Good News 1959 (Vol VIII No 03) Mar_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1959 (Vol VIII No 03) Mar_w

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VOL. VIII, NUMBER 3

International Magazine ofTH E C HU R C H OF GOD

MARCH, 1959

Are God's Festivals to beObserved FOREVER?Granted that the Holy Days were commanded to be kept forever.

But were not physical sacrifices also commanded forever ?-andthey are not being done today? Read hen: th e surprising answer!by Herman 1. Hoeh

W E HAVE heard all our lives thatIsrael was commanded to observe physical sacrifices andvarious ablutions forever.But is this true? Were both the annual festivals and physical sacrificesand ablutions commanded to be keptby the people forever?

The Surprising AnswerIt is time we opened our Bibles onceagain to see what the Scriptures actually say. Most of us, of course, arefamiliar with the many texts whichdeclare God's festivals are to be "observed by a statute FOREVER."Read them! "And this day" - thepassover - "shall be unto you for a

MEMORIAL; and ye shall keep it a feast[the word "festival" is a better translation] to the Lord throughout yourgenerations; ye shall keep it a feast bya statute ["urdinance" is not the correcttranslation] FOR EVER" (Ex. 12: 14)."And ye shall observe the feast ofunleavened bread; for in this selfsameday have 1 brought your armies out ofthe land of Egypt: therefore [as a MEMORIAL] shall ye observe this day inyour generations hy a statute ["ordinance" is not correct] FOR EVER" (Ex.12:17).In this same chapter, verse 24, thepassover is again referred to: "And yeshall observe this for a statute to theeand to thy sons FOR EVER"!

In Exodus 13: 10 the feast of unleavened bread is commanded to be observed "in his season from year toyear." As long as a new year occursthis festival is to be observed!Notice what the Bible states aboutthe day of atonement: "And this shallbe a statute FOR EVER unto yuu: thatin the seventh month, on the tenthday of the month, ye shall afflict yoursouls, and do no work" (Lev. 16:29).And verse 31: "It shall be a sabbathof rest unto you, and ye shall afflictyour souls, by a statute FOR EVER."Concerning the feast of pentecost:"And ye shall proclaim on the selfsameday, that it may be an holy convocationunto you, ye shall do no servile worktherein: it shall be a statute FOR EVERin all your dwellings throughout yourgenerations" (Lev. 23: 21 ) . Israel'sgenerat ions are still continuing. Mostof you are of Israel!Again, "Speak unto the children ofIsrael, saying, In the seventh month,in the first day of the month, shall yehave a sabbath, a MEMORIAL of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation[verse 24] . Also on the tenth day ofthis seventh month there shall be a dayof atonement [verse 27]. Ye shall dono manner of work: it shall be a statute FOR EVER throughout your generadom in all your dwellings" (Lev.23:31).The feast of tabernacles is mentioned

in verse 41 of this same chapte r: "Andye shall keep it a feast unto the Lordseven days in the year. It shall be astatute FOR EVER in your generations."Notice! Here are God's annualfestivals COMMANDED FOREVER-throughout the generations of Israel.Israel's generations are still continuing.The manner of observing the days isdifferent now than under the Leviticalpriesthood, but the days are still to beobserved - still to be kept holy - noservile work to be done in them!But do these verses mean what theysay?Are the annual festivals really to bekept forever?But many will bring up the argument,"Were not the physical sacrifices, givenin the days of Moses until the Seed- Christ - should come, also commanded by a statute forever? Did notGod also command Israel to do thoserituals forever? And if forever doesnot mean forever in one text, then howcan we claim it means forever inanother verse?"The answer is that NOWHERE IN THE

BIBLE WERE PHYSICAL SACRIFICESCOMMANDED TO DE PERFORMED BYTHE PEOPLE FOREVER! We have merely taken for granted tha t the Bible saysso! But it is not true!

Meaning of "Forever"But does "forever" mean forever?


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Page 2 The GOOD NEWS March, 1959

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

Be sure to notify us immediately ofchange of address.

No Physical Sacrifices CommandedForever

Another important verse appears inLeviticus 17: 7: "And they shall no moreoffer their sacrifices unto devils [demons is a better translation}, afterwhom they have gone a whori ng. Thisshall be a statute FOR EVER unto themthroughout their generations."

No command here to offer sacrifices(Please continue on page 5)

Similar laws are given in Exodus29:9,28, in 30:2L In each ins tance thesons of Aaron would have to practicethese requirements "by a statute forever" if there were a temple 0"- ifsacrifices were offered at Jerusalem. Butneither a temple nor sacrifices exist theretoday! (See Ezekiel 44:17-2L)Now turn to a most important Scripture. Leviticus 3: 17: "It shall be a per-petual s tatute for your generationsthroughout all your dwellings, that yeeat nei ther fat nor blood." Do fat andblood exist today? Indeed! Then weare forbidden by a perpetual statute-aneverlasting statute-to eat blood andfat. Acts 15 confirms this law even onthe Gentiles. So long as this physicalcreation exists, so long as animals arebutchered for food this law applies.It is a "perpetual s ta tu te ."Here again is proof tha t "a s ta tu tefor ever" means forever-for as longas the factors involved exist!Continuing: Aaron 's children shall

have the right to eat of the meal offering by "a sta tute for ever" (Lev. 6: 18 ) .Of course! As long as sacrifices are presented, a portion of them belongs toAaron' s family. It means exactly whatit says. No meal offerings are beingpresented today-that's why Aaron'sfamily is not eating of them. If theywere being offered, a part of themwould be Aaron's!Verse 22 declares that it is only thehigh priest who shall present an offering from the family of Aaron by "astatut e for ever." The scripture doesnot say Aaron's sons must offer theoffer ing forever; it merely states thatir is the high priest alone of the children of Aaron who has the cont inualright to p resent the offe ring wheneverit is given. No command to observesacrifices [oreuer here.Similar principles are laid down inLeviticus 7:34-36, 10:15 and 24:3,9.The sons of Aaron are forbidden todrink wine or strong drink "when [they}go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it is a statute forever throughout your generarions." Thismeans what it says! If there were atabernacle in Jerusalem today, no sonof Aaron would be allowed to enter it

after drinking! It is a s ta tu te forever!

As long as we have day and night,year after year, God's festivals are tobe con tinuously observed- FOREVER!Not ice wha t the Almigh ty declares inJeremiah 31:35-36:"Thus saith the Lord, which giveththe sun for a light by day, and theordinances of the moon and of the starsfor light by night . . . if those ordinancesdepart f rom before Me, sai th the Lord,t hen the seed of Israe l also shall ceasefrom being a nation before Me forever."If you can stop day and night fromrecurring year after year, then you canquit observing God's festivals.' But solong as the Holy Days recur-as longas the factors involved exist - YOUMUST KEEP THEM!The Duties of Priesthood "Forever"?But, it is often rejoined, the pries thood was given to Aaron and his sonsby a statute "for ever"; and in the NewTestament the priesthood is "changed."

