Good News 1955 (Vol v No 05) Dec_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1955 (Vol v No 05) Dec_w

1/8

VOL. v, NUMBER 5

T h eTHE

National Magaz.ne ofCHURCH OF GOD

DECEMBER, 1955

Attend GOD'S FESTIVALSCan YOU afford the joyous privilege of attending God'sannual festivals? Here is the answer to the question we

promised you at the Feast of Tabernacles!by Roderick C. MeredithHow joyous the recent Feast ofTabernacles was! What a tremendous inspiration and blessing it was to attend!How much more real meaning thereis in the annual festivals God has or

dained than in the continual round ofholidays the children of this world arebusy observing. Most of you brethrenknow this-because you have attendedGod's annual festivals before. And youhave undoubtedly compared them withthis world's holidays.No comparison, is there?No, because God's annual holy dayspoint out-step by step-s-the greatPLAN of God and His method of working out that plan. But the holidays of thisbabylonish world picture only a falseChrist and a counterjeit plan of salvationdevised by Satan the Devil! But whilemost of you brethren have alreadyproued this to yourselves, many of youwonder how it is possible to keep thesejoyous festivals God has given Hispeople.So here is the answer-in writingto the questions so many of you askedus during the recent Feast of Tabernacles.

A GOD-Given BlessingAre you commanded to leave yourhomes and assemble with God's churchdur ing His annual festivals? Are thereanyexceptiollS to this command? Andhow can )'Olt afford to take such a trip?

While the world is busy observing thepagan holidays of Christmas and Easter,and devising "camp meetings" accordingto human reason-the "way which seemeth r ight unto a man" (Proverbs 14: 12)-it sneers at the days God has madeholy. The world ridicules these days as"Jewish"-forgetting t ha t Jesus and theapostles kept these days in the NewTestament. These days are never referredto as being "holy to the Jews." But Godcalls them "MY sabbaths"-"holy untothe Lord!"These annual festivals are holy to theEternal Creator who gives you everybreath of air you breathe! He commandsyou to keep them-for your own good.You are defying Him if you refuse tokeep them. In so doing you will loseknowledge of the true God and of Hisplan which is pictured by these days.And you will be missing out on the mosthappy, joyous, and really worthwhilevacation opportunity there is.God's annual festivals truly are a greatblessing to those who are yielded to God.Many of you brethren have come out ofthis world, and then found yourselvesunable to fellowship with any of God'speople. I t is often impossible CD meetwith other rrue brethren on the weeklySabbath. BUT God's annual Sabbaths orholy days provide an opportunity totravel even some distance and have thatneeded fellowship with other membersof the t rue church of God.For many brethren who have attended

before, the annual festivals are eagerlyant icipated as an oppor tuni ty to renewthe wonderful fellowship with brethrenfrom all over the nation-and to drinkin spir itual food in the inspiring meetings which are the h ighl ight s of the entire year.In His wisdom, God has ordained thatwe should takerime each year to makethe trip to attend His annual festivalswhere we can relax from our daily routine, rejoice with other brethren, andlearn more spiritual truth in a few daysthan we ordinarily would in months.This is God's uia!Inevitably, many brethren will say"But we can't afford to attend God'sfestivals."

The truth is, you cannot afford not toattend! And God has ins ti tuted a plan toensure that you CAN attend-if you willdo your parr.How to Afford It?

But HOW can we afford it?These festive occasions are command-ed to be kept in the place that Godchooses.Deuteronomy 16: 16 shows particularly that the days of unleavenedhrt""ct, inducting (he passover (verse 6),the day of pentecost, and the feast oftabernacles are all to be kept where Godioould choose.How do we do it?God has not only provided, but alsocommanded, a way to make it financiallypossible for us to keep His holy days!


2/8

Page 2It is a way which requires continual

EFFORT and determination. I f we are tobe OVERCOMERs-and they only will bein the kingdom of God-then we willhave to exercise enough strength ofcharacter and will to obey this commandof God. Actually it works no real hardship, but brings a great blessing to ourselves and others. It is a way that buildsfaith and hope and pat ience and love.What does God command?God commands us in Deut. 14:22-27

to save each year a special or secondtithe, to go to the place God selects foreach of His festivals, and to rejoice inthem. This second tithe is for expensemoney to enable us to keep God's annualholy days, In anc ient Israel mos t of themoney was spent for food there, as theexpense for travel ing was almost nothing. Today, however, our greatest expense is often transportation rather thanfood. As the purpose of this second titheis to enable us to attend the festivals, wewill often spend a good portion in transportation.Not the First Tithe!

Please do not confuse this secondtithe, especially for these occasions, withthe first tithe, which God has commanded us to render to His true ministers forproclaiming to the whole world the gospel. Unlike the second tithe, the firsttithe or tenth of our income belongs toGod. He created all things and is onlypermitting man to usc this materialworld anyway. "The earth is the Lord's,and the fullness thereof; the world, andthey that dwell there in" (Psa. 24: 1).In Numbers 18:21 we read that Godgave a tenth or tithe of Israel's income tothe Levires for an inheritance. This tithedoes not belong to us; it is the inheritance of God's ministry. Today thepriesthood has been changed (Hebrews7: 12), so we now pay our tithes to God'srepresentatives, Christ's true ministers,for the gospel work ( I Cor. 9: 14). InMalachi 4:8-12, it says that we are rob-bing God if we fail to render to Him

