Good News 1966 (Vol XV No 04-05) Apr-May

8/10/2019 Good News 1966 (Vol XV No 04-05) Apr-May

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April-May, 1966he GOOD NEWS

More About Our Cover,India, so mu ch i n the news la te ly wi th famineto strike more t ha n te n million dead this uear.

* *

readyseems

so far awa y and unreal. Ye t God shows famin e will itrikkus i nfattened and careless Israel. W i l l yo u be reduced to th e state oft he poor Inan on h e co ve r-w ha t can you do to properlyprepare ahead of time? Read PRE P AR E FOR FA M I N Ebeginning page 5.

Wide Wo r l d Photo

What our READERSSAYHeal ing Restored

I had sent to you for a prayercloth for my ear. I hadnt been ableto hear out of my right ear for47years and I got some infection in myother ear and was about to lose thehearing in it. The result was that Godhas healed both my ears.

Mr. and Mrs. S. C., Oregon

CancerI must also thank you for your

prayers-God healed me.I thank Himfor His mercy. I sent for a prayercloth as I had cancer on my lips andthank God He healed me.

Mrs. L. T., Wyoming

A Good Ligh tI have recently received a visit from

your personal representative in thisarea, Mr. Dennis Pyle. W e discussedmany pertinent matters and his visitwas a blessing in many ways. He in-formed me of a Friday night BibleStudy and Sabbath Services that are

held each week in this area.I attendedboth, and it proved to be the mostwonderful experience in my life. Thepeople are so very friendly that itseemed more like something thatI hadbeen attending for years, not just myfirst service. I look forward to nextweek with great cxpectatiun. The at-tendance at the Bible Study was234,and the Sabbath Service was attendedby at least twice that amount. Therewere many small children attending,but as is so uncommon today, they be-

haved as angels. Praise God for sucha

work and a group of such fine Chris-tian people.

D. C., Ohio

Bal t imore ChurchWe would like to thank Godfor the

Church here in Baltimore. Yesterdaywas our first time in attendance atGods Church. How thrilledwe werewhen we entered the Ho use of God andsaw so many hungry persons with theirBibles and pens and paper. In that oneservice I learned more than in my fouryears at Bible College. The way theword was expounded and taught-eventhe children were looking up scrip-tures and taking notes. In our previouschurch this just wasnt done. lhe ser-mon usually was forgotten a few hoursafter it was preached.

E. L., Maryland

Book AppreciatedYour book GOD SPEAKSOUT on

The N ew Moral ity will be a valuable

guide in talking to my 12-year-oldsonabout the beauty of marriage andof therelationship between man and womanas God had intended. He knows thetruth about Creation, as questions which

came up were answered in truth and notthe stork story. In this day andagewhen the young people are being

bombarded, through radio, television,newspapers, books and the music theylisten to, with SEX, it is impossible to

set a straight course for your children(Continued on next page)

Good NewsInternational magazine of

T H E CHURCH OF GODministering to i ts members

scattered abroad

April-May, 1966

Volume X V Numbers 4-5

Published monthly at Pasadena, California0 l9G6, by Radio Church of God

EDITOR

HERBERT . ARMSTRONG

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Garner Ted Armstrong

M A N A G I N G E D I TO R

David Jon Hill

SENIOR EDITORS

Roderick C . MeredithHerman L. Hoeh

Associate Editors

Albert J . Portune Ronald Kelly

Contributing Editovj

Dibar K. Apartian Paul W . KrollW. A. Berg Ernest L. MartinRobert C. Boraker Leslie L. McCulloughBryce G . Clark Raymond F. McNairC. Wa yne Col e C. Paul MeredithRaymond C. Cole L. Leroy Nd fWill iam F. D n n k e n b r i n g John E. P o r t u n eCharles V . Dorothy Lynn E. TorranceJack R. Elliott Gerald WaterhouseSelmer Hegvoldlint C. Zimmermanasil W olverton

Foods Consultants

Velma Van der Veer

Rose McDowell

Editorial and Production AssistantsPaul W. Kroll

James W. RobinsonDonald G . McDonald

Mary E Hegvnld Isabel1 F. Hoeh

BUSINESS MANAGER

Albert J. Portune

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS to the EditorBox 111, Pasadena, California 91109.Canadian members should address Post OfficeBox 44, Station A. Vancouver 1, B. C., Canada.Our members in United Kin8dom Europe andAfrica should address the Edltor k . C . M. Am-bassador, London, W.C. 1, England.

Members in Australia and Southeast Asia shouldaddress the Editor, Box 345. North Sydney,N. S . W.. Australia.

In the Philippines, Post Office Box 2 6 0 3 . Manila.BE S U R E TO NOTIFY us IMMEDIATELY of anychange in your address. Please inclose both oldand new address. IMPORTANT


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PREPARE FOR FAMINEWTorld leaders predic t mass fam in e and starvation. Go dsChurch knows total famine i s coming. Wh at should we d o asmembers of the body of Christ? W h a t is the balance of FA l T HAND W O R K S that we should have in facing THlS end-t imecrisis? During the last Ministerial Conference M r. Herbert W .Armstrong commissioned M r. Garner Ted Armstrong to beginpreparing a program on this vi tal subject f o r the Church. W or k -ing d i rec t ly w i th h im in th is program is M r. Dale L . Schurter.Read the basic, beginning research in this article f r o m theInstructor in Anim al Husban dry and A griculture at Ambassador

College in Texas .

by Dale L. Schurter

HJ N G E R pangs plague millions

Jesus Christ prophesied

today

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worldwide famines would be a signpreceding His second coming. Thisprophecy is being fzllfiilled today. Itslast stages will end in the grizzly horrorof children being eateiz by their ownparents.

The world sees the problem, butdoesnt know what to do about it. Orif a solution is suggested, how to putit into effect is an insurmountableproblem in todays strife-torn and hope-lessly divided world.

The Worlds Insoluble Problem

The latest quarterly of the NationalFederation of Grain Cooperatives re-ports: T he world is on the thresh-old of the biggest FAMINE in his-tory. The three continents of Asia,Africa, and South America are beingstricken this very minute. The popula-tions of these continents are growingout of control and production of foodis falling drastically behind. This isone of the greatps t and most insolubleproblems in the HISTORY O F THEWORLD.

Shocking???Such a famine will be of massive

proportions affecting hundredsof mil-lions, possibly even billions of persons.If this happens, as appears very prob-

UPI, Bhanrali Photo

TOP: Milk being distributed in Rajasthan Statein Western India. BOTTOM: Bombay India citi-

zens wait for rations as truck unloads.

able, it will be the most colossalcatastrophe in history.

