NO. 505 "GIVE ME TO DRINK" (JOHN 4:19-29)

"If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." (John 7:37)

John the Baptist had testified of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30) It is in harmony with this that we read that Jesus (at the hands of His disciples) baptized more than did John and his co-laborers. (John 4; 1) The growing popularity of Jesus aroused to bitter opposition the Scribes and Pharisees, and they sought to kill Him. Hence, we read that "He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." (John 7: 1) They had greater animosity toward Jesus than toward John, for in Him they recognized a superiority over themselves, and because the ignorant, common people heard Him gladly and said, "Never man spake like this man." Thereafter we hear little of Jesus being in Jerusalem except on festival occasions, when great multitudes gathered in accordance with the requirements of the Law.

En route to Galilee, the home country of the majority of His apostles, the journey took them through the country of the Samaritans, concerning whom we remember that our Lord charged the disciples, saying, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 10: 5, 6) The Samaritans are thus classed with Gentiles -aliens, strangers, foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel. We recall their history -that at the time when the king of Babylon took the Israelites captive into Babylonia, he planted some Gentiles in the land of Israel -immigrants. Cut off from their former idolatries, these people became interested in their new home country, its theology, traditions, religious sentiments, etc. Furthermore, some of the careless, ignorant and vicious amongst the Jews, disregarding their Divine law on the subject, intermarried with the Samaritans. Thus an element of Jewish blood was intermingled amongst them. They called themselves the children of Jacob, and trusted that this meant some special blessing for them.

A sharp religious controversy was thus established between them and Jacob's natural progeny, the Jews. The latter, following the Law given by Moses, recognized Jerusalem and the Temple as the center of all acceptable worship of God. The Samaritans, being thus excluded, claimed that they had something better -that right in their own country they had the very mountain in which Jacob worshiped God, and towards this mountain they went or looked in their worship of God, esteeming it as a great natural temple and superior to anything else on earth. These facts account to us for some of the Lord's expressions connected with this lesson, and show us why His message excluded the Samaritans, as well as all Gentiles, from the call which He was giving, the Kingdom invitation, which was exclusively for the Jews. It was not until the Jews had as a people neglected their opportunity that the special privileges of the Kingdom were taken from them and subsequently tendered to such as would have an ear to hear in every nation, people, kindred and tongue of the earth -including the Samaritans.

"GIVE ME TO DRINK"

The road leading to Galilee branched off at Jacob's well, and the disciples went to the nearby Samaritan village, Sychar, to purchase food, while Jesus rested at the well, which was 75 feet deep and whose mouth was so walled up as to form a circular seat at its top. A Samaritan woman, laboring in the fields nearby, came to draw water, and was intensely surprised when Jesus asked her the favor of a drink. So tightly were the lines of social etiquette drawn that under ordinary circumstances no self-respecting Jew would ask a Samaritan for any favor, and especially for a drink of water. A gift of water or of food, extended or received at that time, signified fellowship, a covenant of good will. The woman asked an explanation of the Lord's peculiar conduct, but He gave none. We perceive in the entire Gospel narrative of the humility of our Lord, that he was quite ready and willing to mingle with any class, that He shunned no opportunity for doing good to any class, publicans or sinners -and that He reproved and rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for their aloofness. One of His parables was especially directed towards the self-righteous sentiment which feared even to touch garments with the outwardly more degraded. Our Lord, without approving of the outward degradation, showed that God looketh upon the heart, and that some of those highly approved amongst men were more abominable in His sight than some despised of men.

TACTFULNESS EXEMPLIFIED

Our Lord displayed great tactfulness. Instead of replying to the woman's query, He attracted her attention to a deeper truth. This lesson of tactfulness many of the Lord's people need to learn. We know some who mistakenly believe that they must use no tact ­that to do so would be dishonest. Hence, they are frequently blunt to the extent of injuring the feelings of others, and hindering their own usefulness. Such should note in this lesson, and in many others, our Lord's tactfulness. He did not feel that it was necessary for Him to answer the woman's question. On the contrary, He said, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." (John 4:10) Similarly, let us in all the affairs of life try to turn the attention of those with whom we have contact towards the heavenly, the spiritual things -not that we should obtrude religious matters on every occasion, nor that we suppose our Lord would have done so. Quite probably He saw something in the way of honesty of character in the woman He addressed, else he would not have conversed with her. So we should be on the lookout for every opportunity to speak a word in season, to be helpful to others, to honor the Lord.

The woman understood the expression "living water" to mean fresh water, as distinguished from stagnant water. The woman perceived that our Lord was not provided with the necessary lowering bucket and camel's hair cord, and said, If you had ever so much desire to give me to drink, it would be useless for me to ask you, since you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, and there is nowhere else that you can hope to procure better than this. Where would you get it? "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children and his cattle?" (John 4:12) Again our Lord tactfully ignored the question in the woman's interest -not to deceive her or take advantage of her, but for her benefit. He was instructing her, and leading her mind up from the natural water to the spiritual, and from the natural foundation to the spiritual. He said, "Whomsoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst," for that water "shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." (v. 14)

That our Lord talked to no ordinary woman is evidenced by the quickness with which she grasped His presentation, and her earnestness to get the living water He had described. She said, "Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." (v. 15) Again we note our Lord's tactfulness. He turned the subject. It was necessary that the woman should appreciate the fact that she was a sinner and under the death sentence and needed water of eternal life, which God alone could give, and which He has provided only in Jesus, the Fountain. Our Lord turned her thought inward very quickly by saying, "Go, call thy husband." (v. 16) The answer was, "I have no husband" (v. 17), and with that reply came a flood of thought, which our Lord riveted upon her by declaring, You have said well that you have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. The woman was now thoroughly aroused. She perceived that she was in the presence of one who knew her very deepest heart secrets. Yet she feared Him not. She fled not from Him. His kindness, His gentleness, His willingness to talk to a Samaritan woman, indicated that she had "found a friend, oh, such a friend." Her answer was, "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet."  

Shrewdly then the woman led the conversation away from matters too personal to herself, and too solemn and too tender for discussion, and our Lord did not follow up the subject, but left it. Many of His followers need to learn this lesson of first awakening in the hearts of their hearers a consciousness of sin, and then leaving it to work for them, at greater leisure, sorrow and repentance and reformation. It is not for us to break the hearts of those around us, but to find those who are broken-hearted. The command is, "Bind up the broken hearted." (Isa. 61: 1) In many instances, as in this one, the broken heart needs to be touched in connection with the binding-up process, in the application of the healing balm of grace and truth, but the touches should be gentle. If more breaking of the heart is necessary, it is not for us to do.

SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS

Not only would the woman escape a discussion of her personal character and affairs, but she would embrace this opportunity of settling in her own mind, with the aid of this one whom she had proven to be a great prophet, a question which had long troubled her ­were the Jews or were the Samaritans right as respected religion and worship? Before her was a proven prophet, and one in whose words she could have great confidence; hence her inquiry, Who are right -our fathers, who claim that this mountain is the place of worship or you Jews, who say that Jerusalem is the only place? Our Lord was not bent upon making of her a Jewish proselyte: the time for that was past; the harvest time had come. He would tell her something that would be to her advantage, and through her to the advantage of others in the near future, when the middle wall of partition would be broken down which still separated the Jews, in God's favor, from all others. His answer, therefore, applied to the Gospel dispensation in general, and this was already beginning so far as some of the Jews were concerned, and would later reach the Samaritans and all Gentiles. He said, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father." (v. 21)

That hour began after the Jewish house had been left desolate, after the new dispensation had been inaugurated, and it still continues. Believers do not have to go to a certain place, a certain mountain, a certain city, a certain house, but may approach the living God, through the great Redeemer, at any place and find Him. That coming hour had already begun, since our Lord himself was the first of the Spirit-begotten ones; and His disciples, accepted of the Father through Him, were taught to pray, to seek, to knock, to find. Those who worship under this Spirit dispensation will not be accepted along the lines of former worship and places -not in families, or nationally. Their acceptance will be as individuals, and because they come unto the Father through His appointed way, the Redeemer, and come "in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (v. 23) During past times he did indeed prescribe forms of worship and times and places, but now all that come unto the father "in spirit and in truth" through Christ are accepted.

While it is most absolutely true that forms and ceremonies are not commanded, but the true worship of the heart, nevertheless we feel that some still maintain too much of a relationship to forms and ceremonies, and thus lose much of the spiritual blessing of prayer and communion. But, on the other hand, we seem to see a danger into which some of the Lord's dear people fall, through ignoring all regularity in prayer, and sometimes through too little formality in approaching the throne of heavenly grace, without a sufficiency of humility and reverence for Him who has granted us so great a favor as to receive us into His presence and to hearken to our petitions. While thankful that we can call upon the Lord in every place and at any time, let us approach His courts with reverence, with an awe of heart befitting to us in our humble, lowly condition, and to Him in His great exaltation. Thus we enter into the real spirit of prayer, which should recognize our complete dependence and the greatness of the Almighty.

"WE KNOW WHAT WE WORSHIP"

Very pointedly, though we are sure in no rude manner, our Lord declared the truth to the woman when He said, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews." (v. 22) The Samaritans, not being of the stock of Israel, were in no sense of the word heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant. Not discerning this cardinal truth in its true light, they were confused as to every feature of the Divine Plan. The Jews, on the contrary, understood that they were the natural seed of Abraham, and that from them must come the great Messiah, and that eventually, through Him and some of their nation associated with Him; all the families of the earth should receive a blessing. Our Lord said, "Salvation is of the Jews." He did not say, For the Jews, nor, To the Jews, exclusively. It was of them in the sense that the Master was of that nation according to the flesh. It was of them in the sense that the promises were exclusively to that nation, so that Messiah could not have been born of any other nation and yet inherit those promises. It was of that nation also, in that from them our Lord selected the earliest members of His church, His body, through whom the invitation to membership in the body has during this age been extended to every nation, people, kindred and tongue.

WHEN MESSIAH COMETH

The mind of the Samaritan woman swept forward in thought. She recalled the expectation of her own people and of the Jews that God would provide a great Messiah, an Anointed One, who would be all-wise and all-powerful to the relief of all perplexity and to lift out of all difficulty. She wondered whether the Messiah could be more wonderfully wise than the prophet, the teacher, to whom she talked. She did not like to ask the question direct, but suggested it sidewise, saying, "I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things." (v. 25) Seeing her readiness of mind, our Lord expressed to her -more plainly, perhaps than to any other person during His ministry -the great fact that He was the Messiah: "I that speak unto thee am he." (v. 26)

The disciples, returning at this time, marveled that He talked with the woman, but had too great respect for Him to question Him; and many since, all through the Gospel Age, reading the account, have marveled at the Master's humility thus displayed. It has brought a good lesson to many of the Lord's followers -that they are not to despise opportunities for service, for preaching of the truth, even though they have an audience of but one. And indeed the opportunity of speaking to one earnest listener should be esteemed far greater than that of addressing a thousand inattentive ones. Doubtless our Lord saw in this woman something that indicated her worthiness of the time and energy thus bestowed upon her.

But from another standpoint, what worthiness could she have? what worthiness do any of us possess by nature? Fallen and imperfect, the only thing remaining that could in any way be pleasing to the Lord would seem to be our honesty of heart. Honesty this woman evidently had, and hence we believe she was favored, and many of the Lord's dear people have received this message since. Here, too, we have another illustration of the importance of using every opportunity that may come to us. Time and energy spent in the assistance of some worthy one may, as in this case, flow out in widening influence to many. Eternity alone will show the value of some of the little things, the feeble efforts put forth in the name of the Lord; and this reminds us that our Lord is judging us by our faithfulness in little things and small opportunities rather than by our great achievements. His own words are, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." (Luke 16:10) Remembering this, let us be careful in the little things, little opportunities, the hours and the moments, that we may show ourselves zealous for the Lord and His cause, and have His eventual approval, as well as His present blessing.

THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT

The character of this woman is further displayed in the fact that, leaving her water­bucket, she hastened to the city to tell her friends and neighbors that she had found a great teacher, possibly the Messiah, and to ask them to come and share the privilege of hearing Him. The selfish spirit, which would have bidden her to keep the information to herself, or the slothful, careless spirit, which would have led her to say, I would be pleased if my friends might know, but will not bestir myself to inform them -either of these would have marked the woman as unworthy of the Lord's favor; and had such been her disposition we doubt if the Lord would have entered into conversation with her. And so it is with those who have been reached with present truth; they are, as a rule, not only the honest and sincere, but the generous, who love to give the good things to their neighbors, and who, having heard now of the second presence of the Son of man, and the Kingdom about to be established, and having come to a clearer knowledge than ever before of the truth of the Divine Plan -these rejoice to lay down their lives in its service - the promulgating of "good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people." (Luke 2:10) This is the true missionary spirit, and home missions come first.

"COME UNTO ME AND DRINK"

Our Golden Text is quite in line with the lesson intimated -that before anyone can come to the Lord he must thirst, he must have an appreciation of that which the Lord has to give -the water, the refreshment, of eternal life. This means that he must learn that he is a sinner, and under sentence of death, and there is no hope for a future life except through Christ. The coming to the Lord is the approach of faith. Our thirst is our desire. We drink, or appropriate to ourselves the Divine message. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth" (John 17: 17) - and water is the symbol of truth. The promise of a blessing to those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" is in full accordance with this. And the promise is, "They shall be filled." This, too, is in harmony with our Lord's statement in our lesson, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." (v. 14)

In the present time our thirst is in one sense of the word insatiable - we are never satisfied - in the sense that the Lord's blessings are so great and so good that we can never in the present day and the present conditions have enough of them. We shall be satisfied thoroughly when we awake in the Kingdom. Nevertheless, there is a measure of satisfaction to our drinking, even in the present time -just as with a thirsty one at a fountain, he drinks with relish, with appreciation, with satisfaction, only to take more and more. So with those who are the Lord's. He pours into their cup blessings rich and  satisfying, and fills the cup repeatedly. Let us appreciate more and more the truth, the water of life, and let us see to it that we get it pure from the fountain, and that we recognize no other fountain than the Lord Jesus, however much we may appreciate the channels through which the supply may have come to us. (That Servant, Reprints 4130-4132, February 1, 1908)

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UN CLOSES 1998 WITH ANTI-SEMITIC DIATRIBE

The UN closed its annual 1998 season with a vicious attack on Israel by its Geneva based Habitat International Coalition during the Arab-exploited month of November. A few weeks later -in what could be taken as a rebuttal to that onslaught -a fiery speech was delivered at the New York UN Headquarters by the noted UN expert, Dr. Harris O. Schoenberg, Director of UN Affairs for B'nai B'rith and Executive Director of the Coordinating Board of three internationally known Jewish organizations. Moreover, to the shame of Habitat, he is also Honorary Chairman of the UN NGO Human Rights Committee, whose meeting he addressed on December 9th.

Dr. Schoenberg's main topic involved a proposal to establish a Holocaust Memorial at the UN complex. "For decades" he stated, "the UN has displayed an exhibit on Hiroshima to teach about the horrors of the atomic bomb. I don't understand," he added, "why in 50 years it never created an exhibit on the Holocaust, which took six million lives and was the inspiration for the UN's Genocide Convention and its human rights programs."

What disturbed this writer was the fact that the Habitat International Coalition, as an Agency of the UN listed as the "Center for Human Settlements," seemingly a worth­while project, should have indulged in an outright anti-Semitic diatribe. It would be interesting to know who exactly were the 15 Non-Government Organizations (NGO' s) attending the three-day Geneva meeting. Let me cite a few paragraphs of its offensive release issued by one, Miloon Kothari, captioned: "Discriminatory nature of Israel exposed at the UN: Israel responses fail to defend its human rights record:"

"Israel was subjected for the first time to questioning by a UN human rights body about its fundamental laws and institution that institutionalize discrimination against the indigenous Palestinians inside its 1948 borders, as well as in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"The review covered such issues as the applicability of the Covenant to the occupied Palestinian territories; the role of Zionist public organizations; house demolitions and land confiscations; the impact of closures; the disparity between Jews and Palestinians in such services as health, education, housing; the contradiction between the bi-national reality of the State and its claim to be a 'Jewish State'; and discrimination in Israeli basic laws.

"Both NGO testimony and Committee questions revealed the fundamental discriminatory nature of the State itself. The Committee consensus held that Israel's sustained stranglehold in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, even in areas considered to be under Palestinian National Authority control, carries with it its obligations to apply the Covenant to protect Palestinians' rights in those territories."

It is unbelievable that a UN Human Rights agency dealing with Habitat and Settlements should sink so deep in hatred and devote a three-day session to anti-Semitism as these paragraphs show. There's not a word about PLO incitement, constant terrorism and suicide bombings. What we had was a one-sided, scandalous spectacle.

The hatred continues: "All the NGO presentations affirmed a pattern of discrimina­tion in all these areas at the expense of Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line (the 1948 border). They cited systematic violations to numerous articles of the Covenant; Article 1 (the right to self-determination); Article 2 (non-discrimination); Article 11 (housing and living conditions, food); Article 6 (the right to work); Article 8 (the right to form trade unions); Article 12 (the right to health); Article 13 and 14 (the right to education) and other articles in the Covenant.

"The Committee called into question the apparent contradiction between some Basic Laws and the State's commitment to non-discrimination under the Covenant (Article 2). The Committee questioned Israel about the apparent discriminatory nature of such public Zionist institutions, such as the World Zionist Organization/Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund. These bodies are linked to the State of Israel by a Basic Law (Status Law) and are committed to serve Jews exclusively, wherever they may be. These institutions manage much of the country's land, water development budgets and other resources and services, but are dedicated not to benefit non-Jewish citizens. The Committee wondered why Israel's Law of Return does not extend to Palestinians."

Dr. Schoenberg's address, calling for a UN Holocaust Memorial and also for a Protocol on politically motivated annihilation, took place at a meeting here, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide... Following so soon after the Habitat diatribe aimed at the Jewish people, it put to shame those few NGO authors of that diatribe.

Some organs of the UN still have a lesson to learn -the history of Israel, the People of the Book. (By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, March 5, 1999)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

My dear David: Shalom, Shalom!

This is a long overdue letter, to thank you for keeping in touch with me so faithfully. I especially appreciated receiving the copy of the article, "The Jewish Corner at the UN." You certainly deserve every honor for your longstanding devotion to Israel at the United Nations. Surely you are worthy of being their "esteemed and beloved treasure" as stated by Elvi Routtinen, of Finland.

What a shame that "anti-Israel, anti-semitic rhetoric and hostile atmosphere has prevailed in 'this (United Nations) house' throughout most of its existence." What an example you have been of faith in Ha-Shem and His love for the Jewish people and for Israel reborn.

I plan to make copies of this article to send to friends, along with the one you wrote for THE JEWISH PRESS about Casimir and me in our privileged work for Israel, plus the excellent treatise by David Weinberg. The latter was forwarded to me by precious friends who have lived in Israel for 25 years, Lev and Hava Bausch, formerly of Paradise, California. Do you know about them? Their zeal for Israel is unbounded.

What a blessing that you can keep so active at age 93 after your serious illness and loss of your beloved wife. May Ha-Shem give you continued strength to carryon in this most important work. Your articles are forthright and courageous, such as the one printed in THE JEWISH PRESS on October 16, 1998, "The League of Nations Mandate: A Reminder to its UN Successor." With deep gratitude for your example and your friendship,

Yours for Israel's peace and prosperity, Elva Lanowick

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Dear Sister Emily,

I write to thank you most sincerely for receipt of the Bulletin, not only for last year, but all those which you have sent to me. They are an undoubted blessing, I am sure, to all who receive them.

As one who is no longer young in physical years (going on 53), but still young in the Truth, I greatly value the insights which your paper offers. I still read the literature of the LHMM, and other Bible Student groups, and am beginning to see wherein the EBSA differs from others. You pointed out one area (Consecrated Epiphany Campers), and I will turn again to Tabernacle Shadows for confirmation of what you say.

I am also now studying the first few volumes of Brother Johnson's "Epiphany Studies in the Scriptures," and hope to gain much blessings and enlightenment from them.

As you also say, in the first paragraph of No. 502, at this time of year, we, with thankful hearts appreciate His blessings towards us. Please be assured that I regard you and your paper, as one of the Lord's many blessings towards me. I give thanks to Him for that. I hope that in the future, as I encounter difficulties in my studies (as I surely shall), I may humbly draw upon your knowledge and experience to assist me.

For the meantime though, I'll close this note, by expressing my prayer that the Lord may shine His face upon you and your work, and that again in the New Year 2000, you may call upon us all to give thanks to Our Heavenly Father for the richness of His blessings to us. Peace and Christian Love to you! Yours Sincerely, (IRELAND)

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Dear Emily: Shalom!

Despite Herman Bezner's 99 years, he still speaks to the visitors coming to Emek ha Shalom. And Joseph translates his speech into Hebrew. Today, Sabbath, visitors have come for three hours in succession. And there have been visitors here every day last week.

All the best and many kind regards from your friend. Leif Malmkvist (SWEDEN)

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To our brother in Messiah, Kasimir Lanowick:

We received your precious book, THE RECONCILIATION (THE ATONEMENT). It is a marvelous thing that God has sent me this book through you, because of all the problems concerning the personality of our Saviour Jesus and the trinity. It sounds exactly right, just as God revealed these matters to me since I have found my Saviour. It is for that reason that we bless you with all our heart. But the author's name is not shown, because the first few pages are missing. If you know the name of the author, you will render me a great favor by sending it to me. You know that I have had and still have many dissentions with the number of Christians concerning the Divinity of Jesus and the trinity. Thank God that this book has verified my beliefs and I am most pleased to read and re-read it with great enthusiasm.  In the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah we wish you a life of good health in body and in spirit. May the grace of our Lord Jesus always be with you. Amen.

From your brother and sister in Christ, Daniel and Eliehevah Zion

I just ran across this copy of letter Casimir received from the late Rabbi Daniel Zion and his wife October 14, 1952. We were privileged to stay in the same compound with him in Jerusalem in 1950 and saw the many missionaries visiting him, trying to convince Daniel Zion of the Trinity doctrine. You see, on arrival in Israel after World War II Daniel Zion, the former Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria, read the New Testament and became convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, but he could not understand the missionaries' insistence on the Trinity. On our return to the U.S. we sent him the fine book, THE ATONEMENT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, which explains the truth about the God-dishonoring doctrine of the Trinity. How thrilled we were to receive this reply. It is a much longer story, but suffice it to say that when Casimir visited him later he found the Chart of the Ages in Hebrew on his wall and saw Daniel Zion's translation of the DAILY HEAVENLY MANNA into Hebrew. Of course we had told him that the author of THE ATONEMENT BETWEEN .GOD AND MAN was the renowned Pastor Charles Taze Russell. Elva Lanowick

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Our dear beloved Sister Emily: Shalom! With the whole family of faith.

Thank you for your letter. We have the Reprints, we also have the Overland Monthly. You are right, it is a very valuable book. We have sent it to important personalities, to libraries and gave it to our friends.

We are in a great hurry and cannot refer to the theoretical statements of Pastor Russell, you mentioned. Before their change here the last Body members make the last sacrifices to become accomplished to become sealed in the forehead!

Many have strayed in the last time from the right way -because of too much theory (Laodicea!). The present main points are written in the papers.

Thank you most heartily for your love and daily prayers. He [God] is a vital help.

In sincere Christian love connected, Your thankful Brethren, Hermann Bezner and Joseph Elisha (ISRAEL)

Brothers Hermann's and Joseph's comments are expressed above, "Before their change here the last Body members make the last sacrifice to be accomplished and become sealed in the forehead." We are most happy to learn Bible Students are helping Emek ha Shalom, especially Bible Students who believe the door to the High Calling is open. We now cite Rev. 7:3: "Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."

In Biblical Comments That Servant says: "When this occurs we shall understand it to be the shutting of the door of opportunity to membership in the elect Church." All this refers to World War One. Please read all of Matthew 25, and Matthew 25: 10 as referred to.

