Good News 1951 (Vol I No 04) Dec_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1951 (Vol I No 04) Dec_w

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VOL. 1, NUMBER 4

The NatIonalAMBASSADO

MagazIne ofR COLLEGE

DECEMBER, 1951

The TRUTH About "Lazarusand the Rich Man!"Thousands have asked for the true explanation of the

"Rich Man and Lazarus." Here is what the Bible really says!

D o SAVED mothers up in heaven seethe writhing and hear the shrieksof the ir own lost child ren downin hell?STOP AND THINK! Would you reallywant to spend eternity in a heavenwhere you would be forced to gaze constantly upon your own loved ones whowere lost, hearing them franticallyscreaming to you for help you would beunable to give, gazing constant ly upontheir indescribable agony, as they, onfire, are burmng-burning to deathyet never really - burning up? Wouldyou be happy?Ye t that is exactly the kind of heaventhat is being pictured by most of thechurches and the clergy! They rely moreon Jesus' account of Lazarus and theRich Man than any other argumem (0support their teaching that the "saved"go instantly, at death, to heaven whilethe lost leave their bodies and are

p lunged into an ever-burn ing infernoof eternal torture.What the Bible SAYS!

Those who deny going to heaven orto hell at the instant of dea th have saidthe account of Lazarus and the rich manwas merely a parable. But the "immortalsad" advocates insist this is not a parable! Jesus was stating facts that hadhappened, they argue.So let's pretend this was not a parable.Let's take it literally. Jesus surely meantexactly uh.:zl He said. Bur He did not

By Herbert W. Armstrongsay what is popularly believed!Jesus said "There was a certain richman." Then there really was a certainrich man! Jesus said definitely that thisparticular rich man "was clothed inpurple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day." He really lived inluxury and splendor! (Luke 16:19.)Also, Jesus said, "there was a certainbeggar named Lazarus, which was laidat his ga te full of sores, and desiring tobe fed with the crumbs which fell fromthe rich man's table: moreover the dogscame and licked his sores." (Verses20-21. )Yes, there were many such beggarsin Palesrine when Jesus lived there.

What Happened?Next Jesus described what happenedto them."And it came to pass, that the beggar

died, and was carried by the angels intoAbraham's bosom: the rich man alsodied and was bur ied." (Verse 22.) Theyboth died!

That is exactly what Jesus said. Nowread that again. Did Jesus say the beggar went to heaven?He certainly did not! He said thebeggar "was carried by the angels intoAbraham's bosom."Did the Beggar Go to Heaven?Now what is a "bosom?" If you canfind what a "bosom" is -and in this case

Abraham's bosom,-you will knowwhere the beggar was taken.Look in your dictionary. A "bosom"is the breast of a human being, withthe arms as an enclosure; a loving embrace by the arms of one person aboutanother; an intimate relationship.So Lazarus was carried into an inti -mate relationship with Abraham.Lazarus here is pictured as a Genti le,who received salvation. Do Gentiles,upon being converted and becomingChrist's, enter into any intimate relationship to Abraham? They certainlydo! To the Genti le-born Galatians, theScriptures written by Paul say definitely:"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed (children), and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:29.)Thru Christ they become the childrenof Abraham. Thru faith we all become"the chi ldren of Abraham." (Gal. 3:7.)That is an in timate relationship withAbraham. That is being taken IntoAbraham's bosom!Now Abraham is an HEIR of God.God gave Abraham a PROMISE. Notice(Gal. 3: 29), those who thru Christ become Abraham's children are heirs-butheirs according to the promise God madeto Abraham!The PROMISE Was Not Heaven!Now what did God promise Abraham? To what promise was this beggarnow an heir? Did God promise Abrahamand his children HEAVEN?


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Page 2Let's not put any interpretation uponthe sacred Word of God. No scripture

is of any private interpretation-it isinterpreted by other Scriptures_ It oughtnot to be interpreted by man.To learn what God promised Abraham, we must turn back to Genesis 12."And Abram took Sarai his wife, ...

and they went forth to go into the landof Canaan; and into the land of Canaanthey came. . . . And the Eternal appearedunto Abram, and said, Unto thy seedwill I give THIS LAND." (Gen. 12: 5-7.)The land of Canaan is called PALES-TINE coday. It is on this earth, not up inheaven. This beggar thru Christ became"Abraham's seed,"-in the in timate relationship of one of Abraham's children.

Then God included this beggar whenHe said, "Unto thy seed will I giveTHIS LAND."Again, later, God promised Abraham: "For all the LAND which thouseest, to thee will I give it, and to thyseed FOREVER." (Gen. 13:15.)Again, still later: "In the same day theEternal made a covenant with Abram,saying, Unto thy seed have I giventhis land, from the river of Egypt untothe great river, the river Euphrates."(Gen. 15: 18.) Here God wrote into theagreement, or the title to the property ,the very boundary line of the property.Of course the expression "thy seed" refers in particula r to Christ, bu t sincethis beggar was Christ's, he, also, was"Abraham's seed, and heir according tothe promise."

The PROMISE was not heaven. Thepromise was the LAND of Palestine, onthis earth. It was for ever, so the promise included eternal life, and eternal in-heritance (Heb. 9: 15.) The PROMISE,then, was ETERNAL LIFE ON THISEARTH!

Only an Heir!Now notice an important point. Thebeggar was carried by the angels intoAbraham's BOSOM-that is, by Bible explanation, he became one of Abraham'schildren, and therefore he became an

HEIR to inherit the LAND on THIS EARTHand ETERNAL LIFE. He was not yet apossessor-not yet an inheritor-merelyan HEIR!

The next question is, when was thisbeggar to inherit-to come into possession of ETERNAL LIFE in THE PROM-ISED LAND? Jesus, in telling about Lazarus and the rich man, did not coverthat poinr, He only told what happened,not when. We must find the answer, notin human imagination or the falseteaching of man, but IN THE BIBLE!The son, who is heir to his father'sproperty cannot come into possession ofit before his father inheri ts it. This beg-

The GOOD NEWSgar, carried into the intimate relationshipof a son of Abraham, could not inheriteither eternal LIFE, or this LAND, priorto the time his father Abraham receivesthese promises.

When, then, did Abraham actually receive these promises? The startling answer of Scr ipture is -HE DIDN'T!-hehas not, even yet in our day, inheritedthese promises!

WHEN We Inherit the PromisesScripture reveals the answer thru theinspired speech of the very first Christianmartyr, Stephen, who was stoned to deathfor these very words.It is in Acts 7: "And he said, Men,brethren, and fathers, hearken; The Godof glory appeared unto our Father Abraham . . . and said unto him, Get theeout of thy country, and from thy kindred,and come into THE LAND which I willshow thee. Then came he out of the landof the Chaldeans . . . into this land,wherein ye now dwell. (Palestine.) AndHe gave him none inheri tance in it . . .yet He promised that he would give it

to him for a possession, and to his seedafter him." (Acts 7: 1-5.)Again this amazing fact is stated inthe FAITH chapter-Hebrews 11: "Byfaith Abraham, when he was called togo out into a place which he shouldafter receive for an inheritance, obeyed;... By faith he sojourned in the LANDof promise, as in a strange country,dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac andJacob, the heirs with h im of the samepromise: . . . These all died in faith, nothat'ing received the promises, but havingseen them afar off, and were persuadedof them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth." (Heb. 11:8-13.)Abraham died, but has not to this dayinherited the promises!Abraham died, and was still DEAD,not living on earth or in heaven or anywhere, but was still DEAD, at the time ofChrist's earthly ministry, We read inJohn 8:52, "Abraham is dead." At tha ttime-centuries after he died, AbrahamWAS DEAD! He is still dead today. When,then, is he to inher it the promises?At the time of the RESURRECTION ofthe JUSt, of course! The Kingdom of Godis the government to be se t up IN PAL-ESTINE to rule all nations after the Second Coming of Christ."For the Lord Himself shall descendfrom heaven . . . and the dead in Christshall rise first." ( I Thes. 4: 16.) Humanmortals, in Christ, l iving and dead, receive eternal life-immortality-thePROMISES God made to Abraham atChrist's Second Coming. That is whenthey shall put on immortality! "Flesh andblood (human mortals) cannot inheritthe Kingdom of God; ne ither doth cor-

December, 1951ruption inherit incorruption Behold, Ishow you a mystery; we shall not allsleep, but we shall all be changed, in amoment, in the twinkling of an eye, atthe last trump: for the trumpeL shallsound, and the dead (inc lud ing Abraham and the beggar) . shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Forthis corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on im-mortality." ( I Cor. 15:50-53.)Again, notice when Abraham and allhis children co-heirs are finally to in-herit the promises-the Kingdom ofGod, on this earth, in Palestine:"When the Son of man shall come inHis glory, and all the holy angels wi thHim,"-notice, this is the Second Coming of Christ-and all the ANGELS comewith Him-"THEN shall He sit uponthe throne of His glory: , . . THEN"and not until then-"shall the King sayunto them on His right hand, Come, yeblessed of my Father, INHERIT THE KING-DOM prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Mat. 25:31-34.)Jesus said Abraham would receive thepromises, including eternal life, thru theRESURRECTION: "But as touching theresurrection of the dead, have ye notread that which was spoken unto you byGod, saying, I am the God of Abraham,and the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob? God is 110t the Gud uf the dead,but of the living." (Mat. 22:31-32.)Jesus did not say Abraham was thenliving. Yet the things God has promisedare so certain they may be counted asif already accomplished. Abraham, asshown above by Scripture, was and stillis DEAD. But Jesus spoke this aboutAbraham "as touching the RESURREC-TION of the dead." Abraham will beRESURRECTED.Jesus told the Pharisees they wouldsee Abraham in the Kingdom (Luke13:28), because Abraham, now DEAD,will then be RESURRECTED from thedead!

