NO. 323: TAKE, MY BRETHREN, THE PROPHETS - PART ONE

No. 323

“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.” (Jas. 5:10) In discussing the Old Testament prophets we shall speak of them in one of their two divisions: There are four Major Prophets, and twelve Minor Prophets. The Majors are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezek­iel and Daniel; and it is to these that we shall confine these articles. Also, we shall make only passing comment on the adversities of these great men, confining our­selves mainly to their ancestry, their work and their life.

ISAIAH

Much of what we shall write herein is taken from the works of a group of highly ed­ucated men – heads of universities and the like – but we shall refrain from quotation marks for convenience. One of these men says that Isaiah is the most distinguished of writing prophets who heralded the Assyrian crisis of the eighth century B. C. The spiri­tual movement inaugurated by these inspired men, was, from the political point of view, an episode in the expansion of the Assyrian empire, and the breaking up of small nation­alities in Western Asia. Of them all, Isaiah had the longest and most varied activity. His public career covered the last forty years of the century, being nearly coextensive with the successive reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. During all that time he watched the course of events with the keen eye of a statesman and the profound insight of a prophet, and adapted his message to the exigencies of a rapidly evolving situation. Hence it happens that while in the case of Amos and Hosea, and his younger contemporary Micah, a general acquaintance with the historical circumstances may suffice for the under­standing of their writings, for any real comprehen­sion of the work of Isaiah a close study of political developments is an indispensable preliminary.

A Striking Coincidence – The following is from Isa. 2:5-8: “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore thou has forsaken thy people the House of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east (the worldly wise), and are sooth­sayers like the Philistines (type of Christian sectarians in this Gospel Age). ... Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses (animals of war), neither is there any end of their chariots (organizations of war): Their land also is full of idols (they are interested in about everything except the Truth); they worship the work of their own hands.”

Consider now the close similarity of the foregoing to Rev. 3:14-20: “Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans (present-day church systems) write: ... “I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing (this was certainly the attitude of Christendom from 1874 to 1914) ... Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” As Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were vociferous in pro­nouncing the overthrow of both the houses of Israel, so was That Servant doing the same for Christendom prior to 1914.

But after 1914 Isa. 1:8 is a most appropriate reference: “The daughter of Zion (type of Christendom) is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.” Here are suggested to the imagination of the Prophet a very strik­ing illustration: The “night lodge” was a frail structure, consisting of four poles stuck in the ground, with cross-pieces supporting a couch, and a slight roof or awning overhead, were erected for the watchers who guarded the fruit or crop from thieves and wild animals – like a besieged city, or watchtower.

And the prophets had to receive the scorn and ridicule of the “good people” in Israel – just as did That Servant during his ministry here in the end of the Age.

Back To The Prophet – The material prosperity described above had resulted in an out­burst of social evils, that seem inseparable from oriental government, is discussed on about every page of the prophet’s writings. In Israel it resulted in the creation of large landed estates and the expropriation of the race of peasant proprietors who had been the strength of the old Hebrew commonwealth. Writes the prophet, “Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.” (Isa. 5:8)

Great prosperity proved to be the downfall of all the universal empires; and it seems Israel should be included with that group. On the night that the Medes overthrew Babylon - whose streets were literally paved with gold - the king was eating and drinking himself drunken in the banquet hall, when that peculiar writing came on the wall: “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” (Dan. 5:27) Much the same could be said of the Medes; then the Greeks under Alexander; then the Romans when their wealth had exceeded description.

When Isaiah began his prophetic work it is said there was systematic forms of abuse which turned the Law into an engine of robbery and oppression. “The princes are rebel­lious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.” (Isa. 1:23) It is little wonder that they were eventually carried away to Babylon for seventy years – “until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths.” (2 Chron. 36:21) And when viewing this debauchery the prophet read the sure presage of a terrible day of reckoning and judgment close at hand.

But the forebodings of the prophet were not heeded by the ruling classes of Samaria or Jerusalem. In both capitals the prevailing spirit was one of optimism and careless security. It seems the politicians did not realize that their sudden good fortune was mainly due to the Assyrians being occupied elsewhere. But eventually the Jewish King Menahem was forced to give to the king of Assyria a bounty of a thousand talents of sil­ver. (2 Kgs. 15:19)

When the Northern Kingdom was carried away (eventually becoming the ten lost tribes, because there is no reliable record what became of them), it put a real scare into King Hezekiah. He proceeded to strengthen the garrison at Jerusalem with a force of Arabian mercenaries. This and other actions that he took made a reconciliation with Assyria im­possible, and brought upon him the full fury of Assyria’s vengeance. Note here the proph­et’s summation: “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.” (Isa. 10:5,6)

The gory fulfillment of the above is graphically described in 2 Kgs. 25:5-7 – 19-21: “They took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon ... and they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and they put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon ... they took the principal scribe of the host ... and threescore men of the people ... and the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah ... So Judah was carried away out of their land.”

Here are some of the king of Babylon’s own words on this affair: “I captured 200,150 people, young, old, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, oxen and flocks without number, I brought out from their midst, and reckoned as spoil ... I shut him up like a caged bird ... the Arabs and his brave soldiers whom he had brought in for the defense of Jerusalem, his royal city, took to flight.” They took also all the holy vessels of the temple, including the ark, which has never been recovered; and there is some talk that it may have been hidden in some cave, and will yet be found. A sorry end indeed for God’s “chosen people”!

Isaiah’s Vision – Going back now to sometime before the terrible defeat, we mention the vision that came to Isaiah in Isa. 37:21-35. The spiritual truths impressed on the prophet’s mind by this memorable experience are those which we shall see unfolded throughout his whole subsequent ministry. As of now, it is enough to say that the vision left on Isaiah’s mind an abiding sense of the reality of Jehovah’s power and presence in the midst of His people, and the consciousness of a life-long mission to be discharged in His ser­vice. His eyes had seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. The alacrity with which he offered himself for this work, without knowing in the least what it might involve, is an indica­tion of the ardent temperament of the man, which contrasts strikingly with the hesitation of another prophet at a similar moment in his experience. (See Isa. 6:8; Jer. 1:16)

It must have been soon after that vision that a son was born to Isaiah whom he named Shear-Yashub (“Remnant will turn”), thus giving expression to a distinctive ele­ment of his teaching, viz., the conviction that there was in Israel an indestructible spiritual kernel which would survive the impending judgment, and form the nucleus of the new people of God. That Isaiah quickly gained a hearing, and made good his position as the exponent of a definite religious conception of national policy is clearly apparent from several incidents of his appearance in public life.

Here it is convenient to divide Isaiah’s ministry into four periods, which although very unequal in length are marked each by features peculiar to itself. (1) The first period extends from the death of Uzziah to the beginning of the reign of Ahaz. (2) The second is the critical time of the Syro-Ephramite invasion. (3) In the third the center of interest is the fall of Samaria. (4) The fourth is the period of anti-Assyrian in­trigue at Jerusalem, culminating in the invasion and deliverance at that tine.

At that time the social state of Judah was very similar to that of North Israel in the days of Amos, and Isaiah deals with the evils of the age in the spirit of his prede­cessor. From the arrange­ment of his discourses his criticism becomes more incisive and discriminating as time goes on. In Chapter 2 of his book his attention is directed to the outstanding evidences of ungodliness and worldly pride in the still prosperous country of Judah. Idolatry, superstition, trust in wealth and warlike resources, which Isaiah declares can be purified by contact with the “Holy One of Israel.” Then in Chapter 3 he touches on the social evils, the oppression and injustice practiced by the rich and power­ful on the poor, and the luxurious fashions of the women of Jerusalem. Later he comments on the sins of action and of thought characteristic of the upper class and the lawless extension of landed estates, their drinking festivities, their unjust judgments, their heedlessness of Jehovah’s working, mocking and defiant skepticism and perversion of moral distinctions, and the prevalent delusion that Jehovah could be propitiated by costly and elaborate ritual without regard to the character and conduct of the worshipers.

His descriptions of the coming judgment exhibit all the qualities of his powerful and versatile genius. Indeed, he is probably properly described as “the gentleman of the Old Testament.”

His forecast of coming events that he proclaimed at the time of the Syro-Ephraimic war were remarkably verified in the subsequent history of Judah. It may be in order here to state that the Higher Critics in the past 150 years have attempted to discredit much of what Isaiah wrote – which they judge with the wisdom of this world, rather than relying upon the words of 2 Pet. 1:21: “Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Thus they often spoke in the present tense concerning future events (God calleth those things which be not as though they were—Rom. 4:17); and the skeptics try to make capital of such statements. The 53rd Chapter of Isaiah is an excellent example of such a statement.

It is readily apparent from what Isaiah wrote that he is one of the outstanding in­tellects of all time; and his great enlightenment by the Holy Spirit gives added bril­liance and inspiration to his book. He had attracted to himself at that time a band of men known as “disciples” – apparently much the same as Jesus also did – and this could represent the most influential phase of his activity. The history of religions shows that the most enduring of all spiritual influences are those communicated through the close fellowship of a great personality with a limited number of susceptible minds – through the relation of master and disciples. This was outstandingly true of Jesus. “When they per­ceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

Isaiah’s great ability with satire, his scathing criticism of the Jewish deflection, and his evasion of the Jewish aristocracy eventually caused him to be “sawn asunder.” (Heb. 11:37)

The fate of Samaria apparently profoundly affected the public mind in Judah; and it probably gave a new direction to Isaiah’s own thoughts of the future. The extinction of the kingdom of the Ten Tribes – by far the larger and the stronger of God’s people ­offered the most impressive vindication that had as yet occurred of the prophetic inter­pretation of Providence; and especially so of the truth of Isaiah’s predictions. In no way had he exaggerated the awful fate of the northern kingdom. The proud boast of the Assyrian could not but strike terror in the hearts of the people of Judah: “Shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her images?” If Jehovah had failed to avert the doom of Israel, what assurance was there any longer that He would or could protect the smaller Judah?

Isaiah had correctly foreseen the annihilation of Samaria; and he had predicted further judg­ment upon Judah. However, he foresaw the eventual “Kingdom of God”; but we may be certain he did not see that Kingdom with anything like the clarity which we now see it. Now comes the last and most eventful stage of his career, as he stood alone in opposition to the anti-Assyrian party that had ascendancy in the royal council. The nations about Judah were forming a confederacy against the Assyrians; and it showed a much better chance of success than did Samaria; but Isaiah foresaw and proclaimed the failure of this effort also. Judah was leaning toward Egypt for assistance; and the prophet told them: “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not by me ... that go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth ... to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore, shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame.” (Isa. 30:1-3; 31:1; 36:6-9) The prophet severely criticized all effort to gain political salvation by human wisdom, and the help of heathen states.

However, his later statements were very much modified, as he recognized the arro­gant offense that the Assyrian committed against the majesty of Jehovah, and that his humiliation was sure to follow such flagrant audacity. Thus he encouraged Judah’s king that their Great God would exact vengeance upon the Assyrians. Thus the prophet never wavered. His confidence remained unshaken, when all around him had become paralyzed with fear. To Isaiah Jehovah was “The Holy One of Israel.” Also, he conceived Israel as the “community” in which Jehovah reveals himself as He truly is, and by which His character as the Holy One is to be recognized, and exhibited to the world. The prophet’s one thought was “to sanctify the Lord of Hosts.” But his expression of Israel’s king was just about everything that a king should not be – which did not make him popular with the king, of course.

The operation of the Holy Spirit on Isaiah’s mind caused him to see Israel that would be in the distant future – when God’s kingdom would be established in the earth ­but he applied it to his day, which naturally befogged his judgment for that time, and which caused him to conclude that “Zion” would be spared in the coming judgment of the nation in general. Thus he wrote, “The Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it.” (Isa. 14:32) And further, “Jehovah has laid a foundation stone in Zion, and He that believeth shall not be ashamed.” (Isa. 28:16)

THE CHARACTER AND GENIUS OF ISAIAH

The possibilities of the prophetic office are nowhere more splendidly illustrated than in the career of Isaiah. More remarkable than any one feature of his make-up ­rarely found in one individual – is the balance and harmonious working of his writings and efforts. He speaks of himself as being in the grasp of the divine hand (Isa. 8:11); and of Jehovah of Hosts as revealed “in his ears” (Isa. 22:14).. Never perhaps has there been another prophet like Isaiah, who stood with his head in the clouds and his feet on the solid earth, with his heart in the things of eternity and a mouth and head in the things of time, with his spirit in the eternal counsel of God and his body in a very definite moment of history. No other Old Testament writer has the same power of picturesque and graphic description, or has at command such a variety of distinct and vivid impressions from nature. The forest conflagration, the inundating flood of waters, the earthquake, furnish him with emblems, strikingly effective, of the final catastrophe in which the existing order of things is to perish.

As a master of style Isaiah is supreme among the prophets. While others seem con­scious of the labor of expression, he wields the resources of the language with the ease and dexterity of a perfect artist in words. There is an astonishing directness and sure­ness of touch in his phrase, as of one who knows when he had hit the mark and does not need to strike a second time. The high level of literary excellence maintained in the prophecies depends largely on the fact that they faithfully preserve (though doubtless with some elaboration) all the effects of the spoken word. The style is one obviously formed for the purposes of the orator, who must carry his audience with him at the moment, trust­ing nothing to a sustained effort of attention on their part. Hence it is absolutely free from affectations and obscurities; and even the fondness for paronomasia which is often attributed to Isaiah is really shown very sparingly and never without telling ora­torical effect. It would hardly be possible to characterize the style of Isaiah better than by the statement of one writer, referring to the qualities of Homer’s genius: Plain­ness of thought, Plainness of style, Nobleness, and Rapidity. And each of these terms may be applied to Isaiah. In this case the style is the man; and in the plainness and nobleness, and rapidity of Isaiah’s recorded discourses we read the signature of the glow­ing and impetuous nature, the lucid intellect, and the quick decision of character which made this prophet so great a force in the history of his time.

The more we consider the Prophet Isaiah the more we are impressed with the superior quality of his mind. We would classify him as one of the greatest in human history. Gibbon – an unbeliever – has classified the Book of Job as the greatest piece of litera­ture in existence today; and we would include the Prophet Isaiah in his company.

The Prophet emphasizes the God of Israel – His greatness, His oneness, His strength – in contrast with the heathen gods that infested Palestine and the surrounding country at that time. God is magnified in His greatness, His strength in contrast to the worth­less visionary gods of the heathen roundabout. His writings were undoubtedly prompted in large part to the fact that Israel had gone after Baal and other fictional deities, which the Prophet decried in no uncertain terms. In Isa. 8:10 there is this: “Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word (of the heathen gods), and it shall not stand: for God is with us.” Again in 37:16: “Thou art the God, even thou alone.” No multiplicity of Gods in the faith of Isaiah. This is further stressed in Chapters 44, 45 and 46. Our God is also the stronghold of Zion, whence cometh His Law.

The Jews greatly resented these expressions, which were indirectly a proper criti­cism of them; and they mishandled the Prophet in shameful fashion – so much so that tradition has it that they actually sawed him “asunder.” (Heb. 11:37) But it is well worthy of note here that subsequent generations of Jews held Isaiah in reverential awe; and fully accepted his expressions that the God of Israel was in Zion – and Zion would stand forever. That is why the Jews clung so tenaciously to Jerusalem under the deva­stating attacks of the Roman Emperor Titus in the year 70 A.D. At that time they could not understand that the great and precious promises concerning Zion were yet in the far distant future, many of which promises were to be considered figuratively and not liter­ally, as the Jews then attempted to do.

Many professed Christians make the same mistake today; and the superb quality of the Prophet’s writings have provided a Roman Holiday for the Higher Critics – some of whom capitalize on the 53rd Chapter of his hook (which is written in the present tense) and say the Prophet could not possibly have written that because Jesus did not appear until many hundreds of years after the Prophet was dead. Therefore, that part of his book must have been written by another. Of course, these people ignore completely St. Paul’s words that “God considers those things that are not as though they were” ­taking place in the immediate present.

