NO. 548 EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

In Jude, verse 3, Diaglott, the Apostle admonishes, “I had a necessity to write you, exhorting you to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.”  In this time, when Combinationism is rampant on all hands, here is some Scripture that receives little or no attention - even from some who claim to understand its real import.  At the outset it is well that we remember that faith has three meanings in the Bible - first, it is what we believe (the Truth), second, it is the quality by which we believe (mental appreciation and heart’s reliance upon God and Christ), and, third, it is faithfulness.  When St. Jude tells us to “contend for the faith,” he is referring to the first meaning of the word; namely, contend for the Truth.  This is in keeping with the Manna comment for September 23: “Our good fight of faith consists in a considerable measure in our defense of the Word of God… This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants… As the Apostle again says, ‘I am set for the defense of the Gospel.’  We can do no less than defend the Truth.  The Truth is God’s representative, Christ’s representative, and hence our standard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

There is a slogan common among men, He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day; but this certainly can have no embrace from those who “earnestly contend for the faith.”  This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Phil. 1:17, Dia., “I am placed for the defense of the glad tidings” - in much the same manner as “God has placed the members each one of them in the Body.” (1 Cor. 12:18)  Both of these texts draw good comparison to a sentinel on guard in an army - he is set there to admit all the eligibles, just as he is also set to intercept all the ineligibles.  Once this matter is clearly discerned, it will then become readily apparent how wrong are those who have decided they will have no controversy.  Certainly, their stand has no support whatever in the Scripture; in fact, it is a direct contradiction of Scripture.

Sometime back, one who would be a teacher in the Lord’s House made the foolish observation that only error needs defense; the Truth can defend itself.  From the foregoing, it is clear enough that the two Apostles and That Servant held just the reverse position.  Those of us who are acquainted with the facts know that Brother Russell was inherently a gentle man - a man of peace; yet a large part of his ministry was spent in controversy - just as the Prince of Peace spent most of His earthly sojourn in warring for the Truth and the principles it embraced.  Eventually, when His Kingdom is established, He will in all truth be the Prince of Peace.  He will then establish a peace among men the likes of which they do not now comprehend.  Thus, if we become involved in controversy, we, too, may contemplate a better day when there “will be no night there” - no error to cause controversy.  But that time is not yet.  David in his wars typed Brother Russell in his wars; and the Scriptures tell us definitely that David was a man of war - so much so that the Lord would not allow him to build the temple (the Lord’s house), but that honor was reserved for Solomon, whose name is the Hebrew for peace.  So also, the Greater Solomon will eventually speak “peace” to the people, but that day is still future.

In 2 Tim. 4:6-8, Dia., St. Paul is in effect giving his own burial eulogy: “The time for my dissolution has come near.  I have maintained the good contest.  I have finished the race, I have guarded the faith” - the Truth, that which had motivated him during the years of his Apostleship.  He had been well imbued with the understanding that God had placed him in the Body for that very purpose; and he had practiced what he preached, “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED

Before one can teach others - defend the Truth - he must himself first be taught.  It is well given that the big difference between the professors and the students is that the professors have read the books first.  Thus, St. Paul counsels, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” (2 Tim. 2:15)  Brother Russell also recognized the force of this counsel, as shown by the December 20 Manna comments: “Only the studious find the narrow way to the Divine approval and acceptance… study the doctrine [the Truth]; study your course of conduct to keep it in harmony with the doctrine…Study to perform the duties of a faithful soldier of the cross.”

It is a sage observation that the average man is as lazy as he can afford to be; and this is more pointedly true of the mind than of the body.  Like trees, human beings die in the top first; we often see people whose bodies still have some semblance of life, but whose minds have flitted off into space.  And we see Christians on every hand whose faith (mental appreciation) has been considerably blurred by the ravages of time.  Thus, we have St. Peter’s statement, “I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” (2 Peter 1:12)

According to the information that comes to us, Bible studies are conducted among some Truth groups where a half dozen different answers are given to the same question, at least five of which may be wrong.  Yet there is no correction by the leader; each is permitted to believe any answer that suits him.  Viewed from any standpoint, this is certainly Babylon, and comes well within the scope of St. Paul’s statement, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7)  At the other extreme, we find some leaders who are ever striving to produce some new and different answers to those furnished by Brother Russell - just to be different.  And of such Brother Russell makes some pointed comment:

“The church has been responsible in considerable measure for the stumbling of those whom it has recognized as elder-brothers and teachers.  While they should not think evil, or surmise arrogance, they should be so wakeful to their own duties toward these brethren that they would not unduly flatter them, nor unduly encourage them, nor stimulate them to manufacture new light [such as justification in the Camp].

“On the contrary, all who are spiritual should be helpful to those elder-brothers; should compliment them on their loyalty to the Lord, and to the old, old story, rather than commend them for fanciful fictions, or encourage them further along such lines.  The Gospel of Grace has not changed [nor have the fundamentals of Harvest Present Truth]; it is still the old, old story; it still includes the thought of our calling and election by faithfulness to the terms laid down in the Scriptures.  The Brethren should be encouraged along these lines rather than along the lines of manufacturing types by guesswork without any authority of the Word of God.”

ERROR AND TRUTH AS TESTS

The question logically arises, Why should the Lord allow such vagaries among His people?  Many are perplexed by this question, yet the answer is conveniently simple, when seen in the proper light.  It is well stated in Micah 5:5,6: “When the Assyrian [the errorists] shall come into our land [the sphere of the Truth and its spirit]: and when he shall tread in our palaces [by attempting to overthrow fundamental doctrines, such as justification outside the Court in this faith Age], then shall we raise against him seven shepherds [competent teachers who shall watch over your souls as they that must give an account].”  And such faithful teachers “shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword [bring against the errorists sharp cutting truths - “the word of God, quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12)]… thus shall He deliver us from the Assyrian [the errorists], when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.”  Here is one more pointed Scripture that approves of controversy on various occasions.  Jesus Himself established the law for us for this Gospel Age: “Think not that I am come to send forth Peace on this land; I am come not to send Peace, but War.  For my coming will set a Man against his Father, and a Daughter against her Mother, and a Daughter-in law against her Mother-in-law; so that a man’s enemies will be found in his own family.” (Matt. 10:34-36, Dia.)  It is an inescapable duty of those who would be “faithful to the Lord, the Truth and the Brethren.”  And to such the Lord’s promise is sure: “And it will turn out to you for a Testimony… for I will give you Eloquence and Wisdom, which all your opponents will not be able to gainsay, or resist… And you will be hated by all on account of my name.” (Luke 21:13-17, Dia.)

Especially has this promise been evident in both Harvests.  Certainly, the Apostles and other teachers in the Jewish Harvest put to flight all opponents.  And in the Gospel-Age Harvest the same was also definitely true.  This has been in keeping with the prophecy: “I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth.” (Isa. 41:15,16)  A threshing instrument is only for harvest purposes; and those familiar with the facts know that the Harvest Truth did have “teeth” in it.  “Thou shalt thresh the mountains [kingdoms by exposing the error of the Divine right of kings, etc.] and beat them small [the Harvest message revealed how ridiculous were such claims, made them truly look “small”]… thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.” The teaching is clear that the elect, especially their teachers, will be victorious in the Harvest conflicts with error.  “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” (Isa. 54:17) Therefore, when leaders do not “prosper” in “contending for the faith” we may know that they are contending for error.

Upon receiving the Truth, which is in “the mouth sweet as honey” (Rev. 10:9,10), many reach the mistaken conclusion that they have come to the end of all controversy, and have entered the Beulah land of rest and peace, never again to be disturbed.  But not so!  “Good soldiers” must ever be ready to do battle whenever and wherever occasion arises; and it is an experience common to all who have borne any part of the burden and heat of the day that “when the sons of God present themselves before the Lord, Satan comes also.” (Job. 1:6)  And he is not one to promote the peace and prosperity of Zion in any measure - although he often appears to be so with “words smoother than butter.”  Rather, against the Kingdom and its establishment, and against any and all of the Elect, he is the avowed enemy ready to cast a stone among them at every opportunity.  Thus, they are his special targets always pitting the “wheat” class against the “buckwheat” class; “the peace of God which passeth understanding” is anathema to him.  Therefore, as soon as any of the Elect escape from the kingdom of darkness - from “the veil that is spread over all nations [the veil of ignorance and superstition]” (Isa. 25:7) they should logically expect to be the special target of the Prince of Darkness; and experience has taught us all that this is certainly true.  We need only consider the experience of Jesus Himself in Matthew 4:1-11, after His forty-day fast in the wilderness for confirmation of this conclusion.

It is well, however, to keep in mind that Satan is a master of deception, which is clearly illustrated in his trickery with Eve in the Garden.  “The woman was deceived.” (1 Tim. 2:14)  Hence, he does not blow a trumpet before him when he leads God’s people astray, even though war is in his heart.  “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” (Psa. 55:21)  He is indeed the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” - the “angel of light” - the proclaimer of “advancing truth,” which always does away with the Truth already established.  This is the clear record for the entire Gospel Age to those of us who are “established in the Present Truth.”  And he readily downgrades those who oppose his errors.  Jesus was grossly slandered by the “preachers” of His time, as “a glutton and a winebibber”; Martin Luther was the “heretic,” the renegade who got drunk (also a winebibber), the “sifter” who caused divisions, etc., by the words of the Man of Sin; the loving and lovable John Wesley was the “dissenter,” the nomadic preacher without a pulpit (to which he replied, “The world is my pulpit”); and Brother Russell was the “illiterate haberdasher,” the braying Balaam’s ass, etc.

But sad to say, many who would rest at ease upon their creed beds fell into the snare of the fowler, which is one of the evidences now, one of the “signs of the times,” that we are in “the evil day.”  The Harvest siftings abundantly confirm this; and the sixth slaughter weapon of Revolutionism is everywhere rampant.  One of the chief weapons of this sifting work is the cry, No more controversy; let us have peace!  Instead of “spoiling” the Assyrian (the sifting errorists), they allow the Assyrian to spoil them.

THE PATH OF THE JUST

Those who continue to “fight the good fight” along the lines prescribed in the Bible continue to progress; whereas, “those who sleep” retrogress.  Without activity in the study, practice and spread of “the good Word of God” there will not only be no progress, but there will be just the reverse.  Thus, St. Peter (2 Peter 3:18) exhorts us, “Grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”; and Brother Russell states that it is impossible to do one without the other.  And it follows, too, that when we see others introducing “strong delusions” in the Truth movement, it is our bounden duty to “raise up a standard against such.”

Often we hear the text quoted, “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18)  Today many contend that this is an individual matter, with sufficient knowledge in the Six Volumes of Scripture Studies and other Parousia writings to accomplish this.  This is only a half truth, and half truths are more misleading than whole errors.  Accepting such a position makes it easy to go to sleep.  But note the direct contradiction to such a position in Parousia Volume 1, p. 20: “Those who will turn away from the mere speculations of men, and devote time to searching the Scriptures, not excluding reason, which God invites us to use (Isa. 1:18), will find that a blessed bow of promise spans the heavens… For the child of God a lamp is provided whose light dispels from his pathway much of the darkness… But it is only ‘the path of the just’ that ‘is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day’… The class referred to is ‘justified by faith’… While it is true that the path of each individual believer is a shining one, yet the special application of this statement is to the just (justified) as a class… The light will continue to increase beyond the present - ‘unto the perfect day’… illuminating as it becomes due.”

And to emphasize this statement we offer another comment from the 1912 Watch Tower Reprint 5055, under the caption, Light Shining More and More Unto The Perfect Day:

“It would not be becoming on our part to speak with positiveness of how much our Lord knew during His earthly ministry.  For how could we know except as it was declared.  He said that the times and seasons were not at that time known by any but ‘the Father only.’  We cannot doubt that He knows all on that subject now.  And if our surmises are correct, we know more on that subject now than our Lord did then.”

And by the same process of “reason” we can now say, we know more on some things today than did Brother Russell during his lifetime.  Surely, none would dispute this self-evident truth, although this offers no occasion at all for “boasting” over present possessions of Truth - nor was Brother Russell boasting when he stated, as quoted above, “we know more on that subject now than our Lord did then.”

STRONG DELUSIONS

Nevertheless, it is a fair and reasonable question, Why does the Lord permit the strong delusions and trials of this evil day, when they actually do overthrow the faith of many and severely test all?  The Apostle Paul answers this question in 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12: “For this cause God shall send them [those who received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved] strong delusion, that they should believe a lie [such as no more controversy, the world on trial now before Armageddon - the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teaching]: that they might be condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  Note the added force to this text as it is given in the Diaglott: “God will send to them an energy of delusion, to their believing the falsehood; in order that all those may be judged who believed not the Truth, but approved the iniquity.”  Plainly, then, we are told that God not only permits, but also desires, that the faith of His professed people should be severely tried.  And if the thousands fall by these fiery darts of the enemy, it is because they are unworthy of the Truth - not having received it in the love of it, much the same as “The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.” (1 Sam. 16:14)

Many indeed receive the Truth very much as a child receives a new toy.  It is a curiosity, something new (like Grimm’s Fairy Tales when read for the first time), to be enjoyed for a season and then laid aside to be superseded by something else that temporarily pleases the fancy - some “sleight-of-hand” that may be produced by an aspiring leader.  Then there are some who grasp the Truth as a cudgel wherewith to gain the honors of victory in arguments with opponents - they are overcome by the “knowledge that puffeth up.”  It is a sound teaching that the Truth brings to its recipients “the peace of God which passeth understanding” (Phil. 4:7); and such peace comes to one and all so long as they “receive the Truth in the love of it”; but such peace is not the peace of indifference, not the peace at any price, not the peace of cowardice when controversy appears.

The Truth does indeed make strange bedfellows - widely separated by race, nationality, education and other providential circumstances.  Thus, we find some who are too aggressive; just as we find some that are not aggressive enough; but a proper application of the Truth and its spirit will eventually give to all “the spirit of a sound mind.”  It will calm down the warmongers and energize to battle those that would calmly permit the Truth stream to be polluted.  St. James has properly stated the matter: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable.” (James 3:17)  To those who would ignore this plain Scripture the Prophet Amos has some critical words: “Woe to them that are at ease [at peace with all men] in Zion… that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches [in languid indifference when errorists - the Assyrian - would muddy the clear pure Harvest Truth-stream].” (Amos 6:1-4)  Our Lord Himself says, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26)

In this connection, That Servant has some more to say in the September 1, 1916 Watch Tower, Reprint 5949:

“Let us remember, too, that God has promised to keep and guide the minds of those whose hearts are loyal and true to Him.  We should therefore conclude that if the Lord is thrusting any one out of the light as unworthy of it, into the outer darkness of the world, if He is permitting unfaithful ones to be seduced by the great enemy, it is not our mission to follow them into the outer darkness by reading, conversation, etc.  We are to remain with the Lord and those who are walking in the light, and to seek others to take the places of those who now deny or ignore the precious blood of the covenant wherewith they were once sanctified.  Neither are we to waste sympathy upon those who depart.”