World War One is the beginning of the Time of Trouble. As That Servant says, the Time of Trouble is not to the Church nor for the Church, it is for the world. That Servant gives three ways that would indicate the door is closed to the High Calling. (Thy Kingdom Come, pages 207,208)

NO. 504 THAT SERVANT - MATT. 24:45-47

My dear Brethren: Grace and peace thru our Beloved Master

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

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

Our established readers know of our firm belief that Brother Russell was “That Servant” in the exact words of the text; and believing such, it logically follows that we adhere closely to the general Truth structure which he gave the Household when he was with us. Of course, we realize there is some dispute about what he actually taught on a few items – such as tentative justification, the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble being identical, etc.; but those points we shall ignore in this presentation. Brother Russell himself taught that “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18); and he applied this to the individual life of each sincere believer, as well as to the entire Household. Even assuming there are no more saints on earth, it would still be logical to expect more “light,” as Rotherham’s translation of the text clearly reveals: “The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, going on and brightening, unto meridian day.” Notice now the footnote: “the stable part of the day, when the sun seems motionless in mid‑heaven.” “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” (Mal. 4:2) From Rotherham’s translation and footnote, it is apparent that the rising of “The Sun of righteousness” is in exact proportion to the celestial sun in its rising and progress to high noon. Thus, early risers would see the sun’s rising first, while, others who might sleep to nine or ten in the morning would only see it when they arise, howbeit it would then be much brighter than at early dawn. All of us know that this has been the exact course of the Truth Movement, which forces us to accept one of two views: Either the Truth reached its full splendor in October, 1916, when Brother Russell died, or it has continued to rise higher and higher, and will continue to do so until the “meridian day” – at high noon. And this will come only when “the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea.” Here is the Berean Comment on Isa. 11:9: “Earth shall be full – At the close of the Millennium. This is not true in the present time.” The “seventh trumpet” began to sound in 1874, and will continue to sound until the goats have all been destroyed at the full end of the Little Season.

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

All of us know that Brother Russell made some mistakes – permitted by the Lord, of course, for “the trial of your faith”; but those mistakes were few indeed when we consider the intricate and massive Truth structure he placed upon the table as the “meat in due season.” However, to offer some allowance for his mistakes, we would say that even the Apostles – at least one of them – also made serious mistakes, outstanding among them being St. Peter himself to whom the Lord had delivered “the keys of the Kingdom.” (Matt. 16:19) “When Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him face to face, because he was blamable. For before certain persons came from James, he ate together with the Gentiles; but when they came he withdrew and separated himself, being afraid of those belonging to the circumcision... even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” (Gal. 2:11‑13,Dia.) In this statement St. Paul openly accuses the one to whom had been committed “the keys of the kingdom” of temporary hypocrisy – a very serious charge indeed, and revealing a fault that was not chargeable to Brother Russell all during his ministry so far as we know.

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

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

EZEKIEL NINE

During Brother Russell’s life those brethren that regarded him exclusively as That Servant also regarded him as the only one included in the “man with the writer’s inkhorn” in Ezek. 9:2,11 so much so that there is inscribed on his tombstone at Allegheny the words, “I have done as thou hast commanded me.” There is a certain logic in all Bible presentations that provides a symmetry and harmony which should never be ignored. In Ezek. 9:1,2, six other men are mentioned, “every man with his destroying weapon in his hand”; but of the seven mentioned only one is said to be “clothed with linen”; and “fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” (Rev. 19:8) The one “clothed with linen” was to “set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry in the city for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” (Ezek 9:4) Surely, none of us would contend that Brother Russell alone did all of this work, although he did considerably more than any other individual. Nor were the men with the “slaughter weapons” in their hands individuals. These six were the Harvest sifters; and no individual monopolized the sifting errors of any one of the six siftings that occurred after 1874. Thus, consistency would force us to conclude that the man “clothed with linen” was more than one individual. It is true that Brother Russell did put the ink into the horn; he provided the “sharp sickle” of Rev. 14:14,15 (Present Truth – see Berean Comment) that enabled all the reapers to do the Harvest work.

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

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

OBVIOUS CONCLUSIONS

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

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

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

A PERTINENT STATEMENT

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

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

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

Recently we heard a brother offer an excellent oration on this subject, in which he stressed the Scripture, “It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I place in Zion a foundation‑corner stone, chosen, honorable; and he who confides in it shall not be ashamed. The honor therefore is for the believers; but to the disbelieving, this stone which the builders rejected, was made into the head of a corner – even a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense... to both the houses of Israel.” (1 Pet. 2:6‑8, Dia.; Isa 8:14) And what is the “stone of stumbling”? Is it not the recognition of the Messiah, and the time concerning His presence. Indeed, the accusation was flung at the Jews: “The days will come on thee, when thine enemies shall throw a rampart around thee... and lay thee level with the ground... because thou didst not know the season of thy visitation.” (Luke 19:43,44, Dia.) Thus it was the presence of the Lord Jesus, and the accompanying works, that was “the stone of stumbling” for the Jews at that time.

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

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

“In the time of the end knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4) The great increase of knowledge was first of all spiritual, having its beginning about 1870. And the Scripture clearly states that That Servant would be dispensing the “meat in due season” when “his Lord cometh.” Therefore, when we would observe the offering of the “meat in due season,” it would give us absolute proof that the Lord had also come. It is as clear as the noonday sun. But, of those who cannot discern this evident truth, it is written of them, “Our lamps are gone out” – they have lost the spirit of understanding. Note the Berean Comment on Matt. 25:3.

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

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

SITTING IN MOSES’ SEAT

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

That same condition would also apply here in the end of the Age. “Babylon hath been a golden cup [the golden cup being the Divine Truth] in the Lord’s hand.” (Jer. 51:7) But she was rejected from such position in 1881, until today there is no semblance of God’s mouthpiece at all in Big Babylon. Thus, we must look elsewhere for the counterpart of those Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day; and it doesn’t require much insight to find them in Little Babylon – the outstanding example being Jehovah’s Witnesses. Are they not telling the world that they are the only gate to salvation? And, in their attempt to construct a tower (gateway) to Heaven, have they not had their tongues sadly confused a “Babel” of most repellent sort? Let us note once more that Moses was a type of the Star Members of this Age, of which That Servant was a most prominent one. But the Witnesses now claim succession to him as mouthpiece to Christendom – to take up where he left off; they claim the teaching position to Christendom. Therefore, they, by their own admission, do claim to sit in the seat of antitypical Moses.

During the Age the Roman Church soon learned that they could tell their adherents most any weird sort of yarn, and they would believe it. In fact, if they did not believe it, they were not “good Catholics.” The Witnesses have followed in exact pattern: their adherents must also believe just what they teach. If any one in their midst persists in asking questions that may appear to contradict what is published in their Watch Tower, it will not be long until he is disfellowshiped – after which the “faithful” are instructed not even to speak to him if they see him on the street.

It thus becomes pertinent here to offer some more from Parousia Vol. 2, pp. 29‑31: “We have great sympathy for the First Adventists, the Jews, and the Second Adventists, though only a few of either realized the truths they so nearly apprehended, yet failed to grasp, blinded by false expectations. Our Adventist friends have failed to recognize both the manner and the object of the Lord’s return as taught in the Scriptures; consequently, they have not been expecting to see Him as He is, but as He was. They consider the object of His coming one which will fill the hearts of all except the saints with dismay and terror; that His object is to gather the elect, destroy all others of mankind, and burn up the world. Having such ideas, they used time prophecy as a whip to scourge and drive the world to God [as the Witnesses are now also doing through the threat of destruction in Armageddon]... God provided time prophecies for no such purpose, nor will He attempt to convert the world in any such way; for He seeketh such to worship Him as worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23), and not such as are frightened into His service. [Here is a direct contradiction to the technique of the Witnesses, as they claim to “sit in Moses’ seat” – as successors to That Servant] If He designs to terrorize men into obedience, He could have devised some more successful method than the proclamation of time, as our Adventist friends have proved.

“Prophetic time was given, not to alarm the world, nor for the world in any sense, but to strengthen, comfort, encourage and guide the Church in the troublous times in the end of the Age. Therefore, it is written, ‘None of the wicked [the world in general] shall understand, but the wise only [those who have accepted the Wisdom from above].’ (Dan. 12:10) To these this becomes meat in due season [the faithful and wise servant was to “give them meat in due season”], and it, with other meat, strengthens those who use it, so that they may be able to stand in the evil day [in which we now find ourselves], the day of trouble with which this Age closes. It will enable them to understand the events transpiring around them, so that they will not be consumed by fear and dread [by the threat of Hell Fire, or Armageddon blood bath], not swallowed up by the projects and false theories, science falsely so‑called, with which this day abounds. And, withal, they may be in the devouring fire (trouble), witnesses for God and His plan, and teachers of the people ‑pointers to the outcome of Jehovah’s plan, lifting up a standard for the people (Isa. 62:10).”

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

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

As That Servant has so well taught, the Truth is not for the world now, though there be many good and honorable people who have a measure of appreciation for the “good tidings” – the gospel, the good news – but do not accept it in the full sense. They are not of the “many that are called,” but are measurably blinded by “the god of this world.” (2 Cor. 4:4) And certainly a blind man cannot be justly faulted if he stubs his toe against a stone. “I desired mercy [not condemnation for those who cannot comprehend], and not sacrifice [feverish efforts on street corners – a “zeal not according to knowledge”], and the knowledge of God [the true understanding of the great Plan of the Ages as it was explained by That Servant] more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)

“There is none so blind as he who will not see” – but this does not apply to the fully faithful who “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” (2 Tim. 3:14) They do this from a “good and honest heart” and can readily discern between Truth and Error, thereby continue to “grow in Grace and in the Knowledge’ of our Beloved Lord. “Light [truth] is sown for the righteous [the consecrated], and gladness [the joys of the truth] for the upright in heart [for the fully faithful].” (Psa. 97:11)

(John J. Hoefle, No. 191, May 1971)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

BROTHER ROBERTO A. BLANDON finished his course on December 23, 1998. He was 82 years old. He was a structural design engineer for Public Service, Newark, NJ for 25 years, retiring in 1980. He attended Purdue University where he received an engineering degree in 1941 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received an aeronautical engineering degree in 1944. He was a member of the alumni associations of both universities. Born in Leon, Nicaragua, he lived in Maplewood before moving to West Long Branch, NJ eighteen years ago.

Surviving are his wife, Helen; a son, Ronald R., Monmouth Beach, NJ; and three sisters, Stella Blandon, Leon, Nicaragua, Nelly Blandon and Teresita Love, both of South Miami, FL.

He was not a believer in any denominations, but when he first heard the Truth, he accepted it immediately. “...Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (John 18:37) He is now “asleep in Jesus” and is awaiting the resurrection of the just.

Here are some of the beautiful remarks made by Rev. John Kleinkeksel at Roberto’s funeral:

“We thank God that through the grace of Jesus Christ, blots can be made to contribute to beauty of character. We praise God for the love that judges a life, a family and a congregation, not by its blunders of blots, but by its entirety. God help us to turn to place a garland of understanding around the mistakes of others, in knowing how easy it is to err.

“Thank you Roberto Blandon for everything you have done to bring beauty and love to our world. May we spread the fragrance of Christ’s love during the time remaining for us as well.”

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SISTER DORA WALCOTT of Trinidad, WI. Finished her course on July 23, 1998. She was 93 years old. She did not have children, but is survived by grand nephews and nieces. However, she had mothered quite a few children, some not even blood relatives, one of whom made the funeral arrangements. Some relatives traveled from the USA for the service, which was conducted by Brother John. She was faithful in all her commitments and was loved, not only by her immediate ecclesia, but by all who knew her. She always looked forward to the Kingdom and we believe she will be one of the “princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16)

NO. 503 SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

The Annual Observance of our Lord’s death occurs this year after six p.m., March 30. This date is calculated as follows: The Vernal Equinox this year arrives at 4:07 a.m. March 21 at the Meridian East, this Meridian being used as it is the nearest to Jerusalem. The new moon nearest the Vernal Equinox comes at 9:29 p.m. March 17. Thus Nisan 1 occurs at 6 p.m. March 17, Bible reckoning. The proper date for the Passover Memorial would thus be fourteen days later, or 6 p.m. March 30. We expect to observe this service at 7:30 p.m. We invite all of “like mind” to join with us.