Famines in China and India are al-ready involving thousands and evenmillions of persons. The peoples of theUnited States and the British Common-wealth have not yet had to copc withsuch a problem in this age. ModernIsrael does not realize that its prosperityis almost over.

Dr. Raymond Ewell, vice-presidentfor research at State University of NewYork at Buffalo, states, This problemseems likely to reach such enormousproportions even by 1975 that it willdwarf and overshadow most of theproblems and anxieties which now oc-cupy our attention, such as the threatof nuclear war, communism, the spacerace, racial problems, unemployment,Berlin, Viet Nam, the Congo, Cyprus,Cuba, etc., etc.

In past famines, many people havedied of disease as well as starvation,but now modern medicine will keeppeople alive even though starving, andthey will still compete for a share of tht

inadequate food supp ly. but i t willbe persistent and get worse year byyear, unless ways and means are soonfourid to increase agricultural produc-tion.

Possible Answers Inadequate

It is hard for us, sitting in a rich,comfortable, over-fed America, to real-ize that total famine in all the worldis just around the corner. PresidentJohnson, Brit ish Prime Minister Wil-

son, and other men in high positionsof government, around the world, hav

reasoned, studied, pondered the problem, and havr come u p with twopossible answers: 1 Reduce thepopulation growth rate,or, 2 ) Increaseagiiculluial production, or both.

Reducing the population growth rateis the only real answer according ttlirse I I IKII . Improved agriculture couldconceivably take care of the expectedincreases in populationfo r a few morey e a r > . Beyond that-sl A K VAT ~ U N .

An effort to reduce population

through birth control is being activelpromoted by governments and privatgroups throughout the world. But, nmarked decrease in birth rate is expected until the 1980s. By then, itwill be TOO LATE

The only remaining possibility ofavert ing world famine in the1970s istherefore increased agricultural production. Technically, it is possible todouble or even triple agricultural production in Asia, Africa, and LatiAmerica, through the useof more fertil-izers, more irrigation, better seed varieties, pesticides, and other improveagricultural practices.Dr. Ewell believesthat most fertilizers needed by thescountries will have to be imported fromthe industrialized countries througforeign aid.

This presents another problem. Eveafter th e quantitiesof fertilizer we havebeen discussing become available, theris still a big educational job ahead t


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6 The GOOD NEWS April-May, 1966

get farmers to use the feitilizri. Thibwould require an extensive and inten-sive propaganda campaign togetherwith adequate economic incentivcs.Thecountries of Asia, Africa, and LatinAmerica (except Japa n) do not haveenough agricultural specialists of theirown to put over such a program. Theseproposed possible answers are a farcry from a desperately needed solution.

Modern Is rae l Inc luded

What about modern Israel? Ameri-can exports of food in 1965 werelarger than ever before, and the de-mand grows daily. Peoples of othercountries, and the leaders, refuse toface the fact that the United Statescannot feed the world. In 1965,U. S.surplus dwindled to a mereseven toten percent of what it had been. Inthe same year, cash income from farmproduce was at an all-time high.

What would be the result if thedrought that has hit India and SouthAfrica were to hit the woi.lds bread-basket-America and Canada? Ourgovernment is already committed in aforeign aid program for this year thatwill ELIMINATE our surpluses. Cana-da and Australia offer l i t t le help. Thefacts show famine is inevitable, world-wide, including modern Israel.

God prophesies that is exactly whatwill happen. . I shall send uponthem {modern Israel} the evil arrowsof famine, which shall be for theirdestruction, and which I will send todestroy you: And I will increase thefamine upon you, and will break yourst al l of bread (Ezek.5 :16).

Gods prophecies emphasize all factsand trends, which show that worldfumine IS just around the corner.

Only Possible Solut ion

What a fantastic blessing it is thatthere is an Almighty God in heaven.What an incomparable miracle thatSurely the LordGod will do nothing,but He revealeth His secret unto Hisservants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

The rulers a n d planners of thisworld have based their predictions onthe assumption that the weather andgrowing conditions will remain con-stant, and that crop yields will increase,not decrease. Not knowing God, they

neglected to take prophecy into ac-count.

God says, The field is wasted, theland m ourneth; for the corn is wasted:the new wine is dried up, the oillanguisheth. Be ye ashamed,0 ye hus-bandmen; howl, ye vinedressers, forthe wheat and for the barley; becausethe harvest of the field is perished(Joel 1:10-11) . But it shall comc topass if thou wilt not hearken unto thevoice of the Lord yotlr God, to observeto do all His commandments andHisstatutes which I command thee thisday; that all these curses shall comeupon thee, and overtake thee: Cursedshalt thou be in the city, and cursedshalt thou be in the field. Cursed shallbe thy basket and thy store (Deut.28:15-17) .

Gods people know the only possibleway to avert a disastrous wovldwidefamine is through worldwideobediencet o God.

Will You Suffer in Famine?

Will truly converted Christians berequired to unde rgo the suffe ring of thecoming famine along with the restofthe wor ld? Is there somethingy o u cando to prevent i t? Does the Bible offerany guide?

In the Old Testament, when the

children of Israel were held as captiveslaves in the land of Egypt, God sentgreat plagues which troubled and ha-rassed all the inhabitants of the land.At first, there was no dirlerrrlce madebetween the Israelites and the Egyp-tians. As the plagues became moregrievous, God put a division betweenHis people and the Egyptians for asign to all that He was the LORD inthe midst of the earth (Exodus 8 .The first three plagues of that tribula-tion were suffered by the Israelitesalong with the Egyptians, but theywere spared worse plagues that fol-lowed.

In Matthew 24 and Revelation 6, weread that the coming of false prophets,wars and rumors of wars, world war,faminpr a n d pestilences a re the hegin-nin g of sorrows [tribulation}. The sesorrows are coming on the world in theend time. Notice Matthew 24:16-21,God is going to allow true believersto live in this worlds society until

Satan brings intensified persecution onthe true Church, and increased tribula-tion. At this time, God will deliver theChurch into her place of protection(Rev. 12: 13- 14) . There God will pro-vide her needs supernaturally.

H o w G o d P re s er ve d D u r i n g

FamineExamples are given in both the Old

Testament and the New Testament, howGod guided and cared for His peoplewhen it was necessary for their area ofthe country to be chastened throughfamine.