If "a s ta tu te for ever" has been changedin the case of Aaron and his sons, howcan we be sure that it has not beenchanged with regard to the annua l festivals?Let's examine now the places in theBible where "a srature for ever" is usedfor t hi ngs o th er than the annual holydays. What does the expres sion "statute for ever" signify in these cases?Firsr, Exodus 27: 21: "In the tabernacle of the congregation . . . Aaronand his sons shall order it [the oil inthe lamp} from evening to morningbefore the Lord: it shall be a statutefor ever unto your generations." So longas the tabernacle, or the temple, existed ,this was to be performed continuously.But t here is now no tabernacle or temple in Je rusalem. The factors involveddo not now exist. I f a tabernacle orte:np le were the re Aaron and his sonswould be performing this rite.' No oneelse would be allowed to do i t-onlya son of Aaron!God's laws are forever so long as thefactors exist! Certainly no abo li tion ofthe holy days of God here!Now Exodus 28:42-43: "And thousha lt make them l inen breeches . . .and they shall be upon Aaron, and uponhis sons, when they come in unto the

tabernacle of the congregation, or whenthey come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place ... it shall bea statute for ever unto him and hisseed afrer him."Is the tabernac le now stand ing? No!The factor of the tabernacle does notexist! If a tabernacle or temple in Jerusalem did exist, Aaron's sons wouldhave to wear these breeches! (Ezekiel44:18.) "Forever" means forever solong as the factors exist. But there isnow no tabernacle. Aga in , no abo li tionof the holy days here!

NUMBER 3OL. Vlll

Turn to Psalms 102: 12: "But thou,o Lord, shalt endure forever ." Does"forever" mean [oreier in this verse?Certainly!And Exodus 1'5:1S: "The Lord shalll l : i b l l fU 1 I.:v1.:1 aucl l: v1.:1." Do es the ex press ion "for ever and ever" mean whatit says? Of course! I f it does not, thenyou have no sure guarantee of eternallife! No real proof that you will Jive[oreuer/But what abou t the sixth verse ofExodus 21 and Deuteronomy 15: 17? -"Then his mas ter shall b ring h im untothe judges; . . . and his master shallbore his ear through with an aul; andhe shall serve him FOREVER." Certainly if the master dies and the servantcontinues to live, the one is not beingserved by the other [oreuer'The answer is that the words "forever," "perpetual, " "ever last ing," andsimilar expressions, mean "continuously,

uitbout end so 10nK as the factors in-iolred exist." (See defini tion in Cru-dcn s Concordance.)God is spirir. He cannot die. He does)ive and rule forever. The factor hereis GOD, who is without end. But in thecase of the master and the servant, thefactors are two mortal human beings.Both will eventually die. So long asboth are alive the one is to be servedby the other. In Exodus 21: 6 the word"forever" clearly means continuously soioni! as botb liie.Now consider the annual festivals.These festivals are cer ta in days of theyear. Do we still have davs occurringearh year-vear after year) Assuredly!Then the factors involved still exist!

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisber and EditorHerman 1 . Hoehlixecuti re Editor

Roderick C. MeredithGarner Ted ArmstrongAssociate Editors

Address communications to (he Editor,Box I l l , Pasadena, California.Copyright, March, 1959By rhe Radio Church of God


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A NE W ChallengeGod's Church

From Mr. Ted Armstrong's administrative assistant, here is excitingnews from the foreign work of this church. These letters andcomments ought to he a challenge to YOU!by Albert J. Portune

to

"MY SHEEP hear my voice, andI know them, and they follow me," said Christ (John10.:27). Christ's sheep tire hearing Hisvoice,The ever-more powerful voice ofthe World Tomorro w program, shouting

His message around the world, is changing new lives. The voice and message ofJesus Chr is t is reaching out, searchingour His own in the four corners of theearth, and they are following Him.

God has determined to reach thoseHe is calling-regardless of where theyare on the face of the earth. God haspeople in Africa, South America, theWest Indies-in the remote areas of theworld where the English language isonly rarely spoken, and little understood.The people of these areas, that God iscall ing, need to hear His message. Howcan we get through to them? How is itgoing to reach them?God has provided a way! God hasmade it possible to r each them. But, inso doing He has laid a heavy responsibility on His Church. God is beginningto call their leaders, their ministers, andspiritual elders.

Converted MinistersAmong the hundreds of let te rs whicharrive daily at God's headquartersPasadena, California, are coming lettersfrom ministers from all over the earthwho are beginning to heed the words ofJesus Christ. Many of these mini stersare using the information they hear onthe If/orld Tomarrow program and thearticles in the Plain Truth magazine forsermons in their churches. Others are

turning from the ir forme r affiliationscurting themselves off from theirchurches-forsaking their salaries andmeans of support-in order to preachthe truth. Many of these ministers arerealizing that they are hearing Christ'svoice-Christ's message-for the firsttime. They are beginning to see thatthe things they have been teaching arein error. The can't go back to theold teachings-they are dissatisfied.In the past few months God has begun to open the minds of a number ofmin isters in remote areas of the world.

He has called them that through themwe can send this gospel of Chris t' s coming k ingdom to thei r peop le. Althoughin most cases they cannot understandthe program nor read English, their ministers usually are well educated and capable men. By ca ll ing these men who under stand and can speak the nativedialects, God is able to reach His people-through them.Several months ago you read aboutthe minister in the Philippine Islands,who because of the World Tomorrowprogram, turned from his former denomination to become a part of thetr ue Chur ch of God. Thi s minist er hascontinued to grow and overcome, devouring the material being sent him fromheadquarters. The three churches of Godunder his leadership have continued togrow in the Philippines . A number havebeen baptized and more are ready. Godis reaching His people in the PhilippineIslands through the efforts of this man,who in turn depends on us at headquarters Church to guide and nourishhim.

We have heard from several otherminis te rs in the Philippine Islands whowere part of what the Bible describesas a "dead" Sardis branch of God'sChu rch (Rev. 3: 1-3). They have written of thei r d issat isfaction with theirown Church. They have been convictedby the truth they heard on the WorldTomorrow program. They want topreach the truth-they want our helpand guidance.We should cer tainly all be rejoicingin the progress God's work is makingin the Philippines. Let's all pray morefor the churches of God there.Thrilling News from Central AfricaOn December l st, a native African

minis ter from Lusaka, Northern Rhodesia, wrote that after hearing the WorldTomorrow program for several monthshe realized he had been preaching errorto his people. Thi s man was a Lutheranminister-the first native African minister of the Lutheran Church to be sentto Central Africa. This well-educatedminister was paid a substantial salaryin English pounds by the Lutheran

Church, had a good home, and was wellrespected in his communit y and by hisdenomina tion . But, when he heard thevoice of Mr. Arms trong preaching thetruth of God over the World Tomorrowbroadcast, he knew it was the truth.He asked for no financial help. He reques ted no aid. Bur, in s imple bel ievingfaith he forsook everything. He gaveup his salary, his f riends, his pos it ion inthe Church-to live in poverty, withoutfood or clothing-just to preach thetruth.Finally, a fter enduring for manymonths, he wrote the following:"My dear triend,

"You will pardon me for keepingsilent for so long time without reply.This is because I receive booklets fromyou I have find thing 1 have beenpreaching to people was not quite true.On reading them over and over I foundfirst three points: 1. I have been baptizing people in wrong way on forehead,2. I preach to them and tell them to keepSunday instead seventh day Sabbath and,3. I am not tell people about the tithe.So, when I read all this I went to mymissionary in charge and tell him thatfrom now on I am going to preach thetruth to my people-not your Sunday.I left them, I was paid fifty pounds amonth, being ordained pastor, but I amnow not doing anything to help myselfat present. I am only preaching what Ilearn from you."I am always out preaching the gospelby train, by bus, by footing. I live inbare house without chairs, table, beds-starving, naked, without clothes becauseI left Lutheran Church. I am marriedman having four children. I would begrateful to you if you would write meas soon as possible. Yours in Chr is t ourLord, ]. E. Mwambula, Lusaka, SouthAfrica."

