NO. 524 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

Again it is our pleasure to thank the Lord for His overruling Providence which has kept us faithful to Him; and we also give thanks for all the Lord's faithful people. We are grateful for the many blessings we have received during the past year. "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot by removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever." (Psalms 125:1, 2) "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from ever­lasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen." (Psalms 41:13)

"UNDERSEA EXPLORER FINDS CLUES OF FLOOD: WASHINGTON -The first evidence that humans lived in an area now covered by the Black Sea -perhaps inundated by the biblical flood -has been found by a team of explorers.

"'Artifacts at the site are clearly well preserved, with carved wooden beams, wooden branches and stone tools,' lead researcher Robert Ballard said.

"'We realize the broad significance the discovery has and we' re going to do our best to learn more,' Ballard said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his ship off the northern coast of Turkey.

"Fredrick Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania, the team's chief archaeologist, said the discovery 'represents the first concrete evidence for occupation of the Black Sea coast prior to its flooding.

"'This is a major discovery that will begin to rewrite the history of the cultures in this key area between Europe. Asia and the ancient Middle East.' Hiebert said.

"The remnants of human habitation were found in more than 300 feet of water about 12 miles off Turkey. Many ancient Middle Eastern cultures have legends of a great flood, including the Bible story of Noah.

"Columbia University researchers William Ryan and Walter Pittman speculated in their 1997 book 'Noah's Flood' that when the European glaciers melted, about 7.000 years ago. the Mediterranean Sea overflowed into a smaller freshwater lake to create the Black Sea.

"Last year Ballard found indications of an ancient coastline miles out from the current Black Sea coast. The new discovery provides evidence that people lived in that now inundated region.

"Ballard,  a National Geographic Society explorer in residence, said he studied shells found along the ancient coastline and found two types. One group is an extinct type of freshwater shell, while the second is from saltwater shellfish.

"'So we know that there was a sudden and dramatic change from a freshwater lake to a saltwater sea 7.000 years ago.' he said Tuesday.

"'And we know that as a result of that flood a vast amount of land went under water. And we now know that that land was inhabited. What we don't know is who these people are, we don't know how broad their settlements were…  but we're expanding our studies to try to determine that.”.. (By Randolph E. Schmid, Winston-Salem Journal, September 13, 2000)

SPACECRAFT SURVIVES BIG HIT: A NASA spacecraft on a seven-year mission to collect comet dust survived a zap from an enormous solar flare this month. The Stardust spacecraft was blinded after it was hit November 9 by a storm of high-energy particles 100,000 times more intense than usual. according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft was 130 million miles away from the sun when it was hit. The flare interfered with the spacecraft’s star cameras, leaving it unable to use its primary method of orienting itself in space until the system was reset two days later." (Orlando Sentinel, November 25, 2000)

"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)

"FOSSILS ADD FUEL TO NEW THEORY OF LIFE: Tiny formations discovered in Australian rock add new weight 'to the theory that life on Earth originated not in a 'warm little pond,' as Darwin thought, but in scalding, volcano-heated ocean depths where sunlight never entered.

"The rocks contain what are thought to be fossils of single-celled organisms 3.2 billion years old.

"The cradle of life may have been a sulfurous, subterranean inferno, not unlike a medieval vision of hell,' said Birger Rasmussen, a paleobiologist at the University of Western Australia who reported the find in today's issue of the journal Nature.

"The fossil-like traces are 600 million years younger than the earliest chemical evidence of life on Earth. But the find pushes back by 2.7 billion years the fossil evidence of microbes living around hot springs at the bottom of the sea.

The formations appear to be threadlike organisms, measuring a thousandth of a millimeter in diameter and a tenth of a millimeter long, that would have gotten their energy from chemicals such as sulfur, rather than sunlight, Rasmussen said.

"'Deep beneath the ocean, hot springs would have been attractive habitats for primitive microbes, protected from the effects of early planetary bombardments, and bathed in a rich brew of metals and nutrients,' Rasmussen said. 'Such environments could have provided a safe setting for life hundreds of millions of years before Earth's surface was habitable. '

The findings do not settle the debate about how life started on Earth. The microbes could have migrated from somewhere else." (Associated Press, June 8, 2000)

"OBJECT HAS TINY CHANCE OF COLLIDING WITH EARTH: LOS ANGELES -Scientists have spotted a small asteroid or a piece of space junk that they say has a 1-in-5000 chance of hitting the Earth in 30 years -far greater odds than any similar object ever discovered.  

"If it is an asteroid and it hits the planet, 'it would be equivalent to a fairly sizable nuclear blast,' said Donald Yeomans. For now, though, that is 'fairly low in terms of concern,' he said.

"The orbit -circular, close to the sun and in about the same plane of Earth's -is unusual for an asteroid, leading to suspicions that it might be a used rocket stage, possibly one jettisoned from an Apollo launch in the 1970s, scientists said.

"Such an object would have far less mass and would pose no danger to Earth because it would burn in the atmosphere." (Excerpts from Associated Press, November 4, 2000)

IN FINANCE

2000! What a year. Everybody was expecting a computer glitch that could have fowled up everything from factories to airlines. Many people stayed home for the New Year.

The presidential election, which at this time is in chaos, looks as if for the first time the presidential election will be decided by the Supreme Court. [This has now occurred.]

The next president will preside over a gradually slowing economy according to The Wall Street Journal. GDP gains will eased from four and a half to three and a half in '01. Unemployment is up and the economy is definitely cooling. The Federal Reserve ordered six interest rate hikes this past year. This past week Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, indicated he may suggest lower interest rates. ­

The Stock Market reacted to this with two of the best days this year. The Stock Market is starting to report about profits by the Dot-Com Companies. They have not produced profits as it was expected. Many will fall by the wayside.

After six years of record profits the Bank Stocks are reporting lower profits on bank loans. One of the largest top five banks is reporting a $100 billion loss. This has brought stocks of most large banks skidding to a record low.

Gold was low in the nineties and is still at an all time low now. Gold was once the standard currency of the world.

Recession is starting to surface in conversations on Wall Street and around Washington. The first time since a mild, brief downturn in 1990-1991 there is growing consumer debt, tightening credit, rising bankruptcies and problem bank loans.

The soft-landing forecast is fragile, vulnerable to surprises such as a deeper stock slump, weakness abroad, all-out war in the Mideast, a worsening credit crunch, broader employee layoffs at high-tech firms, a steep decline in consumer confidence from a rising unemployment rate.

In this Time of Trouble we need to watch for the "times and seasons" of the Lord. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you." (1 Thes. 5: 1)

IN RELIGION

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: The Witnesses often change their teaching as the chameleon changes its color. Their followers swallow what they are told without examining it, since they believe their organization is teaching the Lord's Word. A few of them are question­ing when they are told not to bother looking up the Scriptures, but just accept what their leaders tell them. Jesus said, "Search the scriptures ..... (John 5:39) And the ancient Bereans "searched the scriptures daily" to see if the things told them were so (Acts 17:11).

Shortly after Brother Russell's death the Witnesses were told that he was still running the Society from heaven. That was so foolish, as it seemed like God was no longer bothering to take care of His people. That error didn't last very long. So they changed their teaching again and have changed it many times since. Last year they changed for a little better and are actually teaching some truth. Some people say "maybe the orga­nization is cleansing itself." But the Lord does not cleanse organizations. He does cleanse individuals of these organizations of the errors they had been taught. "Neither do persons put new wine into old skins; for if they do, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but they put new wine into new skins and both are preserved." (Matt. 9:17, Dia., see also verse 16)

THE LAYMENS HOME MISSIONARY MOVEMENT: It is with regret that we see the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement has published some of its errors in three recent magazines. They have not published their errors so freely for some time, but we understand they have continued to teach them privately.

In the November-December Present Truth on page 86 the question is asked: "Is there any difference between consecrations that are made before and those made after the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) is opened? Answer: So far as the consecrations themselves are concerned, if they are true consecrations, there is no difference. As is pointed out in P'55, pp. 41,42, where this subject is treated in considerable detail, 'The only kind of consecration that has ever been or ever will be acceptable to God is the unreserved laying down or surrender of one's own will in all things, in the same spirit in which Jesus consecrated Himself (Psa. 40:8; Heb. 10:7).’” Both texts refer to Jesus' consecration.

Our answer: Consecration during the Kingdom does not require anything but faith and obedience the same as was required of Adam. There is nothing said about sacrificing. The LHMM say the consecrations in the Kingdom would be in the same spirit of Jesus, and cites Psalms 40:8 and Hebrews 10:7. Only the saints "die with Christ."

The first elect class is in Hebrews, chapter II, and are Ancient Worthies. The Gospel Age elect are the Saints first then the crown-lost (Great Company), who were spirit begotten, but were remanded to the Great Multitude of Revelation 7:9 and are not numbered. The saints were numbered 144,000 in Revelation 7:4, but the other three elect classes are not numbered.

The saints were gathered from all nations during the Harvest of the Gospel Age and in the Gleaning before Brother Russell died. We believe the text of Psalms 50:5 was given to That Servant: "Gather my saints together [in one unit] unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." Brother Russell went to many nations to "gather the saints." Of course his faithful followers helped him with this mission of gathering the saints. It was the first time that the saints were gathered in one unit. During the time before the Harvest the saints were in the denominations, or alone most of the time in the Dark Ages.

The Ancient and Youthful Worthies are under the faith covenant, which requires Faith and Obedience. However, they have to sacrifice at times when it is required in order to be obedient (See Heb. 11:33, 36, 37). But quite a few were faithful and obedient and did not sacrifice: Abel, Enoch, the harlot Rahab, et al, as shown in Hebrews 11. The Youthful Worthies don't sacrifice unless to be faithful and obedient they have to sacrifice. However, we are now living in a time that the only persecution we get is from some of the truth friends. Of course, we don't consider the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as Bible Students.

We are living in such a time that the denominations do not persecute us. Brother Russell gave three ways to know the door is closed, the second way fits the time we are now living in: "By such a reversal of public sentiment with reference to the truth, that fidelity and zeal in its service would no longer meet with opposition, and when suffering with Christ for the truth's sake (Rom. 8:17) would be no longer possible." (Volume 3, page 207)

We will discuss other errors that appeared in the magazines of the LHMM last year in a future paper. We do not have the space in this paper.

"EVOLUTION ISSUE TURNS ELECTION INTO SPECTACLE: Kansas rejects candidates who favor creationism. CHICAGO -Voters in Kansas have repudiated the state school board's removal of human evolution from the state science standards, making it almost certain the decision will be overturned.

"In a Republican primary on Tuesday, voters defeated three conservative candidates who supported the decision, made by the Kansas Board of Education a year ago. In the first board election since then, voters chose three moderate Republicans who pledged to return evolution to the science standards. And those three will run in November against Democrats who also support evolution. The election assures a majority on the board supporting evolution.

"'I think parents want their kids to have a strong competitive education,' said Sue Gamble, a moderate Republican who defeated the school board chairwoman, Linda Holloway, a conservative.” The message was that that includes a full set of science standards and that includes evolution.'

"While the board vote last August did not prevent schools from teaching evolution, it effectively removed evolution as the sole explanation for the origin of species, as well as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe, from state student assessment tests.

"Last year's 6-4 decision was considered one of the most significant victories for those who believe the species were created by God or conservatives who favor an 'intelligent designer.' Proponents of such theories have stepped up their activism, prompting states like Kentucky and Oklahoma to dilute the teaching of evolution. Many other states, wresting with evolution debates, too, had their eyes on Kansas.

"'Kansas has been sort of ground zero,' said Ralph G. Neas, president of People for the American Way, a civil liberties group that supports the teaching of evolution. 'And a lot of states will be taking a look at this very seriously.'

"The issue has transformed a normally obscure election into a lightning rod for the evolution debate.

"Campaigns that normally raised no more than a few hundred dollars got tens of thousands of dollars in contributions, some from out of state. Candidates ran television commercials.

"And Democrats switched parties just to vote in the Republican primary. In the end, only one of the four conservatives running won, Steve Abrams of Arkansas City, a board member who helped write the standards approved last year.

"Holloway, the former chairwoman, said she 'had no idea it would be that much of a defeat.' Holloway, who believes that evolution can be taught alongside creationism or other theories, said, 'There is clearly still a misunderstanding of what we did.'

"'One thing I'm very elated about is I don't believe the discussion about evolution will ever be the same again,' Holloway said. "'People are looking at it with a more critical eye rather than swallowing it hook, line and sinker.'" (By Pam Belluck, N.Y. Times News Service, August 3, 2000)

CATHOLICS: "POPE PIUS XII: Historians pose new questions to Vatican. VATICAN CITY -Roman Catholic and Jewish historians examining Pope Pius XII's actions during the Holocaust have put the Vatican on the spot.  

"After an 11-month study, they concluded that published Vatican material on World War II leaves many important questions unanswered and urged the Vatican to open up its archives.

"There has been no immediate response from the Vatican. Its chief spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said it was premature. He noted the commission of three Catholic and three Jewish scholars, issued its 'preliminary report' only last week.

"The report, and remarks by commission members at a news conference, raised explosive questions about what Pius XII and his top aides were doing as reports of the persecution of Jews across Europe reached the Vatican.

"The panel was formed by the Vatican and Jewish groups to examine accusations that Pius did not speak out forcefully enough against the Holocaust. For Jews, the issue took on urgency when the Vatican appeared to have put Pius on a fast track for beatification, the last step before possible sainthood.

"Since the first controversy surrounding Pius' role during the Holocaust arose in the 1960s with Rolf Hochhuth's play 'The Deputy,' the Vatican has consistently defended its wartime pope. It said he worked prudently for peace and was thanked by Jews for his efforts.

"At a Vatican news conference a year ago, two church representatives denied the Vatican ever received concrete evidence of the extent of Hitler's campaign to exterminate the Jews.

"One of them, Cardinal Pio Laghi, said at that time that while modern satellites Can detect 'a cow in the field in Nicaragua,' it is unfair to judge the World War II era by such standards.

"In posing specific queries to the Vatican, the commission appeared to challenge the Vatican's contention that it was unaware of the extent of the tragedy.

"The report cites 'astonishingly detailed accounts of killings' by the chaplain of a hospital train in 1942. It recalls how a Ukrainian Catholic bishop 'described with sharp clarity the atrocities and mass murder' against Jews and the local population that same year.

"'There is evidence that the Holy See was well-informed by mid-1942 of the accelerating mass murder of Jews,' the report said. 'Questions continue to be asked about the reception of this news and what attention was given to it. How thoroughly informed was the Vatican regarding details of Nazi persecution and extermination? What was the Holy See's reaction, and what discussions followed reports that flowed in describing evidence of the Final Solution."

The Rev. Gumpel, a Jesuit who has been documenting the case for Pius' beatification, called the questions leading and loaded.' Gumpel denied that the beatification has been put on hold. as some have suggested, saying he is still putting together material to make the case.