Du rin g the time Israel (Jacob) livedin the land of Canaan there was agreat famine throughout that land andEgypt. God knew famine was comingand allowed Joseph, one of Israels sonsto be sold into Egypt in advance ofthe famine.

Three years after Joseph arrived inEgypt, Pharaoh, the king, had twodreams foretelling the coming of sevenyears of plenty followed by seven yearof extreme famine. Pharaoh was greatlytroubled by the dreams because he couldnot understand them. Joseph was summoned and God gave him the interpretation of both dreams. Joseph toldPharaoh of the seven fat and sevenlean years that lay ahead, andsignified

a way t o H A N D L E the problem. Pharaohlooked upon Joseph with much favorand made him governor over all EgyptHis main responsibility was to initiateplans for the coming fourteen years

Joseph appointed officers over theland to store up the fifth part of theproduce of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

When the famine came, Israel sento Egypt for food. Soon, he and hiswhole household came into EgyptJoseph told his family, when they arrived, that God had sent him on aheadto preserve them and their posterityon the earth, and would save their liveby a great dclivcrance.

The children of Israel and all theihousehold were nourishedfor the finalfive years of famine.

N e w Te s t a m e n t E x am p l e

A New Testament example of howGod preserved his people during the

Continued on page 1 6 )


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THE POINT OF

NO RETURNFEW months ago, a Boeing 707

jet---on its way to San Francisco-developed serious engi ne trou-

ble over the Pacific. In the mindsofmany, it was very doubtful that theplane could pursue its journey safelywithout having t o return to Hawaii ,where the flight had begun. Even someof the members of the crew expectedthe captain t o turn the plane back. But

it couldnt be done.We have already passed the po nt

of NO R E T U R N the captain said withfinality; we cantgo back

A

A Law

Here we find a firmly establishedLAW in flying that n o captain dares todefy. It is an extremely logical one.Once the distance ahead is shorter thanthat already traveled, a plane can nolonger turn back to its starting point-

however serious its mechanical difficul-ties may be. Literally speaking, it issupposed to have severed its ties withthe point of embarkation.

This Boeing jet had justPASSED thepoint of no return; therefore, it hadto pursue its journey, whatever thecost.

There is a great lesson here that we,in Gods Church, can learn; there isastriking similarity between the planesjourney and the course we ourselveshave taken in CHRISTIANife. If weare deeply converted, we too,shouldhave passed the point of NO return.We, too, should have severed all tieswith our point of embarkation-theworld

Have you?

Some time ago, a young man in thechurch decided togo back to the worldbecause his unconverted father haddied, leaving him with the manage-ment of a business which was openseven days a week. This young man

by Dibar K. Apartian

had not reached the point of n o returnin his spiritual growth. In his case, heIct the cares of the world and thedelight in riches choke the Word ofGod (Mat. 1 3 : 2 2 ) .

To Whom Shall We G o ? . .T h e parable of the sower shows that

the vast majority of those who hear theWord of God dont really bear fruit;

they never reach the point of no re-turn. This was true in Christs time-and it is true in our day.

When the Jews heard Christ say thatHe was the bread of life, and thatno one could come to Him unless theFather drew him, they were astonished,vexed and outraged. How can thisman give us his flesh to eat? theysaid among themselves, and tookof-fense at Him. But notice Tho se whogot so upset and protested were not

all Pharisees-your Bible says tha t evensome of Christs disciples took offenseat Him. This is an hard saying; whocan hear it? they exclaimed (John6 : 6 0 ) .

Can you imagine this? Had youthought of it before? These were dis-ciples who had been calledout of theworld to follow Christ-all the way.Many of them had probably left fami-lies and friends behind. But all at oncethey changed their attitude before ahard saying-perhaps a difficu lttask

or a responsibility they couldnt ordidnt want to shoulder.

W hat then did they d o ? From thattime many of his disciples went back,and walked no more with him (John6 : 6 6 ) .

Yes-they WENT BACK to the world,to its cares, its glittering lights, its liesand lusts. As you can see, these discipleshad not reached the pointof no returnin their growth.

W hen Christ saw them walk away H e

turned to the twelve and said: Will yealso go away? Then Simon Peter an-swered him, Lord, l o whom shall wego? thou hast the words of eternallife. (Verses 67-68 , )

How About You?

Have you ever wondered ifYOU your-self have reached the point of NORETURN in your spiritual growth?Meditate this seriously because youeternal life depends upon the answer.There are members of the Churchwho-even though they have been baptized years ago-have not even takenoff, let alone having reached the poinof no return. Consequently, their eyeshearts and minds are still attachedtothe world. They are still attracted tothis worlds fashions, its fads; stiltrying to keep up with whatever isthe current thing to do. Some of

them even wish they had never heardthe TRUTH

Can this be your case?Do you slumber and wait rather than

keep vigilant and persevere, being determined to reach the goal?Do yourealize that you-a baptized member ofGod s Church-sho uld by now bewaypast the point of no return?

Not only is this true, but it is almosTIME FOR L AND ING Whether you thinkthat you have just begun because yo

are newly baptized, or whether you feesafe perhaps in your own mind to slumber yet a few more years, the fact remains that the point of no return sway behind-that we are about to land

Are you ready? Have you girdedyour loins with the truth-your safetybelt? Have you taken the wholearmor of G od to withstand th e difficudays which are yet ahead? (Eph6 : 1 3 - 1 8 . ) Or do you want to act likethe five foolish maidens who slum-


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bered and slept, only to find the doorSHUT when Christ returned?

Every Day Is a Special DayHere, in California, one of the large

drug store chains advertises the follow-ing slogan: Every day isa special dayat Thrifty Mart. I dont know howtrue this is as far as they are con-cerned, but I kn ow that-in GODSCHURCH-eVery day is and must bea special day for all of us.

Every day, indeed, gives us theop-portunity to GROW in grace and knowl-edge; every day allows us todrink inmore of G o d s Wo r d , to converse withour Creator, to pruy to Him, to com-

mune with Him, to grow more andmore toward perfection. Just imagineEvery day takes us farther away fromthe point of no return and brings usCLOSER to our destination. Canyou nowsee why every day must indeed be aS P E C I A L D AY for Gods begotten chil-dren ?