(t hrough His t ru e servants) our tithesAND offerings. Most people in this CO!lfused world don't even realize this. Butonce we have the knowledge of the t ru th ,we had bet te r r epen t and beg in to obeyGod in this mat ter. And, as we jus t readin Malachi, if we do obey God by paying our tithes and g iv ing offerings, Hewill bless us.In Deuteronomy 14:22-27, we findthat our Creator commands us to lay by asecond tithe of our increase or incomeand go to the place which Gml has chosen. From this tithe we ourselves are toeat, drink , and rejoice in this phce-theplace where God has chosen that Hisannual holy days are to be held. \'Ve setaside thisspecial tithe (o r tenth) of.ourincome every yeelr in order that we might

The GOOD NEWShave the expense money to attend and torejoice with the brethren. Notice that itsays in verse 23: "and THOU shalt eat before the Lord thy God..."Thir tithe is to he spen t on ynllrwlf-not for the ministry. Since there is acommanded tithe for the ministry, thismust be another, different tithe.In the 12th chap ter of Deute ronomythis special tithe is mentioned in verses6, 11, and 17 along with the sacrificesIsrael used to bring. Here again thisspecial or second t ithe is for you to useATTHE PLACE which God has chosen foryou to appear before Him on these holydays.

Should You Spend Your SecondTithe at Home?If for some unforeseen circumstanceyou are unable to attend the Feast ofTabernacles, what should you do withyour second tithe? Many that we have

met on the baptizing tours, and others byletters, have asked about this problem.Now let us notice where the secondti the was to be spent. "Thou shalt trulytithe all the increase of thy seed, that thefield bringeth forth year by year. Andthou shalt eat before the Lord thy God,in th e place which he shall choose toplace his name there. . . that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.

And if the way be too long for thee, sothat thou art not able to carry it; or if theplace be too far from thee, which theLord thy God shall choose to set hisname there, when the Lord thy God hathblessed thee: then shalt thou turn it intomoney. . . and shalt GO unto the placewhich the Lord thy God shall choose . . .and thou shalt eat there before the Lordthy God, and thou shalt rejoice." (Deut,14:22-27) .The second t i the-the tenth that Godwants us to use, which is another andseparate tenth from the first t ithe that Hereserves for Himself for the carrying Outof the gospel-the second t ithe we areto use to attend the festivals. But let usread further: "Thou mayest NOT eat

within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, ofthy wine . . . but thou MUST eat t hembefore the Lord thy God in the placewhich the Lord thy God shall choose,thou, and thy son, and thy daughter"(Deut.12:17-18).Here is a positive command not touse the second tithe at home if you areunable to attend, You must use it toenable you to a ttend the festivals at theplace which God chooses, If the moneyis spent for any othe r purpose, t hen youale Lneaking a command of God-youare not l ea rning to je(lr His authorityand you are cheating yourself of thewonderful blessing of fel lowship withothers of like faith.Let's use the minds God Ius endowedus with to carry our these commands in

December, 1955a reasonable manner. Deuteronomy 14:22 states that you shall tithe the increaseof your seed. Then it is certainly permissible for you who are farmers to bringsome of your produce or canned goods tothe feasts instead of money.If for unforeseen circumstances youare unable to attend the festivals, and ifyou are prosperous, it would be the righand brotherly duty to enab le others touse your tithe. It can be sent to Pasadenawith an explanation that it is to enableothers to a ttend the festival. Bur if youare like most of the bre thren, not havingmany wordly goods, and a small incomeor none at all, and if you are unable tocome to the festival, you should SAVE ITUNTILTHENEXTYEAR or for two yearsif necessary, when you will then haveenough to assemble where God haschosen to place His name. Meantimeyou will be observing the festivals ahome just as you would at the feast.Sad as it sometimes is, with somefamilies, the second tithe just hasn'been enough to br ing them to the feasof rabernarles. In this case, those havingmore than e no ug h second tithe shouldhelp those who lack. Remember , Goddoesn't expect the poor to save more thantheir small tenth, bur they 17UtJt do theipart! God often blesses others, howeverwith a larger tenth so they can help thosewho have less.We find in Acts 4:32-35 that the earlyChurch of God helped its needy members and we follow this principle.In many cases we try to aid the poorebrethren through the ext ra second t ithof those few who have more thanenough. But only those who have faithfully saved their insufiiciem second tithdeserve the extra help. I f you haventried to save your little, God can nodeem you worthy of His extra assistanceYes, God has provided a method bywhich we can keep His festivals IF ware willing to do our part! I t isn't difficult once we try. God has promised tocare for our every need (I Peter 5 :1 )And it we love the brethren we won'fail to do it.Are we going to fulluw Christ? Leeveryone examine his own heart!

I f there is not enough second tithe totake the entire family to the three greafeasts, then just the man, as head of thfamily, should go (Deut. 16:16). Thother members of the family are expected if circumstances permit, and God wilhelp us work it out in time if we do ouplrt. Of course, if the husband is an unbeliever, the wife should certainly try tcome anyway.

Tithe fe r the PoorIn reading the reference given i

Deuteronomy 14:2.2-27, some of yomay have wondered about the meanin(Please c on ti nu e on page 7)


3/8

How to be an OVERCOMERJFHY are we not more successful in living up to God's

standard?WHY do we slip and fall occasionally?Here is how YOU can overcome where you are weakest

and hardest temptedllby HerbertW. Armstrong

Do YOU have some "besetting sin"-some point of weakness, perhaps secret, you have been unable to overcome?Have Yolt ever met temptation, struggled with it, only to wake up a littlelater to the remorseful fact that you hadslipped, and failed to overcome?Or perhaps you are struggling withsome habit that holds you as its s lavestruggling, wrestling, always fighting it,yet somehow never able to conquer it.