"'It is absolutely open when and if' the beatification would be approved, Gumpel told The Associated Press. 'I personally think it will.'

"The commission examined documents published by the Vatican in 11 volumes between 1965 and 1981. ..” (By Victor L. Simpson, Winston-Salem Journal, November 4, 2000)

"ROME: New documents have turned up in a Roman flea market confirming that Pope Pius XII was briefed about the Holocaust as early as 1941. A local journalist and book collector,  Fabrizio Coisson. recently bought four volumes that turned out to be file copies of secret reports written for the eyes of the pope by the British ambassador to the Vatican, D'Arcy Osborne. Coisson has no idea how they reached the market stall. Osborne, who spent most of the war inside the Vatican, compiled reports of European news which he picked up on short-wave radio from the BBC in London. He passed these on to the pope, at first once a week, then daily. On 21 September, 1940, for example, Osborne writes: 'Experiments have been made on gassing sick or mentally deficient children in Germany.' On 14 March, 1941, he reports: 'However incredible it may seem, there have been reprisals against the Jews in Nazi territories.' He continued to pass on reports of Nazi atrocities against the Jews and others. The new revelations are expected to reinforce Jewish protests at Vatican plans to declare Pius XII a saint." (The Jerusalem Report, June 19, 2000)

"ROME:  Although they lost the battle to block the beatification of Pope Pius IX, Italian Jews vowed to continue against the anti-Semitism and narrow clericalism represented by the 19th century pontiff. Pius IX enacted laws against the Jews in 1849 and authorized the abduction of a Jewish boy, who became a priest. Pope John Paul II announced the beatification. one stage short of sainthood, in St. Peter's Square on September 3. The president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Amoz Luzzato, told The Report they would now concentrate on developing and strengthening the ties they forged with 'the best part' of Italian Catholics, as well as with the Protestant and Muslim minorities. 'The problem,' he said, 'was never to interfere with the internal affairs of the Church, but to make people aware that Pius IX was a racist who opposed the development of Italy into a modern state.  We took the lead, drawing criticism from many sides, but it was worth it.” (The Jerusalem Report, September 25, 2000)

"CARDINAL: Vatican still awaiting Jews' conversion. LONDON -Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a leader of the Vatican's conservative wing has created a storm by declaring that the Catholic Church is waiting for Israel and Jews to embrace Christianity.

"The statement, contained in a new book by one of the closest aides to Pope John Paul II. is likely to affect Catholic-Jewish relations.

"Ratzinger, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. the guardian of Vatican orthodoxy, is quoted by the German Magazine Focus as writing: 'Catholics do not want to impose Christ on the Jews, but they are waiting for the moment when Israel also says yes to Christ.'

"The comment is expected to ignite a firestorm among Jews in the Diaspora and cause dismay among those convinced that relations with the Vatican had improved.

"Ratzinger's comment came a week after he issued another Vatican document, Declaration Dominus Jesus, which effectively delegitimized non-Catholic churches by characterizing them as 'gravely deficient.'

"Commenting on last week' s declaration, which carried the authority of the pope, British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks expressed dismay at the 'mixed messages from the Vatican right now.. the personal initiatives of the pope… [and] this very conservative voice... which does seem to belong to an earlier age.· .. (The Jerusalem Post. September 22, 2000)

"LETTER COULD HURT UNITY: VATICAN CITY -One of Pope John Paul II's closest aides has written to bishops worldwide declaring that the Catholic church is the 'mother' of other Christian churches, a move that could hurt Vatican efforts toward unity with other believers.

"The Vatican had no comment on the document yesterday, which was reported Friday by the Italian religious news agency Adista.

"In the document, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told the bishops that it was incorrect to refer to Christian churches, ranging from Orthodox to Protestant, as 'sister' churches of the Catholic church. (Winston-Salem Journal Wire Service, September 3, 2000)

"ALL RELIGIONS AREN'T EQUAL, VATICAN SAYS IN STATEMENT: Catholic Church is called only source of salvation. VATICAN CITY -In a declaration carrying the full authority of an infallible teaching, the Vatican said this week that the Roman Catholic Church is the only 'instrument for the salvation of all humanity.'

"The 36-page 'Declaration Dominus Jesus’ ('On the Unicity and Sa1vific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church') expressed 'sincere respect' for other religions but attacked 'religious relativism which leads to the belief that one religion is as good as another. '

"'If it is true that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that Objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the church, have the fullness of the means of salvation, ' the Vatican said of non-Christian religions. It called non-Catholic Christian bodies 'defective. '

"Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the document at a Vatican news conference as part of what appeared to be an ongoing effort by the Vatican to reassert traditional Catholic doctrine.

"Ratzinger said in a recent letter to bishops' conferences throughout the world that the Catholic Church is the 'mother' of all Christian churches and told them to stop referring to the Orthodox Anglican and Protestant churches as 'sister' churches.

"AND LAST SUNDAY, Pope John Paul II beatified Pope Pius IX, a conservative 19th century pontiff who proclaimed the doctrines of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary but also fought the unification of Italy, restricted religious freedom and locked Rome's Jews into a ghetto.

"The new declaration raised concern among some other churches. In London, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, called Ratzinger's statements 'unjustified' and said they did 'not reflect the deep comprehension that has been reached (by Catholics and Anglicans) through ecumenical dialogue and cooperation during the past 30 years.'

"In Geneva, the World Council of Churches warned that the growth of ecumenical dialogue could be 'hindered -or even damaged' by what it called 'language which precludes further discussion of the issues.'

But Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, a leader in the Catholic Church's dialogue with both the Orthodox churches and the Jews, said that Ratzinger's pronouncement is 'in full accord with what Vatican II has said.'

Keeler, who attended the Vatican news conference, said he did not expect the new declaration to have a negative effect on ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

"In England, Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, the chairman of the department of mission and unity of the Catholic bishops' conference of England and Wales, said that the new document 'does not attempt to change the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding ecumenism.'

"He said its main purpose was to warn against a tendency to regard all religions as equivalent and it was written principally for Catholic bishops and theologians.

"'Certainly no slight is intended by its comments regarding other Christian communities,' he said. 'As Christians we share a common baptism, .and the Catholic Church believes this brings us all into a real, if imperfect, communion. This was made clear in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, where it said that other Christians 'with good reason are accepted as our brothers and sisters.· .. (By Peggy Polk, Religion News Service, September 9, 2000)

BAPTIST: "TEXAS BAPTISTS SEND MESSAGE BY HOLDING BACK $5 MILLION: CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -Texas' 2.7 million Baptists dealt a severe blow to the Southern Baptist Convention on Monday, withdrawing $5 million in funding on the grounds that the denomination is becoming too conservative.

"After a brief, civil debate, the 6,000 representatives of the Texas Baptists approved the move by a sizable majority by holding up voting cards. "Earlier this month, former President Carter severed ties to the Southern Baptist Convention because of its 'increasingly rigid' creed.

"In recent years, the Southern Baptists have barred female pastors, declared that wives should 'submit graciously' to their husbands, boycotted Disney, and issued resolutions condemning homosexuality.

"On Monday, the Texans voted to cut the amount of money they give to Southern Baptist seminaries by about 80 percent next year and send the $4 million instead to three moderate campuses in Texas.

"The Texans will still send about $19 million to the denomination, mostly for missionary work in the United States and abroad.

"The Rev. Claude Thomas of Euless, Texas, who chairs the national body's executive committee, said, 'I am distressed emotionally. I am distressed because of the impact this is going to have on the churches of Texas [that] are going to have to make decisions they don't want to make. , .. (Excerpts from Associated Press, October 31, 2000)

LUTHERAN: "LUTHERANS OFFER AMENDS: BERLIN -Germany' s Lutheran church has acknowledged sharing guilt for the Holocaust in the clearest terms yet and called on its 27 million members to make a fresh start in relations with the Jewish community.

"A national convention of Lutheran leaders passed a resolution late Thursday saying that the church was guilty not only of 'silence and failure' during the Nazi era but also that its 'disastrous tradition of alienation and enmity towards the Jews' helped prepare the ground for the Holocaust.

"That tradition has hampered efforts to rebuild relations with the Jewish community since the end of World War II, the resolution said, even though the Lutheran Church in Germany first acknowledged its guilt 50 years ago." (Wire Service, November 11, 2000)

EPISCOPALIAN: "BISHOPS SLATE CHALLENGE: ROSEMONT, PA -Anglican archbishops from overseas who oppose the Episcopal Church USA's liberal views on homosexuality are challenging the denomination's leadership by staging their own confirmation service here. The presiding bishops of Kenya, Uganda, Congo, and Sydney, Australia, are expected to attend or send delegates to Sunday's confirmation by Archbishop Maurice Sinclair of Argentina. They oppose the practice by the Episcopal Church, the U. S. branch of Anglicanism, of ordaining gay men and lesbians and allowing clergy to bless same-sex unions. (Orlando Sentinel, November 25, 2000)

"EPISCOPAL, LUTHERAN CHURCHES CREATE ALLIANCE: DENVER -Episcopal Church leaders approved a historic pact yesterday with the nation's largest Lutheran denomination, voting to create an alliance in which the churches will share clergy, sacraments and strategy.

"The Episcopal Church's House of Deputies, made up of 832 priests and lay people, overwhelmingly approved the agreement, one day after it won approval from the other chamber of the church's legislature, the House of Bishops.

"Leaders of the 5.2 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved the alliance last year. "'It enables our two churches to work together in ,a' shared mission to our broken and hurting wor1d,' said the Rev. Donald Brown, a co-chairman of ecumenical relations for the 2.4 million-member Episcopal Church. 'Both our communities will be living into reality Jesus' prayer that all his followers might be one,' said Brown." (Journal Wire Report, July 9, 2000)

NO. 523 GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY

At this time of the year there are so many people reminded of Jesus our Savior and it is a pleasure to see them rejoice in the Birth of our Savior. We well realize that much of the emphasis placed on this occasion is for commercial purposes, yet the general atmosphere is “Good Will To Men.” It seems to affect those who are not believers – especially those of “good will.” Even though we know it is not the correct date for the birth of our Lord, it is not indicated in the Scriptures that we should celebrate that event; therefore, if the world wishes to honor His birth, we can join with those who from the sincerity of heart appreciate Him as their Redeemer. We now offer the following from That Servant as given in our Daily Manna, with which we are in full agreement:

“Although we cannot agree that this is the proper day for celebrating the birth of our dear Redeemer, but must insist that it was about October first (Studies, Vol. 2), nevertheless, since He did not intimate His desire that we should celebrate His birthday, it is quite immaterial upon what day that event, of so great importance to all, is celebrated. Upon this day, so generally celebrated, we may properly enough join with all whose hearts are in the attitude of love and appreciation toward God and toward the Savior. The habit of giving little remembrances one to another at this time of the year seems to us specially appropriate. God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. He is continually giving; and we are continually receiving from Him, but amongst all His gifts the One of greatest importance to us is the Gift of His Son to be our Redeemer.”

Although December 25 is generally recognized as the birth date of JESUS, there is not the slightest hint in the Bible or in secular history that this is the correct date. How then has this date been established? Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) Among the outstanding types of the Old Testament that “testify” of Him is the one on the Day of Atonement, in which sacrifice of the bullock typified Jesus as the Atonement for our sins. The bullock represented Jesus at the age of thirty years. This service was held on the tenth day of the seventh month – the tenth day of the seventh month is Tishri, or Tizri, which is represented in our calendar by about the tenth of October. And in every institutional type the antitype must appear on the same date as did the type.

The question now comes, Why this gross error? After the “falling away” (2 Thes. 2:3) became more pronounced in the early Church, the question of the same date for the Jewish Day of Atonement and the birth of Jesus propounded some irritating and intricate questions, so the “bright minds” of the time came up with this solution: The Vernal Equinox occurs about March 25, so Jesus would begin generation in Mary about that time; and nine months from March 25 would arrive at December 25, which should be the day of His birth. Truly, “Wisdom is justified of her children”! (Matt. 11:19) And we have here an excellent illustration of that truth. But we agree with That Servant, that we may properly enough join with all those whose hearts are in the attitude of love and appreciation toward God and toward the Savior on December 25, which is generally accepted as the birth date of our Redeemer.

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” But the Jehovah’s Witnesses bring us “bad tidings of great misery” for all those who do not join with them. According to them, the vast majority now living will be annihilated in Armageddon unless they join with them beforehand. So the majority of this generation will have no opportunity of eternal life in the Kingdom. But the Scriptures clearly teach, “there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust” (Acts 24:15), which will not only include those of past generations, but those of this generation also. There has never been a time when the Adversary has deceived the children of this world more than today so why should we be surprised at those who are unable to accept the Truth? “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor. 4:4) But we are promised that the “eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” (Isa. 35:5) in that glorious Kingdom.

Jesus did not die for the few who become His footstep followers during this Faith Age, when sin is in the ascendancy, but He died for all mankind – to be “testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:1–6) There are Two Salvations – one for the world of mankind who have been “blinded by the god of this world,” – called the “common salvation” (Jude 3); and the “great salvation” (Heb. 2:3), which is the salvation of the Elect during this Faith Age – the footstep followers of our Lord – the “called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

The story of the “good tidings” of this text (Luke 2:10) is so familiar as to require no special comment – yet in its simple details lies the hope of the whole world. For four thousand years the birth of this child was promised, and during these forty centuries some faithful souls continued to trust in the promises and to look for the salvation to be brought about thru Him. We may surely take it for granted that the humble shepherds to whom the message of the Lord’s Advent first came were men who thus hoped in the promises of God; for to such, and to such only, the Lord discloses His purposes.

These men where quietly tending their flocks by night when suddenly “the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” (Luke 2:9) But their fear was soon overcome by the message of the angel, which, strange to say, has been partially omitted – leaving out one of the grandest features of the message – that it was to be to all people.

The message reads, “Fear not; for, behold I bring you good tidings, of GREAT JOY, which shall be to ALL PEOPLE.” (v. 10) It will be observed that the blessedness of these tidings is cumulative: first, it is “good tidings”; then, it is “great joy”; and then the crowning feature of it is that it is to “all people” – not only to you shepherds who are this night looking for the hope of Israel, but for your friends and relatives – to all their friends and relatives and neighbors far and near, to both those who now live, and to all those now in death.

Blessed tidings! Hearken to the gladsome sound: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (v. 11) Then He was to be a Savior to all people: so the Scriptures clearly affirm, saying that, by the grace of God, He tasted death for every man, and that He gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time – for all. (Heb. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:6) The testimony, however, is quite as necessary to the salvation of the sinner as the fact that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all. The favor of salvation will not be forced upon any; but the testimony that it has been provided for every man, on condition of his acceptance of the favor upon God’s terms, is to be given to every man, for his acceptance or rejection. And though millions of the race for whom Christ died have gone down to the grave without such testimony, still the fact remains that the testimony shall be given in due time – which due time, to all such, must be after their awakening from death.

