VOL. X, NUMBER 6

International Magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

JUNE,1961

A Joyous PENTECOSTThousands observed the Day of Pentecost around the world in

GOD'S Church. God's work is growing in every direction­and SEVEN nation-wide baptizing tours are scheduled!

by Roderick C. Meredith

HAND when the day of Pentecost was...n.. fully come, they were all with oneaccord in am: place" (Aus 2: 1 ) .

The recent joyous observance of Pente­cost by literally thousands of brethrenaround this earth was certainly "with oneaccord" as it was in apostolic days! Al­though this time-as it was in the days ofPaul when Pentecost was observed atEphesus (1 Cor. 16:8) as well as othermajor centers - the observance of thisFestival was held on several continents invarious cities.

Mr. Armstrong at New York City

After spending the first part of thethree-day Festival with the London churchon the weekly Sabbath, Mr. Herbert W.Armstrong flew on Sunday to New YorkCity to be with God's Church there forthe Day of Pentecost. He was returningto this country anyway for a much-neededvisit to important radio stations, and soplanned to spend this Holy Day withGod's Church in America's largest city.

The pastor of the New York Citychurch, Mr. Carlton Smith, reports:"Again I am happy to report the greatestHoly Day Festival ever held in this greatcity! There were 293 adults and 118 chil­dren, representing ten states plus Canadaand \'(Tashington, D.C., in attendance.This was by far the greatest number ofGod's people ever assembled in NewYork City in the Philadelphia era ofGod's Church.

"Not only was it the greatest Festivalobserved here attendance-wise; but most

important of all, it was, I sincerely feel,the most profitable, spiritually speaking.Everyone JUSt seemed to be bubbling overwith enthusiasm, warmth and joy. Mr.Herbert W. Armstrong, whom we werevery happy to have with us, said that thischurch is the 'handshakingest' group hehad ever seen. Also, we were overjoyedto see and hear Mr. Armstrong in person,and a number commented to me after theservices as to how much they had beeninspired by his messages 'to really domore' in the way of spiritual progress.So, it certainly was a 'shot-in-the-arm'for the entire church to have Mr. Arm­strong with us again for the second timesince the church was started in Novem­ber of 1959. I hope that this shot will lastuntil he can return to give us another one,

"In the way of physical enjoyment we,of course, had the physical feast duringthe interim between the morning andafternoon services. Everyone partook ofand enjoyed the delicious and healthfulfood prepared by God's people as onlyGod's people can prepare it. Not onlywere we able to please the palate withgood food, but also the ears were soothed,during the afternoon services, by a coupleof beautiful and melodic songs, the l stand I I7th Psalms set to music by our ownMr. Leo Bogdanchik. Mr. Bogdanchik hasstudied music the greater part of his lifeunder private instructors and now has hisown music studio where he teaches piano,accordion and other instruments as hisprofession. However, his specialty for hisown likes is the organ. He is now enthusi-

astically engaged in setting other songsto music. Oh, yes, I want to say that thetwo above-mentioned songs were sungby our sextet made up of Messrs. Calvinand Raymond Mickens and their wives,plus Mr. and Mrs. Zac Challenger. Itappears that we have a great deal ofmusical talent plus talent in many otherfields here in New York.

"To illustrate just how much God reallydoes want those who sincerely seek andobey His Commandments to enjoy andprofit from the services, first let me tellyou what occurred to one of our faithfulwomen during Pentecost. Mrs. CharlesNickel, shortly after the morning serviceended, was stricken suddenly with severecramps and upset stomach. She was verysick and felt very bad. Her husband cameover and asked me to anoint her, which Idid. After the afternoon service hadended, she came to me and told me thatas soon as we had come out of the littleroom that the pains in her body dis­appeared and that she was able to enjoyand profit from the afternoon servicewhich I had asked God to make possible.Yes, God is a merciful God and He isvery much concerned for His children aswe have seen evidenced here many times.

"So, all in all, this was a most enjoy­able and profitable Holy Day. Much ell­thusiasm was generated and all wentaway !,ooking forward to the next one asusual.

Overseas Observance

Mr. Gerald Waterhouse reports from

Page 2

God's Church in Sydney, Australia, thatthey observed a wonderful PentecostFestival. Mr. Waterhouse and Mr. TonyHammer conducted an entire three-dayFestival there with morning and after­noon preaching services each day. About100 brethren were in attendance for theFestival from all parts of Australia­some having to travel many miles to bethere.

Since new radio stations are now beingadded in "the land down under" God'swork there should soon be BOOMINGmore than ever!

Many of you brethren will be happyto learn that we are now planning to sendMr. and Mrs. Frank Simpkins to Australiato help in the work there soon after col­lege graduation this June. Mr. Simpkinsis from near Neosho, Missouri, and isnow graduating from Ambassador Col­lege. His wife, the former Bernice Stover,is a very faithful and dedicated maid­servant of Jesus Christ, and it is felt thatthis couple will add much to the work inAustralia where so much growth is takingplace.

Our congratulations and our prayersgo with Mr. and Mrs. Frank Simpkins!

Reports are still incomplete from theBritish Isles regarding the observance ofPentecost there, but we do know that alarge Festival was held with God'sChurch in London, England. About 150brethren were in attendance, plus manyothers in the outlying churches. As re­ported earlier, Mr. Herbert Armstrongwas there over the weekly Sabbath beforeflying back to New York Sunday. Afterhis departure, Mr. Raymond McNair re­mained to conduct the services on theDay of Pentecost for God's Church in"Ephraim."

From the far away Philippine Islands,Mr. Pedro Orriguero reports that 853observed the Day of Pentecost there inthe Philippines. Many people have beenattracted by the preaching of God's truthin this far-away land, and are beginningto meet with God's Church and learnmany things on His Holy Days. May ourthoughts and prayers be with them!

Pentecost at ChicagoA three-day Pentecost Festival was

held in Chicago with Mr. Herman 1.Hoeh flying there from Pasadena to assistthe local pastor, Mr. Dean Blackwell, inconducting services there for over 1100people!

Mr. Blackwell sends the following re­port: "A warm, enthusiastic 1104 peoplerejoiced before God in the commemora­tion of the founding of God's Church1930 years ago. Wonderful improvementwas noticed in the special music by theChicago chorale as well as the soloists.

"Mrs. Viola Peets is to be commendedon her persistently near-flawless job of

The GOOD NEWS

managing the meals. Thanks also go toher helpers for the meals and service. Inobedience to God's injunction that werise up before the 'hoary head,' the olderpeople always go through the food linefirst.

"A very enjoyable time of social fel­lowship was held on Saturday night.Among our colored brethren, under Mr.Elisha Crim's supervision, and amongthe other brethren with Mr. John Baldas Master of Ceremonies. Mr. Peets, thehusband of Mrs. Peets and an interestedfriend of the church, cordially providedus with his personal band. Educationalmovies of God's creation were enjoyed bythose 12 years old and under and a nurs­ery was provided for the smaller childrenby Mrs. Cornelia Henderson, a Chicagochurch grandmother herself.

"Attendance at the all-day services onSabbath and Sunday was 665 and 455respectively. Everything was run verysmoothly as the result of an outstandingjob done by a very capable group of dea­cons. Additional rejoicing occurred asmany new brothers and sisters wereadded to our spiritual family.

"Other recent cause for rejoicing tookplace on the Sabbath of May 6 when wewere blessed in Chicago and Blooming­ton by the addition of two new deaconsin God's service. In Chicago, Mr. MartinFilippello, a very yielded, zealous Italianmember of God's Church was elevated togreater service for his brethren. Hislively, helpful wife adds to his serviceand potential as well as being truly anhelpmeet for him. This raises the Chi­cago group of special servants to an un­usual six consisting of two Germans, Mr.Joseph Schlitt and Mr. Raymond Roens­pies; two Russians, Mr. John Kreidichand Mr. Joseph Tkach; our colored dea­con, Mr. Elisha Crim; and our new Ital­ian deacon, Mr. Filipello.

"The very first deacon for the Bloom­ington church was ordained on the sameSabbath by Mr. Hal Baird and me. Mr.Gene Dawson, who has shown great zealand yieldedness in God's Church, wasreadily recognized as qualified by all huthimself.

"Having driven over 100 miles tochurch in El Paso for over two years inorder to assemble to learn and help thenewer brothers, Mr. Dawson pursued thepath of higher service to others. He ishelped by a very warm and spirituallygrowing wife, and two small daughterswho will add experience in managementand patience."

Pentecost at Gladewaterand Pasadena

Flying back to Texas by 707 Jet, I wasprivileged to be at our own big taber­nacle at Gladewater, Texas to join Mr.Kenneth Swisher - the local minister-

June, 1961

in conducting services during the three­day Pentecost Festival. Beginning with aBible study on Friday night, five preach­ing services and two Bible studies wereheld during the three day period.

Mr. Swisher and I were assisted in con­ducting these services by Mr. Frank Wil­son - who led the singing, and by Mr.Cecil Battles - who brought two sermon­ettes. Also, a very special treat was givenall of us when the Gladewater ImperialHigh School Chorus rendered two spe­cial selections on the Day of Pentecostduring the final afternoon service. Thisgroup of young singers was led by Mr.Richard Rice, teacher in the ImperialSchool, and they sang beautifully andfeelingly.

The theme of the sermons was on re­sisting the spirit of Satan and his demons,and on being filled with the Spirit of Al­mighty God. On the Day of Pentecostitself, well over 1,000 were in arrencianceand enjoyed a wonderful day of feastingand fellowship on the beautiful taber­nacle grounds as well as in the preachingservices chemselYes.

At Pasadena headquarters church, over900 brethren assembled for the Feast ofPentecost - plus hundreds of others inother nearby local churches in the LosAngeles area. The preaching services inPasadena were conducted by Mr. GarnerTed Armstrong assisted by Mr. WayneCole. The theme was on knowing thepower of God and His Spirit.

God granted a beautiful day, and awonderful feast was held om-of-doors onour own lovely Ambassador College cam­pus grounds.

Elsewhere in the Los Angeles area, theLos Angeles and Long Beach churchesmet together at Gardena under the direc­tion of Dr. Zimmerman - head of theLetter Answering Department - and Mr.Frank McCrady. Over 300 brethrenjoined in this service, and experienceda fine festival both spiritually andphysically.

In the Sherman Oaks Church of God,about 120 brethren attended. The preach­ing services were conducted by Mr. Nor­man Smith and Mr. Selmer Hegvold.

In Redlands, California, about 125members of the Redlands church attend­ed Pentecost services conducted by Mr.Charles Dorothy and Mr. Al Dennis, localelder.

In Temple City, about 130 were inattendance on the Day of Pentecost. Thepreaching services there were conductedby Mr. Jon Hill, local pastor, and Mr.Arthur Mokarow, formerly from theChicago church and now a zealous stu­dent in Ambassador College.

Further south, the San Diego Churchof God assembled for a splendid Pente­cost Festival under the direction of a vis­iting minister, Mr. Leroy Neff, and their

June, 1961

local elder, Mr. Don Billingsley. After aninspiring sermon in the morning on themeaning of the Day of Pentecost, anenjoyable feast was held in a nearby parkfollowed by a Bible study. During themorning preaching service, about 175were in attendance and Mrs. Dau sanga special number, "The Holy City."

Central California ObservanceMr. Ronald Kelly reports on the Pente­

cost festival in Central California:"Both the Sacramento and Fresno

churches met in Modesto, California, toobserve the recent Day of Pentecost. Over430 packed the American Legion Hall to

once again review and learn more aboutthe rery purpose for which we humansare here - to be FlRSTFRUITS in God'splan of salvation! This large crowd showshow growth in California continues.

"The church in Sacramento now hasover 700 artending EVERY WEEK!Many zealous new families drive overfrom many miles on all sides of Sacra­mento to be with God's people eachweek. And there is EVEN BIGGERGROWTH expected this summer. Manyscores have written in to be baptized andwill be contacted during the summermonths. This, no doubt, will result in agreat increase.

