NO. 398: TO THE JEW FIRST

No. 398

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

In Rom. 2:10 St. Paul makes this statement: “Glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.” Since we entered the tribulation period in 1914 the Jews have been the object of much and varied con­troversy; and we may logically expect more of it before lasting peace is established in the earth.

This uproar has not only been by way of armed conflict, but the lit­erary conflict has kept pace with it. And, as should be expected, much of the liter­ature has been badly tainted with error – an epidemic of it; so it seems timely to offer an analysis of some of these contentions.

Anglo-Israelism: The Theories of this organization have received rather wide ac­ceptance in some parts of society, the kernel of the teaching being briefly this: The real Jews are not those claiming to be such, but the real ones are actually the Brit­ish nation. They tell us that the name is from two Hebrew words – Brith and Ish ­the meaning of which is Chosen Man, which is a fitting description of the British peo­ple. And, as may be expected, they produce Scripture to ‘prove’ their point:

“Whereas thou has been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee (this was especially true after the Reformation uprising shook off the papal yoke, and England became one of the chief targets of Roman opposition), I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou also shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings (Up to 1914 it could be properly stated that England’s sun never sets. Its far-flung empire was a special source of pride to the English people; they were a dominating force throughout the world.); and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver (the revenue from places such as India, South Africa, etc., was exceptionally great), and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors (revenue collectors) righteousness.” (Isa. 60: 15–17) Rotherham’s translation of verse 16 is even more emphatic: “Thou shalt derive sweet nourishment from the nations, Yea on the bounty of kings thou shalt be sustained.”

Additional ‘proof’ is produced from Isa. 61:6: “Ye shall be named the priests of the Lord: men shall call you the ministers of our God: Ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.” It needs no argument that the general import of these Scriptures did seem pertinent to England up to 1914; London was the financial center of the world. Most of the financing of the nations was done through English banks; none dared offend them lest their credit be cut off.

Be it noted that the Anglo-Israelites do not claim that the English represent the whole twelve tribes of Israel, but merely the ten “lost” tribes – that part called Is­rael after the revolt separated the ten tribes from the two tribes of Judah and Benja­min when Solomon died. Jeroboam was the first king of the ten tribes, and he pro­ceeded immediately to corrupt their religion; and he and succeeding kings proceeded to deprave the ten tribes much more than was true in the two tribes. Therefore, the Lord finally sent Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, to wage war against them; and he com­pletely defeated them in 739 B. C., at which time most of the ten tribes were carried away into Assyrian captivity. (2 Kgs. 18:9–11) To replace the captives  the Assyrian King sent a horde of heathen Babylonians, who corrupted the Jews that remained and introduced their heathenish religion in the land. This conglomerate multitude became known as Samaritans; and were much detested by the two tribes.

By the time the two tribes were carried off captive to Babylon (133 years later) the ten tribes had become widely scattered – so much so that history does not give a clear account of what became of them. Thus, they became “lost”; and the contention is that they finally settled in what is now England, that the English people presently are the true descendants of those ten lost tribes; and are in fact the real Jews. The word Jews occurs for the first time in the Bible in 2 Kgs. 16:6. It is a distortion of the word Judah, which eventually was pronounced Joods, then Jews. Thus the two tribes are Jews, not Israelites; and, say some, Jesus made this clear distinction to the Apos­tles in Matt. 10:5: “Go not in the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samar­itans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” From this Scripture they contend Jesus was telling His disciples to find the ten “lost” tribes (lost sheep of Israel).

Just a superficial examination of this last text should convince any unbiased mind that Jesus did not mean anything like what this cult now tries to read into it, because not one of the Apostles ever went to England; and some of them certainly would have done so had Jesus told them to do it. In fact, about the first authentic date in his­tory for England is established at 55 BC, at which time Julius Caesar invaded the Is­land; and that was just 85 years before Jesus began His ministry. Furthermore, the undisputed records tell us that the first conversion to Christianity in England was in Kent in 597 AD by St. Augustine. That was about 500 years after the last of the Apostles died. Therefore, any one who would try to use Matt. 10:5 to prove Anglo-Is­raelism must be in desperate straits for something to say concerning the error.

Here is a quotation from one authority on the subject: “Jew – One belonging to the tribe or to the Kingdom of Judah. Then the meaning was extended, and the word was applied to any one of the Hebrew race who returned from the Captivity (in 536 BC – ­JJH); and finally it comprehended all persons of that race throughout the world (Matt. 2:2).” Matt. 2:2 says Jesus was “King of the Jews” – not King of the Israelites. And Rom. 2:10 says “to the Jew first” – not to the Israelite first. Thus, if we would make any discrimination at all between the ten tribes and the two tribes, we would be forced to conclude that it is the Israelites who are not Jews. But it is well estab­lished that parts of all twelve tribes returned from the Captivity in 536 BC, although the larger number were from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

OTHER VAGARIES

Another publication attacks the Jews from a different angle: “Any student of the Scripture knows that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. He is a Galilean and an Israelite. The apostates which crucified our Lord and perpetuate the hate for our Lord were identi­fied by Jesus when He said: “If ye were the children of Abraham, ye would do the works of Abraham, but ye are of your father the Devil, a liar from the foundation of the earth.” Taking figurative statements of the Bible and attempting to apply them liter­ally has wrought no end of confusion throughout Christendom during the entire Gospel Age. Certainly, those people who were bantering Jesus did not actually have the Devil as their father; they were human beings the same as the rest of us, except with different characters. Rev. 5:5 specifically says Jesus is “The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David”; and Heb. 7:14, Dia. is even more to the point: “It is very plain that our Lord has sprung from Judah.” Thus, when they say “any student of the Scripture knows that Jesus Christ was not a Jew,” it is clear enough that they study only such Scriptures as can be applied to their own ideas. Any Scripture that contradicts them is blithely ignored – as though it did not exist.

These same people also declare that Jesus Himself was an outstanding Jew hater; so we offer another pertinent Scripture that directly contradicts that thought: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven.... If you love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matt. 5:43–45) And further in 1 Cor. 2:8: “Had they (the Jews) known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.”

Yet more: This same group contends that the Jews are the Antichrist. Clearly enough, they do not understand the meaning of this word, which actually means “in place of Christ,” rather than “against Christ.” Once the real meaning of the word is understood, we then have no difficulty in connecting it with St. Paul’s words in 2 Thes. 2:3,4: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God... so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

Of course, St. Paul wrote the foregoing many years after Jesus had been crucified, so it could not possibly refer to the Jews. He does say that this great Apostasy (this mystery of iniquity) “doth already work,” yet its real force would not be felt un­til some future time. This same publication leans heavily upon Martin Luther in sup­port of their anti–Jewish contentions; yet here is what Martin Luther himself said con­cerning Antichrist: “The faith and the Church are at stake. I rejoice to suffer in so noble a cause. I am not worthy of so holy a trial. I feel much freer now that I am certain the pope is Antichrist... I hope none but the papists will stain their hands in my blood. Antichrist reigns... All the articles of John Huss were condemned by Anti­christ and his apostles in the synagogue of Satan... On the left Christ is washing the disciples’ feet. On the right Antichrist, the pope, is having his toes kissed by mon­archs.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses – This organization also adds its loud voice toward castiga­tion of the Jews, because the Jews generally will have no part of their teachings. They do not advocate violence against the Jews, or revile them politically, but they do pre­dict extreme violence for them in the approaching Armageddon – at which time they fore­cast the extermination of all people – including the Jews specifically – that have not joined their organization by the time the holocaust arrives.

In this the Witnesses mimic the Antichrist, who also contends the Roman Catholic Church is the one true church; and during their counterfeit reign from 799 to 1799 they were very vociferous that there could be no salvation outside their church. And we may ob­serve here that those who make such claims go more and more into error – “outer dark­ness.” This is well typified in the attempted construction of the Tower of Babel. Men said, “Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto Heaven” (Gen. 11:4). They would have insurance against another flood (in spite of the promise that “the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh” – Gen. 9:15); they would build Bab-EL (Gateway to God). As retribution for this affront, the Lord confused their tongues; they could no longer understand each other.

Thus, the effort became known as Babyl, meaning confusion – the same being typical of the efforts of the Roman Church, and presently in our day of the Witnesses, to build a “Gateway to God”; that is, WE are the one true church – no salvation outside of us – no other access to God. And just as the Roman Church lost all important Biblical truths as presented by St. Peter, so the Witnesses have also lost the great majority of that system of truths that was left with them by their so-called founder, Pastor Russell.

The time is now with us for the manifestation of persons, principles and things in a way never before done in the history of the human race. “The Lord will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of hearts.” (1 Cor. 4:5) And, while we have no thought of success in stopping present inequali­ties and erroneous teachings, we can warn those who have “an ear to hear” not to be partakers of such sins. The evils of “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4) will contin­ue apace with the sound exposures until the Lord’s Prayer is fulfilled: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.”  “Expecting and hastening the presence of the Day of God, on account of which the Heavens (the present ecclesias­tical order) being on fire will be dissolved, and the elements (various political, labor and social organizations) burning intensely will melt. But we, according to His prom­ise, are looking for new Heavens (a universal truth-motivated religious order) and a new earth (new social order), in which dwells righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:12,13, Dia.)

THE TRUTH ON THE JEWISH SITUATION

Beginning with p. 243 in Parousia Vol. 3 of Studies In The Scriptures, there is a chapter on The Restoration of Israel, some of which we shall quote, or paraphrase, with some additions of our own:

Among the relics of antiquity that have come down to our day, there is no other object of so great interest as the Jewish people. The Adversary and his blinded dupes have sought to destroy and eliminate the Jews – just as many of them have also tried to do with the Bible (“My two witnesses – the Old and the New Testament – shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days – the papal supremacy from 539 to 1799 –­ in sackcloth”––Rev. 11:3) suppressed and depressed as those that mourn for the dead. But the very fact that the Jews are here today, as a people distinguished from other peoples (in keeping with the commandment of the Lord given to them more than 2,500 years ago: “Separate yourselves from the people of the land” (Ezra 10:11), should cause any God-fearing person to realize that even in their “cast-off” condition God has overruled their preservation – just as He has preserved His inspired Word

Let us emphasize once more that all the Bible writers were Jews; and St. Paul makes a capital point of this in Rom. 3:1,2: “What advantage then hath the Jew?..... Much every way; chiefly, because unto them were committed the oracles of God.” And this statement is complemented in Rom. 3:29: “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles?” Further in  Gal. 2:15: “We who are Jews by nature.” Here St. Paul tells us that he himself is a  Jew; and he wrote a large part of the New Testa­ment.

Let us emphasize also that at the  time of the Exodus from Egypt the Jews were the only nation that worshipped but one God. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Deut. 6:4) The various heathen nations had a multiplicity of Gods – a god of war , a god for love, a god for vegetation, etc. And with all of their gods combined they could not even remotely approach the idealism that came to the Jews through their “one Lord.”

The searchers after ancient lore have untiringly questioned every inanimate ob­ject that could give a mite of historic or scientific information. Monuments, altars, tombs, relics of public and private edifices, paintings, sculptures, hieroglyphs and dead languages have all been appealed to; and some have even tried patiently to dis­cover the line of actual truth that probably inspired the many fanciful traditions, legends, songs, etc., that have come floating down the centuries in order to learn all that is possible to know of human origin, history and destiny. But a most interesting relic, and one whose history can be most easily deciphered and understood, is the Jew­ish people. In them we have a monument of antiquity of inestimable value, upon which are recorded, in clearly legible characters, the origin, the progress and final destiny of the whole human race – a living and intelligent witness of the gradual outworking of a wonderful purpose in human affairs.

As a people, they are marked as distinct and peculiar by every circumstance of their history, and by their common religious faith, as well as by every element of their manners and customs. A forceful proof of this was to be observed in the war that began in the Fall of 1973 on their Atonement Day – a day in which ordinarily the orthodox Jews refrain from food and water. Under the heat and the strain of the battle that day many of the Jewish soldiers became dehydrated and well-nigh exhausted, yet they persisted in their abstinence – although their leaders had granted them freedom from the age-old cus­tom. Thus, some of them at least still try to adhere to the Law of Moses and the Cov­enant which Moses mediated for that nation almost four thousand years ago. The national characteristics of many centuries ago are still prominent, even to their fondness for the leeks and onions and garlic of Egypt, and their stiff–necked obstinacy. As a people, they truly had much advantage every way, in having committed unto them “the oracles of God,” developing among them poets, lawyers, statesmen and philosophers, and leading them up step by step from being a nation of slaves in Egypt to be – as in the time of Solomon (the zenith of their glory) – a people distinguished and honored among the nations, attracting the wonder and admiration of the world. (1 Kgs. 4:30-34; 10: 1-29)

Since they cast off and condemned the Just One and said, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children” (Matt. 27:25), they have again suffered, even more so in many in­stances, than they did in their Old Testament stripings. This had its horrible begin­ning in the year 70 AD, when the Roman Army under Titus captured Jerusalem, destroyed their temple, and scattered them throughout the Gentile world. In their treatment of Jesus, God took the Jews at their word: When Jerusalem finally fell into the hands of the Romans, there was a circle of crosses around the City, with a dead Jew hanging on every one of them. Prophetically it has been written of them, “Fools because of their transgression (when they crucified the Lord of Glory), and because of their iniquities (their violations of the Mosaic Law), are afflicted.” (Psa. 107:17) Present-day in­stances of this are to be seen in the terrible treatment they have received in Germany, Russia, etc.