And to this agree the words of the Lord: “The hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth; they that have done good [who in this present life have come into Judgment and who have passed their trial successfully], unto the resurrection of life [the full reward of the faithful. Such will be the overcoming church]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:25-29) That is, the latter class will come forth from the grave to have the truth testified to them for their acceptance or redaction; and their final judgment of worthiness or unworthiness of life will be based upon their course under trial after the truth has been testified to them in the Millennial Age the Age now just ahead of us. Thus the angel of the Lord preached the good tidings of the restitution of all things (Acts 3:19-23) to the shepherds on the plane of Bethlehem.

Verse 12: Then they told where and how they should find this bud of promise, so that when they would see Him they might feel doubly assured that this was He.

Verses 13,14: “Then suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” This shows how the angels of God are interested in the affairs of men, and how they sympathize with us and rejoice over our prosperity. And this reminds us of other statements to the effect that there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner that repenteth (Luke 15:7); and that they are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. (1 Peter 1:12; Heb. 1:14) Thus we see them to be creatures of God full of loving benevolence even toward a fallen race, and esteeming it a privilege to serve the heirs of this salvation, although they know, as they studiously look into God’s Plan, that some of this fallen race are by and by to be highly exalted, even above the angels who never sinned.

Thus we see their humble recognition of the right of the Creator to do what He will with His own, and their cheerful and joyful acquiescence in His perfect will, which they know to be determined by His unerring Wisdom and His fathomless Love. Oh, what universal joy will prevail when the whole family of God in heaven and in earth is brought into fullest harmony under Jehovah’s Anointed!

Verses 15,18 show the teachable attitude of the shepherds: they recognized the angels and their message as from the Lord, and, their fears being allayed, their hopes revived and their faith increased, they felt that they must go at once and see this which had come to pass. And when they had so determined, a strange star (evidently a meteor, as it could not have been a fixed star) appeared, moving in the direction which the angel had told them to go; and they followed the star until they reached Bethlehem, when it stood still over the place where the young child was. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him and presented to Him gold and frankincense and myrrh, recognizing Him as the long–promised Messiah. And being warned of God in a dream, they disregarded the request of Herod to inform him of the whereabouts of the new–born king, and so departed into their own country another way. But as they went they published abroad the good tidings which the angels had brought to them, and how they had actually seen Him of whom the prophets testified.

Verse 19: “But Mary [mother-like] kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart,” doubtless calling to mind also the message of the angel to her. (Luke 1:28-35) Again and again we seem to hear her say, “My soul doth magnify the Lord... for He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden... He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-49)

Verse 20: The shepherds returned to their flocks, fully assured of the wonderful truth that the promised seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent’s head had really come. (Gen. 3:15) And they rejoiced and glorified God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as they were told unto them.

“NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN”

(John 7:46)

At this analysis a review is in order. We begin at the Mount of Beatitudes and close with the Mount of Transfiguration, and on the way in the Master’s words and conduct find illustrations of the wonderful teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and how faithful obedience to the instructions there given will mean to us eventually a place in the Kingdom, pictured in the Transfiguration scene. The blessings of the meek, the merciful, the persecuted for righteousness’ sake, etc., all will find their fulfillment when, by the grace of God, we shall eventually be changed, transfigured, by the Redeemer and Lord – “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43)

How wonderful are the Lord’s dealings with us and yet how reasonable. His appeal is, “Come let us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18) He shows us how He has prepared for this: that He Himself was provided, the sacrifice for sins; that our Lord has already died the Just for the Unjust that He might bring us to God, and that God can be just when He receives us, just in His dealings with us, because the justice element of His Law has been fully met on our behalf. He gives us a glimpse of the blessings He proposes to bring to the world of mankind, points us to the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice takes away the sin of the world, and invites all those who have love and sympathy and appreciation to come now and accept not only life eternal but favor – joint–heirship with His Son in the glorious Kingdom which is to bless the world in the great uplift of “restitution, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21)

This message comes to us through the Son of God, of whom our text declares, “Never man spake like this man.” No wonder the apostles said to Him when some were forsaking Him, “Lord, to whom should we go? Thou hast the words [the message] of eternal life.” (John 6:68) Others may indeed think that they have eternal life in themselves – they may persuade themselves that by some inherent, immortal principle they will live forever, and that when they die it will merely be the appearance of dying, and actually they will become in that moment more alive than ever. At best that is a very difficult thought, and few are able to so hypnotize their own judgments as to believe it. We on the contrary, hearkening to the voice that spoke as never man spake, hear His declaration that our hope is in Him as the “resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) We hear Him telling us that the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth. (John 5:28,29) It is reasonable.

We can reason together with God when we take the voice of His Son and reject the voices of the “Dark Ages.” From this standpoint – that a resurrection has been provided through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus – the whole matter of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus – the whole matter of death and eternal life is clarified before our mental view. We see the condemnation through Adam, and how death is justly reigning thruout the whole world of mankind ever since. We see the death of Christ, the Just for the Unjust; that He has bought us with His precious blood, that He has paid our ransom price, and that as a result, in God’s due time, all shall come forth from the power of the tomb. We see the keys of death and of the grave in the hands of the One who has purchased all; we rejoice in the proclamation of the coming blessing to all the families of the earth, through a release from this power of sin and Satan and death.

We hearken still more intently to the voice of Him that speaketh as never man spake, and hear Him assure us that there are two resurrections – one a life resurrection, the other a judgment resurrection. We hear Him tell us that only those who thru faith and obedience attain a standing with God under the cover of the precious sacrifice will be counted the good, the justified, and only they will share in the life resurrection, because only they will have passed their trial and be counted worthy of life. All others will come forth to the judgment resurrection to be disciplined under the Kingdom, to receive stripes in proportion to the willfulness in which they have cooperated in their own downfall into mental, moral and physical degradation, but to be helped by the stripes, to be corrected in righteousness, if they will, and to be brought step by step out of the sin-and-death conditions, up, up, up, by resurrection power of Jesus, to the full perfection, to all that was lost in Adam.

Well may we rejoice in this One who spake as never man spake, in Him who has the words of eternal life. Respecting those words the Apostle Peter says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we might become partakers of the Divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4) Yes! Wonderful words of life, tell them over again, think them over again, rejoice in them more and more – let them fill our hearts and be in our mouths a new song of the loving kindness of our God, whose tender mercies are over all His works.

Of these words, which the Master spake as never man spake, the Apostle further declares that He spake of our salvation. He says, “Which salvation began to be spoken by our Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” (Heb. 2:3) Not only was there no eternal life in our race, and no hope for attaining any except thru Jesus, but all of the promises of the past would have been powerless without His work of atonement, and not until He came was it known how our redemption was to be accomplished. True, the Lord had provided various types and shadows in the numerous sacrifices of the past which illustrated the fact that “without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin” (Heb. 9:22); but they could not be understood until the antitype had come. Then He brought life to light and immortality to light – life for the world, eternal life to be conferred during the Millennial Age – immortality for His Church, His bride, His Little Flock, His joint-heirs. These were never brought to light before; they were faintly seen and vaguely described, but it remained for the Great Teacher – Jesus – to set forth before us the salvation which God had proffered through Him. Thank God that our hearts have made our lips more and more tell forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Through faith in Him the Little Flock are already reckoned risen to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), and through Him by and by the Father will raise them up by His own power, that they shall be like Him and share His glory, honor and immortality.

THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN

1 Tim. 4:10 shows that God will save all men from the Adamic Condemnation, but not eternally: “We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men [from the Adamic condemnation, but not eternally; after the sentence is removed from each one, he is given an individual trial for life; and only those who prove worthy in their trial gain everlasting life], especially [He is the Savior to the uttermost only] of those that believe [the faithful elect now and the faithful non-elect in the Millennium].”

A NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH

Another testimony, which incidentally identifies the Judgment Day with the Millennium, is found in 2 Peter 3:6-13: “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished [not the literal world – the earth – nor the human family perished, but the symbolic world, the order of affairs which then existed, was destroyed by the flood]: but the heavens and the earth, which are now [‘this present evil world’ – Gal. 1:4, the order of affairs now existing: its heavens being its religious systems and teachers and its earth being its organized society], by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire [a symbol of destruction – Mal. 3:2,3; 4:1,3; Matt. 3:11,12; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; Rev. 17:16; all the symbolic earth will be devoured by the fire of God’s jealousy – Zeph. 3 8] against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing [do not forget], that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day [this identified the day of judgment of v. 7 as a thousand–year day]. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness [God’s time seems slow to the natural man]; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord [the thousand–year Judgment Day] will come as a thief in the night [compare 1 Thes. 5:1-3]; in which the heavens [not the literal heavens, but Satan’s false religious systems – compare Heb. 12:26, 27] shall pass away with a great noise [uproar and confusion], and the elements shall melt with fervent heat [the various component elements of the present symbolic heavens and earth will disintegrate], the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up [Satan’s selfish, unjust and corrupt social arrangements shall be destroyed; but the literal earth is to remain, just as it remained after the flood – ‘the earth abideth for ever’ – Eccl. 1:4].

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens [Jesus and His faithful followers, the Millennial religious ruling powers] and a new earth [human society organized on the basis of truth, righteousness and love, as against the erroneous, unjust and selfish arrangements of the present evil earth], wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Thus by then Jesus will have destroyed the devil and all his works. Accordingly, we look for the Millennial Age to witness the destruction of the sentence of death, as well as all the effects of that sentence: sin, error, superstition, sorrow, pain, sighing, crying, sickness, famine, pestilence, drought, extreme heat and cold, scarcity, war, revolution, anarchy, oppression, poverty, ignorance, dying and death. (Rev. 21:1–4; 22:3)

RESULTS OF THE KINGDOM’S REIGN

One of the results of the Kingdom’s reign will be the utter extirpation of all the effects of the curse as the unholy fruits of Satan’s rule, authority and power. Among other passages, 1 Cor. 15:20-26 shows this. We quote it from the Improved Version: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become a first fruit [Jesus] of them that slept. For since by man [Adam] came death, by [a] man [Jesus] also shall come the resurrection of the dead. For as all in Adam die [Jesus did not die in Adam, for He was not in Adam, and therefore our correction of the translation], even so all in Christ shall be made alive [e.g., the Little Flock is in Christ; they shall be made alive first and primarily]. But every man in his own order: Christ a firstfruit [the Church is here meant]; afterward they that are Christ’s at [during] his presence [those who are shown to be our Lord’s faithful followers during His presence, these shall also be made alive]. Then cometh the end [the end of the Little Season, when He shall have ruled over all the earth and given every man the opportunity to gain eternal life, which His Ransom–sacrifice,–a corresponding price, enables Him to give], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father [for God will be the final judge over the earth and will exercise His judgment through Christ, the Head, primarily, and secondarily, the Church, His Body, as His Vicegerent]; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and [all] power [every vestige of the governorship and of the pretended might of Satan, all of this will be put down by the almighty hand of Christ, the Head, and the Church, the Body, using God’s power as that almighty power in their hand]. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death [thus we see that not only persons are these enemies, but also things. The Adamic Death in the sense of the dying process is this last great enemy; and, because of His faithfulness, Jesus is the One who will in the Little Season finally destroy it].”

But not all will obtain eternal life. Those who will not even externally reform, but will continue to be rebellious to the Kingdom during the thousand years, will after a hundred years of opportunity be cut off in the Second Death (Isa. 65:20); while those who will reform externally, but without a heart reformation, will live thruout the thousand years and attain human perfection; but by the trial during the “little season” at the Millennium’s close, their unholy heart’s condition (the Adamic process) will become manifest, and they will perish in the Second Death – everlasting destruction (Rev. 20: 7-9, 15; Mal. 4:3; Psa. 37:10, 35, 36, 38; Isa. 1:28; Acts 3:23). Those who during the Millennium will practice truth and righteousness, from the love of these principles, will be lifted up to human perfection not only in their faculties, but also in their characters (Isa. 66:10-14), and will thus be enabled to remain faithful amid the final trial during the Little Season after the Millennium; and these shall inherit the earth forever, as paradise restored (Matt. 25:35-40; Isa. 65:16-25). Such will be the grand results of the reign of Jesus and the Church in the earth (Rev. 21:3-5; 22:1-3).

The sad tragedy of sin will forever have ceased to be enacted. The ages to come will witness the realization of the angels’ song of Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will to men (Luke 2:14); and from every part of the Universe the glorious Hallelujah chorus of Jehovah’s numberless choirs, without one discordant note, shall forever and ever celebrate Jehovah and Christ, for their glorious Persons, holy Characters, wonderful Plan and great Works (Rev. 5:13)! Therefore let every lover of God and man, of truth and righteousness, pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as in Heaven”! As the hymn says, “I love to tell the story”!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him aloud with heart and voice, –And always in His Son rejoice.

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint of No. 406, December 1989)

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AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE BLAMES ARAFAT FOR SUMMIT FAILURE

The American Jewish Committee - whose position on Zionism has not always been over­ zealous - has come out with a harsh attack on Yasir Arafat over his negative stand at the recent summit. In a New York Times ad entitled "Another Missed Opportunity for Peace," the Committee makes it clear that Arafat must take the full blame .

Following are the highlights of its charges:

"53 years ago, Palestinians missed an historic opportunity when the Arab world rejected the UN Partition Plan, which would have crafted an independent Palestinian Arab state adjacent to Israel.  The Arab states chose war instead.

"At Camp David last month, Chairman Arafat balked at another opportunity to secure a better future for the Palestinians and formally end their bitter conflict with Israel. "While a bold Israeli leader came ready to make sweeping and painful compromises,

and a determined U.S. President made every effort to facilitate solutions, Chairman Arafat failed to seize the chance for peace .

"Now, Mr. Arafat is busily promoting a dangerous idea, a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, that would scuttle negotiated peace with Israel. He is seeking to rally worldwide support for unacceptable, unworkable demands.

"Instead of joining Israelis in grappling with the most difficult issues that stand in the way of peace, and similarly preparing Palestinians for achievable compromise, Palestinian leaders mouth old slogans and sustain old hatreds. Palestinian Authority summer camps train teenagers for terrorism against Israel. Schoolbooks and the popular media promote contempt for Israel and Jews.

"Palestinian leaders today  are  at a crossroads. They  can abide  by previously signed commitments to forswear  violence and unilateral acts, grasp Israel's outstretched hand, and begin building true peace - a culture of peace - between neighbors. Or they can perpetuate conflict .

"The choice is clear. The opportunity for peace is here . For all in the Middle East, the Palestinians must not let that opportunity slip away again ."