Only the OvercomersThese things are serious. We mustovercome these sins, these habi ts , these

sudden temptations-be cleansed ofthem thoroughly-if we expect to ge tthru to the Kingdom and inherit eternallife."To h im tha t OVERCOMETH," says Jesus, "will I grant to sit with me in mythrone.""He that OVERCOMETH, and keeperhmy works unto t he end, to HIM will Igive power over the nations; and he shallrule them with a rod of iron." (Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21.)Not all are even cal led, now. Many,

tho t hey may have heard the true message, have never received a consc iousconvicting KNOWLEDGE of the truth.This is not t he t ime when God is calling them.But God is now calling SOME to a lifeof separation-to a new and differentand Spirit-filled and Spirit-led l i fe- in

order that they may be wholly CLEANSEDof sin, and that they may GROW in graceand knowledge , thus being prepared,t rained, fitted for a position of solemnresponsibility-that of king or priest in God's KINGDOM! And it is only thosewho qualify by the training, the overcoming, the spi ri tual development andgrowth, DURING THIS PRESENT LIFE,who shall thus reign with Christ. Studythe parable of the pounds, in Luke 19:11-27.

Why W/ e Stumble and FaIlSo the Christian life is a new and adifferent life; an OVERCOMING life. Sin

must be torn Out, roo t and branch. Wemust be made righteous, holy.Why, then, do so many of us continually stumble and fall? Yes, even those

who do strive, struggle, and even PRAY,and PRAY for help, for victory, oversome vicious habit? WHY?First, notice a portion of Paul's instruction to the Philippians."And be found of Him, not havingmine OWN righteousness, which is of thelaw, bu t that whicb is tbrough tbe faithof Christ, the righteousness WHICH ISOF

GOD by faith." (Phil. 3:9).Notice, it is not OUR righteousness.bu t GOD'S.David was inspired to write: "All thy

Commandments are righteousness." (Ps.119:172). Yes, and LOVE is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:8) .

The Kind of Love RequiredRight here is one trouble. Too many

Commandment-keepers are strugglingalong, trying to keep the Commandments in their own power and s tr ength- th ink ing it is THEIR own personal human love that fulfills the Law!Too many "Commandment-keepers"

have only been convened to the ARGU-MENT of keeping God's Commandments, and have never really EXPERI-ENCED definite salvation-for a real conversion is a DEFINITEEXPERIENCE! Suchpeople need to go to a private place,alone with God, and get to their knees,and pour ou t their hearts to God, andstay with it until they really KNOW theyare converted by GOD'S POWER, and havereceived His blessed Holy Spirit!No wonder so many become continually discouraged, and feel l ik e givingup!We do no t even HAVE the kind oflove that fulfills God's law and makesus righteous! LOVE is of God, for GodIS love! And it takes "the love of God,shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy

Ghost," (Rom. 5:5) to fulfill the law,make us Commandment-keepers , andgive us GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS.The law is SPIRITUAL (Rom. 7:14).We are carnal. It takes a SPIRITUAL love

to fulfill a spiritual law. The Holy Spiritwithin us is merely GOD'S LAW IN ACTION! And since God a lone can supplythe LOVE that makes us righteousness, itbecomes GOD'S righteousness, not ours.

How to Get FaithBut how do we receive this LOVE?

Note aga in the Scripture quoted above:"... the righteousness which is of GodBY FAITH."It comes, then, by FAITH. Now mostpeople seem to believe that the FAITH,by which we must receive everythingGod gives us, is something thar we , ourselves, must work up and supply, bysome kind of hard effort. And it doesbecome such an effort, doesn't it, tryingto strive to have FAITH?Foolish babes in Christ! Can't we seethat if WE were able to supply the faithwhich brings all else that we, ourselves,would earn our own salvation byWORKS? It would be t he k ind of righteousness that is only FILTHY RAGS toGod!Stop trying to work up faith. You

have no faith. The Scripture abovespeaks only of "THE FAITH OF CHRIST!"Not yoltr faith--CHRIST'S faith. Jesushad REAL FAITH! He performed miracles! And he rose from the dead-andnn LIVES.Here is the secret! He gives-He im

partS-HIS s trong fai th to you and tome! Yes, even FAITH is a gift of God one of the spiritual GIFTS (Eph. 2: 8;and I Cor. 12:9).Then how sha ll we go about getting

more of it? By yielding, submitting ourdesires, our purposes, our wills, to HIM,by ASKING Him in real earnest persevering prayer, and by trusting Him to giveit!Why We Have Not Been DeliveredGod's Word promises: "There hathno temptation taken you but such as is

common to man: bu t God is faithful,who will not suffer you to be temptedabove that ye are able; bitt will, with thetemptation, also MAKE A WAY OF ESCAPE, that ye may be able to bear it."


4/8

Page 4 The GOOD NEWS December, 1955

NOTICE: Be sure to notify US immediatelyof any change inyouraddress. IMPORTANT!

Address communications to the Editor,Box Ill, Pasadena, California.Copyright, December, 1955By the Radio Church of God

RADIO LOG

TO THE U.S. & CANADAWLS - Chicago - 890 on dial

II :30 P.M., Mon. thru Fri.,g :30 Sunday night.WWVA-Whecling, W. Va.-ll70on dial-Sundays, 1I:05 P.M.Eastern time. 10:15 P.M.,Mon. thru Fri.XEL0--S00 on dial, every night,9 :00 P.M. Central Standardtime. (S :00 P.M. Mountain

Standard time.)XEG-I050 on dial, every night, 8:30P.M. Central Standard time.

