NO. 298: THE EVOLUTION THEORY - PART TWO

No. 298

The Population – The human population offers another staggering blow to evolution. There is great argument among them about the age of man, some claiming 100,000 years, and others claiming as much as 2,000,000 years. But mathematics prove that even the lowest of these estimates is an absurdity; for it is altogether too short a time for such a method as evolution to bring from apes a being like man into existence and into his present condition. The 1922 Berlin statistics, the latest then available, gives the population as 1,804,187,000 (it is now in 1980 more than twice that figure). To reach this number the human race must have doubled itself 30.75 times; for, if we raise the number 2 to that figure, the result is 1,073,741,824. Thus the race had to double itself between 30 and 31 times. The Bible chronology tells us that the flood began in the Fall of 2473 B.C.; and to the Spring of 1922 this would give us 4,493.5 years. Now, Shem (the eldest son of Noah) was begotten a few months less than 100 years before the flood (see Gen. 11:10; 5:32; 6:6). Therefore, in that year one hu­man couple and their descendants came through the flood to populate the earth anew. Hence, in the 4,493.5 years before the Spring of 1922 the race doubled itself 30.75 times. This gives us an average of 146.13 years for each doubling of the population. Thus the time from Jacob’s marriage to 1922 was 3,798 years. Raising 2 to its 23.8758th power we get 15,393,815 – the Jewish population in 1922. Dividing 3,798 by 23.8758 we get 159.07, which would be the average number of years for Jacob’s descendants to double themselves – to become a population of 15,398,815 from Jacob’s marriage until 1922.

Also, Abraham’s descendants through Ishmael (the Arabs not only in Arabia, but in the rest of Asia and in Africa) number approximately 25,000,000. According to the Bible chronology, Abraham entered Canaan at 75 (Gen. 12:4) in the Spring of 2045 B.C.; hence, 3966 years before the Spring of 1922 A.D. Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old (Gen. 16:16); hence 3955 years before the Spring of 1922. Hence the Spring before Abraham and Hagar were a childless couple, which was 3,956 years before the Spring of 1922. But 25,000,000 is the 24.4901th power of 2. Hence Abraham and Hagar doubled themselves in their descendants every 161.53 years – 3,956 divided by 24.4901. These investigations show that the whole race doubled itself since Noah and his wife were childless every 146.13 years, the Jews doubling themselves every 159.07 years, and the Arabs doubling themselves every 161.53 years. Doubtless why the entire race kept doubling itself on an average of about 15 years sooner than the Jews and the Arabs is due to the fact that it is written of both typical and antitypical Ishmaelites that their hand would be against every man and every man’s hand would be against them (Gen. 16:12), with the result that more of them on the average met with untimely deaths and propagating hindrances than the average of the rest of the race, like the starving conditions of Asiatic and African deserts and constant wars and feuds for the Arabs, mad among others, the Assyrian, Babylonian-and Roman conquests and Gospel-Age persecution for the Jews. But, with these limitations, that the figures for all three should be practically alike proves that the principle on which they have been obtained is on the average reliable.

Let us now consider some of the wild statements of the evolutionists, who claim man has been on this earth perhaps two million years. The mildest guess of any of them is a hundred thousand years; and we shall give them all the advantage by using that figure. Let us assume that the population doubled one-tenth as fast as did the Arabs; that is, once every 1,161 years. In one hundred thousand years the population would have doubled itself 86 times (we are omitting fractions); and 2 raised to the 86th power is 4,660, 210, 253,138, 204,300 – or more than two and one-half billion times as many people as are now on earth. This destroys even the mildest form of evolution on man’s age on the earth. If there had been no flood in Noah’s day, the increase in the population would be such a staggering figure that human minds could not grasp it; in other words, about 2,500 times its present population. Thus it should be clear enough that the Bible rec­ord of man’s history is readily acceptable; whereas, that of evolutionists appears as self-evident nonsense.

All the foregoing is based upon the fact that all human beings came from one pair; but this is also farfetched if we consider that it would be just as reasonable for men to evolve from apes in Asia, Africa, Europe or America as from any one pair. And such a conclusion simply complicates the situation still more for the evolutionists. The fig­ures prove conclusively that man could not have evolved from the ape, because in two mil­lion years the race would have doubled once in every 65,040 years. On that basis, there would be less than four Arabs and four Jews on earth now. All of this certainly disputes evolution, and shows that man was a direct creation at the hand of God, as the Genesis account tells us it did.

As mentioned aforegoing, a strong second argument against evolution is the unity of the human race. That “God hath made of one blood all nations” is clearly proven by the fact that all races interbreed, and their offspring is fertile; but this would not be true if we are as the animals, because even the most closely related animals can pro­duce another, but that one cannot reproduce itself, thus avoiding discontinuance of any evolutionary theory.

Thus, the ability of human beings to interbreed, whereas none of the animals can do this, certainly is a compelling argument against evolution. As stated above, all lan­guages are derived from five others; and all basically have one language. So words like ‘father’ and ‘mother’ are very similar in many languages of the five groups, which proves the early origin of home and civilization. If certain forms of evolution were true, our present languages could not be reduced to five linguistic groups, and these five in turn reduced to one; but they would have to be traced to thousands of non-re­lated languages, such as the thousands of evolved species that mankind would have in­vented, had there been such a situation.

The unity of the race in religious beliefs also militates against evolution. Had evolution been true, there would certainly be at least one section of the race – one na­tion – that would have reared a population of atheists; and probably more, but there is not a single one that does so. Thus all races hold the following religious ideas: A su­preme God surrounded by subordinate gods, such as the angels recognized by the Christian part of the world. In the Greek and Roman mythology much is related about such, show­ing their bickerings, their weaknesses, etc., but the Bible clearly states in Gen. 1:31 that “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” The record of all the heathen gods clearly disputes that all their gods (angels, etc.) are “very good.” The cheapest kind of quarrels and intrigues are recorded of many of them; and those records are certainly not “by inspiration,” as our Christian Bible is by inspira­tion. (2 Tim. 2:16,17)

Furthermore, if evolution were true, why not have all the lower species passed out, of existence through evolving into higher species – until by now there would be only one left – man – and he on the way to evolving to some higher species? Also, why have some species become so large, like the ancient saurians, and our modern elephants alleged later species than these, e.g., monkeys become so small, if evolution is true? And why did Romanes, while yet an evolutionist, find that the collective intelligence of all spe­cies equals the intelligence of the average child of 15 months, if evolution is true? Why should all males but one, and all females but one die as members of the 3,000,000, and the two not die as such, but as members of the next higher species? Would not this be as unlikely as if untold decillians of dollars being tossed into the air, should all fall heads down except two?

If as Huxley, a leading evolutionist, said “There is an enormous gulf, a diver­gence practically infinite, between the lowest man and the highest beast.” Then why are there not between man and ape many other species in existence, if evolution is true? Surely Huxley’s gulf between them is evident when we consider man’s immense superiority to the ape in physical and mental respects, letting out of consideration entirely the moral and religious aspects, of the latter of which the ape is entirely destitute. Why are the senses of seeing, hearing and smelling on the wane in man, why are people now more nervous than formerly, why do more people become bald than formerly, and why are distresses – physical, mental and moral – increasing if evolution is the law of ex­istence? Certainly such and other like considerations refute evolution as a law of ex­istence. Degeneration is the trend, not evolution. Even in the better civilized of the nations we find insanity and nervous disorders increasing to such an extent it is taxing the authorities over the limit to know how to cope with these things.

Freely do we admit our limitations when it comes to gauging the age of this planet in its early formative stage – as a molten mass. Nor do we consider it necessary that we understand this. Our main argument here has to do with man, and very little else. – It seems that a sort of specialized evolution was carried on for some years after the first life came into the pristine mud and species that followed thereafter; but we are not in position definitely to prove any of it, nor does it greatly concern us.

We have already shown that history contains not one hint of the transmutation of species into another. We now add that, like history, geology confounds the evolution­ist by not furnishing even one fossil showing anything in process of change from one in­to another species. We have many fossils of plants and animals, but they entirely lack an example showing a transition from one to another species. If evolution were true, we should have millions of these on earth’s strata.

The distribution of certain plant life and certain animal life disproves evolution. If all plants came evolvedly from an original germ, how come them to be distributed in continents separated by oceans, and that before man appeared on earth, as many fossils of them prove? So, too, we find certain animals whose power of locomotion is but very slight. The oyster is found in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and North and South America. How could they have crossed oceans? Again, if all plant life originated in a single germ, how did it happen that some plants are scattered among all continents, and others when found by civilized man were limited to but one, like Indian corn, tobacco, potatoes, etc.? If these once existed in the eastern hemisphere, as evolution requires, why were they found only in America? Certainly we must accept the conclusion of Agassiz, one of the greatest scientists of all times, to the effect that evolution “is a scienti­fic mistake, untrue in its facts, unscientific in its methods and mischievous in its tendencies.”

Evolution denies design in creation, which is the corollary of a wise purposeful Creator, and must fall back on chance as the line along which the universe and its life manifestations came into being and move. The universe and plant and animal life lit­erally overflow with the expressions of design – which imply a designer. Almost infin­ite in number are these design expressions. We shall offer but a few: The human body is packed to overflowing with evidence at design and adaptation. The most intricate machine, like the Hoe printing press, shows design decidedly much less markedly than the human body. How manifold is design manifest in the nervous system, with its relations to thought, affection, will, the five senses, our blood and its channels and vital or­gans! How wonder­fully designful are our blood and its channels, our muscles, glands, skin, brain, vital organs, hands, fingers, joints, arms, feet, toes, legs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, teeth, excretory organs, reproductive organs, etc. Their locations, their protectors, etc., as well as their nature and functions, also evidence design. And we think it is well repeating here that man is the only animal who has a chin, which none of the lower animals have this physical characteristic.

It would be a millionfold more foolish to say that man cane by chance than to say that a Hoe printing press came by chance! Marvelously formed is our body. The principles underlying its activities are followed by inventors of dynamos, steam engines, etc., and yet how greatly inferior are such inventions to the human body! Nevertheless, evo­lutionists would attribute its origin to blind chance, while denying the possibility of a steam engine coming by chance! William Jennings Bryan pointedly expressed himself on the folly of this chance theory as follows: “According to evolutionists, there was a time when animals had no legs and so legs came by accident. How? Well, the guess is that a little animal was wiggling along on its belly one day, when it discovered a wart – it just happened so – and it was in the right place to be used to aid it in locomo­tion; so it came to depend on the wart, and use finally developed it into a leg. And then another wart, and another leg at the proper time – by accident – and accidentally in the proper place. Is it not astonishing that any person, intelligent enough to teach school, would talk such tommyrot to students and look serious while doing so?”

Nature is a proof that design marked man’s coming. Earth’s coal, gas, petroleum and electrical power, that no being but man uses, and that are so necessary for him, were stored up in the earth for him long before he came. The metals, so useful to man and useless to all other animals, were on deposit in the bank of the earth for man to check on as needed. Fruits, vegetables, grains and flesh having the chemical elements needed to replace waste tissue in man were prepared for him. The resources of nature needful for man’s protection from inclement nature were made abundant for him. Every­thing in the earth shows design, and that for the most part in anticipation of man’s ar­rival on earth; and this only a less loud voice in him, with harmonious chorus of the universe and its living creatures, cries out design, as against chance, which the evo­lutionist, discordantly with the universe, the earth and plant and animal life, and their associated supplies, shouts is the course of nature. Chance, the course of nature in the face of the laws of nature!

Foregoing we showed the almost infinite improbability of the transmutation of species from the lowest of them in plant life through all successive species of plant life into the lowest form of animal life and then through all the successive species of animal life up to man, i.e., through evolution’s 3,000,000 species. We now present an ar­gument against evolution based upon the genera of life as forming eight impassable gulfs, all of which evolution would have to prove to have been passed, if it were to be proven true, and not even one of which has been proven to have been passed by evolution.

These eight impassable gulfs separating the genera of being are the following: (1) from the non-living to the living; (2) from vegetable to the animal kingdom in the low­est form of inverte­brates; (3) from the invertebrates to the vertebrates; (4) from the marine beings to amphibians; (5) from amphibians to reptiles (the Reptilian Age – ani­mals who live partly in the water and partly on the land – snakes, crocodiles, etc.); (6) from reptiles to birds; (7) from birds or reptiles to mammals; (8) and from mam­mals to humans. “And God said, Let us make man ... and the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Gen. 1:26-31) In the above we have ignored the multitudes of species in each genus simply giving the classification according to genera in harmony with the Biblical week of 49,000 years. But how does evolution meet this progress? The athe­istic materialist and the spontaneous-generation evolutionist are forced to make the first gulf be passed by the lowest form of plant life after the manner of the Topsy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who, when asked when she was born, answered that she was not born at all, but just grew up!

Spontaneous generation is a senseless guess that experiments under the most favor­able experimental conditions have failed to achieve, these having broken down in com­plete non-success. Neither of these kinds of evolutionists knows how to get life from the non-life; for if anything is scientifically true, the proposition is true that what is in effect must have been in the cause; hence, non-life could not have produced life. Therefore, these two kinds of evolutionists have found an impassable gulf between the non-living and the living, on the assumption which they make: A living being did not cause the first form of life.

The hopelessness of the task of getting life from the non-living without the agency of a living being; i.e., without a creative act of God, forced Mr. Darwin and all Darwinian evolutionists to assume that God created at least one, at most a few, forms of the lowest plant life. Therefore, they had to have a God to pass this gulf; and thereafter, as it were, they mummified Him for all future times. But little good did that do them; they are equally helpless to bridge the next gulf, i.e., that which lies between the highest form of plant life and the lowest form of animal life, endowed with consciousness and locomotion. How could they overcome this great gulf? for which question they have no real answer.

Then comes the next puzzler: that which lies between the highest form of inverte­brates to vertebrates. Here again, so far as a real answer is concerned, they are “dumb dogs that cannot bark”; “watchmen that are blind, ignorant, sleeping down, lying down.” (Isa. 56:10) However, their guttural growls are usually more or less audible.

Now we compare the highest form of marine invertebrates with amphibians. And here they are as helpless as on the previous points; for they cannot tell how fish, which do their breathing with water, could have changed to do it with air as well as water. Then comes the next question: How and why do amphibians develop into reptiles? Then comes the same question between reptiles and birds, and between reptiles or birds (they do not know which) and mammals. But the most unyielding of all obstacles for the evolutionists is that between the highest mammal and man – where Huxley admitted there was a gulf to pass whose passage he could not explain, calling it almost infinite.

The only rational explanation for any of the foregoing is an intelligent and pur­poseful Creator; and their failure to explain satisfactorily any one of the questions raised is a complete refutation in itself of evolution.

It would seem in order here also to consider the magnificent pageantry of the hea­vens. In Psa. 8:3-9 David says this: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him ... Thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep, and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea ... 0 Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.” It should be emphasized here that in all the centuries since records have been kept we find not one instance whether any of the great heavenly constellations have ever collided; it would seem there is some intelligent and powerful force guiding their movements.

