NO. 521 IN MEMORIAM

“Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Psa. 112:6)

Among other promises that the Lord has given the righteous, is one which pledges that they shall be in everlasting remembrance, i.e., that they will be held in sacred, hallowed and loving memory for their faithfulness. While this promise pertains to the Ancient Worthies especially, it is applicable in a general way to all of the righteous. In the Scriptures, certain righteous ones are specified whose very mention by name in the Bible, is a guarantee that they will be everlastingly remembered; for as long as the eternal Word lasts, so long will such persons, e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, etc., be held in hallowed, sacred and loving memory. So, too, certain righteous ones are specified by name in Church history, whose very mention there as antitypes of certain ones in the Scriptures, is a guarantee that they will be held in everlasting remembrance. As long as the eternal Word is understood by its pertinent antitypes, so long will such persons as Marsiglio, Wyclif, Huss, Wessel and That Servant be held in hallowed, sacred and loving memory. Yea, of all extra‑Biblical characters, we believe That Servant will be held in most hallowed, sacred and loving remembrance. Thus we need not be ashamed to esteem, love and honor one whom Jehovah has so signally esteemed, loved and honored. (1 Sam. 2:30)

Such honor is proper, because the memory of such persons is worthy of being kept alive; because it does those good who keep it alive; and because it continues the good influence of such persons. St. Paul had this same thought in mind when he tells us we should be “looking to Jesus.” The Lord, Himself, vouches for the faithfulness and wisdom of That Servant’s character (Matt. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑44). He was faithful in great and small things. He was wise in his words, methods, plans, arrangements and works. He was full of the faith, hope and knowledge that makes one wise. He was an example of the self‑control and patience that makes one strong. He practiced that piety and brotherly love that makes one just; and he was a living expression of that charity that makes one loving. Beautifully did he exemplify humility, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance. His courage, industry, self‑forgetfulness, liberality, amiability and frugality were most striking. He was as nearly a model Christian as Adamic imperfection has permitted any of Adam’s fallen children to be a true “example of the believers.” Such a character held in remembrance must prove to be a means of honor to God and helpfulness to God’s Household.

The office that he held as That Servant made him the Lord’s special representative, and as such it made him, at a most remarkable time of all history, Christ’s special eye, mouth and hand. As the Lord’s special eye, it was, generally speaking, his function to see the things first of all that the Lord desired the Church to see. As the Lord’s special mouth, it was his responsibility to declare the Lord’s message, after being apprized of it himself, to others with reference to God, Christ, the Spirit, creation, man, good and evil principles, persons and things, the fall into, and punishment for sin, the permission of evil, the ransom, high calling, restitution, justification, consecration, the hereafter, covenants, prophecies, histories and types of God’s Word. As Christ’s special hand, it was his duty to superintend and do whatever work the Lord called on him to superintend and do toward the Church, Great Company, Youthful Worthies, Israel and Christendom.

How may we, therefore, cooperate with the Lord in furthering the blessed influence of his memory? We may do so by esteeming for ourselves and helping others to esteem his office and his work. Rightly to esteem his work, implies our taking God’s view of it. How honorable, effective, faithful and wise was that work in its reaping and gleaning the Church, gathering many of the Great Company and the Youthful Worthies, encouraging despondent Israel, comforting the mourning, binding tares, kings and princes and executing judgment! How wonderful it was from the standpoint of a Teacher, Pastor, Advisor, Lecturer, Author, Preacher, Editor, Theologian and Executive! To esteem him as such and to encourage others to esteem him as such will make his memory a blessing; for it will continue in our own and others’ lives the effects of his works done in the above-mentioned capacities. This implies that we continue to regard him as our helper by faithfully studying and practicing his teachings, spirit and works and commending them to others for their study and practice. This implies that we cherish and live in harmony with these teachings and practices, defend them against all attacks, and do our part in spreading them as well as encouraging others to do likewise. Our so doing will enable us to co‑operate with God in preaching the “good Word.”

Some of us have for years been daily praying God to bless his memory. We are sure such have received a blessing from their prayers; for they have served to keep fresh in their minds his memory, teachings and office; and thus they have among other things helped them to abide faithful to his teachings and to a proper recognition and appreciation of his office; but those who have not frequently recalled what he was to them have valued his teachings and office but little, and have accordingly been open to all sorts of ignoring and repudiations of his teachings.

THAT SERVANT

There is even at this late date more or less confusion among some of the Truth people as to who or what is meant by the expression “that Servant.” According to several views the expression “that Servant” refers to a class. Some claim that, understood as a class, the expression “that Servant” means the teachers in the Church; others claim that it means the Little Flock, and still others ‑the Tower Editors and their disciples – claim that it means the Society’s directors, organized with their agents, or the shareholders or both combined. In Reprint 1946 and Volume 4, page 613 our dear Pastor modestly gave the proofs that the expression “that Servant” refers to an individual, i.e., to himself. With this view all well instructed Truth people agreed, until the Society leaders, to make their usurped powers more secure, spread the opinion that the Society, a business corporation, is “that Servant.” Accordingly the Tower Editors and their followers must be reckoned among those who teach that “that Servant” is not an individual, but is a class.

The Scriptures (Matt. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑46) clearly refute such claims, teaching that the expression “that Servant” means an individual. In both passages “that Servant” is clearly distinguished from the Church, because he is spoken of as being made “ruler over His [the Lord’s] Household”; hence he cannot be the Household, the Church. Again, the fact that he is spoken of as giving them “meat in due season” distinguishes him from the “Household,” the Church. Furthermore, his being called the “steward” proves that all of the servants of the Household cannot be meant, for the steward is the special representative of the Householder, having in charge all the latter’s goods during his time of office, and as such has also all the other servants in his charge. (In our Lord’s day individuals, not classes, were stewards.) Moreover, he is expressly distinguished in Luke 12:45 from all the other servants, in that he is forbidden “to beat the menservants and maidens,” i.e., all the other servants of the Church. Hence the expression “that Servant” cannot mean the servants of the Church as a class, because in this passage he is clearly distinguished from them. Therefore, in view of the fact that these two Scriptures distinguish him from the Church as a whole and from all of the other servants of the Truth, we should conclude that he must be an individual.

Furthermore, the facts of the Harvest history prove that an individual, our sainted Pastor, is meant by that expression. For the Harvest, understood as the reaping and gleaning period, is past. During that time not a class, i.e., neither the Church, nor all Servants of the Truth, nor the Society, had the entire Storehouse in their charge, nor gave the meat in due season, nor ruled the Harvest work; but “that Servant” alone did these things. Hence, he alone fulfilled the prophecy.

Nor could it have been reasonably done otherwise. How could the entire Church have had the entire Storehouse in its charge, or have given itself the meat in due season, or have ruled the work? How could all of the Servants of the Truth have had these privileges? And have not the divisions in the Church, caused by various power‑grasping leaders, proven the unreasonableness of the attempt to rule the Church by all the leaders? Moreover, how could a “dummy corporation” with “dummy directors” have ruled the Household, given the meat in due season and had charge of all the goods? From these considerations we see the absurdity of the teaching of those who claim that the expression “that Servant” means a class.

Truly during the reaping and gleaning time our Pastor had charge of all the goods, and gave the meat in due season. Practically every feature of the Harvest message was first seen by him, and was then first taught by him to the Church. So, too, every branch of the Harvest work was in its general aspects under his charge.

True to the passages of Matthew 24:45‑47 and Luke 12:42‑44 he was appointed to this office after our Lord’s Return, as a reward for being found faithfully administering the food to the Household when the Lord came, which was before the Society existed, and which proves that the Society cannot be “that Servant.” So, too, in his office work he was both faithful and wise; and therefore he was blessed by the Lord according to these Scriptures with a continuance in his office. In calling him faithful our Lord prophesied that he would be loyal to the end; and through his very faithfulness he was privileged to fulfill official obligations and privileges that gave him a wider and more fruitful field of service than any other servant of God ever had on this earth, our Lord alone excepted.

Time and sign prophecies prove that our Lord returned in 1874. After His coming He found our Pastor faithfully ministering as much truth as he had; and after certain tests He honored him shortly with executive charge of the work and soon after with special mouthpieceship – the two functions of the office of “That Servant.” And all the while he ministered as such during the Harvest, and exercised the functions of that office. He did, under our Lord, have executive charge of the work of the Church at large, and he was the special agent through whom the Lord gave the Parousia Truth. Thus his having exercised the official functions of “that Servant’ during the Parousia, proves him to have been “that Servant.” The fulfillment of the prophecies of the two above noted passages in him, prove him to have been “that Servant.” Thus the Parousia proves him to be “that Servant.”

Some of the Gospel Age prophets had a special doctrine that they emphasized above all others, and which acted somewhat as the foundation of all their teachings; and we believe this was true of Brother Russell, which we would briefly describe as: A correct understanding of the Atonement as portrayed in Leviticus 16, the central teaching of which is RESTITUTION.

Leviticus 16 reveals the offerings for sin, which in turn effects atonement, which “in due time” will accomplish the “restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19‑23) After clearly understanding this great truth, Brother Russell repeatedly preached it in his public lectures; and he urged all the pilgrims to do likewise. This in turn aroused the vicious antagonism of the Hell‑fire preachers throughout Christendom; but the more they opposed, the more the message prospered; and by the time Brother Russell died in 1916 it was considered by many in Christendom as a reflection upon the intelligence of any one who still believed in eternal torment as the wages of sin.’

That the doctrine of Restitution sparked Brother Russell’s entire ministry after receiving this Truth surely none will dispute. It is probable he never delivered a public discourse thereafter in which Restitution did not have a large and prominent place. And those who witnessed the Photo‑Drama will recall the oft‑repeated expressions: “India needs Restitution; China needs Restitution,” etc., etc. We know, too, that his favorite Scripture was John 3:16,17, the mainspring of which is also Restitution: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And early in his ministry he urged the Pilgrims and Bethel speakers to stress Restitution in their public discourses, as he himself also did.

THE PAROUSIA MESSENGER

Inasmuch as he had made crystal clear the meaning of the Lord’s Parousia – over the thousand years, and in its various stages – he began to be referred to as the Parousia Messenger. This title is not to be found in the Bible by direct statement, but it is easily conceived by considering a few texts. In Psa. 91:11 it is stated, “He will give his angels a charge concerning thee”; and the Manna comment for November 17 explains that these angels would be human messengers provided for the special oversight and welfare of the Church. Thus, Parousia Messenger could aptly be stated Parousia Angel, but Parousia Messenger makes the thought a little clearer to the average reader.

He was the Parousia Messenger, as well as That Servant (Matt. 24:45‑47), he was the prophet unto the nations (Jer. 1:5), he was “that faithful and wise steward” (Luke 12:42), he was one of the stars (Rev. 1:16), he was one of the prophets in the Gospel‑Age Church, and those who knew him intimately would readily testify that he was one of the foundation stones in the Parousia Church (Eph. 2:20), he was a pilgrim, he was a warrior and, as such, he was the antitypical Parousia David. He was also the antitypical Eleazar of the Gospel‑Age Harvest. As such he had full charge of the antitypical Tabernacle, the Church: “He shall make him ruler over all his goods.” In this he was the parallel of the twelve Apostles in the Jewish Harvest. He was a genteel man, but most of his adult years were spent in fighting – set for the defense of the Truth.

While directing the Harvest work, Pastor Russell disseminated truth on the Ransom, Creation, fall of man, High Calling, Resurrection, the Kingdom of God, and other doctrinal topics. He refuted errors on eternal torment, evolution, the trinity and human immortality. He detailed and charted the Plan of The Ages, outlining the Biblical teaching of three worlds (2 Peter 3:6,7,13) and their Ages (1 Cor. 10:11, Dia.). His writings on the restoration of Israel have brought him recognition in recent years. The book EARLY AMERICAN CHRISTIAN ZIONIST by Jewish author, David Horowitz, states: “Pastor Russell, in all his writings, proved that the theme of the whole Bible revolves around the return of the Children of Israel to their ancient homeland, the Holy Land with Jerusalem as the capital.”

Pastor Russell as “That Servant” carried out his mission and faithfully followed God’s command to “write the vision and make it plain upon tables.” He made clear the Plan of the Ages to the Lord’s brethren. (Hab. 2:3; Eph. 3:11, Dia.)

In his day “That Servant” never sought to draw attention to himself, nor did he claim any special revelation from God. The “gathering saints” focused not on him but on the spiritual food which they saw as coming forth from the Lord in “due time.”

That Servant entered into his reward October 31, 1916, and since that time the Adversary has done all in his power to distort the Truth in every way possible – by setting it aside for “new light,” by perverting the Truth, by revolutionizing against the Truth. All those who have “continued in the Truth” once delivered unto the Saints (Jude 3) are much saddened to witness such distortions, etc. Some have gone from one group to another, hoping to find the pure faith – and some have come to the conclusion that they would separate themselves from all groups. We believe that is a mistake, because there are yet others of like mind who seek to “abide in His Word,” and who are keeping up the “good fight,” in upholding and defending the faith. Such a course is the only way we can be faithful to the Lord, the Truth and the brethren. We are to “lay down our lives for the brethren,” and we cannot do that if we isolate ourselves and refuse to hold up the standard because we do not want to “stand the heat of the day.” The Truth received into “good and honest hearts” makes us “good soldiers”; it does not make cowards of us. If we have a cowardly spirit, the Lord did not give it to us. “For God did not give us a Cowardly Spirit, but one of power [courage], and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7, Dia.) And the Apostle Paul tells us: “Retain an outline of wholesome words, which thou didst hear from me, in that faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good entrusted charge, through that holy Spirit which dwells in us. Thou knowest this, That all those in Asia turned away from me: of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.” (2 Tim. 1:13‑16, Dia.)

That Servant’s memory deserves to be kept fragrant among us; and it can be so kept best of all by a faithful use of the Truth that he ministered to us, and by a loyal copying of his holy example. Such a course on our part will conduce to his memory being continually blessed to us and to others, and is the best kind of celebration of his life and death.

