NO. 519 THEY SHALL LIVE AGAIN!

A two-year old toddler darts out in front of an onrushing car…

A Jewish philanthropist, who has aided thousands, dies of a stroke …

A carefree high school student with a promising future is cut down in a drive-by shooting…

A non-religious soldier dies on the field of battle in defense of his country…

A Hindu mother dies in the pains of childbirth…

All five of these have three things in common. They were all good people. None of them were Christians … and…they are all dead! What is to become of them? This is a question Christianity has struggled with for centuries. Kind hearts want to see them live again. Christian dogma says that "there is none other name under heaven " by which to be saved than that of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Therein lies the dilemma.   Yet Scripture is clear. The Bible promises …

They Shall All Live Again!

The Bible clearly states that "all that are in the graves" shall hear the voice of the son of man and come forth" (John 5:28,25,29) and that Jesus Christ "gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:6)

All includes not only the good unbelievers, as in the cases above, but even the evil. Consider the case of the residents of ancient Sodom. Their wickedness was so great that even today the name of their city is preserved in the sexual perversion of sodomy. Yet, despite their wickedness, their resurrection is assured.

"When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.” (Ezek. 16:55) Not only will they return to their "former estate" of life, but in their return they will find even more congenial conditions of judgment than the less wicked, but more enlightened, residents of the Israeli city of Capernaum.

"But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.  If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. " (Matt. 11:22, 23, NIV)

Life and Death

In order to understand the biblical concept of resurrection we must examine the biblical concept of death.  In order to understand that concept we need to look at the biblical concept of life.

According to the Bible, human life originated in the middle-eastern Garden of Eden with the creation of the first man, Adam. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7) The statement is clear. Man was not given a "living soul" but became a living soul. The soul was not a possession of the creature, but man was, himself, "a living soul." The formula was equally simple: “God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [body + breath = living soul]."

If life is as simple as the union of body and breath, then death is equally simple. It is the dissolution of body and breath. The living soul simply ceases to exist.  There  is nothing immortal about it.  The words “immortal” and “immortality” and the related word “incorruptible” only occur ten times in the Bible. Always they are either given as an attribute of God and of Christ, or one to be striven for by the footstep followers of Jesus.  They are never given as an inherent quality of man.  In fact, at the time the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he states that Christ alone possessed immortality (1 Tim.6: 16).

The mistaken notion that man possesses an immortal soul has been the source of much confusion concerning death and resurrection. If man is immortal he cannot die. If he cannot die, provision must be made for him after he ceases to breathe. Since many are not considered good enough for heaven, an alternative place must be sought. Only too often the horrors of eternal punishment in an ever-burning hell of fire is put forth as that alternative place. The Bible says that such a concept of the burning of man never came into God’s mind (Jer. 19:5; 32:35).

The Bible Hell   

It is true that the Bible does use the word "Hell."  A careful study of this word’s usage in the Bible provides an interesting insight into the condition of death.  The Hebrew word translated "hell" in the Old Testament is sheol.  It simply means the condition of the dead and is frequently left untranslated in most modern versions of the Bible. The word is used 65 times and is translated "hell" 31 times, "grave" 31 times, and "pit" three times.  The word describes the death condition of both the good and the bad.  However the translators of the King James version have obscured this fact by translating it "grave" when used of a good person and "hell" when used of a bad person.

For instance, the faithful patriarch Jacob thought his son Joseph was there and expected to go to him in that abode (Gen. 37:35).  Afflicted Job prayed to go there (Job 14:13). It is prophesied of Jesus that he would go there for a short while (Psa. 16:10). No   man is said to escape it (Psa. 89:48). Those in the Bible hell have no consciousness (Eccl. 9:10; Isa. 38:18). Good king Hezekiah anticipated going to this biblical hell (Isa. 38:9,10). Men will be redeemed from hell and hell itself will be destroyed (Hosea 13:14).

Quotations from the Old Testament sheol use this word hades. The ultimate destiny of this Bible “hell” is graphically described in Revelation 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” If hell is to be cast into the lake of fire, it is obvious that hell itself is not the burning fire, but merely a symbol of complete and total destruction.

There is, however, another Greek word frequently translated “hell.” It is the Greek Gehenna. Jerusalem is a mountainous city and is topographically marked by three great valleys - the Kidron, the Hinnom, and the Tyropean. The Hinnom valley lies just to the south of the city walls and in ancient times was the site for the pagan rituals of human sacrifices. In later time it became the garbage dump for the city where fires were constantly kept burning and where the bodies of dead criminals were cast to be disposed of by the elements. These naturally bred maggots which fed on the decaying flesh.  Thus it was considered as a place where the “worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”(Mark 9:43,44; Isa. 66:24) The fires of Gehenna were destructive fires. Nothing lived in them. They utterly consumed all the refuse thrown therein.   Thus they describe a place of utter annihilation, and not a place of torment.

Even the noted Professor W. E .Vine, himself a believer in hell as a conscious place of torment, admits that this is not the significance of the word: “Often incorrectly translated “hell” in the KJV, sheol was not understood to be a place of punishment, but simply the ultimate resting place of all mankind.”

The concept, therefore, of the Bible teaching of place of eternal conscious torment in hell is purely an interpretation and is not based on the meaning of the words involved.  Even the scholars of such respected church denominations as the Church of Canada (in 1950) and the Church of England (in 1996) have endorsed the conclusion that the Bible does not teach a literal hell of fire and torment.  Other denominations, such as the Presbyterians, have taken a similar stand, though not as publicly.

The Origin of Death

Not only was the Garden of Eden the location for the creation of life, it was there that the death process began.   After creating man, God gave him a simple rule to live by. Placing man in a fertile garden setting, God gave him permission to eat of the trees in the garden and live. There was but one exception. The Bible calls it "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  Of this tree, God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen, 2:17)

The story is well known, Satan, through a serpent, tempted Adam's wife, Eve. She ate. She gave of the fruit to Adam and Adam ate. Disobedience entered the world.  The consequences were severe and they were carried out. "The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) The first couple was expelled from their garden home and began a long slide into the grave. The process that began in the 24-hour day back in Eden saw its full fruition when Adam expired at the age of 930 years - within a biblical 1,000-year day (2 Peter 3:8).

Being the universal father, the genes of death were inherited by his offspring and death became equally universal. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12)

Hopes for Life

Over the next forty centuries hopes began to evolve for a new life after death. These hopes were vague at first, but became more sharply defined as God revealed His plans through writers of the Old Testament.  The first glimmer of a reversal of the death sentence was immediate. While God was pronouncing the curses upon Adam, Eve, and the serpent for their respective roles in introducing sin and death, He implied a removal of the evil, saying to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:15) The fact that Eve believed this promise is indicated in the naming of her son, Seth, when she said that God "hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.” (Gen. 4:25)

Both the provision of coats of skins, requiring the death of an animal, and the "more acceptable sacrifice” by Abel of an animal implied that this reversal would come through "blood" atonement. It   was not until the time of Abraham, however, that the hopes began to take more definite shape. On numerous indications God reiterated a covenant promise to this faithful patriarch: "In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:3; 28:14)

On the basis of this promise the children of Abraham began to develop a solid belief in life after death. Thus Job could answer his own question, "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." (Job 14:14,15) It was thus that Moses could write: "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” (Psa. 90:3)

The Turning Point

The hopes of the Old Testament reached their fulfillment in the New.  The cross of Christ became the crossroads of history. The object of his ministry was not only to be the Messiah of Israel, but the redeemer of all mankind. As the angels spoke on the day of His birth,  "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10,11)

This was the very cause for which he came to earth.  "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt.  20:28) In line with this Paul writes:  "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Rom. 5:18)  This redemption for all became the theme of the Apostle’s writings.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21, 22)

More Than Life

In fact, the death of Jesus assures more than life. The Apostle Peter described its effects as "times of restitution of all things." Even the earth will return to Edenic conditions. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.” (Isa. 35:1, 2)

For man raised from the dead to these perfect conditions, life will be different from now.  “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isa. 35:5,6)

Then there will be freedom from war for "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isa. 2:4) Then there will be freedom from poverty for "they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." (Micah 4:4) Then there will be freedom from sorrow because then God will "swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces."  (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4)

Sleepers in Death Awake

Today all mankind goes into the grave.  Death is now the end of all life.  It is in the tomb that we now end life's journey – the innocent toddler, the Jewish philanthropist, the promising youth, the fallen soldier, the Hindu mother - all!

But the Bible describes death as merely "a sleep." It was thus that the Bible describes such men as David and Solomon as having "slept with their fathers." (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43) It was thus that Jesus described Lazarus when he was deceased. (John 11:11-14) Just as sleepers compose themselves for the peaceful rest of the night with full expectation of awakening refreshed in the morning, so all the sleepers in the tomb will awaken in the resurrection morning, refreshed and ready to learn from their great deliverer the laws which they must keep to enjoy life forevermore.

When men are raised from the tomb there will be a need for a great educational program. The majority of earth's population have never even heard of Christ, nor even of the God of Israel. This will be the work of the Kingdom of God, to educate the billions of humanity in the laws of righteousness which, if kept, will permit them to live forever in the paradise conditions that will fill this planet earth.

Then shall be fulfilled the prophetic words, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) And again, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:34)

This work is described as a highway that leads to holiness in Isaiah 35:8-10, upon which "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:  they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Then death will be "swallowed up in victory" and the triumphant call will sound throughout the world, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55)

(Author unknown)

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OPENING OF THE WEEK OF BROTHERHOOD IN BERLIN

The Israel highly regarded Society for Christian-Jewish co-operation has bestowed on me a special honor by inviting me to the Opening of the Week of Brotherhood in Berlin- a feeling that has now been further strengthened by the large number of participants present here.

Your kind invitation though, to come here, I accepted only after much hesitation and precisely therefore I am grateful to you for this invitation: As a native-born Berliner, who built - had to build his life somewhere else - you have thus given me a unique opportunity to talk with you about something that is very close to my heart, as it is undoubtedly close to yours.

The theme of our gathering here today is the roaring call of the prophet: "Remove the stones" (Isa. 62:10) -remove the stones on the road to a better future I am standing here in front of you as a son of the Jewish people - a community-of-fate that was able to survive - in spite of frequent internal differences of opinion because this community was based on BROTHERHOOD, and will forever continue to be based on BROTHERHOOD - and this on the strength of our principle "Kol Israel Chaverim," i.e., all sons and daughters of Israel are bound together by the same fate.

At the same time, however, I am a person who has been raised here in Berlin, on German soil, whose mother-tongue is German - that in my mouth now probably sounds somewhat dusty and rusty - and who absorbed during the first fifteen and a half years of his life here the cultural and social environment of the then Berlin and who probably goes on keeping elements of this within himself till this day. Your invitation, however, if I understand it accurately, was directed to the focal Jewish component in me and to my being an Israeli citizen, and as such I may be permitted to speak about brotherhood.

At the beginning of the story of man stands a murder, a fracticide; the tragedy of Cain and Abel. In the Scriptures it is mentioned only briefly - the motive, seemingly envy, is merely hinted at.

Cain slew his brother and God asked him: "Where is Abel, thy brother?" (As if God did not know exactly what had happened!) And Cain answered with the bad conscience that he had "I know not, am I the keeper of my brother?" And God said to him: "What hast thou done, the voice of thy brother's blood cries unto me from the ground. " (Gen. 4:8-10) It is a particularity· of the Hebrew language of the original that the word "blood" here stands in the plural, which can not be rendered in the German or English languages. The traditional understanding of this particularity is, that God accuses Cain not merely of the murder of Abel, but also of the destruction of the entire future biological potential of his brother - therefore the word "blood" in the original is put there in the plural.

Henceforth Cain was marked as a murderer and he was refused the fruit of the land. This was the first murder - the murder of his own brother - murder of the Godly Creation itself, out of envy, hate - because there was no love between the brothers.

What, exactly, love means we learn from a chassidic legend (‘The Passover’) as narrated by Martin Buber:

"How to love people, I learned from a peasant. He sat with other peasants in a pub and drank. A long time he kept silent, like all the others. When, however, the wine had warmed his heart, he turned to his neighbor: 'Tell me, do you, or don't you love me?' His neighbor responded: 'I love you very much!' But the first peasant spoke again: 'You say you love me, but nevertheless you don't know what pains me. Had you loved me in earnest, you would have known! ‘The neighbor was at a loss to respond, and the peasant, who had asked the question, again fell silent. However, myself, now I understood: This then is the sincere love for our fellow human beings: To sense their needs and to bear together with them their pains."

In the Jewish tradition we have one central principle which is the guide-line for our life: "Israel arevirn zeh lazeh," i.e., "The sons and daughters of Israel vouch one... for all and all for one."  This mutual vouching means above all: Mutual responsibility and a helping hand where and whenever needed.

During the first difficult years of our small State, many thousands of Jewish refugees came to us in order to find a new start for their life. Within a few years the number of our citizens tripled! They were our sisters and brothers, but how desperate were they, how sad; how badly neglected were they, how crying out.for help and sympathy. To care for all these unhappy human beings, to absorb them into the young, poor, then relatively underdeveloped community, called for patience of angels and often meant foregoing many things in daily life. Here is just one example: The children of the newcomers entered school without knowledge of the Hebrew language, let alone command of it, and this in most cases after years without any kind of regular, or even remotely normal schooling. The result: Sinking standards, slowing-down of the teaching-process, enormous educational problems. Similar problems existed in the fields of the economy, production, culture, and on top of all this came the frequent attacks from without.

As one of those who was there himself and who experienced all this with his then young family, I may be permitted to say: to a large extent we made it! What was the secret of this success? The secret was the little things, the often hardly visible small kindnesses in daily life - the kindness and recognition - not the general, all-including one, but rather the recognition of the individual, the different one, the fellow - though strange human - the BROTHER.

There is in our tradition an idea which expresses such an approach in a beautiful way: "Kol ha’rnekayern nefesch achat - ke'ilu kiyem olarn rnaleh," i.e., Whosoever succors one person, by this deed alone he ensures the survival of all man.

To "remove the stones" surely means to recognize ·the difference, the otherness of fellow-humans, to learn about the fate of the brother - to take part, to be part of his life.  It means to get to know the face of the other and to recognize in him the fellow human brother and thereby to learn to love him. 

Hate towards someone, always is hate of the brother, the fellow-man, and this is the worst sin. In another chassidic tale - this one, too, re-told by Martin Buber - we hear thus ("The Arnshinover"):

"Sinning against a fellow-man is worse than sinning against the Creator.  The fellow­ man whom you have hurt, may now be at a place unknown to you, therefore you may not have any more an opportunity to ask him to forgive you. The LORD, however, is everywhere and you can always find Him if you just care to seek Hirn. "

The Bible, as well as the later, rich Jewish tradition and, likewise, the just quoted chassidic folk-tales, constitute the basic pillars of our culture. In addition, there is the New Testament, an outstanding component of our common civilization, in which the central figure is Jesus of Nazareth.

