NO. 449: “THINK IT NOT STRANGE"

No. 449

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

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you," is the counsel of the Apostle Peter in First Peter 4:12; and in verse 16 he appeals further, “If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” It is often most helpful to the proper understanding of any text to discern its background, the basis which prompted its expression; and such is definitely true in the present instance. It will be noted in verse I, chapter 1, that the Apostle is addressing his letter to "the strangers" of the Black Sea Provinces. The Diaglott expresses it much clearer: "Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the sojourners of the dispersion." Who were these "sojourners of the dispersion"? Apparently, they were such Jews as had been exiled from or about Jerusalem, or those who had left because conditions there were more or less unbearable for them. It would seem these are the same ones mentioned in John 7:35, when the Jews who were hearing Jesus, "said among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles?"

Among such dispersed ones, those who had suffered afflictions for some cause or other, there would certainly be found some who were ready listeners to the message that Jesus was indeed the Christ, their Messiah; and it would seem St. Peter had been among them, had convinced some, and was striving to "establish them in the Present Truth." Of a certainty, those Jews had never seen Jesus personally; therefore, their acceptance of Him had been prompted by the testimonies of St. Peter or others. (1 Peter 1: 8) The prophecy (Isa. 8: 14) that "He shall be for a stone of stumbling, and. for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel" was not without purpose. Those Jews who received Him gladly did so from the heart; but those Jews who rejected Him likewise hated Him from the heart -hated also their former brethren who then accepted Him. To some He was the savor of life unto life; to some the savor of death unto death; and the latter snarled the opprobrious name "Christian" at their former fellows, as they spat upon the ground in the same breath, the worst of all insults they could express toward the new converts. Thus, St. Peter was telling such who had become His disciples that if they suffered under the offensive name "Christian" to be not ashamed, but to "Glorify God in this name."

The expression "fiery trial" in our text is from the Greek purosis, meaning literally "a burning," being the same word found, also in Rev. 18:9 and 18:18 (the word occurs but three times in the Bible), where the "burning" of that Great City which is called spiritually Sodom is described. This may be regarded as a fitting sarcasm in contrast that the same word should be used to describe the "sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord" which comes from the "burning," the sharp and faith-developing trials, .of the true Christians on the one hand, and the "burning," the utter destruction, of the "vine of the earth" on the other hand. And all of this is emphasized further by St. Peter in verse 17 of chapter 4: "Because the season is coming for the judgment to begin from the house of God; and if it begin first from us, what the end of those who are disobedient to the glad tidings of God?"

Today the name Christian is often spoken with respect, even by many Jews in the more enlightened countries; the name itself is no longer "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." Now Christians in name only must find other insulting terms for "Christians indeed ["Israelites indeed" -John 1:47]." To many who received "Present Truth" under That Servant, to be a "Russellite" was the most insulting term to apply to those "Christians indeed." To some, who believed Brother Johnson and his ardent adherents were in the Second Death, the epithet "Johnson-ite" would bear similar meaning to their fellows as did the name "Christian" in Apostolic times. Thus, we might substitute the words, "If any man suffer as a Johnson-ite, let him not be ashamed" -that is, if he suffers such epithets as a faithful footstep follower of Jesus Christ. Let us keep in mind that if we "suffer as a Christian," because of the Truth, we need never be ashamed - whether it be labelled Russellism, Hoefleism, or whatever opprobrium erstwhile brethren may use in contempt the same as did the Jewish brethren of Jesus in contemptuous use of the name "Christian." "As He was in this world, so are we."

"THAT OLD SERPENT THE DEVIL"

All of the "burning" -fiery trials -of God's people under the reign of evil have been instigated by "the God of this world," the evil one; and this has been markedly true of the difficulties of all new creatures during this Gospel Age. This is apparent at the very outset of the Age, when "the Apostle and High Priest of our Profession, Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3: 1) was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil." (Matt. 4: 1) The word here translated "Devil" is from the Greek diabolos, and is a specific name for the individual Satan -the Devil. It is the same word as found in Rev. 20:2: "He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan."

We believe the words dragon, serpent, Devil and Satan portray the four unholy attributes of Azazel -the personification of evil in completeness -just as Power, Wisdom, Justice and Love describe the four character attributes of Jehovah -the personification of Goodness and true Holiness in perfection. As the "dragon," the Evil One, has attempted to devour the Gospel-Age saints by the unholy use of power, just as he through Pagan Rome actually did "devour the child." (Rev. 12: 4) Honest opponents are devoured and crushed by the unholy use of power, just as that great apostate "woman Jezebe1" used unholy power to become "drunken with the blood of the saints." (Rev. 17:6) But in all of this seeming victory, God's holy use of power has preserved the fully faithful, has "laid up for them a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give them in that day … to all those who love His appearing." (2 Tim. 4:8) As the "serpent," the evil one has been the deceiver, the beguiling tempter, of the Age in a perverted use of wisdom -Azazel means perverter. "Now the serpent was more crafty than any living thing" (Gen. 3:1, Rotherham); and "the woman was deceived." (1 Tim. 2:14) But the "pure wisdom which is from above" has kept the fully faithful during the Age from being "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. 3: 13)

As the "devil," the Evil One has been the false accuser, the calumniator (so the Greek) of God's people, especially so in the Parousia-Epiphany in the persons of antitypical Jannes and Jambres, the slanderous false-accusing sifters described by St. Paul in 2 Tim. 3:1-9. And slander, lying, false statements, misrepresentations, bad conscience manifested toward the fully faithful, are they not all an abuse of justice, i.e., "in"-justice? But here again, the "justice that is laid to the line" has spoken, or will eventually speak, in vindication of all those "whose righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord." Then, finally as "Satan," the Evil One is the adversary, or opposer of God's fully faithful people. He often uses the measurably faithful, the "buckwheat" class, to oppose the fully faithful, causing them to meddle in the affairs of the wheat class in attempts to usurp their office powers. They frequently use the Truth given by God through His faithful mouthpieces to their own advantage, often palming it off as their own. They are all motivated through a lack of love and are those persons "who received not the Truth in the love of it," and who have been given an "energy of delusion" in return. "Thou hast given them blood [error] to drink" (Rev. 16:6) But the true love, coming from the One "altogether lovely" provokes to good works (Heb. 10:24) just as the lack of it opposes such good works, and attempts to promote evil works. Thus, there is clearly depicted the "High and Lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, whose Name is Holy" (Isa. 57:15), as contrasted with the Evil One who will be "bound a thousand years, cast into the bottomless pit, that he should deceive the nations no more" (Rev. 20:2,3), and eventually annihilated.

THE PATTERN OF TEMPTATIONS WELL DEFINED

If we "consider Him," it becomes clear enough that Jesus had His most severe trials at the very outset, and then at the end of His walk on the "narrow way." After His anointing "with the spirit without measure" at Jordan, He was possessed of a consuming zeal, which so engrossed Him He did not even stop to eat for forty days. It would seem reasonable to believe that, knowing the great import of His mission on earth, and that "the King's business required haste," He memorized the entire Old Testament in those forty days, as well as to "rightly divide the word of Truth" on the various Tabernacle types, etc., of which He Himself would be the central figure in the antitype. According to His own words a little later, He had instructed those who have followed Him during the Age that every Tabernacle type had to continue until its antitype appeared -"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matt. 5: 18; Luke 16: 17) Then, at the extreme end of His earthly ministry came the most severe trial of all -Gethsemane and the Cross; and this pattern is also clearly marked in the experiences of the Apostles -much persecution immediately after Pentecost, with greater climax toward the end of their lives. James was killed with the sword (Acts 12:2), Peter crucified head downward, John thrown into a vat of boiling oil, Paul having his head chopped off, etc. -with all of them having their most severe testings at the beginning and at the end of their narrow-way experiences.

And Satan, master of psychology, makes his boldest and strongest attempts when his intended victims are weakest. This he did in the case of Jesus, when He was weakened from His fast and arduous concentration at the end of the forty days. And this Satan did by evidencing real concern for His physical welfare. "You are hungry and weak," he had implied, "but you have received the Holy Spirit without measure; you have power to provide your every need; command that these stones be made bread." This would not only tryout the new power He had received, but would provide His temporal necessities at the same time. It might even decide Satan to repent and be converted, to join hands with Him in the work He was about to undertake.

Inasmuch as "He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin," we may be certain His followers all during the Age would be similarly tried -tempted to use the power of the Truth to their own present advantage; yet accomplish just as readily the work given them to do. Numerous are the examples along this line: Balaam, who succumbed to the temptation (Num. 22); St. Peter was "offered money" for the power he had, but emphatically resp0.nded that "the gift of God is not to be purchased with money" (Acts 8: 18-20); the Gospel-Age builders of Great Babylon becoming "rich, and increased of good, and in need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17) foolishly determined to bring to earth the Kingdom of God before "due time" -"my Lord delayeth." "Money is power," says Solomon; but it does not bring the power that maketh wise unto salvation; yet it has deceived many into believing they could be the "rich man" in this world, and "Lazarus" in the next. Just a cursory look at our Lord's course should convince them of their fallacious reasoning.

TEMPTATION TO USE UNLAWFUL METHODS

At Jesus' prompt rejection of Satan's first bit of sophistry, he took up a second mode of attack: "If thou be the son of God, cast thyself down" from the pinnacle of the temple. (Matt. 4:6) This task of redeeming, uplifting mankind from the mire of sin, from relieving the poverty and human frailty, so apparent on every hand, just could not be done without some sensational methods; and this has been the thinking of the minds of worldly men throughout the Age. One outstanding weakness of the "great multitude" all during the Age has been this very mistake; thus, they become "doubleminded" -a mind to serve the Lord while using Satan's methods. They would do great works, win great numbers, gain great favor with their fellows, yet bask in the smile of Heaven at the same time -a combination never parried by the fully faithful, but readily grasped by those befuddled by Azazel, attempting to juggle the "pearl of great price" (Matt. 13:46) with one hand, as they juggle "the pleasures of sin for a season" (Heb. 11:25) with the other hand. "They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare." (1 Tim. 6: 9) "The Kingdom of  Heaven cometh not with outward show," said Jesus, and He set us the example of being "meek and lowly of heart." There can be no argument with the statement, "The entrance of thy word giveth light," and the great "quickening" that comes upon entrance of the Truth into the human mind has caused the large majority to "think more highly of themselves than they ought to think." But the jester spoke a great truth when he declared, "O, if you would only know how much you have to know that you don't know nuthin."

It is a common fallacy of professional men - doctors, lawyers, preachers, technicians - to consider others stupid because the general knowledge of their particular vocation is so limited in the general mind. This is a mistake, of course,because many uneducated people could have made excellent doctors, lawyers, etc., had they been given the opportunity. It is a sage observation that the big difference between the professors and the students is that the professors read the books first. Therefore, it is sound counsel to all, and especially to the leaders in the church, to consider St. Paul's words: "Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor.4: 7)

TEMPTATION TO COMPROMISE

,With Jesus' positive rejection of Satan's suggestion, there came immediately the third temptation, the temptation of Combinationism, which has overcome vast multitudes throughout the Age, and especially so here in the end of the Age. Satan would have Jesus to join with Him to accomplish His mission. Could not the two of them do it better than one of them alone? Would not two heads be better than one? Satan made it clear, of course, that he himself would be chief of the two heads: "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." This temptation of Combinationism to God's people has been among the most alluring all during the Age - not stated in exactly the same words, of course, but with the same underlying principle. "Money is power," says Solomon; and this influence is stronger today than at any time in history, because there is so much more of it in the hands of so many more people of differing ideals and desires. The person today who contributes, say, $10,000 per year to his particular church, will not be lightly considered when he states his wishes to the preacher. One great source of strength with the last two Principal Men was their decision, SEATS FREE -NO COLLECTIONS. Since they asked no one for money, they could afford to tell them the truth; there was no need to compromise. This revives the story of an Admiral from the U.S. Navy: Deciding to go to church one Sunday morning as he returned from the sea, he walked to a pew near the front, occupied by one lone old man. As he joined the party, he was given reproachful glances, which however, he ignored. The old man, not to be thus disregarded, took one of his personal cards from his pocket, wrote on it, "I paid $1,000 for this seat." The Admiral turned the card to the other side, handed it back to its owner with the answer, "You paid too much." And certainly Jesus would have "paid too much" had He succumbed to the tricky deceit of Satan.

TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION

It is a sound observation that truth is stranger than fiction; and this is illustrated all about us today. Who wishes to hear the Truth? Even some among former brethren ~ those who once claimed to love the Truth more than life itself -there is very little of the "hearing ear" any more. And this situation is very evident in Churchianity everywhere; they are willing to listen to and receive almost any kind of hokus-pokus just as long as it isn't the Truth. Thus, to the vast majority, the Truth is indeed a "stranger," which emphasizes the truth of Jesus' inquiry: "When the Son of Man cometh, will He find the faith on the earth?" And the Berean Comment is most fitting: "The question implies that at that time the true faith (the Truth) would be almost extinct." (Luke 18:8, Berean Comment) But for those who do have the faith, the Present Truth, there is the comforting assurance of Psa. 89:15: "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound [that have an ear for the Truth]; they walk, 0 Lord, in the light of thy countenance." Such have meat to eat that others know not of; to such the Aaronic  blessing is sure: "The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" ­the peace of God, which passeth understanding.

All of the three temptations of Jesus, which He met and rejected without wavering, have come in principle to all of His followers during the Age, added to which they have also been tempted to sin. It is well to bear in mind that temptation is an appealing suggestion. Without appeal, there can be no temptation. Thus, the statement, "God cannot be tempted of evil" (James 1:13) -evil is distasteful to every pore of His Being; just the reverse of Satan, whose characterization as The Evil One is indicative of the full corruption of evil that pervades every pore of his being. Nor is it any ·sin to be tempted; sin enters only when we are "overcome of evil." Therefore, "be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom. 12: 21) In all of their temptations, the fully faithful eventuate as "more than conquerors" -they gain the "crown of righteous­ness" which wins for them a throne. "He that overcometh shall sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21), is the sure promise of the fully faithful new creatures.

But the Scriptures are very clear that the new creatures who are measurably faithful, a "great multitude, "are not such overcomers; they will never gain a throne. At best, they will serve "before the throne" -the throne being the heritage of their fully faithful brethren. After they have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7: 14) it will also 'be their privilege to become a kind of police force in the spiritual realm. And we believe it is sound and just observation that everyone of the Great Multitude leaders today has failed in at least two, and probably in all three, of those temptations which came especially upon Jesus -selfishness, error, worldliness -with the additional charge against some of them that they also fall under the fourth temptation, Sin. As the Epiphany Messenger has taught, Sectarianism is a great sin. During the Gospel Age Great Company leaders have built the sects in Big Babylon, and have perverted the Star Members’ teachings they embraced for their sects. The Great Company is one of the elect classes, but as a class they are not counted as overcomers of sectarianism and clericalism, even though they all must overcome their sins of teaching and practice as individuals if they receive the "palms" of victory. (Rev. 7:9) Thus, we offer St. Paul's counsel: "Exhort each other every day, while it is called Today, so that no one among you may be hardened by a delusion of sin." (Heb. 3:13, Dia.)

Another class of faithful overcomers are those who consecrate between the Ages, after the "door is shut" ,to the High Calling and before the full opening of the Millennium, that is, before the New Covenant is inaugurated, and opportunity to consecrate for restitution purposes is available. That Servant taught there would be such a class in the end of the Age when no more crowns would be available - a class that would be similar to the Ancient Worthies, and would receive a "better Resurrection" (Heb. 11:35) and be rewarded in partnership with the Ancient Worthies. He also saw in later years that they would be rewarded with spirit nature at the end of the Kingdom reign. The following respecting "Those Consecrating Between The Ages" is from That Servant's writings in the Sept. 1, 1915 Watch Tower, Reprint 5761:

"It is our thought that with the closing of the 'door' of this Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them -the High Calling not being yet open. But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would, in the future life, have a 'better resurrection' than would the remainder of the world.

"Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these [during the time when sin and evil are in the ascendancy, such as in this our day] will make a full consecration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in His ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel Age. We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a consecration after the close of the Gospel Age High Calling and before the full opening of the Millennium."

And it is reasonable to expect a God of Love, Justice, Wisdom and Power to reward such consecrators _above restitutionists -those who are faithful and obedient and walk a narrow way when sin and evil are in the ascendancy. The Epiphany Messenger accepted That Servant's teaching, and was privileged to bring out additional light and much convincing Scriptural support for such a class; and we also "continue in what we have learned and been assured of," and heartily believe that such consecrators between the Ages, after the "door is shut" and before opportunity for consecration for the non-elect, will, if faithful, be rewarded with the Ancient Worthies with a "better resurrection" and become "princes in all the earth." (Psa. 45:16)

Like the Ancient Worthies, the Youthful Worthies are on trial for faith and obedience, and not for life, but they will be tested and proved worthy if they achieve their goal, the visible rulers of the Kingdom, under the invisible Kings and Priests of God. (Rev. 20:6) "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:24-26)

J. F. Rutherford taught in harmony with That Servant at the outset of his career, but later reversed himself. He later produced a class of his own imagination, calling them Jonadabs, which later became the "great Multitude."

We believe that all the Lord's people would be greatly benefited if they would take heed to That Servant's admonitions and warning in the February IS, 1912 Watch Tower, Reprint 4970:

"The Lord's followers are to note how these same temptations are the very ones by which the adversary assails them: (1) He would be their friend and helper and would thereby induce them to violate their covenant of sacrifice by requests for physical healing, physical blessings, which they have agreed to sacrifice. (2) He would suggest to them some wild, foolish way of capturing the world for God by some great exploits or prayer tests. (3) He would have them compromise with the world and its spirit and its methods of church federation and otherwise. We are to resist the adversary courageously that he may leave us permanently, seeing no hope of winning us."

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." (Eph. 6:13, 14, 24)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim (Reprint No. 312, November 1981)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear and very esteemed Sister Emily Hoefle,

Your good letter has been received gratefully and with appreciation. And most especially we want to thank you for your support. We have printed four different pamphlets about present Truth and have already distributed thousands of them. We rejoice that people receive them with extraordinary interest. The district administration organized at one of the Sabbaths a walking tour to Emek Hashalom. 8,000 visitors came by and took thousands of pamphlets in one day.

But otherwise Israel stands in deeply exciting conditions. The Islam shows an abyss deep hatred. Now the fight rages about ancient Jerusalem at the root of the controversy, because it is the Holiest place and the city of the Grand King. The Hagar covenant-people want to destroy the Sarah-covenant people along with all its promise. There are apprehensions that if the outcome of the current Peace talks is without results, it will lead to a Mid-East war.

After Emek Hashalom became a significant factor in Israel, friends and officials concerned for the welfare of the settlement urged us to take the greatest caution and care. They have asked the newspapers to cease writing about Emek Hashalom and told us, "May God provide that you remain unrecognized by the enemies of Israel, otherwise, no power on earth could protect and guard you."

But inevitably it moves and drives towards the last decisions.  Great and many thanks for standing by us and mindfulness in fraternal care.  

Your devoted brethren from Israel by His Grace, ................ and ...........................

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IMPRESSIONS OF VISITORS TO EHEK HASHALOH -THE VALLEY OF PEACE

Members of the local government told us that they know about the good influence of Emek Hashalom to the thousands of visitors, and they wish that Hermann Bezner would be the spiritual leader of Israel.

Rabbis from all over the country have visited Emek Hashalom. A leading Rabbi has declared us God's ambassadors, who engaged in holy work. "God said through you things to the people which they do not come too hear from any other party." Others have expressed their envy at Hermann's living faith.

Many of the people acquainted with Emek Hashalom for a longer time consider Hermann as their prophet, because all the things he foretold on the ground of the Scriptures have become true.

Occasionally, youth leaders bring us special-education juveniles. The last group came yelling and jumping, but already during Brother Hermann's lecture a change in their conduct had become apparent. They left Emek Hashalom quite well-mannered.

The participants in the recently held Seminars Emek Hashalom have told us that the place radiates a spirit of love and warmth. "We admire the work that you perform here," they say.

When the Minister of Agriculture came to visit, Hermann had just returned from the field work with a broken scythe. The Minister took it, went to the tool shed and repaired it personally, and returned it to Hermann, saying: "Now it will hold until the Messiah comes."

The group leaders sincerely say that they made great efforts to bring groups from allover the country because Emek Hasbalom is an example for the spiritual way of life, and also a model for the future in the practical way of life with its agriculture and building work, according to the prophecy.

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

Dear Sister ................, Shalom through our Lord!

Thank you heartily for your good letter, which we received with much appreciation. It was again sheer joy to read about your Israel work, and that you succeeded in spite of fierce opposition. It was interesting to hear from you about the difficulties you had, because Brother Hermann had the same experience. As you put it, "When we started our work for Israel (1947) we met with strong opposition from most of our Bible Students. So it proved a lonely work over the years, as you and Brother Bezner also know. But in spite of the lack of interest and negative attitude of most Bible Students, the result of our lecture work about Israel, as related to God's Plan, proved to be phenomenal, reaching lovers of Israel in many countries."

Hermann himself had to pass through enormous difficulties. When he began his Israel work it looked like all the forces had united to hinder and prevent him from continuing the work of Brother Russell in Israel. But he overcame and conquered because he acted in the same devoted spirit as that of Brother Russell, the star of the Laodicea Period.

Brother Russell knew about the importance of the practical and actual building work in Israel. Therefore he visited the Holy Land twice (1891, 1909) and encouraged the young Zionist settlers, making friends with some leaders of the Zionist executive. Brother Hermann himself had already in the year 1918 when he was 18 years old the blessings of meeting with Bible Students in Heilbrom, Wurtenberg, in Germany.

He studied in a very intensive way the Studies in the Scriptures, and already at the age of 20 he was asked to serve the communities of brethren in Germany as a pilgrim. First the work that the Lord was laying out for him led Hermann through all the German cities, and he had the pleasure of meeting thousands of Brethren, as well as the privilege to found new communities.

When the Nazis grabbed the rule of the country, they forbade every activity. Hermann's twin brother was caught distributing literature of the Bible Students and he was imprisoned for one year in a work camp. Before his release when he refused to give up his beliefs, they had performed operations on him. Hermann was able to escape into Austria and continued to evangelize the truth there and in some other European countries.

When the Nazi regime overran Austria, and later parts of Europe, Hermann fled to Southern Austria and took refuge in a mountain farm, where he kept himself hidden until the end of the war, and prepared himself for Israel.

After the establishment of the State of Israel, which he had expected for many years, Hermann had only one wish: "to continue Brother Russell's work in Israel." After surmounting many obstacles, Hermann was able in the year 1962 to purchase a vast and stony piece of land in Israel. He established a small kibbutz and transformed the land with great diligence and assiduity to a blossoming garden. Soon after it had become known and famous, Israel press brought it to the attention of the Israeli public, entitling the farm "Emek Hashalom" meaning "the valley of Peace." Again and again it became the subject of newspaper articles and was covered extensively by local, as well as international media. The largest paper of Israel wrote that the Valley of Peace is a Paradise and the Pearl in the Israeli landscape.

Ten thousand visitors come every year to hear the message in the Valley of Peace. With great wisdom Brother Hermann solved the extremely complicated duty of bringing the good message to the people of Israel. In nearly three thousand addresses and speeches he proclaimed the very near arrival of the Messiah who will erect God's Kingdom and will bring the time of the restitution and fulfilling of all the Divine promises.

"Emek Hashalom" became known even in the Government. Important officials and members of the Government came to visit and expressed their admiration, saying that "Emek Hashalom" is a unique phenomenon in Israel. We even received further terrain in order to erect a pavilion to a capacity of holding the bigger groups of visitors, with the destination of becoming a unique teaching center in Israel.

Many of the visitors expressed that they received a deep feeling of freedom and peace at "Emek Hashalom," and they felt like it was in the days of Messiah and leave the place comforted, encouraged with new hope in their hearts. So Israel is opening up for the true message of the Lord. The message of the Nominal Churches, and denominations are being refused energetically as un-Biblical. What is forbidden for the denominations -for us the doors are being opened. It is the time that His Kingdom will be erected with Might and Glory. To Him be adulation and praise!

We greet all the brethren with you and stay heartily connected in the common faith.

Yours for Zion's sake, Brother .................... (ISRAEL)

P.S. -Hermann had the privilege to give a good witness to all assembled Bible Students at the Jerusalem convention. As a summary, Hermann expressed the hope that the convention will bring an inspiration for the necessary unity and better understanding toward Israel.

Many of the Brethren today do not understand the great responsibility that rests upon us (God's people) to do all that is possible for the People and the Land of Israel to contribute to the fulfillment of the prophecy. Not only to pray for Israel but also support the material need for the building up of the Land of Israel. The Prophet Samuel says that it is a sin not to pray for Israel and not to show Israel the good and the right way (1 Samuel 12:23).

NO. 448: IN MEMORIAM

No. 448

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

Activities of Pastor Russell. That Servant. His Memory Still Fragrant. Will His Work Endure? God Bless His Memory! The Epiphany Proves Him That Servant. His Will.

The Anniversary of our Pastor’s passing beyond the veil, October 31, 1916, will always be a date of special sacredness to God’s saints. The whole Church was shocked by the news of his departure. Loath were we to believe it true, until the evidence became unanswerable; and then we realized our great loss, but his great gain. His memory is fragrant and blest to us. He will ever occupy in our hearts the large place that his holy character, unselfish service and faithful sufferings have won for him. That his memory may still continue fragrant and blest to us let us together briefly review the activities, achievements and attainments of this eminent saint of God. He certainly was a SCHOLAR in the true sense of that term. Those who require a university diploma as indispensable evidence of learning will deny him the merit of scholarship. However, there are not a few cases of scholars that were self‑made, gaining their knowledge apart from the schools of the learned world. Among such our Pastor won a high place. Apart from English he was not a linguist, though he learned how to use well for his Biblical work the gains of the best scholarship in Greek and Hebrew. He was deeply versed in history, as his writings attest. So thoroughly did he understand business that able financiers eagerly sought his advice. His writings show that he was at home in the perplexing questions of industry, economics, sociology, capital and labor.

The realms of philosophy were deeply explored by him, and he was an expert in theoretical and practical psychology and phrenology. Few have understood the workings of the human intellect and heart so well as he. Human anatomy and physiology were open books to him. His knowledge of these sciences, combined with that of medicine, made him a physician; and though he had no medical diploma, he attained better results in the healing art than the average physician. However, his real eminence in learning was in the domain of theology, in which he was without a peer since the days of the Apostles. His knowledge of the Bible was phenomenal; and when other theologians will have been discarded, he will be recognized as a standing authority in this the greatest of all sciences.

Naturally such a scholar would be a writer. Very few human beings have written more than he. His correspondence alone was sufficient for the life work of an industrious and talented man. When it is remembered that some years over 300,000 letters and postals were written to him, and that he supervised the answers to this huge mail, and attended to no small share of it himself, we can realize something of the amount of his correspondence and the time and labor involved. As an author he produced six unrivaled books on the Bible whose combined circulation during his life aggregated 10,000,000 copies. As a bookleteer he published a number of booklets of great value, one of which, on Hell, has been circulated more widely than any other booklet ever written. He produced over 200 tracts, some of which attained a circulation of over 50,000,000 copies. His sermons, appearing regularly every week for thirteen years, were published part of that time simultaneously in over 2,000 newspapers, having a combined circulation of over 15,000,000 copies. He edited a semi‑monthly religious magazine with a circulation of about 45,000 copies.

His Scenario of the “Photo‑Drama of Creation” has had a wide circulation, as is also the case with his Angelophone record lectures. His articles on the International Sunday School Lessons have reached many Sunday School teachers in a special publication, as well as in his semi‑monthly magazine and in hundreds of newspapers. He was a regular contributor to several magazines, and, apart from his regular weekly sermon, was a frequent contributor of special articles to newspapers, some of which also carried reports of his frequent lectures.

Nor was his work as a lecturer on a small scale. Most well‑known lecturers have only a few lectures that they use year in and year out. Not so with him. He lectured on hundreds of subjects which were of compelling interest, as well as of recognized difficulty. His lectures were direct, clear, simple, logical and convincing. His powers of exposition and proof were of the first order, and were so well in hand as to appeal to the learned and unlearned alike, an unequaled proof of genius. Wherever he was announced to speak, the largest and best auditoriums were crowded, and frequently thousands and usually hundreds were turned away, unable to gain entrance. He did not depend on the tricks of oratory to win his hearers. He appealed to their heads and hearts in that simple and direct manner which wins the hearer without oratorical fireworks. He was the most cosmopolitan lecturer that ever lived, having addressed audiences in this capacity in almost every country on earth, traveling between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 miles to meet his appointments.

As a preacher he was even more widely known than as a lecturer. Wherever he worked as a lecturer he addressed more private audiences as a preacher. This acquired for him the title, “The Ubiquitous Preacher.” It can be more correctly said of him than of any other preacher that the World was his parish. His spoken sermons were published in the newspapers, reaching million of readers weekly. These sermons appeared in many languages; and before he died his pen products had been published in some forty languages. As a preacher he appealed to the hearts of his hearers through their heads; and his ability to strike home to the hearts and heads of his hearers through suitable Bible verse or illustration the thoughts that he was seeking to impress was marvelous. His genuine and unaffected love for God and man gave a power to his utterances that drove them home, where mere eloquence and oratory would have been effectless. His sermons, therefore, always elevated head and heart.

He was the most notable of pastors. His clearness of insight into the problems of his day, his knowledge of human nature, his intuition of the condition and needs of the individual, his single‑hearted consecration to God and devotion to the interests of His people, his large sympathy, benevolence and hope as respects others, his grip on the purpose of his ministry, and his knowledge of the spiritual dangers of his times and of the safeguards needed by those in danger, made him a real pastor, a genuine shepherd of God’s sheep. As many as 1200 different churches at one time claimed him as their pastor. He had “the care of all the churches.. As a pastoral advisor he was expert; as a pastoral comforter he was inspiring; as a pastoral corrector he was tactful and fruitful; and as a pastoral leader he was unobtrusive, yet all‑persuasive and effective. These qualities made him a part of the very life of those whose pastor he was, and bound him to them by ties that death itself has not severed. This is why the tens of thousands that chose him as their pastor have, up to the present, chosen no successor to him.

No review of him would be complete without treating of his activities as a reformer. He was every inch a reformer and stood in the front rank of the reformers of all Ages. Error never had an antagonist more to be dreaded than he, who with thoroughness of disproof of error’s claims combined tact, sympathy, gentleness and charity that left no personal sting after his onslaughts. If he hated error greatly, he loved the errorist more greatly, and always sought to help him, while overthrowing his wrong theories. The superstitions connected with the penalty of sin and the state of the dead were the especial objects of his attacks; and he never let an opportunity of attacking them pass by unused. The superstitious and the infidel alike felt the logic of his attacks; and the devout student of the Word found in him a champion who knew how to vindicate the truthfulness of the Bible and to refute the errors of the superstitious, and the unbelief of the infidel.

His insistence on a faith harmonious with Scripture, Reason and Fact was an inspiration to the Bible believer and a terror to the creedist and infidel. His forty five years of continued attacks on the strongholds of error and superstition largely undermined them for real students of the Word. But his work as a reformer was more than destructive of error and superstition. It left not his hearers victims of unbelief. On the contrary, he unfolded a harmonious, reasonable and Scriptural view of the Bible that evidences the inspiration of the Scriptures. Thus he gave others a sound and reasonable basis for their faith in “The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture,” while destroying caricatures of Scriptural teachings handed down by the superstition of the Dark Ages. Consequently those who looked to him as their leader in reform were not left with stately ruins as the sum total of his and their labors. Rather, beside and instead of the ruins of the Temple of Error he erected the Sanctuary of Truth as a refuge against all the storms of doubt, superstition and unbelief. And in this fact his real worth as a reformer is recognizable.

