NO. 608: "EARTHQUAKE"

“Whose voice shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven.  And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Heb. 12:26-28)

Rev. 16:16-18 definitely identifies Arma-geddon as the great Earthquake: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon… And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”

Armageddon is a Hebrew word signifying the Hill of Megiddo, or the Mount of De-struction.  Megiddo occupied a very marked position on the southern edge of the Plain of Esdraelon, and commanded an important pass into the hill country. This locality was the great battleground on which was fought many of the famous battles of Old Testament history. There Gideon and his little band alarmed and discomfited the Midianites, who destroyed one another in their flight (Judges 7:19-23). There King Saul was defeated by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:1-6).  There King Josiah was slain by Pharaoh-Necho in one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of Israel (2 Chron. 35:22-25). There also King Ahab and his wife Jezebel lived, in the city of Jezereel, where Jezebel afterwards met a horrible death (2 Kings 9:30-37).

Those battles were in a sense typical. The defeat of the Midianites released the people of Israel from bondage in Midian. Thus Gideon and his band typified our Lord and the Church, who are to release mankind from their bondage to sin and death. The death of King Saul and the overthrow of his kingdom by the Philistines opened the way for the reign of David, who typified Messiah. King Ahab typified the civil government, symbolically called the “Dragon” in Revelation. Queen Jezebel symbolically foreshadowed the great harlot, Babylon, and as such she is mentioned by name. “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which called herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants.” (Rev. 2:20)

In the Scriptures, the Lord has evidently seen fit to associate the name of this famous battle-field, Armageddon, with the great con-troversy between Truth and Error, right and wrong, God and Mammon, with which the Gospel Age will close and the Messianic Age be ushered in.  He has purposely used highly symbolic language in the last book of the Bible, evidently with a view to hiding certain important truths until the due times for their revealing. But even in the due time, “None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:10)  None who are out of harmony with God shall know, but only the wise among His people.

1 Kings 19:11,12, which is a record of what Elijah (type of the true Church) saw, states: “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire: but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

The four exhibitions of the Lord, given to Elijah, represent, we believe, four manifestations in which the Lord reveals Himself to mankind, the first three of which will prepare men for the final one, in which will come the desired blessing to all the families of the earth. These are: (1) The mighty winds, rending the very rocks. Winds seem to be used in Scripture for wars.

(2) An earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures an earthquake seems always to represent revolution, conditions which follow such a war would make revolution the next in order.

(3) The fire from Heaven - an epoch of Divine judgments and chastisements upon a maddened, but unconverted world, wild in anarchy, as other Scriptures show us. The results of the wars, revolutions and anarchy and the failure of the schemes of the world will prepare mankind for God’s revelation of Himself in

(4) The still small voice. Yes, He who spoke to winds and waves of Galilee will, in due time, speak peace to the people.

The two World Wars were just a prelude to the worse trouble to come. We should not confuse the natural earthquakes that have occurred recently with the great antitypical worldwide earthquake. Certainly natural disasters, not only earthquakes, but floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., will accompany the entire Time of Trouble, but they will not be the real trouble, which will consist of a rebellion of the people against the order of affairs that exists, including religious, financial, social and political. In fact the present war in Iraq now has brought protesters against it in all countries. So this war may be just the impetus to set off Armageddon, or Revolution.  The Time of Trouble is not designed for the Church, but is to and for the world of mankind. It is the introduction of mankind to the change of Dispensation, which will consist of the establishment of the New Covenant.

The trouble is inevitable; the powerful causes are all at work, and no human power is able to arrest their operation and progress toward the certain end; the effects must follow as the Lord foresaw and foretold. No hand but the hand of God could stay the progress of the present current of events; and His hand will not do so until the bitter experiences of this conflict shall have sealed their instruction upon the hearts of men.

The French Revolution provides an example of what Armageddon will be like. In the symbolic language of Revelation, the French Revolution was indeed a “great earthquake,” a social shock so great that all “Christendom” trembled until it was over; and that terrible and sudden outburst of a single nation’s wrath, more than two centuries ago, may give some idea of the fury of the coming storm, when the wrath of all the angry nations will burst the bands of law and order and cause a reign of universal anarchy, which will follow Armageddon, the earthquake. It should be remembered, too, that that calamity occurred in what was then the very heart of Christendom, in the midst of what was regarded as one of the most thoroughly Christian nations in the world, the nation which for a thousand years had been the chief support of Papacy.  In fact the French Revolution is referred to by Jesus in His Revelation to John on Patmos as a prelude to, and an illustration of the crisis now approaching (Rev. 12: 15,16). (See Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. 3, pp50-54 and pp 64-69.) That pestilence of infidelity and anarchism has not been cured by Nominal Christianity and it is powerless to avert the further outbreak predicted in the Scriptures to be the greatest trouble ever to be known to earth (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21).

A GRAND PARALLEL

A wonderful parallel to this change of dispensation is shown by That Servant in Volume 4, page 630: “At the making of the Law Covenant, at Mount Sinai, Moses seems to have been a type of the complete Christ (Head and Body) at the introduction of the Millennial Age, when the New Covenant will be introduced to the world, after ‘the sound of the great [seventh] trumpet,’ and the black darkness and ‘great earthquake,’ etc., of the Day of Vengeance shall have appalled mankind and made them ready to hear the voice of the Great Teacher, and glad to accept His New Covenant. This is distinctly pointed out by the Apostle (Heb. 12:18-22) who seems to mark every step of the parallelism. Israel had been approaching and had finally reached Mount Sinai, that might be touched, and from which such fearful sights and sounds emanated that all feared and quaked; but we are nearing Mount Zion and its wonderful glories and blessings far superior to those at Sinai; but accompanying the greater blessings will be the more terrible trumpet, blackness and earthquake shaking - the final shaking of all that can be shaken (all that is sinful and contrary to the Divine will), that only what is true and enduring may remain. The solution of the whole matter is in the words: ‘Wherefore [anticipating thus] receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let is have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably.’ (Heb. 12:28)”

Another illustration is given by That Servant in Volume 1, page 336: “The Deliverance of Israel from Egypt and from the plagues which came upon the Egyptians seems to illustrate the coming emancipation of the world at the hands of the greater than Moses, who he typified (Acts 3:22; Deut. 18:18). It will be a deliverance from Satan and every agency he has devised for man’s bondage to sin and error. And as the plagues upon Egypt had a hardening effect as soon as removed, so the temporary relief from the pains of the Day of the Lord will tend to harden some, and they will say to the poor, as did the Egyptians to Israel. ‘Ye are idle,’ and therefore dissatisfied and will probably, like them, attempt to increase the burden (Ex. 5:4-23). But in the end such will wish, as did Pharaoh in the midnight of his last plague, that they had dealt more leniently and wisely long ago (Ex. 12:30-33). To mark further similarity, call to mind that the troubles of this Day of the Lord are related to the ‘seven vials of wrath,’ or ‘seven last plagues,’ and that it is not until after the last of these that the great earthquake [revolution] occurs, in which every mountain [kingdom] will disappear (Rev. 16:17-20).

“Another thought with reference to this Day of Trouble is that it has come just in due time - God’s due time… evidence is adduced from the testimony of the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament, as well as from Jesus and apostolic prophets of the New Testament which shows clearly and unmistakably that this Day of Trouble is located chronologically in the beginning of the glorious Millennial reign of Messiah. It is this necessary preparation of the coming work of restitution in the Millennial Age that precipitates the trouble.”

In Rev. 7:1 the angels are said to be on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth. We understand this to mean that the fallen angels are holding back the winds from the east, north, south and west, which on coming together constitute the whirlwind, revolution and anarchy. This “wind” is not the “whirlwind,” which will only come when the fallen angels are fully loosed than they were when causing the war, and as such meet in great conflicts among themselves and produce among mankind the symbolic whirlwind, revolution and anarchy (Jer. 25:29-33). The wind, as this text implies, must precede the whirlwind, which occurs as a result of the hostile meeting of the fallen angels, after the wind should not blow on the earth [society], nor on the sea [the restless, rebellious, lawless masses], nor on any tree [great one; the Lord’s people are counted great ones by Him] (Rev. 7:3). There will be a hectic cessation of pangs between the earthquake and the fire, just as there has been between the wind and the earthquake.

The Scriptures abound with allusions to Armageddon. Our Lord Jesus calls it “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) The prophet Daniel describes it as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1) Closely in connection with this statement Daniel declares that God’s Representative, “Michael shall stand up, the great Prince which standeth for thy children, thy people, Israel.” The word Michael signifies “He who is like God,” the God-like One. He will stand up for the salvation of God’s people, for rectification of error and wrong, for the establishment of right and truth, to bring to the world of mankind the great Kingdom of God, which has been preached from the days of Abraham.

But there is another great trouble, which is not mentioned in the 1 Kings text, because it is not to be upon the whole world. This trouble will be upon fleshly Israel. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer. 30:7) There is great trouble upon them now, but we cannot say for certain that this is Jacob’s Trouble. We will not be able to discern this until more time has passed and we observe following events. But one thing is sure and that is that God’s promise to them is that He will “save them out of it.” “For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee, though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and I will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” (Jer. 30:11)  In the midst of the trouble God will reveal Himself as Israel’s defender as in ancient times, when His favor was with them nationally. Their extremity will be His opportunity; and their blindness will be removed.

The testimony of all the prophets is to the effect that the power of God will be so marvelously manifested in Israel’s deliverance by His fighting for them [thus for all], with weapons which no human power can control, including pestilence and various calamities, poured upon the wicked [Israel’s enemies and God’s opponents] until speedily all the world will know that the Lord has accepted Israel again to His favor, and become their King, as in olden times; and soon they, as well as Israel, will learn to appreciate God’s Kingdom, which shall speedily become the desire of all nations (Hag. 2:7).

If this great cataclysm of trouble were all we had to look forward to, we would think it the course of wisdom to say nothing about it. We would say, Do not think about it or speak of it; for it will be bad enough when it comes. But when the Bible tells us that the great trouble is designed merely to sweep away the outgrown religious systems, social systems, political systems, etc., and that God will on the wreck of all these things establish the Kingdom of Messiah for the world’s blessing, then we are glad of the trouble, and see that it is a necessary thing. This knowledge would be a great comfort and relief of mind to many bewildered ones who see the trouble coming on with increasing momentum; yet who cannot see the ultimate good to result, who feel that revolution and anarchy are confronting the entire world, but see not the golden lining to the black clouds of trouble.

Speaking about this Time of Trouble, St. Paul says, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light and the children of the Day.” (1 Thes. 5:4,5) God’s people should have general information regarding His plans, purposes and arrangements.

In 1 Kings 19:12 it says “after the fire a still small voice.” This is the voice of our Lord saying: “Peace be still” after the final phase of trouble, which is the fire of anarchy. He who spoke to the winds and the waves of Galilee will, in due time, speak peace to the people. It will be then that: “For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9); and “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.” (Isa. 29:24) In other words, all people will be in harmony because they will all know the Truth. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God shall fill the whole earth as the waters cover the face of the great deep (Isa. 11:9; Heb. 2:14). “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 31:34) Ultimately every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, to the glory of God (Phil. 2:11: Isa. 45:23).

“MESSIAH WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW”

Can we not see the wisdom of the great Creator’s program? He has determined to permit mankind to convince themselves of their own impotency, of their need of a God, and of the fact that there is a God, and that His glorious purposes for humanity are revealed in His Word. Ah, it is no wonder that the Bible speaks of that revelation of the Lord as the “still small voice of God,” speaking to mankind through Messiah’s Kingdom! No wonder the Lord declares that “then he will turn to the people a pure message that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”

St. Peter gives us a vivid picture of the new order of things in Messiah’s Kingdom. He says, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up… the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved… Nevertheless, we, according to his

promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Pet. 3:10,12,13)

The “new heavens” will be the glorified Church, consisting of Jesus the Head and His Bride class, selected from the world during the past centuries. The “new earth” will be the new social order under the control of the new heavens. There will be no patching of present institutions, but a clean sweep of them by the fire of Divine wrath preceding the establishment of the new order, where only that which is righteous, just, equitable, true, will be recognized.

We rejoice that such glorious things are coming - even though the world must necessarily reach them through the tribulation of the Time of Trouble. Happy are those whose eyes and ears of understanding are open now; and who are in such heart relationship with the Lord that He can make known to them in advance something of the riches of His grace, and show them how the coming troubles will work out blessings for the human family.

____________________________________________________________________

OVERCOMING DESIRES FOR EARTHLY THINGS

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

The Apostle Paul is here using the illustration of a race course. In certain races there are what are called handicaps; that is, one who is weaker is given a certain allowance of time in starting, and is granted a victory if he gets in on time. That would be an accommodation for only a few. It is called a handicap from the standpoint of the others. But in the Christian race there is accommodation granted to all; for there is none perfect - all come short of the glory of God, and we could never gain any reward that God has offered, had it not been for the satisfaction which the Redeemer has made.

Yet it is also true in this race that some have more allowance than others. Those who have many weaknesses have a corresponding allowance of grace made for them; and those who have fewer weaknesses have a less allowance. “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly,” said St. Paul. He was fully determined. He had a definite goal in view, and meant to win. This is the only attitude, if we would gain the prize that God has offered us; and the whole matter is dependent upon our zeal, our faithfulness and our earnestness.