Why should we pray for our Pastor’s memory to be blessed? We might give several answers to this question. In the first place, God has promised (Psa. 112:6) to bless the memory of such brethren; and it is evidently proper, good and useful so to do or God would not have made this promise. It is proper, because the memory of such brethren is worthy of being kept alive; because it does those good who keep it alive; and because it continues the good influence of such brethren. God’s having made the promise for such reasons, we may well ask Him to bless our Pastor’s memory. Again, our Pastor’s character is one for whose memory one may properly pray a blessing. The Lord, Himself, vouches for the faithfulness and wisdom of his character (Mark. 24:45‑47; Luke 12:42‑44). He was faithful in great and small things. He was wise in his words, methods, plans, arrangements and works. He was full of the faith, hope and knowledge that makes one wise. He was an example of the self control and patience that makes one strong. He practiced that piety and brotherly love that makes one just; and he was a living expression of that charity that makes one loving. Beautifully did he exemplify humility, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance. His courage, industry, self‑forgetfulness, liberality, amiability and frugality were most striking. He was nearly a model Christian as Adamic imperfection has permitted any of Adam’s fallen children to be. Such a character held in remembrance must prove to be a means of honor to God and helpfulness to man. Therefore it would be proper to pray God bless his memory!

THE EPIPHANY MESSENGER

Pilgrim Brother Paul S. L. Johnson was Brother Russell’s special helper during the final years of his life. We also pay tribute to Brother Johnson as the Epiphany Messenger after the death of the Parousia Messenger for his faithfulness in upholding and defending the truth given to us by That Servant, refuting the errors and exposing the errorists in keeping with “Them that honor me I will honor.” (1 Sam. 2:30) We should honor those that the Lord honors – not as “angel” worshipers but in sound and proper appraisal of their position and service in the household, and as “examples of the believers.”

Let their memory abide fragrant to us and be an inspiration for greater fidelity to, and fruitfulness in the Lord. Our Lord himself said, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” (John 12:26)

___________________________________________________________________

PEACE TALKS COLLAPSE OVER JERUSALEM

THURMONT, Md. (AP) – The Middle East peace talks at Camp David collapsed Tuesday over rival claims to East Jerusalem. Disappointed, President Clinton said he tried several approaches but could not come up with a solution. “They couldn’t get there; that’s the truth,” Clinton said at the White House after two weeks of intensive negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

“This is agonizing for both of them,” Clinton said at a hastily arranged news conference. “I think they both remain committed to peace. I think they both will find a way to get there if they don’t let time run away from them.”

Clinton’s own time to arrange a historic settlement could be running out. With less than six months left in office, his legacy as a peacemaker rested on the summit talks at the presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin mountains. He was skeptical of bringing Barak and Arafat back to Camp David for another try, but said peace was the goal, not which American president helped achieve it between two people destined to live side by side and to share “a common future.”

The Israeli and Palestinian delegations said in a statement they intended “to continue their efforts to conclude an agreement on all permanent status issues as soon as possible.” They also said they understood the importance of avoiding unilateral actions – an implicit pledge by Arafat not to declare a Palestinian state outside negotiations with Israel.

And, in a gesture to Arafat, the statement said the only path to peace was resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council after Middle East wars in 1967 and 1973. These call for Israel to relinquish territory won from the Arabs in exchange for secure borders. Arafat several times has said he would declare statehood if no agreement was reached by September 13, a deadline set by him and Barak.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a top Arafat aide, blamed Barak for the failure, saying he entered the talks with his “no’s.” “The Israeli position was the cause of failure,” he said.

Clinton credited both sides with seeking a compromise on the future of Jerusalem, but suggested Barak took bolder steps than Arafat. “The Palestinians changed their position, they moved forward,” Clinton said, lifting the veil of secrecy he had imposed on the details of the negotiations. “The Israelis moved more.”

At another point, Clinton said, “Prime Minister Barak showed particular courage, vision and an understanding of the historical importance of this moment,” and Arafat “made it clear that he, too, remains committed to the path of peace.”

Abdel Rahim said Arafat would tour Arab countries and urge them to convene a summit for foreign ministers to work on a unified Arab position. “We are going to implement what has been decided at the PCC (the Palestinian Central Council) to declare the sovereignty of the Palestinian state on Palestinian land,” he said. Hassan Abdel Rahman, the PLO’s representative in Washington, said in an interview with APTN that he hoped peace talks would continue because “the alternatives to a peace agreement are very ugly.”

Barak, at a news conference, warned: “If there will be a unilateral declaration, we will be forced to make unilateral acts of our own.”

A senior U.S. official said at the State department: “We will not support unilateral moves. Our focus will continue to be on good‑faith negotiations.”

Barak’s spokesman, Gadi Baltiansky, told Israel radio that over the summit’s last two days, it had become clear the Palestinians were maintaining “extreme, unreasonable positions.”

Palestinian sources said the breaking point was Israel’s refusal to recognize Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem’s walled Old City, offering only access to the A1 Aqsa mosque, the third‑holiest site in Islam. Arafat was infuriated, the sources said.

Israeli sources portrayed Barak as far more generous, offering at first municipal control of some Arab neighborhoods and then proposing Palestinian sovereignty over them.

Rahman told The Associated Press that Israel’s offer of limited sovereignty was unacceptable and a “nonstarter.” He said the Palestinians insisted on sovereignty over the entire Old City.

The collapse occurred overnight, as Clinton engaged in another protracted session with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

At 3 a.m. Tuesday, Arafat sent a letter to Clinton saying he saw no point in continuing because the Israeli position on Jerusalem could never lead to an agreement, Palestinian sources said.

“If you ask me, ‘Did they make enough progress to get this done?’ Yes,” Clinton said. “But they’ve got to go home and check, they’ve got to feel around. I feel that we have the elements here to keep this process going... I think it can happen.”

Reaction to the breakdown was quick. “This failure is another indication that the only choice we have is resistance,” said Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. “Only by force are we able to retain our rights... We are ready to become martyrs, and we say one short sentence: They will pay a high price if they think to attack us and reoccupy the land.”

Barak had vowed never to divide Jerusalem, which Israel reunited in the 1967 Six‑Day war by forcing Jordanian troops to surrender the Old City.

At the same time, he offered a series of concessions from the outset, including transferring much of the West Bank to the Palestinians, dismantling of most Jewish settlements and permitting thousands of Palestinian refugees to live in Israel.

That cost Barak the support of three political parties that had been in his government. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a prime time news conference before the talks broke down that Barak must reject any deal that would call for sharing sovereignty over Jerusalem with the Palestinians. Netanyahu said he wanted to avert a “ripping apart” of Israeli society. (By Barry Schweid, AP Diplomatic Writer)

___________________________________________________________________

LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Emily:

Many thanks for your letter of April 30, 2000. Charles T. Russell didn’t know anything about the hour 1914‑1954. That was the hour that “that Servant” didn’t know about when “The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society” was cut asunder (Matthew 24:49‑51). This is history.

According to Russell himself “our Lord, the great Chief Fisherman, designed to catch a particular number of fish of a particular kind, no matter how many of other varieties went into the net with them; and when the full number of the desired, peculiar kind, have entered the net it is ordered ashore for the purpose of sorting and separating. When the net is thus ordered ashore, the commission given at the beginning of the age, to cast the net into the sea, should be understood as at an end; and all who would continue to be coworkers with the Lord must give heed to his directions, and no longer give their time to general fishing, but to the present work of selecting and gathering.”

John and Morton Edgar were appreciated by Russell as you can see in the Tower. John Edgar died in 1910, but Morton Edgar worked together with my father during most part of the hour 1914‑1954. See enclosed letter from Morton Edgar to my father in 1949. I have many letters from Edgar. My father died in 1954 and Morton Edgar a few years earlier.

The branches of “The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society” went on with general fishing; my father did not. My father visited Russell in Brooklyn before the first world war. Russell appointed him leader of some of the work concerning the truth in Sweden.

All the best and many kind regards. Anders Karlen  (SWEDEN)

31 January 1949

Dear Brother Karlen,

Diagram CII with letter arrived on Saturday 29th January 1949, and I am very thankful to hear from you. Please do not get the idea that I am tired of getting these wonderful diagrams, because I look forward to them, and am always glad when still another is delivered through the mail. We cannot have too many of them!

As I have said before, I always thank the Lord for revealing to you these faith-inspiring Pyramid features, and for the self‑sacrificing spirit which you manifest in giving me an understanding of them through your diagrams and letters. I thank the Lord for all your help, and pray Him that He will reward you in His due time.

With much love in His Name, from Sister Minna and myself.

Your loving brother by His favour, Morton Edgar

(Page 8 Contains a reproduction of pictures from the London Graphic and text from the April 8, 1911 Edition at ½ size, which will not reproduce here.).

NO. 520 A CHOSEN PEOPLE

So long as the natural Children of Israel kept the Law to the best of their ability, the Lord prospered them. But they didn’t do this. They not only were contaminated by the sins of the nations around them, but they rejected the Messiah who came to His own, and His own received Him not. It has been much the same with Gentiles who made a Covenant with God. They, too, have failed to keep their Covenant of sacrifice, and the majority has fallen into disfavor. None of them, natural Israel or Spiritual Israel, have been able to keep a perfect Law; but all those who have done so to the best of their ability have been blessed and protected from many evils of the nations around them.

But we are now discussing natural Israel: they were chosen because of their forefathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we see that there were individuals who had God’s favor before He chose Israel as a nation: Abel, Enoch and Noah, as well as Abraham, are mentioned as faithful. This chapter mentions some of the faithful Ancient Worthies, but not nearly all of them. The reason we call them “Ancient Worthies,” is because they were the “Ancients,” and verse 38 tells us, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” So Ancient Worthies is a Biblical expression. These Ancient Worthies not only kept the Mosaic Law to the best of their ability, they lived above the Law ‑sacrificed to do God’s will amidst very adverse conditions. “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented.” (Heb. 11:37) For doing God’s will they underwent such sufferings, the same as the faithful footstep followers of our Lord have suffered. Natural Israel, however, was blessed and favored of the Lord when they made an honest attempt to keep the Law.

Deuteronomy 7:6‑18 tells us: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. [And that is true of Spiritual Israel in the Gospel Age – “they have been the fewest of all people.”] But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt.”

But with all these promises they didn’t hearken unto the Lord. They did this despite Joshua’s encouragement: “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right or to the left.” (Josh. 23:6) And “One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, He it is that fighteth for you, as He hath promised you.” (Josh. 23:10) And also this assurance, “And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” (Josh. 23:14)

Not only did God choose Israel as a nation but He specially used certain ones among them – such as the Prophets, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, et al. David is called Beloved of God – and God was pleased that Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge Thy people.” (1 Kings 3:9) “And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast thou asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee... riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.” (1 Kings 3:11‑13) But Solomon loved many strange women – and when he was old “his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” (1 Kings 11:4)

Here are some pertinent quotes from That Servant: “Nevertheless, the Scriptures most clearly declare that the natural seed of Abraham, the Jews, are still heirs of a certain promise of God, which in due time will come to them. To their nation will come the great privilege of being the foremost nation amongst men during Messiah’s glorious reign, when the church glorified, spiritualized, will be with Him in His throne, invisible to men. St. Paul thus explains that the full number, to complete the elect Kingdom class, must be first found amongst the Gentiles, and then, these being glorified in the first resurrection, natural Israel will obtain the great earthly blessings which are still theirs and which were promised to their fathers. Natural Israel will receive blessings from spiritual Israel. ‘They shall obtain mercy through your mercy.’ – Rom. 11:25‑34.” (Reprints 5101, September 15,1912)

From this we can see that it will be the Church Glorified who will convert the Jewish nation, through the Worthies. Then the Jews will help convert the world of mankind.

You might ask why was Israel specially chosen. Let That Servant answer: “At the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry the Jewish nation was invited to become the Kingdom of God. The offer of God’s chief blessing was ‘to the Jew first.’ For many centuries they had been God’s special people. They had been called to be unto God ‘a kingdom of priests and an holy nation’ – a peculiar treasure unto God, composed of a priestly class and a chosen, holy people (Ex. 19:5,6). We do not understand that all Israel from the time of the giving of the law could have been of the heavenly Kingdom, however faithful they have been. None could be of this Kingdom class before Jesus came to earth; for He was the Forerunner of this class. The offer was made to the Jews of His day. But those of the nation who lived previously, and who had been faithful to God, true to their covenant, shall be greatly blessed of the Lord on the human plane. They shall be used to bless all nations under spiritual Israel – the Kingdom of God now being set up.

“God’s special favor to the people of natural Israel in choosing them above any other nation was especially because they were the seed of His faithful friend, Abraham. God had promised Abraham that because of his faith and obedience his seed should be blessed. It was not because they were of themselves holier or better than other peoples. (See Ex. 32:9‑13; Deut. 9:4‑8) But for their fathers’ sakes God chose them to be His people.

“At our Lord’s First Advent the time had come for the offer of membership in the Kingdom, for the testing of the whole nation of Israel, to prove whether they were ready for this choice blessing. Jesus was the One to offer this Kingdom; for He had consecrated Himself a sacrifice for sin, which would constitute a basis for the establishment of the Kingdom on earth.

TRUE AND FALSE IDEAS OF THE KINGDOM

“The sermon on the Mount, from which our text is taken, points out the earnestness and singleness of heart necessary in those who would become members of the Kingdom class. The Master intimates that not all of this favored nation who heard His message would be ready to accept it. Many were absorbed in the things of this life – in what they would eat, what they would drink, what they would wear. But in order to be ready to receive the proffered blessing, in order to be acceptable to God, they must make the Kingdom their first interest. ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,’ enjoined the Savior, not the earthly things. If the Kingdom was made first, all their earthly needs would be supplied; ‘All things shall be added unto you,’ was His promise.

“Not many of the Jews were ready for so drastic a Teacher. They had their own plans – business plans, political plans, social functions. Hence this invitation of Jesus to leave all to obtain a Kingdom of which they knew nothing and which seemed so intangible did not find a very ready response. The twelve apostles were among the first to accept His offer. At the time of Jesus’ death, something over five hundred had joined themselves to Him as His disciples. Of these we are told that one hundred and twenty were gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, where they received the begetting of the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost some thousands of Jews came to the point of decision to make the Kingdom of God their first business. These, however, were but a small minority of the nation of Israel.” (Reprint 5917, 5918 top, July 1, 1916)

Nevertheless, there is still that promise of God to natural Israel that they will. become the foremost nation on earth. Pastor Russell gives a very beautiful picture in Volume 4:

“JEHOVAH’S FEET ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (Zechariah 14:4,5)”

“This prophecy is generally misunderstood, and applied to the feet of our Lord Jesus, at His Second Advent. Indeed, those who thus err generally go farther and assert that it will be the feet of flesh, pierced with the nails of Calvary – not realizing that our Lord gave His human nature, complete and forever, as our ransom; and that He was raised from the dead, by the Father’s power, a glorious spirit‑being, the express image of the Father’s person. (See Volume 2, Chapter 5)

“But a glance at the preceding verse (3) shows that the Prophet speaks of the return of Jehovah’s feet; for the verse (referring to the trouble by which the Kingdom will be established) is: ‘Then shall Jehovah go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle (anciently for Israel]. And his feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be divided in its center, from east to west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove northward and half southward.’