"During the wonderful Feast of Pente­cost, the members of both churches be­came better acquainted with each otherwhile we all enjoyed one of the FINESTMEALS ever displayed on tables. Deli­cious salads and decorated desserts werethe highlights!

"Many who have just begun to keepthe Feast have found that it is NOT ayoke of bondage as they once thought!Instead, they have never enjoyed anythingSD much in all their lives! Friends andrelatives shake their heads in amazementthat we would keep God's laws. But theynever once have known what a REALBLESSING it is-and just think, not oneof them knows the very purpose God isworking out here below!

"Mr. Carl McNair and Mr. EugeneWalters, who will travel together thissummer on a nation-wide baptizing tour,were in Modesto to assist with the preach­ing and special music. Mr. McNair gavea very powerful sermon on just what theHoly Spirit is and how God sent it onthe Day of Pentecost 1931 years ago.He showed how it provides the strengthwhich enables us to fulfill God's purposenow. Mr. Walters played the piano for aninspiring song service and we all enjoyedhis special music selections.

'The brethren in both churches nowlook forward to meeting together in Sep­tember for the Feast of Trumpets if Godwills.

"While we have much good news,there are still trials we must endure.

The GOOD NEWS

Tlnemployment in California is still ex­tremely high! Several of God's peopleare out of work and we here wouldappreciate it very much if others fromaround the world would fervently prayabout this! Since we last wrote many havefound jobs, but still more need to beemployed to have a part actively sup­porting GOD'S WORK with tithes andofferings.

"Many miraculous events take placefor those who are obeying and trustingGod! But perhaps one of the greatestblessings is the joy of bringing new lifeinto the world. God's church, known forits big Bibles and many children, con­tinues to be blessed by having theirquivers full (Psalm 127: 5 ) .

"Most recent additions here were Tim­othy D'Arnelio and Tommy Dickman.Young Tommy is the surprise bouncingbaby boy - the sixth - the sixth boy - hehas no sisters! Mr. and Mrs. Dickman addgreatly to the church attendance, lead­ing the stair-stepping boys into an entirerow of chairs to attend church.

"When Timothy was born God per­formed another miraculous birth. Beingdelivered feet first was a real problem­but the real miracle was that he didn'tbreathe for 45 full minutes after birth.Using only mouth-to-mouth respiration,the doctor admitted the miracle that Godperformed in allowing the baby to live.

"We all rejoice in God's blessing. Wepray this Good News will encourage allof you as it has all of us in California."

Pentecost Services in DenverThe three day services for Pentecost,

held this year at the Arapahoe FairGrounds just outside of Denver, were avital blessing for God's people in Colo­rado and adjoining areas.

Mr. Al Portune from Pasadena, joinedMr. Burk McNair, pastor of the Denverand Pueblo churches, for the three all­day services. The underlying theme of thesermons was certainly to inspire and en­courage God's people. Many expressedhow much nearer they were to God andhow much more real God seemed tothem. Mr. Bill Quillen - deacon from thePueblo, Colorado church - gave severalfine sermonettes.

The women of the Colorado churchesoutdid themselves in preparing deliciousand unusual dishes for the noon meals.There was an abundance of fine food andeveryone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Varied weather was experienced dur­ing the three days. On Sabbath afternoonthe sky grew very dark and a severe hailshower - pounding so loudly on the cor­rugated iron roof - caused the services tobe interrupted for nearly ten minutes.During this period no one was able tohear Mr. McNair, so all joined in singingseveral hymns. Everyone thoroughly en-

Page 3

joyed trying to out-sing the elements.All were able to fellowship for many

hours before, between and after services,which afforded opportunity to renew oldacquaintances and to meet new brothersand sisters. Many hours of counselingwere provided and benefited greatly thosewho needed advice.

Pentecost services in Denver were cer­tainly a great blessing for 385 of God'speople this year.

Pentecost Observed in Other AreasReports have not yet come in from all

of the churches regarding their PentecostFestivals, but we do have some detailsfrom many of the local areas.

First of all, a fine three-day PentecostFestival was held at Louisville State Parknear Battleground, Washington, for allof the churches in Washington and Ore­gon. The Festival was conducted by Mr.Raymond Cole who was assisted by Mr.Jimmy Friddle of the Seattle church, andMr. Dale Hampton of the Portlandchurch, plus other local elders and assist­ant pastors. About 1,000 brethren werein attendance for the Day of Pentecostitself, and the preaching centered aroundthe day itself, and the need for God'sHoly Spirit.

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, both theAkron and Pittsburgh churches met to­gether for a three-day Pentecost Festivalconducted by Mr. Bill McDowell andassisted by Mr. Robert Hoops. Nearly600 were in attendance for the Day ofPentecost itself, and a number of beau­tiful musical numbers were offered dur­ing the three-day Festival by severaltalented church members.

The South Texas churches of SanAntonio, Corpus Christi and Houston allgot together at Victoria, Texas for a finePentecost Festival. Over 400 were inattendance, and the preaching serviceswere conducted by Mr. Richard Prince -­pastor of the churches in Houston andDallas, and by Mr. Roger Foster - pastorof the churches in San Antonio and Cor­pus Christi.

Mr. Roger Foster reports: "Thechurches in Houston, San Antonio andCorpus Christi all met together for avery joyous and profitable Festival ofPentecost in Victoria, Texas. Besides thedelicious potluck lunch - the banquetoutdoor style - we had an abundance ofspiritual food.

Even though Mr. Richard Prince andI made no plans for the sermons and ser­monettes to follow a definite theme, eachone dovetailed perfectly with the preced­ing message. Just another example thatJesus Christ is the One who is really con­ducting His Festivals. Throughout themessages was woven the theme that we

(Please continue on page 15)

Page 4 The GOOD NEWS June, 1961

Be sure to notify us immediately ofchange of address.

Address communications to the Editor,Box111,Pasadena, California.

© 1961 byRadioChurch of God

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

him that James wrote: 'Faith withoutworks is dead.' He dismissed it as havingbeen written later and thus not as nearto Christ. Apparently he doesn't believethat 'All scripture is given by inspiration.'

"Then I asked him, 'Why don't youpreach the gospel of the Kingdom ofGod that Christ preached and com­manded to be preached like Mr. Arm­strong preaches?' He stammered andblurted out, 'Well, we don't have thetimetable he seems to have.' Probably thefirst truthful thing he said all day! Then1 asked him what was the purpose of life.He never answered.

"At about this time he couldn't tellwhether he was coming or going, but hefinally decided he was going and he tookhis hat and left!"

Young man, Ionia, Michigan(Editor's note: This story is repeatedmany times by prospective AmbassadorCollege students. Many of our studentshave learned to endure hardships andpersecution from relatives and formeracquaintances in order to serve God andHis Church.)

God Blessed a Cheerful Giver"Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"1 recently sent you a money order for$300.00. Prior to sending this money 1thought I had better hold it off until 1got my new job I applied for. 1 had beenwaiting four weeks for a reply but 1 feltguilty that this was 'buying' God, i.e.,saying 1 would send the $300 as soon as1gOt the job. On impulse when 1receivedthe March issue of The PLAIN TRUTH1 decided to go immediately to the bankand withdraw $300. That was March 2nd.On March 3rd I received a two-pagetelegram about my employment applica­tion saying 1 was tentatively selected forreinstatement in the location I hadwanted. Salary offered was $3,000 morethan 1 had previously been making. In­stead of $6,000 a year it went to $9,000and I'm only 24 years old. For every $1001 sent you, God blessed me with $1,000."

Man, Millville, New Jersey(Comment: Here is an example of ayoung man who is a "go-getter" - whopushes and prods himself - but who haslearned that you cannot forget God andsucceed.)

You Teach True Doctrine"I have been studying your booklets

and reading your Plain Truth. 1 havecome to the realization that the Churchof God 7th Day [Editor's note: A rem­nant of the Sardis era of the true church(Rev. 3: 1-6)] here on the Island ofBarbados, with Salem, West Virginia asour headquarters, is as good as if it werea Sunday religion, under the mark of theBeast. For the word of God says if we

(Please continue on page 13)

pension check once a month aud alwayshave money left over. It sure pays tolisten to God."

Woman, Kessinger, Kentucky

The Future Looks Bright Again!"Last year I requested a cloth and

prayer for healing from recurring partialblindness. It is pretty near a year nowsince I had an attack. At the same time1 prayed for healing for a curvature ofthe spine. Last week 1 had some X-raystaken of the lower spine. The doctor said,'I can find nothing wrong!' The futurelooks bright again."

Listener from Newfoundland

Girl's Wrist Healed"1 was shown an X-ray of a girl's wrist

that had been broken. I prayed for herand advised her to go to a doctor and havea cast put on it. The doctor said it wasbroken in three places. After putting thecast on, he decided to take an X-ray tosee if it was set properly. After observingthe X-ray, he stated he must have beenwrong-for it didn't reveal anything! 'Itwas probably only sprained,' he muttered."

Reported by one of ourLocal Elders

(Editor's Comment: We receive lettersevery day telling how God has super­naturally intervened and healed! Thereis power for the asking! )

"Redeeming the Time""Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"I am trying hard to learn God's in­structions as fast as I can because 1 haveso many years backlog to overtake. Yourhelp is so valuable. I feel I have gottenseveral years knowledge in these months1 have had your guiding hand to aid me."

Woman, Victoria, Australia

A Future Ambassador Student"Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"My mother mentioned to her ministerthat 1 had applied for admission toAmbassador College. One day I came inand found him looking over my Corre­spondence Course and The PLAINTRUTH. My folks left to do some choresand he with a cynical grin said, 'It lookslike you have fallen in with quite agroup.' lle as much as classed the Churchas a bunch of fanatical heretics and con­eluded by saying: 'Mr. Armstrong hasquite a business going there.' All thisfrom a man who had never before evenheard of you. His shameful and shoddyperformance served only to prove who heserved.

"He began interrogating me and 1answered every question from the Bible,He rolled his eyes and cocked his headwhen he found Out that I believe theTen Commandments are binding today.He said we are saved by faith. 1 reminded

NO.6

HerbertW. ArmstrongPublisher and Editor

GarnerTed ArmstrongExecutive EditorHermanL. HoehManaging Editor

Roderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

VOL. X

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

(Editor's Comment: Here is a real ex­ample of a test of faith. What would youhave done? This demonstrates that Godis true to His promises regardless of howhopeless all physical circumstances mayseem.)

Coal Lasts and Lasts and Lasts!"Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"Since tithing now for over two yearsI have really prospered. When 1 firststarted I was burning oil lamps. 1 nowhave light, refrigerator, fan and a warmerhouse. My coal pile lasted so much more,everyone of my neighbors said they be­lieved my coal pile was getting bigger allthe time instead of going down. I had fuelto give to some of my neighbors and stillhad a lot left over and plenty to start onnext winter. All 1 have is my husband's

Remember the Sabbath Day"Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"1 had just started to keep the Sabbathday and 1 had hay down. It was just rightto bring in (or so I thought) and theweather man said it was going to rain.But God says not to work on the Sabbathday, so 1 didn't. My wife said it wouldbe all ruined. Well, I didn't get it in tillMonday or Tuesday. It was a clover hay,and it was black. I didn't think the cowswould eat it. Do you know, sir, even ayear later, the cows would push the otherhay aside and eat that hay first."

from Pennsylvania

PRAYER Can Help SolveYour Problems!

Converse With GodPrayer is conversation. Not something

given by rote - repeated over and overmonotonously! It is conversation withour Maker - our Father in Heaven.

Conversation, in this world, helps oneperson to understand, and to come tolove another better. How often have weformed bad first-impressions of certainpeople, and then, as a result of conversa­tion with them, found them to really bedesirable friends?

The "Christian" world we have lived inhas given most of us a false first-impres­sion of God. It has instilled in our mindsa picture of a harsh, stern God - a Godthat seemingly loves to see us sufferunder the battering of storms, weatherdisasters, war, famine, disease, unemploy­ment. And a God who is inaccessible tous - who has gone afar off from ourappeals!

