No. 668: DOUBTS AND MISGIVINGS OF GOD’S PEOPLE

As we ponder the actions and attitudes of Bible records, we may readily come to the conclusion that some of the best and most prominent of Jews and Christians have had their faith sorely tried at times – even to the extent that they found it diffi­cult to believe the direct plain statement of God Himself.

MOSES – THE EMANCIPATOR

As instance Moses, when he was told, “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex. 3:10,11) Pass­ing by the remainder of Chapter Three, we come now to Ex. 4:1: “Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.” This translation is misleading in its first clause – “they will not be­lieve me.” Moses in this instance is typical of our Lord’s return in 1874 to deliver spiritual Israel and to establish the Kingdom; and the conversation between God and Moses is typical of the Second Advent preparations. Therefore, we cannot believe that Jesus would tell God that the people will not believe; rather, the correct translation should be, “They may not believe me.”

It is written of Moses that he was “the meekest [most leadable, most teachable] man in all the earth” (Num. 12:3), so we should not assume that he would make bold contradiction when God spoke to him. However, we cannot but make reasonable allow­ance for Moses here. For the first forty years of his life he had lived in the King’s palace in Egypt – at that time a formidable military power among the nations; whereas, the Israelites had no military equipment whatever. Thus, Moses would readily consider his mission impossible of performance. Humanly speaking, this certainly was a reason­able conclusion on his part, because the Jews were then slaves – subdued and unwarlike. This was a far cry from the time that Joseph was prime minister in Egypt – at which time Jacob and his entire household were received into the royal friendship and hospi­tality of Pharaoh. But at the time of Moses’ mission there had arisen a “Pharaoh who knew not Joseph.” (Ex. 1:8)

And God, wishing to increase his courage and his confidence, then proceeded to give Moses the three miraculous signs of the rod turned into serpent, then back to rod again; of Moses’ hand becomes leprous, then restored to its former health; and third, the water of the river would be turned into blood. (Ex. 4:1-9) But Moses continued, “I am not eloquent... slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” (v. 10), however, upon God’s insistence, he went to Egypt as he had been instructed. And in due course he brought Israel out of Egypt “with high hand,” and across the Red Sea and away from the pursuing Egyptian army; then fully convinced that God could and would perform whatever He promised.

It is stated of Moses that he was probably the grandest character that ever lived; and his experience aforegoing should convince all of us that God will never tell any of us to do anything that we cannot do. Yet God’s experience with Moses had to be repeated several times in subsequent years.  Jeremiah answered substan­tially as did Moses, “I can­not speak, for I am a child.” (Jer. 1:6) In addition, in this he was typical of Brother Russell in the early harvest. He also concluded that he did not have the capacity to proclaim the Harvest message, but he, too, eventually learned that he did have the talents required for the job, and he certainly accomplished his mission in an excellent manner.

A great failing of some of God’s most laudable servants is that they often expected the wrong thing at the right time or the right thing at the wrong time. Also, on oc­casion they failed to comprehend the right thing at the right time when it was presented to them. This was pronouncedly true of the Jews at the First Advent. “He came to His own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:11) “They knew not the time of their visita­tion.” (Luke 19:44) He was indeed the “light of life”; but “the light shineth in dark­ness, and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5)  But of those that did receive Him, their understanding of what was going on was very vague and confused until they were enlightened by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Pertinent to the above is the experience of the two disciples on their way to Em­maus, as recorded in Luke 24:13–31. When the risen Lord joined them on the way there, the conversation speedily turned to the death of Jesus three days before; and one of them said, “We had trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” (v.21) But now they were much confused. Their timing was right in that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were completely wrong in what they expected at that time; and this improper expectation had placed a great strain on their faith when Jesus failed to do what they had expected Him to do then. On the way to Emmaus Jesus had said unto them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken.”  

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? Even after they were convinced that Jesus had been raised a spirit being, they were still much confused, as note their question to Him just before He finally left them to go to Heaven: “Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

JOHN THE BAPTIST

By way of introduction, Jesus had said of John, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” (Matt. 11:11) It will be recalled that John was only six months older than Jesus, which means he was probably engaged in his ministry at Jordan for six months before Jesus came to be immersed by him. However, as boys and young men they had grown up together, probably had discussed their various destinies, because we may take it for granted (although the Bible does not specifically say so) that their mothers had told them the words that the respective an­gels had told them (Luke 1:11–64); and it seems this had thoroly convinced John that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Therefore, he immediately exclaimed, as Jesus was ap­proaching him, “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man which is in advance of me: for he is my su­perior.” (John 1:29-30, Dia.)

Thus, when John was preaching repentance to the Jews, it would seem he stressed that the Messiah was soon to appear; and that would undoubtedly prod the Jews to ex­piate any known violations of the Law, because the nation from the least to the great­est was thoroughly imbued with the thought that the Messiah would someday appear. Yet, as firmly as John was convinced at Jordan, having seen the spirit “descending from heaven like a Dove, and it abode upon him” (v. 32), he later began seriously to doubt his own statement regarding Jesus, because he sent “two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke 7:19) At that time John was sitting in prison awaiting execution by Herod; but he, along with the Jews in general, were expecting the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel when the Mes­siah would appear. In line with this, we now quote a major portion of an article to be found in Reprints 2620 (April 15, 1900):

“While Jesus was performing many miracles, making numerous disciples, and meet­ing with comparatively little opposition, things were going very differently with his cousin, John the Baptizer. Yet this was only in accordance with what John himself had prophesied, saying ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ John was in prison about 120 miles from where Jesus was laboring so successfully. To be shut up in a dark dungeon of the kind usual at that time, and to have our Lord proceeding with his work, and raising no voice of protest on his behalf, and exercising none of his mighty power for his deliverance, probably seemed very strange to John – especially in view of his expectations respecting the work of the Messiah – that he would be a great earth­ly general and king, in harmony with the general Jewish expectations.

“We see how readily John might have permitted doubts and fears to enter his mind...  He might have lost all faith in God’s providential dealings in the past, and all heart and hope for the present and future... This is indicated in his sending two of his disciples to Jesus, to make the inquiry, and also in the character of the inquiry. He does not say, Is this whole matter a farce, and are we deluded? but on the contrary his question was a sound one, and expresses the conviction that thus far the Lord has been leading, and that the only doubt in the prophet’s mind was whether or not, as he was the forerunner of Jesus, Jesus in turn, greater than he, might be the forerunner of someone else still greater and yet to come. And strictly speaking, this was exactly the case, for Jesus in the flesh was indeed the forerunner and preparer of the way be­fore the still greater glorified Christ of the Second Advent, who will accomplish the great and wonderful things foretold by all the holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21-23).

“Our Lord, it will be noticed, did not answer John’s question directly – he did not say there was not another coming and still greater work than that which he was per­forming, but he did give John to understand distinctly that the work he was doing was the very work which had been foretold in the prophets, and the proper thing to be done at that time. While John’s messengers were with Jesus a number of miracles were performed in their sight, and Jesus sent them back to John with instructions that they bear witness to him of the work of the Lord progressing in his hands, and to say to John that while the opportunities to stumble at Jesus, his work and his words, were many, and while many would stumble at these, as the prophet had declared (Isa. 8:14), yet a special blessing would rest upon all who would not stumble, but whose faith in the Lord would continue despite various disappointments of expectation respecting his work and their fulfillment’s, through misap­prehension of the lengths and breadths and the heights and depths of the Divine Plan, which, as the heavens are higher than the earth, were higher than human conception could have foreseen. For instance, what Jew could have thought for a moment of the still higher than Jewish expectations of the kingdom ­of the spiritual kingdom class to be selected first before the establishment of the earthly kingdom...

“All of the Lord’s faithful servants need to remember the same lessons which were thus forcefully impressed upon John: they need to remember that when sometimes matters turn out very differently with themselves than what they had expected, when they receive injuries, reproaches and oppression, as the rewards of faithfulness to duty and to truth, it does not mean that God has forgotten them, nor that they were misled in their prev­ious service to the Lord; nor does it mean that the Lord has changed his plan; nor that he is careless or indifferent respecting their condition. True, their first thought should be whether or not present unfavorable conditions are in the nature of chastise­ments or the results of any misdoing on their part, or failures to serve the Lord in his own way, but if they find their course to be harmonious with the Divine will and word they should at once rest their faith upon the Lord, and conclude that God knows better than they how to manage his own work.

Then while thankful to be used in that work for a time – perhaps for the good of others, or perhaps for their own training in the school of experience, and in the learning of lessons of patience and of faith... The question arises, Was John imprisoned because of officiousness, or because of trying to mind Herod’s business. Perhaps he was imprisoned because of his faithfulness in discharge of that duty. Was it right or was it wrong for him to reprove the King, and to say to him that it was not lawful for him to take as his wife his Brother Philip’s wife? There is no question that Herod was in the wrong, and that John’s expression on the subject was a correct one, and that Herod was living in adultery, but the question is, Was this any of John’s business? Did he need to meddle with the King’s affairs, and thus get himself into trouble? And if it was John’s duty to reprove Herod on this subject, was it not the duty of our Lord Jesus to have done the same, in addition to have uttered a protest against the imprisonment of John and in general to have raised a great hubbub over the injustice being done by the wicked ruler? If John were right in this mat­ter, was our Lord Jesus wrong in not following the same course? If Jesus was right in not following John’s course in reproving Herod, does it prove that John erred in giv­ing the reproof?

“We answer that our Lord’s conduct is certainly to be considered as above reproach, since ‘in him was no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth’; but this does not prove guile and sin on John’s part in following a different course. We are to remem­ber that in many respects John and his ministry differed widely from our Lord and his ministry. For instance, the uncouth skin-girdle which John wore was very different from the seamless robe which the Lord wore; and the Scriptures call attention to the fact that John lived a very abstemious life, ‘neither eating nor drinking’ ordinary food, but practicing a continual fasting or self-denial as respects these comforts, while our Lord Jesus came ‘both eating and drinking,’ attended wedding feasts and banquets made in his honor. The lesson is that these grand characters each fulfilled his own mission, according to the Divine arrangement, but that they had different missions. John’s mis­sion was pre-eminently to reprove and reform and we are to understand that as a prophet he was supernaturally guided in respect to the various features of the course that he took. Our Lord’s mission, on the contrary, was a different one; he was gathering to himself those whom John’s ministry served to arouse to righteousness and to zeal to know and do the Lord’s will.”

We may have warm sympathy with John for his doubts that Jesus was the Messiah, be­cause John – in common with the entire Jewish nation – was expecting a great leader who would relieve them from the Roman yoke, yet there was nothing in Jesus’ ministry to indicate such action: He even ordered them to pay tribute to Caesar. (Matt. 22:15–21)  “...He hath no form nor comeliness... no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isa. 53:2)

“THIS MOSES” – ANOTHER TYPE

“When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down out of the mount [where God was giving him the ten commandments on the two tables of stone], the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go be­fore us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what has become of him.” (Ex. 32:1)

The setting in this Chapter of Exodus types the happenings of the Gospel Age shortly after the Apostles passed out of the pic­ture. It had its antitypical beginning in the third epoch of the Gospel-Age Church ­in the Pergamos period (Rev. 2:12), which spanned the years between 313 and 799 AD, at the beginning of which the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great embraced Christianity.

It is well to inject here a little of the history of this Emperor. His acceptance of Christianity is closely associated with his rise to power. After his victory over Licinius in 324, he wrote that he had come from the farthest shores of Britain as God’s chosen instrument for the suppression of impiety... aided by the divine power of God, he had come from the shores of the ocean to bring peace and prosperity to all lands.