Although we are not heart-examiners, God is; and, when He manifests one by permitting him to go into outer darkness - as is true of the “unprofitable servant” of Matthew 25:30 (see Berean Comment), then we can know of a surety that there was something wrong with the heart, with the character, of which we may have been unaware.  But, when this does become apparent, then we have the indisputable evidence of the loss of God’s favor - gauged by the depth of his departure into “outer darkness.”

Such conclusion would also be strengthened by the depth of the Holy Spirit in those observing the deflection.  St. Peter clearly revealed that he had read the heart of Ananias - “Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” (Acts. 5:4) - and St. Paul corroborates this opinion: “The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)  The word “discerner” in this text is from the Greek kritikis, meaning critic or judge.  It is found only once in the New Testament, and is derived from the Greek krino: it is closely related to the Greek krisis, which is translated damnation in John 5:29, the real meaning of which is judgment.  Jesus Himself substantiates this meaning in Matthew 7:15-16, Dia.: “Beware of false teachers… By their fruits you will discover them.”  These words would be empty indeed were we unable to penetrate any deeper than the skin, although it is common fallacy among men to “look on the outward appearance,” which offers the warning that we should ever proceed very cautiously when attempting to “discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  We are not to judge according to the faults and blemishes of the fallen man, but we are to judge (recognize) them according to their faithfulness to the Truth - or by their revolutionisms against the Truth and departure from the Truth they once received.  It is the “Word of God” that manifests such people to us.

However, it is here timely to stress that all of the Lord’s followers have more or less faults and blemishes, but these failings are not to determine our opinion of them - their heart condition.  There can be only one touchstone, and that is the Truth itself.  Jesus said, “Now ye are clean through the word [the Truth] which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3); and this offers the ready conclusion that those who cast away the Word that once sanctified them are now become self-evidently unclean - not on the surface merely, but in the heart.  Usually blemishes are apparent on the surface, and some are quick to conclude that such appearance is a gauge of the hearts, but this is a mistake, and should certainly be avoided.  “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Cor. 1:26)  So it has always been easy to see the faults of the called ones; but it is definitely not the privilege of the called ones to parade the faults of other called ones - and this should hold true even if we see them losing the Truth - even though we may realize that there was something unworthy in their characters that caused them to lose the Truth that once sanctified them, something that caused the Lord to manifest them as such.  All of us know that Brother Russell declined to attack the morals of the Roman priesthood; he allowed the Truth to manifest them and their errors.

Knowledge is not the primary gauge of Christian character, because all of the saints after Apostolic times had more or less of error; yet they made their calling and election sure.  However, That Servant taught that we should esteem most highly those whose zeal for the Truth actuated them to systematic and energetic study of the Word; especially so, those elders “who toil in word and teaching.” (1 Tim. 5:17, Dia.)  St Paul says such should be “esteemed worthy of double honor,” because they are those who come within the scope of Psalms 42:1: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”  Conversely, those who esteem the Truth lightly, merely to minister to their selfishness, or their ego, or for present advantage (“through covetousness shall they with feigned words making merchandise of you” - 2 Peter 2:3), are unworthy of it; and it is God’s will that they should lose it.  Therefore, “strong delusions” are sent, which “if it were possible, would deceive the very elect” (Matt. 24:24) - to separate the true from the false.  In this Age of faith the Truth was not designed for the “slothful in business” (Rom 12:11), or for the wicked or avaricious.

St Peter describes this latter evil very well in Acts 8:20-23: “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God… Thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”  Indeed, “Light [Truth] is sown for the righteous [those who receive it in a good and honest heart], and joy [the joys of the Truth and its spirit] for the upright in heart.” (Psa. 97:11)  Some of us have wondered why our relatives or close fiends did not receive the Truth gladly; but, when they did not receive it thus, we should conclude that they are not “of the Truth,”  and should direct our efforts toward more responsive minds.  The veil that is spread over all nations” (Isa. 25:7) has fostered many superstitions of wide variety; and over the centuries these vagaries have gripped the minds of many with compelling force.  We are very well acquainted with a multi-millionaire who would not think of undertaking any kind of voyage on Friday; but no one would suspect him of such weakness unless they had become intimately acquainted with him.  It is very unlikely that such a mind would be responsive to sound sober truth, nor would he be in favor of engaging in any controversy that would challenge his ludicrous flummery.  Such a man would not be inclined to “earnestly contend for the faith.” (Jude 3)

The faithful children of God embrace the Truth because they have a warm affinity for it; and they are most happy when they can minister it to other receptive hearts and minds.  “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jer. 20:9), which instantly prompts such to “earnestly contend for the faith” - to “preach the word in season and out of season” - in winsome presentation, or in sharp controversy whenever occasion demands.  All such realize the unspeakable value of the Truth; they always give “thanks unto God for His unspeakable gift” - His “inexpressible gift.” (2 Cor. 9:15, Dia.)  Such “buy the Truth, and sell it not” - they sell it not for money or for “the praise of men.”  This is what is meant by receiving the Truth into a good and honest heart.  And to all such the promise is sure, “He shall give His angels [Messengers - competent teachers well established in “the present truth”] charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psa. 91:11)

During this faith Age, the “angels” are usually well-instructed brethren who have studied to show themselves workmen approved of God, who rightly divide the Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), ever joyfully willing to feed the flock of God - or even some sister well established in present truth, who takes a motherly interest in the lambs of the flock.  We may be certain that the Lord always provides for His own; and “great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend [stumble] them.” (Psa. 119:165)  Thus, the one thing to which all the elect should first look is what they have received - and still hold - the Truth in the love of it.  All who do this have, for Gospel-Age purposes, inherited goodly Canaan land, which means that they have acquired the Truth and the spirit of the Truth.  This is what is meant by “continuing in My Word” - and “you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.”  Such belief of the Truth comes only through a real sanctification of the spirit, a complete setting apart to the Divine will and service.  This will sometimes put us on the mountain top, as it also will often place us “in the valley of the shadow,” sometimes “sons of peace,” sometimes “good soldiers” able and willing “earnestly to contend for the faith.”  The sufferings of our Lord were directly or indirectly caused from advocating unpopular truth and exposing popular errors - and if we would be faithful we “ought also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:6)

We should not expect to see all in any ecclesia thus fortified, and we must make due allowance for “growth in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus”; but God has provided His angels (messengers) to accomplish this in all whose “mind is stayed on thee.”  The faithful student of the Word should be able always to give a reason for his hope.  The Word of God alone is able to make wise, and is profitable for doctrine, instruction, etc., “that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished.” (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Tim. 3:15-17)  Only this one storehouse contains an exhaustless supply of things both new and old - meat in due season for the household.  God’s Word is a great storehouse of food for hungry pilgrims.  There is milk for babes and strong meat for those more developed (1 Peter 2:2; Heb. 5:14); and not only so, but it contains food adapted to the different seasons and conditions.  “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” (Jer. 6:16)  Only a comparatively few are seeking the “old paths” and “the faith once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3)

(John J. Hoefle, Reprint No. 196, October 1971)

NO. 547 THE MEMORIAL

       “When He seeth the blood the Lord will pass over the door and not suffer the destroyer to smite you.” (Exodus 12:23)

       The Passover of The First-Born:  A memorial of first rank with the Israelites is the Passover.  It celebrates one of the most momentous chapters in their history.  It stands at the beginning of their ecclesiastical year, as the Day of Atonement stands near the beginning of their civil year.  It is associated with their civil year.  It is associated with their national birth.  The Scriptures declare that God at that particular time had brought to the throne of Egypt a Pharaoh of indomitable will.  The Scriptures declare that whereas other persons might have been in line for the throne, God specially favored this man’s attaining it in order that through his natural stiff-neckedness and obstinacy Divine power might be manifested in one after another of the plagues which his course would make necessary and proper.  We read, “For this very purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show forth my power in thee.” (Ex. 9:16)  The ten plagues sent upon the Egyptians were manifestations of Divine Justice in opposition to their unjust treatment of God’s Chosen People.  The last of these ten stands related to our subject, The Passover.

       The edict sent forth was that all of the firstborn of the Egyptians should die, and that the firstborn of the Israelites should not die.  And the Chosen People residing in Egypt were directed to take special steps whereby to mark themselves as separate and distinct from the Egyptians.  They were to take for each family a lamb without blemish and bring it into the house on the tenth day the first month.  They were to cherish it and care for it until the fourteenth, and then slay it.  Its blood was to be sprinkled on the outside doorpost and lintels while its flesh was to be roasted in the fire without a bone of it being broken.  It was to be eaten in the night of the fourteenth with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread.  On the morrow, in the strength of the food, they were to march forth out of Egypt to go to the Land of Promise for an inheritance under the Covenant made with Abraham.

       The Destroying Angel Passed Over:  The results were as the Lord by the mouth of Moses had foretold.  The first-born of the Egyptians died in that night, but the firstborn of the Chosen People were passed over or spared.  This notable miracle was memorialized by Divine direction, and every year at the appropriate season a lamb was taken on the tenth day into each of the houses of the Israelites, one for each family or group.  All leaven was put away from their dwellings.  Everything representing corruption was burned, and unleavened bread alone was eaten with the lamb.  The annual celebration of the Passover was for eight days, the first and eight day being high days, or to be especially commemorated.  The Passover is not only the oldest Jewish institution, but also the most joyous festival of the Chosen People.  It celebrates one of the earliest manifestations of Divine favor toward them, and reminds them of the prophecies which declare that at some future time God will manifest Himself in their favor still more markedly; as it is written, “It shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the North, and from all the lands whither he had driven them.” (Jer. 16:14,15)  Again, “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my Covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 31:31,32)  The intimation here again is that this deliverance from Egypt at the Passover time, the most notable event in the past history of the Chosen People, will be cast entirely into the shade when the due time shall come for establishing with Israel the New Covenant - old in respect to Law and the Divine requirements, but new in the sense that it will be based upon better sacrifices and have a better Mediator, able to do for Israel exceedingly better things than Moses, the Mediator of the Sinai Covenant  was able to accomplish - noble as he was in his every endeavor to serve the people as their Mediator.  It is of the better Mediator and better Covenant which He would accomplish for them that Moses spoke, saying, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me [but greater - antitypical of me]; him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people (Acts 3:22,23; Deut. 18:15).

       The Meaning and Interpretation:  For thirty five centuries God’s Chosen People, obedient to the Divine Direction, have celebrated the memorial “Passover,” seeing merely its outward significance and not for a moment realizing the true significance of the grand fact which they celebrated - that it typified a grand feature of the Divine Program of great value to them and to all mankind.  The lamb they slew typified “the Lamb of God,” Jesus, whose death constitutes the Ransom Price for the sins of the whole world.  His death was necessary before the promise to Abraham and through him to the Chosen People could possibly have fulfillment.  A redemption from sin, to be everlastingly efficacious, must be based upon a better sacrifice than the literal lamb repeated annually.  It was not only necessary that Jesus become a man in order to give His life a sacrifice for mankind (Adam and his race), but it was necessary, additionally, that having finished the sacrificing work He should ascend up on High to Jehovah’s right hand, to be the Spiritual Messiah, who in due time will accomplish for the Chosen People all the gracious promises made to them in the Covenant with Abraham, in which they trust, and in harmony with which they will be used of the Lord in conveying His blessings to all nations, peoples and tongues.  A sin condemnation was on the world - “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23)  Man’s penalty must be met before this condemnation of death could be fully and forever set aside - before man could be entirely and forever lifted out of death conditions back to eternal life and into harmony with his Creator.

       In harmony with Divine arrangement, Jesus first offered himself to Israel as their King.  But Israel saw not how He could be their Messiah, because He had neither wealth nor armies nor influential friends; they disdained Him as a deceiver.  When He declared Himself the Son of God and their Deliverer, they thought Him an impostor and blasphemer, and worthy of death.  After sentencing Him in their own Sanhedrin Court, not having the authority to execute Him themselves, they charged Him with the only crime which the Roman Governor would hear - treason to the Roman Emperor.  By threatening Pilate that they would associate him with Jesus in treason, they finally effected the crucifixion of the antitypical Passover Lamb.  He was stretched upon the cross much after the manner in which they impaled their Passover lamb for its roasting.

       “On The Tenth Day of The First Month”:  Additionally, let us note the fact that just at the appropriate time, namely the tenth day of the first month, when the Chosen People were taking up their lambs for the Passover, Jesus presented Himself as the Lamb of God, and was rejected.  His presentation was on the exact day and in exactly the manner prescribed by the Prophet Zechariah, “Behold thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass…He shall speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth.” (Zech. 9:9,10)  This was fulfilled to the very letter, as we have already seen.  It was fulfilled as the Prophet foretold, on the very day that Israel’s “double” of experiences began.  The Chosen People were blinded with self-satisfaction and repudiated the lowly King and refused to accept Him as their Lamb and receive Him into their hearts and homes.  Nevertheless, He proceeded to fulfill this wonderful type.  As the antitypical Passover Lamb, He died on the fourteenth day, exactly in accord with the type.

       The Antitypical Passover Lamb:  The Israelites were commanded to celebrate this Passover as the first feature of the Jewish law and as one of their greatest memorials as a nation.  As a matter of fact, we find that in some degree the Passover is celebrated by Jews in all parts of the world - even by those who claim to be agnostics and infidels.  They have a measure of respect for it as an ancient custom.  But is it not strange that, with the bright minds which many of them possess, our Jewish friends have never thought it worthwhile to inquire into the meaning of this celebration?  Why was the lamb slain and eaten?  Why was its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts and lintels?  Because God so commanded, of course, but what reason, motive, object or lesson was there behind the Divine command?  Truly a reasonable God gives reasonable commands, and in due time will be willing that His faithful people should understand the significance of every requirement.  Why are the Hebrews indifferent to this subject?  Why does prejudice hold their minds?

       Although Christianity has the answer to this question we regret that the majority of Christians, because of carelessness, are unable to give a reason and ground for any hope in connection with this matter.  If the Jew can realize that his Sabbath day is a type or foreshadowing of a coming Epoch of rest and blessing and release from toil, sorrow and death, why can he not see that similarly all the features of the Mosaic law institution were designed by the Lord to be foreshadowings of various blessings, to be bestowed in due time?  Why can it not be discerned by all that the Passover lamb typified, represented, the Lamb of God, that its death represented the death of Jesus, the Messiah; and that the sprinkling of its blood symbolizes, represents, the imputation of the merit of the death of Jesus to the entire household of faith, the passed-over class?