Carried by AngelsNow again let's get back to what Jesussaid about Lazarus in Luke 16. Jesus saidthis beggar died. So, like Abraham, he is

STILL DEAD!But Jesus said that, after he died, "hewas carried by the angels into Abraham'sbosom." We now know tha t WHERE hewas carried was not up to heaven, butinto the status of a son and heir ofAbraham, to inherit THE LAND on thisearth, and ETERNAL LIFE upon it, at thet ime his father Abraham comes into his

inheritance-at the time of the Resurrection.But notice, Lazarus is to be carriedthere by the angels!When do the angels come down fromPlease continue on page 14


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Did ELIJAH Go to Heaven?by Herman Hoeh

Yau HAVE been told that Elijahwent to heaven.What, then, did Jesus mean whenHe said in John 3:13: "And no manhath ascended up to Hem/en, bu t he thatcame down from heaven"? Is this aBible contradiction, or did Elijah reallyascend to the heaven where God's throne

IS?From Jesus' cwn s tatement we havethe absolute proof that no man had ascended to the heaven of the Father'sthrone, except Jesus who came downfrom heaven (John 6:38) and who isat the right hand of the Father in heaven now (Hebrews 8: 1) .Then where did Elijah go?

The Meanings of HeavenThere are several heavens mentionedin the Bible, not just one! And if, asJesus said, no man, which includedElijah, had ever ascended to heaven,then the heaven into which Elijah wastaken was a different heaven! Which onewas it?There is the heaven of God' s throne,where Jesus is today. ; .:sus, being the

High Priest of God, is the only One whohas the righ t to be in that heaven withthe Father. Hebrews 8: 1-5 explains theoriginal earthly tabernacle under theOld Covenant with its most holy place,or compartment-the type of the throneof God in heaven. Only the h igh pr iest- type of Christ as High Priest now,was allowed to enter.The word "heaver" also means theexpanse of this great universe-the spacewhere we find the sun, moon, stars,comets and planets. How often do wefind the Psalmist admiring the "heavens,the work of thy fingers, the moon, andthe stars, which thou hast ordained."Psalm 8:3; Genesis 1:15-17.Beside the heaven of the stars, wealso find that the atmosphere, the air

that surrounds this world, is also calledheaven. Birds fly in the midst of heaven-certainly not God 's throne in heaven- f o r we read in Genesis 1:20 of "fowlthat may fly above the earth in the openfirmament of heaven." In blessing Jacob,Isaac said: "God give thee of the dewof heaven" and Moses joyed that the"heavens shall drop down dew." SeeGen. 27:28; Deut 33:28.Here heaven can mean only the atmosphere where the clouds and thewind roam. Everyone of us is right nowbreathing the ail' of heaven!

Which Heaven?Since Elijah could not have gone tothe heaven of God's throne, then towhich heaven did he go? for the Scripture reads "and Elijah went up by a

whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2: I,11) ."The answer ought already be quiteobvious; for he "went up by a whirl-

wind into heaven." There could be nowhirlwind in any other place but in theatmosphere surrounding this earth-inthe heavens in which the birds fly. Youcertainly have all seen the great l if tingpower of a whirhl/ind, haven't you? Ifgreat timbers can be flung into the air,it would not be any great feat for theEver-Living who planned to take Elijahup by such means!

Why Taken Up?There was a reason for this unusualact of God. Why did he take Elijahup into the atmosphere? Was it to makehim immortal? No, the Scripture say.rno word about that. The ancient prophetsdid not receive any promise of immortality prior to or apart from us. And weshall receive it when Christ returns

(Heb. 11:39,40).I f Elijah were not made immortalfor tha t would give him pre-eminenceabove Jesus-what does the Bible say?What men presume matters nothing.In 2 Kings 2: 3 and 5 the answer isplainly recorded. "Knowesr thou thatthe Lord will take away thy masterfrom thy head today?" Or as theSmi th and Goodspeed translation hasit "Do you know that today the Lord isabout to take away your master frombeing your leader?"Christ is the head of the church todayas Elijah was the head or leader of thesons or disciples of the prophets inthat day. But God wanted Elisha to directhis work as Ahaziah the King had died(2 Kings 1: 18). So what did He do?He could not allow Eli jah to be amongthe people with Elisha directing thework now. That would have been thesame as disqualifying him! Since Elijahwas not to die just yet, and since Godneuer takes an office from a man whenthat man has been performing his dutywell, the only thing God could do wouldhave been to remove Elijah so thatanother would have to fulfill the officeas prophet of the Eternal.This God did do. When taken up,

Elijah's mantle dropped from him andElisha picked it up. See the twelfthto the fifteenth verses inclusive of 2Kings 2.And what did the "mantle" mean?In Clark's Commentary we note thatit was "worn by prophets and priests asthe simple insignia of their office." Vol.2, page 484.The purpose of God in removingElijah was to replace him with anotherman who would carry on the work ofIsrael for another fifty years. This workhad to start under a new king for Ahaziah had just died. And Elijah was already aging. So as nor to disqualifyElijah in the sight of the people, Godrook him away from the sons of theprophe ts and the people, allowing themantle which signified the office of Elijah to drop into the hands of Elisha.Thus God preserved the name and officeof His prophet from the possible slursof the king.

How Taken Up?Having crossed Jordan near Jericho,Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind inwhat appeared to be a chariot and horsesof fire-signifying the very present power of God and angels in the action. Theviolent motion of the wind pulled the

mantle off the prophet as he was seento ascend into the sky. You probablyremember reading the promise of Elijahthat Elisha would have a double portionof the Spirit of God if he would be allowed by God to see him taken up. Allthis meant that Elisha was to be theleader, the new head of the sons of theprophets, just as a double portion wasthe right of the first-born (2 Kings2:9) .Having ascended into the air, Elijahwas borne away out of the sight of thenew leader-beyond the horizon. But -

Where Did Elijah Go?This has been the perplexing problem to so many!He did not ascend to the throne ofGod. Jesus said so! He couldn' t remainin the air forever.And God did not say that Elijahwas to die at that time. I f he were,Elisha could have assumed his new officewithout the removal of Elijah, for weknow that Elisha died in office afterfulfilling his duty. (See 2 Kings 13:14).The sons of the prophets who knewPlease continue on page 6


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Here's How YOU Can Affordto Attend God's Festivals

by Rod Meredith and Raymond MeNair

GOD WANTS His people to get together! And, as most of youreaders know, God commands usto keep His Holy Days instead of thisworld's holidays-which have mainlycome from paganism.

The seven annual Holy Days of Godprovide special times for God's rrue worshippers to meet at a time and place selected by God-and not in a man-devised "camp meeting." They are seasonsof joyous fellowship!Each of these festivals pictures for usa part of God's plan and keeps us an-nually in remembrance of it. Thechurches of this world have subst itutedthe pagan holidays, and have, therefore,lost true knowledge of God's plan ofsalvation.If we are to contend earnestly "forthe fai th which was once delivered," weare going to forsake the pagan holidaysand customs of this wor ld and beg in to

keep holy the days God made holy! AndGod has given a means so we can affordto do it.

Wh y These Festivals?To review briefly-before explainingthe amazing plan God has insti tuted soyou'll be financially able-we shouldremember why God commands you toobserve the festivals.Turning to Exodus 12-this was BE-

FORE God made the Old Covenant withIsrael at Sinai and commanded animalsacrifices-e-we find in this chapter Godbegan instituting His festive occasionswith the Passover on the fourteenth dayof the first month of God's sacred calendar (verses 1-6). In verse 14, the Eternal says that the first annual holy day isa MEMORIAL to be kept FOREVER! Alsoin verses 15-17, the entire seven days ofUnleavened Bread are commanded to beobserved forever!These days were commanded foreverand they were nowhere abolished.(Another article will appea r in a laterissue of the Good News explaining misunderstood texts in the New Testament.)God later pu t sacrifices upon thesedays just as He did on the weekly Sabbath and upon every SUNDAY, and uponevery day of the week, every week of theyear! See Exodus 29: 38. Do Sunday-ad-

vacates think Sunday was abolishedfrom the week because the offerings ofthat day by ancient Israel are abolished?Of course not!Then why use this fallacious argu

ment to try to do away with God's HolyDays? They are still coming around yearby year!Instituted Before Sacrifices

Now let us turn to another placewhere these feasts or festivals of Godwere commanded BEFORE any animalsacrifices and meat offerings were instituted. In Exodus 23: 14-18, we find theFeast of Unleavened Bread (includingthe Passover) , the Feast of Firstfruits (o rPentecost) and the Feast of Ingathering(festivals of [he seventh month) arecommanded to be kept holy.These are commanded again in Exodus 34:22-25. Notice that these days hadno connection with animal sacrificesexcept the sacrificial Passover lamb,which symbol Jesus changed to unleav-ened bread and wine.God tells us in Jeremiah 7: 21-24:"For I spake not unto your fathers, norcommanded them in the day that Ibrought them Out of the land of Egyptconcerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be yourGod, and ye shall be my people: andwalk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well untoyou."