“As soon as any see the fact that the feet mentioned are Jehovah’s feet, they will not dispute that this language is symbolic, and refers to the Lord’s re‑establishment of His dominion in the earth, that has long been comparatively abandoned to the ‘god of this world’ Satan, except as the Lord was represented first by the typical Tabernacle, secondly by the Temple at Jerusalem, and lastly by the present tabernacle condition of the Church of Christ, during this Gospel Age. Surely, no one will err and get the thought that Jehovah literally rests His feet upon this earth as a ‘footstool.’

“And if the placing and resting of Jehovah’s feet is symbolic, and signifies the return of Divine favor and dominion to earth, so, we may be sure, other features connected in the same prophecy are symbolic: the Mount of Olives, its peculiar division, its valley, the flight of the people, the waters of life from Jerusalem (Compare v. 8 with Ezek. 47:1‑9), etc., are all symbolic statements, pictures of grand spiritual truths.

“The olive is a meaningful symbol: in olden times it was the source of artificial light, its oil being generally used for this purpose (Ex. 27:20). Indeed, in the Hebrew the olive tree was called shemen or oil tree. Olive oil was also used as the basis of many of the precious ointments of olden time – such as that used in anointing the priests and kings, typing the Holy Spirit upon the antitypical ‘royal priesthood.’ (Ex. 30:25) And from time immemorial the olive branch has been used as a symbol of peace. (Gen. 8:11; Neh. 8:15)

“If then the olive be the symbol of light, peace and Divine blessing through the Holy Spirit, and if mountain be considered as elsewhere the symbol for a Kingdom, the significance here of the term Mount of Olives is easily seen to be the Kingdom of Light, Peace and Divine Blessing. And the standing or establishment or fixing of Jehovah’s ‘feet’ upon it, signifies that the Divine favor and law will be re‑established in the earth by and through the holy Kingdom.

“This application of the term Mount of Olives, is in full accord with Paul’s statement (Rom. 11:17,24) in which he compares Fleshly Israel with the original cultivated olive tree, and Gentile converts to wild olive branches grafted in where the natural branches had been broken off. (Compare Jer. 11:16,17) He explains that the root of the tree is in the promise of God, the Abrahamic promise, that the seed of Abraham should finally bless all the families of the earth, etc. Finally the same root or promise will bear two kinds of branches, the engrafted wild olive branches, and the re‑engrafted natural branches: when Israel shall have his blindness turned away, and shall look with the eye of faith on the Savior crucified and pierced eighteen centuries ago, a sacrifice for sin. We remember also that fleshly Israel was God’s typical Kingdom or mountain for a long time, and that spiritual Israel of this age is called to be the real Kingdom of God, as Jesus said ‘Fear not, Little Flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)

“Further, from these two Kingdoms (even before Jehovah’s glory rests on them to make them His channels of blessings to all mankind) has proceeded all ‘the light of the world’ during all the darkness of the past: for are not these the representatives of the Old and the New Testaments, the two parts of the oath‑bound Covenant? Are not these related to the Lord’s two witnesses and to the two olive trees of Zech. 4:3,11,12, distinctly mentioned also in Rev. 11:4? – in that these two parts of the mountain symbolize the outcome of that covenant, the results of the witnessing – the Kingdom in its heavenly and its earthly phases?

“Here we see, then, that the two halves of the Mount of Olives mean the two parts of the Kingdom of God, distinctly separated according to a Divine order or arrangement. The separation indicates no opposition between the two parts of the Kingdom. It is, on the contrary, for the purpose of making the ‘Valley of Blessing’ between – to which all who desire Divine aid may flee and find succor under the blessed protection of both the heavenly and the earthly phases of the Kingdom.

“The Prophet David (Psa. 84) seems to have been given a foreview of this great ‘Valley of Blessings,’ close to Jehovah’s ‘feet,’ when he sings first of the saints of the Gospel Age and then of those blessed in the next Age, saying:

‘How lovely are thy dwelling places

0 Jehovah of Hosts!

My soul desired, yea, it even fainted

For the courts of Jehovah.

My heart and my flesh shout with joy

Unto the living God.

Even as the sparrow hath found a house,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may lay her young: (so

I have found) thine altars, 0 Lord of Hosts,

My God, my King.

Happy are they that dwell in thy house:

They shall be continually praising Thee. Selah.

Happy is the man whose strong confidence is in thee,

Whose heart reflecteth (wholly)

On the paths of righteousness.

Passing through the valley of mourning,

They change it into a place of (joy) springs

[Valley of Blessings].

The Autumn rain brings them blessings [Joel 2:28]:

They go from strength to strength

That each of them may be presented (perfect)

Before God in Zion.’

“The 85th Psalm also pictures the return of Divine clemency and blessing under the Millennial Kingdom, the Olive Mountain (Kingdom) of two parts.

“The removal of one part of the mountain to the north and the other to the south is significant; the North is the direction of the Pleiades, the celestial center of the universe, the supposed seat of Divine empire. (See Vol. 3, p. 321) This would seem to indicate the ‘change’ of the Gospel Church at this time, from human to spirit conditions as ‘partakers of the Divine nature’; and the removal of the other half of the mountain would seem to signify the complete restitution, to perfect human conditions, of those Ancient Worthies accounted worthy to constitute the earthly representatives of God’s Kingdom.

“The valley thus produced would be one full of light – free from shadows: for the sun would stream through it from east to west. This speaks pictorially of the Sun of Righteousness and its full light of Divine truth and blessing scattering the shadows of sin, ignorance, superstition and death, and healing and restoring the willingly obedient of men who will flee to this valley of blessings, the valley of mercy. The valley of mercy, between and under the care of the spiritual and human phases of the Kingdom of Light and Peace (the standing of Jehovah’s feet) will surely be a ‘Valley of Blessings’ to all who enter it with broken and contrite hearts.

“We must recall, further, that while it is said to Israel only, ‘Ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains,’ yet as a name Israel meant ‘The people blessed of the Lord,’ ‘The people of God,’ ‘The Lord’s people.’ (2 Chron. 7:14) While, as we have seen, the first or spiritual blessing of the Kingdom shall come to spiritual Israel, and the second or earthly blessing shall begin with Israel according to the flesh, yet it will not stop there; for whosoever will may become an Israelite: by exercising the faith and obedience of Abraham, all mankind may become Israelites indeed, ‘the people of God.’ Hence the Prophet Isaiah declares that when Israel is called back to Divine favor, at the establishment of the Kingdom, it will include ‘Every one that is called by my (Jehovah’s) name: for I have created him for my glory; I have formed him, yea, I have made him.’ (The name Israel will then apply to all who are God’s people.) – Is. 43:7; Rom. 9:26,33; 10:13.” (Volume 4, pages 649‑654, 1897)

“Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” (Matt. 24:46,47)

(By John J. Hoefle)

STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN RUBIN MIMICS CLINTON’S WISHY‑WASHY POSTURE ON THE MIDDLE EAST

The noted Israeli media‑researcher analyst, David S. Bedein, has given the world an illuminating picture of what really took place at the Shepherdstown, West Virginia talks, revealing the political weakness of the State Department, Spokesman, James Rubin.

This close aide of Secretary of State Albright, throughout the interview by Bedein, appears to mimic President Clinton’s dubious and somewhat biased policy relative to the Israel Arab conflict.

In a feature article appearing in a recent issue of Midstream Magazine, entitled, An Insider’s Report from Shepherdstown, author Bedein – who is bureau chief of Israel Research News Agency – speaks out:

“At first glance, it would seem that the U.S. and Israel express common concerns about the ‘peace process.’ They even use the same terms and definitions on the elements of an accord: ‘cessation of hostilities,’ ‘concern for human rights,’ and facilitating an atmosphere for peace and mutual recognition.’ Yet what these platitudes mean to Israelis and to Americans is another and more complex matter.

“For example, there are 35,000 Syrian troops in southern Lebanon providing protection for Lebanese Hizbullah terrorists, who, from their strongholds, regularly attack civilian targets in Israel.

“Israel has long demanded that Syria close down this organization whose openly avowed purpose is the ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem and all of Palestine – that is, the destruction of Israel. Israel also demands that Syria disarm and disband 10 renegade PLO groups operating in Damascus, that even the U.S. Department places on the list of terror organizations.

“At Shepherdstown, when I asked James Rubin, U.S. State Department spokesman, if the U.S. would support these demands, Rubin replied that the Syrians should merely ‘restrain’ those terrorist bands. When I presented Rubin with the fact that the 10 PLO terror factions that they would continue their activities, the State Department spokesman responded with a prediction that the terrorist would transfer themselves into non‑violent political organizations and abandon the path of terror. Rubin could not offer any evidence to support this optimism.

“Another issue of passionate concern to Israelis is the cruel fate of three Israeli soldiers, one of whom is an American citizen, taken into captivity in Syria in 1982. Since that time, Syria has refused any information about them, either to their families or to the Red Cross. At ‘Shepherdstown’, I asked the U.S. State Department spokesman whether the U.S. would support Israel’s demand for the immediate release of these three men. His response was limited to expressing hope that the Syrians would be ‘helpful’ in the matter.

“For many years, international human rights organizations have been insisting‑that Syria should be held accountable for the crimes against humanity committed by its despotic regime. Even during a week of peace talks, President Assad ordered the arrest of hundreds of people identified as his opposition and ordered at least one opposition leader to be executed.

“At Shepherdstown, I raised this subject with the U.S. State Department spokesman, asking whether the American government would insist on including the matter of human rights and civil liberties reform on the agenda of the current peace talks. He would say no more than to respond that the U.S. supports human rights and civil liberties everywhere, including in Syria. He ignored my specific question, which was whether human rights and civil liberties would be brought up for discussion in one of the working groups that have been established to implement the accords.

“That same State Department spokesman, James Rubin, was also asked about the negative attitudes toward the peace process in the Syrian news media, which remains under the total control of the Syrian government. I asked if the U.S. would request the Syrian government to issue a call for peace in the Arabic language to the Syrian people.

“Rubin professed he was not aware of any problem in the Syrian media. At a later press conference, that same spokesman suggested that there were some expressions of peaceful intent in the Syrian media.

“Since our news agency monitors the Syrian media, and since we have not encountered any such conveyance of peace in the Syrian media, I asked the spokesman at the next press conference if he could provide any specific examples of calls for peace and reconciliation in the Syria media. He could not think of any nor could he provide any examples of expressions of peace in the Syrian press.”

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, June 2, 2000)

MY 50TH ANNIVERSARY PILGRIMAGE TO THE PROMISED LAND

Elva Lanowick, widow of the late staunch Zionist, Casimir, is loved as one of the greatest non‑Jewish champions of Israel and the Jewish people. She recalled her first visit to the new state a half century ago and found that Israel continues as a Biblical miracle of love, growth and expansion in the face of political difficulties, including the latest, abrupt withdrawal from Southern Lebanon.

Lanowick believes in Biblical prophecy – as do most of the millions of Christians around the world, and the UN members representing the Western world’s three basic faiths, two of which sprang from Judaism. Lady Lanowick’s personal report is well worth citing as a historic document:

“Now I’m happy to try to convey to you a thorough account of my 50th anniversary pilgrimage to the Land of Promise. No, I should not say ‘thorough’ because such a journal would be extremely long.

“Yes, it was really 50 years ago that I first stepped on the soil of Israel, and, oh, how it has changed since then, mostly for the better, much better.

“We got into bumper‑to‑bumper traffic, on the divided highway that took us most of the way, first north then east toward Tiberias. Even though only 25 percent of the Israelis own automobiles, there are lots of buses and trucks, too. It was dark by the time we pulled up in front of the Bausch residence, situated on a relatively quiet street just off the main highway leading down to the center of Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.

“I don’t need to tell most of you who know Lev and Hava, how very warmly we were received.

“Even though Israel has not had sufficient rainfall this past season, it did get enough to make the Golan Heights a rich green, dotted with the lovely brilliant‑red anemones that we call poppies. Any number of Scriptures say that G‑d gave this area to half the tribe of Manasseh. It is called Bashan in the Bible. The Golan Heights are strategic uplands where large herds of cattle graze on the green plains, cowboys ride horses, with dense oak forests and an abundance of water everywhere.

“Before 1967, this plateau served as a huge Syrian military base from which Israel was harassed, threatened and attacked. Now the Heights are the home of 19,500 Jews, living in 32 villages and one town, Katzrin, plus 17,000 Druze. The Golan’s agricultural yield is the highest of Israel; its wines rank among the finest in the world and win prizes even in France.

“I need not tell you that the Golan is a bone of contention between Israel and Syria and that even the Israeli population is divided on whether or not to return it to Syria. The latest polls indicate that the majority are in favor of keeping the Golan. Sources have said that Prime Minister Barak is willing to agree to a plan President Clinton has secretly orchestrated that would give Syria complete control of the Golan Heights, rights to the Sea of Galilee, and economic aid. But Barak has agreed to put the matter to a referendum vote in Israel.

“Some three weeks later, when I was in the Negev with Lev and Hava, we saw many young Israelis standing at road intersections in the dark of night, holding torches and signs calling for Israel not to give up the Golan. In fact, these young Israelis were at every major intersection in Israel.

“Space does not permit going into this matter at greater length, except to say that President Assad of Syria has rejected the latest proposal put forth by President Clinton. It brings to mind a lucid explanation of the Arab mentality I heard Lev explain one evening to some guests. He reminded them that he and Hava had worked with Arabs for ten years at the Peniel Guest House and had therefore learned much about how the Arabs think. He said that the most important quality to an Arab is pride – more valued by them than truth or justice. So, President Assad seems to wrestle with his pride.

“Listening to Lev that evening made me understand all the more what an asset he and Hava are to Israel. Their experience and their insight qualify them for enlightening many of their guests about the issues in Israel and, most importantly, about the Biblical background and the Biblical promises to Israel. Lev reminded us that G‑d does not work beyond the bounds of justice, and so, even from a secular viewpoint, Israel has justice on it side.”

(By David Horowitz, The Jewish Press, June 16, 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – Do you believe the Jubilee antitype began in 1874?