       Blessed are those whose eyes of faith see that Jesus was indeed “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) - that the cancellation of the world’s sin is effected by the payment of Adam’s penalty - that as the whole world lost the favor of God and came under the Divine sentence of death, with its concomitants of sorrow and pain, it was necessary before the sentence could be removed that a satisfaction of justice should be made; and that therefore, as the Apostle declares, Christ died for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us back to God.  Thus He opened up “a new and living way” - a way to life everlasting.

       Let us notice also that there were two Passovers.  There was a great one, when the whole nation by Divine Power was miraculously delivered by the Lord and led by a sandbar across the channel of the Red Sea especially prepared for them by the accentuation of winds and tides.  That picture, or type, shows the ultimate deliverance from the power of sin and Satan of every creature who will ultimately come into accord with the Lord and desire to render Him worship - not an Israelite was left behind.

       But that Passover at the Red Sea is not the one we are discussing particularly on this occasion - not the one whose antitype we are about to celebrate.  No; the event which we celebrate is the antitype of passing over, or sparing of the firstborn of Israel.  Only the firstborn were endangered, though the deliverance of all depended upon the salvation of the firstborn.  Applying this in harmony with all the Scriptures, we see that the firstfruits unto God of His creatures, the Church of the firstborn, have been spared during the Gospel Age - being passed over.  We see that the remainder of mankind who may desire to enlist and to follow the great antitypical Moses when He shall ultimately lead the people forth from the bondage of sin and death are not now endangered - merely the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.

       By and by the night will have passed, the glorious morn of deliverance will have come, and The Christ, the antitypical Moses, Head and Body, will lead forth, will deliver all Israel - all the people of God - all who when they shall know will be glad to reverence, honor and obey the will of God.  That day of deliverance will be the entire Millennial Age, at the close of which all evil and evil-doers, symbolized by the hosts of Egypt will be utterly cut off in the Second Death.

       “As Oft As Ye Do This”:  The Apostle clearly and positively identifies the Passover Lamb with our Lord Jesus, saying, “Christ our Passover is slain for us: therefore let us keep the feast.” (1 Cor. 5:7,8)  He informs us that we all need “the blood of sprinkling,” not upon our houses, but upon our hearts. (Heb. 12:24; 1 Peter 1:2)  We are also to eat the unleavened (unfermented, pure) bread of truth, if we would be strong and prepared for the deliverance in the morning of the new dispensation.  We also must eat the Lamb, must appropriate Christ, His merit, the value that was in Him, to ourselves.  Thus we put on Christ not merely by faith, but more and more to the extent of our ability we put on His character, and are transformed day by day into His glorious image in our hearts.

       Our Lord Jesus also fully identified Himself with the Passover Lamb.  On the same night that He was betrayed, and just preceding His crucifixion, He gathered His disciples into the upper room, saying, “With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15)  It was necessary that as Jews that they should celebrate the Passover supper on that night - the saving of the typical firstborn from the typical “prince of this world.”  But as soon as the requirements of the type had been fulfilled, our Lord instituted a new Memorial upon the old foundation, saying, “As often as ye do this [celebrate the Memorial of the Passover season - annually] do it in remembrance of me”! (1 Cor. 11:24,25)  Your Jewish neighbors, whose eyes of understanding have not been opened will not appreciate the matter in its true antitypical sense, but you who recognize Me as the Lamb of God, who in God’s purpose has been slain from the foundation of the world, who recognize that I am about to give my life as the world’s redemption price, will note this Passover season with peculiar and sacred significance that other cannot appreciate.  Henceforth you will not celebrate any longer the type, but memorialize the antitype, for I am about to die as the Lamb of God, and thus to provide the blood of sprinkling for the Church of firstborn, and meat indeed for the entire household of faith.

       “This Is My Body Broken For You”:  That the Lord’s followers should no longer gather as the Jews had done previously to eat the literal Passover supper of lamb, in commemoration of the deliverance in Egypt our Lord shows by choosing new emblems - “unleavened bread” and “the fruit of the vine” - to represent Him as the Lamb.  Thenceforth His followers, in accord with His injunction, celebrated every year His death as their Passover Lamb, until after the Apostles had fallen asleep in death, and a great falling away had confused the faith of nominal Christendom, producing the epoch known as the Dark Ages.  Even during the Dark Ages the teaching that Christ was the antitypical Passover Lamb persisted, though the celebration of His death in the Passover Supper that Jesus instituted fell into disuse.  It was crowded out by that most terrible blasphemy which has deceived and confused so many millions of Christendom, the Mass, introduced by Roman Catholicism.  This in the Scriptures is called “the abomination of desolation,” because of the disastrous influence it has had upon the faith and practice of the Lord’s people.  Although Protestants in general have repudiated the Mass, as being wholly contrary to the teaching of Christ and the Apostles, nevertheless the practice of Protestants are largely influenced yet by the terrible error, from which they have only partially escaped.

       The Mass Is Not The Eucharist:  Many Protestants will innocently ask, Is not the Mass merely the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, under another name?  Oh, no: we answer - its wholly different!  The Lord’s Supper celebrates the death of Christ accomplished at Calvary.  The Mass represents a new sacrifice for sins made every time the Mass is performed.  Our Roman Catholic friends believe that when the priest blesses the wafer it becomes the actual body of Christ in his hands, for the very purpose of sacrificing Him afresh.  High Mass is a particular sacrifice of Christ for a particular sin of a particular individual.  Low Mass is a sacrifice of Christ for the general sins of a congregation.  Roman Catholics claim to believe in the merit of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary - that it covered the original sin, general sins that are past; but they claim also that daily sins, shortcomings, blemishes of every individual require to be cleansed by fresh sacrifices of Christ from time to time.  Thus, from their standpoint, as represented in the Mass, and as practiced by the Roman and Greek Catholics, and High Church Episcopalians, Christ is being sacrificed afresh all the world over every day.  This in the Scriptures is called an “abomination” in God’s sight, because it disregards, sets at naught, the fact as stated in the Bible that Christ dieth no more, “that by one sacrifice he hath perfected forever all who come unto the Father through him.” (Rom. 6:9; Heb. 10:14)

       It will be readily seen that the repeated sacrifices represented in the Mass would have the effect of nullifying or minimizing the value of the great Sacrifice at Calvary, represented in the Passover and in the Memorial Supper.  How could those who had come to look especially to the Mass for the cancellation of their sins be expected to look with as deep concern and as high an appreciation as otherwise back to the antitypical Passover?  While, therefore, the celebration of Good Friday has continued, the celebration of the Memorial Supper preceding it fell into disuse long ago.

       As for Protestants, repudiating the dogma of the Mass as wholly unscriptural, they have abandoned it and returned to a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  Meantime, however, accustomed to the frequency of the Mass, they have considered it merely a matter of expedience how often the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated.  Hence we find some celebrating it every four months, some every three months, some every month, and some every Sunday.  This general laxity and failure to reach a common ground of conformity is due to two things: (1) Christian people generally have overlooked the fact that our Lord’s death was the antitypical Passover Lamb, and that its celebration is the antitypical Passover; (2) They have misunderstood our Lord’s words, “as oft as ye do this,” to mean, Do this as often as you please, whereas the words really signify, As often as you, my disciples (all of whom are Jews and accustomed to keeping the Passover), celebrated this occasion, do it in remembrance of Me - not in remembrance of the literal lamb and typical deliverance from typical Egypt and its bondage through the passing over of the typical firstborn.

       It would be a great blessing, doubtless, to many Christians if they could see this subject in its true light, could lay more weight upon the value of the death of Christ, and join more heartily in its celebration - on its anniversary, instead of at various other times and seasons, irregularly and without  special significance.  We believe that such a celebration brings special blessings to both heart and head.  The nearer we come to the Divine requirements the greater is the measure of our blessing, the more closely are we drawn to our Master and Head.

       The Cup Of Joy In The Kingdom:  On the occasion of the institution of the Memorial of His death, the Master in His conversation with Apostles, said: “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matt. 26:29)  Our Lord was here contrasting two great days - the day of suffering and the day of glory.  The Gospel Age has been the day of suffering.  The Millennial Age will be the day of glory and is especially spoken of as “the day of Christ.”

       The fruit of the vine, the literal cup represents two thoughts.  The cup of wine is produced at the cost of the life of the grape.  The grape loses its own individuality.  The juice is pressed out, and thus the fruit of the vine is made ready for use.  The cup of wine - the juice of the grape - represents, however, not only the crushing of the grape, but also the exhilaration that comes as the result.  So it is in drinking of this literal cup.  To us it symbolizes our Savior’s sufferings and death.  But wine also represents joy, gladness, and is thus used in the Scriptures.  So in the sense in which the Lord used the words “fruit of the vine” in the text just quoted, it represented the joys of the Kingdom.

       The Father marked out for our Lord Jesus in His earthly experience a certain specific course.  This course constituted His cup of suffering and death.  But the Father promised Him that after He had drunk the cup faithfully, He should be given a different cup, a different experience - glory, honor, and immortality.

       At this Memorial season all of the consecrated should manifest their love, loyalty, obedience, faithfulness, by symbolizing the Redeemer’s death.

       As always, we suggest reading of the chapter on the Passover in Volume Six of the Scripture Studies.  The proper date of the Memorial this year is the 14th day of April after 6 p.m.  We here at 2501 Morningside Drive, Mount Dora, Florida invite all in the vicinity who are of this mind to join us at 7 p.m. on that date.

       “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.” (Heb. 13:20,21)

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       “BISHOP ACCUSED OF VIOLATING CHURCH TEACHING:  CHICAGO - A group of United Methodist clergy and lay people have accused Chicago Bishop Joseph Sprague of violating church teaching on salvation and the virgin birth of Jesus.

       “The complaint, filed January 7 with Bishop Bruce Ough, head of the College of Bishops for the North Central Jurisdiction, starts a complex church discipline process that carries a range of punishments and could force Sprague from ministry. Sprague declined to comment, saying the complaint process is supposed to be confidential.

       “The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht of Greenville, Wis., spokesman for the 28 people who signed the complaint, said Sprague denied the virgin birth of Jesus and rejected church teaching that Christ is the only way to salvation.  The statements allegedly came in a speech last year and in his writings.

       “The group says Sprague’s comments violated the Methodist’s Book of Discipline prohibition against disseminating teaching contrary to church doctrine.”

(The Associated Press, January 18, 2003)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

God’s Supervision of the Nations

       “The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Dan. 4:17)

       “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God.” (Rom. 13:1,2)

QUESTION:  Should we understand from the above Scriptures that God guides the affairs of nations, and chooses their rulers?

ANSWER:      These Scriptures are in harmony with other statements of Scripture.  In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, for instance, after he had been seven years insane, lying amongst the beasts of the field, his reason returned to him and he extolled the God of heaven, acknowledging that God setteth up those whom he will and putteth down those whom he will.  We understand that God’s dealing with King Nebuchadnezzar was prophetic.

       In the case of Israel God had very particular oversight of their affairs, and dealt with their rulers.  David was anointed when he was a youth, to be king in due time instead of Saul.  So with several others of their kings the Lord had them anointed in advance.  It might be said of Israel, that whoever sat upon the throne was there as the Lord’s representative.  We remember also that on one occasion the Prophet of God was sent to anoint one of the kings of Syria and to give him a prophecy respecting himself, that he should take the throne.

       Looking back, we see that in the case of Pharaoh, the perverse king of Egypt, God declared, “For this very purpose I raised thee up, that I might show forth my power in thee.”  God did not approve of Pharaoh, but used him to show forth His own glory.  God also used King Cyrus of Persia as a servant to perform His bidding.

God’s Supervision of Current Events

       All of these recorded instances show a vital interest on God’s part as to who shall come forward and who shall be retarded when matters would affect His own plan.  We are not to understand that these different kings [rulers] represented God’s choice as respects their loyalty to Him, but that these were the ones through whom the Divine Plan in operation could be signally manifested and outworked.  And so it is today.  The Lord knew which of the men running for the office of President of the United States would be the most suitable - the one who would most fully cooperate in the carrying out of the very conditions which He is pleased to permit to come to pass.

       The Lord guides in the affairs of nations now, only in so far as such oversight will promote the fulfillment of His own purposes.  When the monarchs of various countries declare themselves “King by the grace of God,” we do not agree to the thought they have in mind in making such claim.  They are expressing the thought which has prevailed throughout Christendom for centuries - that they reign as representatives of the Kingdom of God, and by His special favor.  And like-wise the Catholic church: When the pope claims that he is the head of the church of Christ, claims that he is Christ’s Vicegerent, he thus claims that Christ has set up His Kingdom, and that the pope reigns in His stead.

Overrule To Outworking of God’s Plan

       After the Papal power waned in Europe, and the Protestants came into power, the Protestant rulers claimed the same right that the Catholics had claimed - to rule as the Lord’s special representatives.  And it is from this standpoint that kings [rulers] maintain that they reign “by the grace of God,” that the Kingdom of God is set up, and that they are reigning in God’s kingdoms.  We do not understand this to be the right thought, but that in God’s providence He permits these to occupy the thrones of the world for the time being.  We understand that God does exercise a supervisory oversight in respect to them - not that He has authorized them to represent Him, or that He is responsible for their deeds and acts, but that He is so controlling matters as to cause them to outwork His own arrangements.

       God will not convert a king [ruler] in order to do this; He will not make him a saint.  But He can allow or hinder events without interfering with the free will of any individual, and without becoming responsible for his government.

       We may assume that this supervision of Divine Power is for the ultimate interest of mankind.  We remember that there is a prince of darkness, who is seeking to do violence to humanity.  Our thought is that the Divine Power hinders or restrains, so that the worst things cannot come to pass until His due time, and He overrules to bring those into power who will have the disposition to do what He purposes to permit when His due time has arrived.  However, since the Lord does not explain to us just how He does this, it would be wise for us not to be too emphatic in our statements.

(By Pastor Russell, Reprint 5466,5467, May 15, 1914) 

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Emily and All,

       We do want to send our warm greetings to you from Galilee once again.  Hope this finds you feeling better, Emily.  How wonderfully we have been created, and only with problems in our bodies do we realize how much all works together without our thinking about it, commanding it to happen, and even without a computer programming it.  Even the small member of our body the eye has so many facets that just do their task daily for years.  So we do pray that you are doing better in all ways, Emily!

       Since we last wrote our dear Sister Eva Merrill left us all having enriched all the lives she touched.  We know she is missed in Arizona so much, but she was so faithful and loving to us with her letters, prayers and love.  I am sure you also miss her encouragement as well.