The Greek games had other exhibitions of strength and agility besides racing. There were contests with wild animals, in which a man would attempt to slay an animal. Then there were others between men, in which a man would attempt to deal his antagonist a fatal blow, if possible, with his brass knuckles. In preparation for this contest, the contestants had a wind bag to practice on. But this was not the real battle, it was merely the preparation.

So the Apostle says that he was not using his strength merely in practice. He was trying to do something. He was fighting a real battle. What battle was it? The answer of the Bible is that a great battle began away back in the days when Satan became the adversary of God. Our first parents came into slavery to Satan, and later some of the angels fell. Now many are fighting, and some are thoroughly ignorant of whose side they are fighting for. Those who are fighting for unrighteousness are on Satan's side. Whoever is fighting for moral reforms, etc., is on God's side, rather than the side of the enemy of mankind.

The world is fighting more or less - some more intelligently, some less intelligently. There are in every army some who could not tell you what the fight is about. So now, many do not know that a battle is being waged between Righteousness and Sin. The millionaires have their own battles and contentions; and the little store-keepers have their battles, in competition with the larger merchants. The attorney has his battles. He may sometimes take a case that is on the side of justice, and defend it with zeal; and again he may take a case that is on the side of injustice, and prosecute it with equal zeal. But the world does not recognize the real battle. The same man may be on the right side one day and on the wrong side the next day.

The Apostle had enlisted under the true banner. Christ lifted up a standard in opposition to Satan, and he will yet win a glorious victory on the very field where sin has reigned for six thousand years. He had a personal conflict with the powers of darkness, in which he was victor. And his victory was gained by his overcoming his own natural desires, and fully submitting himself to the will of God. This was the only condition on which he could be exalted from the earthly state, to the glories of the Divine Nature. He has met the required condition, of dying the Just for the unjust, and has gotten the great victory over Satan.

The heavenly Father, in harmony with his own arrangement, has empowered the Lord Jesus to take out from the world a company to lay down their lives with himself, during a time when everything seems contrary, when evil seems to triumph more frequently than do righteousness and justice. These, walking by faith, and not by sight, are to lay down their lives for the sake of righteousness, to carry out the purposes of God.

OUR PRIMARY BATTLE IS WITH SELF

Do we ask, Whom, or what, shall we fight? The answer is that one would not enter the real conflict at all, if he should follow the impulses of his own mind. In such case he would not have any part in this fight. He might engage in the ordinary battling of the world - sometimes in the right, sometimes in the wrong. But if he would get into this company which is being guided by Jesus, he must come unto God by him, and must sacrifice earthly hopes, aims, and ambitions, and walk in Jesus' footsteps - steps of suffering unto death. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Heb: 2:l0) Thus the battle begins in our mind, our will. We submit our mind to the mind of Christ.

In the typical Day of Atonement sacrifices, the body of Christ is represented by the Lord's goat. And as the high priest killed the goat in the type, so in the antitype the animal nature is to be killed, slaughtered, sacrificed. It is not to be yielded up to sin, but to be overcome. The new nature is in mortal combat with entrenched sin, and the cravings of human nature. He has made a consecration of himself to God. As a result, the Advocate has placed his own merit upon the consecrated one. When this is done, the battle immediately begins, that the new nature may keep down the old nature, the old will (Gal. 5:17).

The Apostle Peter writes, “Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness… that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless!” (2 Peter 3:11,14) With this anticipation, how serious life should be!

The Christian who knows about these things of the future, and who lives in anticipation of them, has a joy and a peace of which the world knows nothing. One week of such living is worth more than an entire lifetime with only such things as the world has to offer. And if now we enjoy living the new life, and entering by faith into the things that the Lord has in reservation for us, what will be the realization! If we would lose much in the present time by losing our hope and faith, what would it be to lose these things eternally!

As we realize this, we see that we cannot afford one moment of carelessness. The man engaged in combat with the animal knows that the bruised and wounded animal seeks to kill him. So the Apostle tells us, the old nature strives to kill the new nature. Therefore the new nature must see to it that it uses all its strength to gain the victory. The Lord has promised us grace sufficient for every time of need. If we are overcome by the old nature, it will be because we have not strength sufficient for the victory; for if we call upon the Lord he will sustain us. But the Lord will test our loyalty, our faith, our strength of character, our alertness of mind. And the victory is sure, so long as our trust is in him! (Pastor Russell, Reprint 5777,5778, October 1, 1915)

____________________________________________________________________

“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

                                            Emily Jane Horn Hoefle

With much sadness it is our duty to report that our beloved Sister, Emily Hoefle, entered the sleep with Jesus on January 1, 2008. She was born April 5, 1906, the youngest of seven children of William Belt Horn and Amanda Crater Horn. They lived on a farm, although her father also ran a country store. Her parents were faithful Christians, but it was not until Emily was a youngster that her Mother came into the truth. In fact Emily and her sister, Augusta, were indirectly responsible for her getting the Truth. Their Mother was visiting her natural sister, Sally, and the two children were playing too roughly with some books, so Mother remonstrated with them. But her sister, Sally, said it was all right for her preacher had said those books were from the devil. This piqued Amanda’s interest, so she asked if she could have the books. They were Pastor Russell’s books; she read them and recognized that it was the truth right away. Afterward all of the children accepted it, although not in consecration right away.

As a young woman, Emily moved to the city of Winston-Salem, North   Carolina. There she began to work for a Justice of the Peace [magistrate], who was a Jew. He soon recognized that Emily was very smart, even though she had no schooling or experience as a secretary. He also understood that she favored the Jews. Therefore, he came to rely on her a lot.

In 1951 Emily married Brother John J. Hoefle and they moved to Mount Dora, Florida. Brother Hoefle was founder of the Epiphany Bible Students Association, and Sister Hoefle assisted him in his work of expounding the Truth and refuting errors. She continued the work after his death until she became disabled. She then guided and coached others in the work. She was a driving force in the lives of many Bible Students, as well as much witnessing to others. As a faithful student of Bible, she always testified of the promises of God - namely the coming Kingdom, resurrection of the dead, times of restitution of all things, and healing set forth in Rev. 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” She always pointed out that those things are possible because of the central doctrine of the Bible as found in 1 Timothy 2:6 - Christ, “who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.”  The result being what Christ stated in his own words (John 5:28,29, Dia.) “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth: they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment.”

Brother and Sister Hoefle were true friends of the Jews. “The New Covenant will be made with the Jews.” (Jer. 31:31-34) The Kingdom will be Israelitish. God’s plan of Salvation for all mankind will come through Spiritual Israel and Natural Israel.

The two of them were excommunicated by the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement because they refuted the errors that were issued after the death of the Epiphany Messenger, who founded that movement. Emily, like her husband, was always appreciative of the Lord's overruling Providence, and counted the rebuffs and ostracism as “all things but loss for the execellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8), as she “earnestly contended for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) We may be sure that the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance (Psa. 112:6).

NO.607 "WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH"

Dear Brethren, the time has come for the Memorial of our Lord’s death, which he said “do this in remembrance of me.” The date this year is March 20, 2008, after 6:00 P.M.

We extend our prayers and best wishes to all for a very blessed Memorial. May it be a

time of renewing our consecration to do the good and acceptable will of God.  We pray and trust that all be faithful and obedient.

We here at Mount Dora, FL, will meet at 2501 Morningside   Drive at 7:00 P.M. All in the vicinity, who are of like mind, are welcome to meet with us.

____________________________________________________________________

John 1:35-51

“Thou art the Son of God: thou art the King of Israel.”

John's Gospel was written after the other three, and quite evidently with a view to setting forth matters not set forth in the other Gospels. Thus we find that it does not attempt to give a full history of the Lord's ministry in all particulars, but chiefly deals either with matters omitted or with details not given by the others. Our present lesson furnishes details respecting the gathering of the first apostles to the Lord. Much of its interest centers in the fact that it well illustrates the diversity of the Lord's dealings and providence as these are still exercised in the world in the drawing of others to himself, some in one way and some in another.

While the Scriptures inform us that at the time of the Lord's presentation “All men were in expectation of him,” of Messiah, nevertheless we are to remember that all were expecting something totally different from what the Lord presented. They were expecting a personage of high rank, of great influence, of striking and commanding character; and our Lord, if he had been an imposter, would have sought to fill this public expectation. Either he would have given them to believe he controlled wealth and influence, or he would at least have been boastful and heady, thereby making up for any deficiencies along the line of their expectation. By a studied exclusiveness of manner, and haughty disdain of the poor and the sinful, an imposter would have sought to rank himself in the public estimation by claiming the possession of every noble and lofty sentiment above others.

He was of the royal tribe of Judah - more than this, he was of the royal family of David - and had he been an imposter we may be sure that this relationship to the kingly line, and references to Divine prophecy respecting the same, would have been flaunted on every possible occasion. On the contrary, we find our Lord “meek and lowly of heart” - not bombastic, not boastful, not self obtrusive. Bearing these things in mind we see all the more clearly why he attracted special characters for his disciples, and why he failed to attract the masses: we see that it was the Father's design that he should attract to himself as disciples the meek and lowly of heart, the reverential, the sincere, and that he should more or less repel the word1y wise, the rulers, and the masses who subsequently crucified him. Let us note, too, that these same principles of attraction and repulsion have persisted throughout this Gospel Age and are still operative. The masses may be temporarily influenced and even say “Never man spake like this man,” or again, “When Messiah cometh can he do greater works than this man doeth?” But the masses will not be attracted, because the Lord does not wish to attract those whose hearts are not in the proper attitude of consecration and faith. Consequently, all down through the Gospel Age, those who have been the Lord's followers in the highest and truest sense of the word, “forsaking all to follow him,” have been comparatively few, and, as described by the Apostle, “Not many great, not many wise, not many learned, not many

noble according to the course of this world, but the poor of this world, rich in faith” - shall be heirs of the Kingdom.

LOVE BOASTETH NOT - VAUNTETH NOT ITSELF

 Notice the quiet, unostentatious, meek manner in which our Redeemer began the announcement of his mission. Quietly he presented himself to John for baptism, and after receiving there the anointing of the Holy Spirit he went into absolute seclusion in the wilderness for more than a month, for forty days studying what the Divine plan had arranged to be his course. True, he did not have the Bible, but he had the perfect memory, and for thirty years he had heard the reading of the 1aw and the prophets in the Synagogue and was thoroughly familiar with them. He had the entire matter before his mind, and under the light of the Holy Spirit he weighed the various declarations of the law and prophets, noted the course of sacrifice which these meant, his temptation lying in the suggestion that easier, less sacrificing course seemed to present themselves as feasible. He triumphed over all the adversary's allurements and blandishments - determined not to do Satan's will, nor even follow his own judgment, but strictly and implicitly follow and obey the outlined program which the Father had laid down in the Word. He returned to John, seeking companionship with those who were nearest to the Lord and waiting for Divine providence to guide in his affairs.

1t was at this time, in the presence of his disciples, that John prophesied of Jesus, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Andrew and John were disciples of John the Baptist, and when they thus heard his testimony respecting Jesus and the declaration that he had a witness from God that Jesus was the Messiah, they sought the Lord's acquaintance. They followed after him, overtook him, and inquired where he was stopping. Apparently their object was to learn of him, to ascertain what further blessings the Lord had, and what further service than that they had engaged in with John the Baptist. They wanted the best that was to be had. They had not the partisan spirit to say, “We belong to John the Baptist and must stand up for him,” as some of the Lord's dear people are inclined to do in respect to the various denominations. There were some of John’s disciples who heard his testimony who did not seek to become followers of the Lamb of God, but who were quite content to remain John's disciples. We may properly enough suppose that being content with the lesser blessing and privilege implied that they were not so worthy of the higher privileges and blessings. They doubtless never became apostles, though some of them, probably, became followers of Jesus after the imprisonment of John.

John does not mention the other disciple that went with Andrew on this occasion, but this seems to have been his modest style of omitting special mention of himself. The two spent the remainder of the day with the Lord, and doubtless “learned of him,” much to their comfort and joy and the establishment of their faith. The record is “They abode with him.” This may refer to the temporary stay of one day, but it may with equal propriety be understood to mean that they remained with the Lord as his disciples thereafter - to the very end of life. We remember on one occasion, when some took offence at certain teachings of our Lord which they did not understand, how our Lord addressing the twelve said, “Will ye also go away?” But Peter answered, “Lord, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life,” we must abide with you. So it should be with all of us who have become the Lord's followers. We are not his disciples for a day, but for all eternity. We abide with him in loyalty of heart whether we go to seek others or whether we listen to words at his feet, and he abides with us, as expressed in his own statement, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

“Not a brief glance I beg, a parting word;

But as thou dwell’st with thy disciples, Lord;

Familiar, condescending, patient, free,

Come, not to sojourn, but abide, with me!”

On the basis of that brief acquaintance, John and Andrew started forthwith to find others and bring them to the Master. The intimation of the Greek text is that Andrew and John both started out, each to find his own brother and bring him to the Lord, and that Andrew found his brother first, implying that John found his brother, James, a little later.

There are some points here that are well worthy of our attention: 

(l) Andrew and John were not content to have the great blessing of fellowship with the Lord alone; they desired to make known their great find.

(2) They did not attempt to influence others until they were fully satisfied themse1ves and could give a definite positive message, saying, “We have found the Messiah” - the Christ. (Messias is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Messiah, and is the equivalent of the Greek word Christ, which means the Anointed One.)