When the well-known Jerusalem author Shalom Ben-Chorin speaks of Jesus, he says (in his Book "My brother Jesus"): "For me Jesus is the eternal brother, not merely the human brother, but, specifically, my Jewish brother.  I sense his brotherly hand that grasps mine, so that I may go with him. It is not the hand of the Messiah, the hand that is marked by the wounds of suffering. It surely is not a godly, but rather a human hand, whose lines testify to deepest travail."

And thus we read in the New Testament (Rom. 12:10): "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." And further (Heb. 13:1) "Keep on loving each other as brothers" thus are we admonished.

 It goes without saying that we all know the basic commandments of our Scriptures - Buber calls them the "Books of Teaching": Thou shalt love thy neighbor like yourself. In our cultural heritage - according to Rabbi Akiva - this is the most important commandment of the entire Bible.

Of Hillel, the "Elder, " one of the Jewish sages of antiquity, it is said: "A simple man once came to Rabbi Hillel and challenged him to teach him the whole Torah - the complete body of Jewish teaching - while he can stand on just one leg. And Hillel responded: "What is hateful to you, don’t do to your fellow-man; all the rest is commentary and that you can study by yourself !"

The most important festival in the Jewish year is "Yom Kipur," the Day of Atonement. In the special Prayer of this day we find:  "Quarrel between you and the Lord will be forgiven, but quarrel between you and your fellow-man will not be forgiven until the two of you are reconciled yourselves. "

At this point of time we approach the end of the 20th Century, which testifies to the greatest technological and scientific development of all time. However, facing these colossal achievements in the material spheres are, above all, the steadily increasing inroads made on the natural environment along with the visible growing mutual human estrangement - the deepening insensibility towards our fellow man.

We are gathered here today in order to ponder the meaning of Brotherhood, and our motto for this day directs us to "remove the stones." But what, exactly are those stones that obstruct our road - the road from confronting one another to supporting one another? Let me suggest that those stones are being "the other," the "different one," the stranger with his unusual accent and, perhaps, different skin-color, unaccustomed creeds and habits. What is strange and different in someone else, we perceive right away - mostly without being conscious of our own shortcomings.

In His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:1-4) Jesus says: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother' s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

Should we not stop looking the other way, since we stand in debt in front of our fellow man. What we owe him is not just Goodwill, but, and above all, responsibility - active responsibility - for his life in our midst and for his welfare.  Such readiness to assume responsibility is assuredly not merely a matter for reason - it must be also a matter of our heart. In Goethe's words: "If you don 't feel it, you'll never hunt it down, and never will you join heart to heart, if it does not flow out of your own heart."

In the large treasure-chest of Jewish tradition and folklore is found a "Midrash," a legend, which tells us exactly of this, of brotherly love that flows out of the heart:

"On the spot where long ago the Holy Temple stood, years before two brothers lived. One had wife and children, but the other was childless and lived alone. Together the two brothers tilled the field they jointly owned. Together they ploughed, together they sowed and at harvest-time they together mowed the wheat and then divided it into two equal parts - one half for the firstborn, single brother, the other half for the younger brother and his family.

"That night the older brother could find no sleep. He mused: My brother has a wife and three children to provide for - he must feed and clothe them, and for them all he must provide a roof over their heads; I, however, live by myself and don't have to care but for myself. What I do here is just not right. He thus rose after midnight from his bunk, when out to their field and there he took some wheat from his pile and took it over to the pile of his younger brother.

"The younger brother, too, could find no sleep that night. He pondered: I have a wife and children, when I get old and my strength wanes I won't be able any more to do heavy work, but then, assuredly, my sons will support me. But what will become of my brother when he in turn gets old and weak?  It just is not right that I and my brother get an equal share of the harvest.

"So the younger brother rose and went out to their field. Having arrived there, he took wheat from his pile and carried it over to his brother' s heap.

 "At dawn, both brothers rose and went out to work their field. Once there they immediately saw that both their heaps of wheat were equal. Both were puzzled but said nothing.

"The next night both brothers again went out to their field, but at different times. And once again each took wheat from his heap and took it over to the pile of his brother. And so it came about the next morning both piles of wheat were equal. The same took place the third night.

"At the fourth night they again went out to their field and, like before, each brother took a load of wheat from his pile in order to add it to his brother' s.  This time, however, they encountered each other midway between the two piles and thus, at long last, they understood the riddle!  They embraced one another and blessed the Lord.  And the Lord saw the good deed of the brothers and thereupon blessed that very spot where they had met that night. Many years later, right there King Solomon built the Holy Temple."

The Book of Proverbs - the Sayings of Solomon - date back even earlier than that legend. Proverbs have a warning to us all, through to our day and time (29:18): "Be'eyn Chason - yipara am," i.e., when there is no noble idea, the people become restless and violent.

In our era of spurting High-Tech in an ever more narrowing and more crowded world this noble idea is the will for a peaceful life side by side with our fellow man and reaching out for one another.  In short: The readiness to assume responsibility towards our brothers.

Specifically we, the sons and daughters of the Jewish people, are keenly aware of the everlasting value of this idea.

At the conclusion of my book on the unique Christian support of the realization of the Jewish Return to the Promised Land, I wrote: "The people of Israel are like Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, who was sent out one evening after his brothers. Darkness fell when Joseph found himself alone in the field. An old man found him, and asked him; "What seekest thou?" And Joseph answered: "I seek my brethren. " (Gen. 37:15-16)

An old interpretation of this passage informs us that the old man, whom Joseph asked about his brothers and who thereupon guided him on the way to his brothers, was none other than the Messiah.

May it be given to us, that we, too, while walking together on the road towards our brothers, meet the Messiah.

(Speech by Michael J. Pragai, March 2, 1991)

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DISCOVERY: An international team of researchers exploring the bottom of the Dead Sea in a submarine has discovered what it believes are the ruins of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah - described in the Book of Genesis as evil cities which were destroyed with fire and brimstone as Divine punishment.

The dives - for which the submarine had to be weighted with lead to counteract the buoyancy of the extremely salty water - nearly sparked an international incident, since the Dead Sea is a military zone along the shared border of Israel and Jordan, and military authorities at one point ordered the ship out of Jordanian waters.

(World Jewry, April 2000)

NO. 518 ISRAEL, LAND AND PEOPLE

There is no doubt from Scripture about the National destiny of Israel. The Church has not replaced Israel in this regard and the modern day restoration of Israel is evidence of this and evidence of God's faithfulness to His Word. People and land belong together and thus the Bible is clear that the Jewish people own all of the land of Israel. That is, all of the land that Israel presently occupies, including Judea and Samaria, and even more! According to the Bible Israel enjoys the right to live on the land bequeathed to her by God as long as she fully serves this God with all her heart. Failure in this regard means a process of dispossession and finally judgment that leads to exile.

However, the Bible is also clear about this: that loss of domicile does not mean loss of title deed or possession! It is at this point that many in the Church have gone wrong and, of course, many in the world. For them loss of domicile means loss of land and the right to repossess the land. As a result we have the conflict that now rages before us in the Middle East. Israel's return in 1948 is seen by many as nothing short of illegal and must in some way be reversed. It is the Biblical contention that this puts all those who hold to this view in conflict with the God of Israel. Indeed He declares that He will take issue with the world in this regard and ultimately judge them for it!

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, they have also divided up My land." (Joel 3:1-2)

So, in the end Israel must serve her God faithfully in order to remain in the land! Failure in this regard means correction, discipline, judgment and exile. This is the clear testimony of Scripture and of history and nothing has changed. The writer of Proverbs declared: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)

These principles govern God's dealing with her and we have to keep them in mind when praying for Israel and when we discuss matters relating to her domicile in the land of her forefathers. It is unhelpful and naive when folks demand that Israel cling to all of the land bequeathed to her no matter what her spiritual position may be. And it is equally unhelpful when folk who are well meaning endeavor to comment on Israel's political leadership and or politics.  The facts are:

1. Only the Lord God of Heaven knows the real issues relating to Israel and her dwelling in the land.

2. Her restoration to her Biblical homeland is a miracle of Biblical proportions and the Lord God of Israel is behind it. He has therefore declared that the first part of this process is physical and the latter part will be spiritual. Though Israel is still largely a secular state, the God of the Bible has promised to turn her to Himself. This He will do in His time and in His way!

3. The present "troubles" in Israel are but evidence of God's dealing with His precious people, and in the end she will triumph and come through victoriously. The Bible declares that there will only be two exiles and two returns in Israel's long history. These exiles and returns are now behind us, meaning that Israel will never be exiled again!!! However this also means that the process of correction and discipline now evident in her national life (the surrendering of land for peace) will endure by the hand of God until she returns to Him. This she will do.

4. Israel will thus not be exiled again since her God has purposed to redeem her and thereafter exalt her as the "chief of the nations." It must be borne in mind that the Jewish people are an ancient people and their four thousand year history has witnessed God's dealings with them in blessing and judgment. The great nations of antiquity, yea even those who ransacked her and carried her children into exile, have come and gone and disappeared. She remains because through it all she struggles back from judgment to serve her God and be a blessing to the world. This is more than any gentile nation has ever done and thus in her God has revealed His glory, faithfulness and character.

5. Our obligation is to pray for her, stand by her, comfort her and encourage her with God's eternal Word. It is not our business to play God and pontificate about her political leaders, peace negotiations and politics. God alone knows the spiritual state of His people Israel and we should be lovingly bringing her before Him in intercession, all the while knowing that He has promised not to exile her again but to redeem her. This is in itself an incredible fact and promise and it will happen no matter what land she gives up, retains or acquires!

6. To be sure the Lord God of Heaven is going to judge those nations and peoples that are trying by all means possible to disinvest her of her land. This is the other side of the coin! These peoples have put themselves against God and His Word and they will pay a terrible price for it. Indeed they have learnt nothing from history since every nation or empire that ever disinvested Israel of land vanished off the face of the earth or was judged by heaven and came to nothing. The Jewish people continue on as a proud and everlasting people. This fact should sober up the world, but it won’t because in their arrogance they consider themselves different. Time will prove differently!

In the end the restoration, redemption and triumph of Israel will lead to the blessing of the world as man has never conceived.  It is because of Zion's triumph that all nations will beat their swords into ploughshares and learn war no more.   The real United Nations will be Israel, history will prove it though for many the thought will stick in their throats! It just goes to show that God's ways are not our ways. So, we are to affirm the Word of the Lord that, speaking of a day not too far off declares: "In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12: 8-9)

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!            Malcolm Heeding

(Christian Action for Israel, 1st Quarter Newsletter 2000)

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THE PAST MILLENNIUM

A thousand years is a long time. What should we regard as significant over that period? The past ten centuries have been an age of immense human progress. Through discovery and invention man has transformed his environment. The technological advances of the past century eclipse the progress made in previous centuries.

However, some things never change. 900 years ago: (1) The status and possession of Jerusalem were in dispute. (2) Islam and Christendom were competing for world domination. (3) Vicious persecutions had been launched against Jews by so-called Christians. (4) A deadly plague was about to decimate the populations of many countries. The same can be said for the year 2000.

Much of the past Millennium was marked by clashes between Moslem forces and Christian nations in a battle for supremacy in Europe. In 1453 the fall of Constantinople led to the final end of the Roman Empire. Much to their shame, at some stage virtually every country in Europe was involved in the persecution and harassment of Jews.

History reveals that intellectual advancement and learning do not always lead to tolerance or the improvement of moral standards. 500 years ago, the genius of Leonardo da Vinci flowered during the High Renaissance period. Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic. Vasco da Gama reached India via the Cape. And yet, simultaneously with the expulsion from Spain of the remaining Islamic Moors, the Spanish King and Queen also expelled all the Jews and instituted the infamous Inquisition . The Edict made against the Jews was to remain unrevoked until 1992.

Ironically the Jubilee of Christ's birth in 1500 was celebrated in Rome at a time when the morality of the Papacy was at its lowest ebb. The debauchery and corruption of the leaders of the Roman Church contributed to the rise of the Reformation. The subsequent division of countries into Protestant and Catholic led to a succession of religious wars. Simultaneously several European countries were obliged to ward off renewed attacks by the forces of Islam in the Mediterranean and in Austria. In 1683 the Austrians eventually defeated the Ottoman Empire at Vienna and recaptured Hungary.

Subsequent world dominance by the Protestant British Empire, and its first colony, North America facilitated the worldwide spread of Christianity. [A byproduct was that English became a world language.] One of the last colonies to be absorbed by the British Empire was Palestine. The capture of Jerusalem in 1917 and the proclamation of the Balfour Declaration led to the establishment of Israel in 1948.

From a Biblical perspective, the restoration of Israel is the epoch making event of the Millennium. It is the one issue which significantly differentiates the current state of world affairs from that which existed in the year 1000. Nations may come and nations may go. Israel however remains unique. Millennia ago, Moses recorded in the book of Genesis 17:7-8 God's covenant to: "give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession;and I will be their God."

For nearly 2 millennia, the Church, in misinterpreting God's dealings with the Jews, taught that "the wandering Jew" was the lot of those who had been expelled from Palestine by the Romans. In the last century an increasing number of Christians realized that ancient prophecies were being fulfilled before their eyes . Ezekiel wrote in Chapter 20:41-42: "I will gather you out of the counties where you have been scattered ... I will bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I lifted My hand in an oath to give to your fathers." May the eyes of many more Christians be opened.

As the world enters the 21st century, it reposes great faith in the institution of the United Nations. At its headquarters in New York, the outer wall is adorned by a quotation from the verse that : "they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more ." It is a matter of irony that the previou s unquoted verses from the prophet Micah record that: "out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." The passage foretells a shift of world power to the land of Israel. Such an idea would be incomprehensible to the representatives who meet at the UN and who often berate Israel for its alleged misdemeanors. However Bible believing Christians and Jews alike pray for the early fulfillment of the passage and the ushering in of a promised Millennium of Peace.

(By Roger Green, Christian Action for Israel, 1st quarter, 2000)

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QUOTABLE QUOTES: "We acknowledge in repentance the Church’s long and deep complicity in the proliferation of anti-Jewish attitudes and actions through its 'teaching of contempt' for the Jews. Such teaching we now repudiate, together with the acts and attitudes which it generates."