Here we mention just a small incident which occurred some forty years ago. We went deep-sea fishing off the coast of Florida, and hooked a 90-inch sailfish. There was a 25-foot piano wire lead at the hook end of the line – to prevent a catch from snapping the fabric line. During the fight the fish jumped out of the water, attempting to dis­lodge the hook. In about five minutes the fish came to the surface, dead as a stone. The captain of the ship said he had drowned himself (which was indeed a surprising piece of news to us). How could a fish, who lived in the water all the time, drown him­self? Well, he had lodged that piano-wire lead through his gill, which cut off his breath­ing; and he drowned – just as you and I would have done under similar circumstances. This also is a telling blow to evolution.

Each of the foregoing presents so many unexplainable differences, that it should discourage the boldest evolutionist; e.g., some of them claim that mammals are de­scended from some (unknown) reptiles, and birds from other (unknown) reptiles. But how did the first mammal get breasts, a four-chambered heart instead of the three-­chambered heart of the reptile, hair, or fur or wool and a womb for developing young, all of which reptiles lack? How was the reptiles blood temperature raised from 40 de­grees and in the extremist cases from 60 degrees to nearly 100 degrees in mammals? And from reptiles to birds, how was that same temperature raised to 107 degrees? How were wings and feathers developed? Evolutionists offer for this gulf two fossils of what they call the archaeopteryx, which was nothing but birds with abnormal tails and bills. Of real logical evidence they have not even one link, whereas millions would be required to fill up each of the above-mentioned eight gulfs. These eight genera, to say nothing of their three million species, say at each of their separating gulfs: “Thus far and no farther.”

Much more could be said about this subject, but we now close by offering a solemn indictment of it. It has had its vogue among “the intelligentsia,” though now among the leaders of science it is dead with many of them undergoing preparation for burial; but among the superficially educated and the shallow thinking it has worked, and will con­tinue to work the direst of evils. It has made atheists, agnostics and infidels of many. It is demoralizing many of our youth, who by it are made to believe in their superiority to their elders and kinship to brutes; hence, their growing disrespect for law and order in the home, state, society and church, and their increased indulgence in the lower ele­ments of their nature. From the thought of no God, no responsibility to law, no higher authority, no hereafter and a brute descent, it becomes but a natural step to youthful disrespect to religion and government, disobedience toward parents, immorality as to sex, drunkenness as to intoxicants, and a materialistic outlook on and practice in life. A generation of evolutionist professors and teachers has produced the moral, social and religious havoc that we behold in so many of our youth. The pessimism and brute in­stincts inculcated by evolution have in large part produced the collapse everywhere manifest in church and state and contributed largely to producing the World War, as it also does a large share in the work of leading the nations to Armageddon and World Anarchy. And when these shall have wrought their unexampled havoc on mankind, it will in great re­sentment arise and repudiate forever every feature of unbelieving evolution.

VARIOUS PROOFS: In the past hundred years or so evolutionists have made frenzied effort to prove their contention – to offset the devastating attacks that have been made upon it. In their activities they came upon three specimens which they claim upholds their teaching, these three particularly being the Piltdown, the Heidelberg and the Nean­derthal Man. When we were in the colporteur work a college-graduate business man whom we accosted one day just sneered when we told him we had no confidence in the “proof” de­rived from these three distorted skulls.

Comes now in the April 1979 issue of a prominent newspaper some very damaging state­ments concerning the Piltdown Man, which we now quote:

‘PILTDOWN MAN’ – WHOSE APRIL FOOL’S JOKE OF 1912?

“New evidence concerning a most far-reaching April’s hoaxes in the history of science – the bogus ‘Piltdown Man’ – has stirred up a dispute in which some scientists are questioning the integrity of their own profession. The bones purporting to be the fossils of Piltdown Man began to be ‘discovered’ in 1912 in a gravel pit in the English County of Sussex. They were soon accepted by most scientists as the ‘missing link’ be­tween apes and man, a link that had been postulated by the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin (It is now reported that toward his death Darwin himself repudiated much of his evolution tommyrot—JJH), the lawyer and amateur geologists who found them. The new species was named Eoanthropus Dawson, or Dawson’s Man.

“The fragments of two skulls found at the site suggested that the creature’s jaw­bone was similar to that of an ape, while its brain case was closer to that of modern man. Dawson turned up stone tools at the site as well as an object strikingly resem­bling a modern cricket bat, lending to Piltdown Man a peculiarly British character. Dar­win’s monumental theory appeared to have been confirmed at one dramatic stroke, and the world recognized in Piltdown Man a discovery of the first magnitude. Dawson and his col­laborator, the anthropologist Arthur Smith Woodward, achieved immediate fame.

“But in the 1920s real fossils of early man began to be discovered in Africa, and they were entirely different from the Piltdown bones. Their jaws were human and their brows simian – the reverse of the English fossils. Increasing numbers of the real fos­sils were found, and because none of them resembled Piltdown Man, doubts began to stir about the authenticity of Eoanthropus Dawson.

“In 1953, modern analysis, including dating techniques using the decay of radio­active carbon, were applied to the Piltdown fossils. Piltdown Man was finally and devastatingly proved to be a forgery in which human and simian bones had been skillful­ly blended and artificially aged. One of the three investigators who exposed the fraud, J. S. Weiner, described the achievement in a book, ‘The Piltdown Hoax.’ The circumstan­tial evidence indicated that the hoax had been perpetrated by Dawson himself, who died in 1916.

“All that was scandal enough and many scientists were angry and embarrassed that the scientific establishment could have been fooled so completely, and for so long. But just before his death last Fall, Dr. James A. Douglas, professor of geology at Oxford Univer­sity from 1937 until 1950, made a tape recording in which he disclosed new and even more disturbing evidence. Douglas said he believed the Piltdown hoax had been perpetrated by his world-famous predecessor at Oxford, Professor W. J. Sollas, as a way of making an academic rival look ridiculous. The rival was Dawson’s collaborator, Smith Woodward.

“Douglas said that Sollas had assisted in an earlier hoax in which some schoolboys. presented to Smith Woodward a purportedly prehistoric drawing of a horse on a piece of bond. That hoax also fooled Smith Woodward, according to Douglas, and may have given Professor Sollas the idea for the much more elaborate Piltdown hoax, including the bogus prehistoric cricket bat.

“The report has prompted a lively and sometimes heated exchange in leading scienti­fic journals. In a recent issue of the Journal “Nature” for example, L. B. Halstead, a University of Reading geologist, commented that the Piltdown hoax went far beyond a prac­tical joke and deeply affected scientific, philosophical and even theological thinking. The scientific establishment found it easier to accept the idea that Dawson, a non-scien­tist, had acted alone, he said, preferring not to believe that one of its own respected members could do such a thing.

“Inferring the guilt of the amateur Dawson, is far the most acceptable to Scien­tists, Halstead said, ‘as it absolves the academic world from any involvement.’ ‘The other view is that Dawson was the scapegoat and the hoax was part of a conspiracy on the part of the scientists to delude the public in accepting the anti-religious idea of human evolution,’ he added. But while Halstead believes the scientific establishment has been proved by the Piltdown hoax to be vulnerable to criticism, his views are not shared by all scientists.

“Nature also published a letter from Weiner himself, discounting the evidence pre­sented in Douglas’ tape recording, including Douglas’ recollection of 68 years ago of a packet of potassium bichromate, allegedly used by Sollas to stain the bone fragments and make them look old. One thing that the late Professor Douglas succeeded in doing, Weiner said, was adding a mystery of his own devising to the Piltdown saga – why should Douglas on such incredibly weak evidence take the trouble to besmirch Solla’s reputation.

“The debate continues, but those who had direct knowledge of the Piltdown hoax are now dead. The ultimate truth may never be known, but most interested scientists agree. But there is a nagging suspicion among some of them that the spirit of April’s Fool Day dies hard, and science may not have suffered its last stupendous hoax.”

BEECHER AND INGERSOLL

The renowned minister and preacher Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) – an ardent fundamen­talist – is said to have been a close friend to Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-­1899), prominent agnostic, lawyer and lecturer. It needs no argument to visualize the elaborate controversies that often arose between the two; and we are told that on one occasion some one gave a very attractive global atlas to the preacher; and Ingersoll was warm in his praise as soon as he saw it. Who made it? he asked. Answered the preach­er: No one; it just made itself. Of course, Ingersoll was crestfallen; but this is just another evidence that evolution cannot be proved.

Some of our readers will undoubtedly realize that much of what has been given here­in has been borrowed from the writings of the Parousia and Epiphany Messengers; and it is our fond hope that this treatise on evolution will convince all of our readers of the shabby fallacy of evolution and to accept the truth on creation as it is contained in the inspired Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not ac­cording to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:20) As our Lord tells us: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-31 – free from “sci­ence falsely so called”—l Tim. 6:20).

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thes. 3:16)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle:

I have recently seen a copy of one of your publications and obtained your name and address from it. Your paper was interesting to me and I would like to subscribe to it. If possible, would it be convenient for you to send me back is­sues that deal with the Watchtower Society and with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I prom­ise to reimburse you for the monthly subscription price and the back issues.

I should tell you I was formerly associated with the Jehovah’s Witnesses – for about six years and served as both a pioneer and an elder in several local congre­gations. I gradually became very much disillusioned with the hypocrisy and double standard that exists among too many of the J.W. leaders. When I finally reached the lowest point in my life spiritually, I discovered that I was no longer serving Jehovah out of love but rather out of fear. I still love God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and want to serve them but not in a dictatorial man-made organization that actually subverts true worship.

I have voluntarily resigned my association with the Society and want nothing more to do with it. However, I find that the brainwashing I experienced by my in­doctrination in and my association with the J. W.’s leaves me with many perplexing questions and doubts. Any help that you can give me will be gratefully accepted. Are you associated with one of the groups following Pastor Charles Taze Russell? Would it be possible to obtain from you some of the original Watchtower publications? I’m becoming aware of the changes made by Judge Rutherford in Pastor Russell’s teachings.

Sincerely yours ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Brethren:

Wishing you and those with you the Lord’s richest blessing in the New Year! As we enter this New Year the “clouds of trouble” are becoming more ominous – and if it was not for the light of Truth, the days ahead would indeed be most fearsome. However, we are not cast down, rather we rejoice “as we see these things coming to pass.” For God is our refuge and strength.

Dear Brother Hoefle, may God give you the strength as you continue to defend, uphold and advance the Epiphany Truth. We who read honestly and compare your pre­sentations with those of others we appreciate your efforts – knowing that in due time vindicate your work in the sight of all His people. So again, best wishes for the New Year!

With love ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

NO. 297: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 297

Comes again the Memorial of Him who perished on the cross, the time this year 1980 being any time after six p.m. the evening of Saturday, March 29. The time is determined as follows: The moon becomes new this year nearest the Spring Equinox (using Jerusalem as the proper location) at 8:56 p.m., March 16, making Nisan 1 at 6 p.m. March 16; and counting from that time, we arrive at six p.m. March 29. We have offered much more detail on this calculation in some of our previous Memorial papers.

“THIS do in remembrance of me.” These are among the last words of Jesus to His Disciples on the evening before He died on the cross; and we believe a clear understand­ing of these words will do much to dissipate much of the cobweb of error that now appears in so many sections regarding the Lord’s Supper. When Jesus made this statement they had just finished eating the Memorial of the great Passover that occurred in Egypt just 3,595 years before this Nisan 14 (March 29), of this year 1980. When Jesus said “this do,” He was telling them that from then on they were to partake of the bread and wine instead of the Jewish Passover Memorial. And how often did the Jews keep that Memorial? Why, once each year, of course! And, if that Memorial was then to be replaced with the bread and the wine should be used just once each year.

It is our understanding that there are now about 200 different views in Christendom concern­ing this ceremony; but, if we accept the clear and concise words of Jesus, there can be but one date on which we should do it – namely, on the same date that the Jews keep the memory of the Passover in Egypt. And the Bible is very clear about this date: “Ye shall keep it (the lamb) until the fourteenth day of the same month (Nisan): and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Ex. 12:6) Jesus and the Disciples followed this command by the Lord to the Jews that night in Egypt; and He then told them very clearly that the bread and wine should henceforth be substituted for the Passover lamb. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7)

THE BEGINNING OF MONTHS

“The Lord spake unto Moses ... This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Ex. 12:2) In Ex. 13:4 we are told that the name of that month was Abib, meaning ‘an ear of corn.’ The harvest began in it; and the Jewish people began in that month to be a nation separate and distinct – set apart – from all the nations of the earth. It was not until after the return from the captivity in Babylon – after the Jews had come under Gentile rule, and the Gentile Times had begun, that Abib became known as Nisan (Neh. 2:1); and its meaning is also very sug­gestive – opening, or beginning. It approximates our month of March; and is identified by some as the beginning of the Jewish religious year – as opposed to the beginning of the business year, which begins about our October 10. To this day the Jews still take some recognition of the month of Tishri, which was the beginning of their year until the time they left Egypt, and the Lord then told them to observe Nisan as the beginning of months.

The feast of unleavened bread – or the feast of the Passover – began in it; but the Passover itself and the feast of the Passover should not be confused. The entire service lasted eight days; but the real Passover was only the first of those eight days. At the Passover Memorial the roasted lamb was the thing emphasized; whereas, in the fol­lowing seven days – the feast of unleavened bread – the unleavened bread was emphasized. During those seven days the Jews were permitted to eat any kind of meat not forbidden by the Law; but it was a grave offense to eat any leavened bread during those seven days. At one time it was believed that Jesus and the Apostles ate the Passover a day ahead of the Jews in general – based upon John 18:28; but the passover mentioned in that text refers to the feast of the passover, and not the actual eating of the Passover lamb.

It is probably well here to mention also that each Jewish month began with the com­ing of the new moon. Thus, the Jewish year is properly styled a lunar year; whereas, our year is known as the solar year, which makes a difference of five days or so be­tween the two years. This has been reconciled by the adoption of the Metonic cycle, which the Pagan philosopher Meton devised about 360 A. D. In his calculation he has seven intercalated months in every nineteen years. This twelfth month of the Jewish year is Adar; and the added month in those seven years of the Metonic cycle is Ve-Adar. This has reconciled the two methods so closely that the difference between when Jesus was on earth until now makes a difference of only a few weeks – not enough to cause any heated argument.

It might fit in here, too, to state that the Day of Atonement occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month, the month Tishri; although we should bear in mind that the Jews had no Day of Atonement at all until they left Egypt, and the ceremony was given to them by God through Moses at Mount Sinai. With this so clearly marked in Bible and secu­lar history, we have a very delicate sympathy with the Jews for refusing to give up Si­nai in the present altercations between them and the Arabs. The whole foundation for their religion was given to them at Sinai. The same applies to Christians, too, ex­cept that we have built upon the Law and the prophets to form the superstructure of the Christian religion. Without the inspired writings of the Old Testament, Jesus’ disci­ples could not have recognized Him as the Messiah. Jesus Himself said of the Old Testa­ment Scriptures: “They are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

As stated aforegoing, each Jewish month began when the moon became new; and it was from that new moon that they began the reckoning of the various days. But when the clear command is given that the Passover was to be on the 14th day of Nisan, the moon is not even mentioned there. The Jews and some Christians think the moon must be full before the Passover is kept, but the moon does not become full on occasion until two or three days after Nisan 14; but this should not influence us because the record is very clear that the 14th of Nisan is the proper date for the Memorial. And this we ourselves try to follow; and the only way we will go wrong on it is if we fail properly to calculate when Nisan arrives. And, since all of this reckoning was given the Jews right there in Palestine, it makes no allowance at all for any one to use some other locality for the exact beginning of Nisan 1 and Nisan 14.