Much of this article is taken from the writings of others, but we stand amazed at the glowing tribute and high esteem in which he is held by others than ourselves. The time and manner of his death are not known with certainty; but doubtful Jewish tradi­tion affirms that he was martyred by Manasseh, having been sawn asunder, and the suppo­sition is that Heb. 11:37 alludes to the manner of his death. The supposition is that he did not live through his 80th year.

His life’s experience and remarkable mental brilliance bear a striking resemblance to the history of That Servant; and we receive a great mental uplift from the known story of their lives. Truly, the words of Jesus apply to both of them: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43) Fur­ther from the words of Jesus: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and yet ye would not’” (Matt. 23:37)

A BEAUTIFUL KINGDOM PORTRAYAL

Our treatise on Isaiah would not be complete without mentioning Isa., Chapter 35, as it gives us one of the finest descriptions of the coming Kingdom of God that is to be found anywhere in the Bible; so we now embellish this article with a brief resume of it:

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them (the resurrected world of mankind); and the desert shall blossom as the rose.... the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it .... they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God .... Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: Behold your God cometh .... with a recompense; He will come and save you.

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped (both literally and figuratively. “The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth.”—Isa. 11:9) ... In the wilderness (this present evil world) shall waters (especially “the water of life”) break out .....

“An highway shall be there ... It shall be called the way of Holiness (no evil or ignorance will be found there); the unclean (the sinners—Acts 3:23) shall not pass over it (their uncleanness shall be washed away—Acts 3:19: “Your sins shall be blot­ted out”); the wayfaring men, though fools (“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God”—Psa. 14:1) shall not err therein – (be led astray by deceptive error) .. The Ran­somed of the Lord shall return (from the gave—”Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice .. And shall come forth”—John 5:28,29) ... with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads .. and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” – “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”—Rev. 21:4 – “And he – God – said unto me, Write, for these words are true.”—Rev. 21:5).

“Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21) However, they wrote mechanically, often not understanding what they wrote. “I heard, but I understood not.” (Dan. 12:8) We do not claim to write by inspiration; but we do believe we have the Holy Spirit sufficiently to understand now much of what the prophets did not understand. “The words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:9)

The evidences are many that we are now in “the time of the end.” That the time of the end is not a 24-hour day is readily apparent. It is a period of time, beginning in 1799, and will yet continue for some years. During this time it is recorded that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4)

Aside from the printing press, gunpowder and the wheel, no notable inventions came until after 1799. In 1804 came the first Bible Society, which engaged in extensive distribution of the Bible. Then came “Fulton’s Folly” – the first steamboat – in 1807. Next the steam engine in 1813. In 1874 the first commercial typewriter; then the telephone and the electric light. Then the automobile; the airplane in 1903, fol­lowed quickly by the fine inventions of much useful machinery in agriculture, in con­struction, etc., with tremendous improvement in the printing press, computers, etc. etc.

It is our fond hope that this treatise of Isaiah will appeal to our readers. “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” (Psa. 97:11) “He that hath an ear let him hear.” (Rev. 2:7)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

Brother Roman Nowotarski finished his course February 18, 1982, at the age of 89. He came into the Truth under Brother Russell, and attended a number of meetings where That Servant gave the discourse. He was a longtime friend and member of the Mount Dora Class – a loyal and helpful fellow servant and faithful to the Truth he received and loved. He received the Truth at an early age and never wavered from the Faith. It is our firm conviction that he will experience the resurrection of the “just.” (Acts 24:15)

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION: – It has been said when Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Tim. 2:6) that he bought the whole world. Is that correct?

ANSWER: – No, Jesus had not bought the world – or even the Church – when He gave Him­self a Ransom at His crucifixion. It was only after he ascended up to Heaven, and deposited His merit with the Father, that His merit was loaned to the Church, at which time He bought the Church. “Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: Therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit (mind), which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:19,20) The price for this purchase was His “own precious blood.” (1 Pet. 1:19)

This truth is well typified in the Atonement Day service, when the blood of the bullock was sprinkled on the mercy seat of the ark in the Most Holy. The Most Holy in that performance typified Heaven itself. Thus, it is seen that purchase of the Church was made in Heaven.

So far as the world is concerned, Jesus indeed did give Himself a ransom for them – “to be testified in due time.” The “due time” has not yet arrived. During this Gospel Age the purchase price (His merit) has been imputed to the Church; and cannot be used for anything else until that merit in its entirety has been freed from its ap­plication to the Church. However, it is embargoed for the tentatively justified; and that embargo must also be lifted before any application can be made for the world in general.

When it is entirely freed, it can then be used to seal the New Covenant, under which the world will be “redeemed from death, ransomed from the power of the grave.” (Hosea 13:14) Then the world will be bought with the same price (the precious blood of Jesus) as was applied to the Church. When the last restitutionist has been per­fected, then that merit will have been completely consumed; there will no longer be any need for it.

At present no one can make an acceptable consecration until tentatively justified; in the restitution process there will be no tentative justification; when the merit has been fully and properly applied, it will result in actual justification. In the case of Cornelius he had been consecrated for some years before his consecration was accepted 3½ years after Jesus, because the “due time” had not arrived for him until then, but his prayers and consecration were held in remembrance by God until the “due time.” One great reason for so much error is due to the fact that men have not reasoned correct­ly on the “due time.” When John Wesley – great and good man that he was – preached “the spirit and the bride say, Come,” he was a few hundred years ahead of the “due time” for application of that text, because there was not yet any “bride” that could declare the truth he was trying to preach. It has been properly stated that consecration is al­ways in order, but the purpose for which that consecration is made determines its real validity. During the Gospel Age consecration is “unto death” – and for those who will deny themselves and follow in His footsteps; but in the Kingdom it will be consecration “unto life” – no sacrifices required or permitted.

There is a very distinct demarcation between justification now and what it will be under the New Covenant. No one has the ability to attain physical perfection now. Of Abraham it is said, he believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. He was not actually righteous, he was merely reckoned righteous. But when the Highway of Holiness is opened, the restitutionists will then advance toward actual physical perfection – a glorious prospect indeed!

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in His dear Name!

I am happy to have received your good letter – and trust there has been at least some measure of improvement health wise among you. I now gratefully acknowledge your answer to my question, which is quite comprehensible and very convincing.

Among others, I had scanned question 6 on page 320 of Vol. 4, but had not given consideration of the pertinent ones referred to in any other standing but that which relates to the finished picture; and so I entirely overlooked the trial, which would determine those who would stand, as against those who would fail so to do. This sub­ject was recently considered among us, and my interpretation differed from those of most of the friends, simply because of my taking the word, dishonour, to mean less hon­our, hence the question sent.

To be truthful, my deduction was really in no measure prompted by C. J. Woodworth’s comment on that particular piece of Scripture, but rather in connection with some other one. Yes, it is good to see that there are yet a few who are as careful as well as interested, as the printers you refer to; and now, you have awakened in me a measure of concern with regard to Rotherham’s translation of the Bible.

Some time ago, during Brother Martin’s lifetime, on my request of a good modern version of the Bible, you sent me a copy of the Revised Standard version by Thomas Nel­son & Sons, which I had come to believe was perhaps what one could term a classic of English literature. But I do not want to overburden you, but entreat you to include a copy of Rotherham’s translation among our first order for book made during this year, which may be soon.

May I once more thank you for a most enlightening and explanatory answer to my question. Be once more assured of the fervent and regular supplications of the friends over here on the behalf of you both. Sr. John joins me in sending you all wishes that Heaven’s rich blessings will continue to be showered upon you both throughout the entire­ty of the New Year.

Your brother by His Grace ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother & Sister Hoefle: Grace and peace in Jesus’ dear Name!

Thank you for your good thoughts toward me as to my sister. I also received the tracts in good order. Thank you for telling me about your neighbors. There are many good people in the world who will love the Kingdom but they don’t see the Truth now..

I thought the enclosed clipping brings out how the “giants” of this time are clos­ing the factories. The labor unions have been at fault, too....... Only God and His dear Son Jesus Christ can bring order out of all this. God bless you all.

With Christian love to all from ------- (CALIFORNIA)

NO. 322: THE ADAMIC DEATH

No. 322

It is our intention to offer a clear analysis of the Adamic Death; and by way of introduction we would say this death is the one which Adam experienced as a result of his transgression in Eden. God had told him, “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) The marginal comment offers a little help here by say­ing, “dying thou shalt die.”

DIFFERENT DAYS – It should first be noted that the word ‘day’ in the Bible has a number of different meanings: A day of our week – twenty-four hours; a forty-year day – “The day of temptation in the wilderness..... forty years” (Heb. 3 8,9); a thousand-year day – “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.” (2 Pet. 3:8) “A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psa. 90:4,5) And there are other days which we shall not examine here. Self-evidently Adam’s day in Gen. 2:17 was not a twenty-four-hour day, because he continued to live for 930 years. “Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.” (Gen. 5:5) Adam was really not living in the full sense; and this will become clearer if we state it as it really was: “Adam was dying for nine hundred and thirty years; when he finally died.”

However, it should be stressed here that none of us are dying for the same reason that Adam died; Adam died because of his willful sin against God; the rest of us are dying from the death penalty inherited from him. Whether good or bad, this sentence rests upon all of us, as we can see from the procession to the cemeteries. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men.” (Rom. 5:12) Thus, we are dying because of our inheritance – what was transmitted to us by Adam. None of us asked for it; and none of us can escape it. Before the Flood men lived much longer than they do now – the oldest being Methuselah, 969 years (Gen. 5:27). All within the thousand-year day. After the Flood men’s lives were much shortened: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten.” (Psa. 90:10) And with much sor­row have we eaten of our bread during those years. Gradually a Messiah began to be revealed through the Prophets; and, when Jesus appeared, this hope was mightily energized, so that much of the civilized world now “looks to Jesus” for escape from our wretched condition – sickness, sorrow, pain aid death.

SALVATION

Throughout the Christian world the doctrine of salvation is taught with emphasis; but the meaning of salvation among the various segments of Christendom is a tragedy to be­hold! Some teach that the chosen few are predestined to salvation (John Calvin and his adherents); with the remainder determined to an eternity of torture in a burning lake of Hell. Another extreme contends that since God “will have” all men to be saved that all will be saved whether or not they wish it.

This conglomeration is the result of a very erroneous understanding of the purpose of salvation. Luke 3:6 tells us, “All flesh shall see the salvation of God”; but seeing it does not mean that all shall receive it. However, as stated above, none of us are dying because of any evil we may have committed; therefore, God will save us from that for which we are not responsible; viz., the condemnation that has come upon us through Adam’s disobedience. St. Paul makes this quite clear when he says in Acts 24:15, “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”

That resurrection will save all who receive it from the penalty of the Adamic Death state, after which they shall “come to an accurate knowledge of the truth” (l Tim. 2:4, Diaglott); and that will enable them to decide if they wish to live under an absolute monarchy of righteousness, or, if they wish they can return to the grave from which they have been saved. From that standpoint God desires all men to be saved – saved from the Adamic-Death state, and from the gross ignorance that now engulfs the entire world. The Prophet tells us (Isa. 60:2): “Darkness shall cover the earth (the present social order), and gross darkness the people.” And it will be necessary for all men to be saved from that if they are to be changed from their present position to a better one. And once having reached that position, if they – of their own volition – determine they do not wish to live under that benign reign, they will then die the “second death” – “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death,” (Rev. 20:14)

Some believers who contend that God wills definitely that all are to be eternally saved go to the extreme and teach that even Satan and the fallen angels will also be saved. If not, God would suffer loss, which is an impossibility; but the record is clear enough in Heb. 2:14: “Through death He (Jesus) might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil.”

He is “the god of this world who has blinded the minds of those that believe not.” (2 Cor. 4:4) He has led men in his present condition, and he will eventually pay the price for it; he will be annihilated—destroyed.

It has been our privilege over the years to engage in written and oral discussions of this subject with those deluded by this error – which, according to God’s Word, is transparent nonsense. Some contend that if man and devils were completely destroyed that this would mean that God suffers loss; but this has no substance or bottom to it. In Gen. 2:7 we are told that “the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground”; and Gen. 3:19 states “dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return.” Thus, if this is true - and we accept it as Truth – then, if man returns unto dust, God will have suf­fered no loss; He will have the dust which He had before he created man.

Others say that the “everlasting fire” of Matt. 25:41 (the punishment of the wicked) is simply to be “aionian”; that is, “age-lasting,” after which they are to be given another chance. However, we have answered by stating that the same sort of bliss is given to the righteous; therefore, it also will be only “age-lasting”; and this com­pletely silenced them. Following is the footnote from the Emphatic Diaglott:

“The common version, and many modern ones, render ‘kolasin aionian’ everlasting punishment, conveying the idea, as generally interpreted of basinos, torment. Kolasin in its various forms only occurs in three other places in the New Testament – Act 4:21; 2 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 4:18. It is derived from Kolazo, which signifies, (1) to cut off; as lopping branches of trees, to prune; (2) to restrain, repress. The Greeks write ‘The charioteer (kolazei) restrains his fiery steeds;’ (3) to chastise, to punish. To cut off an individual from life, or society, or even to restrain, is esteemed as punishment; – hence has arisen this third metaphorical use of the word. The primary signification has been adopted, because it agrees better with the second member of the sentence, thus preserving the force and beauty of the antithesis. The righteous go to life, the wicked from the cutting off from life, or death. See 2 Thes. 1:9.”

From what then is man to be saved? (1) He is to be saved from the Adamic-Death state (those in the tomb) which he inherited from Adam – through no fault of his own: “Death passed upon all men.” (Rom. 5:12) (2) He will be saved from the “gross dark­ness” – the error which now engulfs most of the human race – those who have been “blinded by the god of this world” – Satan. (2 Cor. 4:4) When man is eventually saved from these two conditions, we are assured that “there shall be no night there” – error as we now see it. (Rev. 22:5) Those who willfully refuse to accept that New Order of things “shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) Jesus emphatically told us, “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and come forth.” (John 5:28, 29) They will then be able to accept or reject the Truth, as they wish. However, no one that is awakened will any longer be subject to the Adamic Death: Jesus purchased the world with His own blood – and when they are awakened by Him they will have been redeemed from the Adamic Death state. “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” (Acts 24:15) Why awaken the unjust if they have already been sentenced to a Hell of torment? We answer that the “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23); and “the dead know not anything.” (Ec. 9:5) God is not judging the unsaved world now, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)

We are assured in Zech. 13:8 that some will survive this Time of Trouble (the “third part”—Zec. 13:8); but all of them will be subject to the Adamic-Death state until they come under the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33) and receive the “judgments” (in­structions) of the Kingdom. However, all those who are awakened by our Lord will be subject to the New Covenant regulations and no longer subject to the Adamic-Death state from which they have been delivered. At present it would be impossible for many to re­ceive the Kingdom instructions – due to their physical and mental lacks. Most of these will go – or already have gone – into the Adamic-Death state, from which they will be awakened ‘in due time,’ and be physically and mentally able to receive the benevolent instructions of the Kingdom. When they are awakened they will have opportunity to walk up the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) and gain eternal life if obedient. If not obedi­ent, they will eventually go into the Second Death (Rev. 20:14), from which there is no recovery. “Christ dieth no more.” (Rom. 6:9) They shall then be “as though they had not been.” (Ob. 1:16) But all the awakened will have the ability to receive the instructions of the Kingdom; and it will be due to their own willfulness if they are sent into the Second Death. “In those days they shall say no more, the fathers have eaten a sour grape (the sins of the fathers visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation), and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.” (Jer. 31:29,30)

THE ADAMIC-DEATH PROCESS

The Adamic death and the Adamic-Death process are closely related, yet there is a wide divergence in them in some respects. The Adamic-Death process will still be with us for years – perhaps a few hundred years – after the Adamic death itself has forever disappeared. When the last one has been recovered from the Adamic-Death state, that will be the end of the Adamic death; but it should be clearly apparent that the evils that have been spawned by the Adamic-Death process now working in all men will still be prominently with those just returned from the tomb. “In the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.” (Ec. 11:3) All will be awakened with the character they had at the time of death. The expression is often heard, I am living in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc., but actually we are all dying in those places; and, regardless of wealth, social standing, etc., the death toll is certain to have its way. Thus, all those that are in their graves, shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth – some to a resurrection of life, and others to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28,29)

The question properly arises, What is the Adamic-Death process? We answer that it is every evil in man – whether inherited or acquired. Some men – a few – reduce the Adamic-Death process they have inherited by receiving the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and resolutely resolving to improve their undone condition. Some of these have devel­oped into the “saints” (Rom. 1:7,8); at Corinth “called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2); “to the saints which are at Ephesus” (Eph. 1:1); “to all the saints at Philippi” (Phil. 1:1); “to the saints and faithful brethren at Colosse” (Col. 1:2). Note the words of the Apostle John in Rev. 20:14: “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire,” a symbol of the utter destruction of these two enemies of mankind. Death in this text is from the Greek Thanatos, meaning ‘death, literal or figurative’: and hell is from the Greek Hades, meaning the death state, oblivion.