Through conversational prayer wecome into direct contact daily with thetrue God. We come to know Him as Heis. Prayer dispels that first-impressionfoisted off on us by the world. A real,

A Real ProblemOne couple had been working together

praviding for their fair-sized family.Everything seemed to move along fairlywell for a time. Suddenly, without warn­ing, the man lost his job! His wife fellseriously ill and recuperated slowly overa period of weeks. Week after weekpassed. Their appeal for help from theministers of the Church brought to usa sorry picture. Not only unemployment,but mounting bills, prospect of evictionfrom a decent home, utterly rebelliouschildren, and a husband and a wife onthe verge of going their separate ways!

When asked if each had ferventlyprayed one hour a day over these terrihleproblems that had developed, the answerin each case was a sheepish "No!" Pur­suing this further, the ministers foundthat even before he had lost his job thisman had devoted no more than one ortwo hours to prayer each week! A vitaltaproot of their problem had been found.

Brethren, it is vital that we go to ourheavenly Father in prayer every day! Thiscould be the taproot of our problems!

Why is prayer so very important?

Your Attitude ImportantAn example of a wrong attitude was

innocently expressed by a little three­year-old girl ar a buffet dinner recently.She stood obediently and politely withbowed head along with her elders asGod's blessing was asked on the food.At the word "Amen!" she gave a sighclearly audible throughout the room. Toher mind the prayer was a necessary, butirksome, prelude to partaking of thatdelicious food! Is prayer merely a super­stitious smattering of words that arequoted piously before commencing oncertain phases of daily duties?

Prayer must be made with a properattitude of mind, with diligent applica­tion, with real fervency, and a properknowledge of what to pray for! Wheredo some fall short, that they continue tobe plagued with very real misfortunes?Some are falling short somewhere, andin most every case it is in prayer!

How many of you, when prayer isbeing offered up to God by others, cansummarize that prayer at its dose? Dowe really focus our attention fully on theprayer? or is our attention distracted byother interests?

To some, prayer seems to be an irk­some and a boring duty-a required rit­ual we conform to, but are secretly happyto have done with. Prayer has not becomethe real and living blessing to us Godintended it to be!

It is vital that we examine our prayersas God sees them!

Here is a typical problem that minis­ters are often called upon to help with.

,Marty spend hours in prayer with no apparent results. Troubles seem to continue to mount.Why? Here is the surprising answer from one of our local elders from Headquarters.

by Selmer L. Hegvold

are ordained, and placed in office by Godfor the express purpose of perfecting thesaints - the work of the ministry - tillwe all come to the unity of the faith andknowledge of the Son of God, to theperfect man (Eph. 4:12-13).

Something is radically wrong whensome, who claimed to be "close to Godin prayer," suddenly are found to be onthe way into the lake of fire! Of theseHe said, "Not everyone that saith untome, 'Lord, Lord; shall enter into thekingdom of heaven" (Matt. 7:22, 21).

It is possible to claim to worship Goddiligently, and to do so in vain! Christcould not have said so, otherwise!

Respect AuthorityMany of us accept teachings of Christ's

Church readily - until one of those deci­sions strikes at the core of some aspectof our own lives. Then we begin to doubtthe wisdom of Christ, of God's ministers!It becomes easy for us to forget that they

T H IS has been a critical season formost of the world - and for manyof us!

Serious and strange viruses and respir­atory ailments have undermined thestamina and health of some!

Unemployment has sapped the abilityto provide for our own families in certaincases!

Persecution has threatened the peaceand security of some of our loved ones!

Those who have escaped these troublesare wondering why the others have not!

What is wrong? Why do probleul::'seem to stalk continually, not only theworld, but the people of God as well­the very people God has called out of avery sick and confused world?

Prayer - A Key?God has promised to bless, to prosper,

to make life full, abundant and a joy toeveryone of us here and now! In somecases that promise has not materialized.Why?

In one way or another it has affectedthe entire Church of God, the Body ofChrist. When one member suffers, thewhole Body suffers (I Cor. 12: 24-27).

In visiting and counseling with manymembers, we have found a common con­dition that reveals a vital key to most ofthese unpleasant circumstances!

That key? - our prayer habits!Yes! Faulty prayer habits are a primary

cause of these serious problems in God'sChurch!

One man, after becoming embitteredagainst the Church, insisted he was pray­ing more at that time than at any timebefore. Yet he left the Church! Others,too, have claimed they had never beencloser to God in their prayer habits thanat that particular time! Could this betrue? Lack of understanding this subjectcould be fatal to our own spiritual devel­opment!

We need to examine ourselves!

Your questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to havediscussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's Church.

Question Box

Page 6

comforting love develops, and a new andintimate knowledge of the very mind ofGod results.

The Right ApproachWe need to learn to talk over our

problems with Him as we would desireto do with our own earthly father of theflesh! But how to develop such a proper,intimate, and acceptable pattern of prayerseems to perplex many. We should yearnto establish such a contact - to know Godbetter!

Schedule your time for the activitiesof the day, including a time for prayer­a regular time. An hour, or at least a half­hour to begin with, is almost an essentialconsideration!

The period of time set aside for prayershould be the hour of the day we aremost mentally alert - before the prob­lems of the day develop! "But seek yefirst the Kingdom of God, and His right­eousness; and all these things [our needs]shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6: 33) .

Some have claimed they could prayjust as effectively as they go about per­forming their daily work. This is nottrue, unless they first have had a periodof prayer on their knees! The fruits ofsuch people have proven this fact.

How should we pray? Is there a recorn­mended position of prayer?

"That at the name of Jesus every kneeshould bow ... " (Phil. 2: 10). Every kneeshould bow before God. The world payshomage to an earthly king by kneelingbefore him on one knee. We pay homageto the King of all the universe by kneel­ing before Him on hoth knees. ReadII Chronicles 6: 13; Daniel 6: 10; Luke22:41; Acts 9:40; 20:36 and others.These are our examples!

A Pattern PrayerWhat should we pray about?Again, it should not be a memorized

prayer! Many turn to Christ's instructionto His disciples in Matthew 6:8-13 andquote the words in their prayer day afterday. Note, however, that He said, "Afterthis manner [pattern] therefore pray ye... " This was given only as the skeletalframework around which to build ourown prayer. Jesus did not mean "praythis" - He meant "pray thus"!

Jesus' pattern of prayer is very impor­tant! Note that Christ began by glorify­ing God. One fourth of our prayer shouldbe given over to glorifying God - tomagnifying His majesty, power, gloryand love!

We can do this only by studying HisWord - studying David's examples inthe Psalms - asking God, at times, toaccept some of these Psalms as our ownwords of praise and thanksgiving.

Realize how completely dependent we

The GOOD NEWS

are on Him for our food, shelter, clothingand the very breath of air we breathe!Let our minds drink in of His greatness,His mercy, His sustaining power.

We are a thank-less generation ofpeople. We need to change our ways!We need to guard against the "gimmes"in our prayers! Study of all the examples

I am planning to drill a well onmy property. My wife suggested thatI have her brother, who is a waterdiviner, locate the most likely place todrill. I have heard that this method issometimes successful, but have feltthat it might come under "divination"as condemned in the Bible. What isthe truth about this?

Here arc the facts about "water witch­ing." Water divining is widely practicedall over the world - even in the UnitedStates, Britain, Canada, and Australia. Yetvery few people know just what waterdivining really is or where it came from.And most are ignorant of what the Biblehas to say ahonr it.

Water divining-also known as "waterwitching" and "water dowsing" - is theart of seeking underground water bymeans of a divining rod. The commonlyused rod is a forked stick which the"diviner" holds by the forks in each handwith the stock pointing outward or up­ward. As the diviner walks over theground the stick suddenly twists in hishands as though hy a powerful, invisiblefane. The stick points downward, sup­posedly indicating the presence of under­ground water. At times there is water; atother times there is NONE!

\'Vater witching is mentioned in theBible! Hosea prophesied that peopletoday would be using this very prac­tice! "My people ask counsel at theirstock and their staff [or "divining rod,"see Critical and Experimental Commen­tary] declareth unto them" (Hosea 4: 12 ) .

People consult the staff, or diviningrods, to ask of them where they shoulddr ill to find water. Just where did thispractice come from? How did it come tobe used so extensively in our western,so-called Christian nations?

Martin Gardner, writing about waterdivination, admits:

"The employment of various shapedrods for divination purposes goes all the

June, 1961

of prayer giveu in our Bibles will helpus immensely.

Be Interested in God's WorkWe should learn who God's ministers

are, where they are working, and theproblems they are facing in their par­

(Please continue on page 13)

way back to the ancient Greeks andEgyptians ... In the Middle Ages, it wasassociated with the power of Satan,although many churchmen made use ofdivination rods. The forked twig, forfinding minerals, apparently did notappear until the fifteenth century whenit was used by German prospectors in theHarz Mining region. When Germanminers were imported to England in thecentury following, they brought the prac­tice with them. It was in England thatthe use of the twig was transferred fromminerals to the search for water." (Fads& Fallacies in the Name of Science, page102.)

Water witching is outright divination- a practice of demon-worshipping pa­ganism! God condemns all such prac­tices!

"Thou shalt not learn to do after theabominations of those nations. Thereshall not be found among you anyone... that useth divination}) (Deue. 18: 9-10).And God continues: "I will even set myface against that soul, and will Cut himoff from among his people" (Lev. 20:6).

Divination is an abomination in thesight of God. He absolutely forbids andcondemns it. Such persons as use it, Goddeclares, He will cut off from among hispeople! We cannot practice divinationand still be Christian! It is high time thatwe look into the Bible and begin to liveby every word of God! We must quittrusting in the superstitions of ancientheathenism.

Water is not difficult to locate. In orderto find water, a Christian should first askGod in prayer to guide him in locatingthe right place. Then he should analyzethe lie of the land and drill in the best­looking spot that is suitably located. Itis also helpful to ask the advice of anexperienced well driller who does notseek help of wirchers in finding water.There is very little danger of drilling adry hole in areas where wells are a com­mon source of water.

The TRUE ReasonWhy the Jews Rejected Christ

Why didn"t the Jews understand the prophecies of Christ's firstcoming? Why weren't they ready to receive the Holy Spirit

on the day of Pentecost? The answer will surprise you!by Herman L. Hoeh

EVER since the time of Adam manhas rebelled against the govern­ment of God. As the Supreme

Ruler of the universe, God has decreedthat 6000 years be alloted to man todecide for himself whether he will volun­tarily submit to the Government of Godand keep holy the time He made holy.

Man universally has rejected God'srule, His authority, His holy days. ButGod has not been idle in human affairs.

What God Has Been DoingWhat God is doing these 6000 years

very few recognize.Now is not the time God is trying to

save the world. He is rather calling out ofthe world a select few whom He chooses.To us He reveals Himself, His Will andHis Purpose. But we must voluntarilychoose to obey Him - and to keep holythe days He set apart.

In the days of Moses God first orga­nized His Church and revealed to themHis Plan. To keep that Church in theknowledge of that Plan, the Eternalordained seven annual festivals. Thesefestivals pictured the seven steps incarrying out God's Plan.

When the Old Testament Churchdeparted from celebrating these festivals,they lost the knowledge of the Plan. Thisis exactly what had happened to the Jewsin New Testament times! The Jews didnot understand the prophecies of the firstcoming of Christ because they were notkeeping the one festival (Passover)which pictured that Christ was comingfirst as the paschal lamb. They knewHe would come later - at the close of6000 years of history (pictured by theFeast of Trumpets) - as the conqueringKing!

The Jews knew five out of the sevensteps in God's Plan because they stillobserved five out of the seven festivals.But the two festivals on which they hadbecome confused and divided picturedthe very part of God's Plan which theyhad lost! The Passover pictured the com­ing of the Messiah as the passover lamb-to bear our sins (I Corinthians 5: 7 ) .Having changed the day of the true Pass­over the Jews Cut themselves off from

their God. To change the day, to neglectit, is sin, And sin cuts one off from God.Hence they were unable to recognize thetrue gospel when it came to themthrough Jesus Christ. They were notexpecting Christ, the Messiah, to come asa man to bear the sins of the world.