(3) They did not go to benighted heathen, speaking a different language. They did not say, “Our brethren and all the Jews here are already God's people and good enough and instructed enough by the scribes and Pharisees, and we will go and hunt up some outside Gentiles.” They did not even say, “We will go and look up some of those sinners who are coming to John for baptism, and who ought to know about Messiah, the great Sin-Bearer.” They did better than either of these things - they thought first of all about their own brethren, brethren according to the flesh, and in this case brethren also in religious faith and effort. There is a lesson here for us, easily applied: Our first duties lie toward those who are near to us as neighbors, friends, and especially as members of our own family circles. We should begin the proclamation of the Messiah whom we have found with them; then, after they fail to hear, or after they have heard the way of God, proclaim it to the next in turn, and so on and on.

This is the very plan we are pursuing at the present time, and to which some of our dear friends in the various denominations object. They say, “Take your tracts and books to the sinners, or go to the heathen.” We reply that the message ought to go first of all to those who ought to be the most ready for it. They answer us that they have Moses and the

Prophets and the doctrines of the dark ages, but we reply that these only obscurely disclose the real character and the plan of God, and the real Messiah and his great work. We fain would tell all of them who have ears to hear and hearts to appreciate the lengths and breadths and heights and depths, that they may appreciate with us the love of God which passeth all human understanding. This is our proper course, too, whether they hear or whether they forbear, and as the testimony goes on the circle will widen. It is widening, as reports in our last issue show. The knowledge of the King of kings and the Kingdom which he is about to establish is scattered throughout Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, etc. We seek to cultivate the best fields and find them nearest home, but as the numbers and implements increase we extend operations in the name of the Lord, and with the firm conviction that ultimately in this harvest time he will find every true heart, everyone fitted to be a disciple.

KNOWING JESUS AS THE MESSIAH

Many have seen or heard of Jesus as those who were with John the Baptist heard of him, but have not learned to know him as the Messiah - the Christ. This word Messiah covers a particular thought that today is very generally ignored amongst the Lord's professed followers. Remarkably few Christians know Jesus to be the Messiah at all. The word Messiah as already pointed out signifies the Anointed. The Jews, under the great promise made to Abraham, had been expecting a Messiah, a King, a Deliverer, who would exalt them as his special people and assistants, and use them in presenting the law of God to all peoples, nations and languages, and as authorized and empowered co-laborers to enforce those laws with rewards and penalties.

The word Messiah, or Anointed, thus signifies the great King who was looked for - the great Prophet, Priest and King - for prophets, priests and kings under the Divine arrangement were anointed to their offices, and thus signified that in due time Christ would combine all three of these qualities in himself, and associate his Church with himself in the exercise of the various offices as joint-heirs in his Kingdom. The Scriptures show us that Israel as a nation was found unworthy to enter into all these blessings and privileges, and that, after selecting the Israelites indeed from that nation, the Lord has been gathering to himself and associating with him as his Church, as his spiritual Israel, the faithful ones who have ears to hear and hearts to obey the same message from every nation, kindred, people and tongue.

Thus we see that to recognize and speak of Jesus as the Messiah means to speak of him as the great King who ultimately shall reign to bless the whole world, as the great King whose joint-heirs in the Kingdom will be members of his bride. This grand work of the Redeemer and the grand privileges to which the elect are being called have been lost sight of under the delusions and misrepresentations of the Dark Ages, which have worked the minds of many of the Lord's people into a frenzy of confusion and fear of eternal torment, and led them to believe that escape from that torment was the salvation offered, causing this erroneous idea to take the place of the gracious hopes set before us in the Gospel, that if faithful we shall be heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord in the great Kingdom for which he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

JESUS FOUND PHILIP

Note the varying methods of bringing the blessing to different persons. John the Baptist announced Jesus. Andrew and John heard him and sought the Lord. In turn they sought Peter and James, and now note a third method in Philip's case - the Lord himself found Philip. Particulars are not given, but we may be sure that in all these various findings the Lord had a hand, he was supervising. We are not to imagine that the Gospel work is left to chance. The Lord knoweth the heart, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and the truth is specially sent to the truth-hungry. We may safely say, all of us, that the Lord found us, else we should not be where we are or what we are. The poet has expressed this, saying,

“Yet he found me; I beheld him bleeding on the accursed tree;

 And my wistful heart said faintly, ‘Some of self and some of thee.’”

Nathanael's case was still different. Philip found him, but he was naturally skeptical, fearful that his friend was being led astray by a false hope to follow a false Messiah. Philip's message to him briefly summed up was, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” His name is Jesus, and he comes from a place called Nazareth. Nazareth did not have a very savory reputation for wisdom and piety. On the contrary, the Nazarenes were looked upon as rather a fanatical people, and Nathanael skeptically answered his friend Philip, Did you ever hear of anything good coming out of Nazareth? - what you say of this man seems to contradict any reasonable hope or expectation you may have.

All along, in every sense of the word, the Lord has allowed his truth and his plan to come through channels more or less impaired. Our Lord Jesus seemed to have something of this kind in mind when he said. “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Luke 10:21) The Lord hides his truth in the sense of permitting it to come through unpopular channels. Sometimes the unpopularity is deserved and sometimes undeserved, but it always serves to keep away those who are not in the right attitude of heart. They are not, however, stumblings to the pure in heart, because the Lord will help them over these difficulties as he did in the case of Nathanael, under consideration.

A WORTHY MAN'S CHALLENGE

Philip’s answer was, “Come and see;” test the matter for yourself if you are not satisfied - I have nothing more to say. Although nothing is said specially respecting Philip's character, we may reasonably assume from this incident that he was a man whose word and manner and general character had weight, that he was not given to foolishness of thought or word or conduct, otherwise Nathanael would have said within himself, if he had not said it to Philip, “I know you anyway to be rather flighty, always going off at a tangent,” or, “1 know you to be a man of poor moral character, and the thing which would commend itself to you would be discredited in my judgment in advance.”

Alas, that such arguments should be forceful as against some of the Lord's followers who presume to invite others to him. In several instances we have known of the present truth being much injured by being advocated by some who were not of good character as well as by some not wise. It would be in the interest of the truth that any such who have given their hearts to the Lord, and therefore have passed from the foolish and sinful condition to the justified relationship, should make well known the fact of their radical change, of their thorough conversion from sin to righteousness, from folly to wisdom, before they begin to invite their neighbors and friends to the Lord.

Repentance and reformation are therefore placed in the forefront in the instructions given us through the Lord's Word respecting our coming to him and our discipleship and service. “To the wicked [the unrepentant, those not seeking to live according to the Lord's way, those walking after the flesh and not after the spirit] God saith, What hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee.”

“THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT”

When Jesus saw Nathanael he made the way very clear for his faith to accept. His salutation was, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” This gives us a suggestion that it is entirely right for us to express at proper times our confidence in the religious character of those with whom we are conversing. We are neither to say, neither to think, nor in any sense of the word to manifest a doubt of the sincerity of all who are not fully with us in every point of faith and doctrine. On the contrary, we are to realize that any one whom we may expect to find interested in the message we have to present must beforehand be an Israelite indeed, without guile, without hypocrisy - otherwise the truth would not appeal to his heart and the Lord would not bless him in connection with our service and message.

Nathanael evidently took it that the Lord was flattering him, and he rather repelled at first this forwardness on the Lord's part to speak of him in such praiseworthy terms without a knowledge of him, and he answered, “Whence knowest thou me?” Our Lord's answer shows clearly the Divine care over all who are in the right attitude of heart, and how the Lord himself has the direction of his message and his ministers that they may find all the true wheat. With this in mind we have every assurance that not a single grain will be left with the tares in the field - that all will be gathered into the “barn” condition of glory.

The Lord's answer was, “I saw thee under the fig-tree before Philip called thee.” How much that meant to Nathanael! He doubtless had already heard about his friend Philip having accepted one who was proclaimed the Messiah, he doubtless was fearful for himself as well as for Philip; and under these circumstances went to a fig-tree as a closet for prayer, for the fig-tree has foliage which hangs low and would constitute it quite an arbor or shelter and a very suitable place for privacy and prayer.

We are not told of what took place under the fig-tree, but we are at some liberty to imagine that an Israelite indeed in whom was no guile there prayed to the heavenly Father for wisdom, for guidance, for instruction, for protection from deception, whether it came through his friend Philip or however it might come, that he might not be misled into following a false Messiah. And now to hear this one refer to his very prayer, his very petition, of which not a soul in the world had knowledge, and to tell him that this was before Philip had called him, meant to Nathanael that the Lord had supervised in the matter and had full knowledge of all his affairs, and therefore he had the assurance that the one he had come to under the guidance of Philip was none other than

“THE SON OF GOD, THE KING OF ISRAEL”

Addressing Nathanael and the other disciples incidentally, our Lord said, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater works than these,” than this sure evidence of my Messiahship. As an Israelite indeed you are in the attitude of heart which would permit you to receive the Lord’s blessing and to have the eyes of your understanding opened wider and wider to an appreciation of the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the Lord’s great plan of salvation which centers in me. “Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye [all of my disciples, all who will follow me in the narrow way] shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Our Lord evidently by this expression called the attention of his hearers and of all his followers back to the days of Jacob and the vision which he had at Bethel, in which he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven on which angels of God were ascending and descending. Our Lord would have us understand that Jacob's vision was a pictorial illustration of the methods of Divine grace: that our Lord himself was the ladder upon which communication between heaven and earth would be reestablished. And so, as our eyes of understanding open, we increasingly see this is the case. Upon this ladder, upon this connecting link between heaven and earth, between God and man, have descended to us the angels of Divine favor, messages of love and mercy, forgiveness and adoption, and on this same ladder are messages returned to the Father, our prayers. We are accepted in the Beloved, we enter into the holies by faith, we receive the incoming and send back again the outgoing messages and messengers, and all of them upon the ladder, the connecting link, the Son of man, our Lord and Master, through whom alone we have access and relationship to the Father, and receive from him the exceeding great and precious things not only of this present life but also of that which is to come. (Pastor Russell, Reprints 3481-3483, January 1, 1905)

____________________________________________________________________

“THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”

“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16)

In the Bible symbols light stands as the representative of God, of Christ, of the Church, of truth, of influences for righteousness, which by and by as the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in its beams for the cure of all the masses of  the earth. It will scatter the darkness of sin, ignorance and superstition - the works of the prince of darkness, who will then “be bound for a thousand years that he may deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are finished.” Of the heavenly Father we read, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Of Jesus we read, “1 am the light of the world.” Of the Church in her present condition we read, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” “Hide not your light under a bushel, but set it on a candlestick that it may give light unto all that are in the house.” Nevertheless, “The darkness hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,” and “the whole world lieth in the wicked one” - in darkness. Notwithstanding the faith-fulness of Jesus and the few light-bearers enlightened with the Holy Spirit of which they are begotten, still “darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the heathen.”

This same thought pervades the Scriptures from first to last, namely, that for six thousand years, from the time of the entrance of sin to the second coming of Jesus, the world will be subject to a reign of sin and death - it will be under a pall of darkness, ignorance, superstition, sin, etc. The only ones who will see the path of righteousness distinctly will be those guided by the “lantern” - God's Word. They are represented as saying, “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a lantern to my footsteps.” St. Peter, writing to the Church from the same standpoint, declares, “We [the Church] have a more sure Word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that, shineth in a dark place until the day dawn.” (Psa. 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19)

The prince of darkness has been in command for centuries. The only lights of the past were the noble prophets of the Jewish line whose lights affected few in their own nation, and were not discernible at all amongst the heathen world. John the Baptist, we are told, was a burning and shining light; and Jesus was a still more brilliant light, and his faithful few during the past eighteen centuries have shined forth, reflecting their Master's light. But all of these have had comparatively little influence in the world. It still lies in the wicked one - in darkness, seeing not, neither understanding Divine things; it is still “waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

A BETTER DAY COMING

Our text tells of a better day sure to come. It is not sure to come because of the operation of the evolutionary law, for the natural law would seem to contradict such a thought. Darkness leads on to darkness more intense, and while light begets light, darkness begets darkness, and the masses are in the darkness, and in the wicked one, the prince of darkness. Never, then, might we hope for the abolishment of darkness except in the way in which God has foretold it - through the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom - through the shining forth of the Son of Righteousness - the Church in glory (Matt. 13:43).

Our text is a quotation from the Old Testament; it had a beginning of its fulfilment in our Savior and in the Apostles. The people of Palestine, long in doubt, uncertainty, etc., saw a great light in Jesus and his teachings. And throughout this Gospel Age, for more than eighteen centuries, this great light has been exercising a feeble influence amongst men. The Light itself has been pure - the Divine Word and the principles of Divine righteousness. But, alas! few have been faithful in receiving the light in its purity and in reflecting it forth upon others.

In general the light has been corrupted by human selfishness, by sin. As a consequence the name Christian today does not stand for all the blessed light and truth and grace and faithfulness to God and to the principles of love which the Master showed forth and inculcated. Instead the name Christian today is borne by about four hundred millions of humanity, many of whom, judged by the Divine standard of their “fruits,” are children of the wicked one, children of darkness, who merely use the garment of light, “the name Christian, as a heavenly livery whereby to appease their own consciences and to increase their opportunity for selfishness and acquisition, quite contrary to the Leader whom they profess to be following, “the true Light.”