REMEMBER THIS DAY (Ex. 13:3)

It is not necessary that we strain our imaginations to ponder the great grip that the Passover had upon the Jewish mind. The miracle of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was indeed a living thing to almost all of them – after their entry into Canaan and up until their dispersion from that land in the year 70 A. D. And to this day it is a very solemn occasion with the orthodox Jews, although probably to most of them it is an exercise in futility because they do not now have a high priest to bless the service. When Jesus said to them, “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt. 23:38), none of them then realized how far-reaching and absolute this sentence would eventually become. But their High Priest had to come from the Tribe of Levi; and that tribe was so com­pletely lost in the dispersion that they no longer know which of them are of that tribe. Their house is now indeed “desolate.”

Nevertheless, those Jews who still try to keep the Law make strenuous effort to observe the Passover in every intricate detail. “This day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations.” (Ex. 12:14) “And when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? Then shall ye say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover.” (Ex. 12:26,27) And to be sure that this injunction was scrupulously observed, the oldest 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.

And when all were seated at that table, with the food scrupulously arranged, with the cups or glasses set for wine for each one present, there would be 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?” (Hal. 4:5,6) And 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” – possibly into his own house. Thus, he would not be overtaken unawares.

Then to be sure the question would be asked, “What mean ye by this service?” – the eldest son would ask the father the question, at which the father would explain in con­siderable detail those awesome happenings that night in Egypt. And by repeating this ceremony every year, the lesson would be indelibly impressed upon all present that a great miracle from on high had been performed for them that night. And we may be sure of the promise that those faithful orthodox Jews will eventually accept Jesus as their Messiah and be the “first” to receive the blessings of the New Covenant.

But one outstanding difference should here be emphasized between the actual perform­ance in Egypt and the subsequent memorials. There is nothing said in the Bible about anything to drink that night as they feasted upon the lamb, although they would almost cer­tainly need some liquid – not only for that night during the eating, but for the day following when they would be traveling afoot in the desert sun. If they drank any wine that night, it is not recorded. But the subsequent memorials were not to be ob­served with doleful face; it was to be a time of rejoicing in memory of their great de­livery from bondage.

And the Jewish fathers reasoned, What could cheer them better than wine? Thus, four cups of wine entered into that memorial – one before any food was taken, and the fourth after the entire meal had been completed. If any Jews were too poor to bear such ex­pense, the wine was supplied to them out of the public funds. Thus there would be mea­surably identical ritual in every 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. After the first cup – and before any food – the Small Hallel was chanted or sung, after which the meal itself was consumed, with two more cups of wine during the eating. When the eating was done, the fourth cup was had, with the chanting of the Great Hallel. Here it may be well to define the Hal­lel: It was composed of the 113-118 Psalms. The first two – Psa. 113 and 114 – are the small Hallel; and the 115 through 118 the Great Hallel. The word itself is of great sig­nificance: ‘Hal’ means praise, and ‘El’ means God – the whole meaning being ‘praise to God.’ It is the root of our English word ‘hallelujah,’ which, according to Webster, means ‘Praise ye the Lord.’

It is also probable that the Jews at the Passover in Egypt ate it standing up ­“your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste.” (Ex. 12:11) But when Jesus ate it with them the night before He was crucified, they were reclining on couches, or the like, about the table – as becometh free men. Note the record in John 13:23: “There was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples.” This could not have occurred if they were standing up, or sitting in chairs.

In medieval times King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table often set forth in quest of the Holy Grail, the same being that mythical golden cup which Jesus supposedly used as He said to the Disciples: “This cup is the New Testament in my blood.” (Luke 22:20) That Holy Grail was never found, of course; and there exists no real proof that there ever was one. Certainly Jesus used a cup that night, but no place does it say that it was a golden cup. Could that cup be produced with sufficient proof, it would be the most priceless treasure in Christendom. But God did provide that we should be heir to the exact words in Psalms 113-118; and we do well to include some parts of that Scrip­ture in our Memorial service.

“GO TO HIM WITHOUT THE CAMP”

In Ex. 33:7 we read, “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.” (Rotherham) 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, beginning in the Pergamos epoch of the Gospel-Age church, which began in the fourth century A. D. It was early in that century that Roman Emperor Constantine the Great embraced Christianity because he thought it would help him politically; and it was he who called the Council of Nice in 325 A. D. – at which time the Apostles Creed was formulated – and Arius (who held the Truth that there is but one God as opposed to the then growing belief in the Trinity error) was banished from the Roman Empire – “afar off from the Camp.”

The stinging charge is recorded against that Pergamos Church (Pergamos means ‘earth­ly elevation’ – and the church then was certainly elevated when the Roman Emperor him­self openly embraced the Christian religion) is this: “Where Satan’s seat is ... thou hast them there that hold the doctrine of Balaam.” (Rev. 2:13,14) In Num. 22:5-41 we are told of the mercenary Balaam; and in that episode he was a type of those who teach error for profit in this Gospel Age. This odious practice came very much into evidence during the Pergamos period of the church; and developed very noticeably during the fol­lowing years – until 799 A.D., when Charlemagne relinquished his regal power to the Pope of Rome – the beginning of the real Holy Roman Empire.

It was during the fourth epoch of the church, beginning in 799 that the charge is recorded against them: “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel (the Roman Church) ... to teach and to seduce my servants ... to eat things sacrificed unto idols” (Rev. 2:20) ­on the outside of the Camp (apostate Christendom). Following is a quotation from Epi­phany Volume 11, p. 430: “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 but not slightly away from erroneous doctrines, 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 every one 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 ­Ex. 33:9), 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 Hebrews 13:13, “Let us, then, now go forth to him outside of the Camp, bearing reproach for him.” (Dia.) And it is such a very clear-cut and definite course of procedure for all elect “to follow in his steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21) Such indeed is one very appropriate thought for the Memorial. In principle, this arrangement is as true today as it ever was.

“WHAT MEAN YE BY THIS SERVICE?”

As previously stated, all the details of the original Passover in Egypt were pre­arranged with meticulous care and execution, 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 can no longer be performed. However, they yet make very elab­orate preparations for the festival. After minute search for all leaven in each house was completed into the napkin or cloth, the whole 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.

As stated, the eldest son of each family (thirteen years old, or more) was required to fast on the day leading to the evening service. Then on the evening of the 14th ­before partaking of the Passover meal and ceremony – 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 in readiness for all to partake. The master of the house took his place at the head of the table, to par­take of the Seder, or Haggadah, as some Jews designate it.

As stated, to be sure the question would properly arise, the oldest son was previous­ly coached to ask, after they were seated at 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 of wine 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.” 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 the 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.” (Matt. 20:27) Jesus Himself illustrated this on His last night by “girding” Himself, taking a towel and washing the Apostles’ feet. “I am among you as one that serveth,” He had told them. Then, the sandals on their feet were a representation 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 fiery-cloudy 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 of sin) to the Heavenly Canaan.

It is in order here to mention that some things in the original Passover were not followed by the Jews in their memorial, nor do we follow them in ours. In the Jewish celebration the lamb was chosen an the tenth day, nor do we now set aside the bread and the wine on the tenth day in readiness for the evening of the fourteenth. It would seem in the original that the Jews were told to do this to bring them into the proper mental attitude for that great miracle that would be performed for them on that awesome night. But we believe it is in order for us to “think on these things” for some days before our Nisan 14 – not only thinking, but also reading pertinent script on the sub­ject in the days preceding the participation.

Also, in the Jewish memorial the lamb’s blood was not sprinkled on the lintels and door posts, even as in the Lord’s Supper we do nothing to correspond to this. Nor did the Jews “eat it in haste” – as we have shown aforegoing; they reclined leisurely, but with full mental concentration of the thing they were remembering – as we also do as we partake of the bread and the wine. Thus, “this thing” has special reference to the delivery of the firstborn through the slain lamb, the eating of his flesh, and the sprinkled blood. Hence, the death of the lamb, the feasting on its flesh and the de­liverance of the firstborn, were the things to celebrate in the annual antitypical feast, and the Gospel-Age antitypes of these by the bread and the wine. It also bespeaks our participation with Him in His sufferings – with some a part of the sin offering, and with others a representation of this solemn event. Of course, this is not at all por­trayed in the annual Jewish celebration; it has exclusively a Christian meaning; and thus we consider it. However, it is implied in minor degree by the eating of the bit­ters along with the Jewish meal. And here is solid proof that the lamb typed Jesus only, and not the participants during the Jewish or this Gospel Age. Jesus only is the “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

And, not only was Israel to observe the annual Passover during their wilderness journey (Num. 9:1-15), but they were to observe it after entering Canaan, which they scrupulously did – in like manner as did Jesus and the Apostles on the night before He died. And this we also do in our annual Memorial of “Christ our Passover.” And in our annual celebration we portray our journey from the wilderness of sin to our anti­typical heavenly Canaan. This is very much emphasized in Parousia Volume 6 on these various items, which writing we commend to all our readers. The annual Passover supper of the Jews thus types our annual participation in the bread and the wine.

THE TRUE AND THE FALSE

As most of us know, so many features of the true religion have been counterfeited by Satan, which prompted the Apostle to write, “the whole world lieth in wickedness.” (1 John 5:19) This was even true of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Eze. 8:14 it is stated, “There sat women weeping for Tammuz.” Tammuz was the sun god of the Baby­lonians, consort of Ishtar. 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 and He saw women weeping along His journey, He 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 Ezekiel 8:17 that the Jews “put the branch to their nose,” in keeping with the custom of the Persian sunworshipers 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 by the mouth of His prophets; and is a warning to all God’s people to “have no other Gods before thee.”

Moses charging Israel to remember Nisan 15 (the first day of the Passover Festival) as the day that they went forth from Egypt from the house of servants, types our Lord’s charging the Gospel-Age Church in general – and the Church here in the end of the Age in particular – to remember antitypical Nisan 15 as their deliverance time from the house of the servants to sin, and our instruction into the Present Truth. Israel in general remembered their typical deliverance at all times, but especially so in their keeping of the Passover Memorial. So we, as antitypical Israel, remember our deliver­ance from the bondage of sin at all tines, but especially so we keep the Memorial of Christ our Passover.

Much more 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.” This year we shall observe the Memor­ial at 1901 Morningside Drive, Sylvan Shores, Mount Dora, Fla., at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 29; and we invite all who may be in our vicinity of “like mind” to join with us in this service.

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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ANNOUNCEMENTS OF GENERAL INTEREST

It is the time of year for a Special Effort in Antitypical Gideon’s Second Battle against the two King Errors – Eternal Torment (Zebah), and the Consciousness of the Dead (Zalmunna). We suggest Sunday, March 23 through Sunday, April 6 for this Good Fight. Any of the brethren who wish to participate in this Battle, please order the pertinent literature in time. Our Nos. 1, 2 and 3 tracts are appropriate and will be sent free, postage paid, as well as other literature pertinent to this Battle.

Several names are being removed from our mailing list – those whom we believe are not interested in receiving the papers. However, if any one doesn’t get future papers, and wish to be reinstated, it will be our pleasure to do so. Our papers are free to all who are benefited therefrom, but we do not wish to send to those who are not interested.

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace through Jesus our Savior!

Thank you for your good letter and for the January 1980 paper, I am hoping you are now in good health. I saw from Letters of General Interest that you have suffered some illness. Every day I am thinking and praying for you – for the Lord to give you strength and support. (1 Cor. 12:26)

A brother in France has been writing me, and I have answered his numerous questions. Also, I bought 32 PhotoDrama in color, etc., for conference. There are some interested. Brother ------- told me that he had written you to tell you of his gratitude for your defense of the Truth.

Oh yes, we are in the “Time of Trouble” and the Kingdom is near! Some are searching for the Truth. One young man came from Paris for our papers in French. He is with the LHMM and would not give me his address because he dreaded reprimands from the LHMM brethren. Unfortunately, an evangelist for the LHMM was present, and he told me, “If you are not pleased with our teachings, go out! Desert the Lord! And I said to the young man, “When you were with the Jehovah’s Witnesses you were the Lord’s, because you were sincere. And now the Lord is with you. If you desert the LHMM, because of faithfulness to the Lord and His Truth, the Lord will still be with you. After much discussion the young man went away with all our papers in French. I requested the evangelist of the LHMM, who was present, to be lenient with this “seeker after the Truth.” But I fear the request was useless.

The Lord bless you in 1980 as He has in the past. And for now, my very dear Brother and Sister, by this I am sending my Christian love for you and all with you. Your brother by His Grace with love for you throughout eternity as you remain faithful. ------- (BELGIUM)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace!

Many thanks for your last letter, which I am amazed to find was as far back as May 28. The days and months simply fly by – however, that is no excuse... So my apologies – and trust that the good work continues with you healthwise, and you are re­gaining your normal health and strength sufficient for the Lord’s purpose. It seems such a long interval between the arrivals of your circulars.

Glad to say that, after a prolonged period of more or less inactivity, Betty is feeling much better, and we were able to have a fortnight’s break late summer and vis­ited other members of our family in London area and Oxford. Also, another visit to Brother and Sister ------- at West Wickham, which was enjoyable and we trust profit­able. We are able to keep in touch with Brother ------- at Darlington, and very often have him stay with us for two or three days at a time, which gives him a break. He keeps quite well and has just passed the 84 mark. Recently we visited Brother ------- at Richmond and found him fair for his age. He feels somewhat isolated where he is, and I think we were able to cheer him a little.

What an impasse we are reaching these days in the affairs of the world. Whichever way man turns, he continually meets obstacles which prevent or hinders progress toward bringing in a more settled and stable society – and we know why! The marvel is that there is a constant stream of people who imagine they know the solution, and ever ready to attempt what we know as impossible.

How thankful we are, and how privileged to be “in the know,” and enjoy that peace of mind and heart, that man can neither give nor take away.

We pray the Lord’s blessing to continue on you and your coworkers as you seek to serve Him in spirit and in Truth. With Christian love, ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle and Class: Loving Christian greetings in our Savior!

Another memorial of His birth is fast approaching and I’m here trying to get in touch by sending appropriate greetings to loved and dear ones especially there in the house of Faith and the real Truth.

Brother ....... came over and said I see you wrote Bro. Hoefle, and that he published your letter; and I said What makes you think so. He said, It sure sounded like you. Well, it did, because I wrote it.

I don’t know whether you know Sister H------ of Cambridge Springs, but since we were married, and have moved to Edinboro, she and I have our morning devotions together by way of the telephone... We have a nice chat and reading. She feels Bro. Jolly is the last member of Youthful Worthies. She feels sorry because she thought Bro. Esch­rich was one, too, and he is still with us even though he doesn’t get around anymore. I told her, How can we be sure that Bro. Jolly is the last one – there are many good faithful brethren here on earth yet. Yes, she said – But they may be the Great Com­pany class or the Epiphany Campers. She said, We are of the Epiphany Campers’ class. I said, I’ll let God be the judge of what class we are in, as I don’t agree with the Epiphany Campers Consecrated....