(General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church - USA)

“There is little doubt that the Spirit of God is once again moving over the waters.  From every direction there are reports of a new awareness, a new consciousness, a new understanding between Jews and Christians,” 

(The Texas Conference of Churches, 1982)

THE TRUE PICTURE OF "PEACE": "The PA has failed to destroy (or even attempt to destroy) the infrastructure of terrorist organizations ...

"The PA has not ended incitement and anti-Semitic attacks on Jews and Israelis." The educational system… teaches hatred of Jews and Israelis and distorts history…There are more than 50 maps in the Palestinian schools, but Israel is not in any of them.

"The PA has built… a 50,000-man army, not a police force. Palestinian media and Moslem clerics agree … Oslo is temporary - their ultimate aim is the destruction of Israel.  PA leaders in Arabic express the same sentiment …"

"All benefits of the 'peace' process advance… creating a Palestinian state at the expense of Israel ... there has been NO benefit to Israel.

"The continued Arab boycott of Israel proves that there has been no genuine reconciliation.

"The PA is already damaging Israel's water supply. Losing the Golan would be the final blow for Israeli agriculture."

(Dispatch From Jerusalem, December 1999

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REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY

Replacement Theology is a misguided systematic approach to the Bible that has not only led millions of Christians astray over the years but it has in addition birthed evil of the most horrific proportions i.e. it played a role in the persecution of Jews by the Church through the centuries including the Holocaust, and it was the theological thinking behind the nightmare of apartheid.

Definition: Concisely put, Replacement Theology states that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced with the Church. As a consequence all the biblical promises made to Israel are transferred to the Church. The Church is now the real Israel of God and Israel's national destiny in God is forever forfeited. The restoration of the modern state of Israel is thus an accident enjoying no biblical credential and Christians who believe that it is an act of God, in faithfulness to His covenant cut with Abraham some 4,000 years ago, are considered misguided. This is the basic position of those subscribing to Replacement Theology.

Errors of thinking: 1. The allegorical method of interpretation: Replacement Theology effectively undermines the authority of God's Word in that it rests on the allegorical method of interpretation. That is, the reader of God's Word decides to spiritualize the text even if its context is literal. This effectively robs the Word of God of its own authority and the meaning of the text is entirely dependent on the reader’s decision to spiritualize it or not. The problem with this approach to God's Word is this: Man alone decides what he will spiritualize and what he won't. The Word of God can thus be manipulated to say anything! So, Replacement Theology rests on a false basis of biblical interpretation.

2. Inadequate understanding of Covenant: Replacement Theology is only held by those who have not properly understood the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant, first mentioned in Genesis 12:1-4 and thereafter repeatedly asserted and confirmed to the patriarchs is, in fact, the covenant of grace in Scripture for it underlines God's intention to bless the world with redemption . Such blessing, however, is through the nation of Israel. God says to Abraham: "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed…" So the Abrahamic Covenant is one covenant having three vital elements:

1. It declares a strategy - to reach the world through the nation of Israel.
2. It bequeaths a land - as an everlasting possession to Israel … and
3. It gives a promise - those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse her will be cursed.

It is important for us to note here that if one element of the covenant fails then all fails. The covenant is like a coin having three elements, a rim, a head side and a tails side. However, it remains one coin and one cannot retain one element of the coin and give away another.  The Abrahamic Covenant is just the same, it is one covenant.  If one element of the covenant fails then all the elements fail.  Thus if God's promises to Israel have now failed then equally His promises to bless the world have also failed.

In short if Israel's national destiny has been forfeited, through her disobedience, then the Church is also finished! It must be remembered that the Church's disobedience has been as great as that of Israel over the last two thousand years. No one can deny this! So if Israel is finished because of failure then the Church is as well! There is no way that we can get around this. Moreover, Paul underlines this very point in Galatians 3 where he writes, years after Israel's rejection of Jesus as Messiah, that the Abrahamic Covenant cannot be annulled.

"What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise." (Galatians 3:17-18)

According to replacement theologians this covenant has been annulled. Only a superficial, inadequate grasp of the covenant can lead to such a misguided conclusion.

The prophetic testimony: God's promises to Israel are constantly reaffirmed by the prophets. In this way He underlines the nature of His character and confirms the Abrahamic Covenant. An example of this is Jeremiah 31: 35-37: "Thus says the Lord, 'Who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night?- Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar? The Lord of hosts is His name: If this fixed order departs from before Me,' declares the Lord, 'Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.' Thus says the Lord, 'If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,' declares the Lord."

So again the fact that the sun, moon and stars are still with us confirms the on going validity of the Abrahamic Covenant and, as a result, Israel's national destiny. For Replacement Theology to be valid the sun and the moon must also be vanquished.  There is no way that replacement thinkers can get around this!

Moreover, Replacement Theology makes a mockery of God's character for it rests upon the premise that if you fail God in any way He will discard you… even though initially He asserted that His commitment to you is everlasting. This sounds like a typical human response to the world and not like the God of the Bible. Which of course it is since Replacement Theology is but the thinking of men!

According to the writer of the Book of Hebrews we know that God will be faithful to us because in spite of Israel's disobedience He has kept faith with her. Speaking of the Abrahamic Covenant He says: "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:17-20)

Note again that we know God to be faithful because He has been faithful to Israel in all that He promised her through Abraham. In fact this knowledge, says the writer, is the anchor of our soul. (verse 19) According to Replacement Theology this is not true!

The truth: In the final analysis Replacement Theology is but the mere thinking of men unable to stand up to the test of Scripture. It contradicts Scripture everywhere and by so doing robs thousands of Christians from understanding God's redemptive purposes. The truth is:

1. God has not cast off national Israel.
2. Canaan to this present day is Israel's national homeland.
3. The Church has not replaced Israel, she has only enlarged her. (Ephesians 2:11- 13; Romans 11:17-18)
4. The modern restoration of Israel is evidence of God's faithfulness to His Word and promise and strong encouragement to the Church.
5. The restoration of Israel will culminate in the coming of the Messiah. Therefore the Church in the world is able to make herself ready and bless Israel as much as she can and
6. The restoration of Israel to her homeland in Canaan - including the West Bank - is the first step towards Israel's national redemption. (Romans 11:25-27)

In closing, it would be good for us to note a quote that came from the pen of the now famous and very godly Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend J D Ryle . He said, "I warn you, that unless you interpret the prophetical portion of the Old Testament in a simply literal meaning of its words, you will find it no easy matter to carry on an argument with a Jew. Will you dare tell him that Zion, Jerusalem, Jacob, Judah, Ephraim, Israel do not mean what they seem to mean, but mean the Church of Christ?"

(By Malcolm Hedding, Christian Action for Israel, 4th Quarter Newsletter 1999)

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A PLO-ARAB-SYRIAN-LEBANESE CONSPIRACY

It has finally come - the decisive age, spoken of by all the Prophets, with emphasis on Zechariah, Chapter 14 - cited here in a recent column.

All the signs, international, cosmic and nature-reversals have struck the planet this millennium, target-date. The earth feels it globally.

Ancient names, such as Damascus, Athens and Babylon reappear and "Rome" steps into Jerusalem as Pope John Paul II, during his Purim visit, speaks out with deep emotion "in the land where G-d chose to pitch His tent."

The benevolent Pope paid a special visit to Sinai and Mount Nebo honoring Moses who "pitched" G-d's "tent" in the wilderness, and whose Sinaitic Law has become the basis of the three great religions.

As predicted and decreed by the Prophets, events and the final showdown are now brewing in the Middle East. A prelude to this last conflict is clearly hinted at in recent reports from Beirut.

John F. Burns, NY Times correspondent in the Lebanese capital, gives us this picture in a recent cable.

"After 22 years of having Israeli troops occupying part of its territory, Lebanon is only four months away from the deadline Israel has set for withdrawing the troops. But instead of celebrating the prospect of regaining 10 percent of its territory, Lebanon has balked, setting terms of its own for the withdrawal.

"The Lebanese position is part of a wider strategy that has been closely coordinated with Syria, its much larger neighbor, which exercises an effective over lordship in Lebanon through the 35,000 troops it has stationed here. In effect, diplomats say, Lebanon and Syria see the Israeli commitment to withdraw as a chance to exact additional concessions from Israel on other long-running issues.

"The Lebanese and Syrian demands for additional concessions amount to an attempt to trump Mr. Barak, by warning that a unilateral withdrawal - without prior negotiations with Beirut and Damascus - could lead to a new conflict, with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon using the vacated territory as a springboard for attacks on Israel.

'"An Israeli unilateral withdrawal will not work,' Lebanon's president, Emile Lahoud, said in an interview published today in Al-Hayat, a London-based newspaper. ' It will lead to another war.'

"Diplomats see it as no coincidence that Lebanon and Syria have pushed their demands before (the) biannual summit meeting of Arab foreign ministers. The meeting was billed an occasion for the 22-member Arab league to show a rare common front on the Middle East peace talks, and to underline its backing of Lebanon.

"Similarly, Lebanon appears determined to use the Israeli withdrawal to press its long-standing demand for Israel to accept the repatriation of the Palestinian refugees who migrated to Lebanon during the wars of 1948 and 1967. The Lebanese government numbers these refugees at 360,000 but some experts say that migration since the battles of the 1980's has reduced the population to no more than 200,000.

"Whatever the figure, Lebanon has refused to accept the Palestinians as citizens, and has confined most of them to pitiable refugee camps. Now, Lebanon is demanding that Israel and the U.S., as the prime mover in the Middle East peace effort, accept the right of the Palestinians to return, which, in many cases, would mean moving to what is now Israel, or to the West Bank. The U.S. has said the question should be settled separately.

"The demand is one that Israel, as well as Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority, has rejected. But after a telephone conversation this week with Syria's president, Hafez el­Assad, Mr. Lahoud put it on the table as a condition for Israel's demand for security guarantees after its pullout from Lebanon …"

Yes, it has finally come - the decisive age spoken of by Prophets. Let the enemy come! Zechariah 14 tells us what will happen. It will be a Day of Judgment - It's here.

(By David Horowitz, At the U.N., The Jewish Press, April 7, 2000)

MOSES, PASSOVER 2000

It's Passover, the year 2000, and the name Moses comes to mind. We are all reminded of the fact that the three major faiths had their mainspring in the Sinaitic Code of the world's greatest legislator, and that the Moral Law of mankind had its roots in the Torah.

The basic truth is clearly evident by the systems - religious, educational, etc. - which all the members of this World Organization have instituted. In essence, all peoples have adopted a single moral code based on the Mosaic Law.

Interestingly, what kind of man was Moses? In all ways, he was human, down-to-earth. He was also different from all men. He was spoken of as "being slow to anger," humble and meek, but also fiery and outspoken.

However, there are phases of his life which appear strange and mysterious. For example, after he had confronted the burning bush and came down with the first tablets of the Ten Commandments and saw the evil scene of the Golden Calf, he paused in anger. And though the Commandments were written with the "Finger of G-d" Moses, without returning to G-d for permission, broke the Tablets with no complaint from the Mount.

Moreover, when Moses was ready to depart this world, he went up to Mount Nebo alone and the Bible recounts, in effect, "No man knoweth of his burial to this day. His eyes were not dimmed and his strength not abated. "

Strange, indeed, very strange. The Hebrew name Moshe, when reversed, reads HaShem (the Divine Name). It equals 345 in Gematria, as do also "Shilo" and "Kel Shaddai."

Let it also be noted that Exodus 19, recounting Jethro's advisory counsel to Moses, leads into Exodus 20 with Moses orally relating the Ten Commandments to the people.

(By David Horowitz, At the U.N., The Jewish Press, April 28, 2000)

BARAK 'S NO-MAN 'S LAND EXODUS: Reports coming in from Israel indicate that families from Moshav Zaryit near the Lebanese border are already planning to leave if the Barak withdrawal from Lebanon is implemented.

The same is true of the families in Kibbutz Manara and Kibbutz Misgav Am. They, too, expect terror to visit them under the Barak plan. Other kibbutzim are experiencing the same sense of foreboding, and contingency plans of evacuation are being made.

The residents and officials of one of the largest towns, Shlomi, which was experiencing excellent growth, believe that trend will reverse itself quickly once the actual withdrawal begins.

In the city of Ma'alot, the idea of becoming a frontier town again is causing deep concern among its residents. They all remember the PLO attacks on schools, highways and farms. Hizballah has promised continued attacks against Israel - regardless of any peace agreements.

On Tuesday, April 4, Gen. (Ret.) Ori Orr, a dedicated Leftist and Barak supporter, blasted the Barak decisions to retreat from the Lebanese Security Zone.

Barak has developed a reputation for decisions which he has made under the influence of many factors, not necessarily based upon Israel's defensive security interests. He is known for not confiding in his Cabinet and making decisions that are more consistent with those desired by the outgoing Clinton Administration. Barak's reputation as an excellent strategist has turned into an empty slogan.

Clearly, my scenario of Northern Israel becoming a no-man's land is rapidly becoming a fact of life. While I have mentioned only a few moshavim, kibbutzim towns and villages in northern Israel near the Lebanese border, be assured that all the others are having the same discussions, thoughts and fears.

However, many other cities, towns and villages a bit further south, such as Haifa, are now all within reach of the new long-range rockets which Iran has delivered to the Hizballah terrorists through Syria. All of Israel is at risk and in harm's way from Assad in Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon, as well as Yasir Arafat who regularly proclaims that he "will take all of Israel as the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital of that state and only that state, and whoever doesn't agree with that - let them go drink sea water. "Barak just refuses to listen.

If one looks at a map of Israel, there are dozens of settled communities, towns and kibbutzim within range of the new rockets to become candidates for this exodus. The major city of Haifa is within 15 miles of the border. Ehud Barak, another "Mr. Security" like Yitzhak Rabin, has foolishly relied on the wishful thinking of his imagination to create a "safety scenario" which has been forthrightly rejected by most of his top-ranking officers.

But then again, Barak does not consult with his officers nor his civilian Cabinet. His think-tank advisors primarily consist of the U .S. State Department, Madame Albright, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, the chief negotiator for Clinton, Dennis Ross, James Carville, Clinton's main pollster and dirty trickster, et al.

This, then, is Barak's scorecard so far: (1) Barak will create a no-man's land corridor 10-15 miles deep on Israel's northern border . (2) Barak will have evacuated as many as 200,000 Jews from the West Bank, Israel's heartland, leaving many Jewish towns, villages and kibbutzim surrounded by mostly hostile Arabs who are armed to the teeth. (3) Barak will evacuate the Golan Heights, denials notwithstanding, leaving the high ground dominated by Syria. (4) Barak will not object to Syrian troops (currently 35,000) remaining in Lebanon, against all agreements Syria signed with its Arab brethren to leave Lebanon, (5) Barak will, at some point, allow the Eastern half of Jerusalem to be controlled by the neo-Palestinian State and Arafat' s secret police.