They were expecting only a conquer­ing king. Had they been celebrating thetrue Passover on its right day, instead ofconfusing it with the Feast night of thedays of Unleavened Bread, they wouldhave known that their Messiah wouldfirst come as a man to bear the sins of theworld!

No wonder the Jews crucified theSaviour! They had forgotten the truePassover!

How important it is that we todaykeep this day so we do not forget whatChrist has already done for us!

And no wonder they did not receivethe gift of the Holy Spirit. They werenot properly keeping the day of Pentecostwhich pictured the coming of the HolySpirit. Only those who were correctlyobserving these two days knew that theMessiah had come, who He was. Onlythey were ready to receive the gift of theHoly Spirit.

It seems almost no one has reallygrasped the true reason why the Jewsrejected Christ and ceased to be theChurch through whom He could work inspreading the gospel.

It is only because we today keep thesedays-all of them-that we today know allthe steps in God's Program.

Why Jews Lost True Dates forPassover and Pentecost

It is time we understand why the Jewsforgot to properly celebrate Passover andPentecost. Here is an important lesson inChurch Authority - God's Government- which we today need to understand!

Granted the Jews preserved the SacredCalendar. Granted that the Jews cele­brated five of seven annual festivals onthe correct date according to the Bibleand the Sacred Calendar.

Why, then, did the Jews, who to thisday have preserved the true calendar,celebrate their passover and their pente-

cost on different days from those plainlystated in the Bible?

The Jews in Judaea in Christ's daycelebrated their passover one day laterthan did Jesus and the Galileans. ThePharisaic Judaeans also ceased to countfifty days to determine the day Pentecostis to be celebrated. Why? How did theJews become confused, divided?

What happened to Church Authority?Here are the facts!Most Jews today celebrate their pente­

cost - or feast of first-fruits - on the sixthday of the third month, Sivan. Accordingto Jewish tradition the day of Pentecostno longer needs to be counted. Theirpentecost falls on a fixed day of themonth, no matter what day of the weekit occurs!

Yet Moses was inspired to writethat Pentecost has to be counted (Lev.23: 15). Unlike every other annual festi­val, Pentecost does not fall on a set dayof the month. It falls, rather, on variabledays of the month, but on a specific andinvariable day of the week!

The Jews in New Testament timesbecame divided as to the correct time forcelebrating this festivaL Sadducees, whowere mainly priests, still continued tocount fifty days long after Pharisees, whowere laymen in high places, fixed thefestival on Sivan 6. Why?

Because no authority was exercised tokeep unity in the Jewish community inNew Testament times!

The apostles and faithful Jews inGalilee and throughout the world alonecontinued to celebrate Pentecost on aMonday, a fixed day of the week.

Also, Jesus and the Galileans ob­served Passover on Nisan 14, the correctday. The Jews in Judaea celebrated itone day late, on the night of the Feast,the 15th of Nisan or Abib. Today theJews do not really keep any passover.They observe only the Feast. This is thereal reason why the Jews as a nationforgot their God!

N ow let us understand how it allhappened. How the Jews became mixedup in their thinking. How people todaycan fall into the same snare when theybegin to use individual human reason on

PageS

matters that pertain to the whole Churchand hence are the responsibility of theministry through which Christ governsHis Church.

First, let's take the date of the Passover.

Why Different Passover?Did you know that scholars are as

much divided about the date of the Pass­over today as were the Jews in Christ'stime? Even some in the Church of Godduring the Sardis Era of the Churchbecame divided on this question.

The reason for every such confusionis the lack of the Government of God.The New Testament Church replaced theOld Testament Church because the Jewsin Christ's day had not spirirually yieldedto the Government of God. They fol­lowed their own traditions.

Centuries later, when Jesus Christcould no longer use the Sardis Era of theChurch, He raised up this work - thePhiladelphia Era of the Church of God(see Revelation 3).

We are not divided today becausewe follow the Government of God."Thou ... didst keep my word," saysJesus of this Church today (Rev. 3: 8) .We obey the Bible. We follow theexample of Jesus. We do what He says.We submit to His government in theChurch. Christ is and will ever remainthe Head of this Church. He has prom­ised it!

Now consider the facts of history­why the world generally believes thatChrist died not on the Passover, but onthe Feast - and who it is that first causedthe world to believe this fable.

Did you know that it was Pope Leo­the first absolute Pope - who originatedthe idea that Christ died on the 15th ofN isan, not on the 14th, as the Biblemakes plain? The same power thatworked through him had already workedthrough the Jews and led them to denythat Christ is our real Passover! Jesussaid of the Jews: "You arc of your fatherthe devil." And the world has followedhis lies ever since! The devil wantspeople to deny Jesus is the Christ. Andone of many ways is to delude them intothinking that Jesus did not die on thePassover, Nisan 14.

Pope Leo lived four centuries after thetime of Jesus Christ. Here is what ledup to his idea that Christ did not die onthe true Passover. The Christian worldwas divided as to the date for Easter,which they had adopted from the pagans.Leo proposed to settle it. In so doing hewanted to stamp out the true passoveraltogether. To do so he had to make theChristian world believe that Jesus diedon Nisan 15, not 14. "At the same time,"declare Schaff and Wace on page 56 ofNicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. xiv,"also was generally established, the

The GOOD NEWS

opinion so little entertained by the an­cient authorities of the Church - onemight even say, so strongly in contradic­tion to their teaching - that Christpartook of the passover on the 14th ofNisan, that he died on the 15th (not onthe 14th, as the ancients considered) ...In the letter we have just mentioned,Proterius of Alexandria openly admittedall these different points" - and the Popeofficially approved the contents of theletter about 440 A.D.

And that is why the world believeswhat it does today!

But notice the plain evidence of Scrip­ture now.

The Testimony of ScriptureThe Scripture is our final authority. No

man has ever been given any authority toreplace it with human tradition. Here iswhat we find.

In Luke 22: 8 we read: "And he (Jesus)sent Peter and John, saying, Go and pre­pare us the passover that we may eat,"And in the last part of verse 13 we find:"And they made ready the passover,"Now continue with the next two verses:"And when the hour was come, he satdown, and the twelve apostles with him.And he said unto them, With desire Ihave desired to eat this passover with youbefore I suffer."

The next morning of this same day (aday begins at sunset), Jesus Christ wasbrought to trial and crucified. Late theafternoon of the same day, shortly beforesunset, Jesus was buried. And in Luke23: 54 we read these plain words fromthe inspired Greek Text: "And it waspreparation day; a sabbath drew on."Note that it was a sabbath according tothe original Greek, not "the sabbath" asin the King James Version.

The women returned home, rested thatsabbath following the day of preparation(Mark 16:1), then-two days after thePassover - purchased and prepared spicesand - notice Luke 23: 56: "And restedthe sabbat~, day according to the com­mandment.

Here is the weekly sabbath mentioned.It was not one day after the preparation,nor two days after, but three days afterthat preparation day on which Jesus waskilled. This plainly proves that Lukeknew that Jesus was crucified on the daybefore an annual sabbath.

Since Leviticus 23 and many otherscriptures prove that the 15th of Nisanis an annual holy day, Luke plainly makesthe crucifixion on the day before - thatis, on the 14th of Nisan. Both Matthewand Mark agree with Luke, yet criticswould have us believe that Luke hadJesus crucified on the 15th, an annualsabbath, the first holy day of the seven­day Festival of Unleavened Bread!

Plainly Jesus ate the Passover on the

June, 1961

eve of the 14th of Nisan, was seized,tried, crucified and buried on that sameday, and was in the tomb on the 15th­that annual sabbath which followed thePassover.

The record of the apostle John agreesperfectly with this. In fact most criticsacknowledge that John places the cruci­fixion record on the 14th. They thinkthe other three gospel writers place iton the following day - thus contradict­ing one another! But there is no contra­diction. Matthew, Mark and Luke allagree with John in plainly stating thatthe day following the crucifixion was asabbath.

No Leaven Used with PassoverWhat the critics cannot get straight in

their minds is that the Passover was alsoa day when Unleavened Bread was eaten.The Passover was always to be eaten withunleavened bread (Exodus 23: 18 and12:8).

There were seven days during whichno leaven was to be seen anywhere inIsrael- this is during the Feast of Un­leavened Bread. But also the 14th ofAbib the children of Israel were to eatonly unleavened bread with the passoverand to use that day as a preparation inputting out all leaven and getting readyfor the feast of seven days which fol­lowed. So there were eight days in allduring which unleavened bread was eaten- one day with the passover and sevendays with the Feast of Unleavend Bread.

That is why Matthew, Mark and Lukespeak of the Passover as a day of un­leavened bread! It was not the first dayof the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but thefirst of eight days on which unleavenedbread was eaten. (In the King JamesVersion the word "feast" is improperlyinserted in Matthew 26: 17. Notice thatit is in italics.)

Also observe that Matthew records theconversation of the Jews' plot to killJesus. They said: "Not on the feast day,lest there be an uproar among thepeople." (Mat. 26: 5).

There is absolutely no shred of evi­dence that Jesus was crucified on the 15thof Nisan. He was killed on, the 14th asour Passover Lamb - on the very day thePassover Lamb was always slain. TheJews purposely avoided killing Jesus onthe Feast - the 15th.

But now we must read John 18: 28. Onthe morning of the 14th of Nisan theJews refused to enter the judgment hallof the Roman governor, Pilate. Why?"Lest they should be defiled, but that theymight eat the passover."

So the Jews from Judaea had not eatentheir passover yet! They were not observ­ing it at the same time the Galileansate it. Remember that Jesus and the dis-

(Please continue on page 14)

Is JUDAISM the Law ofMoses?We continue the shocking period in Jewish history when

"Hellenism" spread. Here is how Egyptian tradition replaced theLaw of Moses in the second century before Jesus' birth.

by Ernest Martin

Part 7

LST installment we discovered thatthe coming of the Egyptians andfinally the Syrians, caused violent

changes among the Jews in Palestine.The authoritative Sopherim, the right­

ful teachers of the Law of Moses, weredivested of all prerogatives. So thoroughwas the dissolution of the Sopherim asa corporate body that we hear nothingmore of any of its members outside ofSimon the Just, the High Priest who diedin 270 B.C. (Aboth i, 2). Simon isdescribed as the last remnant of thegroup. What happened to the remainderof these teachers is not known. It is ob­vious from the silence of history thatthe Sopherim, as the religious authorityamong the Jews, became extinct withinabout a score of years after the invasionof Alexander the Great (331 B.C.) .

Wars Cause Political andReligious Disruptions

The series of wars over the control ofPalestine between the Egyptians on thesouth and the Syrians on the north-bothunder Greek domination - created greatpolitical and religious disorder withinPalestine. The land was attacked by in­vading armies no less than four timesbetween 330 B.C. and 301 B.C. In thelatter year, the land finally succumbed tothe rulership of Ptolemy of Egypt (M.Margolis, History of the Jewish People,p. 128). Palestine remained under thedirect control of the Egyptian govern­ment until 198 B.c.- just over one hun­dred years.

Notice that it was during the earlypart of this period of Egyptian domina­tion that Simon the Just, the last survivorof the Sopherim, died (270 B.C.). Withhis death a dark cloud passes over allthe religious life of the Jews. We areinformed by Lauterbach, the learned Jew­ish scholar, that Jewish tradition knowsof no religious teacher who taught anyform of religion from the death of Simonthe Just until about the year 190 B.C.( Rabbinic Essays, p. 196).

"This [silence} would have been im­possible," says Lauterbach, "if there hadbeen any official activity of the teachersin those years" (ibid., p. 196).

Think of what this means! For a periodof nearly one hundred years, approxi­mating the time of Egyptian rule, there

is no record of any religious acrrvityamong the Jews! This is the only periodin the history of the Jews in Palestine ofwhich nothing is recorded!

What all the factors were that causedthe Jews to be in such a condition, can­not now be known. What we do knowis that one of the major reasons was theinfluence of Hellenism-the culture of theGreeks-as propagated by the Egyptians.