He also fought the battle of the Milvian Bridge in the name of the Christian God, having received instructions in a dream to paint the Christian monogram on his troops’ shields. Eusebius tells of a vision by Constantine, in which the Christian sign ap­peared in the sky with the legend, “In this sign conquer.” These stories may be some­what fabricated and politically motivated, although this meant very little in a time when Greek or Roman expected that political success followed from religious piety. Thus, it was not unusual, that Constantine would seek divine help for his claim for power, and divine justification for his success in gaining his goals. However, the historian places much more stress upon Constantine’s subsequent development of his new “Christian” religious alliance to quite an extreme personal commitment to the Christian faith.

By 313 he had already donated to the Bishop of Rome the imperial property of the Lateran, where a new cathedral, the Basilica Constan­tiniana, soon rose. It was in these early years of his reign that he began issuing laws conveying upon the church and its clergy fiscal and legal privileges and immunities from civic burdens. He commented that the Christian clergy should not be distracted by secular offices from their relig­ious duties – “for when they are free to render supreme service to the Divinity, it is evident that they confer great benefit upon the affairs of state.” From the foregoing it is easy to understand why the church from 313 to 719 is styled the Pergamos period, because the word Pergamos means “earthly elevation”; and it was during this period that great temporal strides were made with the help of various Roman emperors. It was in 539 that Justinian also made great concessions to the church, thus in that year, be­ginning the 1260 years of papal exaltation and eventual political supremacy.

It was in May 325 that Constantine personally opened the Council of Nice with an address to that assembly. At that Council there was great debate over the Trinity; but the subject was really over the Emperor’s head, so he described it as a subject that was fostered only by excessive leisure and academic contention – that the point at issue was trivial. The Council was held just twenty years after Constantine came to power; and he was finally persuaded by the general assembly to banish Arius and two of his supporters from the Roman Empire, at which time the three of them went to North Africa and developed a thriving Christian colony there. Those three had contended that there is but “one God.” As we study the 32d Chapter of Exodus it is easy to under­stand the similarity of what occurred there to what happened in the antitype – in the Pergamos period from 313 to 799.

The strong hope and belief of the Apostolic Age was that our Lord would soon re­turn to claim His bride and establish the Kingdom for which He had taught them to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth.” This belief found much encouragement at the Sea of Tiberias, as recorded in the 21st Chapter of John’s Gospel. There Jesus was prodding Peter over the three times he had denied Jesus on the night before He died. In that conversation Jesus told him that he would come to a violent end, upon which Peter pointed to “that disciple that Jesus loved” (the Apostle John) and asked the ques­tion, “Lord, what shall this man do?” This finds a much clearer translation in the Diaglott: “Lord, what of this man?” To which Jesus answered, “If I wish him to abide till I come, what is it to thee?” Verse 23 continues: “This report, therefore, went out among the brethren, that that disciple would not die; but Jesus did not say to him, ‘that he shall not die’; but if I wish him to abide till I come, what is it to thee.”

Jesus had charged the disciples with the duty of hoping and watching for His re­turn, but He had not told them how long that would be. If He had told them that it would be almost two thousand years before He came again, no doubt many of them would have quit. The Jewish Harvest had long been completed; and He had not returned. The second epoch – the Smyrna period of nearly 250 years had also come and gone, but He had not returned. Thus, it was easy to conclude that He intended to remain in Heaven – not come back to earth at all. Very early in the Pergamos period, the doubts and misgivings of many throughout Christendom now become accepted as fact. The people appealed to the hierarchy and the priests to provide them with some powerful substitutes for what they had expected in the Kingdom (“make us gods”). To prepare ways for them to go (“go before us”), saying that, while Jesus had brought them out of bondage to sin and error in Satan’s empire (“brought us up out of the land of Egypt”), yet they were at a loss to account for His whereabouts, condition and non-return (“we know not what is become of him”).

The hierarchy and the priests (antitypical Aaron – Ex. 32:2) told the people to do what the priests knew was a violation of their Divine understanding of the Lord’s Word. It implied surrender of the Truth and its perversion to error held by their churches, movements, powers and qualities. They were also told to bring these understandings into the control of the hierarchy and the priests. Thus, the priests took those proper under­standings into their charge and changed them to error. The hierarchy, at that time claimed apostolic succession; arrogated to themselves the custodianship of doctrine and practice and in their arrogance perverted both and then elaborated them in great detail and subtlety by their keen minds.

From the year 100 (right after the death of the Apostle John) to 325 AD was a period of the rise of sectarianism and fundamental error, including union of the Church with the Roman Empire.  When Constantine accepted Christianity, he brought with him many of the abominable practices of pagan Rome. Following are the main errors of doc­trine and practice that constituted the antitypical golden calf (Ex. 32:4-6): The Church consisting of all professed Christians visibly organized under the hierarchy, must convert the world and reign over it 1000 years before Christ’s return (post-Millen­nialism). Augmenting this thought, the abomination eventually came to the full when Charlemagne (probably born in 742; died 814) forced most of the Christian world in Eu­rope to combine into one super state, after which – in 799 – he invited the Church to dominate in civil as well as religious affairs, thus beginning the Holy Roman Empire. This arrangement continued for 1000 years to 1799, completing the supposed 1000-year reign of Christ, which history has now proven to be a counterfeit reign; and it accomplished just the reverse of what the real 1000-year reign will accomplish when it comes fully into power.

Other errors, which arose during or shortly after that time were the Trinity; Christ the God-man, the Spirit a person, worship of Mary, the saints as mediators, and of their relics and images. Also there arose purgatory, the mass for the sins of the living and dead, for release from Purgatory, celibacy of the priests, monasticism, a gorgeous ritual, asceticism; excessive penances, secular­ization of the Church and professed Christians, persecution of dissenters, church made a civil power, forced conversion, etc. After establishing each of their errors the priests declared it to be a part of the creed of true Christians, as distinct from the alleged errors – actually truths ­that they displaced. Thus they displaced God’s true Plan and set up another – a coun­terfeit plan. They also began to agitate for a special mode of religious exercise, ­which they claimed to be for the Lord: they embellished the religious service with singing and entertainment by special talented persons. (This same procedure accounts for much of the success of “successful” evangelists even in our time.) Speedily forgot­ten are the words of Jesus, “The kingdom of heaven cometh not with outward show.” (Luke 17:20, Dia.)

They made and kept vows according to their new religious creed and practices. They also entered into a thorough union of state and church, which had its beginning shortly after Constantine publicly espoused Christianity, and began to overthrow in war the heathen party in 313 AD. It was at Nice in 325 that the Apostles’ Creed was formulated, the same being repeated in many churches every Sunday even to this day.

The evils of doctrine and practice that appeared during the Pergamos period – from 313 to 799 – were gradually enlarged and solidified during the epochs that followed. The Truth and its arrangements as first taught by Jesus and the Apostles were gradually very much changed or completely lost.

THE CRUSADES

The Holy Roman Empire may be said to have its official beginning in 799, but in subsequent years (during the Thyatira and Sardis periods), it increased greatly in prominence and power so that the true followers of Christianity were almost completely submerged.

Their number was comparatively very small and often impoverished; they were forced to seek refuge in the catacombs to avoid detection and great persecution. In anticipation of this situation, the Apostle John wrote concerning the fifth epoch of the Church – “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.” The general Christian mo­rale at that time was at very low ebb. The large majority displayed very little of the sublime characteristics that had been taught by Jesus and the Apostles; and this condi­tion is graphically typified in Ex. 32:25: “Moses saw that the people were naked [de­void of Christian qualities]; for Aaron [typical of the priesthood] had made them naked to their shame.”

Much of the same condition exists today, with quite a few claiming to be “in the truth,” but they are not “of the truth.” (John 18:37) We are living in that “evil day” (Eph. 6:13), when “Perilous times shall come” upon the Household of Faith. People are very much confused over the different religious views being taught in our day; and they are more likely to accept any hocus-pocus rather than accept the Truth. “They will not endure sound doctrine... they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” They are “Ever learning, and never able to come to knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 4:3,4; 3:7) However, those who are “of the truth” will hear His voice. (18:37) Our Lord asked: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith [Truth] on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) – inti­mating it would be scarce.

However, during the time of the Thyatira and Sardis periods of the Church great progress was made in military might and power to persecute all dissenters. It was dur­ing this time that the nominal Church – for it was Christian in name only – decided to institute a crusade to wrest the Holy Land from the terrible Turk. It could be said there were seven crusades in all, the first of which was known as the People’s Crusade, and began with papal support in 1095. It ended in complete failure, as did all the fol­lowing ones. The second began in 1146; also defeated.

The City of Jerusalem was completely subdued in 1187; and Richard the Lion-hearted of England tried to recapture it, but failed to do so. About this time the church mem­bers were urged to take the “Crusade Vow,” which would obligate them to join expeditions to the Holy Land. However, if the one making the vow later reconsidered, or could not go for some special reason, he could hire someone to go in his place, the price for such substitution depending upon the ability of the person to pay. This was somewhat akin to the sale of indulgences, which was prevalent in Luther’s time.

Then there were a couple of children’s crusades, the first of which was led by a boy named Stephen, who claimed Jesus had appeared to him in a vision. He believed the Holy Land would more readily be recaptured by love rather than by military might. He gathered around him about 30,000 children; but they fell prey to disreputable merchants, who shipped them to the slave markets in North Africa. Then in Germany a ten-year-old boy named Nicholas gathered about 20,000 boys; but they also were sold to the slave mar­kets of the East.

GENERALITIES

The various efforts to do what was thought to be God’s will, but were proven by time itself to have been nothing but “strong delusions” (2 Thes. 2:11), were prompted largely by the doubts and misgivings of so-called Christians, who thought the Lord was not moving fast enough. Such situations occurred repeatedly after the work of most of the reformers. The first of these occurred after the Apostles died. They gave the Church complete instruction, and had it completely organized for the work it should do (See Eph. 4:11-13); but one of the proofs of human depravity is the rise of corruption after a season of good development in most human movements.

Not only was this true after the Apostles had died, but it was also true of just about every reform movement of the entire Gospel Age. The Lutheran Church today bears little resemblance to the one Luther started; this is true of John Wesley, William Miller, and especially so here in the end of the Age, when new groups sprang up like mushrooms. Every system of error has some good in it; otherwise no one would believe it. This is even true of the Mormon religion, which is probably the most ex­treme of all the fanatical sects. Of all the Truth groups it is our firm belief there are many good Christians in all of them, with many doing excellent work in “preaching the Word.” To his own Lord each man must stand or fall, so we do not attempt to pass judgment upon individuals in general. Thus we speak here of systems – and not of in­dividuals.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Prov. 4:7); and “In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall di­rect thy paths.” (Prov. 3:6)

(By John J. Hoefle, Reprint No. 382, 1997)

No. 667: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

And he took bread, gave thanks, brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you:

This Do in Remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)

Our yearly Memorial is the observance of our Lord’s death as the antitypical Passover Lamb — “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev. 13:8) The date of course is Nisan 14, the first month of the Jewish year.

Some might quibble to point out that it is the first month of the Jewish religious year, to distinguish it from Tizri, the seventh month, which is the first month of the Jew­ish business year.

However, there is no Biblical justification for this distinction for it is merely a “tradition of men” developed over the cen­turies. At the time of the actual Passover as instituted in Egypt, the Jews had only one calendar year, the re­ligious.

“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exod. 12:2)

All the Jewish ceremonies were thus originally determined on that basis. The Day of Atone­ment is the tenth day of the seventh month, the month Tizri. The time for begin­ning Tizri is deter­mined exclu­sively and with­out variation by the time the first month Nisan begins.

In this year 2013, the 14th day of Nisan begins after 6:00 PM on March 24. The first day of Nisan is determined by the new moon nearest the Spring Equi­nox; and the Pass­over observance must be the 14th day of that month, regardless of the state of the moon on Nisan 14. It is always substantially full on Nisan 14, although it may be two or three days thereafter before it reaches exact fullness.

The “traditions of men” have combined to corrupt the proper date of the Pass­over, as they have done with so many other Biblical truths.