In effect, Barak will have truncated Israel to such an extent as to put her survivability in question.

Moses led us out of Egypt; Barak will lead us to nowhere

(By Emanuel Winston, Middle East Analyst and Commentator, The Jewish Press, April 2000)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION - Would the consecrated but not begotten ever have the opportunity of getting the spirit nature?

ANSWER - Our thought is that it is part of the Divine Plan to give the Ancient Worthies a change of nature in the end of the Millennial Age, as a reward for their faithfulness, and their service during the Millennial Age - that quite likely they will receive the spirit nature at the end of the Millennial Age.  This is partly conjectural and partly built upon certain texts of Scripture which we have already considered in the Watch Tower and which we need not therefore enter into here.

(What Pastor Russell Said, page 152, 1911)

NO. 517 THE ENDS OF THE AGES

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

Regarding Noah, it is written that he was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2: 5), so we may safely conclude that he did his share of preaching concerning the approaching deluge; but Jesus said' that they went on eating, drinking, marrying, etc. (Luke 17:27), in the ordinary affairs of life "until the flood came and destroyed them all." Thus, the first world Age ended with a stupendous act of violence, which destroyed all human beings except those in the Ark.

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

In the strictly limited sense, the Patriarchal Age (the "fathers" -2 Pet. 3:4) refers to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (the Jewish Age began with the death of Jacob -when his twelve sons each became the head of one of the tribes of Israel). They are definitely the ancestors of what we recognize as the Jewish race. However, in the broad sense the Patriarchal Age began with Noah, with his son Shem being the progenitor of the Jewish race -Shemites, or Semites, as the name is now used.

At the end of the Jewish Age and the beginning of the Gospel Age came again events of great portent -the Advent of Jesus, followed by great violence in the year 70 in the destruction of Jerusalem and the unbelieving Jews, with only a very small minority once again understanding the turn of things. The Jews had been given the Divine revelation at Sinai, with the strict ritual of the Aaronic priesthood and their whole religious system; and that system had become so imbedded in their hearts and minds that it was indeed meat and drink to them -although they had strayed far afield from the real intents and purposes of the various ceremonies. St. Paul had told them that the things that happened to the fathers during their forty-year stay in the Wilderness of Sin were very pointedly tupos (types) of things that were happening during St. Paul's life; but they "made their hearts as adamant stone [diamond point], lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the prophets." (Zech. 7:12) And extreme violence by the Roman Army resulted in the destruction of many of them, and the overthrow of-their religious and political establishments. Once more we have presently come to "the end of the age" -the Gospel Age; and again a "time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation" -extreme violence on every hand -a greatly enlarged repetition of the condition in the days of Noah, when "the earth was filled with violence." (Gen. 6:11) And here once more only a mere segment of the population have had even a blurred understanding of events. When the violence broke forth in 1914 there was perhaps thirty or forty thousand subscribers to Brother Russell's Watch Tower, from a total of about two billion members of the human race. A certain num­ber of the latter had heard the forecast of impending doom, but gave little or no heed thereto, although many millions then living had not even heard of what was coming.

And just as great changes came with the passing of the Jewish Age, so even greater changes are now in progress, with just a small minority understanding their significance. And this applies with more or less force even to those who claim to understand "the present truth." All who have even a smattering of present truth understand that the time will arrive here in the end of the Age when there will be no further opportunity to partake of the "high calling." Some have properly concluded that such a condition has already arrived -in the rather distant past -that the "plowman overtook the reaper" (Amos 9: 13) when the reaping work came to a stop in those countries of Christendom that were engulfed in the World War in 1914.

The Jewish Age reached its fullness at its end, when the Messiah made His appearance. "The people that sat in darkness saw great light." (Matt. 4: 16) The time of favor for the Jews reached its sad end at the time they "crucified the Lord of Glory." Immediately thereafter the nation began to wane, and was completely unstable in the year 70, when the dispersion began, the priesthood and the ceremonial features of the Law were completely obliterated. A certain degree of analogy may be made here in the end of the Age with the Truth Movement, which reached its climax in 1914-16, after which that Movement also began to wane. All who are at all familiar with conditions then know it would be an insult to Brother Russell to compare his brilliant performance with that which followed his death. And that change at 1916, when he died, has been sadly deteriorating in the years that have followed. Shortly after the Apostles passed away the great Apostasy appeared, which developed in scope and strength until the Bible itself was given little or no study; people believed what they were told by their renegade leaders. And a similar phase has been developing with us since 1914, so that today many so-called Truth people do not even know what Brother Russell taught; he is seldom quoted by many, as they also blindly accept what their leaders tell them.

It is a notable feature of the Jewish and Christian religions that each of them began with a true priesthood (Aaron and his sons), which slowly degraded into priestcraft, then into priestgraft ("a den of thieves" when Jesus arrived -Matt. 21:13). The twelve Apostles followed the course of Aaron even more rigidly than did Aaron -never took up a collection. When St. Paul acknowledged a gift from some of his beloved supporters, he said this: "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." (Phil. 4: 17) And he relates some very interesting features of his self-denials in 2 Cor. 11:21-28.

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

THE REWARDS OF SACRIFICE

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."  (Rom. 12:1) Nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded by the Lord to sacrifice our earthly rights and privileges. The Divine commands end at the line of justice. In other words, justice and righteousness are one and the same thing. Sacrifice, self-denial, taking up the cross to follow Jesus, are all propositions way beyond the Divine law. The Law Covenant proffered a perpetuation of human life to all who would fulfill its re­quirements. None of the Jews, with whom that Covenant was made, were able to fulfill those requirements, except the One who came from above and for whom was provided a perfect human body, which enabled Him to keep the requirements of the Law Covenant, entitling Him, therefore, to everlasting earthly life.

The New Law Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34), under the antitypical Mediator, will offer the same reward of everlasting human perfection to al1 who will fulfill its requirements. Its superiority over the first Law Covenant will consist in its having a better Mediator, capable of helping mankind fully out of condemnation, death and weakness and authorized so to do because of the merit of His "better sacrifices."

But while Jesus, born under the Law, was obligated to the conditions of that Covenant and fulfilled them, and thru them had a right to everlasting earthly life -He did more. He sacrificed that earthly life -laid it down (John 10:17,18) -permitted sinful men to take it from Him without resistance, although He had the power to call for legions of angels for protection. This was His sacrifice. He did not sacrifice sinful weaknesses, for He had none. He sacrificed perfect life and all His legal rights and privileges. His reward for so doing was exaltation from the human nature to the Divine nature -far above that of angels, principalities and powers. (Eph. 1:21) Thus exalted, He has the human rights (which He never forfeited) to give Adam and his race -their ransom-price. These He will give to them in the end of this Age, applying them to the sealing of the New Law Covenant, under which Israel and all mankind may be restored to all that was lost thru the first man's disobedience.

SIN-OFFERING SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE DURING THE GOSPEL AGE ONLY

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

The Ancient Worthies presented their bodies, laid down their lives, renouncing earthly rights, but they did not sacrifice for sin. Why? God did not call for human sacrifices for sin prior to Jesus' sacrifice of Himself. God was unwilling to accept imperfect, blemished creatures at His altar. They might lay down their lives, but He would not count-them sacrifices. Jesus was accepted as a sacrifice for sin because He was perfect, and His followers, since Pentecost, have been acceptable as sacrifices, because they were perfect -made so by the Redeemer's imputation to them of a sufficiency of His merit to compensate their blemishes. The spirit-begotten are reckoned perfect so long as they are faithful.

Aaron was commanded to offer the sin-offering sacrifices of the Day of Atonement "without blemish," which he scrupulously did. And it is probably true that the renegade priesthood that developed later also meticulously followed that procedure, because those priests would have died had they offered a blemished animal; and we have no record that any of them ever did die thru failure to keep that law. Jesus in His perfection was the antitype of the Atonement Day bullock; and His Gospel-Age followers -represented in the Atonement Day Lord's goat -are reckoned perfect because of the perfection of Jesus Himself.

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

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

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

THE PRESENTATION OF ONESELF ALWAYS A REASONABLE SERVICE

In view of these facts our advice to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him is the same message that has gone forth throughout this Age -"We beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies living sacrifices." We cannot now assure them that, after presenting themselves as sacrifices, God will accept them as such and grant them spirit-begetting to a new nature; but we can assure them that God always gives large rewards to those who manifest their faith and loyalty towards Him and His cause. We can tell them, too, that, to our understanding, the Scriptures teach that the Ancient Worthies (of which they may be a part if they fail to be accepted to the new nature) will be highly honored of God, perfect on the human plane and made "princes in all the earth." (Psa. 45:16) We can assure them that, to our understanding, these princes will have a glorious precedence over the remainder of mankind as the special representatives of the invisible Messiah class for a thousand years. We can assure them that, to our understanding, after participating in that glorious work, these princes will be uplifted at the close of the Millennium to the spirit plane of being -as part of the antitypical Levites. (Excerpts by John J. Hoefle, No. 324, June 1982)

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ASSAD DOESN'T NEED TO THREATEN ISRAEL BARAK IS DOING IT FOR HIM

Ehud Barak has apparently gone back to Clinton for help with his local public relations campaign. He still thinks that it was Carville who won the election for him rather than Netanyahu's failure to lead. Who but an American public relations whiz would think to sell the Golan give-away to the Jewish People by using coercion tactics?

Who ever heard of an experienced soldier explaining to his own people that we should surrender, because, if we don't, the enemy will go to war with us? Who ever heard of an elected Prime Minister of any country make such an absurd statement? When the Israeli Prime Minister publicly threatens his own people by telling us that, if we fail to achieve a peace agreement with Syria we are inviting war, he is actually being the representative of our enemies I III He is telling us, in effect, that we have no choice but to surrender to Syria for "peace." If we buy this garbage, then the next item on the agenda is giving away Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Jerusalem to Arafat for exactly the same reason! And why stop there? Certainly the Arabs living in the north would prefer to be a part of the PLO state. Why not give them Haifa? And what of the Arabs living in Jaffa? How can we interfere with their desires without inviting war? There is no end to this self-defeating policy.

The fact is really simple. Once you set the precedent that you are prepared to surrender without a fight, then the list of demands and demanders grows proportionately. Everyone wants a piece of the Israeli pie. And if we are giving it away, why shouldn't everyone come to get his free piece? No country ever gained respect and/or peace by appeasing its enemies. On the contrary. History has shown us that those who back down to coercion only invite more of the same. Those who speak of gaining peace by surrender to tyranny are cowardly self-deceivers.

Barak warned us that we should remember the scuds that were fired upon us by Iraq. Perhaps we should also remember the right wing Israeli government which chose not to fight back. Had we responded to the first scud with our own military might, there well may have been an end to it immediately. Instead we trusted our security to the hands of Bush. Doesn't it seem strange that the combined might of all those superpowers was unable to neutralize little Iraq? It was nothing less than a miracle that far more harm wasn't done to this country.

Somebody should tell our leaders that we are not a vassal of the United States. Any leader of a sovereign nation has, as his first responsibility, the obligation to defend that nation. Shamir failed to do this both during the intifada and the Gulf War. And Barak is presently failing by counseling surrender to Syria. It is nice to dream about making everyone's mother happy in the knowledge that we are building a new world of peace and tranquility for their children. But it is criminal to suggest that by surrendering to ruthless tyrants such will be the case.

Now, before we find ourselves with our backs to the sea, is the time to back away from Barak and bring this government down. Any coalition partner who can remain in this government at this time does not deserve the support of the Jewish people in the next election. Let Shas and the NRP have the courage to at long last act like Jews and walk out of this government of treason.

Whatever game Mr. Barak is playing with Syria, it is important for all of us to recognize that peace is certainly not one of the outcomes. If Barak is truly an honest man, then we have nothing to worry about. He clearly stated that he is not willing to depart from any of the Golan Heights without a full peace. If we do not have true peace with Egypt and the East Bank of Israel, then we certainly will never achieve such a peace with Syria. But the problem is that we are all participants in self-deception.

Abraham Lincoln once asked one of his aides to tell him how many legs a cow had. Perplexed at the question the aide replied that a cow has four legs. The president was pleased with the answer and then asked him how many legs the cow would have if we called its tail a leg. The aide replied that, in such a case it would have five legs. President Lincoln quickly responded that this was a big mistake. To call a cow's tail a leg does not make it one.

We are calling a process of successive surrender to our enemies peace. But calling surrender such a name doesn't change the fact that it really isn't and never will be peace.

(A Voice from Hebron, by Gary M. Cooperberg, December 20, 1999)

"BIBLE SHIFTS FROM HISTORY TO HUMANITIES: TALLAHASSEE -Students in Marion and Levy counties were asked during an exam on 1 Corinthians, 'Why is it hard for a non-Christian to understand things about God?'

"In Okaloosa County, students were asked, 'What is Jesus Christ's relationship to God, to creation and to you?'

"Among the harshest critics has been state Rep. Curt Levine, D-Boca Raton, who asked for the Department of Education, investigation. Levine criticized the 'anti-semitic and proselytizing instructional materials' being used in Some of the counties.

"Other counties where the Bible courses are being taught include: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Gulf, Taylor, Madison, Columbia, Clay, Levy, and Hillsborough." (Excerpts from The Orlando Sentinel, March 17, 2000)

"ISRAEL GIVES UP MORE LAND IN BID FOR PEACE: The move, effective Tuesday, leaves Palestinians in control of 41 percent of the West Bank. JERUSALEM -In the past, Israel has refused to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners from east Jerusalem because it does not recognize Palestinian jurisdiction over residents from the sector of the city it captured in the 1967 Mideast War.

"Ahmed Sublaban, chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Jerusalem, said the prisoner release will help to move the peace negotiations forward because 'it shows the families [of the prisoners] that the peace process is tangible and that they can benefit from the fruits of peace.'

"He called on Israel to release all of the approximately 1,650 Palestinian prisoners being held for anti-Israel activity -so-called security prisoners."

(Excerpts from Associated Press, March 20, 2000)

"ARAFAT'S POPE: If the past is prologue, the present should be a defiant rebuff of historic moral lapses. Regrettably, though, the lapses are often intentional and represent immoral prejudice.

"Not heeding the lessons of Pope Pius' collusion with Hitler during the Holocaust, Pope John Paul II has aligned himself with Yasir Arafat. Religious leaders should be the arbiters of religious and moral law, not the henchmen of executioners. John Paul II, in signing an accord with the PLO condemning Israel's control of east Jerusalem as 'morally and legally unacceptable, ' has involved the Holy See in a relationship reminiscent of that of Pope Pius XII's with Hitler.