Brother ------- gets your papers, because he writes at times and makes a comment on your writings. Enclosed please use donation to help pay for subscription to -------

May God continue His blessings and watch over all. God bless you dear ones!...

Loving Christian greetings ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Greetings and Shalom in Messiah’s name!

May I wish you every spiritual and secular blessing in this New Year of our Lord! Thank you very much for your letter of December 10. I look forward to receiving the reading matter. Thank you very much for your very kind gift, which we acknowledge for the work. The books you are sending me are arriving in good shape. They do take a bit of time, however.

When I receive the literature described in your letter I’ll comment further. With kindest regards to you and Emily in Christian love.

Yours sincerely, ------- (AFRICA)

NO. 296: THE EVOLUTION THEORY

No. 296

Most of our readers are reasonably familiar with the theory of Evolution – its errors and vagaries; but we are hopeful that a review of some writings on it – along with some of our own additions – may prove interesting and helpful.

Evolution claims to do with the origin of man; and it is freely admitted that the questions of, Whence came I, and whither do I go, have absorbed the attention of the best minds among the human race since any records have been kept. And yet this subject, complex as it may seem, is relatively simple when its weakness is properly ex­posed. There are a number of different schools of thought on this subject – each one trying to bridge the gap of error which the others expose; but none of them have suc­ceeded, because it is impossible properly to substantiate error.

We start with the overall picture which almost all of them accept; namely, that the first life on this earth appeared in the water of this hemisphere, originating in the Pristine Mud, and gradually evolving into the fish, then the mammals, then the reptile that lives partly in the water and out of the water; then strictly land-ani­mals – and finally man. This all sounds very good on paper until the microscope of truth is directed upon it.

Those who claim that man originated 2,000,000, or even 10,000 years ago, fail to take into consideration certain indisputable facts. One of the strongest of these is history itself. It is well established among scholars that the first date in history on which scholars can agree is 536 BC – the year Cyrus the Great sent the Jews back to Jerusalem after their seventy years of Babylonian captivity. We do not mean to in­fer here that nothing happened before that date – we know plenty of things did happen ­but the pundits cannot agree on the dates on which they happened – not prior to 536 BC. Now, doesn’t it seem odd that some reliable records would have been kept prior to 536 if man has been on this earth for such a long time? And this does not mean that the intel­ligence was lacking back there to do it. Our readers are familiar with the life of Moses; and intellectuals agree that his was one of the finest minds ever to appear among fallen men.

Euclid is admittedly the most prominent mathematician of antiquity, best known for his treatise on geometry – a man of whom we hear very little today. However, there is a city on Lake Erie in Ohio named Euclid for him. His birthplace is not even known, although he lived about 300 BC Next to the Bible, his work is the most translated, pub­lished and studied, of all the books produced by the western world. There are other outstanding Greek and Roman philosophers who are much quoted yet today; yet none of them give us any reliable record prior to 536 BC We are told “knowledge shall increase” (Dan. 12:4), but it is self-evident that intelligence hasn’t increased. As we consider the great minds of the past, all the “intelligence” of our day wouldn’t accomplish much without the accumulated wisdom of the ancients. But with the records of these men’s accomplishments, the accumulated knowledge of the past has enabled them to make consid­erable progress. But no king has ever attained the wisdom of Solomon, much less “evo­luted” – that is, surpassed his wisdom. “With all thy getting, get understanding.” (Prov. 4:7)

It is also well established that the smallest of human brains contains about 68 cubic inches; whereas, the best of the simian apes contains only about 34 cubic inches. Quite a difference! It is little wonder they have never found the “missing link.”

It is in order to insert here that David’s fight with the Philistine giant Goliath properly types the conflict that took place after 1874 AD At that time most of Chris­tendom was permeated with the idea that Evolution was the thing – just as they also then believed that eternal torment was the wages of sin. Thus, Brother Russell had as big a fight over Evolution as he did over eternal torment; but he shattered the belief so com­pletely that hardly any well educated people now believe the error. In fact, we have heard over the radio some months ago that a prominent university was conducting a spec­ial course in its curriculum against Evolution.

We might instance another personal experience: We were reasonably well acquainted with an eye specialist; and one day in his office he remarked – without any prodding from us – that the white of the eye does not ordinarily have any blood in it; but, if you should secure some sort of sore in the eye, a tiny blood vessel would creep out from the rim to treat the sore, dissolve it – then disappear. And he made the remark to us that no one could convince him that was merely a matter of chance: there had to be some intelligence back of it.

One publication that is favorable to the Evolution theory makes the statement: “Science cannot comment on the soul.” Of course, a true evolutionist does not believe the Bible, so he receives little or no help there; but the word ‘soul’ occurs hundreds of times in the Bible, and is well defined by the various lexicographers. And it pre­sents little difficulty to understand it once the truth about it is accepted. We have a tract on What is The Soul, which analyzes the subject quite thoroughly; and any of our readers are welcome to a free copy if they request it.

This same commentator makes this statement: “Modern man is so far removed from nature that if he were plunged back into the Paleolithic conditions he would quickly perish. On the other hand, Paleolithic men would not survive long in modern civilized conditions either.” And further: “Also man is the only species in the animal kingdom that will perform wholesale massacres of its own members; animals are protected from do­ing this by innate behavioral control of aggression. Then the excuse is offered, “Perhaps it is because man is a recent species, lately descended from austra-lopithecines who owed their survival in aggressive behavior in bands, with all that that implies in the way of mob psychology.” When we consider the peace and quiet that prevailed in the Garden of Eden until sin entered, it is just impossible to fit this thing together with any sem­blance of logic or intelligence. “The man and his wife were naked, and they were not ashamed.” (Gen. 2:25) But after they were beguiled into sin, “The Lord God called unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, be­cause I was naked; and I hid myself.” Adam showed much more intelligence about right and wrong, obedience and disobedience, than many people do today.

As stated above, man is the only animal that resorts to wholesale massacre of his own kind. Yet we are told that we have evolved from the lower animals; and, now that we have evolved, we are worse than they are. St. Paul properly describes this in his letter to Timothy: “Avoid profane and vain babblings, and the oppositions of science falsely so called.” (1 Tim. 6:20)

Another cult (not naming themselves Evolutionists, but actually teaching the same thing) produces the brilliant conclusion that God is not really a person, just an energy, and that all of us have evolved from that energy. It takes quite a fluid imagination to reach such a conclusion; and it brings the words of David vividly to mind: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God... there is none that doeth good.” (Psa. 14:1)

SOME CORROBORATIVE TESTIMONY

Following are some excerpts from Parousia Vol. 6, with some comments of our own: “‘In a beginning God created the heaven and the earth,’ we are to remember that this beginning relates not to the universe, but merely to our planet. Then it was that ‘the morning stars sang together’ and all the angelic sons of God ‘shouted for joy’ – when the Lord laid the foundations of the earth and ‘made the cloud the garment hereof and thick darkness its swaddling band.’ (Job 38:4-11)”

The King James version of Gen. 1:2 reads that “the earth was without form and void.” This is self-evidently a very loose statement, because a piece of mud in the hand has some form to it; and, if there was any matter at all in the earth’s constitution at that time, it must necessarily have had some form. The correct translation says, “The earth was empty and waste.” There was no living organism on it at that time.

And there was reason for this: From geological deduction we conclude that “in a ­beginning” the earth was simply molten rock, white with heat – which would drive off everything that could be moved at all, leaving simply the bare rock. In Northern Canada this rock (now cool) appears on the surface (known to miners as the outcropping). There is no earth or vegetation on it.

Inasmuch as the sun was not visible until the fourth day of the creative week (Gen. 1:14-19), it follows that the first three creative days were not 24-hour days, ruled by the sun such as we have with us; but they must have been periods of time. And during those days huge trees and other things developed, which is certainly contrary to anything we know now about 24-hour days. A gigantic tree cannot be produced in one 24-hour day. Nor need we argue that anything is possible with God. We believe that is true; but His possibilities lie only within the scope of his own laws as we observe them today. We are told it is impossible for God to lie, the reason being that this is contrary to His own established law of truth.

Therefore, we conclude that those creative days were periods of time; and we find substantiation for this in the Bible. It tells us of the day of temptation in the wil­derness – forty years (Psa. 95:8-10; Heb. 3:9,17), sometimes called a day or “time.” Also, Peter’s statement “that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.” (2 Pet. 3:8) Also, Psa. 90:4: “A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” Certainly those creative days could not have been of 24-hours duration; but it would seem a logical conclusion that all of them were of the same length of time, regardless of their duration, being of one creative week.

Here is what Prof. Dana has to say about it: “In calculations of elapsed time from the thickness of formations there is always great uncertainty, arising from the depen­dence of this thickness on a progressing subsistence (irregular sinking of the land). In estimates made from alluvial deposits (soil deposited from water), when the data are based on the thickness of the accumulations in a given number of years – say the last 2,000 years – this source of doubt affects the whole calculation from its foundation and renders it almost, if not, quite worthless. When the estimate is based on the amount of detritus (fine scouring) discharged by a stream it is of more value; but even here there is a source of great doubt.”

Thus, it is unfortunate that at the beginning of this millennium (1874) some of the brightest minds have rejected the thought of an intelligent Creator to the recognition of a blind force operating under a law of evolution and survival of the fittest. That theory had not only found acceptance generally in the highest institutions of learning, but it was gradually being incorporated into the text books of our grammar schools.

We now quote from Parousia Vol. Two, first published in 1889: “It is not many years since the skeleton of a man was found in a former bed of the Mississippi river, and some geologists began to calculate how many thousands of years might be indicated by the many feet of silt, slime, etc., covering the skeleton, and fancied they had a very valuable sample of pre-historic man. But finding later, several feet below the skeleton, parts of a flat boat, such as was in use on the Mississippi less than fifty years ago, it com­pletely upset the calculations, and relieved mankind of another proof that the world is hundreds of thousands of years older than the Bible teaches.” (page 35, par. 1)

Those of our readers who can recall the year 1925 will remember the famous trial at Dayton, Tenn., where the teacher was teaching this evolution theory to his pupils; and it aroused the animosity of many of the Dayton citizens. Eventually, they brought teach­er Scopes to trial, with the idea of discharging him from his position. He engaged Clarence Darrow, the renowned Chicago criminal lawyer for his defense, while the opposition brought William Jennings Bryan on their side. At the turn of the century evolutionism was being badly battered by the truth that was hurled against it; and it is probable that Mr. Bryan read enough of that at that time to give him enough truth to win the Day­ton battle, although many publications at that time severely ridiculed him for his stand on the subject.

However, here is what one prominent publication has to say about it: “Highly pub­licized trial of a Dayton, Tenn., high school teacher, John T. Scopes, charged with vio­lating state law by teaching the theory of evolution: In March 1925 the Tennessee leg­islature had declared unlawful the teaching of any doctrine denying the divine creation of man as taught by the Bible. World attention focused on the trial proceedings, which promised confrontation between fundamentalist literal belief and liberal interpretation of the Scriptures. William Jennings Bryan led for the prosecution, and Clarence Darrow (a famous Chicago criminal lawyer—JJH) for the defense... The judge ruled out any test of the law’s constitutionality or argument on the validity of Darwin’s theory, limiting the trial to the single question of whether John T. Scopes had taught evolution, which he admittedly had. He was convicted and fined $100. On appeal, the State Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 1925 law, but acquitted Scopes on the technicality that he had been fined excessively. The law was repealed in 1967.”

One of the clever remarks made by William Jennings Bryan at this trial was when Clarence Darrow handed him a rock and asked Bryan to tell him the age of it. Said Bryan, “I am not interested in the age of rocks; I am only interested in the Rock of Ages.”

REGARDING MULES

The average person considers a mule a cross between a donkey and a horse, which is true; but the definition is not comprehensive enough. A mule is any animal that can­not reproduce itself. And this rule is so rigid in nature that animals will not gener­ally cross their line, but they occasionally do so under the pressure of man. Thus, a dove and a pigeon – looking almost like twins – will mate under pressure, and produce an offspring; but that offspring cannot reproduce itself. This offers the evolution­ists more of a problem than they have been able to solve.

THE MENDEL SYSTEM

Mendel was a monk who did considerable research into this matter of evolution; he did not believe it. Thus, he eventually discovered that the reproduction of animals al­ways followed a well-defined pattern. For instance, if he mated a white rabbit with a black rabbit, the offspring would invariably be 25% black and 25% white, with the remain­der being mottled. He demonstrated this so many times that those who became familiar with it could not do otherwise than believe it. Also, some sixty years or more back some breeders of chickens decided to cross different varieties, with the idea of obtain­ing the best in each strain. But what happened? Instead of the best in each, they produced the worst in each, making the experiment a complete failure. Horsemen have dis­covered the same thing with valuable horses; so they now content themselves with improv­ing the strain they have – without any crossing. All of this is bold and transparent dis­putation of evolution.

THE COSMOGONIC THEORY

Many theories have been advanced on this subject, evolution being involved in some of them. However, we incline to the explanation of Prof. Vale, which we shall offer briefly as follows: First of all, we would say that things unrevealed belong to God, and we do well to wait for the “due time” of His revelation. However, by way of research man has found there are various strata or layers composing the earth’s structure. Nor is this altogether theory. If we go to the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado ­where it is a mile deep – there the various strata are so plainly visible that they al­most look as though they had been put there by the artist’s brush. They not only are varied in thickness, but each has a different color.

Scientists agree that these strata were at one time moist and soft – when the earth was a molten mass of white heat. This great heat drove anything movable away from the earth; but as the earth began to cool these various rings were precipitated producing what we see in the Grand Canyon. That the earth is still far from cool on the inside is shown by the geysers in Yellowstone Park, which erupt regularly with very warm water. This is also corroborated by the gold mines of South Africa, some of which are down about two miles; and the temperature is so warm there it is very difficult to recover the gold.

It is well to insert here that gold is about the heaviest material we know, being nineteen times heavier than water. Thus, being the heaviest, it logically follows it would be the first to be precipitated back to earth. That accounts for gold being so difficult to find, costly to recover, giving it the name of the precious metal. It is generally taught that it is indestructible, which is basically true; but this does not mean that it is always in the form in which we see it. Gold will melt at 2,000° Fahren­heit; and, if it is heated enough, it will dissolve into a gaseous form. Thus, the earth’s gold mines are deepest in the earth – sometimes visible on the surface, and sometimes not. In fact, the gold discovered at Sutter’s mill in California in 1848 was largely on the surface, and is known as placer mining. That found in the quartz stringers goes deeply into the earth, must be blasted loose by highly scientific methods – very expensive to recover; and most of it is thus located.

It is surmised that there were seven rings about the earth – and this is confirmed by the formations in the Grand Canyon. The last of these is believed to have been most­ly water; that it broke at the North and South Poles first, then rushed toward earth’s center, causing the great Flood of Gen. 7. There is some substantiation for this, be­cause in recent years men have found animals in the frozen north with undigested grass in their stomachs, clearly proving that a great change violently and suddenly took place.