“WHICH LIGHTETH EVERY MAN”

The Apostle declares that Jesus “is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) The expression, “true light,” implies that there are false or imitation lights, and of these we know that there are many - lights of heathendom and lights of Christendom. The only true light, however, is that which shone forth in our Savior's teachings and example. It has thus far enlightened only a few, a “little flock.” These, like their Master, are urged to let their light shine before men that others may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus and learned of him - that they are his disciples, his followers, bearing, in his footsteps, the same light which shone forth from him.

After eighteen centuries of experience of the light battling with the darkness, and at times being almost quenched thereby, we might well ask, what hope is there that this prophecy will ever be fulfilled - that Jesus, as the Light of the world, will enlighten every man born into the world? The Bible answers that God will fulfill this very matter in his own time, but that God's time cannot be hastened - that before the world will be enlightened, a saintly class, the Church, the Bride of Christ, must be enlightened, and must be completed and glorified together with her Lord.

FOR ONE THOUSAND YEARS THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL SHINE FORTH

Then, and not until then, will the Savior and His Church in glory be the great Sun of Righteousness which will arise over the earth, and shine forth for the healing of the people, for the scattering of the darkness of sin and the lies of error - the bringing of life, peace, joy and blessing to all who will accept the favor in harmony with the Divine requirements; but to smite down and utterly destroy the night, and those who will still love darkness, and would corrupt the earth.

For a thousand years the glorious Sun of Righteousness (Christ and the Church, His Bride), will shine out. The work will be thorough and complete. Adam and his every child will be fully brought to a knowledge of the truth, and will enjoy the blessed opportunity of coming back into harmony with God, by the restitution process, of which St. Peter tells us in Acts 3:19-23. This will not mean that the world will ever become members of the Bride class, or ever attain the spirit nature. It means restitution to the condition first enjoyed by Adam, lost by sin, but redeemed by the sacrifice finished at Calvary. It means human perfection to all the willing and obedient of Adam's race through the heavenly Second Adam and the heavenly Second Eve.

It means a world-wide paradise, filled with the blessings of the Lord, who has promised that the earth, as his footstool, shall be made glorious. It means that, with the destruction of the wilfully disobedient, this earth will be like heaven. The Savior's prayer will reach fulfillment; God's will shall be done on earth even as it is done in heaven. This in turn will mean that “every knee will bow and every tongue confess,” both of the things in heaven and of the things on earth, to the glory of God. And this signifies that there shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more dying on earth, even as none of these things are in heaven.

Then our text will have most ample fulfillment - all mankind shall see the great Light which God has provided; even those “in the shadow of death” must come forth, that all may be enlightened by this “true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” O the happy day that is coming to our poor, sin-cursed earth! There shall be no more curse, thank God! Instead of the curse shall be the Divine blessing; “and every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth shall be heard saying, ‘Praise and glory and honor and dominion and might be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever'"!

(Pastor Russell, Reprints 4987, 4988, March 1, 1912)

____________________________________________________________________

IN MEMORY OF SISTER HOEFLE  

She never tried to be the head,

But pushed others forward instead.

For others to prosper for the Lord

Was for her the greatest reward.  

Before us she did not try to shine,

But never forsook the battle line.

Fighting hard for truth and right,

                                    She did what she could with all her might.                                           

With a sense of humor in highest form

Breaking admidst the fiercest storm,

Her eyes twinkled and danced,

With humor in every circumstance. 

"Without a sense of humor on which to call,"

She cried, "I would have no sense at all!"  

God bless her memory. 

NO. 606 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART TWO

JEWS

“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

“Surely we see fulfilled the declaration that Israel shall be separate from all other nations. What other nation of that day remains a people of preserved identity?

“How true the statement that those who have cursed, or injured, Israel have brought injury upon themselves! As we scan the whole field of the world, we find that every nation which has dealt harshly with Israel has received severe chastisement or blight. On the contrary, Great Britain and the United States, nations which have blessed the Jew, have in turn received great blessings.

“The lines referring to Messiah's Kingdom are equally true. The scepter did rise out of Israel. The one who is to have the dominion of earth is of Jacob’s posterity, according to the flesh. As the bright and morning Star, he is leading on to a glorious sunrise - the dawning of the Messianic day, which is to scatter the earth's night and to bring blessings instead of the curse.” (Reprint 5323, col.2, near bottom)

“Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the world would soon witness the destruction of the State of Israel. According to the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency, the hard-line president said that last summer’s war between Israel and Hizbullah showed for the first time that the ‘hegemony of the occupier regime [Israel] had collapsed, and the Lebanese nation pushed the button to begin counting the days until the destruction of the Zionist regime.” (World Jewish Congress, June 4, 2007)

Comment: “You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit… His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity... May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.” (Psa. 50:19; 10:7; 12:3) Ahmadinejad has cursed Israel and he will be cursed.

“INVESTORS FIND SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT IN ISRAEL: The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) has confounded conventional wisdom by proving that despite whatever hiccups are taking place on the Israeli landscape, the reasons to invest in Israeli companies are stronger than ever. With 37 new IPOs in 2006 and an annual appreciation of over 20% experts are bullish in touting TASE as a sound investment opportunity. And the numbers bear that out.”

(Israel 21c, August 20, 2007)

“KING HEROD FOUND: A team of Israeli archeologists from Hebrew University are believed to have found the lost tomb of the Jewish King Herod who ruled the Holy Land under the Romans around the time of the second Temple in 40 B.C. The tomb was discovered amid the ruins at Herodium east of Jerusalem in the Judean Desert.

“King Herod is best known for the massive construction projects undertaken during his reign, such as Massada, Caesarea and the still-intact wall around the Old City of Jerusalem.” (July-August 2007)

“PIUS CONFLICT: Thirty-five Jewish and Catholic scholars have called on the Vatican to open its Holocaust-era archives so that the role of Pope Pius XII, the pontiff during the period, can be examined ahead of rumored Vatican plans to have him beatified, the first step in achieving sainthood.

“The Pope's role during World War II has been a source of friction between Jews and Catholics.” (February 2007)

“REST IN PEACE: In response to protests from Jewish groups, spokespersons of the Church of Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, say that the name of Jewish Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who died in 2005, has been removed from the Church's International Genealogical Index, a database of names of people baptized posthumously.

“In 1995, the Church agreed to stop the practice of baptizing Holocaust victims, and removed 400,000 names from its Index.” (February 2007)

“BIASED IMAGE: Google Earth, an online mapping and navigation service, had been found to be replete with anti-Israel propaganda. The interactive atlas program contains incorrect data and biased images relating to Israel.” (March 2007)

“BAH, HUMBUG: An email Christmas greeting card sent to members of Poland's Parliament by the ultra-right-wing nationalist NOP party shows an image of Santa Claus giving the Nazi salute and calling for a ‘Free Nationalist and Catholic’ Poland.

“The NOP is openly anti-Semitic and was actively involved in the defense of convicted Holocaust denier David Irving.” (March  2007)

“PREACHING HATE: According to a documentary film, aired recently on British television, one of London's most established mosques is selling DVDs featuring two radical Islamic preachers predicting the mass-extermination of the world's Jewish community.

“The film is based on a twelve-month undercover investigation of hate-preaching and extremism in Britain's Muslim religious institutions.” (March 2007)

“HATE DETERRED: A neo-Nazi website that praised Adolf Hitler and alleged a ‘Jewish takeover of the most important Canadian social institutions has been taken down by unknown hackers.’

“The site, belonging to the National Socialist Party of Canada, but hosted on a U.S. based server, was created in 2006, calling for an end to ‘Jewish influence’ on Canadian institutions and ‘restoring white sovereignty in the country.’” (April 2007)

“WARNING: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Britain's most senior Anglican Christian leader, has condemned the recent Holocaust denial conference held by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling it a ‘disgrace,’ and called for the Holocaust to be remembered so that future generations could not challenge it.

“The statement followed a British poll that found that 41% of those asked believe that a Holocaust could happen in Britain, and 35% thought that most people would do nothing to stop it.” (April 2007)

“PUBLIC ENEMY: A white supremacist gang, calling itself Public Enemy Number 1, has been growing in power at an alarming rate throughout California, and has a strong presence in the state's prisons, operating together with such racist groups as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Nazi Law Riders. According to a report, in the past several months, more than 67 members of the gang have been arrested.” (April 2007)

“SOBERING REPORT: According to a recent annual report by the Tel Aviv-based Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism, 2006 saw the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide since 2000, with a twofold increase in physical attacks against Jews from the year before.

“The primary cause for the increase, according to the study, was Iran's increasing use of Holocaust denial and the Second Lebanon War. Of greatest concern was the large rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Western countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Canada.” (June 2007)

(The above 10 items are from World Jewry)

“EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HOST ANTI-ISRAEL HATE-FEST: Under the auspices of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a ‘Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace’ will take place on August 3-31 in Belgium. These meetings are part of a round-robin of anti-Israel gatherings organized year-round by the UN 16-member Division for Palestinian Rights.

“It all dates back to 1975 when these mechanisms were installed within the UN on the same day that the General Assembly adopted its infamous ‘Zionism is Racism’ resolution. What is new, however, is the venue: the European Parliament in Brussels.

“What the conference will pronounce is pre-determined, the UN Palestinian Division runs a tightly controlled operation that accredits only anti-Israel NGOs and speakers. And recently they've become quite clever. Without altering the virulently anti-Israel nature of their meetings, the organizers instead seek to make their activities under such innocent-sounding titles as ‘support for Israeli-Palestinian peace...’

“None of the radical Israeli Jews at the Brussels conference represents even a tiny segment of the Israeli Jewish population. So it’s like holding a conference on U.S.-Islamic rapprochement and inviting John Walker Lindh - the American who joined the Taliban - to represent America's position. Technically, Walker is as American as Warschawski and Hass are Israeli. But only a scoundrel or a fool would treat either exercise as anything but a sham.

“Who was behind the European Parliament's decision to play host to this poorly disguised hate-fest? With the conference facade removed, who in Europe will now have the courage to speak out?”

(UN Watch, April 17, 2007)

“Over the past half-century, many of the most important breakthroughs in science, medicine and computers have happened in Israel, like: Sophisticated medical equipment, such as ultrasound scanners and surgical lasers. A miniature camera that can be swallowed and used to diagnose gastro-intestinal disease. A computer mouse that allows the visually impaired to ‘read’ text and graphics on screen.

“New computer applications for digitizing, processing, transmitting and enhancing images, speech and data.”  (Israel: Global Edge of Technological Development, August 14, 2007)

“ISRAEL’S IOPTIMA SHINES A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE GLAUCOMA TUNNEL: An Israeli specialist in complex eye surgery for glaucoma patients has developed a new laser technology that promises to transform the difficult and rarely done surgery into a commonplace procedure that can be carried out by regular eye surgeons all over the world. The technology, being developed by Israeli start-up IOPtima, is aimed at making glaucoma surgery a fast and effective treatment for the three million Americans who suffer from the irreversible condition that is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S.”

 “TREATING ALZHEIMER’S - THROUGH THE NOSE: Israeli scientist Prof. Beka Solomon used her brain when coming up with a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease which affects over five million Americans. Or, rather she used the nose to get to the brain. Solomon found in mouse trials that a harmless bacterial virus can be an effective treatment against Alzheimer’s when carried to the brain through the nose. There the bacteria locks onto the extracellular plaques associated with Alzheimer’s and dissolve them, reducing inflammation in the brain without any side affects. Solomon’s research is on the verge of being commercialized and licensed to a startup company.”

(The above 2 articles are from Israel21c Newsletter, October 4, 2006)

“ISRAEL’S ECONOMY FIVE GOOD YEARS: ‘Israel’s economy now has experienced five years of continuous growth, the longest period in the state’s history,’ reports Israel news agency Arutz Sheva, and unemployment is down to 7.6% from 9.2% in 2005. Whereas the United   States only experienced a 0.6% gross domestic (GDP) increase in the first half of 2007. Israel’s was 6.6%, jumping beyond the predictions of even the Bank of Israel and Finance Ministry. And, Israel21c reported that the ‘Tel Aviv stock Exchange (TASE) seems unstoppable,’ and that the ‘market has appreciated 20% in the first half of the year.’

“‘Since the beginning of 2003, investors have earned a 100% return in dollar terms in long-term Israeli government non-CPI linked bonds,’ Vered Dar, chief economist at Tel

Aviv investment house Psaget Ofesk told Isrrael21c. ‘Equity investors have earned 250%.’

“Despite the Second Lebanon War last summer, the government is now experiencing a U.S. billion surplus due to strong earnings growth and increased tax revenues from Israeli corporations, reports microanalyst Avinoam Nachum.”

(BFP, Dispatch from Jerusalem, September/October 2007)

Comment: The above shows that Israel is a country on the upward move, in contrast to the other countries that are on the downward course.

      “SUBSTITUTE TREES: Three professors at Tel Aviv University are conducting research into the Kenaf plant, a distant cousin of cotton with the potential to replace wood pulp in the manufacturing of paper.

“Originally from Africa, Kenaf holds a gene, which could produce a longer, thinner, and more environmentally friendly fiber. Several international firms, including some from Italy and Brazil, have shown interest in developing this substitute paper.”

(World Jewry, October 2007)

  “SUBSTITUTE BRAIN: A professor and graduate student at Tel Aviv University are conducting experiments into a chemical stimulation that imbues the brain with specific neurological patterns which could in the future be read by computer software.

“The link between brain functions and computers holds the potential to treat neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The findings were published in the May issue of Physical Review E, and were also highlighted in Scientific American.”