SUNDRY DETAILED OBSERVATIONS

It will be recalled that the original Passover that night in Egypt was being eaten by the Israelites during the very time that the Angel of Death was visiting destruction upon the firstborn of Egypt – deliverance for God’s people – destruction for their enemies. Thus, St. Paul was prompted to write: “We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.” (2 Cor. 2:15,16) While this text has a primary application to the Christ Company, it applies in secondary manner to all who “keep the feast in sincerity and in truth.”

To all such “the Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” (Ps. 34:7) This may be accepted by the faithful Faith Class during this Age without reservation, a feature which the type brings forcefully to our attention. As the Jews were eating their lamb that awesome night “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand” (Ex. 12:11) – eating it with bitter herbs “not a dog did move his tongue against any of the Children of Israel... that ye may know that the Lord hath put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” (Ex. 11:7) For Gospel‑Age purposes, especially here in the Epiphany night, those Egyptian dogs type rabid sectarians (Phil. 3:2 “beware of dogs” – quarrelsome partisans – See Berean Comment). Dogs are known to lose their savagery, and to mourn deeply over the death of their masters; and this will yet prove pointedly true during this Epiphany night of the symbolic dogs – rabid sectarians – when they eventually learn that their leaders have grossly mis‑led them, that many of them have “gone to their own place,” as did Judas. (Acts 1:25)

“TILL HE COME”

The Jews were commanded to keep the Passover each year on the 14th day of Nisan as “a memorial throughout your generations” (Ex. 12:14), and Christians have also been commanded to “do this in remembrance” of Christ our Passover each year “till He come.” (1 Cor. 11:25) From this statement by St. Paul some have raised the question: Should we continue to keep the Memorial if our Lord has returned? However, when we consider that both the Little Flock and the Great Company are a part of the Church of the Firstborn, and that partaking of the bread and the wine symbolizes their participation in the merit of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, then it should require no argument about them continuing to “show forth the Lord’s death till He come” – until the last one has come to journey’s end. But we believe the command would apply also to those faithful ones here in the end of the Age who are not a part of the spirit‑begotten Church of the Firstborn, because the merit of our Lamb has been tentatively imputed to all such – to the extent that the New Covenant cannot begin to operate toward the world until that embargo against Christ’s merit has been removed.

And, as we partake of our Lamb “in newness of life,” so we also partake of His sufferings, each according to the Class in which he finds himself. If we are rightly exercised by such experiences, we then receive “the garments of the Egyptians” (their good character qualities) – which they in turn lose by reason of their unjust acts against God’s faithful people. “We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) The word “tribulation” is derived from the Latin “tribulum,” the threshing instrument by means of which the Roman husbandman separated the corn from the husks. Says one commentator: “Though tribulation may crush and bruise us, it separates our chaff from the wheat, so that we are prepared for the granary of Heaven. Sorrow is hard to bear, and doubt is slow to clear, but the New Testament is the most joyful book in the world because its writers have been delivered from the doubt that paralyzes the soul, and they live in the sunshine of the love of Christ. They know their affliction (tribulation) is working out for them the glory that is to be.”

Dear Brethren, if we will consider our trialsome experiences with Satan’s deluded servants as opportunities of obtaining Divine Truth and the graces from them, we will be helped ardently to desire such acquirements from such experiences and will be helped to receive them in the Lord’s spirit and thus will receive the symbolic articles of gold and silver and garments. Let us view these experiences from this standpoint and act accordingly amid them; and we will emerge from them greatly enriched spiritually. This consideration will keep us from murmuring and complaining amid such experiences and will enable us to take them joyfully. (1 Pet. 4: 12‑14)

As the Israelites fled from the Egyptians after being told to be gone the morning after the tenth plague, the morning after the Passover had been eaten, the cloudy fiery pillar set a barrier between them and the pursuing Egyptians, casting a light ahead of it to lighten the path of Israel, but working a thick darkness to the Egyptians. And so during this Harvest period, and especially so during this Epiphany night, the Truth (the fiery pillar) has been the means of separating the faithful from the measurably faithful, and from the unfaithful. That which effects deliverance for the faithful, keeping them standing and “growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Beloved Lord Jesus,” is the very thing that entraps the unfaithful and brings them to a fall. This is much the same picture as given in Ex. 4:9, where Moses was told to “take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” The refreshing Harvest Truth would appear to be bloody repulsive error to those for whom it was not intended. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit... for they are foolishness unto him.” (1 Cor. 2:14)

CONSIDER HIM

“Consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself.” (Heb. 12:3) All during the Age the “brethren” of the Fully Faithful have been among their chief persecutors – as example, John Calvin burning Miletus Servetus at the stake in most gruesome manner (illustrative of the Measurably Faithful, the Great Company, in some of their members, particularly their leaders) – “your brethren that hated you, and that cast you out for my name’s sake.” (Isa. 66:5) But those who have “endured hardness as good soldiers” (2 Tim. 2:3) during this Harvest period have become more and more proficient against all forms of sin, error, selfishness and worldliness, until goodly Canaan land (the sphere of Present Truth and the Spirit of the Truth) has become their laurel of victory, their unbreakable and unchangeable possession. Surely, those of us who have attained this pinnacle know of a certainty that we have attained that victory that overcometh the world.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Ps. 34:19) Many of the dear brethren have become old in this “good fight.” We know of some who are now over ninety years of age, who have borne the burden and heat of the day; yet they still “rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of their salvation.” This is fittingly typed by the “heave‑offering” of Ex. 29:27,28 – “it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel.” This offering was repeatedly lifted upward toward God by the offerer, the same representing the thing sacrificed to God, and the elevation to higher and higher uses of the things offered unto God’s greater honor and glory – not handling the word of God deceitfully, but “partakers of solid food... for those possessing faculties habitually exercised for the discrimination both of good and evil.” (Heb. 5:13,14, Dia.) And to such the words of the Apostle Paul fittingly apply: “He who sows bountifully will reap also bountifully; even as each one purposes in his heart, not from grief, or from necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6,7, Dia.) One translation has it, “God loves a man that is glad to give.” And, as we do “this in remembrance of Him,” it is a most propitious time to consider how freely He gave of Himself – “endured the cross, despising the shame,” and has now received “the crown of life” ‑immortality, the highest form (crown) of life.

“Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:8) From this it is apparent that our Lord was subject to the same emotions as are we, and He was fully apprized of the impending events of the day ahead. Yet, on that last night, when He instituted the Memorial of His approaching death, He spent some very considerable time instructing, admonishing and encouraging the eleven Apostles who were to be representatives plenipotentiary of the Gospel‑Age Household of Faith. And during this same night He offered up one of His most appealing prayers, as recorded in the 17th chapter of John, a prayer chiefly for the help and encouragement of those present, following which they sang the Hallel before leaving for Gethsemane. Hallel is the Hebrew word for praise, and it is the root of our English Hallelujah, meaning “praise to God.” The Hallel is Psalms 113 through 118, the first two of which are styled the Small Hallel, and the remaining four the Great Hallel.

As our Lord was praying in the upper room that last night He was able to declare truthfully: “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17: 4) – although the completion of that work had drained His physical resources to the breaking point. Much the same was true of Brother Russell at his death. In the Spring of 1916 he had said, “Brother Johnson, I’m tired – my very bones are tired”; yet of him it was prophetically written, “I have done as thou hast commanded me.” (Ezek. 9:11) And Brother Johnson himself had become so weary from physical exhaustion that he would no longer receive any questions on Bible texts. Yet, our Lord was “found in fashion as a man” even as all of us; and the agony on the cross distorted His facial features as the same experience would do to us. Therefore, the prophet foretold of Him: “As many were astonied at thee [amazed that He would submit to such abuse if He were the Son of God]; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men [physical exhaustion and the torture of the cross took their toll more than would be true of us, because of His sensitive physical perfection – a harrowing sight indeed to all with a normal degree of sympathy and mercy in their hearts and minds].” (Is. 52:14)

As we partake of the bread and the wine, our considering of Him should motivate us all to strong resolve to “follow in His steps” – that we may eventually hear that “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And it is our hope for one and all who keep the feast this year that victory to the full may eventually be theirs, and that it may be said of all:

O! at close of our day may each of us say

“I have fought my way thru;

I have finished the work thou didst give me to do!

01 that each from his Lord may receive the glad word,

Well and faithfully done!

Enter into my joy, and sit down on my throne.”

As belonging to the firstfruits class (and secondarily to others of the Household of Faith), let them use their consecrated all for God in sacrifice to prosper for the Lord, which will result in their abounding in the deeper, as well as surface things of the Truth and its spirit. Especially should they not think of God’s discipline as a trivial thing; nor should they tire of God’s corrections; because these are experiences that God gives to all those whom He loves, even as a father treats the child in whom he is pleased. He is favored indeed who gains the Truth and comprehends it; for as symbolic trading goods it is more valuable than the trading goods of silver; and its profits than that of the finest gold. Hence we are exhorted as his symbolic children to gain the Truth and the comprehension of it, by no means to forget it, nor to turn away from his teachings, nor to give it up for any reason, and it will keep them – to give it their best good will, and it will guard them.

That Wise and Faithful Servant had charge of the gathering “My saints together with Me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Psa. 50:5); and with the help of faithful brethren, we believe that work was completed with his ministry. However, he taught there would be an unbegotten class gathered “between the ages.” And those teachings to the saints have a secondary application to the unbegotten class, except as to the rewards edifying and strengthening their faith. Such consecrators have the faith of Abraham, and who faithfully serve God while sin is in the ascendancy, will be rewarded in honor and service in the earthly phase of the Kingdom with the Ancient Worthies (Hebrews, Chapter 11) – made “Princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16)

Do they partake of the Lord’s Supper. Most certainly they do – but with some reservations. They are not “suffering with Christ,” nor will they “reign with Christ”; therefore, they partake of the wine and bread – symbolizing our Lord’s death as the Lamb of God, as well as symbolizing their tentative justification. Although their trial is for faith and obedience, and not for life, they make the same kind of consecration as did the spirit‑begotten. “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger [the unbegotten], as for one of your own country [the spirit‑begotten].” (Lev. 24:22)

As has been our custom, we shall keep the feast in quietness and confidence decently, orderly, quietly – without much form or ceremony, even as did Jesus and His disciples that last night.

It is our prayer that this year’s remembrance may be profitable to all who partake in sincerity and in Truth. We suggest the Passover chapter in Volume Six; and we pray a rich blessing upon all who partake. We are living in wonderful times, and we know not what a day may bring; but we have the strong assurance that faith can firmly trust Him who “left us an example, that we should follow in His steps.”

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I REMEMBER WHEN I

Some years ago I wrote an article on What This World Would Be like Without Jews. In response to letters and phone calls, I have been asked if I could produce a “Part II” on the same theme. I hope the following is helpful.

Indeed, what would this world be like without Jews? History claims there is absolutely no field in which Jews have not contributed a gift to mankind. In religion, philosophy, medicine, law, theater, music, literature, art (in its many forms), invention, statesmanship, philanthropy, sports and science, Jews have made major contributions.

How many millions of Jews and non‑Jews have joined in the laughter of the Shalom Aleichem stories. A group of his delightfully warm stories were turned into a play that broke all Broadway play records and even a film. Who has not seen or heard the music and laughter of “A Fiddler On the Roof”? And how about Irving Berlin who has written thousands of songs America has sung. He even wrote a song that has been equaled in fame to the Star Spangled Banner. Who has not sung “G‑d Bless America” which was written by Irving Berlin?

And what if there was no Emil Berliner who invented the telephone transmitter that made commercial telephone possible? He was so poor he couldn’t get the necessary patents for his inventions, and others took credit for the invention of the practical telephone. Alexander Graham Bell invented a device that transmitted sound and noises over a wire. Berliner saw this device on exhibit at a World’s Fair and developed the undulating coil that made these static noises that came over Bell’s wire, turn into clear distinguishable phrases. Berliner who was almost penniless, filed for the patents and was sued by Alexander Graham Bell for infringements on his patent, and it was Berliner who won in the Supreme Court of the United States. Till this very day the patent is still in the Berliner name.