It also changed our climate in a marked manner. Quite a few of the antediluvians then lived for more than nine hundred years. But, so far as we know, no one born after the Great Flood ever lived half that long. And there seems to be good cause for this: Before the Flood there had been no rain upon the earth (“There went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground” – Gen. 2:6), which means there was no fermentation in the earth before the flood. Thus, the atmosphere was probably about 80% oxygen and 20% nitrogen, which would he conducive to long life. Now the situation is just reversed: Presently, the air is about 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen; and water cov­ers about 80% of the earth’s surface.

Geologists claim that the surface gold found in California in 1848 is simply the wash-off, the small residue that was absorbed by the glaciers, then deposited in Califor­nia when the ice melted. So far as we know, there are no gold mines at all at the equa­tor, but the real deposits are to be found nearer the North and South Poles. The Hollin­ger Mine at Timmins, Ont. (not too far from the Arctic Circle) was at one time the largest gold mine in the world; and those in far South Africa are also unusually large and prof­itable to mine.

Now follows a comment of Prof. G. F. Wright, Oberlin College, Ohio, regarding this matter: “Prof. Wright firmly believes that, at the remote time that North America was covered with ice, Siberia was also covered with ice. And the water and the ice were practically phases of the Biblical flood... All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, Noah only and those with him in the ark remained alive. After 40 days and forty nights of continuous rain – the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days (Gen. 7:17-24).”

Knowing the end from the beginning, Jehovah so times the introduction of man upon the earth that the last of the rings came down in a deluge just at the proper time – in 1656 years after creation – to destroy the corrupted race in Noah’s day, and thus introduce the pres­ent dispensation (“this present evil world” – Gal. 1:4). The removal of the watery en­circlement of the earth not only gave changing seasons of summer and winter, and opened the way for violent storms, earthquakes, etc., but it also made possible the rainbow, which was first seen after the flood, because previously the sun could not penetrate the watery canopy so as to give the rainbow effect. (Gen. 9:12-17) And that bow was set in the sky as a solemn assurance that “all flesh be not cut off any more by the waters of a flood.” (Gen. 9:11) And so it has been since the great Flood, there has been no flood since to “cut off” all flesh.

However, those living at that time did not believe what God had told them, so they attempted to build the Tower of Babel (gateway to God, or Heaven). “So the Lord said, let us go down and confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Gen. 11:7) This had the effect of dividing the people into tribes or groups, and eventually into nations as we see them now. But, whereas the Lord wished to scat­ter them then, He is now doing just the reverse: “My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation... for all the earth (society as presently organized) shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” (Zeph. 3:8) And after that, the kingdom – “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” “I will turn to the people a pure language (a language they can all understand – not cor­rupted with the traditions and foolish imaginations of evolutionists and other errorists – some of which we have mentioned aforegoing), that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9)

THE CREATIVE WEEK

It is our understanding that each of the “days” of the creative week was 7,000 years long, the first two of which (14,000 years.) were devoted to the ordering of the earth in preparation for animal life. The next two days (another 14,000 years) were de­voted to bringing forth vegetation and the lowest forms of life – shell-fish, etc. – in the water. The next two epoch days (14,000 years) brought forth living creatures that move in the sea and on the land. It was during the sixth of these 7,000-year days that the reptiles appeared – those animals that lived partly in the water and partly on the land. And at the extreme end of the sixth day “God said, let us make man in our image.” (Gen. 1:26)

And man in God’s “image” in his physical organism is so vastly superior to the highest member of the brute creation as proves him to be an animal standing immeasur­ably above all of earth’s other animals, which is a pure disproof of evolution. His up­right position – not walking on his hind legs – with all its implications, physical, men­tal, moral and religious, and its guarding him from degradation in these four respects, is one of his marked physical differences from the brute creation. It is well stated that man has four characteristics, or appetites – the alimentiveness (the desire for food and drink); the procreative (the affinity for the opposite sex); the acquisitive (the desire to get and to hold – house to house, field to field); and the spiritual (the desire to worship a higher being). All of the lower animals have the first two of these appetites, some have the third, but none of them have the fourth. And this fourth is so deeply imbedded in our blood that the worst of the heathen – even savages – all have it. If we go to darkest Africa, we find those limited intellects worshipping some­thing that they believe is higher than they are, and which they hold in reverential awe.

A well-made man surpasses in symmetry and beauty the form of any of the brute cre­ation – his expressive eye, his winsome smile, his charming voice and his intellectual and religious countenance. We once knew a man who had done some prospecting in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. Inasmuch as a good portion of rock is exposed in those mountains, this man would occasionally just sit on a board and slide down the moun­tain for a hundred or two hundred feet. One day he did this, but at the bottom he slid right into a sort of room enclosed on three sides by an unscalable wall, with a door in the middle of the front wall. But, when he looked around there was a mountain lion very near him, bristling his back hairs and swishing his tail in an angry manner. Of course, the man was quite unnerved; he was defenseless against this brute, and unable to get away from him. So he said he just began to curse the lion very loudly – at which time the lion pricked up his ears, looked timidly at the man, then turned and went out the door. Apparently he had never heard a human voice before, and it completely befuddled him.

Thus, there is nothing in the brute creation that bears reasonable comparison with man. The human skin in complexion, delicacy, softness and informativeness is far above that of any of the brutes. His five senses stand out perceptibly, although dogs and other animals may have a keener sense of smell because of their need for it, whereas, man does not need it. Above all external members, man’s hand is the finest tool that has ever been seen. It can wrap itself around any object. Just contrast this with the fin of the fish, the wing of a bird, the hoof of the horse, cow or sheep, the pedal of the elephant, the paw of the lion, tiger, dog or cat and the combination of the foot-hand of the simian groups, and the difference reaches to high heaven in favor of man’s hand.

Even apart from Adam being in God’s image and likeness, his body stands out as al­most infinitely superior to that of any member of the brute creation. Well could David exclaim: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works.” (Psa. 139:14)

Surely man’s body, apart from his intellectual, moral and religious endowments, in contrast with the bodies of earth’s lower creatures, is a strong disproof of evolution, a strong proof of his being a special creation, and a wonderful credit to his Creator’s wisdom, power, justice and love.

Another telling argument against evolution is the assertion of Acts: “God hath made of one blood all nations of men.” And this is borne out by the results we see. It matters not what races intermingle, their children are able to reproduce themselves. A white man and a Chinese; a Chinese and a Negro; an Indian and an Eskimo – all come within the scope of Gen. 1:24,25: “And God said, Let the beast of the earth bring forth after his kind.” In certain places the races have interbred, without any of them pro­ducing a sterile offspring – a statement which cannot be truthfully said about any of the lower animals. This certainly proves the unity of the human race and disproves evo­lution. Some philologists claim that all languages are derived from one basic language – proven by the similarity of their chief roots, words, and grammatical constructions.

This has reduced our languages to five linguistic groups, and these five in turn may be reduced to one original language. Inasmuch as there are thousands of different animals, it would mean thousands of different languages if the human family had origi­nated as did the brute creation.

Part Two of this treatise on Evolution will be concluded in a future paper. We trust what we have given will be a help and blessing to all God’s people who read it.

“Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, not such as turn aside to lies. Many, 0 Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” (Psa. 40:4,5)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Sirs:

Would you please send me information in your teachings, beliefs, and organizational beginnings? Also, would you please send me a list of your publications if such is available? Thank you for your kind cooperation. Yours truly ------- (NEW  YORK)

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Dear Mr. Hoefle:

I appreciate the literature that you have sent me thus far. I am in the process of reading and examining it now.

I am in this letter giving some of the information that you requested about myself. I am connected with the Baptist denomination (Independent Baptist – not Southern Bap­tist). I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. I have studied the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and to a lesser degree the teachings of the LHMM. I have some of the publications of the Dawn Bible Students

I am interested in obtaining information for my studies from the different Bible Students groups. I know, as you have stated in your first letter, that you disagree with the LHMM and the Jehovah’s Witnesses on some points – and that most of your papers deal with the errors of these two groups. I would like to examine this area of informa­tion in more detail.

I trust that this answers your question about my religious affiliations.

Sincerely yours, ------- (VIRGINIA)

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Dear Friends:

As head of the Reference Department in a large theological seminary library, I re­ceive many questions and inquiries which can often only be answered from information obtained from pamphlet–type material. Since we attempt to keep our information file as complete as possible in all areas, we are interested in having a complete file an all religious bodies in the United States, as well as bodies outside the United States where possible. We are thus interested in obtaining any materials you may have avail­able which would be of benefit in such a file. If you could send us any free materials you have available, as well as order lists of materials we could purchase, we would be most appreciative.

If possible, we would also appreciate being placed on any mailing list to receive further materials which may be available.

Your assistance is most appreciated. Very Sincerely, ------- Assistant Librarian (TEXAS)

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Dear Sir:

I would appreciate it if you would send me some information about the teachings, practices, and history of your Association, and also if you would advise me as to how I may receive your Newsletter.

Thank you very much. Sincerely ------- (MASSACHUSETTS)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

Thank you for the good reading. The last few are just like Brother Russell used to write. I came into the Truth in 1913, and was a close friend of Sister ------- and her family from then on. Now they are gone – and I am real well and going.

It seems like everything that happens is fulfilling the Bible. Yes, great things are happening. It is a blessing to understand them. Thank you, Lord!

May God bless you! Hold to the Truth, as we out here need it. I am sorry there are so many groups, and against each other. Sad to me!

Christian love ------- (CALIFORNIA)

P.S. Enclosed is a small donation to help.

NO. 295: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 295

My dear Brethren: Grace and peace through our Beloved Master!

The year just past has experienced many very unusual events; and science has been quite prominent in some of these things. As instance, a small boy in Michigan stood in the way of a mowing machine, and had both his feet cut off about the ankles. The doc­tors went to work, and in six hours had both those feet back an the boy’s legs. Even though they learned very shortly that the blood was not circulating to those feet, and they had to remove them again to prevent their decay, it was quite an achievement for the doctors to perform the operation they did.

A few years back we had lunch with a top rate doctor in New York City, at which time he told us he had known for a number of years that his heart was not working properly. So he eventually went to a prominent heart specialist, who operated upon him; found that the Great Aorta (the great trunk artery that carries blood from the heart to be distri­buted by branch arteries through the body) had become so distended that it was the size of a football right after it left the heart. It was as thin as tissue paper, and a miracle, he said, that it had not burst – which would have killed him. However, the specialist removed the distended part, put a plastic tube in its place; and he was then (when talk­ing to us) feeling better than he had in years. He then remarked that even ten years ago they would not have had the skill for such an operation, but they have it now – a glowing tribute to the medical science.

IN FINANCE AND POLITICS

The advance in medical science has been paced by an equal decline in politics and fi­nance.  Inasmuch as we intend to devote a large part of this paper to RELIGION, we shall not detail many interesting items concerning Finance and Politics. Many pages could be devoted to the rank corruption in Politics; the same being pretty much true in the Finan­cial sector. The year past saw many persons of wealth rushing to purchase gold, silver and precious stones as a hedge against the worthless paper that has been issued by the United States and other countries. Just a few months ago a financier paid about $900,000 for one diamond; said he would prefer that to the worthless paper of which he had so much. Likewise, the political sector has exposed rank corruption in many places, which we shall not now detail. Rather we shall confine ourselves to:

RELIGION

The year 1979 has revealed more corruption in religion than we have ever seen in our lifetime. It seems that some of the worst crooks have decided that religion is a safer and more profitable racket than robbing banks or burglarizing profitable businesses. So we shall begin this year’s paper with the subject:

Prophets And Profits – It has just recently been revealed (Sept. 1979) that the “Prophet” Jones who caused the wholesale decimation of over 900 persons in Guyana, has about seven million dollars in a couple of banks in Panama. He was going to be sure to look out for himself if anything bad should occur up here. Now some of the relative survivors are quarreling about that money – they want some of it.

The Roman Catholic Church – During the Pope’s visit to America last Fall one news­paper had the following in its news item: “PRIEST RESPONSIBLE FOR RISE, FALL OF ORDER – ­This is from the rise and fall of Priest Michael Zembrzuski: He was a poor Polish priest who in 1951 boarded the Queen Mary in Cherbourg, France: and two weeks later stepped off the gangplank in New York City with $36 in his pocket......... In fifteen years he had climbed from obscure poverty to rub elbows with governors, presidents and popes – from saying Mass in drafty barns to building a multi-million-dollar shrine; from exile at the hands of Nazis and Communists to respect as one of America’s most vehement anti-Reds. He had also become one of the country’s most financially aggressive clergymen.

“It wasn’t long after his arrival that Zembrzuski’s furiously nationalistic speeches so mesmerized church supper crowds... throughout the country that sparked an impressive fund-raising campaign. He soon had seed money for his first settlement of Pauline priests. Zembrzuski’s spellbinding rhetoric had netted him $40,000 in eighteen months.....

“He was optimistic. Contributions were rising at the heady clip of about 200 per­cent a year. The Paulines were attracting a cash flow of almost a million a year, and a net income of more than $200,000. But it wasn’t enough. A professional religious fund-raiser named James Healy, now at Fort Myers, Fla., steered Zembrzuski into the re­ligious bonding market. Healy put him in contact with the First National Bank of Minne­apolis and with the underwriting firm of Keenan and Clarey in that city, both of them ex­perts in religious securities. The two quickly put together a hefty bonding package which would guarantee Zembrzuski $4.3 million over a four-year period.

“LBJ was in Doylestown on Oct. 16, 1966, to dedicate the beautiful new, still-unfin­ished Roman Catholic shrine that Zembrzuski’s Pauline Fathers had rushed to build in honor of the Polish millennium – 1,000 years of Polish Catholicism. (The press carried a picture of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird and his daughter Linda Bird at this dedication—JJH)

“After all, with little more than a dream and 175 acres, he had already been able to secure $4.3 million. He learned that churches were considered such sound financial investments that just any bank would accept his unaudited statements without question, and would lend him huge sums of money based upon little more than a promise and his Roman collar. He also discovered that a priest with high public profile, one who rubbed shoulders with popes and presidents could attract massive funding if he had a concept to sell – like a national shrine.

“One ambitious plan involved the purchase of an entire island off Florida’s Gulf Coast as the seat for a Southern shrine that would not be afflicted with winter weather. Another involved purchase of a $2.5 million estate near Tarpon Springs, Fla.

“By 1969 Zembrzuski was in serious trouble – had secured the last of the $4.3 mil­lion bonding loans. His income had risen steadily to more than a million a year... He had illegally withdrawn $500,000 from the ‘perpetual care’ fund, borrowed another $120,000 from cemetery operating expenses... He borrowed $425,000 from North Miami General... Most of the money was loaned at 10 percent interest...

“Then the Vatican began an investigation... The vicar general, they determined, was not only dictatorial and tyrannical, but conducted his own life in such heady style that his subordinates were scandalized... Zembrzuski, the visitors wrote, enter­tained lavishly, spending huge sums on himself and his friends. He supported a woman generously with monastery funds. He ignored both church law and civil law.

