppo­site sex; (3) The acquisitive, the desire to accumulate, to add house to house and field to field; (4) The religious, the desire to worship something higher than himself. All of the brute creation possess the first two of these appetites, some of them possess the third, but none of them possess the fourth. All normal men have an inherent desire to some form of religion; and this is apparent even among the lowest forms of heathen. It has been so since the dawn of history; but without the Bible we would have nothing more to guide us than what our five senses might reveal. Thus, the need for our Bible, which gives us much of the past, foretells much of the future, and offers elaborate laws for man’s physical, mental, moral and religious guidance. Its inherent strength is appar­ent by its gripping force upon any who come within its influence. This is noticeable even among the lowly and unlearned, who gain some uplift of heart and mind merely from reading it, which demonstrates its inherent magnetic force. It is the product of the Holy Spirit, operating through the finest minds in history, and its Divine origin is evident in that it inspires and enables men to rise above themselves, an attribute not apparent among the heathen.

One of the outstanding reasons for Christendom’s superiority over the heathen is the help received from the Bible. The laws of Moses were far superior to anything then in existence anywhere else on earth, and can logically be said to have been far ahead of their time. In the case of Jesus Himself, He arose far beyond His natural ability after He received the Holy Spirit at Jordan when He was thirty years of age. Before that time He could not heal the sick, raise the dead, turn water into wine, etc., all of which He did after He received the Holy Spirit. And the same may be said for the Apostles. They, too, arose far above their inherited strength and ability after they were “endowed with power from on high.” Viewed from this standpoint, the words of David are given added force: “The entrance of thy word giveth light”! Thus, in addition to forecasting events many years in advance of their occurrence, we have here a second reason for believ­ing the Bible to be of Divine inspiration – a superhuman revelation. Its immediate effect upon those who accept it is far beyond the influence of any other religious or secular writing.

THE BIBLE PLAN

A third proof of the Bible’s Divine inspiration is the “plan of the ages,” which it has contained since the year AD 100, which plan has been working according to outline before and since that date. In Eph. 3:9-11 St. Paul offers a clear reference to this: “To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been his in God... according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is much clearer in the Emphatic Diaglott: “To enlighten all what is the administration of that secret, which has been concealed from the ages... according to a plan of the ages, which He formed for the Anointed Jesus our Lord.”

It should be noted that St. Paul says this “plan” has been a “secret” during the ages; and none can dispute this statement. The Bible itself is a book of very moderate size, as small or smaller than most textbooks in any university. Yet the brightest minds have been unable to master it until the “due time” arrived for it to be understood. That is because it is “here a little, and there a little” (Isa. 28:10), with the “secret” ex­pertly kept until it should be made plain. Without offering great detail, we notice that the “plan” embraces three “worlds” (from the Greek “Kosmos,” meaning “order of affairs”), the first one described in 2 Pet. 3:6 as “the world that was” – that Kosmos, or order of affairs, that existed from the creation until it “being overflowed with water, perished.” The world that was lasted for 1656 years.

The second world, or order of affairs (“this present evil world” – Gal. 1:4) began with Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives (a total of eight persons), emerged from the great deluge, and has been continuing to the present time. According to 2 Pet.3:7, “the present heavens and the earth (this Kosmos, or order of affairs), by the same word (The Bible), are treasured up, being kept for fire (destruction) to a day of judgment and destruction of impious men” – this “destruction” being now in progress, as is evidenced on every hand.

Then 2 Pet. 3:13: “We, according to the promise, are looking for new heavens and a new earth (a new Kosmos, or order of affairs, the third world – the Kingdom) in which dwells righteousness” – just the opposite of “this present evil world.” Of that third world it is written (Rev. 21:4): “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death will be no more, nor mourning, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; because the former things passed away.” This third world we now “see dimly, as through a dark glass”; and it is beyond belief except by those who now have the faith to believe it. The forecast is clear enough: If there be no more death or pain, then there must be perpetual youth, with ideal food, water and climate. “And there shall be no more curse... no night (ignorance, error, superstition) there.” (Rev. 22:3-5) In this “present evil world” it is easier to do wrong than right; in the world to come it will be easier to do right than wrong. It is well to keep in mind that all of the Bible was written at some time during “this present evil world”; yet it is the only book that gives a clear and logical record of the happenings of the “world that was” before the flood – just one more proof of its Divine inspiration. Also, skeptics may declare the “plan” briefly discussed herein is too good to be true; but we answer that it is too good not to be true. No secular fiction writer has ever imagined anything half so good; such a plan could result only from Divine inspiration.

SUMMARY

The Plan of the Ages mentioned herein has its introduction in the first three chapters of the Bible, and its conclusion is given in the last three chapters. In the first three chapters of Genesis we are told what man was, what he had, and why and how he lost it. In the last three chapters of Revelation we are given man’s ultimate des­tiny, and how that is to be accomplished – the grand finale being the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:19-23), restoration of what was lost in Eden.

In between the introduction and conclusion of the Plan we find seven lines of thought: doctrines, precepts, promises, exhortations, prophecies, histories and types. And St. Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 3:15 that these teachings properly understood “are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” He continues in verse 16 to state that these seven lines of thought serve four teaching purposes: “Doctrine, reproof (refuting), correction and instruction in righteousness.” When clearly understood, it becomes apparent that the Apostle has itemized all the essentials in teaching and character development that man needs for his religious welfare. Doctrine is what we believe; refuting (of error) reveals what we should not believe; correction, when properly received, rids the faults from our character (tells us what we should not do); and instruction (training) in righteousness informs us of the good things we should build into our character (what we should do). And all of this is “profitable... that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” It is elemental that religion should make us better; otherwise it fails in purpose and becomes merely a ritualistic waste of time.

Of the foregoing Bible subjects, some of them are relatively easy to understand in certain of their parts, while others are intensely difficult of comprehension. In this respect the Bible allows excellent comparison with the ocean, which is deep enough for a whale to swim in it, and shallow enough for a child to wade in it. It is also pertinent that the Bible is not a text book; it is rather a book of texts. Thus, no subject of importance finds complete clarification in any one section; but it is rather “here a little, there a little.” (Isa. 28:10 This has resulted in the apparent confusion evi­dent in the different Christian organizations – a situation akin to the poem:

It was six men of Hinduston,

To learning much inclined,

Went to see the elephant

Though all of them were blind.

Therefore, they had to rely upon their sense of touch; one touched the leg, one the side, one the tail, etc., which resulted in six vastly different opinions of what the elephant was really like, which produced the result:

They argued loud and long,

Though each was partly in the right,

But all of them were wrong.