"The Vatican's vestigial anti-Jewish overtones reverberate throughout the centuries. The Pope's actions bring to mind the echoes of Jewish supplicants throughout the centuries who were barred from praying at the holiest of sites in Israel. Never have Catholics, Muslims, Jews and the world's religionists been entitled to the degree of free religious access that they enjoy since those areas have been under Israeli jurisdiction. The religious character of Jerusalem has remained unqualified since the city's unification in 1967. That is by the grace of the Israeli government, a government that the Vatican sees fit to impugn in morally unacceptable terms.

"The papal pronouncement follows on the heels of a 1998 assessment by the Vatican's foreign minister calling the Israeli presence in eastern Jerusalem an 'illegal occupation.' Yet, that same moral outrage was absent when Jews were denied the right to pray at the Kotel from 1948 through 1967, when Jordan controlled east Jerusalem.  

"The moral outrage of the papacy seems misplaced, fifty years after Pope Pius XII could not muster enough moral revulsion to condemn Hitler and the Final Solution. In 'Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII, ' John Cornwell examines the geopolitical influence that Pope Pius exerted on the European theater. Vatican documents verify that he used 'moral blackmail' to solidify Rome's authority on Germany. That authority offered the most powerful endorsement of Hitler with the 'Reich Concordat,' the treaty with Hitler that legitimized his program to kill the Jews. It was by Pius' hand that moral and ethical outrage were purged from Catholic doctrine.

"The Vatican has, as yet, not come to terms with Pope Pius' complicity in the murder of millions of Jews. Until that happens, the Church should accept that moral indignance is the exclusive dominion of moral individuals, whose resume does not include terrorism 'and murder. Otherwise, John Paul II will be Arafat's Pope, as much as Pius was Hitler's Pope.

(What's On Your Mind, by Assemblyman Dov Hikind, The Jewish Press, February 25, 2000)

"AN OPEN LETTER TO JOHN PAUL II: Sir: When the news came out that you were meeting with Yasir Arafat about some moral issue, I was filled with great hope. Finally, I thought, someone was going to show moral leadership and demand from this man that he turn himself in as a war criminal. Yes, it looked as if you were going to ask that he be tried for the murder of innocent Jewish children. It appeared that you were going to exhort the world to reconsider its removal of him from the list of international terrorists, and ask the U.S. why it backed off its oath to never negotiate with someone it had termed a ruthless murderer.

"Imagine my surprise when you met with Arafat to issue a joint proclamation stating that any attempt by the Jewish State to control Jerusalem's fate is 'morally and legally unacceptable.' Of all things to hear from you sir! You who expressed regret for what your church had done to the Jews over the ages. We thought you had pledged to be a friend of Israel. Why, then, would you interfere in the internal affairs of Israel, an inter­vention which could cause serious harm to the Jewish State?

"You say that 2,000 years ago, a rabbi from Nazaretb fought to keep Rome from interfering in Jerusalem. Well, today, on that issue, this rabbi from Monsey agrees with him completely. Evidently, you don't. How unChristian!

"Interference by your church in the internal affairs of Israel conjures up the wish of Justin Martyr, one of your early saints, who wanted Jewish towns to be consumed in flames, and demanded that no Jew be able to go to Jerusalem.

"Let us look at the record of the powers who have controlled Jerusalem, and their efforts to protect its places holy to various religions:

"Israeli soldiers died (you should read the list of their names) recapturing Jerusalem because they did not want to take the city by bombarding it which would have destroyed some of your churches. That respect for what various groups consider holy places was not demonstrated by the Jordanians and their Palestinian inhabitants who, while in control of Jerusalem, smashed Jewish synagogues and used them for latrines. And now -you, sir, a man whose predecessors rejoiced in the sacking of Jerusalem, stand together with the head of those Palestinians -a murderer of Jewish children -a man whose Koran considers you an infidel -and you both feel you have the right to preach to the Jews about the morality of control of Jerusalem!  Jerusalem, the city which your very Bible states as belonging to the Jews. Jerusalem, the city which, had it been under Jewish control in 1939, would have been a haven for escapees from the Holocaust. The Jews had no one to speak up for them then. Your predecessor Pius XII fell silent. That was bad enough. But, now, as nazism rises once again in Austria and Germany, as Iran and Iraq load up with Scuds, you demand that Jews not be in control of Jerusalem.

"Not on your life, sir! Your voice could serve as an instrument of peace in the world. Joint statements with a murderer have the very opposite effect. There is still time to reconsider.

 "The Jewish national memory is very long. We remember what happened to us 60 years ago. We also remember what your church leaders did to us and to our city throughout the centuries -especially Godfrey of Bouillon, who, in the First Crusade of 1095, wrote to Pope Urban II stating that 'in the Porch and in the Temple of Solomon our people had the vile blood... up to the knees of their horses. ' "In the words of a recently martyred Rabbi, Never Again, sir, Never Again." (The Spivak Report, by Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, The Jewish Press, February 25, 2000)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION -In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46) to whom does the word nations refer?

ANSWER -This parable is entirely applied to the world, to the nations [peoples], the heathen in the Kingdom. For centuries the Jews had been accustomed to thinking of themselves as God's nation, God's people. All others they styled heathen, Gentiles, the people, the nations; and in the prophecies God treated the matter from this stand­point. So when spiritual Israel was received into Divine favor as the Royal Priesthood, the Holy Nation, the Peculiar people, all the remainder of mankind was properly enough to be thought of and described as "the nations," "the Gentiles."

In line with this our Lord in this parable tells what is to befall after His Kingdom shall have been set up -after the selection of the true church class to be the Bride, the Lamb's wife and joint-heirs in His Kingdom, in His throne. This, we notice, is very clearly stated by the Master, saying, "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels [saints] with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." (v. 31) Who, after proper consideration, will say that this is a matter of the past? Who will dispute that this is a description of Messiah's Kingdom following His Parousia and His Epiphaniea at His Second Advent?

Then follows the description of the work of the Millennial Age. "Before him shall be gathered all nations." (v. 32) This means all the people of the world outside the Lord's Holy nation, His peculiar people, the Church and other elect classes. Everybody except these will be before His great white throne of justice, mercy and love; that will be their judgment time. "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants will learn righteousness." (lsa. 26:9) "Bec ause he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:31)

For centuries the nations have claimed to be Christian kingdoms and called themselves Christendom, which means Christ's Kingdom. But God never approved of calling these nations by the name of Christ. Their only right, aside from the vote of the people, is in God's limited grant to rule until He comes whose right the dominion is. Let it be recognized that the best and the worst of earth's nations are but "kingdoms of this world," whose lease of power from God is now expired and they will give way to their ordained successor, the Kingdom of Messiah.

Read what God tells Israel in Jer. 30:11: "For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." This is repeated in Jer. 46:28.

Since nations will have no resurrection as nations, their reaping would come in this present evil world. (Gall: 4) The decision has already been made against present governments and institutions. "Mene, Mene, Teke1, Upharsin... Thou art weighted in the balance and found wanting." (Dan. 5: 25-28) The nations have been judged and now the eviction is taking place. We have seen the fall of one nation after another. Some have long since disappeared.

The establishment of the Lord's Kingdom will be in the top of these Kingdoms while they still exist (Isa. 2:2, 3; Micah 4:1) -that is, it will replace them. So while these nations are crumbling His Kingdom is rising. And the people will "go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." Hallelujah!

NO. 516 ST. PETER'S KEYS

"Upon this rock will I build My Church; and the gates of Hell [Hades, the grave] shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 16:18, 19) 

For some unaccountab1e reason numerous Catholics have gotten the thought that we are their foe, just as Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, etc., have gotten the impression that we are their foe. We are a foe to no human being, and especially to no Christian. We believe more fully than do Methodists in Free Grace-which ultimately God's grace will reach every human being. We believe more emphatically than do most Presbyterians that the Church is an especially elect class, and is now being gathered out of the world to be God's agents in the ultimate blessing of all the non-elect. We believe with Baptists that only the Elect, the immersed, will constitute the Kingdom of God, although we deny their claim that baptism in water is the real immersion. We hold, with the Apostle, that it is baptism into Christ's death. Similarly we hold to the great Catholic doctrine that there is only one true Church, founded by the Lord Jesus Christ through His Apostles, nearly nineteen centuries ago. We are aware that several churches claim to be Catholic -the Anglican Catholic, the Syrian Catholic, the Greek Catholic, and the Roman Catholic. Each claims to be the true Church and reprobates the others as heretical.

But we take the still broader, catholic ground. We hold that the word catholic means general; and that any limitation, such as Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, etc., to that extent denies their catholicity. Perhaps, therefore, we are really saying that we are more catholic than any of these brethren. We must prove our point or be misunderstood. We hold, and few, if any, will dispute it, that the one catholic or universal or general Church of Christ is the one mentioned in the Bible -"the Church of the First-borns, written in Heaven." If this be admitted, our next proposition is that the Lord in Heaven records as members of His true Church the saintly only-whether Roman Catholics, Anglican Catholics, Greek Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc.

Have we not here the one Church, the Catholic Church, the universal, the only Church which the Bible recognizes? In the past we have been too narrow and have supposed that God was as narrow as ourselves. It was on this account that in the past Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Baptist and Methodists persecuted and were persecuted, because each thought itself the true Church. Are we not all getting broader conceptions of our God and of His Church? Do we not see that a part of our mistake was in calling the outward organization the Church of Christ, instead of remembering that the Lord alone writes the names of the Church, that He alone reads the hearts, that He alone is the Judge, and that He alone has the right to blot out the names of those who become reprobates? St. Paul wrote against the spirit of sectarianism, already manifest in his day -some saying, “I am of Paul"; others, "I am of Peter," etc. The Apostle asks, "Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor. 1:10-13) So, today, if with us, he would ask, "Why Romanists, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, etc.? Is not the name of Christ enough?" He explains that these different names of old signified a sectarian spirit, the spirit of division, that failed to recognize the true Head of the Church, His true representatives and His true members. The trouble is the same today. The entire foundation of divided Christianity would disappear and all the true Church of Christ -all real saints -would be speedily manifest, if true catholicity were acknowledged.

The one great obstacle to unity is the erroneous doctrine respecting the eternal torture of all not members of the Church. We must open our eyes wider and see that many of our theories were not taught by Jesus and the Apostles. We must see that the Church is a comparatively small company of saintly footstep followers of Jesus, irrespective of sectarian lines; that the Bible teaches not that these are to look over the battlements of Heaven to all eternity and see all others in torment, but that they are to demonstrate their loyalty unto death and in due time be associated with Messiah in His great Millennial Kingdom, which will bring knowledge and opportunity to all the families of the earth-the living and the dead (Rev. 20:11-13).

St. Paul declared that the saints of God, the true catholic Church, "are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone." (Eph. 2: 20) The Twelve Apostles are here referred to in their double office -  Apostles especially commissioned by the Lord as His representatives and prophets, mouthpieces, for the proclamation of the Message of the Church. Jesus, referring to these same foundation stones, pictures the Church of Glory as the New Jerusalem, and its twelve foundations as twelve precious stones, in which are the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb -no more, no less -St. Paul being God's choice to take the place of Judas, the betrayer of his Lord and Master. To think of St. Peter as the only foundation for the Church would be to deny Christ’s teaching and St. Peter's own statement -that the entire Church is symbolically represented as living stones built together by the Lord through the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:4-6). It was a costly mistake when our forefathers, overlooking this well-established point of Scripture, thought of the bishops of the Church as Apostolic Bishops, and took their decisions in councils assembled as the voice of God to and through the Church. The voice of God to and through the Church came only through "the twelve Apostles of the Lamb." All others so claiming are denounced by Jesus Himself as false Apostles (Rev. 2:2). God's true saints of all denominations should ignore all human creeds and return to the Bible and its declaration of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." (Eph. 4: 5, 6) Are we more loyal to human organizations than to God, His Truth, His Church -all saints and one people, imbued with one spirit, the world around -the real catholic Church?

As St. Peter was only one of the twelve foundation stones of the Church, so, likewise, he was only one of The Twelve to whom the Lord declared, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven" (Matt. 18:18) -the same statement exactly that on another occasion He made to St. Peter only. But He gave the keys to St. Peter alone. Would it seem reasonable that Jesus should tell the twelve Apostles that God would do anything that they bade Him do -taking to Heaven whom they pleased and excluding whom they chose? Would it be wise or safe to entrust to poor humanity such dictatorial powers respecting the eternal interest of even one individual? Assuredly not!

When we remember that these Apostles declared that they were men of like passions with others, that St. Peter himself dissembled on one occasion and on another denied his Master, we are the more convinced that Jesus did not mean that God would abdicate His authority and wisdom in favor of any twelve men. What, then, does this passage mean? We answer, It implies that the Lord would so overrule the utterances and writings of His twelve Apostles as to make them safe guides for His Church. To these Apostles would be given through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost wisdom enabling them to understand which things of the Jewish Law were binding upon the Church and which not binding. Their decision would be absolutely right, and the entire Church might have confidence that what the Apostles bound or loosed on earth was equally bound or loosed in Heaven.

As an illustration of this binding and loosing, see Acts 15:28, 29. To get back into proper relationship with each other and rid of all sectarian systems, God's people must recognize that only the words of the New Testament Apostles and Prophets are authoritative, properly representing the Divine mind. Other things men have bound and loosed on earth, without recognition in Heaven. The things necessary to the Church are found only in the Bible, as St. Paul declares (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

THE CHURCH UPON THE ROCK

"Other Foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 3:11) In the Divine arrangement Jesus Christ is the Foundation, the Rock, upon which is built the entire superstructure of His Church -the one Catholic, world-wide Church. On this Rock, Christ Jesus, as St. Peter declares, all the Church is being built as a Temple of God (1 Peter 2:4-10). The New Jerusalem, the Church in glory, had twelve foundation stones, built upon the one Foundation Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ. It would manifestly be erroneous, therefore, to suppose that our Lord abdicated His own place in the Church in favor of St. Peter, much as He loved His impulsive disciple. What, then, did Jesus mean when He called St. Peter a stone, spoke of building His Church upon "this rock," and declared that the gates of Hell (Hades, the grave) would not prevail against it? We reply, Jesus went down into the prison-house of death, Sheol, Hades, the tomb; but on the third day the gates of Sheol, Hades, were opened, and He came forth. These gates will not prevail against the Church, as they did not prevail against her Lord. This is an assurance of the resurrection of the dead.