ANSWER – We don’t worry about the Jubilee day, as it is a 1000‑year day, and we will know at that time whether 1874 was the right date. Brother Russell gave us many dates in harmony with Bible chronology: He gave us 1874 as the beginning of the Second Advent which many Bible Students accepted as they were watching and not sleeping, and the times revealed it. We believe the Harvest Work then began. The message of Psalm 50:5 was given to Brother Russell: “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” Brother Russell and his faithful followers gathered “together” all the saints as they had a special duty to perform: the “Smiting of the Nations as given in Reprint 5632, February 15, 1915, This was the first time all the saints were gathered together during the Gospel Age. Before the Harvest the saints were in all denominations until God spewed them out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16).

The “gathering of the saints” was one of That Servant’s first arrangements during the Harvest. Like the Apostle Paul who said “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) Brother Russell knew too it was his duty to “declare unto you all the counsel of God.” He then gave us a fourth elect class, an unbegotten class, in Reprint 5761 under THOSE CONSECRATING BETWEEN THE AGES. He says, “Any afterward [after the door to the High Calling is closed] coming to God in consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work... such would come under the same condition as the Ancient Worthies.” We call this unbegotten class Youthful Worthies in contrast with Ancient Worthies. We have four Scriptures which give four elect classes. We will give you the one given by the Apostle Paul which gives four elect classes and the restitution class that are saved (2 Timothy 2:20).

QUESTION – Was Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, an Ancient Worthy?

ANSWER – So far as we know, this question never came up under Brother Russell; other­wise we would quote his opinion rather than our answer. There is nothing in the records to tell us whether Joseph was alive or dead when Jesus died, but the commentators infer that he was dead; otherwise Jesus would not have given the Apostle John the custody of His mother. Since Joseph was faithful in all the Lord told him to do, caring for Mary until Jesus was born, then caring for Jesus until He became the anointed One – Jesus Christ – Jesus would not have ignored His stepfather to give John the custody of His mother. The Jewish family arrangement was a very strong one; thus, Jesus would hardly have told Mary to leave her husband, and make her home with John.

Matthew 1:19 says Joseph was “a just man”; and this identical expression was given concerning Cornelius (Acts 10:22). Galatians 3:11 and Rom. 1:17 tell us that the “just shall live by faith”; and it would seem that Joseph lived by faith. According to Acts 24:15, which uses the same Greek word dikaios translated just, then he would receive “a better resurrection” – the resurrection of “the just.” He had the supreme privilege of caring for the boy Jesus; and this in itself was a great honor. Joseph believed God, and Gal. 3:6 says “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

NO. 519 THEY SHALL LIVE AGAIN!

A two-year old toddler darts out in front of an onrushing car…

A Jewish philanthropist, who has aided thousands, dies of a stroke …

A carefree high school student with a promising future is cut down in a drive-by shooting…

A non-religious soldier dies on the field of battle in defense of his country…

A Hindu mother dies in the pains of childbirth…

All five of these have three things in common. They were all good people. None of them were Christians … and…they are all dead! What is to become of them? This is a question Christianity has struggled with for centuries. Kind hearts want to see them live again. Christian dogma says that "there is none other name under heaven " by which to be saved than that of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Therein lies the dilemma.   Yet Scripture is clear. The Bible promises …

They Shall All Live Again!

The Bible clearly states that "all that are in the graves" shall hear the voice of the son of man and come forth" (John 5:28,25,29) and that Jesus Christ "gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:6)

All includes not only the good unbelievers, as in the cases above, but even the evil. Consider the case of the residents of ancient Sodom. Their wickedness was so great that even today the name of their city is preserved in the sexual perversion of sodomy. Yet, despite their wickedness, their resurrection is assured.

"When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.” (Ezek. 16:55) Not only will they return to their "former estate" of life, but in their return they will find even more congenial conditions of judgment than the less wicked, but more enlightened, residents of the Israeli city of Capernaum.

"But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.  If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. " (Matt. 11:22, 23, NIV)

Life and Death

In order to understand the biblical concept of resurrection we must examine the biblical concept of death.  In order to understand that concept we need to look at the biblical concept of life.

According to the Bible, human life originated in the middle-eastern Garden of Eden with the creation of the first man, Adam. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7) The statement is clear. Man was not given a "living soul" but became a living soul. The soul was not a possession of the creature, but man was, himself, "a living soul." The formula was equally simple: “God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [body + breath = living soul]."

If life is as simple as the union of body and breath, then death is equally simple. It is the dissolution of body and breath. The living soul simply ceases to exist.  There  is nothing immortal about it.  The words “immortal” and “immortality” and the related word “incorruptible” only occur ten times in the Bible. Always they are either given as an attribute of God and of Christ, or one to be striven for by the footstep followers of Jesus.  They are never given as an inherent quality of man.  In fact, at the time the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he states that Christ alone possessed immortality (1 Tim.6: 16).

The mistaken notion that man possesses an immortal soul has been the source of much confusion concerning death and resurrection. If man is immortal he cannot die. If he cannot die, provision must be made for him after he ceases to breathe. Since many are not considered good enough for heaven, an alternative place must be sought. Only too often the horrors of eternal punishment in an ever-burning hell of fire is put forth as that alternative place. The Bible says that such a concept of the burning of man never came into God’s mind (Jer. 19:5; 32:35).

The Bible Hell   

It is true that the Bible does use the word "Hell."  A careful study of this word’s usage in the Bible provides an interesting insight into the condition of death.  The Hebrew word translated "hell" in the Old Testament is sheol.  It simply means the condition of the dead and is frequently left untranslated in most modern versions of the Bible. The word is used 65 times and is translated "hell" 31 times, "grave" 31 times, and "pit" three times.  The word describes the death condition of both the good and the bad.  However the translators of the King James version have obscured this fact by translating it "grave" when used of a good person and "hell" when used of a bad person.

For instance, the faithful patriarch Jacob thought his son Joseph was there and expected to go to him in that abode (Gen. 37:35).  Afflicted Job prayed to go there (Job 14:13). It is prophesied of Jesus that he would go there for a short while (Psa. 16:10). No   man is said to escape it (Psa. 89:48). Those in the Bible hell have no consciousness (Eccl. 9:10; Isa. 38:18). Good king Hezekiah anticipated going to this biblical hell (Isa. 38:9,10). Men will be redeemed from hell and hell itself will be destroyed (Hosea 13:14).

Quotations from the Old Testament sheol use this word hades. The ultimate destiny of this Bible “hell” is graphically described in Revelation 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” If hell is to be cast into the lake of fire, it is obvious that hell itself is not the burning fire, but merely a symbol of complete and total destruction.

There is, however, another Greek word frequently translated “hell.” It is the Greek Gehenna. Jerusalem is a mountainous city and is topographically marked by three great valleys - the Kidron, the Hinnom, and the Tyropean. The Hinnom valley lies just to the south of the city walls and in ancient times was the site for the pagan rituals of human sacrifices. In later time it became the garbage dump for the city where fires were constantly kept burning and where the bodies of dead criminals were cast to be disposed of by the elements. These naturally bred maggots which fed on the decaying flesh.  Thus it was considered as a place where the “worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”(Mark 9:43,44; Isa. 66:24) The fires of Gehenna were destructive fires. Nothing lived in them. They utterly consumed all the refuse thrown therein.   Thus they describe a place of utter annihilation, and not a place of torment.

Even the noted Professor W. E .Vine, himself a believer in hell as a conscious place of torment, admits that this is not the significance of the word: “Often incorrectly translated “hell” in the KJV, sheol was not understood to be a place of punishment, but simply the ultimate resting place of all mankind.”

The concept, therefore, of the Bible teaching of place of eternal conscious torment in hell is purely an interpretation and is not based on the meaning of the words involved.  Even the scholars of such respected church denominations as the Church of Canada (in 1950) and the Church of England (in 1996) have endorsed the conclusion that the Bible does not teach a literal hell of fire and torment.  Other denominations, such as the Presbyterians, have taken a similar stand, though not as publicly.

The Origin of Death

Not only was the Garden of Eden the location for the creation of life, it was there that the death process began.   After creating man, God gave him a simple rule to live by. Placing man in a fertile garden setting, God gave him permission to eat of the trees in the garden and live. There was but one exception. The Bible calls it "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  Of this tree, God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen, 2:17)

The story is well known, Satan, through a serpent, tempted Adam's wife, Eve. She ate. She gave of the fruit to Adam and Adam ate. Disobedience entered the world.  The consequences were severe and they were carried out. "The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) The first couple was expelled from their garden home and began a long slide into the grave. The process that began in the 24-hour day back in Eden saw its full fruition when Adam expired at the age of 930 years - within a biblical 1,000-year day (2 Peter 3:8).

Being the universal father, the genes of death were inherited by his offspring and death became equally universal. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12)

Hopes for Life

Over the next forty centuries hopes began to evolve for a new life after death. These hopes were vague at first, but became more sharply defined as God revealed His plans through writers of the Old Testament.  The first glimmer of a reversal of the death sentence was immediate. While God was pronouncing the curses upon Adam, Eve, and the serpent for their respective roles in introducing sin and death, He implied a removal of the evil, saying to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:15) The fact that Eve believed this promise is indicated in the naming of her son, Seth, when she said that God "hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.” (Gen. 4:25)

Both the provision of coats of skins, requiring the death of an animal, and the "more acceptable sacrifice” by Abel of an animal implied that this reversal would come through "blood" atonement. It   was not until the time of Abraham, however, that the hopes began to take more definite shape. On numerous indications God reiterated a covenant promise to this faithful patriarch: "In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:3; 28:14)

On the basis of this promise the children of Abraham began to develop a solid belief in life after death. Thus Job could answer his own question, "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." (Job 14:14,15) It was thus that Moses could write: "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” (Psa. 90:3)

The Turning Point

The hopes of the Old Testament reached their fulfillment in the New.  The cross of Christ became the crossroads of history. The object of his ministry was not only to be the Messiah of Israel, but the redeemer of all mankind. As the angels spoke on the day of His birth,  "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10,11)

This was the very cause for which he came to earth.  "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt.  20:28) In line with this Paul writes:  "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Rom. 5:18)  This redemption for all became the theme of the Apostle’s writings.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21, 22)

More Than Life

In fact, the death of Jesus assures more than life. The Apostle Peter described its effects as "times of restitution of all things." Even the earth will return to Edenic conditions. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.” (Isa. 35:1, 2)

For man raised from the dead to these perfect conditions, life will be different from now.  “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isa. 35:5,6)

Then there will be freedom from war for "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isa. 2:4) Then there will be freedom from poverty for "they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." (Micah 4:4) Then there will be freedom from sorrow because then God will "swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces."  (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4)

Sleepers in Death Awake

Today all mankind goes into the grave.  Death is now the end of all life.  It is in the tomb that we now end life's journey – the innocent toddler, the Jewish philanthropist, the promising youth, the fallen soldier, the Hindu mother - all!

But the Bible describes death as merely "a sleep." It was thus that the Bible describes such men as David and Solomon as having "slept with their fathers." (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43) It was thus that Jesus described Lazarus when he was deceased. (John 11:11-14) Just as sleepers compose themselves for the peaceful rest of the night with full expectation of awakening refreshed in the morning, so all the sleepers in the tomb will awaken in the resurrection morning, refreshed and ready to learn from their great deliverer the laws which they must keep to enjoy life forevermore.

When men are raised from the tomb there will be a need for a great educational program. The majority of earth's population have never even heard of Christ, nor even of the God of Israel. This will be the work of the Kingdom of God, to educate the billions of humanity in the laws of righteousness which, if kept, will permit them to live forever in the paradise conditions that will fill this planet earth.

Then shall be fulfilled the prophetic words, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) And again, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:34)

This work is described as a highway that leads to holiness in Isaiah 35:8-10, upon which "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:  they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Then death will be "swallowed up in victory" and the triumphant call will sound throughout the world, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55)

(Author unknown)

___________________________________________________________________

OPENING OF THE WEEK OF BROTHERHOOD IN BERLIN

The Israel highly regarded Society for Christian-Jewish co-operation has bestowed on me a special honor by inviting me to the Opening of the Week of Brotherhood in Berlin- a feeling that has now been further strengthened by the large number of participants present here.

Your kind invitation though, to come here, I accepted only after much hesitation and precisely therefore I am grateful to you for this invitation: As a native-born Berliner, who built - had to build his life somewhere else - you have thus given me a unique opportunity to talk with you about something that is very close to my heart, as it is undoubtedly close to yours.

The theme of our gathering here today is the roaring call of the prophet: "Remove the stones" (Isa. 62:10) -remove the stones on the road to a better future I am standing here in front of you as a son of the Jewish people - a community-of-fate that was able to survive - in spite of frequent internal differences of opinion because this community was based on BROTHERHOOD, and will forever continue to be based on BROTHERHOOD - and this on the strength of our principle "Kol Israel Chaverim," i.e., all sons and daughters of Israel are bound together by the same fate.

At the same time, however, I am a person who has been raised here in Berlin, on German soil, whose mother-tongue is German - that in my mouth now probably sounds somewhat dusty and rusty - and who absorbed during the first fifteen and a half years of his life here the cultural and social environment of the then Berlin and who probably goes on keeping elements of this within himself till this day. Your invitation, however, if I understand it accurately, was directed to the focal Jewish component in me and to my being an Israeli citizen, and as such I may be permitted to speak about brotherhood.

At the beginning of the story of man stands a murder, a fracticide; the tragedy of Cain and Abel. In the Scriptures it is mentioned only briefly - the motive, seemingly envy, is merely hinted at.

Cain slew his brother and God asked him: "Where is Abel, thy brother?" (As if God did not know exactly what had happened!) And Cain answered with the bad conscience that he had "I know not, am I the keeper of my brother?" And God said to him: "What hast thou done, the voice of thy brother's blood cries unto me from the ground. " (Gen. 4:8-10) It is a particularity· of the Hebrew language of the original that the word "blood" here stands in the plural, which can not be rendered in the German or English languages. The traditional understanding of this particularity is, that God accuses Cain not merely of the murder of Abel, but also of the destruction of the entire future biological potential of his brother - therefore the word "blood" in the original is put there in the plural.

Henceforth Cain was marked as a murderer and he was refused the fruit of the land. This was the first murder - the murder of his own brother - murder of the Godly Creation itself, out of envy, hate - because there was no love between the brothers.

What, exactly, love means we learn from a chassidic legend (‘The Passover’) as narrated by Martin Buber:

"How to love people, I learned from a peasant. He sat with other peasants in a pub and drank. A long time he kept silent, like all the others. When, however, the wine had warmed his heart, he turned to his neighbor: 'Tell me, do you, or don't you love me?' His neighbor responded: 'I love you very much!' But the first peasant spoke again: 'You say you love me, but nevertheless you don't know what pains me. Had you loved me in earnest, you would have known! ‘The neighbor was at a loss to respond, and the peasant, who had asked the question, again fell silent. However, myself, now I understood: This then is the sincere love for our fellow human beings: To sense their needs and to bear together with them their pains."