Consider now the Berean Comment on this text: “Death ... Including aches, pains, mental and moral imperfections of every sort; Hell ... oblivion, the great prisonhouse of the tomb in which mankind awaits a resurrection; ... were cast .... gradually, from the beginning of the Millennial Age to its close: ... the lake of fire ... Gehenna, utter destruction – there shall be no more death; ... the second death ... so-called, in contradistinction to the first or Adamic death; the devil, death and hell are never de­stroyed but once, yet their destruction is for them the Second Death, death everlast­ing.” We have quoted this Berean Comment because we ourselves cannot improve upon it; it is an excellent definition of Adamic-Death and the Adamic-Death process.

Perhaps it should be stressed here that when the voice of Jesus in the established Kingdom calls forth the human race from the death state they will still have their in­herited and acquired weaknesses which they possessed when they went into the tomb. They will have the same personality and character they had when they went into the tomb. Of course, they won’t have the same diseased bodies. If they did, the man consumed by vicious cancer would immediately die again; the man with his head shot off would never know he had been awakened from the grave, etc. However, they will then have sufficient physical and mental ability to understand the requirements of the “New Covenant.” (Jer. 31:31)

The Berean Comments on Jn. 5:25 are to the point: “When the dead ... whether ac­tually in the cells or the prison yard ... (“Let the dead bury their dead”), Shall hear the voice ... Gradually, line upon line, precept upon precept ... Calling them to awake and come to a full knowledge of God and to a full opportunity of everlasting life ... When the last one has thus heard, Hades, the tomb, will have been destroyed, but death (the Adamic-Death process—JJH) will still remain as long as there is any imper­fection; of the Son of God not the jargon of conflicting creeds; And they that hear ... obey; Shall lives .. In due time reach perfection of life. “

As Rev. 20:13 declares that all men shall be brought out of these conditions in due time for trial, so this verse declares that Adamic Death, and the sleep in obliv­ion consequent to it, shall be no more – after the Millennial Age – in that future no one will die for Adam’s sin; it will be out of view as a factor in the trial of the future. The only death thereafter will be the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery: “Jesus dieth no more.” “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4) That is not true of all who die now: Infants who die are not dying for their own sins. In the previous verses of this 18th Chapter, Ezekiel says much the same as does Jere­miah in what we have quoted from him. So we have here at least “two witnesses” to sub­stantiate our statements herein. Though such will have the weakness of the Adamic fallen condition, from which they will never recover if they refuse to use the means and op­portunities placed within their reach, yet under that New Covenant inherited weaknesses will not be reckoned against them so long as they use the means to overcome them, be­cause they are covered by the sacrifice of the Redeemer. As said, they then will have opportunity to gain eternal life if they choose righteousness. If they refuse the be­nevolent rules of the Kingdom, they will be subject to the Second Death – not the Adamic Death. There will be no recovery for those who go into the Second Death; but all those who have been subject to the Adamic Death will have an awakening. “God is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23)

ASLEEP IN JESUS

The question has recently come to us: Is the general run of the world of mankind asleep in Jesus – the same as is true of the footstep followers of our Lord? This is a very delicate question; and we hope our analysis of it may have the essence of Truth in it. When Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matt. 8:22 – “leave the dead ones to inter their own dead,” Diaglott translation) it should be clear enough that Jesus reckoned all the unbelieving world – whether in the tomb, or those still alive now – as dead in God’s sight. However, in this particular statement He was re­ferring only to those whom we consider now to be living – those not yet in the tomb, Those, of course, could not possibly be “asleep in Jesus” – nor would they be so con­sidered up to the time of their actual physical death. But we believe that at that very instant their status will change. Henceforth they would be “Asleep in Jesus.” Why do we say this? Because their only hope for life thereafter would be through the power of Jesus; and thus He is described by the Prophet, “the everlasting father.” (Isa. 9:6)

Often do we refer to Adam as the father of our race; and so the Scriptures say: “God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth.” (Acts 17:26) But Adam brought death upon the human race instead of life; and he is now powerless to give them life. But Jesus can do this; thus the dead are now asleep in Him. “He is the propitiation for our sins (the faith classes during the reign of sin and death): and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (l John 2:2) By virtue of His sacrifice all men are now asleep in Him, because He will eventu­ally give them an awakening from the death state, which no other could do. (l Tim. 2:4-6)

Much of what follows has been taken from Parousia Vol. 5, with some comments of our own interspersed therein. First, let us understand that all the Elect will have a special resurrection – instantaneous one – whereas the world will be resurrected grad­ually – a resurrection by judgment. The first part of the resurrection of the world will be the awakening of them. They will not be awakened with disease and emaciation, but will be awakened with what we call normal health – the start of a full raising up to life again. Then the Christ will have provisions made for their return with proper instructions given them to know right from wrong. After that it will be up to them to obey or disobey. But they will not be permitted to harm any one: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11:9)

But the goats – those who do not even outwardly obey – will be “cut off” from among the people after receiving 100 years of instruction and trial. (Isa. 65:20) Some of the goats will outwardly obey, but will not be in heart-harmony with righteousness, so they will be permitted to live until the Little Season (Rev. 20:3), at which time they will be manifested as such. They will be manifested by the tests of the Little Season after the iron rule of the Mediatorial reign will be lifted. However, during the Mediatorial reign, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be un­stopped. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those, the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” (Isa. 35:5,8) Now “the fool (the atheist) hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psa. 14:1); but even he will then learn and ap­preciate there is a God.

Through the resurrection, God has arranged to show His love for the world. It is writ­ten, “When the fullness of time was come (exactly at the time stated by the Prophets in the Old Testament), God sent forth His son ... made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we (Gospel-Age believers) might receive the adoption of sons” – brethren of Jesus. (Gal. 4:4,5) “Who gave himself a ransom for all – for every man.” (1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9) Thus, St. Paul says, “Since by man (Adam) came death, by man (the man Christ Jesus) came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order.” (1 Cor. 15:21-23)

In the morning of that glorious day when the Sun of Righteousness shall rise “with healing in his wings” (Mal. 4:2), all that God has promised for that blessed time will come to pass. “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice (the voice of the Son of Man) and shall come forth.” (John 5:28,29) In this sense, therefore, we speak of the dead as asleep.

Heavenly Phase Of The Resurrection – The Scriptures tell us there will be several classes in the resurrection – Heavenly and Earthly classes. The chief resurrection, or the First Resurrection (Rev. 20:5,6) is the resurrection of saints. The Apostle Paul said, “We (the saints) shall not all sleep.” (1 Cor. 15:51) The inference here is clear enough that the Apostle himself expected to sleep. Of course, he did not know how long he would sleep, nor did the others of that time know.

Earthly Phase Of The Resurrection – In the Scriptures a class of faithful ser­vants of God are mentioned. Many of these are mentioned by name in the eleventh Chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews. We classify them as Ancient Worthies, who lived and were found faithful prior to the coming of Jesus. It was not their privilege to walk in the footsteps of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:21), because “the example” (Jesus) had not yet appeared upon the earth. But it is written that they will have “a better resurrec­tion” than the remainder of mankind (Heb. 11:35) – not to be raised on the spirit plane – as are the saints; but they will be raised in human perfection – which the remainder of the race will not have as they come forth from the tomb. The world in general will have a gradual raising up to life again; and this will undoubtedly require years for many of them.

At the beginning of the reign of Christ, the “Ancients” (Psa. 119:100; Isa. 3:14; 24:23) will come forth perfect human beings – perfect mentally and physically – that their bodies may correspond with their moral development. If they had scars when they went into the tomb, or if they are blemished in any way, they will be gone. It is not easy for us to picture to ourselves a perfect man, for we have never seen one, and all around us are in various degrees of imperfection. But we know that a perfect human being will be perfect in form, features, voice, sight, hearing, taste, and in all other organs, as well as in mind. “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31)

However, none of the Restitutionists will come forth physically perfect: they will have to develop physical perfection as they obey. The residue of men (Acts 15:17) will come forth – every man in his own order. (1 Cor. 15:23) Their awakening will merely bring them forth from the tomb in the condition in which they entered – minus of course, whatever of disease or violence that had put then there; for “in the grave there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.” (Ec. 9:10) This awakening will not be the real resurrection (a full raising up to life again), but merely the preliminary step toward it. The Greek word rendered resurrection is anastasis, and means literally a standing up again. Adam fell, and ever since that fall the world lieth in wickedness – literally, in the wicked one. (1 John 5:19) The standing up again is, therefore, a return to the perfection lost in Eden; for the world of mankind the resurrection is Restitution. (Acts 3:21)

During the thousand years of Messiah’s reign the resurrection of the world will be in progress. The work will not be done by the Father directly, but will be committed to the Lord Jesus (John 5:28,29), and will require the whole thousand years for its completion. At the end of that Millennial reign the world of mankind will be perfect, as was Adam in his creation. All God’s work is perfect. (Deu. 32:4; Gen. 1:31)

During the Millennium God will not recognize the people because of their imperfection – their weakness; but all of their dealings will be through the Mediator – until they shall have been brought up to perfection. At the end of the thousand years they will be delivered up to the Father, faultless before Him. (I Cor. 15:24) God will then receive them as sons – just as was Adam (Luke 3:38) – heirs of the earthly bless­ings which He has provided for mankind – the things given to Adam. The very moment when the merit of Jesus is applied for the world in that same moment they will be turned over to the Mediator. Then they will be in covenant relationship with God, but only through the Mediator, until they shall have reached human perfection and shall enter into relationship directly with the Father.

The New Covenant will continue everlastingly; and as it is proper to say that Moses mediated the Law Covenant, so we may say that Christ will mediate the New Coven­ant. But it would not be proper to say that Moses is now the Mediator of the Law Cov­enant; for a covenant does not need a mediator after it has been mediated. So the New Covenant will need no Mediator after the thousand years. But the title Mediator may belong to Christ to all eternity, just as the one who has been a judge, ever after receives the title of Judge - continues to be called Judge.

At the end of the thousand years, when the Messiah will have accomplished His work of Restitution, He will cease to act as Mediator. But the covenant will con­tinue to stand; for if that relationship with God were to be removed from the people, they would have no blessing of everlasting life. Under the favorable conditions of the New Covenant, whoever will may have an opportunity to become the children of the Christ, the seed of Abraham. At the conclusion of the thousand years, the willing and obedient receive the commendation, “Well done,” and will be accepted as fit for the condition of everlasting life on the human plane. Those who prove to be unworthy of life will be destroyed in the Second Death.

Adamic Death State Vs. Adamic Death Process – Although we have treated on this subject, we repeat that while the two are closely related, there is a wide divergence of meaning between the two. Here are the Berean Comments on Rev. 20:14: “Death (from the Greek thanatos—JJH) .... Including aches, pains, mental and moral imper­fections of every sort.” This is the detailed description of the Adamic Death process. It is the cause of the bringing the human race to the Adamic Death state – ­that has put them in the tomb. When people have entered the grave, the Adamic Death state would eternally end for them when they “hear the voice of the Son of Man, and come forth.”

But not so the death process. Within limits, this will take up where it left off – will continue to harass its possessors until they fully eliminate it, or it eliminates them – in the Second Death. We are informed that Brother Russell ven­tured the thought that the entire race might be freed from the tomb in the first 500 years of the Kingdom reign. If that be true, the Adamic Death process will occupy a much longer period of the Kingdom than the Adamic Death state – the second 500 years, plus the Little Season. We have no argument with this; but we are emphatic that the “last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26) – the Adamic Death process, some of which will continue in the goats until the last of them is destroyed at the end of the Little Season.

Asleep In Jesus – The very fact that it is Jesus who awakens the human race from the sleep of death offers indisputable proof that they are now “asleep in Jesus.” That is the first part to them of the New Covenant blessing. They belong to Jesus, as He purchased them with His own precious blood; therefore at their awak­ening they are under the New Covenant arrangements even before they have received the instructions of the Kingdom laws: they are no longer under Adamic condemnation ­no longer subject to the Adamic Death. Jesus is now their only hope of life, the One who will give them the initial impetus to Restitution, and who will “heal all their diseases,” etc., which have come upon them through the transgression of their original father – Adam. After their return from the tomb, it will be up to them as to what they do with it. But Adam will have nothing to do with it. While we owe it to him to have the little spark of life we have enjoyed, yet all have faced the awful sen­tence, “In sorrow shalt thou eat of it (the daily bread) all the days of thy life.” (Gen. 3:17-19)

During the Mediatorial reign even the Goats, who have outwardly obeyed, will re­ceive great blessings, although the Christ will know even then they have not rid them­selves of the Adamic Death process. But when the “iron rule” is lifted in the Little Season, they will outwardly manifest themselves. It will be true of all those who emerge from the tomb; they will immediately come under the blessings and restraints of that Covenant – even before they are properly instructed thereunder. None will ever again die the Adamic Death, even though they refuse to accept the conditions of the New Covenant.

With this comes the hope and prayer that we have made this subject clear to all our readers. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.” (Psa. 128:1)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle , Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Friends:

I enjoyed the last two bulletins very much. I had toyed with the idea of asking if you had biographies of Brother Russell and Brother Johnson, so you can imagine my pleasure upon noting the subject of Bulletin 316. I shall look forward to more infor­mation if and when you are able to publish more.

We are experiencing some rainy, windy, and quite chilly weather right now, but even a gray day doesn’t seem to dim the panorama of color I see from my eighth-floor window. In the past few years I have been trying my hand at watercolors, but haven’t yet learned to do justice to nature’s beauty.

I am enclosing my usual stipend, and hope it will help a bit with the cost of mail­ing the Good News to others.

My best wishes to you and yours ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

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Dear Sirs:

I am writing to you about the Seventh Volume of Studies In The Scriptures. Is it ­or was it – ever printed? If so, can any one get one?

I would also like to ask a few more questions concerning the Epiphany Bible Students. Do you believe in blood transfusions? Do you build churches in which to worship? Do you believe in saluting the American flag? Do you believe in tithing?