A safe rule to proper understanding of the Bible is that it cannot contradict it­self. It speaks of itself as “the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15); and, if this be cor­rect, then it must be truth, and not falsehood. If our opinion of any Scripture is contradicted by other Scripture, then one of three things is wrong: We do not have the right interpretation; or we may have a mistranslation; or the text may even be spuri­ous. It is certain that ambitious men have attempted to impose their own opinions in some places, which has resulted in much mischief and erroneous beliefs. It is well also to note that manifold schemes of mice and men have tried in vain to destroy the Bible, or to distort its meaning; but all of them have failed. The Bible is still a living book, and as sturdy in its application today as it has been over the past. There is very good reason for this: Its Author, who is perfect in Justice, Wisdom, Love and Power, has been its Preserver; and the promise to those who rely upon it, and who have full faith in it, applies with equal force to the book itself: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”

It might be well here to note how foolish some or the scoffers of this Sacred Book have been, while those who had faith in its Divine inspiration and truthfulness were not so foolish. Sir Isaac Newton, the celebrated astronomer of the seventeenth century, was greatly interested in the words of Daniel: “But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and know­ledge shall be increased.” He declared his belief that in fulfillment of it human know­ledge would so increase that men would possibly travel at the rate of fifty miles an hour. When Voltaire, the noted French infidel, got hold of this statement, he scorn­fully remarked: “Now look at the mighty mind of Newton, the great philosopher who dis­covered the law of gravitation: when he became an old man and got into his dotage, he began to study the book called the Bible, and in order to credit its fabulous nonsense he would have us believe that the knowledge of mankind will yet be so increased that we shall by-and-by be able to travel fifty miles an hour! Poor dotard.” Both of these men died long before the “time of the end” had brought its wonderful increase of know­ledge, which more than fulfills the prediction of the Christian philosopher, based upon the Divine revelation. Fifty miles per hour is merely snail’s pace today.

The subject matter herein has been treated very briefly, perhaps too much so, yet it is our hope that enough has been said to generate interest by our readers; and to such we would quote the words of St, Paul: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2: 15)

Sincerely your brother,

 John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

NO. 191: THAT SERVANT - MATT. 24:45-47

No. 191

Those of the Truth groups who came into the Truth during Brother Russell’s life were substantially of one mind before 1916 – and most emphatically so, that he alone was “That Servant” of Matt. 24:45-47; and this belief was so firmly entrenched among the various ecclesias that it is doubtful if any one of them would have elected an elder to his office who openly declared his disbelief on the matter. After his death a few – a very few (we know personally of only two) – said they never did believe he was That Servant; but they concealed their opinion so well that it closely approached hypocrisy. One outstanding example of such was Frederick H. Robison, one of the Tower Editors after the Fall of 1916. He then openly declared that he never did be­lieve that Brother Russell or the Society could be “that Servant.” Yet, during the last years of Brother Russell’s life he was a regular resident at the Bible House and devoted his entire time to the Truth work. How long, think you, could he have re­mained there had he revealed himself then as he did after Brother Russell’s death? And how much reliance should any of us place in a character like that? Surely, we must regard him as a rank hypocrite, harsh though the word may seem.

But in the years that have followed all sorts of views have ‘sprouted’ among Truth people – from one extreme to the other. Some hold he was That Servant in such an ex­treme degree that he gave all the Truth due here in the end of the Age, and that he was also the last saint to be on earth. Others, such as FHR mentioned above, deny he was That Servant in any sense of the word. And in between these two views we find many variations. However, our purpose here is mainly to consider those among us who do believe he was That Servant, but whose views on some important Bible subjects di­rectly rule him out as such. In other words, if he was That Servant, then he self­-evidently was “ruler over this household,” as he was also “ruler over all His goods.” These statements would mean that he dictated the policies without accepting supervi­sion or curtailment from any other individual, or from any group of individuals; and that his teachings were in the overall sense the “due Truth” then. And, if those things were “due Truth” then, they would still be Truth now – making allowance, of course, for some minor discrepancies, some of which he himself corrected later in life.

Our established readers know of our firm belief that Brother Russell was “That Servant” in the exact words of the text; and believing such, it logically follows that we adhere closely to the general Truth structure which he gave the Household when he was with us. Of course, we realize there is some dispute about what he actually taught on a few items – such as tentative justification, the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble being identical, etc.; but those points we shall ignore in this presentation. Brother Russell himself taught that “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”; and he applied this to the indivi­dual life of each sincere believer, as well as to the entire Household. Even assum­ing there are no more saints on earth, it would still be logical to expect more “light,” as Rotherham’s translation of the text clearly reveals: “The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, going on and brightening, unto median day.”

Notice now the footnote: “the stable part of the day, when the sun seems motionless in mid-heaven.” “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” From Rotherham’s translation and footnote, it is apparent that the rising of “The Sun of righteousness” is in exact proportion to the celestial sun in its rising and progress to high noon. Thus, early risers would see the sun’s rising first, while others who might sleep to nine or ten in the morning would only see it when they arise, howbeit it would then be much brighter than at early dawn. All of us know that this has been the exact course of the Truth Movement, which forces us to accept one of two views: Either the Truth reached its full splendor in October, 1916, when Brother Russell died, or it has continued to rise higher and higher, and will continue to do so until the “median day” ­at high noon. And this will come only when “the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea.” Here is the Berean Comment on Isa. 11:9: “Earth shall be full – At the close of the Millennium. This is not true in the present time.” The “seventh trumpet” began to sound in 1874, and will continue to sound until the goats have all been destroyed at the full end of the Little Season.

From the foregoing, it should be clear enough not only that other enlightened teach­ers would follow after That Servant, but they will continue to appear unto the “median day” – at the close of the Millennium, as That Servant himself taught. However, we would say of him that he held the exclusive position of “the steward” here in the end of the Age – a position not occupied by any other individual since the days of the Apos­tles. But even in this last statement there must be some qualification, lest we be mis­understood. The “ruler over the household” (the twelve Apostles) at the beginning of the Gospel Age wrote by inspiration, and were infallible; but this was definitely not the case with the “ruler over the household” here in the end of the Age.

All of us know that Brother Russell made some mistakes – permitted by the Lord, of course, for “the trial of your faith”; but those mistakes were few indeed when we con­sider the intricate and massive Truth structure he placed upon the table as the “meat in due season.” However, to offer some allowance for his mistakes, we would say that even the Apostles – at least one of them – also made serious mistakes, outstanding among them being St. Peter himself to whom the Lord had delivered “the keys of the Kingdom.” “When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I (Paul) opposed him face to face, because he was blamable. For before certain persons came from James, he ate together with the Gentiles; but when they came he withdrew and separated himself, being afraid of those belonging to the circumcision... even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” (Gal. 2:11-13, Dia.) In this statement St. Paul openly accuses the one to whom had been committed “the keys of the kingdom” of temporary hypocrisy – a very serious charge indeed, and revealing a fault that was not chargeable to Brother Russell all during his ministry so far as we know.

Many of our readers are probably in full agreement with all of the foregoing, but there are also probably some of our readers who believe there was no special illumina­tion during that portion of the Age that lies between the Apostles and That Servant. This likewise is an extreme position. It was Moses who led Israel from Egypt (type of the world in sin) to goodly Canaan land (type of the Heavenly garner); and in this he was certainly a type of those outstanding individuals during the Age who led spiritual Israel from antitypical Egypt to the Heavenly Canaan. Those brethren also held a high position in the Household; and St. Paul makes this quite clear in Eph. 4:11-12: “He gave some, apostles (the twelve); and some, prophets; and some, evangelists (such as Timothy); and some, pastors and teachers (local elders)... for the work of the ministry.” The “prophets” in this text are the same ones mentioned by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 12:28: “God hath set some in the Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets.”