He was great as an executive. A phrenologist once seeing his picture, but not knowing whose it was, remarked that he was either a merchant prince or the president of a Theological Seminary! Already in his teens his executive abilities made him the owner and director of a large business which was soon increased until it occupied four large stores in various cities. As a business man he acquired experiences that fitted him for his future work. His executive abilities were such as enabled him to grasp the details as well as the generalities of his many enterprises. He was profitably interested in dozens of enterprises aside from his great religious works to which he gladly devoted the profits of his secular business. Aside from his purely secular business interests his religious activities required high and varied executive ability. He not only produced the vast literature of his movement, but he directed its publication and distribution. Hence he saw to the publication and circulation of his books, booklets, tracts, sermons, lectures, scenarios, Sunday School lessons, magazines, lecture records and magazine articles, assisted, of course, by an able staff of co‑laborers.

He organized and directed seven branch offices in foreign countries. He supervised a Biblical correspondence school. At least two hours daily he gave to directing a Theological School in the Bethel home. For twenty‑two years he controlled a Lecture Bureau that for several years had a staff of over 300 lecturers. He managed for thirty years a propaganda work that at times had 1000 colporteurs in its service. He directed for twenty‑five years a tractarian movement in which at times nearly 10,000 individuals took part. For three years he directed the preparation and for two and a half years managed the exhibition of the “Photo‑Drama of Creation” in hundreds of cities, and in many countries, before over 15,000,000 people. He was the guiding spirit in over 1500 churches, and at the headquarters of his work daily presided as the head of the family over his co‑laborers who, for many years averaging 175 members, lived together as a family. In this capacity he took cognizance of all sorts of details in storehouse, kitchen, laundry, dining room, living rooms, hospital, library, study, drawing room and parlor.

Had he been eminent in any one of the seven capacities in which we have viewed him (and we could profitably view him from others, so many‑sided was this remarkable man), he would properly be considered a great man. But to have been eminent in all of them, and to have been in some of them without a peer, prove him to have been a genius of the first order.

History will yet give him a place among the very greatest of men. While dealing with him it is necessary in doing him justice to use superlatives. If we were to reduce his qualities to two, we know of no others to use more truly and fittingly to characterize him than those used of him by Him whose steward he was: “FAITHFUL AND WISE.” His life was a great success to himself and a great blessing to others; his death was a great loss to others and great gain to him; and his memory has been and is a benediction and an inspiration to the Church, and in due time will be to the world. “God bless his memory!”

It is fitting that we who prize his ministry as especially Divinely arranged and directed should consider him as “that Servant,” according to Matt. 24:45‑47 and Luke 12:42‑46. There is even at this late date more or less confusion among some of the Truth people as to who or what is meant by the expression, “that Servant. n According to several views the expression “that Servant,” refers to a class. Some claim that, understood as a class, the expression, “that Servant,” means the teachers in the Church; others claim that it means the Little Flock; and more latterly still, others ‑ the Tower editors and their disciples – claim that it means the Society, by which we must understand either the Society’s directors, organized with their agents, or the shareholders, or both combined. This latter thought we have refuted in detail in Volume Six. In Z ‘96, 47 [Reprint 1946], and in Volume Four 613, 614, our dear Pastor modestly gave the proofs that the expression, “that Servant,” refers to an individual, i.e. , to himself. With this view all well instructed Truth people agreed, until lately the Society leaders, to make their usurped powers more secure, spread the opinion that the Society, a business corporation, is “that Servant.” Accordingly, the Tower editors and their followers must be reckoned among those who teach that “that Servant” is not an individual, but is a class.

The Scriptures (Matt. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑46) clearly refute such claims, teaching that the expression “that Servant” means an individual. In both passages “that Servant” is clearly distinguished from the Church, because he is spoken of as being made “ruler over His [the Lord’s] household”; hence he cannot be the household, the Church. Again, the fact that he is spoken of as giving them “meat in due season” distinguishes him from the “household,” the Church. Furthermore, his being called the “steward” proves that all of the servants of the household cannot be meant, for the steward is the special representative of the householder, having in charge all the latter’s goods during his time of office, and as such has also all the other servants in his charge. (In our Lord’s day individuals, not classes, were stewards.) Moreover, he is expressly distinguished in Luke 12:45 from all the other servants, in that he is forbidden “to beat the menservants and maidens,” i. e., all the other servants of the Church. Hence the expression “that Servant” cannot mean the servants of the Church as a class, because in this passage he is clearly distinguished from them. Therefore, in view of the fact that these two Scriptures distinguish him from the Church as a whole and from all of the other servants of the Truth, we should conclude that he must be an individual.

Furthermore, the facts of the harvest history prove that an individual, our sainted Pastor, is meant by that expression. For the Harvest, understood as the reaping and gleaning period, is passed. During that time not a class, i.e., neither the Church, nor all servants of the Truth, nor the Society, had the entire Storehouse in their charge, nor gave the meat in due season, nor ruled the harvest work; but “that Servant’’ alone did these things. Hence he alone fulfilled the prophecy. Nor could it have been reasonably done otherwise. How could the entire Church have had the entire Storehouse in its charge? or have given itself the meat in due season? or have ruled the work? How could all of the servants of the Truth have had these privileges? And have not the divisions in the Church, caused by various power‑grasping leaders, proven the unreasonableness of the attempt to rule the Church by all the leaders? Moreover, how could a “dummy corporation” with “dummy directors” have ruled the household, given the meat in due season and had charge of all the goods?

From these considerations we see the absurdity of the teaching of those who claim that the expression, “that Servant,” means a class. Truly, during the reaping and gleaning time our Pastor had charge of all the goods, and gave the meat in due season. Practically every feature of the harvest message was first seen by him, and was then first taught by him to the Church. This he did in his teaching and preaching, through his books, booklets, tracts, magazines and other publications. So, too, every branch of the harvest work was in its general aspects under his charge. Thus he directed the pilgrim, colporteur, volunteer, newspaper, extension, pastoral, photo‑drama, publicity, Tabernacle and Bethel work. Only those who are ignorant of the facts, or who “to draw away disciples after themselves” or for some other reprehensible reason misrepresent the facts, would deny the facts stated in this paragraph. And these facts unanswerably prove that the privileges and work outlined in Matt. 24:45‑47 and Luke 12:42‑44 were fulfilled in our Pastor alone. He alone was “that Servant.”

And, true to these passages, he was appointed to this office after our Lord’s Return, as a reward for his being found faithfully administering the food to the household when the Lord came, which was before the Society existed, and which proves that the Society cannot be “that Servant.” So, too, in his office work he was both faithful and wise; and therefore he was blessed by the Lord according to these Scriptures with a continuance in his office. In calling him faithful our Lord prophesied that he would be loyal to the end. So responsible and trialsome was his office that the Lord deemed it wise to give him, as a special caution, the words of Luke 12:45,46 – not to deny His Second Presence, not to mistreat the servants who were put into his charge, nor selfishly to feed himself to the neglect of the household, nor to imbibe error. If he should fail to heed these warnings, God said that he would be cut off from the Little Flock, as well as lose his stewardship, as an unfaithful servant. Nor were these merely idle warnings; for so responsible was his office that, if he should have proven untrue, he could have committed untold evil, even as “that evil servant” by his unfaithfulness has wrought unutterable evil in the Church. But “that faithful and wise servant” heeded the Lord’s admonitions, and proved true in the exercise of his office to the end; and through his very faithfulness he was privileged to fulfill official obligations and privileges that gave him a wider and more fruitful field of service than any other servant of God ever had on this earth, our Lord alone excepted. Therefore, well may we thank God for every remembrance of him, and pray daily, God bless his memory!

Our beloved Pastor’s ministry in life toward us was one of the rich blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us, and in death his writings and the memory of his holy character, unselfish ministry and faithful sufferings on behalf of the Lord, the Truth and the brethren continue to bless us. Surely, if we were bereaved of what he was and still is to us, much of great value now and hereafter would be lost to us. Very few persons who have lived have left so rich a legacy to others as “that faithful and wise Servant” left to the Church; and the sweet incense of his offering abides with us as a sacred memory, a good example and a strong inspiration. Surely we have abundant reason to praise and thank God for every memory of him, and well may we daily pray, “God bless his memory!” We are sure that all Epiphany‑enlightened ecclesias will be glad to hold memorial services for him on the anniversaries of his passing beyond the veil, and that on those days isolated Epiphany‑enlightened saints will spend some time in private memorial services for him.

But while he means much to the faithful, it is indeed sad to note how some who make loud professions of loyalty to his teachings and memory, and who, because the use of his name brings them advantage, employ it as a charm with which to bewitch others, vie with one another in the work of casting off various of his teachings. The P. B. I., for a while lauding him as “that Servant,” at the same time endorsed a chronology which he as “that Servant” after mature study very properly rejected; and they dignify that chronology (rejected by him, ninety‑seven years ago proven false, and during the 1908‑11 sifting used by the sifters against our Scriptural chronology) as advancing light on the path of the just not due in his day to be understood, but since “discovered” as “new Truth” by them! The Society, for years claiming to have been his successor as “that Servant, n has been casting aside many features of his Charter, Will, arrangements and teachings. Every Levitical movement praises him in one breath, and undergoes nausea at some of his teachings and arrangements in the next breath. The Olsonites, rejecting all of his prophetic teachings, have vitiated fundamental doctrines taught by him. One of the Swedish pilgrims in his periodical teaches that our Pastor lost his crown. Another Swedish pilgrim in still another periodical denies that he was “that Servant,” claiming that the title “that Servant” means a class – the teaching brethren in the Church from Pentecost to our Lord’s Return. This pilgrim’s arguments we will briefly review at this time, believing that we have previously refuted very other form of teaching that denies to our Pastor the exclusive privilege of being “that Servant,” and have proved above that the expression “that Servant” means an individual, and not a class.

The first argument that this brother presents is that the Diaglott translation proves that the office of “that Servant” was exercised before our Lord’s Return: “Happy that servant whom his Master at His arrival shall find so employed,” i.e., giving the meat in due season (Matt. 24:46). Had the brother who makes this criticism an accurate knowledge of Greek, or, having it, had he used it in studying the Greek text of this verse, he would not have based his argument upon the italicized phrase above. The Aorist participle, elthon, which expresses non‑continued past action, should not have been rendered “at his arrival”; rather it should have been translated “after coming.” The verse in question should therefore be rendered as follows: “Blessed that servant whom his Lord, after coming, shall find so doing.” As the Aorist participle elthon denotes a non‑repeated past action, so the present participle, poiounta denotes a present continued action in the time of the activity of the verb on which it is dependent. Hence the passage shows that after, not at, our Lord’s arrival He would find a certain servant continuing to give the meat as due.

The following facts will elucidate this. About September 12, 1874, our Lord returned. About September 21, 1874, our Pastor came to understand, and then immediately afterwards began to teach, the invisibility of the Second Advent as the first feature of the harvest Truth (Volume Three, page 88, par. 4; Z ‘16, 171, par. 2, 3 [Reprint 3821, col. 2]). From then on he continued faithfully to teach the Truth as due, including the fact of the Lord’s Return, the awakening of the sleeping saints, etc., until in 1879 the Lord made him “that Servant,” at the time that He gave him the light on the Tabernacle. Thus the facts are in harmony with the literal translation of the passage: (1) our Lord came, (2) our Pastor for nearly four years continued faithfully to give the meat (the Lord found him “so doing” during those years), and then (3) the Lord promoted him to be “that Servant.” Thus, instead of this verse teaching that the office of “that Servant” would be exercised before our Lord’s Return, it teaches the reverse – that only after the Lord’s Return and after the faithful servant’s continuance in giving the meat for some time was he promoted to be “that Servant.”

The brother’s second argument is that after our Lord’s Return, “that Servant” was rewarded for his faithfulness manifested before the Lord’s Return, with being put over all the Master’s goods. Hence he argues that he represents the faithful servants from Pentecost onward. This argument is false, because it is based upon the false premise of the first argument, i. e., that “that Servant” was exercising this office before our Lord’s arrival. Having above shown that its basis – his first argument – is false, this argument falls with his first argument to the ground.

The brother’s third point is that “that Servant” was warned not to say in his heart, “My Lord delays to come.” From this the brother argues that this warning could be applicable only before the Lord’s Return, and, therefore, he argues, this proves that “that Servant’s” office was exercised before our Lord’s Return. Our answer to this argument is the following: Not before, but only after our Lord’s Second Advent could one be blamed for saying, “My Lord delays to come, i.e., be blamed for denying that the Second Advent had set in. Before our Lord’s Return it would have been proper to deny that His Second Advent had set in. But if one should once have known that the Lord’s Second Advent had set in, and then later have given up that belief, then he would have said a condemnable thing, if he asserted that the Lord was delaying His Second Advent, i.e., that it had not yet set in, but that it was a future event. The Lord knew that all sorts of arguments would be brought against the chronology to disprove the thought that the Second Advent had set in. Knowing that such a view would lead to giving up the harvest work, He cautioned “that Servant” not to give way to these arguments, and as a result give up faith in the Second Advent as having set in; for if he should deny this point of his faith, it would imply that his heart (“shall say in his heart”) had become wrong; and it would surely move him to give up the harvest work, and thus would make him unfaithful to his office. The caution not to deny the Lord’s Return as having set in not only does not prove that the office of “that Servant” was exercised before our Lord’s Return, but positively disproves such a thought, by proving that such a condemnable denial on the part of the incumbent of that Servant’s office could come only after the Lord’s Return had set in.

The brother’s fourth argument is that that Servant’s unfaithfulness could only have preceded the Lord’s Return, because the Lord threatens that if “that Servant” should prove unfaithful, his Lord would in an unexpected day and at an unknown hour come and cut him off. It will be noticed that the brother uses the expression, “will come” (Luke 12:46), as signifying the setting in of the Lord’s Second Advent. By the expression, “will come,” in this sentence our Lord did not mean His Second Advent as setting in any more than He meant His Second Advent as setting in when He said to the Ephesus and Pergamos phases of the Church, which passed away hundreds of years before our Lord’s Return: “Repent... or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick.” “Repent, or else I will come upon thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the work of My mouth” (Rev. 2:5, 16). Other occurrences of such a use of the word “come” as applied to acts of our Lord other than His Second Advent setting in are found in Rev. 3:3; 16:15, etc. In such connections the word “come” implies that one in a hostile manner enters into an activity against another. It does not mean what the word “come” ordinarily means, i. e., to arrive at a place, or in the presence of a person, after a journey. Accordingly, we interpret the words of Luke 12:46 to mean that unknown and unexpected by “that Servant” the Lord would enter into a hostile activity against him, if he should prove unfaithful, and by that hostile activity would deprive him of his office as well as of his membership in the Lord’s Body, i.e., after the Lord’s coming and subsequent to the time when He would appoint the faithful and wise servant to the office of “that Servant.”

How shallow are the four arguments that this brother offers to us for his theory whereby he seeks to deprive our dear Pastor of the honor that the Lord gave him, and that the Bible (Num. 25:6‑13; Matt. 20:5; 1 Cor. 10:8; P ‘19, 142, par. 3 – 143, par. 3) shows would be made known as his at the exact time that it was made known as his! Why do some brethren, either by their teachings or by their acts, continually seek to take from dear Brother Russell the honors that the Lord has given him? Is it not that they might by undermining him in the estimation of some of the brethren all the more enhance themselves in the estimation of those same brethren, and thus gain them as their followers? This the Lord assures us is the motive of errorists among the Lord’s people, which experience frequently confirms (Acts 20:30).