But is it for you?Do you pray daily, with all your

heart for Gods Kingdom to come? Doyou really mean it ? Wou ld you behappy-and ready -if it came tomo r-

Air France PhotoThis Boeing 707 f ly ing for Air France faces t s p o i n t o f n o r et u r n a l m o s t d a i l y.

row? Do you feel in your heart thatevery Sabbath that comes and passestakes you seven daysfarther away fromthe point of no return, andseven dayscloser to your landing in the KING-DOM OF G O D ?Do you really pray toGod having these thoughts in mind-or are you like those who haventreached the point of no return-orperhaps who havent even yet takenoff

Examine Yourself

Examine yourself to find the answer.Pu t yourself und er the test-a verysimple one at that. Frankly speaking, theclay yuu were baptized, you should al-ready have reached the point of noreturn in your life. Ask yourself in allsincerity and honesty ifyou are grow-ing every day in the grace and theknowledge of Jesus Christ.

Exsrmime yuur h u r l LO sce if anyonein the world-whether it be a moth er,a son, a husband o r a wife-pulls youback so strongly that theypvevent youfrom ever reaching the point of noreturn. Christ said: He that loveth

father or mother more than me is nworthy of me: and he that loveth sor daughter more than me is not wortof me. And he that taketh not his croand followeth after me, is not worthy me (Mat. 10:37-38) .

Did you count this cost before yowere baptized?

Search your heart to see ifanythingin the world-riches, glory, fameorlust-pulls you back so strongly thayou cannot even take off. Christ saAgain, the kingdom of heaven is liunto a merchant man, seeking goodpearls: who, when he had found opearl of great price, went and sold that he had, and bought it [M

Examine yourself to see whether yhave severed your ties with the worldor whether you love the glittering adeceptive lights of the world more thathe truly bright and etevrzcrl LIGHTS ofthe Truth. Under Gods inspiration tapostle John wrote: Love not tworld, neither the things that are inthe world. If any man love the wor

(Continued on page 2 3

13:45-46).


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The KEYTo The Crucifixion Date

Scholars attem pt to destroy k ey proof wh ich reveals true dateofCrucifixion. Theologians attempt to alter this proof to uphold G o o d -Frida y, Easter-Sunday tradition. Read the astonishingand thoroughly documented Proof that both scholars and theo-logians are in error Here i s proof that the true dat e of the

crucifixion can be completely understood.

AN Y O U prove that Christ wascrucified in 31 A.D.?Do you

know-and know tha t yo i i know-

Christ was not crucified in 33 A.D. asRoman Catholics teach? Could youprove to a Jew that Jesus came the veryyear Old Testament prophets said theMessiah would come?

Miss ing KEYHere is the K E Y that unlocks the

PROOF. This K E Y lhe sdiolars andtheologians have sought to hide.

Few understand that one of the mostconclusive proofs of Jesus Mcssiahshipis found in the date Artaxerxes issued

his famous decree (Ezra 7) for theJews to rebuild Jerusalem.

When you know the date of theissuance of the decree-you canpin-poin t the EXACT Y E A R of Christs death.That precise year, foretold by theprophet Daniel, can be simply under-stood and known. It is amply provedby the Bible and historical records.

How Theo log ians ReasonHere is how scholars misunderstood

the important points surrounding this

decree. They say: One of the mostperplexing and controversial problemsof Ezra-Nehemiah is that of the dateofEzras arrival in Jerusalem. Tradition-ally Artaxerxes is identified with Arta-xerxes I (46 4-4 24 B.C.) whose seventhyear was 458 B.C.

This fact would place the coming ofNehemiah several years after Ezrasappearance in Palestine. But whatdoscholars conclude? Just the opposite.They place Nehemiah before Ezra.

Cby Paul Kroll

Continuing the quote: Since Ezrafollowed Nehemiah into Palestine andwas not his contemporary {which is a

totally erroneous assumption), the Ar-taxerxes must have been Artaxerxes I1(404-359 B.C.), whose seventh yearwas 398 B.C. (Interpreters Bible,Commentary on Ezra, vol. 3, p. 624.)

Their incorrect date of 398 B.C. forthe decree would make Christ come in86 A.D.- which is a totally ridiculousassumption However, this totally er-roneous date is now being supported-not only by theologians-b ut also byscholars and archaeologists:

Notice this statement by a well-known authority.

The chronological problems con-nected with the era of Ezra-Nehemiahremain UNSOLVED, though there is agrowing scholarly consensus in favor ofreversing the traditional order (whichplace Ezra in the seventh yearof Arta-xerxes I, i.e. 458, and Nehemiah inthe 20th year, or 445) . Van Hoonackerwas the chief exponent of the view thatEzra followed Nehemiah and was there-fore to be dated in the reign of Arta-xerxes I1 (seventh year-398) . ( T h eBible and the Ancient Near East ;G. Ernest Wright, editor,p. 213.)

Other scholars reason that errorscrept into the Bible. They would tellyou a scribe mad e an error-and latertried to reconcile the dates whichactually need no reconciling. Manytheories are advanced. But no oneseems to have the truth

Fundamentalists IncorrectEven among those religionists wh

hold the traditional views there

much inaccuracy.Heit- is an example:Then as hopeful Daniel was con

fessing his and Israels sins and praying, he was given the glorious prophecof the seventy weeks, fixing the timof Messiahs earthly advent.So under-standable and so exact in its timefeatures was it that at theDUE TIME,A.D. 29, the Jews were expectantlawaiting the Messiah. ( E q u i p p e d f o rE v e r y G o o d Wo r k , p. 229.)

Whdt deceptionThis religious sect, as some other

would incorrectly place the decree asgoing into effect as late as 455 B.CW h y ? So that they can place the crucfixion on Friday in 33 A.D. But theBible and the true facts of history reject such an erroneous date.

It seems so few really understand ancorrectly place the decree o f Arta-xerxes. If they do, none grasp thetremendous significance of this dat

Yet, as Christ said, these things(Irerevealed to babes.W e can understand them

Decree of ArtaxerxesThis important decree as found i

Ezra 7:11-26 reads:Artaxerxes, king of kings, un

Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law othe God of heaven, perfect peace, anat such a time.

I make a decree, that all they of th


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Remember, this was to build thTEMPLE-?lot the city. This decreetherefore is not the one spoken of byDaniel in chapter 9 ; 2 5 .

So the people of Judah and Benjamin arose to go to the land of Palestinand bcgan rcbuilding thc house of Go(Ezra 1 : 5 ) . They kept the Festival ofTabernacles that year in Palestine (Ezr3 : l ) . In the second year the ministrwas installed (Ezra 3 : 8 ) .