In Eph. 2:20 the Apostle declares that the Church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” And who are the “Prophets” in this text? They are the same as mentioned in the two other texts in this paragraph – those who labored in word and doctrine in “the work of the ministry” to build the Church which is His Body. Be­ing the very foundation stones, they must necessarily be a part of the building, which was not true of the Old Testament prophets. These latter have indeed taught the Gospel-Age church through their writings; but none of them received the “better thing” which has been reserved exclusively for the Church of this Age. The Gospel-Age “prophets,” the foundation stones of the Temple, are the same as the “seven stars in His right hand” (Rev. 1:16), who were the special messengers (the Gospel-Age antitype of Moses) who were given the special messages to the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 – of which “stars” Brother Russell was but one – as he also was one of the “eight principal men” of the “seven shepherds” of Micah 5:5. The “seven shepherds” in this text are the same as the “seven stars” of Revelation, and are the same as the “prophets” mentioned by St. Paul in his writings quoted aforegoing.

EZEKIEL NINE

During Brother Russell’s life those brethren that regarded him exclusively as That Servant also regarded him as the only one included in the “man with the writer’s inkhorn” in Ez. 9:2 – so much so that there is inscribed on his tombstone at Allegheny the words, “I have done as thou hast commanded me.” There is a certain logic in all Bible presentations that provides a symmetry and harmony which should never be ignored. In Ez. 9:1, 2, six other men are mentioned, “every man with his destroying weapon in his hand”; but of the seven mentioned only one is said to be “clothed with linen”; and “fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” (Rev. 19:8 The one “clothed with linen” was to “set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry in the city for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Surely, none of us would contend that Brother Russell alone did all of this work, although he did considerably more than any other individual. Nor were the men with the “slaughter weapons” in their hands individuals. These six were the Harvest sifters; and no Individual monopolized the sifting errors of any one of the six siftings that occurred after 1874. Thus, con­sistency would force us to conclude that the man “clothed with linen” was more than one individual. It is true that Brother Russell did put the ink into the horn; he pro­vided the “sharp sickle” of Rev. 14:14,15 (Present Truth – see Berean Comment) that en­abled all the reapers to do the Harvest work.

History is not too profuse about many of the “stars” that came after the Apostles, but a sentence or two here and there is sufficient to give us a foundation for the be­lief in their spiritual insight. As instance, Arius: the record says of him that he “was a man of clear intellect.” And this he well must have been, when we consider the pompous assembly of bishops that congregated at Nice in 325, with only two of that il­lustrious multitude aligned with him. Yet his arguments that there is but one God were so prevailing and unanswerable that Emperor Constantine concluded that the best way to silence that man was to banish him from the Roman Empire. But even that did not silence him, because he went over into North Africa, where he died after eleven years, leaving a thriving group of “Arians” as his testimonial to the Truth he had loved so well.

And similar conclusion may be made of many others; for instance, Polycarp, Mar­siglio, Wessel, Luther, Zwingli, Servetus, Cranmer, Wesley, Miller, et al. Well did the text apply to them: “Sons of God, without rebuke... ye shine as lights in the world.” (Phil. 2:15) The Diaglott states it even more forcefully: “Irreproachable children of God, in the midst of a crooked and misguided generation, among whom you appear as luminaries in the world.” The footnote on this text says that the Greek phosteres is the name given to the sun and the moon in the Septuagint; and this was certainly a fitting description of those “stars” that led spiritual Israel all during the Gospel Age. Thus, while Brother Russell outshone many of them, he was by no means the only “luminary” that gave a “good and faithful” account of his stewardship.

OBVIOUS CONCLUSIONS

As stated above, among those brethren that contend Brother Russell was That Ser­vant, there are some – quite a few, in fact – that belie their own statements in that they reject so many prominent and essential truths he gave. For instance, some contend that the second advent of Jesus has not yet occurred. If that be true, then the Har­vest is yet future, because the Chief Reaper is the one who would provide the “sharp sickle” with which to do the reaping work. And note the logical sequence in the per­tinent Scripture: “From this time blessed are those dead who die in the Lord... they may rest from their labors; for their works follow after them (as they experience their part in the First Resurrection, and are joined in the Marriage to the Lamb).... And behold! a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a Son of Man (this occurred af­ter the First Resurrection had begun), having on His head a golden crown (authority to rule), and in His hand a sharp sickle... And another angel came forth out of the temple, crying with a loud voice ‘Send thy sickle and reap; because the hour to reap is come.” (Rev. 14:13-15, Dia.).

And Brother Russell applied this prophecy to his own activity from 1878 until he died in 1916. Thus, if he was That Servant, he instigated and supervised the reaping, put the ink into the Inkhorn, and gave “the present Truth”; otherwise, we must cata­log him as a rank fraud, with perhaps the most erroneous message ever presented in such a short time during the entire Age.

Also, he correctly predicted the outbreak of the World War in 1914, which began the desolation of Christendom – just as Jeremiah predicted the desolation of Israel during the Babylonian captivity. And in this he clearly antityped Jer. 1:5: “I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Those of us who remember conditions back in 1914 know the prediction of a world conflict seemed certain to fall in derision before all, because everything was serene and calm, exceptionally so – with just no indication whatever that in one short 24-hour day the roof would fall in on Christendom. The Archduke of Austria was driving peacefully along in a carriage in Serejo (now Serbia), when he and his wife were assassinated; and this precipitated the World War in a matter of hours thereafter. So violent was the disturbance that the New York Stock Exchange closed for many months, so that no one could buy or sell even here in America where we were not yet directly in­volved In the conflict. But that event brought admission from some of Brother Russell’s erstwhile critics that he was indeed “the prophet unto the nations.”

A PERTINENT STATEMENT

Lest we appear to stress this situation overly much, we now offer a quotation from Volume 2, p. 28, “The Time is at Hand,” the same having been first presented to the pub­lic in 1889 – 25 years before the world uproar began:

“It is a grave error into which many fall, to suppose a knowledge of God’s doings and plans is of little importance, the graces of Christian character are all God re­quires, and these are better conserved by ignorance. How differently the Scriptures present the matter! They counsel not only to cultivate the graces of the Christian character, but to preserve constantly the condition of heart that will enable us to dis­cern the truth, especially the Truth of the Lord’s presence when due, and when dispensa­tional changes take place. A knowledge of dispensational truth is as important in the end of this Age as in the end of the Jewish Age. Those who did not discern the truth then due did not receive the favors then due. So in the end of this Age: Those who cannot discern the truth now due, blinded by unbelief and worldliness, cannot receive special favors now due. They are not overcomers, and hence not fit to be the bride of Christ, and to enter into the glorious inheritance of the saints as joint-heirs with Him. Truth, in this Age, under adverse conditions for its reception, becomes a test of our faith­fulness to God, and hence as a sickle separates the fit from the unfit, the wheat from the tares.

“Odium attaches to the study of prophetic time through past misapplications of it by the Second Adventists and others, and the consequent failures to realize the events ex­pected to occur at set times. But we see that even this is a part of God’s plan to ob­scure the subject to all but the class for whom it was intended, by permitting contempt and ridicule to attach to it, hindering the worldly-wise and prudent from grasping it (Matt. 11:25) this, we doubt not, was as much a part of the Divine Plan as sending Jesus into Nazareth, a despised place ‘that He might be called a Nazarene’ (Matt. 2:23), though He was born in the honorable town of Bethlehem. As the worldly-wise and prudent of that day said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? so today, when prophetic time or anything relating to Jesus’ advent is mentioned, many cry Adventist, as if to say, Can any good thing come out of Adventism? though they admit that many prophecies contain­ing time are not yet fulfilled, and that the second coming of the Lord is the most prom­inent topic of Scripture.”