It was Berliner who invented the microphone that made radio broadcasting possible. It was also the same Berliner who invented the practical gramophone and phonograph, not Edison, as most people think. Edison invented a machine that had a wax cylinder that was able to reproduce a tiny range of sound and noise. Berliner developed the round record that we use today and was the first to produce those records commercially.

It was Berliner who invented the air‑cooled engine and revolving cylinder that was used in commercial aircraft for years. It was Berliner who made the helicopter a workable flying machine that his son actually flew in 19191 His work on microphones made the motion picture sound projector become a part of the American way of life. Berliner, a poor Jew who came to this country from Europe, was responsible for creating hundreds of inventions in the technical field that play some of the most important parts in today’s entertainment.

I wonder if the fictional character of Superman was not fashioned after another Jew named Samuel Dreben. Indeed, what would America have been like without Samuel Dreben, a man who served his country as a soldier in more wars than any other man, Jew or non‑Jew, in history. As a young man of 18 he fought in the Spanish‑American War where he alone, charged into an army of 2,000 fanatical, bloodthirsty Moros who were threatening his outfit. His daring action turned the tide of a losing battle. His impossible military maneuvering made the natives break ranks in disorder, and flee for their lives. When he was captured in the American campaign against Pancho Villa in Mexico, he was placed before a firing squad. Then when the order for execution was given, the soldiers knowing of this man’s bravery and heroics for the common people, actually turned their weapons on their own commanding officer! In World War I, he won the Distinguished Service Medal for single handedly rushing an enemy post of forty Germans who were wiping out hundred of Americans. He evened the score by killing 231 General Pershing, Commander‑in‑Chief of all American troops called him, “The Bravest and finest soldier in the American Army!”

And how would this world have been without a man like Dr. Joseph Goldberger who surmised that pellagra was not a disease of germs but a disease that struck out against the poor. He even had himself and his wife injected with the blood of a pellagra victim to prove it was not germs that took the lives of innocent children, but poor diet. He proved, at the risk of his own life, that it was lean beef, milk, eggs and green leafy vegetables that could stop pellagra. Although he died penniless at the age of 54 the “factor” that would prevent pellagra was renamed for him and today is Vitamin G.

And how about the world of sports, what would the world of sports be like without a Hank Greenberg? Greenberg was a young Orthodox Jew from the Bronx. As a matter of fact, he and his parents went to the same shul I went to and was Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx. In one season Greenberg hit 58 home runs and in 13 years hit 331 home runs. He was considered the finest first baseman in baseball history. As a matter of fact, he was the first Jew elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame!

How about the great team of Rogers and Hammerstein? The music of Richard Rogers and the lyrics and play concepts of Oscar Hammerstein will live forever. Will anyone ever forget Showboat, South Pacific, Oklahoma and scores of other great musicals? Indeed, they made America sing!

How many old timers as well as youngsters are familiar with the man who has been called the greatest magician of all times? His name, Ehrich Weiss. He entertained under the name of Harry Houdini and was considered the greatest magician and escape artist in the world. Millions thrilled to his magic and his name has become a synonym for magic the world over. A small grave right here in Brooklyn’s Machpela Cemetery, just off Ocean Parkway, has a simple head stone bearing the name, Ehric Weiss, “Houdini’s” last resting place.

I wonder how many people realize that the poem carved into the base of our Statue of Liberty was written by a Jewess, Emma Lazarus? It reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest‑tossed, to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The words of a young Jewish woman has welcomed millions of immigrants to these shores. Where would the atomic age be if not for another Jewish Woman, Dr. Lise Meitner, who very modestly wrote a paper on the barium mystery which had puzzled scientists throughout the world. No scientist was able to split the atom, until she proved it could be done. Her modest research and paper led the way to the atomic age.

The first scientist to win the Nobel Prize also led the way to the space age. He was Abraham Michelson who won the prize in 1907. It was because of his discovery of how to measure the speed of light that helped Einstein develop the Relativity Theory that opened the door to today’s world of scientific discovery.

What would this world have been like without the great Elias A. Ries? During World War I, Reis invented an instrument for detecting submarines by an echo system. This device was instrumental in winning World War III It was Ries who also patented a process for electric welding and a simple invention that made the skyscraper possible in today’s world. He invented the electric elevator safety control that automatically stopped an elevator if there was a power failure or any other mechanical problem. It was he who synchronized motion and sound on a single piece of film, which opened the door to the motion picture industry as we know it today. He even invented the bottle cap that opened up a new industry of soft drinks in America. Westinghouse bought 65 of his patents for $1,000 each and then went on to become an industrial giant.

The man who discovered the wonderful healing qualities of the earth that opened the way for new cures for the medical profession was another Jew, Selman Abraham Waksman. It was his theory that there were soil microorganisms which would prove beneficial to mankind. His work lead to streptomycin and almost the entire world of antibiotics that have cured the greatest part of this earth’s population.

The list of Jews who have given gifts to mankind continues to grow. Even in this generation, the names of Sabin and Salk and their polio vaccines have saved the lives of millions of children throughout the world. The name of Sarnoff, that bought music into the homes of millions throughout the world, will live forever. Indeed, what would this world be like without Jews?

When Spain forced out their Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, the economy of the nation was destroyed. They never recovered from that economic disaster. However, in 1967 when Spain first permitted the public practice of Judaism, there was an upturn in their economy. In 1978 when the Spanish Constitution gave full religious equality to the Jewish Community, their economic picture went full speed ahead toward recovery. Since Spain recognized the Jews once more, their economy has made more progress than they made in the past 400 years. Nevertheless, Spain still has a long way to go. Hilter tried to destroy the Jews – and Germany was totally destroyed.

History tells the story better than I. Go back as far as you wish. The Jews have been persecuted and harassed but they have become like tempered steel. They were forced to be innovative and creative because no one would permit them to join their industry.

From Abraham to Moses, to Joseph and Solomon the whole family tree of Judaism has given gifts to the world. Stop for a moment and ask yourself what would this world be like without Jews?

(By Arnold Fine, The Jewish Press, September 4, 1998)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – Do all Bible Students believe Brother Russell was That Servant?

ANSWER ‑Many Bible Students believe Brother Russell was That Servant of Matthew 24:45 47. However, some who do believe he was That Servant do not teach certain parts of the Plan of Salvation and those parts are vital to our time. But we try to teach “all the counsel of God” as did the Apostle Paul (Acts 20:27), and as That Servant did also (Ezek. 9:11). Of course, they have the right to reject any of his teachings which they do not like. But they should quote or refer to what they do not believe and tell us why they reject them, if they want to help the “errorists.” It has been truly said that in controversy the truth will come out.

It was the mission of That Servant to gather the saints together (Psa. 50:5) and at no time previous to the Gospel Harvest had they been so gathered. To say that Brother Russell did not accomplish that mission is a dishonor to his memory.

We will repeat again what we have often quoted. That Servant said in Volume 3, Thy Kingdom Come that there are three ways that the closing of the door to the High Calling might be indicated. We will quote the second way: “By such a reversal of public sentiment with reference to the truth, that fidelity and zeal in its service would no longer meet with opposition, and when suffering with Christ for the truth’s sake (Rom. 8:17) would no longer be possible.” See pages 207 and 208. We believe that time is now. In some foreign countries “Christians” are being persecuted due to their meddling in politics. It is not because they are “contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3) People do not persecute us for what we believe. They don’t care what we believe as long as we do not bother them.

Some of the Bible Students have indicated that those who are helping Israel are not doing the Lord’s work. We refer to Emek ha Shalom of Israel who preach to the Jews that their Messiah is Jesus. So far they have done a remarkable work and Israel appreciates what they are doing. That Servant says in several places, “Were it not for the work of gathering the Bride, we would be in Jerusalem to do a part in the great work of turning away the blindness from Jacob.” See Expanded Bible Comments on Isa. 40:2 and Rom. 11:25.

In Reprint 5632 That Servant says the Kingdom was set up September 21, 1914. He got that date from Bible Chronology and not from his imagination, as some believe. He also mentions the Smiting that was going on then. It is an insult to Brother Russell’s memory to be “gathering the saints” now and using his methods and tracts and Photo‑drama, also the literature he used especially for the smiting of the nations.

All the saints came out of Babylon in time to participate in the smiting. By then they were sealed in the forehead.

The Time of Trouble is not to the Church or for the Church, but to the world and for the world in order to “execute upon them the judgment written; this honor have all the saints” (Psa. 149:9), and for smiting of the nations.

Brother Russell treats on all these texts more than is given here, but we will have a future paper on The Mission Of That Servant, which will treat extensively on these subjects and texts.

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sister Emily,

Thank you for your letter. The weather is really nice up here – 55 degrees today. I am loosely affiliated with the United Methodist Church. I say loosely because I am not sure how Methodist I really am now... My family is not affiliated with any religion.

You also mentioned that I might give some of the papers to a professor. I am taking religion class during the next semester, so maybe I can do that then... Eastern doesn’t offer a religion major but sociology will give me opportunity to study religious movements. I have never heard of a prophetic day being 7000 years each. Interesting topics. Anyway, I will keep reading and keep in touch. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely, ------- (MICHIGAN)

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NO. 502B RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART TWO

THE JEWS

"STOCKING UP FOR THE FUTURE: Israel will triple its built-up space by 2020 as it races past every other developed country in its rate of population growth and in the amount of new building construction.

"This projection is made by a government-sponsored planning team headed by Technion Prof. Adam Mazor, which has conducted a major study of Israel's options for growth until 2020.

"Israel is already the most densely populated of the world' s 24 developed countries, if the Negev is excluded from the calculations. That southern area, including Beersheba, contains 60 percent of Israel's territory but only seven percent of its population.

"To the north, population density is today 50 percent greater than that of Holland or Japan which are the next most densely populated developed countries. The difference between Israel and those countries will grow to 250 percent by 2020 because of Israel's rapid population growth, due to a high birth rate and immigration.

"Israel's population is expected to grow at an annual rate of two percent to reach a total of eight million residents by 2020, while all other developed countries are expected to grow at an average of only 0.4 percent. The growth in households however, will exceed the growth of population because of divorce, young people moving out of their parent’s homes earlier, and more people living on into old age. The size of apartments will also increase.

"To accommodate this growth, Israel will have to triple its building inventory in 30 years; that is, for every building that exists now there will be the equivalent of three comparable buildings. (The 30-year projections to 2020 date from 1990 when the planning team began its work.)

"Mazor acknowledges that the results can be frightening if development is not properly channelled. However, the same prodigious growth can also be harnessed to turn Israel into one of the most advanced Western countries, say the planners.

"In the plan, submitted recently to the government, Mazor's team notes that the need by Germany and Japan to rebuild their countries virtually from scratch after World War II eventually gave them a great advantage over countries because of the modernity of their new buildings and infrastructure.

"Virtually the same would be true for Israel which will by 2020 have an inventory three times larger than in 1990, almost all of it new. Holland, for instance, will have increased the amount of its building construction only by 25% in the same period, one­ twelfth of Israel's planned expansion. Compared to the rest of the developed world, Israel will be virtually a brand-new country.

"The main advantage will not be in the newness, say the planners, but in the sophistication of the infrastructure that permits an improved quality of life despite higher density - providing the country follows a comprehensive plan and does not leave its development to uncontrolled private initiatives that would destroy the landscape.

"The plan projects that per-capita GPD in Israel by 2020 will reach $33,000 (measured by the value of the 1990 dollar); nearly twice what it is today."

(The Jerusalem Post, Independence Day 5758)

"Virtually every conflict ends up on the doorstep of the United Nations, which has nearly 15,000 troops trying to keep the peace in 17 areas on four continents.

"But as U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said, the real responsibility for making peace rests with the warring parties themselves. 'We can only appeal to the wisdom and the responsibility of leaders to put the interests of their peoples over their own,' he said, decrying the increasing warfare in his native Africa ... So far there have been plenty of accusations but few attempts at reconciliation...