“Investigators found lack of religious life in Zembrzuski. His snarled finances lead to $4.3 million default. When the First National of Minneapolis discovered his complicated investment entanglements in 1972, Zembrzuski was hopelessly ensnarled. The bank learned Zembrzuski had also borrowed $190,000 from the Bishop of Greensburgh. The bankers were apparently unaware the monk had received an additional $425,000 from finan­cial adviser Lawn and the North Miami General Hospital, where Lawn had a hand in fiscal policy. And even the Vatican investigators were apparently in the dark – and still are about $586,000 loan to Zembrzuski that the GNS probe turned up. It was from McCloskey & Co., the Philadelphia Construction Company that built the shrine.

“Zembrzuski had one last hope. He went to John Cardinal Krol, the first Polish Car­dinal – the titular head of the Roman Catholic Church in America. He only needed one final hope – $1.5 million to pay off the first bond principal – and he would be out of the woods. Zembrzuski told GNC, ‘I waited three days and then I got this letter from Monsignor Nace, Krol’s financial vicar. It said, ‘Sorry, we cannot lend you the money.’ “Everyone has turned their backs on me, says Zembrzuski today.”

MORE OF THE SAME – Following is a brief resume of the speculations of Catholic Layman Michele Sindona, Italian financier now hopelessly ‘missing.’ Sindona is a Catholic lay­man – not of the clergy; which, of course, mitigates somewhat the scandal now publicized about him. The entire press reports would be much too, lengthy, so we simply quote brief excerpts to give our readers a fair idea of the enormity of the scandal: “(New York, Saturday August 11, 1979) – Nothing was heard today regarding Michele Sindona, the miss­ing Italian financier, despite a threat that he was going to be killed at dawn... The 56-year–old man disappeared ten days ago – after leaving his $500,000 apartment in the Pierre Hotel. It was there he was last seen. At the time he was awaiting trial on 99 fraud charges in connection with the collapse of the Franklin National Bank – the nation’s largest bank failure.

“New York police and the FBI said there had been no new developments in the myste­rious case since the telephone threat. It remained uncertain whether the call was a hoax, whether Sindona was in danger or whether he had fled to avoid fraud charges in­volving the Franklin National Bank... He and his wife owned a condominium valued at $600,000 to $800,000... The FBI said it was not sure whether Sindona was kidnapped or whether he merely set sail on a $3 million personal recognizance bond to escape pros­ecution for misapplying $45 million of Franklin National funds, $30 million of it in losses resulting from foreign exchange speculation...

“Sindona has been called ‘mysterious Michele’ because of his secret financial deal­ings, his complex holdings that were once worth $500 million and his reported financial ties to important Italian politicians, the Vatican and even the Mafia. He is eagerly awaited in Italy, where he has been sentenced in absentia to 30 months in jail (written October 16, 1979—JJH) for a $225 million fraud in his Italian banking operations. In those capers he apparently took the Vatican to the cleaners.

“How much the Roman Catholic Church is worth is one of the world’s best kept secrets. (financial pundits estimate their worth at Five Billion. And it is in order here to mention that in his recent visit to the United States Pope John Paul II very strenuous­ly urged the United States to subsidize the poor nations of earth – meaning particularly the miserably poor such as Catholic Mexico, Central and South America – as the Catholic Church continues to sit upon its Five Billion. Of course, the United States is reported the world over as the world’s No. 1 soft touch – the greatest financial sucker in the history of the human race—JJH) However much the Vatican is worth, it’s a lot less than it was when it turned to Sindona in 1969. The Milan magazine Europea estimated that Sindona’s investment policies drained $750 million from church ledgers...

“Even the Vatican officials admit that Sindona’s stewardship – he took money from real estate holdings and speculated with the cash – didn’t do them any favors... The official line is that the church’s brief but disastrous flirtation with Sindona high finance cost it one-third of its bank roll... Sindona offered his services to help the Vatican unload some of its Italian holdings and diversify them into the international mar­ket. The pope bit...

“On July 12 Ambrosoli (the auditor of Sindona’s fiasco—JJH) was shot to death by three men. He had earlier told the magistrate that he had received telephone warnings to ‘take it easy’ in the Sindona inquiry.... One of his banks, Banco Privata Italiano in Milan, went bankrupt amid charges that Sindona had illegally removed more than $200 million of its funds....... Italy is still trying to extradite him for fraud in that one,

“In an unrelated case, former Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans testified that he had rejected a secret $1 million contribution from Sindona to Nixon’s 1972 re-election com­mittee. He said the offer was rejected because Sindona insisted on secrecy.’

In the two cases detailed aforegoing we would not wish to criticize the Church too much for being badly fooled by one of its ‘trusted’ members. Others could be similarly bamboozled. However, it would be most interesting to know if these two high­binders bilked some of the wealthy American Catholic individuals. If such be true, it is very probable that the news won’t become public because of the humiliation it would heap upon such individuals. However, in times past they have been ready marks for such manipulators.

Similar Odium In Another Sector – Following is a news item from a newspaper on October 6, 1979: “PRESIDENT’S PASTOR IS ASKED TO RESIGN... Washington – President Carter’s pastor, the reverend Charles A. Trentham, has been asked to resign by the dea­cons of the First Baptist Church of Washington because of allegations of questionable conduct while giving spiritual counsel. Mrs. Mary Sponseller, vice chairman of the deacons, confirmed Friday that the board voted 27–11 Wednesday night to ask Trentham to leave the pastorate he has served for five years. At least three sources cited the reason as alleged questionable conduct by Trentham while giving spiritual counsel to a woman parishioner. But Trentham is scheduled to be in the pulpit Sunday, and Carter is scheduled to attend the service.

“Mrs. Sponseller said the deacons acted after receiving a committee’s report an the allegations, and that the matter will be presented to the congregation either at a special meeting or at the next regular meeting in November. She said the vote to re­move Trentham dealt with a personal matter, rather than any theological or political issue; and another member of the deacons confirmed that.

“Trentham, 60, is twice divorced. His second wife divorced him in 1978 and re­turned to Tennessee. Carter and several members of his family joined Trentham’s church immediately after his inauguration in 1977. Carter’s daughter Amy was bap­tized there a few weeks later.”

A Better Expression From A Different Sector – Here is a partial report from Da­vid Horowitz, news correspondent at the United Nations: (August 10, 1979) “Henry Kis­singer testified before a Congressional Committee on the Salt II. Said he: ‘If present trends continue, we face the chilling prospect of a world sliding gradually out of con­trol, with our relative military power declining, with our economic lifeline vulnerable to blackmail, with hostile forces growing more rapidly than our ability to deal with them and with fewer and fewer nations friendly to us surviving.’”

More From The Same Writer (Sept. 21 1979): “BIBLICAL PROPHECY AND THE 34th UN SESSION: UNITED NATIONS (WUP) – ‘Thine enemies are in an uproar; and they that hate thee have lifted up their head. They hold crafty converse against thy people, and take counsel against thy treasured ones. They have said: Come let us cut them off from be­ing a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent; against thee do they make a covenant – the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagarites; Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek. Ashur also is joined with them.’

“The above prophecy from Psalm 83 flashed through the mind of your correspondent as he contemplated the conspiratorial situation that will prevail here at the UN during this 34th session of the General Assembly which opened on Tuesday of this week on the eve of the Holy Day Season. For we will witness, in the aftermath of the anti-Israel Havana non-aligned conference, a ganging up of enemies set on ‘cutting off Israel from being a nation,’ as the Psalmist envisaged.

“The Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and the others recorded in the Tarach – each and every one of them embodying the eternal interchanging ‘flame’ of prophecy – have made it crystal-clear that dire fate awaits these enemies of Yah and Is­rael now scheming to eliminate the Jewish State. Whatever will happen in the Sinai in the course of the on-and-off Egyptian-Israeli negotiations will happen. The main issue is Jerusalem , the City of David. It is Zion that will bring about the showdown as blueprinted in Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 14. It will be the concluding chapter in the age-long struggle between the children of Darkness and the children of Light. Yes, Jerusalem is destined to become the ‘crater’ that will once and for all and at last ‘convince’ a skeptical world of nations including all the children of Abraham that the Rock of Israel is a Reality and that Eloha’s mighty ‘Arm’ is executing His word to the letter respecting both His people Israel and the ‘tyranny of the majority’ now rising against them.

“Let us make no mistake about it: The Hebrew Bible does not lie! The Tanach has proved itself through the ages... It constitutes a blueprint of life! It is alive, and the Watchman of Israel, very much on the world scene, is seeing to it that His word as uttered by His Prophets will be fulfilled. So let the nations rage and spew their venom in these UN chambers. A bitter judgment awaits the modern Hamans, Antiochuses and Apions. Let them beware.”

Follows now something from Studies in the Scriptures Vol. 2, p. 77, which is very pertinent to our subject: “That from that time forward (1914) Jerusalem shall no long­er be trodden down of the Gentiles. (This volume was written in 1889 – 25 years before 1914 – and some allowance must be made for minor details—JJH) By that date (1914), or sooner, Israel’s blindness will begin to be turned away; because their ‘blindness in part’ was to continue only until ‘the fullness of the Gentiles be come in’ (Rom. 11:25), or, in other words, until the full number from among the Gentiles, who are to be mem­bers of the body or bride of Christ, would be probationally selected.”

Jesus told His disciples, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Some may conclude that this isn’t true of the Jews, as they were yet trodden down of the Gentiles at 1914. However, we should make a clear distinction here between Jerusalem and the Jews themselves. The pressure on the Jews began to be lifted in 1878 at the Berlin Congress of Nations, when Disraeli (the first Jew ever to be Prime Minister of England) secured for them certain privileges in Palestine that they had not previously enjoyed. And after 1878 the “blindness” that had afflicted them during their “double” of 1845 years – from the year 33 A.D. (when they crucified the Lord of Glory) – began to pass from them. It is an established fact that many Jews – particularly in the United States, and the Rothchilds in Europe – began to amass great fortunes: the prophecy of Isa. 60:15-17 began to see fulfillment: “Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated (for 1845 years), so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a Joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles (by accumulating the wealth they once possessed), and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy savior and thy redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob..... I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.”

However, Jesus did not say Jerusalem would no longer be trodden down of the Gen­tiles after 1914, but until 1914; and such we can now clearly see to have been the case. But it was just a very short time after 1914 that Jerusalem itself began to see the Gentile heel lifted from its neck.

The World War broke out in 1914 exactly on time – when the times of the Gentiles ended. In that conflict the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were arrayed against each other – the Triple Alliance being Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the Triple Entente England, France and Russia. As the great conflict progressed, oth­er smaller nations were drawn into it, one of which was Turkey, which sided with the Central Powers (the Triple Alliance). In 1917 England sent General Allenby, with a huge force, to take the Bosphorus away from the Turks. However, according to the rec­ord, their losses in men and material were so staggering that they abandoned the effort, although it is now a matter of record that the Turks had only one more day’s ammunition left; they would have surrendered the next day had the English pursued their objective.

But General Allenby – with characteristic English determination – was not one to go back to England with an empty sack. Thus, he turned his attention to Palestine ­then in the hands of the Terrible Turk; and he achieved a decisive victory in taking over the City of Jerusalem on December 9, 1917. Jerusalem was then no longer “trodden down of the Gentiles,” as had been the case since the year 70 AD – when the Ro­man Emperor Titus took over Jerusalem and destroyed the temple – an event we have de­tailed in previous papers. General Allenby achieved quite a triumph when he took Gaza from the Turks in November 1917. He took Megiddo in September 1918; then captured Damascus and Aleppo – which ended the Ottoman power in Syria.

However, this story would not be complete if we failed to give the details of Je­rusalem’s capture on December 9, 1917. The victory at Gaza had disheartened the Turks somewhat, so they were ‘softened up’ for what was to follow at Jerusalem. General Allen­by apparently had some Christianity deeply rooted in his system; the City of Jerusalem was dear to him, as it was also to the Jews and many Christians throughout Christendom. Thus, he did not wish to destroy it; and he assembled practically all the aircraft at his disposal, and sent it over Jerusalem in one massive demonstration.    The sight of that so overawed the Turks that they concluded they would all be dead men if they re­mained; so they forsook the City without a battle; THE CITY OF JERUSALEM REMAINED IN­TACT – a modern-day miracle, set forth in Isa. 31:4,5 as follows:

“Thus hath the Lord spoken, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of Hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.”

“Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thes. 5:4) “As birds flying,” the Lord certainly did defend Jerusalem and preserve it; and it should not require a savant to see and understand the force and clarity of this prophecy. Any one who can read the English language will readily see the clear and compelling truth of this Scripture and its fulfillment in 1917 – the airplanes flying over Jerusalem, “as birds flying.”

Israel Since 1948 – From Christian Committee Bulletin: “The Israeli government has supported research to provide the technology for new procedures in growing, handling and marketing both new and previously grown crops. It has also provided loans and or­ganizational assistance to cooperatives for agricultural production and marketing. Cit­rus (orange and grapefruit), avocados, bananas and strawberries are the chief fruits exported. Oranges represent the greatest monetary value of all agricultural exports. Citrus fruits are grown on the better lands near the coast with newer plantings in the Jordan valley. Production is limited by suitable land and water supply, but Israel’s farmers have done wonders in transforming their arid, long overgrazed and rocky or swampy lands into the top producing lands of today.

“New technology developed by Hebrew University under the leadership of Professor Avroham Halevy and Dr. Shimon Mayak has enabled farmers to grow flowers, strawberries and off-season vegetables commercially in greenhouses. This has developed into a boom­ing industry. Approximately 2500 acres of such houses are now in production, 500 of which produce roses for cut flowers.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses – Diametrically opposed to much of the foregoing is the pres­ent teaching of this sect – although some sixty years ago they were in wholehearted sym­pathy with the Jews and Jerusalem – as seen in the book “Comfort For The Jews” by J. F. Rutherford published over fifty years ago. J. F. Rutherford was often referred to as a “Friend of the Jews.” Now they are predicting annihilation for the Jews because they do not join them – although this same prediction by them applies also to all Gen­tiles who likewise refuse union with them. In their August 1, 1979 Watchtower they have this to say: “All over the world those who want to do God’s will are being brought together into one international society of people, which will be the foundation of God’s incoming ‘new earth.’” In other sections of their literature they tell us that all who do not come into their “international society” before Armageddon will experience eternal annihilation in that holocaust. Of course, their founder, Pastor Russell, taught just the reverse of this, but that does not bother them. He gave a comforting message to the world: he did not tell them if they didn’t join his organization they would be annihilated in the Time of Trouble – not the message that the Witnesses now give to the Armageddon- scared people who join them for fear. He adhered closely to the words and methods of his Great Captain in John 4:23: “The Father seeketh such to worship him as worship him in spirit and in truth.” Rather, he gave a message of com­fort to the distressed human race, encouraging them to live moral and righteous lives. Thus they would be blessed in this life, and better prepared to walk up the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) during the Kingdom reign. “Seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) But the Witnesses teach that no one but those who join them will “be hid”; although they now modify their teaching, saying that some of their faithful will not live through Armageddon, but all must join them to get life in the Kingdom.