By the time Jesus appeared on earth, Even the ob­ser­­vance of the Passover Feast had become altered considerably from that first fateful and his­toric date in Egypt. It would seem however; these alter­ations and enlargements did not annul the essential purpose of the Festi­­­val. Even Jesus Himself in most respects, adhered to the cus­tom of His time in observance of the ritual. That this momen­tous event in Egypt had left a deep and in­delible mark on the Jewish mind and heart is attested by their rigid attempt to give it proper service even as late as Jesus’ day. The original ordin­ance had com­manded that “ye shall put away leaven out of your houses” (Ex. 12:15); and this injunction had taken a vice-like hold of the Jewish conscience.

 On Nisan 13 the head of each house placed a chunk of leavened bread on a window sill, or other prominent place, and proceeded thence with a pan, a lighted candle and fine brush to gather even fine dust from every corner of the house until the circuit was completed back to the piece de­sign­edly placed. Thus, they would be sure of removing any particles of leaven that mice or other animals may have scat­tered about. Here is another instance of their “straining at gnats,” after which they proce­eded to “crucify the Lord of Glory.” Al­though, it must be noted, those who did this from “an honest and good heart,” even­tually did recognize the Messiah and came into the Christ Company.

But not only was the tangible and visible leaven removed, every taint of leaven was also eliminated by having all the culinary and other vessels to be

used during the festival cleaned and legally purified from all contact with leaven or leavened bread. They were then said to be “kosher.” As we ponder this minute examination of each house, we are then more acutely impressed with St. Paul’s admon­ition, “Let a man ex­amine him­self...” Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven of mal­ice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincer­ity and truth. As leaven was a type of sin, so each participant of our great Memorial of “Christ our Pass­over who is sacrificed for us;” should just as scru­pulously as did the Jewish fathers elimi­nate sin and the “lusts that war in our members,” as we come to the antitypical obser­vance. We realize, of course, that it was physically impossible for the Jewish fathers to re­cover all the leaven from every rat hole and other inacces­sible places; nor was it the Divine purpose to impose an impos­sible burden upon them. Just so, it is not now God’s edict that we do the impossible and eliminate the sin “which has passed upon all men” through the transgressions of our ancestors, which reach back to Father Adam. Therefore, we can only attempt to emulate the typical Jewish householders and free ourselves of such as we can control from a “pure heart.”

In all the minute Jewish preparation, the eldest son of each family – if he were thirteen

years of age or older – was required to fast on the day leading up to the Pass­over table. The table also was scrupulously set. The special foods provided, and cups or glasses set for wine for each one present and one extra cup “for Elias.”

Had not the last lines of inspired Jewish Scripture warned them, “I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:5-6) Not real­izing that this was one of those “dark sayings,” every serious-minded Jew was alerted to the possibility of Elijah’s visitation “in an hour when ye think not” and ­possibly into his own house. Thus, he would not be overtaken unawares.

But this meticulous arrange­ment was yet further augmented by the decree that at least four vials of wine were to enter into the feast. If any Jews were too poor to bear such expense, the wine was supplied for them out of public funds. Thus, every house would have measurably identical ritual with every other house; each would rest in the assurance that his brethren throughout Jewry were in physical and heart accord with him that momentous night. Nor was this arrangement without purpose. One cup was drained at the very beginning, at which the Small Hallel was recited, or sung; then followed a profuse ceremony. It all ended with the fourth cup and recitation of the Great Hallel. On that awesome and fateful night in Egypt the Jews were to eat the Passover “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste.” (Ex. 12:11) Probably they stood as an indi­ca­­tion that they were still in bondage, not yet free from the yoke of Egypt. But in Jesus’ day they observed the ritual reclining on couches or the like, about the table – as becomes free men.

It will be noted in Luke 22:17 that Jesus “took the cup, and gave thanks”; but this could not have been the Memorial Cup, the latter being described in verse 20 as “the cup after supper” – after “he took bread, and gave thanks.” The cup mentioned in verse 17 was probably the third of the four cups, the Memorial Cup being the fourth one of the feast.

AND THEY SANG THE HALLEL

Above we spoke of the Small Hallel and the Great Hallel. The Hallel in its en­tirety is the 113th through 118th Psalms, Nos. 113 and 114 being the Small Hallel; and the remaining four the Great Hallel. In Matt. 26:30 it is related, “They had sung a hymn, and went out into the Mount of Olives.” What they sang was the Great Hallel (See Margin for Matt. 26:30). “Hallel” means “praise” and is the root of our English word “hallelujah,” which means “praise to God.” And what more fitting conclusion could be offered to this solemn observ­ance than “praise to God” – praise by bondsmen now made free, formerly blind but now able to see. It is little wonder that those today who are inclined to give voice and outward emphasis to their religion should so easily shout, “Hallelujah!”

In medieval times King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table often set forth in quest of the Holy Grail, that mythical golden cup which Jesus sup­posedly used as He said to the Disciples – “This cup is the new testament in my blood.” That Holy Grail was never found, of course, undoubtedly through God’s overruling providence. That Cup today would be the most priceless treasure on earth, an idol of all Christen­dom.

But God did provide that we should be heir to the exact words of Jesus that night, when we are informed “they had sung the Hallel” and for this heritage we may now offer our own Hallel. Our “praise to God” for the words in Psalms 113 thru 118; and we do well to include some parts of that Scripture in our Memorial observance.

What has been presented here is not in anywise intended to supplant the Passover description in Parousia Volume Six; Page 457 and we urge upon all to read that chapter in their preparation for the occasion. We pray for all our readers the Lord’s rich bles­sing in their preparation for and partici­pation in this blessed event.

The Memorial of our Lord’s death comes with the realization of the truly sanctified faith justi­fied that its observ­ance under existing conditions draws nearer and nearer to finality. This realization should ever determine us to continue in the course we have embraced and to reside in that isolated and priv­ileged place provided for us as we−

“Go to Him without the Camp”

 “And Moses proceeded to take a tent and pitch it by itself outside the camp afar off from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Meeting, – ­and so it came to pass that whosoever was seeking Yahweh went out unto the tent of meeting, which was on the outside of the camp.” (Ex. 33:7, Rotherham Translation)

Moses in this instance types our Lord as he arranged to remove the Star Members and his fully faithful people from the midst of the measurably faithful and the tare class. This was begun in the Per­gamos epoch of the Gospel‑Age church and continued until 1799. We quote parts of Brother Johnson’s comments on this from E: 11‑430 (70):

“God had our Lord do another thing indicative of His displeasure with His nominal people, i.e., remove the faithful servants of the Truth and Its Spirit from places of prominence and influence in the nominal church – caused the sym­bolic woman, the Covenant prom­ises and the servants who apply them to the brethren to go into the wilderness condition (Rev. 12:6) – to the Tent of Meeting, not the Tabernacle, but Moses' official residence – and that not but slightly away from the erroneous doctrines, practices, organ­ization and disciplines of the nominal church, but very far from these, and made the Truth and the servants who applied it to the brethren, as well as these last, the place where God resided, met with His people and blessed them. Henceforth everyone who in heart’s loyalty sought fellow­ship with the Lord in spirit, truth, righteousness and holiness went forth from the nom­inal church to such Truth, its apply­ing servants and the others of His real people, apart from the nominal church (without the camp)... When our Lord busied Himself with Truth matters, its applying servants, etc., the Truth and its Spirit as due became manifest (the cloudy pillar des­cended), and remained at the entrance, consecration, where God revealed truths to Jesus in the star‑members.”

The foregoing dovetails so very beautifully with St. Paul’s admonition in “Let us, then, now go forth to Him outside of the camp bearing reproach for Him.” (Heb. 13:13, Diaglott)

It is such a very clear‑cut and definite course of procedure for all who elect to “follow In His steps.” Such Indeed is one very ap­propriate Thought for the Memorial. In principle, this ar­rangement is as true today as it ever was, of which we shall offer some elaboration further on —

“What mean ye by this service?”

All the details of the original Passover in Egypt were pre‑ar­ranged with meti­culous care and exaction, even to its future remem­brance “throughout your genera­tions,” and the instruction of the Jewish children during future observ­ances.

It was prop­erly antici­pated that inquiring and curious children would ask, “What mean ye by this service?” (Ex. 12:26), thus providing the opportunity to instruct them in the niceties and the solemn responsibility of every Jew participating in it. And this exaction so thoroughly gripped the Jewish conscience and imagination that the Passover observance today is almost identical to what it was in the day of Christ, excepting only the temple sacrifices which are no longer performed. However, they yet make very elabor­ate prepar­ations for the festival. In previous years we have detailed the search for leaven. After all leaven was collected, it was then cast into the fire, and the master of the house declared in Aramaic that any further leaven that may have been in his house and of which he was unaware was to him no more than dust.

The eldest son of each family, if he were thirteen years or older, was required to fast on the day leading up to the service. Then on the evening of the 14th all the male members of the house betook themselves to the synagogue, attired in their best apparel. On their return they would find the house lit up, and the “Seder” or paschal table prepared. The head of the family took his place at the head of the table, after which all the family, including the servants, were seated around the table, to partake of the Seder, or Hag­gadah, as some Jews designate it. To be cer­tain the question would properly arise, the youngest son was pre­viously coached to ask, when they came to the table, why on this night above all other nights do they eat bitter herbs, unleavened bread, etc., at which the head of the house would re­late the story of the original Passover and the deliver­ance of the Jewish first­born on that fateful night in Egypt. Then proceeded the feast, which had been elaborately and meticu­lously prepared – the bitter herbs such as parsley and horseradish, and a kind of sop with charoseth consisting of various fruits compounded into a sort of mucilage and mixed with vinegar and salt water – each arranged in its own vessel. At the outset the master took some of the bitter herbs, dipped them into the charo­seth and gave to each one present to be eaten along with the first cup of wine. Thus the feast continued throughout the evening until the fourth cup and the recita­tion of the Great Hallel – after which, in the case of Jesus and the Disciples, “they went out into the Mount of Olives.” (Matt. 26:30)

Many of the requirements of the original Passover were subse­quently ignored, and properly so. The Lord had told them in Egypt, “Thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, – so shall ye eat it in haste, it is Yahweh's passing over.” (Ex. 12:11)

Every minute detail in these instructions is fraught with grave significance to those who would commemorate the memo­rial of “Christ our Passover who is sacrificed for us.” The girdle in Bible symbols repre­sents the serving features of those who would be servants in God’s Household. “He that is chief among you, let him be your servant,” – just as Jesus Himself illustrated this on His last night by “girding” Himself, taking a towel and washing the Apostle’s feet. “I am among you as one that serveth,” (Luke 22:27) he had told them. Then, the sandals on their feet were a representa-tion of the Gospel‑Age fact that “we have here no abid­ing city”; always should God's people be alert to “move on” as occasion dictated, ever willing to follow the cloudy‑fiery pillar, the Truth as due; and to remember always that “The King's business requires haste”– no time to linger and ‘change clothes’ when the occasion should arise to journey on.

And all this should be done with “your staff in your hand,” the staff typifying God’s prec­ious promises, with­out lean­ing on which no one could ever make the journey from anti­typical Egypt (the world in sin) to the heavenly Canaan.

EVER THE TRUE AND THE FALSE

As most of us know, so many features of the true reli­gion have been counter­feited by Satan. This was even true of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

In Ezek. 8:14 it is related, “There sat women weep­ing for Tammuz.” Tammuz, consort of Ishtar was the Sun God of the Babylonians. He was identical with Adonis, the same as Baal of the Canaanites. Tammuz suppo­sed­ly died each year, descended into the lower world, and was brought back to life by the weeping and lamen­tation of Ishtar, who was joined in her weeping by the women of Babylon.

Thus, as Jesus was being led to the cross, he saw women weeping along his jour­ney, and mildly admon­ished them.