The Eternal d idn' t command offerings and sacrifices at the time He instituted His festivals forever. So whenreading the following texts, don' t getthe FALSE idea that the days were givenfor the purpose of the sacrifices. Thesacrifices were pu t on the days later,just as on Sunday and every day of theweek. With the death of Christ and thecoming of the Holy Spiri t, the sacrificeswere terminated, but the annual festivals, the sabbath, yes, and every day ofthe week still continued as they do today.In Levit icus 23 is a complere list of allthe festivals God gave to Israel-theywere not given to Gentile nations because these nations were without God,having no hope (Eph 3: 12), but Gentiles today keep them when they are

graf ted into Israel of the spir it (I Cor.5:8) .In Lev. 23: 3 is mentioned the weeklySabbath day right along wi th the othe r"feasts" or special days set apart for theworship of God. In the fifth and sixthverses are mentioned the Passover, andthe Feast of Unleavened Bread. Al lseven of these annual occasions are commanded in this chapter. In verses 21, 31,41, the Holy Days mentioned are specifically commanded to be kept FOREVER.New Testament ExamplesEveryone of these days is intended tobe kept forever and we find that Chris tand the early true church DID keepthem.In Matthew 26: 17-30, we find thatJesus kept the passover-s-only hechanged the manner of observance fromthe use of the roast Iamb to unleavenedbread and wine. In the seventh chapterof John , the Holy Spirit recorded thatChrist kept the Feast of Tabernacles. Inverse one it says that JESUS WOULD NOT

WALK IN JEWRY. Ye t he kept theFeast of Tabernaclesl Why?Because Gocl had commanded it FOR-EVER! SO if we are to be real Chris tians ,we must follow Christ's example!All through the Book of Acts, we findthat the early true church of God underthe inspiration of the Holy Spirit keptGod's Holy Days.In Acts 2: 1, we notice the discipleshad gathered together to keep the day ofPentecost. I f they had disobeyed (hatcommand, like roday's worldly churches,they would not even have been there toreceive the Holy Spirit!In Acts 20:6 , Paul and the discipleswere keeping the days of UnleavenedBread. This was LONG AFTER the sacrifices and carnal ordinances had beennailed to the cross. Yet we find the HolySpiri t inspired the author of Acts to inform us that the days of unleavenedbread were STILL in existence.The days of Unleavened Bread areagain mentioned in Acts 12:3 . In versefour, the King James translation of theBible has the word "Easter" for the original Greek word meaning passover.This is the only place such an unusualtranslation error occurs.Please continue on page 8


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HELL-What Does the BIBLETeach About It?

by Dr. C. P. Meredith

XE ANY of your loved ones going to.burn forever in hell fire? Some ofthem probably are disobeyingGod.Do you believe in a God who has prepared a horrifying nightmarish place ofeverlasting torture for those that disobeyHim?The most "popular" teaching is thathell means a place of never-ending torture for the wicked.But the ideas of men on this subjectare not impor tant . We want to knowwhat ALMIGHTY GOD, our Creator, has tosay about this through the revealedWord of God, the Holy Bible. For theBible says, "All scripture is given by inspira tion of God and is profit" ...Je fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction In righteousness." 2 Tim.3:16.What the Word Hell Really MeansIs such a place mentioned in the Bible? Yes. Four different Hebrew andGreek words have been transla ted intothe English word "hell" fifty-three times.First though, let's look into the originof this word "hell" so as to eliminate anyman-made ideas we may have associated

with it when we see the word in print orhear it.We should realize that the Old Testament was originally inspired in the Hebrew language and the New Testamentin the Greek. There are a total of fourseparate and distinct words in these twolanguages, all of which have been translated into the words "hell," "grave" or"pit" in the English Bible. Three of thesewords have separate and distinct meanings.Sbeol (Hebrew) and hades (Greek)mean the same thing-simply the graveor pit. Of sbeol, Smith's Bible Dictionarysays, "It would perhaps have been betterto retain the Hebrew word sbeol, or elserender it always by THE GRAVE or THEPIT." It says further, "I t is clear in manypassages of the Old Testament that sheolr-in mean only THEGRAVE."-nor a fieryhell!Of hades it says, "In the New Testament the word hades (l ike sheaI) sometimes means merely the GRAVE, or ingeneral, the unseen world." (Pages 1037.1038).

The Real MeaningTo bring the t ruth Out clearly, Acts2:31, speaking of the resurrection ofJesus says: "He (David) seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ,

that his soul was not left in hell, neitherhis flesh did see corruption." The soulof Chr is t wa s the body that went intothe grave! Yet here we read that Christwent to hell!The word in the original manuscripthere was hades-the grave! Also in ICor. 15:55: "0 grave (the word hadeswas used in the orig ina l), where is thy

victory?" Clearly hades is the gra1'e 01"condition of death.

Gehenna is the Greek word translated"hell fire" so often. I t is associated withthe dump at Jerusalem and denotes acontinually burning fire that burned upcompletely all refuse that was throwninto it-TOTAL DESTRTTrTTON Thiswas the word used by Christ with reference to the second and everlasting death.Thus, the Jews understood what Christmeant when He said, "Fear him tha t isable to destroy both body and soul inhell (Gehenna );'

The Smith Bible Dictionary on page1038 says of this word, "The word mostfrequendyused in the New Testamentfor the place of future punishment inGehenna of Gehenna-kre"In Mark 9:47 Christ said: "And ifthine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it isbetter for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than havingtwo eyes to be cast into hell fire." Gehenna is used here in the original manuscript. Chr is t says here it is bet ter for usto destroy our sinning members (see Col3:5) than to be burned up in gehenna.Tartaroo is the third Greek word usedwith a distinc t meaning. I t denotes acondi tion of res traint for fallen angels,It is used only once in the Bible (2 Peter2: 4) and does no t refer to men.

Now th ings are becoming clearer!The King James version is only a translation by man, subject to error, and without God's direct inspiration. God'sWord, as He originally inspired thewriters of the Bible. didn't make anycontradictory statements about death,hell and destruction. "God cannot lie."The Bible is the word of God! Therefore

as God inspired it, it didn' t contain anylies, imperfections, or contradictions ofany kind whatsoever!Even in the Bible, "sheaf" is translated "grave" and "pit" more often than"hell." That is the intended meaning anyway so why do men try to read "burninghell" into it? This is absurd in manyplaces such as in Jonah 2:2 where Jonahcries to God out of the belly of "hell"(i.e. t h e ' ~ U/iGe F I S ~ ' S"Shea!" here should have been translated "grave" or "hidden place" as itsometimes means. Certainly it would beridiculous to say that onah's tern oragrave in the ' e l l y was t ae eryfurnace of hell! Also, in Luke 16we findin the parable of Lazarus and the richman that the rich man did not at onceto a bu rn ing hell after he died but onlyto his grave for the word in verse 23which was translated "hell" was "hades"which means grave.

Now we are beginning to see the realmeaning of the words translated "hell."They just don 't mean the things that the"Hell-fire" preachers say they do! No, indeed! The Creator God has a lot morewisdom, and infinitely more love thanthese so-called mtnisters would have usbelieve. Time and again they would haveus feel the pangs of terror by using theword "hell" where only the meaninggrave or pi t is intended.The English word for grave or pitwas "hell" in previous centuries, andthey used to say thar they buried theirpotatoes in "hell" for the winter.The Encyclopaedia Americana saystha t the origin of the idea of a hell cameabout by centuries of man's thinking ona reward. It is MAN'S IDEA of what sucha place should be, and not what is actually revealed to us hy Gael through hisHoly Word. The idea was gradual ly developed by the Greeks and Romans.Clement of Alexandria speaks of spiritual fire in this world, Gregory the Great(604 A.D.) established the doctr ine ofhell, and Dame Alighieri (1265-1321A.D.) gave the idea a great forwardthrus t when he wrote his Divine Comedy. I t became a place of eternal punish

ING and a place where the devil reignedsupreme. It was said to be located beneath the earth's surface.Please continue 01 t page 9


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Page 6 The GOOD NEWS December, 1951What All Thi s Means

Folding up human ideas and layingthem forever aside, we can see tromthese events recorded in Scriprure thatGod allowed El ijah the prophet to liveabout ten more years on this ea rth a fte rhis removal as head of the prophets. TheScripture implies that almost no oneknew where he was during this time. Tobe living these years, God must haveplaced him again upon the earth wherefew if any ochers knew of his presence,or at least they did not reveal it. Elijahwas still a human being the same asalways, bu t removed from his own people.The lett er he had others deliver wasknown to be his-implying tha t he wasconsidered to be alive some place. Justhow much longer he lived, the Bibledoes not mention. Bur in that it is ap-pointed unto all man once to d ie -wi th the exception of Christians aliveat Jesus' rerum-Elijah must have died

somewhat later. See Hebrews 9:27. Theprophet, being mortal flesh as we are,could not have lived much beyond hisseventy years.To suppose that God gave him thepower of an endless life of nearly threethousand years already is to read intothe Bible what is not there! He wasmortal, subject to death, and after beinglifted into the atmospheric heavens,spent the remaining years of his separate life at some other location on the

earth, l iving as every human being, before he naturally died.Elijah on the Mount

The only remaining texts that puzzlepeople are those relat ive to the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mountof Transfiguration with Jesus. The record of the event is found in Matthew17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36.Leaving the mountain, Jesus told his disciples: "Tell the vision to no man(Mt. 17:9)."A vision is not a reality bur a picturein the mind put there supernaturally, inthis case, by God. Moses died, and wasburied (Deut. 34:5-6). Both he andElijah were still dead in their graves,

but in vision bo th they and Jesus wereseen in the glory of the resurrection-anevent to which Moses and Elijah havenot yet attained, (Heb. 11:39). Thevision was granted the disciples af terJesus had spoken of the glory of immortali ty in the coming kingdom.After all these Scriptures have beenstudied, what is the conclusion? ThatElijah is dead in the dust of the earthawait ing , as are all the holy men of old,the resurrection of the just. Elijah, someyears after being removed in the whir lwind, went to the grave, bur he willrise again, this t ime to live forevermore.