Israel has been a nation scattered and peeled – driven as exiles from country to country, from province to province, and have been deprived of almost every right and privilege which other men enjoyed. Rejecting Christianity – in its corrupted as well as in its true form – they became the objects of the contempt and relentless persecu­tion of the Church of Rome. Thus estranged from God and from their fellow-men of every nation, sad and pitiable indeed has been their miserable condition. During the relentless Papal persecutions of the Dark Ages, they have suffered in common with the saints and martyrs of Jesus – the Christian for his rejection of Antichrist, the Jew for his rejection of both Christ and Antichrist.

The treatment accorded them forced a marked change in their way of life. Canaan was a goodly land – “a land flowing with milk and honey” – so  that a large segment of that people were engaged in farming and animal husbandry. But such things could not be carried with them as they were chased from nation to nation; and this forced them into businesses of various kinds, and into the money markets. In this manner their “quick assets” (stocks, bonds, cash, etc.) could be carried with  them, so that today it is an oddity of the first rank to see a Jewish farmer. Almost all of them are in the cities, pursuing their professions or marketing their various wares; they no longer take the chance of having to leave their farms behind  them as they moved on.

Nevertheless, whether they are still blinded to God’s promise to deliver them once more, as He did from Egypt, and from their various captivities, God is faithful that promised: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the House of Judah (this certainly includes all twelve tribes): Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jer. 31:31–33)

God has not made this new covenant with Israel yet, but we can be sure that they never again will be entirely driven out from Jerusalem. He has planted them back in their own soil – in the land promised to Abraham, to him and to his seed after him for­ever – and even though we see them greatly oppressed, we can be sure that no one will drive them out of that land. The promise of God is to natural Israel – to be planted again in their homeland; but “all Israel” includes only those faithful covenant-keeping Jews: the others are counted as the heathen. And it will be through those faithful Jews that all the families of the earth will be blessed.

“The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel (the good news) unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Gal. 3:8) And we may be sure that those faithful covenant-keeping Jews who have continued in their faith during the harrowing experiences meted out to them during their “cast-off” condition, will with alacrity and joy walk up the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) under their New Covenant meliorating conditions.

Up to the time of their casting off by Jesus, the Jews were the only nation that had covenant relationship with God. “O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt. You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:1,2) Any of the people of other nations who would come into relationship with God had first to become proselyte Jews. And the same conditions will apply when the New Covenant is instituted – any who will be the recipient of those blessings must first become Jews.

So it was with the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles – the gospel was first pre­sented to the Jewish nation; and the message of Christian salvation has come to us through them. Cornelius was the first Gentile convert (Acts Chapter 10); but he had to wait for 3½ years after Jesus’ death before God would give to him the Holy Spirit. Since that time the gospel has been open alike to Jew and Gentile, although very few of the Jews have become Christians. “Blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Rom. 11:25) Nevertheless, it should be empha­sized here that the blessings and privileges of the Mosaic Law were offered “to the Jew first”; likewise, the blessings and privileges of Christianity were also offered “to the Jew first.” Also, the blessings and privileges of the New Covenant will be “to the Jew first.”

A “New Covenant” necessarily carries the inference of an Old Covenant, the same being the Law Covenant given through Moses, of which the Gentiles were not in any way included. Therefore, a new covenant could not possibly be made with the Gentiles, because they have never had an old one. Any Gentiles wishing to partake of the old covenant had to become Jews; and some of them did just that, as instance ­“Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch.” (Acts 6:5) The same limitation will apply with the New Covenant: Any who wish to receive its blessings will have to become Jews. Salvation is to the Jews.” (John 4:22)

JACOB’S TROUBLE

“These are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah (all twelve tribes are included in this). For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace (which has been occurring since 1948, and will be yet greatly increased)... Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of  Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of  it.” (Jer. 30:4-7)   Jacob is a term often applied  to  the  entire  nation of Israel in the Old Testament; but Jacob is never  used to designate the Christian church.

That ‘great day’ of the foregoing text is described in more detail in Zech. 14: 1–3: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations 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 forth 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.”

Outstanding instances of the Lord fighting for Israel in ancient times are given in Ex. 17:8-14, where Amalek and his army were decisively defeated by Joshua; and in Judges 7:15-22, where Gideon with a band of 300 men accomplished the destruction of a Midianitish army “as grasshoppers for multitude; both they and their camels were with­out number.” See also 1 Kgs. 20:1–21, where Ben–hadad and “thirty and two kings with him” lost “an hundred thousand footmen in one day.” (v. 29)

“Jacob’s Trouble” is yet some years in the future, so we are now privileged to see only the overall picture; but enough is revealed to give us a fairly good idea of the event – in keeping with the words of St. Peter: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn” (2 Pet. 1:19), the dawning day here being the inaugura­tion of the New Covenant with Israel.

Lest any of our readers should draw an overly pessimistic conclusion about Jacob’s Trouble, we would remind them of these facts: At the time they were cast off by Jesus just before His death (“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate”––Matt. 23:37) the Jews, as a nation, began their decline; and they lost their national existence com­pletely in the year 70 AD, when the Roman army scattered them throughout the earth. And from that date onward the Gentile supremacy waxed greater and greater. However, since their restoration to their homeland the Jews as a nation have been on a gradual upgrade; whereas, the Gentile nations have become steadily more shaken and distressed. And this disparity will become much more pronounced in the years immediately ahead. The writing of Isa. 60:1–3 is now markedly pertinent; “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

SUMMATION: – Those who ignore or openly contradict the foregoing interpretations are rejecting large and important parts of the Bible, whether they realize it or not. As instance, the Jehovah’s Witnesses lay great stress upon their Bible ‘proofs’ for what they teach; yet we cannot recall one instance where they have given any comment at all on Jer. 31:31-34, or Isa. 60:1-3, or upon the various statements of St. Paul concern­ing the Jew.

Neither the Jehovah’s Witnesses nor any groups who have cast out the Jews can produce any Scriptures that support their contentions about the Jews, but we can produce many Scriptures to support our contentions: “And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scat­tered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.” (Ezek. 28:25-26)

“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.  And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And I shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.” (Ezek. 37: 12–14)

Psalms 107:17-22 also applies to natural Israel, and also supports our conten­tion regarding “to the Jew first”: “They cry unto the Lord in their trouble (Jacob’s Trouble – second phase), and he saveth them out of their distresses.” (v. 19) These covenant-keeping Jews in Jerusalem will be the “first” to receive the blessings of the New Covenant, and will naturally become the first able and zealous missionaries of the Kingdom. Many will join them, of course – particularly the “repentant and be­lieving” in the finished picture of the Epiphany. “For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.” (Jer. 31:7)

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3; Micah 4:2) We would emphasize, however, that these promises apply only to the faithful covenant-keeping Jews – all others are counted as heathen.

Since “God is faithful that promised” (Heb. 10:23; 11:11), it is our hope and prayer that all God’s faithful people are in harmony with God’s good and perfect will. “Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together... There are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee... Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.” (Psa. 122:3-9)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint of No. 238, April 1, 1975

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Person:

Could you please send me information about your organization. I’d be interested in your beliefs, practices and how you operate. This material would be appreciated as soon as possible.        

Thank you, ------- (CANADA)

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Dear Brethren: Grace and peace!

The January paper is quite interesting. After reading about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I thought you might be interested in some of my experiences with them.

Since moving to my present home in the Missouri Ozarks, I have had several visits from a group of local Jehovah’s Witnesses. When the first group arrived at my house I invited them in to inspect my bound original Watch Towers, beginning with the first one published in the late 1800s and continuing through mid‑1917. I also have copies of Pastor Russell’s volumes published in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They seemed very interested at first, and I invited them to return at their leisure to read any of the material, but refused to allow the Watch Towers or other books to leave my premises.

Since the initial visit other groups have returned at various times who have been most willing to point out the ‘errors’ of MY thinking. I have noticed, during these visits, they are unwilling to receive any information contrary to the JW point of view. As a point to fact, I offered the last two women who visited me a copy of David Horowitz’ book on Pastor Russell and was promptly informed they would not read anything containing negative comments about the JWs. When asked why, both women told me they did not feel precious reading and study time should be wasted in such fashion.

What a shame! the ladies do not have enough confidence in the teachings of their religious organization to allow them to hear any dissenting comment from an outside source. As if this situation was not sad enough, further comments made before the ladies left, made it plain it would not be considered proper by the Church for them to read such material. What are they afraid of? I can only speculate.

The JW ‘witnessing’ would be severely curtailed if all the people they contact would take the same attitude of the Witnesses, and would tell them their Church would not permit them to read any literature on God’s Word written by another organization.

Many have left the Witnesses over the years for this, and other reasons, and many more will do the same. They are having their troubles from within.

Keep up to the good work of “contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) The Lord bless and guide you in all your efforts to serve Him.

Warm Christian love, ------- (MISSOURI)

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Dear Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace be multiplied!

Hoping this finds you and yours in good health. Thank you for your thoughtfulness in sending the lovely Christmas card. We think of you often and are always interested in the work you are doing and how you are getting along.

We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas holiday with most of the family. All here are in good health. The rapid changes in Israel make us watch and wonder how each change will develop in God’s Plan. How we long for the day when all the hidden things of darkness will be revealed. What a blessing it is to have the assurance (through the rich scriptural promises to Israel) that God’s plan will ultimately bless the entire world through Israel. We continue to pray for Jerusalem. Please use the enclosed check in any way you see fit.

May the Lord bless and keep you. Be assured of our thoughts and prayers for you and yours through the coming year. Your brother by His Grace, ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Sir:

I would like to know what literature is available from you, as well as information regarding your organization’s doctrinal position and history. Thank you.

Sincerely, ------- (MARYLAND)

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I am interested in learning more about your religious movement. I would appreciate it if you would send me any information possible regarding your organization that you would deem of concern or importance to me. Items such as statement of purpose, course of acceptance, and doctrine, would be valuable data. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely, ------- (CANADA)

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NO. 397: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No 397

Comes again the Memorial of our Lord’s crucifixion, the correct time this year 1989 being after 6 p.m. Thursday March 20. The date is determined after this manner: The moon nearest the Vernal Equinox comes new at the Thirtieth Meridian East, Jerusa­lem time, at 9:24 p.m., March 26, thus establishing 6 p.m. March 26 as Nisan 1, Bible reckoning. Counting to Nisan 14, we arrive at 6 p.m. April 8; and any time that evening after 6 p.m. would be proper for the celebration. We here at Mount Dora shall commence the service at 7:30 p.m., and we issue a cordial invitation to any one in this vicinity to join with us if they be of one mind on the matter.

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER

“Even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us,” says St. Paul in 1 Cor. 5:7, thus establishing a direct connection between the Passover lamb in Egypt the night before the Exodus. This in turn reminds us of the words of John the Baptist: “Be­hold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29); and it may be in order here to note the clear distinction between the two statements. Jesus, the “Lamb,” at Jordan had indeed come to take away the world’s guilt, but not so with the lamb in Egypt. The lamb in Egypt served as a protection against death for Israel’s firstborn; and all of them under the blood that night were ‘passed over’ as the Angel of Death wrought destruction on all of Egypt’s firstborn. But there was none of the atoning merit reckoned in the lamb in Egypt for the Egyptians (typical of worldlings in sin) as there was in the Lamb at Jordan; and it is well we keep the distinction clearly in mind. The Lamb at Jordan “taketh away” the sin of all mankind.

Of the lamb killed in Egypt that night it is recorded that each householder should “take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the house” (Ex. 12:7); and the typical significance is this: The two door posts in general type the two parts of Justice, or the Law. The first part of the Law, or Jus­tice, is duty-love to God, which is the thankful good-will that by right we owe to God, with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength (Matt. 22:37,38). And the other part of the Law, or Justice is duty-love to the neighbor, which is the good-will that we owe him, a good-will that goes out to him in the same degree as we would have him exer­cise toward us in thought, motive, word and act (Matt. 22:39; 7:12). One of the door posts thus sprinkled would represent the imputation of the antitypical Lamb’s merit to that part of Divine Justice which demands the sinner’s death for violations of duty-­love to God; and the sprinkling of the second door post would represent the imputation of the antitypical Lamb’s merit to that part of Divine Justice which demands the sinner’s death for violations of duty-love to his fellows.

But, for Gospel-Age purposes the foregoing is not enough to relieve us of the death sentence which is ours by inheritance; there must also be a reckoned righteous­ness (Abraham’s faith was “counted” – reckoned – to him for righteousness) which would enable us to “stand” in the Household of Faith. Thus, the “upper door post” – the lintel – had to be sprinkled also. The lintel of a door is that crossbeam forming the ceiling of the door, and which forms the foundation for the superstructure of the building immediately above it. Thus, it beautifully types that righteousness that comes to us through the Lamb’s blood, and which enables us to build an acceptable charac­ter. “No one can lay another foundation besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (Christ our Passover). And if, on this foundation, any one build up gold, sil­ver, costly stones; wood, hay, straw; the work of each will become manifest... If the work of any one remain, which he built up (on the lintel above the doorway into God’s House), he will receive a recompense.” (1 Cor. 3:11-14, Dia.) Thus, the sprinkling of the blood on the lintel typifies that “righteousness which is of faith” that comes to those who will avail themselves of it in this faith Age. Thus, the whole work of God and Christ in justifying us is pictured in the sprinkling of the lamb’s blood on the door posts and the lintel. But only the entrance to the house – the door posts and the lintel – were to be sprinkled; and this would typify that faith of the one inside (the firstborn) would suffice to secure for him sufficient satisfaction of justice to spare him from death. “We have passed from death unto life.” (1 John 3:14)

All the firstborn who were “under the blood” that night were secure in their domi­ciles as they ate the lamb and bitter herbs; and the type is certainly a very definite reminder that the same is meticulously true of the antitype. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) This is further stressed by 1 Pet. 1:18, 19 (Dia.): “You were redeemed from your foolish conduct, transmitted from your fathers, not by corruptible things, by silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, as a spotless and unblemished lamb.” Thus, the sprinkling of the lintel most forcefully portrays the antitypical sprinkling; and brings sharp reminder of the Methodist hymn, “There’s power in the blood.” It is indeed the “blood of sprinkling speaking better things than that of Abel.” (Heb. 12:24)

The charge to each house was that they were to eat the lamb’s flesh throughout the night of Nisan 14; and there is no variable allowance whatever from that date. Thus, regardless of whether or not the moon be in its complete fullness, the Passover was to be kept that night – and “throughout your generations.” Consequently, once we determine the proper time for the moon to become new, the determination of Nisan 14 then becomes only a matter of simple addition.