In the light of the vicious hatred openly shown by the Palestinian Arabs and the expressions of anti-semitism in the West and other countries, an often quoted statement on this very subject by the great Mark Twain is worth repeating here . Almost a century ago, when confronted with a question relative to his position on the Jews and anti­semitism, he made clear where he stood and then concluded:

"If the statistics are right, the Jews   constitute but one percent of   the  human race . It suggests a  nebulous dim  puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way.            Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial      importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world' s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all ages, and has done it with his hands tied behind him . He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.

"The Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sounds of splendor, then faded to dream stuff and passed away; the Greeks and Romans followed, and made vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out, and they sit in the twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains.  What is the secret of his immortality?"

(By  David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, August 25, 2000)

LETTERS OF  GENERAL INTEREST

This summer has really been hot, hot in respect to the weather and hot politically:           While the Prime Minister doggedly and obsessively continues to blindly pursue the path of capitulation on issues of basic Jewish and human rights.

While the e  normous media machine continues to try and brainwash the Israeli public that if an agreement is not signed, no one can begin to imagine the violence that will erupt in this region.

While the American president watches the sand run out of his sand clock and sees the Nobel Prize slipping away from his grasp in a desperate attempt to erase the Monica episode from the records of his time in office .

While the Knesset voted for a new president, one who is proud of his Jewish heritage and will hopefully be able to unify the Nation .

While our northern communities are still uncertain of the security of their future and the SLA continues to pay the price of Barak's betrayal.

While all of this goes on, the Yesha Council continues to send out young people to plaster signs all over the country and to hand out stickers, pamphlets and maps. We continue to carry the load for the preservation of our right as a Jewish people to live in security in the heartland of Israel, to protect the sanctity of our eternal capital, Jerusalem, and keep her united. We continue to struggle for the dignity and mutual responsibility of the Jewish people, one to another, a heritage that does not allow the abandonment of Israeli citizens by their brothers to the "protection" of Arafat. Nor does it allow the brutal uprooting of thousands of men, women, and children from their homes and the wanton destruction of a successful settlement enterprise .

Almost four generations are living today in Yesha. But these communities, these historical sites and holy places, do not only belong to us who live there. They belong to each Jew the world over. It is painful and unthinkable that while the Islamic brotherhood fights together for

Jerusalem, world Jewry remains silent. Now is the time for every Jew to join the battle. This is one of the most crucial times for all of us. Now is the time to be counted, to loudly proclaim that we will not allow Jerusalem to be re-divided. We will not allow Jewish citizens of Israel to be torn from their homes and turned into refugees for the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel. We will not allow Jewish lives to be endangered and abandoned by our own government .

I turn to each of you with a personal plea. If in four years from now you could look back   and   know that  you    spared   no  effort, gave both financially and physically to preserve both Jewish lives and our Land, wouldn 't you willingly do so? I beg you to join us in the struggle for all of us and for the future of the Jewish people . We need your help. We need your support . We shall continue to stand firm and live in Yesha, but we can not do this alone . Each of you must live with  your conscience, knowing that you are doing everything that you can, and even more than that . I know that we are.

With the love of Zion and the firm belief that we shall succeed,

(Yesha Report, July-August 2000)

Yehudit Tayar

Dear Emily:

Saturday evening Amos Ziv phoned me from Israel. He is now taking care of Emek ha Shalom . Due to lack of money he has not yet been able to start his project concerning the education centre for  handicapped people at Emek ha Shalom .

He told me that all remaining literature from Herman and Joseph is saved in boxes

and is placed at Emekha Shalom . He told me also that visitors still are coming to Emekha Shalom questioning about the work of Herman and Joseph.   Amos asked me if I was interested in visiting him at E.h.S. later in the autumn, so I plan to go to E.h.S. in the beginning of November.            All the best and many kind regards, Leif Malmkvist

NO. 522 CONCERNING CONTROVERSY

Today it is a proper appraisal to say that Protestantism is almost dead – the spirit of the Reformers, John Wessel, Martin Luther, John Wesley, et al (all confirmed Protesters) has almost vanished from the earth. In this grouping we may also include Brother Russell, because the “protest” that he began in 1874 and continued to 1916 has almost vanished from the Truth movements. While the Jehovah’s Witnesses do continue the attack upon established systems of religious error, they themselves have become such errorists that it is rank travesty to include them with those genuine reformers - protesters – who manifested “the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Rev. 13:10)

But, with the passing of the spirit of the real protesters there has now come a wide surge of Combinationism. Let us forget our differences, they say, and cooperate against the common enemy now attacking the Church; let us defeat the atheistic rabble now so apparent on every hand. And such a combining is just what we should expect. In the 34th Chapter of Isaiah the Prophet says this: “Yaveh hath wrath against all the nations, and indignation against all their host. He hath devoted them to destruction... and the mountains shall melt away from their blood... the Heavens (the present day prominent religious sects) shall roll up as a scroll.” (See Rev. 6:14) On every hand there is loud acclaim for this “rolling together” as “the unstable and the unlearned” blindly follow their blind leaders – to fall into the ditch. (See Matt. 15:14 “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” (Amos 6:1)

THE PRINCE OF PEACE MAKES WAR

In Rev. 19:11‑21 there is a description of the action of this day in which we now live, clearly revealing God’s attitude toward the combining forces of this time. We quote parts of it:

“I saw Heaven opened (the Plan of God made very clear), and behold a white horse (clear spotless doctrine – a “pure language”... Zeph. 3:9); and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True (just another name for the Prince of Peace, a name not used here in order not to conflict with the “war” to be waged), and in righteousness (not for greed, territory, revenge or other selfish interests, but according to the supreme Law of Justice) He Judges and makes war... And He was invested with a mantle dipped in blood (indicating the bloody nature of the present conflict); and His name is called, The Word (The Logos, the spokesman) of God... And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two‑edged broadsword (to cut asunder error – secular and religious – in whichever way it is wielded), so that with it He may smite the nations... on His mantle and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords (the promise to Jesus’ faithful followers is that they shall be Kings and Priests, and the omnipotent Jesus is to be the King over those Kings, and the Lord over those Lords).” (Diaglott)

Much of this Scripture is also revealed in Mal. 4:1, ‘“‘Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven,” with the accompanying promise that “the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” This great and dreadful day is to accomplish two things: “He maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and His hands make whole.” (Job 5:18) Clearly enough, it is only by considering both sides of the situation that we shall come to a proper appraisal of our own personal privileges and obligations, if we would be “faithful to the Lord, the Truth, and the Brethren.”

It is directly counseled by the Apostle Paul that we should “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14; See also Rom. 14:19 and 2 Tim. 2:22); but the Apostle James limits the words of Paul by his statement in Jas. 3:17, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable.” And this principle had been emphasized by Jehu hundreds of years before in 2 Kgs. 9:22, “Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms (corrupt teachings and practices) of thy mother Jezebel (typical of the Roman Church – see Rev. 2:20) and her witchcrafts (especially deceptive false teachings) are so many?” But some – even some who have supposedly been schooled in Present Truth – ignore these outstanding and vital exceptions, stressing only peace, and quoting 1 Tim. 3:16 to justify their position, “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” That this text has been badly corrupted by the translators is quite clear when we read it from Dr. Rotherham’s translation: “Confessedly great is the sacred secret of godliness – who was made manifest in the flesh.” This “sacred secret” is further mentioned by St. Paul in Eph. 5:32: “This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” It needs no argument that it has been a “great mystery” all during the Age that Christ is not one member, but many (Christ and the Church – the Head and the Body); it needs no argument that this has been indeed a “great mystery.” (See 1 Tim. 3:16 – Diaglott)

Furthermore, the contention “without controversy” is directly contradicted by such statements as “endure hardness as good soldiers” – “fight the good fight,” etc.; and these statements are also supported by certain Scriptures that apply especially here in the end of the Age – e.g., Isa. 28:17: “The hail (hard cutting Truth) shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters (great floods of Truth) shall overflow the hiding place.” Also, Isa. 41:15, 16: “Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument (the Harvest sickle of Present Truth – See Rev. 14:14 & Berean Comment) having teeth: and thou shalt thresh the mountains (great strong kingdoms), and beat them small, and shall make the hills (democracies and lesser governments) as chaff... and the whirlwind (the great Time of Trouble) shall scatter them.” The greatest “refuge of lies” of all time has been the Papacy, which has counterfeited almost every fundamental truth of the Bible – and especially so, and in very profuse manner, the truth concerning the glorious Kingdom reign of Christ and the Church.

It is a very easy matter to reach hasty, but erroneous, conclusion from reading just one Scripture; and such is true of those who conclude that “without controversy” means we should follow peace at any price. Old Testament precedent directly contradicts it, as can be seen from the prophets who “waxed valiant in fight... were tortured... were stoned, they were sawn asunder... slain with the sword.” (Heb. 11:34-38) All of their time – particularly these outrages occurred because the prophets exposed the evils of teaching and practice – particularly, the evils of the religious leaders of their time. Note specifically 2 Chr. 24:19‑21: “God sent prophets to them, they testified against them... the spirit of God came upon Zechariah... Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord?... Because ye have forsaken the Lord, He hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the King.” Many who were one time in the forefront of the Harvest battle now seem to feel that the laurels gained in the past will suffice to bring them to the Heavenly Canaan; but the entire record decries such an attitude. Of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah, Jesus, the Apostles, and the multitude of Gospel‑Age martyrs, the sublime report is that they died with their boots on – “faithful unto death.” Those people today who advocate the preaching only of winsome truths – giving no offense to any one – can scarcely be classified as “enduring hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ” – nor will they eventually be in the same record book with those who have done so – the fully faithful. We consider it a truthful observation that none can be faithful to Present Truth without contending for that Truth. “Earnestly contend for the faith (the Truth) which was once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

WHO MAY ENDURE THE DAY OF HIS COMING?

Behold Me! sending My Messenger... But who may endure the day of His coming? And who is he that can stand when He appeareth (maketh manifest)? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ alkali; Therefore He will sit as a refiner and purifier (polisher) of silver, and will purify (polish, develop) the sons of Levi (primarily the Little Flock and the Great Company), And shall smelt them as gold and as silver; So shall they belong to Yaveh, offering a gift in righteousness.” (Mal. 3:1‑3, Rotherham) These texts are undoubtedly prophetic of Jesus’ Second Advent; and they itemize some of the things He would accomplish at that time. It is stated that He will be (1) like a refiner’s fire; (2) like fullers’ alkali; (3) sit as a refiner and purifier (polisher) of silver (the Truth); (4) purify (thoroly polish, develop) the sons of Levi, so they may (5) offer a gift in righteousness.

Our concern in this writing will be mainly with No. 3 above: A refiner and polisher of silver. It needs no argument that literal silver is not here meant. Quite clearly it means the Truth. All who are familiar with the facts know only too well that the Lord did refine the Truth since 1874, by separating from it the conglomeration of error that had attached to it during the interim from His First Advent. And not only so, once the error was eliminated, a great polishing work was done with the then refined Truth, giving it a brilliance that made it a thing of real beauty to all who were “of the Truth.” This was true not only of religious Truth, but also applied with great force to secular truth. The “unclean spirits” (teachings) of the Divine Right of Kings, Clergy, Aristocracy and Labor have been mercilessly exposed, so that today in the more enlightened countries very few still cling to the doctrine that “The King can do no wrong,” or that the preachers and priests can consign to eternal torment all who do not “hear” them. “Truth shall spring out of the earth (the organized social order); and righteousness (the Holy Spirit will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment – Jn. 16:8) shall look down from Heaven.” (Psa. 85:11)

But just as human agents waged battle against secular error, so human agents were also used of the Lord as He “looked down from Heaven.” These human beings were that group that wielded the sickle of Harvest Truth, chief of whom was Brother Russell. He not only put the “ink” into the “inkhorn” (Ezek. 9:2) for all to use, but he himself was foremost of the antitypical “three hundred” who waged antitypical Gideon’s battle against the hosts of antltypical Midian (religious errorists – Judges, Chapter 7). Of course, there was much of turmoil and great controversy in all this, with the victory surely coming to those who held to the polished brilliant Truth on the state of the dead, etc. This victory had become so pronounced that toward the end of Brother Russell’s life one secular writer offered this quatrain:

There is a man in our town

Whose name I need not tell;

I am sure you all must know him,

For he put the fires out of Hell!

As was the case with David, Brother Russell was very much a man of war – always in the forefront of some battle somewhere. One brother once said to him, Brother Russell, you are the most loved man on earth. To which Brother Russell replied, Yes and the most hated! But we believe it is a fair appraisal to conclude that those who knew him well, would certainly classify him as a genteel man – a man who would much prefer peace to war. It has indeed been a great Gospel‑Age paradox that the “sons of peace” led by the Son of Peace – have been in almost continuous battle; and many of such have done so contrary to their inherited dispositions. Many of them would have followed a more peaceful path had they been allowed to do the choosing; yet they had forced themselves to be “good soldiers” as duty had appeared to them.

Theirs not to make reply;

Theirs not to question Why;

Theirs but to do and die!

And for many of them, and especially so as respects Brother Russell, we believe the words of the great Shakespeare are most apt:

His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him

That Nature might stand up and say to all the world

THIS WAS A MAN!

To do any task well, there must first of all be the knowledge to do; then the will to do; then the tools wherewith to do; then the capacity to do; and finally the providential circumstances to do (the physical, mental and financial strength). This is very well summed up by St. Paul in 2 Tim. 3:15‑17, Dia.: “From a child thou hast known those Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise for Salvation, thru that faith which is in Jesus Christ. All Scripture, divinely inspired, is indeed profitable for teaching (doctrine – what we should believe), for refuting (error – that which we should not believe), for correction (that which we should not do), for that discipline which is in righteousness (that which we should do); so that the Man of God may be complete thoroly fitted for every good work.” Usually it is by controversy that the clear untainted truth is established; and this has been especially true here in the end of the Age. Thus, the prophecy of Malachi forcefully applies: “He (Jesus) shall sit as a refiner and a polisher (developer) of the Truth.”

And those who clamor for peace without first having purity, those who have faulted Brother Russell and others for engaging in controversy, such have in effect been finding fault with our Lord Himself; because this controversy – this polishing, this developing – of the Truth is specifically one of the outstanding activities of His Second Advent, It is this “polishing” of the Truth that has directly resulted in “polishing, developing” the Sons of Levi. And the reason the Sons of Levi must be so developed is that “they may make an offering in righteousness” unto the Lord. Until all such have come into Present Truth, to appropriate the Truth from the table the Lord has provided for His people at this time, no activity on their part can be acceptable to the Lord regardless of any outward appearance of prosperity they may have. Jesus said one of His primary purposes at His first Advent was “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth.” (John 18:37) And, Just as the Truth at that time “brought life and immortality to light,” so in His second Advent “the hail (hard cutting Truth) shall sweep away the refuge of lies.” Note the Berean Comment on John 18:37: “It was this ‘good confession before Pilate’ that cost our Lord His life.”