All of us recall how our Society brethren claimed that our Pastor was, from beyond the veil, functioning in his office as “that Servant,” using the Society as the channel of his office work. Our Pastor, himself, on the contrary, has told us that the functions of that office were to be used by its incumbent in this life only, and that if “that Servant” should prove faithful until death, the office of “that Servant” would cease to exist at the time of his death (Z ‘04, 126, par. 1 [Reprint 3356, col. 2]). Doubtless there is method in the Adversary’s attacks on our Pastor as “that Servant.” Those who by express profession deny that he was “that Servant,” and those who by repudiation of express teachings of his by their course deny that he was “that Servant,” are alike guilty of undermining his influence in order “to draw away disciples after them.” The most Satanic of all uses made of his position as “that Servant” was that of the Society leaders, whose claim that from beyond the veil our Pastor, as “that Servant,” was directing their work, makes him responsible for all their false teachings and unbiblical practices. What an unholy use of his dearly‑bought influence in the Church to further their deceptive schemes! For “all deceivableness of iniquity” it can be equaled by only one other claim made ‑ that claim of the papacy that St. Peter from heaven directs the official acts and teachings of the popes, his pretended successors. Indeed, the papacy’s teaching on this point is in the Great Papacy the counterpart of the Society leaders’ teaching in Little Papacy on the point that is here under discussion. Seeing the Adversary’s purpose in these attacks, let us in God and Christ all the more appreciate and hold to our Pastor as “that Servant.” God bless his memory!

THE EPIPHANY MESSENGER

The above quotation is from the Epiphany Messenger; and it is our hope that all who read it may be refreshed and strengthened by this excellent treatise on That Servant. If Brother Russell was “That Servant” – and we believe he was – then he could not be wrong on so many vital truths.

We also pay tribute to the Epiphany Messenger who faithfully upheld and defended the Truth given to us by That Servant, refuted the errors and exposed the errorists. In keeping with 1 Sam. 2:30: “Them that honor Me I will honor,” we say, God bless his memory!

Of course, such technique as described above is an old ruse of the Adversary. The Papacy makes loud and loquacious claims of loyalty to St. Peter, even as they vitiate every important truth he taught. The Society (now Jehovah’s Witnesses) did the same with Pastor Russell and his teachings – so much so that their very errors eventually forced them to deny he was That Servant. It should be emphasized that Tabernacle Shadows was basic for producing the six volumes of Scripture Studies, and was fundamental for the entire Harvest program. It made crystal clear “the song of Moses and the Lamb”; and its rejection tends to void most of the basic truths that came to us during the years of That Servant’s life.

Such aberrations should not surprise us; we should, in fact, expect them in keeping with St. Paul’s conclusion: “They admitted not the love of the Truth [pointedly true of sifters and crown‑losers]... and on this account God will send to them an energy of delusion” – such as Justification being typed by two places in the Tabernacle, applying the Parable of the Sheep and Goats now, etc.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1) “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalms 18:30)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint No.186, December 1970)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister: Warm greetings to you in Christ’s dear Name!

Received the two books yesterday and thank you so much for sending them along. Enclosed is a check for the cost. Thanks for the article by Mike Royko. The Lord is working out His plans according to His purpose (Isa. 55:11), and we shall see what comes about with Israel and the Arabs.

Had the opportunity to attend the Colorado Bible Students Convention on June 12, 13, in a beautiful mountain setting in the Rockies. A real blessing for all!

Then I received the Time magazine today and how sad it is to read of the conditions of so many unfortunate people in the world today. I can’t help but read with tears in my eyes. It breaks my heart!

Thanks to our Heavenly Father for His glorious plan of salvation for all mankind. What a changed planet this will be!

We have company until the end of the month, and I will write more later. Thank you again and may our Lord and Savior be with you daily. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Warm Christian love, ------- (COLORADO)

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NO. 447: THE GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT – ITS NATURE AND OBJECT

No. 447

“Behold, the Lord cometh with myriads of his saints, to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed.” (Jude 14,15)

“Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth; with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with his truth.” (Psalm 98:7-9)

These texts relate to the great day of judgment, which is to end the Gospel Age and inaugurate the Millennium. We should notice first of all what these texts do not say. They do not say that our Lord Jesus will come to destroy the earth, to burn up the world. They do not say that there will be a partial judgment at death, and that later all will be brought out of heaven and purgatory and a hell of torment, which are their proper places, only to be sent back to these same places again. Not so. But this is supposed to be stated in the Scriptures, and is what we have thought. Our prejudices and misunderstandings have attached to the words of Holy Writ a wrong meaning. It is the love of God which brings judgment to the world.

The first judgment, or sentence for sin, was a sentence of death. Under that sentence the whole world was to perish, to be cut off from life, because of Adam’s sin. But God had mercy, compassion on humanity, and has provided that mankind shall have another trial, with experiences granted to enable them to realize the nature and results of sin. The first trial was a trial of Adam and Eve alone. Every member of the human family, however, will be given an individual trial for life everlasting, to demonstrate whether he will under favorable conditions come into harmony with God.

CHARACTER THE BASIS OF JUDGMENT

All hopes of eternal life for the race, therefore, hinge upon the results of that future trial. Men and women are in this life forming character – they are either improving or degrading themselves. Whoever is trying to do his best under present unfavorable conditions will enter upon that individual trial, or judgment, in a very much better condition than otherwise, and will progress more rapidly to perfection in that day.

The Church of Christ is an exception to this arrangement for the world. They will not have a part in that trial, because the Church is a special, called-out class, and will receive their trail in advance of the world (Acts 15:14). They are now on trial for life or death everlasting. But their trial is for life on the Divine plane. Those who are now being dealt with by the Lord will, if faithful, be with the Lord the judges of the world in the next Age; as we read: “Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2) It will be a time when punishments and rewards shall be meted out.

Every evil-doer shall then be dealt with and receive punishment for his evil intent, and stripes for his correction. Every well-doer shall receive a reward. The work of that thousand-year judgment day will show men to what extent they are out of harmony with God, and will show them how to come into harmony with Him. By the conclusion of the Millennial Age none will be in ignorance. As it is written: “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) Furthermore, the Scriptures tell us that the judgments will be graded according to the light previously had and sinned against. The willful sinner, after a hundred years’ trial, will be cut off in the Second Death (Isa. 65:20).

All who shall make use of the opportunities of that time, making progress in character, will gradually go up the Highway of Holiness. They will be blessed more and more until they shall attain the full perfection of the earthly image and likeness of God which was lost in Adam. This will be the glorious outcome of the redeeming work of Christ. Then every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God. All who continue to prefer sin shall eventually be utterly destroyed in the Second Death. Then God will have a clean universe (Acts 3:23).

GREAT DAY OF THE LORD NOW PRESENT

We are now in the beginning of this great Day of the Lord. All the forces which are to play a part in this mighty upheaval which is to introduce the reign of Messiah are rapidly gathering. The nations of earth and all the various elements which form society as at present organized – political institutions, financial institutions, ecclesiastical systems, etc. – are now before the bar of judgment, and are being found wanting. All Christendom is trembling before the mighty forces that are coming in today. Morals are at a low ebb. As the glorious Messenger of the Covenant is now present to sit as the great Judge, we may well ask the question propounded by God’s Prophet of old: “Who may abide the day [now present] of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.” (Mal. 3:1-6)

Ah, the world is longing for the blessing! Men are realizing more and more every day their great need of a strong arm to deliver them as they face the grave crisis which they feel is drawing very near; but they see not to what extent the inbred sin of man is incompatible with a reign of righteousness which is desired and so sorely needed. Before the help and the blessing can be realized the Day of Wrath must come; the “fire of God’s jealousy” (Ezek. 36:5) must burn fiercely, and consume all the giant evils so entrenched in the world and in the hearts and minds of men. It is not to be a fire merely of destruction, but, thank God, also of purification! It will not be a literal fire, but a symbolic fire, following which the Lord will turn unto the people a pure language (Zeph. 3:9), a pure Message, and a clear declaration of the Divine will and plan of salvation.

SONS OF LEVI JUDGED FIRST

The earlier part of the judgment upon Christendom will be especially upon the antitypical sons of Levi, the silver class. These made a consecration of themselves to the Lord, as did the gold class, the faithful overcomers, “more than conquerors.” This silver class we understand to be the Great Company, who are to “come up” out of the great tribulation, and to “wash their robes [which have become spotted and soiled] and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9-17) These will be dealt with by the great Messenger of the Covenant, not with a view to their destruction or injury as individuals, but with a view of the destruction of their flesh, which they have failed to sacrifice in harmony with their covenant – “that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor. 5:5)

The fire of the great day shall “try every man’s work, of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:13) It will prove who of the professed disciples of Christ have built upon Him as their foundation with the gold, silver, and precious stones of Divine Truth, and thus have constructed a true, strong, worthy character, unswervingly loyal to the Lord; and it will prove who have built with wood, hay and stubble. It will likewise discover who have built upon a foundation of sand. (1 Cor. 3:11-15)

FLESHLY ISRAEL’S SHARE IN THE JUDGMENT

A part of the prophecy of Malachi 3 seems to have an application to fleshly Israel. The Lord reproves them, showing that His course toward them as a people had been in conformity to His covenant with them at Mt. Sinai. But they had been unfaithful to their part of the covenant. At the appearing of this great Messenger of the New Covenant, which is to supersede the Old Covenant, He will purge God’s ancient people. The time is now due for favor to begin to be restored to them; but before their full restoration they must experience further chastisement for their purification and preparation for the great Messiah.

In the “time of Jacob’s Trouble,” (Jer. 30:7) now near at hand, Israel will come to see and recognize their King, whom they refused when He offered Himself to them at His First Advent. “They shall look upon him [with the eye of faith] whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son.” (Zech. 12:10) He will then receive them back to favor, under the terms of the New Law Covenant. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” (Mal. 3:4) They shall then be used of Messiah as a channel of blessing to all the world.

BLINDED TO THE REAL DIFFICULTY

In this great Time of Trouble, the Lord will be a swift witness against every evil thing and will rebuke it, and thus all men will be taught of Him in the ways of righteousness. But as yet the poor, blinded world, bound by the shackles of Satan, do not know themselves. They do not yet see that selfishness is the basis of their every move and ambition; that the number who are not thus moved and controlled are so insignificantly small as to be without weight and influence.

It is not our thought to deride any efforts toward righteousness, even though inspired by selfishness. We merely point out that the true, Christian view of matters is a much different one. It is the Bible view. It recognizes God, the Divine will, purpose, plan, revelation, as having to do with all this world’s affairs. It sees in the present upheaval of politics, the present uncovering of financial and social scandals, etc., another force making ready for the great trouble time, the great “earthquake” predicted in prophecy, the great cataclysm, now about to be precipitated upon the whole world.

In the providence of God the gross superstition and ignorance of the Dark Ages has been gradually dissipated to a considerable extent, that the minds of the people might be set free, not only from religious superstition, but also from superstition respecting the Divine right of certain families to inherit the kingdoms, the dominions of the world, and to live on a higher plane of social privilege than others. All these matters are now coming in review before the world, and Socialism is rapidly coming to the fore as the world’s savior, their deliverer from priestcraft and superstition, and from political and financial autocracy. The world is being invited to look, not to Him who redeemed us with His precious blood, and who promised to come again and establish His Kingdom in righteousness, but it is being called to look to itself, to its own affairs and selfish interests, as the only hope, thus ignoring God and His overruling providences, and ignoring Divine Revelation respecting the future outcome of present conditions, in the glorious Millennial Kingdom for the blessing of all the world.

CHURCH FEDERATION NOW FORMING

From our standpoint, the present gathering of the churches into a great Federation is the fulfillment of Scriptural prediction; and the Lord’s intelligent, faithful, consecrated people are warned against having any part in any such Church Federation. The Word of the Lord regarding the matter is, “Say ye not, A Confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A Confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid; but sanctify the Lord in your hearts, and let him be your fear.” (Isa. 8:11-16)

Dread to displease Him, but fear not men. It is the tares which have all along associated themselves with the wheat that are to be bundled, to be gathered together for a great trouble time. This is in the mighty revolution of society shortly to set fire to all the social, religious, and financial institutions and arrangements of this present time, eventuating in anarchy, which, through God’s overruling providence, will overthrow all things incompatible with righteousness and prepare for the Kingdom of God, which will be manifested in power and great glory, for the deliverance and blessing of all the human family.

We remember that as the Jewish Age drew near its close, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Messiah, declared to the Jews: “One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; He shall baptize you with the holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16) We remember the fulfillment of this. The “Israelites indeed” were gathered into the garner of the Christian church, and baptized with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The remainder of the Jewish nation, who “knew not the time of their visitation” (Luke 19:44), were burned as “chaff,” in a great Time of Trouble, which overthrew their nation. This great trouble is shown in Scripture to be a picture on a small scale of the conditions which will prevail in the closing days of this Gospel Age.

In that trouble time which came to the Jews, though various steps were taken to hinder the destruction of the nation of Israel, all efforts failed. Even the Roman Emperor was desirous of preserving the nation and of establishing order; and the Roman army was sent, not to destroy them, but to establish peace in their midst. But the Lord had declared that the fire of trouble which He enkindled should not be quenched by any power, that it should do its work to the full; and it did.

Likewise it will be with the great fire of trouble with which this present Age will end, and into which the “tare” class of Christendom will be cast. It will not be an utter destruction of life (although many lives will be lost in the awful trouble of this Day of Wrath), but it will completely consume all earthly governments and institutions and will overthrow churchianity. These will be consumed in the fire of anarchy. Nothing shall be permitted to quench that fire, or hinder the utter destruction of present systems. But, praise God, when the fire shall have devoured the stubble and the falsities and deceptions of the present order, it will but have prepared the way for the great blessing which God has designed and provided, in His coming Kingdom. “When the judgments of the Lord are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteous­ness.” (Isa. 26:9) It will be a terrible chastisement, but it will be the necessary work of the skilful surgeon, who wounds but to heal.

“REFUGE OF LIES” SWEPT AWAY

In our Lord’s parable of building a house upon the rock or upon the sand, He gives a forceful picture particularly of the tests to come upon Christendom at the close of this Age. Here His figure is that of a fierce storm, a flood, with mighty winds beating upon the faith structure of His professed followers, overthrowing the faith of those not built upon Christ, the Rock, but built upon the sand. And so we see it today. A mighty downpour of truth is now in progress throughout Christendom. The great storm is now raging. The denominations of churchianity are trembling under the shock. Their foundations of human tradition, man-made theories, ignorance, “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1), are realized to be unsatisfactory. They are unable to stand before the great searchlight of truth now being turned upon them. Ere long the storm of truth will wash out the quicksand foundation upon which nominal Christianity is built, and her utter wreck will follow. Only the true people of God will be able to stand the test of this great day – now upon us!

This is the same storm and flood mentioned by the Lord through the Prophet Isaiah: “The hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding places. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then shall ye [false teachers] be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report [the message, the truth].” (Isa. 28:17-19)

This overwhelming trouble will soon reach the entire world. Indeed, it has already begun among all nations to some extent. All men must be awakened by the judgments of the Lord and brought to a realization of their need of the Arm of Jehovah, to deliver them and to uplift and save. The whole world is to be judged by the Messiah. All will witness that this judgment, trial, could not come before the great Judge takes His seat and authority: hence none of all those who died before our Lord’s First Advent could have been judged by Him. All should likewise be aware of the fact that the world in general has not been on trial since our Redeemer was appointed the Judge, that the world has not been on trial previous to the present time. Indeed, the great mass of mankind neither know the Judge nor understand His Law, nor have they any conception of the conditions and requirements necessary to life everlasting. This is in harmony with the presentations of Scripture on this subject.