It is well to keep in mind that on that awesome night in Egypt only the firstborns were in danger of death; the others of the family were simply the “innocent bystand­ers,” as it were. But in the remembrance that followed each year thereafter the first­borns were no longer in that precarious state, although the firstborn was always given a proper recognition by the head of the house on each occasion. With all the prepara­tions duly made, the lamb, the wine, and other items all properly placed on the table, the father would then tell the oldest son to ask of the father, “What mean these things,” after which the father would give in finely stated detail the events of the night in Egypt, and the exodus of the Jews from the land of bondage – picturing, of course, our departure from the land of figurative bondage, the bondage of sin and death, from which the blood of the antitypical Lamb frees us. Thus, we may grasp in its grand fullness St. Paul’s statement, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

GOSPEL-AGE DELIVERANCE

The things described above have for this Age been spiritual and not physical, although physical deliverance sometimes accompanies the spiritual. When the Psalmist wrote, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwell­ing” (Psa. 91:10), he was speaking of spiritual and not physical things. All of us know that from Jesus on during this Age the noblest and best of Christians have come to all manner of physical evil – burning at the stake, stranglings, ostracisms, cast out by their own brethren, often regarded as the off scouring of the earth, even as He “was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Often the world in general has regarded such misfortune as an evidence of God’s disfavor; whereas, the Apostle James says we should “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” One translation puts it this way: “Count it all joy when you are hedged about with dif­ficulties.”

Preceding the Passover in Egypt, Moses met such ‘difficulties,’ so that he came to the Lord with the complaint: “Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered Thy people at all.” (Ex. 5:23) Much the same experience came to Jesus; thus, St. Paul writes of Him: “In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren... was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 2:17; 4:15) In their ministrations both the typical and the antitypical Moses learned well the adage, Hope deferred maketh the heart sick – ­“neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.” And these illustrations should impress the lesson well upon us – for ourselves, and for those of the Household who are tempted in like manner: such temporary physical reverses should be expected, because they are permitted for our good – to develop in us that patience amid hope deferred that will en­able us to have confidence in God’s ability and willingness to “save to the uttermost them that come unto Him by Jesus.” And particularly at the Memorial season do such med­itations seem most appropriate. As we consider the Passover – typical and antitypical ­we may well embrace the promise to Moses: “I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burden of the Egyptians.” (Ex. 6:7)

The assurance to Israel that they would know it was Jehovah who was their God types that God would to antitypical Israel, especially in the Parousia and the Epiphany (when the full Gospel-Age deliverance is to be accomplished), persuade them “in full assur­ance of faith” that He is their God – self-existent and perfect in wisdom, justice, love and power. “Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest.” (Josh. 3:15) As we know, Jordan is a type of the curse – of the downward course of the race under sin; and it is stated that this curse would be magnified “all the time of harvest.” ­Since 1874 we have been “in the time of harvest”; and the visible effects of the curse have surely been magnified during this season. Particularly in the past sixteen years has this been markedly in evidence, as we see so much of the honorable and the vener­able being trodden under foot in shameless fashion. And, if these things tend to dis­courage us, distress, disappoint, cast down in tribulation, we should strive to apply to ourselves “in full assurance of faith” the Covenant promises (Gen. 22:16-18); and to re­member that “As He was in this world, so are we.” Also, that the promise is sure to us: “I will bring you unto the land (“the land” for Gospel-Age purposes being the Truth and the Spirit of the Truth)... I will give it you for an heritage.” (Ex. 6:8) And particu­larly at the Memorial Season is it our privilege to claim these promises as ours – to renew our determination to partake of the paschal lamb “in sincerity and in truth.”

PURIFY THE SONS OF LEVI

In Mal. 3:1-3 is given certain things which “The Messenger of the Covenant” would do at His second advent, one of which is that “He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in right­eousness.” In this text “the sons of Levi” are the Little Flock and Great Company ­represented in the gold and silver. At Sinai the sons of Levi were divided into two classes – the Priests and Levites, Aaron and his sons being the Priests, with all the other members of that tribe being styled Levites, who were “wholly given” unto the Priests as their assistants in the various ministrations of the Tabernacle. These re­placed the firstborns who had been ‘passed over’ in Egypt, and they typed the “Church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23) whom Jesus would purge at His Second Advent.

Perhaps the first feature of that work was to gather them together (“Come ye out of her, My people) by the Truth, which Truth instructed them very clearly as to their status and work to be done. To this end He acted as a refiner and purifier (polisher) of silver, the Truth. The purging of the sons of Levi was also accomplished by their providential experiences – difficulties and trials of various kinds, which touched all of them from the least to the greatest, even including That Servant, the Pilgrims, the Elders. Those who were properly “exercised” (developed) by such experiences were blessed with an increase of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and minds. Of course, such action was carried on all during the Age, but it is especially emphasized in this text as occurring in the end of the Age.

And the text tells us that this would be done “that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” – literally, “that they may be bringers of a meat offering to Jehovah in righteousness.” Thus, the reason for the previous parts of His work – they should be “purged,” cleansed from faults and developed in good traits to qualify them righteously to serve the Lord in proclaiming the Truth, especially its deeper and more comprehensive features – an antitypical meat offering. The easier features of the Truth would be represented in the drink offering, which is not mentioned here, as it was the Lord’s wish for His own that they be “rooted, grounded, and built up in Him” that they could “give to every man a reason for the hope that was in them.” And this activity was toward both divisions of the antitypical firstborns. Of course, we all know that the “gold” element of those sons profited to the full by the Word, Spirit and Providences which the Lord arranged for them; thus, they became “more than conquerors,” as the others failed, some more, some less, to profit by the purgings meted out to them. These latter did not present a meat offering to the Lord in righteousness; they rather did this in more or less of unrighteousness. In the Parousia the most of these remained with the Truth Movement, however, even though they were not fully “established in the Present Truth.”

But to those who did profit by the purging processes, their sacrifices became ever more acceptable as the years went by, so that many of them have already heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord.” These are they who saw the “sickle” of Harvest Truth clearly, made it their own, and ministered it in telling manner to their fellows in the Truth, and to outsiders who had an ear to hear. One of these Truth segments was a vivid understanding of the Passover, type and anti­type; and this knowledge greatly aided them in keeping it “in spirit and in Truth.” Thus, we present these thoughts in the same spirit, and with the same purpose as did St. Peter: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the Present Truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance.” (2 Pet. 1:12,13) And our Lord’s final message to His own at His first Advent was “This do in remembrance of Me” – which remembrance we do each year as we partake of the bread and the cup.

To all who were properly exercised by the purgings of the Lord during the Parousia He gave the special opportunities of service, the Penny, which was their privilege in 1914-1916. To those of our readers who participated in that service we would now offer our warm commendation, and the assurance that it is our fond wish that we aid in what­ever way possible that they “continue in the things they have learned, and been assured of.” And that they also at this Memorial Season resolve to continue to present the Truth in righteousness to crown losers and to Youthful Worthies so long as they have an ear to hear.

Often the trials of God’s people are more severe at the Memorial Season than at other times. It was true when the “remembrance” was instituted. The sifting then man­ifested Judas as a complete outcast, and manifested Peter as a measurably faithful one, from which he subsequently recovered. Similar experiences may await God’s people now, or in future Memorials. Of course, we know not what the future holds, but we do know Who holds the future.

WHO MAY PARTAKE

There are over 200 variations in belief and practice of the Memorial among the sects of Christendom, with extremes in both directions, and modifications in between those extremes. Some of the sects simply post a notice in front of their church that the bread and the cup are to be served at a certain hour, with cordial invitation for any and all to participate with them in the service. At the other extreme, none are allowed to receive the emblems who are not specifically one of them – a member on their rolls. In the case of the Roman Catholic Church, one must not only be a Catholic in good standing, but he must also come to confession the day before; and for centuries they were not allowed to eat or drink the morning before the service, although that has now been modified in some countries.

With us, we believe it a proper summation to state that we are both the most gener­ous and the most extreme in our administration of the Memorial. Only those should par­ticipate who understand clearly the meaning of the bread and the wine, and have coven­anted to conform to that understanding. However, if any say that is their condition, we accept that without further ado – unless, of course, we have positive evidence to the contrary. In keeping with St. Paul’s statement, “Let a man examine himself,” we leave it there, not attempting any examination of each other. “And so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup... For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself, not discerning the lord’s body.” (1 Cor. 11:28,29) Thus, with each one examining himself, and if there should be an unworthy one in our midst, his guilt remains exclusively with him – without contaminating, or attaching guilt, to his fellows who may sit next to him in close relationship. We believe all will recognize the “spirit of a sound mind” in such an arrangement, so we adhere scrup­ulously to it.

THUS SHALL YE EAT IT

“They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs... with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.” (Ex. 12:8-11) Inasmuch as the Jews were to be very meticulous in their observance, we may be certain that every word is heavily weighted with typical and antitypical significance. Because of its corruption and corrupting effects, leaven is properly a type of mental, moral and religious corruption; and leavened bread would therefore represent a condition of corruption by sin, error, selfishness and worldliness. Conversely, unleavened bread would represent a condition free from these evils, and inclined toward Truth, justice, love and heavenly-mindedness. And eating unleavened bread would represent the eater’s confession that he is thus minded, with his daily life in harmony therewith.

The “bitter herbs” (literally, bitter things) were also typical, representing the trialsome experiences that attach to those that eat the lamb with unleavened bread; and the entire history of the Gospel-Age Church reveals that there have been trials aplenty as they have kept the antitype of these things. Thus viewed, those things eat­en at the Passover supper that night in Egypt type the entirety of Christian living.

And the lamb must all be consumed that night. If the house were too small for an entire lamb, the Jews were to join with neighbors in their participation. And, if after that, any were left, it should be burned with fire – nothing left until morning, which typed that we as individuals should not leave our justification and consecration feast­ing until the Millennium, because the entire service is one of faith, and there will be no more faith justification in the Millennium. In this Age we are “saved by faith, not by works,” although we know full well that good works must accompany our faith, because “faith without works is dead.” But in the Millennium it will be just the reverse – a justification by works, although those works will be accompanied by a proportionate amount of faith. For the Gospel Age the lamb types the merit of “the Lamb of God” in the antitypical Tabernacle Court, which has been imputed to those who came “under the blood”; but such a course will forever pass away with the full end of the Gospel Age – the merit of “the Lamb of God” will then no longer be an imputable thing.

“Ye shall eat it in haste.” The Jews were to be ready to leave Egypt as quickly as possible, typical of the Christian’s course once he has had enough of Egyptian bondage more than glad to flee the evils of antitypical Egypt, a type of the world in sin. And the girded loins would indicate a desire and willingness to help others to do the same thing – as servants of the Lord and the Truth. “He that would be chief among you, let him be your servant.” “With your staff in your hand.” The staff would represent prin­cipally the precious promises, upon which the Christian leans for support, especially in hilly and rough places; and it may be stressed here that it would be impossible for any to make the journey from Egypt to the Heavenly Canaan without those promises to sustain, encourage and nourish him in that journey. “Your shoes on your feet.” The feet in Scripture represent conduct; and, when we read that “Mephibosheth was lame on both his feet” (2 Sam. 9:13), we are to understand he typed a certain class of people who would be lacking in love toward God and man. And, when the type commanded “shoes on your feet,” it meant that here in the Gospel Age we should have a character properly covered by the Lord’s Spirit, and built and acting in harmony therewith.

Only those who “thus” keep the feast will be able to “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Heb. 3:6) Only such, with the girded loins, the sandaled feet and the firmly-gripped staff will pursue their course with energy and full determination to the end – all of which is tersely summed up in the drink­ing of the cup. “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of?” “Hereunto were ye called, because Christ having suffered for us, left us an example (by the cup He drank) that we should follow in his steps.”

And with these thoughts comes our fond hope for the Lord’s rich blessing to all our readers as they prepare and participate in this “remembrance” on the evening of April 8. It certainly is not our wish that any should conclude that by this article we are attempt­ing to avoid, or improve upon, the description of the Passover as it is given in Parousia Volume 6. It is our recommendation that all “renew their minds” by reading once more that chapter. “Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another... and we beseech you that ye increase more and more... walk honestly toward them that are without, that you may have lack of nothing” (1 Thes. 4:9-12) – with malice toward none, and charity toward all.