But then their troubles beganThe Samaritans began to harass th

Jews. First, they tried fifth -colu mn tatics-and attempted to overthrow thproject from within . When this failedthey hired people to frustrate themFinally, the work was stopped.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Juda

and troubled them in building. Anhired counsellors against them, to frutrate their purpose, all the days oCyrus king of Persia, even until threign of Darius king of Persia (Ez

Here is the account of the Jewproblems with the Samaritans concering the buildingof the temple. It lastedthroughout the days of Cyrus.

Problems Continue

4 : 4 - 5 ) .

Now, note this. In Ezra4 : 6 - 2 3 , THES U M M A RY of all the problems the Jewhad is recorded. However, this is ainset in the chain of events. The account of the problems with buildinthe temple during the reign of DariusIENDS at verse five andresiirnes in verse2 4

And hired counsellors against theall the days of Cyrus { 5 3 8 - 5 2 9 )

king of Persia, evenuntil the reign ofDarius [the first) king of Persia { 5 2 1 -4 8 5 ) : Then ceased the work of th

house of God which is at Jerusalem.Soit ceased unto the Jecond year of thereign of Darius {the first} king oPersia (verses 5 , 2 4 ) .

It was at this time-around 520B.C. that the books of Haggai anZechariah were written (Ezra5 : l ) . T h ematter finally came to DariusI concern-ing the temple-and he ordered thconstruction to continue (Ezra 6 : l l -1 2 ) . Again, this decree was to buildthe house of God-not Jerusa lem . It

(Continued on page 18)

people of Israel, and uf his priests aiidLevites, in my realm, which are mindedof their own freewill to go up toJerusalem, g o with thcc. (Quotcdfrom verses 12-13.)

This decree of Artaxerxes containedthe commandment to go forth andbuild Jerusalem. It gives the startingyear of the prophecy recorded in Daniel9 : 2 5 , 2 6 . Thus, it reveals thekey yeurin which Christ was tob e g i n H i s min-

Know therefore and understand,that from the going forthof the com-mandment to restore and t o buildJerusulem {contained, as we shall latersee, in the decree of Artaxerxes) untothe Messiah the Prince shall besevenweeks , and threescore and t w o w e e k s :the street shall be built again, and the

wall, even in troublous times.Daniel records that there would besixty-nine (7+62) prophetic weeks tillChrist would begin His ministry. Sixty-nine prophetic weeks equals4 8 3 days(69 x 7 ) . But a prophetic day equalsone year in prophecy (se e Num bers1 4 : 3 4 , Ezekiel 4 : 6 for the Biblicalproof). Therefore, we have a totalof48.3 Y E A R S

If we discover the beginning yearof Da niels prophecy, we can know th eexact year Christ began His ministry.But since Daniels prophecy refers to thedecree of Artaxerxes for the beginning-we must go to that prophecy to dis-cover the key year.

W e mi/st d e t e r m i n e t h e E X A C TYEAR of Artux erxes decree in orderto fix the starting date in Danielsprophecy Once we know the exact yearof the decree, we can pinpoint-fromthis date-the exact yeur (483 yearslater) in which Christ began His min-istry. It would be a simple task then

to find the date of His crucifixion-three and one-half years later.

istry

Why This Confusion?Theologians and scholars deny Christ

by claiming that He was buried onFriday and rose on Sunday-in HALFthe time He said He would (Mat.1 2 : 4 0 ) .

But these same men cannot escapethe fact that Christ was crucified atthe E N D OF T H E PA S S O V E RHence, they have inherited another

problem. They must incorrectly say thatthe crucifixion occurred in a year whenthe Passover fell on Friday. The onlypossible Friday Passover- crucifixionyear would have been33 A.D.

Theologians force themselves to putthe crucifixion of Christ in33 A.D.-to maintain t he Good-Friday, Easter-Sunday tradition. This is theONLYPOSSIBLE year in which Christ couldhave been crucified at the endof thePassover-and still rise in time for Sun -day morning (according to thefulseone-a nd-a-half days theory)

If we prove Christ was not crucifiedin 3 3 A.D.-this false idea would bedestroyed

Of course, it is quite clear thatChrists ministry lasted three and ahalf years. If you have not proved this,

he sure to write in for our article,The Crucifixion was not on Friday.Now, in order to substantiate a33

A.D . crucifixion-these scholars mustdate the beginning of Christs ministryin 29 A.D. Therefore, they must eithersuggest the decree of Artaxerxes cannotbe understood-or put it in a yearwhich will make the4 8 3 years end in29 A.D.

Now it is clear why the decree ofArtaxerxes is of such monumental im-portance. If theologians place the cruci-fixion in 33 A.D., they falsely place thedecree of Artaxerxes in455 B.C.

Now see the proof that ArtaxerxesDID NOT issue his decree in455 B.C.-the Goo d-Friday, Easter-Sunday tradi-tion is shattered

Ezra Ho lds Key

The book of Ezra holds the key for acorrect understanding of this most im-portant decree. Therefore itis of tre-mendous importance to understandwh at was takin g place-and thechrono-logical sequence of the book of Ezraand Nehemiah.

Ezra 1 : 1 - 2 , reads Now in the firstyea? of Cyrus king of Persia, that theword of the Lord by the mouth ofJeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lordstirred up the spirit of Cyrus kingofPersia, that he made a proclamation, . .Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, TheLord God of heaven.. . hath chargedme to build him an house at Jerusa-l e m . . ,


11/24

Are YOU aPhiladelphia Christian?

There is no need to be in d oub t. There is a wa y yozl can tellwhether you are in the Philadelphian or Lodicean condition.

Check yourself by theFRUITS

ID YOU realize that there aremembers of Gods true Church,today, who are Philadelphia era

Christians in name only? Ministers inthe field report, and visiting programmeetings discuss, a growing problem of

D

LETHARGY.

Where do YOU s t and?You need to KNOW what kind of

Christian you are-in Go ds sig htGod promises His Philadelphia Churchprotection in the time of great trialwhich is coming (Rev. 3 : 1 0 ) . M i l lYOU qualify to receive that protection?

O r will you wake up-too late-todiscover you have been in alukewarmspiritual condition? Will you have to

endure the Great Tribulation in orderto build the character needed to servein Gods Kingdom, and inherit eternall i fe?

No Quest ion More Important

Jesus Christ said, Wherefore by theirfruit3 ye shall k n o w them (Mat. 7 :20) . Its as simple as tha t You cantell by your fruits whetheror not YOUare in Gods Philadelphia Church

The way to tell that this Work, with

Headquarters in Pasadena, California,is the Philadelphia era of Gods Churchis to look at the fruits. It is by thedescription that Jesus Christ gave inRevelation 3 that we can be sure thatthis great Work of God, which is pro-claiming the good news of ChristsKingdom to this end-time society is intruth the Philadelphia era of GodsChurch.