JUDGMENT DAY A TIME OF BLESSING

The Apostle Paul declares (Acts 17:31), that God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained [The Christ, Head and Body]; where he hath given assurance unto all, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” That appointed day was future in the Apostle’s time, and is still future, though now about to dawn. The Gospel of Christ, good tidings, is to the effect that He who bought the world with His own precious blood is to become the Judge of all men, the living and the dead. “All in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth,” “and they that hear shall live.” (John 5:28,29.25)

A new trial is to be granted to Adam and all his race. It will be an individual trial, under the enlightenment and uplifting influence of the great Messianic Kingdom. Truly, this is “good tidings of great joy” to the world, the “groaning creation.” Even though the great adversary has succeeded in deceiving the vast majority, even of Christians, into thinking to the contrary, this trial day, the Day of Judgment, is to come to all the sons and daughters of Adam for their deliverance and blessing, if they will. This great day, which will be “the desire of all nations,” (Hag. 2:7) is forcefully depicted by the Prophet David. (Psa. 96-98) The Saints of the Lord, the faithful followers of Christ, those who “follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth,” (Rev. 14:4) shall be associated with their great Head as assistant judges, in His glorious work of human uplift and restitution to all that was lost in Adam.

How glad we are that our eyes have been anointed to see all these wonderful arrangements of our God! How glad we are that we can understand the significance of the dark clouds now hovering over the world and soon to break! How we rejoice that we can discern the silver lining to these clouds of trouble, and know that the end will be glorious – that beyond the yawning chasm just before us, beyond the blood and tears of the coming whirlwind and tempest, the blessed Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing and blessing in His wings, and mankind, broken and helpless and despairing, shall be led into the light and glory of the Kingdom of God’s dear Son!

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 5442-5443, April 15, 1914)

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QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – Would there be any prospect for one who consecrates at this time to be of the “Bride” class, or has the call now ceased?

ANSWER – We make a distinction between the end of the public call and the shutting of the door. We understand that the public call ended when a sufficient number had been invited and had accepted the invitation – in 1881. But of these invited and accepted ones there was still to be a testing. Only those enduring loyalty to the end will be finally counted in as victors. Others, not proving wholly loyal to their covenant in their daily lives, will in time be dropped from the list, which would mean that they had not been running faithfully. This would continually make vacancies to be filled. But such a filling of vacancies would not require a new call, but merely a permission for one to enter as one went out.

Our thought is that a large number of those who consecrated prior to 1881 failed to “make good.” It is our thought that you are still in time to make your consecration, with every reason for hoping that you may make your calling and election sure by zealous faithfulness in sacrificing earthly interest in favor of the heavenly.

In any event, the most reasonable thing for any of us to do would be to give ourselves wholly to the Lord, just as soon as we realize our imperfection and the Lord’s sufficiency. We should be glad to have Him as our care-taker, regardless of what reward He would give. We should be sure that so great and so generous a King as God would give good gifts to all who are His. In other words, after the Little Flock is completed, the Lord will be glad to bless in some other manner others who have the spirit of obedience and sacrifice.

(Pastor Russell, Reprint 5721, July 1, 1915)

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QUESTION - Is the name Jehovah’s Witnesses a sectarian name?

ANSWER - We believe it is. They wanted to distinguish themselves from Bible Students  which the followers of Brother Russell were known by. Isaiah 43:10,12 does make the statement “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.” But to combine this with the word Jehovah is a rank distortion of the truth. The word Jehovah is not in the Bible at all, although the faulty King James translation, the most beautiful translation of the Bible which has about 20,000 mistakes, shows it four times; and a few other times in combination with other words. Doctor Rotherham gave us the ablest translation of the Bible in existence today. We offer the following from the introduction to the Rotherham translation:

“Why not in the form ‘Jehovah’? Is that not euphonious? It is, without question. Is it not widely used? It is, and may still be freely employed to assist through a period of transition. But is it not hallowed and endeared by many a beautiful hymn and many a pious memory? Without a doubt; and therefore it is with reluctance that it is here declined. But why is it not accepted? There it is – familiar, acceptable, ready for adoption. The reason is, that it is too heavily burdened with merited critical condemnation – as modern, as a compromise, as a ‘mongrel’ word, ‘hybrid,’ ‘fantastic,’ ‘monstrous.’ The facts have only to be known to justify this verdict, and to vindicate the propriety of not employing it in new and independent translation. What are the facts? And first as to age. ‘The pronunciation Jehovah was not known until 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but was contested by Le Mercier, J. Drusius and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety.

“Next as to formation. ‘Erroneously written and pronounced Jehovah, which is merely a combination of the sacred Tetragrammaton and the vowels in the Hebrew for Lord, substituted by the Jews for JHVH, because they shrank from pronouncing The Name, owing to an old misconception of the two passages, Ex. 20:7 and Lev. 24:16... To give, the name JHVH the vowels of the word for Lord (Heb. Adonai) and pronounce it Jehovah, is about as hybrid a combination as it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal – viz., Gormuna. The monstrous combination Jehovah is not older than about 1520 AD’ (Professor Paul Haupt)

“From this we may gather that the Jewish scribes are not responsible for the HYBRID combination. They intentionally wrote alien vowels – not for combination with the sacred consonants, but for the purpose of cautioning the Jewish reader to enunciate a totally different word, viz., some other familiar name of the Most High.”

It became apparent after the demise of That Servant in 1916 the Society, later known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, was doing everything they could to have their supporters forget the teachings of Brother Russell. They rejected Tabernacle Shadows, the six volumes of the Studies in the Scriptures and other publications that would remind them of That Servant’s teaching.

A sad and condemnatory appraisal of them! Yes, Jehovah’s Witnesses is a sectarian name.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister Emily: Warm greetings in our dear Savior Jesus!

I am sorry for the delay in answering your letter. My 75-year-old father has not been in good health lately. He visited Key West, Florida a month ago and burned himself badly. His health has gone down since then. Apparently the sun down there caused dehydration and his health has been seriously affected. Be that as it may, personal problems seem small in comparison with living up to our consecration of service to the Lord.

The Adversary, it seems, is continuing to attack all Bible Students as never before. To gain the crown of life requires a deep devotion to God’s Word, a total concentration on Heavenly – not earthly things. Don’t you think?

A half dozen... Bible Students have begun to attend a Baptist Church. How can they so quickly give up the “truth” and accept the Hellfire teachings that are not supported by the Bible? It disturbs me but I know it has happened before. 2 Peter, chapter 2, tells us so. But the counsel of 2 Peter 2:22 seems so true in their case.

Then, another dear friend in Texas writes me of classes breaking up, some declaring themselves totally devoted to C. T. Russell with others more liberal in viewpoint. The brother is troubled so I wrote him and shared the text of Rom. 5:5,6.

Sister Hoefle, I am of the viewpoint that we should all be close “brethren,” and draw closer as one Body in Christ the closer we get to the end of the Harvest Work. I do not believe the Lord favors all of these divisions, do you?

You are my sister in Christ. We may have differences about the Heavenly Calling being closed, but that is all part of being human. We still both love the Lord.

Pastor Russell wanted all students of the Bible to be free to think and reason on the Scriptures. But he also wanted us all to be of one faith and mind, no matter what. Are these things happening in your area? I hope not.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us how the Adversary walks about like a roaring Lion, and I believe he truly is on the attack.

Well, all this disturbs me, but I rely on your maturity and years of service for the Lord. Write soon with your thoughts. Your brother in Christ, -------  (MICHIGAN)

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Dear Sister Emily: Loving greetings!

Many thanks for your warm and loving letter – makes me feel like I’d like to give you a big hug. Thanks, too, for the United Israel Bulletin. I wrote for a subscription.

I appreciate your explanations of four classes that are elected, and I’m saving your letter for further study; and want to look up the Scriptures you quoted.

Life has been very hectic since Tony died, and I haven’t been able to study as I would like. I find age slows me down mentally as well as physically.

I, too, believe Brother Russell was That Servant called to tell the Lord’s people to come out of Babylon. Yes, I would like to receive your paper, “The Four Winds.” Thank you! I appreciate your thought that we are no longer persecuted, and have wondered in my mind about this. Many brethren feel that we are being persecuted, but I see no evidence of this.

I, too, feel that you are my dear sister even though we may not always agree on every subject. I enjoy hearing other brethren’s thoughts. It is stimulating and makes us think. If we get in a rut we get apathetic and the Lord is not pleased with us. Our interest in the re-gathering of Israel and the miraculous happenings there is a source of faith food – makes me excited to see prophecy being fulfilled.

I leave next Saturday to see my daughter, Kathie, graduate from college... On the 17th I meet Sr. Ruth Kowalski for a little tour of Western Canada; then we go to the General Convention in Portland, Oregon.

I’ll also see my daughter, Tony Jo and her husband, Stephen... He is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease (a form of muscular dystrophy). This is a heartbreak. He is a fine, intelligent, engineer – a Jewish man.

The Lord be with you in all your ways, bless you, and those who work with you – give you strength and peace. Warmest of love, ------- (ARIZONA)

PS – No, you didn’t say too much. I want to hear your thoughts. “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.” (Mal. 3:16)

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My dear Sister Emily: Loving greetings in our dear Redeemer’s Name!

Thank you for your letter. You know how glad I am to hear from you always, especially as I only venture out when I absolutely need to do so. My sister Gertrude, myself and Jesus had the Memorial Supper together and we felt refreshed. However, Gertrude has since fallen sick and had to go to the hospital. Thank God she was released yesterday. She has now been put on insulin. She is staying with Olive’s daughter April until she gets stronger.

We have been having flood rains in Jamaica for weeks now. The rain falls heavily every day. There have been landslides and flooding over many parishes of the island. The people of some districts have been washed out of their homes. Many houses have been broken up and washed away, and the crops are ruined. It will make it harder for everybody. I heard about the Waco incident, and I believe two of the dead are Jamaicans.

Satan is being bound and he is trying to destroy as much as he can. He hated Adam for having his own kingdom, and he really has no good feeling for those who follow him. What he is doing in Europe and what he has caused in Africa makes us sick even to think of it! Thank God for the Truth that even in sickness, hardships and trials we are able to rejoice because we know that His Kingdom will soon be here.

I do hope that you are not in pain and that your strength is holding up. Sometimes I do feel sick, but because I have no one of my own I try to take care of myself. God has been very good to me. I never feel alone, although I am happy when people call, and whenever I am feeling my funds are running low He always helps me. I am happy to be alive to witness the things that are happening on earth.

God bless and keep you! I pray for you always for you are doing a wonderful work.

With warm love, -------  (JAMAICA)

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Dear Sister Hoefle,

Thank you for your kind letter. I receive well your interesting publications, and I really appreciate them. I am in touch with Brother Debski. I think I will go to a convention organized by Brother Debski. I have bought all the Studies of the Scriptures (all the volumes in one) from the Fort Worth Bible Students.

I would like to give you the name of a friend, a pastor in India. As you know, I have been in the Worldwide Church of God, and after in a parent church. I have known this brother in this Church. He is open to new truth. Perhaps you can send him some literature. His name is: ...

With all my Christian love, ------- (FRANCE)

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My dear Sister Hoefle: Greetings in the Name of our dear Redeemer!

Tears came to my eyes when I received your good letter. Your generosity has overwhelmed me. I do give thanks to the Lord for His tender mercies toward us. The date of the funeral was Thursday, May 6, at ten in the morning.

I have been taking it easy and do feel much better now... The Lord has certainly strengthened me, and I am ever so grateful for your comforting words and your prayers for us all.

May the Lord continue to bless and guide you as we daily remember you and all at the Bible House in our prayers. Your sister by His grace, Ruth  ------- (TRINIDAD)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

BROTHER EUSTACE ROACH, Trinidad, West Indies, finished his course May 3, 1993. He had been ill for some time and suffered much pain. He will be missed by all who knew him well, especially by his two sisters, Sisters Ruth and Vanessa. He loved the Lord and the Truth. In His last moments he was aware that he was leaving us, and asked Sister Ruth to sing a hymn, which she did. We have the blessed assurance that he is now “asleep in Jesus,” awaiting the resurrection of the Just.

Brother Eustace was the son of Brother Lewis F. Roach, our representative in Trinidad, and before that was the representative of Brother Johnson. Brother Hoefle conducted the funeral service of Brother Lewis Roach, and Brother John conducted the service of Brother Eustace. He was laid to rest in the same grave as his father.

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NO. 446: THE ADAMIC DEATH

No. 446

It is our intention to offer a clear analysis of the Adamic Death; and by way of introduction we would say this death is the one which Adam experienced as a result of his transgression in Eden. God had told him, “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) The marginal comment offers a little help here by say­ing, “dying thou shalt die.”

Different Days – It should first be noted that the word day in the Bible has a number of different meanings: A day of our week – twenty‑four hours; a forty‑year day – “The day of tempta­tion in the wilderness... forty years” (Heb. 3:8,9); a thousand‑­year day – “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.” (2 Pet. 3:8) “A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psa. 90:4) And there are other days which we shall not examine here. Self‑evidently Adam’s day in Gen. 2:17 was not a twenty‑four‑hour day, because he continued to live for 930 years. “Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.” (Gen. 5:5) Adam was really not living in the full sense; and this will become clearer if we state it as it really was: “Adam was dying for nine hundred and thirty years; when he finally died.”

However, it should be stressed here that none of us are dying for the same reason that Adam died; Adam died because of his wilful sin against God; the rest of us are dying from the death penalty inherited from him. Whether good or bad, this sentence rests upon all of us, as we can see from the procession to the cemeteries. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men.” (Rom.5:12) Thus, we are dying because of our inheritance – what was transmitted to us by Adam. None of us asked for it; and none of us can escape it. Before the Flood men lived much longer than they do now, the oldest being Methuselah, 969 years (Gen. 5:27). All thus died within the thousand‑year day. After the Flood men’s lives were much shortened: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten.” (Psa. 90:10) And with much sor­row have we eaten of our bread during those years. Gradually a Messiah began to be revealed through the Prophets; and, when Jesus appeared, this hope was mightily energized, so that much of the civilized world now “looks to Jesus” for escape from our wretched condition – sickness, sorrow, pain and death.

SALVATION

Throughout the Christian world the doctrine of salvation is taught with emphasis; but the meaning of salvation among the various segments of Christendom is a tragedy to be­hold! Some teach that the chosen few are predestinated to salvation (John Calvin and his adherents); with the remainder determined to an eternity of torture in a burning lake of Hell. Another extreme contends that since God “will have” all men to be saved that all will be saved whether or not they wish it.

This conglomeration is the result of a very erroneous understanding of the purpose of salvation. Luke 3:6 tells us, “All flesh shall see the salvation of God”; but seeing it does not mean that all shall receive it. However, as stated above, none of us are dying because of any evil we may have committed; therefore, God will save us from that for which we are not responsible; viz., the condemnation that has come upon us thru Adam’s disobedience. St. Paul makes this quite clear when he says in Acts 24:15, “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”

That resurrection will save all who receive it from the penalty of the Adamic Death state, after which they shall “come to an accurate knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4, Diaglott); and that will enable them to decide if they wish to live under an absolute monarchy of righteousness, or, if they wish they can return to the grave from which they have been saved. From that standpoint God desires all men to be saved – saved from the Adamic‑Death state, and from the gross ignorance that now engulfs the entire world. The Prophet tells us (Isa. 60:2): “Darkness shall cover the earth [the present social order], and gross darkness the people.” And it will be necessary for all men to be saved from that if they are to be changed from their present position to a better one. And once having reached that position, if they – of their own volition – determine they do not wish to live under that benign reign, they will then die the “second death” – “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14)

Some believers who contend that God wills definitely that all are to be eternally saved go to the extreme and teach that even Satan and the fallen angels will also be saved. If not, God would suffer loss, which is an impossibility; but the record is clear enough in Heb. 2:14: “Through death He [Jesus] might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil.” He is “the god of this world who has blinded the minds of those that believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) He has led men in his present condition, and he will eventually pay the price for it; he will be annihilated – destroyed.