This philosophy of life-Hellenism­was exerted upon all peoples subject tothe Egyptians. It was taken for grantedthat all persons within Egyptian territorywould follow the dictates of the govern­ment in this matter. If, however, any indi­vidual or group of people felt inclined toresist this Hellenistic culture, the govern­ment took matters into its own hands andcompelled the people to do their bidding.

The Gift of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great had left, as a giftto his successors, the conception ofHellenizing the whole of his empire.His reason for this was strictly political.He fancied that all his subjects, beingHellenists, would represent a unified em­pire, not one of diverse ideas and philoso­phies constantly causing troubles withinevitable bickerings and strifes.

This same belief was existent in thesubsequent divisions of Alexander'sEmpire. Alexander's successors saw thatthe continued dissemination of Hellenismwould work to their advantage. This wascertainly true in Egypt. Ptolemy-Alex­inder's successor in Egypt - carr ied on thecampaign of preaching this Greek cul­ture to his subjects-and the Jews did notescape its influence.

It was impossible to avoid its influence.The Greek language was the language ofcommerce and social intercourse gener­ally, and it became a matter of necessityto acquire fluency in Greek (Herford,Talmud and Apocrypha, p. 77).

By the constant hearing and speakingof Greek it was a natural consequencethat the ideas which lay behind thelanguage would become known, and inmany cases, begin to be practiced. "Therewas no escape from that influence[Hellenism}. It was present everywhere,in the street and the market, in the every­day life and all phases of social inter­course" (ibid., p. 77).

The Jews, of all people conquered by

Alexander the Great and his various suc­cessors, were seemingly the least likely toadopt the Greek culture. But the verynovelty of it, the variety of its new inter­ests and pleasures made it exceedinglyattractive to the majority of the Jews!

It is, of course, not to be supposed thatevery individual was naturally attractedto Hellenism. This was not the case. But,everyone was affected by it, some to alimited degree, while others became out­right Hellenists.

"It is safe to say that no one, highor low, who was living in Judea in theperiod which includes the whole of thethird and the beginning of the secondcentury B.C., wholly escapod the influenceof Hellenism" (ibid., p. 77).

The ones especially affected by thisnew culture were, rather ironically, theleaders of the Jews - the chief prieststhemselves. Most of the other influentialJews, because of their positions, also fellunder the sway of Hellenism. In effect,all the intellectually able individuals, whoshould have been leading the commonpeople towards the observance of the Lawof God, were following after this cultureas preached by the Egyptians. This is thereason no religious teacher of the Law ismentioned by the Jewish histories as hav­ing existed during this period of Egyp­tian domination. There simply was none- except perhaps an insignificant indi­vidual here and there who had no realeffect on the people.

You can imagine what such a condi­tion did to the religious life of the peopleas a whole! They were completely sur­rounded by the influence of Hellenism,having to incorporate it into their livesin order to carryon normal daily living,having no real teaching in the Law ofGod and having their leaders completelydevoted to Hellenism.

What was the natural result?Lauterbach gives us the answer:"There prevailed a state of religious

anarchy, wherein the practical life of thepeople was not controlled by the law ofthe fathers as interpreted by the religiousauthorities, nor were the activities of theteachers carried on in an official way byan authoritative body. This chaotic stateof affairs lasted for a period of abouteighty years ..." (Rabbinic Essays, p.200).

See also Herford, Talmud and Apoc­rypha, page 57. But this is not all.

Page 10

The Key to the Understanding

of JudaismThe recognition of this religious an­

archy ~mong the Jews during the Egyp­tian domination is the veritable key thatexplains the reason why the Judaism ofChrist's day arose. Had this religious an­archy not occurred there would have beenno Judaism for Christ to contend with. Ifconditions remained as they were underthe Sopherim, then Christ would havecome to a people who were fully obeyingthe Law of Moses! But instead, we finda people who were practicing Judaism­the religion of rh : Jews-not the religionof Moses!

The knowledge; of this religious an­archy gives us a key to unlock the doc­trines and teachings of Judaism. Historyproves that Judaism evolved out of, andwas directly guided by, the inheritedprinciples of pagan life acquired duringthat religious anarchy! The very founda­tions of Judaism, its underlying prin­ciples, though later covered with a veneerof the Law of Moses, have their originwithin this period of religious chaos!

New Laws and Customs InheritedNow let's consider how this period of

religious confusion under the influenceof the Egyptians brought about these~ignifi.callL changes in the Jews' mannerof living.

Being under the persuasion of an all­encompassing Hellenistic culture, andwith no real teaching of the Law ofMoses, even the most nationalistic Jewfound himself of necessity practicingmany of the customs and habits of theHellenistic Egyptians. There was littlethe people could do about it under suchenvironmental conditions. Hellenism wasin all of Palestine, even in all the knownworld. There was no way of escaping it.Instead of openly protesting against thenew culture, the majority of Jews hadto accept it, in one way or another.

It is valuable now to quote twoscholars who are recognized among Jewsand others alike as pre-eminent histo­rians, particularly for the period underdiscussion. Both of these men, Lauterbachand Herford, were fully aware of thechaotic conditions which existed in theEgyptian period.

Lauterbach mentions: "During theseventy or eighty years of religious an­archy, many new practices had been grad­ually adopted by the people" (RabbinicEssays, p. 206) .

Herford adds this: "In the absence ofauthoritative guidance, the people hadgone their own way; new Customs hadfound a place amongst old religioususages . . . new ideas had been formedunder the influence of Hellenism which

The GOOD NEWS

had permeated the land for more thana century, and there had been no one topoint out the danger which therebythreatened the religious life of thepeople" (Talmud and Apocrypha, pp.64,65 ).

There must have been a few Jewsendeavoring, in a limited way, to observethe Sabbath and perhaps the SacredFestivals. But many of the Jews rejectedthe use of the Scripture and its teachings.It is even certain that the unknown fewwho attempted to keep some semblanceof God's Word on their own, imbibednew customs "amongst old religioususages."

"The people who had now been incontact with Greek culture ... acquirednew ideas and became familiar with newuieu.s of life, other than those which theyhad been taught by their teachers in thename of the law of their fathers. The richand influential classes accepted Greekideas and followed Greek customs. Thelea?ers of the people were no longergUlded by the laws of the Iathers, norwas the life of the people controlledsolely by the laws and customs of thefathers as contained in the Torah" (Lau­terbach, Rabbinic Essays,p. 194).

Even Scattered Jews AffectedThis condition of general religious an­

archy among the Jews was not limitedto Palestine. The Hellenic culture hadbeen spread wherever the Jews lived­throughout all of civilized Asia and inmany parts of Europe. It was especiallythoroughly implanted in Egypt. Wher­ever Jews were, they encounteredHellenism, its philosophies, ways of lifeand its religious customs and beliefs.There was no way of escaping it!

New ideas and customs everywheresupplanted the ones they had been usedto under the Sopherim. The new luxuriesand the extravagant habits of the Hellen­ists were attractive to the rich and in­fluential Jews and the acquiring ofHellenism's new manners for everydayliving and public communication becamean economic necessity for the commonJews.

Many Jews enjoyed the new culture,the new types of learning and philoso­phies of thought that came with it. TheGreek philosopher, the Greek artist andthe Greek man of letters became figuresof great respect and admiration to themajority of Jews-especially of thelearned classes. Almost everything thatwas Hellenistic became the object ofimitation. The older customs were lookedon as relics of antiquity that, if theywere to be observed at all, had to begreatly modified according to the newmethods of interpretation promoted byHellenism.

June, 1961

"Greek culture, Greek literature, werethrown open to the peoples of NearerAsia, and they pressed into its pale. Theyhad native literatures [including theScriptures], but these in the new daylightlooked poor and unformed: now thosewho wrote must write Greek, those whothought must think on the lines of Greekscience and philosophy" (Bevan, Jeru­salem Under the High Priests, p. 37).

Virtually everything was changed toconform to this new way of life. EVENTHE SCRIPTURE, WHEN READ, WASINTERPRETED IN THE NEW LIGHT OFHELLENISM (Lieberman, Hellenism inJewish Palestine, pp. 62-64). The peopleabandoned the simple teachings at Scrip­ture and modified or disregarded them,and in its place substituted the new cus­toms and practices of Hellenism.

It is not at all amazing that within thespace of a short hundred years that sucha change could take place. The same thinghas happened in the Christian world inthe century following 1850 with theintroduction of evolution and highercriticism.

The Jews in Egypt

At the beginning of Egyptian rule inPalestine, many thousands of Jews werecarried captive to Egypt by Ptolemy 1.These Jews were taken there as slaves todo menial tasks for the Egyptians or forgarrison dury in Ptolemy's army_ Bur un­der Ptolemy II these Jews gained theirfreedom. Ptolemy II was inclined to favorthe Jews as a whole and his kind treat­ment prompted many Jews to accept Hel­lenism even that much more. As a resultof Ptolemy's clemency toward the Jews,many thousands of others voluntarily leftPalestine for Egypt. The majority of thesesettled in Alexandria on the north coastof Egypt. In a very short time there wereso many Jews in Alexandria that a fullquarter of the city was Jewish!

Those Jews who went to Egypt aban­doned the Hebrew language and com­pletely adopted Greek. Alexandriabecame one of the centers of Hellenisticinfluence in the world at that time andthe Jews who resided in the city assimi­lated the Greek culture with even lessinhibitions than their brethren in Pales­tine. In Alexandria there was virtual ad­hzrence to Hellenism's doctrines by allthe populace.

The Septuagint Translation

It was during this time of religiousanarchy in Palestine and Egypt, that theOld Testament was corrupted and thentranslated into Greek. This first Greektranslation is called the Septuagint Ver­sion of the Old Testament.

(Please continue on page 13)

WHY Should We Fast?What purpose does fasting serve? This subject is as vital in our Christian lives as prayer or Bible

study! Yet, many have neglected or completely omitted this phase of their Christian lives.by Albert J. Portune

HU N DREDS of newly baptized mem­bers of God's Church have notgrasped the primary benefits and

meaning of fasting. Many who havebeen in God's Church for years have notcome to full understanding of the pur­poses of fasting.

As one recently baptized member said:"Oh yes, I tried fasting once, and all itdid for me was to make me hungry andweak!" Is this our approach to fasting?Is this all we get out of fasting? We needto understand the deep significance offasting.

To Get Closer to God

Some brethren have the idea that fast­ing is a kind of penance - that God ispleased when we punish ourselves by afast. This is absolutely wrong. We fastto draw closer to God-to get away fromthe WO! III ami the flesh.

The deep spiritual lessons and exam­ples that fasting can teach us cannot belearned in any other way. Unless or untilwe experience the profound spiritualbenefit of fasting, we will never knowwhat a vital part it can play in our lives.

How to Fast

Many of us have never really learnedto fast progressively. Many of us havenever learned because we have neverreally seen the need and purpose before.Many of us have never understood fast­ing and why it should be a regular anddiligent practice in our lives. A goodway to begin is to make the positive de­cision to fast for one meal. We mightdecide that breakfast would be the mealto begin with. The procedure, then, wouldbe to go to bed the previous night withthe poritive realization that the followingmorning we were going to have to putaway the temptation and desire to eatand drink according to our regular rou­tine. We must place ourselves in a posi­tive mental attitude that we need to drawcloser to God. When morning comes,we should go about our normal routineof dressing and grooming for the day­all the while realizing that it is NOT justthe normal routine, but rather a timewhen we are giving special attention to

afflicting our bodies before God. Whenthe time comes for the usual morningmeal, we should devote that time toprayer in place of satisfying our hungerand thirst. During this prayer we shouldask God to help us draw closer to Him.

Christ's Example

Jesus Christ knows the kind of life towhich we are called. He knows we aregoing to have to face trial and tempta­tion. He knows we need to prepare and tocondition ourselves. In the 6th chapterof Matthew, Jesus Christ gave us theexample of how to pray. Certainly, all ofus realize that prayer is a vital part ofChristian living, yet, Jesus Christ placedthe same emphasis on fasting, in thischapter, as He did on prayer.