PRAY that success will no t come anyfaster than you are ab le to endure it.

TO ASIA AND AFRICA:RADIO CEYLONRADIO LOURENCO MARQUESSaturday 10:00-10:30 P.M.

"The WORLD TOMORROW"TO ALL OF EUROPE:RADIO LUXEMBOURG --- 23:30Mondays, Greenwich time.

And , when the t emptat ions suddenlyassail you, no matter how hard you thentry, or cry ou t to God for help, you aresimply TOO FAR AWAY FROMHIM to ge thelp!Spiritual training, to get and KEEP in

constant vigilant condition to meet thefoe of temptation and sin requires COIZ-tinuoas, earnest, persistent PRAYER! Thatis why we are commanded so often toPRAY WITHOUT CEASING! To KEEP ITup!I f we draw nigh to God, and thenKEEPclose to Him, our problem will besolved. We will then have the FAITH.We will then be continually FILLED with

Hi s Spirit-His power to overcome.We can keep in spiritual training onlyif we keep our a f f e c r i o n s ~ u r mindsou r thoughts-on SPIRITUAL things.

Read Col. 3: 1-10. Most of us keep ourminds filled with earthly, material caresand interes ts , turning to the spiritualonly occasionally! Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!Somet imes it takes a s iege of FASTING

AND PRAYER-earnest, determined, per-severing prayer-seeking God w ith allour might-with weeping-staying withit, DETERMINED, until we ge t rhru. Thenwe mus t keep in CONTINUOUS prayer.Cast ALL our cares upon HIM. Wearenot doing that. If you do, there wi ll bemany things a day to pray about! And ittakes daily PRIVATE prayer, in real earnest, bes ides fami ly or public prayer. Iseternal life WORTH IT?

TV LOGHerbert \"X1. Armstrong reveals thes ta rt ling significance behind today'sworld troubles with the prophecies ofThe WORLD TOMORROW!

I':VI':RY SUNDAYNEW YORK, NEW YORKWPIX, Channel 11-12:00 A.M.CHICAGO, ILLINOISWBKB, Channel 7-9 :00 A.M.LOS ANGELES, CALIF.KTLA, Channel 5-10:30 P.M.PORTLAND, OREGONKLOR, Channel 12-9:30 P.M.DENVER, COLORADOKLZ, Channel 7-10:30 P.M.TYLER, TEXASKLTV, Channel 7-10:45 P.M.SAN FRANCISCO-STOCKTON,CALIF.KOVR, Channel 13-10:30 P.M.SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANAKTBS, Channel 3-10:30 P.M.SEATTLE-TACOMA, WASH.KTNT, Channel 11-10:30 P.M.HUTCHINSON, KANSASKTVH, Channel 12-2 :30 P.M.KANSAS CITYKMBC, Channel 9-11 :30 P.M.HOUSTON, TEXASKPRC, Channel 2-11 :30 A.M.HONOLULU, HAWAIIKGMB, Channel 9-10:30 P.M.

Satan, and do it in the faith of Christbur HOW?The key to it all is "flE VIGILANT." Beon your guard! Be ever watchful! Beprepared! That 's where we fall down! ittakes constant, continuous, vigilant ef-fort, never letting down!Unless we, ourselves, had to pu t forthsome effort we cou ld nor be OVERCOM-ERS! Bur if we had power to do it all,we should not need God! So it requiresour effort-our continuous, watchful,ever VIGILANT effort-empowered byGOD'S S P I R I T ~James continues: "Draw nigh to God,and He will draw nigh unto you." (Jas.4: 8 ). Now we are getting closer to ouranswer! When temptation comes, we

ARE TOO FAR FROM GOD--and we arethen unable, SUDDENLY, on the spur ofthe moment to ge t close enough to Himto ge t the help and the deliverance weneed!It sometimes takes TIME to get CLOSE

to God-into that intimate COntact withHim so that we can draw on Him for thepower we suddenly need!In other words, when temptat ion un expectedly has come, we have found ourselves caught off guard-out of prayerou t of contact with God-oUT OF SPIRITUAL TRAINING!You were entering a CONTEST withSatan. You tried to wrestle with him,bu t you were OUT OF TRAINING, out of

spiritual condition.

NUMBER 5OL. V

The national magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GODminister ing to its membersscattered abroad, andreporting on campus happeningsat Ambassador College

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExecutive EditorRoderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

(I Cor. 10: 13.)Bur has it not often seemed, in yourexperience, t ha t God has fai led to keepthis promise? Temptation has come. Youhave struggled, even prayed, yet youwere overpowered, and you did nor findthe way of escape! Then what is wrong?Jesus said "I wil l NEVER leave you no rforsake you." "I am with you always ,even unto the end of the world." God'sWord promises, "Sin shall NOT have domin ion ove r you." Ye t have you notfound that sin has had DOMINION overyou, holding you its slave? Have you notfought it desperately, even with tearsstreaming down your face-only to fail?

How to Apply and Use FaithWHY? What is wrong? Simply tha twe have not known how to receive, apply, and use the FAITH God promises togive!First, there is something WE must do.