HEARD ON PACIFIC COAST:XERB-50,OOO watts-1090 on dial-7:00 P.M. every night.KALl-Los Angeles-1430 on dial7:30 A.M. every morning.KXL-Portland-lO,OOO watts. 750on dial-2:30 P.M., Sundays.KVI-Seattle-Tacoma-570, first ondial-10:30 P.M. Sundays.

his kingdom rule was to put his relativesto the sword lest they should claim thethrone from him (2 Chronicles 21:4).After that he followed the human waysof the nations about him and did evilin God's sight. Then Edomites boltedhis rule.Ten years had now expired since Eli-jah was taken from the people. But whatdo you think was about to happen?A Letter Comes from Elijah!Yes, after this wicked rule by theJewish king, God chose Elijah to writea letter and have it sent to the king!The contents of the let te r are found in2 Chronicles 21: 12-15. In part it read:"Because thou hast not walked in theways of . . . thy father . . . but hastwalked in the way of the kings of Israel. . . and also hast slain thy brethren ofthy father's house, which were better

than thyself ... thou shalt have greatsickness by disease."From the wording of the let ter, Eli jahwrote it after these events had occurred,for he speaks of them as pas t euerus,and of the disease as future.And this was ten years after Elijahhad been taken to another location bythe whirlwind.That God should have used him toconvey the message is very reasonable,for he was the prophet of God in thedays of the present king's father-andthe son was not going in the ways ofhis obedient parent Jehosophat.

TO THE NATION & CANADA:XERF-1570 on your dial (extremetop of dial) every Sundaynight, 7:15 P.M. CentralStandard time.XEG-1050 on your dial, every night,S:00 P.M. Central Standardtime.XEL0-S00 on your dial, every night,9:00 P.M. Central Standardtime. (8 :00 Mountain Standard tirne.)

Herbert W. Armstrong analyzes to day's news, with the prophecies ofThe WORLD TOMORROW!

NThe WORLD TOMORROW"RADIO LOG

Number 4OL. I- - - - - - - - - - - -------

Sent free on personal request, as theLord provides. Address communications to the Editor, Box 111,Pasadena,California.

The Answer UnfoldsLet us skip over a few years and seewha t fur ther events the Scripture records. The son of Ahab, king of Israel,Jehoram, or Joram as he is variouslycalled, began to reign about 896 B.C.

This was the year of the removal ofElijah (2 Kings 1:18 and 3:1). Duringthis king' s reign Elisha was the recognized prophet of God (2 Kings 3: 11) .In the fifth year of Joram king of Israel,the son of the king of Judah began toreign along wi th his father in Judah (2Kings 8: 16). His name also was jehoram. The first thing he did to establish

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and Editor

Herman Hoeh, Executive EditorRaymondCole, Marion McNair,RaymondMcNair, Paul SmithAssociate Editors

Owen Smith, Campus EditorKenneth Herrmann, Science EditorDick Armstrong, Picture EditorRodMeredith, Sports EditorBetty Bates, Society Editor

The national magazine ofAMBASSADOR COLLEGE

ministering to The Church of Godscattered abroad, andreporting on campus happenings

Is Elijah in Heaven?Continued from page 3

th at th eir master was to be removedalso knew that Elijah was not to die then.That is why they were fearful that theSpirit of God might have allowed himto drop "upon some mountain, or intosome valley (2 Kings 2: 16)." Elishaknew that God would preserve Eli jahfrom falling, but at their insistence hepermitted men to go in search for him- t o no avail.Eli jah was gone!And where to? Cer tainly the whi rl

wind used by God could not take himbeyond the earth 's atmosphere. Neitherdoes the Bible account leave Elijah inthe air!


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ON THE CAMPUSBUOW ING are articles written by students on student actioities. The purpose of this entire section will be to give you the story of our jam-packedlives on the campus. We hope you won't mind if we occasionally poke a little fun atourseltJes-striving human beings are always funny-and no matter how serious minded,

our frailties wink. (We don't think there is anyone here who would claim to be the acme ofperfection.) -thanks! Criticism and suggestions welcomed The Campus Editor

"Consider the Ant,Thou Sluggard"

by Calvin AllenYou have read a great deal about thestudent life here on the campus. The rehave been articles in the Good Newsabout our recreations and social functions but no one has written anything

about our physical work. As one of thetwo students who have been given a position in the supervision of student labor, I can familiarize you with just whatwe fellows do.I mentioned being given a position inour work. Perhaps I should explain justwhat system of administration we use atAmbassador College, whether it is deII1uuacy, socialism, or other accepted human government.To make a long story short, we usetheocracy, God's government . Thatmeans God does the ruling. Those hehas placed in posi tion under him (I Co

rinthians 12:28) carry out His ordersand principles. We must have government in order not to have confusion.Don't misunderstand me, I don'tmean to say that all governments arewithout confusion; only God's government is. When you see confusion amongleaders, you can be sure that Goddoesn't have his hand in it. No two canbe the leader in the same office. AsChrist said, "My father is greater than I"in authority, though bo th are of God'sfamily. Yet two or more may be in different offices on an equal rank, just asthe twelve apostles who will rule thetwelve tribes of Israel in the soon-coming Kingdom.

When I mentioned that two of thestudents had been given equal positionsin the work here on the campus, youmight have thought we were a confused team, but that has been workedo.rr by Mr. Elliot, who is director of menstudent labor. By having one of two students over the fellows who work in themornings and one over those who workin the afternoons, the plan functionssplendidly under Mr. Elliot's immediatedirection.

God's principles are thus carried outby Mr. Armstrong, whom He has chosento direct His work, and Mr. Armstrong,in turn, appoin ted Mr. Elliott to d irectstudent labor. Mr. Elliott's plans are thenexecuted by the two of us who direc t theother fellows in doing what God wantsdone-as He reveals it to those whoserve under Him.All students are working their waythrough college and everyone cannotwork at the same time; some are able towork in the mornings and some in theafternoons. This largely depends uponwhat courses are carried. We have a system worked out whereby the exact hourseach student is available for work arecharted. The foreman in charge knowsin advance what jobs are to be done andhow many students he will have to dothem. What Kind of Work

Our work has a wide range. Anythingfrom digging ditches and laying waterp ipe to grubbing out trees and pickingfruit, helping in the mail room, addressing and checking the Plain Truth, theGood News or a "Co-worker Letter" andthe janitor work in every building.

You may wonder how anyone couldkeep twenty young men busy on fiveacres of ground. Well, I just wish youcould visit our campus from time totime and observe how we have been res toring and improving property and altering according to planned campus design new property that has recently beenacquired. Of course, there are innumerable other jobs in addition to the dailyroutines, painting, electrical work, gardening and others.I have just touched on the men's work.The girls' work, over which I naturallyhave no supervision, varies from helpingin cooking and housecleaning at Mayfairto the major work in the office,doing theroutine jobs that exist there.It might be .interesting to know whathas to be done when you write and request your name to be placed on themailing list, or send in tithes and offerings to help in this great work. Later,one of the girls will explain the work ofyoung women students in the office.

Student-FacultyRelationshipby Daoid Jon Hill

You people out there may want toknow just what the relationship is between the students and the faculty hereat Ambassador.Do we go around in a submissivemood in awe of the ir author ity and theirgreater learning; or do we regard themas necessary evils, something that has tobe put up with in order for us to gain aneducation?Neither of these holds t rue in our case.We find ourselves in a rather strikingsi tuat ion tha t is not found in many othercolleges that I know of. We can associate with our teachers and professors andcarryon an intelligent conversation withthem, enjoying ourselves while doing so,as easily as we can wi th our fellow students. We talk of our studies, .or music,or literature; we talk of ideas and ideals,and discuss them freely.Do we take what is told us and gullibly swallow it, and take it for grantedthat with their superior knowledge theycan't possibly be wrong in anything theymight say? Do we take what they saywith a gra in of salt, and put them in thecategory of the older generation?Again neither of these explains ourattitude. We listen to what they have tosay; we give our own ideas on the subject, whatever it may be. I f we arestumped for an explanation to anything,we inquire into that and find out what isreally the truth of the matter.

Now, immediately someone whodidn't know the students here wouldsay: the first place they go, no doubt, isto their Bible, and no doubt it's the onlyplace. They would be r ight in their firstassumption, the Bible is the first placewe go; but there are o ther sources ofknowledge which, in many cases,deal onsubjects and give statistics and facts, thatour Bible does not contain. So, we gleaninformation from whatever source wecan, check it through other sources of information, and finally go, of course, toPlease continue on page 11


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Page 8How YOU CanAfford to Attend

Continued from page 4In another place, the apostle Paulsaid: "I must by all means keep this feastthat cometh at ] erusalem (Acts18:21 ) : ' And Paul "hasted if it were

possible for him, to be at Jerusalem theday of Pentecost (Acts 20: 16) : 'Paul commanded the GENTILE Christians of Corin th to keep the festival orfeast of Unleavened Bread ( I Cor. 5:8 ) .He commanded in I Cor. 11: 1, "Be yefollowers of me, even as I also am ofChrist:' WHY do some of us fail to follow Christ and Paul in observing thesacred festivals of God?We have been DECEIVED! The "popular" churches of today do not keep thesame days holy that Christ and the earlytrue church did! I f we are true followersof Christ, then let us forsake these paganholidays and begin to keep God's HolyDays asHe commanded.How to Afford It ?

But HOW can we afford it?These festive occasions are command-ed to be kept in the place that Godshould choose. Deuteronomy 16: 16shows par ticularly that the days of Unleavened Bread (together with the Passover, verse 6), the day of Pentecost, andthe Feast of Tabernacles were all to bekept where God would choose.As many of you know, we have beenkeeping the Feast of Tabernacles atBelknap Springs, Oregon. We now havereason to believe that God will chooseand open to us a place in California orsome other more central location. In thepast, many have come from as far awayas Texas and Louisiana and Missouri tokeep the Feast of Tabernacles with us.They had a wonderful experience inthis God-commanded festive occasionbeing filled, and filling others whomthey had never before seen, wi th loveand inspiration.This par ticular feast of God picturesthe thousand-year rule of Christ whenthe world will be at peace and happyamid prosperity. Therefore, as you readchapters 12 and 14 of Deuteronomy consider how this festival is the time of yourgreat rejoicing, your spiritual revival,and YOUR CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. People who have experienced just one ofthese joyous occasions of God wait witheager anticipation, yearning for the nextgathering.