Recently we heard a brother offer an excellent oration on this subject, in which he stressed the Scripture, “It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I place in Zion a foundation-corner stone, chosen, honorable; and he who confides in it shall not be ashamed. The honor therefore is for the believers; but to the disbelieving, this stone which the builders rejected, was made into the head of a corner – even a stone of stum­bling, and a rock of offense... to both the houses of Israel.” (I Pet. 2:6-8, Dia.; Isa. 8:14) And what is the “stone of stumbling”? Is it not the recognition of the Mes­siah, and the time concerning His presence. Indeed, the accusation was flung at the Jews: “The days will come on thee, when thine enemies shall throw a rampart around thee.. and lay thee level with the ground.... because thou didst not know the season of thy vis­itation.” (Luke 19:43,44, Dia.) Thus it was the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the accompanying works, that was “the stone of stumbling” for the Jews at that time.

Consequently, the sharp criticism of Jesus: “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin – but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 15:22-24) And further in Luke 7:19-23, Dia.: “And summoning two of his di­sciples, John sent to the Lord, saying, Art thou the coming one? or are we to expect another? And having come to Him, the men said, John, the Immerser, sent us to thee, say­ing, Art thou the coming one? or are we to expect another?.... And Jesus answering, said to them, Go, tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind are made to see, the lame to walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, glad tidings are announced to the poor; and happy is he who shall not stumble at Me.” But most of the Jews were “slow of heart”; their hearts had waxed fat; their eyes and ears they had closed – they did “stumble”; and they reaped the consequent destruction at the hands of the Roman army under Titus.

Much the same condition exists today with many who claim to have the faith of their fathers, blinded also at least partially to the mission and works of That Servant. He it was who clearly defined the ten cardinal doctrines of the Bible, and coordinated them with each other. This he did as no other man before him had ever done. Further, he ex­amined the various stewardship doctrines of the “stars” who had preceded him, cleansed them of their flaws, polished them as no other man had ever before done. For example, the stewardship doctrine of Martin Luther was “Justification by faith”; but That Ser­vant defined Justification in all its various details much more effectively and clearly than Martin Luther himself had done. This he did likewise with the doctrines of the Second Advent, of Baptism, of the Lord’s Supper, of the elective and restitution salva­tions, the condition of the dead, the true meaning of the soul, etc. All of these he made crystal clear, and harmonized them with each other. Thus, it could truly be said of him that he had done among us “the works which none other man did.” And he, too, became “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to Big Babylon during the small Parousia Day; and he is now the same “stone of stumbling” to many in Little Babylon.

“In the time of the end knowledge shall be increased.” The great increase of know­ledge was first of all spiritual, having its beginning about 1870. And the Scripture clearly states that the Servant would be dispensing the “meat in due season” when “his Lord cometh.” Therefore, when we would observe the offering of the “meat in due season,” it would give us absolute proof that the Lord had also come. It is as clear as the noon­day sun. But, of those who cannot discern this evident truth, it is written of them, “Our lamps are gone out” – they have lost the spirit of understanding. Note the Berean Comment on Matt. 25:3.

Nor was it long after the appearance of the spiritual truth until secular truth be­gan to come forth – in keeping with the prophecy, “Truth shall spring out of the earth” (the present social order)—Psa. 85:11. A little reflection will give ample substan­tiation: At the end of the Civil War in 1865 there wasn’t a telephone in the United States (or anywhere else in the world); no radio, no television, no automobiles, no typewriters. The United States was then largely an agricultural country, and the people were forced to provide their own entertainment, such as it might be. A favor­ite mode of travel was horseback or carriage; with oil lamps to give light to all ru­ral homes. The first practical typewriter came in 1874, with the electric light some years after that. It is stated by some that the electric light has been the most bene­ficial invention for mankind in all history, and we would certainly not quarrel with that. But it also came after the Lord had come – a sound secular evidence that the Lord had indeed come. After the Civil War the people were still harvesting their wheat, bar­ley, etc., with sickles and scythes; it required a very good team of horses to plow and prepare two acres of land for planting in one day – a dawn-to-dusk day, not an eight-hour day. Today it is ordinary procedure for a large tractor to prepare and plant 75 acres in one day. “Knowledge shall be increased,” and only the spiritually blind cannot read the signs of the times in such things.

The desolation of Palestine began in the fall of 607 BC., and is paralleled by the beginning of the desolation of Christendom in 1914. Thus, we may logically look for parallel happenings in both “houses of Israel.” Today the youth are calling many of the turns in our social order; 18-year-olds are now given the vote. They are also in­timidating their teachers in many parts of the country – so much so that the teachers are afraid to correct or discipline them for fear of the knife, the club, or the gas pipe after school. Note the charge against Jewry about 100 years before Jerusalem was leveled: “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” (Isa. 3:12) All of us have recognized that there is always bedlam in any home where the children run riot without correction. All of these things, and many more, are but the “signs” that point to the second presence of Jesus.

We have been told – although we have no written proof for it – that That Servant pre­dicted that most of those who had “come out of her,” and had joined themselves to him, would again be ensnared in Babylon before the Age came to full end. We are now witness to this also. Truly, he was “wise.”

SITTING IN MOSES’ SEAT

Said Jesus just before His death: “The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat”—Matt. 23:2. The full significance of this is not discerned until we understand the custom of that time, which was just the reverse of what we have today. At that time the speaker, or teacher, sat, as the audience or pupils stood. This was so pronounced then that in the Talmud “to sit” is almost synonymous with “to teach.” An instance of this is Matt. 5:1: “When He was set, His disciples came unto Him. And He opened His mouth, and taught them.” Therefore, when Jesus said that those Jewish leaders sat in the seat of Moses, He meant that they occupied the teaching position in Israel. This is further confirmed in John 18:13,14: “They led Him away to Annas first, for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.” Note now the Berean Comment on verse 13: “High priest... And, therefore, un­til the rejection of the Jewish House, was to a certain extent God’s mouthpiece.”

That same condition would also apply here in the end of the Age. “Babylon hath been a golden cup (the golden cup being the Divine Truth) in the Lord’s hand.” But she was rejected from such position in 1881, until today there is no semblance of God’s mouthpiece at all in Big Babylon. Thus, we must look elsewhere for the counterpart of those Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day; and it doesn’t require much insight to find them in Little Babylon – the outstanding example being Jehovah’s Witnesses. Are they not telling the world that they are the only gate to salvation? And, in their attempt to construct a tower (gateway) to Heaven, have they not had their tongues sadly con­fused – a “Babel” of most repellent sort? Let us note once more that Moses was a type of the Star Members of this Age, of which That Servant was a most prominent one. But the Witnesses now claim succession to him as mouthpiece to Christendom – to take up where he left off; they claim the teaching Position to Christendom. Therefore, they, by their own admission, do claim to sit in the seat of antitypical Moses. In lesser degree this same thing is true of the leader of the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement, who also openly proclaims himself “the Pastor and Teacher” of that group since 1950. Thus, he also attempts to “sit in Moses’ seat.”