SOME CORROBORATING CITATIONS

The following is something on this subject from Brother Russell: “Having put on the whole armour of God, and boldly withstood error by a clear and fearless presentation and defense of the Truth during this evil day, when giant errors stalk about, the saints are exhorted, ‘Having done all, to stand,’ clad in the full armour, with the sword of the Spirit ever ready for defense, and with watchfulness and perseverance and prayer for all saints.” (Vol. 3, p. 212) “And suffering with Christ, we have seen, is not the ordinary suffering common to all in the fallen state, but only such sufferings as are the results, more or less directly, of the following of Christ’s example, in advocating unpopular truths and exposing popular errors.” (Vol. 3, p. 209)

In the face of such clear statements by Brother Russell, it seems ridiculous in the extreme for any to decry controversy, and yet claim they are fully faithful to the Harvest Truth and That Servant’s teachings. Indeed, he was fully alerted to the fact that one of our Lord’s outstanding Second‑Advent works would be the “polishing developing” of the Truth; and those who do not understand this are Just that much out of Present Truth.

And more from Brother Russell in Vol. 2, pp. 236, 237: “As there (in the Jewish Harvest) the Truth set the father against the son, the daughter against the mother, and the mother‑in‑law against the daughter‑in‑law, so again, a man’s foes are often they of his own household. This cannot be avoided. They who love peace more than the Truth will be tested, and they who love truth supremely will be accepted as the overcomers, as in the Jewish Harvest... As we should expect, we find it here: the blindest are the leaders of the blind, who, like their types, Know not the time of their visitation.” (Luke 19:44)

Now follows something from Reprints 5546, 5547: “Today, as in Jesus’ time, many are influenced by the false teachings of those to whom they have been accustomed to look as their spiritual shepherds. If then the world should come to be in sympathy with us as a people, and should speak well of us, and we should become popular, we should come under the condemnation expressed in the Master’s words, ‘Woe unto you when all men speak well of you; for so did their fathers unto the false prophets’... There are all manner of evil forces and influences surrounding us. These evil influences are of Satan and the fallen angels... As we look back, we can see that all who have walked in the narrow way have received persecution. Whoever has been in accord with God has been out of accord with the course of this world. There were the Baptists, and then the Methodists, who in the early days had persecution because they had had more light than others. The Presbyterians also for a time, because they had had greater light than others, received persecution (from their former brethren, as was the case of our Lord and others – JJH). And we must expect the same today. Persecution will come to those who have the courage of their convictions. The Lord tells us that the anointing that we have received of Him is for the very purpose that we may show forth His praises.”

In 2 Tim. 3:12 we are told, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The only way such persecution may come is by “a good confession” of the Truth. Regardless of how much Truth we may know, if we do not sound forth the “trumpet,” nobody will bother us.

All of the foregoing is quite in harmony with St. Paul’s words in Rom. 12:2: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (changed in disposition, and the like) by the renewing of your mind (with Present Truth), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Clearly enough, the great Apostle was a “non‑conformist” – “beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” (Acts 26:24) As Mark Twain has so ably stated, “If we find ourselves on the side of the majority, it’s time to reform.” But in all of this it is well that we retain “the spirit of a sound mind: and, that we consider well the Apostle’s words to his beloved Philippians, 2:3, Dia.: “Do nothing from party‑spirit (Sectarianism) or vainglory... not each one regarding his own interests, but each one also those of others.” This same point was impressed upon the Jews immediately after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil (in sectarian blindness, or do‑nothing complacency).” (Ex. 23:2)

To be a “good soldier” one must have courage and combativeness ‑ not a good runner, but a good fighter. And, while “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” many of God’s people thruout the Age have willingly answered the call to battle with “the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Eph. 6:17, Dia.) The Adversary, ever seeking whom he may devour – and being a shrewd appraiser of human frailty – was quick to discern that many would face lions in the Roman arena, rather than forsake the “good fight.” Consequently, he aroused their combativeness against each other, with both sides on occasion being in error; yet contending so strenuously for their error that they destroyed each other. This mistake we should studiously and determinedly avoid, giving heed to the prophet’s words, “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isa. 30:15) We should ever bear in mind it is not characteristic of the Lord’s true people to wish destruction upon the gainsayers (Luke 9:53‑55); but to recover them if possible from their “path of error.” (Jas. 5:20, Dia.)

2 Tim. 2:25,26 (Dia.) offers excellent complement to the foregoing “In meekness correcting the opposers; perhaps God may give them a change of mind in order to a knowledge of the Truth; and that they may be recovered from the snare of the enemy.” Those of us who were not ‘born in the Truth’ know by experience that at one time we had no ear for it; but Got eventually gave us “a change of mind... to a knowledge of the Truth.” Thus, there may Be some today who occupy our identical position before receiving this “change of mind”; so time and instruction may eventually cause them to receive it. This thought should always be in our mind as we appraise those who do not hear us now; they may hear us next year if we give them courteous and generous treatment.

Early in the 20th Century a few prominent preachers were alerted to the peace‑at-any‑price disposition already then appearing in some. Said one of them: “When Christianity disposes wholly with controversy it will be like a sleeping man – harmless and helpless; it will be a sad spectacle... Controversy was the life of Paul’s works polite controversy, brotherly controversy; but strong in exposing error and building up the Truth. The Epistles were full of controversy. Moreover, many of Christ’s sayings were strictly controversial.” It is plainly evident that many who attend services in the various sects, and claiming to be “in the Truth” do no more about it than attend meetings. They have a nice place to “go to church.”

We now offer one more quotation from Brother Russell, found in Parousia Volume 2, pp. 358, 359: “In 2 Thes. 2:8‑12 the Apostle Paul declares concerning Antichrist: ‘Whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the spirit of His mouth, and annihilate with the bright shining (Epiphaneia) of His presence (Parousia).’ The light of truth is to penetrate every subject. By exposing rights and wrongs it will lead into the great struggle between these principles, and between the human exponents of each, causing the time of trouble and wrath. In this struggle, wrong and evil shall fall, and right and truth shall triumph. Among other evils now to be finally and utterly destroyed is Antichrist, with which nearly every evil, or theory and practice, is more directly connected. And it will be this bright‑shining (Epiphaneia), this sunlight from the Lord’s presence, which will produce the day of trouble, because of and in which Antichrist, with every other evil system, will be destroyed. ‘Whose presence is with (accompanied by or during) an energetic operation of Satan (Satanic energy and action) with all power, and signs, and lying delusions, and with every iniquitous deception for those perishing; because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be preserved. And for this reason God will send to them a deluding power, that they might believe the error (which is pronouncedly true of those who have had Parousia Truth and now contend for “peace and tranquility” instead of contending for the Truth – a manifest Truth that they received it NOT in the love of it – JJH): so that all not believing the truth, but taking pleasure in iniquity, may be judged unworthy to share the Millennial Kingdom as joint heirs with Christ.

“We understand these words to imply that in the time of the Lord’s presence (since 1874), through this Antichrist system (one of the principal of Satan’s agencies for deceiving and controlling the world), as well as through all his other agencies (including those who are in Azazel’s clutches – JJH), the devil will make a most desperate resistance to the new order of things about to be established. He will take advantage of every little circumstance, and all the inherited weaknesses and selfishness of the human family, to enlist their hearts and hands and pens in this final struggle against liberty and the full elucidation of the truth. Prejudices will be enkindled where, if the truth were clearly seen, none would exist; and passionate zeal will be evoked, and partisan unions formed, which will deceive and mislead many (beginning at the House of the Lord among the Truth groups – JJH)

“And this will be so, not because God has not made the truth clear enough to guide all the fully consecrated, but because those who will be deceived were not sufficiently in earnest in seeking out and using the truth provided as meat in due season. And thus it will be manifested that the class misled received not the truth in the love of it, but rather through custom, formality or fear.” (The revealing is in this Epiphany. The Berean Comment on 2 Thes. 2:11 – “Great delusions are just before us, and some of these may come closest upon those possessing the most Light of Present Truth.” – JJH)

To which the words of St. Paul may be added: “Praying at every season... on my behalf, that eloquence may be given me... to make known the secret of the Glad Tidings... that I may speak boldly concerning it... Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. The favor be with all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 6:18‑23, Dia.)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

This is a reprint of No. 359, published in July 1985

QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION - Are Consecrated Epiphany Campers represented in any way in Noah 's Ark?

ANSWER - No ! And it would be essential for them to be shown in the Ark in some clear manner if they are a genuine class, because that Ark is a “Type of Christ” and the power in Him which will replenish and reorganize society." (See Gen . 6:19 - Berean Comment) In   other words, the Ark  portrays  the  embodiment  of   God's Plan. (Nor does Noah' s Ark  portray  the Jehovah's Witnesses’ Jonadabs, or  any   of their  earthly "Organization" that will allegedly survive Armageddon .)

In elaborating this statement Brother Johnson gives us this in E-5-62 (59): "It will be noticed that there were four human pairs who went into the Ark, as well as at least one pair of every clean and unclean kind of animals. We know that there are four elective classes who in this life obtain a good report through faith in the Abrahamic Covenant : (1) The Christ, (2) the Ancient Worthies, (3) the Great Company, and (4) the Youthful Worthies. Noah undoubtedly types our Lord, who is the Heir of righteousness which comes to us by faith (Heb. 11:7). These classes we understand to be typed in their respective order by Noah and his wife, Shem and his wife, Japheth and his wife and Ham and his wife, the males apart from Noah representing all the leaders of their respective classes, and the females the rest of these classes . We understand the animals in the Ark to represent the non-elect who will ultimately be saved. We understand the clean animals to represent the Jews, as typically clean, who will be saved, and the Tentatively Justified as tentatively clean, who will be saved.    The unclean animals we understand represent those of the present unclean world who will be saved; while those who perished in the Flood we understand to represent from one viewpoint those who have perished under the Adamic curse, and from another standpoint, the movements and systems of Satan's Empire and the Second Death Class. Just as in the type the clean and the unclean animals occupied altogether different positions in the Ark from those of Noah and his family, so in the antitype, the Jews and the Tentatively Justified on the one hand, and the prospectively saved of the rest of mankind on the other hand, are quite differently related to the   Abrahamic Covenant from antitypical Noah and his family. These animals were placed in the Ark to type that anticipatorily their antitypes would be included in the Abrahamic Covenant ."

 From the foregoing, it is clear enough that the clean animals typed the quasi-elect those "truly repentant and believing, but not consecrated, Jews and Gentiles. "  (See E-10-209) They are those who have "adhered to righteousness " and who accept Christ as their Savior - anticipatorily in the Jewish Age, and actually so during the Gospel Age . Note we have emphasized the words "adhered to righteousness," because this feature of the quasi-elect is definitely portrayed in the clean animals by all of them having the split or divided hoof, such hoofs typifying that their conduct has been acceptable to God and to man - they have practiced righteousness - have made "straight paths for their feet" adhered to the Mosaic law to the extent of their ability (even perhaps more so than the "measurably faithful" Great Company Class, and the "measurably faithful" of the Youthful Worthies - although "adherence to righteousness" does not admit the quasi-elect as one of the fully elect classes) . Thus, it is apparent that the quasi-elect are clearly shown in the Ark; and it is equally apparent that the same Ark is completely silent about a consecrated segment of this class at any time during the Gospel Age in the embodiment of God's Plan. Clearly enough, a consecrated division of the quasi-elect is an Azazelian perversion by un-cleansed Levite leaders - whether they be designated Epiphany Campers Consecrated, Quasi-elect Consecrated or Jonadabs. It is an arbitrary addition to "that which is written," and without Scriptural foundation in the Ark, which reveals the "Whole counsel of God" in its generalized features - emphasizing the same six classes as are found in Joel 2:28,29, but no more .

When the LHMM tells us that their Campers Consecrated are so much like the Youthful Worthies that they can hardly tell the difference, we would present the logical question respecting the type :    Did Noah and family have any difficulty whatever in noting the difference between themselves and the clean animals in the Ark?      (By John J. Hoefle)

LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dearest Sister Hoefle,           

Shalom through our mighty Prince of Peace, who will vanquish one by one all enemies of His Kingdom of Righteousness!

Whenever I'm down in the dumps, I watch and listen to "Jerusalem Mosaic, Sounds of Zion" the video you sent me. And, it lifts me above my troubles and up to a higher plane. So, you see, Emily, your gift is one that keeps on giving . My sincere thanks I send to you for blessing me in this way!

Do you think our next V.P. will be an orthodox Jew, only a  heartbeat away from the presidency? I guess the anti-Semites are outraged, I'm absolutely delighted that you persuaded Gary Cooperberg to put me on the non­computerized mailing list. My favorite Jewish writer, he possesses a heroic faith like unto that of worthy ones in O.T. times. He loves his God and his country passionately, and he zealously and candidly delivers wise prognostications for his government re its self-destructive  course.

Now, I  want you  to  pretend that there is a modern-day Ezekiel, and that the following message proceed from his mouth in the Hebrew language :

"The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob hath spoken unto me, and these words gave He me to say unto you, Mr . Prime Minister (Barak).

"Because thou hast forsaken the God of thy salvation and hast leaned heavily upon the arm of flesh, and do take counsel with the heathen King of the West, and because thou givest away thine INHERITANCE, as did Essau to Jacob for a bowl of pottage, God's wrath is kindled against thee .

"Because thou rememberest not the covenant He made with thy father, Abraham, concerning the land which He gave unto him and unto his seed as an everlasting possession, and because ye shun the Commandments He gave unto Moses at Sinai, god shall lay waste the plans ye divise for peace.

"And, if ye repent not, thine enemies He will restrain not. They  shall swoop down upon thee as an eagle falls on its prey, and  thou shalt be devoured! The land itself  will lament and mourn its dead, for the bodies of thy kinsmen will be strewn from one end to the other -heaps of carcasses - too many to bury, and not a soul yet living to do the burying thereof. The bones, picked clean by buzzards, shall lie on the desert floor, a lasting testament to thy treasonous acts toward thy God and toward thine own people .

"Give heed to this warning from the Almighty One, and He will spare thee what from His hand befell Rabin. Worship with a contrite heart thy Creator, and ask His forgiveness for thy conceit aftd thy vainglory . Seek the wisdom of the faithful ones in thy land and the will of Him who led the Issraelit.es out of Egyptian bondage . Conform thyself to the Divine plan to make Jerusalem the glorious centerpiece for Messiah•s Kingdom of Righteousness - from which life-giving blessings will flow out to every nation and to every family on earth (Micah 1:1-4)."

How do you like my scenario, Emily?  Is there a  modern-day Ezekiel on today's scene?

No one I spoke to at I.O. could intelligently address this topic . I need your assistance in compiling all Pastor Russell's comments about Youth Worthies.