Notice the 16th verse. Jesus Christsaid: "Moreover WHEN you fast ... "Yes, Jesus Christ did not say if you fast,but rather when you fast. Jesus Christintends that we fast frequently and often.

He further explains bow lO Iast. ..... benot as the hypocrites, of a sad counte­nance: for they disfigure their faces, thatthey may appear unto men to fast. VerilyI say unto you they have their reward."These scribes and Pharisees of Christ'sday did not fast for the deep spiritual pur­POSf' that was intended. They fasted to getthe pity and the approbation of men.They would let their hair hang down instringy masses on their heads. They wouldnot wash themselves nor groom them­selves at all. They would walk about thestreets in a downcast dejected mannerwith grimaces and pain written all overtheir faces. They did this in order forothers to see them and say, "Oh, look atthat poor fellow. He's been fasting."These hypocrites would hope that peoplewould say to themselves, "Oh, isn't he arighteous man because he's fasting."

Christ tells us that we are not to fastin this manner. He tells us, "But thou,when thou fastest anoint thy head, andwash thy face; that thou appear not untomen to fast, but unto thy Father whichis in secret: and thy Father which seesin secret, shall reward thee openly."

Christ's Greatest Trial

Jesus Christ was faced with a trial ofenduring and overcoming greater thanany of us will ever face. Jesus Christ hadto meet Satan the Devil in cataclysmiccombat. If Jesus Christ had failed in thistemptation that was to be placed beforeHim, He would have disqualified Him­self as the Messiah and Saviour of allmankind. Let us notice how Jesus Christprepared Himself for this greatest of alltrials.

In Matthew 4: 1 we see that JesusChrist was led up of the Spirit into the

wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.Jesus Christ went out specifically into thewilderness to be tempted of Satan theDevil. He had to Overcome that tempta­tion and trial and to prove that He wasable to be the Messiah and Saviour ofmankind. This was a spiritual battle farmore significant and tremendous than anyof us realize. Satan the Devil laid beforeJesus Christ the reality of this temptationin a manner more poignant and real thanany temptation that has ever been placedbefore us. Jesus Christ knew He wasgoing to have to endure this temptationand trial and He therefore preparedHimself for it.

What was the first thing Jesus Christhegan to do? What was the first thingth~t Jesus Christ turned to to fortifyHImself and to prepare Himself for thistrial?

It was FASTING!In verse 2 we read, "And when he had

fasted FORTY DAYS AND FORTYNiGHTS, he was afterwardan hungered."For forty days and forty nights JesusChrist fasted before God and afflicted Hisbody. Jesus Christ had endured and hadovercome the desire to eat and to drinkfor forty long days and nights. Now, thetempter came to Jesus Christ to temptHim. The first thing that Satan temptedJesus Christ with was the temptation toconsume physical food and also to provethat He had Godly power. Satan said,"If you be the Son of God, commandthese stones to be made bread."

The twisted mind of Satan thoughtthat Jesus Christ would be at His weak­est-since He had gone without food andwater for such a long period of time.

But let's consider for a moment! JesusChrist had been fighting against this verytemptation now for forty days and fortynights. Being tempted to change stonesinto bread in order that He might eat,was a temptation that Jesus Christ hadalready fought against for many long daysand nights. It was nothing new to Him!Therefore, when Satan the Devil cameto Him with this very temptation, JesusChrist was prepared! Jesus Christ hadbeen living by every Word of God alonefor forty days and forty nights. JesusChrist was at His strongest to endure thistype of temptation. Therefore, whenSatan the Devil came before Him, tempt­ing Him to change stones into bread, Hewas able to say, "Man shall not live bybread alone, but by every word that pro-

Page 12

ceeds out of the mouth of God."Many of us have thought that Satan

the Devil attacked Jesus Christ at Hisvery weakest. On the contrary, JesusChrist was at His strongest He han justbeen through a forty-day and forty-nightperiod of severe testing and trial that hadprepared Him spiritually and made Himspiritually able to resist the temptationsthat were coming upon Him. Finally,after enduring and overcoming the addi­tional temptations that Satan broughtupon Him, Jesus Christ was able to say,"Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,thou shalt worship the Eternal thy Godand him only shalt thou serve (verse 10).

Further Reasons for FastingMany times in our lives we are faced

with making important decisions - de­cisions that not only affect our lives butpossibly the lives of others. Certainly weshould seek wise counsel and multitudeof counselors in making any decision(Prov, 11: 14) . God is our greatest Coun­selor. We should certainly seek Him dili­gently for the answer to any decision wemust reach. There can be no better wayto ask God for counsel and wisdom in anydecision than fasting. If we begin to fastwhen there is an important decision to bemade and spend the normal time wewould spend in eating in crying out toGod for wisdom in the matter, the an­swer will surely come.

God shows us the need of fasting whena decision has to be reached by the ex­amples recorded in Acts 13: 1-3; 14:23.In the church at Antioch a decision hadto be made who was to be sent on anevangelistic journey into Asia Minor.Notice, "As they ministered to the Lord,and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separateme Barnabas and Saul for the workwhereunto I have called them. And whenthey had fasted and prayed, and laid theirhands on them, they sent them away"(Acts 13:2,3). Again, in Acts 14: 13, weclearly see that hefore elders were or­dained in the churches in Asia Minor,the evangelists and ministers prayed toGod with fasting before coming to theirall-irnpottanr decision,

How to FastMany questions may arise on how to

conduct a fast and what our attitudeshould be upon beginning a fast. Manyhave elected to fast and carried througha fast without any specific realization orpurpose in fasting. Many of us have feltthat we need to fast but have not knownwhat to fast for or the purpose in fasting.

We should always have a DEFINITEPURPOSE in mind when we fast.

As David gives us the example inII Samuel 14, we can fast also and beseechGod to intervene and help us in a specificthing that may occur in our lives. An­other purpose for fasting may be for

The GOOD NEWS

health purposes in cleansing our bodiesof impurities and toxins. For furtherclarification on this phase of fasting youmay write for Mr. Armstrong's article,"Fasting for Health."

In the ordinary routine of working itwill not be possible to fast much morethan a day or two at a time. Usually 24or 48 hours of fasting will be sufficientwhile we are employed in our regularroutine activities. During these times­since we are required to be occupied withthe normal daily activities - we shouldutilize the normal mealtime for sincere,heart-rending prayers to God - devotedto the specific reason for fasting.

If we should feel the need for a longerand more prolonged fast from time totime, we should utilize the opportunitiesthat vacations and certain "days off"afford us. There will certainly be severaltimes during the year when we may em­ploy several days in a row for fasting.Even when there is not a special periodof time off or vacation, by using wisdomwe will find time for extra fasting. Forexample, we may begin a fast on Thurs­day, fasting during Thursday and Fridaythen carrying it through Sabbath andSunday when we do not have to work atour jobs.

During the period of a long or pro­longed fast, Mr. Herbert Armstrong hasfound that the foIlowing routine is excel­lent - regardless of the specific purposeinvolved in fasting. During the wakinghours of the fast, Mr. Armstrong willspend one hour in fervent prayer to God,utilize the next hour in Bible study andthen follow the third hour with medi­tation and reflection upon the thingsstudied and the lessons to be learned.During the meditation period, Mr. Arm­strong will often take an invigoratingwalk - preferably in an area where hecan be near to God's creation.

In a fast of several days, following thisroutine, one will quickly find himselfmuch closer to God and able to bettercope with the problems at hand.

Anyone who has learned to fast knowsthat one experiences a depth of under­standing and a profound closeness to Godin fasting that cannot be experienced inany other way. Following a routine suchas Mr. Armstrong follows in fasting canbe the means for many to conquer ob­stacles in their Christian lives that cannotbe mastered in any other way.

How Often Should We Fast?

The question often arises, how oftenshould I fast? Nowhere in the Bible dowe have an exact statement of how oftenwe should fast. Yet, we have several ex­amples which will help us to understandhow often we should practice fasting inour lives. As we have previously seen,the Apostle Paul fasted often (II Cor.

June, 1961

10:27). The Apostle Paul had no spe­cific command in the Old Testamentteaching him how often he should fast.However, Paul was acutely aware of therace he was running and how diligellllyhe needed to strive in order to enter God'sKingdom, He considered it necessary tofast often-even in the face of the trialsand afflictions he constantly endured-inorder to maintain the spiritual strengthhe needed to continue serving God andfinally to achieve the crown of righteous­ness.

The Gentile, Cornelius, lived such alife of service and overcoming beforeGod that God considered it importantenough to send an apostle - Peter - topreach to him the Gospel of the King­dom of God and to baptize him and hisfamily. It is significant that Cornelius hadbeen praying and fasting before Godwhen God finally elected to send theApostle Peter to him (Acts 10: 30).

It was when the prophet Daniel electedto set his heart to understand, and tochasten himself before God with fasting,that God sent the angel Gabriel to revealto Daniel some of the most vital prophe­cies of the Bible. See Daniel 10:2,3, 12.The purpose of fasting is not to punishourselves in a form of penance, but todraw closer to God by getting away fromthe world.

The prophet Elijah also sought God inprayer and fasting forty days and fortynights on Mt, Horeb and received thevital answer he sought.

Fasting has certainly played a vital partin the lives of those God has used downthrough history. From these examples,the principle we should apply in deter­mining how often to fast should be basedupon the needs in our lives. Our routineof fasting should certainly be frequentenough and of long enough duration to

keep ourselves close to God and in thevital spiritual condition that will enableus to overcome and endure to the end.

The need for fasting is again exempli­fied by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians7. In showing the proper marriage rela­tionship between husband and wife, Paulclearly shows that fasting and prayer isof sufficient importance in our lives toactually interrupt the normal marriagerelationship from time to time. Certainlymany of us have not placed the import­ance on fasting in the past that we shouldhave.

Everyone of us wants to live the vital,progressive and growing life of a sincereChristian. God has placed at our dis­posal this vital tool and key to overcom­ing-fasting. Fasting must become a veryreal part of our lives! Let us not fall shortof the tremendous goal and reward thatGod has prepared for us because we haveneglected to utilize this vital tool thatGod has given us.

Is JUDAISM the Religion of Moses?(Continued from page 10)

}une,1961

Tradition has it that Ptolemy II wantedto have a translation of the Jewish Scrip­tures made for his library. In the courseof time, certain Jewish scholars wereinvited by Ptolemy II to accomplish thetask. Thus, the Septuagint Version wasborn.

Needless to say, this translationabounds in Hellenistic interpretations.This Version was rejected by later Jewsas totally unacceptable because of itsvariations from the original, inspiredand authoritative Palestinian HebrewText and because of its inclination to"improve" the text in order to please ordisplease as the case may be, its Gentilereading audience.

The translators of this Version thoughtnothing of adding to the text or of tak­ing away from it whole verses and evenwhole chapters! No wonder the later Jewsrenounced this product of Egypt whichwas translated during the time of thereligious anarchy.

Christ and ApostlesDid NOT Use Septuagint

It has often been assumed that theSeptuagint Version, instead of the origi­nal Hebrew Text, was the Old Testamentof the early Christian Church. This isdecidedly not the case.

It can be shown quite plainly thatChrist did not set the example of usingthe Septuagint Version. It was His cus­tom to quote from the original Hebrew

Letters to Editor(Continued from page 4)

add [to it}, the plagues shall be added tous, and if we take away, our names willbe taken out of the book of life. Sincestudying your booklets, and provingeverything from the Bible, I know thedoctrine you teach and preach is notyours but the truth of God. I gave thechurch a clear understanding of everysubject in which we were misled.

"We kept the feast days last year forthe first time, although this work hasbeen here on this island for approxi­mately 35 years. God has preserved us inour blindness until the World Tomorrowmessage could reach us, and the scaleshave fallen off our eyes. Now we knowthat Christ's second coming is on ourdoorsteps: because He said this gospelof the kingdom must be preached in allthe world for a witness unto all nationsand then shall the end come. Thank God,now our eyes are opened to the truth."