In the Jewish tradition we have one central principle which is the guide-line for our life: "Israel arevirn zeh lazeh," i.e., "The sons and daughters of Israel vouch one... for all and all for one."  This mutual vouching means above all: Mutual responsibility and a helping hand where and whenever needed.

During the first difficult years of our small State, many thousands of Jewish refugees came to us in order to find a new start for their life. Within a few years the number of our citizens tripled! They were our sisters and brothers, but how desperate were they, how sad; how badly neglected were they, how crying out.for help and sympathy. To care for all these unhappy human beings, to absorb them into the young, poor, then relatively underdeveloped community, called for patience of angels and often meant foregoing many things in daily life. Here is just one example: The children of the newcomers entered school without knowledge of the Hebrew language, let alone command of it, and this in most cases after years without any kind of regular, or even remotely normal schooling. The result: Sinking standards, slowing-down of the teaching-process, enormous educational problems. Similar problems existed in the fields of the economy, production, culture, and on top of all this came the frequent attacks from without.

As one of those who was there himself and who experienced all this with his then young family, I may be permitted to say: to a large extent we made it! What was the secret of this success? The secret was the little things, the often hardly visible small kindnesses in daily life - the kindness and recognition - not the general, all-including one, but rather the recognition of the individual, the different one, the fellow - though strange human - the BROTHER.

There is in our tradition an idea which expresses such an approach in a beautiful way: "Kol ha’rnekayern nefesch achat - ke'ilu kiyem olarn rnaleh," i.e., Whosoever succors one person, by this deed alone he ensures the survival of all man.

To "remove the stones" surely means to recognize ·the difference, the otherness of fellow-humans, to learn about the fate of the brother - to take part, to be part of his life.  It means to get to know the face of the other and to recognize in him the fellow human brother and thereby to learn to love him. 

Hate towards someone, always is hate of the brother, the fellow-man, and this is the worst sin. In another chassidic tale - this one, too, re-told by Martin Buber - we hear thus ("The Arnshinover"):

"Sinning against a fellow-man is worse than sinning against the Creator.  The fellow­ man whom you have hurt, may now be at a place unknown to you, therefore you may not have any more an opportunity to ask him to forgive you. The LORD, however, is everywhere and you can always find Him if you just care to seek Hirn. "

The Bible, as well as the later, rich Jewish tradition and, likewise, the just quoted chassidic folk-tales, constitute the basic pillars of our culture. In addition, there is the New Testament, an outstanding component of our common civilization, in which the central figure is Jesus of Nazareth.

When the well-known Jerusalem author Shalom Ben-Chorin speaks of Jesus, he says (in his Book "My brother Jesus"): "For me Jesus is the eternal brother, not merely the human brother, but, specifically, my Jewish brother.  I sense his brotherly hand that grasps mine, so that I may go with him. It is not the hand of the Messiah, the hand that is marked by the wounds of suffering. It surely is not a godly, but rather a human hand, whose lines testify to deepest travail."

And thus we read in the New Testament (Rom. 12:10): "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." And further (Heb. 13:1) "Keep on loving each other as brothers" thus are we admonished.

 It goes without saying that we all know the basic commandments of our Scriptures - Buber calls them the "Books of Teaching": Thou shalt love thy neighbor like yourself. In our cultural heritage - according to Rabbi Akiva - this is the most important commandment of the entire Bible.

Of Hillel, the "Elder, " one of the Jewish sages of antiquity, it is said: "A simple man once came to Rabbi Hillel and challenged him to teach him the whole Torah - the complete body of Jewish teaching - while he can stand on just one leg. And Hillel responded: "What is hateful to you, don’t do to your fellow-man; all the rest is commentary and that you can study by yourself !"

The most important festival in the Jewish year is "Yom Kipur," the Day of Atonement. In the special Prayer of this day we find:  "Quarrel between you and the Lord will be forgiven, but quarrel between you and your fellow-man will not be forgiven until the two of you are reconciled yourselves. "

At this point of time we approach the end of the 20th Century, which testifies to the greatest technological and scientific development of all time. However, facing these colossal achievements in the material spheres are, above all, the steadily increasing inroads made on the natural environment along with the visible growing mutual human estrangement - the deepening insensibility towards our fellow man.

We are gathered here today in order to ponder the meaning of Brotherhood, and our motto for this day directs us to "remove the stones." But what, exactly are those stones that obstruct our road - the road from confronting one another to supporting one another? Let me suggest that those stones are being "the other," the "different one," the stranger with his unusual accent and, perhaps, different skin-color, unaccustomed creeds and habits. What is strange and different in someone else, we perceive right away - mostly without being conscious of our own shortcomings.

In His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:1-4) Jesus says: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother' s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

Should we not stop looking the other way, since we stand in debt in front of our fellow man. What we owe him is not just Goodwill, but, and above all, responsibility - active responsibility - for his life in our midst and for his welfare.  Such readiness to assume responsibility is assuredly not merely a matter for reason - it must be also a matter of our heart. In Goethe's words: "If you don 't feel it, you'll never hunt it down, and never will you join heart to heart, if it does not flow out of your own heart."

In the large treasure-chest of Jewish tradition and folklore is found a "Midrash," a legend, which tells us exactly of this, of brotherly love that flows out of the heart:

"On the spot where long ago the Holy Temple stood, years before two brothers lived. One had wife and children, but the other was childless and lived alone. Together the two brothers tilled the field they jointly owned. Together they ploughed, together they sowed and at harvest-time they together mowed the wheat and then divided it into two equal parts - one half for the firstborn, single brother, the other half for the younger brother and his family.

"That night the older brother could find no sleep. He mused: My brother has a wife and three children to provide for - he must feed and clothe them, and for them all he must provide a roof over their heads; I, however, live by myself and don't have to care but for myself. What I do here is just not right. He thus rose after midnight from his bunk, when out to their field and there he took some wheat from his pile and took it over to the pile of his younger brother.

"The younger brother, too, could find no sleep that night. He pondered: I have a wife and children, when I get old and my strength wanes I won't be able any more to do heavy work, but then, assuredly, my sons will support me. But what will become of my brother when he in turn gets old and weak?  It just is not right that I and my brother get an equal share of the harvest.

"So the younger brother rose and went out to their field. Having arrived there, he took wheat from his pile and carried it over to his brother' s heap.

 "At dawn, both brothers rose and went out to work their field. Once there they immediately saw that both their heaps of wheat were equal. Both were puzzled but said nothing.

"The next night both brothers again went out to their field, but at different times. And once again each took wheat from his heap and took it over to the pile of his brother. And so it came about the next morning both piles of wheat were equal. The same took place the third night.

"At the fourth night they again went out to their field and, like before, each brother took a load of wheat from his pile in order to add it to his brother' s.  This time, however, they encountered each other midway between the two piles and thus, at long last, they understood the riddle!  They embraced one another and blessed the Lord.  And the Lord saw the good deed of the brothers and thereupon blessed that very spot where they had met that night. Many years later, right there King Solomon built the Holy Temple."

The Book of Proverbs - the Sayings of Solomon - date back even earlier than that legend. Proverbs have a warning to us all, through to our day and time (29:18): "Be'eyn Chason - yipara am," i.e., when there is no noble idea, the people become restless and violent.

In our era of spurting High-Tech in an ever more narrowing and more crowded world this noble idea is the will for a peaceful life side by side with our fellow man and reaching out for one another.  In short: The readiness to assume responsibility towards our brothers.

Specifically we, the sons and daughters of the Jewish people, are keenly aware of the everlasting value of this idea.

At the conclusion of my book on the unique Christian support of the realization of the Jewish Return to the Promised Land, I wrote: "The people of Israel are like Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, who was sent out one evening after his brothers. Darkness fell when Joseph found himself alone in the field. An old man found him, and asked him; "What seekest thou?" And Joseph answered: "I seek my brethren. " (Gen. 37:15-16)

An old interpretation of this passage informs us that the old man, whom Joseph asked about his brothers and who thereupon guided him on the way to his brothers, was none other than the Messiah.

May it be given to us, that we, too, while walking together on the road towards our brothers, meet the Messiah.

(Speech by Michael J. Pragai, March 2, 1991)

___________________________________________________________________

DISCOVERY: An international team of researchers exploring the bottom of the Dead Sea in a submarine has discovered what it believes are the ruins of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah - described in the Book of Genesis as evil cities which were destroyed with fire and brimstone as Divine punishment.

The dives - for which the submarine had to be weighted with lead to counteract the buoyancy of the extremely salty water - nearly sparked an international incident, since the Dead Sea is a military zone along the shared border of Israel and Jordan, and military authorities at one point ordered the ship out of Jordanian waters.

(World Jewry, April 2000)

NO. 518 ISRAEL, LAND AND PEOPLE

There is no doubt from Scripture about the National destiny of Israel. The Church has not replaced Israel in this regard and the modern day restoration of Israel is evidence of this and evidence of God's faithfulness to His Word. People and land belong together and thus the Bible is clear that the Jewish people own all of the land of Israel. That is, all of the land that Israel presently occupies, including Judea and Samaria, and even more! According to the Bible Israel enjoys the right to live on the land bequeathed to her by God as long as she fully serves this God with all her heart. Failure in this regard means a process of dispossession and finally judgment that leads to exile.

However, the Bible is also clear about this: that loss of domicile does not mean loss of title deed or possession! It is at this point that many in the Church have gone wrong and, of course, many in the world. For them loss of domicile means loss of land and the right to repossess the land. As a result we have the conflict that now rages before us in the Middle East. Israel's return in 1948 is seen by many as nothing short of illegal and must in some way be reversed. It is the Biblical contention that this puts all those who hold to this view in conflict with the God of Israel. Indeed He declares that He will take issue with the world in this regard and ultimately judge them for it!

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, they have also divided up My land." (Joel 3:1-2)

So, in the end Israel must serve her God faithfully in order to remain in the land! Failure in this regard means correction, discipline, judgment and exile. This is the clear testimony of Scripture and of history and nothing has changed. The writer of Proverbs declared: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)

These principles govern God's dealing with her and we have to keep them in mind when praying for Israel and when we discuss matters relating to her domicile in the land of her forefathers. It is unhelpful and naive when folks demand that Israel cling to all of the land bequeathed to her no matter what her spiritual position may be. And it is equally unhelpful when folk who are well meaning endeavor to comment on Israel's political leadership and or politics.  The facts are:

1. Only the Lord God of Heaven knows the real issues relating to Israel and her dwelling in the land.

2. Her restoration to her Biblical homeland is a miracle of Biblical proportions and the Lord God of Israel is behind it. He has therefore declared that the first part of this process is physical and the latter part will be spiritual. Though Israel is still largely a secular state, the God of the Bible has promised to turn her to Himself. This He will do in His time and in His way!

3. The present "troubles" in Israel are but evidence of God's dealing with His precious people, and in the end she will triumph and come through victoriously. The Bible declares that there will only be two exiles and two returns in Israel's long history. These exiles and returns are now behind us, meaning that Israel will never be exiled again!!! However this also means that the process of correction and discipline now evident in her national life (the surrendering of land for peace) will endure by the hand of God until she returns to Him. This she will do.

4. Israel will thus not be exiled again since her God has purposed to redeem her and thereafter exalt her as the "chief of the nations." It must be borne in mind that the Jewish people are an ancient people and their four thousand year history has witnessed God's dealings with them in blessing and judgment. The great nations of antiquity, yea even those who ransacked her and carried her children into exile, have come and gone and disappeared. She remains because through it all she struggles back from judgment to serve her God and be a blessing to the world. This is more than any gentile nation has ever done and thus in her God has revealed His glory, faithfulness and character.

5. Our obligation is to pray for her, stand by her, comfort her and encourage her with God's eternal Word. It is not our business to play God and pontificate about her political leaders, peace negotiations and politics. God alone knows the spiritual state of His people Israel and we should be lovingly bringing her before Him in intercession, all the while knowing that He has promised not to exile her again but to redeem her. This is in itself an incredible fact and promise and it will happen no matter what land she gives up, retains or acquires!

6. To be sure the Lord God of Heaven is going to judge those nations and peoples that are trying by all means possible to disinvest her of her land. This is the other side of the coin! These peoples have put themselves against God and His Word and they will pay a terrible price for it. Indeed they have learnt nothing from history since every nation or empire that ever disinvested Israel of land vanished off the face of the earth or was judged by heaven and came to nothing. The Jewish people continue on as a proud and everlasting people. This fact should sober up the world, but it won’t because in their arrogance they consider themselves different. Time will prove differently!

In the end the restoration, redemption and triumph of Israel will lead to the blessing of the world as man has never conceived.  It is because of Zion's triumph that all nations will beat their swords into ploughshares and learn war no more.   The real United Nations will be Israel, history will prove it though for many the thought will stick in their throats! It just goes to show that God's ways are not our ways. So, we are to affirm the Word of the Lord that, speaking of a day not too far off declares: "In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12: 8-9)

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!            Malcolm Heeding

(Christian Action for Israel, 1st Quarter Newsletter 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

THE PAST MILLENNIUM

A thousand years is a long time. What should we regard as significant over that period? The past ten centuries have been an age of immense human progress. Through discovery and invention man has transformed his environment. The technological advances of the past century eclipse the progress made in previous centuries.

However, some things never change. 900 years ago: (1) The status and possession of Jerusalem were in dispute. (2) Islam and Christendom were competing for world domination. (3) Vicious persecutions had been launched against Jews by so-called Christians. (4) A deadly plague was about to decimate the populations of many countries. The same can be said for the year 2000.

Much of the past Millennium was marked by clashes between Moslem forces and Christian nations in a battle for supremacy in Europe. In 1453 the fall of Constantinople led to the final end of the Roman Empire. Much to their shame, at some stage virtually every country in Europe was involved in the persecution and harassment of Jews.

History reveals that intellectual advancement and learning do not always lead to tolerance or the improvement of moral standards. 500 years ago, the genius of Leonardo da Vinci flowered during the High Renaissance period. Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic. Vasco da Gama reached India via the Cape. And yet, simultaneously with the expulsion from Spain of the remaining Islamic Moors, the Spanish King and Queen also expelled all the Jews and instituted the infamous Inquisition . The Edict made against the Jews was to remain unrevoked until 1992.