Christian love, ... (NORTH CAROLINA)

NO. 521 IN MEMORIAM

“Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Psa. 112:6)

Among other promises that the Lord has given the righteous, is one which pledges that they shall be in everlasting remembrance, i.e., that they will be held in sacred, hallowed and loving memory for their faithfulness. While this promise pertains to the Ancient Worthies especially, it is applicable in a general way to all of the righteous. In the Scriptures, certain righteous ones are specified whose very mention by name in the Bible, is a guarantee that they will be everlastingly remembered; for as long as the eternal Word lasts, so long will such persons, e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, etc., be held in hallowed, sacred and loving memory. So, too, certain righteous ones are specified by name in Church history, whose very mention there as antitypes of certain ones in the Scriptures, is a guarantee that they will be held in everlasting remembrance. As long as the eternal Word is understood by its pertinent antitypes, so long will such persons as Marsiglio, Wyclif, Huss, Wessel and That Servant be held in hallowed, sacred and loving memory. Yea, of all extra‑Biblical characters, we believe That Servant will be held in most hallowed, sacred and loving remembrance. Thus we need not be ashamed to esteem, love and honor one whom Jehovah has so signally esteemed, loved and honored. (1 Sam. 2:30)

Such honor is proper, because the memory of such persons is worthy of being kept alive; because it does those good who keep it alive; and because it continues the good influence of such persons. St. Paul had this same thought in mind when he tells us we should be “looking to Jesus.” The Lord, Himself, vouches for the faithfulness and wisdom of That Servant’s character (Matt. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑44). He was faithful in great and small things. He was wise in his words, methods, plans, arrangements and works. He was full of the faith, hope and knowledge that makes one wise. He was an example of the self‑control and patience that makes one strong. He practiced that piety and brotherly love that makes one just; and he was a living expression of that charity that makes one loving. Beautifully did he exemplify humility, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance. His courage, industry, self‑forgetfulness, liberality, amiability and frugality were most striking. He was as nearly a model Christian as Adamic imperfection has permitted any of Adam’s fallen children to be a true “example of the believers.” Such a character held in remembrance must prove to be a means of honor to God and helpfulness to God’s Household.

The office that he held as That Servant made him the Lord’s special representative, and as such it made him, at a most remarkable time of all history, Christ’s special eye, mouth and hand. As the Lord’s special eye, it was, generally speaking, his function to see the things first of all that the Lord desired the Church to see. As the Lord’s special mouth, it was his responsibility to declare the Lord’s message, after being apprized of it himself, to others with reference to God, Christ, the Spirit, creation, man, good and evil principles, persons and things, the fall into, and punishment for sin, the permission of evil, the ransom, high calling, restitution, justification, consecration, the hereafter, covenants, prophecies, histories and types of God’s Word. As Christ’s special hand, it was his duty to superintend and do whatever work the Lord called on him to superintend and do toward the Church, Great Company, Youthful Worthies, Israel and Christendom.

How may we, therefore, cooperate with the Lord in furthering the blessed influence of his memory? We may do so by esteeming for ourselves and helping others to esteem his office and his work. Rightly to esteem his work, implies our taking God’s view of it. How honorable, effective, faithful and wise was that work in its reaping and gleaning the Church, gathering many of the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies, encouraging despondent Israel, comforting the mourning, binding tares, kings and princes and executing judgment! How wonderful it was from the standpoint of a Teacher, Pastor, Advisor, Lecturer, Author, Preacher, Editor, Theologian and Executive! To esteem him as such and to encourage others to esteem him as such will make his memory a blessing; for it will continue in our own and others’ lives the effects of his works done in the above-mentioned capacities. This implies that we continue to regard him as our helper by faithfully studying and practicing his teachings, spirit and works and commending them to others for their study and practice. This implies that we cherish and live in harmony with these teachings and practices, defend them against all attacks, and do our part in spreading them as well as encouraging others to do likewise. Our so doing will enable us to co‑operate with God in preaching the “good Word.”

Some of us have for years been daily praying God to bless his memory. We are sure such have received a blessing from their prayers; for they have served to keep fresh in their minds his memory, teachings and office; and thus they have among other things helped them to abide faithful to his teachings and to a proper recognition and appreciation of his office; but those who have not frequently recalled what he was to them have valued his teachings and office but little, and have accordingly been open to all sorts of ignoring and repudiations of his teachings.

THAT SERVANT

There is even at this late date more or less confusion among some of the Truth people as to who or what is meant by the expression “that Servant.” According to several views the expression “that Servant” refers to a class. Some claim that, understood as a class, the expression “that Servant” means the teachers in the Church; others claim that it means the Little Flock, and still others ‑the Tower Editors and their disciples – claim that it means the Society’s directors, organized with their agents, or the shareholders or both combined. In Reprint 1946 and Volume 4, page 613 our dear Pastor modestly gave the proofs that the expression “that Servant” refers to an individual, i.e., to himself. With this view all well instructed Truth people agreed, until the Society leaders, to make their usurped powers more secure, spread the opinion that the Society, a business corporation, is “that Servant.” Accordingly the Tower Editors and their followers must be reckoned among those who teach that “that Servant” is not an individual, but is a class.

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

Furthermore, the facts of the Harvest history prove that an individual, our sainted Pastor, is meant by that expression. For the Harvest, understood as the reaping and gleaning period, is past. During that time not a class, i.e., neither the Church, nor all Servants of the Truth, nor the Society, had the entire Storehouse in their charge, nor gave the meat in due season, nor ruled the Harvest work; but “that Servant” alone did these things. Hence, he alone fulfilled the prophecy.

Nor could it have been reasonably done otherwise. How could the entire Church have had the entire Storehouse in its charge, or have given itself the meat in due season, or have ruled the work? How could all of the Servants of the Truth have had these privileges? And have not the divisions in the Church, caused by various power‑grasping leaders, proven the unreasonableness of the attempt to rule the Church by all the leaders? Moreover, how could a “dummy corporation” with “dummy directors” have ruled the Household, given the meat in due season and had charge of all the goods? From these considerations we see the absurdity of the teaching of those who claim that the expression “that Servant” means a class.

Truly during the reaping and gleaning time our Pastor had charge of all the goods, and gave the meat in due season. Practically every feature of the Harvest message was first seen by him, and was then first taught by him to the Church. So, too, every branch of the Harvest work was in its general aspects under his charge.

True to the passages of Matthew 24:45‑47 and Luke 12:42‑44 he was appointed to this office after our Lord’s Return, as a reward for being found faithfully administering the food to the Household when the Lord came, which was before the Society existed, and which proves that the Society cannot be “that Servant.” So, too, in his office work he was both faithful and wise; and therefore he was blessed by the Lord according to these Scriptures with a continuance in his office. In calling him faithful our Lord prophesied that he would be loyal to the end; and through his very faithfulness he was privileged to fulfill official obligations and privileges that gave him a wider and more fruitful field of service than any other servant of God ever had on this earth, our Lord alone excepted.

Time and sign prophecies prove that our Lord returned in 1874. After His coming He found our Pastor faithfully ministering as much truth as he had; and after certain tests He honored him shortly with executive charge of the work and soon after with special mouthpieceship – the two functions of the office of “That Servant.” And all the while he ministered as such during the Harvest, and exercised the functions of that office. He did, under our Lord, have executive charge of the work of the Church at large, and he was the special agent through whom the Lord gave the Parousia Truth. Thus his having exercised the official functions of “that Servant’ during the Parousia, proves him to have been “that Servant.” The fulfillment of the prophecies of the two above noted passages in him, prove him to have been “that Servant.” Thus the Parousia proves him to be “that Servant.”

Some of the Gospel Age prophets had a special doctrine that they emphasized above all others, and which acted somewhat as the foundation of all their teachings; and we believe this was true of Brother Russell, which we would briefly describe as: A correct understanding of the Atonement as portrayed in Leviticus 16, the central teaching of which is RESTITUTION.

Leviticus 16 reveals the offerings for sin, which in turn effects atonement, which “in due time” will accomplish the “restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19‑23) After clearly understanding this great truth, Brother Russell repeatedly preached it in his public lectures; and he urged all the pilgrims to do likewise. This in turn aroused the vicious antagonism of the Hell‑fire preachers throughout Christendom; but the more they opposed, the more the message prospered; and by the time Brother Russell died in 1916 it was considered by many in Christendom as a reflection upon the intelligence of any one who still believed in eternal torment as the wages of sin.’

That the doctrine of Restitution sparked Brother Russell’s entire ministry after receiving this Truth surely none will dispute. It is probable he never delivered a public discourse thereafter in which Restitution did not have a large and prominent place. And those who witnessed the Photo‑Drama will recall the oft‑repeated expressions: “India needs Restitution; China needs Restitution,” etc., etc. We know, too, that his favorite Scripture was John 3:16,17, the mainspring of which is also Restitution: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And early in his ministry he urged the Pilgrims and Bethel speakers to stress Restitution in their public discourses, as he himself also did.

THE PAROUSIA MESSENGER

Inasmuch as he had made crystal clear the meaning of the Lord’s Parousia – over the thousand years, and in its various stages – he began to be referred to as the Parousia Messenger. This title is not to be found in the Bible by direct statement, but it is easily conceived by considering a few texts. In Psa. 91:11 it is stated, “He will give his angels a charge concerning thee”; and the Manna comment for November 17 explains that these angels would be human messengers provided for the special oversight and welfare of the Church. Thus, Parousia Messenger could aptly be stated Parousia Angel, but Parousia Messenger makes the thought a little clearer to the average reader.

He was the Parousia Messenger, as well as That Servant (Matt. 24:45‑47), he was the prophet unto the nations (Jer. 1:5), he was “that faithful and wise steward” (Luke 12:42), he was one of the stars (Rev. 1:16), he was one of the prophets in the Gospel‑Age Church, and those who knew him intimately would readily testify that he was one of the foundation stones in the Parousia Church (Eph. 2:20), he was a pilgrim, he was a warrior and, as such, he was the antitypical Parousia David. He was also the antitypical Eleazar of the Gospel‑Age Harvest. As such he had full charge of the antitypical Tabernacle, the Church: “He shall make him ruler over all his goods.” In this he was the parallel of the twelve Apostles in the Jewish Harvest. He was a genteel man, but most of his adult years were spent in fighting – set for the defense of the Truth.

While directing the Harvest work, Pastor Russell disseminated truth on the Ransom, Creation, fall of man, High Calling, Resurrection, the Kingdom of God, and other doctrinal topics. He refuted errors on eternal torment, evolution, the trinity and human immortality. He detailed and charted the Plan of The Ages, outlining the Biblical teaching of three worlds (2 Peter 3:6,7,13) and their Ages (1 Cor. 10:11, Dia.). His writings on the restoration of Israel have brought him recognition in recent years. The book EARLY AMERICAN CHRISTIAN ZIONIST by Jewish author, David Horowitz, states: “Pastor Russell, in all his writings, proved that the theme of the whole Bible revolves around the return of the Children of Israel to their ancient homeland, the Holy Land with Jerusalem as the capital.”

Pastor Russell as “That Servant” carried out his mission and faithfully followed God’s command to “write the vision and make it plain upon tables.” He made clear the Plan of the Ages to the Lord’s brethren. (Hab. 2:3; Eph. 3:11, Dia.)

In his day “That Servant” never sought to draw attention to himself, nor did he claim any special revelation from God. The “gathering saints” focused not on him but on the spiritual food which they saw as coming forth from the Lord in “due time.”

That Servant entered into his reward October 31, 1916, and since that time the Adversary has done all in his power to distort the Truth in every way possible – by setting it aside for “new light,” by perverting the Truth, by revolutionizing against the Truth. All those who have “continued in the Truth” once delivered unto the Saints (Jude 3) are much saddened to witness such distortions, etc. Some have gone from one group to another, hoping to find the pure faith – and some have come to the conclusion that they would separate themselves from all groups. We believe that is a mistake, because there are yet others of like mind who seek to “abide in His Word,” and who are keeping up the “good fight,” in upholding and defending the faith. Such a course is the only way we can be faithful to the Lord, the Truth and the brethren. We are to “lay down our lives for the brethren,” and we cannot do that if we isolate ourselves and refuse to hold up the standard because we do not want to “stand the heat of the day.” The Truth received into “good and honest hearts” makes us “good soldiers”; it does not make cowards of us. If we have a cowardly spirit, the Lord did not give it to us. “For God did not give us a Cowardly Spirit, but one of power [courage], and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7, Dia.) And the Apostle Paul tells us: “Retain an outline of wholesome words, which thou didst hear from me, in that faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good entrusted charge, through that holy Spirit which dwells in us. Thou knowest this, That all those in Asia turned away from me: of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.” (2 Tim. 1:13‑16, Dia.)

That Servant’s memory deserves to be kept fragrant among us; and it can be so kept best of all by a faithful use of the Truth that he ministered to us, and by a loyal copying of his holy example. Such a course on our part will conduce to his memory being continually blessed to us and to others, and is the best kind of celebration of his life and death.

Why should we pray for our Pastor’s memory to be blessed? We might give several answers to this question. In the first place, God has promised (Psa. 112:6) to bless the memory of such brethren; and it is evidently proper, good and useful so to do or God would not have made this promise. It is proper, because the memory of such brethren is worthy of being kept alive; because it does those good who keep it alive; and because it continues the good influence of such brethren. God’s having made the promise for such reasons, we may well ask Him to bless our Pastor’s memory. Again, our Pastor’s character is one for whose memory one may properly pray a blessing. The Lord, Himself, vouches for the faithfulness and wisdom of his character (Mark. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑44). He was faithful in great and small things. He was wise in his words, methods, plans, arrangements and works. He was full of the faith, hope and knowledge that makes one wise. He was an example of the self control and patience that makes one strong. He practiced that piety and brotherly love that makes one just; and he was a living expression of that charity that makes one loving. Beautifully did he exemplify humility, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance. His courage, industry, self‑forgetfulness, liberality, amiability and frugality were most striking. He was nearly a model Christian as Adamic imperfection has permitted any of Adam’s fallen children to be. Such a character held in remembrance must prove to be a means of honor to God and helpfulness to man. Therefore it would be proper to pray God bless his memory!

THE EPIPHANY MESSENGER

Pilgrim Brother Paul S. L. Johnson was Brother Russell’s special helper during the final years of his life. We also pay tribute to Brother Johnson as the Epiphany Messenger after the death of the Parousia Messenger for his faithfulness in upholding and defending the truth given to us by That Servant, refuting the errors and exposing the errorists in keeping with “Them that honor me I will honor.” (1 Sam. 2:30) We should honor those that the Lord honors – not as “angel” worshipers but in sound and proper appraisal of their position and service in the household, and as “examples of the believers.”