This should make our hearts leap withjoy!God's truth really does change lives."My sheep hear my voice-and theyfollow me." We can all t hank God andrejoice that we are a parr of the verybody of Chris t that is carrying His voiceto the world. This should make us rededicate ourselves even more to getting


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Page 4 The GOOD NEWS March, 1959

This photograph was taken las t December by J. E.Mwambula, who is acting as pastor of thi scongregation in lusaka, Northern Rhodesia in the heart of Af ric a. His interesting letter abouthis conversion is included in the accompanying article.behind this great work we have beengiven to do.

After corresponding with this ministe r in Central Africa, Mr. Arms trongauthorized financial assistance to helphim in his work, which he is now receiving. He is studying the Correspond-ence Course, many back issues of thePlain Truth magazine, and all of thebooklets-besides receiving the personalguidance and help of Mr. Ted Arms trong by personal letter . He is nowpreaching the truth of God to his congregation who are accepting the truthas well. God can reach His peoplewherever they are on this earth!AnotherMinister from Nigeria

Another African minis ter from Nigeria-who has a radio broadcast overtwenty radio stations-writes the following letter:"Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong,"Sir, I have got the booklets you send.In my going through this booklet Ifound really that the Sabbath day isthe special day blessed by God to bekept Holy. I mean I have resign fromSunday keeper with my twenty stations and become the body of RadioChurch of God in Nigeria. My wife,Mrs. Margaret S. Ugoji, has greeted

yours. Wear e earnestly praying foryou. I close with Christian greetings.Your servant in Chr ist, Pastor Sam O.Ugoji."Brethren, it is letters like these tha tshow the power of God and how He isworking through this Church. Men likeMr. Ugoji-as he is helped and guidedby God's Church-can become powerfulins truments in reaching God's peoplein A frica. Our efforts and our prayersshould be even more behind this workwe have been given to do!

More Exciting NewsGod has begun to work in the British

West Indies as never before! We havereceived letters from, and are corresponding with, t hree minis ters in thisarea. These ministers are hearing God'struth-and are changingl They arecarrying God's truth to their people.One minister from the island of SaintLucia writes: "May I express manythanks to you for your kind letter. Tru lyit brought to me the happies t momen ton the day I received it, I greatly admire the faith of you for such an interestyou have in us in all parts of the world.I t is now four years since I am ordained.I am not engaged full-time in the ministry as it is always my intention, be-

cause I have gOt to labor to maintain awife and two children. But I go aroundin my spare time. I have a group ofthirty-two or more members, they are inanother district forty-eight miles frommy home. Yesterday, I received an envelope which contained three Plain Truthmagazines. I can say 'All things worktogether for good to them that loveGod.' I feel I should have been connected with this group long before. Withbest Christian greetings to all. LeoJoseph, Castries, Saint Lucia."Another minister from Jamaicawrites: "Dear Sir: Through the preciousname of Jesus I am able to listen toyour broadcast, of which spiri tual foodwas established to myself and family.Feelings descend into my daily life,sir, that from last week I am refreshedof your radio broadcast. Therefore, sir,I pen to you asking through your generosity to forward some leaflets for distribution in this district."In Port Antonio l awn a mISSIOncapable of holding over two hundredpeople. We are a humble lot numberingfifty-six members. Our attendance numbers up to one hundred to two hundredeach service TO share God's blessings.I t may be possible, sir, tha t one day youmay take a tr ip to ]a!naica and the word


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March, 1959of God could preach hy you. Your booksshow us the full nature of what washidden from us. Sincerely yours, BrotherThomas Parkinson, Port Antonia,jamaica."

A Challenge to Us Al lWhat a gre


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Page 6it [the priesthood}, and his seed afterhim, even the covenant of an everlastingpriesthood ..."And notice God's promise in Jeremiah 33:17-22: "For thus sairh theLord; David shall never [lack} a manto sit upon the throne of the houseof Israel; neither shall the pries ts theLevites [lack} a man before Me to offerburnt offerings, and to kindle mealofferings, and to do sacrifice continually. . . Thus saith the Lord; If ye canbreak My covenant of the day, and Mycovenant of the night; and that thereshould not be day and night in theirseason; then may also My covenant bebroken with David My servant ... andwith the Levites the pries ts , My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot benumbered, neither the sand of the seameasured: so will I multiply the seedof . . . the Levites tha t minis te r untoM ".Notice it! The Levites shall neverlack a man-"wanr a man" in thearchaic wording of the King JamesVersion-c-ro present offerings continually. There will always be Levites available to do the job-or God's promiseis not true. The Levites have beenpunished-there is now no temple ortabernacle whereupon to present the irofferings, but they have never lacked aman who could perform the ritualswhenever they might be required.In Ezekiel we find that after Christ'sreturn the Levites will still be availableto perform the physical duties of thepriesthood as a reminder of Israel'sfailure as a nation to do God's will(Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; and 44:9-23).The l'ery starraos which were perpetual-ly e.rtablished lipan the priesthood inMorex' d'ly are still binding during themillenninm npon the Leuites (Eze. 44:17-2) i. \'V'hen God declares a sta tuteeverlasting, HE MEANS IT! Read theseverses for yourself.But what about Paul's s tatement inHebrews that the priesthood has been(btliIRed-that it is not perpetual? Howcan Ezekiel and Paul both be correct?Is not this a Bible contradiction? Isthis not a proof that the festivals ofGod have also been changed?

What Paul Really Said!Turn to Hebrews 7:11-12: "If therefore perfection were by the Leviticalpriesthood, (f or under it the peoplereceived the law [of Moses},') whatfurther need was there that anotherpriest should arise after the order ofMcIchiscdic, and not be called afterthe order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made ofnecessity a change also of the law [regarding who receives the tithes}."And then verses 18-19: "For thereis verily a disannulling of the com-

The GOOD NEWSmandrnent going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof, Forthe law [of Moses} made nothing perfect, bur the bringing in of a betterhope did; by the which we draw nighto God."The assumpt ion of most commentators is that God was no t fai thfu l towhat He said in the Old Testament

- t ha t God did not mean forever. Notice what Paul is actually writing! Inwhat manner is the priesthood beingchanged? Is another pries thood takingthe place of Aaron 's pries thood at thephysical altar so that others instead ofAaron's descendants are to present physical sacrifices? Is another physical priesthood substituted for that of Aaron inorder to perform the rituals of the lawof Moses?No! Aaron's priesthood was established for physical ceremonies ONEARTH. Bur Christ's prie sthood is nora physical priesthood to administerceremonies on ear th. Christ, the highpr ies t af ter the orde r of Milchezedec,is TN HFAVEN. His is a spiritual priesthood. Turn to Hebrews 8:4-5: "For ifHe [Christ} were on earth, HESHOULD NOT BE A PRIEST, SEE-ING THAT THERE ARE PRIESTSTHAT OFFER GIFTS ACCORDINGTO THE LAW: who serve unto theexample and shadow of heavenlythings."