(World Jewry, October 2007) 

“ISRAEL’S MINI-NOSE SNIFFS OUT IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVES: An Israeli company has developed a hand-held device that digitally mimics the human nose to sniff out would-be terrorists trying to sneak through an airport or port with homemade explosive devices.  Funded partly by the Pentagon and Israel’s ministry of Defense, Scent Detection Technologies’ Mini-Nose has won the support of former heads of the CIA and Mossa. The non-radioactive ‘green’ device, which is already in use at airports across Europe and the US, replaces today’s cumbersome, slow and radioactive explosive detection devices, making screening fast, efficient and safe.”

(Israel 21c, September 3, 2007) 

“ISRAEL: Turkey and Israel have agreed in principle to build a water and gas pipeline system connecting the Black Sea to the port of Eliat on the Red Sea. The ambitious project involves the building of oil, gas and water pipelines, as well as electricity and fiber optic cables, as part of a seabed pipeline system in the eastern Mediterranean. Passing through Turkey and bypassing Syria and Lebanon - countries which are hostile to Israel - the pipeline will reach the port of Ashdod, where an existing pipeline terminates at the port of Eilat at the Red Sea. The Turkish-Israeli pipeline could convey crude oil to East Asian markets. The system could also be used to bring Turkish water to parched Israel.”  (Israel National News.com, January 10, 2007)

“EPILERT - an Israeli warning system for epileptic seizures: As any parent of a child with epilepsy knows, there's been a long needed solution for monitoring their child when a seizure occurs. Israeli startup Biolert says they have the solution - the Epilert - which will detect and recognize epileptic seizures within 20 seconds and alert caregivers or parents that an epileptic episode is occurring, according to the company's CEO Amos Shaham. Developed by one of Israel's most experienced doctors in epilepsy, Uri Kramer, the Epilert idea has proven to be so popular that it won a ‘Start Up is Born’ contest two years ago beating out 700 other submissions, and this summer won a prestigious British award - the Medical Futures innovation Award for Best Medical Device.”  (August 20, 2007)

      “ISRAELI-DEVELOPED DRUG COULD MINIMIZE BRAIN DAMAGE AFTER HEAD TRAUMA: A researcher from Israel’s Weismann Institute of Science is developing a drug that could drastically reduce damage to the brain after a head injury. The new treatment pumps glutamate, a toxic chemical released after a head trauma, out of the patient's brain where it kills healthy neighboring cells, and into the blood supply where it can be safely disposed of else where in the body. The drug is now being developed by Braintact, a startup in Kiryat Shmona, and is set to be fast-tracked through FDA regulations.” (June 25, 2007)

“Israeli scientists have developed a tiny 'submarine' robot that has the unique ability to 'crawl' through tubes with the width of human veins and arteries.” (June 25, 2007)

“Israeli company Solel has signed a contract to build the world's largest solar energy park in California.” (June 25, 2007)

(The above four items are from Israel21c Newsletter)

“Did You Know: A U.S. investment company has invested $45 million in 15 Israeli companies.”

(Israel 21c, October 1, 2007)  

“BRITISH HOLOCAUST DENIER PLANS COMEBACK SPEAKING TOUR: Discredited British historian and Holocaust denier David Irving has announced that he is to launch a comeback with a speaking tour of UK cities and a series of new books.

“Described by a High Court judge as a Holocaust denier and a racist, Irving was imprisoned in Austria for three years in February 2006 on Holocaust denial charges after a judge ruled that two speeches he made in 1989 breached Austrian law. He questioned the existence of extermination camps in his speeches and dismissed the gas chambers at Auschwitz as a “fairy tale…”

“Irving was released halfway through his sentence last December following a successful appeal. A judge said his crime had been committed a long time ago and Irving had since undergone an ‘impeccable conversion.’

“However, Irving says his views on the Holocaust have crystallized, rather than changed.  He says that the Jews were responsible for what happened to them during World War II and that the ‘Jewish problem’ was responsible for all the wars of the past 100 years…

“‘In 2000, a British High Court judge branded David Irving a ‘falsifier of history’ and a ‘racist,’ Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said…

“She added: ‘We must not tolerate Holocaust denial in whatever guise it may unfold, and the best vehicle for challenging it is through educating and informing future generations about the lessons of the Holocaust.’”

(The International Jerusalem Post, October 5, 2007)

    “ISRAELI GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO DIVIDE JERUSALEM: As the U.S.-sponsored East peace summit approaches next month, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is actually suggesting his government is now open to the previously unthinkable prospect of dividing their capital city of Jerusalem.

“‘Wouldn’t it be the right deal today for the Palestinians, the Western world, and the international community to recognize (Israel’s) annexation of… (Jewish) neighbor- hoods as part of Jerusalem, and for us to quit the Arab neighborhoods?’ Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio.

“Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denounced the government’s talk of giving up control of Judea and Samaria (commonly known as the West Bank), as well as East Jerusalem, as dangerous and destabilizing, especially in the light of the rising Hamas and Iranian threats to the Jewish state.

“‘The unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon created an Iranian outpost - from which Israel is being attacked - in the North, and the unilateral pullout from Gaza created a second Iranian base in Gaza, Hamastan,’ Netanyahu said on the floor of the Knesset [Parliament]…

“‘Jerusalem is an inalienable asset of the State of Israel, Palestinian refugees will not be returned to Israel, and Jerusalem will not be divided,’ said Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former chief of staff and member of the prime minister’s own Kadima party.

“Now is the time to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), not carve it up and serve it to the radical Islamic jihadists now in charge of the Palestinian Authority.”

(By Joel C. Rosenberg, Reported by Bridges for Peace, October 9, 2007)

“SELLING OUT ISRAEL ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN: Name one concession Israel has made in recent years that has been reciprocated by its sworn enemies. This is not a trick question. There is none.

“That’s why next month’s announced ‘Middle East Summit’ in Annapolis, Md., should be viewed as one more installment payment in the sellout of Israel and of American interests in the Middle East. While the United States continues to struggle to shore up democracy in Iraq, the Bush administration - like administrations before it - proceeds in undermining the likelihood that the region’s first democracy will endure.

“At every negotiating session, Israel is pressured into making concessions for ‘peace’ and receives more war in response. Mostly this is because of the wishful thinking in the West that has replaced sound policy. Why should the Palestinians make concessions when they are drawing closer to their objective of eradicating Israel by throwing stones and bombs and stonewalling negotiations?

“In an address to the Israeli Knesset, President Shimon Peres reaffirmed the flaw of Western thinking: ‘…even if there are some who express doubt at the ability of the Palestinians to achieve peace, the impression must not be created that Israel has doubts regarding the need and the willingness to achieve full peace.’ So it’s not about hard bargaining resulting in the preservation of Israel with defensible borders and the cessation of terrorist attacks, its about ‘impressions’? No wonder Israel’s enemies are emboldened as never before.”

(By Cal Thomas, Orlando Sentinel, October 6, 2007)

“ISRAELI RESEARCHERS SHOW THAT GREEN TEA HAS REJUVENATING AFFECT ON DAMAGED CELLS: Research-ers at the Technion Institute in Israel have been working for almost a decade to show that an extract of green tea could be an effective treatment for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study presented in Washington DC, the research team fed green tea extract to mice suffering from the degenerative diseases and found it protects brain cells from dying and helps rescue already damaged neurons in the brain. Tests are now underway on early Parkinson’s patients in China, under the auspices of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, to check whether green tea extract is slowing down the progression of the disease.”

“ISRAELI ‘SMART’ SYSTEM PRE-VENTS BLOOD AND DRUG TRANS-FUSION ERRORS: An Israeli startup has developed a new pro-active solution that could prevent costly intravenous drug and blood transfusion errors. The simple and easy to use system, PRIDE (Prevent Intravenous Drug Errors), ensures that transfusions can only be administered to a patient only once five predefined conditions are met. With some 35-40 percent of all medical errors in hospital due to mistakes in IV administration, Pro-IV Medicals solution is already sparking great interest with investors and customers alike. A prototype will be ready in a month, and clinical trials begin this year.”

“WIDENING THE WINDOW OF TREATMENT FOR STROKE SUFFERS: Stroke patients need to get treatment fast - within three hours, in order to prevent serious damage that can affect movement and speech. But the good news is that an Israeli research team has discovered that minocycline - an antibiotic used traditionally to treat severe acne and urinary tract infections - will significantly reduce brain damage and physical impairment of a stroke if taken within the first 24 hours. Chief researcher Dr. Yair Lampi says he now plans to confirm the results of the successful clinical trial in a larger double-blind trial. If it goes well, ‘[minocycline] will be probably one of the most used and effective treatments of ischemic stroke that we have,’ said Dr. Argye Hillis of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.”

“GENE DISCOVERY COULD LEAD TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINE FOR MS SUFFERERS: A group of Israeli scientists have identified genes responsible for positive response of many multiple sclerosis patients to the drug Copaxone. The first original Israeli drug to be approved by the FDA, Copaxone is today marketed in over 40 countries worldwide, including the US, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. The findings of the study conducted by the Technion, the Weizmann Institute and Teva may contribute to the development of personalized medicine for multiple sclerosis sufferers.”

“ISRAEL - DARING IN QUALITY: Even if Israel is small in body, its scientific head is large.”

(The above five articles are from Israel21c, October 1, 2007)

“ISRAEL: The Israel Antiquities Authority’s excavations in Tiberias have exposed a Byzantine church paved with polychrome mosaics decorated with geometric patterns and dedicatory inscriptions. The discovery, in the heart of the ancient Jewish city, refutes the theory that the Jews of Tiberias prevented Christians from establishing a church in the middle of their neighborhood. The church’s remains were discovered adjacent to ancient public buildings, among them a basilica, bathhouse, streets, and shops that were exposed at the site in the past.”

(Israel Antiquities Authority, August 7, 2007)

“With fewer than seven million inhabitants, Israel has more companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange than any country except the U.S. Its start-up companies attracted nearly $2 billion in venture capital over the past two years, equal to the amount raised during that time in the much larger United Kingdom.”

(Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2007)

“A nuclear power plant for the production of electricity may soon be built in Israel. The country has toyed with the idea for decades, but recent discussions in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Infrastructure Ministry point to a more serious consideration of nuclear power as an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. If the idea were to become a reality, Israel would be forced to allow international supervision of the power plant. Officials discussed the probability of harsh international opposition, should Israel decide to go ahead with building the plant.”

(Netnews.Com, August 1, 2007)

“PARIS: Marcel Marceau, 84, who revived the art of mime and brought poetry to silence, died on September 22 in Paris, French media reported. A French Jew, Marceau survived the Holocaust and worked with the French Resistance to protect Jewish children.”

(Jerusalem Report, October 15, 2007)

ENVIROMENTAL CONCERNS BRING ISRAELIS, JORDANIANS AND PALESTIN-IANS - A new initiative called the Dead Sea Triangle has been launched by Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian scientific and community leaders, in an effort to protect the unique environment of the Great Rift Valley, which passes through all three communities.  Under the program, which includes research facilities in all three regions, the founders hope to introduce a range of projects to study and conserve the valley’s fragile ecosystem, preserving it as a haven for the 500 million birds that migrate along the route twice a year.  And just as importantly, it will forge new areas of cooperation between the neighbors of the region.

US-CANADIAN FUND LOOKS TO ISRAELI CANCER RESEARCHERS FOR ANSWERS - Researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have identified a specific family of proteins that enables breast cancer cells to spread via the blood stream to other organs.  The team hopes the discovery will facilitate the development of drugs that block or inhibit the production of these proteins to stop the spread of cancer elsewhere in the body - the leading cause of cancer death.  This is just one project being carried out under the auspices of the US-Canadian founded Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), which aims to stem the scientific brain drain from Israel and provide crucial ideas to help bring an end to the cancer crisis. (The two above  are from Israel21cNewsletter,October 4, 2006)

NO. 605 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT - PART ONE

“Wait upon me, saith the Lord, until that day when I rise up to the prey; for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, that I may pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for the whole earth [social structure] shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.” (Zephaniah 3:8)  

The picture of the Time of Trouble and of the glorious epoch of blessing to follow is graphically depicted by the Prophet Zephaniah. So terrible will be the Time of Trouble, so sweeping the overthrow of present institutions, that the Lord here symbolically pictures it as a fire consuming everything of the present social order.

But that it is not a literal fire, and that it will not consume or destroy mankind but prepare for their greater blessing, is shown by the next statement of the prophet: “Then I will turn unto the people a pure Message [in contrast with the confused message that has been promulgated by all the various sects of Christendom, Babylon], that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent.”

Surely, no one will deny that we are in the Time of Trouble, and that it is progressing rapidly. It has been reported that there is corruption in the governments of practically every nation of the world. Certainly we can see it rampant in the U.S. government, and as well in practically all state and local governments. Also, there have been many natural disasters in the past year, and are continuing to occur.

What wonder then, that we appreciate the statement, “Blessed are your ears, for they hear.” (Matt. 13:16) Harkening we not only have heard the Message of God's love and favor for our race, and how a Ransom has been provided, and that in consequence a preparation is being made for the blessing of all the world.

Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel - life everlasting, life which we now see is possible of attainment by all the families of the earth, and immortality as attainable by those who, in the Gospel Age, had the hearing ear of faith and the heart desire to follow in the footsteps of their Redeemer.

Let us continue to pray, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is done in Heaven.”

He's come! Let all the earth adore Him!

The path His human nature trod

Spreads to a royal realm before Him,

The Life of life, the Word of God!