Sincerely your Brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint No. 189, March 1971)

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THE RESURRECTION

1 Cor. 15;12‑26

“Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57)

1 Cor 15:12‑19 calls attention to the great importance of the doctrine of the resurrection, presenting it as the twin of the other great doctrine which the Apostle set forth “first of all... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” (verse 3) to which fundamental doctrine it stands related as effect to cause. So important is this doctrine in the estimation of the inspired Apostle, that he emphatically declares that, if it be not true, then there is no hope for any man beyond the present life; the preaching of the gospel is in vain, and those who preach it are false witnesses; the death of Christ was for naught; the faith of Christians is vain, and their hope delusive; and their life of sacrifice, in view of the resurrection and its rewards, merely robs them of what little enjoyment and advantage they might gain in the present life, which is all they would ever have; and those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. Such indeed is our sad plight if there be no resurrection. If this, which Christ died to secure, is not guaranteed to us, to be realized in due time, we are yet in our sins and under the death penalty, without a ray of hope. And more: if there be no resurrection, although the price was paid to secure it, then God is not fulfilling His part of the contract.

While verses 12‑19 declare the great importance of this twin doctrine of the ransom – the resurrection – verses 20‑26 emphasize its truthfulness. The resurrection of Christ, attested by many infallible proofs (verses 5‑8; Acts 1:3), is the guarantee that all those whom he redeemed by His precious blood shall have not only an awakening from death, but an opportunity to attain a complete resurrection to all the blessings and favors lost in the fall. That was the assurance which God gave to all men (Acts 17: 31) that the ransom for the sins of the whole world given at Calvary was acceptable, a full satisfaction of the claims of Justice against our race, so that now He can be just, and the justifier of all that believe in Jesus. (Rom. 3:26)

In verse 20 let Christians observe what the various creeds of Christendom ignore, and what is in direct antagonism to their teachings, viz., that the risen Christ was “the first fruits of them that slept” – that He was the first one to experience a resurrection in the full sense of the term, viz., to perfection and everlasting life. True, some before him were temporarily awakened, again to relapse into death; for example, Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, the Shunammite’s son, etc., but those were only partial illustrations of resurrection, to assure men of the Divine Power to fully accomplish it in due time – in the day which God has appointed. (Acts 17:31) Now mark the logic of this fact: If Christ was the first one resurrected, none were resurrected before him; and if, as shown in the preceding verses, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, except they be restored to life by a resurrection; and if those who die in Christ, “sleep in Jesus,” until Christ’s second coming, it is plain that none of them went to heaven when they died.

They were dead, they slept in Jesus, they rested in hope, they were destroyed, and must remain so until the time appointed for their resurrection – at the Second Advent of Christ when all those that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thes. 4:14) David hath not ascended into the heavens (Acts 2:34): Daniel must wait, and he shall stand in his lot at the end of the days (Dan. 12:13); Abraham must wait his time for the possession of the promised land, of which he never yet owned so much as to set his foot upon (Acts 7:5): Job must tarry until the wrath of this evil day is overpass (Job 14:12‑15, 21); Stephen must wait the realization of his dying vision (Acts 7:56); and Paul, and with him all those that love the Lord’s appearing, must wait the fullness of time when the reward of their faithfulness will be due. (2 Tim. 4:8)

All this Scripture teaching is in perfect accord; but it is in irreconcilable conflict with the current theology of so‑called Christendom, in whose theories there is no place whatever for the doctrine of the resurrection, logically considered. If a man goes to heaven when he dies, and is glad to shuffle off this mortal coil, which some call his prison, although he loves and cherishes it and stays in it as long as possible, why, in the name of reason, should he hope for a reunion with his body? The position is illogical, unscriptural and untenable.

Verse 21 antagonizes the current theology with equal force. It declares that since by man came death, by man ‑ the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all came also the resurrection of the dead. Current theology says that our redemption is secured by the sacrifice of a God, not a man: but the Scriptures are very explicit in pointing out an exact equivalent, a human substitute for the human head of our race, whose redemption secures the redemption of his posterity, on precisely the same principle that his fall and condemnation entailed sin and death upon us. It was the man Christ Jesus, who, after He had left the glory of His previous spiritual existence and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, said, “A body hast thou prepared me for the suffering of death,” that accomplished our redemption by the sacrifice of Himself – His flesh, His humanity, and that in consequence of that sacrifice has been highly exalted, even to the Divine Nature – “Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth.” (Phil. 2:8‑11)

It was after the resurrection that He said, “All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me.” And if this exaltation and power were granted to Him as a reward for His sacrifice, then it is manifest that, however rich He was in spiritual glory and power before He became a man, He was still more bountifully endowed at His resurrection, after He had sacrificed His humanity, being made a partaker of the Divine Nature and the express image of His Father’s person. (Heb. 1:3)

When the man Christ Jesus gave “His flesh [His humanity] for the life of the world” (John 6:51), He gave it up never to take it again; for it was the price paid for our redemption. And consequently, when He was raised again, His existence was in a new nature, that thus our benefits might not be interfered with, and also that the abundant power of the Divine Nature given unto Him might be exercised in actually reclaiming from the thralldom of sin and death those whom He had legally rescued by His death.

Verses 22,23 show that all who are Christ’s – by faith in His sacrifice – are to receive the benefits of His death in full resurrection to the perfection and lasting life forfeited in Eden. The order of resurrection is to be Christ the first fruits, which includes not only Christ Jesus, the Head and High Priest of our profession, but also all the members of His Body – “Blessed and holy are all they that have part in the first resurrection.” Then, after the resurrection of this glorious Body, follows the resurrection of all “that are His at [during] His [Christ’s] presence [Greek, parousia, presence, not coming].”

The time of His presence is the entire thousand years of His reign. During that period all that are in their graves [good and bad, the just and the unjust] “shall hear His voice and shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment [Greek, krisis, judgment, not damnation].” (John 5:28,29) The former class enter immediately upon their reward of full resurrection ‑ human perfection, while the latter class awake to a judgment, or trial for everlasting life, which it will be their privilege to gain if they become Christ’s by fully submitting themselves to His discipline and control.

Otherwise their trial will be cut short at a hundred years and they will die the Second Death, from which there is no recovery. Isa. 65:20) None out of Christ will be made alive, fully resurrected, though all experience the awakening from death, which is the first step in the process of resurrection, and a trial to prove their worthiness or unworthiness of the fullness of resurrection, which is actual perfection and everlasting life. “He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:12) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

Verses 24,25 assure us of the victory of Christ, and in what that victory will consist – that it will consist in the complete subjection of every opposing power and authority, and in the putting of all the enemies of this, His purpose, under His feet, whether those enemies be evil conditions, principles, powers or individuals. He will banish all evil conditions by permitting first a great time of trouble (Dan. 12:1), and then by causing conditions of righteousness and peace to supplant them. He will forever banish the evil principles by flooding the world with His light and truth and by effectually renewing a right spirit in the hearts of all the willing and obedient. He will completely overcome every opposing power by the exercise of His own almighty power for their complete and final overthrow. And He will put down every opposing individual by cutting him off in the Second Death, from which there shall be no recovery.

“He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet;” and the limited time of that reign is a thousand years (Rev. 20:6‑10), at the expiration of which time all opposing individuals, and the devil who deceived and led them, are to be cast into the lake of fire, which is the Second Death. (Rev. 20:7‑15) The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death – not the Second Death into which the opposers have been cast, else the language would be contradictory, but the Adamic death, which Christ came to destroy by liberating all its subjects, which, to fully accomplish, will require all of His Millennial reign.

In the words of our text, “Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 1591‑1592, October 15, 1893)

NO. 396B: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART TWO

No. 396B

THE JEWS

“We Appeal To Pope John Paul II: Return these precious Hebrew Manuscripts to their rightful owners: The Jewish People!

“The traveling exhibition of sacred Hebrew manuscripts held by the Vatican is now, after a year‑long country‑wide tour, reaching New York. The people of New York deserve an insight into the true background of this collection.

“It is well known that the Church, for centuries, as part of her deliberate plan to eradicate Judaism, engaged in a systematic campaign to seize Hebrew books and destroy Jewish libraries. This was done for several reasons. Firstly, to create and maintain the absurd notion that Judaism, after the death of Jesus, was a sterile and unproductive religion. Secondly, to deprive Jews of their means of education and thereby to throttle the unusually high level of Jewish scholarship. Thirdly, to search in Jewish writing for some glib arguments which could be turned against Judaism and force conversions to Christianity. Lastly, while most of the Hebrew manuscripts thus wrested by force from the persecuted Jewish communities were burned at stake, or hidden in churches or monasteries, some were torn apart to be sold, retail, parchment folio by parchment folio, as book binding material – a lucrative business in the Middle Ages.

“Pope Urban II unleashed blood‑thirsty mobs for the First Crusade in 1096 who promptly slaughtered thousands of outstanding Jewish scholars in communities along the Rhine River and destroyed their libraries. In 1244, under Pope Paul Innocent IV, twenty four cart loads of Hebrew manuscripts, mainly copies of the Talmud, were burned in public in Paris. Pope Paul IV, before he died in 1559, destroyed every Hebrew book owned by the Jews of Rome. His successor, Pope Pius V, punished any Jew caught still owning a single book.

“This on‑going cultural genocide was so thorough that only one single hand written copy of the Talmud survived the Popes’ crusade against Jewish writings – the famous Munich Talmud manuscript.

“Can anyone imagine that Jews, thus constantly fighting to preserve their sacred books, would sell or give even one of their precious possessions to some Italian noblemen, to be ‘donated’ by them to the Vatican, as the promoters of the Vatican exhibition want us to believe? NO! Every manuscript in the Vatican has its blood‑drenched roots in pogroms and massacres of Jewish communities throughout the centuries. The heroic and ultimately successful fight for survival of the Jews to preserve their unbelievably rich religious literature, is evidence of their superior intellectual prowess and religious piety and, of course, of Divine Providence.

“In view of the tragic trail of suffering and persecution which these precious books represent in Jewish history, it must be considered highly inappropriate to use them as a kind of traveling circus, for the financial gain of the Vatican and the Reform promoters of the exhibition. Certainly, the whole enterprise betrays gross insensitivity to Jewish suffering and pride.

“Now let us look more closely at the composition of the Vatican collection. The so‑called Palatine Collection of Hebrew books has its roots in the sacking of the Jewish community of Heidelberg in the 14th century.

“Almost two hundred years ago, France, Germany and the Vatican were still fighting over who should hold them. But while neither party could claim title, no one can deny the primary claim to them by the Jews.

“The ‘Reginenses’ collection in the Vatican represents the Hebrew manuscripts which Sweden’s King Gustav II Adolph plundered during the 30‑Year‑War after sacking the Jewish community of Prague. His daughter, Queen Christina, brought them with her to Rome.

“The most sinister group of Hebrew manuscripts is the so‑called Neofiti Collection. These were consigned by the Vatican to a special building where renegade Jews, most of them converted by coercion or bribery, were kept. These manuscripts were not used, as the exhibition promoters want us to believe, to ‘educate’ these disgraced Jews, but to induce them to fabricate ammunition against Judaism in rigged disputations which rabbis were forced to attend.

“The exquisite manuscripts, painstakingly penned by skilled Jewish scribes and artists, were produced generation after generation to be used for religious devotion and Jewish scholarship. The mint condition of most of them proves that they were snatched from their owners before their purpose could be fulfilled for any length of time.

“We call on Pope John Paul II to let them return to their rightful owners, the Jews, to be used again for the purposes for which our ancestors intended them. These manuscripts should be housed in the National Library in Jerusalem, again the center of Jewish scholarship, in the midst of the Jewish capital, again a thriving center of Jewish religious devotion and practice.

“While many other expectations which Jews everywhere had of the Pope have been dashed, this gesture would bring about a small measure of atonement and conciliation which would not be costly to the Vatican in either theological or political terms. While it is impossible for the Church to atone fully for the centuries of persecution of the Jews and Judaism – reaching from early pogroms to the Vatican’s silence or collaboration during the Holocaust – the return of the Hebrew manuscripts now in its custody, would bring a degree of goodwill and honour to the Pope. We sincerely hope the Pope will seize this opportunity to fulfill our hope.

“For From Zion Shall Again Go Out The Torah, And The Word Of God Again From Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2)” (Committee for the Recovery of Jewish Manuscripts, New York Times, October 12, 1988)

Address for the Committee for the Recovery of Jewish Manuscripts:

6039 Collins Avenue

Miami Beach, Florida 33140

Phone: (305) 861‑3197

“Pope Travels To Death Camp: Mauthausen, Austria – Pope John Paul II on Friday condemned Nazism on the site where 110,000 World War II prisoners died, but the pontiff angered Austria’s chief rabbi by not making a specific reference to Jewish victims.

“On his arrival, six U.S. Jews who were opposed to the pontiff’s meeting Thursday with President Kurt Waldheim scuffled briefly with police outside the camp. The group was kept away from the pope, and it was not known if he saw the altercation.

“The pontiff mentioned Marcel Callo, a Catholic activist who died in Mauthausen, Polish priest St. Maximilian Kolbe, and two other Catholics who died in Nazi camps. But the Roman Catholic leader made no reference specifically to Jews.

“That angered Chaim Eisenberg, Austria’s chief rabbi, who told reporters in Vienna: ‘A visit to Mauthausen without mentioning the word Jews once is not satisfactory.’

“‘The only Jew he mentions who suffered is Jesus Christ, and he didn’t die in Mauthausen,’ Eisenberg said. [It seems the pope didn’t mention that Jesus Christ was a Jew, either.]

“The pontiff met earlier with Austrian Jewish community President Paul Grosz and five other Jewish leaders in Vienna. Grosz appealed to the pope to work with Jewish leaders to ‘seek a way to solve the problem of the Middle East together.’

“‘I regret that full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See have not yet been established,’ Grosz said.