And HOW do they do it?God has not only provided, but alsocommanded a way to make it financiallypossible for everyone to keep His HolyDays!It is a way which requires continua l

The GOOD NEWSEFFORT and determination from trueChristians. But if we are to be OVER-COMERS-and they only will be priestsand kings in the Kingdom of Godthen we will have to exercise enoughstrength of character and will to obeythis command of God. Actually it worksno real hardship, but brings a greatblessing to ourselves and others. I t is away that builds faith and hope and patient love.What does God command?God commands us in Deuteronomy14:22-27 to save a special or secondtithe, to go to the place God selects foreach of His festivals, and to rejoice inthem. This second t ithe is for expensemoney to enable us to keep God's annualHoly Days. In ancient Israel most of themoney was spent for food there, as theexpense for traveling 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,we will often spend a good portion intransportation.

Not the First Tithe!Please do not confuse this second tithe,especially for these occasions, with thefirst t ithe which God has commandedus to render to His true ministers forproclaiming to the whole world theGospel. Unlike the second tithe, thefirst tenth or tithe of our income belongsto God. He created all things and is onlypermitting man to use this materialworld anyway. "The earth is the Lord's,and the fulness thereof; the world, andthey tha t dwell there in (Ps. 24: 1) :'In Numbers 18:21 we read that Godgave a tenth or "tithe" of Israel's income to the Levites for an inheritance.This tithe does not belong to us, it is theinheritance of God's ministry. Todaythe priesthood has been changed (Hebrews 7: 12), so we now pay our tithesto God's representat ives, Christ' s t rueministers, for the gospel work (I Cor.9: 14).In Malachi 4: 8-12, it says that we arerobbing God if we fail to render to Him

(thru His true servants ) our t ithes ANDofferings. Most people in this confusedworld don 't even realize this. But oncewe have the knowledge of the t ruth , wehad bet ter repent and begin to obey Godin this matter. I t is all for our own goodthough. As we just read in Malachi, ifwe do obey God by paying our tithesand giving offerings-He will bless usabundantly. Bur God does wan t us tobe wil ling to obey Him, and to put thatahead of our own selfish desires.In Deuteronomy 14:22-27, we findthat our Creator commands us to layby a second t it he of our increase or income and go to the place which God

December, 1951has chosen. From this tithe we ourselvesare to eat, drink, and rejoice in this place- the place God has chosen that Hisannual Holy Days are to be held. Weset aside this special tithe (or tenth)of our income every year in order tha twe might have the expense money toa ttend and to rejoice with the brethrenin them. Notice it says in verse 23, "andTHOU shalt eat before the Lord thyGod...."This tithe is to be spent on yourself- no t for the ministry. Since there is acommanded t ithe for the ministry, thismust be another, different tithe.In the twelfth chapter of Deuteronomy, this special tithe is mentioned inverses 6, 11 and 17 along with the sacrificesIsrael used to bring. Here again thissecond or special tithe is for you to useat the place which God has chosen foryou to appear before Him on these annual Holy Days.Yes, God has provided a method bywhich we can keep His festivals IF weare willing to do our/art! It isn't difficult once we try. Go has promised tocare for our every need (I Peter 5: 1) .And if we love the brethren we won 'tfail to do it.Are we going to follow Christ or not?Let everyone examine his own heart!

Produce Too!Let's use the minds God has endowedus with to carry our these commands ina reasonable manner. Deut. 14:22 statesthat you shall t ithe the increase of yourseed. Then it is certainly permissiblefor you farmers to bring some of yourproduce or canned goods to the feastsinstead of money.Sad as it sometimes is, with somefamilies, the second tithe just hasn't beenenough to get them to the Feast ofTabernacles. In this case, those havingmore than enough second tithe shouldhelp those who lack. Remember, Goddoesn 't expect the POOt to save morethan their small tenth, bur they mustdo their part! God often blesses othershowever, with a larger tenth so theycan help those who have less.We find in Acts 4:32-35 that the earlychurch helped its needy members and we

try to follow this principle. If there isnot enough second tithe to take the entire family to the three great f ~ a s t s , thenjust the man, as head of the family,should go (Deut. 16: 16). The othermembers of the family are expected ifcircumstances permit, and God will helpus work it our in time if we do our Pflrt.Of course, if the husband is an unbeliever, the wife should certainly try tocome anyway.Some of you are probably th ink ingthat saving both the first and secondti the is going to be impossible. That's


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December, 1951what the world believes! But we are notof th e world UU l of ib bou: ebol t! offaith.Do you think God has commandedyou to do something which He knowsyou will be unable to perform? NO!Those of U3 who have saved these twotithes know by EXPERIENCE tha t Godis able to bless us sufficiently that weabound to every good work (II Corinthians 9:6-8). He is doing it this momentfor hundreds of the brethren and he willdo it for you. You just do YOUR part,and God will be faithful to performHIS!

Tithe for t he Poo rNow don't be shocked! You probablyhaven' t heard it before, bur God wantsus to save still one more tithe every thirdyear to help the poor and needy! Thi s isGod's way of providing money for charitable purposes. In Deuteronomy 14:2829 and Deur, 26: 12-15 we find this

tithe commanded. I t used to be set asidein every walled city, "within thy gates(Deut. 26: 12)." But now many poorare so far away that we simply send itwherever needed. This is to be savedonly every third year and is the onlyother t ithe commanded. It is especiallyfor the poor brethren or poor and agedrelatives. Any real Christian knows thereis great wisdom in this command of God.

Historical ExampleA most convincing example from areliable historical source of how the Jewspaid these tithes is given in the book

of Tobir. This book is found in what isknown as the Apocrypha-a collectionof Jewish history and writings coveringand extending beyond the period between the Old and New Testaments.These wri tings were not inspi red bu tthey do give us a great deal of reliableinformation. Tobit was a man of thetribe of Naphrali, which was among theten tribes of Israel taken captive byAssyria. He continued to keep the commandmems of God even after the restof his t ribe began offer ing sacrifices toBaal and leaving their land of capt iv ityfor Northwestern Europe where Israelis today.In the third par agraph of the book ofTobit, he tells us, "But I alone wemmany a time to Jerusalem for the festivals, as the Scripture commands all Israelwith an everlasting decree, taking withme the first fruits and the tenth partof my crops and my first shearings, andI would give them to the pnests, thesons of Aaron, at the altar. A tenth partof all my produce I would give to thesons of Levi, who officiated at Jerusalem,and another tenth I would sell, and goand spend the proceeds in Jerusalemeach year, and a third tenth I would give

The GOOD NEWSto those to whom it was fitting to giveit, as Deborah my grandmother had instructed me-for I was left an orphanof my father ."Thus we see that the Israelites hadalways understood that they were to saveall thr ee tithes, and that each one wasto be used for a different purpose. God's

commandments are not hidden fromanyone who sincerely desires to knowthe truth.Are you living by every word ofGod? Let us obey our own spiritualFather by keeping His annual Holy Daysand saving the t ithes that He has commandec1'We who have been attending God 'sfeast days are looking forward to thepleasure of meeting many more of you

-ou r co-worker friends-in these annual Holy Day gatherings.Literally scores of you have writtenus asking, "How can we have fellowship with other true believers"? God inHis infinite wisdom knew that His children should congregate for instructionand Christian fellowship. That is whyGod BLESSED us by giving us His annual festivals! We should appreCiatethis love God has lavished on us bysaving the tithe that He commands forHis Holy Days.Then, let's be tbere!W rite us if you want further informati on on time and place or other matterfor God 's festivals. Reread or wr ite forthe articles on them in the April andJune issues of the "Good News,"God has made your presence possible

IF you do your part! Are you willing?

Hell-What Bible SaysContinued from page 5

The Catholic church accepted theseideas of hell in a large measure and theywere la te r adop ted by other denominations. Few were aware of the origin ofthe beliefs they came to accept regardingthis place.The WorId Has Wrong Idea o f HellThe Encyclopaedia Americana tellsus what the world thinks "hell" is. Quot

ing from it, we find that the worldthinks, "It ( hell) is a place where thedevil reigns supreme and lost souls goand suffer eterna l punishing. "Actually, none of these ideas expressed in this quotation are correct!The Bible, in I Thes. :5: 21, says to proveall things. The devil is nor going to bearound so he can punish anyone forever,for Revelation 20: 10 says he is goingto be cast into the lake of fire and br imstone and be tormented day and nightforever and ever or as the Greek t ransla-

Page 9tion says "for the ages of the ages." Thatis the final destination of the devil! Heis the one that is tormented foreverand not man-for the devil is a spiritbeing and as such cannot burn up as isshown in Danie l 3:25 where Nebuchadnezzer saw the angel walking in thefiery furnace.Now let's cont inue Rev. 20, verses

13, 14, 15. N o t ~ that these show whattakes place to man AFTER the devil hasbeen disposed of forever. They show thefinal end of the evil people of thisworld. These verses read, "And the seagave up the dead that were in it; anddeath and hell gat'e up the dead thatwere in them: and they were judgedevery man according to their works. Anddeath and hell were cast into the lake offire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in thebook of life was cast into the lake offire."This is the FINAL GEHENNA FIRE

spoken of by Christ. Note that it saysthis is the SECOND DEATH. It is clear thatthe devil is not reigning supreme at thisfuture t ime-he is in the lake of fire!LOST MAN is there all right, but not anylost IMMOR'iAL SOULS are spoken of!Nothing IS said of descending into theearrh to reach this lake of fire andnothing is said of man be ing tormentedforever and ever.The picture the average person has ofhell would seem to be about as wrong asit could be. When you begin to see thetruth abour some of these things, you

wonder how a person could ever becomeso mixed up!People today are mixed up aboutmany things! I t is a good sign whenYOU s tarr to quest ion some of the thingsYOU have taken for granted!This is the time of the end spoken ofby Daniel in Daniel 12:4 where he said,"Seal the book till the time of the end:many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased." GOD HAS NOWOPENED THINGS UP TO BE UNDER-STOOD WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN UNDERSTANDABLE BEFORE-and the TRUEKNOWLEDGE of the Bible is going toreward those tha t have it.