WORLD EVENTS

“Russia’s announcement that it would work to promote international support for the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority [PA], its intention to supply missiles to Syria, and its opposition to sanctions against Iran presents a worrying trend for Israel. The Russian move toward funding the Hamas regime found an echo in a report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which suggested that the Western-led economic boycott of the PA must be lifted in order to fight poverty in the Gaza area. According to information received by Israel, Russia is set to conclude a deal, worth several hundred million dollars, to transfer thousands of advanced anti-tank missiles to Syria.” (Arntz Sheva, February 27, 2007)

“U.N. DECLINES TO CONDEMN IRAN PRESIDENT’S REMARKS ON ISRAEL: UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council refused to approve a statement yesterday that would condemn remarks about Israel's impending destruction attributed to Iran's hard-line president because of objections from Indonesia, council diplomats said.

“Qatar, the only Arab nation on the council said that it had no instructions, which also meant that approval yesterday was impossible, the diplomats said. The statement must be approved by all 15 council members.

France's U.N. ambassador, Jean Marc de La Sabliere, who called for condemnation of the remarks attributed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that it was unfortunate that the council could not act immediately. He said he would try again. At stake is... a real question of principle, de La Sabliere said.”  (Associated Press, June 9, 2007)

“SECRET TALKS: According to a report in the Yedlioth Ahronoth newspaper on August 16, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas have been meeting secretly during the past few months for discussions that might lead to a permanent agreement between the two sides.”

(The Jerusalem Report, September 17, 2007)

“CREATION MUSEUM CAUSES STIR IN SCIENTIFIC CIRCLES: LOUISVILLE, Ky. -   A museum where Adam and Eve share exhibit space with dinosaurs is drawing criticism from groups of science educators as it nears completion.

“The $27 million Creation Museum tells a biblical version of the Earth's history, asserting that the planet is just a few thousand years old and man and the giant lizards once coexisted. The educators say its exhibits, inspired by the Old Testament, are geared toward children but lack scientific evidence. ‘When they try to confuse [kids] about what is science and what isn't science, scientists have an obligation to speak out,’ said Lawrence Krauss, an author and a physics professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. ‘There's no doubt these are documented lies.’

“Krauss has signed one of two petitions circulated by national groups that challenge the facility's exhibits.

“The museum, built by the nonprofit ministry Answers in Genesis with private donations, includes a 200-seat special-effects theater, a 40-foot-tall depiction of Noah's Ark and robotic, roaring dinosaurs. The 60,000-square-foot facility in rural Petersburg, Ky., will open on Memorial Day.

“Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham said most natural-history museums and textbooks for students are devoted to teaching evolution. He said critics need to tour the museum before making judgments.

“One petition, started by the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, says the museum is part of a ‘campaign by the religious right to inject creationist teachings into science education.’

“Krauss said about 2,000 educators have signed the petition. A second petition from the National Center for Science Education attracted support from nearly 600 university professors. It says there are ‘scientifically inaccurate’ exhibits at the museum.”

(By Dylan T. Lovan, The Associated Press, May 19, 2007)

IN FINANCE

As we approach 2008, there is a lot to be desired.Housing sales are still declining. Homeowner’s are facing foreclosure. Banks write off millions of dollars on sub prime loans. Assets are falling in value. Oil could rise to over $125.00 per barrel.

Oil affects most everything we do or have in the U.S.A. Food is one thing that affects inflation. Corn prices are very high. Milk prices worldwide are rising at the fastest rate ever and won’t be falling anytime soon. Food prices will raise 4-5%.

Inflation could rise in 2008, meaning we could be on the edge of a recession. Banks are hurting. Job growth is getting weaker. Retail sales are leveling off. The dollar is at an all time low. The stock market is up and down. In 2008 we will be electing a new president. One candidate wants to raise taxes. Some financial advisors are optimistic and some pessimistic.  Matthew 24:39 tells us “they knew not” or “understand not.” It is only by the understanding of God’s plan of Salvation that we know this present “evil” order of things must be destroyed by the Time of Trouble before Christ’s Kingdom can be established. Our advice at present is to “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righ-teousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)

IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

“Researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types, A, B, and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood that can be given to anyone - an achievement that promises to make transfusions safer and to relieve shortages of type O blood. Bacterial enzymes [are used to] safely remove from red blood cells the sugar molecules that provoke an immune reaction in the recipient. Mismatching of blood causes at least half of all transfusion-related deaths.”

(Los Angles Times, April 2, 2007)

“Mosquitoes genetically engineered to resist infection with a malaria parasite outbreed their normal cousins and might be used to help control malaria, researchers said yesterday. The team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said their study suggests that releasing such genetically altered insects could help battle malaria, which kills up to 3 million people a year around the globe, most of them small children.”

(Reuters, March 20, 2007)

“ISRAEL’S ORMAT MAKES CLEAN FUEL THAT IS GOOD TO GO: Until now, biodiesel may now be the exclusive province of environmentalists or celebrities, but Israeli company Ormat has unveiled a new formulation that promises to bring the clean car fuel into our gas stations within two years. The world class alternative and renewable energy company, which was set up 40 years ago and specializes in geothermal energy, aims to help phase out traditional polluting diesel. According to founder Dita Bronicki, ‘We are talking about having independence from Middle East oil in countries like Canada and the U.S. - what we are doing is an important step in making that happen.’”

(Israel 21c Newsletter, June 25, 2007)

“AN ISRAELI COMPANY DRILL FOR OIL IN ALGAE: Israeli start-up Seambiotic has discovered a way to produce a safe, non-toxic and biodegradable bio-fuel by channeling smokestack carbon dioxide emissions through pools of algae. Not only does the algae, which thrives on carbon dioxide and sunlight, clean the emissions but it created 30 times more bio-fuel per hectare of land than traditional plant crops used in bio-fuel production. For two years Seambiotic has tested the idea at the Israel Electric Company power plant in Askelon, sparking interest from all over the world.”

“U.S,-CANADIAN FUND LOOKS TO ISRAELI CANCER RESEARCHERS FOR ANSWERS: Researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel have identified a specific family of proteins that enables breast cancer cells to spread via the blood stream to other organs. The team hopes the discovery will facilitate the development of drugs that block or inhibit the production of these proteins to stop the spread of cancer elsewhere in the body - the leading cause of cancer death. This is just one project being carried out under the auspices of the U.S.-Canadian founded Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), which aims to stem the scientific brain drain from Israel and provide crucial ideas to help bring an end to the cancer crisis.”

(The above 2 items are from Israe121cNewsletter, October 4, 2007)

IN RELIGION

“START USING ‘ALLAH’ INSTEAD OF ‘GOD’?: WASHINGTON - It was bound to happen - and it seems fitting that a cleric named Tiny would think of it. Roman Catholic Bishop Tiny Muskens of the Netherlands has decided that the way to ease Muslim-Everybody Else tensions is to start using ‘Allah’ instead of ‘God.’ Noting that God does not care what we call him, Muskens thought, why not yield a little to Muslim ways? Or would that be ‘submit,’ the literal meaning of ‘Islam’?

“‘Allah is a very beautiful word for God,’ Muskens said on Dutch television a few days ago. ‘Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?’

“Muskens pointed out that in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country where he spent eight years, priests use the word ‘Allah’ in Catholic Mass.

 “For the sake of peace, prosperity and clarity in the shire, let the record reflect that Muslims did not ask for this, though some of the Netherlands embraced the idea as a conciliatory gesture and in the U.S., some Muslims greeted the suggestion with enthusiasm.

“Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told FoxNews.com that calling God ‘Allah’ wouldn’t require a theological leap for Christians. ‘It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews all worship the same God,’ Hooper said. It’s not hard to understand why Muskens would tilt toward compromise. The Netherlands, which is now home to 1 million Muslims, hasn’t been quite the peace’n’love axis of the multicultural world, despite clouds of Silver Blue cannabis wafting from the Amsterdam’s famously mellow coffee houses.

“Between the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh, guilty of making a documentary film critical of Islam, death threats against fellow documentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and the recent Muslim attack of the head of a Dutch group for ‘ex-Muslims,’ one could begin to think of invoking Allah as a savvy survival technique.

“Besides, as Muskens pointed out, Allah is a lovely sounding word. Thus, in the spirit of Christian charity and Western tolerance, I’ve been trying it out with mixed results.

“The Doxology of my Protestant childhood is problematic with the two-syllable Allah instead of the monosyllabic God, but not impossible: Praise Allah, from whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Not perfect, but workable.

“America’s familiar childhood blessing is downright euphonious: Allah is great, Allah is good, let us thank him for our food. But the Apostle’s Creed is a mess: I believe in Allah the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son…Oops.

“Contrary to Hooper’s one-God claim, Christians and Muslims don’t really worship the same God. Although both religions are monotheistic - and if there’s just one God, there’s just one God - Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God and Muslims think otherwise.

“That’s not a small doctrinal difference. In fact, at the risk of exhausting the obvious, Christianity doesn’t exist without, um, Christ. Of course we could rewrite the Apostle’s Creed to include Muhammad: ‘I believe in Allah the Father Almighty… and in Muhammad, his favorite prophet…’

“The possibilities are infinite, really. Alternatively, we could pretend to be sane and suggest that everybody go to his or her own house of worship, pray to his or her own version of the Creator, and otherwise get a grip.

“Changing Western language, symbols and making other accommodations to ease relations between old Europe and new isn’t only a conciliatory gesture or even mere appeasement. It is submission by any other name.

“Language may be a manmade limitation, as Janaan Hashim said, speaking for the

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which endorses Muskens’ idea. But language is not meaningless. The words we use to define and express ourselves are the fundaments of cultural and social identity. John Stuart Mill put it this way: ‘Language is the light of the mind.’

“Muskens, who retires in a few weeks, conceded that his idea likely wouldn’t catch on right away. We might need another 100 years or so, but he predicted that, eventually, Allah will be the word.

“Given that European Muslins are procreating at three times the rate of non-Muslims - and given the ‘logarithmic rate’ of growth of jihadist ideology in the U.S., according to a new report by the New York Police Department’s Intelligence Division - it may be sooner than that.

“Peace be upon us.”  (By Kathleen Parker, Orlando Sentinel, August 19, 2007)

“GEORGIA TAKES STEP TO ADD PUBLIC-SCHOOL BIBLE CLASSES: ATLANTA - A pair of Bible classes are set to appear in Georgia’s public-school classrooms next year, with supporters calling them a chance to teach students an important historical text and critics fearing they could be a jumping-off point for pushing religious beliefs. Literature and History of the Old Testament Era and Literature and History of the New Testament Era were on a list of classes the Georgia Board of Education voted to add to the state’s curriculum Thursday. The vote sets in motion a 30-day period, after which the board is expected to give the classes their final approval.” 

(Compiled from wire reports, June 11, 2007)

“Passive indifference of faith has left Europe’s churches mostly empty. But debate over religion is more intense and strident than it has been in many decades. Religion is reemerging as a big issue in part because of anxiety over Europe’s growing and restive Muslim populations and a fear that faith is reasserting itself in politics and public policy. That is all adding up to growing momentum for a combative brand of atheism, one that confronts rather than merely ignores religion. According to a prominent British author on religion, Karen Armstrong, the movement ‘mimics the ardor of Christianity, Islam and Marxism, all of which have at their core an urge to convert nonbelievers to their worldview.’” 

(Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2007)

“During his visit to India, the head of the World Council of Churches lamented the decline of Christianity in the West, while also praising the rapid growth of the faith in developing countries. ‘Churches are being sold in Europe and are being converted into bars. It is sad to hear that liquor is being served from pulpits where the word of God used to be preached.”  (Eni, February 20, 2007)

“NOTE: The KJV is the most elegant version in any language, perhaps much too often exceeding that of the original Greek and Hebrew. Its title page has caused some to refer to the translation as the ‘Big JAMES and little GOD’ Bible. Although it is doubtful any of the translators had been baptized as an adult, for some of them it would not have implied much anyway. Nevertheless, others seem to have manifested a good Christian character.” 

(From A Book Review, June 2007)

“A shortage of qualified young clergy could be on the horizon for churches nationwide as large numbers of ‘Baby Boomer’ pastors prepare to retire and fewer seminary students show interest in leading a congregation. A recent study by the Lewis Center for Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary shows a significant 20-year decline across major denominations in numbers of clergy under age 35, both Protestant and Catholic. Other reports indicate only about one-third of seminary students in North America today plan to be ordained and serve a congregation,” (Fund For Theological Education, June 1, 2007)

“The Joshua Project, an outreach program sponsored by the Unreached People’s Network, estimates that nearly 2.6 million people worldwide have limited or no access to the message of the Gospel.”

(Religion News Service, May 14, 2007)

“CHRISTIANITY DECLINING IN THE WEST: Although Christianity remains the largest of the major world religions - with over 2.1 billion professed adherents - and the fastest growing in worldwide total adherents, the statistics for Europe and North America are depressing. Christianity in the West may be dying. Many once mighty cathedrals in Europe sit empty. According to Dr. Todd  M. Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, ‘Whereas in 1900, over 80% of all Christians lived in Europe and Northern America, by 2005, this proportion had fallen to under 40% and will likely fall below 30% before 2050.’ A recent USA Today article contains the following quote from George Weigel, a Catholic columnist and the U.S. biographer of Pope John Paul II: ‘Western Europe, the cradle of modern Christianity, has become a ‘post-Christian society’ in which the ruling class and cultural leaders are anti-religious or ‘Christophobic.’  According to the 2005 European Spiritual Estimate, only 4.2% of Europeans would identify themselves as ‘born again’ or personally committed, faith-based Christians.