“Daugh­­­ters of Jeru­sa­lem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your chil­dren.” (Luke 23:28). It is also related in Ezek. 8:17 that the Jews “put the branch to their nose,” in keeping with the cus­tom of the Persian sun wor­shipers holding before them a branch of date, pomegranate or tamarisk that their breath might not contami­nate the risen deity. All of these sacrilegious prac­tices by the Jews brought forth the scathing denunciation of God through the mouth of His prophets; and are a warning to all God’s people to “have no other Gods before thee.”

While it is our hope and prayer that the foregoing will result in blessing our readers, by no means is it our thought that this should replace the excellent expo­sition of the Passover in Parousia Volume 6. We believe it also appropriate to offer some­thing from E: 11‑210 (66):

“Moses’ charging Israel to remember Nisan 15 as the day that they went forth from Egypt from the house of servants, types our Lord’s charging the Gospel Church in general, and the Parousia and Epiphany Church in particular, to remember anti­-
typical Nisan 15 as their deliv­erance time from the house of servants to sin, error, self­ishness and worldliness.

This implies a remembering of our justification, sanctifica­tion, and deliverance, as well as of our Truth Instruc­tion (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom, 8:29, 30).

As Israel in general remem­bered the typical deliver­ance at all times and in particular at the Passover, so are we as anti­typical Israel to remem­ber our deliverance at any and every time, but especially in con­nection with our Memorial service.

We do the antitypical remem­bering, not only in thought, but also by living out the principles implied in our instruction, just­ification, sanc­ti­­f­i­­­ca­tion and de­liverance. As God’s mighty delivering power exercised on Israel’s behalf de­ser­­ved their remem­ber­ing their deliverance day, so the power of God exercised in our deliv­erance from our task­masters of sin, error, selfishness and worldli­ness in our com­ing out of Satan’s empire, is worthy of our re­mem­brance in thought, word and deed.

One way in which Israel was to remember the typical deliver­ance was to ab­stain from leaven. Accord­ingly, we are to com­mem­orate our deliverance, among other ways, by abstaining from anti­typical leaven, sin, error, self­ishness and world­liness.”

There is much else that could be included here, but we believe the foregoing will suf­fice to bring forcefully to mind once more our obligations to “do this in remembrance of ME”; and it is our hope and prayer that all our readers may be richly blessed in their preparation for and participation in this year’s Mem­orial as they “consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself.”

 “Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation.” To Peter Jesus had said, “Satan hath desired to have thee, that he may sift thee as wheat” (Luke 22:31); and Peter fell under the temp­tation. His failure is a warning to all not to trust too much to “the arm of flesh” – Jer. 17:5.

This year we shall com­mem­­orate the Memorial at 1501 Morningside Drive, Mount Dora, Florida, at 7:0O p.m. Sunday, March 24, 2013; and we invite all who may be of like mind to join with us in this service.

All of the foregoing paper is from the writings and discourses of Bro. John J. Hoefle, Our thanks go to him and his wife Emily, founders of The Epiph­any Bible Students Assn.

No. 666: PROSPECT

HE WILL DWELL WITH MEN

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev. 21:3-5)

The Tabernacle is God’s dwel­ling place with the glorified Church. He will dwell in this glorious city and it will be his Temple. Mankind will approach God as Israel ap­proached the typical Tabernacle and Temple in their religious services.

It is Messiah’s Kingdom called a Tabernacle because it is not to be a permanent or eternal condition of things, but for a millennium with mankind — a Thousand years. He will dwell with them and pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. They shall become his people and when the work of reconciliation is complete God will recognize the world of mankind and place his sanctuary among them. All mankind will be treated from the stand­point of re­conciliation, the pro­pitiation price for the sins of the whole world having been paid at Calvary. God’s dear earthly son just as Adam was an earthly son before he sinned. (Luke 3:38; 1 Cor. 15:47)

While the Millennial Kingdom will be the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, it will also be the Kingdom of God, because God’s Son, and his joint-heir, the Church, will be in absolute accord with the Father. He will dwell with mankind, repre­sented in his Church (The Christ, Head and Body), during the Millennium.

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Dan. 12:1)

This time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation prepares the way for the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

“Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. 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. 3:8,9)

With the growing disorder in the world at the present time it could not be clearer that the human race will soon be facing a whirlwind of advancing troubles. One might say world-end of troubles. (“This Present Evil world”—Gal. 1:4) Our text above tells us we are to wait on the Heavenly Father, have full con­fidence in Him and not take matters into our own hands. His methods are perfect, His times and seasons are best for us and any attempt on our part to push ourselves in advance of His will would surely react un­favorably. Now is the time for patience and for remembering that no earthly government, secular or religious can do for the human race what it desires and needs. “Be patient, therefore, brethren.” (James. 5:7)

The Heavenly Father says to the Church; I shall attend to this matter myself. Wait for His time. God has an eternal purpose, which is exactly on sche­dule. God’s people must not interfere with the powers that be at this time. We are forewarned not to use carnal weapons and not to trust them in the hands of others. Our trust is to be in God. It is not the duty of every one of the Lord’s people to become public reprovers of public officials, even though they may see unrighteousness practiced. Do not avenge yourselves on those who legally oppress you, but wait for His justice. We are not to demand justice, but to be sym­pathetic and forbearing in all things. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19) His Day of Wrath is our time of trouble and not a 24-hour day. His prey are all those who oppose His righteous purpose, knowingly or un­knowingly

The gathering of the nations during these last days in fulfillment of Zephaniah’s prophecy is very notable. Modern discov­eries and inventions have indeed made neigh­bors of people from the remotest ends of the earth. Air Travel, telephones, compu­ters and the Internet have brought the entire world to a considerable extent into a community of thought and action hitherto unknown. This condition of things has already made necessary the United Nations and international laws and regulations that each of the nations must respect. Their delegates meet in Councils, and each nation has in every other nation its ministers or repre­sentatives. Inter­national Exhibi­tions have also been called forth as results of this neighboring of nations. There can no more be that exclu­siveness on the part of any nation that would bar other nations from its ports. The gates of all are necessarily thrown open, and must remain so; and even the barriers of diverse languages are being sur­mounted.

Truly, the nations are “assem­bled” in a manner not expected, but not in brotherly love as selfishness marks every step of this progress. The spirit of enterprise with self­ishness as the motive power is astonishing. It has prompted an amazing advance­ment in manufac­ture, travel and communication, which practically and easily con­nects everyone around the world in every other energy and enter­prise.

Except for preaching of the gospel and even in this it is to be feared that much of what is being done is inspired by motives, other than pure love for God and humanity.

Selfishness has gathered the nations and has been steadily pre­paring them for the predicted and now fast approaching, retri­bution, Revolution and Anarchy. This is so graphically described as the “fire of God’s jealousy” or anger, which is about to consume utterly the present social order—the world that now is. (2 Pet. 3:7) Yet this is speaking only from the human standpoint; for the Prophet ascribes this gathering of the nations to God. But both are true, for while man is permitted the exercise of his free agency, God by his overruling providence is shaping human affairs for the accomplish­ment of his own wise purposes. And therefore, while men and their works and their ways are the agents and agencies, God is the Great Com­mander who now gathers the nations and assembles the kingdoms from one end of the earth to the other, preparing the transfer of earth’s dominion to him “whose right it is,” —Immanuel.

We should neither advocate the coming revo­lution, nor take part in it. Let us seek to subdue and calm the passions of men in the coming strife and do nothing to augment them, except to point out that the worst government is better than no government, and that we have, in fact, one of the best of all the flawed earthly governments.

Globally the military expendi­tures at present are over $1.7 trillion annually and the USA accounts for 41% of the total. With all the hardware for killing and the training given the soldiers around the world, the products for a really horrendous worldwide revolution are frightening and there is no shortage of tragedy everywhere. Already there are clashes and uprisings in many nations including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya, where last year militant Muslims attacked the US Consulate and killed four employees including the Ambassador. They were shouting “God is Great” and we agree that the God of this present evil world is greater than all mankind combined. Satan uses the extremes of error in opposition to one another in order to confuse and divert governments, religions and the social order. We would be more concerned if we did not know that Satan can do only what the Heavenly Father permits. God uses Satan to further his eternal purpose. He used the evil one in The Garden of Eden to aid the humans in their disobed­ience of God’s Law and He has continued to use him all down through the ages.

The Prophet tells us why the Lord gathers the nations, saying— “That I may pour upon them mine indig­nation, even all my fierce anger; for the whole earth [the entire social fabric] shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.”

This message would bring us sorrow and anguish only were it not for the assurance that the results shall work good to the world, overthrowing the reign of selfish­ness and establishing, through Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, the reign of righteous­ness referred to in the words of the prophet—“Then will I turn unto the people a pure language [Their communications with each other shall no longer be selfish, but pure, truthful and loving], to the intent that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9)

The “gathering of the nations” will not only contribute to the severity of the judgment, but it will also make it impossible for any to escape it; and it will thus make the great tribulation a short, as well as a decisive, conflict, as it is written: “A short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom. 9:28; Isa. 28:22)

Looking about us we see the elements preparing for the fire of this day—the fire of God’s wrath.
Self­ishness, knowledge, wealth, am­bi­tion, hope, discontent, fear and despair are the ingredients whose friction will shortly set aflame the angry passions of the world and cause its various social “elements” to melt in the fervent heat.

Scanning the world, currently, note what changes have taken place in respect to these passions. The satisfied contentment of the past is gone from all classes—rich and poor, male and female, educated and ignorant. All are dissatisfied. All are selfishly and increasingly grasping for “rights” or bemoaning “wrongs.”

True, there are wrongs, grievous wrongs, which should be righted, and rights that should be enjoyed and respected. But the tendency of our time, with its increase of knowledge and independence, is to look only at the side of questions closest to self-interest and to fail to appreciate the opposite side. The effect foretold by the prophets will be to set ultimately, every man’s hand against his neighbor, which will be the immediate cause of the great final catastrophe.

God’s Word and provi­dence and the lessons of the past are forgotten under the strong convictions of personal rights, etc., which hinder people of every class from choosing the wiser, moderate course, they cannot see because selfishness blinds them to everything out of accord with their own prejudices. Each class fails to consider with impartiality the welfare and rights of the other. The golden rule is
generally ignored; and the lack of wisdom as well as the injustice of this course will soon be made manifest to all classes, for all classes will suffer terribly in this trouble.

While the rich are diligently heaping up fabulous treasure for these last days, tearing down their store­houses and building greater, and saying to themselves and their posterity, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; eat, drink and be merry,” God, through the prophets, is saying, “Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast pro­vided?” (Luke 12:15-20)

Yes, the dark night predicted (Isa. 21:12; 28:12,13,21,22; John 9:4) is fast approaching; and, as a snare, it shall overtake the whole world. Then, indeed, whose shall these hoarded treasures be, when, in the distress of the hour, “They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.” (Ezek. 7:19)

MONEY ­– THE ECONOMY

“A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.” (Eccl. 10:19)

Anglo-Irish playwright, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) once said; “There is only one class that thinks more about money more than the rich and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else.” We see a growing unrest especially amongst the poor, in part because of economic prob­lems besetting people and nations. Unem­ployment is growing, money is scarce, essential products and services are more costly and banks are struggling.

Some people think money is the root of all evil, not true, money is a blessing. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil.

Even nations that have long been recognized as stable are having money troubles, Greece, Spain, Egypt and others. All nations are beginning in one way or another to feel the pinch of growing trouble. It is reasonable that money troubles are indication of deeper and more violent trouble.

united states of america

Citizens of Canada are called Canadians, those of Mexico are Mexicans, but citizens of the USA are termed around the world as “Ameri­cans.” Respect for the name has greatly diminished in recent years. Some non-Americans sneer, and show contempt for the “Ugly American,” whose god they say is the “dollar.”

But the USA is one of the most religious nations in the world. Nearly every religious organization in this world is repre­sented and some citizens call it “God’s Country,” which is a total mis­nomer. Though, the US has been surely blessed in many ways.