"Eternal Fire"No, man is NOT GOING TO BE TORMENTED FOREVER! The everlastingpunishMENT of the wicked is death, notlife in any form,True enough, this DEATH IS CAUSEDBY FIRE. In Mat thew 25: 41 Christ toldthe wicked to deparr into everlasting fireprepared for the devil and his angels. Hedid .not say that any would remain inthe fire but only that the fire was everlascing-since it was prepared for thedevil and his demons who are spiri t andwill live forever. The fire is called an un-


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Page 10quenchable fire because it is notquenched, or pur our-it continues toburn as long as there is anything toburn; but the people cast into it, not be-ing spirit beings, will be consumed,Jeremiah said of an unquenchable firein Jeremiah 17:27, "1 (God) will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and itshall devour the palaces of Jerusalem,and IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED."That fire long ago accomplished its endin burning the palaces at Jerusalem.God had the king of Babylon set fire tothem. After it had accomplished its purpose, it w en t out-and not before!Jude (Jude 7) speaks similarly of thecities of Sadom and Gomorrah sufferingthe vengeance of eternal fire, The eternal fire burned these cities completelyup but it is not burning there today!

DESTRUCTION IS GOING TO BE COM-PLETE for remember that Malachi saidin Malachi 4: 1-3, "The day comeththat shall burn as an oven and-all thatdo wickedly shall be as stubble: and theday that cometh shall burn them up,sairh the Lord of hosts, that it shall leavet he m neither root nor branch-(Thereis going to be nothing left-neither rootnor branch! )- and ye shall t read downthe wicked for they shall be ashes underthe sales of your feet."Hell is going to be a lot hotter thanmost people rhink for it is going toburn them ItP.! The Bible does not speakof an eternal punishING of man, butof an eternal punishMENT! The punishment is death. I lO ( life, and that death isfor all eternity!The final end by fire is also mentionedin Revelation 21: 8, and 2 Peter 3: 10says, "The day of the Eternal shall comeas a thief in the night; in which theheavens will pass away with a greatnoise, and the elements will mel t with afervent heat and the earth also and theworks therein shall be burned up."Psalms 37: 10 says, ". . . for a littlewhile and THE WICKED WILL NOTBE." And verse 20 says, "But the wickedshall perish and the enemies of theEternal shall be as fat of lambs: theyshall consume: into smoke shall theyconsume away."Don't let Revelation 20: 10 mislead

you where it says, ".. . into the lake offire where the beast and false prophetARE," Note that this word "ARE" is in adifferent type of let ter ing in the KingJames version than the rest of the sentence, indicating that it was not in theoriginal text but was added later by'Others. It should read, "WERE CAST." Thepoint is that the beast and false prophetwill be mortal men and will not still bein the lake of fire by the time the devilis cast into it. They will have burned up.There is going to be a shor t period ofTORMENT. The mental side of this tor-

The GOOD NEWSment is brought Out in Luke 13:28where it says, "There shall be weepingand gnashing of teeth, when ye shall seeAbraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and allthe prophets in the kingdom of Gael, andyou yourselves thrust out."The possible brief physical period oftorment is brought out in Matthew13:42 which says, "And (Christ) shall

cast them into a furnace of fire: thereshall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."But this furnace of fire shall burn themup, root and branch! It is the seconddeath! They shall remain dead FOR-EVER!

The Wages of Sin Is Death"Sin is the transgression of the law,"as 1 John 3:4 points out. God requiresOBEDIENCE from everyone and we aregoing to have to give evidence of a desire to be obedient before we can evenbe begotten, to say nothing of finally being BORN into the kingdom.Disobedience is sin and, "The wagesof sin is death." (Romans 6:23.) Everlasting DEATH!When the Bible says, "The wages ofsin is death," it is not referring to thedeaths tha t we see occurring around useach day. These are the ones that arereferred to in 1 Cor. 15:22 which says,". . , for in Adam all die , , ,," and inHebrews 9:27 which says, ", .. and it isappointed unto men once to die, butafter this the judgment." This is the

FIRST DEATH-a death caused by a person wearing out PHYSICALLY and fromwhich he can be resurrected. The SEC-OND DEATH is caused by knowingly andpersistently disobeying God and fromthis death there can be no resurrection,Hell Not Time-Space SeparationHell does not consist of a separationfrom God by time and space-a lostsoul shr ieking and wai ling as it sweepsonward through the blackness of eternities. Some seem to hold such a thoughtbut it is not true; for man is not borninto this world with immortality-he hasno eternal life abiding in him-he islike a clock that is going to run down,and as soon as his short mortal life spanhas run out there is NOTHING LEFT OF

HIS CONSCIOUSNESS to torment! Heis DEAD!No, God in His mercy has no interestin tormenting poor lowly man forever!Do All Go to One PlaceWhen They Die?

The Bible says they do in Ecclesiastes3:2O. When some people hear this, theyquickly conclude that this means.hell because each goes to a separate place whenhe dies here-the grave. Let us noi: takeother people's word for things so easily,but take a look at the Bible ourselves,

December, 1951Let us read the words of Ecclesiastes3:20-"For that which befalleth the sonsof men befallerh beasts; even one thingbefallerh them; as the one dieth so dieththe other; yea they all have one breath;so that a man has no pre-eminence abovea beast: for all is vanity, ALL GO UNTOONE PLACE...."But don't be so hasty! Let's finish thereading of this verse. All right! "... allare of dust and all turn TO DUST again."There it is! The common element isdust! We die and turn to dust again! Wedon't go to a burning hell! The ONEPLACE into which all go at death is thedust of the earth.' "Dust thou art," saidGod to Man, "and unto dust shall thoureturn."Time of Second and Final DeathThere is a time sequence runningthrough chapters 19 and 20 of Revelation which shows when the SECOND andFINAL DEATH of sinful man will occur.Revelation 19: 11 tells of Christ's second coming to assume control of theearth, and verses 19 and 20 show howthe beast and false prophet are cast intoa lake of fire and brimstone. With themout of the way, Satan is seized, bound,and cast into a bottomless pi t for a thousand years (Chapter 20: 2-3), duringwhich Christ reigns (verse 4) . At theend of this time Satan is loosed for aperiod (verse 7), then he will be seizedand cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, there to remain forever ( verse10) . After this a white throne judgmentoccurs (verse II) , and then the finaljudgment with the evil people being

cast into the lake of fire which is theireverlasting destruction (verses 13-1415). The burning up of the world isdescribed in 2 Peter 3: 10.

Why Is a Hell Necessary?Yes, why is a hell necessary? Most ofus have heard of such a place all our livesand been made uncomfortable by thethought of it.It is thought of as a place of endlesstorment for those unfortunate enoughto go there, bu t did you ever hear onegood word about it when it came to adiscussion of any benefit it might be to

the one sent there? No, you probablyhaven't. Satan would have us th ink ofGod as a harsh unfair monster whowould torment man forever for sins.Now let's see WHY the lake of firespoken of in Revelation 20: 14, which isthe real gehenna-fire mentioned byChrist, is to be used for sinful man'severlasting destruction.The Eternal is forming from mortalman a family for Himself-a familyknown as the "Kingdom of God." It is aspirit family referred to by Christthroughout his parables in the four gos-


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December, 1951pels. We are to become His very sonsand He is to be our Father and we are torule with Him forever (Revelation20:4 and 22:3-4-5), but NO DISOBEDIENT PERSON IS TO BECOME HISSON! He will not allow it. I f any personon this earth, after seeing plainly God'splan, for an immortal spiri tual life, decides he wants none of it but wouldrather go on living his OWN wAY-theway of MATERIALISM which is temporary and perishable-then that personis not going to be given the gift ofspiritual and eternal life but is goingto be DESTROYED--not live forever intorture in this lake of fire!Yes, God is going to take VENGEANCE-("Vengeance is mine saiththe Eternal"-Romans 12:19). Thosewho, through their hardness of heart,will not repent and avail themselves ofChrist's blood for the forgiveness of theirpast sins and accept the g if t of the HolySpirit which will help prevent themfrom sinning in the future, will be destroyed forever. BUT HEis going to showHis MERCY (Psalm 62:12, 89:14,100:5) on these very same people bydestroying them forever; for He knowsthey would never be happy in the glori ous Kingdom of God by going on [ol-louring their own ways (Isaiah 55: 7-89) which only lead to misery and suffering. Most certainly "GOD IS LOVE"! (IJohn 4:8 and 16).

On the CampusContinued from page 7

the Bible aga in for the last check.The teachers here take a lively inter est in the students. Mr. Armst rong hasmore or less of a program of weekly entertainment for different boys and girls.He takes them out to the sights that areto be seen in this vicinity, gives them anenjoyable time that they might nototherwise be able to have, and, his homeis open to all of them at all times to useits conveniences. We can go over andconsult with him if we have any personal problems. He has an open mind andis broadminded enough to accept ideasthat youth may have on certain subjects.The Other professors are also verywilling to help us whenever possible.Their hear ts and their pocketbooks, to asurpr ising extent, are wil ling to give usa good education.Here is only one example: my relationrh ip with a professor of languageshere. I am always welcome to his home;he's always glad to talk over my problems with me; give any help if he can;tell me of his experiences, which arevaried and exciting; to be a real friendespecially when I'm in need. From whatI gather, other of the students have simi-

The GOOD NEWSlar contacts with other of the professors.Does this filial and genial associationwith our professors and teachers make ushave any less respect or regard for them?Definitely not! I think our regard isheightened for them in that they canbring themselves to associate with us asfreely as they do. To come, more or less,down to our level; although we dislikebelittling ourselves in thinking that.This association gives us an opportunityto become more mature and able to understand things be tter in the light of amore experienced mind.