       Well we are rejoicing here in Israel with the first rains last week after a long, hot and very dry summer.  Those first rains are always so special as they wash off the dust, and the air has such a wonderful smell!  We hear you also are in need of rains there in Florida, as is so many areas of the U.S.A.  What a strange weather year it has been with droughts in the U.S. as some parts of Europe were drowning in floods.  We do pray for another rainy winter here to again help our water shortage.

       They have said for sometime that the next war in this area will be over water!  So the makings for such are now set-up on the northern border of Israel as the Lebanese (urged on by the Hisbullah) have started pumping water from one of the sources for the water of the Sea of Galilee.  They know Israel has trouble reacting just now as the U.S. does not want a third front to emerge along with the Palestinian problem and the Iraq problem.  Hisbullah is pushing, pushing Israel like a big bully just wanting to pick a fight.  How long can Israel not react to this provocation in the north?  Water is too precious in this area to lose it.

       Then we have the Arafat comedy of trying to look “democratic” with his new council lined with pro-Iraq and other terrorists now “in suits and ties” for the world media to applaud.  If it was not so tragic it would be laughable.  Sadly most of the world, especially Europe, swallow it all and tip their hats to Arafat “pulling another rabbit out of his hat” or Kaffia in his case.

       The bombings are still a daily threat and the last one was on the bus that would take us from Tiberias to TelAviv.  This has been about the sixth bombing on this bus line which also goes through an Arab area (just south of where Emek ha Shalom was).  So we try to avoid this direct bus route, but that means a longer way if we need to go to TelAviv.  It is easier not to travel much these days.      We did make the effort over Succoth to go to Jerusalem for the gathering there by the Christian Embassy of Christians from many different nations to support Israel and bring comfort in these difficult days.  Some 3,000 came, and also participated in the Jerusalem March despite the threat of a terrorist attack.  The security was very tight this year, and thankfully there were no attacks.  So these Christian tourists were about the only ones in the last months (some also came to stay in our Bed/Breakfast rooms as well), and now the hotels stand sadly empty again.

       The economic situation for the average Israeli is getting harder and harder.  If the husband or wife or both are not out of work, the shekels they get each month buy less and less.  You can watch the prices rise almost weekly of food, clothing, etc.  Now there are strikes, but where will the money come from as the government has a heavy load of expenses brought on by this two year intifata that the poor Palestinian people are losing more from than we.  It does mean that people see the “Peace Process,” the “Oslo Accords,” this plan or that one are not the answer.  We pray they cry out to their only source of help - their God!

       Now we have all dusted off our gas masks again awaiting what the next moves of the U.S. and England will be against Iraq.  There is not fear here about it all, but an expectation that Israel will not have a picnic if this all goes forward.  There is no “war front” for Israel these days, as we all feel we are on the frontlines of the madness of terror.

       It seems other parts of the world are getting a taste of that terror spawned by Islam.  Australians see even a vacation in Bali is not safe, and Russians see an evening at the theatre can mean life or death due to terror.  So Israel knows too well and lives with day by day.

       So a time to keep our eyes above to see there is a hope and a plan that transcends all this crazy madness!  How do those without that hope and without God manage to keep going?

       Keep Israel in your prayers as we have new elections.  Please take care and give love to all.

Love, Lev and Hava Bausch           (ISRAEL)    

NO. 546b RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART TWO

JEWS

“SHARON TO CHRISTIANS: THIS LAND WAS PROMISED ONLY TO THE JEWS, POPE TOLD ME:  Cheering wildly, some 2,500 Christians gave ovation after ovation to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday night as he told them that Israel would never compromise on the security of the Jewish people or Israel’s existence.

“‘Sometimes I get letters from some of you, blaming me for being too moderate.  Because we want peace, we are ready to make painful compromises, but we will never make any compromise when it comes to the security of our citizens or the security of the State of Israel,’ Sharon told the participants in the annual Feast of Tabernacles Celebration organized by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

“Sharon, preceded by figures in tallitot blowing shofarot, dancers waving banners, and an orchestra belting out Israeli songs, was welcomed by excited visitors waving flags of a dozen countries.  As he entered, the Brazilian delegation, several dozen strong, began chanting, ‘Isra, Is-ra-el,’ as at a soccer match.

“With a reception perhaps unprecedented since that accorded by Christian supporters of Israel to the late Menachem Begin, Sharon elicited a pious response when he noted that the names of places in Israel had remained unchanged for 3,000 years.

“‘Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, Bethlehem is Beit Lehem, Hebron is Hevron, Shilo is Shilo,’ he said, as members of the audience murmured ‘Amen’ after every phrase.

“Sharon even received a positive response when he told the largely Evangelical crowd of visiting Pope John Paul II prior to his visit here in 2000.  Sharon said that the pope told him that Jerusalem was holy to Jews, Christians, and Moslems.  Then Sharon related, the pontiff added, ‘But it was promised only to the Jews.’

“The mood was exemplified by Bonnie Dadidakis of Houston, Texas, who said that she had come to the event together with a group organized by Texas Republican Women.

“‘I honor and admire Israel and their contribution to the whole world.  It is in my heart,’ she said.  Most Americans are complacent about Israel, but it is up to her and those like her to show the other Americans what is happening, she said.” (Jerusalem Post, September 22, 2002)                    

“HATE SPATE:  British police are investigating a spate of leaflets calling for an ‘anti-Jewish war’ that were distributed in North London.

“The leaflets were put under doors and on car windshields in the heavily Jewish neighborhoods of Stamford Hill, Tottenham, and Hendon.” (World Jewry, October 2002)

“CANADIAN SHAME:  The Canadian Jewish Congress leadership has written a letter to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, expressing disappointment at the government’s public silence in the face of a pro-Palestinian riot which occurred at Montreal’s Concordia University and prevented former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from speaking.

“The letter blamed the government for the riot, which the country’s Jewish community sees as the inevitable result of the failure to publicly and forcefully denounce anti-Semitism.”

(World Jewry, October 2002)

“CNN FACES BLACKOUT:  The council for Cable and Satellite TV last week discussed a request by the multi-channel broadcasters to remove CNN from their subscriber packages.

“The cable and satellite companies last month said the CNN’s anti-Israel news coverage warranted it being blacked out locally and replaced by the Fox News.

“Eason Jordan, CNN’s chief news executive and news gathering president then visited Israel to try and smooth things out.

“However, the cables have since submitted a formal request to the council to have CNN removed from their line-up.

“The source said the council would begin discussing the issue either today or next week.”

(The Jerusalem Post, August 9, 2002)

“PALESTINIANS MOVE ASSETS TO JORDAN:  AMMAN - Palestinians are quietly moving their financial assets out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Jordan.  Banking sources in Amman said the trend began in 2001 and accelerated over the past six months and reflects growing concern over their future amid the war with Israel.  The sources said most of the transfers involved the removal of assets from Jordanian banks that operate in the West Bank.  These assets were transferred into Amman branches of the same banks.  Overall, the sources said, Palestinians are believed to have transferred at least U.S. $20 million in funds during the first four months of 2002.  The sources said that much of the funds were deposited into Jordanian dinar rather than U.S. dollar accounts.”  (Middle East News Line, October 2, 2002)

“Students and professors at institutions like the University of California, Harvard, MIT and Princeton are backing the Palestinian cause by campaigning to get U.S. universities out of stocks that do business in Israel.  The petitions on U.S. campuses call for divestment to pressure Israel to withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war; return to peace talks; stop building settlements; and treat the Palestinians better.”  (Reuters, August 19, 2002)

“THE ORIGINAL 9/11:  Tisha B’Av. it so happens, is the ninth day of the 11th month on the Hebrew calendar, which means it is the original 9/11, the Jewish people’s day of infamy.  On our ‘9/11’ both Temples were burned, 1.1 million Jews were murdered by the Romans, 100,000 sold into slavery or fed to the lions, and the terrible Exile from which we have yet to fully return began.”  (Bridges for Peace, September 2002)

Comment:  What other nation, or people could survive this kind of trouble, except the Jews, whom the Lord has helped?

“INN-TOLERABLE DISCRIMINATION:  ‘You people don’t belong here,’ these words were said to a Jewish couple and their 3 children when they were forcibly expelled from the Catskill Days Inn Motel.  They pleaded, explaining it was Shabbos and as observant Jews they could not pack their luggage, drive or transact business.  They were ejected into the heat without food or water under the watchful eye of State Troopers.  The family camped on the lawn of a park for seven hours until the Sabbath ended.

“Another incident, in the same Motel, was an Orthodox mother and her two children being stranded in the Days Inn because of arriving late to Albany, and driving on to her destination, made it only to the Inn before sundown.  This was the first night of Pesach (Passover), and without regard for her safety or her children, the Inn called Troopers who then told the woman with children to trek, in the dead of night, to Friar Tuck Inn.  ‘Where there are lots of Orthodox Jews like you.’

“Days Inn has informed the Motel they are in violation of their franchise.”

(Bridges For Peace, September 2002)

“ARAFAT CARES:  P.A.’s Chairman Arafat deposits over $5 Million from Arab Aid funds into his personal account, according to a report in Kuwaiti Newspaper Al-Watan, which says documents from private sources in Cairo report that this is a theft of Arab Aid funds through an arrangement between Arafat and his Cairo office head, Ramzi Khouri.  The money was used for upkeep of Arafat’s wife Suha and daughter who live in Paris and Switzerland.”

(Bridges For Peace, August 2002)

“ARAFAT SAYS ENTIRE JERUSALEM WILL BE PALESTINIAN CAPITAL:  On October 5 PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed into PA law a resolution proclaiming the entire city of Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.  PA parliament chief Abu Ala said that the move comes in response to the recent U.S. Congressional resolution calling on the U.S. State Department to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“During Israeli-Arab negotiations over the past several years, Palestinian Authority officials have called for the establishment of a Palestinian state with only ‘East Jerusalem’ as a capital.  It is now felt that Arafat has revealed his true intentions.”  (Bridges For Peace, October 1, 2002)

“ISRAEL:  PAPERS ARE ARAFAT’S ‘SMOKING GUN’:  JERUSALEM - Israel released documents Thursday that it said were seized from Yasser Arafat’s headquarters, showing that he personally authorized payments to gunmen he had promised the United States he would arrest.

“Israeli officials cited a memo and a two-page fax among truckloads of papers taken from Arafat’s besieged headquarters as proof that Arafat supported terrorism by signing off on payments to gunmen responsible for the deaths of Israeli civilians.

“’This is the smoking gun,’ said Col. Miri Eisin, of the army’s intelligence branch.  ‘The people being paid here aren’t Palestinian policeman or employees.  They are highly wanted terrorists.’

“Palestinian officials asserted the documents were fake.  ‘They are obvious forgeries,’ said Saeb Erakat, the Palestinian Authority’s chief peace negotiator.  ‘They are produced to distract from the atrocities that are happening on the ground.’

“Israel said it was willing to turn over the documents to American experts for authentication.”  (Jerusalem Dispatch, April 5, 2002)

“EUROPEAN INQUIRY INTO PALESTINIAN AID:  A group of European lawmakers called for an investigation into how European Union aid to the Palestinian Authority has been spent.  The European Commission allocates 10 million dollars per month to help pay the salaries of PA employees.  Suspicions that aid has been used to fund terrorism have been voiced.  An accusation from Israel that EU donations have been used to fund terror attacks against them has played a part in the demand for inquiry.

“Opposition to the inquiry exists from the executive European Commission.  Chris Patton, EU Commissioner for External Affairs said, ‘An inquiry would make it enormously difficult to continue providing aid.’  Patton’s argument is that it would undermine moderates in the PA and end any hopes for halting the cycle of violence.

“Under the rules of the 626-member assembly, a petition needs 150 signatures to launch a probe into the use of funds.  Charles Tannoch, a British conservative Member of European Parliament said, ‘We are demanding a full parliamentary committee of inquiry that can look into allegations of misuse of funds in great depth.  It is unknown how large the group of MPs is that called for the inquiry, but with only 150 signatures needed, it is likely that the probe will go forward.’”  (Condensed from a Reuters news release Brussels)

“MUSLIM PREACHERS ENCOURAGE HATRED AND VIOLENCE:  YEMEN - The official television station of the Republic of Yemen, Sanaa Republic of Yemen Television in Arabic, carried a 42-minute live sermon from the Grand Mosque in Sanaa on November 15, 2002.  Shaykh Abd-al-Razzaq al-Ruqayhi delivered the sermon which concluded by saying, ‘O Allah, support those supporting Islam, disappoint those disappointing Islam, and guide the steps of Muhammad’s nation.  O Allah, support the mujahidin in Palestine, Chechnya, and elsewhere and help them score the steps of Muhammad’s nation.  O Allah, help them score a clear, quick victory.  O Allah, destroy the aggressive Jews and the unjust Americans.  O Allah, shake the ground under them, instill fear into their hearts and freeze the blood in their veins.’”

(FBIS.US Government service, November 15, 2002)

“15 SUICIDE ATTACKS PREVENTED IN ISRAELI TERRITORY:  The Israeli Defense Minister disclosed that during the past week the security forces prevented 15 attacks that were intended against Israeli citizens and, in addition, arrested over 400 terrorist activists.  ‘The IDF and security forces are making immense efforts to prevent terrorism.  Over the past two weeks we are witnessing increase in terrorists attempts against Israeli citizens.  The assessment is that these increasing waves of terror are aimed at interfering with the democratic process in the State of Israel.  Terrorism will not succeed in any way in defeating the citizens of Israel.  Their strong stand over the past two years against murderous terrorism is witness to national vitality and powerful resistance so that if anybody doubted Israel’s ability to face up to child murderers, that doubt has been removed.’

“Mofaz sent his condolences to the families whose loved ones had been murdered and wished swift recovery to the wounded.  ‘We shall overcome these difficult times and we will prevail.’”

(IDF Spokesperson, November 29, 2002, Reported by Bridges For Peace, December 6, 2002)

“PEACE PLAN FACES DELAY AS MANY PALESTINIANS GROW TIRED OF UPRISING:  JERUSALEM - A U.S.-backed plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict won’t be ready by its December 20 target date and may be delayed until after the Israeli elections a month later, a Palestinian official said Friday.

“Separately, another influential Palestinian joined Friday in criticizing the Palestinian uprising that has left 1,954 Palestinians and 683 Israelis dead in 26 months of fighting.

“The delayed release of the so-called ‘road map’ to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, most likely until after the January 28 elections, would mean a further delay in reaching a truce in the uprising, which has come under increasing criticism by Palestinian officials and citizens.

“The United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations have jointly been trying to finalize a plan for a negotiated settlement.

“The plan, which was to be presented on December 20, calls for a three-phase, three-year program that would result in a Palestinian state living in peace beside Israel.

“But Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath, after a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington, said the Americans told him release of the plan would likely be delayed.