Let their memory abide fragrant to us and be an inspiration for greater fidelity to, and fruitfulness in the Lord. Our Lord himself said, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” (John 12:26)

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PEACE TALKS COLLAPSE OVER JERUSALEM

THURMONT, Md. (AP) – The Middle East peace talks at Camp David collapsed Tuesday over rival claims to East Jerusalem. Disappointed, President Clinton said he tried several approaches but could not come up with a solution. “They couldn’t get there; that’s the truth,” Clinton said at the White House after two weeks of intensive negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

“This is agonizing for both of them,” Clinton said at a hastily arranged news conference. “I think they both remain committed to peace. I think they both will find a way to get there if they don’t let time run away from them.”

Clinton’s own time to arrange a historic settlement could be running out. With less than six months left in office, his legacy as a peacemaker rested on the summit talks at the presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin mountains. He was skeptical of bringing Barak and Arafat back to Camp David for another try, but said peace was the goal, not which American president helped achieve it between two people destined to live side by side and to share “a common future.”

The Israeli and Palestinian delegations said in a statement they intended “to continue their efforts to conclude an agreement on all permanent status issues as soon as possible.” They also said they understood the importance of avoiding unilateral actions – an implicit pledge by Arafat not to declare a Palestinian state outside negotiations with Israel.

And, in a gesture to Arafat, the statement said the only path to peace was resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council after Middle East wars in 1967 and 1973. These call for Israel to relinquish territory won from the Arabs in exchange for secure borders. Arafat several times has said he would declare statehood if no agreement was reached by September 13, a deadline set by him and Barak.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a top Arafat aide, blamed Barak for the failure, saying he entered the talks with his “no’s.” “The Israeli position was the cause of failure,” he said.

Clinton credited both sides with seeking a compromise on the future of Jerusalem, but suggested Barak took bolder steps than Arafat. “The Palestinians changed their position, they moved forward,” Clinton said, lifting the veil of secrecy he had imposed on the details of the negotiations. “The Israelis moved more.”

At another point, Clinton said, “Prime Minister Barak showed particular courage, vision and an understanding of the historical importance of this moment,” and Arafat “made it clear that he, too, remains committed to the path of peace.”

Abdel Rahim said Arafat would tour Arab countries and urge them to convene a summit for foreign ministers to work on a unified Arab position. “We are going to implement what has been decided at the PCC (the Palestinian Central Council) to declare the sovereignty of the Palestinian state on Palestinian land,” he said. Hassan Abdel Rahman, the PLO’s representative in Washington, said in an interview with APTN that he hoped peace talks would continue because “the alternatives to a peace agreement are very ugly.”

Barak, at a news conference, warned: “If there will be a unilateral declaration, we will be forced to make unilateral acts of our own.”

A senior U.S. official said at the State department: “We will not support unilateral moves. Our focus will continue to be on good‑faith negotiations.”

Barak’s spokesman, Gadi Baltiansky, told Israel radio that over the summit’s last two days, it had become clear the Palestinians were maintaining “extreme, unreasonable positions.”

Palestinian sources said the breaking point was Israel’s refusal to recognize Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem’s walled Old City, offering only access to the A1 Aqsa mosque, the third‑holiest site in Islam. Arafat was infuriated, the sources said.

Israeli sources portrayed Barak as far more generous, offering at first municipal control of some Arab neighborhoods and then proposing Palestinian sovereignty over them.

Rahman told The Associated Press that Israel’s offer of limited sovereignty was unacceptable and a “nonstarter.” He said the Palestinians insisted on sovereignty over the entire Old City.

The collapse occurred overnight, as Clinton engaged in another protracted session with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

At 3 a.m. Tuesday, Arafat sent a letter to Clinton saying he saw no point in continuing because the Israeli position on Jerusalem could never lead to an agreement, Palestinian sources said.

“If you ask me, ‘Did they make enough progress to get this done?’ Yes,” Clinton said. “But they’ve got to go home and check, they’ve got to feel around. I feel that we have the elements here to keep this process going... I think it can happen.”

Reaction to the breakdown was quick. “This failure is another indication that the only choice we have is resistance,” said Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. “Only by force are we able to retain our rights... We are ready to become martyrs, and we say one short sentence: They will pay a high price if they think to attack us and reoccupy the land.”

Barak had vowed never to divide Jerusalem, which Israel reunited in the 1967 Six‑Day war by forcing Jordanian troops to surrender the Old City.

At the same time, he offered a series of concessions from the outset, including transferring much of the West Bank to the Palestinians, dismantling of most Jewish settlements and permitting thousands of Palestinian refugees to live in Israel.

That cost Barak the support of three political parties that had been in his government. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a prime time news conference before the talks broke down that Barak must reject any deal that would call for sharing sovereignty over Jerusalem with the Palestinians. Netanyahu said he wanted to avert a “ripping apart” of Israeli society. (By Barry Schweid, AP Diplomatic Writer)

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Emily:

Many thanks for your letter of April 30, 2000. Charles T. Russell didn’t know anything about the hour 1914‑1954. That was the hour that “that Servant” didn’t know about when “The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society” was cut asunder (Matthew 24:49‑51). This is history.

According to Russell himself “our Lord, the great Chief Fisherman, designed to catch a particular number of fish of a particular kind, no matter how many of other varieties went into the net with them; and when the full number of the desired, peculiar kind, have entered the net it is ordered ashore for the purpose of sorting and separating. When the net is thus ordered ashore, the commission given at the beginning of the age, to cast the net into the sea, should be understood as at an end; and all who would continue to be coworkers with the Lord must give heed to his directions, and no longer give their time to general fishing, but to the present work of selecting and gathering.”

John and Morton Edgar were appreciated by Russell as you can see in the Tower. John Edgar died in 1910, but Morton Edgar worked together with my father during most part of the hour 1914‑1954. See enclosed letter from Morton Edgar to my father in 1949. I have many letters from Edgar. My father died in 1954 and Morton Edgar a few years earlier.

The branches of “The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society” went on with general fishing; my father did not. My father visited Russell in Brooklyn before the first world war. Russell appointed him leader of some of the work concerning the truth in Sweden.

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

31 January 1949

Dear Brother Karlen,

Diagram CII with letter arrived on Saturday 29th January 1949, and I am very thankful to hear from you. Please do not get the idea that I am tired of getting these wonderful diagrams, because I look forward to them, and am always glad when still another is delivered through the mail. We cannot have too many of them!

As I have said before, I always thank the Lord for revealing to you these faith-inspiring Pyramid features, and for the self‑sacrificing spirit which you manifest in giving me an understanding of them through your diagrams and letters. I thank the Lord for all your help, and pray Him that He will reward you in His due time.

With much love in His Name, from Sister Minna and myself.

Your loving brother by His favour, Morton Edgar

(Page 8 Contains a reproduction of pictures from the London Graphic and text from the April 8, 1911 Edition at ½ size, which will not reproduce here.).

NO. 520 A CHOSEN PEOPLE

So long as the natural Children of Israel kept the Law to the best of their ability, the Lord prospered them. But they didn’t do this. They not only were contaminated by the sins of the nations around them, but they rejected the Messiah who came to His own, and His own received Him not. It has been much the same with Gentiles who made a Covenant with God. They, too, have failed to keep their Covenant of sacrifice, and the majority has fallen into disfavor. None of them, natural Israel or Spiritual Israel, have been able to keep a perfect Law; but all those who have done so to the best of their ability have been blessed and protected from many evils of the nations around them.

But we are now discussing natural Israel: they were chosen because of their forefathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we see that there were individuals who had God’s favor before He chose Israel as a nation: Abel, Enoch and Noah, as well as Abraham, are mentioned as faithful. This chapter mentions some of the faithful Ancient Worthies, but not nearly all of them. The reason we call them “Ancient Worthies,” is because they were the “Ancients,” and verse 38 tells us, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” So Ancient Worthies is a Biblical expression. These Ancient Worthies not only kept the Mosaic Law to the best of their ability, they lived above the Law ‑sacrificed to do God’s will amidst very adverse conditions. “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented.” (Heb. 11:37) For doing God’s will they underwent such sufferings, the same as the faithful footstep followers of our Lord have suffered. Natural Israel, however, was blessed and favored of the Lord when they made an honest attempt to keep the Law.

Deuteronomy 7:6‑18 tells us: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. [And that is true of Spiritual Israel in the Gospel Age – “they have been the fewest of all people.”] But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt.”

But with all these promises they didn’t hearken unto the Lord. They did this despite Joshua’s encouragement: “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right or to the left.” (Josh. 23:6) And “One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, He it is that fighteth for you, as He hath promised you.” (Josh. 23:10) And also this assurance, “And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” (Josh. 23:14)

Not only did God choose Israel as a nation but He specially used certain ones among them – such as the Prophets, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, et al. David is called Beloved of God – and God was pleased that Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge Thy people.” (1 Kings 3:9) “And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast thou asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee... riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.” (1 Kings 3:11‑13) But Solomon loved many strange women – and when he was old “his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” (1 Kings 11:4)

Here are some pertinent quotes from That Servant: “Nevertheless, the Scriptures most clearly declare that the natural seed of Abraham, the Jews, are still heirs of a certain promise of God, which in due time will come to them. To their nation will come the great privilege of being the foremost nation amongst men during Messiah’s glorious reign, when the church glorified, spiritualized, will be with Him in His throne, invisible to men. St. Paul thus explains that the full number, to complete the elect Kingdom class, must be first found amongst the Gentiles, and then, these being glorified in the first resurrection, natural Israel will obtain the great earthly blessings which are still theirs and which were promised to their fathers. Natural Israel will receive blessings from spiritual Israel. ‘They shall obtain mercy through your mercy.’ – Rom. 11:25‑34.” (Reprints 5101, September 15,1912)

From this we can see that it will be the Church Glorified who will convert the Jewish nation, through the Worthies. Then the Jews will help convert the world of mankind.

You might ask why was Israel specially chosen. Let That Servant answer: “At the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry the Jewish nation was invited to become the Kingdom of God. The offer of God’s chief blessing was ‘to the Jew first.’ For many centuries they had been God’s special people. They had been called to be unto God ‘a kingdom of priests and an holy nation’ – a peculiar treasure unto God, composed of a priestly class and a chosen, holy people (Ex. 19:5,6). We do not understand that all Israel from the time of the giving of the law could have been of the heavenly Kingdom, however faithful they have been. None could be of this Kingdom class before Jesus came to earth; for He was the Forerunner of this class. The offer was made to the Jews of His day. But those of the nation who lived previously, and who had been faithful to God, true to their covenant, shall be greatly blessed of the Lord on the human plane. They shall be used to bless all nations under spiritual Israel – the Kingdom of God now being set up.

“God’s special favor to the people of natural Israel in choosing them above any other nation was especially because they were the seed of His faithful friend, Abraham. God had promised Abraham that because of his faith and obedience his seed should be blessed. It was not because they were of themselves holier or better than other peoples. (See Ex. 32:9‑13; Deut. 9:4‑8) But for their fathers’ sakes God chose them to be His people.

“At our Lord’s First Advent the time had come for the offer of membership in the Kingdom, for the testing of the whole nation of Israel, to prove whether they were ready for this choice blessing. Jesus was the One to offer this Kingdom; for He had consecrated Himself a sacrifice for sin, which would constitute a basis for the establishment of the Kingdom on earth.

TRUE AND FALSE IDEAS OF THE KINGDOM

“The sermon on the Mount, from which our text is taken, points out the earnestness and singleness of heart necessary in those who would become members of the Kingdom class. The Master intimates that not all of this favored nation who heard His message would be ready to accept it. Many were absorbed in the things of this life – in what they would eat, what they would drink, what they would wear. But in order to be ready to receive the proffered blessing, in order to be acceptable to God, they must make the Kingdom their first interest. ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,’ enjoined the Savior, not the earthly things. If the Kingdom was made first, all their earthly needs would be supplied; ‘All things shall be added unto you,’ was His promise.

“Not many of the Jews were ready for so drastic a Teacher. They had their own plans – business plans, political plans, social functions. Hence this invitation of Jesus to leave all to obtain a Kingdom of which they knew nothing and which seemed so intangible did not find a very ready response. The twelve apostles were among the first to accept His offer. At the time of Jesus’ death, something over five hundred had joined themselves to Him as His disciples. Of these we are told that one hundred and twenty were gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, where they received the begetting of the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost some thousands of Jews came to the point of decision to make the Kingdom of God their first business. These, however, were but a small minority of the nation of Israel.” (Reprint 5917, 5918 top, July 1, 1916)

Nevertheless, there is still that promise of God to natural Israel that they will. become the foremost nation on earth. Pastor Russell gives a very beautiful picture in Volume 4:

“JEHOVAH’S FEET ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (Zechariah 14:4,5)”

“This prophecy is generally misunderstood, and applied to the feet of our Lord Jesus, at His Second Advent. Indeed, those who thus err generally go farther and assert that it will be the feet of flesh, pierced with the nails of Calvary – not realizing that our Lord gave His human nature, complete and forever, as our ransom; and that He was raised from the dead, by the Father’s power, a glorious spirit‑being, the express image of the Father’s person. (See Volume 2, Chapter 5)

“But a glance at the preceding verse (3) shows that the Prophet speaks of the return of Jehovah’s feet; for the verse (referring to the trouble by which the Kingdom will be established) is: ‘Then shall Jehovah go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle (anciently for Israel]. And his feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be divided in its center, from east to west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove northward and half southward.’

“As soon as any see the fact that the feet mentioned are Jehovah’s feet, they will not dispute that this language is symbolic, and refers to the Lord’s re‑establishment of His dominion in the earth, that has long been comparatively abandoned to the ‘god of this world’ Satan, except as the Lord was represented first by the typical Tabernacle, secondly by the Temple at Jerusalem, and lastly by the present tabernacle condition of the Church of Christ, during this Gospel Age. Surely, no one will err and get the thought that Jehovah literally rests His feet upon this earth as a ‘footstool.’

“And if the placing and resting of Jehovah’s feet is symbolic, and signifies the return of Divine favor and dominion to earth, so, we may be sure, other features connected in the same prophecy are symbolic: the Mount of Olives, its peculiar division, its valley, the flight of the people, the waters of life from Jerusalem (Compare v. 8 with Ezek. 47:1‑9), etc., are all symbolic statements, pictures of grand spiritual truths.

“The olive is a meaningful symbol: in olden times it was the source of artificial light, its oil being generally used for this purpose (Ex. 27:20). Indeed, in the Hebrew the olive tree was called shemen or oil tree. Olive oil was also used as the basis of many of the precious ointments of olden time – such as that used in anointing the priests and kings, typing the Holy Spirit upon the antitypical ‘royal priesthood.’ (Ex. 30:25) And from time immemorial the olive branch has been used as a symbol of peace. (Gen. 8:11; Neh. 8:15)

“If then the olive be the symbol of light, peace and Divine blessing through the Holy Spirit, and if mountain be considered as elsewhere the symbol for a Kingdom, the significance here of the term Mount of Olives is easily seen to be the Kingdom of Light, Peace and Divine Blessing. And the standing or establishment or fixing of Jehovah’s ‘feet’ upon it, signifies that the Divine favor and law will be re‑established in the earth by and through the holy Kingdom.