To understand St. Peter's connection with the Rock Foundation of the Church, we should read the preceding context. The disciples had told Jesus the common talk respecting Himself. He then asked them, "Whom say ye that I am?" St. Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." This was the first public declaration of Jesus' Messiahship. Even the disciples had only now come to recognize their Teacher as the long-promised Messiah. Jesus answered, "Blessed art thou, Simon, son of Jonas; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but My Father in Heaven. Thou art Peter [a stone, ready for the spiritual Temple, the first one to publicly acknowledge Jesus], and upon this rock [the Truth just declared, that I am Messiah] I will build My Church." In the Greek the word Peter Signifies a stone of moderate size, while the word here rendered rock signifies a mass of stone -a foundation. Our Lord Jesus Christ evidently meant that St. Peter's statement was a recognition of Himself as the great Foundation of the Divine Plan -Messiah. Upon that foundation truth, that Jesus is Christ, the Church would be built; and St. Peter was the first living stone to build himself upon that foundation by believing and confessing Christ. St. Peter himself gives us the same thought -that he and all others of the Church, are living stones, being builded together as a Holy Temple of God. This entire Gospel Age has been devoted to the building of these stones upon that great Foundation Rock, Christ Jesus. As soon as the great Temple of God shall be completed, this Gospel Age will end and the New Dispensation be inaugurated, for the blessing of all the families of the earth.

To St. Peter our Lord said, "I will give thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." What did He mean? We shall not suppose that any who are sufficiently intelligent to read this article are stupid enough to think Jesus meant that Heaven is locked up, and that nobody could get in except as St. Peter would open the door or gate. True, some have voiced such fantastic notions. But we refuse to believe that intelligent people could be in earnest in any such view, the absurdity of which is apparent. What the Lord meant is very simple, very beautiful; and we see exactly how it was fulfilled. He indicated that St. Peter, the first to confess Him, was to have a special honor in connection with the inauguration of the Church on earth. By the expression, "Kingdom of Heaven," is meant the Church, a class being called out of the world to become with Christ the ruling power of the world during the Millennium, through the great resurrection "change." (1 Cor.15:42, 54)

Jesus meant that St. Peter would be honored in being permitted to do an opening work in connection with the Church. The Bible shows us two different opening works and two different keys. The key is a symbol of power or authority or an initiative. St. Peter used his first key of privilege on the day of Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit came upon the early waiting Church, it was St. Peter that used this key. Standing up with the other Apostles, he lifted up his voice, explained the situation and opened the door to the Church of Christ for the Jews, admonishing them of their opportunity to enter. He told of the merit of Christ's death and how He had risen and had ascended on High, and how forgiveness of sins was, therefore, preached in His name (Acts 2:14-36).

The second key to the Kingdom of Heaven -the Church, the embryo Kingdom preparing for glory -St. Peter used three and a half years later. Then the seventieth week of Divine favor prophetically appointed to the Jews expired, and the time that "Gentiles might be fellow-heirs with the Jews of the same Promise" came. The opening work was with the household of Cornelius, to whom St. Peter preached Christ. The Lord blessed the preaching and granted the Holy Spirit to Cornelius and his family. Thus the Gentile door into the Kingdom was thrown wide open (Acts 10). "That repentance and remission of sins might be preached in His name to all people." (Luke 24:47) God never gave power to bishops, priests or ministers of any denomination to forgive sins. "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Nor did Jesus give authority to His Apostles to forgive sins. They might preach repentance and forgiveness, but only in His name. Any child of God is Scripturally authorized to declare that Christ died for human sin, and has thus made arrangement by which all repentant sinners may be forgiven. It is an honor to be the bearer of such a Message from God to men; and every child of God is fully commissioned to tell the Divine Message to all who will hear. In proportion as God's people throwaway their sectarian spectacles they can read God's Message in the words of Jesus and the Apostles.

Let us hold fast the precious Word which Jesus exhorted us to search and which is sufficient that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished. Let us remember that there is only one true Church, each member of which is a saint, related to God and the Lord Jesus Christ through faith, repentance and remission of sin and the begetting of the Holy Spirit; that it is the only Church that is catholic, universal; and that a member of the Body of Christ is a member of that Body anywhere. "Ye are the Body of Christ and members in particular." (1 Cor. 12:27)

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love!

(Herald of the Epiphany, July 15, 1943, pp. 25-26)

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WEIZMANN'S RESIDENCE RE-OPENS

One of Israel's most historic homes -designed by Erich Mendelsohn, one of the most important architects of the century -is once again open to the public. Its grace and innovative styling is as vibrant today as when it was first completed. The private Rehovot home of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, and his wife, Dr. Vera Weizmann, has not only been restored to its original beauty, but has been elevated to museum level.

"This combination of legacies is of rich importance in both Jewish and universal terms," says Hanan Alon, the Weizmann Institute's vice president for international affairs and public relations. "Dr. Weizmann's importance and contribution both as an architect of the Jewish state and a pioneering scientist are expressed in all facets of the Weizmann Institute of Science, so we find it fitting to be entrusted, now, with administering his home as well."

Chaim Weizmann bequeathed his home and its l1-acre estate to the State of Israel upon his death in 1952, at age 78. Consequently, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the State of Israel instituted Yad Weizmann to promote his contributions to the Jewish people and administer the property. Vera Weizmann continued to live in the family home until her death in 1968, and was buried next to her husband on its grounds. A few years later, the house was opened to the public, enabling Israeli school children and visitors from around the world to experience history where it was made. Twenty years of continuous activity, however, had taken a toll on the house, and it had to be closed. In time, Yad Weizmann decided to empower the Weizmann Institute to seek funding for restoration of the estate, which borders the campus of the institute.

The challenge was great, because the decision was taken not only to refurbish the house, but also to restore it to its original condition. Architect Mendelsohn designed the house long before establishing his international reputation; his first project in the future State of Israel.

The building's design is as modern as anything being built today, bearing testimony to Mendelsohn's reputation as a Modernist and Expressionist. It bears the architect's signature of sweeping curves, which seem to defy being executed in cement. Structurally, the house comprises a concrete frame and silicate bricks, two layers of insulation, and a stucco exterior. Equally characteristic is the use of a staircase connecting the two floors. From the outside, the windows serve as a visual "spine" from which the rest flows in symmetry. Internally, the spiral staircase and the natural light bathing it contribute to a soothing ambiance. Impressive as the structure is in position and size, it does not belie the fact that it contains 22 rooms, along with wide verandas on the second floor, overlooking the gardens and with a view to the Judean Hills.

The restoration work brought together a microcosm of what Chaim Weizmann had worked for as a Zionist; expert restorers, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, an Israeli born curator; the grandson of Mendelsohn's largest private client; and immigrant construction supervisor from Kiev and a furniture restorer from St. Petersburg.

"It's our luck, that we had this. wave of immigration from Russia in the 1990s," said Merav Segal, Weizmann House curator and archivist. "All of our restorers except two are experts in their specialties."

Working under the supervision of curators from the Israel Museum and Prof. Anita Shapira, a historian and the chair of Yad Weizmann, the home's original form and interiors were faithfully restored. In fact, Mrs. Weizmann's meticulous records served as a guide to the restorers, who thoroughly researched her notes and documents.

Similarly, project architect Hillel Schocken approached the effort differently from ordinary projects. "This was not typical architectural work,” he explains. "My goal was that no one should know I had been there; that if Mendelsohn entered it, he would see it as something he had designed and which had been kept well. This was not easy, since we had to install some modern features, such as an air-conditioning system, then find a way to conceal it."

Mendelsohn took a holistic approach to his work, designing not only the house, but also the garden and its paths. Mendelsohn lost a battle of wills with Dr. Vera Weizmann, however. Dr. Weizmann insisted on her own preferences in furnishings. This brought a certain British flavor to what Mendelsohn had hoped would be a total statement of new Hebrew architecture, expressed in both design and materials.

One can imagine that he would have approved of the additions eventually made to the estate. Among the additions include a monument to the Holocaust and a sculpted entrance gate, both by Israeli artist Danny Karavan.

Visiting the home prior to its rededication on the anniversary of Chaim Weizmann's death, the country's current president, Ezer Weizman (who has dropped one 'n' from the family name), expressed his great satisfaction with the faithful restoration of his uncle's residence.

(Jewish Journal, L'Chaim, January 11, 2000)

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POPE APOLOGIZES FOR CATHOLICS' SINS

The pontiff asked God's forgiveness for wrongs committed by the church throughout the centuries. VATICAN CITY -In an unprecedented moment in the history of the church, Pope John Paul II asked God's forgiveness Sunday for the sins of Roman Catholics through the ages, including wrongs inflicted on Jews, women and minorities. The apology was a personal landmark for a frail, ailing pope who vowed to cleanse and reinvigorate Catholicism for its third millennium.

"We forgive and we ask forgiveness," he said at several points during the solemn Day of Pardon Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

The church burned heretics at the stake during the Inquisition. Armies of the faithful slaughtered Muslims during the Crusades. And during the Holocaust, some Catholics stood silent in the face of Nazi genocide.

The pontiff did not specifically mention such infamous wrongs during the service. Few specific groups were mentioned, and no names were given.

Still, the references were clear, both in John Paul's words and those of the five Vatican cardinals and two bishops who confessed sins on behalf of the church.

Cardinal Edward Cassidy recalled the "sufferings of the people of Israel" and asked divine pardon for "the sins committed by not a few [Catholics] against the people of the Covenant."

After a moment of silent prayer, the pope responded: "We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood."

Several Jewish leaders praised his penitential words but said they expect more during the pope's March 20 through 26 visit to the Holy Land. During his trip the pontiff will visit Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, and the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.

The director of Yad Vashem, Avner Sha1ev, called Sunday's Day of Pardon both "significant" and "historic."

 Israelis want papal mention of Holocaust. JERUSALEM -Israel's chief rabbi said Sunday that he is "deeply frustrated" by Pope John Paul II's failure to mention the Holocaust in his appeal for forgiveness for the sins of Roman Catholics.

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau joined other Israelis in expressing hope that the pope omitted the Holocaust from Sunday's service only because he is planning a specific apology during his Holy Land pilgrimage next week.

"To mention The Inquisition from the year 1492 and to exclude the Wannsee conference from 1942 demonstrates a severely warped view of history," Lau said in a statement. Wannsee Lake in Berlin is where the Nazis planned the elimination of the Jewish people.

Israeli and Jewish leaders do not directly blame the church for the Holocaust, the systematic murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis and their allies during the 1939-45 German occupation of Europe.

Still, the role some Catholics played in helping to carry out the genocide, the church's silence and the ideological succor the Nazis drew from the church's voluminous anti-Jewish doctrines -most repudiated only in the years after the Holocaust -have led to deep-seated skepticism of Vatican statements among Jews.

During the service at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the pope referred to the Jews in a prayer: "We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood."

Lau said he hoped that the pope was reserving his Holocaust apology for his visit to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial.

I hope deeply that the pope of today, whom I appreciate very much for his doings and for his condemning anti-Semitism, will complete the asking of forgiveness next week in Yad Vashem in Jerusalem," Lau told Associated Press Television News.

(Associated Press, March 13, 2000)

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QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION -Did the Lord make the earth habitable for man and beast in six literal days?

ANSWER -No. There are several "days" mentioned in the Bible -some of 40 years, and a 1,000 years is a day with the Lord. Psa. 90: 4 tells us "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." And 2 Peter 3:8 tells us: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.'"

But let us not reason that the earth, beasts and man were created in 6,000 years. That, too, is far too short a time for this great work. Then how can we figure it? Each day was the same length, so That Servant gave us the Truth on the matter in Volume 6, Chapter One. For details we can look it up. For now, the answer is that each day with the Lord in this instance was 7,000 years long.

So we don't want to make a case for Science by contending that the earth was made habitable in Six Literal Days. We agree with scientists that six literal days is a ridiculous assumption. Another reason for not believing it was six literal sun days, the Sun, Moon and Stars were not made until the 4th day (Gen. 1:14-19).

The Lord calls as a Day many periods of different lengths of years. The 40 years in the wilderness is called a day by God; the Day of Vengeance (which is many years), Jer. 46:10; the Day of Calamity, Jer. 46:21; the Day of Trouble, which is upon us now, Jer. 51:2. We do not know how long this Day of Trouble will be and probably will not know until its end.

QUESTION -Do you believe That Servant's chronology?

ANSWER -We believe all his Bible Chronology that is verified by the signs of the times.  Many Bible Students believe Brother Russell was That Servant, but don't believe all he taught. We believe what he taught when it is supported by the Bible. His Bible Chronology for 1874, 1914, etc., was supported by the signs of the time. However, there is one event for 1874 that hasn't been fulfilled, and that is the Jubilee. The completion of the Jubilee period is still future, and we will have to wait and see if his chronology of that is correct. Some speculate on that, which is all right, but we will know only when it is fulfilled if his prediction is correct.

He announced that the Kingdom was set up September 21, 1914 in Reprint 5632. This was in harmony with his teaching that the Harvest was a 40-year period. We find this in his book What Pastor Russell Said, as well as the six volumes. He gives this in The Time is at Hand and others of the six volumes. Do the Lord's people believe he gave that date from his own ideas or from Bible chronology? We do not believe That Servant would treat God's people in such a way.

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IN MEMORY OF HERMANN BEZNER

Hermann Bezner, Emek Ha Shalom, Yokneam, Israel, died January 8th, 2000; he was 99 years old. He was born in Besigheim, Germany, and was already as a young man interested in the teachings of Charles T. Russell, an Early American Christian Zionist. Pastor Russell then was the leader of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This was before the Society changed his teachings under a new leader, J. F. Rutherford, who founded Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931.

Hermann followed Romans 12: 1 and consecrated himself unto death with Christ. He knew that we now live in the seventh Millennium after Adam was created and that during this Millennium Christ's Kingdom shall be established beginning with Israel in Palestine.

Pastor Russell and his followers criticized the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, who supported Adolf Hitler and the National-socialists. Particularly they criticized the Doctrine of transubstantiation. Hermann and his twin brother as followers of Charles Russell had to flee. Hermann fled to Austria, where he hid himself for seven years at a small mountain farm. His brother stayed behind and was killed by the National socialists. Hermann started a supermarket in Vienna after the war.

Hermann, who had dedicated his life to Christ and Christ's Kingdom beginning with Israel, bought in 1962 land just south of Mount Carmel, where he believed the hills of Ephraim lay. There he and his helper, Joseph Elisha, laid out the beautiful farm, Emek Ha Shalom. He and Joseph wanted to show how beautiful Israel could be, when cultivated with love and care.

People in thousands came to Emek Ha Shalom to listen to Hermann who spoke of Daniel 12: 1: "and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was ... " He knew that Christ has given His perfect human vital energy to mankind, and therefore will not be a human being any more. He also spoke of the future Israel. All his listeners will remember his nice big painting, where beasts of prey dwelt with the lamb, which means that in the future men of wolf-like disposition shall not any more be allowed to live on people of lamb-like disposition as now usually is the case in churches and sects.