Some go to one ext reme and try to doit all. Others swing to the opposite extreme, plead with God, make l it tl e effortthemselves, and expect Him to do it all.James says "Submit yourselves there

fore to God. Resist the devil, and he wil lflee from you." (Jas. 4: 7. )Submit! Resist! This takes effort.Peter says to humble ourselves, cast

ing ALL our care upon the Lord, and tobe sober and VIGILANT; because the devil is walking about, watching for thechance to tempt us when we art off ourgua rd : "whom RESIST, steadfast in thefaith." ( I Pet. 5:6-9.) We are to resist


5/8

The Dramatic Storyof Chinese SabbathkeepersHere is disclosed one of the most ASTOUNDING episodes ofhistory. It is like reliving the experiences of the judges and prophetsof old! (Editor's note: We regret that the publishing of this articlehas been delayed since September.)

by Herman L. HoehLondon, EnglandFOR SEVEN years I have wanted towri te this l it tle-known inspiringdrama of human experience. Untilnow I have never been able to uncoverall the records which I knew must exist.Thanks to the British Museum Libraryand sellers of rare oriental books in Lon

don, I am able to give you these factsfrom the records.The Mystery Begins

This dramatic account commenceswith the year 1813. I t begins in a smallvillage some little distance from the important city of Canton, China. Here thechief character in the drama, Hung-suitshucn, was born. For ease uf prununciation, I shall call him Hung.Hung came from a royal family. Hisfather and mother, as well as many otherrelatives, had previously fled to SouthChina as a result of the Manchu inva

sion.Ry the time Hung was 16 he had become proficient in the usual course ofChinese education. At 18 years of agehe was appointed schoolmaster of hisnative village by unanimous acclamationof the townspeople.Five years later he was given a set ofbooks. Translated into English, the tit leof these books was "Good Words forExhorting the Age." At the time, thebooks appeared of l it tle value to Hung.The next year, 1837, Hung lost anadvancement in his scholastic rank be-cause his Manchu superiors were jealousof his ability and fearful of his ancestralbackground. This loss so upset him thathe became quite ill.The Manchus, remember, were Mongolian warlords who seized China-nowthey are the Communist overlords whorule China.During the period of recuperation,Hung had an extraordinary uision. Arecord of the vision is preserved in Theodore Hamberg's booklet, "The Visionsof Hung-sui-rshuen." Hamberg was amissionary of the Basle Evangelical Society to China (a Swiss institution).In the vision Hung was seemingly

transported to the presence of a greatSovereign Ruler. There he was confronted by an old woman-women atthat time were regarded lower than animals-who said to him, "Thou dirtyman, why hast thou kept company withyonder people and defiled thyself? Imust now wash thee clean." He wasthen, in vision, taken to a river andwashed in the water. After this he wasconducted into a large building wherehis heart and other inward parts wereremoved and replaced by new ones!Then he was given a sword, a seal, andfruit to eat which he found sweet to hispalate.

Upon awakening, he was astounded atthe vision, but could not determine itsmeaning. When Hung fully regained hishealth, he began to reform his conductas best he knew.Hung-sui- tshuen continued as a village schoolmaster for several years more,giving the vision no further thought.Then, one day, his cousin Le searchedthrough Hung's bookcase and noted theunusual contents of the volumes "GoodWords for Exhor ting the Age." In themwere a number of whole chapters of theBible, according to the translation of aDr. Morison; many sermon-essays onvaried Bible texts; and other statementsfounded on Scripture.Le told his cousin Hung what he hadfound. Hung then began to look throughthe books which had lain un touched onthe bookshelves for seven long years. Hewas amazed to find that in the quotedchapters from the Bible there was a partial explanation of the vision he hadreceived six years before.

Discovering the BibleIn those parts of the Scripture whichhe possessed, Hung found the HeavenlyFather described-the great SovereignRuler revealed in his vision years before.

Then he read of Jesus, the "elder brotherof many brethren." In our versions it isrendered: "the firstborn among manybrethren" (Rom. 8: 29). He learned thatJesus was sent as Saviour and as messenger. He read that one needs to repent

and be baptized to obtain the Holy Spirit(Acts 2:38) . From these verses he understood the meaning of being washedin water and of having his heart and inward parts renewed.Hung and his cousin Le then baptizedone another. They prayed to God, promised not to worship evil spirits, and cast

away their idols. Hung, being a literaryman, composed poetic verses to explainhis conversion to his friends:"When our transgressions high asheaven rise,How well to t rust in Jesus' fullatonement;We follow not the demons, we obeythe holy precepts,Worshipping alone one God."After destroying his idols in the lit tleschool in which he taught, Hung and hisfew friends were forced to flee into theinte rio r of China. He preached whatlittle he knew as he journeyed into the

south-central provinces of China. Onceagain he became a school teacher (between 1845 arid 1846).Visits a Missionary

At the close of 1846 Hung journeyedto Canton after hearing that a Christianmissionary from the West resided there.He studied there under Mr. Roberts , themissionary, for almost a month, and readnew portions of the Bible. Young missionaries from abroad, also studyingunder Mr. Roberts, were jealous ofHung's talents and earnestness. Theybrought about his removal! Hung leftthe city somewhat saddened.Re turni ng to south-central China,Hung found that the number of villagerswho listened to him and were baptizedsoon numbered almost 2000. They hadto form congregations among themselves,and became known as "the congregationsof the worshippers of God." For short,they were dubbed "God-worshippers."Continuous study of the Bible convinced Hung that his people should notsmoke tobacco or opium-which theBritish were selling to the Chinese-thathey should refrain from intoxicatingdrinks except under special circum-


6/8

Page 6stances, and that the Sabbath should beobserved on the seventh day. The missionaries were quite displeased about thefact that "the Sabbath is observed notupon the same day as in Europe, theirsbeing the Saturday of our reckoning."Hung further noticed that Jesus didn'trise on Sunday morning, but "three daysafter his death"!In read ing the Old Testament booksof Moses-the books of the prophetswere not available to him in ChineseHung was convinced that God had given

His people a calendar,The only differentcalendar of which Hung knew was theRoman calendar brought to China by theJesuits. Since the Jesuit Catholics claimedto be Christians, and used the Bible, hethought they also must have the Godgiven calendar. He adopted it. Consequently, he could not understand theannual festivals of God, which are basedupon the Sacred Calendar.Think , for a moment, of the earnestness of these Gentile folk who lackedlarge portions of God's revelations. Howthankful we ought to be to have theentire Word of God whenever we needto use it. And remember, most of thosewhom Hung baptized could not evenread. Chinese! They had to be taughtorally each Sabbath-and that mainlyfrom the Old Testament.