“This application of the term Mount of Olives, is in full accord with Paul’s statement (Rom. 11:17,24) in which he compares Fleshly Israel with the original cultivated olive tree, and Gentile converts to wild olive branches grafted in where the natural branches had been broken off. (Compare Jer. 11:16,17) He explains that the root of the tree is in the promise of God, the Abrahamic promise, that the seed of Abraham should finally bless all the families of the earth, etc. Finally the same root or promise will bear two kinds of branches, the engrafted wild olive branches, and the re‑engrafted natural branches: when Israel shall have his blindness turned away, and shall look with the eye of faith on the Savior crucified and pierced eighteen centuries ago, a sacrifice for sin. We remember also that fleshly Israel was God’s typical Kingdom or mountain for a long time, and that spiritual Israel of this age is called to be the real Kingdom of God, as Jesus said ‘Fear not, Little Flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)

“Further, from these two Kingdoms (even before Jehovah’s glory rests on them to make them His channels of blessings to all mankind) has proceeded all ‘the light of the world’ during all the darkness of the past: for are not these the representatives of the Old and the New Testaments, the two parts of the oath‑bound Covenant? Are not these related to the Lord’s two witnesses and to the two olive trees of Zech. 4:3,11,12, distinctly mentioned also in Rev. 11:4? – in that these two parts of the mountain symbolize the outcome of that covenant, the results of the witnessing – the Kingdom in its heavenly and its earthly phases?

“Here we see, then, that the two halves of the Mount of Olives mean the two parts of the Kingdom of God, distinctly separated according to a Divine order or arrangement. The separation indicates no opposition between the two parts of the Kingdom. It is, on the contrary, for the purpose of making the ‘Valley of Blessing’ between – to which all who desire Divine aid may flee and find succor under the blessed protection of both the heavenly and the earthly phases of the Kingdom.

“The Prophet David (Psa. 84) seems to have been given a foreview of this great ‘Valley of Blessings,’ close to Jehovah’s ‘feet,’ when he sings first of the saints of the Gospel Age and then of those blessed in the next Age, saying:

‘How lovely are thy dwelling places

0 Jehovah of Hosts!

My soul desired, yea, it even fainted

For the courts of Jehovah.

My heart and my flesh shout with joy

Unto the living God.

Even as the sparrow hath found a house,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may lay her young: (so

I have found) thine altars, 0 Lord of Hosts,

My God, my King.

Happy are they that dwell in thy house:

They shall be continually praising Thee. Selah.

Happy is the man whose strong confidence is in thee,

Whose heart reflecteth (wholly)

On the paths of righteousness.

Passing through the valley of mourning,

They change it into a place of (joy) springs

[Valley of Blessings].

The Autumn rain brings them blessings [Joel 2:28]:

They go from strength to strength

That each of them may be presented (perfect)

Before God in Zion.’

“The 85th Psalm also pictures the return of Divine clemency and blessing under the Millennial Kingdom, the Olive Mountain (Kingdom) of two parts.

“The removal of one part of the mountain to the north and the other to the south is significant; the North is the direction of the Pleiades, the celestial center of the universe, the supposed seat of Divine empire. (See Vol. 3, p. 321) This would seem to indicate the ‘change’ of the Gospel Church at this time, from human to spirit conditions as ‘partakers of the Divine nature’; and the removal of the other half of the mountain would seem to signify the complete restitution, to perfect human conditions, of those Ancient Worthies accounted worthy to constitute the earthly representatives of God’s Kingdom.

“The valley thus produced would be one full of light – free from shadows: for the sun would stream through it from east to west. This speaks pictorially of the Sun of Righteousness and its full light of Divine truth and blessing scattering the shadows of sin, ignorance, superstition and death, and healing and restoring the willingly obedient of men who will flee to this valley of blessings, the valley of mercy. The valley of mercy, between and under the care of the spiritual and human phases of the Kingdom of Light and Peace (the standing of Jehovah’s feet) will surely be a ‘Valley of Blessings’ to all who enter it with broken and contrite hearts.

“We must recall, further, that while it is said to Israel only, ‘Ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains,’ yet as a name Israel meant ‘The people blessed of the Lord,’ ‘The people of God,’ ‘The Lord’s people.’ (2 Chron. 7:14) While, as we have seen, the first or spiritual blessing of the Kingdom shall come to spiritual Israel, and the second or earthly blessing shall begin with Israel according to the flesh, yet it will not stop there; for whosoever will may become an Israelite: by exercising the faith and obedience of Abraham, all mankind may become Israelites indeed, ‘the people of God.’ Hence the Prophet Isaiah declares that when Israel is called back to Divine favor, at the establishment of the Kingdom, it will include ‘Every one that is called by my (Jehovah’s) name: for I have created him for my glory; I have formed him, yea, I have made him.’ (The name Israel will then apply to all who are God’s people.) – Is. 43:7; Rom. 9:26,33; 10:13.” (Volume 4, pages 649‑654, 1897)

“Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” (Matt. 24:46,47)

(By John J. Hoefle)

STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN RUBIN MIMICS CLINTON’S WISHY‑WASHY POSTURE ON THE MIDDLE EAST

The noted Israeli media‑researcher analyst, David S. Bedein, has given the world an illuminating picture of what really took place at the Shepherdstown, West Virginia talks, revealing the political weakness of the State Department, Spokesman, James Rubin.

This close aide of Secretary of State Albright, throughout the interview by Bedein, appears to mimic President Clinton’s dubious and somewhat biased policy relative to the Israel Arab conflict.

In a feature article appearing in a recent issue of Midstream Magazine, entitled, An Insider’s Report from Shepherdstown, author Bedein – who is bureau chief of Israel Research News Agency – speaks out:

“At first glance, it would seem that the U.S. and Israel express common concerns about the ‘peace process.’ They even use the same terms and definitions on the elements of an accord: ‘cessation of hostilities,’ ‘concern for human rights,’ and facilitating an atmosphere for peace and mutual recognition.’ Yet what these platitudes mean to Israelis and to Americans is another and more complex matter.

“For example, there are 35,000 Syrian troops in southern Lebanon providing protection for Lebanese Hizbullah terrorists, who, from their strongholds, regularly attack civilian targets in Israel.

“Israel has long demanded that Syria close down this organization whose openly avowed purpose is the ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem and all of Palestine – that is, the destruction of Israel. Israel also demands that Syria disarm and disband 10 renegade PLO groups operating in Damascus, that even the U.S. Department places on the list of terror organizations.

“At Shepherdstown, when I asked James Rubin, U.S. State Department spokesman, if the U.S. would support these demands, Rubin replied that the Syrians should merely ‘restrain’ those terrorist bands. When I presented Rubin with the fact that the 10 PLO terror factions that they would continue their activities, the State Department spokesman responded with a prediction that the terrorist would transfer themselves into non‑violent political organizations and abandon the path of terror. Rubin could not offer any evidence to support this optimism.

“Another issue of passionate concern to Israelis is the cruel fate of three Israeli soldiers, one of whom is an American citizen, taken into captivity in Syria in 1982. Since that time, Syria has refused any information about them, either to their families or to the Red Cross. At ‘Shepherdstown’, I asked the U.S. State Department spokesman whether the U.S. would support Israel’s demand for the immediate release of these three men. His response was limited to expressing hope that the Syrians would be ‘helpful’ in the matter.

“For many years, international human rights organizations have been insisting‑that Syria should be held accountable for the crimes against humanity committed by its despotic regime. Even during a week of peace talks, President Assad ordered the arrest of hundreds of people identified as his opposition and ordered at least one opposition leader to be executed.

“At Shepherdstown, I raised this subject with the U.S. State Department spokesman, asking whether the American government would insist on including the matter of human rights and civil liberties reform on the agenda of the current peace talks. He would say no more than to respond that the U.S. supports human rights and civil liberties everywhere, including in Syria. He ignored my specific question, which was whether human rights and civil liberties would be brought up for discussion in one of the working groups that have been established to implement the accords.

“That same State Department spokesman, James Rubin, was also asked about the negative attitudes toward the peace process in the Syrian news media, which remains under the total control of the Syrian government. I asked if the U.S. would request the Syrian government to issue a call for peace in the Arabic language to the Syrian people.

“Rubin professed he was not aware of any problem in the Syrian media. At a later press conference, that same spokesman suggested that there were some expressions of peaceful intent in the Syrian media.

“Since our news agency monitors the Syrian media, and since we have not encountered any such conveyance of peace in the Syrian media, I asked the spokesman at the next press conference if he could provide any specific examples of calls for peace and reconciliation in the Syria media. He could not think of any nor could he provide any examples of expressions of peace in the Syrian press.”

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, June 2, 2000)

MY 50TH ANNIVERSARY PILGRIMAGE TO THE PROMISED LAND

Elva Lanowick, widow of the late staunch Zionist, Casimir, is loved as one of the greatest non‑Jewish champions of Israel and the Jewish people. She recalled her first visit to the new state a half century ago and found that Israel continues as a Biblical miracle of love, growth and expansion in the face of political difficulties, including the latest, abrupt withdrawal from Southern Lebanon.

Lanowick believes in Biblical prophecy – as do most of the millions of Christians around the world, and the UN members representing the Western world’s three basic faiths, two of which sprang from Judaism. Lady Lanowick’s personal report is well worth citing as a historic document:

“Now I’m happy to try to convey to you a thorough account of my 50th anniversary pilgrimage to the Land of Promise. No, I should not say ‘thorough’ because such a journal would be extremely long.

“Yes, it was really 50 years ago that I first stepped on the soil of Israel, and, oh, how it has changed since then, mostly for the better, much better.

“We got into bumper‑to‑bumper traffic, on the divided highway that took us most of the way, first north then east toward Tiberias. Even though only 25 percent of the Israelis own automobiles, there are lots of buses and trucks, too. It was dark by the time we pulled up in front of the Bausch residence, situated on a relatively quiet street just off the main highway leading down to the center of Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.

“I don’t need to tell most of you who know Lev and Hava, how very warmly we were received.

“Even though Israel has not had sufficient rainfall this past season, it did get enough to make the Golan Heights a rich green, dotted with the lovely brilliant‑red anemones that we call poppies. Any number of Scriptures say that G‑d gave this area to half the tribe of Manasseh. It is called Bashan in the Bible. The Golan Heights are strategic uplands where large herds of cattle graze on the green plains, cowboys ride horses, with dense oak forests and an abundance of water everywhere.

“Before 1967, this plateau served as a huge Syrian military base from which Israel was harassed, threatened and attacked. Now the Heights are the home of 19,500 Jews, living in 32 villages and one town, Katzrin, plus 17,000 Druze. The Golan’s agricultural yield is the highest of Israel; its wines rank among the finest in the world and win prizes even in France.

“I need not tell you that the Golan is a bone of contention between Israel and Syria and that even the Israeli population is divided on whether or not to return it to Syria. The latest polls indicate that the majority are in favor of keeping the Golan. Sources have said that Prime Minister Barak is willing to agree to a plan President Clinton has secretly orchestrated that would give Syria complete control of the Golan Heights, rights to the Sea of Galilee, and economic aid. But Barak has agreed to put the matter to a referendum vote in Israel.

“Some three weeks later, when I was in the Negev with Lev and Hava, we saw many young Israelis standing at road intersections in the dark of night, holding torches and signs calling for Israel not to give up the Golan. In fact, these young Israelis were at every major intersection in Israel.

“Space does not permit going into this matter at greater length, except to say that President Assad of Syria has rejected the latest proposal put forth by President Clinton. It brings to mind a lucid explanation of the Arab mentality I heard Lev explain one evening to some guests. He reminded them that he and Hava had worked with Arabs for ten years at the Peniel Guest House and had therefore learned much about how the Arabs think. He said that the most important quality to an Arab is pride – more valued by them than truth or justice. So, President Assad seems to wrestle with his pride.

“Listening to Lev that evening made me understand all the more what an asset he and Hava are to Israel. Their experience and their insight qualify them for enlightening many of their guests about the issues in Israel and, most importantly, about the Biblical background and the Biblical promises to Israel. Lev reminded us that G‑d does not work beyond the bounds of justice, and so, even from a secular viewpoint, Israel has justice on it side.”

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, June 16, 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – Do you believe the Jubilee antitype began in 1874?

ANSWER – We don’t worry about the Jubilee day, as it is a 1000‑year day, and we will know at that time whether 1874 was the right date. Brother Russell gave us many dates in harmony with Bible chronology: He gave us 1874 as the beginning of the Second Advent which many Bible Students accepted as they were watching and not sleeping, and the times revealed it. We believe the Harvest Work then began. The message of Psalm 50:5 was given to Brother Russell: “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” Brother Russell and his faithful followers gathered “together” all the saints as they had a special duty to perform: the “Smiting of the Nations as given in Reprint 5632, February 15, 1915, This was the first time all the saints were gathered together during the Gospel Age. Before the Harvest the saints were in all denominations until God spewed them out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16).

The “gathering of the saints” was one of That Servant’s first arrangements during the Harvest. Like the Apostle Paul who said “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) Brother Russell knew too it was his duty to “declare unto you all the counsel of God.” He then gave us a fourth elect class, an unbegotten class, in Reprint 5761 under THOSE CONSECRATING BETWEEN THE AGES. He says, “Any afterward [after the door to the High Calling is closed] coming to God in consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work... such would come under the same condition as the Ancient Worthies.” We call this unbegotten class Youthful Worthies in contrast with Ancient Worthies. We have four Scriptures which give four elect classes. We will give you the one given by the Apostle Paul which gives four elect classes and the restitution class that are saved (2 Timothy 2:20).

QUESTION – Was Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, an Ancient Worthy?

ANSWER – So far as we know, this question never came up under Brother Russell; other­wise we would quote his opinion rather than our answer. There is nothing in the records to tell us whether Joseph was alive or dead when Jesus died, but the commentators infer that he was dead; otherwise Jesus would not have given the Apostle John the custody of His mother. Since Joseph was faithful in all the Lord told him to do, caring for Mary until Jesus was born, then caring for Jesus until He became the anointed One – Jesus Christ – Jesus would not have ignored His stepfather to give John the custody of His mother. The Jewish family arrangement was a very strong one; thus, Jesus would hardly have told Mary to leave her husband, and make her home with John.

Matthew 1:19 says Joseph was “a just man”; and this identical expression was given concerning Cornelius (Acts 10:22). Galatians 3:11 and Rom. 1:17 tell us that the “just shall live by faith”; and it would seem that Joseph lived by faith. According to Acts 24:15, which uses the same Greek word dikaios translated just, then he would receive “a better resurrection” – the resurrection of “the just.” He had the supreme privilege of caring for the boy Jesus; and this in itself was a great honor. Joseph believed God, and Gal. 3:6 says “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”