Everyone passing the main gate of the farm was met by a picture which reminded of Isaiah 2:4: "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares ... " Hermann was indeed a founder of a Valley of Peace.

We his friends in Sweden shall remember Hermann with gratitude and honour the memory of him.

(Anders Karlen and Leif Malmkvist)

Stockholm, January 15, 2000.

We join with Anders Karlen and Leif Malmkvist in their love and appreciation of Hermann Bezner. We are sure that God in His tender mercy for Hermann will reward him according to his faithfulness.

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"IN THE VALLEY OF 'THE SHADOW"

BROTHER EDWARD M. BURKE, Sr. finished his course Friday, February 4, 2000, born March 28, 1922. He was with the U.S. Naval Intelligence in World War Two: attended Dartmouth Co11ege in Office and Training Program: attended the Rollins College class of '49 as Captain of the Tennis Team: attended University of Miami '49, '51 (law). Ed Burke, after a previous stint, returned as Vice President and General Manager of the Forsgate Country Club. His career for the past few years before he came to his home in Eustis, was as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Deer Creek Country Club.

Survivors are Sister Betty and their son, Edward M. Burke, Jr., and brothers, Robert Burke and Thomas Burke of New York, and sisters, Marie Penicko and Eileen Schmidt, of New York.

Brother Burke was coming to the Bible Study of Epiphany Bible Student Ass'n for some time before he became ill, and even after he became too ill to attend he kept up with the lessons. Such brethren cannot be replaced. After he learned there was no cure for his illness he said, "I don't know how much time I have, but I want to do good as long as I live." He often said he was happier than he had ever been. We loved him and mourn with his family. Everybody loved him that knew him well.               

He is now "asleep in Jesus" awaiting the resurrection of the Just (Acts 24:15), and will be one of the "princes in all the earth" (Psa. 45:16) in the Kingdom.

NO. 515 EPIPHANEIA - APOKALYPSIS

Frequently the question still comes to us: Is there an Apokalypsis as a special period of time here in the end of the Age? Those of our readers who are informed in Epiphany Truth are fully convinced that the Bible does clearly define an Epiphaneia as a special period of time in the end of this Age, which we hope to clarify later in this paper. This Epiphaneia could also be designated the Apokalypsis, because both words as an act and as a period of time are synonymous; but the Scriptures that definitely reveal this period contain the word Epiphaneia in the original. Thus, we are more meticulously adhering to Bible designation when we use the word Epiphaneia, rather than Apokalypsis, when we discuss this period.

However, before proceeding to further analysis of our subject, we would stress that there are no clear Scriptures at all that outline an Apokalypsis as a special period of time following the Epiphaneia - just none at all! As stated, we could label the Epiphaneia, the last special period of the Gospel Age, the Apokalypsis as a secondary appellation. However, whichever designation we accept, the two are concurrent, inseparably linked together; they are decidedly not two different periods of time.

As an act, and as a period of time, Epiphaneia and Apokalypsis do have the same application - although they are not synonymous in the strict sense of the word. Many translators give Epiphaneia as bright shining, forth shining, uncovering, etc.; whereas, they offer revelation as the meaning of Apokalypsis. Viewed critically, it is impossible to have one without the other, which explains why they are synonymous as an act and as a period of time. Thus, it requires the bright shining to produce the revelation. For instance, the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, has been with us since the Apostle John wrote it; but it cannot possibly be understood - revealed, uncovered - until the bright shining (Epiphaneia) makes it clear. While Martin Luther saw the explanation for some parts of Revelation, other parts of it he could not possibly understand because the bright shining had not arrived to reveal it - in the "due time." Just one instance: The 1260 days (1260 literal years) of the Beast (Rev. 13:5) could not possibly be clear to him because those years did not end until 1799 (and prophecy cannot be understood in detail until it has been fulfilled, or is in process of fulfillment) - when the Pope's power was broken by Napoleon - about 250 years after Luther's death.

Thus, it will be seen that the bright shining and the revelation have continued in limited measure throughout the Gospel Age; and there is also an Epiphaneia - or Apokalypsis - designated as a special period of time here in the end of the Age; but it cannot truthfully be stated that there is a special Apokalypsis period apart from the Epiphaneia - or the Epiphany, as we call it. For instance, 2 Timothy 4:1 says, "The Lord Jesus shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing [Epiphaneia] and kingdom [Basileia]." There is no mention of His judging in the Apokalypsis, as a period apart from the Epiphaneia. And all Bible Students will surely admit that we are yet in the judging period of the elect and of the world - the world in the sense of the "judgments of the nations [not individuals]." Regardless of how little time that judging would consume, it must be evident that it is nevertheless a special period of time. And, again, "That wicked one whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [Epiphaneia] of His coming [Parousia]." (2 Thes. 2:8) Here is a statement concerning the time and method of Antichrist' s destruction. It also clearly sets forth a period of time for the Epiphany here in the end of the Age, the time in which we are now living.  There are no such Scriptures anywhere to designate an Apokalypsis apart from the Epiphaneia as a period of time; but, granted that there were, we must self-evidently still be in the Epiphaneia because Antichrist is still with us.   Thus the Epiphaneia must continue until that destruction occurs; and, since it is one of the special features of the Time of Trouble, it should also be apparent that the Epiphaneia and the Time of Trouble are identical; the one cannot end until the other ends. But nowhere in the Bible are these things declared regarding an Apokalypsis apart from the Epiphaneia as a period of time.

In corroboration of the aforegoing, we offer the following from E-4-15, bottom and top of page 16: "The words epiphaneia and apokalypsis, in the sense of an action, and in the sense of a period, are synonymous... There has been a gradual epiphanizing, revealing, ever since 1874 to the Church; but, so far as the world and the Great Company are concerned, this has gradually been going on since the tribulation began in 1914; and will increase and finally come to a climax at the end of the Epiphany - the end of the Time of Trouble. This is the reason why the Time of Trouble is EMPHATICALLY the Epiphany, the Apokalypsis, for it clearly with more distinctness than the preceding period manifests pertinent persons, principles and things."

And this "manifesting" is certainly true of those "pertinent persons" who once accepted the above teaching, but have now departed from it - whether in whole or in part - because that is the Truth today the same as it was the Truth when it was written sixty years ago. The Epiphany Messenger had sound foundation for his teaching of the Epiphany and the Time of Trouble as an identical period of time. It was given him and us by the Parousia Messenger - That Servant. But the would-be teachers of today have no sound foundation for their "New Views" from either Messenger - no hint of another period from either Messenger, and no hint of an "extended" Basileia overlapping to include three major features of the Epiphany, or the Time of Trouble.

EPIPHANEIA-APOKALYPSIS IDENTICAL

The word epiphaneia occurs six times in the New Testament - translated five times as appearing, and once as brightness, the latter occurring in 2 Thes. 2:8. The other five texts are 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 1:10; 4:1; 4:8 and Titus 2:13. Aside from 2 Tim. 1:10 (which refers to the First Advent), all other five occurrences refer to the Second Advent and the Time of Trouble. In the sense of the second period of our Lord's Second Advent it is limited to the time between the Parousia and the Basileia. It is used to designate the period of the great tribulation, the Time of Trouble. Remembering that the epiphaneia and the apokalypsis are one and the same time and that this period is for the benefit of the world and the Great Company, we can readily see that the Scriptures teach that the Epiphany, as a period, is the Time of Trouble. (See E-4, page 21, par. 14)

Another Scripture relative to our subject is 2 Thes. 1:7,8: "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed [apokalypsed, uncovered by the epiphaneia, bright shining] from Heaven with His mighty angels [the agents whereby He will wreck the present order - the main agent being the "sea," the lawless elements of society] in flaming fire [fire in the Bible generally designates destructive forces - See Dan. 7:11], taking vengeance on them that know not God [the Second Deathers in the Nominal Church], and [on them] that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ [the Second Deathers in the Truth Movements] " That this is still future, but a part of the Epiphaneia period is further revealed by 2 Pet. 3:7, Dia.: "The present Heavens and the Earth [the present social order], by the same word, are treasured up, being kept for fire to a day of judgment and destruction of impious [second-death] men." All such are to be eliminated in the approaching, but still future, holocaust of destruction - the "flaming fire" of this Epiphaneia.

Further corroboration of the same is to be found in Zech. 12:9,10, wherein is described the Lord's epiphanizing of Himself to Israel: "It shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem [in the end of the second phase of Jacob's Trouble - Zech. 12:1-8; Ezek. 38 and 39] and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced [Rev. 1:7]; and they shall mourn for it [for having pierced Him at Calvary]." All Truth people recognize at once that this passage refers to the end of Jacob's trouble, and that it proves our Lord’ s revelation of Himself to Israel as their long rejected Messiah. Hence these two verses   prove that the Time of Trouble and the Epiphany are identical. By the above passages we have proved that the Epiphany began with the War in 1914, will progress through Revolution, and will end with Anarchy and Jacob's trouble. Its beginning, progressing and ending with the Time of Trouble demonstrates its identity with the Time of Trouble.

TIMELY QUOTATIONS FROM THAT SERVANT

Note now the following from That Servant on the Epiphaneia under the sub-heading of PAROUSIA FIRST - EPIPHANY AND APOKALUPSIS FOLLOW: "In its light we can now see that our Master will be present for a time, in the Harvest time of this Age - invisibly present doing a work in His Church, before any outward sign or revealing to the world takes place. His work in His Church will be the separating of the true from the merely nominal - the 'wheat' from the 'tares.' His revealing will be in the 'flaming fire' the great Time of Trouble with which this Age will close, and in which the 'tares' shall cease to be tares'… Another parable also shows that before revealing Himself in any manner to the world, He calls first His own servants and reckons with them. (Luke 19: 15-2 7) . . . Nor can any but the few hear and appreciate the evidences, or understand the Master' s words that as the world knew not in the days of Noah, even thus shall it be in the presence of the Son of Man (Matt. 2 4: 37) - they shall. know not, and the ordinary avocations of daily life shall continue, until disturbed by the commotion and trouble of the EPIPHANEIA, the APOKALUPSIS of the King in the pouring out of the seven last plagues - when the judgments of the Lord shall be abroad in the earth and the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness." (February 15, 1902, Reprints 2956-2957)

Haven't the "commotions of this Epiphany period disturbed the ordinary avocations of daily life"? Certainly it is self-evident that the world since 1914 - the beginning of the Epiphaneia, the Time of Trouble - now is most cognizant of a great change. Often do we hear the remark that we are in a "Time of Trouble" since 1914, even by those who have no concrete knowledge of present truth. But those who have departed from the Truth on the Epiphaneia and the Apokalupsis, the Time of Trouble as given us by That Servant, manifest that they are no longer faithful to the Truth that once sanctified them. That Servant clearly and distinctly differentiates between the reaping feature (the Parousia) and the Time of Trouble (the Epiphaneia). Thus, in casting aside these Scriptural teachings, they teach error mixed with Truth - such as teaching the High Calling still open (after the trouble has disturbed the world in general) - or inventing non-existent classes, replacing the Truth with their errors.

And here is something else from That Servant's pen: "The fact also that so many have been thus accepted since 1878 seems to imply that there has been a considerable vacancy in the list of the elect, and that it is gradually filling up. It is not for us to say how much of a vacancy remains, or just when it will be filled. We fully believe, however, that it will be filled before the close of the 'Times of the Gentiles,' which we think will end with October, 1914." (January 15, 1913, Reprint 5168, col. 2, par. 7)

Yet, despite the signs of the time, and the evidence all about us that we are in the Great Tribulation, the Epiphaneia, the Time of Trouble, since 1914, we have brethren today teaching that the High Calling is still open. If we are to accept the teaching that the High Calling is still available for newcomers, then we must accept that just about all the Very Elect prior to 1914 lost their crowns in order to make room for the "large crowd" immersed since then in the various groups that in 2000 still teach such to their candidates.

WANDERING FROM THE TRUTH

In James 5:19, Dia., the Apostle speaks of some who "wander from the Truth"; and his language is probably motivated by the various wanderings from the Truth of fleshly Israel in their journey from Egypt to Canaan. The first wandering from the Truth - the one most dominant in determining their destiny - was the Truth brought by the two spies, Joshua and Caleb, when they returned from "spying out the land of Canaan." (See Num. 13 and 14) Instead of accepting the Truth from these two, they chose rather to hearken to the false and discouraging report of the ten spies. And that rejection of the Truth, resulted in their wandering in the wilderness for forty years - a year for each day of the spying activity. (Num. 13:25; 14:34) And let us keep in mind that during that forty years of wilderness wandering every male of twenty years old and upward (Num. 14:29; 1:45; 26:64), who had left Egypt, died - all except two - Joshua and Caleb. Only those two passed over Jordan into Canaan - a very "little flock" indeed when compared with the "great company" who died in the wilderness.

In addition to the rejection of that first and all-important truth, the Jews made further secondary wanderings from the Truth, five of these being clearly defined by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 10:6-10. And the Apostle states in verse 11 that those wanderings from the truth "happened unto them for ensamples" - "types," see margin. With this direct statement before us that those things were "types," it is only logical and proper that we should make search for their antitypes.

It would seem the first of these occurred in the Jewish Harvest - when the Lord, the Apostles, the Seventy and others made diligent and truthful search of the Gospel Age Canaan land, the same being a type of the sphere of the Truth and the spirit of the Truth. But there in that first antitype again it was only a very "little flock" who accepted the Truth. In doing "among them the works which none other man did" - miracles never before seen in Israel - our Lord had influenced only about 500 (1 Cor. 15:6) to full belief - a very "little flock" when compared to the thousands of unbelievers in Israel who rejected Him. There the "great company" of Jews listened to the evil report of the Scribes and Pharisees - (just as it is today), with the resultant "wandering Jew" (almost the entire race) during the 1845-year "double" of the Gospel Age.

Concurrently with the Jewish wandering, there was also a Christian wandering - likewise prompted by "wandering from the Truth." The Lord had told them He would come again to establish His Kingdom; His followers should await His return. Instead, they, too, became weary of waiting, believed the false report that they should establish the Kingdom. The result was Great Babylon, the "great company" falling in the Gospel Age wilderness "wandering," with only the faithful "little flock" entering goodly Canaan land (the Truth and the spirit of the Truth).