During the Age the Roman Church soon learned that they could tell their adherents most any wierd sort of yarn, and they would believe it. In fact, if they did not be­lieve it, they were not “good Catholics.” The Witnesses have followed in exact pat­tern: their adherents must also believe just what they teach. If any one in their midst persists in asking questions that may appear to contradict what is published in the Watch Tower, it will not be long until he is disfellowshiped – after which the “faithful” are instructed not even to speak to him if they see him on the street. The leader of the LHMM also follows in exact fashion; he, too, has learned that he can tell his trusting adherents the flimsiest sort of falsehoods, give them any kind of un­scriptural advice, and they also will follow meekly along. And, if they do not, he im­mediately looses the counsel to “avoid them.”

It thus becomes pertinent here to offer some more from Parousia Vol. 2, pp. 29-31:

 “We have great sympathy for the First Adventists, the Jews, and the Second Adventists, though only a few of either realized the truths they so nearly apprehended, yet failed to grasp, blinded by false expectations. Our Adventist friends have failed to recognize both the manner and the object of the Lord’s return as taught in the Scriptures; con­sequently, they have not been expecting to see Him as He is, but as He was. They con­sider the object of His coming one which will fill the hearts of all except the saints. with dismay and terror; that His object is to gather the elect, destroy all others of mankind, and burn up the world. Having such ideas, they used time prophecy as a whip to scourge and drive the world to God (as the Witnesses are now also doing through the threat of destruction in Armageddon—JJH).... God provided time prophecies for no such purpose, nor will He attempt to convert the world in any such way; for He seeketh such to worship Him as worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23), and not such as are fright­ened into His service. (Here is a direct contradiction to the technique of the Witnes­ses, as they claim to “sit in Moses’ seat” – as successors to That Servant—JJH) If He designs to terrorize men into obedience, He could have devised some more successful method than the proclamation of time, as our Adventist friends have proved. Prophetic time was given, not to alarm the world, nor for the world in any sense, but to strengthen, comfort, encourage and guide the Church in the troublous times in the end of the Age. Therefore, it is written, None of the wicked (the world in general—JJH) shall understand, but the wise only (those who have accepted the Wisdom from above—JJH). To these this becomes meat in due season (the faithful and wise servant was to “give them meat in due season”—JJH), and it, with other meat, strengthens those who use it, so that they may be able to stand in the evil day (in which we now find ourselves—JJH), the day of trouble with which this Age closes. It will enable them to understand the events tran­spiring around them, so that they will not be consumed by fear and dread (by the threat of Hell Fire, or Armageddon blood bath—JJH), not swallowed up by the projects and false theories, science falsely so-called, with which this day abounds. And, withal, they may be in the devouring fire (trouble), witnesses for God and His plan, and teachers of the people - pointers to the outcome of Jehovah’s plan, lifting up a standard for the people—­Isa. 62:10.”

In the above quotation from That Servant it is clearly discernible that he taught that as long as sin and evil are in the ascendancy – and no one in sound mind will dis­pute that fact – the “call” is not for the world in general. Only the “elect” who make the promises their own are able to stand trial for life now, in faith and obedience. But the Witnesses set aside that logical teaching, and tell the world they MUST accept them and their present system of error, or die in Armageddon, with no hope of a resurrection. And why do they teach such? Because they have had their chance, they say. To those who cannot accept their teachings now in “this present evil world” they offer no hope for any kind of future life. Thus, they preach the Kingdom, but without the “glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.” Not even their own “dedi­cated” devotees can have “fullness of joy” in this teaching, because many of their own dear friends and relatives are not joining with them, and will, they apparently believe, subsequently suffer annihilation.

Just a little reflection should reveal how ridiculous is their present position. They themselves admit their imperfections, their fallibility and monstrous mistakes of the past (such as Millions Now Living Will Never Die, the return of the Ancient Worthies by 1925, etc.). “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9); and they will not learn it from fallible teach­ers who are not themselves certain of many of their teachings (such as the chronology, etc.), but they will learn it from perfect teachers, who will be “princes in all the earth.” “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isa. 2:3)

As That Servant has so well taught, the Truth is not for the world now, though there be many good and honorable people who have a measure of appreciation for the “good tid­ings” – the gospel, the good news – but do not accept it in the full sense. They are not of the “many that are called,” but are measurably blinded by “the god of this world.” And certainly a blind man cannot be justly faulted if he stubs his toe against a stone. “I desired mercy (not condemnation for those who cannot comprehend), and not sacrifice (feverish efforts on street corners – a “zeal not according to knowledge”), and the knowledge of God (the true understanding of the great Plan of the Ages as it was explained by That Servant) more than burnt offerings.”

There are leaders of other Truth groups, too, who would come under the criticisms mentioned herein – although not to the same extreme degree. Some of these can no longer attempt to teach Parousia Volumes Two and Three, because the chronology and time fea­tures presented in those books are in violent contrast to their present teachings – al­beit some of these leaders still claim to accept That Servant. Indeed, the Scripture applies pointedly to them: “The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. The Lord shall rise up... that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.” (Isa. 28:20,21)

“There is none so blind as he who will not see” – but this does not apply to the fully faithful who “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” (2 Tim. 3:14) They do this from a “good and honest heart” and can readily discern between Truth and Error, thereby continue to “grow in Grace and in the Knowledge” of our Beloved Lord. “Light (truth) is sown for the righteous (the consecrated), and gladness (the joys of the truth) for the upright in heart (for the fully faithful).”

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

NO. 190: THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

No. 190

My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!

 “I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings,” says Hos. 6:6. This subject of knowledge, especially so with the “know­ledge of God,” has been bandied about by all classes from the least unto the greatest; and a little reflection readily makes evident that it must be embellished with copious qualifications if it is to be retained in proper balance. Almost every virtue becomes a vice when overdone; therefore, almost every virtue requires a companion virtue if it is to be maintained in good perspective. This is certainly true of knowledge, because St. Paul says that “knowledge puffeth up, but love buildeth up.” The great Apostle is not here putting a slur on knowledge, because no one can have too much knowledge if that knowledge is given proper balance by the grace of love.

“The spirit of a sound mind” implies that such a person has all four of the Divine attributes in reasonable proportion – each companion to the other three prorated to its correct position. Knowledge is acquaintance with fact, clear perception of truth; and wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Thus, a man who is gifted chiefly with knowledge may be said to be an intellectual man; one with knowledge and power, an aus­tere man; one with knowledge, power and justice, a righteous man; and one with know­ledge (wisdom), power, justice and love is a “good man.” And to one possessing these four the promise is sure and certain that his “steps are ordered of the Lord.”

We often hear the remark that “knowledge is not the essential thing”; but this statement is only a half truth, and – “Half truths are more misleading than whole errors.” St. Paul does indeed say that love is the principal thing – that “love is the bond of per­fectness” (Col. 3:14).And none with that “bond of perfectness” will ever be rejected by the Lord, will never fall from the Class in which he finds himself. No Saint ever lost his crown so long as he retained that “bond”; and no Youthful Worthy will ever fall from his Class if he has and retains that bond. As Brother Johnson has so well stated, it is not required of Youthfuls that they develop Agape love; but they should certainly do so if they have the capacity to do so. Some may not be able to do this; but it should be readily evident that if they can and do acquire it, then they have also the “bond of perfectness,” which none can give nor take away – the possessor of that “bond” can never encounter shipwreck in his walk by faith.