Ironically the Jubilee of Christ's birth in 1500 was celebrated in Rome at a time when the morality of the Papacy was at its lowest ebb. The debauchery and corruption of the leaders of the Roman Church contributed to the rise of the Reformation. The subsequent division of countries into Protestant and Catholic led to a succession of religious wars. Simultaneously several European countries were obliged to ward off renewed attacks by the forces of Islam in the Mediterranean and in Austria. In 1683 the Austrians eventually defeated the Ottoman Empire at Vienna and recaptured Hungary.

Subsequent world dominance by the Protestant British Empire, and its first colony, North America facilitated the worldwide spread of Christianity. [A byproduct was that English became a world language.] One of the last colonies to be absorbed by the British Empire was Palestine. The capture of Jerusalem in 1917 and the proclamation of the Balfour Declaration led to the establishment of Israel in 1948.

From a Biblical perspective, the restoration of Israel is the epoch making event of the Millennium. It is the one issue which significantly differentiates the current state of world affairs from that which existed in the year 1000. Nations may come and nations may go. Israel however remains unique. Millennia ago, Moses recorded in the book of Genesis 17:7-8 God's covenant to: "give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession;and I will be their God."

For nearly 2 millennia, the Church, in misinterpreting God's dealings with the Jews, taught that "the wandering Jew" was the lot of those who had been expelled from Palestine by the Romans. In the last century an increasing number of Christians realized that ancient prophecies were being fulfilled before their eyes . Ezekiel wrote in Chapter 20:41-42: "I will gather you out of the counties where you have been scattered ... I will bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I lifted My hand in an oath to give to your fathers." May the eyes of many more Christians be opened.

As the world enters the 21st century, it reposes great faith in the institution of the United Nations. At its headquarters in New York, the outer wall is adorned by a quotation from the verse that : "they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more ." It is a matter of irony that the previou s unquoted verses from the prophet Micah record that: "out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." The passage foretells a shift of world power to the land of Israel. Such an idea would be incomprehensible to the representatives who meet at the UN and who often berate Israel for its alleged misdemeanors. However Bible believing Christians and Jews alike pray for the early fulfillment of the passage and the ushering in of a promised Millennium of Peace.

(By Roger Green, Christian Action for Israel, 1st quarter, 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

QUOTABLE QUOTES: "We acknowledge in repentance the Church’s long and deep complicity in the proliferation of anti-Jewish attitudes and actions through its 'teaching of contempt' for the Jews. Such teaching we now repudiate, together with the acts and attitudes which it generates."

(General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church - USA)

“There is little doubt that the Spirit of God is once again moving over the waters.  From every direction there are reports of a new awareness, a new consciousness, a new understanding between Jews and Christians,” 

(The Texas Conference of Churches, 1982)

THE TRUE PICTURE OF "PEACE": "The PA has failed to destroy (or even attempt to destroy) the infrastructure of terrorist organizations ...

"The PA has not ended incitement and anti-Semitic attacks on Jews and Israelis." The educational system… teaches hatred of Jews and Israelis and distorts history…There are more than 50 maps in the Palestinian schools, but Israel is not in any of them.

"The PA has built… a 50,000-man army, not a police force. Palestinian media and Moslem clerics agree … Oslo is temporary - their ultimate aim is the destruction of Israel.  PA leaders in Arabic express the same sentiment …"

"All benefits of the 'peace' process advance… creating a Palestinian state at the expense of Israel ... there has been NO benefit to Israel.

"The continued Arab boycott of Israel proves that there has been no genuine reconciliation.

"The PA is already damaging Israel's water supply. Losing the Golan would be the final blow for Israeli agriculture."

(Dispatch From Jerusalem, December 1999

___________________________________________________________________

REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY

Replacement Theology is a misguided systematic approach to the Bible that has not only led millions of Christians astray over the years but it has in addition birthed evil of the most horrific proportions i.e. it played a role in the persecution of Jews by the Church through the centuries including the Holocaust, and it was the theological thinking behind the nightmare of apartheid.

Definition: Concisely put, Replacement Theology states that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced with the Church. As a consequence all the biblical promises made to Israel are transferred to the Church. The Church is now the real Israel of God and Israel's national destiny in God is forever forfeited. The restoration of the modern state of Israel is thus an accident enjoying no biblical credential and Christians who believe that it is an act of God, in faithfulness to His covenant cut with Abraham some 4,000 years ago, are considered misguided. This is the basic position of those subscribing to Replacement Theology.

Errors of thinking: 1. The allegorical method of interpretation: Replacement Theology effectively undermines the authority of God's Word in that it rests on the allegorical method of interpretation. That is, the reader of God's Word decides to spiritualize the text even if its context is literal. This effectively robs the Word of God of its own authority and the meaning of the text is entirely dependent on the reader’s decision to spiritualize it or not. The problem with this approach to God's Word is this: Man alone decides what he will spiritualize and what he won't. The Word of God can thus be manipulated to say anything! So, Replacement Theology rests on a false basis of biblical interpretation.

2. Inadequate understanding of Covenant: Replacement Theology is only held by those who have not properly understood the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. This covenant, first mentioned in Genesis 12:1-4 and thereafter repeatedly asserted and confirmed to the patriarchs is, in fact, the covenant of grace in Scripture for it underlines God's intention to bless the world with redemption . Such blessing, however, is through the nation of Israel. God says to Abraham: "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed…" So the Abrahamic Covenant is one covenant having three vital elements:

1. It declares a strategy - to reach the world through the nation of Israel.
2. It bequeaths a land - as an everlasting possession to Israel … and
3. It gives a promise - those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse her will be cursed.

It is important for us to note here that if one element of the covenant fails then all fails. The covenant is like a coin having three elements, a rim, a head side and a tails side. However, it remains one coin and one cannot retain one element of the coin and give away another.  The Abrahamic Covenant is just the same, it is one covenant.  If one element of the covenant fails then all the elements fail.  Thus if God's promises to Israel have now failed then equally His promises to bless the world have also failed.

In short if Israel's national destiny has been forfeited, through her disobedience, then the Church is also finished! It must be remembered that the Church's disobedience has been as great as that of Israel over the last two thousand years. No one can deny this! So if Israel is finished because of failure then the Church is as well! There is no way that we can get around this. Moreover, Paul underlines this very point in Galatians 3 where he writes, years after Israel's rejection of Jesus as Messiah, that the Abrahamic Covenant cannot be annulled.

"What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise." (Galatians 3:17-18)

According to replacement theologians this covenant has been annulled. Only a superficial, inadequate grasp of the covenant can lead to such a misguided conclusion.

The prophetic testimony: God's promises to Israel are constantly reaffirmed by the prophets. In this way He underlines the nature of His character and confirms the Abrahamic Covenant. An example of this is Jeremiah 31: 35-37: "Thus says the Lord, 'Who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night?- Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar? The Lord of hosts is His name: If this fixed order departs from before Me,' declares the Lord, 'Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.' Thus says the Lord, 'If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,' declares the Lord."

So again the fact that the sun, moon and stars are still with us confirms the on going validity of the Abrahamic Covenant and, as a result, Israel's national destiny. For Replacement Theology to be valid the sun and the moon must also be vanquished.  There is no way that replacement thinkers can get around this!

Moreover, Replacement Theology makes a mockery of God's character for it rests upon the premise that if you fail God in any way He will discard you… even though initially He asserted that His commitment to you is everlasting. This sounds like a typical human response to the world and not like the God of the Bible. Which of course it is since Replacement Theology is but the thinking of men!

According to the writer of the Book of Hebrews we know that God will be faithful to us because in spite of Israel's disobedience He has kept faith with her. Speaking of the Abrahamic Covenant He says: "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:17-20)

Note again that we know God to be faithful because He has been faithful to Israel in all that He promised her through Abraham. In fact this knowledge, says the writer, is the anchor of our soul. (verse 19) According to Replacement Theology this is not true!

The truth: In the final analysis Replacement Theology is but the mere thinking of men unable to stand up to the test of Scripture. It contradicts Scripture everywhere and by so doing robs thousands of Christians from understanding God's redemptive purposes. The truth is:

1. God has not cast off national Israel.
2. Canaan to this present day is Israel's national homeland.
3. The Church has not replaced Israel, she has only enlarged her. (Ephesians 2:11- 13; Romans 11:17-18)
4. The modern restoration of Israel is evidence of God's faithfulness to His Word and promise and strong encouragement to the Church.
5. The restoration of Israel will culminate in the coming of the Messiah. Therefore the Church in the world is able to make herself ready and bless Israel as much as she can and
6. The restoration of Israel to her homeland in Canaan - including the West Bank - is the first step towards Israel's national redemption. (Romans 11:25-27)

In closing, it would be good for us to note a quote that came from the pen of the now famous and very godly Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend J D Ryle . He said, "I warn you, that unless you interpret the prophetical portion of the Old Testament in a simply literal meaning of its words, you will find it no easy matter to carry on an argument with a Jew. Will you dare tell him that Zion, Jerusalem, Jacob, Judah, Ephraim, Israel do not mean what they seem to mean, but mean the Church of Christ?"

(By Malcolm Hedding, Christian Action for Israel, 4th Quarter Newsletter 1999)

___________________________________________________________________

A PLO-ARAB-SYRIAN-LEBANESE CONSPIRACY

It has finally come - the decisive age, spoken of by all the Prophets, with emphasis on Zechariah, Chapter 14 - cited here in a recent column.

All the signs, international, cosmic and nature-reversals have struck the planet this millennium, target-date. The earth feels it globally.

Ancient names, such as Damascus, Athens and Babylon reappear and "Rome" steps into Jerusalem as Pope John Paul II, during his Purim visit, speaks out with deep emotion "in the land where G-d chose to pitch His tent."

The benevolent Pope paid a special visit to Sinai and Mount Nebo honoring Moses who "pitched" G-d's "tent" in the wilderness, and whose Sinaitic Law has become the basis of the three great religions.

As predicted and decreed by the Prophets, events and the final showdown are now brewing in the Middle East. A prelude to this last conflict is clearly hinted at in recent reports from Beirut.

John F. Burns, NY Times correspondent in the Lebanese capital, gives us this picture in a recent cable.

"After 22 years of having Israeli troops occupying part of its territory, Lebanon is only four months away from the deadline Israel has set for withdrawing the troops. But instead of celebrating the prospect of regaining 10 percent of its territory, Lebanon has balked, setting terms of its own for the withdrawal.

"The Lebanese position is part of a wider strategy that has been closely coordinated with Syria, its much larger neighbor, which exercises an effective over lordship in Lebanon through the 35,000 troops it has stationed here. In effect, diplomats say, Lebanon and Syria see the Israeli commitment to withdraw as a chance to exact additional concessions from Israel on other long-running issues.

"The Lebanese and Syrian demands for additional concessions amount to an attempt to trump Mr. Barak, by warning that a unilateral withdrawal - without prior negotiations with Beirut and Damascus - could lead to a new conflict, with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon using the vacated territory as a springboard for attacks on Israel.

'"An Israeli unilateral withdrawal will not work,' Lebanon's president, Emile Lahoud, said in an interview published today in Al-Hayat, a London-based newspaper. ' It will lead to another war.'

"Diplomats see it as no coincidence that Lebanon and Syria have pushed their demands before (the) biannual summit meeting of Arab foreign ministers. The meeting was billed an occasion for the 22-member Arab league to show a rare common front on the Middle East peace talks, and to underline its backing of Lebanon.

"Similarly, Lebanon appears determined to use the Israeli withdrawal to press its long-standing demand for Israel to accept the repatriation of the Palestinian refugees who migrated to Lebanon during the wars of 1948 and 1967. The Lebanese government numbers these refugees at 360,000 but some experts say that migration since the battles of the 1980's has reduced the population to no more than 200,000.

"Whatever the figure, Lebanon has refused to accept the Palestinians as citizens, and has confined most of them to pitiable refugee camps. Now, Lebanon is demanding that Israel and the U.S., as the prime mover in the Middle East peace effort, accept the right of the Palestinians to return, which, in many cases, would mean moving to what is now Israel, or to the West Bank. The U.S. has said the question should be settled separately.

"The demand is one that Israel, as well as Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority, has rejected. But after a telephone conversation this week with Syria's president, Hafez el­Assad, Mr. Lahoud put it on the table as a condition for Israel's demand for security guarantees after its pullout from Lebanon …"

Yes, it has finally come - the decisive age spoken of by Prophets. Let the enemy come! Zechariah 14 tells us what will happen. It will be a Day of Judgment - It's here.

(By David Horowitz, At the U.N., The Jewish Press, April 7, 2000)

MOSES, PASSOVER 2000

It's Passover, the year 2000, and the name Moses comes to mind. We are all reminded of the fact that the three major faiths had their mainspring in the Sinaitic Code of the world's greatest legislator, and that the Moral Law of mankind had its roots in the Torah.

The basic truth is clearly evident by the systems - religious, educational, etc. - which all the members of this World Organization have instituted. In essence, all peoples have adopted a single moral code based on the Mosaic Law.

Interestingly, what kind of man was Moses? In all ways, he was human, down-to-earth. He was also different from all men. He was spoken of as "being slow to anger," humble and meek, but also fiery and outspoken.

However, there are phases of his life which appear strange and mysterious. For example, after he had confronted the burning bush and came down with the first tablets of the Ten Commandments and saw the evil scene of the Golden Calf, he paused in anger. And though the Commandments were written with the "Finger of G-d" Moses, without returning to G-d for permission, broke the Tablets with no complaint from the Mount.

Moreover, when Moses was ready to depart this world, he went up to Mount Nebo alone and the Bible recounts, in effect, "No man knoweth of his burial to this day. His eyes were not dimmed and his strength not abated. "

Strange, indeed, very strange. The Hebrew name Moshe, when reversed, reads HaShem (the Divine Name). It equals 345 in Gematria, as do also "Shilo" and "Kel Shaddai."

Let it also be noted that Exodus 19, recounting Jethro's advisory counsel to Moses, leads into Exodus 20 with Moses orally relating the Ten Commandments to the people.

(By David Horowitz, At the U.N., The Jewish Press, April 28, 2000)

BARAK 'S NO-MAN 'S LAND EXODUS: Reports coming in from Israel indicate that families from Moshav Zaryit near the Lebanese border are already planning to leave if the Barak withdrawal from Lebanon is implemented.

The same is true of the families in Kibbutz Manara and Kibbutz Misgav Am. They, too, expect terror to visit them under the Barak plan. Other kibbutzim are experiencing the same sense of foreboding, and contingency plans of evacuation are being made.

The residents and officials of one of the largest towns, Shlomi, which was experiencing excellent growth, believe that trend will reverse itself quickly once the actual withdrawal begins.