“They prefer to wait until after the Israeli elections, where there will be an Israeli government ready to work with this plan’, Shaath said.

“The delayed release of the plan comes amid signs that many Palestinians are growing increasingly weary of the uprising, or intefadeh.

“‘The intefadeh sent a very important message to all the world that there is occupation on the ground,’ Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia said.  ‘Now we have to evaluate the situation… Why the intefadeh has been transformed into a military act - is it useful or not?’

“He said negotiations were a peaceful way of achieving what Palestinians wanted.  ‘Intefadeh - popular [unarmed] intefadeh - is another way, not military,’ he said.

“A poll published Thursday found that a majority of Palestinians want their security forces to crack down on militants attacking Israel - a shift that indicates Palestinians are souring on the uprising.”  (The Associated Press, November 30, 2002)   

“TERROR + WEAKENING ECONOMY = POVERTY:  The ongoing terror situation has impacted the economy significantly.  The tourism industry is near collapse.  As the number one industry in Israel this collapse has impacted every area of society economically.  E.g. A local butcher goes out of business because there are no tourists eating meat in hotels.  The local population can’t afford to eat meat at home or to eat out in restaurants.  The resulting economic downturn has resulted in high unemployment rates and the situation worsens every month.  Every week brings news of further layoffs at major companies.” (Bridges For Peace, November 2002)

“ISRAEL IS POVERTY STRICKEN:  More than ONE MILLION Israelis live under the poverty line!  That is an astonishing 17.6% of all Israelis.  Yet, a United Nations Report states that POVERTY IN ISRAEL WILL INCREASE.  In the wake of severe cuts to the Israeli budget, the severely weakened economy and growing inflation the average Israeli has less money in his pocket than he had last year.  The experts say it is going to get worse.  Unemployment is up and, at the same time, prices of basic goods are increasing.  This week the cost of flour went up nearly 5% and the cost of tomatoes (a staple of the Israeli diet) increased by 72.3%.  Salaries that used to be barely adequate are stretched to the breaking point as more Israelis find they simply don’t have enough to survive.

“How shocked we were to read that there is a sharp reduction in food purchases.  The population has not decreased!  In fact, there are more people in Israel now than ever before.  The alarming fact is that families simply don’t have the funds to buy the food they need to survive.  Sadly we are hearing of people stealing food to live, or going through dumpsters in an attempt to find something edible.

“The Bridges for Peace staff meets daily with desperate individuals and families seeking their assistance.  We are literally inundated with requests for assistance and in an attempt to meet the many needs, we have added new families, new communities and new organizations to the recipient list.  Last month we distributed forty-five tons of food to nearly 14,000 people, an increase of nearly five tons over three months ago.  But, compared with the million who need assistance, it is but a drop in the bucket.

“Not only are we providing food for the needy, we are giving it with Christian love.  Those we help come to us for the food, but when they leave, they talk about the love.”

(Bridges For Peace, November 2002)

“PRIME MINISTER SHARON NOW CLOSER THAN EVER TO EXPELLING YASSER ARAFAT:  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz are seriously considering expelling Yasser Arafat if the current wave of Palestinian terror is not checked, The Jerusalem Report has learned.

“Sharon hinted as much when, during a late-November tour of the line between Israel and the West Bank in the Jerusalem area, he declared that ‘no one will be immune’ from Israeli countermeasures against Palestinian terror.  Mofaz, aides say, is convinced that Arafat is behind the current terror wave, and that the Palestinian Authority chairman is using terror in a bid to decide the outcome of the Israeli election - seeking to undermine Sharon by orchestrating devastating attacks inside Israel.  Israel, the aides warn, ‘will not stand idly by.’

“The tougher government stand on expulsion comes after a wave of Palestinian shooting and suicide bombings in which over 30 Israelis were killed within the space of two weeks in November.  Strongly making the case for expelling Arafat is Amos Gilead, the coordinator of government activities in the West Bank and Gaza.  Gilead argues that as long as Arafat is around, the terror won’t stop.  Apparently preparing the ground for deportation, Gilead uncharacteristically made his views public in a late November TV interview.

“What is holding Sharon back, his aides say, is primarily his concern over a possible American backlash.  He does not want to antagonize Washington in the run-up to the anticipated attack on Iraq and as Israel presses a request for $10 billion in U.S. loan guarantees.  But they say, he and Mofaz have agreed to watch closely for an opportunity to act if, in the wake of mounting Palestinian terror, Washington gives a tacit green light.

“In the meantime, Sharon and Mofaz intend to fight Palestinian terror by tightening the IDF’s hold on all West Bank Cities and launching daily, pinpoint counter-terrorist raids to keep the terrorists off balance.  The aides say they do not intend to call up reserves, mount a major operation or reinstitute Israeli civil administration in the newly reoccupied territories.  But they make it clear that Sharon and Mofaz regard the Bethlehem and Hebron agreements with the Palestinians, under which those cities were out of bounds to the army, as null and void, and that the army will be free to operate wherever they deem necessary.”

(By Leslie Susser, The Jerusalem Report, December 18, 2002)

“ELECTION HATE:  There has been a frightening increase in anti-Semitism rhetoric used in election campaigns world-wide, a trend that suggests candidates feel that anti-Semitism is an electoral asset, according to a World Jewish Congress report on global anti-Semitism.

“This is one more example of a growing number of indicators measuring the rise of anti-Semitism.”  (World Jewry, November 20002)

“DÉJÀ VU:  Facing criticism by German Jewish community leaders, police have begun an investigation into anti-Semitic disruptions at a Berlin ceremony to restore a street name referring to Jews that had been erased by Nazi officials in the 1930s.

"Police are accused of standing by while hecklers at the event booed, whistled and shouted anti-Semitic slogans.  The event marked the reestablishment of Juedenstrasse - Jews’ Street - a name dating back to the 16th century.” (World Jewry, November 2002)

 “POTENTIAL:  A team of scientists at Israel’s Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - has been working on producing hydrogen by so-called solar water splitting systems that show potential for powering electric cars with constantly-renewable energy, overcoming problems with recharging, battery weight, pollution and short battery life that plague today’s electric cars.

 “Successful research in Israel into improving the efficiency of solar-hydrogen fuel cells has raised the potential for their use in non-polluting cars of the future, and has attracted the attention of companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell.”  (World Jewry, November 2002)

“CHRISTIANS RALLY FOR ISRAEL:  On September 11, 2002, Washington and environs were gripped by fear of the sniper, and closed in by police blockades of all major arteries.  In spite of these obstacles, compounded by pelting rain and high winds, ten thousand American Christians rallied in support of Israel at the Washington Convention Center.

“The rally was part of the Christian Coalition’s “Road to Victory 2002” weekend convention, attended by prominent ministers, legislators, journalists, and supporters from every corner of the United States.  Ehud Olmert greeted the participants, saying, ‘God is with us in supporting the State of Israel.  You, the great Christians of America, are with us and we will stand firm together against the terrorists.  It is hard for us in Israel to live with the sights of terror, to go to sleep with them, to wake up in the morning, to know what you have seen, but don’t get it wrong.  This is pain, not weakness.’  The crowd waved Israeli flags, chanted Hebrew melodies, blew shofars, and called out ‘We love Israel.’  Singer Ted Pearce sang ‘Zealous for Zion’ and the rally ended with a dance by the ‘This is the Day of Elijah’ troupe.

“Pat Robertson, founder and past president of the Christian Coalition, stated, ‘We should not ask Israel to withdraw from the so-called occupied territories, we should stand with them and fight. Jerusalem is the eternal, indivisible capital of the state of Israel, and it must not be divided.’  Tom DeLay (R-Texas) refuted the charge that Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are ‘occupied territories,’ and Roberta Combes, the Coalition’s current president, declared: ‘We love you.  We love Israel.  We will always be there for you.’  In one voice, waving posters and placards, the participants said ‘No’ to a Palestinian state in Israel’s historic and religious lands.

“Others participating included Senator Sam Brownback, Rep. Lindsay Graham, former ambassador, presidential candidate and talk show host Alan Keyes, and member of the Knesset Benny Elon.

“Americans for a Safe Israel takes special pride in being the first pro-Israel organization to grasp the extended hand of Evangelical Christians: we have featured a leader of the Christian conservatives at every single one of our national conferences.  AFSI rejects those who would try to divide Jews from evangelical Christians supporters with carping about ‘motives’ and domestic issues of less moment.  For all the noise made by liberal groups with ‘Jewish’ in their title, in fact there is no consensus on abortion or school prayer, or even on Israel, among Jews.

“Most on the Christian Right support our religious, historical, strategic, and legal rights to our patrimony.  They reject imposing territorial withdrawal on Israel.  They are categorically opposed to another Arab state between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.  They uphold an undivided and indivisible Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the focus of the Jewish faith from time immemorial.  They support Israel’s right to defend itself and they support our own nation’s struggle against the evil forces of international terrorism.

“Even in the face of insulting criticism from some quarters in the Jewish establishment with a self-serving definition of ‘defamation,’ the Christian Coalition stands fast, arm in arm with Zionists, against all enemies of Israel and proponents of anti-Semitism.

“We don’t believe there is room for debate.  There are no caveats.  The support of the Christian Coalition is crucial and AFSI offers a simple and heartfelt ‘thank you.’”

(By Herbert Zweibon, Chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, Outpost, November 2002)

“JUST SAY NO:  Jews tend to be generous in donations to the colleges and universities they attended.  Perhaps it’s time for them to rethink when asked for donations to elite colleges with faculties involved in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agitation (many of them with disproportionately Jewish student bodies).  That includes Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia.  At least at Harvard, President Larry Sommers protested the anti-Semitism underlying the campaign at Harvard to force colleges to ‘divest’ from companies that do business with Israel.  The presidents of the other schools have not been heard from.  Columbia, home of the notorious Edward Said (and a leading advocate, naturally, for divestment), is actually inviting an anti-Israel clone, Rashid Khalidi - who likens the creation of Israel to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinian Arabs to the Holocaust - to fill an endowed chair named for Said.  As Daniel Pipes has observed: ‘He [Khalidi] is extreme.  He is inaccurate.  He is apologetic to tyranny and radicalism.  That’s what Columbia likes.’” 

(Outpost, November 2002)

Comment:  “Surely, the wrath of man shall praise thee: the reminder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”  Of course God will reward those that praise Him, but does not reward the iniquity or errors.

“‘WE WILL USE JEWISH SKULLS TO BUILD A BRIDGE TO HEAVEN’:  The Hamas website published a banner December 16, 2002, encouraging the murder of Jews as part of Jihad (Holy War).  The banner depicts an eagle pecking at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s severed head with the slogan: ‘We will use the skulls of Zion’s sons (Jews) to build a bridge to Heaven.’

“The banner was signed in the name of Iz A Din Al Kassam Brigades, which is the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization.”

(IDF Spokesperson, December 16, 2002, Bridges For Peace)

“YERUSHALAYIM, (JERUSALEM) THE SPIRIT OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE:  Jerusalem was never central to the Moslem religion.  The Christian world has Rome, as their special city, the Moslems world was Mecca.  Never in all the years of the Ottoman Empire, did Jerusalem have any special significance to Arabs of the Middle East.  But Jerusalem has always been deeply inscribed in the heart of every Jew.  It is the soul of the Jewish people.  Whenever a Jew prays he turns in the direction of Yerushalayim.  The increasing terrorist attacks shows the Moslem world has not changed.  Through the years the United Nations resolutions concerning Israel have been ignored by the Arab world.”  (Bible Light on the News, December 2002)

________________________________________________

DAVID HOROWITZ

1903-2002

With great sadness we announce the death of our good friend David Horowitz in October 2002.  He had a very long and productive life battling to help the Jews and the State of Israel.  He was a correspondent in the United Nations from the time of its inception in 1945, and continued active in that capacity until about a year before his death.  He had columns in several Jewish newspapers and contributed some of those columns to our publications.  His columns always had reference to the Hebrew Scriptures and their prophecies of the Jews to their land and to God’s favor.

He was the author of several books, including one that was titled Pastor Charles Taze Russell An Early American Christian Zionist.  He will be greatly missed in the Jewish community, but also in our Christian Truth community.  So we say, “God Bless his memory.”  

NO. 546a RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

“Men fainting from fear and apprehension of the things coming on the Habitable; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26, Dia.)

This text certainly describes the condition of things that has existed among the world during the past year.  There is an air of tension and anxiety accompanied by events that warrant such feelings.  With the many bombings around the world and the threat of possible bombings on U.S. land, and worst of all the expectation of war to break out any moment, as well as the money problems, widespread layoffs and strikes, it isn’t any wonder that the people are very uneasy.  There is no outward show of worry, but there is an undercurrent of uneasiness.

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7)  We recognize the trouble as the preparation, according to God’s Plan, for blessing the whole world.

The world does not understand these things, but we, if we are Bible Students, know that it is the working out of God’s Plan.  The increasing trouble will lead to worldwide Revolution, the second phase of the Time of Trouble, War, the first phase having already occurred.  After the Revolution will come Anarchy.  But after that comes the great time of blessing upon the whole earth.  This is what we keep our minds stayed on and that helps us to be at ease during the trouble time.  These three phases of the Trouble are pictured in 1 Kings 19:11,12 as Wind (War), Earthquake (Revolution) and Fire (Anarchy).  But after the Fire “a still small voice,” the voice of God, the Divine Power, which will bring blessings to the world.  This corresponds to Psa. 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”  So we look forward with great anticipation for that time of blessing for all the world.

2002 IN REVIEW:

1. Roman Catholic Church priest scandal.
2. U.S. prepares for war with Iraq.
3. Washington, D.C., snipers.
4. Corporate scandals.
5. Republican electoral wins.
6. North Korea nuclear violations.
7. Jimmy Carter wins Nobel Peace Prize.
8. U.S. economy sputters.
9. Europe splits with America.
10. War on terrorism.

“THE TERROR CONTINUES:  American troops remained in Afghananistan, fighting occasional battles with the remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda.  Meanwhile, the vice president of Afghanistan was assassinated by Islamic extremists, and an attempt was made on the life of the president, Hamid Karzai.  The hunt for Osama bin Laden continued, and there were differing opinions about whether the al-Qaeda leader remained alive.  The most–deadly terrorist incident of 2002 took place in Bali, where a nightclub frequented by Western tourists was blown up and almost 200 people were killed.”

“MAN IN THE NEWS:  In many ways, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein replaced Osama bin Laden as the biggest enemy to U.S. interest.  Throughout the year, the U.S. administration alleged that Saddam was creating or harboring weapons of mass destruction.  After a year of back-and-forth rhetoric between Baghdad and Washington, Iraq agreed to welcome U.N. weapons inspections.  (Associated Press, December 29, 2002)        

WORLD IN BRIEF:  “Siege of 2 Hindu temples in Kashmir leaves 12 dead.”