Above we quoted St. Paul’s statement that love is the principal thing, but here also qualification is necessary, because no one ever developed Agape love without pa­tience, and none can retain it without that adorning grace. It is of such importance that St. Paul mentions it last in Titus 2:2 in his admonition to be “sober, grave, tem­perate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.” Jesus had perfect love, but this He retained only through His perfection in patience – “He steadfastly (in full patience) set His face to go to Jerusalem.” But we must go beyond patience in our qualification of Agape love. Before patience must come faith; and before faith must come knowledge – “the knowledge of God.” This is emphasized in Romans 10:14–17: “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard (received sufficient knowledge to enable them to be­lieve)? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Clearly, then, in the primary sense the “knowledge of God” is the principal thing; without that knowledge there could be no faith; without faith “It is impossible to please God,” and without faith none could possibly gain that principal thing – Agape love. It has been our observation that those who would discount the virtue of know­ledge – “not the essential thing” – are those who possess very little of it; and their contention is simply a lame alibi for their glaring incapacity – “My people per­ish for lack of knowledge.” We are instructed to “study to show thyself approved unto God”; and we are to account those elders “worthy of double honor... who labor in word and doctrine (the knowledge of God).” (I Tim. 5:17)

And with such servants abides the assurance of faith – they know that they know. Nor need such assurance “puff up” if that knowledge is moderated by Agape love. If such knowledge is not moderated by Agape love, such people will lose it as prophesied in 2 Thes. 2:10,11 – and God will send them “strong delusion” that they should believe a lie (errors and false doctrine). The Egyptians have a proverb: “He who knows, but knows not that he knows, is timid – encourage him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is ignorant – teach him. He who knows not, and knows not he knows not, is a fool – shun him. But he who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise – follow him “ Surely, the last two Principal Men knew, and knew that they knew; the Scriptures speci­fically state of one of them that he was “wise”; and our trust was well placed as we followed them. Also, it was prophetically written of the Epiphany Solomon (1 Kgs. 3: 12): “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.” Therefore, those who recognize Brother Johnson as the good Epiphany Solomon will proceed most cautiously before attempting to dispute any of his faithful Scriptural teachings. Neither of the Laodicean “stars” deemed it essential to be “as the actors,” to use the tricks of ora­tory, or the flummery of the stage, much of which is simply humbug. A pleasant anecdote is related of Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist: Some neighborhood boys attempted a prank upon him by catching a grasshopper, tearing off its wings and long hind legs, then substituting the wings of a wasp and parts of several other bugs. They then showed him their artifice, asking him if he could tell them what kind of a bug it was. “Did it make a humming noise when you first caught it out in the field”? he asked. “Oh, yes; it made a very loud humming noise when we first grabbed it.” “Then,” replied Mr. Darwin, “it’s a ‘hum’-bug.”

Such is much the case with a large part of our present–day estimation of the “know­ledge of God.” A very prominent Evangelist recently said to his audience, “Coming to Christ is not dependent on understanding. I don’t understand the digestive system, but I eat.” The superficiality of this statement is readily apparent. The Evangelist him­self may not understand his digestive system; but other human beings do understand it, and this enables him to go on living. Had the human race not learned early in history that some of our vegetation is deadly poison which would destroy the digestive system, none would have survived unto this day. The Evangelist’s physician understands the di­gestive system, and he hires that physician to keep his digestive system in proper con­dition. And by the same rule of measure the preacher should understand what he is feed­ing the flock – and should feed them the true “knowledge of God” – if he would save them from spiritual indigestion. Presumably, they are paying him to do just that – just as the Evangelist pays his doctor to keep him physically well.

In our courts of law it is a fundamental rule of interpretation that “Ignorance of the law excuses no one”; and it requires no great insight to realize that if this were not true bedlam would prevail in all quarters. However, the rigidity of human law is not always operative in God’s law under present undone conditions, because we are speci­fically told in Acts 17:30 that “this ignorance God winked at”; that is, He made due allowance for the inherited and acquired frailties of the human race, who through ignorance knew not God. But this should not be seized upon as an over–all excuse for violation of the Divine order of affairs. Brother Russell has stressed that we are held account­able for what we have opportunity to know; howbeit, of him that hath little shall little be required.

In Parousia Volume Six there are two chapters devoted to Order and Discipline in the New Creation and The Law of the New Creation, which are there for a purpose. They are pungent with the “knowledge of God,” provided by God during this Harvest time for the guidance of His people, and binding upon all of us who claim to be in “Present Truth” ­regardless of the laxities practiced by those about us. Of the Jews it was written (Zech. 7:12): “They made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law... therefore, came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts,” the same being a shadow be­fore of the conduct of spiritual Israel during this Gospel Age, and especially so in the end of the Age. “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.”

Of course, the tendency of the times is to discount the “knowledge of God” – it doesn’t matter what you believe, so long as you are headed in the right direction. Therefore, take no exceptions to your neighbor’s beliefs; they are just as good as yours. We know this to be a direct contradiction to St. Paul’s teaching that there is but “one faith.” In E–9:512 (bottom) there is this: “The Lord does not despise know­ledge and talent, as some mistakenly think, but, if sanctified, uses them advantageously for His cause, yet He certainly does not put the main emphasis on them, which main empha­sis He lays upon characteristics of the heart.” Yet St. Paul so often remarks, “I would not have you ignorant, brethren.” Also, “By His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.” It was by His knowledge that He explained the types and shadows of the Old Testament and “brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” And at the very time He was doing this the critical statement was given to the Jews, “Israel hath a zeal, but not according to knowledge.”

Knowledge of things past often helps us accurately to diagnose present events, and to arrive at proper interpretations of difficult Scriptures. Many have been the attempts of critics to condemn the Bible because of its statement, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (loved less)”; but, knowledge of the custom then prevailing that the elder son must fast while the younger feasted upon the birthday of a prominent ancestor offers a clear and reasonable explanation of the matter. “The law of the Lord is perfect..... making wise the simple.” (Psa. 19:7)

In Detroit at present there is a reciprocal understanding among many of the mini­sters of the different sects regarding ‘mixed’ marriages to this effect: If, say, a Lutheran comes to his minister to be married to a Methodist, the Lutheran minister per­forms the service; then advises them to determine both to attend the same church. If the bride doesn’t like the minister who has just joined her in wedlock, or if she cannot accept the Lutheran faith, then the minister advises his own member to follow his bride to the Methodist Church; or vice versa. Thus, in the overall figures, all is balanced up – and every one is happy. This means there is no longer controversy over what is the “knowledge of God”; if there be any conflict, it is now chiefly over personalities “there is no live coal to warm them,” no living doctrinal Truth in its purity to stir their icy spiritual blood (Isa. 47:14). “They are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter” (Isa. 56:11). Don’t expose my ignorance, and I won’t expose yours, they say; and each of us will prosper in out own bailiwick. (See Berean Comments on Isa. 56:11)

But, if we would be better used of the Lord, it is essential that we have a cer­tain amount of knowledge, although some with limited knowledge and inherent wisdom (the proper application of knowledge) often accomplish more than others with great knowledge but endowed with less wisdom. Therefore, Solomon says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding.” Companion thoughts are excellently expressed by both Star Members in the May 14 Manna Comments:

“What is it to grow in grace? It is to grow in favor with the Lord through an inti­mate personal acquaintance and fellowship of spirit with Him.... To grow thus in grace and not in knowledge is impossible.... If, therefore, we love and obey the Lord and de­sire to grow in His favor, His written word is our daily meditation and study; and thus we grow in knowledge.”