The Marriage CeremonyThe number of new converts steadilygrew, Marriage ceremonies had to beperformed. Hung examined the Dibleand found the answer! Here is a description of their ceremony:"When the bridal party are all mettogether, they proceed to the church . . .and after many prayers and a severeexamination of the bride and bridegroom's theological tenets, TH E MIN

ISTER JOINS THEIR RIGHT HANDS TOGETHER, and when each have acceptedthe other, pronounces a concluding benediction.... Divorce is l lot only not permitted, but actually unknown or thoughtof," (From Lin-Le's book, Ti-Ping TienKwoh, page 317),How exactly l ike the marriage ceremonies God has ordained in His Churchtoday!Does not this demonstrate the guidanceof God?Beside these changes, the Chinese converts of Hung ceased to practice thebinding of women' s feer, began to layaside the custom of polygamy, ceased todeal in the slave trade, and became obedi

ent to the laws of God as revealed toIsrael through Moses,In order to be converted, they taughtas follows:"They"-the converts-"must kneeldown in God's presence, and ask Him toforgive their sins." Following baptism,the form of which Hung did not under-

The GOOD NEWSstand perfectly, "they must continuedaily to suppl icate Divine favour, andthe Holy Spirit's assistance to renew theirhearts, saying grace at every meal, keeping holy the Sabbath day, and OBEYINGALL GOD'S COMMANDMENTS, especiallyavoiding idolatry, They may then beaccounted the children of God. "(From Lin-Le's book, page 315,)

The Nex t Great StepTo begin with, Hung and his convertswere not fully acquainted with the instructions found in the New Testament,They had to be guided mainly by Moses'ins truction found in the law. But noticewhat they did:When the prosper ity and learning ofthe God-worshippers was noised aboutthe countryside, many in distress soughtthe protection of these Sabbathkeepers.

Whole families of afflicted and destitutecame to them, as well as outlaws whofled from the pawer of the oppressiveManchu dynasty. Once again Hunglooked into the Bible. He saw the example of David. "And everyone thatwas in distress, and everyone that wasin debt, and everyone that was discontented , gathered themselves unto him(David); and he became a cap ta in overthem" (I Sam. 22:2).Hung therefore became a captain overhis fellow Chinese He instrurred themaccording to Moses' law and puni shedoffenders accordingly. These Chinesemalcontents, like those of David, werenot converts, but merely willing to do asHung instructed because they dislikedthe Manchu overlords.Next, Hung remembered the swordthat he had seen in the vision. He readin the Bible of "The sword of the Lord,and of Gideon" ( Judges 7:14, 20). Hefelt respons ible for his people as did thejudRes in Israel of old.Here is what Dr. Bridgeman wrote ofthe next turn of events: "Their government is a theocracy, the developmentapparently of what is believed by them

to be a new dispensation. As in the caseof the Israelites under Moses, they regard themselves as directed by one whohas been raised up by the Almighty tobe the executor of His will on earth."(Page 211 of Lin-Le's work.)By 1851 the malcontents had increasedby tens of thousands. They proclaimedHung-sui-rshuen the ruler of a newdynasty administering a heavenly or Celestial Kingdom. Hung tr ied to followthe pattern of David and Solomon, mentioned in I Chron. 29:29: "Then Solomon sat upon the throne of the Eternal,as king instead of David his father, andprospered."The new dynasty was entitled the"Tal-ping," meaning the kingdom of"our Sovereign," the One who createdheaven and earth.

December, 1955The malcontents, to protect their domain, were at first conscripted for defense. Then Hung read in the lawwhat Moses said: "When thou goesrforth to battle against thine enemies"the enemies of the Tal-pings alreadypersecuted them for religious and political reasons-"the officers shall speakunto the people, saying: What man is

there that hath built a new house, andhath not dedicated it? let him go andreturn to his house . . . What man isthere that is fearful and faint-hearted?let him go and return unto his house"(Deut. 20: 1,5,8). Hung therefore madearmy service a voluntary matter!The soldiers were instructed to pay thecountry people for whatever food andclothing they required on their journeys.Vast areas of China were freed from theManchu oppressors, By 1860 the movement gained such power that it attractedinternational recognition. Several thousands became faithful converts and upwards of 50,000,000 Chinese were livingin prosperiry and at peace under theTal-ping adminis trat ion of God's laws

The Hand of the JesuitsIn abolishing the idols of the countrythe Tal-pings naturally destroyed theimages of Mary and the saints, as well asthose of the Buddhists. The ire of theJesuits was aroused. They persuaded theFrench forces in China to support theruling Manchu dynasty with whom theyhad previously been quarrelling,Next, the Brit ish and American mis

sionaries-who had obtained barely 1500converts through years of work-werejealous of the fact that so many peoplewere turning to the t ru th without theimissionary activity, The missionariebegan a deliberate campaign to mal ignthe Tal-ping. They accused them of rejecting the Bible, of denying Jesus Christof wanton slaughter of innocent victimsThe true reports of honest missionariewere squelched! British commerciaagents, interested in selling opium to theChinese, became fearful of the loss orevenue.