In my youth I did not belong to any church. I believed in God, the Bible, and Christ, though when I grew up I became a Jehovah’s Witness for several years. It was then that I heard about C. T. Russell. I also read about the split that took place after Russell died. After a few years I could not accept their doctrine of allowing people to die because of not taking transfusions, especially little babies. So I dropped out. I became a Brethren member, and after that a Seventh Day Adventist. I still like the doctrines of C. T. Russell, however. I would like very much to have his Studies In The Scriptures. I live on a fixed income, however, and cannot afford to pay very much for books or other things,

If you would send me a set I would try to pay for them. I would also like to have any question booklets that might go with them. Could you do this?

Thank you! ------- (OHIO)

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Beloved Brother and Sister Hoefle: Grace & peace through our Beloved Master! (Psa. 133:1)

As always, it has been a long time since writing you last. However, every day I am praying and thinking of you with affection.

In my trade business there is much work for me in the good season. Also, with the actual crisis, I have to do some long displacements every day – to go to the work and come back – with some bad employers always more exacting....... Here are many, many working-class people out of work. That is the crisis, the trouble. But we are not with­out hope as others!

Concerning the Truth here, Z 4835-4836 is now translated in French language, and will be, thank God, published this winter for the first time in French.

During the bad season, with bad weather as every year, I will have more time for the Truth – writing and publishing articles..........

All your papers and letters are very good. Thanks for all! In one good letter Sister Hoefle said, “Brother Hoefle is marvelous!” And me, I am answering: Yes, Brother Hoefle is marvelous .... because Sister Hoefle always helps him, and is also marvelous!” And all the brethren with you and helping you there at Mount Dora, also are marvelous. All of you are my beloved brethren.

I am very sad when some among you are ill. Also, I am joyfully with you in the Lord because you are my beloved brethren and friends. (1 Cor. 6:26; Phil. 3:1,4:4)

And now my beloved Brother and Sister, I am assuring you of my warm Christian love and my Christian kiss for you all. May our Beloved Heavenly Father continue to bless you and support you, and the others with you, in your labor of the Lord, His Truth, and the brethren.

Affectionately yours in Him, Brother ------- (BELGIUM)

NO. 321: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 321

Comes again the observance of our Lord’s death, and particularly so as regards His last Passover observance the night before He died. We now follow the procedure He pre­scribed at that last Passover with His disciples, using the bread and wine in what is commonly termed The Lord’s Supper. When the typical lamb was gathered in on Nisan 10, as they were told to do that first time in Egypt – held until Nisan 14 – they were un­doubtedly soberly impressed with the serious performance at hand. In previous papers we have stressed the meticulous care each Jewish household portrayed when they removed all leaven from each house the day before eating the Passover. And so it should be with us also. As St. Paul stresses it: “Let a man examine himself.” (1 Cor. 11:28)

First of all, we stress that it is now exactly 3,596 years to the day from that awesome event in Egypt – that night in which every firstborn of man and beast in Egypt was slain. And that event is still indelibly impressed upon the mind of every orthodox Jew to this day – as well it should be. We are often inclined casually to read of this event without great serious thought; but let us consider the condition that prevailed in Egypt at that time: The firstborn of man and beast in every household! Thus, the land was literally filled with corpses; certainly not enough undertakers to care for all of them, which burdened the head of every house with burying his own son. In our day we consider it sad enough when children must bury their own parents in accepted manner; but it is indeed much sadder when parents must bury their own children – and especially so, if those children have been good children; thus, the death of such a child will add double grief upon the parent of that child.

And the Jews were emphatically told, “Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and thy sons forever.” (Ex. 12:24) And their performance of this ritual every year is one of the strongest proofs that the Bible is indeed “the Word of Truth.”

THE DATE

The proper date for observing this sacred event is still a source of much confusion – although the Bible is very positive on the subject: “And ye shall keep it (the lamb) un­til the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” (Ex. 12:6) From this clear statement it should be readily clear to every one that the condition of the moon is by no means a determining factor; yet it does influence quite a few in setting the time of observance. Some de­cide that the moon must be full; and it is substantially so by the 14th of Nisan, but not always so. Last year (1981) the full of the moon did not occur until about two days after the fourteenth of Nisan, so the Jewish Passover was two days later than it should have been had they used Nisan 14.

The only consideration of the moon in this matter is to determine Nisan 1; but once that is established, then it is just fourteen days until the observance should be held. And Nisan 1 is established by the moon which becomes new nearest the Spring Equinox ­unless that moon would date the “remembrance” before the Vernal Equinox – in which case the new moon of the following month should be used. Never before the Vernal Equinox is a hard and fast rule determined by both Brother Russell and Brother Johnson – based upon what we are told by the Jewish historian Josephus, who tells us that limitation was al­ways used by the Jews when Jesus established the Memorial the night before He died.

But in spite of the foregoing, two Truth groups have set aside this reckoning; and in the past few years (1981 being one of them) they have kept the Memorial a few days before the Vernal Equinox. As we have often stated in previous papers, the prop­er date should not be used to determine fellowship, because the very best of Christian leaders have used the wrong date in previous times. However, if we know the truth on the subject, then we, as Truth people, should use the truth because it is the truth; and we suggest that our readers be governed accordingly.

In this year 1982 the moon nearest the Vernal Equinox becomes new at 12:17 p.m. at the meridian nearest Jerusalem, which fixes Nisan 1 at 6 p.m. March 24, according to our calendar. And, counting fourteen daysfrom that, our observance should be any time after six p.m. of April 6. We use Jerusalem as the starting time for this because it was in that locality that the Bible was written. Greenwich, England, or anything west of that, was not known by the Jews, or civilized men at that time; thus, there is no justification for using any of our ‘modern’ locations for arriving at the proper date. The process may sound complicated, but it is really quite simple once it is clearly under­stood. Here in Mount Dora, Florida, we shall keep the Memorial at 7:30 p.m, April 6; and we welcome all of like mind who are in this vicinity to join with us at that time,

THE CORRECT MEANING OF THE MEMORIAL

Over the meaning of no other Biblical words have there been more and sharper contro­versies waged than over those as recorded in Matthew and Mark concerning what Jesus said – and did. As on all other Scripture doctrines, so on this, Satan has spread much vi­cious and confusing error. One of these is the Mass, which requires as its basis the doc­trine of transubstantiation, the central feature of the desolating abomination – one of the great errors about the Lord’s Supper.

Broadly speaking, there are two general views, with varying shades of difference, on the meaning of the words, “This is my body; This is my blood.” No. 1 is that group of views that teaches the real presence of the body and blood of Christ actually in the Lord Supper; and second, that group of views that teaches the representative meaning of the bread and wine in that service. Great ingenuity has been used in the exposition and de­fense of the doctrine of the real presence. We ourselves believe that there is no actual presence of the real body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, as those hold who teach the doctrine of the real presence; for we regard the bread and wine as representa­tions of Christ’s body and blood. Briefly, we shall now examine both of these views.

First, the doctrine of the real presence, that is, that the words, “This is my body ­This is my blood,” teach that the actual flesh and blood of Jesus are present and are given to the communicants. Let us consider its three main views, the first of which is that of the Roman Catholic Church – transubstantiation – that is, the actual change of the bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Jesus during and through the priest’s uttering in the consecration service the words, “This is my body – This is my blood.” The Romanists concede that the bread and wine retain what they call “the ac­cidents,” i.e., the appearance, form, taste, color, weight, etc., of bread and wine – af­ter their consecration; but, they claim, actually they lose the essence of bread and wine and take on the essence of the body and blood of Christ. The body and blood of Christ, i.e., Christ, so created, the priest proceeds in the Mass to sacrifice afresh for the sins of the living and the dead. This indicates the basic relation of transubstantiation to the Mass. Against this view we offer the following objections:

The Romanist view implies a change in the words explanatory of the institution, so that, if their view were correct; the language should read, This has been changed into My body; this has been changed into My blood. The fact that they teach a doctrine whose sense requires a decided change in the wording of the language explanatory of the institution disproves that their claim that their interpretation is correct, because they interpret the language just as it reads, which is a false one.

Further, the Bible contradicts their view. If their view were correct, it would be incorrect, after the consecration of the elements, to speak of partaking of bread and wine, as the Bible does. It should then speak exclusively of partaking of the body and blood of Christ. But the Bible five times calls one of the elements bread after its consecration and during its eating. (1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:26-28); and in all of these passages, except the second, using the familiar figure of the container for the thing contained: It calls the other element the “cup,” and elsewhere defines the contents of the cup, after its consecration and during its drinking, as the fruit of the vine, i.e., wine. (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25) Hence, the Bible by calling the elements bread and wine after their consecration, contradicts the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Facts prove that the bread and wine remain bread and wine after the consecration of the elements. The following are some of these facts: Blood does not make drunk, but wine does. Frequently, priests in their many masses must drink so much wine that they became drunk. It is now openly stated that about ten percent of the Catholic priests are alcoholics. Hence it is wine that they drink, not blood. Chemical analysis will demonstrate that there are exactly the same amount and same proportion of certain chemi­cal elements in a given amount of bread after consecration as there were before; while the same amount, proportion and kinds of chemical elements will not be found in a human body. Moreover, the amount, kinds and proportion of chemical elements will vary in the analysis of different consecrated breads exactly in proportion to the changes in the mill­ing of the flour, which causes them thus to vary in their proportion of carbonates, ni­trogen, phosphates and mineral salts. The chemical analysis of the wine proves the same truth. But the elements of Christ’s flesh and blood would remain the same. Hence, these facts prove that there has been no change in the substance of the bread and wine after the consecration by the Roman priests. Other arguments refute the doctrine of transubstan­tiation; but as they apply equally against the other two views of the “real presence” we will discuss them in connection with points against all three of these “real presence” views.

THE REAL PRESENCE AN ERROR

Some of the Oriental Christian sects teach consubstantiation – a mingling of the bread and body and wine and blood. The Lutheran Church and some Episcopalians teach what may be called instrumentalization, though they do not use that term; for they teach that by means of the bread and wine, which they teach remain bread and wine throughout the service, the actual body and blood of Jesus are given the communicants. Accordingly, transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and instrumentalization have in common the thought of the “real presence.” The arguments that we will now advance apply equally against all of them.

The Bible account of the original supper proves that Jesus did not give His actual body and blood to His disciples: (a) His blood was not yet shed when He instituted the Supper, but was in His veins; therefore, it was not in the cup. (b) Jesus held the bread in His hand after He blessed it and used over it the explanatory words, “This is my body;” hence, what He gave was a different thing from His body. (c) He did not arise from His couch and put Himself into the hand of each of His disciples; for He remained reclining on the couch, while He handed them the bread. (d) The disciples did not handle His body and blood for they remained on the couch. (e) They did not put them into their mouths, which would have been too small to receive His body; for He remained on the couch speaking, while they put the bread into their mouths. (f) They did not eat His body and blood; for these remained on the couch. (g) There is not the slightest suggestion in the whole event that either Jesus or His disciples thought that there was an actual giving of His body and blood to the disciples. The expression of such a thought would have aroused questions, especially in Peter, requiring answers before the disciples could have proper­ly partaken in the service. Hence, the conclusion is unavoidable that in the original Lord’s Supper Jesus did not give His actual flesh and blood to His Apostles to eat and drink; and therefore, in none of the subsequent celebrations of that Supper which Jesus instituted were the celebrants given what the original Supper did not give its partici­pants. To claim that subsequent celebrations have given the communicants what the orig­inal Supper did not give its communicants implies that they are not the same thing as the original Supper, i.e., they are not the Lord’s Supper at all!

These three doctrines of the “real presence” contradict various Scriptural doctrines, especially the central doctrine of the Bible – the Ransom. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ laid down His humanity as the Ransom Price for mankind. (1 Tim. 2:6) For Him to take back His humanity implies the taking back of the Ransom Price, which would undo the Ransom. The doctrine of the real presence implies that Jesus took back His humanity; for it is claimed by its adherents that by virtue of its personal union with His Divinity it is present in the Lord’s Supper, and this doctrine implies His taking back the Ransom Price. Again, these doctrines of the real presence contradict our Lord’s resurrection as a spirit being (1 Cor. 15:45–49; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Pet 3:19); for they imply that He arose a human being. As a consequence of the unscriptural implications involved in the doctrine of the real presence the entire Plan of God as centering in the Ransom becomes inoperative, especially in its justification, High Calling and Restitution features.

The doctrine of the real presence contains other unscriptural implications. The first of these is that Jesus’ body and blood can be in many places at the same time, which is untrue; for according to this doctrine wherever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated the body and blood of Christ are present. But it is often celebrated at different places at the same time; hence, according to this doctrine Jesus’ Body and blood are at many places at the same time, an impossibility. Again, this doctrine implies that Jesus has millions of bodies and rivers of blood; for according to it each communicant receives the complete body of Jesus and some of His blood. According to this doctrine billions have received them and millions of them at the same time, implying that Jesus had millions of bodies and rivers of blood. Hence the “real presence” doctrine is an absurdity.

The doctrine of the real presence is contrary to facts. Not one fact in connec­tion with the original Supper or its subsequent celebrations implies it; but all the facts connected with them contradict it.

The doctrine of the real presence is contrary to reason. There is nothing reason­able about it; and reason must be suspended to believe it. It can therefore not be included among the Divine mysteries, whose breadth and length and height are comprehended by the saints. (Eph. 3:4, 18; Matt. 13:11) It belongs to the mystery of iniquity, not to the mystery of God.

It contradicts our five senses, especially in its forms of transubstantiation and consubstan­tiation; and since these five senses were given us to help us to ascertain facts (Luke 24:39,40), the “real presence” must be untrue. The doctrine of the real presence is unprovable; for since neither the Bible, Reason, or facts prove it; and since it contradicts the Bible, Reason and Facts, it is evidently unprovable.

It is used to palm off some of the greatest delusions ever presented; it is calcu­lated to exalt the clergy and degrade the laity; and by Satan has been used to accom­plish these ends in the most brazen of all priestcrafts. These doctrines foster super­stition and credulity unbecoming to saints of God; for the services that express them are really hocus pocus ceremonies and sleight of hand tricks, when viewed from the standpoint of the erroneousness of these doctrines. These doctrines, especially transub­stantiation and consubstantiation, bring inevitably in their train questions and strife of words subversive of piety and reverence, e.g., whether mice eating the consecrated bread eat the flesh of Christ, etc.’

For all three doctrines of the real presence above reviewed it is claimed by their advocates that they are based upon the literal interpretation of the words of our text. However, if any literal interpretation of these texts would imply any of these three views, the above given reasons would prove that the words should not be given such lit­eral interpretation; and, if there were but one literal interpretation, it would not, of course, yield three different views.

THE UNDERLYING ERROR

The error underlying their claim as to a literal interpretation is due in part to the fact that advocates of each view argue as though the word is has but one literal mean­ing. Our understanding as to the matter is that the word is like many other words, has several literal meanings. Those who teach the real presence take but one of these and stress it as though it is the only literal meaning that the word has, though their literal interpretation yields three varying views! In this they greatly err. There are espec­ially two literal meanings that the verb “to be” has: (1) it is the predicate to express actual existence; (2) it is the predicate to express actual representation; but in both cases the meaning is literal. Thus, if we should say, A dog is an animal, we make a lit­eral statement in which the word is would be literally used as the predicate of actual existence.” And if we should say of a parental photograph, This is my father, or This is my mother, we would be making a literal statement in which the word is would be liter­ally used as the predicate of actual representation. In both statements the word is is literally used, but is used in different literal senses – just as the word comprehend is both times used literally when in one sentence it means to understand (Eph. 3:18) and in another sentence it means to contain. (Rom. 13:9)

The verb “to be” in its various forms is used as the predicate of actual representa­tion, to give an explanation, an interpretation, of a thing that stands for some other thing. Thus in ordinary conversation, as above shown, we may say of a photo, This is my father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, neighbor, employer, employee, etc., as the case may be. Every one would understand that we are explaining whom the photo represents, and would understand us to be predicating, not actual existence, but actual representation. Thus Gen. Fred Grant, in the company of some friends, pointing to a statue of his father in New York, said, “This is my father.” Here, too, actual rep­resentation was literally predicated by the word is. The statement was perfectly literal; for he was giving a literal interpretation of that statue. Again, at the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, it was often said of Booth as he impersonated, represented, Hamlet, He is Hamlet. The predication was literal, not, of course, of actual existence, but of actual representation. Of an effigy or image we would say, this is so and so, and thereby would predicate actual representation. These examples suffice to prove that the verb “to be” in its various forms may be used literally to predicate actual representation as well as actual existence. And this is always the case when it is the predicate in a sentence that interprets the meaning of a representative thing. And in such interpretation the word is literally means represents.