Do you grasp the significance of this?Christ has not replaced Aaron's familyon earth. Aaron's priesthood is the onlyone which can ever perform the physical p rie sthood on earth. Aaron's is aneverlasting priesthood on earth. ButChrist has a greater, an eternal officeof high pr ie st IN HEAVEN administering spiri tual gifts on behalf of the wholeworld!Look at Hebrews 8:4 again! Theearthly pries thood still belonged to thefamily of Aaron. In the New Testament Church Iesus Chri st has not replaced Aaron In the admin is trat ion ofa physical a ltar in some temple or tabernacle in Jerusalem. One priesthood wasnot subst ituted for anothe r to do physical sacrifices on earth!

What the Change WasBUT THERE WAS A CHANGE MADE

- no t the kind of change most peoplebelieve! The priesthood through whichman approached Cod for forgivenessof sin and for the attainment of per-fection has been changed. No longerdoes man have access to God throughthe Aaronic high priest. We have access to God through the high priest ofthe order of Melchizedec! We have access to God through a different priesthood today. But the physical service atan earthly altar still is Aaron's. No Biblecontradiction here!

March, 1959There was a commandment whichrequired all Israelites f rom the timeof Moses to the time of Christ's crucifixion to be physically reconci led tothe Lord through the Levitical pr iesthood. Jesus mentioned this command

ment in Matthew 8:4 after he hadcleansed a leper: "Go thy way, shewthyself to the priest, and offer the giftthat Moses commanded, for a testimonyunto them." It is repeated in Mark1: 14 and Luke 5: 14.Those Levitical priest s stood "dailyministering and offering oftentimes thesame sacrifices, which can never takeaway sins" (Heb. 10: 11). We todaydo not go to the Levitical pr ies thoodin order to approach God. That hasbeen changed. The priesthood today isdifferent-"Having therefore, brethren,boldness to enter into the holiest bythe blood of Jesus, by a new and livingway . . . and having an high priestover the house of God; let us drawnear with a t rue hea rt in full assuranceof faith, having our hearts sprinkledfrom an evil conscience, and our bodieswashed with pure water . . . And letus consider one another to provokeunto love and to good works: NOTFORSAKING THE ASSEMBLINGOF OURSELVES TOGETHER, as themanner of some is" (Heb. 10: 19-25).Holy Days Commanded Forever

Nine TimesHow plain! The priesthood throughwhich man approaches God has beenchanged. We have a new and l iv ing waythrough a spiritual priesthood today.

And that is all the more reason weshould not fail to assemble ourselvestoge ther on the weekly sabbath and onthe annual festivals which God hascommanded by statutes to be observedFOREVER!In everyone of these scriptures Godmeans exactly what He inspired thewriters of the Bible to record for us!When He declares a law to be everlasting HE MEANS IT! In nine specificverses in the Bible mentioned near thebeginning of this article the annualfestivals of God are COMMANDED TOBE OBSERVED YEAR BY YEAR-IN THEIRSEASON-AS LONG AS DAY AND NIGHTCONTINUE-BY STATUTES FOR EVER!Read them again: Exodus 12: 14, 17and 24; 13: 10; and Leviticus 16: 29, 31;and 23:21, 24, 27,31 and 41.No stronger p roof than these nineverses can be g iven that the Church ofGod must keep holy these days Godmade holy! Yet in not one of theseplaces is any mention made of physicalsacrifices being commanded forever.Correction: January Good News, p. 4,col. 1, line 16 should read: ''. . . seenGod [the Father} at any time."


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What Church Memhersshould know aboutMASONRY

Many of our brethren have become astounded at their own credulityin embracing the Lodge with pride, now that they became trulyfamiliar with the Scriptures. They are now overawed with the factthat Masonry is pagan-not Christian-in origin. Here, in thisinstallment of the series to our church members, is the heart andcore of Masonic secret doctrine.by Jack R. Elliott

T H E FAMOUS Masonic l ec turerW ilrnshurst discovered in hissearch for the secrets of life thatTHREE GREAT QUESTIONS press inexorably upon the attention of mankind .These three questions as explained inthe preced ing article of this series are:"What am I?" "Whence came I?""Whither go [?"

The Pagan AnswersIn his human rea soning he came tothe same answer as did the ancient pagans: ( I ) Man is an immortal soul thatis evolving spiritually toward perfection; (2) He existed in a higher statebefore he was born into this world, buthe lost something which left him in thislower state; (3 ) He wi ll again at tain

that higher state of existence afterdeath, provided he continues to perfecthimself.

This is, of course, not the t rue answerto life's questions as revealed by theBible. Adam was created by God andgiven the same choice which you andI face today: Obedience, and l i fe-ordisobedience, and death. Adam, just asyou and I, had no immortal soul; and,as you and I, he grew old and died. Godwould have raised him to immortality;however, he chose the way of disobedi ence and God left him to its rewarddeath, Thereby Adam set the exampleof disobedience which mankind has followed ever since (see Rom. 5: 14-15 ) .Brethren you and I should turn fromthat example and follow Christ's example of obedience to God t ha t our reward might be life through the resurrection.What about the thing which Wilmshurst came to see was mis sing in man?Truly there is a very important thingmissing in everyone of us until we areconverted. You and I know it is theSpi ri t of God which we must have ifwe are to overcome and grow in theways of God.

Wilmshurst, of course, did not come

to this answer. Fol lowing the philosophies and symbols of the ancient paganshe looked for a mysterious, magicalsomething wh ich only the secretly informed could know. This mysterioussomething , he came to believe, was thegenuine secrets of the Master Mason,. These secrets are all connected withan ancient legend which Masons call"The Legend of Hiram Abiff."I will not embarrass ex-Masons of ourChurch brethren by exposing the absurdity of the "secret rites" connectedwith this legend. Let it suffice to saythat they are merely a ritualistic actingour of the legend in which certain passwords, distress signs, grips etc. are introduced and demonst ra ted. The Masonsthen learn these secret tokens and usethem to identify themselves and conveycertain information to one another ineveryday life.

The candidate, without any attemptat rehearsal, is required to act out therole of the ancient Grand Master ofMasonry, Hiram Abiff. This is not difficul t because the role consis ts mainly ofsupposedly being killed and playingdead while he is moved here and thereby Lodge members.Hiram Abiff, the hero of the legend,was supposedly murdered by the FellowCrafts, fifteen of whom entered into aconspiracy to extort the secrets of aMaster Mason from him, or take his

life. Bur reflecting with horror on theatrocity of the intended crime, twelveof them recanted; the other three, however, pers is ted in their murderous deSIgn.