However, we are assured by our Lord that “An hour comes in which ALL those in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth; those having done good things, to a Resurrection of Life; and those having done evil things, to a Resurrection of Judgment.” (John 5:28,29, Dia. – Judgment is mistranslated “damnation” in the King James version.) Also in Acts 24:15, “There will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” The Just are those who have had their trial and judgment during this evil world – and the Unjust are the residue of mankind who will receive their judgment in the Kingdom when all shall “know me from the least unto the greatest.” (Jer. 31:34) “When thy judgments (instructions) are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa, 26:9)

The Witnesses not only set aside these clear Scriptures, but they also set aside God’s promises to fleshly Israel, claiming that these promises belong to their “great crowd” who will be the ruling power of the Kingdom. They relegate all Jews who do not join them to annihilation in Armageddon, along with the rest of mankind who do not join them. Here is what their founder says in Reprint 5323, col. 2, Oct. 1913: “How true the statement that those who have cursed, or injured, Israel have brought injury upon themselves! As we scan the whole field of the world, we find that every nation which has dealt harshly with Israel has received severe chastisement or blight. On the contrary, Great Britain and the United States, nations which have blessed the Jew, have in turn received great blessings.”

In the Oct. 1, 1979 Watchtower, p. 32, they advertise in large headlines – “MANY NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE” – quite a contrast to their announcement and prediction for 1925. They advertised then “MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE.” They gave no intima­tion that the “millions” would have to join them to “never die.” So many hoped this would be true, because all would like to “never die.” Their organization numbered less than 100,000 then, so the “millions” would necessarily include more outside their organization than in it. But they emphasize that the “many” are only those who are members of their “great crowd” – all others to be annihilated in Armageddon. All know that their 1925 prediction proved to be a hoax, just as their present prediction will prove to be a hoax when many more than their followers will be living after Armageddon.

Much more could be said on the above subjects, but for now we want to express our thanks and appreciation for the cards received over the Holiday Season: we are espe­cially grateful for the expressions of good wishes, love and prayers, which we heartily reciprocate; and we wish them the Lord’s rich blessings in the New Year – the “Bless­ing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Prov. 10:22) Also, we wish for all our readers a blessed New Year, with strength sufficient for all your needs.

“O bless your God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard, which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.” (Psa. 66:8,9)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF GENERAL INTEREST

The correct time for the Memorial in this year 1980 is any time after 6 p.m. Saturday, March 29. More about this in our March paper.

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:

Many many thanks for your splendid papers. We recognize your special qualities in bringing to light the darker hidden meanings of Truth, this being just one of the identification marks of God’s special Servant. We feel also you have been blessed with a wonderful wife, and no doubt your spiritual development is shared by Sister Hoefle as a faithful and loyal helper in Christ.

So keep right on to the end of the road with courage. I am sure your reward will come. I salute you for your sacrifice of service to the Lord. Please accept my con­tribution to God’s work to be used in any way you think pleasing to God – and please forgive this short letter.

Yours in Christ ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Friends:

As you may surmise when you see the date of my check, I started earlier to thank you for your publications and your letter, but ran into difficulty in putting my thoughts on paper. After laying your letter aside, some scheduled carpentry work was done in my apartment, and there was much “pulling out, cleaning up, and putting back” to be done.

In the meantime, two more papers have arrived, and after reading them I am even more appreciative of my meager knowledge of God’s plan. I am especially appreciative when I watch the news on TV and see the pathetic expressions and the silent suffering in the eyes of those poor people in Cambodia – or anywhere else in the world. How wonderful to know that God is preparing a world free of such ills!

You asked if I hear from Sister -------. No, I do not. I only met her twice... I am so glad to know that Brother Hoefle is improving and gaining strength... I hope this will continue.

Again, my most sincere thanks for your kind interest in me. I believe, from the letters you quote in your papers, that you have the same thoughtful interest in many throughout the world. Please know that you have my good wishes for health and strength to continue your good work.

Sincerely ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Brother:

Thank you for your letter with enclosure. You will find $--- for the books. I shall appreciate your forwarding them to me in your good time.

Thank you for your attention to this request, and for the courtesy of your letter mentioned above. In the most holy faith ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings of Love and every good wish!

I was very glad to get your letter, and to know that even though things might not be smooth as we would like it, yet not too bad. But we all are going down hill, and every illness seems to leave us that much moreso. But, thank God, He watches over and gives us His Grace and strength in every time of need – as our days demand.

The gift enclosed in your letter is highly appreciated. It was a great help and came in a good time. Thank you very much! We never cease to pray for you, for your health and strength to carry on the work the Lord gives you to do, as well as for all the Bible House. God bless and keep you!...

Yours by His Grace ------- (JAMAICA)

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Epiphany Bible Students Ass’n

Mount Dora, Florida – 32757

Could you please send me a list of all your books and publications, published by your association.

Thank you! ------- (CANADA)

NO. 294: "THE EVERLASTING FATHER"

No. 294

At this Season of the year we try to present something that will bless and en­courage all who honor our Lord and Savior by celebrating His birth December 25. As said in previous papers, we cannot agree that this is the proper day for celebrating the birth of our dear Redeemer, but must insist that it was about October first. Nevertheless, since He did not intimate His desire that we should celebrate His birth­day, it is quite immaterial upon what day that event, of so great importance to all, is celebrated. Upon this day, so generally celebrated, we may properly enough join with all those whose hearts are in the attitude of love and appreciation toward God and toward the Savior. The good tidings of great joy for all people announce blessings con­cerning a number of things, i.e., the forgiveness of sins, resulting in the awakening of all the dead; an accurate knowledge of the Truth; the race being placed amid conditions inconducive to sin and error, and conducive to Truth and Righteousness.

The above sentiments by That Servant have been abandoned by the Jehovah’s Witnes­ses, and by their rabid contentions about Christmas they have caused much distress in home and social life around them. Their message to all who do not join them before Armageddon is “Bad Tidings of great misery,” because they will be annihilated in that holocaust, with no chance of a resurrection according to them.

“‘His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Isa. 9:6) We have noted the propriety of the title ‘The Mighty God,’ as applied to Jesus; and few will dispute that He is indeed the Won­derful One of all the Father’s family; none will dispute that He is a great Counselor, Teacher; or that, though His Kingdom is to be introduced by a Time of Trouble and dis­turbance incident to the death of present institutions, our Lord is nevertheless the Prince of Peace, who will establish a sure and lasting peace upon the only proper basis, righteousness, conformity to the Divine character and plan. Now we come to the exam­ination of the title, ‘The Everlasting Father,’ and find it as appropriate and meaning­ful as the others.

“It does not, as some surmise, contradict the many Scriptures that declare Jeho­vah to be the Father everlasting, ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ as Peter puts it. (1 Pet. 1:3) On the contrary the Bible clearly shows a particular sense in which this title applies to Jesus at His Second Advent – that He will be the Father of the human race regenerated during the Millennium. This title is merely the equiv­alent of those we have just considered, the new Lord of David and of mankind, the new Root, the Second Adam, merely signified the Everlasting Father, the Father who gives ev­erlasting life.

“Since Jesus purchases the world at the cost of His life, and since it is by that purchase that He becomes its Lord, its Restorer, its Life-giver, and since the central thought of the word father is life-giver, Jesus could take no more appropriate title than ‘Everlasting Father’ to represent His relationship to the world about to be gener­ated – born again from the dead by restitution processes. The world’s life will come directly from Jesus, who by Divine arrangement buys it and pays Justice the full price for it. Nevertheless, the restored world will, after the restitution process is fin­ished, recognize Jehovah as the great original fountain of life and blessing, the au­thor of the Great Plan of Salvation executed by Jesus, the Grand Father and Over-Lord of all—I Cor. 15:24-28; 3:23; Matt. 19:28.” (Parousia Vol. 5, pp. 141, 142)

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) The song which the angels sang at the birth of the Savior has been seized upon and misapplied by some who do not see the Plan of God for the Salvation of the world. Becom­ing discouraged by seemingly poor prospect for the world’s conversion, these have put forth a version of this passage more in harmony with their own doubts and misconceptions. To these the prayer which our Master taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven,” has lost its meaning; for they see no hope of its fulfillment except in a very limited sense. Hence they prefer to translate the latter part of the verse, “And on earth peace, among men of good will.” We think the proper rendering, our hopes for the ultimate good of all, as far as this passage is con­cerned, would surely suffer eclipse; for very few thus far in the history of the race have been “men of good will,” men who unselfishly endeavored to any appreciable degree to bring about the good of their fellows.

However, there are quite a few men of good will in the world, even though they haven’t accepted the Truth as we know it, nor have they accepted what the Jehovah’s Witnesses now teach. They tell us that all men will have to have good will toward them, and accept them, otherwise they will be annihilated in Armageddon. But we do not believe that this is the thought of the original, which is “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” Such a translation as “Peace among men of good will” eliminates the thought of God’s eventual good will toward all the world, and greatly minimizes the scope of this glorious song. It implies merely that men who have a feeling of good will are, or will be at peace among themselves. How utterly barren of hope for all men would such an expression be!  How little the song of the angels would mean if this were its burden!

On the contrary, this song was a prophecy of God’s purpose to bring about through the newly born Child the abrogation of the curse and the establishment of peace and sinless­ness among mankind, in which God and man would become at-one. It was an expression of God’s good will, His good purpose, to bring man back to the image and likeness of Himself, in which Adam was created. When this shall have been accomplished, then peace will dwell in all the earth; for the causes of inharmony will have been eliminated.

The world of mankind came under the curse, or sentence of death because of the sin in Eden – because our first parents disobeyed God’s righteous command. All humanity, therefore, are members of an accursed race – under penal servitude, which ends in the tomb. The race has been learning the lesson of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and its terrible effects. But God has promised to take away the curse and to bring a permanent blessing in its place. This will mean a return to His favor, to full harmony with Him­self. “And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it: and his servants shall serve him.” (Rev. 22:3)

PROGRESSION OF GOD’S GREAT PLAN

We speak of this song as a prophecy because the peace has not yet come, nor the good will, in the sense that God’s face is as yet not turned toward man. It is a declar­ation of what God purposes to do. He has not good will toward the present sinful, rebel­lious attitude of the race. He never has good will toward sin. We are not to understand that God was expressing His good will toward man when He pronounced the sentence of death upon him. God’s curse indicated His ill-will toward man – in other words, His displeas­ure because of man’s sin. He wished man to suffer ill as a just punishment for his willful disobedience. God cut him off from fellowship with Himself. He was not bound in jus­tice to do anything more for the race. But in His infinite mercy He provided a deliver­ance for mankind. He foreknew man’s fall, and planned his redemption from before the foundation of the world.

Through all the Ages since the fall of Adam God’s plan has been slowly, steadily pro­gressing.   While men have been learning in pain and tears and trouble the nature and re­sults of sin, God has been selecting His saintly ones, His elect – first, the elect who are to be the earthly princes in His Kingdom of blessing; lastly the Elect who are to reign over all as Kings and Priests of God on the highest plane of existence. The chief of all the elect is His well-beloved Son, the Savior of the world, whose birth the an­gels proclaimed to the shepherds watching on the plains of Judea, more than nineteen cen­turies ago. (Isa. 42:1) When all the elect ones are chosen and prepared, then the bless­ing of the world at large will be inaugurated. “For the earnest expectation of the crea­ture waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God (the Church). For the creature was made subject to frailty, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corrup­tion into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:19-21)

The coming of the Son of God to earth was only preliminary to His offering of Him­self as a ransom for the forfeited life of Adam, the father of the race, in whom all his posterity fell. But even when our Lord had died as man’s ransom-price, God’s favor did not come to the world. Jesus was next raised from the dead a glorious, Divine being. Then He ascended up on high, and appeared in the presence of God for those who were to be of the spiritual elect. Thus the last became first in God’s plan. The merit of Jesus’ death was utilized first on behalf of these. It has not yet been applied for any others. The members of the Church of Christ now have this promised peace and good will. It is granted only to those who have come into vital relationship with God through Christ – the fully consecrated ones. The Scriptures show that after these are all selected, prepared and glorified, the next step will be the application to all men of the merit which has been imputed to these elect, and through whom it is to go to the Worthies and to the entire world of mankind. This spiritual class has been chosen to be members of the Body of Christ, joint-associates with Him in the Messianic Kingdom. “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2)

The great work of the Millennial Age will then begin. It will be a work of gradual uplift during the entire thousand years of the reign of The Christ. The dead will be gradually awakened and brought to a clear knowledge of the Truth, and of the salvation of God in Christ. All will then have the opportunity of coming into the blessed condi­tion of peace and good will proclaimed by the angels. By degrees they will be brought, if they will, to where they will be ready to be received by the Father, to be introduced to Him. This will be the blessed experience of all who will be obedient to the rules and requirements of the Kingdom. If they prove unwilling and disobedient, after being brought to a clear understanding, they will be “cut off” (Acts 3:23), destroyed, as not worthy of further effort on God’s part for their reclamation.

CHRIST’S DEATH A BLESSING TO ALL

God seeketh such to worship Him as worship Him in spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23) Our thought is that all these worlds surrounding us are designed to be homes to many in­telligent beings yet to be created. We believe that it is God’s delight to give joy and blessing to many creatures, on various planes of existence. And God is making of this experience of mankind with sin a valuable lesson, a lesson that will be beneficial, not only to themselves, but to all the worlds that will ever be populated. These might be in­structed and informed in advance of their developing any sinful tendencies just what the nature and tendency of sin is – what it did for the people of earth. They will be told, probably, that sin degrades mind, body and morals; and its influence is only deteriorat­ing; that once deteriorated, one learns to prefer sin, notwithstanding all the misery and degradation it brings; and that God will never grant everlasting life to any except as they gladly cooperate to that end – that He will never influence any against their own will.

It would seem, then, that the great work accomplished at Calvary will have an influ­ence as wide as the universe. And this thought might be applied to the first part of the song of the angels, “Glory to God in the Highest!” God will be glorified by all the an­gels, by every rank of spirit beings. He will be glorified by His exalted Church, then of the Divine nature; by restored humanity, by all the intelligent creatures on every plane, in every Age! Yea, more and more glorious will be His honor as the years of eter­nity roll on, and as other peoples of other planets are brought into being and brought to know Him and to share His wonderful bounties and blessings, and to learn the blessedness of loving and serving Him.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD – THE CHRIST

“I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) The Evangelist first presented Christ to our attention as “the beginning of the creation of God,” “made flesh,” that He might be the Light of the world: after­ward, under his presentation, we considered Him as the Feeder of the hungry; then as the Giver of the water of life to the thirsty; next as the Healer of human woes, and the Supplier of human needs, spiritual as well as temporal; next as the Opener of the eyes of our understanding. In the lesson now before us He presents Christ’s mission from another standpoint – as the Good Shepherd.