“‘The Jewish people have the right to a homeland, as any other nation has according to international law,’ the pope said. ‘The same goes for the Palestinian people, many of whom have become homeless and refugees.’” (Orlando Sentinel, June 25, 1988)

The pope repeated the same malarkey that he gave in Miami in September, 1987. God is allowing the “international law” to do what it can for the homeless and refugees, but He has not promised them refuge during this “evil world.” (Galatians 1:4) The Lord is pleased with those who are benevolent and merciful to the poor and needy. However, God’s inspired Word has given the Jewish people a specific homeland. Israel is the homeland of the Jews. The Jews have an unbreakable deed to their homeland – God’s promise to them: “I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.” (Jer. 24:6) “And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezek. 36:24‑28)

Why should the Jews “appeal to the pope” when they could get no help from the popes in the Dark Ages during Papacy’s heyday? The popes of our day cannot give orders to torture and murder the Jews, as our laws at the present time will not allow it. But it is self‑evident that the pope does not abide by God’s inspired Word, although he claims to have respect for “international law.” Doesn’t he know that God’s Law is above any earthly law? However, no doubt the pope doesn’t consult God’s Law. Many Catholics don’t have a Bible in their homes. They depend upon their Catholic priests to give them all the information they need. There must be a Bible in the Vatican, but it is evident that the pope doesn’t consult it. It seems he relies on “international law” instead of God’s inspired Word. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a counterpart of Papacy. They do not recognize the Jews and God’s promises to them, nor do they recognize the State of Israel.

However, the faithful Jews consult the Scriptures and rely on God’s promises to them. Even though Israel is in much turmoil today, the faithful Jews know that it will not always be so. In Messiah’s Kingdom, “Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:3)

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) The pope will recognize Israel in that day and so will the Jehovah’s Witnesses – at least outwardly. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isa. 60:1,3)

God’s promises to the Jews are unconditional. “God is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23) “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)

“Arafat Urges New Policy From Bush, Pushes Demands For Homeland: Algiers, Algeria – PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat on Saturday urged President‑elect George Bush to change Washington’s Middle East policy, and he said Palestinians won’t stop fighting until their flag flies over Jerusalem.

“Support of Palestinians has increased during the 11‑month Arab uprising against Israel’s occupation of the territories. More than 300 Palestinians and 11 Israelis have died.

“Arafat wore fatigues, a headdress and a pistol on his hip.

“‘I urge President Bush to reconsider the American policy in the Middle East and lay down a new one, based on right and justice, not just bias toward Israel,’ Arafat said. ‘Is it logical that 130 member states of the United Nations vote in support of our cause and Israel and the United States vote against?’ he said.

“Arafat repeated his policy of employing military and diplomatic tactics to realize his people’s aspiration for an independent homeland.

“‘This revolution will continue until the Palestinian flag is hoisted over Jerusalem – the guns and the stones and the RPG [rocket‑propelled grenades]. But we also carry the olive branch,’ he said.

“Arafat walked into the heavily guarded hall, 15 miles west of Algiers, arm‑in‑arm with President Chadli Bendjedid of Algeria.” (Orlando Sentinel, November 13, 1988)

Arafat reminds us of the giant Goliath and the youth David. Arafat comes with “fatigues, headdress and a pistol on his hip.” “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (1 Sam. 17:45) We trust President‑elect Bush will have the faith and the courage as did President Truman.

When all nations are gathered against Israel, “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:3) when He fought for Joshua against the six Amalekite kings at Gibeon, when He fought for David against the Philistines at Perazim, and when He miraculously delivered Israel from the hosts of Midian by Gideon and his band.

After Israel’s deliverance Israel will “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isa. 60:1,3)

“German Official Quits In Hitler Speech Flap: Bonn, West Germany – The president of the West German Parliament resigned Friday, saying he was ‘shocked and depressed’ by the political storm he set off with a speech in which he tried to show how Germans were taken in by Hitler 50 years ago.

“‘My speech was not understood in the way I meant it by many of those who heard it,’ Philip Jenninger, a senior member of the governing Christian Democratic Party, wrote in his letter of resignation as Parliament president. ‘I regret this deeply, and I am very sorry if I wounded anyone’s feelings.’

“Jenninger emphasized his record as a foe of totalitarian regimes, and as a friend of Jews and ‘the vital interests of the state of Israel.’

“After late night deliberations that followed the speech Thursday, government and opposition parties apparently agreed that Jenninger had to step down.

“Although he was not accused of sharing the pro‑Nazi feelings he had tried to describe, the consensus among politicians, newspapers and many Germans was that Jenninger had seriously erred in the style and timing of his presentation.

“‘He had no sense of occasion,’ said Sebastian Haffner, a prominent publicist who has written extensively about German history and identity. ‘He said true things at the wrong moment.’

“Jenninger’s address was the keynote speech of a special session of Parliament on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the nation‑wide pogrom that first signaled the fury of Nazi Germany’s war on the Jews.

“But Jenninger’s idea, as he said at the opening and conclusion of his statement, was to demonstrate how Germans had been ‘blinded and seduced’ by the Nazis, to remind Germans of the complicity of enthusiasm of their ancestors in the rise of Hitler.

“He described the positive feelings of many Germans in the early Hitler years: ‘Didn’t Hitler bring to reality what [Kaiser] Wilhelm II had only promised, that is to lead the Germans to glorious times?’

“Hans‑Jochen Vogel, leader of the opposition Social Democrats, said after Jenninger’s resignation: ‘This event shows us how the darkest chapter of German history is still a present‑day thing.’

“The leftist Greene said, ‘The background of what happened is the inability of many Germans to stand up to their own past.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, November 12, 1988)

Behind The Scenes At The United Nations: “President Reagan’s Historic Succoth UN Speech – United Nations – President Ronald W. Reagan delivered a very impressive and meaningful speech here last week, more in the spirit of a sermon stressing the importance of human rights and the imperative need of accepting belief in a Higher Power.

“While this spiritual aspect of his historic address appeared to be its basic theme, he did not fail to touch upon the major political issues facing the world organization in a manner offering some new hope of their eventual resolution.

“In his stress on the violation of human rights, the President reminded the assembled delegates on this first day of Succoth of their own grievous violation in having allowed a number of anti‑Israeli resolutions, some bordering on anti‑Semitism, to be adopted through the maneuvering of the Soviet‑Arab‑third world‑dominated automatic majority.

“Noting that the UN had not done enough in the battle against human rights violations, the President declared: ‘More must be done. The UN must be relentless and unyielding in seeking change... And we must also see to it that the universal declaration itself should not be debased with episodes like the ‘Zionism is Racism’ Resolution. Respect for human rights is the first and fundamental mission of this body, the most elementary obligation of its members.’

“That Mr. Reagan – even during the remaining months of his Presidency – intends to do something about erasing this blemish on the UN face was borne out by a statement made by Secretary of State George Shultz’ assistant Richard Williamson at a recent Conference of Presidents’ briefing to the effect that the U.S. was working with other countries to repeal the ‘outrageous’ 1975 Assembly resolution describing Zionism as a form of racism. He termed the draft ‘a cancer in the soul of the UN.’ which ‘cannot be tolerated.’

“Williamson, who heads the State Department’s Bureau of International Organizations, added: ‘If we can’t do it this year, we will at least have a game plan for the next Administration to implement in seeking passage of a new resolution countermanding the 13‑vear‑old anti‑Zionism resolution.’

“In addition to the President’s stress on human rights, he put great emphasis on ‘freedom of Faith,’ on the acceptance of a Higher Power, a faith and belief he himself has maintained all through his life from childhood, hence his recognition of Israel’s right to the land promised to the People of the Book from the time of Abraham. It might now be understood why he opposes Arafat and the PLO and an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank. His answer is Camp David and the autonomy plan approved by the majority of Israelis.

“One may better understand Mr. Reagan’s inner spirit from this statement he made during the 100th anniversary celebration of the Statue of Liberty: ‘Some have called it mysticism, but I have always thought that a Providential hand had something to do with the founding of this country. That God had His reasons for placing this land here between two oceans to be found by a certain people.’

“And now before the U.N. he elaborated on this strong belief. Declared he: ‘A truth embodied in our Declaration of Independence – that the case for inalienable rights, that the idea of human dignity, that the notion of conscience above compulsion can be made only in the context of a higher law, a higher order. Only in the context of what one of the founders of this organization, Secretary‑General Dag Hammarskjold, has called devotion for Something which is greater and higher than we are ourselves.’

“‘This is the endless cycle, the final truth to which humankind seems always to return. That religion and morality, that faith in something higher, are prerequisites for freedom. And that justice and peace within ourselves is the first step towards justice and peace in the world and for the ages.’

“The great Hebrew Prophet Isaiah was brought before this 43rd session of UN: The President continues, ‘And cannot help but think this morning of other beginnings. Of where and when I first read those words, ‘and they shall beat their swords into plowshares...’ and ‘your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams...’ This morning, my thoughts go to my mother who gave me many things in life but whose most important gift was the knowledge of the happiness and solace to be gained in prayer. It is the great help I have had in my Presidency and I recall here Lincoln’s words when he said only the most foolish of men would think he could confront the duties of the office I now hold without turning to Someone stronger, a Power above all others...”‘

“To which, this Succoth, let us say Amen!” (By David Horowitz, October 6, 1988)

“A Bright Spot In Poland: In a country that is as drab as its communist philosophy: that is still trying to explain away its complicity in the Holocaust; whose borders encircled more death camps than any other nation; whose anti‑Semitism still continued after World War II upon the few Jews who tried to return; whose propaganda machine continues to grind out anti‑Israel grist; the Bible Students are a beacon of light in Poland.

“I went to Poland on a fact‑finding mission to barometer the Bible Student attitude on Israel and Zionism. I lectured on Zionism to Bible Student congregations in five major cities, including Warsaw. The lecture lasted for one hour and was followed by an enthusiastic question period that varied from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. They couldn’t hear enough about Israel. Although I spoke through an interpreter, the enthusiasm of their questions and eager faces evinced their strong support of Israel. At one point they spontaneously broke into a spirited singing of HATIKVAH. I also visited in their homes and found this same enthusiasm.

“They were thrilled to learn of the high acclaim Benjamin Netanyahu (while yet the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N.) gave to the book PASTOR CHARLES TAZE RUSSELL: AN EARLY AMERICAN CHRISTIAN ZIONIST by David Horowitz. Bible Students in Poland fully embrace the pro‑Zionist, non‑proselytizing position of Pastor Russell, the founder of the Bible Student movement. This position earned him the friendship and trust of the leaders of American Jewry until his death in 1916. A Bible Students’ publishing house in Poland is now in the process of translating and publishing this work.

“It was overwhelming to meet Bible Student families who helped and hid Jews during the Holocaust. They testified that the Polish people knew very early in the Holocaust that the Jews were going to their death.

“One Bible Student family in Bialystock owned a farm that extended to the train station where Jews were herded like cattle into boxcars for the Treblinka death camp. These desperate souls extended their arms through narrow slits holding out watches and jewelry as they pleaded for water in return from curious Poles. Most of the time the gold was snatched without giving anything in return. This Bible Student family tried to give the Jews food and water whenever they could, of course, without taking anything in return. They were also able to save a young Jewish girl from being taken by the Nazi.

“There was a Jewish ghetto in Bialystock. A fact not too well known. A Bible Student family nearby could see the gruesome details from their upstairs window. Although over 40 years have passed, the dastardliness of the Holocaust etched deeply into the memory of Bible Students vivid scenes of horror. At times blood flowed in the streets as Jews were dragged from their homes. It was a time of silent heroism as some Jews cherished the words of the prophet Job, ‘Yea though he slay me yet will I trust him.’ It was also a time of moral pigmies as many Gentiles turned on their Jewish neighbors for personal gain. Unfortunately, Jewish blood has always been cheap. It is still difficult for the few Jews remaining in Poland today. Some try to disguise their Jewish identity by changing their name. However, these are still discriminated against on the job. (By Kenneth W. Rawson)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren,

Thank you for the publication of Charles Taze Russell and The Divine Plan of the Ages. I would like to order the other five volumes. Also put me on your mailing list. I note that David Horowitz says that Pastor Russell was the ‘second son.’ What was the name of his brother? What is known of him? Did Pastor Russell have any other brothers and sisters?

What do you know of H. B. Rice, Pastor Russell’s early associate who published the Last Trump? Thank you for your help. Sincerely, ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Brethren,

I would like to thank you for sending me the recent papers on the Evolution Theory. I would be interested in The Divine Plan of the Ages and the book on Pastor Charles Taze Russell. Thank you! ------- (CANADA)

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Dear Madam,

I believe that I have previously sent you a letter asking if you could send me information about your religion. Since then I have come into contact with two books dealing with your founder, as well as with your philosophy. I was wondering if you would send me the books entitled PASTOR CHARLES TAZE RUSSELL, An Early American Christian Zionist by David Horowitz and the book THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES? Could you please send them as soon as possible!! Yours truly, ------- (CANADA)

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,

I would be very much interested to learn about your organization. If you would send me any literature on your beliefs and other facets, it would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely, ------- (CANADA)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

SISTER ADA BASTIEN finished her course October 15, 1988, at the age of 89. She had a long life of faithful service to the Lord, the Truth and the brethren. Her parents came into the Truth under Brother Russell. She was faithful in all her commitments, doing what she could. We will miss her very much, and grieve for her – even as her family and all the friends will miss her.

We cherish her memory, but are persuaded that she is now “asleep in Jesus,” awaiting the resurrection of “the Just.” (Acts 24:15) We repeat for her the words of the Apostle Paul a few days before when he knew the Romans were to chop his head off:

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7) To this we can add nothing, as it expresses everything we believe to be true.