It has been our privilege over the years to engage in written and oral discussions of this subject with those deluded by this error – which, according to God’s Word, is transparent nonsense. Some contend that if man and devils were completely destroyed that this would mean that God suffers loss; but this has no substance or bottom to it. In Gen. 2:7 we are told that “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground”; and Gen. 3:19 states “dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return.” Thus, if this is true – and we accept it as Truth – then, if man returns unto dust, God will have suffered no loss; He will have the dust which He had before he created man.

Others say that the “everlasting fire” of Matt. 25:41 (the punishment of the wicked) is simply to be “aionian”; that is, “age‑lasting,” after which they are to be given another chance. However, we have answered by stating that the same sort of bliss is given to the righteous; therefore, it also will be only “age‑lasting”; and this com­pletely silenced them. Following is the footnote from the Emphatic Diaglott:

“The common version, and many modern ones, render kolasin aionioon everlasting punishment, conveying the idea, as generally interpreted of basinos, torment. Kolasin in its various forms only occurs in three other places in the New Testament – Act 4:21; 2 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 4:18. It is derived from kolazoo, which signifies, (1) To cut off; as lopping branches of trees, to prune; (2) To restrain, to repress. The Greeks write – ‘The charioteer (kolazei) restrains his fiery steeds.’ (3) To chastise, to punish. To cut off an individual from life, or society, or even to restrain, is esteemed as punishment – hence has arisen this third metaphorical use of the word. The primary signification has been adopted, because it agrees better with the second member of the sentence, thus preserving the force and beauty of the antithesis. The righteous go to life, the wicked from the cutting off from life, or death. See 2 Thes. 1:9.”

From what then is man to be saved? (1) He is to be saved from the Adamic‑Death state (those in the tomb) which he inherited from Adam through no fault of his own: “Death passed upon all men.” (Rom. 5:12) (2) He will be saved from the “gross darkness” – the error which now engulfs most of the human race, those who have been “blinded by the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), Satan. When man is eventually saved from these two conditions, we are assured that “there shall be no night there” – error as we now see it. (Rev. 22:5) Those who willfully refuse to accept that New Order of things “shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) Jesus emphatically told us, “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and come forth.” (John 5:28,29) They will then be able to accept or reject the Truth, as they wish. However, no one that is awakened will any longer be subject to the Adamic Death: Jesus purchased the world with His own blood, and when they are awakened by Him they will have been redeemed from the Adamic Death state. “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15) Why awaken the unjust if they have already been sentenced to a Hell of torment? We answer that the “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23); and “the dead know not anything.” (Ec. 9:5) God is not judging the unsaved world now, “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)

We are assured in Zech. 13:8 that some will survive this Time of Trouble, but all of them will be subject to the Adamic‑Death state until they come under the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31‑33) and receive the “judgments” (in­structions) of the Kingdom. However, all those who are awakened by our Lord will be subject to the New Covenant regulations and no longer subject to the Adamic‑Death state from which they have been delivered. At present it would be impossible for many to re­ceive the Kingdom instructions due to their physical and mental lacks. Most of these will go, or already have gone, into the Adamic‑Death state, from which they will be awakened ‘in due time,’ and be physically and mentally able to receive the benevolent instructions of the Kingdom. When they are awakened they will have opportunity to walk up the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) and gain eternal life if obedient. If not obedi­ent, they will eventually go into the Second Death (Rev. 20:14), from which there is no recovery. “Christ dieth no more.” (Rom. 6:9) They shall then be “as though they had not been.” (Ob. 1:16) But all the awakened will have the ability to receive the instructions of the Kingdom; and it will be due to their own willfulness if they are sent into the Second Death. “In those days they shall say no more, the fathers have eaten a sour grape [the sins of the fathers visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation], and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.” (Jer. 31:29,30)

THE ADAMIC-DEATH PROCESS

The Adamic Death and the Adamic‑Death process are closely related, yet there is a wide divergence in them in some respects. The Adamic‑Death process will still be with us for years, perhaps a few hundred years, after the Adamic death itself has forever disappeared. When the last one has been recovered from the Adamic‑Death state, that will be the end of the Adamic death; but it should be clearly apparent that the evils that have been spawned by the Adamic‑Death process now working in all men will still be prominently with those just returned from the tomb. “In the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.” (Ec. 11:3) All will be awakened with the character they had at the time of death. The expression is often heard, I am living in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc., but actually we are all dying in those places; and, regardless of wealth, social standing, etc., the death toll is certain to have its way. Thus, all those that are in their graves, shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth – some to a resurrection of life, and others to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:28,29).

The question properly arises, What is the Adamic‑Death process? We answer that it is every evil in man whether inherited or acquired. A few men reduce the Adamic‑Death process they have inherited by receiving the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and resolutely resolving to improve their undone condition. Some of these have devel­oped into the “saints” (Rom. 1:7,8); at Corinth “called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2); “to the saints which are at Ephesus” (Eph. 1:1); “to all the saints at Philippi” (Phil. 1:1); “to the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse” (Col. 1:2).

Note the words of the Apostle John in Rev. 20:14: “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire,” a symbol of the utter destruction of these two enemies of mankind. Death in this text is from the Greek thanatos, meaning ‘death, literal or figurative’; and hell is from the Greek hades, meaning the death state, oblivion. Consider now the Berean Comment on this text: “Death ... Including aches, pains, mental and moral imperfections of every sort; Hell ... Hades, oblivion, the great prison-house of the tomb in which mankind awaits a resurrection; Were cast ... Gradually, from the beginning of the Millennial Age to its close; The lake of fire ... Gehenna, utter destruction – there shall be no more death; The Second Death ... So‑called, in contradistinction to the first or Adamic Death: the devil, death and hell are never destroyed but once, yet their destruction is for them the Second Death, death everlast­ing.” We have quoted this Berean Comment because we ourselves cannot improve upon it; it is an excellent definition of Adamic‑Death and the Adamic‑Death process.

Perhaps it should be stressed here that when the voice of Jesus in the established Kingdom calls forth the human race from the death state they will still have their in­herited and acquired weaknesses which they possessed when they went into the tomb. They will have the same personality and character they had when they went into the tomb. Of course, they won’t have the same diseased bodies. If they did, the man consumed by vicious cancer would immediately die again; the man with his head shot off would never know he had been awakened from the grave, etc. However, they will then have sufficient physical and mental ability to understand the requirements of the “New Covenant.” (Jer. 31:31)

The Berean Comments on John.5:25 are to the point: “When the dead ... Whether ac­tually in the cells or the prison yard: “Let the dead bury their dead”; Shall hear the voice ... Gradually, line upon line, precept upon precept: Calling them to awake and come to a full knowledge of God and to a full opportunity of everlasting life: When the last one has thus heard, Hades, the tomb, will have been destroyed, but death [the Adamic‑Death process] will still remain as long as there is any imperfection; Of the Son of God ... Not of the jargon of conflicting creeds; And they that hear ... Obey; Shall live ... In due time reach perfection of life.”

As Rev. 20:13 declares that all men shall be brought out of these conditions in due time for trial, so this verse declares that Adamic Death, and the sleep in oblivion consequent to it, shall be no more after the Millennial Age and in that future no one will die for Adam’s sin; it will be out of view as a factor in the trial of the future. The only death thereafter will be the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery: “Christ dieth no more.” (Rom. 6:9) “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4) That is not true of all who die now: Infants who die are not dying for their own sins. In the previous verses of this 18th Chapter, Ezekiel says much the same as does Jere­miah in what we have quoted from him. So we have here at least “two witnesses” to sub­stantiate our statements herein. Though such will have the weakness of the Adamic fallen condition, from which they will never recover if they refuse to use the means and op­portunities placed within their reach, yet under that New Covenant inherited weaknesses will not be reckoned against them so long as they use the means to overcome them, be­cause they are covered by the sacrifice of the Redeemer. As said, they then will have opportunity to gain eternal life if they choose righteousness. If they refuse the be­nevolent rules of the Kingdom, they will be subject to the Second Death – not the Adamic Death. There will be no recovery for those who go into the Second Death; but all those who have been subject to the Adamic Death will have an awakening. “God is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23)

ASLEEP IN JESUS

The question has recently come to us: Is the general run of the world of mankind asleep in Jesus – the same as is true of the footstep followers of our Lord? This is a very delicate question; and we hope our analysis of it may have the essence of Truth in it. When Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matt. 8:22 – “Leave the dead ones to inter their own dead,” Diaglott translation) it should be clear enough that Jesus reckoned all the unbelieving world – whether in the tomb, or those still alive now – as dead in God’s sight. However, in this particular statement He was referring only to those whom we consider now to be living, those not yet in the tomb. Those, of course, could not possibly be “asleep in Jesus”; nor would they be so considered up to the time of their actual physical death. But we believe that at that very instant their status will change. Henceforth they would be “asleep in Jesus.” Why do we say this? Because their only hope for life thereafter would be through the power of Jesus; and thus He is described by the Prophet, “the everlasting father.” (Isa. 9:6)

Often do we refer to Adam as the father of our race; and so the Scriptures say: “God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” (Acts 17:26) But Adam brought death upon the human race instead of life; and he is now powerless to give them life. But Jesus can do this; thus the dead are now asleep in Him. “He is the propitiation for our sins [the faith classes during the reign of sin and death]: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) By virtue of His sacrifice all men are now asleep in Him, because He will eventually give them an awakening from the death state, which no other could do. (l Tim. 2:4‑6)

Much of what follows has been taken from Parousia Vol. 5, with some comments of our own interspersed therein. First, let us understand that all the Elect will have a special resurrection – instantaneous one – whereas the world will be resurrected gradually – a resurrection by judgment. The first part of the resurrection of the world will be the awakening of them. They will not be awakened with disease and emaciation, but will be awakened with what we call normal health – the start of a full raising up to life again. Then the Christ will have provisions made for their return with proper instructions given them to know right from wrong. After that it will be up to them to obey or disobey. But they will not be permitted to harm any one: “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)

But the goats, those who do not even outwardly obey, will be “cut off” from among the people after receiving 100 years of instruction and trial. (Isa. 65:20) Some of the goats will outwardly obey, but will not be in heart‑harmony with righteousness, so they will be permitted to live until the Little Season (Rev. 20:3), at which time they will be manifested as such. They will be manifested by the tests of the Little Season after the iron rule of the Mediatorial reign will be lifted. However, during the Mediatorial reign, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be un­stopped. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:5,8) Now “the fool [the atheist] hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psa. 14:1); but even he will then learn and appreciate there is a God.

Through the resurrection, God has arranged to show His love for the world. It is written, “When the fullness of time was come [exactly at the time stated by the Prophets in the Old Testament], God sent forth His son... made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we [Gospel‑Age believers] might receive the adoption of sons [brethren of Jesus].” (Gal. 4:4,5) “Who gave himself a ransom for all” – for every man. (1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9) Thus, St. Paul says, “Since by man [Adam] came death, by man [the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order.” (1 Cor. 15:21‑23)

In the morning of that glorious day when the Sun of Righteousness shall rise “with healing in his wings” (Mal. 4:2), all that God has promised for that blessed time will come to pass. “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice [the voice of the Son of Man] and shall come forth.” (John 5:28,29) In this sense, therefore, we speak of the dead as asleep.

Heavenly Phase Of The Resurrection – The Scriptures tell us there will be several classes in the resurrection – Heavenly and Earthly classes. The chief resurrection, or the First Resurrection (Rev. 20:5,6) is the resurrection of saints. The Apostle Paul said, “We [the saints] shall not all sleep.” (1 Cor. 15:51) The inference here is clear enough that the Apostle himself expected to sleep. Of course, he did not know how long he would sleep, nor did the others of that time know.

Earthly Phase Of The Resurrection – In the Scriptures a class of faithful servants of God are mentioned. Many of these are mentioned by name in the eleventh Chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews. We classify them as Ancient Worthies, who lived and were found faithful prior to the coming of Jesus. It was not their privilege to walk in the footsteps of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:21), because “the example” (Jesus) had not yet appeared upon the earth. But it is written that they will have “a better resurrection” than the remainder of mankind (Heb. 11:35) – not to be raised on the spirit plane as are the saints; but they will be raised in human perfection – which the remainder of the race will not have as they come forth from the tomb. The world in general will have a gradual raising up to life again; and this will undoubtedly require years for many of them.

At the beginning of the reign of Christ, the “Ancients” (Psa. 119:100; Isa. 3:14; 24:23) will come forth perfect human beings – perfect mentally and physically – that their bodies may correspond with their moral development. If they had scars when they went into the tomb, or if they are blemished in any way, they will be gone. It is not easy for us to picture to ourselves a perfect man, for we have never seen one, and all around us are in various degrees of imperfection. But we know that a perfect human being will be perfect in form, features, voice, sight, hearing, taste, and in all other organs, as well as in mind. “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1: 31)

However, none of the Restitutionists will come forth physically perfect; they will have to develop physical perfection as they obey. The residue of men (Acts 15:17) will come forth every man in his own order. (1 Cor. 15:23) Their awakening will merely bring them forth from the tomb in the condition in which they entered – minus, of course, whatever of disease or violence that had put them there; for “in the grave there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.” (Ec. 9:10) This awakening will not be the real resurrection (a full raising up to life again), but merely the preliminary step toward it. The Greek word rendered resurrection is anastasis, and means literally a standing up again. Adam fell, and ever since that fall the world lieth in wickedness – literally, in the wicked one. (1 John 5:19) The standing up again is, therefore, a return to the perfection lost in Eden; for the world of mankind the resurrection is RESTITUTION. (Acts 3:21)

During the thousand years of Messiah’s reign the resurrection of the world will be in progress. The work will not be done by the Father directly, but will be committed to the Lord Jesus (John 5:22), and will require the whole thousand years for its completion. At the end of that Millennial reign the world of mankind will be perfect, as was Adam in his creation. All God’s work is perfect. (Deu. 32:4; Gen. 1:31)

During the Millennium God will not recognize the people because of their imperfec­tion, their weakness; but all of their dealings will be through the Mediator until they shall have been brought up to perfection. At the end of the thousand years they will be delivered up to the Father, faultless before Him. (1 Cor. 15:24) God will then receive them as sons, just as was Adam (Luke 3:38), heirs of the earthly blessings which He has provided for mankind, the things given to Adam. The very moment when the merit of Jesus is applied for the world in that same moment they will be turned over to the Mediator. Then they will be in covenant relationship with God, but only through the Mediator, until they shall have reached human perfection and shall enter into relationship directly with the Father.

The New Covenant will continue everlastingly; and as it is proper to say that Moses mediated the Law Covenant, so we may say that Christ will mediate the New Covenant. But it would not be proper to say that Moses is now the Mediator of the Law Cov­enant; for a covenant does not need a mediator after it has been mediated. So the New Covenant will need no Mediator after the thousand years. But the title Mediator may belong to Christ to all eternity, just as the one who has been a judge, ever after receives the title of Judge – continues to be called Judge.

At the end of the thousand years, when the Messiah will have accomplished His work of Restitution, He will cease to act as Mediator. But the covenant will continue to stand; for if that relationship with God were to be removed from the people, they would have no blessing of everlasting life. Under the favorable conditions of the New Covenant, whoever will may have an opportunity to become the children of the Christ, the seed of Abraham. At the conclusion of the thousand years, the willing and obedient receive the commendation, “Well done,” and will be accepted as fit for the condition of everlasting life on the human plane. Those who prove to be unworthy of life will be destroyed in the Second Death.

Adamic Death State Vs. Adamic Death Process – Although we have treated on this subject, we repeat that while the two are closely related, there is a wide divergence of meaning between the two. Here are the Berean Comments on Rev. 20:14: “Death [from the Greek thanatos] ... Including aches, pains, mental and moral imperfections of every sort.” This is the detailed description of the Adamic Death process. It is the cause of bringing the human race to the Adamic Death state – ­that has put them in the tomb. When people have entered the grave, the Adamic Death state would eternally end for them when they “hear the voice of the Son of Man, and come forth.”