Errorists and superficial teachers offer just the reverse of the foregoing to their devotees. When the Church of Rome was in its heyday it is well stated that its motto was: Reading is doubt; doubt is heresy; and heresy is Hell. That is, any who endeavored to inform themselves were doubting the infallibility of their leaders; and such must certainly be only the course of the heretic. This was indeed the “doctrine of Balaam.... the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.” (Rev. 2:14–15) Such are the antitypical Baal worshipers, who endeavor by sleight–of–hand and great oratorical shouting to overawe the “unstable and the unlearned.” It should be noted that Baal was the Sun God – Lord of the Day – a fitting type of power–graspers and cler­icalists. At night the Heavens are filled with millions of stars, many of them much larger than our sun; yet they are all completely obscured during the daytime. They are still in their respective places, of course, but they are not visible to the human eye because of the daytime splendor of the sun. And such is much the condition of Gospel Age power–graspers; they have outshone the true ­Star Members; have “cast their brethren out” and built up Great and Little Babylon; yet the promise is sure to all the fully faithful – “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.” And this exaltation will be one without end!

In this connection, be it noted that the orbit of the sun is from the East to the South to the West. But those who follow Baal cannot ever receive any exaltation from the true God. Therefore, it is written, “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south” – that is, no promotion from God to those who follow the course of Baal. In 1 Kings 18 is recorded the experience of Elijah with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal – one against 450. There had been a long drought in the land, the country was blistering under the unrelenting rays of the burning sun. Therefore, Elijah gave those prophets of Baal every possible advantage when he told them to try their hand first – to kill their bullock, put it on the altar, and call upon Baal, their Sun God, at high noon to ignite the wood under their sacrifice. Well did they realize the mockery that would come upon them if they failed under such advantageous circumstances, which prompted them to call out, “O Baal, hear us... And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them.... and they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives.” Then, when they were forced to admit failure (about three o’clock in the afternoon – ­v. 29, “the evening sacrifice”), Elijah then instructed that twelve barrels of water be poured upon his offering, after which fire came from Heaven and consumed his sacrifice. “Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob... and built an altar in the name of the Lord,” which altar was typical of the Fully Faith­ful of the Gospel-Age spiritual Elijah, twelve being a Little Flock number – just as was true of the altar constructed by Joshua (Josh. 4:5, 9).

While the Gospel-Age Elijah has always had the assurance that “Thou hearest me always,” fortified as they have been by the knowledge of God, which gave them a “mouth and Wisdom which none of their adversaries were able to gainsay nor resist,” seldom were given the spectacular outward approval which came to the Prophet Elijah in his encounter with the Prophets of Baal that fateful day. In fact, in many instances dur­ing this Gospel Age the Baal worshipers (power–graspers) have gained the ascendancy ­as instance the victory of Calvin over Miletus Servetus, etc.; yet the fully faithful have striven with the strength of Samson and the skill of the warrior David in their use of the knowledge of God. It should not be expected, of course, that all would demon­strate the ability of the Star Members in the use of this knowledge – although many have assumed they could do so. We recall the occasion when a gainsayer gave us the argument that Christ died and rose again “according to the Scriptures” – that this proved it was not actually true, but was only “according to the Scriptures,” which were unreliable in their records.

It has been contended by some in our midst that the Truth has always come first, then followed by error. This is only a half truth; and half truths are more mislead­ing than whole errors. In the broad sense, the Bible, which is the Truth, has been first, of course; but Micah 5:5 clearly states that “when the Assyrian (the errorists) shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise up against him seven shepherds and eight principal men.” This is in keeping with Prov. 24:16 – “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” The “just man” of this Gospel Age has been the fully faithful justified Christ Company, which fell into obscurity as much error sprang up about them after the death of each Star Member. We need only look at the Lutheran Church, the Meth­odist Church, the Adventists and others to note the force of this contention. If Martin Luther, Wesley, Miller, et al, came back they would be unable to find their teachings in those organizations that now claim to be their followers. In our time we have the in­stance of Brother Russell, and with what speed the falling occurred after he died. Je­hovah’s Witnesses bear no more resemblance to the truths he espoused and the organization he set up than does a vulture to a swan. The measurably faithful made quick havoc of his good work – just as uncleansed Levites are doing all about us – some more, some less. And, as we observe this state of affairs, it behooves us all the more to equip ourselves with “the knowledge of God” to the extent of our natural and acquired providential cir­cumstances. The world in general, of course, “knows not God”; and the great mass of Christian believers quite evidently have very little of the “knowledge of God.” There is the constant and irrepressible conflict, the battle of darkness against light, and – “The darkness hateth the light because it is reproved by it.” But the “knowledge of God” is for “the children of light,” who zealously try to pass it on to others, although with very limited success against the opposition of the “god of this world.” Therefore, it confers its greatest blessing upon its possessor; hence, the words of Solomon, “Buy the Truth (the knowledge of God), and sell it not.” To such, and to such alone, applies the promise of Psalms 91:10 – “Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” Such are the members of that “one Church, which in its entirety is the steward and administrator of the Truth (the knowledge of God), to preserve and defend it from error and to administer it for the benefit of the responsive.” (E-8:253) And such will be in full agreement with the slogan of Brother Johnson’s letterhead as respects the Knowledge of God – “The noblest science; the best instructions.” To which we would add, “that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), and “He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.” (Isa. 57:2)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint of No. 79, Feb. 1, 1962)

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 QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION. – “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”(Matt. 19:24) – The Jehovah’s Witnesses say this means exactly what it says, and the ‘needle’ is a literal needle. If that is true, then wouldn’t it be impossible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom – i.e., have any part in the elective salvation?

ANSWER: – Brother Russell has explained this passage in this way: “A small gateway of ancient cities, used at night; camels could pass through unloaded and on their knees only.” That is a reasonable explanation, and in harmony with the Truth and its spirit. It is certainly true that the rich have to ‘unload’ – i.e., they are as much in need of a Savior as the poor, although the vast majority can’t see that. Jesus also said, “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:23) But in that statement He also teaches that there is a possi­bility of some entering the Kingdom.” All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake he not unto them.” (Matt. 13:34) At this same time His disciples were exceedingly amazed, and said – Who then can be saved? Jesus answered that “with God all things are possible.” If we take that Scripture without qualification, then we would say that it is possible for God to lie.” That by two im­mutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong conso­lation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” (Heb. 6:18)

It has been said that God must love the poor, because He made so many of them. It is self–evident that the “poor of this world” are better prepared to enter the King­dom than the rich, because they have less to overcome in many instances. As Jesus has said, It is harder for a rich man. The poor more often feel the need for a Savior ­far more than the rich, the mighty and the noble of this world. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Cor. 1:27) However, there have been some rich men that have truly “humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God,” as we can see from Church history. They are those who did not place their trust in their possessions, and were faithful stewards of their wealth. “He that trus­teth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” (Prov. 11:28)

One outstanding example of such is “St.” Francis of Assisi, born in 1182 of a rich merchant in Assisi in Umbria. His proper name was Giovanni Bernardone; but he is known in Roman Catholic circles as St. Francis of Assisi, or The poor little rich man. Motivated by the words of Jesus in Matt. 19:21, “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven,” he did just that – dis­posing of all his treasures, he became the first of the begging friars, whose shibboleth was, Help the poor, help the poor. Thus, one historian writes of him:

“In the unexampled power of his self–denial and renunciation of the world, in the pure simplicity of his heart, in the warmth of his love to God and man, in the blessed riches of his poverty, St. Francis was like a heavenly stranger in a selfish world.