Let us turn to the Scriptures and see whether this is not also Biblical usage. Let us first look at its interpretations of parables, which, of course, are representative things. In Matt. 13:24-30 Jesus gives the parable of the wheat and tares, and in re­sponse to His disciples’ request (v. 36) He explained the parable, in verses 37–42. In His explanation He repeatedly used the verb “to be” in various of its forms, in the ex­planatory clauses to mean to represent. Thus He said, “He that sowed the seed (the sower) is (represents) the Son of Man; the field is (represents) the world; The good seed are (represent) the children of the Kingdom; but the tares are (represent) the chil­dren of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is (represents) the devil; the harvest is (represents) the end of the world; and the reapers are (represent) the angels. Un­doubtedly a parable by certain things represents other things; and in interpreting each of its representing parts when the verb “to be” is used in the interpretation to predi­cate the meaning it always means, to represent, which is one of its literal meanings.

Let us notice the Biblical interpretations of types, which, of course, are repre­sentative things, and ye would find the word is in the explanatory terms means repre­sents. “This (one, John the Baptist) is (represents) Elias (the Church) that is to come.” (Matt. 11:14, Rev. Ver. ) “That rock was (represented) Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4) “These (women, Sarah and Hagar) are (represent) two covenants.” (Gal. 4:24) In these three passages the Scriptures interpret three types. In the explanatory term it uses various forms of the verb “to be,” and in every case the verb “to be” is used to mean “to repre­sent,” because a representative thing is being interpreted.

Symbols are likewise used in the Bible as representative things; and in all such cases where an interpretation of the representative symbol is given and where one of the forms of the verb “to be” is used to predicate the explanation it always means to repre­sent. As an illustration of such an interpretation of symbols we might cite Rev. 17:9, 12, 15, 18: “The seven heads are (represent) seven mountains.” “The ten horn? ... are (represent) ten kings.” “The waters ... are (represent) peoples,” etc. “The woman is (represents) that great city.”

Visions are also representative things; and whenever the Bible explains the mean­ing of their parts and uses the forms of the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation it is always used to represent. As an example we might cite Ezek. 37:11: “These bones are (represent) the whole house of Israel.” Images or effigies are also representative things; and whenever the Bible explains them and uses the forms of the verb “to be” to predicate the interpretation it always means to represent, e. g., of the golden calf Aaron made this explanation: “These be (represent) thy gods.” (Ex. 32:4)

If the Bible had offered an interpretation of its two fables – the trees choosing their king (Judg. 9:8–15), and the encounter of the cedar of Lebanon and the thistle (2 Kings 14:9) – and had used the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation, it would have meant to represent. It could have no other meaning.

Some Biblical institutions are representative things; and whenever the Bible ex­plains them and uses the verb “to be” to predicate the interpretation, it always uses it to mean to represent. Circumcision is such an institution (Rom. 4:11): “He re­ceived the sign of circumcision” of which God speaks as follows: “This (circumcision) is (represents) My Covenant.” (Gen. 17:10) Actually God’s Covenant with Abraham and his Seed was the promised blessings which circumcision represented, in that it symbo­lized what God does to the Seed in bestowing the promised blessings. Therefore, God called circumcision “the token,” representation, of His Covenant (Gen. 17:11). The an­nual passover – the paschal lamb – and its sacrifice, constituted another such institu­tion. Of it the Lord commanded the Israelites, when they would be asked by their chil­dren in Canaan as to what the slaying of the annual lamb represented, to answer, “It is (represents) the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover” – the paschal lamb slain in Egypt.

THIS REPRESENTS MY BODY – MY BLOOD

According to these many illustrations and examples we see that it is the regular Biblical usage, whenever explaining representative things, and using the verb “to be” to predicate the explanation, this verb always means to represent, and that is its lit­eral meaning in such connections. The many reasons given above prove that the word is is not used in the texts, “This is my body – This is my blood,” to predicate actual ex­istence. It must therefore be used to predicate actual representation; and as such is used by Jesus as the predicate to explain the meaning of some representative thing – a thing standing for some other thing. With this thought the Scriptures are in thorough agreement. And when the relationship of the Lord’s Supper to the annual passover ser­vice is recognized as the antitype of the latter, this becomes a matter of demonstration. In the Old Testament there were two things each of which had a reality and a symbol. Thus there was a real circumcision – that of the heart – and a symbolic circumcision ­that of the flesh. (Rom. 2:28,29) Thus there was also a real Passover – that slain in Egypt – and a symbolic passover – that slain annually. In the Gospel Age we have the antitypes of these two sets of things – the real baptism, consecration – the antitypes the circumcision of the heart in the Ancient Worthies, and symbolic baptism – water immer­sion – that antitypes their circumcision in the flesh; and the real antitypical Passover – Christ (1 Cor. 5:7) that antitypes the passover slain in Egypt, and the symbolic antitypical Passover the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper – which antitypes the an­nual passover slain in Egypt. And the relation of these two symbolic institutions of the Israelites to their Old Testament realities; as the symbols of these realities, proves that water baptism and the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, the two Gospel Age institutions, typed by these two symbolic Israelitish institutions, sustain the same relations – symbols of them – to the two Gospel Age realities – consecration and Christ as the antitypical Passover – typed by the two Israelitish realities – heart circumcision and the paschal lamb in Egypt. When this relationship is seen, one at once recognizes that as the annual lamb was a representation and commemoration of the original lamb slain in Egypt, so the bread and wine, as the antitype of the annual lamb, are a representation and commemoration of Christ as our Passover slain in the world for us – the antitype of the passover lamb slain in Egypt. And this once seen, it follows that we must interpret the words, “This is my body – This is my blood,” to mean, This represents my body; this represents my blood; for Christ by this language was explaining for what the representa­tive things – the bread and wine – in the Lord’s Supper stand – they stand for, repre­sent, His body and blood. Another consideration proves that the word is in our text is used to predicate actual representation and not actual existence – the language that Jesus uses in connection with the cup, as given by Sts. Paul and Luke: “This cup is the New Testament.” (1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:20) Certainly in this text the word is cannot be the predicate of actual existence; for the New Testament, or Covenant, is not a cup at all – it will be a contract between God and man, mediated by the Christ during the Millennium. Hence the word is in these passages is used as the predicate of actual rep­resentation. This cup is (represents) the New Testament – the New Covenant. This be­ing true, it follows that the word is has the same meaning in all of the sentences in which Jesus explained the import of the bread and wine.

THE DEEPER THOUGHT

The Lord Jesus (Luke 22:20) and the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 10:16,17; 11:25) point out a still deeper meaning in these words. Briefly would we examine this deeper thought. In 1 Cor. 10:17, by the language, “We, being many, are one bread, one body,” the Apostle shows that the one bread to be broken represents the Church also, as well as Jesus; for the Church is the one Body of Christ (Rom. 12:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 13, 27; Eph. 1:22,23; 4:4, 12, 13, 15, 16; Col. 1:24) St. Paul calls the Church both the one bread and the Body of Christ which in the preceding verse he said is represented by the bread of bless­ing. Hence the bread, in addition to representing the Body of Jesus, also represents the Church, as Christ’s Body. For a more detailed exposition of these verses we refer our readers to F 465–469. Indeed as a help in preparing for the Memorial we suggest that all of our readers read the entire chapter on The Passover of the New Creation in Volume VI.

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER

When St. Paul tells us that “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7), he is clearly stating that the Passover Lamb in Egypt was a type of our Gospel-Age Pass­over. And, since every antitype is greater than its type, so we recognize that “Our” Passover is infinitely greater than was the typical lamb that awesome night in Egypt. And all the minute details that were so scrupulously observed have antitypical setting; but we shall mention now just two of them. The lamb in Egypt served two very important purposes: Its blood preserved the life of every Jew that night; and the eating of its flesh gave them strength and courage to undertake the march to goodly Canaan land. These same things our Lamb does for us, but in much grander scale. “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7); thus our life is preserved so long as we remain under that blood!

This is further corroborated by the two stacks of shewbread of six slices each that were always on the golden table in the Tabernacle Holy. That “bread of presence” was changed every Sabbath; and the old loaves were eaten by the priests in the Holy Place. That bread was also known as the “continual bread.” Placed side by side, the two stacks made 66, which is the number of the books in our Bible; they represented the twelve tribes of Israel. And being in the Holy Place, they represented Jehovah’s continual presence with His people so long as they remained faithful to Him. The Ko­hathites had the charge of it; and it represented the precious promises upon which the travelers to the heavenly Canaan feed continually in their wearisome journey.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes if him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:13) “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” (1 Cor. 7:24)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

My dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:

I just got home and got your loving Christmas remembrance... When the Lord says He will supply all your needs He really means it! I don’t want to distress you, but this morning about 5:30 I heard a great crash. I jumped out of bed and there was a man in the corridor. He broke through the window at the top of the bathroom, and collided with a flower pot that was near the door. I just rushed at his throat and we had a wrestling match. I managed to push him into the kitchen and pushed him up against the door. He put his hand over my mouth and I bit him so he dragged off a silver chain I had around my neck. I pushed him against the door and told him to open it. I said, Open the door – why don’t you open the door? So he drew back the bolts, still holding on to me, he attempted to put his hand over my mouth again – and I bit him for all I was worth; and he escaped outside and I screamed for all I was worth.

The neighbors came running, but by that time he had fled. I went to the police and to our Health Centre and got an injection for the bruises and a lot of tablets. I am starting to ache all over. But what I am saying, is that I had to call in a man to grill up all the windows. So thank you, thank you very much for your very useful Christ­mas present! See the other wonderful thing: I wear one of these diabetic chains round my neck. The day before all the girls insisted to treat me to a silver chain for Christ­mas, because you see I had been running a thrift club for them – and they were grate­ful. If I had not switched chains the man would have strangled me when he held on to it, for it would not have given so easily... I know that you have a hard time keep­ing up with all your correspondence – what a heavy mail bag you must have to go through! I really don’t expect you to answer all my letters, but you will never know how nice it is to hear from you both...

Warm Christian greetings to you all during this Holiday Season. Blessed be the tie that binds us together in this family of faith. I promise not to write such a long letter for awhile. I don’t want to tax your strength, So press on and the Lord will be with the good.

Sincerely your sister ------- (JAMAICA)

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Dear Brother: Grace and peace in the name of our Lord, Jesus!

I went to Lencyzk Drive, as you requested. Mr. Miles is no longer living at this address – and the people living there now have never heard of him. Therefore, I was unable to pursue this any further.

I read with great interest the material you and Sister gave us upon our recent visit with you; and I find that we agree with you completely. It is now clear to us that the LHMM has in the past (since Brother Johnson’s death), and is now, following the way of Balaam. Their mission of comforting the Jews, exposing Great Company er­rors, etc., his been abandoned, and their inventing a new Class – “Epiphany Campers” ­to comfort, instead of the Jews, is blasphemous to say the least.

For quite sometime now, I have been gravely concerned, as to why I did not discern the Spirit of the Lord, among the majority of the adherence of the LHMM, especially among the LHMM hierarchy. But after reading your paper No. 205, July 1, 1972, it is obvious that they have resorted to the antics of an ACTOR; and, as you pointed out, are well described in Prov. 6:12,13,14.

Please send me, dear Brother, a list of your publications, prices, etc., that I might obtain those that I do not now have.

Your brother in the Lord’s service, ------- (FLORIDA)

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Dear Friends:

The threat of a strike in the Postal Department made me realize I’ve been pro­crastinating again. I hope this note finds you all well and coping with the unusually hot weather our TV reports indicate you are having.

We’ve had some lovely summer weather, but gardeners and farmers would like more rain. All storms seem to move south of us and let more rain fall where they seem to get more than they want. It is so good to know that the day will come when the good earth will get the moisture it needs when it needs it.

I wish the very best for you and yours.

Most sincerely ------- (PENNSYLVANIA)

(Enclosure for the Lord’s work)

NO. 320: THE OATH-BOUND COVENANT SURE - HEB. 6:17-20

No. 320

The various covenants discussed in the Bible have been very well defined by the Har­vest Messenger – That Servant; and a clear understanding of the covenants may be com­pared to a clear understanding of the Tabernacle. If the covenants are clearly under­stood, the possessor of that knowledge is not likely to go very far astray from the Truth. In fact, the Tabernacle is the central feature of the Law Covenant, which latter is typi­cal of the New Covenant. Every antitype is greater than its type; thus, we should ex­pect the New Covenant to overshadow the Law Covenant as the sun outshines the moon. Much of what follows is taken directly from past writings; but, not being word for word, we have omitted the quotation marks in much of it.

The Old Covenant was unsatisfactory in its results; but the New Covenant will bless all the willing and obedient with eternal life. There were two Old Covenants – ­the Grace, or Sarah Covenant, and the Law Covenant. Which did the Apostle mean has be­come old, valueless, and would pass away and give place to the New Covenant? Surely there can be no doubt on this point – he meant the Law Covenant, for he says so. He did not mean the Grace or Sarah Covenant, for he points out that our claim to relationship with God is under that original Covenant. (Gal. 3:29) Our Lord Jesus, by His obedience, became heir of all, heir of the original Covenant and heir also of the Law Covenant.

Of the people there was none with Him, neither Jews nor Gentiles. But by the Grace of God there was provision made, as we have seen, that any Jew, seeing that the Law Cov­enant was dead, nailed to the cross, might become betrothed to Christ. They did not need to wait for the New Covenant, the provisions of which apply only to those on the earthly plane. Instead, by a faith justification and a consecration unto death, they were counted worthy of begetting to the new nature – betrothed to Christ. And similarly, Gentiles favored of God by the hearing ear and seeing eye of faith, were subsequently privileged to go through the same process, except that they did not need to reckon themselves dead to the Law Covenant, because they never were under it. Otherwise, recognizing Christ’s death as the blood of the original Covenant, typified by Abraham’s offering up his son, these also were reckoned justified and, presenting their justified bodies to the Lord as sacrifices, they were begotten of the same Holy Spirit as the Jews, to be fellow-members of the same Body – the Body of Christ.

We come now to the other part of the question: What provision has God made for those Jews who bound themselves under the Law Covenant, from Moses’ day down to the First Advent; and for those who since then have not discerned the death of the Law Cov­enant, and who will not be made aware of it until after the spiritual seed shall have been completed and glorified? If they have not lost all share and privileges in connec­tion with God’s special mercies, where do they come in? We answer that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others before the Law Covenant were not bound by it, yet they were not in the fullest sense justified to life until the Abrahamic Covenant had been established at Calvary.  Their faith, then, entitled them to a share in the merits of that sacrifice. Likewise throughout the period of the Law Covenant, before it was annulled at the cross, there were Ancient Worthies (Heb.  Chap. 11) who lived by faith, living above the masses of their time, and who, although bound by the Law, had above it a living faith in the original Oath-Bound Grace Covenant. These in the Divine records were entitled to their share of that Grace when the merit of Calvary’s sacrifice had been presented on behalf of believers, when Jesus “ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Although they lived while the Law Covenant was alive, they foresaw its death and trusted not in it, but in the superior Covenant of Grace. They realized that no matter how much they tried, they could not keep the Law Covenant, because of inherited human frailty. Hence these in due time will come forth to a life resurrection – not be­cause of their relationship to the New Covenant, of which they knew nothing, but because of their relationship to and faith in the original (Sarah) Covenant of Grace. Thus the Scriptures account for the faithful ones of the past under the Covenant of Grace. (See Hebrews, Chapter 11) But what now shall we say respecting those earthly Israelites, who lived not on that higher plane of faith, but of whom the Apostle says, “Our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come unto this promise.” (Acts 26:7) Were they all deceived? Will they get those special blessings?