“The situation in North America is somewhat better, but still depressing. According to Canada’s General Social Survey 2001 data, attendance at religious services has fallen dramatically across the country over the past 15 years. Nationally, only one-fifth (20%) of individuals aged 15 and over attended religious services on a weekly basis in 2001, compared with 28% in 1986. In 2001, 4 in 10 adults (43%) reported that they had not attended religious services during the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with only 26% in 1986.”

(Bridges For Peace, September 2007)

“ATHEISTS GROW IN NUMBER, STILL MOST AMERICANS NOT BUYING IN: A legion of the godless is rising up against the forces of religiosity in American society. ‘People who were ashamed to say there is no God now say, ‘Wow, there are others out there who think like me, and it feels ~#*+ good,’ said Margaret Downey, the president of the Atheist Alliance international, whose member-ship has almost doubled in the past year to 5,200. It has a 500 person waiting list for the convention in Crystal City, VA., later this month…

“In the past two years, five books promoting atheism have hit the best seller lists, outselling such religious tomes as Pope Benedict XVI’s book on Jesus, and popular Christian novelist Tim LaHaye’s latest book Kingdom Come, according to Nielson BookScan…

“A study released in June by the Barna Group, a religious polling firm, found that about 5 million adults in the United   States call themselves atheists. The number rises to about 20 million - about one in every 11 Americans - if people who say they have no religious faith or are agnostic (they doubt the existence of God or a supreme deity) are included…

(The Washington Post, September 16, 2007)

Comment: The above 2 items indicate that the great system of mystic Babylon is about to be cast into the sea (the restless sea of ungovernable peoples). The “sea” of anarchy will swallow up the false systems as prophesied (Rev. 18:21). This is what was done with Ancient Babylon, which is a type of mystic Babylon (Jer. 51:63,64). But let us be careful to differentiate between the system and the individuals connected with those systems. The prophesy applies to the system only.

“SIX NUNS EXCOMMUNICATED FOR HERESY; FIRST TIME IN DIOCESE’S 165-YEAR HISTORY: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Six nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday.

“The Rev. J. Gaston Herbert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.

“The Vatican has declared all members of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Herbert said the excommunication was the first in the diocese’s 165-year history.”

(Associated Press, September 27, 2007)

Comment: We cannot condone the sect, whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, because this reeks of spiritism. She may be possessed, but not of the Virgin Mary, but by evil spirits. But this case shows, once again, that the Catholic church and its dioceses cannot control their devotees as they once could. It is just another sign of their impending destruction.

“Pope Benedict XVI told a visiting Cypriot Orthodox leader that he holds hope that the Catholic and Orthodox churches can be united, despite centuries of painful division. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus has offered to play the role of mediator to try to arrange a groundbreaking meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow, Alecy II.”

(Associated Press, June 16, 2007)

“POPE SHUT HIS EYES TO VIOLENCE OF CONVERSION: Pope Benedict XVI apparently, sort of, admitted the truth about the forced religious conversions of the native peoples of the New World. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that ‘unjusti-fiable crimes’ were committed during colonial-era evangelization in the New World. But he did not repudiate the statements he made on this subject during his visit to South America earlier this month, as was demanded by indigenous groups and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Chavez even accused the pope of ignoring the ‘holocaust’ that followed Columbus' ‘discovery’ of the New World in 1492...

“On May 13, while speaking to Latin American and Caribbean bishops, the pope demonstrated an amazing ignorance of the history of the violent cultural and religious oppression of indigenous peoples in the New World by European Christians. Benedict stated that the native people had been ‘silently longing for Christ without realizing it.’ He said that their conversion was not a conquest but an ‘adoption’ that made ‘their cultures fruitful, purifying them…’

“Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of the ‘civilization’ and

massacres of natives in North, Central and South America when he stated that the church had not imposed itself on indigenous peoples. That Christianity had not been detrimental to their way of life...

“But he by no means apologized for his earlier statements: ‘While we do not overlook the various injustices and sufferings which accompanied colonization, the Gospel has expressed and continues to express the identity of the peoples in this region.’

“Clearly, this pope has a long way to go

in understanding the truth of the colonization and the history of forced religious conversion of the Americas.” (Special to the Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2007)

“POPE REMOVES RESTRICTIONS ON HOLDING MASSES IN LATIN: VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI removed restrictions yesterday on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was all but swept away by the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

“The decision, a victory for traditional, conservative Roman Catholics, came over the objections of liberal-minded Catholics and angered Jews because the Tridentine Mass contains a prayer for their conversion.

“Benedict, who stressed that he was not negating Vatican II, issued a document authorizing parish priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite if a ‘stable group of faithful’ requested it.” (Wire Report, July 8, 2007)

“POPE: OTHER CHRISTIANS NOT TRUE CHURCHES: Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

“Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of The Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.”  

(Yahoo News, July 10, 2007)

Comment: Benedict says he is not negating the Vatican II Council, but that is exactly what he is doing. It is our understanding that according to Vatican law, once a decision is made by a Council it cannot be rescinded, because the church councils are considered perfect and do not make mistakes.

“EPISCOPALIANS REBEL OVER APPROVAL OF GAYS: Some plan to leave the Central Florida diocese after failing to oust the bishop… The long-simmering dispute over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church, USA,

which has threatened to tear the denomination apart, is now roiling the Diocese of Central Florida…” (Orlando Sentinel, November 4, 2007)

“EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF PITTSBURG VOTES TO SPLIT FROM NATIOAL CHURCH: JOHNSTOWN, PA. - By more than a 2-1 vote, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted in favor of separating from the national church because of a theological rift that began with the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003…”

(The New York Times, November 4, 2007)

Comment: These two items, among others, indicate the falling of the Nominal systems.  But it is not because of the gay and same sex unions, etc. that they are falling. These are only the symptoms of the real problem. If the denominations could discuss the real Biblical teachings rather than these social problems, perhaps they could survive. However, they have not considered the cardinal doctrines of the Bible for many years. For instance, such important doctrines as the Ransom, Resurrection, (which is never mentioned except at Easter), Justification by faith, Sanctification and Restitution to name a few. Their only concerns are the social questions, which would be taken care of, if their minds were on the real Bible Truths. Other denominations are having similar problems. (Jer. 51:7; Rev. 14:8; 18:23)

“SOUTHERN BAPTISTS FACING CROSSROADS OVER IDENTITY: Southern Baptists head into their annual national meeting this week at odds over whether they have become too conservative and wed to partisan politics or whether a harder line is necessary to give the Nashville, Tenn.-based denomination a clear identity, Beginning Tuesday in San Antonio, proposals about issues such as political involvement, clergy sexual abuse and speaking in tongues should provide a glimpse at where the 16.3 million-member denomination is headed, 28 years after the ‘conservative resurgence’ swept liberals out. What’s at stake is the direction of the SBC and how the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. will work to reverse stagnating membership.” 

(Orlando Sentinel, June 11. 2007)

____________________________________________________________________

Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the many beautiful Christmas cards received 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.” (Proverbs 4:18)

ANNOUNCEMENT: The date of our Memorial is March 20, 2008, after six p.m.

NO. 604 WE SEE JESUS

Once again we come to the time of year that we consider the birth of Jesus. However, at the outset we would say that nowhere in the Bible are we told to remember His birth, although He emphatically told us to remember His death - “This do in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

Most of our readers know that December 25 is not the correct date for Jesus’ birth. This date has been plucked out of thin air; the Atonement Day type and other Scriptures inform us that He was born on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month - Tishri - Tishri being approximately our October. But we would not haggle about the exact date. We are persuaded that the Christian world does receive some moral uplift and spiritual encouragement through the observance of His birth, and we readily join with others in the observance. Many in Christendom reveal a milder and more pleasant spirit at that time. Quite often we have noticed people on the street humming some sort of Christmas tune, and we are happy to make this observation.

Coming to the analytical phase of this subject, we make note that if we ask many believers, “Do you see Jesus?” - That is, “Do you understand Him?” from many we would receive a ready answer: “Of course, we do!” So we would now offer our own analysis of how we “see Jesus.” And we would present some comment by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 2:6-9: “One in a certain place testified [Psa. 8:3-9], saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownest him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

To present a proper foundation for our analysis we would first quote from the Gospel of John 1:1-5: “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was a god. This was in a beginning with the God. Through it everything was done; and without it not even one thing was done, which has been done. In it was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shown in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.” This is taken from the Emphatic Diaglott translation; and the following is a footnote from that same translation: “This term [the Logos] should be left untranslated for the very same reasons why the names Jesus and Christ are left untranslated. As every appellative of the Savior of the world was descriptive of some excellence in his person, nature, or work, so the epithet Logos, which signified a word spoken, speech, eloquence, doctrine, reason, or the faculty of reasoning, is very properly applied to him. See 1 John 1:1, for a clear and useful comment by the Apostle John on the proem to this gospel.”

And further from John 1:14, Dia.: “The Logos became flesh, and dwelt among us - and we beheld his glory, a glory as of an Only-begotten from a Father - full of favor and truth.” Also, from Phil. 2:6-8, Dia.: “Christ Jesus, though being in God’s form, yet did not meditate a usurpation to be like God, but divested [emptied] himself, taking a bondman’s form, having been made in the likeness of men; and being in condition as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Note now the exact language found in Psa. 8:3-9: “Made a little lower than the angels.” This description in both texts is identical, so we would apply the geometric theorem, “Things equal to the same things are equal to each other.” To make this very plain: two half dollars equal one dollar; four quarters also equal one dollar. Therefore, the four quarters are the exact equivalent of two half dollars - equal to each other. Here is clear Scriptural proof that Jesus was a man - “made flesh” - “a little lower than the angels.”

THE DUST OF THE GROUND

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen.2:7) Not the identical process, but a similar one, may be given for the Man Jesus. When He came to birth from the Virgin Mary, He began to partake of the foods common to man, and grew into a man of thirty years of age, the exact duplicate of Adam. He presented Himself to John in the River Jordan on the day He was thirty, the age at which the Jews reasoned, with Scriptural authority, that their males reached full manhood.

To analyze this a little further: Presently, the grass grows from the earth, the dust of the ground; the grass is consumed by the flesh-producing animals, which in turn are eaten by man. All of these things are the direct result of “the dust of the ground.” Thus, are we all formed from “the dust of the ground”; even as Jesus was; and the record is clear enough: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19) Thus, at the age of thirty Jesus was in every detail an exact duplicate of Adam when “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”

By this statement we do not infer that God was thirty years in producing Adam. But the moment he was animated, Adam was the exact image of Jesus when He was thirty. “The son of man came to give himself a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) The word ransom is from the Greek anti-lutron, which means an exact duplicate, a replica; therefore, Jesus had to be an exact duplicate of Adam - no more, no less - that He could provide the ransom for Adam, which none of the other human beings was able to do. “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” (Psa. 49:6,7)

“That disciple whom Jesus loved” reveals the intimate acquaintance and understanding that the Apostles had of Jesus: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands felt, concerning the word of life [the Logos]; and the life was made manifest, and what we have seen we also testify, and declare to you the aionian life, which was with the Father, and was manifest to us.” (1 John 1:1,2 - Dia.) In “our hands felt,” the Apostle reveals the intimate relationship which he had had with our Lord when He was on earth, a comradeship of the closest nature.

JESUS

“We behold Jesus.”  It is in order to stress here that the Apostle does not say, “We behold Jesus Christ.” And there is good reason for this. When the angel was speaking to Joseph, the advice was given: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21)  Here is one scholar's comment on the name: “The name Jesus means the salvation of God. For Joshua among the Hebrews is salvation, and among them the son of Nun is called Joshua. The name Jesus is above every name.”

However, from birth to His baptism by John in Jordan, our Lord was known by the single appellation Jesus, and not Jesus Christ. Christ means anointed and He did not become the “anointed” Savior until He received the Holy Spirit without measure at His baptism in Jordan. Therefore, it was not Jesus Christ who was made “a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death”; because the Christ, the Anointed, was not sacrificed on the cross, but merely Jesus, the perfect man. Had Jesus the Christ been nailed to the cross, He would have offered much beyond what the man Adam had, because Adam was never anointed with the Holy Spirit; he was simply “a living soul” - a man from any viewpoint. Christ was not “lower than the angels”; and, when He said on the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46), He was referring to the spiritual life that had begun in Him at Jordan, which was raised from the tomb three days later, when “God supremely exalted him, and freely granted to him that name which is above every name... that every knee should bend, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those beneath; and every tongue confess that, Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11, Dia.) He now “sits at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2)

VARIOUS NAMES AND POSITIONS

 LOGOS - During His existence our Lord has held three positions in relationship to God, and these various positions are indicated by the various names He has had. Before His F1rst Advent to the earth He was known as the Logos, the Word. And as the Word of God He was the principal agent of God's creation; He was second to God, but above every other creature in Heaven or earth. As such, the Bible tells us, “without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3) As such He was a spirit being, not capable of description with our limited knowledge. Before his deflection, Lucifer was described as “The son of the morning” (Isa. 14:12); but the Logos was superior to that, because Lucifer came into existence through the agency of the Word. 