The fantastic legend, as the "Worshipful Master" recites it to the candidates, is as follows:Chief Masonic Legend

"Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff,was slain at high twelve while the craftwere called f rom labor to ref reshment.It being his custom at that hour to enterinto the unfinished 'sanctum sanctarum'

or 'Holy of Holies' of the temple , thereto offer up his devo tion to the Dei ty anddraw his designs on the trestle-board.The three Fellow Crafts who persistedin their murderous design knowing thisto be his usual practice placed themselves at the South, West and East gatesof the inner court of the temple andthere awaited his return. Our GrandMaster, Hiram Abiff, having finished hisusual exercises was about to retire bythe South gate, where he was accostedby the first ruffian, who thrice demandedof him the secrets of a Master Mason orMaster's word and on his refusal he gavehim a blow with the twenty-four-inchgauge across his throat after which hefled and attempted to pass ou t of theWest gate where he was in like manneraccosted by the second, who thrice demanded of him the secrets of a MasterMason or the Master's word, and in al ike refusal he gave him a blow with asquare across his breast. Whereupon hefled and attempted to escape by the Eastgate where he was l ikewise accosted bythe third, who thr ice demanded of himthe secrets of a Master Mason or theMaster 's word, and on a similar refusalhe gave him a vio lent blow with a setting maul on his forehead which felledhim dead on the spot.'They then buried the body in therubb ish of the t emple until low twelveor twelve at night, when they met byappointments and conveyed it a westerlycourse from the temple to the brow ofa hill west of Mount Moriah, where theyhad been and dug a grave due East andWest. six feet perpenc1icular, arid thereburied it. In the head of the grave theyplanted an acacia to conceal it and thatthe place might be known, should occasion ever require, and made t heir escape."Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff,was found to be missing on the dayfollowing, from there being no designson the trestle-board. King Solomonbeing informed thereof, at first supposed


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Page 8him to h", indisposed, and ordered stric tsearch and due inqui ry to be made forhim in and about the several apartmentsof the temple. Str ict search and due inqui ry were accOldiugly made, but hecould not be found. King Solomon thenfea ring tha t some fatal acc ident had befallen him ordered the several rolls ofthe workmen to be called.

"At roll-call three Fellow Crafts werefound to be missing, namely , [ubela,[nbelo, and lube/um, who from thesimilarity of their names were supposedto be brethren and men of Tyre."At this time the twelve FellowCrafts who had recanted from theirmurderous des igns appeared beforeKing Solomon, clad in white gloves andaprons, in token of their innocence,acknowledged the ir premedi ta ted gui ltand most humbly implored his pardon.King Solomon then ordered the twelveFellow Crafts to d iv ide themselves inparties and travel three East, three West,three North and three Sout h (withothers whom he should appoint), inset/reb of rbe ruffians and return notwithout tidings. They traveled and atthe point while pursuing a westerlycourse coming down near the port ofJoppa, [hey fell in with a wayfaring manof whom they enquired if he had seenany st ranger s pass that way. He informed [hem that he had, three, whofrom thei r appearcmce were workmenf rom the temple and men of Tyre seeking a passage into Ethiopa, but not having King Solomon's pass could not obta in a pas sage and turned back into thecountry. They returned and reported thisintel ligence to King Solomon, whoordered them to disguise themselves andtravel as before with positive injunctions to find the ruffians and with positive assurance that if they did not thetwelve Fellow Craft s should be deemedthe murderers and severally suffer forthe crime committed. They traveled andas the party which pursued a weste rlycourse a second time were returningaf te r several days fru itl ess search , onebrother being more weary than the restsat down at the brow of a hill westof Mount Moriah to rest and refreshhimself.

"On attempting to arise he ac-cidentally caught hold of an acaciawhich easily giving way excited hiscuriosity, whereupon he hailed his companions, and on their return and examina tion , they found the appearanceof a newly made grave. While medi-tating on this singular circumstancethey heard the fol lowing hor ri d exclamations from the clefts of an adjacentrock. The first was the voice of [ubela.who exclaimed, 'Oh, that my throat hadbeen cut across, my tongue torn ou t byits roots and buried in the rough sandsof the sea at low water mark, where the

The GOOD NEWSride ebbs and flows twice ill cwenry-fourhours, ere I had been accessory to thedeath of so great a man as our GrandMaster, Hiram Abiff!' The second wasthe voice of lubelo, who exclaimed,'Oh , tha t my left breast had been tornopen, my heart plucked out and given asa prey to the beasts of the fielcJs andthe fowls of the air, ere I had consentedto the death of so good a man as ourGrand Master, Hiram Abiff!' The thirdwas the voice of lubelum, who exclaimedin tones of greater horror than theothers, 'Oh, that my body had beensevered in twa in , my bowels taken fromthence and burned to ashes and theashes scattered to the four winds ofheaven, so that no trace or remembrancemight be had of so vile and perjured awretch as I, ere I had caused the deathof so great and so good a man as ourGrand Master, Hiram Abiff! Ah, lu -be/a a 1 ~ d [ubelo, it is I who am moreguilty than you both; it was I who gavethe fatal blow, it was I who killed him!whereupon they rushed in, seized andbound them and rook them before KingSolomon, who, after a due confession oftheir guilt ordered them to be takenwithout the gates of the city and thereexecuted according to their several imprecations, in the clef ts of the rock.They were t aken Out and execu ted accordingly"

The Legend Continues"King Solomon then ordered tha t thetwelve Fellow Crafts go in search of thebody of our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff,

and if found to observe whether theMaster's word, or a key to it or anything appertaining to the Mast er's degree were on or about it. The body ofour Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, wasfound in a westerly course from thetemple in a grave dug due East andWest six feet perpendicular, in the browof a hill where ou r weary brother satdown to rest and refresh himself. Noth-ing was found bur the jewel of hisoffice by which the body was designated.King Solomon then ordered the twelveFellow Crafts to go and assist in raising the body, and as the Master's wordwas then lost, it was agreed betweenhimself and Hiram, King of Tyre, thatthe first sign given on arriving at thegrave and the first word spoken afterthe body should be raised, should beadopted as the s ign and word for theregulation of all Mas te r's Lodges untilfuture generations should find our theright word."011 repairing to the grave KingSolomon ordered one of the FellowCrafts to take the body by the EnteredApprentice's grip (one of the secretMasonic handshakes) and see if it couldbe raised, but owing to the high stateof putrefaction the body having been

March, 1959dead already fifteen days, the skinslipped and it could not be so raised.KIng Solomon then requested Hiram,King of Tyre, to take the body by theFellow Craft grip and see if it could beraised, bur owing to the reasons alreadyassigned the flesh cleaved from thebone and it could not be so raised. KingSolomon at length took the body by thestrong grip of a Master Mason, or the'Lion's Paw' and raised it on the fivepoints of Fel lowship, which have already been explained to you (the candidate). They t hen conveyed it back tothe temple from which it was buried indue form."All of this the "Worshipful Master"recites with great solemnity and thegul lible candida te l is tens in awe. Thenthe "Worshipful Master" continues:

'The body of our Grand Master,Hiram Abiff, was buried three t imes :first, in the rubbish of the t emple, second, on the brow of a hill west of MountMoriah, and third, and last time with-ou t the gates of the city, as near the unf in ished ' sanc tum sancrorum' or 'Holyof Holies' as the Jewish law wouldpermit; and Masonic t radi tion informsus that they erected to his memory amarble monument, consist ing of a beautiful virgin weeping over a brokencolumn [see Fig. lOJ, before her abook opcn, in her right hand a sprig ofacacia, in her left an Urn and Timebehind her, standing unfolding her ringlets and counting her hair."The beautiful virgin weeping overthe broken column, denotes the unfinished temple and the untimely deathof our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff.'The Book open before her, that hisvirtues there lay on perpetual record.