REMEMBER, THIS WAS THE ERA OTHE OPIUM WARS-when foreignersparticularly the British, were seeking todominate China by forcing them to buyopium.The British and other foreign elementforced the Manchus to sign treaties legalizing the opium trade. This placed thearmies of the Tal-pings in a serious predicament. The British assured the Chineserevolutionists tha t they would remainneutral and only protect British property from destruction. In reality the British sent arms to the Manchus, and thManchus impor ted arms in ships flyinthe American flag!During all this time the converts o

Hung were publishing the Bible as bes


7/8

December, 1955they could. Time and again they implored their Christian White Brethrenacross the sea to send them missionariesto instruct them bet te r. Most miss ionaries refused to go.What a condemnation of our peopleIsrael-the people chosen for a job wehave refused to per form! When ourpeople could have brought the truth, theyrefused to do so. And when we did sendmissionaries, they brought nothing buta Babel of confus ion to the Gentiles.

A Plea RefusedThe Tal-ping also sought to trade with

the British. They sent an army to Shanghai to open negotiations with their professing Christ ian white brethren. Saidthe leader of the Tai-ping regiments tothe British, American, Portuguese andother foreigners in Shanghai: "1 came toShanghai to make a treaty in order tosee us connected together by t rade andcommerce; 1 did not come for the purpose of f ighting with you. Had 1 at oncecommenced to at tack the city and killthe people, that wou ld have been thesame as the members of one family fighting among themselves." (Page 283 ofLin-Le's work.)Remember that these Chinese did notknow the kind of Christianity professedby th e Western World!The extract, which 1 have JUSt quotedfrom a longer letter, was sent to theforeign authori ties in Shanghai for thefollowing reason: When the Tal-ping,

who assumed the Bri ti sh were neu tral ,came to Shanghai, they were fired uponby the British. According to a correspondent of the North China Herald,"They [the Chinese Tai-pings) wavedthe hand, begged our officers nor to fire,and stood there motionless, wishing toopen communications and explain theirobject! "Retreating for safety , the Tai-p ingsencountered a missionary, Mr. Milne. Inorder not to have him injured in anybat tle, they sen t guards with him to thecity of Shanghai. After delivering Mr.

Milne safely to his.white brethren, thegua rds were shot down by Bri ti sh soldiers upon the city wall!

A Great MistakeHung could not understand the actionof the Christian nations from across thesea. In sorrow he withdrew from allCOntact with foreigners, bur continuedto study the Bible with the faithful.He permitted his commanders rodisperse their armies throughout thewalled cities of his domain. The Manelms had been badly defeated and noattack was expected. This-plus a miscalculation of the British and Frenchintentions-proved d -sastrous.Although the official government

statements from abroad implied that

The GOOD NEWSEngland would remain neutral, the actualdeeds perpetrated against the Chinesedemonstrated the opposite. The Britishmarshalled the Manchus against the Tat piugs and gradually brought about theirretreat and downfall. This short articlecannot contain all the information whichcompetent historians have amassed. But,as Gladstone, the British Prime Minister,once said, this action will go down asone of the blackest marks in historyagai nsr Britain.As a result of foreign intrigue, theManchu army and religious persecution,these Chinese Sabbathkeepers , inc ludi ng Hung, perished for their faith.Long after the dea th of those fai th fu lChinese to whom God revea led a measure of His truth, the malconrents whohad associated with them arose again inrebe ll ion aga ins t the Manchus. Theycalled themselves "The Righteous Fistsof Harmony"-or "Boxers." Their rebellion-the Boxer rebellion-was aimedat the foreigners and especially missionaries. Bu t the Sabbath and God's lawshad l ong been [OlgoLLeu by them.WHY Communism En[!;ulfs ChinaTodayWeare reaping the reward of ou rsins in China today! To the carnalChinese the European nat ions seemed

unprincipled liars, devoid of every virtuerecognized by men! From tha t t ime onthe spread of the Word of God amongthe Chinese met with little success. Nowonder Communism has engul fed thecountry.When thinking of the fate of thoseSabbathkeeping Chinese and their ignorant comrades who sought the ir p ro tection, 1 am reminded of Paul's exhortationin Hebrews: "And what shall 1more say?for the time would fail me to tell ofGideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, andof Jephthae, of David also, and Samuel,and of the prophets: who through faithsubdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness . . . waxed valiant in fight, turnedto flight the armies of aliens.... Andothers had trial of cruel mockings andscourgings, yea, moreover of bonds andimprisonment: they were stoned, theywere sawn asunder, were tempted, wereslain with the sword. . . . (O f whomthe world was NOT WORTHY)" (Hebrews 11:32-38.)How unworthy the world is may beunderstood by the deliberate falsity of

NOTICElThere has been no issue of the

"GOOD NE\VS" since Scr-rcrnl-er.Also, due to his many pressing burdens.I\1r. Armstrong has not yet completedthe article on "make-up."

Page 7recorded history in de scr ib ing the Ta iPing Rebellion.Missionaries and politicians alike haveaccused them of committing acts ofwhich only the enemies of the Tal-pingswere guil ty. The Tal-pings were maligned just as Dav id and his followerswere.Thanks to the cooperation of Britishbooksellers and librarians 1 am able tog ive you these t rue facts now.

'The White Man's Burden"The most important summary of this

drama of human experience-the bookwhich is the basis for this l it tle-knownrecord-was written by a whi te man whoused a Chinese name, Lin-Le. The workis entitled "T i Ping Tien Kwoh, rhe History of the Ti Ping Revolution." It waspublished in 1866 in London.