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally confirmed for the first time that he was ready to accept a U .S. proposal to withdraw from 13 percent of the West Bank. But Yasser Arafat has reiterated plans to declare a Palestinian state in May despite Israeli objections. Netanyahu warned that a unilateral declaration will sabotage the Middle East peace process."

(Associated Press, September 27, 1998)

"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? 184 countries are eligible to sit on the United Nations Security Council, one country is not! Can you guess which one? Believe it or not, Israel is the only one of the 185 member countries that is regarded as ineligible to serve on the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council is the most important group of the UN. This becomes even stranger when we realize that nations like Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, can serve rotating terms on the Security Council, yet democratic Israel cannot. The reason this is a UN rule to be eligible for election to Security Council and other important bodies of the UN, a country must belong to a regional group. Israel has attempted to gain acceptance into the West European and another group (WEOG), which includes not only Western European nations but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Turkey and the United States, but to date Israel has not been admitted … 'Lo, the people [lsrael] shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.' (Num. 23:9)" (Bible Light International, February 1998, taken from Bridges For Peace)

"SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER: Holocaust denial and defamation of Judaism appear regularly in Palestinian publications as well as across the Arab and Muslim world. Children are taught to proudly sing about suicide, hate and violence before a TV audience. French author Roger Garaudy, 84, who was formerly a Communist and converted to Islam, professes in his scurrilous book, The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics, that the Final Solution was a total fabrication in order to found the Jewish State .The French government convicted and fined him for denying crimes against humanity and racist defamation. In turn Palestinians accused French authorities of surrendering to 'Zionist cultural terrorism .' Now Garaudy is received in highest circles of government and society in the Arab nations.  Moreover: other Jew-hate literature, Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and a new edition of Hitler 's Mien Kampf are literally thundering off the presses in Beirut and Damascus..." (Bible Light International, September/October 1998)

"INDEX OF SHAME: France has put on public display a recently found World War II registry of tens of thousands of Jews marked for deportation to Nazi death camps.  "The list - branded the 'Index of Shame ' - whose existence was long denied by French authorities, was compiled by the Nazi collaborationists Vichy government between 1941 and 1944." (World Jewish Congress)

"CLAIM: An Israeli citizen has publicized property documents stating that she is the legal owner of part of the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

"Zipporah Frank's grandfather owned and operated a factory on the site which became the infamous death camp. Frank says she has no intention of making any claim to the property. [Since this was published there was a long story about the Auschwitz property in the Jerusalem Post, giving details of ownership. There is a movie planned about it.]"

(World Jewry, June 1998)

THE JEWISH PRESS: "Most of the world ignores that in the Arab-Israeli war (1948) 700,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries and over $11 billion of Jewish property and assets were seized by Arab governments.  During the Algerian-French war (1950-early 60s) nearly all of the 130,000 Algerian Jews fled Algeria because of abuses, and all but one of Algeria 's synagogues were seized and turned into Mosques. Similar offenses occurred in Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Syria. The world continues to ignore what has happened to Jews in Arab countries, and what Muslims are responsible for doing to their Jews." (Bible Light International, July 1998)

"ISRAELI PASSOVER: There were nearly 62,000 guests registered at Israeli hotels for the Passover holiday of 1998, some 15% more than in the same period during the previous year.  Those registered included 28,500 foreign tourists and 33,500 Israelis. "(World Jewry, August 1998)

"EATING THEIR WORDS: 'Keep your words sweet,' someone once said, 'because you never know when you may have to eat them.’

"Take the time-honored Encyclopedia Britannica which really put its foot in its mouth in a 1905 entry which said: 'The dream of some Zionists for the restoration of Hebrew as a living language has as little chance of success as the dream of the restoration of a Jewish state in Palestine.’

"Will the world's 'wise men' never wise up? Only 43 years later there was a restored Jewish state called Israel - with Hebrew spoken across the land. The lesson? Challenge the Bible, and you'll eat your words. Every time!"

(By Frank Eiklor, Editor, Front Lines Report, Volume 20, September 1998)

"U.N. FIRST: Attack on anti-Semitism: The United Nations General Assembly has for the first time voted to condemn anti-Semitism. The action came in a resolution, adopted without opposition, that also urged governments to cooperate with a U.N. fact-finder examining various forms of intolerance - including racism, religious discrimination, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. Until now, the U .N. had never officially acknowledged the existence of anti-Semitism. Hostility toward Israel from Arab and Muslim nations, backed by the former Soviet Union, prevented any such action."(The Orlando Sentinel, December 19, 1998)

"Jewish children were burned alive at the same spot where Polish Catholics are setting up crosses at Auschwitz Death Camp, and they refuse to stop. One man was an eye witness to some of the children being killed. He was forced by the Nazi to dismantle barriers. He heard a distant cry of high pitched children's voices. He saw a truck filled with naked children. Then when the dump truck opened they were dumped alive into the flaming pit. This is the spot where Polish Catholics are placing crosses. It should be holy for Jews and families. [The cross is a frightening emblem to Jews because it was used by the Crusaders and others in their persecution of Jews.]" (Bible Light International, September 1998)

Why would the Catholics want to continue this effort of placing crosses at a death camp which is the antithesis of the teachings of the One who was crucified on a cross? To place crosses near a Nazi death camp mocks the Christian religion. Of course, this is what the Devil wants. Besides, it just magnifies the neglect and lack of compassion that the Catholic Church had for the Jews during the Holocaust. Why would they want to call attention to this?

"RIVALS SET TO FACE OFF IN ISRAELI CAMPAIGN: Opposition chief Ehud Barak announced his challenge to Prime Minister Netanyahu. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - With early elections looming, opposition leader Ehud Barak stressed social issues over security concerns Thursday as he launched his campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"With James Carville, President Clinton's former campaign strategist, at his side, Barak said he was ready for elections, expected in April.

"Netanyahu said Wednesday that he would call Israelis to the polls early if he could not muster support for his hard-line peace policies before a no-confidence motion Monday in parliament.

"Netanyahu's coalition has been crumbling since he signed the latest Mideast peace accord - which is opposed by most of his Cabinet because it calls for Israel to cede war­ captured West Bank land.

"Barak, leader of the Labor Party, which reached historic peace accords with the Palestinians in 133, wants the accord implemented to the letter and has rejected Netanyahu's calls for support.

"Barak accused Netanyahu of capitulating to his right-wing coalition and further freezing troop withdrawals from the West Bank. 'We are determined to put an end to yielding to extremists’, Barak said.

"Barak promised to divert millions of dollars now being spent by the Netanyahu government on Jewish settlements and divert it instead to domestic concerns, such as education, health and ending record-high unemployment.

"He also pledged to cut government grants to yeshivas, or Jewish seminaries, and to draft seminary students into military service like other Israelis. 'Education before settlements, job creation before yeshivas', Barak said."

(The Orlando Sentinel, December 18, 1998)

DON'T GIVE UP ON BIBI. ISRAELIS WILL FIND HIM A SHREWD DIPLOMAT HOODWINKING OUR ENEMIES: Let us not give-up on Bibi’s handling of our diplomatic "dealings" with Arafat’s PLO and the Clinton-U .S. -Albright conspiracy to wrest more land from the already squeezed­ in tiny strip of the nonetheless powerful State of Israel.

The "yes" or "no" faltering talks of the Wye Summit proves something. Despite the hesitant signing in the Oval Office, it proves that Bibi and Sharon knew that they were signing a "piece of paper" neither Arafat nor Clinton were willing to - or could finally- honor. While for Arafat, it was a temporary "gain," for Clinton, it was a political ploy.

The implications of my column of October 30, with the heading, "Despite the UN and the Summit, the Sly Arafat Remains Unchanged," still hold. Bibi is fully aware of this fact. Hence, he plays Arafat's game, having in mind the full security of the Medina, its safe borders with Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

Commenting on the U .S. stand at the Summit, the Middle East expert of the Heritage Foundation, James Phillips, spoke out clearly and said what had to be said:

"The chief obstacle to a stable Israeli-Palestinian peace is Palestinian terrorism, not Israel's understandable reluctance to surrender more territory that could be used to launch terrorist attacks. More Israelis have been killed in the five years since the Oslo Agreement was signed on the White House lawn than in the entire decade before the agreement. The Oslo process promised 'land for peace 'but has degenerated into 'land for promises' which too often go unfulfilled. Arafat' s failure to halt persistent terrorism led Israelis to elect Netanyahu as Prime Minister in 1996 based on his platform of 'peace with security.' In light of Arafat' s poor record of complying with his Oslo commitments, it would be a mistake for Netanyahu to accept anything less than ironclad security arrangements."

Mr. Phillips insisted that the President at the summit was duty bound to make the following clear, namely:

"The Oslo process has become mired in the details of an interim agreement before coming to grips with the more contentious final status issues concerning Palest.inian statehood, demarcation of borders, permanent security arrangements, the fate of Palestinian refugees, the status of Israeli settlements, the future of Jerusalem, and the disposition of scarce water resources.  It is unrealistic to expect these disputes to be resolved by May 4, 1999, regardless of what happens at this week's summit. The U.S. therefore should work with Israelis and Palestinians to extend the negotiating timetable.

" The Heritage Foundation expert also called upon Mr. Clinton to "insist that Arafat comply fully with his Oslo commitments. Washington should stress that Israel has no reason to negotiate future agreements if Arafat continues to violate past agreements. The U .S. should demand that Arafat clamp down on radical Palestinian groups opposed to the peace negotiations: end his 'revolving door' policy of arresting terrorists under American pressure only to release them quietly a short time later; extradite known terrorists to Israel; purge the PLO's National Covenant of calls for Israel's destruction; and halt his inflammatory rhetoric, including calls for a holy war to liberate Jerusalem and praise of suicide bombers as ‘martyrs’.”

Both Arafat and Bibi are back in Israel facing pro and con demonstrations amid new bombings.

One thing is sure, Arafat does not want peace. He wants war to gain his ends. And Bibi knows this fact.  Hence, he remains firm.

As for Clinton - amidst all his problems - did note that G-d has the last word. I challenge him to accept G-d's Biblical Blueprint for Israel and for the Children of Ishmael in their lands.

Biblical scholar Rebecca Buntyn says, "Keep the Faith - Bibi is not hopeless!"

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, November 13, 1998)

'POLITICS ARE FULL OF TRICKS' - EMIR ABDULLAH 'S WORDS STILL HOLD: In a friendly correspondence this writer enjoyed many decades ago with the late Emir Abdullah, grandfather of our western-oriented King Hussein of Jordan, the amiable Emir, in one of his official letters about Middle East meddling by the British and the inter-Arab squabbles, used the term "Politics Are Full of Tricks."

(The correspondence - a number of letters in Arabic with English translations, kept in a world Union Press (WUP) UN file - served as the basis of a NY Times article in August 1994 by Francis X. Clines, in which he emphasizes the common pro-Biblical-Koranic relationship between the cousins, as brought out in the letters, The United Israel (UI) Bulletin covering the Abdullah story and the whole Clines article appeared in Volume 48, No. 1,2 and 3, 1994-95).

The Emir's remark could well have been applied to our days of political squabbling involving the Middle East controversy, linking the maneuvering of Saddam and his former - and no doubt present - supporter, Arafat, with the Russians in the middle.

If we take into account the faltering Wye Summit and the ongoing disrupting aftermath in Israel and in Gaza - coupled with the Iraqi "yes" and "no" crisis evolving around the UN Security Council's debates and Washington' s readiness to strike - we can only wonder, but understand what motivated my goodly friend, Eleanor Faix - and American Christian lady, a lover of peace who had many links to UN peace efforts at which a global peace ceremony we originally met over a decade ago - to pose the vital questions on the Wye summit, cited in this letter to me:

"That day of the signing of the Wye Summit I had many conflicts, but no answer (and) many thoughts. Why were the leaders there in the first place? Why did President Clinton keep dashing out on fundraising trips, as if the matter of peace in the Middle East was merely another item on the calendar? And why should BN (Bibi) give up 13 percent of any land in exchange for no 'violence '?