God’s Gifts And Callings Sure—Rom. 11:29,32: Nay, we answer, “the gifts and call­ings of God” are things not to be repented of. He knew the end from the beginning – knew exactly what Israel would be and do, and was not disappointed; and all of the plans and promises to that nation were made from the standpoint of this knowledge. Although the chief feature of the Sarah Covenant was secured by our Lord Jesus as a trophy of His victory over sin and death, and although He laid down His human nature completely to this end, nevertheless, the Divine arrangement is such that the blood of Christ, the merit of His sacrifice of all earthly things, must accrue to the benefit of the natural seed of Abraham, because it all goes to seal the New Covenant, which belongs exclusively to fleshly Israel.

Thus, while natural Israel had been counted enemies for our sakes, for the Gospel’s sake, our only opportunity for gaining the great prize is in connection with the sealing of a New Covenant between God and Israel. (Jer. 31:31-33) How beautifully the features of the Divine program balance! Their loss was our gain, and our gain through sacrifice be­comes their gain; and, altogether, the Lord will be glorified! As already shown, the New Covenant will not be sealed, ratified, until the sacrifice of The Christ shall have been finished. And the finishing of these sacrifices closes the work of this great Day of Sacrifice and Atonement. With the second presentation of the blood of Atonement in the Most Holy, at the end of this Age, the New Covenant with Israel will be sealed and the blessing of the Lord will begin to Israel. “For this is my Covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:27)

ABRAHAM’S TWO SEEDS

Not only did the original promise indicate two seeds of Abraham – one as the stars of heaven, and the other as the sands of the sea – but St. Paul elaborated this thought, saying of the promise, “It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of-Abraham, who is the father of us all (including you who are Romans); as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations.” (Rom. 4:16) “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)

We have seen how Abraham, as a type of God, is the father of the spiritual seed and how through Christ by provision of the New Covenant, the Jewish nation, dead under the Law Covenant, is to be regenerated by The Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant; and that this regeneration will commence at the close of this Gospel Age and the opening of the Millennial Age.

But these are only two – “the (Church) holy nation,” and the (Jewish) chosen nation. How do all nations come in? It will not do to say the Body of Christ, the bride class, fulfills this prophecy, because, although they were taken out of the nations, they are not all nations, and do not represent all nations. Each first died to his earthly estate and nationality before he was begotten of the Holy Spirit – to be a member of the Holy nation, the New Creation – a member of spiritual Israel. (Rev. 7:4) The Scriptures dis­tinctly show that Christ and His Church, spirit beings, must constitute the Kingdom class, but they also show that the Ancient Worthies, and through them the nation of Israel under the New Covenant, will become the representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom amongst men.

HOPE FOR MANY NATIONS

Since God’s favors are thus marked out for the Heavenly and Earthly seeds of Abra­ham – the earthly through the heavenly – it follows that the blessing of the other nations will come about through their affiliation with these. In other words, we may understand that the Divine Government established in Israel in the hands of the Worthies will be the center of Divine favor, and the people of other nationalities must come to this center for their supplies of Truth and Grace. Thus the Prophet  represents the matter, saying, “Many nations shall go and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain (kingdom) of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his  ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth from Mount Zion (the spiritual kingdom) and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem (the  center  of  the  earthly  kingdom).”(Micah 4:2)

And thus all nations, peoples, kindreds and tongues shall be brought gradually to an appreciation of the Divine plan, they shall all be blessed with restitution privileges and opportunities and with an enlightenment from the rays of the Sun of Righteousness, which then through the appointed channels (the Worthies and natural Israel) will be flood­ing all the earth. Thus will the original Covenant have its amplified fulfillment; first, in The Christ, the spiritual Israel; secondly, under the New Covenant with Israel after the flesh; and through these bless all the families of the earth, so that all the will­ing and obedient may gradually attain to the standards of the children of God and be pos­sessed of the “liberties of the sons of God” – freedom from sin, sorrow, pain and death. (Rev. 21:4) As the Old Law Covenant was with Israel only, so the New (Law) Covenant will be with Israel only.  Other nations will share it by becoming Israelites, “Prose­lytes of the gate,” not under the Old but under the New Covenant. (Ezek. 16:60,61)

Perversions – Past And Present – Often have we directed attention to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement regarding their attempt to displace the Jews as the chief earthly class among Restitutionists under the New Covenant and the Worthies.  During the Dark Ages the Roman Church pursued much the same policy – except with much more force and abuse. Often they concentrated persecution against the Jews ­much the same as they did against the Gentile Christian protesters. But in recent years, recognizing that their dominion is tottering, they are beginning to read the un­mistakable “handwriting on the wall” – and their attitude toward the Jews has softened considerably.

However, there are other “Christian” organizations besides the above three making themselves heard in our day by their antagonism toward the Jew. Just recently one such sect returned our paper on the Jewish situation, with which they enclosed one of their booklets. They take caustic exception to our Scriptural interpretation concerning the present and future status of the Jews. Here is a little of what their booklet contains:

“The evidence proving the present-day ‘Jews’ are NOT ‘The house of Israel’ is end­less. History gives abundant proof that the White, Caucasian Race sprang from dispersed Israel. WE ARE ISRAEL.”

In substance, the Witnesses teach the same; They are God’s Israel; they are the “chosen people.” They are ready to proclaim the founder of their movement, and boast about him (See Isa. 4:11 and 5:13, and Berean Comments) even as they grossly and per­sistently revolutionize against their founder’s clear and persuasive interpretation of those prophecies that emphatically designate “to the Jew first.” Likewise, although in lesser degree, the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement teaches the same, with the excep­tion that they apply these Jewish promises to their new converts since 1954; they teach that their present-day converts will be ‘first and chief’ next to the Worthies, instead of the Jews – thus taking away from the Jews their God-given promises, as they usurp those promises.

Perhaps it is well to recall here that the usurpers all during this Age have pre­vailed in numbers, power and prominence (“In Thy name ... done many wonderful works”—­Matt. 7:22); but this will all be changed under the benign Kingdom reign. “HE THAT HATH AN EAR TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR!”

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

Both the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant are Scripturally styled “The Ever­lasting Covenant” in contrast with the Law Covenant, which passed away – a failure be­cause of its “unprofitableness.” However, not unprofitable in its precepts, because they are perfect, which precepts will be incorporated in the New Covenant when man will be able to keep them. (Heb. 7:18 and Gal. 3:24,25) The one is perpetuated in the other, even as the spiritual seed (spiritual Israel) will rule and bless through the earthly seed (fleshly Israel). Note the Scripture testimony that the original Grace (or Sarah) Cov­enant is everlasting (Gen. 17:7,13,19; 2 Sam. 23:5; Psa. 105:8-10) Also note other Scriptures which apply the same term prophetically to the New Covenant: Jer. 32:40; 31:31,32; Ezek. 16:60.  Note carefully the context in each instance that reference is to the Millennium.

The Blood Of The Everlasting Covenant – The blood of the Everlasting Covenant is the “blood of Jesus,” under the Grace or Sarah Covenant (not by the New Covenant which does not yet exist and which is to be made only with Israel). And the blood or sacrifice of Jesus is “the blood of the New Covenant,” yet to be established with fleshly Israel, just the same – only that by the Father’s good pleasure Jesus is now accepting the “little flock” as His members and counting their sacrifice or blood as a part of His own – the sin offering in two parts.

Note how this is set forth in Isaiah 55:1-3. Here believers of this Gospel Age are described as those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Under the Father’s draw­ing they come to Jesus now.  They are not of those who, blind and deaf under Satan’s power, love darkness rather than light and will need the Kingdom regulations and cor­rections to make them bow and confess, under the New Covenant arrangement with Israel and indirectly with all nations.

Come now to Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Jesus), through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect.” Does this refer to our justification from Adamic guilt and reconcil­iation to God? Not at all! The Father will have nothing to do with us (except to draw us to Jesus for justification and consecration) until after our justification. Then His mighty power which brought our Great Shepherd from the tomb to glory and immortality be­gins to mightily “work in us to will and to do His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) If we abide in His love, He will perfect us as New Creatures by the privilege granted us of sharing in the sufferings of Christ – participating in the shedding of the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, which as the New Covenant will bring blessing to Israel, and then to the world. The Greek word here rendered “perfect you” signifies “knit you together,” that is, make you completely one with the Shepherd as His “members” both in sufferings and in glory to follow.

Other Pertinent Texts – Let us now briefly refer to some Scriptures which mention the New Covenant, that we may note their full harmony with the foregoing. We have al­ready examined the one statement connected with our text and see that it applies to the establishment of the Kingdom, as the foundation of the New Covenant blessings to the world during the Millennium.  There are just eight other texts in the New Testament which refer to the New Covenant:

(1) “For this cause he is made mediator of a better covenant (not better than the Grace or Sarah Covenant, but better than the Law Covenant), which was established upon better promises.” (Heb. 8:6) Our Lord Jesus had already begun the work necessary to His fulfilling this office of Mediator of the New Covenant. He had laid the founda­tion, but He had not yet accepted to Himself all the members the Father intended and fore knew and predestinated. We notice from the context that the contrast still is be­tween the Law Covenant and its mediator Moses, and the New Covenant, superior because of its better mediator, the Messiah. Moses could offer only imperfect sacrifices, but Christ, by antitypical sacrifices of the bullock and goat (Himself and His Body), makes satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, and prepares to mediate the New Covenant, which, God has promised shall be His channel of blessing Israel and the world.

(2) In the succeeding verse (8) the Apostle supports his argument by a quotation from the Old Testament promise to Israel of a New Covenant, saying, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Clearly this does not refer to spiritual Israel, or to any others during this Gospel Age.

(3) Neither does the next reference to the New Covenant, which is a part of the same quotation from Jer. 31:31, refer to spiritual Israel. “Not according to the cov­enant I made with their fathers’ ... and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” (See Heb. 8:8-10)

(4) “In that he saith, a New Covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” Notice that the Apostle is not saying one word about the New Covenant being for the Church of Christ. His readers understood very well that they came in under the Sarah Covenant. But certain Judaizing teachers insisted that they must be under the Hagar Covenant, as well as under the Sarah Covenant. And this is what the Apostle is disputing. He is making clear that the (Hagar) Law Cov­enant would not continue, but perish, and that, in God’s due time, He would provide a New Covenant to take its place with Israel.

(5) It was necessary that Jews be redeemed from the “dead works” of the Old Law Covenant and that a New one be made for them by Christ – Head and members. The Old one was sealed by the blood of bulls and goats, but the New one by “better sacrifices.” Anti­typically the blood of the bullock has been offered, and soon that of the goat will be presented. (Heb. 9:14-20)

(6) “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them; and there is no more offering for sin.” (Heb. 10:16-18) The Apostle is arguing along gen­eral lines. He would have his readers understand that when an acceptable sacrifice has been offered to God for sins, the transaction is a closed one, and the sacrifice needs no repetition. He shows that this will be so in the future for the world. When the “better sacrifices,” sealing the New Covenant, shall have been offered to God by our Re­deemer, and accepted by Him, it will mean the cancellation of all condemnation.

(7) “For this is my Covenant to them, when I shall take away their sins. As con­cerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes; but as touching the elect, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.” (Rom. 11:27,28) There is no room to doubt that the Apostle here is referring to Israel’s Covenant, the New Covenant, which God will make with them after this Gospel Day. The time for their deliverance is nigh – the time when He will mediate that New Covenant, satisfy the demands of Divine justice on behalf of the world. Then He will become, as previously intended and declared, the great Mediator of the New Covenant between God and mankind in general. Then will He begin His Millen­nial Kingdom: “For he must reign until he shall have put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor. 15:25,26)

(8) “But ye are approached unto Mt.  Zion ... to the New Jerusalem ... to the gen­eral assembly and Church of the firstborn .... and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling.” (Heb. 12:24) Here spiritual Israel is pic­tured as an army marching, and the things at the farther end are seen and to be reached. Jesus is the Mediator, but He has accepted the Church as His bride, His body, and waits her arrival. The picture shows that the New Law Covenant will be established as the Old Law Covenant was, only on a higher plane and through a greater Mediator and by better sac­rifices. (Acts 3:23)

Much of the foregoing is by That Servant – Reprints 4319-4322 – which we continue to believe and teach. If any are inclined to criticize us because we attack and refute the errors that set aside these Truths, we comfort ourselves with the assurance that so long as we “contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints,” we will not only get the criticism of the errorists themselves, but also the ‘reproaches’ of those who pre­fer peace rather than stand the “heat of the day.” The Truth is not for easy-going Chris­tians. “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” (Rom. 15:3) The September 23 Manna Comments by That Servant are pertinent here: “This will mean our willingness to stand for the Truth at any cost and against any number of assailants – against the creeds and theories of men, which would misrepresent the Good Tidings of Great Joy which the Lord and the Apostles have announced, and which, thank God, yet be unto all people. As the Apostle again says, ‘I am set for the defense of the Gospel.’ We can do no less than defend the Truth. The Truth is God’s representative, Christ’s representative, and hence our stan­dard, and as true soldiers we must defend our standard, even unto death.”

A firm stand for the Truth always costs something; and we are admonished by the Lord to “count the cost” before embracing it. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matt. 10:34) Thus, we often lose friends as we “fight the good fight” and wage warfare for the Truth.  But,

What matter if I stand alone?

I wait with joy the coming years;

My heart shall reap where it has sown,

And garner up its fruit of tears.

It is our conviction that the Lord’s promises to the Jews are essential doctrine for our day – because we stand at the very threshold of their fulfillment. The terse summation of those promises is that they will be ‘first and chief’ of the afterborns under the New Covenant (“beloved for the fathers’ sake”) – “ to the Jew first.” Thus, we “count it all joy” if cantankerous brethren – “the unstable and unlearned” – cast abuse at us because ye champion the Jewish promises in like manner as did That Servant. Any who attempt to “take from” (See Rev. 22:18,19) those promises belonging exclusively to the Jews, and appropriate them for themselves, they are engaging in Satanic usurpa­tion – whether wittingly or unwittingly; and those who have once been enlightened in present truth, who appropriate those promises belonging to the Jews, are not only en­gaging in Satanic usurpation, but they are grossly revolutionizing against the Truth. (See Psa. 107:11 and E3:406 – also E12:722,728 with reference to Rev. 22:18,19)

Not too long since, we exchanged some considerable correspondence with a Doctor in the Ministry of Religion in Jerusalem; and he was warm in his praise of our papers, and of the Epiphany books we sent to him. Although he is no longer among the living, we are persuaded that he was one of those Jews who possessed “the faith of Abraham.” He had the Six Volumes of Scripture Studies; was an ardent admirer of That Servant; and was quite caustic in his resentment of those groups who claimed to be faithful to Pastor Russell’s teaching, but who openly revolutionized against his teaching on the Jewish promises. Because of his knowledge of Parousia Truth, his exposures and refutation of the Witnesses’ errors were among the best we have yet seen.