In the city of Ma'alot, the idea of becoming a frontier town again is causing deep concern among its residents. They all remember the PLO attacks on schools, highways and farms. Hizballah has promised continued attacks against Israel - regardless of any peace agreements.

On Tuesday, April 4, Gen. (Ret.) Ori Orr, a dedicated Leftist and Barak supporter, blasted the Barak decisions to retreat from the Lebanese Security Zone.

Barak has developed a reputation for decisions which he has made under the influence of many factors, not necessarily based upon Israel's defensive security interests. He is known for not confiding in his Cabinet and making decisions that are more consistent with those desired by the outgoing Clinton Administration. Barak's reputation as an excellent strategist has turned into an empty slogan.

Clearly, my scenario of Northern Israel becoming a no-man's land is rapidly becoming a fact of life. While I have mentioned only a few moshavim, kibbutzim towns and villages in northern Israel near the Lebanese border, be assured that all the others are having the same discussions, thoughts and fears.

However, many other cities, towns and villages a bit further south, such as Haifa, are now all within reach of the new long-range rockets which Iran has delivered to the Hizballah terrorists through Syria. All of Israel is at risk and in harm's way from Assad in Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon, as well as Yasir Arafat who regularly proclaims that he "will take all of Israel as the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital of that state and only that state, and whoever doesn't agree with that - let them go drink sea water. "Barak just refuses to listen.

If one looks at a map of Israel, there are dozens of settled communities, towns and kibbutzim within range of the new rockets to become candidates for this exodus. The major city of Haifa is within 15 miles of the border. Ehud Barak, another "Mr. Security" like Yitzhak Rabin, has foolishly relied on the wishful thinking of his imagination to create a "safety scenario" which has been forthrightly rejected by most of his top-ranking officers.

But then again, Barak does not consult with his officers nor his civilian Cabinet. His think-tank advisors primarily consist of the U .S. State Department, Madame Albright, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, the chief negotiator for Clinton, Dennis Ross, James Carville, Clinton's main pollster and dirty trickster, et al.

This, then, is Barak's scorecard so far: (1) Barak will create a no-man's land corridor 10-15 miles deep on Israel's northern border . (2) Barak will have evacuated as many as 200,000 Jews from the West Bank, Israel's heartland, leaving many Jewish towns, villages and kibbutzim surrounded by mostly hostile Arabs who are armed to the teeth. (3) Barak will evacuate the Golan Heights, denials notwithstanding, leaving the high ground dominated by Syria. (4) Barak will not object to Syrian troops (currently 35,000) remaining in Lebanon, against all agreements Syria signed with its Arab brethren to leave Lebanon, (5) Barak will, at some point, allow the Eastern half of Jerusalem to be controlled by the neo-Palestinian State and Arafat' s secret police.

In effect, Barak will have truncated Israel to such an extent as to put her survivability in question.

Moses led us out of Egypt; Barak will lead us to nowhere

(By Emanuel Winston, Middle East Analyst and Commentator, The Jewish Press, April 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION - Would the consecrated but not begotten ever have the opportunity of getting the spirit nature?

ANSWER - Our thought is that it is part of the Divine Plan to give the Ancient Worthies a change of nature in the end of the Millennial Age, as a reward for their faithfulness, and their service during the Millennial Age - that quite likely they will receive the spirit nature at the end of the Millennial Age.  This is partly conjectural and partly built upon certain texts of Scripture which we have already considered in the Watch Tower and which we need not therefore enter into here.

(What Pastor Russell Said, page 152, 1911)

NO. 517 THE ENDS OF THE AGES

In 1 Cor. 10:11, Dia., it is stated, "These things [the five evils related in vs. 6 thru 10] occurred to them typically [from the Greek tupos, meaning type], and were­ written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come." This Scripture had its primary application in the end of the Jewish Age, with its secondary application applying to the end of the Gospel Age. However, there have been "ends" of other previous Ages; and with the ending of each one some outstanding event occurred -either violent or of ominous portent, or both. But those occurrences were foreknown by only a very small minority, with the vast majority of mankind either having no knowledge whatever of coming events, or ignoring the warning concerning them.

Regarding Noah, it is written that he was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2: 5), so we may safely conclude that he did his share of preaching concerning the approaching deluge; but Jesus said' that they went on eating, drinking, marrying, etc. (Luke 17:27), in the ordinary affairs of life "until the flood came and destroyed them all." Thus, the first world Age ended with a stupendous act of violence, which destroyed all human beings except those in the Ark.

The Patriarchal Age came next, which ended with the death of Jacob. It also ended with a certain tenor of violence -Jacob and all his descendants (70 in number) were forced into Egypt because they were hungry. At the time both Jacob and Joseph (two of the "just" men described in Hebrews 11) considered the move into Egypt as a blessing from the Lord. Had they had the slightest premonition of subsequent events, they would certainly not have made the move; but that knowledge was purposely withheld from them because God was there beginning a tupos (Greek for the English word type), which was the most comprehensive of all Old Testament types in that it had application in the Gospel Age to the enslavement and deliverance of God's people from antitypical Egypt (the world of sin), and to the deliverance of all the remaining individuals of the human race in the Millennium, and having its grand finale at the end of the Little Season, when will be fulfilled the antitype of the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, and the deliverance of all the sheep into everlasting Paradise restored. While the event of the Red Sea was not the end of an Age, it was the end of an era, and with it came the mass destruction and violence of the Red Sea episode.

In the strictly limited sense, the Patriarchal Age (the "fathers" -2 Pet. 3:4) refers to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (the Jewish Age began with the death of Jacob -when his twelve sons each became the head of one of the tribes of Israel). They are definitely the ancestors of what we recognize as the Jewish race. However, in the broad sense the Patriarchal Age began with Noah, with his son Shem being the progenitor of the Jewish race -Shemites, or Semites, as the name is now used.

At the end of the Jewish Age and the beginning of the Gospel Age came again events of great portent -the Advent of Jesus, followed by great violence in the year 70 in the destruction of Jerusalem and the unbelieving Jews, with only a very small minority once again understanding the turn of things. The Jews had been given the Divine revelation at Sinai, with the strict ritual of the Aaronic priesthood and their whole religious system; and that system had become so imbedded in their hearts and minds that it was indeed meat and drink to them -although they had strayed far afield from the real intents and purposes of the various ceremonies. St. Paul had told them that the things that happened to the fathers during their forty-year stay in the Wilderness of Sin were very pointedly tupos (types) of things that were happening during St. Paul's life; but they "made their hearts as adamant stone [diamond point], lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the prophets." (Zech. 7:12) And extreme violence by the Roman Army resulted in the destruction of many of them, and the overthrow of-their religious and political establishments. Once more we have presently come to "the end of the age" -the Gospel Age; and again a "time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation" -extreme violence on every hand -a greatly enlarged repetition of the condition in the days of Noah, when "the earth was filled with violence." (Gen. 6:11) And here once more only a mere segment of the population have had even a blurred understanding of events. When the violence broke forth in 1914 there was perhaps thirty or forty thousand subscribers to Brother Russell's Watch Tower, from a total of about two billion members of the human race. A certain num­ber of the latter had heard the forecast of impending doom, but gave little or no heed thereto, although many millions then living had not even heard of what was coming.

And just as great changes came with the passing of the Jewish Age, so even greater changes are now in progress, with just a small minority understanding their significance. And this applies with more or less force even to those who claim to understand "the present truth." All who have even a smattering of present truth understand that the time will arrive here in the end of the Age when there will be no further opportunity to partake of the "high calling." Some have properly concluded that such a condition has already arrived -in the rather distant past -that the "plowman overtook the reaper" (Amos 9: 13) when the reaping work came to a stop in those countries of Christendom that were engulfed in the World War in 1914.

The Jewish Age reached its fullness at its end, when the Messiah made His appearance. "The people that sat in darkness saw great light." (Matt. 4: 16) The time of favor for the Jews reached its sad end at the time they "crucified the Lord of Glory." Immediately thereafter the nation began to wane, and was completely unstable in the year 70, when the dispersion began, the priesthood and the ceremonial features of the Law were completely obliterated. A certain degree of analogy may be made here in the end of the Age with the Truth Movement, which reached its climax in 1914-16, after which that Movement also began to wane. All who are at all familiar with conditions then know it would be an insult to Brother Russell to compare his brilliant performance with that which followed his death. And that change at 1916, when he died, has been sadly deteriorating in the years that have followed. Shortly after the Apostles passed away the great Apostasy appeared, which developed in scope and strength until the Bible itself was given little or no study; people believed what they were told by their renegade leaders. And a similar phase has been developing with us since 1914, so that today many so-called Truth people do not even know what Brother Russell taught; he is seldom quoted by many, as they also blindly accept what their leaders tell them.

It is a notable feature of the Jewish and Christian religions that each of them began with a true priesthood (Aaron and his sons), which slowly degraded into priestcraft, then into priestgraft ("a den of thieves" when Jesus arrived -Matt. 21:13). The twelve Apostles followed the course of Aaron even more rigidly than did Aaron -never took up a collection. When St. Paul acknowledged a gift from some of his beloved supporters, he said this: "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." (Phil. 4: 17) And he relates some very interesting features of his self-denials in 2 Cor. 11:21-28.

Most Truth people today still believe that the 144,000 described in Rev. 7:4; 14:1, etc., is a literal number; but it is impossible to reconcile that belief with some of their other teachings. Taken as a whole, those organizations that have developed from the Parousia Truth Movement contain many more than 144,000 who think they are of that number, thus there is something sadly askew somewhere. Brother Russell was firmly con­vinced that he was conducting the reaping of the Gospel-Age Harvest, which persuaded him to the further opinion that it would end shortly, after which no more would enter that select group of the 144,000 who "stood with the Lamb on Mount Zion." He saw, too, that a considerable time would elapse between the selection of the last one of that group and the establishment of the Kingdom in power and great glory. This prompted him to write the following article (Reprint 4835), into which we have inserted a few comments of our own, none of which change the thought of the writer; they simply offer a little elaboration:

THE REWARDS OF SACRIFICE

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."  (Rom. 12:1) Nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded by the Lord to sacrifice our earthly rights and privileges. The Divine commands end at the line of justice. In other words, justice and righteousness are one and the same thing. Sacrifice, self-denial, taking up the cross to follow Jesus, are all propositions way beyond the Divine law. The Law Covenant proffered a perpetuation of human life to all who would fulfill its re­quirements. None of the Jews, with whom that Covenant was made, were able to fulfill those requirements, except the One who came from above and for whom was provided a perfect human body, which enabled Him to keep the requirements of the Law Covenant, entitling Him, therefore, to everlasting earthly life.

The New Law Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34), under the antitypical Mediator, will offer the same reward of everlasting human perfection to al1 who will fulfill its requirements. Its superiority over the first Law Covenant will consist in its having a better Mediator, capable of helping mankind fully out of condemnation, death and weakness and authorized so to do because of the merit of His "better sacrifices."

But while Jesus, born under the Law, was obligated to the conditions of that Covenant and fulfilled them, and thru them had a right to everlasting earthly life -He did more. He sacrificed that earthly life -laid it down (John 10:17,18) -permitted sinful men to take it from Him without resistance, although He had the power to call for legions of angels for protection. This was His sacrifice. He did not sacrifice sinful weaknesses, for He had none. He sacrificed perfect life and all His legal rights and privileges. His reward for so doing was exaltation from the human nature to the Divine nature -far above that of angels, principalities and powers. (Eph. 1:21) Thus exalted, He has the human rights (which He never forfeited) to give Adam and his race -their ransom-price. These He will give to them in the end of this Age, applying them to the sealing of the New Law Covenant, under which Israel and all mankind may be restored to all that was lost thru the first man's disobedience.

SIN-OFFERING SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE DURING THE GOSPEL AGE ONLY

Throughout this Gospel Age the Law Covenant has continued upon the Jews only, the remainder of the world of mankind being without any Covenant with God and waiting for the "times of restitution" under the New Law Covenant of the future. (Acts 3:19-21; Jer. 31: 31-34) It is during this time (the Gospel Age) that God draws and calls a certain loyal class and gives them an opportunity of sharing with their Redeemer in sacrificial death. The faithful will be counted His members, or His Bride or joint-heirs in His Kingdom of glory and honor and immortality. All men, in proportion as they know the Divine will (what is just, from the Divine standpoint), are correspondingly duty bound to fulfill that righteous requirement or Law of God to the extent of ability. But those desirous of fol­lowing in the footsteps of Jesus are shown what they can do more than justice; but they are not commanded to do more. All sacrificing is a privilege, not a duty, not a command. In harmony with this, St. Paul writes, not commandingly, but entreatingly, "I beseech you, brethren… present your bodies living sacrifices." He did not command this. To have made it a command would at once prevent the opportunity of sacrifice. What we sacrifice is something that is not commanded. Whatever is commanded of God is obligation and not sacrifice.  

The Ancient Worthies presented their bodies, laid down their lives, renouncing earthly rights, but they did not sacrifice for sin. Why? God did not call for human sacrifices for sin prior to Jesus' sacrifice of Himself. God was unwilling to accept imperfect, blemished creatures at His altar. They might lay down their lives, but He would not count-them sacrifices. Jesus was accepted as a sacrifice for sin because He was perfect, and His followers, since Pentecost, have been acceptable as sacrifices, because they were perfect -made so by the Redeemer's imputation to them of a sufficiency of His merit to compensate their blemishes. The spirit-begotten are reckoned perfect so long as they are faithful.

Aaron was commanded to offer the sin-offering sacrifices of the Day of Atonement "without blemish," which he scrupulously did. And it is probably true that the renegade priesthood that developed later also meticulously followed that procedure, because those priests would have died had they offered a blemished animal; and we have no record that any of them ever did die thru failure to keep that law. Jesus in His perfection was the antitype of the Atonement Day bullock; and His Gospel-Age followers -represented in the Atonement Day Lord's goat -are reckoned perfect because of the perfection of Jesus Himself.

Thus this Gospel Age is called the "acceptable day [or time] of the Lord," because, during this Gospel Age, God is willing to accept a predestinated number as joint-sacrific­ers with Jesus, But as soon as that' predestinated number shall have been completed the acceptable time will immediately end. No more presentations will be accepted as sacrifices -the antitypical Day of Atonement will have ended in its sacrificial part.