The aristocracy of the US is mostly from wealth – money. There is no official Gov­ern­ment registry. Other nations appoints their aristo­crats and children from the aris­tocracy may inherit the positions or title down through gener­a­tions, though most were of the wealthy before their appointments. Even so, those so honored usually receive a yearly sum from the taxes of the less honored. But there is some truth in the belief that the God of “America” is the dollar. Though, many of the wealthiest Americans are and have been the greatest contri­butors and bene­factors of all manner of worthy charities, including the government.

After the end of this “time of trouble” and the thousand year Judgment Day has finished its course, followed with a “little season” to test the judged for worthiness to life eternal, many changes in how we live will take place.

The human race will no longer kill and eat animals who will become our friends and all animals, including the human will cease to propagate as the earth is made perfect and a proper balance established among all its inhabi­tants. (Isa. 11:6)

Resurrection State

“For in the resurrection [state] they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels in the heaven.” (Matt. 22:30, Diaglott)

In light of the above think of this just for a moment, though it might be a flight of fancy and unwar­ranted speculation, as there is no scripture that we have found which might prove or disprove it. No marriage and no birth of children in God’s Kingdom after Christ’s Mil­len­­nial Judgment day. The scrip­ture does not say the human race will be angels, but “as” (like) the angels of heaven, though not spirit beings — earthly beings, “of the earth earthy.” (1Cor 15:47)

This is what we were created to be, a little lower than the angels. The reproductive organs of animals in­clud­­­ing humans, could likely become inoperable or even be

removed and since they are a part of the bodily waste system for the unconsumed portion of the food we eat, it is reasonable to consider that elimina­ting waste from the perfect human body will no longer be necessary as all food in the kingdom will be perfect and totally useful within the perfect body. As we said at the beginning of this flight of fancy, it is merely speculation. Although, it is hard to imagine angels find it neces­sary to eat. Since humans will be like angels, eating may not be necessary.

However as with everything, this is better left to the Creator of all things — our Heavenly Father and his Eternal Purpose.

This paper has been constructed in part from Volume 4 by Pastor C. T. Russell. (Not “The Resurrection State” on the previous page.)  Since the volume was first published in 1897, updating has been attempted in order to bring some of the advancements [?] in the facilities and nature of this present evil world.

LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

July 3, 2012

Dear Marjorie and all the friends there,

Warm greetings from Israel! It is warm as we are really into our summer here with most days 1000 or more. But we look back on a very rainy and snowy winter, which was a big blessing for Israel after 7 years of drought. It is so good to finally see the Sea of Galilee coming back up to a good level. We had a long, beautiful and very green spring as a result of all the rains. So we are thankful for God’s mercy on the land!

Hope you will not have hurricanes and severe weather there in Florida.

How are you and all there feeling? I hope it all goes well and you have the strength for each day.

As for me I am rejoicing in the faithfulness of the Lord to give me renewed strength and health daily! My last doctor (oncologist) visit and blood tests were very good. Even the doctor considered it a “miracle” since I have not taken the chemotherapy treatments. So I take one day at a time in the Lord’s strength.

July 18th I will have a 2nd cataract surgery on my left eye (had the right one done last year in June). So I pray it will go as well as the other one did!

Israel is in a tense “hold” pattern now as we await developments in our unstable neighbors. Syria is a big concern with its big amount of chemical weapons that could land in the wrong hands or be transferred to Hezbollah, or Hamas. Also Egypt is very shaky with them trying to make a new leadership, and the negative view of Israel, the peace agreement and the sad situation of the Christians there. Then there is the mess in Lebanon with so many factions. Hamas still sends rockets from Gaza as it pleases King Hussein in Jordan. He tries to walk the tightrope with lots of tensions there. Then we have Iran and Turkey who are both very unfriendly these days. So the Israeli government keeps needing God’s wisdom to work it out day by day.

So good to know God is in control in the end of things and has a plan and purpose for all these events and those in our own lives!

Thank you for your continuing work to serve the Lord daily.

Greetings to all there!

Shalom and Love from Zion, Hava Baush

No. 665: RETROSPECT

A review, survey, or contemplation of things of the past

Troubling Times and the Time of Trouble

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5)

This was at the time of “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” (2 Pet. 3:6) The period after our earthly father, Adam, had disobeyed the specific law God had given him. This was his Sin for which he had been promised death,   “...dying thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17); and eviction from his home in Paradise (Eden).

There is no evidence of Adam ever having received an immortal soul or a GOD provided eternal torment under the manage­ment of Satan, a burning hell for the souls of sinners. As a matter of fact there is no evidence whatsoever that The Creator gave mankind immortal souls or any other kind of soul. These are only two of the many lies of Satan, accepted by Papacy, the mother of harlots and the protestant harlots she hatched. “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMI­NATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Rev. 17:5) This is the mother church; she calls herself the mother church, the Papacy, mother of harlots and her harlot offspring the various Protestant entities. Instead, The Creator “…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7)

There was a period near the end of the “world that then was” (2 Pet. 3:6) not the end of the earth, the planet, but the world (societal order of the people). With which God allowed the angels to try their hand at recovering man from the conditions imposed by sin. One can imagine how eager those angels might have been to participate in the exciting acts of creation they had witnessed.

We are not told how many angels took part, but it seems sure there were only a small number who accepted Satan’s encouragement to take a hand. Of course, they were totally incapable of reversing the Creator’s eternal purpose and restoring Adam and Eve to that which was lost, eternal life and their home in Paradise. Think about it, what would life eternal mean to humanity? Certainly there would be no mental or bodily blemishes, no deformities, no illnesses, no meanness, no violence, no wars and no ugliness of any kind. Each human being would be perfect, unique and beautiful, all earth-bound angels. No room for jealousy, avariciousness, deceit or HATE.

Some people speak passionately about a supposedly coming rhapsody, in which all the good people throw off the “mortal coil” and are transported to Heaven as instant angels and the bad people to eternal torment as the planet earth is forever destroyed. One really has to be enthralled by the evil one, the deceiver, even to consider such nonsense as this imagined “Rhapsody.”

These people are bound by Satan and ignorant of the eternal purpose of our Creator.  HE had this purpose before forming the earth and cloaked it with vege­tation of all kinds from grass to trees. HE provided a diverse and beautiful zoological garden and created man to rule over it. “One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever.” (Eccl. 1:4)

 “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved HIM at

 his heart.” (Gen. 6:6) The word translated repented here is from the Hebrew word nacham [naw-kham], the primitive root of which is to sigh and by implication to be sorry – to pity. There is no indication that the Creator changed his mind or heart in the normal meaning of the English word repent. Everything is going exactly the way He has planned from the beginning. Everything is proceeding according to his “eternal pur­pose [Divine Plan].” (Eph. 3:11) He had pity for man’s growing depravity and it was the set time to bring that world to a halt. All that could be achieved here of the know­ledge of evil for his creatures, both spirit and human, had been accomplished. Any further­ance of this “world that then was” (2 Pet. 3:6) would have been counter-productive to man­kind and God’s “eternal purpose.” It was the due time.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am GOD, and there is none else; I am GOD, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isa. 46:9,10) What a reassuring message from our Heavenly Father, “the ancient of days,” whose day is as a thousand years (2 Pet 3:8). His major character traits are power, wisdom, justice, and love.

There is none other with the POWER to accomplish all according to an eternal purpose. No other WISDOM exists capable of this creation with an eternal purpose and to declare the end from the beginning. To exact JUSTICE in whom “judgment is laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet.” (Isa. 28:17) All these things equally balanced with perfect, Divine LOVE, “for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

With these things in mind, we must take a look at what our Heavenly Father accom­plished for us during this period designated by Him as “The World that then was.” He formed a habitat and from the elements thereof created man, a singular creature in His own image and He tells us about it suc­cinctly, clearly and simply in very few words. The angels rejoiced at God’s creation of man a little lower then themselves and were dismayed at man’s sin and the conse­quent death penalty. No doubt, they wanted eagerly to help and started out with fervor at the opportunity the Creator permit­ted. However, bit-by-bit, every effort failed until finally Satan, the deceiver, implanted the idea that they could beget an entirely new order of earthly creatures to supplant those already in place and obviously failing. It seemed reas­onable.

These deceived angels were led to believe they could assume an earthly nature and give birth to a new order, which they commenced to do. “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,  hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great dayHE.” (Jude 1:6) They violated God’s laws of nature; crossbreeding between different species pro­­­duces “mules,” which cannot reproduce. This alone, is a disproval of the theory of evolution. However, more often than not, the offspring is superior to the parents in many respects such as mental capa­city, strength and endurance. The pro­ducts of the union of angels and the daugh­ters of men were “giants.” They were physically and mentally larger and stronger, with a much greater tendency to evil and they could not reproduce. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with a mule of the four-legged variety, then you know.

These disobedient or sinful angels were not given the death sentence as was man. So far as we know they were not on trial for their lives. However, they were confined until the great thousand-year Day of Judgment so they could no longer interfere. But, as with man, all these fallen angels who will not be rehabilitated will be eliminated. “Know ye not that we (The Saints) shall judge angels…” (1 Cor. 6:3)

But why did God permit such a thing to happen when in his omniscience, He knew the outcome was inevitable? What good came of it? Could it be yet another wonderful lesson in the knowledge of evil for both the natural and spiritual creations? The vast majority of the angels did not participate with the few who kept not their first estate. These learned by observation of the abject failure of those who did. The angels, who fell from their first estate and practiced this abomination, have been confined in darkness until the Day of Judgment. It is not a light sentence. Imagine being confined in darkness and still conscious for only a 24 hour period, but for literally thousands of years? Man was sentenced to death, complete unconsciousness, a more lenient penalty and mankind learned a further lesson in the extreme sinfulness of sin – disobedience to God’s laws. Though still, most of us earthlings have not yet fully learned this lesson, but we shall in a little while.

Meantime in the World That Then Was, there were a few “sons of man” from Seth to Noah who maintained faith in God, even though they were unable to trace him. These are mentioned by name in the chronology of Genesis, Chapters 5 through 8, which estab­lishes the period as 1656 years from Creation of Adam to the day the flood was dried up.

Almost from the beginning, there were certain men who reverenced the Creator and had faith in Him. Noah was of those and because of his faith; he and his wife, three sons and their wives were saved out of the flood. These eight people began a New World (order). In this new order the human race was on its own, Angels were not allowed to interfere except as permitted and directed by the Creator. Man had free will to maintain reverence and faith in the Holy Father or take the course of sin and degradation, a further step in gaining the knowledge of evil. Of course, the Prince of the power of the air was allowed to continue to flit around sowing his seeds of evil within the purview of the Heavenly Father as a test of the faithful. 

After the flood, a Patriarchal Age ensued in which certain individuals starting with Noah were favored because of their reverence of God and faith in him. They are the spiritual progenitors of the people of the Kingdom of God —“The Ancient Worthies.”

Of the three sons of Noah, Shem retained the reverence of the Holy Father and it was from this lineage that sprang Abraham 352 years after the flood. Noah lived 350 years after the flood, dying just 2 years before Abram [Abraham] was born. Noah had to have been greatly venerated by all mankind; after all, he was the “grandfather” of the new order. This would have been especially true in the line through Shem. It is fair to say Abram was influenced by Noah.

the tower of babel

“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11:4)

The three sons of Noah became the roots of different branches of the human family, which spread in all directions across the earth. The survivors of the Great Flood moved apart and estab­lished their domains, nations and kingdoms. The various shades of skin color, eye shape, different food, lang­uages and beliefs account in one way or another for the differences between people.

The descendants of Shem migrated to an area north of the Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers join. They made a city and named it Babil, meaning “Gate to God.” But, actually they had lost confidence

in God and the tower of Babil began mostly as a protection against further disasters simi­lar to the great flood.