Here at Ambassador we try to makethe best of every oppor tuni ty with theproper attitude. When we see an opportun ity we jump at it, but not in the haphazard way that a juvenile would goabout it. We usually examine quite afew of the points of a thing before weleap into it, and when we take advantageof an opportunity we look to the otherperson's welfare as well as our own sothat we might not implicate anyone elsein something which we wouldn't wishto be implicated in ourselves.Accepting things with the true spiri tand the proper attitude, we come to realize that there's no joy in life so great asthe joy of ochers. I f practiced by all, thisidea, this attitude, would make for a better world. We can 't hope for this now,however, because the nat ions are in toomuch turmoil, too much in a hurry to getthings done that have temporary satisfact ion and temporary security. There is,though, something to look forward to:everyone will have his chance, and inthe Kingdom of God there will be aperfection of our ways; and those whodo not enjoy the joy of others now, willcertainly do so then.We here at Ambassador are trying ourbest to come to tha t place of perfectionthrough the exercising of the right spiritand attitude; and relationships with oneanother are vitally impor tant in the exercising of that practice.

Mayfair-Second FloorBy Elise Bernard

"There goes that bell again and I havejust gone to bed" I groan as I reluctantlycrawl out of bed, and so it seems. ThisCalifornia climate does something to aperson for I am always eying the bedwith persistent longing. So begins a typical day at our student home, Mayfair.

The girl students live on secondfloor at Mayfair, and I am sure many ofthe visitors, also the listeners out in radio land, have wondered what it wouldbe like to visit a place where only girlsreside. I will try to give you a word picture of Mayfair , second floor, and someof the activities the students participate

Page 11in every day, there and on the campus.Each mornmg, the bell nngs at sixthirty and (excep t for those who are already s tudying or working in the kitchen) we take turns combing hair, washing faces, and occasionally someonehums a tune to the swish of the runningwater. A day has begun.After a dash of cold water to arouseour s leeping spirits we look forward tothe new day and with this bright outlookon life descend the stairs to a heartybreakfast prepared by Mrs. Wallace, ourcook.Afte r breakfast we wash the dishesand listen to Mr. Armstrong's program;then each girl goes to her classes or work,however her schedule may require. Theday is spent in study and work, but thereis time for recreation, too. The day isfilled to the brim with the activities webelieve are necessary to form good character and supply abundant living.Each student, boy or girl, is a participant in this worthy cause."But," you say, "What happens on second floor? That is what we are interested in."To be perfectly frank numerous thingshappen on second floor. If this typicalday should be Tuesday, after our classesare over by five, we dress for dinner andafter d inner we have an e tiquet te reading which is informative and entertaining. After a few minutes chat we go upstairs to study. The girls may gather ingroups and discuss classes, for example.World history and a coming examination, or perhaps a lighter, but importanttopic, their previous gate.

One evening the girls gave a party JUStf.or girls. "Oh," you say, "That would notbe fun. Imagine a party without men."It happened here and it was fun andthis student is hoping it will happenagain, soon. Of course we missed themen and they are nice fellows to have ata par ty but it just goes to show you thatgirls can entertain girls and have fun.

The students are serious minded andrealize they are here for a purpose, sooften yOIl will see a group with openBibles studying diligently or discussingan important subject.Over in another room a student isironing while her roommates are studying diligently. Immediately everyone realizes the day is almost over for it is teno'clock.Those that had social engagementswander in to relate the happenings ofthe even ing and then it is ten thirty andtime for l ights to be out.Amid the scramble for bed there aremurmured good-nights and then all isquiet as we drift to the land of Nod.Another day has ended at Mayfair, second floor, and it has been an enjoyableday. Don't you think so?


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fJEestion 'BoxYour questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to have

tbose pttzzling queries, needing only a short reply, solved. If yours are nothere. then write them to us. As space permits they will be printed if ananswer is possible. Of course, questions demanding lengthy replies cannotbe placed in these columns. Edited by the Students.

Page 12

Is It Right to Give Xmas Presents toChildren I f I Explain I t Isn't from

Santa Claus?The giv ing of presents in itself is allright but the fact you are connecting thegiving of presents wirh Christmas timewill only sanctify this pagan holiday inthe eyes of your child. There is no reason why you should not give your childgifls, UUl when it becomes a practice towait until a particular time each year,

only to be faced with the perplexingproblem of explaining that the presentswere not connected with Santa Claus,you should not do it. Even with detailedand careful explanations, your child willstill associate th e gi'b'ing with Christmascelebration and Santa Claus because ofthe influence of outside environment .Throughout the year, make it a practice of giving your chi ldren love, affec-tion, and gifts, when their conduct deserves it, so your offspring will neverfeel sorrowful or envious when childrenof this world receive gifts once a year.You can make your children's life soenjoyable that other children will wishthey had parents like you.Send for the booklet, The Plain TruthAbout Christmas which proves conclusively you, as a christian, can have nopart in this idolatry that has not a traceof real christianity.Are Communism, Fascism and Nazism

the Three Unclean Spirits?Communism, Nazism, Fascism are ins trumentali ties of Satan. They are evil.They are lying deceptions.But evil as they are, these systems arenot the three unclean spirits described inRevelation 16: 12-16.Then, what are they? When do theydeceive the world?First, the time of their operation inthe world i.r in the future, culminatingin the sixth plague to be poured outupon Babylon at the return of JesusChrist. These unclean spirits could notbe any of the "isms" of today, becausethe seven last plagues are the wrath ofGod (Rev. 16: 1) yet to be poured outon the world "in the presence of theLamb" when he comes the second time(Rev. 14: 10 ) .Second, from the Bible irself we know

The GOOD NEWS

that unclean spirits are demons or"devils" as the King James Version expresses it. In Mark 1:23, Jesus cast an"unclean spirit" put of a person in thesynagogue. But in Luke's descriptionof the same event, this unclean spirit iscalled a demon or "devil" (Lu. 5:33-37).Actually there is only one devil bu tmany demons.So the Bible explains that uncleanspirits are demons, spirits who can pos-sess people, as the next points show.Third, these unclean spirits come outof the mouths of the dragon, the beastand the false prophet. Who are theseaccording to the Bible?The dragon is interpreted by theDible as the devil or Saran (Rev. 12:9).

The beast according to the Bible is thepolitical leader of the Babylonish system, pic tured in Danie l 7, Revelation13 and 17, who is yet to appear in Europe to head the last reb irth of the Roman Empire.The false prophet is the religiousleader of this Babylonish system, whohas been ruling the various rebirths ofthe Roman Empire for more than athousand years.Fourth, the three unclean spirits comeout of the mouths of these three-thedevil, the "Beast," and the "False Prophet." In I Kings 22:21-23 we find unclean spirits, lying spirits in the mouthsofrhe false prophets in ancient Israel.These spirits possessed or so completelydeceived the false prophets that thedemons or lying spiri ts actually talkedthrough the mouths of the men. Justas demons did possess the false ministersof Israel, so these unclean spirits willpossess the beast and the false prophetand use their mouths to utter lies todeceive the nations.Having these four points in mind,let us see what these spirits are to do.Rev. 16: 14 reads: "For they are thespirits of devils, working miracles, whichgo forth unto the kings of the earth andof the whole world, to gather them tothe battle of that great day of God Almighty."The purpose of these demons is togather the nations to lighr Christ at hisreturn. And they shall deceive the wholeworld into doing so, by the lying propaganda and the miracles they perform.

December, 1951Compare this verse with Rev. 19:20and 2 Thess. 2:10 where the false prophet performs miracles by these deceiving spirits or demons.In order to deceive the professedly"Christian world" into fighting Jesuswhen he returns, these spirits must 'mis-represent the time and purpose of thesecond coming of Christ. Their deception must p ic ture the real second coming of Christ as something evil.And do you know that the wurld isalready being prepared for these threelying spirits! There is already abroad inthe world a teaching that is deceivingmillions-that is preparing the "Christian world" for this great final deceptionthat will gather all nations to Armageddon.Thi s doctrine is the Rapture Theoryand the false doctrine about a superAnti-christ. These two doctrines are deluding many churches into believingtha t a secret rapture of Christians willoccur before the tribulation and thatthe Anti-christ statts the tribulationwhich to them is the same as the Dayof the Lord!But the Bible says the day of the Lordfollows the great tribulation (Mark13:34 and Joel 2:31). The day of theLord is the time of God's wrath! Theworld is already being deceived aboutthe time and purpose of Christ's rerum!Yes, the three spiri ts of demons willdelude the whole world into fighting itsMaker, into believing that the secondcoming of Christ is actually the comingof Anti-christ!

What terrible deception it yet to delude chis world in the devil's last attempt to keep Jesus Christ from takingover the rulership of the earth!Will Christians be Taken

Into Captivity?The great tribulation-our time ofcaptivity-is a time when the Christiansare to be tried.In Matt. 24:9, we read: "Then shallthey deliver you up to be afflicted, andshall kill you: and ye shall be hated ofall nations for my names' sake."This refers to both national and spirit-ual Israel. That is, the nations of Israeltoday, America, England and the Northwestern Democracies of Europe will suffer during the coming war or the tribulation period when Eurupe arises to waragainst us. But, also those called to be aseparate people, true Christians, spiritualIsrael, will suffer greatly because of theirbelief.Again, in Revelation 7: 14 we are toldthe following: "And He said to me,These are they which came out of greattribulation, and have washed their robes,and made them white in the blood of thePlease continue on page 16


13/16

You Will Have to Experiencethe Feast of TABERNACLESl

by Charlene Glover

THE BUSTLE of excitement was greathere in Pasadena as students andchurch brethren alike prepared coleave for beautiful scenic Oregon andthe Feast of Tabernacles. Some left bytrain, others by cars, while others wentby chartered bus with no outsiders codisturb.On the night of the 15th of Occoberwe all were assembled in BelknapSprings Lodge for the first service. Thoseof us who had been there before realizethat only God could have chosen such aplace copu t His name there.The quiet atmosphere breathes God'svery handiwork in the lofty, spectacularmountains-a part of the Cascade range- i n the magnificent trees that towermany feet high, the beautiful swiftflowing McKenzie River that moves relentlessly on-a striking illustration ofGod's Holy Spir it that flows in and outof our very being if we are submissiveto Him.