“Rioting in southern Jordan kills 1, injures several others.”

“U.S. warship visits China to rejuvenate strained ties.” 

“Venezuela’s president vows to crush any coup attempts.” 

“French truckers block roads to protest lack of pay deal.” 

“Ivory Coast attacks increase war fears as talks continue.”

“39 Countries Short of Food - 25 of them are in Africa.”

“Russian Soldier Opens Fire, Kills 8 Comrades, Injures 3.”

“37,000 Sleep on Streets of New York.  ‘It’s getting steadily worse out there.  All the shelters are full.  It’s tighter than it’s ever been.’”

(Orlando Sentinel, November 2002)

Comment:  The above headlines show that these events are worldwide and that the Time of Trouble is in progress.

“BROTHER OF JESUS:  Archeologists have authenticated what they say is the first physical evidence that corroborates biblical references to Jesus - an inscription of his name on the ancient bone box of his brother, James.

“The inscription found on the container, known as an ossuary, reads in Aramaic: ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.’  The ossuary has been dated to approximately 63 BCE.

“Paleographer Andre Lemaire of Sorbonne University researched the box, which is owned by an anonymous Israel antiquities collector, while he was a visiting scholar this year at the Hebrew University’s Institute for Advanced Study in Jerusalem.  Lemaire published his results in the November/December edition of the Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR).  The findings were unveiled yesterday at a press conference in Washington hosted by the magazine’s publisher, the Biblical Archaeology Society.

“Hershel Shanks, editor in chief of BAR admits that the finding ‘confirms the Jewishness of both James and Jesus.’

“During the first century BCE, Jews often transferred bones of the deceased from burial caves to ossuaries.  This practice was halted after the destruction of the Second Temple.

“Based on extensive research, Lemaire concluded that approximately 20 Jerusalemites from the period would ‘be called James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.’

“‘It is, however, impossible to estimate how many of these ossuaries would be inscribed,’ he writes in the article.  According to Lemaire inscribing the deceased brother’s name on the ossuary was rare and likely occurred in this case, because Jesus - James’s brother - was a prominent figure.

“Dr. Amnon Rosenfield and Dr. Shimon Ilani of the National Infrastructure Ministry’s Geological Survey verified the authenticity of the ossuary.

“Researchers examined the chalk (lime stone), soil, and patina (the thin covering of the surface caused by age) of the ossuary.  They further concluded that the ossuary was not tampered with.

“The anonymous antiquities dealer purchased the ossuary 15 years ago from an Arab dealer for a few hundred dollars.  The item is believed to be from Silwan, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem.”

(The Jerusalem Post, November 1, 2002)     

“2ND DOOR FOUND IN PYRAMID:  CAIRO, EGYPT - Scientists using a robot have discovered yet another door deep inside the Great Pyramid, Egypt’s head archaeologist said Monday.  The discovery followed the September 17 revelation on live television of a chamber behind a similar stone door in an 8-inch-square shaft in the pyramid Pharaoh Khufu built more than 4,000 years ago.  ‘This find in the northern shaft, coupled with last week’s discovery in the southern shaft, represents the first major new information about the Great Pyramid in more than a century,’ said the director of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.”

(Orlando Sentinel, October 24, 2002)

Comment:  The above article shows that we shouldn’t depend on the pyramid for truth because more discoveries are being made every day.  How will these new findings fit in with what has already been known and accepted?  In fact, the pyramid should not be used to teach a doctrine, but merely to corroborate doctrines that we already have learned from the Bible.  The pyramid has a great many truths revealed in its construction.  It corresponds to the Tabernacle and the Temple.  But the Lord’s people of this age and past ages have had all that the Lord has revealed from His Word, and that is sufficient to maintain faith.

But the world needs more and the pyramid has been an obsession for them for many generations.  The world has to have such things as a stone “witness” (Isa. 19:19,20) to convince them that what is in the Bible is the sure Word of God.  They will be convinced in the Millennium when they realize that their scientific witness shows them what is in the Bible is true.

IN FINANCE

Last year the largest corporation in U.S. history, the Enron Corporation, filed for bankruptcy taking billions of dollars from investors’ funds.  This year two of the largest airlines in the world filed for bankruptcy, United Airlines, U.S. Air, and more could be on their way after taking billions of dollars from guaranteed U.S. government loans.

The year 2002 may well go down in history as the year of the fallen giants.  A weak economy and widespread accounting irregularities fueled what by one measure has been the biggest year ever for corporate bankruptcies, with the value of 2002 filings soaring to a record $368 billion as of December 25.

The number of public companies filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection was actually higher in 2001 - 257 versus 186 this year.  But when measured by assets, the 2002 filings - bloated by big names such as WorldCom Inc., Global Crossing Ltd., Conseco Inc., Adelphia Communications Inc. and UAL Corp. - shattered last year’s record by 42 percent.

McDonald’s has been a public company 37 years and is the world’s largest restaurant company.  It anticipates reporting a loss in the fourth quarter - the first quarterly loss ever.

That left economists and business experts nervously discussing the “ripple effect” of such massive failures on the U.S. economy and investor confidence.

Maybe we are not all doomed after all.  After a few weeks of disappointing reports, this week’s data was more upbeat.  Retail sales were positive in November, excluding motor vehicles, climbing a solid 0.7% - the first time unemployment claims had also declined in November.

On December 10, 2002, Reuters Washington News office released “The Elite Panel of Economists that Rules on U.S. Business Cycles” saying it needs more time before ruling that the 2001 recession has ended.  The private National Bureau of Economic Research said, “The U.S. economy continues to evolve as in earlier months.”

Shoppers are spending less and many stores are struggling, but U.S. malls occupancy levels are strong at a 90.6%.  Simon Property Group, Inc., the nation’s largest mall company with 178 malls, saw occupancy rates increase a full percentage point to 92% for the third quarter.  Average sales per square foot also rose.  The gains took place even as consumer spending slowed. And many mall-based retail tenants struggled.

Interest rates are still lower in the short term.  Long-term interest rates are moving up sharply.  The improvement in retail sales and jobless claims along with this past month’s rise in consumer sentiment might be a signal that the recovery is now regaining momentum but yields will still be hemmed in by fears about terrorism and war.  The U.S. economy has been going down since Clinton’s last two years as president.  The unemployment rates and debt have both been going up over the past four years.

President Bush’s economic team will talk big about helping the economy but little can or will be done.  Bush will hold the line on government spending.  The Iraq situation will keep investors and consumers on edge.

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.” (1Thes. 5:1)

IN RELIGION

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND THE LAYMENS HOME MISSIONARY MOVMENT:  Both are continuing on in their errant ways.  Both have invented a new false class that Pastor Russell never taught and which is not Scriptural.  The JWs have long since invented “new doctrines” and have taken themselves out of a designation as a Truth group.  And it seems that the LHMM is fast approaching the same category.  They both have failed to adhere to Jude 3: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”  Both these organizations have muddied the waters of the “common Salvation” with they’re false classes.  More could be said on this and other aberrations, but this should be enough to show their true colors.

“CHURCHES HAVE HECK OF A TIME WITH HELL:  Changing beliefs are forcing preachers to downplay damnation and emphasize life.  Bill Faris believes in hell, that frightful netherworld where the thermostat is always set on high, where sinners toil for eternity in unspeakable torment.

“But you’d never know it listening to him preach at his south Orange County, Calif., evangelical church.  He never mentions the topic; his flock shows little interest in it.

“‘It isn’t sexy enough anymore,’ said Faris, pastor of Crown Valley Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

“In churches across America, hell is being frozen out as clergy find themselves increasingly hesitant to sermonize on Christianity’s outpost for lost souls.

“‘There has been a shift in religion from focusing on what happens in the next life to asking, ‘What is the quality of this life we’re leading now?’ said Harvey Cox Jr., and author, religious historian and professor at Harvard Divinity School.

“Hell’s fall from fashion indicates how key portions of Christian theology have been influenced by a secular society that stresses individualism over authority and the human psyche over moral absolutes.

“The tendency to downplay damnation has grown in recent years as nondenominational ministries, with their focus on everyday issues such as childrearing and career success, have proliferated, and loyalty to churches has deteriorated.

“‘It’s just too negative,’ said Bruce Shelley, a senior professor of church history at the Denver Theological Seminary.  ‘Churches are under enormous pressure to be consumer-oriented.  Churches today feel the need to be appealing rather than demanding.’

“Hell is far from dead.  A May 2001 Gallup Poll of adults nationwide found that 71 percent believe in hell.

“They just don’t want to hear about it.  Even among some ‘born-again’ churches, hell is a rare topic of conversation.  Born-again Christians believe in hell, but they also believe their decision to embrace Christ has earned them a one-way ticket in the other direction.

“Where once hell was viewed as a literal, geographic location, it is more often seen now as a state of the soul.

“Even the Rev. Billy Graham, who came to prominence in the 1940s as a fire-and-brimstone preacher, reconsidered hell.  ‘I believe that hell is essentially separation from God.  That we are separated from God, so we can have hell in this life and hell in the life to come…’ Graham told an interviewer in 1991.

“‘But to describe hell in vivid terms like I might have done 30 or 40 years ago, I’m  not at liberty to do that because whether there is actually fire in hell or not, I do not know.’

“Hell’s roots are tangled up in the Hades of Greek mythology and the ancient Hebrew concept of Sheol - locales where the dead, both good and bad, resided.

“For churches, the fear of hell became a colorful - and effective - tool to teach the consequences of a sinful life devoid of God.

“In the centuries to come, scientific discoveries and the European Enlightenment would crack hell’s veneer, undercutting all things supernatural and questioning whether a merciful God would be so cruel.

“Amid this rethinking, more palatable theories of hell have developed: Souls not ticketed for heaven simply cease to be.  Hell is a temporary state before heaven.

“As a young preacher, Father Wilfredo Benitez of St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Garden Grove, Calif., warned nonbelievers they would burn in Satan’s lair.

“He later dropped the tactic.  ‘Can we accept a gift at gunpoint?  This is total nonsense and madness.’”

(By Mike Anton and William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2002)

Comment:  The ancient Hebrew word Sheol has no equivalent in the English language resulting in various translations in the Old Testament.  The nearest English word that properly translates it is unconsciousness.  “For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [sheol], whither thou goest.”  “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.” (Eccl. 9:10,5)  The Greek word Hades is merely a translation of the Hebrew word Sheol.

“MORE CHRISTIANS TURN TO ADVENT:  ST. LOUIS - Ashley Timm, 15, worries that the joyful Advent season of spiritual preparation gets lost.

“‘Advent is about helping others, because Jesus loved us,’ she said.  ‘I worry that some people think that it’s about getting lots of presents and seeing Santa Claus, instead of understanding the real gift of Christmas - that Jesus came into this world to save us.’

“The Advent season encompasses the four Sundays preceding Christmas and was celebrated by the early church as a period of penance and preparation for the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ.

“A half-century ago, Advent was observed by Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and less commonly by other Christians.  However, Advent now has wider appeal as many Christians increase their appreciation for the importance of symbols and rites, said the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, a professor of ecumenical studies at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, Mo.

“He finds the growing interest in Advent and other liturgical rites especially strong in denominations like his own Christian Church Disciples of Christ and some Baptists.  Both were once adamantly proud of having services and churches that were ‘plain and unadorned,’ he said.”

(Excerpts from Patricia Rice, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 30, 2002) 

“POLL: AIDS Orphans On Own:  Only 3 percent of evangelical Christians say they are willing to help children orphaned by AIDS, a new survey shows.

“Overall, 5 percent of 1,000 adults surveyed by the California-based Barna Research Group said they would help children in such a situation.

“‘Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan, we are still asking the question, ‘Who is my neighbor?’  And we’re still getting the answer wrong,’ said World Vision President Richard E. Stearns.”

(Orlando Sentinel, November 30, 2002)

“ATHEISTS BOOST POLITICAL MUSCLE TO BATTLE RELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE:  WASHINGTON - Banding together against what they see as the encroachment of religion on American public life, more than 1,000 atheists organized on the National Mall for the first Godless Americans March on Washington.

“At the march last Saturday, they came bearing signs and banners with slogans such as ‘Religion Kills’ and ‘Believers Repent,’ marching past dozens of Christian counter protesters.

“‘We want the same rights of every other group of Americans who have marched down this mall,’ said Ellen Johnson, American Atheists president.  ‘We need to become a well-oiled well-financed political machine.’

“To that end, Johnson announced the creation of the Godless Americans Political Action Committee.  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I see a sleeping giant that is waking up and ready to assert its political and cultural influence,’ Johnson said.”

(By Adelle M. Banks and Aparna H. Kumar, Religion News Service, November 9, 2002)

“ATHEISTS GIVE ‘GOD SLOT’ ON BBC A NEW PERSPECTIVE:  LONDON - Some of Britain’s most eminent writers and thinkers are demanding equal time for atheism on a daily religious radio spot that is a cherished ritual to many believers of all faiths.

“‘Thought for the Day,’ the British Broadcasting Corp’s venerable ‘God slot,’ responded yesterday by giving listeners a dose of atheism, as the debate continued over religion’s place on the national broadcaster.

“Richard Dawkins, Oxford University’s professor for the public understanding of science, was granted an experimental ‘Thought for the Day’ slot an hour after Anne Atkins, a newspaper columnist and the wife of a Church of England vicar, had presented the daily fixture.

“He summoned the nation to abandon religion - to ‘leave the crybaby phase and finally come of age.’

“The issue has touched a British nerve.  ‘Thought for Today’ may be just two minutes and 45 seconds long, but since 1970 it has been a fixture on one of the nation’s most influential news programs.” (Today on Radio 4, which draws 6.45 million listeners)

“The Atheist ‘Thought’ came a day after more than a hundred prominent atheists - including play wrights Harold Pinter and Arnold Wesker, authors Iain Banks, and John Fowles, and Joseph Rotblat, a Nobel Peace prize winner - published a letter demanding equal treatment.

“‘Thought for the Day’ has regular contributions from Sikhs, Jews and Christians but does not welcome contributors who hold no religious beliefs.

“‘By resolutely retaining the ban, the BBC is discriminating against the non-religious, and thus giving the impression of promoting religion as the one source of ethics’ the letter said.

“The debate over a program that is meant to encourage thoughtful contemplation quickly turned angry.

“‘To ask an atheist to contribute to (‘Thought for Today’) would be like asking an earthworm to comment on quantum physics,’ Gerald Aves commented in his e-mail to the Today program web site.

“Phil Healey responded: ‘this is an absolutely perfect example of the bigotry of those people who believe in fairy tales.’

“Church attendance has declined sharply in Britain, but a BBC poll two years ago found that 62 percent affirmed their belief in God and in Jesus Christ.” 