There was only one language on earth at the time, so the work was accomplished with ease. The rising tower grew higher and became more and more spectacular. “The Lord said they have all one language… and nothing they can imagine will be res­trained from them.” (Gen. 11:6,7) So he confounded their language (verse 7) and they could not understand each other and confu­sion grew instead of the tower.

After God confused the language of the builders, the tower stopped growing and its name became Babel, (babble in English) confusion. The name grew into Babylon for the city and Babylonia for the nation which, in time with expanding prosperity, became the First Universal Empire. Money flowed into it with trade afforded by the waters of the bordering great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. As the money grew, so did the respect of the rest of the world. The great city was built at the junction of the two great rivers (Read the first nine verses of Genesis Eleven.) The root meaning of both versions of the words Babel and Babylon is confusion and is a perfect type of all the babble of religious and secular governing systems. It was not necessarily just the confusion of language but at Satan’s prodding with it came confusion of beliefs. Not only does the type apply to Christianity and other religious forms but in addition the nations of this “Present Evil World” are typed here. (Gal. 1:4) Satan uses the extremes of error in op­position to one another in order to confuse and divert seekers of truth. The evil one uses confusion as one of his weapons. Re­mem­ber though, Satan can do nothing not sanctioned by our Great Heavenly Father, Alpha and Omega, the begin­­­ning and the end. But, mankind on its own in this present evil world has continually grown more and more evil until now it has become a volcano preparing to erupt.

king Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar was the 10th king of Babylonia and reigned from 605 - 562 B.C. He was the most powerful ruler of Babylonia. He established and ruled the First Universal Empire. His brilliance as a military leader and his architectural accomplishments are well known and studied even today.

King Nebuchadnezzar built one of the "seven wonders of the ancient world," the hanging gardens of Babylon. He improved canals and restored old religious monuments. He warred against and defeated Egypt, Tyre, Edom, and Judah. Among his many military conquests was the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. He then took the Israelites captive and force-marched them to Babylon. This period of the Hebrews is known as the “Babylonian Captivity.” It is chronicled in the book of Daniel and is foretold in the book of Jeremiah.

As King Nebuchadnezzar grew in power and might, he also grew very prideful. Partly as a warning to us, God used the king by punishing him. Pride is one of those things that God hates (Prov. 8:13). “Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16:18) He made King Nebuchadnezzar an example, drove him from men and he dwelled with the beasts of the field. He roamed the wild land and was forced to eat grass for seven years. Finally, the king acknowledged God as the King of Heaven and was brought ‘to his senses,’ “because every­thing he does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” (Dan. 4:37) The king died at the age of 68.

The Babylonian Empire was eventually destroyed as in Daniel's vision (Dan 4:31­,32). Today, Babylon is a part of Iraq, not far from the present-day city of Baghdad. Another ruler who likened himself to King Nebuchadnezzar was Saddam Hussein. Like his predecessor, Saddam's pride in his ac­comp­lishments led to his downfall without a legacy. Many of King Nebuchadnezzar's architectural feats have been excavated and the hanging gardens of Babylon have been mostly restored.

jesus tempted by satan

 “Again the devil taketh him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me.”  (Mat. 4:8-9)

Even Jesus was not exempt from the machinations of Satan, the evil one; the deceiver, even though The Heavenly Father permitted this, He had every confidence in His Only Begotten Son.

This was the third temptation of Christ by the devil. Changing his method of attack, he faked sympathy with our Lord. This time he no longer disputed with Jesus that he was the Son of God and took him up mentally, not physically to an exceedingly high mountain where the entire evil world was visible to them. This was Satan’s dominion; it pictured his power over the world of mankind, the power of a usurping prince imposing upon Christ the ignorance and superstition of man­kind. This panoramic presentation of Satan’s power was designed to impress upon our Redeemer the thought that Satan’s friendship and assistance would be most valu­able; vital to the success of the redeemer’s mission.

After all, the devil was (still is) the most influential god of this present evil world. This

Evil One, Satan, the devil, the deceiver and prince of the power of the Air holds in thrall and controls the leaders and rulers of the world, both religious and secular.

Our Lord clearly understood that in time he was to have authority over these kingdoms, and that his mission was to lay the foundation for an all-encompassing Kingdom of God, but he probably did not yet fully understand how or when. Hence, the peculiar force of this temptation.

Though God has given this world over to the “prince of the power of the air” until the full end of the Gentile times, (the present evil world) yet God has not given him unlimited power. What the devil accom­plishes is only that which The Heavenly Father allows as suits his “Eternal Purpose.”

His only begotton son

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up His only begotten son.” (Heb. 11:17)

Abraham had a childlike faith. He trusted GOD’S love and believed His wisdom superior to his own and accepted His auth­ority. Abraham did not always have the degree of faith that allowed him to obey God to the extent of offering his son in sacrifice, but when over time he had gained that faith and became the “father of the faithful.” Abraham was a type of God who offered up his only begotten son, Christ the second Adam, as a ransom. When Jesus reached his majority according to Jewish law at 30 years of age, he began the sacrifice of his perfect humanity in exchange for Adam’s life.

Christ’s services and sacrifice lasted 3½ years which makes him 331/2 years old when he died on the Cross at the date of the Jewish Passover at which Christ had estab­lished his Memorial, “this do in remem­brance of me.” It replaced the Passover which he fulfilled. This establishes his death in late March or early April. Counting back nine months his true birthday would be late October or early November.

To resolve a controversy over the correct date of his birth, Pope Julius in AD 349 selected December 25 as the date of our Lord’s birth. This was an arbitrary decision because the pagan Romans already had a celebration at the time honoring Mithras the sun god, and Christ’s birth would be substituted for this pagan god. The Mother of Harlots was picking up many popular pagan Roman celebrations and incorporating them to fit the fast developing Christian creed. This helped the pagans to accept The Mother of Harlot’s Christianity.

Jesus was The Creator’s first and special creation and chief assistant in the process of creating the earth, etc. He was allowed to help in Adam’s creation and in the provision of the special paradise, Eden the perfect home for the new creature made in earthly likeness to his Divine Creator. Jesus was not The Only Begotten Son during the creation following his own. He became this son by accepting his mission to die for Adam and us. First he was reduced to a perfect human seed, implanted into the body of a virgin and in due time birthed as a perfect male child and placed in a manger for lack of a crib.

Jesus never hesitated to accept his Heavenly Father’s mission to take on a perfect human life and sacrifice it for Adam and his human family. Mary, the bride of Joseph but still a virgin, was selected to be the earthly mother.

The Father fashioned His seed to suit the human, planted it in the woman and within the required time Jesus was born and grew into a perfect human being as Adam had been before he sinned. The human Jesus retained the memory of his mis­sion awarded him by the Heavenly Father to be the corresponding price for Adam and all of us still within Adam when he lost his life through disobedience of his Creator’s law.

Of course, Satan the deceiver had to get into the action. He convinced the leaders of the early church into thinking Christ after his sacrifice was a part of God, along with the Holy Spirit and formed the false premise of a society of Gods, a trinity. He further styled Mary as “the mother of God” and all manner of fantasies have grown from that falsehood. Church edifices, colleges and other monu­ments have been named St Mary’s. Mary the mother of Jesus would be so ashamed, for as far as we know, she remained humble and faithful all her life. However could she not with her experience of having been the birth mother of our Savior. We do not know for sure if she was one of the 144,000 who became the Bride of Christ, the Little Flock, who is the second Eve, and will rule with Christ in Heaven.

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believeth on him is

 not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16,18) This might indicate to some that the everlasting life was to be had in Heaven. But man was made by the Creator for the earth and a god of the earth. “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13)

Martin Luther styled the above two verses (16,18) “The Little Bible.” It certainly is the crux. It seems impossible that anyone could believe the malarkey that “his only begotten Son” is now an equal part of a society of Gods, the trinity? How pagan-istic can a Christian become?

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

Adam, the first perfect man, left his progeny a heritage of a home in the wilder­ness, devolution and death. We were con­demned with him long before our birth. But do not blame father Adam too much, for we have not done any better, look at the condition of this present evil world, growing more evil daily.

Jesus Christ (The Anointed) was the second perfect man. Thus far there has never been but these two. Christ gave up, his highly exalted position in Heaven to become a perfect human and die to pay the corres­ponding price for Adam and his progeny, all condemned by sin.

the trials of Jesus christ

God did not allow these trials to be easy. The faithful few knew that if Jesus was convicted as charged it would be a travesty and the death sentence the opposite of justice. The Jewish Sanhedrin was the highest judicial and ecclesiastical council of the ancient Jewish nation was composed of from 70 to 72 members. It was the highest court of the Jews. Three times they tried him, presided over by Annas, the Chief Priest, then later by his son Calaphas and finally by the entire Sanhedrin. He was given the death sentence all three times. But, the Jews were not allowed by the Roman Empire to carry out a death sentence without the Empire’s permission. (John 18:12­­­-14; Matt. 26:57-68; Matt. 27:1,2)

The Sanhedrin bound Jesus and deliver­ed him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judaea, who examined the Jewish convict.  He found nothing against him and declared him innocent. The death penalty could apply only if he was found guilty of plotting against the Roman Empire. Pilate found no evidence of this. Then they took him to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee the Jewish sub-Governor who also found him innocent as he would not go against Pilate. Finally Pilate acceded to the wishes of the Jews, but washed his hands in public before them to show he was not responsible for the execution of Jesus and reluctantly sent him, handed him over, to the Jews for death on the cross.

Some of the Jews were puzzled thinking he called for Elijah as he was dying. Even today they read or quote the 22nd lament Psalm and rock from side to side and cry aloud at the wailing wall of the Temple Mount. David felt something, at least, of what Christ was to go through dying on the cross. Jesus through his earthly mother was a direct descendant of King David. See the first Chapter of Matthew for the lineage from David to Jesus.

He called out in a “loud voice” indicat­ing considerable vitality after nine hours nailed to the, massive, beastly wooden cross “God, my God.” This attests to us the fact that he did not claim to be the Heavenly Father or a part of him, but the Son of Him. This makes the title “mother of God” for the Virgin Mary by the Harlots’ ludicrous indeed. But of course, the Harlots are enthralled under control of the Prince of the Power of the Air, the Devil of this Present Evil World.

The Heavenly Father’s sustaining power had to be withdrawn to make the sacrifice complete. Evidently, knowledge of this had been withheld from The Anointed because he must suffer this phase of the punishment for Adam’s transgression. This was a real agony, not faked and it is certain that both Father and son felt it.

why hast thou forsaken me?

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” − King David’s lament. (Psalms 22:1)

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark15:34)

Some of the Jews were puzzled thinking he called for Elijah just before his death. Nevertheless, even today they read or quote the 22nd lament Psalm and rock from side to side and cry aloud at the wailing wall of the Temple Mount.

David felt something, at least, of what Christ was to go through dying on the cross. Jesus through his earthly mother was a direct descendant of King David. See the first Chapter of Matthew for the lineage from David to Jesus.

The penalty Jesus paid for Adam’s sin was more than “dying thou shalt surely die” but also he had to be cut off from fellowship with God. Jesus in taking the sinner’s place must have the full experience of the sinner’s alienation, at least for the moment. Obviously, this must have been hidden from him and probably more hurtful than being nailed to the cross. “Why hast thou forsaken me?” In his spiritual life prior to taking on the earthly mantle, he was an angel with a closer contact with the Heavenly Father than any other angel. He was God’s first creation and the Chief Angel. Jesus did creation work under guidance of the architect who had “The Eternal Purpose.” Jesus was not the alpha and omega and not GOD’S only begotten Son until he was born of the woman who accepted GOD’S seed.

The Heavenly Father’s sustaining power had to be withdrawn to make the sacrifice complete. Evidently knowledge of this had been withheld from The Anointed, because he must suffer this phase of the punishment for Adam’s transgression. This was a real agony, not faked and it is certain that both Father and son felt it.

the first resurrection

“…I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25, 26)

Jesus spoke of the intended results of his sacrifice. Even then he suspended temporarily the power of death by restoring Lazarus again.