But not so the death process. Within limits, this will take up where it left off – will continue to harass its possessors until they fully eliminate it, or it eliminates them in the Second Death. We are informed that Brother Russell ventured the thought that the entire race might be freed from the tomb in the first 500 years of the Kingdom reign. If that be true, the Adamic Death process will occupy a much longer period of the Kingdom than the Adamic Death state – the second 500 years, plus the Little Season. We have no argument with this; but we are emphatic that the “last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26) – the Adamic Death process, some of which will continue in the goats until the last of them is destroyed at the end of the Little Season.

Asleep In Jesus – The very fact that it is Jesus who awakens the human race from the sleep of death offers indisputable proof that they are now “asleep in Jesus.” That is the first part to them of the New Covenant blessing. They belong to Jesus, as He purchased them with His own precious blood; therefore at their awakening they are under the New Covenant arrangements even before they have received the instructions of the Kingdom laws: they are no longer under Adamic condemnation, no longer subject to the Adamic Death. Jesus is now their only hope of life, the One who will give them the initial impetus to Restitution, and who will “heal all their diseases,” etc., which have come upon them through the transgression of their original father – Adam. After their return from the tomb, it will be up to them as to what they do with it. But Adam will have nothing to do with it. While we owe to him the little spark of life we have enjoyed, yet all have faced the awful sen­tence, “In sorrow shalt thou eat of it [the daily bread] all the days of thy life.” (Gen. 3:17‑19)

During the Mediatorial reign even the Goats, who have outwardly obeyed, will receive great blessings, although the Christ will know even then that they have not rid themselves of the Adamic Death process. But when the “iron rule” is lifted in the Little Season, they will outwardly manifest themselves. It will be true of all those who emerge from the tomb; they will immediately come under the blessings and restraints of that Covenant – even before they are properly instructed thereunder. None will ever again die the Adamic Death, even though they refuse to accept the conditions of the New Covenant.

With this comes the hope and prayer that we have made this subject clear to all our readers. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.” (Psa. 128:1)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint No. 322, April 1982)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister Emily,

Again, receiving your warm letter was an uplifting blessing. Thank you! I am pleased too, that you had a pleasant birthday. It is always heartwarming to be remembered. Our Heavenly Father always remembers us, and it is something we can do for each other.

The beloved sister I went to Grand Rapids to visit, died Thursday. I’m grateful I could see her before she left “this vale of tears.” She was very faithful and laid down her life for her family and the Lord’s people. I am grateful she no longer suffers.

Yes the Lord always supplies our needs. I stayed with friends in Grand Rapids, who were so good to me; and the Memorial in Grand Rapids was a highlight of my visit. “My cup runneth over.”

I appreciate your May/June papers. Grace especially enjoyed the “Covenants” article, as I did. And the article on the authenticity of the Bible is real faith food. One article stated there were four elections. I understand there is the Church, the Great Company and the Ancient Worthies. Could you please give me more information on a fourth class and the Scriptures for it? It is a new thought to me.

I know David Horowitz writes a newspaper column and published the book about Brother Russell (which I have), but I didn’t know he published a Bulletin. Is it something I could subscribe to? If so, what is the address, and how much is it?

Enclosed is a wee check to help in your work. I hope this finds you feeling well. Hope, too, that the blizzards bypassed you. Thank you, dear Sister, for your love and prayers. You daily have my warm thoughts of you, and my prayers, too.

The Lord’s rich blessings be with you always! Lovingly,  ------- (ARIZONA)

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Dear Brethren,

My name is ... I am a believing Christian. I got your name from Mr. Voygt of Kirchlengen. I am very much interested to learn what you believe, about your activities and publications. How many believe as you do?

Thank you very much for your kind efforts! Hoping to hear from you soon. The Grace of God be with you. God bless your group! Remain in love, ------- (GERMANY)

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Dear Sister Hoefle: Greetings in Jesus dear Name!

Thank you for your letter of April 16. I notice you said I could celebrate the Memorial on May 4, which would be one month later than the primary date. I talked to Brother ------- and later to Brother ------- and they said it was up to me what I wanted to do. I didn’t feel ready to celebrate April 4, but I read the Matthew account of Jesus’ institution of the Memorial, His trial and crucifixion, and last night I read the Mark account and sang Hymn 2. Last night my roommate was out of the room for awhile so it was easier to do this. Brother ------- told me one should not celebrate if he believes the door is closed. I have always understood the door is still open. My mind will be made up next year, D.v. I was told the brethren would have been able to bring me back by the 10:00 p.m. curfew.

My mother died on February 6, 1987, and she was 94 years old. No, the friends don’t visit me now except once when I broke my ankle. They come in a car to take me to the meeting sometimes. I am not in touch with the LHMM.

God bless you and be with you! Sincerely, ------- (CONNECTICUT)

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Dear Sister: Love and Blessing in Jesus’ dear Name!

I feel stronger today. I have made myself rest more often... I am thankful I am not in a convalescent home and I am still on my feet and don’t hurt anywhere to speak of. A person just has to realize how limited the strength of a senior person is.

I read the article about Netanyahu, by David Horowitz. It was good! His articles are in the Jewish Press... Today on the news, more former employees going back to work place and shooting people. Even at work people aren’t safe. I hope you will be well.

With love to all, ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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NO. 445: THE BIBLE CHRONOLOGY

No. 445

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

Some of our readers – a few not actively associated with us – have requested that we present a brief analysis of the Bible Chronology. This controversial subject has attracted the attention of some outstanding theological minds, a few of whom we shall discuss herein.

BISHOP JAMES USSHER – “(b. Jan. 4, 1581, Dublin – d. March 21, 1656, Reigate, Surrey) scholar and Archbishop of Armagh. He devised the system of chronology that became the source for the dates printed in the margin of many Bible editions, includ­ing the later‑criticized placing of the date of creation at 4004 BC Became profes­sor of theological controversies and twice vice chancellor of his alma mater, Trinity Col­lege, Dublin. From 1640 to the time of his death he resided in England. From 1647 to 1654 he was preacher at Lincoln’s Inn, a London Law Academy. An expert in Semitic lan­guages – collected manuscripts both from the Orient and from Irish history.”

There are a number of bad air-holes in his chronology calculations, which we shall discuss briefly later on. He lived during the time King James had the Bible translated into English (1610). Quite a few intellectuals have made comment on Ussher’s chronology; and, of those we have read, almost all of them say he has made important mistakes. Follows the comment from one of them:

“There is more or less uncertainty about all dates earlier than David and Solomon. Ussher’s dates in the margins of most of our Bibles, are not authoritative, but are convenient for keeping the order and succession of events. He finds the date of Adam, the first man, by a computation from the list of ages of the patriarchs given in Gen. 5, and they would be correct, if he had interpreted the record rightly. But it may be – as even conservatives think – that many links have been omitted, and only the more marked ones enumerated... The chronology of the United Kingdom has been tested and modified by the Assyrian Eponym cannon found on slabs discovered in the ruins of Nineveh.”

However, some of Ussher’s critics, in attempting to correct him, make a worse mess of it than he did. As most of our readers know, Josephus gives us very good informa­tion about the Jews and contemporary occurrences in neighboring nations; but his dates are very unreliable. And, where the cold figures of mathematics are involved, it cannot be almost, it must be exact. If the foundation is fragile, the whole structure will also be fragile. Similar confusion exists on the life, work and time of Jesus; but here Josephus is very emphatic that Jesus was the Messiah. The historian was contemporary with Jesus; and had first‑hand information of many of His miracles, which works convinced him that Jesus was the Christ.

This from another source: “The nations of antiquity did not have a uniform system of chronology; nor did they entertain the same notions and feel the same need of an exact and unvarying chronological method as does the modern world. The Assyrians and Babylonians appear to have been confident of their ability to date events of remote antiquity; but, as far as known, they did not have an era serving as a fixed standard from which to reckon all occurrences, but named each year after a public official (epo­nym or limmu). A list of these annual eponyms was kept... In Babylonian, Pales­tine and Egypt documents were frequently dated by the regnal year of the reigning mon­arch. Unfortunately the scribes did not always reckon uniformly; but under the same king some reckoned the accession year on the first regnal year, while others considered the civil twelve‑month which followed the accession as the first year of the reign. Furthermore, the son was not infrequently associated with his father on the throne, and some scribes treated the first year of association with the father, and others the first of the sole reign, as the first regnal year.”

From this it is readily apparent that ancient history is not at all reliable in its dates; and this is undoubtedly the reason we are given very exact dates in the Bible. “On the selfsame day” (Ex. 12:17) the Jews left Egypt for Canaan.

And further from the same author: “Dates were placed in the margin of the Autho­rized Version in 1701. They represent the chronological scheme of Ussher, archbishop of Armagh, which he published in his “Annales Veteria et Novi Testamenti in 1650‑1654. His work was careful and scholarly, and served a useful purpose for two and a half centuries. It gives only one of several possible arrangements. It is based in crucial points on Ussher’s private interpretation of disputed passages, in some of which he clearly erred, as has been proved in recent years. His system was worked out from the standpoint of modern chronological conceptions, and fails to do justice to the different notions which pre­vailed in antiquity. It was constructed without the invaluable aid of data which have been brought to light by modern research... A few dates are fixed, and the chronology of certain periods is established... Much is tentative and is useful only for observing the sequence of events.”

WILLIAM MILLER – “(1782‑1849), American religious enthusiast who began preaching in 1831 that the present world would end approximately in 1843 with the bodily arrival (“ad­vent”) of Christ. The Millerite movement declined after 1845, but elements of the group later organized the present Advent Christian Church (1860) and the larger Society of Seventh‑Day Adventists (1863).”

It is our opinion that William Miller had an excellent mathematical mind, a man of high scruples and great sincerity in what he believed. He received much ridicule and persecution from other religious groups; but we ourselves are persuaded that his dates were mostly quite sound, but his expectations for those dates were wrong. We may some­time give detail and our own comments on some of his calculations.

“RUSSELL, CHARLES TAZE, popularly called Pastor Russell. (b. Feb. 16, 1852, Pitts­burgh, Pa. – d. Oct. 31, 1916, Pampa, Texas), founder of the International Bible Students Association, forerunner of Jehovah’s Witnesses (q.v.). Of Presbyterian and Congrega­tional background, Russell renounced the creeds of orthodox Christian denominations and in 1872 organized an independent Bible study class in Pittsburgh. From 1877 he preached that Christ’s second advent would be invisible, that the end of the Gentile times would come in 1914, followed by war between capitalism and communism or socialism, after which God’s Kingdom by Christ would rule the whole earth. Russell (who was never ordained) dedicated his life and his considerable fortune to preaching Christ’s millennial reign. In 1879 he started a Bible journal later called the Watchtower, and in 1884 founded the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, which became a flourishing publishing business. His own books and booklets (notably six Volumes of Studies in the Scriptures) reached a cir­culation of sixteen million copies in 35 languages, and 2,000 newspapers published his weekly sermons.” (From Encyclopedia Britannica)

It is our opinion that Pastor Russell gave us the correct chronology in the second volume of his Studies in the Scriptures – The Time Is At Hand – and we shall offer brief comments and figures from that book, with perhaps some of our own comments added. Therefore, we shall omit quotation marks; but we would emphasize that we are not at­tempting to palm any of his conclusions off as our own.

In this chapter we present the Bible evidence which indicates that six thousand years from the creation of Adam were complete with AD 1872; and hence that, since AD 1872, we are chronologically entered upon the seventh thousand, or the Millennium, the forepart of which, the Day of the Lord, the day of trouble, is to witness the break­ing into pieces of the kingdoms of this world and the establishment of the Kingdom of God under the whole heavens.

While an understanding of chronology is not essential to salvation (some of the very best of Christians throughout the Age did not have a clear understanding of it), yet a cor­rect knowledge of it is of tremendous assistance to understanding the present “signs of the times,” the parallel dispensations, and many prophecies that apply especially to our time. We must ascertain first of all where we are on the stream of time. At present there are all sorts of “strong delusions” being bandied about – talking about a hundred thousand or a million years back in the history of man; but a proper understanding of chronology will quickly demonstrate the nonsense of such wild ideas. Chronology as it pertains to man must of necessity reveal to us a date for the beginning of man.

It should be readily apparent from what we have written thus far that we place little confidence in the efforts of the “smart boys” to give us this knowledge; but we are persuaded that the Bible does just that, so we shall confine ourselves to the Bible. Jesus said the Bible is “the word of Truth” (2 Cor. 6:7); also, it is very much void of flippant talk or window‑dressing in what it contains. Therefore, the dates given us in Genesis 5 must be there for a purpose; and the first line in that chapter states it this way: “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” Also, the Bible tells us in Acts 17:26, “God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.” This being true, then we all have a common ancestry, even though we may appear vastly different from our fellows, which has been caused by privations, climactic conditions, var­iation of diet, etc. The extremes of heat and cold have in themselves made great differ­ence in appearance, habits of life, diet, etc., which we shall not detail here. However, there is one outstanding feature of being which separates man from beast: None of the beasts have any chin; whereas, we do not find a man anywhere without one, although the size and shape of the chin reveal much to the experts on physiognomy.

While there is much difference of opinion among those who accept the Bible record, the difference is limited to hundreds of years only; and not to millions, or even thousands of years as among evolutionists, atheists, et al. Of course, there can be but one true answer to the years from Adam’s creation; and it is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate the truth of that conviction – not about the number of those years, but the exact number of years from creation to where we now are.

There is much sound logic in the theory that the great flood of Noah’s day was caused by the breaking of a great water ring about the earth, beginning at the North and South Poles, and immediately putting into deep freeze all plant and animal life there. Just in recent years animals such as the deer, moose, etc., have been found near the North Pole with undigested grass in their stomachs, which is surely clear evidence that part of the world was at one time verdant and sustained the life of herbivorous animals. There is no guesswork about this piece of knowledge, no necessity to “estimate” its import.

If we examine the records of the Gentile nations, there is just no reliability for more than about three thousand years; the first date in history on which the Gentile “experts” can agree is 536 BC It was in that year that Cyrus the Great al­lowed the Jews to return to Israel from their Babylonian captivity. That was about 2500 years back. Thus we can readily see how empty are the guesses of the evolution­ists, etc., when they talk about a hundred thousand or a million years back. They are relying merely on untrustworthy tradition – loud talk which impresses some people who do not stop to examine it. The great Roman empire dates back only about 2800 years to its beginning, and even the first centuries of that are wrapped in uncertain records for three thousand years ago. If we consider Greece – at one time the intel­lectual center of the world – their dates are very sketchy prior to about 600 BC

Thus, we are left with the Bible record, which is very positive in its statements about the origin of man a little more than six thousand years ago, of which more detail later on. The statement is very clear that the men who wrote that book wrote “as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21)

As with history, so with chronology, the world has no reliable means of tracing back more than about twenty‑eight hundred years. Says Prof. Fisher, of Yale Univer­sity: “An exact method of establishing dates was slowly reached. The invention of eras was indispensable to this end. The earliest definite time for the dating of events was established by Babylon, the era of Nabonassar, 747 BC The Greeks (from about 300 BC) dated events from the first recorded victory at the Olympic games, 776 BC These games occurred every fourth year. Each Olympiad was thus a period of four years. The Romans, though not for some centuries after the founding of Rome, dated from that event; i.e., from 753 BC”

The history of the remote past is so filled with vagaries and mythical traditions as to make them valueless for chronological data and unworthy of consideration. Says the American Cyclopedia: “The history of ancient nations, unless we make an exception in the case of the Hebrews, goes back for mythical periods of thousands or millions of years; and even after the records begin to assume a historical aspect, the discrepan­cies are very great... The Assyrian, Babylonian and Egyptian inscriptions are in ex­tinct languages, and in characters long obsolete... Greek and Roman dates are authen­ticated to the first Olympiad, 776 BC, and the establishment of the Consulate, 510 BC, previous to which they are legendary. Herodotus is valuable only as to events of his own time, about 450 BC, and those of a century or two earlier.