Sister Bastien was secretary of the Trinidad Ecclesia, and faithfully served the brethren for many years. We quote an excerpt of a letter from one of the brethren in Trinidad:

“Sister Bastien was the mother of ten children – was well grounded in the Truth and joyfully survived two siftings. At the end she had no regrets for the many hardships, physical and otherwise, she endured in her service for the Lord, the Truth and the brethren.”

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We wish to express our thanks and appreciation for the many beautiful Christmas cards received – and our special gratitude for the love and prayers of our brethren. Our best wishes to all our readers for a Blessed New Year.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The date for our Memorial is March 20, 1989, after six p. m.

NO. 396A: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

No. 396A

At the beginning of another year, we thank God and praise Him for all His benefits toward us – and again express our gratitude in the words of David: “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” (Psa. 65:11) “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Prov. 30:5)

We are not unmindful of the many tragedies people have suffered during the past year – crime and calamities have caused much suffering and sorrow. We grieve and sorrow with them. “We rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psa. 30:5 – the morning of the Kingdom) “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) He is faithful that promised. (Heb. 10:23)

“Elderly Abuse – Crime Rarely Punished: A door‑to‑door salesman with a criminal record befriended an 80‑year‑old man living alone in Lake County last summer, and over a few months conned him out of his life’s savings of more than $12,000. No charges were filed.

“In St. Petersburg, a nursing home worker in 1985 routinely beat helpless patients, many of them unable to rise out of bed. Although the nursing aide was charged with assault, the trial was delayed until this year, when the case was settled with a plea bargain that allowed the aide to plead guilty but avoid jail.

“Last year, again in Lake County, a foster‑home owner was suspected of repeatedly kicking and abusing an elderly client, threatening he would be sent to an old‑age home and left to die if he dared complain. No charges were filed.

“The cases from the files of the state Department Rehabilitative Services are typical of thousands of reports of abuse and exploitation of the elderly that HRS investigate. Rarely are they prosecuted as crimes. ...

“‘We ought to be more concerned about it than we are. After all, we’re all going to get old some day,’ said Hetz.” (Orlando Sentinel, November 6, 1988)

“Money’s The Root Of Hospital Evils In Doctor’s Book: The thought of Fortune 500 companies running America’s hospitals really bothers Dr. Michael Palmer.

“What worries him most is the notion that the business of hospitals might soon become business. The growing number of corporation‑owned hospitals will, he fears, cut corners and staffing in the hopes of saving money. The drive for profits will also mean routinely turning away poor, uninsured patients. ...

“Flashback’s Ultramed‑Davis Regional Hospital is a sick person’s nightmare. An elderly woman falls and breaks her hip in an attempt to go to the bathroom. She hasn’t seen a nurse in several hours because the number of nurses had been cut back.

“Elderly patients are routinely shipped to the local nursing home (also owned by the hospital corporation) to recover because Medicare pays the hospital a flat fee based on the diagnosis, not the length of stay.

“Most frightening of all is a scheme by the hospital administrator, a surgeon and an anesthesiologist, to test an experimental anesthetic on unwitting surgical patients in the hopes of coming up with a new drug that could make millions.

“Could this really happen? Palmer admits it’s a worst‑case scenario, but he notes that his horror story is not out of line with some of the well‑documented horrors foisted on the public by other corporate giants. ...

“‘I’m no crusader. I just like to write books that make people think.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, September 3, 1988)

“400 Richest Americans Could Cover ‘88 Deficit: The stock market crash wiped out some of their wealth, but the 400 richest Americans still had a total worth of about $220 billion, enough to cover the federal budget deficit for a year, according to Forbes magazine. ...

“The number of American billionaires nearly doubled in 1987, but Forbes’ 1988 list has only two more billionaires, bringing the total to 51. ...

“On the list, as usual, was Forbes publisher Malcolm Forbes, whose holdings include a 400‑square‑mile Colorado ranch and a French chateau. Although not officially disclosing Forbes’ net worth, the magazine put him in the $500 million category and cited various published reports that pegged his wealth at $400 million to more than $1 billion.” (Orlando Sentinel, November 11, 1988)

“Woe unto you that are rich! for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:24) “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” (James 5:1) “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you... Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” (James 5:3)

“Marcos‑Duke Episode Shows Where The Sympathies Of The Very Rich Lie: It warms the cockles of my heart when folks extend a helping hand to each other in times of need... Imelda probably could have come up with the bail money on her own, but it would take a couple of days to sell that many shoes. ...

“Actually, Mrs. Marcos hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, and I contend that she shouldn’t be tried in the newspapers, at least not for plundering her country of $100 million or so and then nailing U.S. banks for another $165 million. ...

“The Doris‑Imelda Marcos story is an interesting one in that it goes a long way to point out the concern the very rich have for the extremely poor. The Good Samaritan act by Doris Duke should set to rest the rumors that rich folks don’t have hearts. I have to admit, though, that I might have felt a little better about it had Doris contributed $5 million in bonds to the aid and comfort of the Filipino victims, rather than bail out the accused.

“It would have been an equally good idea to have pledged a similar amount to fight poverty in America or to support medical research or for that matter to help balance the federal budget. Any patriotic American interested in giving a helping hand to politicians who exploit their constituents and loot the national treasury ought to know that they do not have to go abroad to do so. They don’t even have to look beyond Congress to find recipients of such largesse.

“Meanwhile, I noticed that the $5 million Doris Duke is putting up to bail Imelda Marcos is in the form of municipal bonds – a favorite investment of folks who aren’t too keen on paying taxes. ... It would be interesting to know how much Doris Duke – one of the richest women in the world – actually pays in annual taxes.

“I hope you don’t get the idea that I am embittered and mean‑spirited in regard to Doris Duke’s generosity, but I have to admit that I will get a belly laugh if Imelda decides to jump the bail.” (By Dick Marlow, Orlando Sentinel, November 8, 1988)

“Fossils From Cave Show Modern Humans Existed 92,000 Years Ago: Fossils from an Israeli cave show that anatomically modern humans were living about 92,000 years ago, more than twice the age scientists had been able to establish reliably before, researchers say. ... Pilbeam said the Israeli finding more than doubles ‘what was previously accepted as a really good age for modern humans,’ which was 35,000 to 40,000 years. ... ‘The humans in the Israeli cave may well have been members of early Eurasian stock, different from any living race but near the common ancestor of non‑Africans,’ Delson said.

“Stringer, in his editorial, said the early date for the Israeli population poses some questions, such as why modern humans took another 50,000 years to register their presence in the Far East.” (Orlando Sentinel, February 18, 1988)

The figures pose another question: Why “modern humans” did not leave us a history of their time? We rely on God’s Word about the six days of creation, and the creation of the first man. We do not believe that God’s creation was in six literal days. Our papers No. 390 and 391, “In the Beginning” are most informative. Copies free upon request. “O Timothy , keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.” (1 Tim. 6:20)

IN FINANCE

In his book on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon lists the reasons for the dissolution of the great political force which held the civilized world together for more than 500 years: “1. Excessive spending by the central government; 2. unwillingness of the young men to bear arms in the defense of their country; 3. overindulgence in luxury; 4. widespread sexual immorality and easy divorce, which destroyed the integrity of family life; 5. the spread of effeminacy‑girls looking and acting like men – men looking and acting like girls; 6. disregard for religion. This was Rome 1400 years ago. Do we find history repeating itself?”

In our recent presidential campaign some of the most prominent issues were the national debt, a balanced federal budget, the balance of trade, bank failures, the falling dollar, and taxes. No clear‑cut solutions were offered. These problems are still with us and getting worse. Since President Nixon came in office, each succeeding president has promised to restrain federal spending, reduce taxes and still maintain a balanced budget. The national debt continues to escalate to astronomical heights.

The president of a large mutual fund company states: “The United States of America remains in lock‑step on an inexorable march to total destruction of our monetary system because of our inability to live within our means. Bear in mind that all debts may not be paid, but all is liquidated; that is, disappears. Governments on the other hand, can pay for their deficits with new money that they create out of thin air. There is no additional value backing that additional money. That is why in the daily news we hear that the dollar is down against foreign currencies much more frequently than we hear that it is up. As long as governments can control the money of the country they govern, they can postpone the inevitable for long periods – sometimes for decades – until the people being governed realize that their money will continue to depreciate until it becomes worthless. The people then reject it for harder assets. That is beginning to happen.”

In Matt. 24:37‑39, we read, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the presence of the Son of man be. (v.37) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark. (v.38) And knew not [or understood not] until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the presence of the Son of man be. (v.39)”

Some financial advisors are optimistic and some are pessimistic, but they are all very cautious in their prognostications – because verse 39 tells us, “they knew not” or “understood not.” It is only by the understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation, that we know that this present “evil” (Gal. 1:4) order of things must be destroyed in the Time of Trouble before Christ’s Kingdom can be established.

Our only advice at present is to “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) (Contributed)

Although 1988 has been an unpredictable year, we have not had a Black Monday like October 19,1987, in the stock market. However, the Dow has not climbed back to its all time high of 1987. The dollar is still weakening. The weaker dollar has certainly strengthened foreign investments. A lot of economists predict a recession in 1989 or 1990. Our new President elect will certainly do everything possible to prevent a recession from happening.

As a nation, we think we are living better, despite the fact that we are doing so on borrowed money. Consumer installment debt is at a record high, corporate debt is at 1.79 trillion, and national debt is at 2.6 trillion. All of these are record highs and still growing. Some major economists think that President‑elect Bush will make 1989 a stable year. The stock market could dip lower, and there will be some tax increases to the American public in some form or other.

We are proud of our country, because we believe the Bible refers to the United States in Isa. 18:1: “Ho to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.” (‘Ho’ is mistranslated ‘Woe’ in the King James version. See Young’s concordance for ‘woe’ in this text.) The ‘land’ refers to the United States; the ‘Shadowing with wings’ is Divine Providence which has caused our country to be an asylum for liberty lovers and truth lovers; ‘which is beyond’ is a fitting description of the location of the United States of America.

Dan. 4:17 says, “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” We know this is true of many heads of governments in the past, and in our day Hitler, et al. But it is not true of our country, as none of our Presidents have been the “basest of men.”

IN RELIGION

“Confession Losing Appeal To Catholics: Are Catholics giving up on confession? Eighty‑three percent of U.S. CATHOLIC readers polled said that if they were on their deathbeds they would want to tell their sins to a priest. Seventy‑six percent of the readers polled said confession is a good idea. But they are undecided as to just how good it is... Said a Minnesota reader: ‘The kneeler in the confessional fell down on my foot and broke my toe. In a cry of discomfort I let out a four‑letter word. The priest then added a new penance for my four‑letter sin.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, October 15, 1988)

The Last Word: “Dissident Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Williamson of Ridgefield, Conn., excommunicated from the church, said Pope John Paul II is wrecking his own job. ‘He is like a soft‑drink seller praying for cold weather. He’s going to put himself out of business.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, September 17, 1988)

Jehovah’s Witnesses: In the September 15, 1988, Watchtower, there is an article, “Listen Jehovah’s Watchman Speaks!” They claim to be the Watchman of Ezek. 3:17. They tell us, “Your very life depends on your responding to that message... Do you hope to be among them? (Ezekiel 26:23; 39:7; 2 Peter 3:8‑13) You may be, but only if you listen when Jehovah’s ‘watchman’ speaks.” The Witnesses pick out texts and apply them to their organization to further hoodwink their devotees and entice others to join them.

The Witnesses’ similarity to Papacy is unmistakable. They are “little” Papacy they frighten people into joining them as did Papacy in the Dark Ages. However, Papacy has modified their teaching somewhat in our day – Jezebel painted her face. (2 Kings 9: 30) Likewise the Witnesses have been forced to change their teaching many times when time revealed the falsity of their teaching. They taught at one time that their “Great Crowd” would live through Armageddon and never experience death. Since so many of their faithful devotees have died, they now teach that the “Great Crowd” who dies before Armageddon will be resurrected and “rule” with the “Great Crowd” who survive. As the chameleon changes its color, the Witnesses change their teaching to suit their purpose.

When God judges the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), “then the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isa. 35:5), and “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isa. 11:9). Today the “god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) Today there is a “narrow way” and “few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14) In His Kingdom there will be a “highway of holiness” (Isa. 35:8) – an easier way for those of little faith and “believe not.” We worship a God of Love, Justice, Wisdom and Power. “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32) in that glorious Kingdom.

God’s inspired Word repudiates and nullifies completely the gross error of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that the “evil” who do not join them will never be resurrected. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28,29 – Judgment is mistranslated ‘damnation’ in this text.) Shouldn’t we believe God’s inspired Word instead of the Witnesses’ word?

The Last Word: “The Rev. Joel Gregory, pastor of the Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, addressing a recent meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention on discord among its members: ‘We are at a flashpoint. Southern Baptists cannot survive many more months of personal animosity in our midst.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, July 9, 1988)

Biblical Commentary: “Forty‑four writers have been enlisted to contribute to a new 40‑volume biblical commentary to be published by the Southern Baptists to reflect views of ‘inerrantists’ – those who believe the Bible is free of error in history, science or religion.” (Orlando Sentinel, October 1, 1988)

The Last Word: “The Rev. Emilio Castro, an Uruguayan Methodist minister and the World Council of Churches’ general secretary, commenting on Jimmy Swaggart’s support for the military government in Chile and apartheid in South Africa: ‘If someone was thinking of giving $10 to Jimmy Swaggart and asked my opinion, I would say for my country, his ministry is a disaster.”‘ (Orlando Sentinel, June 25, 1988)

“A Hostage And A Bible: Roger Augue, a Frenchman who was held hostage in Lebanon, reports that he was given a Bible in English by one of his captors. Although he was not a believer before his capture, he held fast to the comfort of the Bible while chained in darkness 23 hours a day and being denied water for long stretches of time. Augue says that the one who gave him the Bible did him a blessed service, for it kept him from losing his sanity. He prayed every day and learned the Psalms in English by heart.” (The Church Around the World, July 1988)

Quotable Quote: “About the time of the end a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies and insist upon their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamor and opposition.” (By Isaac Newton 1642‑1726)

“The New Age Movement: The class description was alluring: ‘Energize and relax. Develop your facilities with basic exercises of this style of Yoga. Learn techniques for energizing and deep relaxation through exercising and meditation.’ Sounds innocent enough?