CHRIST JESUS - When the Logos came to earth, and became Christ Jesus, the situation is vividly described by St. Paul: “Christ Jesus... made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men... because obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8) The Diaglott translates this in much finer style: “Christ Jesus... divested himself [He laid aside His high position, much the same as a man might take off his coat], taking a bondman's form [a slave's position], having been made in the likeness of men... he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

"IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN" - He had the appearance of a man, although a most unusual likeness of men - so much so that Pilate exclaimed in admiration, “Ecce homo” - “Behold the man!” {John 19:5) And St. Paul writes of Him: “He was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) Although Pilate saw the excellent features of a most unusual man, he could not see that Jesus was “without sin.” Yet Jesus' sinlessness had set Him apart from all men. All of us find description in the words of David: “Born in sin, shapen in iniquity.” (Psa. 51:5)

EXPRESS IMAGE OF GOD’S PERSON - Presently, and henceforth forever, Jesus occupies a third position, described by the Apostle in Heb. 1:3: “the express image of God's person... the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In Heb. 2:9 we have the subject of this treatise “We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels”; but in Heb. 1:4 it is stated that He is now “so much better than the angels.”

Scores of names and titles are used in the Bible in discussing Jesus; but we shall offer just a few of them here: In Rev. 1:8 He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending... the Almighty”; In Rev. 22:16, “The bright and morning star”; in Isa. 51:9, “the arm of the Lord”; in the Song of Solomon 2:1, “Rose of Sharon and The Lily of the Valleys”; and 5:10, “the chiefest among ten thousand”; in John 8:12, “the light of the world... the light of life"; in Luke 1:78, “the dayspring from on high”; in 1 Tim. 6:15, “the blessed and only potentate... the King of kings, and Lord of lords”; and in Heb. 13:20, “that great shepherd of the sheep.”

FOUR GREAT OFFICES - The risen Lord is now the possessor of four great offices, in which He is to do a certain work for the human race. There are many subdivisions of these four, but we shall not go into that detail. These offices are presently operative only in a very limited way; but He will come into the full glory of them all when He establishes His reign on earth - “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth.” These offices are Biblically stated as follows: The world's Prophet - “A prophet shal1 the Lord your God raise up unto you... him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you” (Acts 3:22); and the world's High Priest - “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 5:6); the world's King - “Thou Bethlehem... out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2); the world’s Judge - “The Lord cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” (Psa. 96:13) In treating of just these four, we do so because each of them is close companion to God's four great attributes - Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power; and we shall offer brief comment on each of these descriptive pairs:

WORLD’S PROPHET - The word prophet in Acts 3:22 is from the Greek “prophetes,” from which the English word prophet is derived; and it has the meaning of pubic expounder, or teacher. And to be a good teacher, one must be endowed with Wisdom. Thus, the Lord's office of Prophet is readily linked with the Divine attribute of Wisdom. In making this statement we should be alert not to confuse wisdom with knowledge, because wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. It is well stated, “Knowledge is power”; but this is true only if we know what to do with knowledge. Also, it is a sound observation that “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Knowledge in inexperienced hands often causes great disaster - in the laboratory, in construction, in the operation of intricate machinery, etc. But we have strong Bible assurance that our risen Lord will know perfectly what to do on every occasion, and how to do it. Thus, it is properly foretold of Him: “The government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor [ab1e to advise and counsel in every situation].” (Isa. 9:6)

WORLD’S HIGH PRIEST - The office of a Priest is to forgive and bless. Therefore, we are counseled in Heb. 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy [forgiveness of sins], and find grace [blessing] to help in time of need.” All of this is clearly an operation of LOVE: therefore, we team the High Priest with the Divine attribute of Love.

WORLD’S KING - “Of the increase of his government and peace [kingdom] there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom there shall be no end, to order it with judgment and justice from henceforth even forever.” (Isa. 9:7) In the operation of this kingdom the Divine attribute of Power is self-evidently coupled.

WORLD’S JUDGE - “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation... Judgment will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies.” (Isa. 28:16,17) It needs no elaboration to declare that the Divine attribute of Justice is the fitting counterpart of the World’s Judge.

ANALYSIS OF THE FOUR OFFICES - Now further comment on the foregoing: TEACHER-WISDOM - He who discerns clearly teaches clearly. Of the Teacher it is recorded:  “Jesus needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:24,25) And His crushing answers to all the tricky questions of the Scribes and Pharisees offer ample proof that Jesus did know what was in man. Therefore, “He taught them as one having authority.” (Matt. 7: 29) Concerning the Jews St. Paul said: Israel hath a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." (Rom. 10: 2) Quite a contrast to the knowledge that Jesus had! The Egyptian proverb goes well here:

He who knows, but knows not that he knows, is timid; encourage him.

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is ignorant; teach him. 

He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him.

He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise; follow him.

The great World's Teacher knows, and knows that He knows. “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.” (Isa. 53:11) And the Apostles stressed this point concerning the true followers of Jesus: “By this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3, Dia.) “We know that we are of the truth.” (1 John 3:19) And the philosophers, the comics, the ignoramuses all have had their play on this subject - some of it good and sound. As one of them has put it: “It's not what we don’t know that hurts; it's what we know that ain't right that floors us.” This truth may be emphasized in politics, religion, finance, patriotism, etc. One of our present-day philosophers said of Jesus: “He is the greatest teacher of all times.” Also, one of the poets has contributed an excellent bit on this subject:

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne

Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,

 Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

However, we know “When thy judgments are in the earth [when the Great Teacher supervises the teaching] the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9)

PRIEST-LOVE - The great love-work that Jesus will accomplish is well expressed in Hosea 13:14: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.” Of Jesus, our Priest, it is written: “Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.” (Heb. 5:10)

Of Melchisedec it is recorded that he was a Priest upon his throne; that is, he was not subservient to any earthly power, which is an excellent description of our High Priest Jesus. One author gives us this description: “Melchisedec, King of Salem (probably Jerusalem before the Jews conquered that country after their Exodus from Egypt) and priest of the Most High God. Jerusalem means city or foundation of peace or safety, so that Salem is an appropriate abbreviation. In Salem also is God’s tabernacle (Psa. 76:2), God's dwelling place in Zion. Melchisedec as described in Heb. 7:3, was without father, without mother, without genealogy. This means that his pedigree is not recorded. He is further described as having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, of whom it is testified that he lives. It is not known whence he came or whither he went; he is a type of undying priesthood. When thus our Lord was made a high priest after the order of Melchisedec, he held a higher office than the Aaronic priesthood.”

It is a sad record that all movements, religious, governmental, or political, have been relatively pure at the outset. And almost all of them have followed a very fixed pattern as the years have come and gone. Regarding religious movements, they have gone through three stages: Priesthood, Priestcraft and Priestgraft. The pristine purity of the early Christian Church under the leadership of the Apostles is a thing of beauty, earnestly striving for the welfare of its adherents. But the Apostle Paul said that in his day “the mystery of iniquity doth already work... whose coming is after the working of Satan... with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth.” (2 Thes. 2:7-10) Much the same could be said for the Jewish Church. When it was organized under Moses at Sinai, Aaron was the ideal priest. “No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” (Heb. 5:4) But by the time Jesus had arrived the noble ideals of Aaron had disappeared; the priesthood had degraded to the bottom of the dirty barrel - priestgraft. “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye [the Scribes and the Pharisees] have made it a den of thieves.” (Matt. 21:13)

JUDGE-JUSTICE - One of the classic Scriptures describing Jesus as Judge administering quick and perfect Justice is found in Isa. 11:1-5: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick under-standing in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the  earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”

The most just and well-intentioned of our Courts today must judge according to the seeing of the eyes and the hearing of the ears. Thus, some guilty go free, and some innocent are convicted. That is the best we have today, but that will not be so when the Great Judge administers Justice. We have “the sure word of prophecy” to verify this conclusion: “God hath appointed a day [the thousand-year day - shall “reign with him a thousand years” - Rev. 20:6] in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) Indeed, “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) Often do our judges favor the strong, and burden the weak. A man's face may be pushed out to far, or in too much; thus, our judgment is often based on the “outward appearance.” It is a recognized truth that the very rich, the very powerful, or the highly educated find it almost impossible for them to receive a fair appraisal of themselves from others, because their position strongly influences the judgment of their admirers, or their enemies. Let us consider the case of Pilate: He admired the fine physical features of Jesus; thus, he said to the Jews: “I find in him no fault at all.” (John 18:38 - repeated in John 19:4) But the “envy” of the Jews was so pronounced and clamorous that they prevailed. Thus the law is often decided through prejudice, trickery, oratory or brute force. And the doctrine “Might is right” often prevails. We close the Justice feature of “We see Jesus” with Isa. 28:17: “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.”

KING-POWER - As King over all the earth Jesus will exercise the Divine attribute of Power. Since the time that historical record's began to be kept men have striven to improve their living conditions; and, while some progress has been made in certain respects, yet the overall picture is well described by the Prophet Isaiah (1:6): “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”

It is a sage observation that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. And the Bible emphasizes this in classic and emphatic fashion. In Dan. 2: 26-44 there is portrayed the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar's metal man - head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron. Here is given us a picture of the four universal empires as viewed through the eyes of man. And Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings... a kingdom, power, strength and glory... Thou art this head of gold.” (vs. 37,38)

But in the seventh chapter of the same book these same kingdoms are described by four beasts: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and “the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it.” (7:7) In both instances the four universal empires are described - Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The last of these, Rome, is well portrayed by the iron legs, as history is replete with the records of “the iron rule of Rome.” But in Dan. 4:17 there is this terse summarization of all of them: “The Most High setteth up over it the basest of men.”

And as we consider Nero, Ivan the Terrible, the Pharaohs of Egypt, the emperors of Rome, etc., we recognize the truth of this statement. They were conquering heroes in their time; but they do not appear at all favorably when compared to The Prince of Peace! The shibboleth of the Roman rulers was: Without slaves there can be no leisure; without leisure there can be no thinking; without thinking there can be no progress. And history bears sad testimony to the rough time many of those Roman slaves had. And one of the heads of our own Government made the remark not so many years ago: “The average man is so dumb you can tell him anything.”

It is a proper analysis that the human race is divided into three groups - the magnetics, the repulsives, and the neutrals. The magnetics are a very small minority, but so are the repulsives. It is seldom we see a human face of such disagreeable appearance that we instinctively turn away from it. But some secular writers - not overly religious - have been caught up with the magnetism of Jesus; and one of them in his impelling way treats of the wife of one of the high rulers in Palestine at the time Jesus was being tried and led to the cross. She said to her husband; O, Lodbrog I have seen him; and I cannot forget his wonderful face. Save him, and I will go with you anywhere to the ends of the earth." But the husband answered, “I should save God!” Jesus was indeed magnetic, “The common people heard him gladly.” (Mark 12:37)

“We see Jesus” with the eyes of our understanding; and we can join with St. Paul in his superb exclamation, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (2 Cor. 9:15) With this come our warm wishes to a11 for a blessed Holiday observance.

(Brother John J. Hoefle, Reprint No. 417, December 1990)

____________________________________________________________________

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brethren,

I read with interest all that is printed and mailed to me from the “Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n.”  I SO MUCH appreciated the May 1, 2007 article regarding leaky vessels. True, some of the articles are elementary truth and most of the readers are familiar with them. It has been said, repetition is the mother of retention. How about, some minds remain open long enough for the truth not only to enter but to  pass on through by way of a ready exit without pausing anywhere along the route. Elizabeth Kenny, Australian nurse (1886-1952).

From 1953 to 1976 I was a member of the Jehovah Witnesses. In the late time of 1975 I began to read and study C.T. Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures. I began to relate to other JW’s what I learned, such as the separating of people either sheep or goats today in the Gospel Age would be done during the Millennium Age. (Matt. 25:32)  I had to appear before a committee (Inquisition) and retract what I learned from C.T. Russell and stop telling others. I didn’t and was excommunicated early in the year 1977.

How I wish that I was more knowledgeable regarding God’s word the Bible during that Inquisition. I would have told them what Martin Luther said, facing crisis of conscience in the year A.D. 1521 before seventy men judging him. Martin Luther’s statement, I quote.

“Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by evident reason (for I believe neither pope nor councils alone, since it is manifest they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is held captive by the word of God; and as it is neither safe nor right to act against conscience, I cannot otherwise; God help me. Amen.”

It was once said, He that never changes his opinions, never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today.      

I always learn or understand something that I didn’t know before by reading Biblical literature. For instance, I always thought that what Jesus said in Matt. 8:22 “Let the dead bury the dead” was a spiritually dead person. How pleased to understand from the May 1, 2007 issue we are “Dead Men Walking.” We are not fallen asleep yet, but are on the way. James 4:14 says, “We are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing.” May I thank you in advance for reading my letter. In conclusion may I say, The universe is like a safe and the so-called mystery of life is in the safe and the combination to open the safe is the Bible.

We can either complain that rosebushes have thorns - or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses.

I remain your brother in Christ.                                    Respectfully,…       (LOUSIANNA)  

…………………………………

Dear Brethren in Christ,

Reading the scriptural information in the booklets you have sent me over the years has helped me so much in my walk in faith. Please continue to send them to my new address.

Enclosed is a check in appreciation of your publications.  Please send Nos. 1-10 papers also.

I came into the Truth in 1968 by reading a book I found in a second hand store titled, “Millennial Dawn” and in a time of moving from one location to another I lost it.  Over the years I have inquired about it at conventions and meetings. So far I haven’t been able to locate a copy. I am hoping you may be able to help me.                                  Sincerely,…       (TEXAS)