(Associated Press, August 15, 2002) 

Comment:  Satan is walking about like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) promoting the thought of Atheism and is having much success.

CATHOLICS:  “BISHOP QUESTIONS EUCHARIST:  Anglican Bishop of Oxford Richard Harries has suggested that the ‘cannibalistic language of the Eucharist’ is part of the reason Christianity is declining in Britain.  Harries outlined his views in his controversial new book God Outside the Box.

“The ‘Prayer of Humble Access’ reads, in part: ‘Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood.’

“In an interview with The Times newspaper in London, Harries said, ‘I do not think that Christians today take seriously enough people’s sense of horror at going to a Eucharist or Mass, if they have never been before, and hearing the imagery of sacrifice and eating God.’”

(Orlando Sentinel, August 24, 2002)

Comment:  At the Last Supper when Jesus initiated the antitypical Passover for His disciples to replace the typical Hebrew Passover that celebrates the Jews deliverance from slavery, He said, “This is my body, this is my blood.”  He was present there in the flesh saying these words, so how can it mean that the bread and the wine were His actual body and blood?  He meant that they represented His sacrifice as the antitypical “Lamb of God.”  Also, in the “Prayer of Humble Access” it says, “thy dear Son Jesus Christ.”  Then at the end of the item it says “eating God.”  Is Jesus the Son of God or God the Father?  How can He be both?

“LAY WORKERS JOIN UNION:  Lay workers at four Roman Catholic parishes in Texas who were worried about pensions and other benefits have joined unions - a rare move for church employees of any denomination, labor groups say.

“The employees have signed contracts with the United Farm Workers of America and AFLCIO.” 

(Orlando Sentinel, August 24, 2002)

“CATHOLIC CAMPUSES HEAD FOR SHOWDOWN:  A deadline looms Saturday that could ignite a smoldering conflict over academic freedom between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and theologians at the nation’s 235 Catholic colleges and universities.

“The winners and losers won’t be immediately clear, but in coming years jobs and the shape of Catholic higher learning may be at stake.

“Acting on instructions from the Vatican, U.S. bishops have ordered Catholics who teach their faith’s doctrine, morality, Scripture, law and history at Catholic schools to obtain a ‘mandatum’ (mandate, in English) from the bishop of the diocese where the college is located.

“The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 - Saturday - attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.”

(The Dispatch, Lexington, NC, May 22, 2002)

EPISCOPALIAN:  “UNWED UNIONS GAIN SUPPORT:  The Episcopal Church’s Kansas diocese will allow clerical blessings of homosexual couples and unwed heterosexuals for whom marriage is a financial hardship, Bishop William E. Smalley said.

“Smalley said Kansas is the first diocese to bless unmarried heterosexuals.  With homosexual union, ‘others are doing it, but are very quiet about it,’ he said.

“Smalley said he based his decision on a resolution at the 2000 Episcopal convention that ‘acknowledged’ some Episcopalians live in committed relationships outside wedlock.”

(Orlando Sentinel, July 6, 2002)

PRESBYTERIAN:  “PASTORS PROTEST:  Hoping to recapture the reformer’s spirit that led Martin Luther to spark the Protestant Reformation, five pastors gathered recently at the Louisville, Ky., headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (USA) with a list of grievances, saying the church is ‘irretrievably apostate.’

“About 100 church members also signed the document in support.  It calls on church leaders to discipline congregations and pastors who defy the church constitution, especially those who ordain noncelibate gays and lesbians as pastors.

“Arguing that church leaders ‘will respond to apostasy only when there is a financial crisis,’ the document also called on congregations to withhold their dues from any church agency that ‘tolerates defiance of our constitution.’”

(Orlando Sentinel, November 16, 2002)

“PASTOR QUITS AMID RIFT ABOUT GAYS:  The Rev. Howard Edington resigned from Orlando’s First Presbyterian Church.  The Rev. Howard Edington, who in two decades as pastor more than tripled the downtown congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, announced his retirement Wednesday in the wake of a controversy sparked by his conservative views on the role of gays in the denomination.

“The 60-year-old Edington’s vocal opposition to ordaining gay ministers and blessing same-sex unions - together with a sermon opposing the Orlando City Council’s recently passed ordinance protecting gays from discrimination - had roiled his congregation.

“At least two elders resigned.  At one point, the minister was urged to take a six-month sabbatical, an offer he rejected.

“Edington did not dispute that his involvement in conservative causes, especially those involving sexual orientation, has led some members of the congregation to leave in recent months for other Presbyterian churches.

“He said that ‘our denomination is in trouble’ because of ‘the watering down of the theological standards of the church as a whole.’  The official stance of the 2.6 million-member Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination is that all ordained ministers must be in a heterosexual marriage or celibate, and that the church will not bless homosexual unions.  However, Edington and others have charged that in practice the denomination does not discipline congregations that violate these policies.

“‘It is being defied by some churches, individuals and presbyterys,’ Edington said.  He said he would not accept another pastorate.

“Edington’s success in turning First Presbyterian into a multimillion-dollar complex with about 5,600 members and nearly 200 specialized ministries drew praise from around the country.  Bucking a national trend of churches moving their congregation out of downtowns, Edington decided in the 1980s that his flock would stay put in what he called the ‘Heart of the City.’  Since then, the church has grown into the fourth-largest congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination.  In October, Edington’s was one of five names affixed to a list of theological grievances taped to the front door of the denomination’s Louisville, Ky., headquarters, in imitation of Marin Luther’s action that sparked the Protestant Reformation.”

(Excerpts from Mark I. Pinsky, Orlando Sentinel, December 5, 2002)

Comment:  The above shows what a hodgepodge of confusion there is among the different sects, as well as among some churches of the same sect.  It is reminiscent of the ancient Tower of Babel.  It is a real Babylon of confusion.  It should be noted that their quarrels are about such things as homosexuals, abortion, unions outside wed lock, etc.

They are never about real doctrines of the Bible such as the Ransom, Restitution, Justification, the Kingdom, which we pray always for, and other important doctrines.  Jesus said, “go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60)  However, it seems that the squabbling over their mundane differences may be one cause that will bring their downfall.    

Correction:  In the November 2002 paper, No. 544, under Doctrine Number One, first paragraph, last line, should read:  reasonable to believe that the previous six days (epochs) were 7,000 years each (6x7=42,000) and the week 49,000 years (7x7=49,000).

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

ANNOUNCEMENT:  The Memorial for 2003 is on Monday, April 14, after six p.m.

NO. 545 THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM

       “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11,12)

WHY WAS THIS BABE EXPECTED?

       “Unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given.” (Isa. 9:6)  This is a subject which will never grow old - a subject which, on the contrary shall to all eternity be a theme of angels and of men.  The birth of Jesus, to be rightly understood and esteemed, must be considered from the standpoint of a gift of Love Divine.  Any other view of the matter is merely the casket without the jewel.  The Scriptures give us the key to the thought: “God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

       The world was under sentence of death; mankind had been dying for more than four thousand years.  God had pitied humanity from the first.  Yes, before sin entered, Divine Wisdom saw the end, and would not have created man, or would not have permitted the condition which led to sin and the sentence of death, had Divine Wisdom not foreseen and arranged in advance for human redemption.

       Why were all men in expectation of Him at the time of His birth?  What was to be peculiar about Him to lead Israel to expect His birth?  The answer to this question is that God had made a certain promise centuries before and the promise had not been fulfilled.  This promise contained the thought that a holy child would be born, and that in some way, not explained in the promise, this child would bring the blessing the world needed.  Therefore every mother amongst the Israelites was very solicitous that she might be the mother of a son rather than a daughter, that perchance she might be the mother of this promised child.  Thus the matter went on for years until, finally, the child was born.

       The promise back of the expectation was that which God made to Abraham, saying, “In thee and in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  From that time forward Abraham began to look for the promised Seed - the promised child.  He looked first of all to his own children, and was finally informed that it would not be one of his children direct, but that through their children, at some remote date, this child should be born - the Seed of Abraham.  From that time onward, all the Israelites were waiting for the birth of the child that should bring the blessing.

       But why was a Messiah necessary?  Why wait at all for the birth of the child?  The answer to this question is that sin had come into the world; that God had placed our first parents, who were holy, pure and free from sin, in the glorious conditions of the Garden of Eden with every favorable prospect and everlasting life at their command if they continued in harmony with God.  But by reason of their disobedience they came under Divine displeasure and sentence of death.  This sentence of death has brought in its wake aches, pains, sorrows, tears, sighing, crying and death - all of these experiences as a result of sin.

       Our heavenly Father said to our first parents - and this was the first intimation that he gave them of a deliverance - that “The Seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent’s head.” (Gen. 3:15)  The Serpent in this expression means Satan - all the powers of evil, everything adverse to humanity, everything adverse to the blessings which God had given them, and which they had lost by disobedience.  But the promise was vague and they understood little about the “Seed of the woman” and “bruising the Serpents head.”  It merely meant in an allegorical way a great victory over Sin and Satan, without explaining how it should come.  The total victory over Satan was to come later.  “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” (Rom. 16:20)

       So humanity continued to die; they continued to have aches and pains and sorrows; they continued going down to the tomb.  They realized that what they needed was some Savior to come and deliver them from the power of sin, to deliver them from the death penalty of sin - a Savior who would be, in other words, a Life-giver.  They were dying and needed new life.  This is the meaning of the word Savior in the language used by our Lord and the Apostles.  They were hoping and expecting that God would send a Life-giver.

       It was on this account that they were so greatly concerned regarding the promise made to Abraham:  “In thee and in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 28:14) - they shall be granted a release from sin and death.  In no other way could mankind be blessed.  It would be impossible to bless mankind except by releasing them from sin and death.  Hence, the Scriptures tell us of God’s sympathy; that God looked down from His holy habitation, and beheld our sorrow, and heard, figuratively, “the groaning of the prisoners,” humanity - all groaning and travailing under this penalty of death -some with few aches and pains, and some with more aches and pains; some with few sorrows, and some with greater sorrows; but all groaning and travailing in pain.

       But God’s sympathy was manifested.  He looked down and beheld that there was no eye to pity and no arm to save and with His own Arm He brought salvation.  This is what was promised to Abraham - that one should come from his posterity who would be the Savior of the world; and because this promise was made to Abraham and to his Seed, they were marked out as separate from all other nations and peoples.  To the Jewish nation alone belonged this great honor - that through them should come this salvation.  Hence from that time onward the Jews spoke of themselves as God’s people, the people whom God had promised to bless, and through whom he would bring a blessing to all others.  Therefore, all other people were called heathen (or nations, which the word means).  Israel was thus separated because God’s Covenant was with them, and not with the others.  But God’s Covenant with Israel was for the blessing of all the others:  “In thy Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  Now we have the “Why” of this wonderful babe’s being born.

HOW WAS THIS BABE PECULIAR - HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED?

       How could He be a Savior?  In what way could He be different from any other babe?  Why not use some other babe as the one through whom salvation should come?  The answer of the Bible is that salvation could not come to mankind unless there should be satisfaction of Justice on account of Original Sin.  That must be the first consideration.  The penalty, “Dying thou shalt die,” pronounced against the first man, must be met before the world could be blessed.

       Why not let any man die?  Because all were under the sentence of the original condemnation, and none could be a Ransom-price or a substitute.  Hence the necessity for a specially born babe, different from any other babe.  In what way was this One differently born?  The Bible explains to us very distinctly that He was not begotten of an earthly father.  Although Joseph was espoused to Mary, yet this child was not the child of Joseph.  The Bible explains that this child was specially begotten by Divine Power, in the mother, though she was still a “virgin” when she brought forth the child.

A SAVIOR - CHRIST THE LORD

       It was prophetically, of course, that the babe of Bethlehem was called a Savior - He was to be a Savior, The Christ, the Lord.  But as the babe he was none of these.  He became The Christ before becoming the Savior and Lord.  The word Christ signifies anointed.  In the Divine purpose it was arranged that Messiah should be anointed High Priest of Israel on a higher plane than Aaron - after the order of Melchisedec (Psa. 110:4).  And every priest must be anointed to his office before he could fill it.  Similarly, it was prophesied that Christ would be the great King, greater than David and Solomon, who were His types and foreshadows.

       This is the Scriptural proposition; and while it may not seem clear to some, yet the Word of God stands sure.  If the Redeemer was not perfect then he could not be the Savior of the world.  The promised redemption implied that Jesus would be perfect; it implied that He would be as the first man was before he sinned.  “For since by man came death, by man shall come also the resurrection of the dead”; “As all in Adam die, even so shall all in Christ be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21,22)

       So this one must be, as the Apostles declares, “holy harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.” (Heb. 7:26)  He must be entirely distinct and separate from humanity so far as sinful features were concerned.  If we had time it would be interesting to go into the scientific features - how a perfect child could be from an imperfect mother.  If we can have a perfect life germ we can have a perfect child from an imperfect mother.  If a breeder of stock wishes to raise the standard of his stock, he selects a fine bull, a male goat, or a male ram, and thus he improves the entire herd.  And so, if we had perfect fathers, we could soon have a perfect race.  But there is no father who can produce a perfect child.  Hence it was necessary in this case (and the Scriptures declare it was accomplished) that God should beget this Son by power from on high.  Therefore, that which was born of the “virgin” was separate and distinct from all humanity.  His life came not from an earthly father, but from His Heavenly Father.

WHO WAS HE THUS BORN?

       It is written that before he became flesh Jesus had an existence; as He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)  Again in one of His prayers He said, “Father, glorify thou me with the glory that I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:5)  The Revelator tells us that “He was the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), and Paul says that “by him all things were made.” (John 1:3)  And so our Lord Jesus was not only the beginning, but also the active agent of the Father in all the creative work in the angelic world and in the creation of humanity, and all things that were created.

       The whole matter is summed up by the Apostle John.  We will give a more literal translation of “In the beginning was the Word.”  [This expression, Word, in the Greek is Logos.  The thought behind the word Logos is that in olden times a king, instead of speaking his commands directly to his people, sat behind a lattice work, and his Logos, or messenger, or word, or representative, stood before the lattice work, and gave the message of the king to the people in a loud tone of voice.  The king himself was not seen by the people - the Logos was the one seen.  So this is the picture the Scriptures give us of how Jesus was the express representative of the Heavenly Father, the One through whom the Heavenly Father made Himself known - the Word, or the Logos.  So we read in the first chapter of John], “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with the God, and the Logos was a god.  The same was in the beginning with the God.  By him were all things made, and without him was not anything made.” (John 1:1, Dia.)

       In other words, Jesus was the direct Creator of all things.  He was the Divine Power, Agent, Word, Messenger, the Logos of Jehovah.  He did all the great work of creation; but He Himself was the first of God’s direct creation, the First-born of all creatures, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence - the first place.