This parable probably followed closely the closing incident of the reverend doctors of the law incensed at the man whose eyes had been opened, so that they cast him out of the synagogue, because he confessed Jesus as the channel of Divine favor. It was doubt­less as reproof to such false shepherding that our Lord spoke this parable. The very ones who should have been helping the poor scattered sheep of Israel to recognize the true Shepherd, and to come unto Him and become inheritors with them of the long-promised kingdom, were seeking to prevent the Lord’s sheep from recognizing the Shepherd – seek­ing to prevent the Lord’s sheep from entering the kingdom which they themselves also re­fused to enter. (Matt. 23:13)

The illustration of the Lord as a shepherd, and His people as sheep, is common to the Scriptures, and very fitly represents their close confidential relationship, but is a figure that is quite contrary to the spirit of the world. The “natural man” sees little in the figure to admire, and when he expresses his sentiments he would rather represent himself to others and have them regard him as a wolf, a lion, a tiger, or some other fe­rocious creature, which they would best not stir up, lest he devour them. We find this characteristic well borne out in the emblems of heraldry; the escutcheons of the great are emblazoned with figures representing beasts of prey, birds of prey, and nondescripts, blending various natures – but all of them ferocious, snarling, howling, screeching, or otherwise implying fierceness and intimidation of foes. But when God would represent the emblems of His royal family, His only begotten Son is called the Lamb of God, and all His people are styled His sheep – symbols of meekness, gentleness, harmlessness. “Jeho­vah is my shepherd” is properly represented as their sentiment. (Psa. 23)

Sheep-raising in Palestine, and more or less throughout that vicinity, was carried on quite extensively, and yet very differently from present methods of Europe and America. The owner of the flock or his son usually did the shepherding, or sometimes an employee who was given an interest in the increase of the flock – as, for instance, Jacob, with his father-in-law Laban. Under the circumstances it is not surprising that the rela­tionship between the sheep and their shepherds was very different from now – much more confidential. The shepherd was acquainted with his sheep and loved them, not merely as so much wealth and merchandise, but as friends, companions, with whom he conversed, and whose welfare he defended. Travelers tell us that the peculiarities of this parable are fully illustrated in eastern countries, even to this day; that a shepherd will know every individual sheep in his flock, and have a name for it, and that the sheep know their shepherd, and discern readily the sound of his voice, and cannot be deceived.

Some tell us how they have experimented and proved these peculiar statements of the parable; one asked the shepherd to call some particular sheep by name, to see whether or not it would come to him; the shepherd called one that was far off, and it immediately lifted its head, looked toward him, and when the call was repeated started, and wending its way in and out through the flock, came to his feet, where he patted its head in reward for its obedience. Thinking this possibly a solitary instance, requests were made for repetitions of the test, with similar results. Another traveler imitated the shepherd’s voice, and called the sheep, but they paid no attention. Thinking that it was because he had not on the shepherd’s garments, to test the matter, he and the shepherd changed raiment, but still the sheep would not heed the voice of the stranger; but when the shep­herd spoke to them, even though clothed in the garments of the stranger, they knew his voice and at once responded. Our Lord used these facts, well known to His hearers, to illustrate His relationship to the Lord’s people, as their Shepherd, the Son of the Great Shepherd; and He pointed out that all who were truly of His flock would hear His voice, would not be deceived by the Adversary, though he should disguise himself in garments of light, to deceive, if possible, the very elect. He declares, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Those who are not following the Lord, in obedience to His voice, expressed in word and example, are not His flock; nor are they in the way marked out by the Divine goodness and mercy, to dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

Jehovah God established a typical kingdom or sheepfold, and accepted the nation of Israel as His sheep, but as a nation they were wayward sheep and knew Him not. Never­theless, with a Law Covenant He fenced them in. They desired a king, a ruler, a care­taker, a governor, and God let them have their wish; but none of these was the true Shepherd, neither did any bring the sheep into desirable conditions. And when they were finally done away, various others presented themselves as the Messiah, falsely claiming the right to lead Israel – false Messiahs. These, as our Lord declares, were thieves and robbers, who sought the control of the sheep, not from interest in the sheep, but from selfish motives, for self-aggrandizement and exaltation. These attempted to lead out the Lord’s people, not by the door, but by climbing up other ways: by climbing over the Law, or by digging under it, they would reach the sheep and become leaders; and alto­gether in various ways a large proportion of Israel has been led astray out of the fold, some to idolatry, and some simply to wander in the wilderness.

At our Lord’s first advent this was the condition of things: God’s covenant with Israel was standing as a wall around that nation, but its door was barred by justice, as represented in the Mosaic Law – Israel’s covenant. There could be no proper ingress or egress; all were prisoners of the Law – shut up unto that hope which should afterward be revealed, namely, Christ the door or “way” of life. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Mean­while, though the door was guarded zealously by the scribes and Pharisees, the fact was entirely neglected that thieves and robbers, Satan’s servants, were at work plundering the sheepfold. (John 10:1,2,7,9; Gal. 3:24; John 14:6; Zech. 9:9-12)

Nor could our Lord Jesus rightfully open the fold and take charge of the sheep, ex­cept at the cost of His own life. This was the purpose of the Father, the Great Shepherd, and with this in view He shut up the sheep under the Law, to the intent that they would need to be redeemed by His Son (the appointed Shepherd), from under the dominion of the Law, before they could be made free with the liberty wherewith Christ makes free His peo­ple. And this was the first work that the Good Shepherd did for the sheep; the laying down of His life began at the beginning of His ministry, when He made a full consecration of Himself even unto death, and symbolized this in baptism. It was in view of this sac­rifice which He had already devoted, and was even then offering, and which was finished subsequently at Calvary, that our Redeemer announced Himself as the Good Shepherd who giveth His life for the sheep.

The Apostle declares that our Lord’s death redeemed Israel from under the curse (sen­tence) of the Law – but it not only satisfied the Law, “the porter,” so that He opened the sheepfold, but it gave to the true Shepherd the ownership and control of the sheep, that He might lead them out to green pastures, and that they might go out and in with perfect freedom, as His sheep, following Him. Our Lord testified, however, that many true sheep had gotten out of the fold, and were lost in the wilderness of sin. His ministry was a call to these as well as to those who remained in the fold – to the publicans and sinners as well as to those who were endeavoring to live near to God.

Thus the true Shepherd showed His interest in all His true sheep, including the lame, the weak, the starved. He called sinners to repentance, and the true sheep, realizing their shortcomings under the Law, responded and came to Him as the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. But inasmuch as many of the flock had wandered far from the position of true sheep, so that there were not enough who heard His voice, to complete the elect number of His flock, this Good Shepherd has, during this Gospel Age, lifted up His voice (speaking through the members of His Body), and has called sheep from amongst the Gentiles; and a sufficient number to complete the original predestination will respond.

The call of the present time is not a general one, but as this Scripture declares, “he calleth his own sheep by name” – it is therefore a special call. “The Lord knoweth. them that are his.” They manifest relationship to Him as His flock by their obedience to His call – by following Him. The flock which is called, and which eventually will make its calling and election sure, the Scriptures inform us will be only “a little flock,” and the fold provided for these is a special one; viz., the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Throughout this Gospel Age the Lord has been caring for this class; He has speci­ally led and fed and blessed them, notwithstanding that to the appearance of others, they have passed through severe trials, disciplines, suffering. Yea, as our Shepherd Him­self declared, whosoever lives godly suffers persecution.

A part of the key to this parable, as it is also the key to many other features of the Divine plan, is found in the fact that the sheep of the “little flock,” being called and selected to joint-heirship in the Kingdom, are to be sacrificed: as the Shepherd, the King’s Son, Himself was sacrificed as the Lamb of God, and not only opened the door to those who are shut up under the Law, but by the same sacrifice also redeemed the whole world of mankind, amongst which are the “other sheep” that He is yet to seek, so the sheep of the “little flock,” called, are all to suffer with Christ – with the Lamb of God – are all to be “living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, as their reasonable ser­vice.” (Rom. 12:1) As the Apostle elsewhere declares, “Hereby we know love, because He laid down His life on our behalf: and we ought also to lay down our lives for the breth­ren,” for the fellow-sheep. (1 John 3:16, Dia.)

From this standpoint it will be seen that, as our Lord was the Father’s Lamb, and the sin-offering for the world, so we who are of Jesus’ flock are to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, in the interest of His Body, which is the Church. (Eph. 1:22) And other Scriptures show us that all of the flock thus faithful, in fol­lowing the Shepherd even “unto death,” are counted as members of the Body of the Shep­herd. Thus the entire Gospel Age has been the period of suffering with Christ, of dying daily, of laying down our lives for the brethren; and not until this sacrifice is com­plete in the close of this Age will the New Covenant be thrown open in the largest sense of the word to the world of mankind in general, and the great Shepherd be complete ­Head and Body. Then the spirit and the bride will say, Come, and whosoever will may come – whereas now, “No man can come except the Father draw him,” and in all a “little flock.” However, during the Kingdom Christ will draw all men unto Him. (See John 12:31,32)

MORE ON THE KINGDOM

In this connection we may well quote John 3:16,17, which has appropriately been called the Gospel in a nut shell: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begot­ten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved (from Adamic condemnation).”   Here God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work, for salvation on behalf of the world are clearly set forth; but as yet the world has not gotten the benefit of them. In John l2:32,33, Jesus’ death is set forth as the meritorious cause whereby all men will be favorably influenced toward Him by the Spirit: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This He said, signifying what death He should die”; but all have not in this life been drawn to Him. St. Paul tells us clearly in Rom. 5:18,19 that Christ died in order to de­liver the race from the condemnation into which it was involved by Adam, and that this deliverance will be realized: “As by the offense of one (Adam) judgment (the sentence) came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One (Christ) the free gift shall come (the future tense in the parallel expression of the next verse shows that the italicized word came should give place to the words shall come, seeing that the italicized words here as everywhere else in the Bible are lacking in the original Greek) upon all men (the purpose of) justification of life; for as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners (through heredity), so by the obedience of One shall the many be made righteous (of the Adamic sin); but manifestly this has not yet happened to all.

Very clearly does 1 Tim. 2:4-6 prove God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work for all men unto salvation: “God “will (literally, willeth to) have all men to be saved (not eternally, but from the Adamic sin and condemnation) and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth (this shows God’s love to all), to be testified (the Spirit’s work) in due times (the Greek word is plural, times, or seasons, referring to the Gospel Age and the Millennial Age as the periods for giving the testimony).

THE KINGDOM’S RESULTS

Men will be mentally perfect at that time. Memories that are unfailing, perceptive powers that are all embracing, reasoning powers that are precise, logical and inerrant will be his to have and enjoy forever. However, as in the heavenly realm, “One star differeth from another in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41), it will no doubt be the same in the earthly realm. God will prepare variety in the perfection of earthly beings the same as He has provided variety in the heavenly beings. Perfection will not be dull or monoto­nous, as some seem to think: all God’s creation, both heavenly and earthly, will be joy evermore. Righteousness has its compensation even in this “present evil world,” even though many of the righteous today have had to suffer for righteousness’ sake. But in the Kingdom that will be changed. Only the unrighteous will have to suffer stripes for dis­obedience, but the righteous will be blessed and rewarded. If the stripes don’t correct the disobedient, they will be “cut off” (Acts 3:23).

From a moral standpoint man will be perfect. There will be nothing of hatred, anger, contentiousness, malice, evil surmising, covetousness, hypocrisy, gluttony, drunkenness, unchastity, unfaithfulness, indifference, pride, cowardice, ostentatiousness, or laziness among the children of men. In their place the opposite graces will shine forth in all their beauty, loveliness and attractiveness. Every human heart will radiate peace, joy, friendliness, kindness and charity. And what a glorious world to live in will that be, in which everybody loves everybody else, in which everyone trusts, respects, and honors everyone else. Surely in these respects – in man’s relationship to his fellows – a foun­tain of joy and peace will ever be bubbling up with its waters of refreshment, gladdening the hearts of all beholders and participants.

This will be the condition after the benevolent influence of the Kingdom proper, its teaching, instruction, have brought all the redeemable – the sheep class (Matt. 25: 31-46) – to perfection; and all the unredeemable – the goat class – have been destroyed at the end of the Little Season (Rev. 20:3). Then “There shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it: and his servants shall serve him.” (Rev. 22:3)

May all our readers be richly blessed in the Holiday Season while contemplating the goodness and mercy of our Great Shepherd, as well as the blessings of our Savior and Re­deemer, in that He gave His life so that we may have eternal life. “The grace (favor) of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” (Rev. 22:21)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends:

Thank you so very much for your recent correspondence to Dr ------- Due to his very busy schedule during the past several months, he has requested that I assist him.

I am writing to let you know how much Dr ------- appreciated the booklet which you enclosed.   He wanted me to thank you for sharing it with us. It was very thoughtful of you to remember us in this manner.

We greatly appreciate all the kindness and consideration that fine folks such as you send our way. We ask you to remember us often in your prayers. May God’s hand of blessing be upon you as you continue to serve Him.

Sincerely, ------- The International Radio & Television Outreach... (VIRGINIA)

Dear Sir:

Thank you for your reply to my request for information. I found the back papers you enclosed interesting and would like to have my name placed on your mailing list. I would also like to receive a copy of each of your tracts and a list of the books that you offer for sale.

I am familiar to some degree with both the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and would be interested in obtaining papers with your refuta­tion of their errors. I would appreciate your telling me how far back I can go in get­ting back issues and also what the cost would be.

Enclosed is a check for a copy of the book The Divine Plan of the Ages. Thank you!

Sincerely ------- (VIRGINIA)

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My dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:

Many thanks for your papers and letter from Sister on your behalf. Christian Greetings!

So sorry to hear that you are not too well. How is your health now? Thank you, Sister, for confiding in me in your personal history. I feel honored that one of God’s special servants has honored me with confidentiality in their private affairs.

I have pondered much over your financial needs, and I have feared for your feel­ings had I probed and queried too deeply. I got the impression that Brother Hoefle was a little sensitive in this area. I know that discretion and discernment are necessary before revealing such personal information. It is enough for me that Brother ------- has vouched for you, having met you. May God bless and provide for you adequately in your long and faithful service to Him. Hoping that you both will always keep a good conscience toward Him – the whole-knowing God, as a priority.

It must be a most severe test as one’s health and strength fails – yet He knows our limitations. So be of good cheer, dear Brother and Sister. I have faith that your reward will come, and your labors of great value to many (so hard to measure) bringing people to a more accurate understanding of what He has originally purposed us to know.

Our Christian love in and through the saving power of our Lord Jesus’ blood, we remain as always, Your faithful Brother and Sister ------- (ENGLAND)

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Dear Brother and Sister:

My most sincere thanks and warm appreciation for your blessed material ministry to Christian Action for Israel, which – I can tell you – arrived at a most opportune time. I have just returned from a trip to find your donation and... letter. It would be most interesting to read the Studies in the Scriptures by Brother Russell, and I look forward to receiving this book. Please let me know if there is any charge.

With warmest blessings to you in your ministry to the body of Christ and the unbeliever. Yours sincerely for His sake ------- (AFRICA)

PS – Parcel of books just received. God bless you!

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CORRECTIONS

Inadvertently part of the quotation is omitted in No. 293, Nov. 1979, page 2, be­ginning with the top line after “the fallen angels.” Please add “with its wind, which is World War (1 Kings 19:11; Ps. 48:7; 107:25); (b) the winds, which are the fallen angels.” Also, page 7, line 1 of No. 293, please change E–5:45 to read E–3:45.

In No. 291, Sept. 1979 paper, on page 7, line 10, please change the text Rom. 8:36 to read Rom. 8:38. Also, inadvertently part of the quotation is omitted in No. 291, page 4, par. 1, line 5, after “presence, of Christ before.” Please add “Time of Trouble, and the later epiphaneia, or REVEALING.”