There are many other reliable writings, but we consider the foregoing to be suffi­cient. However, we add this comment from Clinton: “The history contained in the He­brew Scriptures presents a contrast to the early accounts of the Greeks. In the latter we trace with difficulty a few obscure facts preserved to us by the poets, who trans­mitted, with all the embellishments of poetry and fable, what they had received from oral tradition. In the annals of the Hebrew nation, we have authentic narratives writ­ten by contemporaries under the guidance of inspiration. What they have delivered to us comes accordingly under a double sanction. They were aided by divine inspiration, in recording facts upon which, as mere human witnesses, their evidence would be valid.”

The Bible, our God‑provided history of the first three thousand years, is the only work in the world which, beginning with Adam, the first man mentioned in history, monument or inscription, whose name, the time of his creation and death are recorded, and from whom his descendants can be traced by name and age in successive links for near­ly four thousand years, furnishes us a clear and connected history down to a period where secular history can be accepted as reliable. As we have often stated, this date is 536 BC, which is a well accepted and established date. From that date the Bible is pretty well silent, God undoubtedly realizing no further need for it; we may accept secular records from that date on. Thus we have a clear and connected record down to the pres­ent time. However, if we accept the prophecies in the Bible, we are carried on through the next thousand years from now, not in a detailed way, but generally clear enough to give us a good idea of what lies ahead of us. Taken together, the true history and prophecies of the Bible provide us with an overall picture of the whole course of events from creation to the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:19‑23) and is thus a chart of all history.

From this record we have the evidence that from the creation of Adam to AD 1873 is six thousand years. The seventh thousand‑year day began then, so that we are now already over one hundred years in that seventh day. And before this day is completed, we may expect the great healing of the human race that is so vividly shown in John 5:1‑9, where the cripple was healed on the “sabbath day.”

The immense growth of Socialism, Nihilism and Communism since 1873 are unmistakable evidences that we are now in that time when “the God of Heaven is setting up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed... it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms [the present social order], and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan. 2:44) And it is from the chronology that we are enabled to construct this reliable statement, of which we now present a factual framework:

FROM THE CREATION OF ADAM

To the end of the flood---------------------------------------------------------- 1656 years

Thence to the covenant with Abraham-------------------------------------- 427

Thence to the Exodus from Egypt and giving the Law----------------- 430

Thence to the division of Canaan---------------------------------------------- 46

The period of the Judges (the last one being Samuel)----------------- 450

The period of the Kings (the last one being Zedekiah)---------------- 513

The period of the desolation (Babylonian captivity)--------------------- 70

Thence to AD --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1536

Thence to AD 1873--------------------------------------------------------------- 1872

Total--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6000

As we analyze each of these periods, our readers will have little difficulty in confirming our figures from the Divine Record. While there are two breaks in the Old Testament record, these are clarified by the New Testament. Adam lived 130 years and begat a son called Seth.(Gen. 5:3); Seth lived 105 years and begat Enos (5:6); Enos lived 90 years and begat Cainan (5:9); Cainan lived 70 years and begat Mahalaleel (5:12); Mahalaleel lived 65 years and begat Jared (5:15); Jared lived 162 years and begat Enoch (5:18); Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah (5:21); Methusaleh lived 187 years and begat Lamech (5:25); Lamech lived 182 years and begat Noah (5:28); Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth (Gen. 7:6). Total from the creation of Adam to the day the flood was dried up was 1656 years (Gen. 8:13). In passing, we mention here that “Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.” (Gen. 9:28) “And all the days of Noah were 950 years.” Thus he lived 600 years “in the world that was,” and 350 years in “this, present evil world” (Gal. 1:4). A very remarkable career!

AFTER THE FLOOD – “Shem begat Arphaxad 2 years after the flood (Gen. 11:10); Ar­phaxad lived 35 years and begat Salah (11:12); Salah lived 30 years and begat Eber (11:14); Eber lived 34 years and begat Peleg (11:16); Peleg lived 30 years and begat Reu (11:18); Reu lived 32 years and begat Serug (11:20); Serug lived 30 years and begat Nahor(11:22); Nahor lived 29 years and begat Terah (11:24); the days of Terah were 205 years and he died (11:32). Total from the flood to the covenant with Abraham at the death of Terah was 427 years.

While the above is all so simple and exact, the next period is not so easily grasped; the direct line of chronology is broken until after the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. This figure could not be obtained at all were it not for the help given us by Paul and Stephen, who wrote and spoke by inspiration. Paul says this period was 430 years (Gal. 3:17). As shown by a comparison of Gen. 12:1-5,7 and Acts 7:2-5, the covenant was made as soon as Abraham had fully complied with the conditions on which he was to receive it – as soon as he had entered Canaan, which he did immediately after his father died, who died in Haran, on the way to Canaan. Having the date of the Covenant thus established by Stephen and Paul’s statement that the Law was 430 years after the Covenant, the break in the Old Testament chronology is thus bridged by the New Testament. The Cove­nant was made just after he entered the land. (Gen. 12:5‑7). Thus we have the date of the Covenant, and the beginning of the 430 years as immediately following Terah’s death, which completes the chain of the chronology to the giving of the Law. The first feature of the Law was the Passover – which was instituted the same day that Israel left Egypt. (Ex. 12:41-43,47,50,51) This then establishes the third period.

FROM THE EXODUS TO THE DIVISION OF CANAAN AMONG THE TRIBES – Israel’s forty years of wandering in the Wilderness of Sin (Heb. 3:8,9) was followed by six years of war in Canaan, and dividing the land among the tribes.

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES – This is the most difficult portion of the chronology, from the division of the land to the anointing of Saul as king. It is usually termed the period of the Judges, though judges did not fill that office continuously. The record given in the book of Judges and Samuel gives nineteen periods, approximating a total of 450 years; but they are disconnected, broken, lapped and tangled so much that we can arrive at no definite conclusion from them, and should be obliged to conclude, as others have done, that nothing positive could be known on the subject, were it not that the New Testament supplies the lack. Paul stated that after God divided their land to them by lot “He gave unto then judges about [during] the space of 450 years, until Samuel the Prophet. Afterward they desired a king, and God gave unto them Saul.” (Acts 13:19‑21)

THE PERIOD OF THE KINGS – The record from Saul to Zedekiah is as follows: Saul 40 years (Acts 13:21); David 40 years (I Chr. 29:27); Solomon 40 years (2 Chr. 9:30); Rehoboam 17 years (12:13); Abijah 3 years (13:2); Asa 41 years (16:13); Jehoshapat 25 years (20:31); Jehoram 8 years (21:20); Ahaziah one year (22:2); Athaliah 6 years (22:12); Jehoash 40 years (24:1); Amaziah 29 years (25:1); Ussiah 52 years (26:3); Jotham 16 years (27:1); Ahaz 16 years (28:1); Hezekiah 29 years (29:1); Manasseh 55 years (33:1); Amon 2 years (33:21); Josiah 31 years (34:1); Jehoiakim 11 years (36:5); Zedekiah 11 years (36:11). The total period of the kings was 513 years.

THE SEVENTY YEARS OF DESOLATION – “That the land had enjoyed her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” (2 Chr. 36:20‑23) From 536 BC to AD 1 is not covered by the Bible record; but is well established by secular history. Ptolemy, a learned Greek‑Egyptian, a geometer and astronomer, has well established these figures; they are generally accepted by scholars, and known as Ptolemy’s Canon. Combining the foregoing figures, we have from the cre­ation of Adam to the year AD 1 a total of 4128 years; and adding 1872 years of the Christian era, we have an even 6,000 years from the creation of Adam.

USSHER’S CHRONOLOGY AGAIN – This chronology compared with the foregoing is 124 years off – four errors of 18, 4, 2 and 100 years. Ussher dates the beginning of desolation of the land eighteen years earlier – due to the capture of a number of the best Jews (probably including Daniel) before Zedekiah was overthrown. But that event did not start the desolation of the land; that did not come until Zedekiah was dethroned and carried away to Babylon.

Also, he gives the reign of Jehoram as four years; whereas the Bible gives it as eight years. (2 Chr. 21:5; 2 Kgs. 8:17) Of the two years, Ussher makes a mistake of one year in the reign of Ahaz – 15 years, but the Bible gives it as 16 years. All these mistakes are the result of Ussher going elsewhere for his information, instead of accepting the Bible for his authority. He makes another similar mistake of one year in the reign of Jehoash – 39 years, but the Bible gives it as 40 years. Then he makes a mis­take of 100 years in the period of the Judges. 1 Kings 6:1 says the fourth year of Solo­mon’s reign was 480 years from the Exodus from Egypt; but it should read 580 years; due probably to a copyist’s mistake, because the New Testament clearly gives this period as 450 years.

Here we digress a little to say the Jehovah’s Witnesses had the correct computation of the chronology as given in our figures above; but they have now gone back to Ussher’s error, and count the period as 550 years, as he did. Thus, they are now so badly con­fused they do not know where they are. Using these erroneous figures, they came up with 1975 for the beginning of Armageddon; but not a thing happened in 1975 – just as nothing happened in 1925, when they made their first real bad blunder in their figures on the Jubilee cycles. Ussher has 4005 years from the creation of Adam to the year AD 1; where­as, the Bible gives that time as 4128 years; and we accept the Bible above all secular writings.

Here we offer one more digression: The Jewish lunar year is 360 days; and that would make quite a difference with the solar year over a long period of time; but they now follow the Metonic cycle, a calculation which the pagan philosopher Meton produced in AD 360, where he adds seven intercalated years to every nineteen years. The last month of the Jewish year is Adar; and in those seven years he adds Ve-Adar, or the sec­ond Adar. Thus from the year AD 1 to 1982 there is only a few weeks difference in the solar and lunar calculations.

Since 1916 there has been much tampering with the chronology as given us through That Servant, the main offenders being the Jehovah’s Witnesses, although it should be said that some sixty years ago, when they still held to Brother Russell’s chronology, their leaders offered an excellent defense of that chronology against other groups that were contending that Brother Russell had made a 19‑year mistake in his reckoning of the Gen­tile Times. Since that time, however, the Witnesses have rejected their own teachings on many time features; and now they are badly confused with their own reckoning in var­ious ways. But in this paper we have discussed only the chronology as we understand it.

As just stated, other groups were vigorously contending about that 19-year mistake(?). But, when those nineteen years had come and gone in 1933 without the slightest hint anywhere that there was anything special about that date, they have simply dropped the subject without a word of further discussion. They had latched on to their error by accepting the figures of a certain “foolish virgin” (a Doctor H. Gratham Guiness), who had influenced many prominent minds with his error; and we are often impressed with this as we read the comments of some of them, and the dates they give – over a hundred years ago. Thus, it is very easy to become confused on some of their conclusions if we read them lightly – without stopping to determine if they are right or wrong.

SUMMARY – The Chronology, as we have herein presented it, is thoroughly Scriptural, and is proven so by the Bible’s chronological data, the jubilee cycles, the times of the Gentiles (2520 years), the 2520 and 1845‑year parallels, the pyramid and other time features presented by the Edgar Brothers’ time charts. It has stood the test of time, and is impregnable to any assaults that may be made upon it. It is reasonable and mathematically sound.

YEARS BEFORE AND AFTER THE GREAT FLOOD

Many people have questioned the length of the years before and after the flood ­due to the long years of life of many living before the flood; but it is our opinion that the years before and after the flood were solar years of the same length then that they are now. However, we would stress that there was no fermentation before the flood because there had been no rain: “The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth... But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” (Gen. 2:5,6) Thus it is probable that the air itself was much different after the flood. The air before the flood was probably 80% oxygen and 20% nitrogen; whereas, it now is about 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen.

One gifted writer offers this comment about it: “The immense duration of life assigned to these ten Patriarchs (before the flood) has always been the occasion of difficulty. Attempts have been made to explain away the figures. (a) It has been suggested that the names of the Patriarchs represent dynasties. But the mention of the first‑born and of other children obviously refers to personal history. Nor does the transference of these enormous figures to the duration of dynasties greatly diminish the improbability of their literal historicity. (b) It has been suggested that the Hebrew word for ‘year’ (shanah) is used in this chapter (Gen. 5) to denote a shorter period of time. But this arbitrary solution is devoid of any evidence in its favor. Familiar Hebrew words, like “years” in this chapter, must not be supposed, because of our difficulties in interpreta­tion, to require new meanings.

“There is no reason not to interpret the statements respecting the longevity of the ten Antediluvian Patriarchs quite literally. The account of them belongs to the domain of primitive tradition. It would be strange, if the primitive unverifiable tradition were not accompanied by the exaggerations which popular legend weaves around prehistoric names.”

Many of our readers are quite familiar with the chronology as given herein, because we have taken the correct Bible chronology from the Second Volume of Studies in the Scriptures as compiled by That Servant; but we believe the words of St. Peter (2 Peter 1:12,13) are very timely here: “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.”

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint No. 327, September 1982)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister Emily: Warm Christian greetings through the Lord!

My apologies for being so late in answering your kind letter. The Memorial observance this year was a very special event for me. A feeling of solemn concentration prevailed among the partakers, with all fixing their minds and hearts on the true meaning of our Lord’s sacrifice. In returning home this warm personal feeling continued into the remaining hours of the evening. It was very moving. We were about 40 in number, and it was right here in my home town, so it was very convenient.

My trip to France was very enjoyable. Life has become very expensive over there. The people continue to groan under the stress of the Time of Trouble. The same problems that plague Americans also affect the French. There are about 5 million unemployed (10% of the population). The government is broke. Racism is growing, especially against the many new immigrants coming in. The French had just held an election to overturn the present socialist administration. Of course we think of Jer. 10:23 and note how feeble are man’s attempts to correct the problems of the present order. Only the change of the future Kingdom New Order will do that.

I was not able to meet with any of the Bible Students. I did, however, visit some of the Jehovah’s Witnesses over there that I have known for over 20 years. Thus I used some of my vacation time to “witness” to them – explaining why I left the “organization” in favor of the original teaching of Pastor Russell, which had become so grossly distorted when Rutherford illegally seized control of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. They listened politely but were very uncomfortable. Few Witnesses ever take the time to examine their own history. If they did – and did so objectively without a closed mind, they would quickly recognize the errors in which they now believe and teach.

I hope you received the post card I sent from France. I am with you in serving our Heavenly Father (Prov. 18:10). God grant you the strength to keep up your works of love.

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

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Dear Brethren,

I sure appreciate the literature you sent. We used to have Bible Study in Denver, but now they are gone – moved away.

The Truth is so wonderful in giving us hope in this dark and dying old world. I believe in the New World government and Kingdom under Christ, and have believed all my life. I used to be a Jehovah’s Witness but no more!

May the Lord continue to bless you. With Christian love, ------- (COLORADO)

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Dear Emily,

What a shame that your lovely letter of December 28, 1992, is still with me here. It was such a pleasure to have it and take in its many expressions of encouragement and hope! Thank you most warmly for your friendship and your continued loyalty!

You said nothing on your health, your eyes, etc. We hope and pray that things are as they should be, and that you are enjoying full health and your usual well-proven energy!

Since you wrote there is a new President in the U.S., and this coming week another ‘round’ on Middle East talks are scheduled to begin. We all hope that this time all concerned and involved will be rational and fully cooperative so as to insure real progress. We all, who live in this area, are so very much looking forward to substantial moves in the right direction.

Meanwhile we enjoy a gorgeous Spring. We are blessed with a plentiful rainfall, and now everything is lusciously green and in full blossom.

This last week we concluded the annual Passover celebration, the reminder of serfdom in Egypt and the beginning of the 40-year long journey to Sinai and the Promised Land!

Be well and take care. With every Good Wish from Jerusalem and a

Warm SHALOM, Michael Pragai (ISRAEL)

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