“For just twenty dollars, students at a Northwestern University could take this physical education class in the hopes of calming the cares of college life. What they might not know – and weren’t told in the catalog – is that kundalini yoga is a Hindu practice that aims to release the ‘serpent goddess’ (kundalini) coiled at the base of the spine. Mastery of kundalini is said to lead to a union with Brahman, the inner deity of the Hindus. But yoga experts admit to its dangers – the serpent may bite, inflicting pain, burns, ill health or even death to the practitioner.

“This is not an isolated case. It reflects just one example of an insurgent world view that aims to engulf the globe. A philosophically united movement involving cinema, education, science, medicine, psychology and politics has begun to converge on Western culture. It heralds a New Age of hope for humanity.

“One of its heralds is someone we all know – Shirley MacLaine. Having become well known through her acting, dancing, writing and political activism, she chronicled her conversion to the New Age in the best‑selling book Out on a Limb... She was convinced through a series of extraordinary events, such as out‑of‑the‑body experiences, contact with extra terrestrials, ‘trance channeling’ with various spiritual beings, personal conversations and wide reading.

“Her New Age message is fourfold: (1) we are all gods; (2) we have lived before and will live again (reincarnation); (3) there is no death; (4) there are as many ‘realities’ as there are people. To promote her book, Ms. MacLaine practically dominated the media for many months; she quickly became a celebrity evangelist for the New Age... She offers a tantalizing invitation to enter the New Age where we can all become unlimited beings, gods of our own universes.

“The very idea of reincarnation and karma (good or evil deeds) also suffers from logical and moral flaws... If we do not remember supposed past lives, how is it just that we are either rewarded or punished because of them? Karma, after all, is supposed to be a universal system of justice. Do we spank a child and not tell her why we did it?

“By realizing not our divinity but our need for God’s grace and power, we can experience new life. Unlike Shirley MacLaine who prays to ‘the best in herself.’ Christians are freed from self‑centeredness to pray to the Lord of the universe for whom all things are possible.

“New Age, Old Lie: The New Age repeats an ancient lie – the notion that we find life and salvation within ourselves, apart from the one true God. This was the serpent’s temptation in the garden (Gen. 3), and his strategies haven’t changed.

“Christians need to press those interested in the New Age on the meaning of their terms, with an eye toward showing the distinctives of the gospel. Although the New Age endlessly repeats its motto of ‘all is one,’ the New Age is not one with Christianity... Christians should point out the reality of lying and seductive spirits. As John said, ‘Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1)

“The touchstone of spiritual discernment is Jesus Christ. Any philosophy, religion or experience that denies his unique lordship and saving work is a spiritual counter­feit. (1 John 4:2‑3) (Excerpts from Douglas R. Groothuis’ book, The New Age Movement)

“The Garment Of Praise For The Spirit Of Heaviness: The word for garment here denotes a covering and the implication is that the Messiah envelopes His people. When this happens grief is swallowed up in praise, an experience not manufactured or manipulated. Rather it is the fulfillment of a relationship and an unshakable conviction of the efficacy of the sovereign grace of God. Such an encounter is entered into by the faith and obedience of the individual, though one day it will be the fulfillment of the eyes.

“There is a great longing in the hearts of many for this transforming event to take place, but we know not the time or season when the Lord will choose to bring it to pass. Until He does we are required to have a faith relationship with Him through His Word and Messiah. For the day of His favour is with us now in the personal realm, and we may all enter into it.” (R. N. Hawkins, The Vineyard, July 1988)

“Garden Of Eden Popular In Colleges: About 38 percent of American college students believe that human life originated in the Garden of Eden, according to a recently published survey. That and other findings indicate that, despite taking many courses in science, many students maintain biblical beliefs about human evolution... Other findings: nearly 10 percent of Southern students believe the earth was created 6,000 years ago – a calculation from creation science – compared with less than 3 percent in the East who believe that. Scientists calculate the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. [Great minds have great figures.] About half of the rural students believed that fossils are from animals that died during the flood described in the biblical story of Noah. Among urban students, 41 percent shared that belief.” (Orlando Sentinel, June 5, 1988)

NO. 395: CHRIST’S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

No. 395

 (Mark 11:1‑11)

 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee.” – Zechariah 9:9.

The message of John the Baptist was, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This same message Jesus bade His disciples carry from village to village throughout Palestine. This same message was the burden of His preaching and the theme of His parables. Finally, at the close of His ministry, the kingdom came to the Jewish nation in the sense it was offered to them – it was theirs for the accepting. Today’s lesson tells of the formal offer of the kingdom by Jesus and of the neglect of the Jews as a people to accept it. Thus “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11) except a few. His own nation rejected Him and five days later crucified Him. A little later, at Pentecost, a few who received Him were begotten of the holy Spirit and became the nucleus of Spiritual Israel, in preparation for the glorious Kingdom and the work which is to be accomplished at His Second Advent.

On the evening preceding the story of this lesson, Jesus and His disciples were at Bethany, the guests of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, who had prepared a special feast for Jesus, whom they loved dearly. This was the Lazarus whom He had awakened from the sleep of death but a short time before. The feast took place at the close of the Jewish Sabbath day. The next morning corresponded to our Sunday, the first day of the week.

THE CRISIS OF ISRAEL’S EXPERIENCE

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

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

We may be sure that the hearts of the apostles thrilled with excitement as they thought of the nearness of their Master’s glory and of their own share in it; for as yet they did not realize the full import of His words to the effect that He must be crucified and must depart to a “far country,” even Heaven itself, and be invested with authority, and later return to establish the Kingdom which would bless the world.

Jesus, however, was fully aware that the presentation of Himself as King was a formal matter, fulfilling the prophecy and leaving the nation of Israel without excuse. If, when He entered the city, the people should rise en masse, acknowledge Him and acclaim Him, then indeed they would be in line with the Divine requirements which would bring them the greatest of all blessings. But Jesus knew that prophecy had already declared that He would be despised and rejected, and that His own people would hide their faces from Him in shame. (Isaiah 53:3) The journey and the preparation for it, therefore, meant something very different to Jesus from what it signified to the disciples and the multitude

“THE STONES WOULD CRY OUT”

When the ass arrived, some of the people put their garments upon it in lieu of a saddle; Jesus mounted, and the procession began. Some went before Him and some followed after. The people were familiar with the prophecy relating to Messiah’s coming, which declared, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass.” (Zech. 9:9) They were familiar also with the “shout” the prophets had foretold and the responses – one party crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord!” Again came the cry, “Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord!” Then the response, “Hosanna in the highest!” These different expressions are recorded by the different evangelists.

But not all were enthusiastic acclaimers of Jesus; a discordant note was heard. Some of those who had come from the city through curiosity criticized the shouting, and wondered why Jesus did not rebuke the people for ascribing so great honor to Him. They sent word to this effect to Jesus through His disciples. Jesus made the answer that a great prophecy was being fulfilled. The Prophet Zechariah had by inspiration said, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!” and such a shout must be made. Jesus declared that if the multitudes had failed to shout, the prophecy would still have been fulfilled the very stones would have cried out.

THE FIRST PALM SUNDAY

It is customary with some Christians in various parts of the world to commemorate especially that Sunday of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The record tells that on the journey many of the people strewed their garments in the way, as a mark of respect and honor, waiting until the little animal had passed over them, and then running on before and placing them again. Others brought ferns, flowers and grasses, and strewed them in the way. Still others, St. John’s Gospel tells us, brought branches of palm trees.

It was a jubilant procession fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. Yet to Jesus it had the sad feature, as indicated by the account. When they had reached the turn of the Mount of Olives, which brought Jerusalem into view, the Master halted the procession while He looked over the city and wept, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; and verily I say unto you, Ye shall see me no more until that day [nearly nineteen centuries later] when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of Jehovah!” (Matt. 23:37‑39)

Jesus realized that that day was a turning point with the Jewish nation – that their rejection of Him meant their rejection by the heavenly Father for a long time. It meant that they would be cast off from Divine favor, except a few who would become His disciples. It meant that during those long centuries the highly favored people of Abraham’s natural seed would be in distress. It meant that the favor of God, which had been with them for centuries, would instead be extended to the Gentiles, to gather out of the Gentiles a company of faithful, saintly ones to be associates and joint‑heirs with Jesus and the faithful ones of the Jews in the heavenly Kingdom. It meant that not until this elect, heavenly, spiritual Kingdom class should be received to glory would the Jewish people be again received into fellowship with God.

St. Paul markedly calls our attention to this fact that the rejection of Israel is not permanent, but only for a time – only until the complete number of faithful saints be gathered out from amongst the Gentiles. Then God’s favor will return to natural Israel, and subsequently extend to all the families of the earth. – Romans 11:25‑32.

JESUS THE PRINCE OF PEACE

How different was this entry of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, from the triumphal marches of earthly conquerors and kings! In the excitement of human passion and the prejudice of human minds a special halo of glory has surrounded the world’s conquerors. Heroic deeds, valiant conquests, as pictured by historians have a charm. The rising generation reads with thrilling interest of the prowess of Alexander the Great, of the Spartans of Greece, of the Caesars of Rome, and in more modern times of Robert Bruce, of Napoleon and Wellington, of Generals Grant and Lee, Sherman and Johnson, Sheridan and Stewart. The home‑comings of all of these were triumphal marches, in many cases rendering honor to whom honor was due.

Nevertheless, in every instance the mind’s eye necessarily closes against scenes which led up to such triumphs. We try to forget the millions of slain and wounded, and other millions of mourning widows and orphans. We try to forget the smoking ruins of homes behind those victorious armies. However necessary war at times may seem to be for the maintenance of justice, nevertheless all must concede that the blessings purchased by the sword are procured at a terrible cost.

From this viewpoint Jesus, the Prince of Peace, followed by an army of saints who are walking in His foot‑steps, presents a beautiful picture ‑ even to the worldly. These victors ‑ Leader and followers – conquer by dying. Thus Jesus said to His followers, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel’s shall find it.” (Mark 8:35) Thus viewed, all the followers of the Lamb are self‑sacrificers, as the Bible declares: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God ‑ your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) Such victory – victory through death – is difficult for the majority of people to understand! What is the philosophy of it? Where is the victory?

VICTOR‑KINGS THROUGH DYING

Well may it be asked, Wherein is the victory of Christ and His followers in laying down their lives for the brethren and in support of truth and righteousness? Only the Bible answers the question, and only those who exercise faith can understand the Bible answer. The Bible declares that the real victory of Christ and the Church is over self. Their crowning day is future ‑ their triumph will be then.

The triumphal entry of Jesus on the ass was only typical. The antitype will be glorious – beyond the veil. As Jesus after His resurrection was “received up into glory,’ so also He has promised His Church that their resurrection shall change them from imperfect human beings to perfect spirit beings, joint‑heirs with their Master, their Redeemer, in the glorious Millennial kingdom which is to bless the world.

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

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

It requires some stamina to be a loyal follower in the foot‑steps of Jesus, misunderstood as He was misunderstood by those of His day, reviled as He was reviled. “They shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matt. 5:11) It is only when we understand through God’s promises that in these trying experiences of Christ and His followers there is a glorious purpose, that we are able to endure them with any measure of rejoicing. Only these are granted of the Lord the eye of faith which can clearly discern things beyond the veil – the glory, honor and immortality, and the kingdom which the Lord promised to His faithful followers.

“THE WRATH OF THE LAMB”

Since Jesus is the Prince of Peace, how shall we understand various passages of Scripture which refer to Him as a mighty Conqueror in bloodstained garments, taking vengeance on His foes? But especially, how shall we understand the declaration that, at His coming in the clouds of heaven, all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him?

Of this Prince of Peace it may be said that He will wound to heal, that whatever disasters He may bring or permit to come upon the world will be so overruled as to make of them blessings in disguise. Undoubtedly much that is said respecting our Lord is highly symbolic. For instance, He is to smite the nations with the sword that proceedeth out of His mouth ‑ the Word, or message, of truth. Such a smiting is in full conformity with the declaration that when St. Peter preached the Gospel at Pentecost, some of his hearers were “cut to the heart”– not with St. Peter’s literal sword, but with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Eventually, that sword will smite all opponents of righteousness for their good. Only the willfully wicked will eventually be destroyed.

We are not to forget, however, that the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom is to be in the midst of the Time of Trouble, and that Christ will have to do with the bringing, or at least the permitting, of that trouble. Apparently mankind will be permitted to bring the great trouble at the end of this Age upon themselves. There are forces of evil, Satan and his angels, ready to do us harm and, through human forces, sin‑forces entrenched in human nature, ready to do harm to the social fabric. The Bible represents that Divine power holds these in check – the four angels holding the four winds ‑ that they shall not blow upon the earth to its injury until the appointed time, until all of God’s elect Church shall have been sealed in their foreheads – their intellect – with the truth.