“Any who wished to join him were required to distribute all their possessions among the poor, and dress in the poor clothing of the order..... to carry out in their per­sonal lives the ideal of poverty, joined with loving service in institutions for the poor, the sick, and the lepers.”

Of course, all of the foregoing in itself would not make of any one a saint; and it is quite probable that Francis cannot be counted among that “elect” group. Justi­fication for this conclusion is found, we believe, in his attempt to “tempt the Lord,” as he endeavored to convert the Moslems to Christianity in Africa, Sicily and Spain. Here is what the record says of him on that occasion:

“St. Francis himself started this work when he entered the camp of the Sultan Camel and bade him kindle a fire and cause that he himself with one of the Moslem priests should be cast into it. When the imam present shrank away at these words, St. Francis offered to go alone into the fire if the Sultan would promise to accept Christianity along with his people should he pass out of the fire uninjured. The Sultan refused to promise, but sent the saint away unhurt with presents, which, however, he returned.”

Indeed, “Many shall say unto Me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in Thy name cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will plainly declare to them, I never approved of you.” (Matt. 7:22,23, Dia.) Had the course of Francis been the correct one, St. Paul would certainly have prodded those wealthy Corinthian brethren to do as Francis had done.

There have been some also who have failed because of their possessions – whether those possessions were greater intellect, wealth, or other talents. Their trials and temptations are greater, but the Lord will give them corresponding strength if they continue in humility and obedience – if they look to Him in full faith and faithful­ness. Their responsibility, too, is correspondingly greater. That doesn’t mean that the poor won’t have severe temptations, too. Some of the ‘poor’ who “would be rich” if they could be, have much the same severe temptations. “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (I Tim. 6:9)

The Berean Comment on this text says,

“That will to be rich, whether they succeed or not.... Who are determined to be rich at all hazards.” In 1 Tim. 6:10 (Dia.) we read: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which while some longing after, wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves around with many sorrows.” Certainly, this does not apply to money itself, for without money we can do very little in the Lord’s work. And there are quite a few people who “love” money even though they have very little of it – and some who have money, but do not love it – value it – above that which is right and proper.

We have known those who had nothing to go out and “stomp” for equal distribution of the wealth of the country – for socialism, etc., but when they came into money they changed their views. Of course, among the Lord’s people those who have more of this world’s goods also have more responsibility – just as those who have more knowledge of the Truth, and are in position to impart that knowledge, have more responsibility to the brethren and to the world. Possessions of any kind are to be treated the same as a stewardship of which we are expected to be faithful. Blessed are we when we can appraise what we have and what we are in proper perspective, because then we will be the better enabled to serve the Lord in Truth and in deed. However, we are to appraise our own and not the possessions of others. We are not stewards of the possessions of others. We might qualify this, as it may be proper enough at times to apprise a Brother or Sis­ter of his “opportunities of service,” if done in a loving and helpful spirit, and for his own best interests. Brother Russell had occasion to do this at times when brethren didn’t seem to realize they had such “opportunities of service” – either in ability to serve in public speaking or in some other capacity.

It will be noticed that there are many Scriptures regarding the poor – how we should not oppress them, etc., with nothing said about “oppressing” the rich. There is a reason for this, we believe. Usually the rich (whether in the Household of Faith or in the world) can look after themselves, because they have had more opportunity of edu­cation, business experience, etc. And, too, because there has been, and still is to some extent, power in money. So there is no warning in the Scriptures – not to “oppress” or misuse the rich – altho, in some cases they have been abused and misused. Today the slogan is to “soak the rich” – take advantage of them in any way you can. We are living in that special period when it is indeed “woe unto the rich”! This is especially true of those who “withholdeth more than is meet” (Prov. 11:24) – that is, those of the House­hold and those of the world who are miserly with the poor. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you..... Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.” (James 5:1,4) Some of this ‘crying’ has already begun.

Some of the Lord’s people who have had much in this world’s goods have unselfishly ministered it to their brethren, and to others with whom they have had to do; and some have unstintingly supported their sects – both in Big Babylon and Little Babylon – be­lieving they were “giving to the Lord.” And if such were their hearts’ attitude they will be blessed in “due time” with the Truth. And in this they have apparently been “examples of the believers” to many. However, the real examples of the believers are those who like Jesus, gave their all to “bear witness to the Truth” – and they diligently studied God’s Word to know what is Truth. They willingly and gladly accepted the Truth and its responsibilities, and “Through honor and dishonor, through evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true.... giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed.” (2 Cor. 6,8,3)

All who have received the Parousia and Epiphany Truth are much blessed in every way, and it is our hope and prayer they will daily seek to be faithful to that Truth, and be a living (active) “example of the believers.” May the Lord bless all who are endeavoring to “walk in His steps,” and enable them to come off victors, whether they have little or much of this world’s goods.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n

Dear Sirs:

You sent my mother some copies of two Special Editions you put out. They were No. 1 and No. 2. I would like to have one each of as many of these as are available.

I also would like to be on your mailing list for future publications would be grateful for any assistance you could be to me.

Sincerely ------- (GEORGIA)

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Dear Sir: Greetings in Jesus Name!

I believe that if ever we need the Gospel preached, it is now. I’ve been a Christian for the past four years, and I believe that Christ is coming soon. I also be­lieve that Jesus is God, and that Cain is of the Devil. Immersion in the name of Jesus Christ is the proper baptism.

What do you think of these things? Do you see it like I do, or is there another way you see it? I would like to know and would be very thankful if you can also send me a copy of each edition of your magazine. Also I have some Christian friends that I would like you to send copies of each of your magazines, as listed below. Thanking you in advance, I am –

Your brother in Christ ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

The book, “Daily Heavenly Manna” has been received, and I use it every day. I like it very much – and together with the other material you have given me, it is making a noticeable change in my life. You mentioned my health, which by the way, is excellent. I thank you for your evident concern. My spiritual health was never as well, thanks to you.

Yours in Christ ------- (NEW JERSEY)

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Dear Mr. Hoefle:

Thanks so much for your prompt reply and for sending the books. I should re­ceive them in a few weeks. My sister and her husband are in the process of moving, but I will give you her address..... The name of the friends who loaned me the book is ------- They are here on Okinawa at present.

I must finish this and get to the Post Office. You will be hearing from me again. I thank God for the Epiphany Bible Students Association! May He richly bless you.

 Sincerely ------- (OKINAWA)

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Dear Friends:

Please send two copies each of the following: No.1 – Where are the Dead? No. 2 – What is the Soul? No. 3 – The Resurrection of the Dead. Many thanks!

Sincerely ------- (OHIO)

Dear Mr. Hoefle: A friend of mine told me that you had some good material available for Bible information and study. Do you publish a magazine? I would like samples of some of your material. Are you at all associated with any other group?

If there is cost involved in what you send, I would be happy to pay for the material by return mail.

Sincerely yours ------- (CALIFORNIA)