Any church is the sum-total of itsmembership. If the individuals are

by L. Leroy Neff

lethargic and lazy, the whole churchwill be that way. If the individualsmaking up the church are lacking inlove then the whole church will bccold.

The point is this:Since the Philadelphia Church is

made up of many members which aredescribed in Revelation 3 then the in-dividual member of that church willhave the same descriptiotz You prob-ably never thoughtof it that way. Youcan see that this is Gods PhiladelphiaChurch because of the description.Most of the people in the Church alsofit this description. But some do not.What about you? Does Revelation3 : 7 -

1 3 describe you also? In order to findout if this description fits you letsexamine very carefully and minutelythe description of the Church. Only inthis way can we come to know whetheror not we are really part of this church.

W h a t Does Philadelphia Mean?

God names things what they are.And, He has named this thePhiladel-phia Church. Philadelphia is a Greek-derived name which comes from twoGreek words: philos, and adelphos.Philos means loving or dear andadelphos means brother.

When put together these two wordsliterally mean brother-loving.

Have you ever noticed how muchlove there is in Gods Church? Haveyou noticed how friendly Gods peopleare, and how much they enjoy beingtogether on the Sabbath, or any othertime?

As has been said many times, Gods

people are about the hand-shakingespeople there are. This is just one indcation of how Gods people love to btogethcr. There is a bond of true loveand fellowship in this church thexists nowhere else on earth.

But there are some people among uswho d o izot share this love and companionship. They enjoy other peoplecompany iiioie thaii God> peopleWhen they come to church they likto come at the last minute and leavjust as so 11 a b itb o v e r. They donlike to fellowship with Gods peoplthey have their own interests; T H E YARE N O T BROTHER-LOVING.

How about you?

Jesus gave 1 2 descriptive points anprorniseb about the Philadelphia Churin Revelation. Lets examine them one bone. Apply the description toyotlrselfSee if the description fitsyou.

A r e You G o i n g T h r o u g hYourOpen D o o r ?

The first thing that Jesus said abothis church is that it has works (ver8 ) . These could also be called fruitsJesus knows what ourfrtlits and worksare. He knows how to describe usin-dividually and c u l l t d v e l y. And, thefirst work that He mentions relateto an open door which He has sebefore us.

God has given this end-time Churcthe powerful instrument of radio anthe printing press to proclaim the soocoming Kingdomof God to the wholeworld. The Church is going througthat open door The Church is ful-filling the command of Jesus Christ

Go ye therefore, and teach all n


12/24


tions, baptizing them in the nameofthe Father, and of the Son, andof theHoly Spirit: Teaching them to observeall things whatsoever I have com-manded you: and, lo, I am with youalway, even unto the end of the world.Amen (Mat . 28:19-20) .

Put this on a personal, individuallevel. If the Philadelphia Church isfulfilling this commission, then allthose who are t r d y a part of thisChurch are also doing theiro w n im-portant part in carrying out this sameWork. Each person has an importantfunction in this Work just as I Cor.12plainly shows. We cannot all do thebroadcasting. W e cannot all write mag-azine articles or booklets.Bi/t each hashis owtz essential part

What are some of the works that

the individual can do in order to do hispart Hnw can the ;nd i i~ idun l gothrough this opeiz door of evangelism?

Each person has equal opportunity topray fervently eachd a y f o r this Work.After all, we all have 24 hours a day.

W e all have equal opportunity ofpaying a tenth of our income to sup-port this Work. In tithes, no one givesmore than any other person But Godhas instructed 11s to also give offerings.The tithe is required. Offerings are re-quired, but the amoiiizt of offering isle f t up to the indiv idual . Theamountof offerings is an indication of howvitally interested we are in Go ds Wo rk.

Another way that we can help inGods W ork is fast ing, so that wemight grow closer to God and over-come our human nature.

Our cont inual concern and interestin this Work-the measure ofzeal thatwe have towards Go ds Work-ourdedication to Gods Work-shows howmuch a part we have in spreading thegospel to the world. For where yourtreasure is, there will your heart bea lso (Mat . 6 :21) .

How much are you preparing forgreater service in t h i s Wo r k , as well asfor the rulership that God has promisedin the World Tomorrow? How humbleand meek are you? These fruits set usapart from the church of Laodicea-or lack of them could show that weare a part of it.

One of the outstanding fruits of this

end-time work is that it has been in-creasing approximately 3 0 percent ayear in almost every phase of opera-tion. The church of Philadelphia isgrowing in grace and knowledge ofJesus Christ, it is also growing in sizeand in influence. Areyon growing 30percent a year?

God has given each one of uso wopen door to d o His end- t ime Work.If we are not doing that work, we arenot a part of the Philadelphia Church.

Do Yo u Have Little Strength?

The second point mentioned in Reve-lation 3 is that this church has littlestrength. Compare this with the Lao-dicean Church, who say, I am richand increased with goods and have needof nothing. (Rev. 3:17.)

W e l ive in a veryweak and degetzer-ate age, and yet few people are awareof this weakness. When we compare ouraccomplishments with the exploits ofmen in ancient times, we see howpunywe really are.

W e do no t have national leaders withwisdom like Solomon today. Where arethe men with the faith of Abraham,the organizational leadership and meek-ness of Moses, the steadfastness ofNoah? Crrtairily we have littlestrength, compared to such people.

Th e apostle Paul w rote that there arenot many wise, mighty, or strong thatare called in this age (I Cor. 1:26-31).

Have you ever heard Mr. Armstrongor the other ministers mention howmuch they lack, and how much theycontinually must call out to God forstrength? They recognize how littlestrength the people carrying on thisWork actually have.

Consider how few we are innumber,how poor we are, how lacking we arcin knowledge, wisdom, faith, love, andevery other way.

This church realizes that of itself itcan do noth ing Jesus said that H e coulddo nothing, it was the Father thatworked through Him. If Christ coulddo nothing, certainly we cando lessthan nothing by ourselves.

Do you realize how weak, helpless,lacking, and in need of helpyou a r e ?Or, do you feel you already have wis-dom, you are strong spiritually, thatyou are not weak like some of the

u h r people you see? If so, you arenot in God s Philadelph ia Churc h Yes,Gods people in the PhiladelphiaChurch are weak, they know it, andthey are constat2tly forced to cry out toGod for help, to do the great Workthat Hc has called them individuallyand collectively to do.