Where We Came fromThe attendance this year was over onehundred fifty as compared to somewhatover ninety last year. People from California, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washingcon, the surrounding country of Oregon, and otherstates, coo, were represented. Some hadtraveled over two thousand miles, realizing that these were the days God setaside picturing His plan and purpose formankind's existence on the earth.Many had co sacrifice a great dealin order co convoke here, but the spiritual food they received will last throughout eternity, while the money they spentis only perishable.

My Second YearThis having been my second year atthe Feast of Tabernacles, I can say from

my heart that this ga ther ing was evenmore a blessing and nearer perfect ionthan the previous year.After spending an entire year of beingperplexed with trials, tests, persecutionsthat come from living in the world, surrounded with non-believers, I can realize the problems of the brethren. Theylive from one Feast of Tabernacles coanother, awaiting the time God hasmade possible for them, to forget theroutine grind of earning a living, co livefor eight days isolated from the world

but with genuine fellowship of truebrethren.Wha t We Learned

For the first few sermons, Mr. Armscrong dwelt on the imporcance and thesignificance of the Holy Days. So manyof the brethren had come co observethem knowing it co be a command ofGod, yet not understanding why. Herefor the first time they learned.This was followed by explanations of"law and grace," by sermons on prophecymaking plain the coming captivity toface our people and the British, becauseof our national sins.

Near the end, he gave a special classin sex understanding, a preview into hisforchcoming book, giving the brethrenvaluable inrormation for themselves andfor the instruction of their childrenwhich they can't properly obtain otherwise.Students Assist

This year Mr. Armst rong had the assistance of twelve of the students inactual speaking from the pulpi t whilestill others participated as song leaders,and in special singing. Yes, God's workis progressing; and will conrinue toprogress unt il the True Message hasbeen preached as a witness coall nations.Raymond Cole struck home with hissermon on passive Christianity. His admonit ion co us was that we should takeheed from the lives of the Israelites ofold tha t we don't fall into the same condemnation as they-trying to retain Godand the ways of this world at the sametime. We in God's Truth often seemto be most lackadaisical, woefully lacking in zeal. How the desires of Israeltypify our own!Marion McNair spoke on our positions of responsibil ity in the Kingdomduring the millennium. Some of theyounger students stressed it roo, as ourgoal in this life.

Baptizing Tour ReportedRod Meredith and Raymond McNairwere given two services co tell of theirexperiences on the baptizing cour manyof you made possible by your prayersand financial help. If the angels of heaven shouted for joy over each one of the109 that were baptized, think of the

joy we should feel at their repentanceCO change thei r ways. But the climaxcame when we saw several of the newlybaptized attending the festival of Tabernacles. Only by being here, could theyrealize the importance of the cour.Your Duty to Teach

Herman Hoeh climaxed the Festivalwith a challenge co all present. All of uswho realize the truth must be ready andable co give an answer at all times forthe hope that is within us-to be abletr ) teach others! Instead, most of ushave need that we should again be taughtthe elementary principles of God's Revelation to Man. Many of us have beenguilty of studying only to benefit ourselves, not thinking of the need co helpour children and others we may meetin this life, much less realizing that weare training ourselves now co aid thosewhom we shall not see until in the ageco come. We can't really profit unlesswe learn for the purpose of holpingothers, not just pleasing ourselves withthe truth. We were challenged to studyco make this year the most productivein our lives.

Material BlessingsAlong with the spiritual, there wasevery material enjoyment our heartscould desire, delightful meals preparedfrom food brought by the brethren, vigorous mountain hikes, swimming in thepool adjoining the Lodge, side trips ofinterest and even an old-fashioned parcywith games, popcorn, roasted all-beefwieners and fruit.The children weren't forgotten either-entertainment is provided so that theirjoyous laughter adds to the enjoyment ofall!We were blessed with being able cosing God's songs, the Psalms, Set to

music composed by Dwight Armstrong.Many services were accompanied by hisviolin, by solos, duets, quartets or instrumental numbers. Most every afternoon,Mr. Armstrong, Raymond Cole, or Herman Hoeh were available for Bible studywith those who wished it.The Climax of the Festival

The great day of the Festival, picturing the Great White Throne Judgmentof the dead, who shall yet have an opportunity to life, was indeed a time of deep


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Page 14joy and gratefu lness to our Father. Abaptismal service was conducted in theearly afternoon followed by a mostsolemn service in which the little children were hroughr forward to Mr. Armstrong and one of the Elders to be blessedfollowing Christ's example.Those recently baptized had the handsof [he elders laid on [hem for the receiving of the Holy Spirit, marking thebeginning of a new life in Christ Jesus.At the climax of this day approximately forty-five were given th e r ighthand of Chr ist ian fe llowship, a perfectending of this, God's Festival. Everyonewas beaming with happiness thru moisteyes, even though the slight tinge of sadness in parting c rept in, a sadness thatbrought us all into closer unity by love.We realize t hat now begins a year ofputting the Truths we have lea rned intopractice, making it a year of accomplishment. We who comprised the onehundred fifty this year are wait ing withanticipation to see a great rise in attendance next year as many of you whoread this will a rr ive for [he firsL Lime. Iris anticipated that the Festival will beheld near Pasadena next year.Yes, God makes all things possiblefor you to come.Lazarus and Rich Man

Cont inued from page 2heaven? In Matthew 25:31, quotedabove, we saw that it was at the SecondComing of Christ-at the time of theRESURRECTION!Again, Scripture reveals: Christ shall"send his angels with a great sound of atrumpet, and they shall gather togetherHis elect f rom the four winds"-out oftheir graves in a RESURRECTION. (Mat.24: 31.) The TIMEwhen the angels carryLazarus and the saints into sharing theINHERITANCE with Abraham-into Abraham's bosom-is the time of the RES-URRECTION! Lazarus is to be resurrected,and carried by the angels thru the air tomeet Christ, at His return, and to bewith Abraham, in the intimate relationship of father and son! Yes, HOWPLAIN!Lazarus will then enjoy the fond embraceof his father thru Christ, Abrahambo th then resurrected and LIVING forevermore, in the promised LAND, theninherited!There is no doubt as to how the Bibleuses the word "bosom." Turn to Isaiah40: 11. Here God will care for Hispeople as a shepherd does for his sheep,which' He will carry "in His bosom."Jesus was "in the bosom" of the Fathe r(John 1: 18), enjoying the Father'sblessings and close relationship. Mosescarried the children of Israel in hisbosom. To be in one's bosom is to havethat one's love and protect ion, and share

The GOOD NEWShis blessings and inher itance. So it willbe ATTHE RESURRECTION!

The Fate of the Rich ManNow let's see what happened to therich man-and when!Jesus said of him: ".. . the rich manalso died, and was buried." (Luke

16:22.) Jesus did not say the rich manwas taken immediately at that time toan eternally burning hell. He did notsay the body was buried bu t t ha t therich man himself was plunged immediately into a burning hell. He said therich man died-and the rich man, himself, was buried.Now one would hardly say of onebeing put into the burning caldron luridly described as the imaginary hellthat the act of throwing one into thatburning region was a BURYING of theperson, would he? One is nor buriedunless he is covered up.People are buried in a grave, andcovered with earth. But the imaginaryhell that was invented by Dante Alighieri~ c c e p t e d by the Roman Catholic churchand later by most Protestants is neverpictured as a place of BURIAL! But thisrich man died and was buried! He, him-self, was buried-not a "house" he hadlived in. JESUS SAID so-read it in yourBible! The rich MAN was buried!

What Kind of Hell?In the next verse, Jesus said "And inhell he l if ted up his eyes." (V . 23.)So the rich man was in a place called"hell," after all, wasn' t he? And in thishell he "lifted up his eyes." His eyes

had been closed, in death , and now therecame a cime when they opened-he"l if ted up his eyes!"What kind of "hell" is this?Start ling tho it may be, the rich manwas buried in the same kind of "hell"[esus was buried in! Yes, Jesus died andwas buried-and in "bell!"In the first inspired sermon preachedby Peter on the day the New TestamentChurch started, Peter said: "He (David)seeing this before spake of the RESUR-

RECTION of Christ, that His soul was notleft IN HELL, nei the r his flesh did seecorruption." (Acts 2: 31.)Jesus, too, died and was buried. Andin "he ll " He, too, .l if ted up His eyesWHEN HE WAS RESURRECTED!Now let me explain that, and make itplain!The New Testament was writ ten inthe Greek language . Your Bible is atranslat ion in the Engl ish language. Inthe English language your Bible probably reads "And in hell he lifted up hiseyes." However, in the origina l Greekin which the New Testament was written there are three different Greekwords, each hav ing a totally differentmeaning, bu t all three of which were

December, 1951rranslared into the "King James" andCatholic translations by the English word"hell."Another article in this issue will explain these Greek words and the mean

ing of "hell." One of the Greek wordsis "tarraros," which refers only to thepresent condition of darkness, or perversion, and of restraint, of the fallen angels,or demons. Another is "gehenna," a placeat the bottom of a high ledge at the southend of Jerusalem, where garbage, refuse,and bodies of dead animals and criminalswer

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Good News 1951 (Vol I No 04) Dec_w