Man from Barbados, West Indies

The GOOD NEWS

scrolls (Luke 4:](;,17) Also, Christreferred to the three divisions of theHebrew Bible as THE SCRIPTURE(Luke 24: 44, 45) - the Septuagint Ver­sion did 110t contain these three divisionaldesignations (International StandardBible Encyclopaedia, vol. I, p. 555).Christ never referred to the SeptuagintVersion as the officialScripture to follow.

Some scholars have endeavored tomaintain that the apostles used the Sep­tuagint Version as their Old Testament,and that their Old Testament quotationsin the New Testament were from theSeptuagint. However, we are informedby Collett (The Scripture of Truth, pp.142, 143), that of 263 direct quotationsfrom the Old Testament, only 88 areverbal quotations that agree with the Sep­tuagint. Does this prove the apostles usedthis Version? The answer should be ob­vious-it does not! And, out of 263 quota­tions, it is only rational to believe that88 could have coincidentally agreed withthe Septuagint Version. Both the trans­lators of the Septuagint and the apostlesused the Hebrew original from whichthey translated these quotations intoGreek, and it is conceivable that oncein a while the rranslarions would agree.Instead of proving the apostles used theSeptuagint as their Old Testament, thisevidence proves just the opposite.

And, it is important to note that theJews of Palestine, because of the varia­tions in the Septuagint from the originalHebrew text, regarded the day the Sep-

(Editor's Comment: Brethren, are wepraying that scattered remnants of thatchurch "which had a name that it lived,but was DEAD" may have Christ's fullmessage reach them? )

A Methodist Minister

"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"Weare just now in the process of

starting a Bible study in our little churchand will have about 18 in it to start.Would it be possible to get material forthese also, or must they write you per­sonally? I am the pastor of this littleMethodist Church which has a desire tobe closer to God and to learn more of Hiswork."

St. Joseph, Missouri

(Editor'» Comment: Some few pastors arehonest enough to let the Bible be theirguide. Here is one just beginning tounderstand who God is and where He isworking. Of course the pastor should en­courage his little flock to write personallyfor the literature.)

Page 13

iuaginr was translated as a great calamityequal to the worship of the golden calf(Sopherim, i, 7).

For an extensive cl iscussion on thesevariations, see Cyclopedia of Biblical,Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature,vol. IX, pp. 533-554.

(T0 be continued in next issue)

PRAYER Can SolveYour Problems

(C ontinued from page 6)

ticular areas of the world. We shouldcertainly realize that the great and pri­mary commission of this Church is topreach the Word of God faithfully to allthe world (Matt. 24: 14; 28: 19-20). Weshould pray that new radio and thentelevision facilities will be opened up to"The WORLD TOMORROW" program,at better times, and in areas not yetreached. And that this gospel will piercethe hearts and the minds of every listener.

Study the Bible and the literature thatis sent out. If you don't understand some­thing, jot it down in a notepad, or as partof a special prayer list as a reminderwhen you go to your place of prayer. AskGod to answer it through the broadcastor the magazines or CorrespondenceCourse and through the Bible. Somethink that any thought that pops intotheir minds is God's answer when it isonly their own impulse. God answersthrough His Word and His ministry.

Pray for more consecrated laborers tobe led into the work of God. There is atremendous need for the right calibremen and women to do the work that ispiling up (John 4:35, and Matt. 9:37­38).

Prayer is a private matter, not a publicmatter for your unconverted relatives tonotice! "And when thou prayest, thoushalt not be as the hypocrites are: forthey love to pray standing in the syna­gogues and in the corners of the streets,that they may be seen of men. Verily Isay untO you, They have their reward.But thou, when thou prayest, enter intothy closet, and when thou hast shut thydoor, pray to thy Father which is insecret; and thy Father which seeth insecret shall reward thee openly" (Matt.6:5-6).

Important PointsWe can help unconverted members of

our families by leading them in familyworship if they personally so desire, butafter we have already had our own!

We need to remain in an attitude ofprayer throughout the day. David, a manafter God's own heart (Acts 13:22) said,"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will

Page 14

I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hearmy voice" (Ps. 55: 17). We, too, shouldfollow this example of David, who hashis guarantee of being in the Kingdomof God!

We should ask God's help to guide usin prayer. He will lead us to have realconcern and love for all the brethren, forthe ministers, and His work. We mayeven forget our own needs in losing our­selves in these other interests - but Godwill not forget our needs!

IF WE EACH PRAY ONLY FOR OUR­SELVES, ONLY ONE PERSON PRAYS FOR

EACH OF US. BUT IF WE ALL PRAY FOREACH OTHER THEN, THOUSANDS PRAY

FOR EACH OF US.Our prayer life will truly come alive

as we learn to improve our attitudes.

It's Up to YouIf we are continuing to have troubles,

sickness, discouragement, unemploymentand persecutions, we need to examineourselves. God is not at fault! "But youriniquities have separated between youand your God, and your sins have hidhis face from you, that he will not hear"(Isa. 59: 2). Listen to God's correction!Those who pray and refuse to obey whatGod says through His Word and Hisministers, cut themselves off from theirCreator and worship God in vain. Don'tlet this happen to you!

This, then, is the key to overcomingour problems. God will hear and answerour pleas as he did David's. The answerswill begin to come as never before, andreal happiness, and a fruitful life ofservice to God will open before us. Weshall find that we really know God as ourFather in Heaven. Each moment spentin prayer with Him will be a momentof real joy to us! We should all read, ifwe haven't done so, Mr. RoderickMeredith's reprint article "The Answerto Unanswered Prayer."

"Great peace have they which love thylaw: and nothing shall offend them[cause them to stumble}!" (Ps. 119: 165).

The TRUE ReasonJews Rejected Christ

(Continued from page 8)ciples were from Galilee. Jews in Christ'stime - those who lived in Judaea - kepttheir passover one day later than didJesus, His disciples and the Galileans ingeneral. Why did they do so? Where didthe custom originate? Why were the Jewsin Judaea observing their passover on adifferent day of the month than were theJews living in Galilee?

Even Josephus, the Jewish historian,acknowledges that the Judaeans werecelebrating the Passover at a differenttime than it was celebrated by Moses,

The GOOD NEWS

Notice what Josephus wrote about thePassover.

Confession of Josephus

Here is his account of the exodus. "Inthe month .... which is by us calledNisan ... on the fourteenth day of thelunar month .... the law ordained thatwe should every year slay that sacrifice... which we slew when we came out ofEgypt, and which was called the Passover.... The feast of unleavened bread suc­ceeds that of the passover, and falls onthe fifteenth day of the month, and con­tinues seven days." (From Antiquitiesof the Jews, book Ill, chapter x, § 5.)

How plain. The Passover is the 14thand the seven days which follow are theFeast of Unleavened Bread.

Josephus repeats the account of theExodus in Antiquities, book II. Noticehow he words the account here. "Butwhen the fourteenth day was come, andall were ready to depart, they offeredthe sacrifice ... Whence it is that we dostill offer this sacrifice in like manner tothis day, and call this festival Pascha,which signifies the feast of the passover;because ON THAT DAY God passed usover, and sent the plague upon theEgyptians; for the destruction of the first­born came upon the Egyptians THATNIGHT" (chap. xiv, § 6). This was the14thl

And on what day did they leaveEgypt? 'They left Egypt," declaresJosephus, "on the fifteenth day of thelunar month" (chap. xv, § 2).

This agrees perfectly with Numbers33: 3. "And they departed from Ramesesin the first month, on the fifteenth day ofthe first month: on the morrow after thepassover the children of Israel wentout. ..."

Remember that Josephus plainly re­cords that the Feast of Unleavened breadwas celebrated for only seven days fol­lowing the Passover on the 14th ofNisan. Yet Matthew, Mark and Lukeshow that it was customary to refer tothe day of the Passover as the first ofeight days of unleavened bread. DidJosephus also speak of eight days of un­leavened bread, including the Passover?Indeed! In memory of the exodus hesaid to the Jews "keep a feast for eightdays" (book II, chap. xv, § 1).

Sometimes the entire eight-day periodwas called "The Days of UnleavenedBread," and sometimes it was all called"The Passover," as in Luke 22: 1.

If the Jews once knew that the sacri­ficing of the Passover lambs occurred onthe eve or beginning of the 14th ofNisan, "between the two evenings," atdusk, and that God passed over themthat night - the l-ith - and that theyleft Egypt on the 15th of Nisan, why didthe Jews in Judaea in Christ's time con-

June, 1961

fuse the events and celebrate the Passoverone day late?

The answer has never been under­stood by the critics and the scholars.Here is what happened. Also read theseries on Judaism by Ernest Martin inthis issue.

After Ezra and NehemiahThe Jews who returned under Ezra and

Nehemiah correctly observed the festivalsaccording to the law. They began eachday at sunset. This custom continued un­til the Persian period of rule over Pales­tine ceased.

Then came the Greeks. New ideasbegan to be introduced. Judaism devel­oped. It was a mixture of the Law ofMoses and "Hellenism" - as Greek cul­ture introduced under Alexander theGreat after 333 B.C. was called. Theeleventh chapter of Daniel tells us of thehistory of the Jews in Palestine for thenext three centuries. First, Palestine wasto be under the control of the King ofthe South. The King of the South was thePtolemaic line of Greek rulers in Egypt.The Egyptians - under the rule of aGreek dynasty - began to force their par­ticular brand of Hellenism upon the Jewsin Palestine. The Great Synagogue' wasdisbanded. The Jews were forced to takeup the ways of the heathen - and thatincluded changing tho timo when the daybegins. Any encyclopedia will reveal thatthe Egyptians began their days with sun­rise, not sunset. They therefore com­menced each day about 12 hours laterthan the time God appoints.

So notice what would happen to thecelebration of the Passover,

Jews began to neglect the law. Themajority soon began to celebrate Pass­over in accordance with the Egyptianmeasurement of time. They thereforehad to change the time for celebratingthe Passover to meet the new customof reckoning a day from sunrise to sun­rise. Originally the Passover was cele­brated at sunset, beginning the 14th ofNisan. But according to Egyptian reckon­ing that sunset would not be the begin­ning of the l-ith, but midday of the 13thlunar month!

By Egyptian reckoning the 14th of amonth began at sunrise, 12 hours late!

The dusk period "between two eve­nings" on the 14th of an Egyptian daywould therefore occur at the end of thel-lth and the beginning of the 15th dayof a month as God reckons time! Whenthis pagan method of time reckoningwas forced on the people, the Jews inPalestine began to celebrate the Passoverat dusk on the middle of the 14th dayof the Egyptian month, 24 hours too late,It was in reality the beginning of the15th day as God reckons time!

And that is how the custom began of

June, 1961

celebrating the Passover at sunset oneday late. But the story does not end here.

The True Day Later RestoredAt the time of the crucifixion of Jesus

Christ the Jews had restored the be­ginning of a day to its proper point.The Galileans also restored the Passover,bur the Judaeans were celebrating theirpassover on the 15th of Nisan!

What happened is this. After theHellenized Egyptians were driven out ofPalestine the Hellenized Syrians domi­nated Palestine until the Maccabees. TheMaccabees were zealous Jews who droveout the Gentiics about 160 years beforeJesus' birth. They were able to restoresome of the practices of Moses, but theystill compromised with the Gentile cus­toms which the Jews had been practic­ing for generations under Greek, Egyp­tian and Syrian influence. The Jews re­stored the heginning of a day to sunset.But what were they going to do with thetime of celebrating the Passover?

The Jews in Galilee, in the north ofPalestiue were far less influenced byEgyptian and Hellenic influences. Theyrestored the beginning of each day tosunset and restored the Passover to itsproper time at the beginning of the 14thof Nisan. But the Judaeans, who lived inand aroundJerusalem and southern Pales­tine refused to change the custom of cele­brating Passover in the middle of theEgyptian day at dusk-one day late.

The Judaeans decided to restore theday to begin at sunset. But they refusedto change the hour for celebrating theirpassover. The traditions of the elders weretoo strong. The Judaeans henceforth de­cided to kill the passover lambs and toeat them at the same time of day theyhad been doing under Gentile Egyptianrule! And that is how the Jews in J udaeabegan to celebrate their passover at theend of the 14th and the beginning of the15th day of Nisan! And by so doing theyrebelled against the government of God.