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [even] the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13)

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with  him a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:5,6)

The strike-through of the first sentence of vs. 5 above is to show that it is spurious. It perhaps crept into the text by accident. Scholars of the ancient Greek language have agreed that no manuscript prior to the Sev­enth Century AD contained this sentence. However, there seems to be an element of truth in it.

The resur­rection the rest of the dead will be throughout a thousand years Judgment Day, a “Millennium” in which The Christ, Head and Body, will be the judge to determine

worthiness of each of them for eternal life as perfect human beings as Adam was before his sin. If they are successful and pass this judgment they will become perfect humans as Adam was before his sin and live forever. If they fail, it is the Second Death for which there will be no Savior.

The First Resurrection is Christ and the Saints, the 144,000 members of his “Bride,” already gathered. They will occupy the throne with Christ and participate in the judging the rest of the dead and the fallen angel.  

Announcement

Our Lord’s Memorial is after 6 PM on Sunday, March 24, 2013. We will celebrate the Memorial at 7 p. m., 2501 Morningside Drive, Mount Dora, Florida 32757. All of like faith are invited to attend.

No. 664: THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:14)

Of the four records, only John attempted to trace our Lord’s genealogy to the heavenly source, and to show us that before he was made flesh, he was a spirit being with the Father and a sharer of His glory – a god with The God. All the Evan­gelists are clear in their statement that he “was made flesh.” But not that he remained a spirit being, and assumed flesh as clothing in which to appear to men, but, however ex­plainable, that the life power of the spirit being, the Logos, became the life power of the human being, born of a woman and under the Law, subject to all the conditions and circumstances of the Jews.

Matthew traces Joseph’s genealogy; for although the state­ment is clear that Jesus was not the son of Joseph, nevertheless, being adopted by him as his son, He might, without impropriety, inherit through him. Luke shows the gene­alogy of Mary, by which our Lord was actually related, according to the flesh, to our race and to the royal family of David through the line of Nathan.

The time of our Lord’s birth was an auspicious one in several respects. It is very evident Divine wisdom had exercised itself in respect to the world’s affairs by way of preparation for the important event: (1) The spirit of world-conquering that began with Nebuchad­nezzar’s kingdom was favorable to it, in the sense that it brought the various families or nations of mankind into closer contact with each other, broaden­ing their ideas. (2) This policy had resulted in the transplanting of peoples from one land to another, and thus had made them more cosmopolitan in their sentiments. (3) Israel and Judah, thus transplanted in their captivity to Babylon, became so at­tached to the new condi­tions that comparatively few of them availed themselves of the offer of Cyrus to return to their own land, only about fifty thousand of all the tribes, out of several millions. The Jews among the Gentiles were not at all lost and had not abandoned all of their hopes in the Abrahamic Covenant, or all of their faith­fulness to the Mosaic Law. However they were lax in these matters and too full of the love of gain and ease to cultivate the spirit of Israelites indeed. Nevertheless, they had their influence amongst all the nations with whom they dwelt, and were witnesses to the hopes of Israel in the one God and in a coming Messiah, the Son of God, to be the world’s Deliverer.

(4) The triumph for a time of the Greek Empire had brought to the civilized world a highly developed literature. The Greek language had reached its zenith, and was the literary language of the civilized world. (5) The Roman Empire had conquered the world and was in the height of its power, and as a result, there was a time of universal peace and hence a more favorable time than any before for the an­nouncement of the Gospel and for the safety of its represent­atives in passing from na­tion to nation. (6) Israel itself had reached probably its highest development, in­tellectually, morally and religiously, and addi­tionally we are told in the Scriptures that “All men were in expectation” of the Messiah’s coming. (Luke 3:15)

The noting of these little incidentals by which Divine providence prepared for our Savior’s earthly birth and for the sending forth of the Gospel message, is strengthening to the faith of the Lord’s people. Realizing God’s care in the past even over the little things, gives a foundation for confidence in His wisdom and provision for the features of His plan which are yet future. The fulfillment of all the exceeding great and precious promises which centered in Him who was born in Bethlehem and so also a realization of the Divine providence in the larger affairs of the Divine plan, stimulate faith in the Lord’s providences as respects the personal and more private affairs of His people. Let us more and more realize that as even the smallest inci­dents connected with the birth of our Savior were ordered of the LORD, so also He is both able and willing to order all of the affairs of His spiritual children.

Let us reason with the Apostle that if God loved us when we were yet sinners, so as to make such careful provision for our redemption; how much more would He love us now that we are no longer rebels, aliens, strangers or foreigners, but have become His sons, fellow-heirs with Christ and all the saints? We may have confidence in His love and in His providential care. According to His promise to the called ones to His purpose, all things shall work together for good to them that love Him (Rom. 8:28).

The same decree that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem brought many others of the numerous family of David, and as the inns or hotels of that time were comparatively limited in number and in capacity, it is not surprising that the inn proper was full of guests when Joseph and Mary arrived. Indeed, it was rather the custom for many travelers to carry with them their own lodging outfits, and to provide for their own conveniences in the courtyard connected with the inns. And hence, the experiences of Joseph and Mary were by no means exceptional. When therefore the Babe Jesus was born, a manger became His most convenient cradle.

The city of Bethlehem today, probably is not so dissimilar from what it was in that day, for in that land customs seem to have changed but little in centuries. A certain grotto is claimed to be the one which two thousand years ago was the stable of the inn, and a certain stone manger is shown which, it is claimed, was the one in which the Baby Jesus was laid. Over this has been erected a Catholic Church, and various ceremonies are continually performed in and about and connected with “the sacred manger.”

With those ceremonies, we can feel little sympathy, believing them to be rather of the nature of idolatries. To us the center of interest is not the holy ground on which our Savior trod. Or the holy manger in which He lay as a babe, nor His holy mother; yea, though we reverence His flesh, and are deeply interested in all that pertains thereto, especially in all its experiences, from the time of its conse­cration to death at baptism. Nevertheless, our greater interest is in our risen Lord, the new creature perfected, the spiritual One, far above manhood, far above angels, principalities and powers and every name that is named – next to the Father, and ex­alted to His right hand of power. The Apostle voices this sentiment well, saying, “Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him [so] no more.” Our knowledge of Him as the risen and glorified Lord and Savior thoroughly out­shines all of our interest in His earthly life. (2 Cor. 5:16) And yet His earthly life is interesting and profitable to us, as we have seen and shall see.

Had the people assembled at Bethlehem realized who this was that had come to their city – that He was from the heavenly courts, that He was the Logos made flesh, that He had come to “save His people from their sins.” How gladly they would have wel­comed Him into the inn, have given for His use and comfort its choicest apartment! But they knew Him not and hence lost this great privilege of ministering to Him. Sim­ilarly, in every city and town where the Lord’s people are (His true saints), there are many who would make them welcome and give them the best at their disposal, did they but recognize them as the messengers of Jesus and of the Heavenly Father; but as the Apostle says, “The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” (1 John 3:1) The disciple must not expect to be above his Lord, and hence, even when going upon missions of mercy and benevolence and as ambas­sadors for God, we should expect that the Lord’s providence would furnish for us, not the most palatial accommodations, but probably very hum­ble conditions.

When we find it thus we should rejoice that to some extent at least we have experiences which harmonize with those of our Lord.

The Lord’s people will obtain a blessing in proportion as they are prepared to receive all opportunities for God’s service as Divine favors, and to appreciate them, no matter how humble the conditions. And it is noteworthy that Joseph, Mary, Jesus, the disciples or the Evangelist who recorded the incident, offer the slightest complaint or suggestion of dissatisfaction with the ar­rangements provided by Divine providence. In proportion as they would have felt dissatisfied with those provided, in that proportion the Divine plans would not have worked for their good.

SHEPHERDS WATCHING BY NIGHT

The vicinity of Bethlehem is a pastoral countryside, and even today is still covered with flocks of sheep. It was and still is the custom for shepherds to remain with their flocks by night to guard against thieves and predatory wild beasts. It was in this vicinity that the future King David, as a shepherd-boy protecting his flocks, slew a bear and on one oc­casion a lion.

Shepherds as a group were not particu­larly well educated through formal schooling. But sheep are more or less a docile animal that requires very little attention beyond herding and protecting. The shepherd has quite a bit of peaceful time for reflections and conversations with each other and can become very know­ledgeable, philosophical and intellectual. The shepherd whom God honored in making him king of HIS typical kingdom, was a great poet, and evidently much of his time while shepherding was given to the muse, and one of his most beautiful poems (Psalm 23) represents The Holy Father himself as the Shepherd of His people, His flock, for which He cares. It was to men of this thoughtful class, and no doubt men familiar with David’s Psalms and with the Messianic hopes therein set forth, that the Lord sent the first message respecting His Son made flesh.

The description of the appearance of an angel, and of the fear which the bright­ness of his countenance engendered, is both simple and natural. All mankind more or less feels instinc­tively a fear of the supernatural, a trepidation at the very thought of being in the presence of the holy angels. And this is proper as well as natural, for all realize their own imperfections through the fall, fearing more or less that the results to themselves would be unfavorable if Divine justice were laid to the line and to the plummet in respect to their affairs. All seem instinctively to realize their need of mercy at the hands of Him with whom we have to do. And so it was with these shepherds; they were frightened as they beheld the heavenly visitor in their midst; but his message was not one of justice, nor in any sense of condemnation, but of Divine mercy. He soothed them with the words, “Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people.” Can we wonder that joy took the place of fear in their hearts as they heard the gracious words? Surely not. And so it is with all who from that day to the present time have heard this true Gospel mes­sage, not merely with the outward ears, but truly, with the ears of their understanding, comprehending and appreciating it.

How false and how sad has been the understanding of this message by many of God’s people, as it has echoed to them down through the Age! How few have heard it gladly, appre­ciatively! How remarkable that nearly all of the different churches and their thous­ands of ministers and hundreds of thousands of Sunday School teachers should unite in a complete contradiction of this message of the angels.

This contradiction not only wounds their own sentiments and grieves their own hearts, but robs our dear Sav­ior’s mission of nine-tenths of its majesty. It thoroughly dishonors and maligns the name of our gracious Heavenly Father by its misrepresentation of the salvation HE has provided in Christ Jesus. Even in our day there are some who having received the true “good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people,” and deny this great Truth.  They say, “Not all the people – only those people who join with us.”