"It all reminded me of the old gangster movies showing a new shopkeeper having to deal with neighborhood ‘toughs’: either pay them certain amounts of money or else face broken shop windows, etc.

"The fact that Arafat even came to the Conference without first changing the item on his Charter calling for the complete destruction of Israel, that alone was a disgrace; it should have been deleted long ago, not as a last minute concession."

Congratulations Eleanor Faix, a lover of peace. You have spoken the truth! Ms. Faix included a clipping of the Philadelphia Inquirer, part of which stated:

'"If Arafat is Right, Your Bible is Wrong.' History also proves that the Palestinian claim to the Land of Israel is wrong. Why do the nations cater to Arafat and his Palestinian claim? Plain and simple - oil. Without Arab oil, most nations would go bankrupt.

"How deep are Palestinian  roots?      The  Christian  Bible,  Jewish  Scriptures  and Muslim Koran all teach that the Jewish people were given the Land of Israel by Divine decree - and that they would return and resettle their ancient Jewish homeland in the latter days."

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, November 27, 1998)

PROSPECT

In this paper and our January paper we have called attention to all the upheavals in the churches including same-sex blessings, souls of pets, possible return of indulgences, etc. We have also pointed out the strange economy with corporate and bank mergers, but at the same time many lay-offs, and dependency on world markets. As for social conditions, disease, drugs and crime are real problems, with health care a big question and crime prevention lagging, despite reports that the crime rate is down. Then we all know of the corruption and immorality in politics, with power and greed ruling the day. These conditions are not confined to just the USA.  All countries are affected one way or the other.

What does it all mean? It all means the weakening of the religious, financial, political and social order. This would be very scary were it not for our faith that the present order is shaking in order that those things that cannot be shaken may arise . (Heb. 12:26,27) Add to all this the world-wide natural disasters, which to our minds is the preparing of the earth itself for the ideal climatic conditions of the new age about to be ushered in. Hallelujah and Amen!

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Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the many beautiful Christmas cards expressing love and prayers. Be assured that our warm Christian love and prayers are ever with you. We wish for all our readers that they will grow in Grace and Knowledge of the Lord for a blessed New Year, as "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 4:18)

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Memorial for 1999 is on Tuesday, March 30, after six p.m.

NO. 502A RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

At the beginning of the New Year we look back at the year just past, and we are reminded of the many blessings the Lord gave us, and with thankful hearts we appreciate His blessings toward us.  We are assured that the Lord will bless and overrule all blessings for the Lord's faithful people in the coming year, as He has promised to those who love God (Rom. 8:28). "We will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore . Praise the Lord! " (Psa. 115:18)  "But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob." (Psa. 75:9) We especially praise and thank God for the 50 years of the survival of Israel.  We know it is one of God's Miracles!

THE WORLD

We have had disasters in the United States and all over the world - floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, etc.  Many good people went to their aid, as did our government when those areas where pronounced DISASTERS. Many of these good people risked their lives to help others.  We watched these horrors on TV and grieved with those who grieved, and we also "weep with them that weep." (Rom. 12:15) There were heartaches, especially for those who lost their loved ones, lost their homes or were badly injured.

The clergy did their best to comfort those who lost their loved ones, telling them their loved ones were in heaven. They said they didn't know why the Lord permitted these evils. Billy Graham didn't know why God permitted these evils, and said it may be the Mystery of Iniquity. However, he came nearer to the truth when he was asked the question, “Do you think the world is going to get better and better?” His answer, "The Bible doesn't promise that the world is going to get better and better. In fact, it indicates that 'there will be terrible times in the last days.’” (2 Tim. 3:1)

There are other texts that tell us about these "terrible times" we will have in the last days. "There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation." (Dan. 12': 1) "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." (Matt. 24:21) "Nor ever shall be" gives us hope of a better time. The Lord's prayer gives us further hope: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6:10) However, Satan is the "prince of this world." (John 12:31; 16:11) God will not permit Satan to do more than is necessary to give the world experience with evil. In the last days man's extremity is God's opportunity. The Kingdom will be inaugurated (Acts 17:31). "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (Isa. 11:9), "for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isa. 26: 9)

IN FINANCE

1998 was another record year for the economy, especially the stock market. But no matter what business you are in, overseas problems affect you. 25% of our economy is linked to overseas trade which has a big impact on jobs, incomes, inflation, interest rates, capital spending and company profits. According to the IRS, a record 1.3 million individual income-tax returns filed for 1995 reported income of $200,000 or over, 14% more than in 1994. These returns represent 1.1% of all 1995 individual returns filed. 1% of the American people paid approximately 33% of all federal taxes, which is up 25% from ten years ago. This group earned 16% of America's income.

No one can really tell you why the stock market is a record high. Gold is at an all­time low, and businesses are trying to cut costs and run more efficiently. They can't raise their prices, at least not much, so they are looking for ways to hold down expenses and boost productivity. One way they are doing this is by cutting jobs, but unemployment will remain below 5% through next year.

The Kiplinger Letter predicts that growth will slow in 1999, particularly in the spring and early summer. The momentum from expansion in 1998 will keep the first quarter rolling.

One of the concerns is whether your money will be safe in a bank on January 1, 2000. Yes, but that does not guarantee easy access to your cash.  Many small banks and credit unions lag behind in fixing their computers so they will recognize year-2000 and 21st century dates.  Banks that are unprepared could incorrectly debit or credit transactions. If you are not sure that your bank will be ready on time, consider switching to one of the larger banks which have invested considerable resources to correct the problem . No matter where you keep your account, hold onto your statements and receipts at the end of 1999 and for the first few months of 2000 just in case the computer is corrupted. Check with your bank to see what they are doing to prepare for the year 2000 .

1999 profits will be hard to come by, remaining nearly flat for a second year. But it will feel worse after long double digit increases. The United States is becoming a world market and what happens overseas affects us more today than in any time in the history of our country. The federal government will cut interest rates further to ward off a recession, according to the Kiplinger Letter. They figure that the prime will probably be 7.5% in early 1999, but still Treasury Bills will drop to about 4% and interest bearing federal accounts will drop even lower.

Health insurance is still a problem. A lot of HMOs have gone bankrupt trying to keep the cost of insurance down and no one has come up with an answer. Some people seem to think that our health care is slipping in treating the sick, although medical pharmaceutical companies are coming out with better drugs to fight all kinds of contagious diseases.

The United States is the world's most open market, but we also pay a price for this honor. Job layoffs continue in an upward trend - there were 91,500 announced layoffs in the month of October, the most in three years, spreading from manufacturers to those who sell them goods and services. This will hurt consumer confidence. When people start hearing of pink slips and fewer jobs, they tighten up. One thing is sure, the U.S. can be the main buyer only so long. With job and income growth slowing here, imports will be hard to absorb which raises the risk of recession later on next year or early 2000. There is a good chance a tailspin will be avoided, but is far from sure. Only the future can tell.

We need to continue to "watch and pray" (Mark 13:33) in this Time of Trouble so that we will not be caught "unaware." (Luke 21:34)

IN RELIGION

JEHOVAH 'S WITNESSES: There are Kingdom Halls in Israel, even though they claim all the promises of God to the Jews belong to them. The Jews in Israel permit them to build their churches there, called Kingdom Halls. They don't offer praise and tribute to Israel for their 50th anniversary. To get rid of the name, Bible Students, they gave their followers a sectarian name, Jehovah' s Witnesses. They change their doctrines so often, and will keep doing so until time reveals their errors. They now publish Brother Russell's picture and refer to his Studies in the Scriptures, something they didn't do before. They do not use them in their studies. They are the largest movement, as to numbers, who emanated from the truth that Brother Russell taught. However, their teaching has no resemblance to the teachings of Pastor Russell.

BIBLE STUDENTS: Most of them believe Brother Russell was That Servant, but only quote part of what That Servant taught in the six volumes and Watch Towers, especially on the Harvest of the Saints. However, they do a good witness work to the world and use tracts regarding the Kingdom (Acts 17:31). We are happy they do, as well as for the good work of reprinting his books and Watch Towers, at a reasonable price.

The Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement also witness truth about the Kingdom on earth. They, too, emanate from Brother Russell's movement and accept him as That Servant.  They also emanate from Brother Johnson's group. However, they believe that the camp contains the consecrated and names them "Consecrated Epiphany Campers." If we study Tabernacle Shadows we will learn that the Camp does not type consecration, and that during the Gospel Age the Court does type consecration. Of course, most people know that Tabernacle types are conditions and not places.  Types are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the age come (1 Cor. 10:11).

"NEW ATTITUDE FOR CHRISTIANITY: Wooing the disaffected, Track One proposes shedding the traditional trappings of worship. SEATTLE - If Christianity doesn't become the church of what's happening now, it might not be around for the Second Coming.

"At least that's what the Rev. Doug Murren, former pastor of the Eastside Foursquare Church in Kirkland, Wash., reads into all the statistics and survey results running around in his head. He cites them all, his voice rising with each unhappy number:

"Church attendance hasn't changed in 60 years. Only 'one-half person' is converted 'per church per year. ' For every dollar spent on the poor, the average church spends $6 on facilities. Nearly half of adults are functionally illiterate and can't understand the King James Version of the Bible, the one most often read in church.

"The troubling stats are the inspiration for Murren 's new endeavor - Track One, possibly the first Christian denomination born as much out of research as evangelical zeal.

"Murren says he believes traditional churches are drained by the way they've evolved. Pastors have been 'ultra-professionalized.' Too much money goes from the collection plate to administer the denominations and not enough to the poor in the churches' own neighborhoods.

"Perhaps the most unique characteristic of Track One is what Murren calls 'a death clause' - after 20 years, the denomination will cease to exist.”

(Excerpts from The Seattle Times, November 14, 1998)

"DO ALL DOGS, CATS, GERBILS GO TO HEAVEN? Religious teachings vary, but many owners think they'll see their departed pets again. Most religions believe that humans have souls - a spirit that lasts through eternity. But throughout history, the world's religions have debated whether animals possess souls. At one end of thought are mostly Eastern religions, such as Jainism, which say animal souls are equal to those of humans. At the other extreme are faiths, such as Christianity, which reserve the immortal soul for righteous humans.

"Even America's famed evangelist, Billy Graham, a no-nonsense Baptist, says, ‘God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he'll be there.’

"Quinn Hunter, a retired physician in Laguna Beach, Calif., and companion to Louie the cat, wouldn't argue with that. 'The religious folk will say that nobody has souls but humans. But I've been close to a number of dogs and more than 20 cats. They have personalities and a sense of right and wrong, and that to me means possession of a soul.'

"Louie, 4, was rescued from a shelter. He chases birds and deposits his kill on the doormat. Is that sinful? Can he be redeemed? No need. It's just Louie being Louie in his survival mode, Hunter says. The word for 'animal' comes from the Latin ‘anima,’ which means ' soul.'

"In the Middle Ages, St. Thomas Aquinas agreed with Aristotle, and heavily influenced Christian thought that continues to this day. The belief was taken further by 17th­ century French philosopher Rene Descartes, who said animals had no souls and were merely well-oiled machines without thoughts or feelings.

"There were holdouts. St. Francis of Assisi believed that animal souls were immortal. John Wesley, who founded Methodism, spoke of the eternal souls of animals.

"'For myself, I have no doubt that animals will have an afterlife, ' says the Rev. Andrew Linzey, ethics professor at Mansfield College at Oxford, who holds the academic world' s only post in animal theology. 'The question isn't whether they will be there in heaven, since they are sinless and innocent. The real question is whether humans, who are violent, sinful and faithless, will be there.’

"In Judaism, there are different levels of soul. The lowest level, 'nefesh,' is the animal soul, the functioning part that leaves at death. Animals have that. The highest level of soul is 'neshuma,' the spiritual part that lives forever connected with God. That is restricted to human beings.

"Jainism believes animals have souls that are equal to human souls. Souls transmigrate between humans, hell beings, celestial beings and animals over and over again until there is spiritual liberation. A soul has to be in human form to achieve liberation.