"The sprig of acacia in her right handdenotes the t imely discovery of the body."The Urn in her left, that his ashes

were there safely deposited to perpetu-ate the remembrance of the amiable,distinguished and exemplary character."And Time behind her, standing unfolding her ringlets and counting herhair, that t ime, pat ience and perseverance will accompl ish all things."The Master points to each of theabove emblems on the chart as he pro-ceeds with his explanation, All the fore

going, it will be observed is a rehear salof the Temple Legend, and is of courseesote ric or secret work and must belearned orally from the Grand Lectureror other lawfully consti tuted teacher.Counterfeit of Christ's Sacrifice

W ilmshursr pictured Hiram Abiff asthe symbol of Christ, and his death asthe portrayal of Christ' s death and resurrection. The Mason, when he dies, saysWilmshurst, will be raised to heaven byChrist with the strong grip of the Mas-ter IHasoll.


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March, 1959 The GOOD NEWS Page 9

Figure 10Tradi tional marble monument in honor of Hiram Abiff.

Wilmshurst's philosophies are widelyaccepted in the modern "Christian"Lodges of America. Anyone familiarwith the teachings of the popular de-nomiuatiuus UI I l readi ly see where sucha phi losophy is congruous with tradi-tional Christian doctrine on the subject .Consequently, after hearing this ex-planation, few consciences are disturbedas Masons ace out this legend again andagain, each time a new member under-goes the i ni tiation of the rhird degree.But, is that really what is pictured bythe Legend? Christ was not secretlymurdered by rhree ruffians. His body didnot decompose (Acts 2: 27), and Hewas not raised back to life by the "stronggrip of a Master Mason."

There is a more revealing answer!Let us compa re the main points of thelegend of Hiram Abiff, with the chieflegend of the Ancient Mysteries.Hiram Abiff is Nimrod!

This legend stems from the exploi tsof Nimrod, a son of Cush, described inGenesis 10 : 8-1 0 as a mighty hunter andruler,In or gan iz ing the people under hisrule, Nimrod usurped one of the pre-roga tives of God , because God is thecreator and snstainer of alI the universe ,and thereby its rightful ruler,Alexander Hislop in The Two Baby-lons gives some of the reasons for Nimrod's fame, On page 52, he writes thatall tradition, from the earliest time, bearstestimony to the tlposttlsy of Nimrod,and to his success in l eading men awayfrom the patriarchal faith. He deliveredtheir minds from the awe of God andthe fear of the judgiueuts of heaven.Hislop showed also (P, 50 ) that Nimrod was the object of high popularity,and through s et ting h imse lf up as king ,invaded the patriarchal system and cur-tailed the liberties of mankind. Yet,Nimrod was considered a hero and lib-erator to all his followers. No douht itwas because he " fr eed" them from fol-lowing the way of God by giving thema counterfeit way-one which allowedthem to follow their own lustful imagi-nations,Scr ip tu re does not reveal how Nimrod died, but all ancient traditions showtha t he came to a uiolent and early end!

"Now," says Hislop on page 57,"when this mighty hero, in the midstof his career of glory, was suddenly cutoff by a violent death, great seems tohave been the shock that the catastropheoccasioned. When the news spreadabroad the devotees of pleasure felt asif the best benefactor of mankind weregone ... Then began the weeping forTammuz (identified as Nimrod) in thegui lt of which the daught er s of Israelallowed themselves to be implica ted(Ezek.8:14) . . . . .

Doctrine of Trinity ConceivedNimrod's wife, Semiramis, apparentlywasted no t ime in iul lueuc ing the peo-

ple to begin worshipping him as a god.I t was claimed that the parts of the mu-tilated body were found and put to gether again and that Nimrod wasresurrected; that he ascended up intothe heavens and dwelt with the gods.

The sun was adopted as his symbolpicturing his being overcome at night ,and r is ing again the next day.As time and imagination continuedhe became accredi ted as being the l ightbringer, sustainer of life, and judge ofthe l iving and the dead.Semiramis, in her exalted pos it ion aswife of this mighty k ing who becamegod, played an important role in the


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Page 10new religion. She became the mother ofa child which she claimed was the sonof this god. And as time passed, allthree were deified. In later years theson became confused with his father andthe worship of one was attributed tothe other, g iving occasion for this goddess' having been worshiped as bothwife and mother . This was the origin ofwhat came to be called the "BlessedTrini ty": the father, the mother (holyghost ) and the son.This is a diabolical counterfeit ofGod's plan of salvat ion for mankind asrevealed in the Holy Bible, which planGod undoubtedly made known to thepatriarchs with whom "He walked"(Gen. 6: 9 ). With the knowledge ofthis plan, mank ind, under Satan 's inspiration, took matters into its ownhands instead of waiting on the salvation of the Lord. Thus, the "AncientMysteries" began to evolve.While similarities exist between thiscounterfeit system and God's plan forthe salvat ion of mankind, it should notbe overlooked that important diffcrcncesdo occur. One of these is that the son,nor the father, was resurrected back tolife.Afrer the dividing of languages atthe tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), andthe scatter ing of the nat ions, the namesof these deified persons were changedand the legends about them grew in detail in each nation. New and differentfeats, characteristic of the nation inwhich they developed, were att ributedto them and more symbols were adoptedto picture these feats.Furthermore, the adoption of newgods did not end with these three. Othergods and goddesses con tinued to becreated in human imaginations. Today,any study of pagan bel iefs and cus tomsis made extremely difficult by this greatconfusion. An accurate desc ript ion ofthe worship and doctrine about anyoneof these gods would have to be limitednot only to the nation, bu t to the locality and sect wi th in tha t nation and theyear of its occurrence, because everything was constantly changing. Yet,through it all, the central theme whichdeifies the person of Nimrod, Semiramisand her illegitimate son was retainedin practically all ages and nations. It isthe chief tenet of all the "Ancient Mysteries."Masonic Symbols Adopted from

Pagan EgyptFreemasonry borrowed most of itssymbols from the ancient Egyptian system. To be consistent with this fact, and

also to reduce confus ion, we shall compare the legend of Hiram AbiD withthe central legend of the Ancient Mysteries as they were observed in Egypt.

The GOOD NEWSHere the gods were called Osiris, Isis,and Horus.

From Webster 's Dictionary caption"Osiris," we read tha t Osiris is said tohave been a wise and beneficent kingof Egypt (i.e., Nimrod was king beforethe languages were confounded and thenations were formed. Each nation claimshim to be its founder or king and itsgod, but each under a different name).Osiris, with the aid of Isis, taught hissubjects agr icul ture and all the arts andcrafts, conquering the rest of the worldto civi lize it. His brother Seth (whomGreeks cal led Typhon) treacherouslymurdered him, and cast the coffin containing his body into the River Nile.Drifting away to Byblos, it was discovered by Isis and taken back to Egypt.Seth again found the corpse, and cuttingit in pieces, he cast them into the Nile- bu t Isis found them (more thoroughaccounts of the legend show that all butone part was found, the geni ta l organ,for which she substituted the "Phallus").Then came Horus to avenge his f athe rOsiris, and the gods just ifying Osiris,restored his body to life and immortality.This death and resurrection was symbolized daily by the set ti ng and risingof the sun, and also yearly by the seasons during which the sun receeds untilthe winter solstice, then begins to beslowly "resur rec ted back to life." Seth(o r Typhon) was the symbol of winterwhich destroys the fecundating and fert il iz ing powers of the sun, deprivinghim of life. When Seth was killed byHorus , the sun began to c limb higher inthe sky, as if being resurrected by thegods. It was a time for rejoicing. Thiscustom of rejoici ng at the time of thewinter solstice has conti nued to ourpresent day when people who call themselves Chri st ians celebrate this pagancustom thinking they celebrate Christ'sbirth.When we examine the legend ofHiram Abiff we find that he possessedthe valuable Master's Word, a badge ofhighest authority, just as Osiris (o r Nimrod) possessed a kingdom and was anenlightened one.