But suppose that some should present themselves after the close of the "acceptable time"; what would be their status and God's dealing with them? Since God is unchange­able, we must assume that He would always be pleased to have His creatures devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to the doing of His will, as He was pleased with the faithfulness of the Ancient Worthies to lay down their lives before a Covenant of Sacrifice was in force. We may reason that as God has promised human perfection to those Ancient Worthies who laid down their lives, He would be willing similarly to reward any who might follow the same course after the completion of the Church -after the ending of the "acceptable time" of sacrifice.

Quite likely, therefore, there will, be some in the end of this Age who, although faithful unto death, will not have been begotten of the Holy Spirit and not attain the spirit plane of being in the resurrection, but who will come forth members of the same class as the Ancient Worthies, who were developed before this Age began.

THE PRESENTATION OF ONESELF ALWAYS A REASONABLE SERVICE

In view of these facts our advice to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him is the same message that has gone forth throughout this Age -"We beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies living sacrifices." We cannot now assure them that, after presenting themselves as sacrifices, God will accept them as such and grant them spirit-begetting to a new nature; but we can assure them that God always gives large rewards to those who manifest their faith and loyalty towards Him and His cause. We can tell them, too, that, to our understanding, the Scriptures teach that the Ancient Worthies (of which they may be a part if they fail to be accepted to the new nature) will be highly honored of God, perfect on the human plane and made "princes in all the earth." (Psa. 45:16) We can assure them that, to our understanding, these princes will have a glorious precedence over the remainder of mankind as the special representatives of the invisible Messiah class for a thousand years. We can assure them that, to our understanding, after participating in that glorious work, these princes will be uplifted at the close of the Millennium to the spirit plane of being -as part of the antitypical Levites. (Excerpts by John J. Hoefle, No. 324, June 1982)

___________________________________________________________________

ASSAD DOESN'T NEED TO THREATEN ISRAEL BARAK IS DOING IT FOR HIM

Ehud Barak has apparently gone back to Clinton for help with his local public relations campaign. He still thinks that it was Carville who won the election for him rather than Netanyahu's failure to lead. Who but an American public relations whiz would think to sell the Golan give-away to the Jewish People by using coercion tactics?

Who ever heard of an experienced soldier explaining to his own people that we should surrender, because, if we don't, the enemy will go to war with us? Who ever heard of an elected Prime Minister of any country make such an absurd statement? When the Israeli Prime Minister publicly threatens his own people by telling us that, if we fail to achieve a peace agreement with Syria we are inviting war, he is actually being the representative of our enemies I III He is telling us, in effect, that we have no choice but to surrender to Syria for "peace." If we buy this garbage, then the next item on the agenda is giving away Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Jerusalem to Arafat for exactly the same reason! And why stop there? Certainly the Arabs living in the north would prefer to be a part of the PLO state. Why not give them Haifa? And what of the Arabs living in Jaffa? How can we interfere with their desires without inviting war? There is no end to this self-defeating policy.

The fact is really simple. Once you set the precedent that you are prepared to surrender without a fight, then the list of demands and demanders grows proportionately. Everyone wants a piece of the Israeli pie. And if we are giving it away, why shouldn't everyone come to get his free piece? No country ever gained respect and/or peace by appeasing its enemies. On the contrary. History has shown us that those who back down to coercion only invite more of the same. Those who speak of gaining peace by surrender to tyranny are cowardly self-deceivers.

Barak warned us that we should remember the scuds that were fired upon us by Iraq. Perhaps we should also remember the right wing Israeli government which chose not to fight back. Had we responded to the first scud with our own military might, there well may have been an end to it immediately. Instead we trusted our security to the hands of Bush. Doesn't it seem strange that the combined might of all those superpowers was unable to neutralize little Iraq? It was nothing less than a miracle that far more harm wasn't done to this country.

Somebody should tell our leaders that we are not a vassal of the United States. Any leader of a sovereign nation has, as his first responsibility, the obligation to defend that nation. Shamir failed to do this both during the intifada and the Gulf War. And Barak is presently failing by counseling surrender to Syria. It is nice to dream about making everyone's mother happy in the knowledge that we are building a new world of peace and tranquility for their children. But it is criminal to suggest that by surrendering to ruthless tyrants such will be the case.

Now, before we find ourselves with our backs to the sea, is the time to back away from Barak and bring this government down. Any coalition partner who can remain in this government at this time does not deserve the support of the Jewish people in the next election. Let Shas and the NRP have the courage to at long last act like Jews and walk out of this government of treason.

Whatever game Mr. Barak is playing with Syria, it is important for all of us to recognize that peace is certainly not one of the outcomes. If Barak is truly an honest man, then we have nothing to worry about. He clearly stated that he is not willing to depart from any of the Golan Heights without a full peace. If we do not have true peace with Egypt and the East Bank of Israel, then we certainly will never achieve such a peace with Syria. But the problem is that we are all participants in self-deception.

Abraham Lincoln once asked one of his aides to tell him how many legs a cow had. Perplexed at the question the aide replied that a cow has four legs. The president was pleased with the answer and then asked him how many legs the cow would have if we called its tail a leg. The aide replied that, in such a case it would have five legs. President Lincoln quickly responded that this was a big mistake. To call a cow's tail a leg does not make it one.

We are calling a process of successive surrender to our enemies peace. But calling surrender such a name doesn't change the fact that it really isn't and never will be peace.

(A Voice from Hebron, by Gary M. Cooperberg, December 20, 1999)

"BIBLE SHIFTS FROM HISTORY TO HUMANITIES: TALLAHASSEE -Students in Marion and Levy counties were asked during an exam on 1 Corinthians, 'Why is it hard for a non-Christian to understand things about God?'

"In Okaloosa County, students were asked, 'What is Jesus Christ's relationship to God, to creation and to you?'

"Among the harshest critics has been state Rep. Curt Levine, D-Boca Raton, who asked for the Department of Education, investigation. Levine criticized the 'anti-semitic and proselytizing instructional materials' being used in Some of the counties.

"Other counties where the Bible courses are being taught include: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Gulf, Taylor, Madison, Columbia, Clay, Levy, and Hillsborough." (Excerpts from The Orlando Sentinel, March 17, 2000)

"ISRAEL GIVES UP MORE LAND IN BID FOR PEACE: The move, effective Tuesday, leaves Palestinians in control of 41 percent of the West Bank. JERUSALEM -In the past, Israel has refused to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners from east Jerusalem because it does not recognize Palestinian jurisdiction over residents from the sector of the city it captured in the 1967 Mideast War.

"Ahmed Sublaban, chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Jerusalem, said the prisoner release will help to move the peace negotiations forward because 'it shows the families [of the prisoners] that the peace process is tangible and that they can benefit from the fruits of peace.'

"He called on Israel to release all of the approximately 1,650 Palestinian prisoners being held for anti-Israel activity -so-called security prisoners."

(Excerpts from Associated Press, March 20, 2000)

"ARAFAT'S POPE: If the past is prologue, the present should be a defiant rebuff of historic moral lapses. Regrettably, though, the lapses are often intentional and represent immoral prejudice.

"Not heeding the lessons of Pope Pius' collusion with Hitler during the Holocaust, Pope John Paul II has aligned himself with Yasir Arafat. Religious leaders should be the arbiters of religious and moral law, not the henchmen of executioners. John Paul II, in signing an accord with the PLO condemning Israel's control of east Jerusalem as 'morally and legally unacceptable, ' has involved the Holy See in a relationship reminiscent of that of Pope Pius XII's with Hitler.

"The Vatican's vestigial anti-Jewish overtones reverberate throughout the centuries. The Pope's actions bring to mind the echoes of Jewish supplicants throughout the centuries who were barred from praying at the holiest of sites in Israel. Never have Catholics, Muslims, Jews and the world's religionists been entitled to the degree of free religious access that they enjoy since those areas have been under Israeli jurisdiction. The religious character of Jerusalem has remained unqualified since the city's unification in 1967. That is by the grace of the Israeli government, a government that the Vatican sees fit to impugn in morally unacceptable terms.

"The papal pronouncement follows on the heels of a 1998 assessment by the Vatican's foreign minister calling the Israeli presence in eastern Jerusalem an 'illegal occupation.' Yet, that same moral outrage was absent when Jews were denied the right to pray at the Kotel from 1948 through 1967, when Jordan controlled east Jerusalem.  

"The moral outrage of the papacy seems misplaced, fifty years after Pope Pius XII could not muster enough moral revulsion to condemn Hitler and the Final Solution. In 'Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII, ' John Cornwell examines the geopolitical influence that Pope Pius exerted on the European theater. Vatican documents verify that he used 'moral blackmail' to solidify Rome's authority on Germany. That authority offered the most powerful endorsement of Hitler with the 'Reich Concordat,' the treaty with Hitler that legitimized his program to kill the Jews. It was by Pius' hand that moral and ethical outrage were purged from Catholic doctrine.

"The Vatican has, as yet, not come to terms with Pope Pius' complicity in the murder of millions of Jews. Until that happens, the Church should accept that moral indignance is the exclusive dominion of moral individuals, whose resume does not include terrorism 'and murder. Otherwise, John Paul II will be Arafat's Pope, as much as Pius was Hitler's Pope.

(What's On Your Mind, by Assemblyman Dov Hikind, The Jewish Press, February 25, 2000)

"AN OPEN LETTER TO JOHN PAUL II: Sir: When the news came out that you were meeting with Yasir Arafat about some moral issue, I was filled with great hope. Finally, I thought, someone was going to show moral leadership and demand from this man that he turn himself in as a war criminal. Yes, it looked as if you were going to ask that he be tried for the murder of innocent Jewish children. It appeared that you were going to exhort the world to reconsider its removal of him from the list of international terrorists, and ask the U.S. why it backed off its oath to never negotiate with someone it had termed a ruthless murderer.

"Imagine my surprise when you met with Arafat to issue a joint proclamation stating that any attempt by the Jewish State to control Jerusalem's fate is 'morally and legally unacceptable.' Of all things to hear from you sir! You who expressed regret for what your church had done to the Jews over the ages. We thought you had pledged to be a friend of Israel. Why, then, would you interfere in the internal affairs of Israel, an inter­vention which could cause serious harm to the Jewish State?

"You say that 2,000 years ago, a rabbi from Nazaretb fought to keep Rome from interfering in Jerusalem. Well, today, on that issue, this rabbi from Monsey agrees with him completely. Evidently, you don't. How unChristian!

"Interference by your church in the internal affairs of Israel conjures up the wish of Justin Martyr, one of your early saints, who wanted Jewish towns to be consumed in flames, and demanded that no Jew be able to go to Jerusalem.

"Let us look at the record of the powers who have controlled Jerusalem, and their efforts to protect its places holy to various religions:

"Israeli soldiers died (you should read the list of their names) recapturing Jerusalem because they did not want to take the city by bombarding it which would have destroyed some of your churches. That respect for what various groups consider holy places was not demonstrated by the Jordanians and their Palestinian inhabitants who, while in control of Jerusalem, smashed Jewish synagogues and used them for latrines. And now -you, sir, a man whose predecessors rejoiced in the sacking of Jerusalem, stand together with the head of those Palestinians -a murderer of Jewish children -a man whose Koran considers you an infidel -and you both feel you have the right to preach to the Jews about the morality of control of Jerusalem!  Jerusalem, the city which your very Bible states as belonging to the Jews. Jerusalem, the city which, had it been under Jewish control in 1939, would have been a haven for escapees from the Holocaust. The Jews had no one to speak up for them then. Your predecessor Pius XII fell silent. That was bad enough. But, now, as nazism rises once again in Austria and Germany, as Iran and Iraq load up with Scuds, you demand that Jews not be in control of Jerusalem.

"Not on your life, sir! Your voice could serve as an instrument of peace in the world. Joint statements with a murderer have the very opposite effect. There is still time to reconsider.

 "The Jewish national memory is very long. We remember what happened to us 60 years ago. We also remember what your church leaders did to us and to our city throughout the centuries -especially Godfrey of Bouillon, who, in the First Crusade of 1095, wrote to Pope Urban II stating that 'in the Porch and in the Temple of Solomon our people had the vile blood... up to the knees of their horses. ' "In the words of a recently martyred Rabbi, Never Again, sir, Never Again." (The Spivak Report, by Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, The Jewish Press, February 25, 2000)

___________________________________________________________________

QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION -In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46) to whom does the word nations refer?

ANSWER -This parable is entirely applied to the world, to the nations [peoples], the heathen in the Kingdom. For centuries the Jews had been accustomed to thinking of themselves as God's nation, God's people. All others they styled heathen, Gentiles, the people, the nations; and in the prophecies God treated the matter from this stand­point. So when spiritual Israel was received into Divine favor as the Royal Priesthood, the Holy Nation, the Peculiar people, all the remainder of mankind was properly enough to be thought of and described as "the nations," "the Gentiles."

In line with this our Lord in this parable tells what is to befall after His Kingdom shall have been set up -after the selection of the true church class to be the Bride, the Lamb's wife and joint-heirs in His Kingdom, in His throne. This, we notice, is very clearly stated by the Master, saying, "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels [saints] with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." (v. 31) Who, after proper consideration, will say that this is a matter of the past? Who will dispute that this is a description of Messiah's Kingdom following His Parousia and His Epiphaniea at His Second Advent?

Then follows the description of the work of the Millennial Age. "Before him shall be gathered all nations." (v. 32) This means all the people of the world outside the Lord's Holy nation, His peculiar people, the Church and other elect classes. Everybody except these will be before His great white throne of justice, mercy and love; that will be their judgment time. "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants will learn righteousness." (lsa. 26:9) "Bec ause 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)

For centuries the nations have claimed to be Christian kingdoms and called themselves Christendom, which means Christ's Kingdom. But God never approved of calling these nations by the name of Christ. Their only right, aside from the vote of the people, is in God's limited grant to rule until He comes whose right the dominion is. Let it be recognized that the best and the worst of earth's nations are but "kingdoms of this world," whose lease of power from God is now expired and they will give way to their ordained successor, the Kingdom of Messiah.

Read what God tells Israel in Jer. 30:11: "For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." This is repeated in Jer. 46:28.

Since nations will have no resurrection as nations, their reaping would come in this present evil world. (Gall: 4) The decision has already been made against present governments and institutions. "Mene, Mene, Teke1, Upharsin... Thou art weighted in the balance and found wanting." (Dan. 5: 25-28) The nations have been judged and now the eviction is taking place. We have seen the fall of one nation after another. Some have long since disappeared.

The establishment of the Lord's Kingdom will be in the top of these Kingdoms while they still exist (Isa. 2:2, 3; Micah 4:1) -that is, it will replace them. So while these nations are crumbling His Kingdom is rising. And the people will "go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." Hallelujah!