"Saidla, who grew up Methodist and now attends a Congregational church, says the animal soul question is 'a great mystery. ' Discussing his poodle, he says, 'Sometimes Peter Rabbit seems like he has a soul. But when he dies, my best bet is he will turn to dust. I don't think there will be a life after death for him. But then, I'm not so sure about myself, either. '

"Warren Eckstein, a Santa Monica, Calif., pet therapist and radio host, is convinced animals have a sense of the divine.'My God is one who knows the benefits and relationships people have with animals."

(Excerpts by Carol McGraw, The Orlando Sentinel, November 21, 1998)

Yes, indeed God knows the benefits and relationship people have with animals. When Adam was created God "Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7)  God did not create animals that way.  We have no record that God blew the breath of life into each animal or species of animals. "Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." (Isa. 60:2)

"A FINE EXAMPLE OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE: The country in which conversion to Christianity is punishable by death:   Saudi Arabia." (The Jewish   Press, June   5, 1998)

"POPE URGES 'OBJECTIVE'STUDY OF THE INQUISITION: VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II harnessed history to the service of theology on Saturday, saying the Roman Catholic Church should take a clear, 'objective' look at the Inquisition before making any grand apology for one of its darkest institutions.  The pontiff spoke at an audience with historians and other scholars gathered at the Vatican for an unprecedented conference on the Inquisition, a centuries-long campaign against heresy in which thousands - perhaps millions - were tortured and burned at the stake." (The Orlando Sentinel, November 1, 1998)

"'INDULGENCES 'GET BLESSING OF POPE: John Paul II has said the idea of acts that decrease time in purgatory will be part of the 2000 celebration. ROME - For Roman Catholics, the year 2000 offers early salvation.

"Pope John Paul II announced Friday that throughout the millennium celebration, penitents who do a charitable deed or give up cigarettes or alcohol for a day can earn an 'indulgence ' that will eliminate time in purgatory.  "The medieval church sold indulgences, a practice that drove Martin Luther to rebel, leading to the Reformation. They remain a source of theological debate between Protestants and Catholics, and since Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church has played down their importance.

"Some liberal Catholics are embraced by a practice that seems to offer such a simplistic shortcut to salvation. But church officials emphasize that indulgences are linked to a sincere repentance and are not a one-day expedient.

"By restoring indulgences to so prominent a position, the pope is making penitence a theme of the millennium celebration. He also is reassuring conservatives in the church. But by broadening the ways believers can earn an indulgence, the pope also is trying to imbue indulgences with some of the ecumenical spirit he wants to give the celebrations.

"In a papal bull titled Incarnationis Mysterium (The Mystery of the Incarnation) that is to be formally issued today, John Paul formally proclaimed the year 2000 a Holy Year and issued edicts that in many ways serve as a practical guide to spiritual salvation during the period.  He decreed that the jubilee will begin on Christmas Day 1999 and end on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2001.

"The pope said individual sinner's would be granted 'plenary indulgences,’ a full pardon for sins as opposed to a shortening of the time spent in purgatory. In Catholic theology, souls in purgatory are purifying themselves before their entry into heaven.  He included personal acts of penitence or local charity work as a way of earning an indulgence. "Throughout the period, believers will be offered a wider selection of ways to  receive a plenary indulgence . They may follow tradition and attend a Mass in one of several designated churches and perform such devotions as the rosary or the stations of the cross.  Or, an appendix to the pope 's letter explained, they may visit the sick, the imprisoned or the disabled, or give to the poor.

"Or they may choose an act of private sacrifice. As the appendix, signed by Cardinal William Baum, a top Vatican official, explained, 'This would include abstaining for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g. from smoking, or alcohol, or food)'. The text points out that sinners also must fulfill the ‘usual spiritual and sacramental conditions' and say the 'usual’ prayers.

"Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe said, 'One could be tempted to think today I won't smoke or I won't drink wine. I'll get a plenary indulgence and go to paradise.’ That, he said would be wrong. 'That would not be the spirit of an indulgence. That would be off-beam, like returning to the thinking of the Middle Ages. '"

(Excerpts from The Orlando Sentinel, November 29, 1998)

It is returning to the Middle Ages. The Bible tells us what we should do. If faithful we will get a reward either in heaven or on earth. No man can tell us what to do to be faithful unless there is Scriptural support.

"CONVERT 'S ROAD TO SAINTHOOD HAS BUMPS: Edith Stein will be canonized on Sunday by Pope John Paul II, but some Jews think the move is inappropriate. ROME - Edith Stein, the Orthodox Jew-turned-Catholic nun whom Pope John Paul II is elevating to sainthood Sunday, once offered her life in atonement for the sins of her 'unbelieving' people.

"Today those words from Stein, who was killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, make Roman Catholics as uncomfortable as they make Jews angry.

"Church officials avoid mentioning them while they prepare for the canonization of the German-born convert who embodied the conflicts and contradictions facing John Paul's papacy as it tries to come to terms with the Holocaust and the Jews.

"Stein became one of at least five Holocaust figures whose canonization has been initiated under John Paul. 'We see her canonization as a unique opportunity for Jews and Catholics and for reflection and reconciliation’, said the Rev. Remi Hoeckman, secretary of the Vatican's commission for relations with Jews.

"As Stein's canonization approaches, he said, it would be wrong to focus exclusively on one of the most divisive aspects - her statement of atonement for the sins of her ‘unbelieving people. Then we betray her as we were betraying the Jewish people. '"

(Excerpts from The Orlando Sentinel, October 10, 1998)

BAPTIST: "CHURCH ALLOWS SAME-SEX BLESSINGS: A North Carolina Baptist church has decided to let its ministers bless same-sex couples but not marry them, risking expulsion from the Baptist State Convention.

"Members of Wake Forest Baptist Church in Winston-Salem approved a statement asking God 'to bless all loving, committed and exclusive relationships between two people' but did not approve a statement affirming same-sex unions, officials said. Wake Forest will now permit its ministers to officiate a blessing ceremony for same-sex couples.

"A blessing ceremony unites the couple in the eyes of the church but not legally, church officials said."

(The Orlando Sentinel, November 21, 1998)

It may be legal with the church but it is illegal with God. The Bible does not agree with this. "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (Lev. 18:22 - see also Lev. 20:13; Rom. 1:27 and 1 Cor. 6:9)

EPISCOPAL: "BISHOP'S ARRIVAL IS PICKETED - Protesters resent clergyman who rejects divinity of Jesus. A long line of Episcopal protesters with homemade signs admire many things that they saw as right yesterday as they waited for the man they see as wrong: John Shelby Spong, an Episcopal bishop who says that Jesus was not the son of God.

'"He 's exploiting his position in our church to try to undermine the church,' said M. S. Aiken of Eden.

"Spong, a native of Charlotte who now lives in New Jersey, will continue to speak today to Episcopalian clergy at their fall meeting at the Summit Episcopal Conference Center in Browns Summit. The meeting is not open to laity, the press or the public, so about 50 members of N.C. Episcopalians for Biblical Authority began lining the wooded drive leading to the center … straining to catch a glimpse of Spong as he arrived…

"Spong writes in his latest book, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, that God is a force rather than a being. In previous books, he has suggested that the thorn in St. Paul's side was latent homosexuality, raised the possibility that the story of the virgin birth was created to cover a charge that Christ was illegitimate and speculated on the possibility that Jesus might have been married to Mary Magdalene …

"The church should stop paying Spong, the protesters said. They resent the fact that Bishop Robert C. Johnson Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina asked Spong and his wife, Christine, to speak at the conference, and see that invitation as an implicit affirmation of Spong's beliefs.

"Johnson responded to his critics in a prepared statement. 'The Spongs are not coming to seduce us; they are coming to make us think', he said in part. The Episcopal Church has a long history of open debate, he said.’

"Some of the protesters said that the very openness Johnson spoke of underscores a dangerous liberalism. 'Its destroying the church,' said Bob James of Charlotte …"

(Winston-Salem Journal, October 13, 1998)

LUTHERAN: "LUTHERANS MAY SETTLE OLD SPAT WITH VATICAN:  At the heart of the doctrinal dispute is how salvation is achieved. VATICAN CITY - The Vatican agreed in principle Thursday to a joint declaration with the Lutherans intended to settle a doctrinal dispute that was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation.

“‘With the agreement, most of the condemnations the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches heaped upon one another when Western Christianity split in the 16th century no longer apply’, the Vatican said.

"But while the Vatican said a 'high degree of agreement' has been reached, it said some differences on fundamental doctrine remain and these require further study.

"The Lutheran World Federation announced June 16 that its ruling council had unanimously approved a declaration lifting the condemnations.

"One of the key unresolved points regards what theologians call 'justification,' or how salvation is achieved. For the Lutherans, it depends on the grace of God, while Catholics maintain that good works are also involved.

"The Reformation stereotype was of Catholics earning their salvation through buying papal indulgences.

"'The level of agreement is high. But it does not yet allow us to affirm that all the differences separating Catholics and Lutherans in the doctrine of Justification are simply a question of emphasis or language, ' the Vatican said.

"Cardinal Edward Cassidy, who heads the Vatican's office for relations with other denominations, said of 44 points in the declaration, only three lacked full agreement.

"He said the formal signing of the Joint Declaration will take place this fall.  The declaration was drawn up last year by an international group of Catholic and Lutheran theologians. It was sent to the federation's 124 member churches, who represent 57 million Lutherans, and the Vatican for approval.

"Last year, the United States' largest Lutheran church, the 5 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, endorsed the declaration.

"The ELGA is one of the federation's two largest churches. The other, the Church of Sweden, also has endorsed the declaration."

(Associated Press, June 26, 1998)

It is destroying the churches. "Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me" (Isa. 54:15 - see Hosea 8:4)

PENTECOSTAL: "CONFERENCE CHARGED WITH EMOTION - This is no ordinary gathering at the Radisson Twin Towers as members of the charismatic and Pentecostal faiths meet. Orlando conferences don't usually feature workshops that end with participants on their knees in worship - or on the floor - weeping, groaning and wailing in prayer.

"But the Women in Ministry Conference, which ends today at the Radisson Twin Towers, is no ordinary gathering. Ecstatic, emotional displays are common when charismatic and Pentecostal Christians gather, conference sponsors say.

"Still, a worried hotel worker almost entered the Friday workshop to offer assistance to one woman whose anguished cries filled the hallway. Conference participants outside the room assured the worker that there was nothing to be concerned about.

"Brenda Courtney of Daytona Beach said she was not at all surprised by what she experienced and what she saw happen to others at the 'Lord, Release the Fire' workshop." 'I know the Holy Spirit lives within me,' she said.  'This particular session just opened the door of my heart for the Holy Spirit to flow.'

"The conference, which is sponsored by Strang Communications of Lake Mary, publishers of Spirited Woman magazine, brought together about 600 women ministers, pastor 's wives and lay leaders from around Florida.

"Pentecostal and charismatic Christians believe in 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit,' said Lee Grady, leader of the workshop and executive editor of Charisma magazine, another Strang publication. This includes a form of worship called speaking in tongues,' faith healing and casting out demons.

"Charismatics prefer the ‘subjective, supernatural side of Christianity,’ Grady said, 'as opposed to the intellectual or cerebral side.’

"The charismatic and Pentecostal tradition of Christianity is also a lot more accepting of women in leadership,' said Larry Keefauver, editor of Ministries Today, another Strang publication. They are more accepting than some traditional evangelical and fundamental denominations.

"Keefauver led another workshop Friday on 'Overcoming the Barriers to Ministry.' That session offered 'keys to breaking through the gender and organizational barriers you face in ministry.’

"Recent research suggests that there is a greater acceptance of women in the pulpit in the black community, Keefauver said, than in Hispanic or white congregations.

"Inez Stafford, a lay leader from Daytona Beach, said that being among so many women of different races who are deeply committed to their faith was 'awesome.'

"'It's encouraging, it's reinforcing, it's spiritually beneficial’, she said.

"Joy Strang, the conference host, agreed. 'This is a place where women get support and encouragement', she said."

(By Mark I. Pinsky, The Orlando Sentinel, November 7,1998)