Jews Admit ItIn 1948 I wrote to the Hebrew Union

College in Cincinnati, Ohio, asking themfor information on this very subject. Thelibrarian replied to me that in Christ'stime the Jews were divided over thePassover celebrations. The Jews, hewrote, had just recently (just beforeChrist) restored the beginning of a dayto sunset. The Galileans, he admitted,had consequently restored the Passoverto the beginning of the 14th as originallycelebrated. But the Judaeans decided tocontinue their practice of killing thelambs one day later, at the beginning ofthe 15th so as not to change the customsthey had followed while under Egyptianrule. If their elders had done so, theyreasoned, they would continue to do so!

The GOOD NEWS

What Happened to Feast of Pentecost

The same conditions led to the cele­bration of Pentecost on the wrong day.

When the Greeks removed the Jpwsin the Great Synagogue from authorityover the community, the problem arose asto who should determine the Feast ofFirstfruits. Since there was no fixed au­thority, many of the Jews decided itwould be better to have a fixed day ofthe month rather than be in doubt. Thusthe Jews adopted the practice of desig­nating Sivan 6 as the day of Pentecost,fifty days after the Passover. But Pente­cost is not /ifty days after the Passover.It is fifty days after the day on whichthe wave sheaf is cut-and that alwaysoccurred on the first day of the weekfollowing the unly weekly Sabbath whichoccurs during the Feast of UnleavenedBread.

Notice Leviticus 23: 11. "On the mor­row after the Sabbath the priest shallwave it"- means the weekly Sabbath.Otherwise there would be no reason tocount which day of the month Pentecostoccurs.

Here is the proof!Since the day the wave sheaf is cut

could fall on Abib 20 (if Passover is onMonday), or on Abib 18 (if Passoveris on Wednesday), or on Abib 16 (ifPassover is on Friday), or on Abib 22(if Passover is on the weekly Sabbath),you can easily see why Pentecost has tobe counted.

In these four illustrations (for Pass­over Abib 14 can only fall on these fourdays of the week, beginning the eveningbefore, of course), Pentecost - which iscelebrated fifty days after the day thewave sheaf is cut and always falls onMonday-will be Sivan 11 or 9 or 7 or 13respectively. That is why Pentecost mustbe counted.

There was no repentance among theJews any more than there is today in theprofessing Christian wurld. There was noobedience to God. There were only thetraditions of men! And the critics evento this day refuse to accept the plainwords of Scripture that Jesus celebratedthe Passover at its proper time on the eveof the 14th of Abib - the very day Hewas crucified. Carnal men uphold thetradition of Egypt and the doctrines ofJudaism, not the Bible! The truth of Godthey refuse. They hate God's way. Theyrefused to keep the Feast of Firstfruits­Pentecost-and that is why they were re­jected as a nation.

Since 70 A.D. the Jews have alsoceased altogether to observe the Passover.Today they make a pretense of keepingonly the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Att"~ Feast they have a lamb bone on thetable as a solitary reminder of the origi­nal Passover which God commanded

Page 15

Moses. Is it only the true New TestamentChurch of God which rightly celebratedPentecost, and the Passover on the eveof the 14th of Nisan! "Do this," saidJesus "in remembrance of me." Are youreally doing it?

Joyous PENTECOST(C ontinued from page 3)

who are the firstfruits must become moreand more capable of bearing responsibil­ity by using the power of God's HolySpirit.

Two of our deacons who have shownexceptional growth and dedication gavesermonettes. Mr. Harold Treybig, deaconin the Houston church, made a compari­son between the irresponsibility of falseministers and the need that we have tobecome really responsible and trust­worthy in order to qualify to becomepriests and teachers in the Kingdom ofGod. Mr. Adolph Romike, deacon inCorpus Christi and President of theSpokesman Club, gave a very helpful ser­monette on "how a Christian should lovecorrection."

Although definite information on thePentecost observance in Wichita Kansasis not yet available, Mr. Allen Manteufelreports that recent attendance in the newchurch in Wichita has risen to 185 andover nearly every Sabbath!

Pentecost at Springfield

"As God's work is always marked bycontinual growth and progress, so wasthe Pentecost meeting observed inSpringfield this month.

"The Festival was held three full days,from the weekly Sabbath through Mon­day. Attendance was 277 Sabbath, 217Sunday, and a record number for Pente­cost Day of 407.

"A special event, unexpected by thosepresent, took place Sabbath Day with theordination of two greatly needed deacons.These men, Mr. 1. E. Stuart and Mr. SamRecord, have been serving in the churchdoing the work of a deacon for sometime. Their work has been a great helpto the ministry in this area, requiring aconsiderable share of time which theyhave willingly given. Their ordinationwill aid them in doing this work and willcertainly be an asset to the SpringfieldChurch. Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Record arealso hard workers for the church, Mrs.Stuart generally being in charge of thefood preparations on the Feast Days andMrs. Record being in charge of theclothes fund for brethren in the localchurch.

"The sermons and sermonetres, themost essential spiritual food of the FeastDays, were especially applicable to dailyspiritual growth and overcoming. Ser-

Page 16

mons on zeal, overcoming, husband-wiferelations, teaching our children, and theduality and spiritual meaning of Pente­cost inspired us to strive harder towardperfection. Mr. JIm Cotner, deacon tramSt. Louis, was present with his wife andpresented serrnonettes on wisdom, pleas­ing God, and explanations of difficultscriptures.

"Other highlights of the Festival werethe delicious, bountiful potluck mealsand the special music at each service pre­sented by Mr. Jack Willbanks with hisviolin and Mrs. H. D. Rhodes and Mrs.Bryce Clark on the piano. And againGod's blessing was evidenced in theweather, especially Pentecost Day as thecloudy skies and cooler temperature werea relief to the brethren in a capacity­filled hall. This Pentecost Festival wastruly a joyous, hearty, inspiring Feast. Welook forward to many more which wehope will even excel it."

Pentecost in the Oklahoma ChurchesMr. David Antion, pastor in the area,

reports a combined meeting of theChurches of God of Tulsa and OklahomaCity for the Day of Pentecost.

"We had a beautiful day weather-wisefor the Feast of Pentecost. It stormedsomething terrible, causing floods and agreat amount of damage the day beforePentecost. But on God's Holy Day theweather was PERFECTl Warm but nothot, sun shining brightly, a good breezeand temperature in the 70's.

"In the morning service we had anattendance of 274. Prior to the morningsermon we had special music. Mrs. ErvinSollars sang, 'How Lovely Are ThyDwellings' accompanied on piano byMoncella Hartman. At noon we had ourpotluck lunch. It was a huge feast to saythe least! In fact, after the afternoon serv­ice we had enough food left over to feedsupper to all who wanted it. And eventhen food had to be taken home andgiven away.

"During the offering of the afternoonservice, Mr. Edward Smith sang 'In theGarden' with the audience singing therefrain. The Feast was a success not be­cause of anyone or two persons, butbecause all were willing to pitch in andwork to make it a truly wonderful Dayof Pentecost."

Pentecost Services in St. Louis

Mr. Hal Baird came down from Chi­cago to take charge of the St. Louis serv­ices during the Feast of Pentecost. Hereports a fine Festival in every way.

"Once again those in the St. Louis areawere blessed in being able to assemble to­gether in the very fine American LegionPost in Maplewood (St. Louis), Missouri,this time to have a three-day meeting forthe Pentecost season. Out first all-day

The GOOD NEWS

meeting was held on the weekly Sabbathin which 167 people were present. Onthe following day our attendance droppeda little. However, on the Day of Pente­cost, we had 305 attending - the largestPentecost ever held in this area. Thewhole theme of the preaching serviceswas the necessity of God's Holy Spiritworking and being in each individual.There was much spiritual meat giventhrough sermonettes by Mr. Arthur Roes­ler and sermons by Mr. Hal Baird. An­other of God's blessings came to us byway of the fine voices of Mrs. RogerSwenson and Miss Bobbie Jo Carter, aswell as the piano styling of Mrs. C. Averswho accompanied them both. Mrs. Swen­son sang a special number 'By the Watersof Babylon,' and for a special selection,Miss Carter sang 'The Lord's Prayer.'

"Not only did we have a spiritual feast,bur we also enjoyed a physical feast aswell. As usual God saw to it that we hadan abundant supply of food and a com­petent group of men and ladies to serve."

Seven Baptizing Tours This SummerNow for some really GOOD NEWS in

which we should all rejoice! It is a won­derful pleasure and privilege to be ableto announce that God's headquarters isplanning to send out at least seven bap­tizing tours this summer in the UnitedStates and Canada - plus other toursthrough England and Europe, SouthAmerica, and Australia.

Slated to head two extensive baptizingtours through the central part of theUnited States going all the way to theEast Coast is Mr. Frank McCrady - for­merly local elder in the Chicago churchand now in Ambassador College in Pasa­dena for special advanced training. Mr.McCrady will be assisted on the first halfof the tour by Mr. Sherwin McMichael­an advanced and dedicated student inAmbassador College from Salina, Kansas.

On the final leg of this tour - and lead­ing right up to the Feast of Tabernacles­Mr. McCrady will team with Mr. GuyEngelbarr who will be returning from ournew college near London, England afterhaving helped set "the Ambassadorspirit" there for the first year.

The second lengthy tour will be con­ducted by Mr. Carl McNair - graduatingsenior and Vice President of the studentbody of Ambassador College. Teamingwith Mr. McNair for the first half of thetour will be Mr. Eugene Waiter - for­merly from South Dakota - and now anadvanced student in Ambassador. For thelast half of the tour, Mr. Clarence Husewill join Mr. McNair from August 7right up until the Feast of Tabernacles.Mr. Huse is a graduating senior fromAmbassador College, and he is slated tobe married and then go to Australia tohelp out in the churches and office there

June, 1961

soon after the Feast this fall.Mr. McNair's tour is scheduled to

include the northern part of the UnitedStates and Canada.

The third extended baptizing tour willbe led by Mr. Hal Baird - associate pas­tor in the Chicago area. Teaming withMr. Baird will be Mr. Bill Winneradvanced student in Ambassador Collegeand a man who has already had one shorttour. Then, the last of the summer, Mr.Baird and Mr. Winner will split and inturn each lead another tour! Mr. Bairdthis time will take with him Mr. DaveMills - another advanced student fromAmbassador College. And Mr. Winnerwill team with Mr. Art Craig - anotherdedicated and advanced leader at God'scollege.

Thus, by alternating these men, therewill actually be seven complete baptizingtours of several weeks each conducted thissummer by the true Church of God onearth today!

In addition, it is tentatively plannedthat Mr. Raymond McNair will leac1 atour throughout the British Isles thissummer with one of the advanced stu­dents from the college there in Britain.Also, Mr. Benjamin Rea is slated to lakean important trip to South America thissummer to make new radio station con­tacts in that continent and to baptize anywho are ready in South America. Mr.Gerald Waterhouse and Mr. Tony Ham­mer - ministers in Australia - will nodoubt be conducting another tourthrough part of the Australian continentto reach many there who are awaitingbaptism. And, if time permits, yourauthor plans LO take a short baptizingtour this summer with Mr. Dibar Apar­tian - head of the French Departmentand now the speaker on The WORLDTOMORROW program in French. Thistour will probably cover Northern Cali­fornia and Southern Oregon.

So let us REJOICE, brethren, that Godis making possible the baptism of somany hundreds of people around thisearth whose lives have been reached andchanged by the preaching of His truththrough our united efforts in the body ofChrist! So far, well over 2,000 requestshave come in to our office here in theUnited States alone for baptism!

And while we are rejoicing over thewonderful Pentecost season just past andthese baptizing tours to reap the abun­dant harvest this summer, let us remem­ber to PRAY that God will protectthrough His guardian angels, and inspireand empower the men on these tours incarrying out the vitally important workto which they are assigned. Let us WALKwith God and He will continue to 1JSe

and bless us in the tremendous task he hasgiven the Philadelphia era of His Churchon earth today.