GOOD VERSUS BAD TIDINGS

Some perhaps may be surprised, and even shocked, at such an arraignment of the message which they and other well-meaning, but blinded, Christians are delivering in the name of the Gospel – for the word “gospel” signifies by  derivation  Glad  or  Good  Tidings. We are quite ready to believe that the vast majority of those who promulgate these bad tidings of eternal misery, as being the Divine message and sentence to the vast majority of mankind, are wholly unaware of how seriously they misrepresent the Divine character and govern­ment in the message which they carry to men. They misstate the Gospel, not of intention, but of blindness, the very blindness mentioned by the Apos­tle as originating with the great Adversary (2 Cor. 4:4). The blind­ness by which he blinds the minds of the vast majority, to hinder them from realizing the glorious light of God’s goodness revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Oh, if we could only get all true Christians to study Luke 2:10, and see the depths of its significance, it would quickly revolutionize the teachings of Christendom! But as our Lord declared, some of the deep things of the Divine plan are hidden from many of the wise and prudent according to the course of this world, and are revealed only to the humble – the babes. Nevertheless, the testimony of God standeth sure. All whose understanding has been opened and who have been enabled to comprehend some of the lengths, the breadths, the heights and the depths of God’s love may rejoice. The ignorance of the world in general on this subject and the opposition of the great Adversary, who is blinding them, cannot continue forever. It must soon give place, when the Lord’s due time shall come. When He who died on Calvary for the world’s redemp­tion shall begin His glorious reign by binding that old serpent, the devil, Satan, that he should deceive the nations no more for the thousand years of the Millennial reign. Then all shall see out of obscurity, and shall discern that at present it is the privilege only of the favored few to see respecting the Divine character and plan ­that the message of the angel was true, every word of it. That the grand results to flow from the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem justified the message sent by the great Father in Heaven. It is a good message of great joy which eventually shall be to all people. As a result, all whose enlightenment and blessing shall have no hindrance, no restriction. All shall come to “an accurate knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4, Dia.) And an oppor­tunity to avail themselves of the grace, mercy and peace provided for all in the great salvation secured by Jesus’ ransom-sacrifice. In that glorious reign, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) In contrast to the present “evil world” when “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

The angel further explained his great Gospel message, showing its basis, and de­claring that all the good things mentioned should come to pass because the Savior–Messiah, had been born. The one so long looked for in Israel, the promised seed of Abraham in whom not only Israel should be blessed and exalted to honor, dignity and cooper­ation, but in whom also “all the families of the earth should be blessed.” And let us here remark that the order of presentation used by the heavenly messenger, and evidently divinely ordered, is the proper presentation of this subject which should be adopted by all who seek to be used of the Lord as His ambassadors. First, there is the grand pronouncement of Divine favor and blessing. It is a cause for joy and ultimately shall extend to every creature. Secondly, there is the specific explanation of how all this is to be accomplished through a Savior, a Deliverer, who as stated in our text; in order to deliver His people from the wages of sin, death, into eternal life and blessing. But first of all must save them from their sins. And we see from other Scriptures that this salvation from our sins signifies not only the payment on our behalf of the penalty for Adamic Sin, but also, subsequently, man’s in­struction in righteousness and lifting out of sin; in which uplift each one is re­quired to cooperate to the extent of his will and ability.

So all teaching of the grace that is to come to mankind should be coupled with the philosophy of the salvation. The Savior made flesh and the flesh devoted or sacrificed for our sins. The Savior glorified in due time after the selection of His Church, His Bride. Then He shall, with her, according to the Divine plan, establish His King­dom of righteousness for the uplifting of the world of mankind from ignorance, superstition and general degradation into which the great Adver­sary has gotten them through the fall and through his subsequent blinding and misleading. In this connection, it is well to remember that our Lord’s name, Jesus, signifies THE GOD is salvation. All who would be of the elect Church must have the spirit of the bridegroom (as well as by faith be covered with the garment of His imputed right­eousness); and that His spirit is one of opposition to sin to the extent of self-sacrifice. We also are to “resist unto blood (death) in striving against sin.” (Heb. 12:4)

Then the angel gave the shepherds an intimation of the humble conditions under which this great King of earth was born into the world, as a babe, wrapped in swaddling bands and lying in a manger. This was necessary, not only to their identification of Jesus, but necessary also to bring down their thoughts from the great and grand results to its humble beginnings, lest they should be misled in their expectations. And as it is with every part of the Divine plan, so also it should be in respect to all of our proclamations of the same. We are not only to tell of the future glory, greatness, and grandeur, but we are to tell also of the present humiliation. Not only of our Sav­ior who humbled Himself to take a low estate amongst men, and to die for our sins but also, to point out that the “elect” are called to walk in His footsteps, under similarly humiliating circum­stances.

If they would reign with Him, suffer with Him, and die with Him they would live with Him. And thus, the prophets spoke not only of the glory that should follow, but also of the sufferings of Christ (Head and Body) which must precede the glory (1 Pet. 1:11).

The lesson to everyone who has ears to hear it is “No cross, no crown.” Let us then, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and rejoice in every step of the humiliation that He may exalt us in due time to share the glories of His Son, our Lord. To share with Him the grand work of blessing all the families of the earth.

It was a fitting climax that, after the one angel had told the surprised shepherds of the good tidings of great joy for all people and was ready to depart, he should be joined by an angelic host, singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” This was but a reiteration of the Gospel message already de­livered. It declared that the work which should be accomplished by the babe just born should redound to the highest glory and honor of The High God, His Father. It declared also that through this work to be accomplished by Jesus, should come to earth divine good will and consequently peace and all that these would imply in the way of bless­ings of restitution and privilege of attaining everlasting life.

But how much in conflict with all this are the erroneous theories which have gained cred­ence in Christendom. Teaching, notwithstanding the ransom, which our Lord Jesus gave and notwithstanding the turning aside of the original sentence upon our race as the result of the propitiation for our sins accepted by the Father; the vast majority of the human family will nevertheless to all eternity, be in rebellion against God, and in torture will continually blaspheme His name. That is without ever having had a full, reasonable opportunity to know the Savior or to accept His salvation. How strange that any should think that such a plan would be glory to God in the highest!

How strange that any should refuse to see the very plain statement of the Scrip­ture that God has provided through Christ that every member of the human family shall have a full opportunity of coming to a knowledge of the truth, and then of relinquish­ing sin and of accepting new life of righteousness under the New Covenant. Then whoever still refuses and will not submit himself to this righteous arrangement (refuse to rid themselves of the Adamic Death Process, the defilements they had re­maining in their characters from the reign of sin) shall be utterly destroyed from amongst the people in the Second Death (Acts 3:23). That none will be suffered to live in sin and opposition to God to blemish any part of God’s dominions, but that all the incorrigible shall be as though they had not been. In no other way can we pos­sibly imagine that the time will ever come when there will be full peace among men.

The only solution which God offers res­pecting the establishment of peace is in connection with the establishment of His King­dom, for which our dear Redeemer taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” That will mean peace in its fullest and most absolute sense. The Scriptural propo­sition does not include the violation of any man’s will. But merely the offering through Christ of any opportunity for the ever­lasting blessing and peace, or he will be cut off in the Second Death if he fails to appreciate the Divine offer (Acts 3:23). Isaiah 35th Chapter is a brief and beautiful des­cription of that glorious Kingdom.

The shepherds having heard of God’s grace manifested their interest by visiting and paying their homage to the Savior. So each one who has heard of the grace of God with an appreciative heart can do nothing less than seek the Lord and do Him rev­erence and serve His cause by proclaiming the gracious message with which he has been favored.

Let us each do so, and thus more and more increase in our hearts our joys and our appreciation of the Gospel – the Good News.

THE GREAT SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psa. 23:1,2)

The thought presented in this text as in other Scriptures is that the great Over-Shepherd ap­pointed His Son to be the Under Shepherd of the Sheep, even as the Son has appointed under-shepherds in the Church sub­ject to Him. The great Under-Shepherd does not shepherd goats or wolves. The only ones who are shepherded are the sheep; and special care is taken of the faithful Flock of God. The great Over-Shepherd looks out for the interests of His sheep, provides for them, and leads them into green pastures, as the Psalmist tells us. He also protects them from wolves and other ravenous beasts. The Scriptures give us good evidence that orig­inally the Jewish nation con­stituted this flock, and that King David recognized himself as one of the sheep. Israel was not chosen by the Lord because they were better than the rest of mankind; but God made an exception of the people on account of Father Abra­ham, for whose sake He became the “Shepherd of Israel.” Because of Abraham’s great faith in God and his implicit obedience under the most crucial tests, the Lord promised to make of his seed a peculiar people above all the peoples of the earth. He promised to bless them, to assume a particular care over their affairs, and eventually to use them in blessing all other nations.

So God made the twelve tribes of Israel His chosen people. And in proportion as they were obedient to His commands, He blessed them; and whenever they went astray, He chastised them and brought them back again under His care. And this is true of spiritual Israel, during the Gospel Age, He chastises the “children of disobedience” (the Measurably Faithful New Creatures) and aban-dons them for a time un­til they are penitent and repent of their willfulness, at which time He brings them back again under His care.

So while the Lord had a care over the affairs of Natural Israel, and still has a care, He has a still more particular care over the affairs of Spiritual Israel. How­ever, as we know, the first privilege of becoming a member of Spiritual Israel was offered to Natural Israel just as the first privilege of becoming a member of Christ’s children when the New Covenant is inaugurated will be to Natural Israel after the flesh. But all now who are privileged to use these words are the fully faithful of the Faith Age: “God is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of right­eousness for His Name’s sake.” In this 23rd Psalm, there is a distinction between sheep and wolves in the Faith Age, just as there is a difference of sheep and goats during the works Age and during Christ’s Kingdom. God has chosen for the members of this nation those,  few in number, who are sheep-like in disposition and who desire to come into His Fold. For these He has provided a par­ticular way in which to enter this Fold. He does not have bears in His Fold, nor ti­gers nor wolves nor birds of prey. God does not recognize such; they are not to be fed and cared for as He cares for His sheep.

If, therefore, we would claim the promise of this beautiful Psalm, we must make sure that we are of sheep like disposition and desirous of being led of the True Shep­herd. We are to be careful to note that there is only one Shepherd who is able to care for our interest and who can be safely entrusted with them. A strange shep­herd would lead the sheep astray, would lead them into difficulties, dangers and disaster. For this reason, we do not trust everybody who wears the garb of a shepherd. There is but one Shepherd that we can trust. He has appointed as the Under-Shepherd the One who died for us, that He might fully deliver all the sheep from the Evil One – the roaring lion who walketh about seeking whom he may devour.

Our gracious Savior left the Courts of Glory and came down to earth, and for thirty-three years He traversed with weary feet this vale of tears. He mingled with the poor and lowly; He wept with the sorrowing and the sinful; He had no place to lay His head. He bore the grieves and sickness of those about Him. He did all this to recover us from the bond­age of sin; to deliver us from the death sentence imposed upon Adam and all in his loins. How grateful we should be for such a Shepherd! How can we sufficiently show forth His praise! Truly we can never know it on this side of the veil; “how dark was the night that the Lord passed through,” that He might redeem us to God – and not only His sheep of the Faith Age, but also the sheep of the Millennial Age.

But the sheep of the present Age, who are to be exalted, and are to do a shep­herding work for the sheep of the incoming Age, are given a distinct and peculiar training, to fit them for their future great work. From the time they are accepted to this higher plane, they are dealt with accordingly. This means that they must have certain trials and afflictions, according to the flesh. They represent only a small portion of mankind, those who have special qualities of earnestness, humility and love of righteousness. It is a “narrow way.”

But, having come into this Fold of God, we have every reason for confidence in the great Shepherd, and should recognize His constant care over us, His supreme interest in our spiritual welfare. Let us be good sheep! Let us not stray from the Fold, to the right hand or to the left, nor be attracted away from the green pastures and pure waters to go browsing on the thistles and
poisonous weeds of some by-path, or to drink of the muddy, polluted waters of hu­man speculation and delusive theories of men. In other words, let us keep the Truth and the Spirit of the Truth even though we travel a very lonely way. The way has in­deed been lonely in this day of “special wrath,” with some of the Lord’s dear people becoming weary of well doing, attracted away from the green pastures, frequently into the “fold” of the measurably faithful under-shepherds.

The basic concepts of the foregoing are from the writings of the fully faithful under-shepherds of the Laodicean period, much of which is verba­tim. Since the demise of That Servant, however, the measurably faithful under-shepherds have perverted and distorted the “faith once delivered unto the saints.” These have especially so in regard to the Messianic blessings “to the Jew first,” those covenant-keeping Jews after the flesh.

It will be through natural Israel that “all the families of the earth” will be blessed, even as we have been taught. We see ever increasing evidence of these truths in the  study of Israel today, its economy, agriculture, advances in the sciences, medicine etc.

 And for these “good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people,” we echo the singing of the angelic host – “Glory to God in the high­est, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Although we know that December 25th is not the true date of Christ’s birth. But, since we were never enjoined by either Him or the Heavenly Father to celebrate Christ’s birth, we are content to join all people of good will in so doing.

Our cordial good wishes to all for a Blessed Holiday Season – and may “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)

(Garnered from and inspired by Brother John J. Hoefle’s paper No. 375, December 1986.)