In Reprint 5689, May 15, 1915, That Servant says this: “Those who have been for some time drinking from the fountain of Truth, and feeding at the table of the Lord, where the food is pure, unadulterated, nourishing, should be fully established in the first principles of the doctrine of Christ.  Much of the superstructure of ‘gold.’ silver and precious stones should be already erected and the good work of character-­building should be progressing steadily day by day. We should be firmly rooted and grounded in Christ, so that nothing can move us. We should be able to discern clearly between truth and error on every important point (such as the Jewish promises, etc.—­JJH). We should know what we believe and why we believe it, and be courageous and un­compromising in declaring the Truth which has blessed our own hearts and lives.”

May-June 1973 Present Truth – Due to this paper containing the elevating articles of That Servant, and another splendid article by the Epiphany Messenger, large parts of it are edifying and refreshing. There is this at the head of the article on pp. 35-42: “This article, first published in Oct. 1923 PT, was written as applying to the Little Flock on earth; the other classes of God’s people can benefit greatly from ap­plying to themselves its principles and those promises that apply to them.  A few thoughts have been added.”

If the “added few thoughts” were in harmony with the Truth as given by the Epi­phany Messenger in that article, that should be acceptable to any of us; but in the “thoughts” added is inserted the pet error of Campers Consecrated, and their pre-emi­nence over the Jews, as well as discarding some parts of Brother Johnson’s treatise.

On p. 39, col. 1, he says: “The apostle adds, “God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ As already shown, the promise has three parts and its heirs are the Christ class, though it has also an application to the Great Company, another to the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, and to the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, another to the loyal tentatively justified and to the loyal fleshly Israelites, and in an attenuated sense an applica­tion to those who will become God’s consecrated people after the earthly phase of the Kingdom is established:”

If we are to accept the classes in the order listed above, then there are two classes superseding the Jews in New Covenant blessings – The Consecrated Campers and the loyal tentatively justified.

We now quote what Brother Johnson says in the 1923 PT, pp. 150, bottom, and 151, top: “St.  Paul adds, ‘God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.’ The promise has three parts, as already shown. Its heirs are the Christ class, though it also has an application to the Great Company. Another application of the promise is for the Ancient and Youth­ful Worthies, and another for fleshly Israel.”

Yes, all the elect and fleshly Israel can now be comforted with that promise ­“the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath.” Brother Johnson did not produce such a class. He called a similar class produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Jonadabs, or Great Multitude – a non-existent class, just as we call Epiphany Campers Consecrated a non-existent class. Had the Epiphany Messenger known that such a class would be the recipients of the chief blessing of the Afterborns – that instead of be­ing “to the Jew first” it would be to the “Epiphany Campers Consecrated” first, he would have been prompt to make it known to the Jews so they could become part of Camp­ers Consecrated and receive their God-given promise. Does the LHMM include the doctrine of Epiphany Campers Consecrated in their efforts to “Comfort the Jews”?

However, if we accept the teaching of That Servant and the Apostle Paul, we will have no trouble in “discerning between truth and error” on this important doctrine. We are to give the Jews the comfort of this promise to them at every suitable opportun­ity. As Brother Russell has truly said, All who will help and comfort the Jews now will be rewarded. But we don’t know what the ‘reward’ will be for those usurping groups who have invented other classes to displace the Jews, and cast aside God’s Oath-Bound Covenant; but we offer for consideration Isa. 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil (referring to those who oppose their errors as “the evil-slave class,” tools of Satan, etc.); that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Here is the Berean Comments on “Light for darkness”: “Denouncing the Truth as a device of the Devil.”

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints.” (Rom. 15:30,31)

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

Reprint of No. 219, September 1973 with revisions.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle:  Greetings in our dear Redeemer’s Name!

Enclosed please find check for $--- to help you with the mailing. Hope this finds you in good health. I am fairly well – just had my 97th birthday last week. It is hard for me to write for I am so shaky in my hands.

God bless you and keep you! Your brother in the Lord ----- (ILLINOIS)

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Dear Brother and Sister Hoefle: Greetings in our Savior’s Name!

Just a short note to let you know that our dear Sister Guy received your papers on Tuesday while I was present. I visited her because three weeks ago she fell and broke her left arm. If she lives to December 3, she will be a hundred years of age. Her daughter readily began reading as soon as she received the papers. While speaking to me Sister said she does not mind who does not read your paper, because they say you are not one of them, but she and her daughter read all of your papers; because, she says, they are the Harvest Message, and from the Star Members. So they are worthwhile and interesting. I was greatly pleased when I noted with what pleasure she spoke of them. She says she reads all, which I interpreted her to mean that the others are silly not to do the same..... She has the full assurance of Faith, Hope and Love for God and our Lord Jesus, the Truth, the brethren and all mankind – very sympathetic for the world of man.

Hoping that you are enjoying much better health than when last I heard from you. God will, I am positive, keep you in His watchful care and will not give you more than you can bear. I firmly believe your present condition is a test of your Love, Faith, Courage, Peace and Grace of God. Let us in every circumstance of life give thanks, which I believe you, Sister Hoefle and all with you do – though you do feel the pinch. Let us all glorify God.

My Christian love to you, Sisters Hoefle and Moynelo and all the brethren with you. God bless you all! (2 John 2)

Yours in the Truth ------- (TRINIDAD)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:  Greetings in Jesus Name!

I received the Bible Students Manual, and the article, No. 312, “Think It Not Strange.” Thank you ever so much. I shall treasure it always. It will be much help in my pursuit of the Wisdom which is from above.

I am enclosing a little offering to help a little in the good work you are doing for Truth Seekers. Thanks again for your concern for the Truth and its dissemina­tion to all who love the Truth.

May God’s richest blessings rest with you and yours!

Your brother in Christ ------- (OKLAHOMA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: May grace and peace abound!

Your letter was received and Sister and myself are so glad to learn of your in­creasing convalescence. Do you think some juice of your fine California carrots will expedite the recupera­tion? Or maybe a mixture of grapes and carrots freshly juiced when convenient to have it?

Be assured of our everloving thoughts and prayers concerning the spiritual and temporal well-being of yourself, Sr. Hoefle and the friends on your side. May the Lord direct you all in His service as you continue to uphold His Truth and the princi­ples of righteousness. It is the humble prayer of Sister and myself that His bless­ing and care be upon you and all the dear ones who still faithfully trust in His Name. Moreover, it is the gist of the joint-supplication that is constantly being made on the behalf of you and yours by the friends here.

Your brother by His Grace, ------- (TRINIDAD)

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The Epiphany Bible Students:  Warm Christian greetings in our Lord’s Name’

I would like a one-year subscription to your monthly news letter. I recently received the Bible  Standard, which  cost  $1 per  year. Enclosed is the $1. However, if this is not enough, let me know.

Thank you very much. Brother ------- (CALIFORNIA)

NO. 319: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

No. 319

Coming to a New Year, once again we offer a resume of many of the happenings in 1981, along with some opinion for the year ahead. “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be estab­lished in the present truth.” (1 Pet. 1:12) Again we marvel at the inventive genius. The great “increase in knowledge” (Dan. 12:4) is alone sufficient to convince all in­quiring minds that we are indeed in the “time of the end.”

On November 14 a second Columbia Space Shuttle began its flight – at a speed of 17,345 miles per hour – a performance which dazzles the intellect. Our planet earth is about 25,000 miles around at the Equator, which means that the Space Shuttle went around the earth in about one and one-half hours; and continued this pace for two days and six hours, making a perfect landing at its conclusion. Ten hours before landing it was stated that the Shuttle would land in California about 4:20 p.m.; and it actually accomplished the feat at 4:22 p.m. – just two minutes off the estimate. The human skill involved in this feat is indeed a marvel of the first order.

Another most interesting item: A small hand-size clock has now come into the mar­ket, which, just by pressing the button, speaks out the correct time. What a blessing this will be to all blind people!

And our agriculture is keeping pace with the foregoing. It is reported now that one farm worker produces enough food for 68 people; and 150 to 200 bushels of corn per acre is common production. When we were a boy on the farm in Ohio we had a field that produced fifty bushels per acre; and it was the talk of the whole county. And now we have machines that go through the field at harvest time, shell off the corn and load it in bags for delivery to the grain elevator. Nothing is taken from the land but just the pure grain. After harvest a machine carrying about twelve-inch heavy chain then goes through the field, chops the corn stalks into small pieces of about ten inches, which are then plowed under and allowed to rot during the winter; then just enough fertilizer is required in the Spring to produce the large crops mentioned above. When the corn planted is about three inches tall a machine goes through the field spraying between the rows. This destroys all weeds without injuring the growing corn, and no further labor is necessary until harvest time. Thus a farmer may enjoy himself in the shade of his front yard and watch his bumper crop develop. The back-breaking labor of sixty years ago is no longer required for present production.

More Of The Same: “The nation’s micro-electronics industry may take a significant bound forward with the announcement of the development of a new ultra-sophisticated com­puter chip capable of processing the information contained in 1,000 books in a single second. A spokesman for the high technology firm said that scientists have developed a computer chip with 450,000 translator capacity – making it by far the most powerful and sophisticated computer chip in the world. ... Scientists say the new chip – a stan­dard one-sixteenth of a square inch in size – is so fast that all the information in 1,000 books can be processed in a single second – which will ultimately result in lower market prices and expand the fast-growing market for electronic products. This is a major breakthrough that will make computers smaller, faster and a lot more powerful, the spokesman said. An electronics professor called the announcement ‘incredible advance.’”

IN FINANCE

The national debt of the United States has now skyrocketed to One Trillion Dollars; and the annual interest on this colossal burden is more than One Hundred Billion Dollars. These figures are beyond the grasp of the human mind; and former President Herbert Hoover made this sage observation – when the national debt was less than five per cent of what it is now: “Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”

The pundits are now offering various solutions for this mess. One of them has told us they are now considering a shrinkage of ten for one dollar. If that should occur, we shall just wake up one morning to learn that the thousand dollars we had on deposit in the bank is now just one hundred. We do not say yea or nay to this; we just repeat it to show how some people are thinking on the money question.

One financial publication recently gave out this report: “The rise of new Arab banks threatens to politicize the international banking system.... They readily combine political and financial goals ... Although Arab bankers in the past worked through western banks both because of their conservative outlook and their own lack of managerial skills, today they want greater control of their money. By the end of 1981, it is predicted that Arab oil producing states will have $340 billion in assets world-wide, a figure that could rise to one trillion by 1984 should oil prices remain stable. Such astronomical sums not only translate into vast economic power but also to political influence and con­trol.”

And more from another publication: “At a time when business failures in the United States are up 43 percent from a year ago, when the housing industry is selling off as­sets and laying off workers and when the stability of a third of the nation’s savings and loan associations is threatened by high interest rates, banks at home and abroad have made $32.65 billion in loan commitments to nine companies linked to either the pursuit of or the defense against takeover bids... Critics complain that the borrowing binge for mergers represents an unproductive form of investment because no new plants, equipment or jobs are created, and profits may be reinvested outside the United States.”

Of course, the politicians know that the easiest way out is to print more money, thus creating greater debt, which doesn’t bother them very much because they feel they will be dead before the day of reckoning arrives. The one thing that gave Hitler such a build-up was to print sufficient paper money to wipe out the national debt of Germany, thus enabling him to start with a clean slate. Any ordinary intelligence can rule well for a time with a clear start like that. He also nationalized the banking system with the help of a very shrewd financier; and it would seem France may now be considering a move somewhat related to what Hitler did.

IN POLITICS

During this year 1981 the political turmoil in the United States has completely re­versed itself; and we seem headed for great confusion and social conflict. It is our opinion that conditions are now too much out of hand to permit correction. As one humor­ist has stated it: “Remember the good old days – when the Government lived within its in­come; and we kept ours.” All of the four Universal Empires – Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome – came to ruin because of too much prosperity. “Pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness” (Ezek. 16:49) explains rather well the reason for the downfall of all of them.

In desperation, the people rush to changes, which invariably result in worse government than the previous one. We need only to consider Russia, Cuba, Iran, etc. All of them had atrocious forms of government before the change was made; but in every one of them the present government is much, much worse than the previous one.

In Egypt – It is reported that one of the oil-rich moguls of the Middle East offered one million dollars to any one who would murder Anwar Sadat. Whether that is the direct cause of his assassination we do not know; but an interesting side light has developed: When the now President of Egypt was asked why they did not set up bullet-proof glass cages for their prominent speakers, he stated that nothing like that had ever before occurred in Egypt, so they were not expecting it, and did not prepare for it. Egypt, one time top ruler of the world, and among the very oldest of empires, had never had assassination it its history; whereas, in the present-day “advanced” countries such action is commonplace!

In France – The new Premier of France has stated that he is asking various employ­ers to lay off their present workers for one year – with full pay while they are idle – ­then for the employers to hire others to take their places at the same wage as those now working there. In the ninth Chapter of 2nd Kings we have recorded some of the ac­tions of Jehu, who was a type of present-day conservative labor; and it is said of him that “he driveth furiously.” A more explicit translation reads “He driveth crazily.” And about everywhere we look that seems to fit the picture pretty well. Here in the United States the air controllers were receiving only (?) $36,000 per year; and they demanded to the tune of $680 million per year for a few less than 12,000 men. At the Ford Auto Plant in Michigan the average hourly pay is more than $11 per hour; whereas, in Japan the same type of worker is receiving about $3 per hour. Is it any wonder we cannot compete with them?

IN RELIGION

Strange things are occurring in the religious world – much in keeping with the idiocy in the financial and political realms. Following is part of a news item: “It is not unknown for constitutional rights to collide head-on. In the news business, our rights to a free press may collide with the right of an accused to a fair trial. But you will seldom encounter a stranger collision than a Missouri collision now before the Supreme Court.

“At the University of Missouri’s Kansas City Campus, it is permitted for students to sit on the lawn and read the works of Karl Marx. It is forbidden for students to sit on the lawn and read the Bible. The University tolerates a student homosexual so­ciety and grants the gays a room to meet in; but such is the University’s bizarre view of the First Amendment that it prohibits a student Christian Society and denies its mem­bers the same privilege. On this Kansas City campus, free speech stops with ‘in the be­ginning.’

“Court observers cannot recall a case in which different provisions of the First Amendment are pitted so directly against one another. The Constitution says that Con­gress (and by extension, the States) shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Neither shall there be any law ‘respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’

“In January of 1977 a group of evangelical Christian students applied for permis­sion to use a vacant classroom for Saturday night meetings. Their purpose was to join in group worship and Bible study. Their request was denied.

“The University’s position in Widmer vs. Vincentis is that the University is an agency of the state; its grounds are the property of the state. For the state to per­mit any organized religious group to use its grounds or buildings is to entangle the state in an establishment of religion, and this the Constitution forbids..............

“It’s worth remembering that our nation already has a kind of establishment of re­ligion. It is the religion of freedom. We ought to practice that religion more devoted­ly, in Missouri and everywhere else.”‘

Jehovah’s Witnesses – The following is from a Canadian publication: “A ‘witch hunt’ within the Jehovah’s Witnesses has touched a man who has done much to further religious freedom and liberty in Canada and to promote the cause of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Anne Penton, speaking on behalf of her father James Penton, says she is angered that the organization should turn on her father, stabbing him in the back. ‘The organization in past has used him a lot, whenever problems came up. They used him to go to the media.’

“Penton, a University of Lethbridge history professor and author of Jehovah’s Wit­nesses in Canada, Champion for Freedom of Speech and Worship, has been denounced as a blasphemer and for all practical purposes removed as an elder in the society, she says. Such action has affected the entire family. ‘I have heard of people being warned not to associate with us.’ Because the Witnesses are encouraged not to make friends outside the organization, such a move was aimed at isolating the Pentons in the community.

“Penton says her father will not sit back and ignore what is happening. He intends to launch a civil suit against an official in the Watchtower Society for slander and defamation of character, after trying for eight months to settle matters internally... Penton adds that what is happening here is happening across Canada and the United States. There is a witch hunt in the organization, using inquisition tactics.