The third point that Jesus gave con-cerriirig this church is that it haskeptH i s Wo r d (verse 8 ) . What does i tmean to keep Christs Words?

It means to do what He has com-manded, in preaching and publishingthe gospel to the whole world. Itmeans to FAITHFULLY preach and obeyHis Word-His TRUTH. It means tolive by every one of His words. H esaid that if we love Him, ( that is ifwe are brother-loving) we willkeep

is words (John 14:23). He is theSpokesman or Word who inspired thewhole Bible, so it also means to obeythe whole Bible. Our standard of con-duct is to live by all of I I i s words-to obey Him.

On the personal or individual level itmeans that we a i r xa rch ing and seekingto know Gods will by reading HisWo r d daily and making it a very partof our being. How can we obey Hiswords if we do not know what they

are?

Next, Jesus said that this Church hasnot denied His name (Verse 8.)

The name of a personrepresents, oris the person. If we deny the name ofJesus Christ then we deny Him. Howdo we d eny H im ? By verbally sayingI deny Chr is t?No It means muchmore than that. Jesus inspired theapostle Paul to say They profess thathey know God, but in w o r k s theydeny Him, being abominable and dis-obedient, and unto every good workreprobate (Titus : 16) .

W e deny Jesus Christ if we have thewrong kind of works or deeds.

We can also deny Him by not beingobedient to Him . H e has authority inevery aspect of our lives. He rules usthrough His Word and through HisChurch (Ephesians 4:1 1) . If we are noobedient to those He sets over us inauthority in His Church, if we do notobey His Word, He is not ourLordand Master. One of Jesus names is


13/24

April-May 1966 The GOOD NEWS

do not continue faithful. When we arein severe trialor sickness the time mayseem long . But, the day finally comeswhen the tiial is couipletely and totallyremoved, just as though it had neverexisted. When you look back it doesntseem as if it werc so long after all.

Thats just the way its going to bewhen we receive that great reward ofeternal life. The trials and tribulationsof this age will then seem very small,and to have taken but a very shortspace of time. Almostlike a dream thathas gone in the night.So Jesus says,Behold I come quickly. W e thinkthat He is slow in coming, but Hepromises that He will comegnickly Itwill not really be long. W e must lookforward with great hope and anticipa-tion to that promise, realizing that it

will come quickly.After all, G od has called us to endu reand overcome for only a few years.Many of the worthy prophets of oldhad to endure many times over thenumber of years that God has calledmost of us to remain faithful. Considerthe hundreds of years that such men asEnoch, Noah, and Abraham remainedfaithful to God. Our few years areshort by comparison.

If you are a part of Gods Churchnow, endure to the end, hold fast Do

not become offended at anything or leta lout uT billerrless come in. Do notbecome lukewarm and fail to fulfill anyof the obligations that Jesus has placedupon you personally. If you do, youwill find that someone else will takeYOUR crown.

Mo re Rewards

Jesus next mentions an additionalreward. But this reward will comeafterthe resurrection. He has promised us(verse 1 2 ) that we shall become a

pillar in the temple that is to be builtin Jerusalem. A recent article inT h eGOOD NEWS explained that this isspeaking spiritually and symbolicallyabout the positionsof authority in thegovernment of God, at the Headquar-ters of this whole world.

God has called the people in theother church eras to be kings andpriests over various cities, states, andnations. But H e has chosen us in thisChurch era to have a veryspecial part

13

in the headquarters government. W ewill be with Jesus Christ at Jerusalem

This is the Church era that has experienced firsthand the modern technological advances of science and industry. W e have been able to see thgood and the bad results from thesetremendous advances in science. ThWorld Tomorrow is going to be a verypcaccful utopia, but a I ru ly r r~ade rnworld. There will be great advances iagriculture, science and industry.

God is calling those who have hadfirsthand experience with some of thmodern developments and advances oscienre to ,bvo/wvly ront rol them. Wemay have responsibility to control thworlds international affairs and activi-ties such as transportation, communirations, education, and news.

God is giving us experience in thesthings now so we might use this experience and knowledge in His Kingdom

What a wonderful calling this isAre you p a l i f y i n g to have a part inthat government? The PhiladelphiaChurch is Be sure thatyou are

Jesus next mentioned the position orulership again. He said that no longewill we have any possibilityof beingdischarged from that rulership and responsibility. W e shallgo no more out.W e will always be in Gods favor. Wwill be with Jesus Christfo r ever andever.

W e will have thename of God writ-ten upon us. God names things whathey are. When He writes His name ous, that means we are then born into Hivery family. W e will be God, just asChrist is now God . W e will not havthe same rank, position or authoritythat He has, but we will still be a parof that very divine family

The name of the city of God wilalso be written on us. In other wordswe will have the blessing of ultimatelyliving in the very city called New Jerusalem where God the Father wildwell for ever.

The twelfth point is that He wilalso put on us His new name. ThiChurch is to be a part of the Bride oChrist. A bride always takes the namof her husband. When we become

(Continued on page 2 2 )

Lord which means ~ O J J , uiir havingcomplete authority over us.

W h a t Is Patience?lhe fifth p oint is that true P hila-

delphians have kept the word of Mypatience (verse 10).

All of the promises of God are tothe overcomer whoendzires to the end.What we are today does not prove whatwe sliall be tomorrow. W e may bewinning the race today and lose ittomorrow. It is the one whocontiiztiesin patience and who is steadfast evenin tribulation who will receive the re-ward.

Jesus said in your patictzcc possessye your souls (Luke2 1 :19).

Jesus Christ says that this Church ispatient, and that it endures all thesetrials and tribulations until the very

end.Are you personally beingpatient in

the time of adversity, sickness, andtrials? Or do you give up when timesget difficu lt? If you are a quitteryou may not be a part of the Phila-delphia Church.

The sixth point that Jesus mentionedconcerning this Church is the promiseof protection. Before Jesus Christ re-turns to this earth, He will reward thePhiladelphia Church by keeping it fromthe great time of trouble that is goingto come upon the whole earth.

Because thou hast kept the word ofmy patience, I also will keep thee fromthe hour of temptation, which shallcome upon all the world, to try themthat dwell upon the earth (Rev.3 : l O .