         When the time came that our Heavenly Father made known His great purpose that He would bless the world, He gave opportunity to this First-begotten One - this begotten of the Father - to be the servant in this great work He intended to accomplish for mankind.  Consequently, the Scriptures state that “for the joy set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb. 12:2)  And now He has sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.  He has this great reward because of His obedience even unto death, the death of the cross.

       The Apostle speaks of Him as having been rich, but for our sakes becoming poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich.  He tells us how He left the glory which He had with the Father and humbled Himself to the human nature.  Why?  Because, as already stated, it was necessary that some one should become man’s Redeemer; an angel could not redeem man, neither could an animal redeem man.  The Divine law is “an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a man’s life for a man’s life.” (Matt. 5:38)  This was to teach us a great lesson; that perfect human life having been condemned to death, that it would require a perfect human life to redeem it.  It was therefore necessary that Jesus should become the “Man Christ Jesus,” in order “that He by the grace of God shall taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9)

WHAT RESULTS HAVE FOLLOWED?

       The results that have followed have been that He Himself proved His own faithfulness.  “Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8) - the most ignominious form of death.  It pleased the Father thus to prove Him, not only by death, but by the most ignominious form of death - dying as a culprit, being crucified between two thieves.  What a terrible ignominy to die thus!

       It would be ignominy enough for us in our imperfection, but for Him, perfect, “holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners,” it must have been a cause of deep and poignant sorrow.  Having completed the laying down of His life, at the end of three and half years, He cried, “It is finished!”  What?  Not His work, for much of that lay before Him!  He merely finished this part of the work, finished laying down His life a ransom-price.

       What next?  After His death came His resurrection, and we read that “God raised Him from the dead on the third day.”  According to the Scriptures He was raised up from death a glorious being - “sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory, sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spirit body”; “Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, those in heaven, and those on the earth, and those under the earth; that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:10)

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

       All the families of the earth are to be blessed, as originally promised in Eden: “The Seed [The Christ] of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head.”  Also, as St. Paul states in the 16th chapter of Romans, “The very God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”  So, then, the next thing in order in the outworking of God’s Plan will be to bruise Satan and destroy him.

       When and how will this be done?  Just as soon as this Age shall end; because this Age is merely for the development of the Bride class; then will come the promised Free Grace to all the families of the earth.  Messiah’s Kingdom shall come.  He has promised that when He shall reign, all His faithful shall reign with Him: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21)  All the Church will be associated with Him in His great Messianic Kingdom; and “He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth” (Psa. 72:8); and “Unto Him every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God the Father” (Rom. 14:11); “The knowledge of the glory of God shall fill the whole earth.” (Hab. 2:14)  The whole earth will become as the Garden of Eden.  Paradise Lost will be Paradise Restored.  The Divine Image lost in Adam will be restored to man.  Human nature will be brought to perfection.  But the glorious reward to the Church will be the Divine nature, to be like her Lord, to sit at His right hand, and to bless the world of mankind.  Man will become not only perfect, having all that Adam had, but will have additional knowledge and character; and there is every evidence that this shall be an eternal blessing.

SHALL NONE BE LOST?

       Yes, the Scriptures tell us that some will be lost, and that the loss they shall sustain will be loss of life.  “They shall be as though they had not been” (Obad. 1:16); “They shall be destroyed from amongst the people.”  St. Peter says, “They shall be destroyed as brute beasts.” (Acts 3:23; 2 Peter 2:12)

       When?  When the eyes of their understanding shall have been opened to see the Lord and to understand His glorious character, and they shall have had opportunity to appreciate and enjoy His blessing.  When such intentionally reject the grace of God, they shall die the Second Death, from which there is no resurrection, no hope of recovery.  But thank God, there shall be no knowledge of suffering for them; they shall be destroyed as brute beasts.

       In proportion as we believe in this Babe of Bethlehem shall we rejoice today.  In proportion as we believe He was manifested on our behalf; in proportion as we believe He died for our sins; in proportion as we recognize Him as the glorified Savior; in proportion as we have surrendered our hearts to Him and seek to do the things well pleasing to Him shall we have the peace of God.

       Our hope on behalf of mankind in general is that in God’s due time His blessing shall reach all - not the same as that for the Church, but as St. Peter tells us in Acts 3:19-21, “Times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he shall send Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must retain until the times of restitution of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets.”

(Based on Reprint 4963, January 15, 1912, by Pastor Charles T. Russell)

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       “ACADEMICS FIRED ‘FOR BEING ISRAELI’:  British Professor Mona Baker, the director of the center for translation and intercultural studies at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), dismissed two Israeli academics from the boards of her two independently-owned journals after signing an academic boycott of Israeli institutions last week.  The two Israelis were highly respected academicians, Gideon Toury from the Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Miriam Shlesinger, a respected American-born lecturer at the Bar-Ilan University.  Prof. Baker, a native of Egypt who has lived in England for 20 years, told the Telegraph (London): ‘I deplore the Israeli state.’  And was quoted by the media as saying: ‘Israel has gone beyond just war crimes.  Many of us would like to talk about it as some kind of holocaust which the world will eventually wake up to, much too late, of course, as they did with the last one.’

       “Prof. Baker is one of the signatories of a British-led petition of more than 700 mainly European academics launched by Prof. Steven Rose of Britain’s Open University.  Signatories include some of the most eminent Oxford professors, including Colin Blakemore and Richard Dawkins.  This organized ‘academic boycott’ is part of a campaign to suspend European Union funding of Israeli universities (though not, of course, the EU’s generous financing of Yasser Arafat).  Ten Israeli academics have also signed the petition.

       Baker’s actions brought an avalanche of international condemnation.  Several British media commentators, including those from newspapers traditionally hostile to Israel, have strongly criticized the sackings of the Israelis.  If you believe that Prof. Baker’s actions against the Israelis was improper, you may write her at:  monabaker@umist.ac.uk”

(By Rebecca Brimmer, July 19, 2002)

       “NOT MADE IN ISRAEL:  British supermarkets have been instructed not to label fruit, vegetables, flowers, wine and fruit as ‘Produce of Israel’ if they were grown and packed in Judea, Samaria, or the Gaza Strip.

       “A government spokesman said the directive had been agreed to by the European Union and applied to all member states.

       “As a result, Israeli produce from across the Green Line will no longer qualify for preferential EU import duties.  The British directive, the first to differentiate between goods produced within and beyond the Green Line, is widely seen as a capitulation by the government to a campaign by pro-Palestinian activists to advance an openly anti-Israel agenda.”

(The Jerusalem Post, July 19, 2002)

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WORDS OF WAR

       President Bush, it turns out, is keeping score.  Inside a drawer of his Oval Office desk sits a neat sheaf of classified documents containing the names and photographs of suspected terrorist thought to be responsible for the horrors of September 11, 2001.  As each man is killed or captured, according to the president’s daily intelligence briefing, Bush hauls out the list and puts a big check mark across the appropriate picture to signify that one more “evildoer” has met his fate.  Aids say the president takes considerable satisfaction in the private ritual.

       Clearly, Bush’s war has gotten personal.  This was illustrated once again by his tearful demeanor and emotional remarks at last week’s commemoration ceremonies marking the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  “For all Americans, it has been a year of adjustment, of coming to terms with the difficult knowledge that our nation has determined enemies and that we are not invulnerable,” the president said in a seven-minute address to the nation from Ellis Island.  “The attack on our nation was also an attack on the ideals that make us a nation.  Our deepest national conviction is that every life is precious, because every life is the gift of a Creator who intended us to live in liberty and equality.”

       Now Bush is applying that same sense of mission and resolve to what increasingly appears to be an inevitable war against Saddam Hussein.  In his much-anticipated address to the United Nations, Bush asked the court of world opinion to rally around him.  “Saddam Hussein’s regime is a grave and gathering danger,” Bush said in arguing that Iraq continues to develop nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, is a threat to peace, and is flouting the U.N.  Allowing the regime to survive, the president argued, would be a “reckless gamble.”

       All this means that Bush will need to add another role to his repertoire of consoler in chief and commander in chief.  Now, he must act as salesman in chief - and it won’t be easy.  As his first order of business, he will seek to impose an ultimatum with a tight deadline on Iraq in the form of a single sweeping U. N. Security Council resolution demanding compliance with stringent weapons inspections.  While Russia or China most likely will balk at an explicit threat of force if Baghdad resists, the Bush administration will work to make the implicit threat as clear as possible.  And it intends to act, with or without U.N. authorization.  “Standing idly by is not acceptable, and it will not be on our conscience,” Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told U.S. News.

       With his address, Bush fundamentally shifted the international debate onto more favorable ground by presenting the case as a fundamental test of U.N. credibility.  Yet several key Security Council nations remain wary of the administration’s underlying goal of “regime change” (a phrase the president avoided using in his U.N. address).  They appear to favor the approach used during the 1990s of forcing only weapons inspections, not Hussein’s removal.  Ousting him, these countries argue, would set the ominous precedent of overturning a sovereign government.

       Meanwhile, Bush will ask Congress to approve a war resolution before it adjourns next month.  As with the United Nations, he has a way to go.  “I don’t think that the case for a pre-emptive attack has been made conclusively yet,” says Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat.  Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, argues that Bush has not adequately defined the Iraqi threat.  “I am troubled that the administration has not made the most basic intelligence preparation for the debate on Capitol Hill,” Durbin says.  “Until it’s done, Congress is in no position to vote on going to war.  We should not make a rash or hasty decision.”  All this will require a level of salesmanship from the White House that it has not yet displayed.  In fact, a “white paper” released by the White House detailing Iraq’s history of flouting U.N. resolutions presented no new intelligence about its nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons capabilities.

       War planning.  Nor does the military appear ready to pull the trigger.  The Joint Chiefs of Staff are still hashing out a war plan, although the chiefs did meet on September 10 to narrow down the options drawn up by Central Command, which would run any conflict.

       But Pentagon planners say things might be quite a bit easier than they were in the first Persian Gulf War.  For one thing, the Iraqi military was decimated the first time around, and the subsequent arms embargo made it very difficult for Baghdad to improve its conventional forces.  In addition, any U.S. or allied buildup would not take nearly as long as the months of preparation needed 12 years ago.  The U.S. military presence in the region already is being bolstered by additional deployments of military hardware and some U.S. troops.  Pentagon officials think the military could be ready to strike by the end of November.  Military planners don’t think it will require anything close to the half-million troops sent to the region last time; one estimate is that it would take 150,000 to rout the Iraqis.

       And while worries persist that a desperate Saddam Hussein may use chemical or biological weapons against U.S. forces or Israel, there is growing confidence among at least some of Washington’s cognoscenti that the war would be short and decisive.  Former President Bill Clinton, for example, predicts that Iraq could be defeated in a week.

       At that point, though, things could get murky.  “How do we get out?” asks a senior military official.  “That’s the cause of the most concern.  What is the exit strategy?”  Yet a senior White House official says Bush is not worried about that prospect and would accept a U.S. commitment to occupy and rebuild Iraq for a period of years.  “He believes that scenario is better than leaving Saddam in control,” says the official.

       That is a turnabout for Bush, who argued in the 2000 campaign that America was stretched too thin around the world and should avoid “nation building.”  Likewise, his decision to seek U.N. support represented another shift.  Going it alone was his first instinct, reinforced by his hawkish advisers led by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.  But in recent weeks, Bush has been persuaded to take a more multilateral approach, at least temporarily.  One reason: the quiet diplomacy of Secretary of State Colin Powell, a pragmatic coalition builder.

       Also playing a role in the shift were advisers to Bush’s father, including former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger.  Both have publicly advocated the more cautious, multilateral approach.  And many people who know George Herbert Walker Bush have no doubt that he agrees with his former advisers, although he would never say so publicly because it would embarrass his son.  Yet several of the elder Bush’s senior strategists warn that in some ways the current situation is much different, and more difficult, than the one the father faced.  “In ’91, we had a defined threat - Iraq had crossed an international border by invading Kuwait,” says a former aide to the elder Bush.  “This time, the threat is not well defined.”  Further, the administration’s internal divisions have been on full public display, featuring leaks not only of the factions’ differing views but also of various military attack scenarios, apparently in an effort to discredit them.

       Finish the job.  Compounding President Bush’s current problem is that he lacks his father’s personal relationship with other world leaders, deepened by the elder Bush’s experiences as vice president and U.N. ambassador, making it more difficult for the president to rally international backing.  Finally, the Republican Party’s conservative wing feels that the father botched the endgame of the Gulf War by failing to depose Saddam Hussein.  These conservatives, some GOP insiders say, are pushing the son to finish the job.

       To that end, Bush’s bill of particulars against Hussein is lengthy and growing.  The president, like his father, believes Hussein is a barbarian.  This was reinforced by Saudi sources, who told him the Iraqi dictator had sent Arab leaders a video in which he berates a group of political opponents who were brought in to see him - and shoots one in the head as a lesson to his adversaries.

       In addition, Bush has concluded that Hussein is more dangerous to the United States than he was before the Gulf War because more terrorists are now willing to commit suicide.  “This gives him willing mules” to carry out attacks, says a senior White House strategist.  “The president feels that when all the variables are taken together, Saddam Hussein poses a unique threat to the world,” and he must be ousted, observes another top administration official.  “When people say, ‘Why now?’ he says, ‘Why later?’”

       Yet some Democrats find the timing suspect and argue that the administration is stirring up war fever to give Republican candidates an edge in the November midterm elections.  “They’re using a fight they waited to have with Saddam Hussein directly for political advantage,” says Joe Lockhart, a Democratic strategist who was White House press secretary for Clinton.  “They realized the midterms were slipping away on the basis of the economy, and now they’re using foreign policy.  This is uncharted territory… but it’s a highly cynical and dangerous strategy.  They’ve clearly set this thing up so that something dramatic has to happen or the policy will be seen as a failure.”

       On the other side, many Republicans argue that it is the Democrats who are playing politics.  “These guys are making the same mistakes the Republicans made in 1991 - they are too ideological, too political, too extreme,” says GOP pollster Frank Luntz.  “The average American really hates Saddam Hussein,” Luntz adds.  “The average American won’t spit at anything these days, but he will spit at a picture of Saddam Hussein.”  Partly as a result, the public will give the president the benefit of the doubt if and when he uses military force to oust the Iraqi ruler, Luntz argues.

       So far, the growing debate in Washington over Iraq has not yet dominated the political campaigns across the country.  Overall, the midterms appear to turn on a variety of issues, including the economy, education, corporate reform, and many local and regional concerns.  Ratcheting up war talk could yet change all that by sweeping nearly everything else off the radar screen.  And whether by coincidence or calculation, that would be just fine with the political strategists at the White House. 

(By Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, September 23, 2002)