“The organization is frightened because literally hundreds of thousands of Witnes­ses have left the organization since 1975 and have started questioning the chronology, she says. The Chronology is based on the belief that the end of the system is coming – ­that governments and the wicked will be destroyed...

“Among the Witnesses, any one who gets an education beyond high school is considered weak spiritually. The idea seems to be to keep them ignorant. If they don’t know a lot, they can’t say anything. ‘I was very bitter and hurt at first,’ she says, ‘but now I feel really good; I’m no longer under the oppressive weight. Our family is still very religious. We do what we feel is right, in accordance with the Bible.’”

There are other religious organizations that are firmly set against any education above grammar school. Some thirty years ago the congregation of one such group in Ohio practically ostracized one of its members because he rented an automobile to hurry his sick daughter to the city hospital. The father sued the elders for $5,000 and gained a judgment against them. By hitting them in their pocketbook the man changed their out­look considerably.

The Roman Catholic Church – It is reported that “influential Italian cardinals in the Vatican’s central government are unhappy about the way Pope John Paul II is running the Roman Catholic Church. They are unhappy about the Pope’s special emphasis on Polish issues and his retinue of Polish assistants. They do not pardon the Pope for being a Pole – for surrounding himself with an impenetrable screen of Polish followers, his speaking frequently about Poland and his favoring audiences with Polish pilgrims. No immediate comment from the Vatican.

“Also, a critical shortage of Catholic priests is developing in certain sections of the United States. Some of the priests are working ten hours a day seven days a week; then they cannot do the work necessary to be done.”

Scandal In Chicago – From a prominent newspaper: “Cardinal John P. Cody, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, had vowed to defy apparently unprecedented efforts by the Justice Department to investigate allegations that he improperly diverted up to $1 million in church funds to a lifelong woman friend, associates told the newspaper. This defiance could set the stage for a confrontation between the federal government and the church over the government’s right to investigate church finances and the Con­stitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

“The associates of the ailing 73-year-old head of the largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the country said Cody has no intention of complying with grand jury sub­poenas seeking his personal banking records and some archdiocesan financial records covering the last thirteen years. Dan Webb, the US attorney in Chicago, would say only that his office ‘received allegations of improper diversion of church funds by Cardinal John P. Cody’ and was looking into them. But other Justice Department sources said the matter has been before a grand jury for some time and that subpoenas issued in January (date of this publication Sept. 11, 1981—JJH) to the cardinal and to the archdiocese had not been complied with. These sources also said that the Internal Revenue Service was involved in the probe.”

Shortly after the foregoing was given to the public press an order came from the Vatican to investigate Catholic seminaries. The news item goes something like this: The heads of seminaries across the country were calling each other this week to try to assess the intentions behind the Vatican measure and determine its probable impact on academic freedom. One seminary president described the study as a “rogue elephant” that he said is certain to go beyond the concern about finances and ‘the best use of personnel and resources’ that were expressed in the official church statement.

Enrollment at Catholic seminaries has been dropping steadily in recent years, and many seminaries have closed. Pope John Paul II has strongly emphasized the need for doctrinal conformity, and made that point during his visit to the US in 1979. The con­troversial study was discussed at a recent administrative meeting in Washington of about 45 American bishops. It is known that there have been vigorous attacks on the plan in some discussions of it between bishops and seminary educators. One of them called it a “witch hunt.”

Regarding Cardinal Cody, his lawyer stated that his client “answers only to Rome and to God.” One commentator said, “This is what is known as having a numbered account in Heaven.”

The Adventists – “The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, founded in the United States more than a century ago after a prophesied second coming of Christ failed to occur, and now a world-wide institution headquartered in Takoma Park, Md., today faces what may be the most serious crisis in its history. Already divided by theological differences, the church has been plunged into a financial tangle that may cost it and its members millions of dollars and, conceivably, ensnarl it in legal battles.

“The financial problems were precipitated by the bankruptcy suit filed last month by Dr. Donald J. Davenport, a California physician, who relied on his credentials as a faithful Adventist to solicit the investment of millions of dollars in his real estate empire. Davenport’s preliminary bankruptcy petition lists 27 Adventist institutions among his creditors, and more than 200 individuals, the majority of them fellow Adven­tists...

“The Davenport case comes at a time when the church is embroiled in theological differences that pit church administrators against some pastors and Bible scholars. In recent months several well-known pastors have been stripped of their ministerial standing, about fifty congregations have left the denomination, and some members report that an atmosphere of fear and suspicion has invaded the church, which traditionally has fostered strong bonds of fellowship...

“Adventists give their church massive amounts of money; well over half tithe ten percent of their income...... for the support of regional church bodies known as con­ferences and unions, and for mission work. Additional offerings are required to finance the local congregations, to build and maintain schools, to support a massive program of world missions and other special projects...

“A spokesman for the church said last week that officials expect to know sometime this month (September 1981) the full extent of investments by units and members of the church in Davenport’s real estate empire. Preliminary estimates put the total he owed to his creditors in excess of forty million.”

The Jews – “Christians for Israel on the GROW-HOUSTON-DALLAS: The Board of Direc­tors Christians for Israel Bible Fellowship in two recent board meetings outlined plans for expansion in 1981. Mr. Joe Dean will act as Executive Director and will spend time making presentations at Churches, Sunday School Classes, Bible Studies, and groups. Increased correspondence with all Christians who are interested in Israel will include more frequent newsletters, expansion of the ISRAEL Letter, educational materials and books on subjects relating to the role of Christian concern for God’s chosen.”

Following is a quotation from Heinrich Heine: “Even those Jews who have long drifted from the faith of their fathers... are touched when the old familiar Passover sounds chance to fall upon their ears.”

Now follows a quote from Dispatch from Jerusalem: “ISRAEL’S RED AMBASSADOR – ­What is red outside, sweet inside, and is rapidly becoming one of Israel’s best Ambas­sadors in the Common Market Countries? The answer: the huge, sweet, red pepper named Maor. What is the reason for its success? It is genetically styled for export – ­tailor-made to suit the tastes of Europeans – bright in color, the size, almost square box-like shape, meaty, sweet flavor.

“A few years ago, this product did NOT even exist! In 1972, a study was made of European tastes and the vegetable was bred to match these tastes. All of the develop­ment has been conducted by Dr. Chen Shifriss, senior research scientist at the genetics department of the Agriculture Research Organization. Benefits: High profit, high yield – six tons per dunam (1/4 acre), one of the healthiest of all vegetables, eaten raw, high concentration of vitamin C – 200 mg. of vitamin C per 3 Oz. – higher than any other vegetable!

“Dr. Shifriss is developing other varieties of sweet and hot peppers suited to taste – disease resistance – industrial use – dried and powdered for coloring agent. A few years ago, Israel did not export peppers. Today, over 10,000 tons are exported, with more on the way.”

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE: “The Israeli scientist Dr. Hugo Boyko, more than thirty years ago, discovered a method of raising vegetables and fruit in the desert with saline water... Here in this Israeli pilot project on the use of sea water mankind may find the so­lution of the great peril of famine facing the world ... This has brought about a miracle – sandy deserts restored to life... now possible to grow a variety of plants by irrigat­ing them with saline water, and even with salt water.”

This from another newspaper: “Baron Guy de Rothschild, head of the family that for almost two centuries has been the symbol of wealth in France, is a bitter man. ‘This office in which I am receiving you is empty because I’ve already taken all my belong­ings out,’ the soft-spoken, gray-haired banker and financier told a visitor to the head­quarters of the Banque de Rothschild on Rue Laffitte. ‘This has been my home, perhaps even more than where I live, because I’ve changed places where I live. This has been my constant home in every respect for the last fifty years.’

“The 72-year-old de Rothschild is in the process of leaving Rue Laffitte and the banking business. His bank is one of 36 private banks being nationalized by the new socialist government of President Francois Mitterand. ‘The government, even if they wanted to nationalize all banks, which I think is an extremely bad idea, should have done things properly. That means carefully,’ he said. ‘They are acting in haste as if they are being pursued by an enemy and they wanted to burn everything before the enemy caught up with them, which is totally absurd.’

“As of 1978, the Rothschild bank was 19th among France’s 53 largest banks, with an annual turnover of more than $1.8 billion.

“The future of the house of Rothschild is clouded. ‘It’s a very open question that I can’t answer,’ the baron said of what lies ahead... It is not the first time the French Rothschilds, who descend from Meyer Rothschild, early 19th-century German money­lender, have seen their domain ended... He said French banks that had been previous­ly nationalized operated in a competitive industry, keeping the outlook of private bank­ing.”

There is much more to this situation, but lack of space prevents our quoting it.

GENERAL – Newspaper item of Nov, 21, 1981: “Two Episcopalian priests who said it was ‘God’s will’ for them to ferry 402 Cubans to Florida ferrying the Mariel sealift, were just found guilty of violating the Trading with the Enemy Act ... No sentencing date was set. The maximum penalty would be ten years in prison and a $15,000 fine for each man ... The clergymen said they hired a former World War II sub chaser and took it to Mariel, Cuba, on May 18, 1980. The ship returned to Key West June 12... ‘Did they know they were violating the Law? Of course they did... of course they knew. They knew from their own experience that private deals with foreign governments concerning unscreened immigrants was illegal. These were no naive little men sailing to Mariel in a rowboat!”

Whether these Episcopalian priests knew the civil law or not, they should certain­ly know what the founder of the Episcopalian Church taught: “Let every person be sub­missive to the superior authorities; for there is not an authority, except from God; and those existing have been arranged under God; so that he who sets himself in oppo­sition to the authority, opposes the institution of God; and the opponents will procure punishment for themselves.” (Rom. 13:1,2--Dia.) It was this and other Scriptures that Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) used so effectively against the Church of Rome, to the praise of King Henry VIII of England. However, when Henry’s abominable daughter, “Bloody” Mary, ascended the throne after Henry’s death, she had Bishop Cranmer burned at the stake. She herself was a rabid Roman Catholic. All this can be found in any reliable history book, and would certainly be taught in any upstanding Episcopal theological sem­inary.

Another Episcopal Priest – “A used car salesman who became an Episcopal priest and subsequently confessed he was a two-time bigamist, has been suspended from his duties at St. Peters American Episcopal Church here (Deerfield Beach).

“‘It is a sad business,’ said Bishop Clavier, who ordered the suspension of Frank Pannitti Thursday........ Pannitti, 43, was ordained a priest Oct. 3 by Clavier and con­tinues his work in Delray Beach as a used car salesman. He is married to a third wife, Kristine. The unusual combination of priest and used car salesman drew media attention.

“Pannitti’s second wife saw a newspaper story and revealed the bigamous relation­ship. The priest then admitted he had married his current wife while still married to his second wife. He divorced his first wife in November 1972. But he was married to Laurie in 1968, four years before that divorce became final. Pennitti explained that in both cases, he thought the women had taken care of the divorce arrangements.”

Italy (May 1981) – “Prime Minister designate Arnaldo Forlani’s attempt to form a new government was rocked yesterday by newly discovered documents, indicating that scores of high-ranking officials were members of an illegal Masonic lodge whose leader has been charged with espionage. ... The latest documents were seized from a lawyer in Tuscany, the central region where police found the original list of 962 names of top officials apparently belonging to the lodge. ... The new documents listed lodge membership sub­scriptions paid by named personalities and in some cases substantial payments of up to $35,000 paid to some members for unspecified services.”

“Wisdom Of Their Wise Men” – The following from a recent newspaper item: “A cave in northern Spain has yielded what scientists say is the first intact religious sanctu­ary from the early Stone Age, a find dating back 14,000 years and including an altar topped by a sculpted stone head with a half-man, half-animal face. ... Dr. Leslie Fried­man said the find is unique because previous evidence, some dating back 50,000 years, deals almost exclusively with death, only a single aspect of a system of religious be­liefs...The El Juyo face is without parallel in the Paleolithic world. There is no other case in Paleolithic art of a face divided by a midline into two halves, each with a different nature... It seems almost certain that it represents the supernatural be­ing to whom the sanctuary was dedicated. That being had a dual nature, celebrated in the rituals.”

It requires a real well-educated man to understand this foolishness; and it gives us a better appreciation of St. Paul’s words: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it has been written, ‘He captures the wise in their craftiness.’” (1 Cor. 3:19) Also, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the under­standing of the prudent.” (1 Cor. 1:19) Lest we should be accused of offering unfounded criticism, we offer this constructive fact: The first date in secular history on which scholars can agree is 536 B. C. That is the year in which Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to return to Palestine after they had experienced seventy years of captivity in Babylon.

Here we would emphasize, however, that other occurrences are recorded many years before 536 B.C. – both in the Bible and in profane history; but the various writers have different dates for those events. But here we would stress that it seems most strange that if human beings have been on this earth for 50,000 years or more, we should certainly have a reliable date prior to the last 2,500 years. Here again the words of St. Paul are pertinent: “Avoid profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

In almost all quarters reports of corruption and fraud emanate; the moth-eaten condition of present governments are now being decimated. However, we have listed quite a few for the benefit of our readers – especially for those who “know these things” will transpire in this “evil day.” But we are told to “lift up our heads,” because our deliverance draweth near. The Scriptures tell us that the religious element of present institutions “shall pass away with a rushing sound” (2 Pet. 3:10); and other Scrip­tures indicate quite clearly that this segment of the economy will be first to go into annihilation.

With this comes our prayer that our readers may all be fortified against present difficulties – all of which offer cogent proof that we are now in “The Time of Trouble” spoken by our Lord and the Prophet Daniel. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) And we thank God for “Nor ever shall be.” “But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in time of trouble.” (Psa. 37:39),

We are most appreciative of the many Holiday good wishes, the love and prayers of our brethren, that have come to us in recent weeks; and we reciprocate now, as we have not been able to do so individually.

Sincerely your brother,

John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

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ANNOUNCEMENT: The correct date for our Lord’s Memorial this year is after 6 p.m. the evening of April 6.

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Brother Hoefle: Grace and peace!

I hesitate to write to you as I am such a poor hand at writing and expressing my­self. I must thank you for the letters. I look forward to their coming. They keep me with the Truth. I have no one to talk with. Some of my family give me a bad time about my belief. I thank God for them, as they keep me defending the Truth. I grow stronger for them. I do pray for the day when we can all know of God’s Great Plan.

I met you once, when you were in Los Angeles with Brother Johnson. That has been many years ago. I had just left the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was at the Convention in Los Angeles when it was announced that Brother Johnson had died. My sister and I used to have wonderful times studying. She has been ill for more than four years now. I miss her. Her grandson is in the Truth and a very fine man. He has his obligations and responsibilities to his family, and we don’t get together very often...

I have been reading The Ransom in Epiphany Vol. 15. Truly, the Ransom is the hub of the Scriptures! I am sending you a gift for you to use anyway needed. Sorry it can’t be more. I thank God for you and all in the Bible House. I need your prayers. May God bless you!

Your sister ------- (CALIFORNIA)

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Dear Brother Hoefle:

I received your letter a couple of days ago and also received the set of books that you sent me. I like them very much! I will read them very carefully. I read the papers over that you sent me. I like them also, and I believe that they speak the Truth. Yes! I would like very much to be put on your mailing list. I am 57 years old and am married. We have been married 35 years, and have six children...They are all grown up now...

God bless you and your family! Sincerely your brother ------- (OHIO)

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Dear Brother Hoefle: Greetings in our Master’s Name!

I am writing to tell you that although I once greatly enjoyed your papers, I can no longer read them. I thought I’d tell you so that you could save postage. I have lost most of my eye sight... I can see only a little... I am very sorry because I do love to read and I did enjoy your literature. I often wish that all these articles were on cassette tapes so I could hear them, but I guess you don’t have the tapes. Thank you for your service to our Lord and the brethren. God bless you!

Christian love, Your sister, ------- (CONNECTICUT)