There was also conspiracy againstHiram just as there was against Osiris.Hiram, like Osiris, was attacked andkilled, and this at the hand of a brother.The body was buried twice, not in thewaters of the Nile, since this is identifiedonly with Egypt, but in a more appropriate place under the rubble of thetemple and later under an acacia tree.It was also discovered twice by the Fellow Crafts, this time not just as Isisdiscovered Osiris's body, but in a more"convenient" method for Freemasonry.

As the legend says that Seth was killedfor his crime by Horus, so were the

March, 1959ruffian murderers of Abiff kil led by theFellow Craft. A new twist is given theMasonic legend, however, for each ruffian is killed in a different manner befitting the degree of his crimes. Themethods of death represent the penalties a Mason promises and suiears to payif he reveals the secrets of the first threedegrees (i.e., in the initiation of theFirst degree the candidate swears to paythe same penal ty as the first ruffian paidif he reveals Entered Apprentice secrets) .In the ini tiat ion of the Second degreethe candidate swears to keep the secretsunder penalty of the same death thatthe second ruffian suffered, etc.

When Isis found Osiris's body onepart was lost-the genital organ. Whenthe Fellow Craft finds Hiram's bodyone part also is lost-the Master's Word.Isis substituted the Phallus; Masons substitute Mah-hah-bone. From Masonicwritings Masonry Defined, pp. 643, 608,Mah-hah means literally, "What is thi sthe"-and bone, coming from the Hebrew word boneh, means "builder."Mah-hah-bone then means, "What isthis the bui lder?"In all appearances the "Master'sWord" in Masonry symbolizes the samecreative force that the phallus does;both are pagan symbols for the creatorof Ii fe.

Meaning of Term "Hiram Abiff"'Even the name "Hiram Abiff" is significant. Hiram i t l iterally "most noble"and is therefore a title. Abiff, according

to Masons, means "his father"; so thecomplete translation of the title is,"most noble, his father." Who couldthis refer to other than Osiris, father ofHorus?Is this pagan explanation of the"mystery of life" con tained in the symbolic legend of Hiram Abiff the ultimate of all the "genuine secrets" ofMasonry?For some it is. Others prefer theRomanized version of the same fairytale. But for those Masons, bright enoughto have their faith in this world's"christendom" shaken by observing itsparallelism with the ancient pagan mysteries, the Lodge has one more supersecret.All t hrough thirty-two degrees theMason was promi sed a reward to be received at the top of the toil some "winding stairs." Not money, nor corn, norwine, nor oil. All these are but symbols.Hi s wages were to be Masonic truth.This truth is one of the most concealeddoctrines of the "science of Masonicsymbolism." This most coveted andcostly Masonic reward, desired by them an y, a tt ai ne d by the few, the object of

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Should Christians CelebrateBIRTHDAYS?

Why does the Bible omit mention of the birthdates of such menas Abraham, Moses and even Jesus Christ? Where did thecustom of celebrating birthdays begin?by Kenneth C. Herrmann

(Owing to the many requests of new members, this article from the May, 1957 i ssue is here reprinted.)SARCH yom Bihle! How many birthday celebrations do you find?Thar of a Phar aoh who cele-brated his birthday by hanging his chiefbaker (Genesis 40) . And a second,Herod's birthday ce lebrat ion at whichJohn the Bapti st was beheaded (Matt.14:6) .

Onty two definite birthday celebra-tions in the entire Bible!Not a s ingle mention is ever made ofthe exacr dare in rerrns of the month

and day upon which any individual wasborn! Isn't all this strange in the lightof the popul ar modern practice? Birth-days seem LO Itave li u le importance inGod's eyes!

The sons of Job may also have beenobserving their birthdays, though thereis uncertainty as to whether these "days"(Job 1:4) they met on were reallybirthdays. Job actually cursed his birthdate! (Joh) : 1).

It was to show His death that Christcommanded His disciples to continuein the observance of the Passover. NoMENTION OF THE DATE OF JESUS'BIRTH AS A HUMAN BEING IS FOUND.Certainly yom birth date is not as im-portent as HiJ!Why did God the Father intend thatJesus' birthdatc should be forgotten bu tthat man should remember the dat e ofHis death' Is it hard ro hel ie-ve, "rhe dayof death . . . is better . . . t han the day ofone's birth"?

Attached to This WorldWe live in a world today that isgcared to the Roman calendar. We re-

member the date of our birth, pay ourtaxes and have our tombstones engravedwith the day we die-all in accord withthis pagan Ranum system of calctllatingtime.

Have we forgotten wc are com-manded to come ou t of this world?In following these customs we areobliged to make use of this Ruman sys-tem of t ime with its pagan designations:Stlnday, Moonday, TitlJday, Wodenday,ThorJday, Jcmttary, FebrlJary, etc. Inmany business matte rs we must regardJanuary 1 as the beginning of a newyear. Think back. Doesn't January 1

completely overshadow in your mindthe date when the true new year reallybegins?Probably ONLY A HANDFUL OF YOUWILL TAKE NOTE AT SUNSET ON THEEVENING OF APRIL 8 THIS YEAR that ANEW YEAR, AS GOD REVEALED IT, ISBEGINNING. April 9 is the anniversaryof the date about which the Eternalspoke to the ch ildren of Israel, "Th ismonth shall be unto you the beginningof months: it shall be the first monthof the year to you."

Thirteen days after the first day ofGod's new year we are to rememberrhe dare of death of Jesus Christ . Is itstrange that His DEATHdate and notHis BIRTHdate should be remembered?How hard Satan has worked to substi-tute his Roman calendar, his first dayof the week, his midnight beginning fura day, his emphasis on men's bir thda tesso man might forget the day of deathof Christ, our Passover!How completely has Satan succeeded

in convinc ing men that Easter is theresurrection dare, that Sunday is theSabbath!Consider the tactics of your enemy.Satan's work of deception extends intoevery field of endeavor, every pract ice,every custom, everything we deal within life. His efforts are continual ly di-rected to provide a counterfe it for everypractice that God has ordained, a perver-sion of every true way; a wrong waysuited to every whim of carnal humannature.What Is the Correct Attitude?

We are prone, like the world, tooveremphasize the date one is born intothis carnal life. When one repents, turnsto God's true way, receives God's Spiritand then death overtakes him beforeChrist comes-c-rsrcr THISMAN'S DAY OFDEATH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEDAY OF HIS BIRTH? This man, thoughdead, has completed his time of trialand testing. Eternal life, a posit ion asruler, awaits him at the resurrection!Paul writes, upon nearing death, "Ihave fought a good fight, I have finishedmy course, I have kept the faith. Hence-forth there is laid up for me a crown

of righteousness, which the Lord, therighteous judge, shall give me at thatday: and not to me only, but unto allthem also that love his appearing."(I I Tim. 4:7, 8).The day Paul began his carnal lifeas a baby could hardly be compared inimportance with the day he, at death,made certain his reward by enduring theprobl ems and trials of a Chri stian life

to the end.A child's life does not begin withbir th . Rather, at birth he is about ninemonths old and about ready to beg in histraining in the masrery of his emotions,his lusts and desires under the guidinghands of his parents.Japanese count a man's age from thetime of conception rather than birth.A single Greek word is translatedboth BORN and BEGOTTEN in our Eng-lish translations of the Bible and thedifference may be understood only fromthe context. No dist inc tion is made ofthe moment of bi rth. The single wordfathered could have been used to carrythe intended meaning in English. P re-serving one 's genealogy was important,bu t the date on which one was bornwas considered of l it tle account.