Here is a lesson we must never forget!How we ought to appreciate whatwe know of God's Word! And to realizethat this drama was occurring in far-offChina when God 's people in Americawere splitting up as the dying branchesof the Sardis Church Era!Our own people-Israelites, God'schosen-refused to restore the truth theyreceived. Our great denominations followed th e path of the opium-peddlingbusinessmen. But the Chinese, for 200years in bondage to the Manchus, lookedto the Word of God as best they knew.'Their laws were framed and alreadyconstituted when the New Testament'i-rin its Eulness-"came into their hands."(From page 152.)Perhaps we can now realize the FULLWEIGHT of our responsibility in carrying

ou t the gospel'of the Kingdom of Godto all nations. God has chosen us-Hisfaithful few in an Israel filled with sin-to carry the LIGHT through radio, television and the printing press to thosewho abide in darkness.Let 's shoulder our responsibility andprove that we can carry "the white man'sburden"! .

AttendGod's Festivals(Continued from page 2)

of verses 28-29. In these verses, God iscommanding another, altogether differ-ent tithe.Now don't be shocked! You may nothave known it before, but God wantsus to save aile m ore tube evc:ry th irdyear co help the paor and needy! Thisis God's WilY of providing morwy f , , ~charitable purposes.In both Deuteronomy 14:2R-29 andDeuteronomy 26: 12-15 we find this t ithe


8/8

Page 8commanded. It used co be set aside inevery walled city, "within thy gates"(Deut. 26: 12). But now many poor areso far away that we simply send itwherever needed. This third tithe is to besaved only every third year.Since the laws of let ting the land restand releasing the poor debtors werebased on a cycle of seven years, we areto save this special tithe in the third andsixth yeats out of every seven year period. Compare the story flow in Deur.14:28-29 with 15: 1 for proof.

None of you were ready God' s children-spiritually Israelites (Gal. 3: 29)-unt i l you were converted and baptized.So you won' t save this th ird ti the untilthe third year after you were converted.Remember that this tithe is for thepoor and needy. If you are really in financial straits God does not expec t youto save this tithe! This is a matter between you and God alone, and youshould be honest about it before Him.This tithe is for the poor, not fromthe poor!And remember that this special titheis only to be saved every third and sixthyear out of seven.Some of you may think that payingGod's (not your!) firs! tube to Hiswork, saving a second tithe with whichto attend His feasts, and, every thirdyear only, saving an additional third titheto give the poor and needy is going to beimpossible. That's what the world believes! But we are not of the world but

of the household of fai th .Do you think God has commandedyou to do something which He knows

you will be unable to perform? No!Those of us who have saved these threetithes know by experience that God isable co bless us sufficiently that we

The GOOD NEWSPrinted in the U.S.A.

Box Ill-Pasadena, CaliforniaRETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

FORM 3547 REQUESTED

The GOOD NEWSabound to every good work (I I Cor.9: 6-8). He is doing it this moment forhundreds of the brethren and He willdo it for you. You just do YOUR partand God will be faithful to performHIS!

Historical ExampleA most convincing example from areliable historical source of how theJews paid these tithes is given in thebook of Tobit. This book is found inwhat is known as the Apocrypha-acollection of Jewish history and writings covering and extending beyond theperiod between the Old and New Testaments.These writings were nor inspired, bu tthey do give us a great deal of reliableinformation. Tobit was a man of thetribe of Naphtali, which was among theten tribes taken captive by Assyria.Prior to the captivity, he kept the commandments of God even after the rest

of his tribe began offering sacrifices toBaal.

Holy Day Calendarfor 1956

Passover service after sunset on Sunday, March 25.Days of Unleavened Bread. Tuesday,March 27 through Monday, Apri l2, inclusive.Pentecost, Monday, May 21.Festival of Trumpets, Thursday, September 6.Day of Atonement, fast day, Sabbath,September 15.Feast of Tabernacles, begins sunset,Wednesday, September 19; endssunset Wednesday, September 26.Last Great Day, Thursday, September27.

December, 1955III the third paragraph of the book ofTobit, he tells us, "But I alone wentmany a time to Jerusalem for the festivals, as the Scripture commands all Israel with an everlasting decree, takingwith me the first fruits and the tenthpart of my crops and my first shearings,and I would give them to the priests,the sons of Aaron, at the altar. A tenth

part of all my produce I would give tothe sons of levi, who officiated at Jerusalem, and another tenth I would sell,and go and spend the proceeds in Jerusalem each year, and a third tenth Iwould give to those to whom it was fitting to give it, as Deborah my grandmother had instructed me-for I wasleft an orphan of my father."Thus we see that the Israelites hadalways understood that they were tosave three tithes, and that each one wasto be used for a different purpose. God'scommandments are not hidden fromanyone who sincerely desires to knowthe truth.Are you living by every word of God?Let's obey our own spiritual Father bykeeping His annual holy days and saving the tithes that He has commanded!Saving your second tithe will makethe joyous privilege of attending thesefestivals possible. Because God has commanded this special tithe, He is boundto help you fulfill this command. I f youdo YOUR part, you can know that Godwill enable you to attend His holy days!Honestly, you can't afford NOT to at-tend God's festivals! Write us if youwish future help and information on attending God's festivals. Also be sure towrite us prior to attending so that allarrangements can be made in advance.God has made your presence possibleif you do your part! Are you willing?

Nonprofit OrganizationU. S. POSTAGEPAID

Pasadena, CaliforniaPermit No. 703

Documents

Good News 1955 (Vol v No 05) Dec_w