PRESENT-DAY WANDERINGS

Then came the Parousia in 1874, and with it a more intensive spying of the land (the sphere of the Truth and the spirit of the Truth) than probably ever before; at least more so than at any time since the Jewish Harvest. And by the end of those forty years we believe it requires little argument that once more it was the "little flock" that abode by the Truth, with the "great company" listening to false spying reports. When That Servant died, spiritual bedlam followed immediately; and, regardless of how we view any particular group, it should be apparent to all that much confusion prevails. And, self-evidently, that confusion has brought with it intensified and multiplied sorrows. Compared in retrospect with the Parousia, the symbolic carcasses of the "great company" of Spiritual Israel are in evidence on all hands in this Epiphany "wandering."

But, while it is proper that we note the decay in the world's affairs, our main concern is with those who "wander from the Truth." Clearly enough, this could refer only to those once "in the Truth," the same being the various individuals among Truth groups who have fallen prey to false leadership, thus believing the report of the ten false spies. Most prominent among these in recent years are those once claiming to be in the Epiphany Truth, but who have "wandered" from it by casting aside completely this Epiphany period - or "perverting" it by combining it now with the Basileia. And for all of these - except for those who become completely reprobate - we may anticipate the eventual antitype of Num. 14:1: "the people wept that night." This weeping is mostly still future, of course, but we may rest in the faith of its eventual occurrence.

CHARACTER BLEMISHES NOT SUFFICIENT FOR JUDGMENT

We are cautioned not to condemn our brethren for their conduct insofar as their human frailties are concerned (unless grossly and persistently immoral - having become completely demoralized) - since it is only God who can read the heart, and can make the proper allowance and judgment for that. But when any "wander from the Truth" that once sanctified them, we can then know that the Lord knows there is something wrong with their hearts, their characters, otherwise He wouldn’t' permit them to "wander" thusly. But with some of the Lord's people, they do just the reverse of this: If a brother or sister is courteous and refined, and lovable in their human natural characteristics, they are very generous toward them - even when they "wander from the Truth"; while at the same time not having the proper love and regard they should for others who haven't "wandered from the Truth" - who often have crude manners and many human frailties that are trialsome to others (even though they seek to "continue in His Word" insofar as they are able) . These things ought not to be! Certainly many of the misleaders (of the Truth and its Arrangements) have been men of fine deportment, and good secular education, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to establish the errors they have, and lead others astray. But if we are to "abide in His Word," we are to rate our brethren by their faithfulness, or unfaithfulness, according to the "faith once delivered unto the saints." Quite a few brethren went along with JFR's errors, being unable to "discern between Truth and Error," until he became offensive in his morals. Then, they, too, forsook him!

That Servant tells us in the September 1, 1916 Watch Tower, Reprint 5949, top, col. 1: "Let us remember, too, that God has promised to keep and guide the minds of those whose hearts are loyal and true to Him. We should therefore conclude that if the Lord is thrusting any one out of the light as unworthy of it, into the outer darkness of the world, if He is permitting unfaithful ones to be seduced by the great enemy … We are to remain with the Lord and those who are walking in the light ... When the Lord has put any out of the light (Matt. 22:13), we cannot hope to bring them back." And more from his pen: "However, none are ever permitted to be overcome who have not in some way been unfaithful to the Truth and hence unworthy of it. Upon all such God has said He would send the strong delusion, so that they shall believe a lie (2Thes. 2:11). 

Let us bear in mind, however, that there are many Youthful Worthies who have never received the Truth about their class, and it could not properly be said that they have "wandered from the truth" - the truth they never possessed. But those Youthful Worthies who have had the beneficent teachings and leadership of the Epiphany Messenger and who renounce and cast Epiphany truth aside can truly be said to have "wandered from the Truth." And the same can be said of the Great Company in Big Babylon: They never had Harvest Truth, although they are held accountable for not receiving it if they had the opportunity. But with those crown-losers who did receive the Truth during the Harvest, they have certainly "wandered from the truth" when they deny that we are in the Epiphaneia - the Time of Trouble - a new dispensation since 1914, as described by That Servant. And those leaders who have thus "wandered from the Truth" have contaminated the Youthful Worthies under their leadership. These Youthful Worthies will have to cleanse themselves of this contamination and errors in their "due time," but certainly they are less culpable than those Epiphany-enlightened Youthful Worthies who have "wandered from the Truth" on such a class to be won "from 1881 until Restitution sets in"- and those Youthful Worthies who have cast aside completely the truth on Youthful Worthies. (See E-4-337, 342)

For emphasis we reiterate the fact that all the males of twenty years and upward who had left Egypt died in the forty-years' wandering in the wilderness - all except two, Caleb and Joshua. Thus, only those two of all those adult male Israelites who left Egypt, were the only ones who actually inherited goodly Canaan land; and of the Israelites who eventually did come into that good station all - except two - were an entirely new generation. This then now forces us to the conclusion that the great majority of Youthful Worthies who are now in the "wandering" process will also die from their Class standing in the antitypical wilderness, making a vacancy for a new generation to attain that Class standing and replace those "wandering" Israelites. We further emphasize, however, that those Youthful Worthies who have not received the truth on their class standing cannot be referred to as "wandering" from that truth which they have not received.

Even without the type this should be readily apparent to the critical observer from the fact that so many of them now have so little of the Truth, and the spirit of the Truth, that once sanctified them - especially the Truth on Youthful Worthy opportunity. Many have forsaken the Truth that Youthful Worthies can be won "until Restitution sets in," and are now substituting a "consecrated" (?) class in the Camp to supplant them, in this Epiphany period when the Highway of Holiness is not available - and a "way" (Christ' s merit applied for the world) to enter it; and some have forsaken the Truth altogether on Youthful Worthies, now believing they are of the Little Flock, and that the High Calling is still open - all the while claiming strict adherence to That Servant's teaching, although openly admitting to repudiating the Epiphany Messenger and Epiphany Truth . That the Parousia Messenger taught such a class, and that the Epiphany Messenger merely elaborated on that class, is indisputable and very clear to all who have received the Truth "in the love of the Truth." However, we believe there are many Youthful Worthies in the various groups who haven't been taught the Truth on their class standing.

While the Ancient Worthies are now unchangeably fixed as to class and numbers, we know of nothing in the Scriptures that declares their number fixed before the last one - John the Baptist - was established in their ranks. Eventually their number may be revealed.

Furthermore, Brother Russell was emphatic in his statement that the Epiphany period is the Time of Trouble (and surely there are very few who cannot see that we are in the "Time of Trouble"); and it was stressed that its duration would be from 1914 to the end of Jacob' s Trouble - which is the period between the Parousia and the Basileia.

"Now, thanks be to that God, who always leads us forth to triumph with the Anointed One, and who diffuses by us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him, in every place. Because we are a sweet odor of Christ to God, among those who are being saved, and among. those who are perishing [those who are "wandering' from the Truth] …and for these things who is qualified? For we are not like the many, trafficking the Word of God; but really from sincerity, and as from God, in the presence of God, we speak concerning Christ." (2 Cor. 2:14-17, Dia.)

(John J. Hoefle, No. 334, April 1983

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AMERICAN JEWS ARE SITTING ON A TIME BOMB

During my recent speaking tour of the United States, one of the key issues I discussed was the alleged "peace process." During a particularly lively and responsive exchange at a synagogue in Houston my audience proved itself to be very serious in analyzing my presentation. If the process in which we are now engaged is, as I state, a process of surrender which will not result in peace, rather in a war which we are making easier for our enemies to win, then what is the alternative? I assured my audience that I am not a proponent of war. Living in Israel with my family I have a more urgent desire for peace there than they do. What I refuse to do, however, is lie to myself and pretend that we are making peace when all we are doing is digging our own graves. We do not have a choice between war and peace. Our choice is to risk war now by not surrendering to our enemies, or to delude ourselves by engaging in pre-emptive surrender and calling it a 'peace process."

The fact is that the Arab war to destroy the Jewish State has never ended. All of the Arab states, including Egypt, and Jordan, continue to plot our destruction. All that has changed is the method.  This is no secret and anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear knows this fact. In spite of this leaders of the Jewish State continue to negotiate the terms of our self destruction with those of our enemies who are prepared to sit with us.  The PLO Trojan Horse has been pulled inside our borders. The only reason that illegitimate entity even agrees to continue to talk with us is the fact that such talk results in clear and measurable military advantages for it. Once these advantages come to a halt, so will the "peace" talks. There is not a shred of hope that our having given recognition to the PLO as having autonomous rights, or even recognizing a PLO state, will result in as much as mitigating its plans to destroy Israel. Yet our leadership still talks of "final- status," limiting our own rights to build homes in our country, and giving away more of our homeland to Arafat. These are all reckless and desperate gestures to convince ourselves that we are making peace with our enemies, even as they mock us. And now, the latest "news" is that Assad is prepared to continue discussing peace with Israel without demanding all of the Golan Heights as a precondition. He will permit us to give it to him after he graciously sits at the table with us. And Israel is delighted at this new expression of willingness to compromise.

One fellow in Houston, after clearly being disturbed by my assertion, asked me if my wife and I are prepared to defend ourselves. After all, he reasoned, if there will be an all out war in Israel, the army will be busy defending the borders and we will have no choice but to defend ourselves against the PLO.  Quite frankly, I found the question a cynical one and I told him so. The implication was that to stand up to our ·enemies is a reckless idea which will place us in danger. Yet by surrendering in advance of war we are not making ourselves safer, rather making the war to come that much more difficult to win.

Another problem with 'his question was the implication that I am courting danger merely by living in Kiryat Arba. I could have told this fellow that my apartment doesn't have a fancy electronic alarm system, nor do we lock or bar our doors at night as is common practice in Houston. What is more, I could easily have turned his question back to him. Are he and his wife prepared to defend their lives and property when the local anti semites go on a rampage in reaction to some unpredictable calamity which they may choose to blame on Jews, as has been done to our people throughout the ages in nearly every country in the world?

The fact is that, despite the stupidity and stupendous blunders of my foolish leadership, Israel is still, and will always be, the safest place in the world for Jews to live. The troubles we have here are of our own making. We do not have to tolerate terror. Rather than rewarding our enemies by giving them land, army bases, weapons and money, we should have vanquished them. It is we who are responsible for creating new havens for terror and for encouraging its continuation by having rewarded those evil deeds. It is also in the power of Jewish leaders in Israel to correct their mistakes and make our homeland safe for Jews to live. Perhaps if more sensible and activist Jews would come home and participate in shaping our destiny here we could affect a change in how we deal with our enemies.

But such is not the case in the United States. In that country we are a tiny minority. We are a highly visible minority which, as has always been the case, is very convenient as a scapegoat upon which to blame problems which have no obvious address. I remember reading bumper stickers years ago during the oil crisis in the United States, when gasoline was rationed for a while. The sticker read, "Burn Jews not oil." And that was nearly thirty years ago. Today there are many potential crises which can explode overnight and ignite a huge wave of anti semitic violence. A Jew who sits and worries about an unsafe Israel while being oblivious to the time bomb upon which he is sitting in his seemingly safe home in the United States is only deceiving himself and recklessly endangering himself and his loved ones.

Baruch HaShem, I live in Israel. Yes, my wife and I both have licensed handguns to protect ourselves, although we almost never feel the need to carry them. It is dangerous to live in a country where our government grants rights to terrorists. But it is a Jewish country. Even our most extreme leftists are still our brothers. We have tremendous problems to overcome among our own people. But all of us, left and right, religious and secular, are all in the same boat. The Arab terrorist doesn't care about our political affiliation or whether or not we put on tefillin in the morning.  He will murder us simply because we are Jewish, as did Hitler and Haman. When the war breaks out, as always our common threat will unite us.  And we are in our homeland.

But what of the Jew living in Exile? He too has problems among his own people. He too will discover that common threats will unite him with his brothers in Exile. But outside of Israel, where he is a tiny minority, even his unity is of little value. It is only in his homeland where it can save him. As one who was born and raised in the United States I certainly do not seek to condemn that country. It has been a place of refuge for many people and afforded incredible opportunities to my people. Its founding principles were even based upon Biblical concepts.  It is not to criticize America that I say these things. What I am addressing is the reality of Jewish history and Jewish destiny. There is only one destiny for the Jewish people and that is the Land of Israel. Redemption is a concept whose time has come. G-d has given a special gift to each and every Jew. It is the ability for us to express our faith in Him in very real terms. Right now, by making plans to come home while it is strictly our choice to do so, we can demonstrate to Him our faith and love. Soon this gift will be taken from us in that we will be taken out of the exile by force, or perish therein and lose that ability to express our faith. No one knows exactly when this will happen. But it is clear that redemption is progressing. Our rabbis ask the question, "Who is wise?' and they answer, "He who sees the future." Certainly our rabbis were not referring to fortune tellers. They were referring to people with common sense who can recognize the consequences of their actions. To pretend that our future outside of the Land of Israel is limitless is to lie to ourselves and put our families in unnecessary danger. To be wise is to realize that redemption is rapidly unfolding before our eyes, and that the future of the Jewish People is only in the Land of Israel.

(By Gary M. Cooperberg, A Voice from Hebron, December 9, 1999)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION - A TV Evangelist said that he would be happy to see God when he dies and goes to heaven, although he was afraid to face God. Is this proper?

ANSWER - No, it is not proper for us to be afraid of God.  We should have supreme reverence for God and be fearful of displeasing Him by intentional wrongdoing.  Fear in the Bible has two meanings - one meaning reverence and one meaning fearful, being afraid. The Evangelist does not "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15) Had he consulted a Concordance for the meaning of "fear" in the text he quoted, he could have given the correct interpretation of "fear."

"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." (2 Cor. 2:17) God does not frighten people into serving Him as many have taught. All who love Him must have fear (filial reverence) for Him. He is a God of Love, Justice, Wisdom and Power, and plenteous in mercy. "But thou, 0 Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, plenteous in mercy and truth." (Psa. 86:15)

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Emily:

Joseph Elisha committed suicide October 25, 1999, and Leif Malmkvist arrived at Emek Ha Shalom October 31st the same year to take care of things. He was helped by some friends of the truth. He stayed to November 26.

January 9th, 2000, Leif Malmkvist got an E-mail from the Mayor Haim Hakim, Megiddo, with the following message: "I am sorry to inform you that on Saturday 8.1.2000 early in the morning Mr. Herman Bezner passed away. Mr. Bezner died in the house for the elderly in kibbutz Hazorea. Mr. Bezner will be buried in Haifa cemetery on Monday 10.1.2000 at 15.00 hour.  This is the same cemetery were Mr. Joseph Elisha was buried." Leif Malmkvist and I have written the enclosed notice "In memory of Hermann Bezner." [This will be published in our May paper.]

All the best and many kind regards.                              Your friend, Anders Karlen                           (SWEDEN)