A New Birth DateOur present mortal existence is bu tone of dust kept alive by t he breathof life, the oxygen we breathe in and

which our bloodstream carries to allparts of the body. The moment of con-ception and of the birth of this mortallife are of l it tle importance compared toour new birth into God's kingdom.In sharp contrast to the completeabsence of any mortal man's birthdarein the Bible, we do find the commandto commemorate the day which picturesthe first "harvest of souls"-thc timewhen immortal Sam of God will beborn! This day pictures nor only ourspiritual birthday bu t the day of con-ception as well!"Flesh and blood cannot inherit thekingdom of God:' "You must be bornagain." For Chr ist ians the moment ofconception of this new life is the timethey receive God' s Spi ri t as a bege ttalto e te rnal Spiri t life. Now turn to Acts


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Page 122 For many in 31 A.D., the time ofspiritual conception was the Day ofPentecost recorded in Acts 2.For some it was then three years aftertheir repentance and baptism; for othersonly months or days. I t is not ourbaptism day then that is to be remembered year by year, but th e Day ofPentecost which is set aside as the me-morial of conception of all God's chil-dren, the moment of the beginn ing oftheir Spiritual life.But conception only begins our life.We must yet be born! Paul writes, "Mylittle children, of whom I travail inbirth until Christ be formed in you."(Gal. 4:19). We must grow from conception, from the moment God implants His Spirit in us. We must be bornimmortal. That moment, then, will bethe day of our new birth. This is the dayof birth Satan would like to cover upby emphasis on the day of your birthinto this physical life.It is the Feast of Pentecost-whichcommemorates the first harvest, thespring harvest-that commemorates inadvance t he t im e when Christians willbe reaped into th e Kingdom of God andfreed from this mortal earthly bodyin which they have been developing andgrowing to be like God. For those Christians in their graves it will be a momentof awakening. The) will come up out oftheir grsucs, children of the earth andchildren of God!The new birth is again emphasized bythe Feast of Trumpets which picturesthe Day of the Lord-and the return ofChrist at the "seventh trumpet" to raisethe "first f ruits" of God's creat ion.

Why Birthdays?The basic purpose of observing birthdays is to keep track of one's age. Howimportant are mere years? Is there notsomething MORE IMPORTANT than having achieved only another birthday?Consider the case of Job. He was amiddle-aged man, proud of his years,righteous in the eyes of all; even Satancould find no fault.God brought him down to repentanceby showing His great might compared

to Job's, by showing the contrast inwisdom, in understanding. But first Jobhad to receive wisdom from a comparative youth.Study Job, chapters 32 through 38.Before Job could have the personal interview with God that he demanded, hehad to have his sins laid bare by a youth.This young man, Elihu, had good manners. He "had waited till Job [and theothers] had spoken, because they wereolder than he. When Elihu saw thatthere was no answer in the mouth ofthese three men . .. [he'] said, I amyoung, and ve are very old: whereforeI was afraid, and durst not shew you

Th e GOOD NEWSmine opinion. I said, 'Days sbould. speak,and multitude of years should teach uiis-dom?"

Put yourself in Job's position. Godwas bring ing him down, A youth,strangely enough, gives words of wisdom. A man of years listens.The speech of the Eternal out of thewhir lwind which follows contains no

rebuke for this young man. Job repented. His three friends offered sacrificesfor their own folly.Isn't there a lesson here for those ofus who count our wisdom by our age?"The hoary head is a crown of glory, ifit be found in the way of righteousness."(Prov. 16: 31) . Here is a different attitude toward age. The multi tude ofyears should teach wisdom, the agedshould understand judgment. We shouldbe better qualified to teach wisdom eachyear. Bur are we?

Ought we not to look back year byyear with a feel ing of regret rather thanpride? We have not learned the wisdomor acquired the knowledge and unders tanding that we might .If we had only applied ourselves morediligently. If we had only begun earlierin life to fear God, to keep His commandments, to recognize human naturefor what it is. Then our years could bea thing to look back over with joy andwith a right kind of pride.What is this morta l life anyway? Ofwhat lasting significance is a birthdate?None!

God's Calendar for Birthdays?A few moments spent considering

God's Sacred Calendar should make itclear why the practice of birthday observance among God's people would beimpossible. Have you pitied the "unfortunate" individual who was born onFebruary 29 and could receive giftsand congratulations only once everyfour years? Then consider that thelength of three months of the God'sSacred Calendar varies from year toyear, having 29 and 30 days after arather complicated pattern. Three timesas many individuals would be affected.A still greater deterrent to annualbirthday observance is the insertion of a13th month in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th,14th, 17th, and 19th years of the present19-year cycle. The single irregularity ofFebruary 29 of the Roman calendaraffects but one individual in 1461. Th eirregularities of God's Calendar wouldaffect the birthday observance of oneperson in every eight.It is true that some Jewish peoplecontinue to observe birthdays and otheranniversaries with God's Calendar. Arather intricate set of carnal humanrules governs whether to move the celebrat ion ahead or back one day, or backone month in the absence of the 13th

March, 1959month. Differing regulations are appliedand the practice is not uniformly followed by all. But Christians follow God,not Jews who have adopted pagan customs!

The use of the God-given calendaractually deprives one person in eight ofthe pride and pleasure of having a regular day once a year on which to practiceidleness and overindulgence!

Keeping God's HolydaysBut, you might ask, doesn 't this pattern in God's Calendar make His annual Holydays difficult to keep also?NOT AT ALL. Everyone of these Holy-days comes during the first seven monthsof the year. These first seven monthsnever change in length. The l sr, 3rd,5th, and 7th months always have 30days; the even numbered months coming between, but 29 days. Even the last

month of the year, whether it be atwelfth or thirteenth month, has alwaysa regular 29 day length.Thus an eight mont h section of God'sSacred Calendar is free of irregularitieseliminating any chance for confusion asto when the Holydays are to be kept!But no scripture anywhere commandsus to observe any dates other than God'sSabbath and His Holydays. To celebratebirthdays is to add to the law-andwhoever does that will be added to theLake of Fire!

MASONRY(Continued from page 10)

many years d iligent preparation, is atlast fully realized. It is the humil iatingadmission that Masons must alwayssearch for truth but never find it!In their official words, Machey, Ma-sonry Defined, p. 561, "This divinetruth, the object of all his labors, issymbolized by the Word, and this isintended to teach the humi li at ing butnecessary lesson that the knowledge ofthe nature of God and of man's relation to Him, which knowledge constitutes divine truth, can never be acquired in this life."Thus, in one fell swoop, Masonryabolishes all pretext of encouraging itsmembers to believe in the Holv Scriptures upon which it claims to base itsallegories and upon which its oaths areadministered. By this final secret theyconfirm what was always implied in theLodge-that the way of life revealedin the Bible and God's plan of salvationout lined in it are lies-that man cannotknow God nor understand his relat ionship to Him. WHAT IGNORANCE!(T o be continued)

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Good News 1959 (Vol VIII No 03) Mar_w