At the appropriate time those “winds” of strife will be let loose, and great will be the trouble, until in due time the King of kings and Lord of lords shall intervene to rescue the race from itself and from the adversary. Then Satan shall be bound for a thousand years, and Messiah’s Kingdom shall be established for the blessings of all the families of the earth.

Arm me with thy whole armor, Lord;

Support my weakness with thy might;

Gird on thy thigh thy conquering sword,

And shield me in the threatening fight.

From faith to faith, from grace to grace

So in thy strength shall I go on,

Till I appear before thy face,

And glory end what grace begun.

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 5494‑5496, JULY 1, 1914)

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QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – Are the sins of the world all canceled at death? or, is only their Adamic penalty paid? and do they have an individual penalty still to pay?

ANSWER: – The sins of the whole world are paid, as far as Divine justice is concerned that is to say – God’s account against Adam and his posterity has been sold, transferred and set over to Him who purchased the same with His own precious blood. The sins of the world are not canceled, so far as they are concerned; but a way is opened up, under the New Covenant, by which each can obtain release. The terms are that when brought to a knowledge of Christ and the redemption in Him each for himself shall will to reform and no longer to serve sin, but to serve the Redeemer and obey Him.

In view of this opportunity of retracing steps, it is proper for us to say that every word and action on the part of the world is either building up character or undermining it – either blessing or injuring the doer – either increasing or decreasing the number and weight of his stripes or punishment, all of which will be corrective.

Thus we may say that the Adamic penalty is set aside until such time as the individual shall have been granted a trial on his own account. If in this trial on his own account he sins willfully refusing to follow the instructions of his Redeemer, he will drop back again into the original penalty – which will be the Second Death. [Of which there will be no recovery.]

Thus seen, the only individual penalty they have to pay will be that represented in their own degradation. We might include in this penalty any sins which they might commit in the present life against any degree of light; for such sins bring a special searing of conscience which the same deeds committed in ignorance would not bring. Hence all who thus sin against light receive proportionately a deeper degradation and will have correspondingly the more difficulty in extricating themselves, and returning to perfection [as Adam was] under the favorable conditions of the next Age.

The world of mankind are not reckoned as coming into existence a second time, but as having their previous existence revived and continued, with the privilege of accepting Christ under the New Covenant [to be made with the Jews – Jer. 31:31‑33], and being regenerated by Him, and thus attaining life – resurrection by judgment, which will progress throughout the Millennial Age, and reach completion at its close – those who accept will reach perfect life, while those who reject will be destroyed in the Second Death. From this standpoint the only effect of good and evil in the present life will be upon man’s own conscience and character.

In respect to 1 Pet. 4:6, briefly, I understand this to mean: that for instance we who hear the Gospel and who accept its terms have a two‑fold standing ‑ or are viewed in life from two different standpoints. The world views us and judges us according to the flesh, as human beings, just the same as the remainder of the world, but God judges us differently ‑ to Him we are new creatures, and He judges us according to our spirit, will, intention, and not according to the weaknesses and imperfections of the flesh. Hence it is that although we know that in our flesh dwelleth no perfection, nevertheless “The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us” – because God judges us not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

(Pastor Russell, Reprint 3105, November 1, 1902)

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The Jews, you know, are a very intelligent people, the very highest at that time in religious attainment. No other nation was so well advanced. The law that God had given them for several hundred years had brought the Jewish people up to a very high development, and I should not wonder if there are more Jews proportionately in the Little Flock than any other class. But they got the first call – to the Jew first so in the next Age, during the restitution [Acts 3:19‑21], it will be “to the Jew first.”

The Scriptures clearly intimate that the blessings will come to the Jews immediately after this Gospel Age ends; that the blessings from Messiah will come first to natural Israel, all that God promised them. He never promised Israel spiritual things. If we will read through the Bible from Genesis to Malachi, you will see God never made a suggestion to the Jew of anything of a heavenly kind. To the contrary, the blessings promised to them were all earthly. For instance, after telling about the renewed earth, after Messiah’s reign would commence, God said through the prophet, “Ye shall build houses and inhabit them, and shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them, and you shall long enjoy the work of your hands.” These are earthly blessings of the Lord and will be to all mankind, beginning with the Jew and extending to all nations and kindreds and tongues.

(Excerpts from What Pastor Russell Said, pp. 281‑282)

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QUESTION: – What is meant by Messiah’s Kingdom?

ANSWER: ‑ Our understanding is that Messiah’s Kingdom will be a spiritual one, invisable to mortals, yet all‑powerful for the accomplishment of the great things promised in the law and prophets. The empire which He will establish, invisible to man, will take the place of the empire of Satan, likewise invisible. [Our Lord said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”] The King of Glory will replace the prince of darkness. Principal amongst Messiah’s earthly agents and representatives will be Abraham, Isaac and all the prophets, raised to full, human perfection. (Heb., Chapter 11) Instead of their being, as heretofore, the fathers, they shall be the children of Messiah, whom He will make “princes in all the earth.” (Psa.45: 16 – see Isa. 2:3) To this Kingdom the nation of Israel will speedily unite. Eventually every nation will come into harmony with Messiah, and all people will be privileged to come under Israel’s New Covenant then established by the great “Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in.” (Jer. 31:31‑34; Mall 3:1‑3)

The glorious Messiah, whom the Jews identify with “Michael, the great Prince, which standeth for thy people” (Dan. 12:1), the Muslims also expect, and identify Him with Mohammed of the past. The Free Masons also expect the same glorious personage and, in their traditions, identify Him with Hiram Abiff, the great Master Mason. This same great Messiah, Michael, the Archangel, the antitypical Melchizedek, Priest as well as King, we identify as “the man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself a ransom‑price for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:6)

But when the Great King shall appear in His glory and establish His Kingdom with Israel, He will be, as promised by the prophets, “The desire of all nations.” (Hag. 2:7) Then all the blinded eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped. (Isa. 35:5) Then, who He is, and how He should be identified with Abraham’s seed and David’s line, will be clearly known to all in heaven and all on earth. Not now, but when the King shall reign in righteousness, and shall fully understand the significance of Zechariah’s prophecy (12:7‑10) and of Psa. 22:16 [“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”– Isa. 11:9]. Content that Messiah shall show the truth in His day of revelation we are glad to point Jews, Muslims, Christians, all, to the glorious Messiah, and the great work of blessing for all the nations, which God will accomplish through the seed of Abraham, according to His covenant and His oath.

(Pastor Russell – Reprint 5031, May 15, 1912)

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QUESTION: ‑ Will you please explain Rev. 20:12, “the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life”?

ANSWER: – ‘‘The books were opened” simply means our present Bible will be made plain, expounded, explained to all mankind during the Millennial reign. Our present Protestant Bible contains 66 books, 39 of which are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New testament. The meaning of the word “Bible” is “the books,” and it would have been just as correct and more revealing had the text read, “the Bible was opened”; but clearly enough, the Lord did not wish to make the statement so easily understood for all at this time. “Another book” is probably a third section of our Bible, which will be given during the Millennium for further revelation and guidance of the human race. In Joel 2:28 it is stated, “your old men [Ancients] shall dream dreams, and your young men [Youthfuls] shall see visions.” The Ancients and Youthfuls are the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, who will receive inspired messages, as did the Ancient Worthies to build the Old Testament; and these inspired works will comprise “another book” to be added to our present Bible, or The Books.

(Brother Hoefle, Reprint No. 66, November, 1960)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

In response to your request for a little memoir of the work done by my late husband, Casimir Lanowick, on behalf of God’s ancient chosen people, it occurs to me to tell of an interesting encounter we had in Haifa in 1950, on our first trip to Israel.

We stayed in an old but charming hotel in the German Colony section of town. The Appinger Hotel was operated by Swiss Jews and hence had a special quality of efficiency and hospitality, but not too many guests because in those years of “tzena” (austerity) Israel was trying to cope with receiving and settling thousands upon thousands of refugee Jews who poured into their new homeland – mostly from Europe. One day when we were filming at the port, for instance, 5,000 arrived within 24 hours! (I have some touching motion picture footage that Casimir took that day from a special vantage point accorded us by the port authorities.) See Jeremiah 31:8.

Since it was rather quiet at the hotel, we would often chat with the concierge mornings and evenings. He seemed to be well versed regarding Israel affairs, so Casimir asked him for a list of all the newspapers published in Israel. At that time papers came out in dozens of languages because the new arrivals were not yet versed in Hebrew and needed the news in the various tongues of the countries from which they came.

Knowing of the extensive work of Pastor Charles Taze Russell in Europe, widely lecturing to Jewish audiences in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, assuring them of God’s promises to re‑establish the nation of Israel, Casimir felt sure that quite a few Jews in Israel had known about his work for the Jews. Of course, our new‑found friend at the hotel was curious as to why we wanted such a list of newspapers, so Casimir told him what he had in mind. Well, this gentleman’s response was amazing! “Why,” he said, “I know about Pastor Charles Russell. When we studied at the Hebrew University and took the class on Zionism, Pastor Russell’s name was at the top of the list of Christian Zionists!”

What a thrill that was to us. Pastor Russell’s work was being taught at the prestigious Hebrew University in Jerusalem. As it turned out, we could not afford to place the newspaper ads when we investigated the costs involved. But we never forgot this incident and reported it widely in our lecture work after we returned in the U.S.

Yours for Zion’s sake, -----------, P. O. Box 400, Paradise, CA 95967

P.S. – We did meet two Bible Students that year in Israel ‑ a brother from Poland, in his early 50’s, and a lovely young girl, the daughter of a Bible Student in Poland whose father sent her ahead to Israel in the hope of joining her soon.

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Dear Sister: Love and peace in our Beloved Lord!

Thank you, dear, for bringing to David Horowitz’ attention that I did not receive the Bulletins for which I subscribed back in 1986. Am pleased to inform you that he sent me 2 issues – Winter 1987‑88 and Summer of 1988. Also sent me his notes of June 21st. So thanks to you I have enjoyed those Bulletins immensely, and delighted to see your picture and his on one. Am passing around these Bulletins to members of our Class.

Bless your dear heart for your interest in this matter and for your labors of love for His people.

In His merciful Grace, ------- (CONNECTICUT)

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Dear Brethren,

I wish herewith to express my very great thanks for the papers as you are constantly sending me – with quite in line with the Divine Plan of the Ages. Armageddon is unavoidable: Christ’s Kingdom is at hand! I enclose a check to help in the expense.

Sincerely your brother, ------- (SWEDEN)

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Dear Friend: Shalom! Your greeting is very much appreciated.

Many thanks for your beautiful, welcome letter, commenting on the material you received from me. Your attitudes and reactions made me happy – to find a kindred soul who appreciates the deeper exercises of the mind and spirit. Yes, of course, you may use my material in your papers. It is customary to give credit to the author of any piece that goes into print.

You will be interested to know that I am getting over a fast of three weeks, and recovering slowly. My body received a good housecleaning. The project had a dual purpose – both physical and spiritual. Very few people of my years – February 3rd, 1900 would do this, but my body was in good condition and quite youthful, so I took the chance. Mind and soul are forever youthful.

Have read the four papers you sent me and am mighty grateful. IN THE BEGINNING, Parts one and two, are fascinating, and it is pleasing to me that you and your husband are championing the “Creationist” side of the controversy. To me it seems the intelligent approach. The arguments you present are powerful. The materialistic, mechanist mind, possessed by most “scientists,” cannot grasp the abstractions. ... You are both to be congratulated on the ability and the art of corralling so much Bible material with which to prove your postulates.

Again thanks for your beautiful letters and the splendid material. I trust your niece will appreciate the material you sent her.

Sincerely, as ever, ---------- (NEW YORK)

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Dear Sister and Brethren: Grace and peace!

As you may have guessed, we have been having a rather hectic time during the last few weeks, which has interfered with our normal routine. We have not been at home to settle down to letter‑writing. Our apologies for this, but we know you will understand as we get older we certainly have to slow down.

However, for the time being, we are at home, and have actually before us a rough outline of our intended reply to your letter of July 14, which we will not repeat as events have overtaken us somewhat. ... ...

We have no contact with M.H., but we believe we just missed meeting the brother mentioned. This happened over a year ago. ... It was not until we received it, Frank remembered the brother visiting him. ... It is a strange world. We shall appreciate hearing more about the situation.

Yes, we do get the Bulletins from David Horowitz ... As to Brother ‑‑‑ , he is over 80 now, and has been for many years in the same class. We can only encourage him to make a stand on “open Bible study.” He knows Brother Russell’s reference on the matter. Brother Ron has cancer of the liver. ...It was a great shock to all of us.

You will be pleased to know, we are sure, that we have had very favorable letters from Philip Fletcher as well as from his mother. Both include warm invitations to visit them – and, of course, we are ready to do what we can in the matter. ...

Another interesting item was when we had our holiday week in July at a Residential School for further education, we met a young lady who was most interested in the Truth. We gave her the “Divine Plan” in magazine form, and she was most appreciative. Here’s hoping we meet again.

I think we have mentioned everything we wanted to. ... Enclosed is a copy of a letter of Philip’s. My response to their letters has been delayed. I hope we hear soon. God bless you and all your co‑laborers.

With Christian love, ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Mrs. Hoefle,

I am a student of the history of the Christian religion, especially of those in America. I would like to know more about C. T. Russell – particularly from 1869 – 1884, a period I have been unable to find much information about and those associated with Russell during that period.

Please send me the book about Pastor Charles Taze Russell, An Early American Christian Zionist and a copy of The Divine Plan of Salvation. Thank you for the literature you have sent me.

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

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