Other prophecies show that perhaps90 percent of the people of Israel aregoing to be destroyed in the terriblewar and holocaust thatis shortly ahead.The people of the Laodicean Church

will be tortured and martyred by fiend-ish men during the tr ibulation.What a great and precious and com-

forting promise this is, that Jesus willkeep the Philadelphia Church from thisgreat time of trouble

Jesus Is Coming QuicklyIn view of such a great and precious

promise Jesus exhorts us tobold fast ,so that no one will take oz*r reward.The crown of righteousness that is keptfor us will go to someone else if we


14/24

YOU C A N SERVEIN GODS CHURCH

How can Y O U be a more effective help in the Church of God?How can you have a greater part in SERVlNG your brethren?Here are way s yo u can be a valuable servant-ways you may well

have overlooked

A N Y continually ask, What canI do to serve in GodsChurch? They are eager and

very desirous of doingMORE to help

the W ork of God-but they don t seewhat they can do-they won der howthey can be of greater use to God.

Yet many, who ask these same ques-tions, are overlooking a vital part ofservice-a way in wh ich they can haveimmeasurable influence on the lives ofothers

M

WHERE Does Se rv ice Beg in?

To most people. the grass alwayslooks greener on the other side of thefence. They are constantly wishing theyhad some other job, are dissatisfiedwith their particular talents, would likesomeone elses position. Outwardly,they tell you they want toSERVE MORE-but inwa rdly, their basic motivationis selfish-they want greater gloryand honor for themselves

How do we know?T he answ er is obvious-by the

FRUITS of their personal lives By theEXAMPLE they set in their everydayliving By the fruits of theirCHARAC-TER-Or lack of it

T h e K E Y to being of greater servicein the Work of God, and the Church ofGod, is not persistent pesteringor im-portuning one of Gods ministers. TheK E Y is to Q U A L I F Y for greater service-on your knees, before the throne ofGod; and by studying Gods Worddaily, absorbing His truth into yourvery being

An d then-put this influen ce toWORK in your OWN personal life

by D e a n R. Wi l s o n

This vital Scriptural principle is am-plified in I Corinthians 14:12--Evenso ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous ofspiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel

TO THE EDIFYING OF THE C H U R C H Too often people have a lethargic

attitude toward the very Church ofGod-the Church Jesus Christ built(Mat. 16:18) , and gave His life for.Too many think of it as just anotherchurch-at least, they seem to bearwitness to this attitude in their per-sonal lives They have not had thevery nziizd of Christ toward His Church(Phil. 2 : 5 ) .

Christ gave HisA L L for the body-th e Church . But-do you realize Hi ssacrifice would have been totallyI NVAIN if His personal life had not beensinless, perfect in character, holy beforeG od ? If Christ hadsimzed, YOU wouldhave no Saviour An d all His servicewould have been in vain

The point is simply this-are Y O UQUALIFYING to serve in Gods Church,by setting the RIGHT K I N D of Christian,godly EXAMPLE ?

Take a long, HONEST look at your-self Are you walkingWORTHY of the

tremendous vocationto which you havebeen called? (Eph. 4:l .) AlthoughGod hns indeed called the WEAK ofthis world (I Cor. 1:26-28),H e doeJ7 l O t intend that w e R E M A I N that wayIf we are to enter Gods Kingdom,and if we are to SERVE in GodsChurch, then God shows we mustGROW spiritually, O V E R C O M E past weak-nesses and shortcomings-even to thepoint where God can useus to con-found the wise of this world Per-

sonal growth is a vitalKEY to serviceAre YOU growing, in the following

ways?Grow i n Wi s d o m

Jesus Christ meant that wisdomknowledge and understanding shoulcome through the Church of God. Notin Proverbs 9 : 1 that wisdom has builther house in seven pillars. As men-tioned in chapter eight of Proverbsthis wisdom is priced far above golor any other precious metal. You wilnote in Revelation that there are sevestages or eras of Gods Church, and inEphesians 3 : l O Paul, under the inspira-tion of God, tells us: To the inten

that now unto the principalities anpowers in heavenly places might bknown BY THE CHURCH the manifoldwisdom of God. Paul again inI Timo-thy 3:15 tells us, . he house ofGod, which is the church of the livinGod, THE PILLAR A N D GROUND OF THETRUTH.

Yes, Jesus Christ shows us verypointedly that wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth do come througHis Church. Can you honestly, before

God, say that the Church of Gois cleaning you up and washing yothrough the Word of God (Eph.5:26)If you are not growing in the gracand knowledge of Jesus Christ everyday as the result of the broadcastPLAINTRUTH, GOODNEWS maga.zines, Correspondence Course and r eular church services, you need to examine yourself to findout if you areeven in the faith and not reprobateI1 Cor. 13:5 . Remember, your only


15/24

April-May, 1966 The GOOD NEWS 15

source of t ruc and last ing knowlcdgcand wisdom comes through the Churchof God.

W h y is Jesus Christ cleaningyou u pas an individual and all who are a partof the body through His Church andthe Word of Go d? This is answeredin Ephesians 5 :27 : That he mightpresent it to himself a glorious church,not having spot, or wrinkle, or anysuch thing; but that it should be holyand without blemish. Jesus Christ isin the process of perfecting all ofusand using His Church and ministers todo i t (Eph. 4 : 11 - 1 3 ) . Are you lettingJesus Christ work an d do this in yourl i f e?

How to Edify t h e C h u r c h

To edify means to construct,build up, improve, enhanceor benefit.Sad to say, Gods ministers spend thevast majority of their time during agiven week with people who arenotedifying the Churchof God, but on theother hand are tearing down, bringingdegradation and shame upon theChurch that Jesus Christ gave His verylife fo r

There are many areas where you asan individual, IF Y O U WILL, can growin wisdom and knowledgea n d edify orbuild up Gods Church rather thantear it down.

In one area, an individual-unedu-cated, uncouth and unconverted, but yetin his vanity assuming himself to bespiritual and full of knowledge andwan ting to be a teacher-on occasionwould frequent a local bar and drinkexcessively. After consuming too muchalcohol, he would proceed to preachand try to convert all with whom hecame in contact. Paul mentioned a cir-cumstance of excessive drinking to theChurch at Corinth and accused the in-

dividuals concerned of DESPISING theChurch of God (I Cor. 11 : 2 2 ) .

Do you ever drink too much?Doyou ever, through vanity, try to teachwhen you are notcalled to teach? Godplainly in Romans 1 0 : 1 5 and Ephe-sians 4 : l l tells us He calls His minis-ters. Then in James 3 : 1 He warnsagainst being a teacher when you arenot called to that office. Do YOUDESPISE THE CHURCHOF G O D ?Or onthe other side of the ledger, are you

stiiviiig with all of your being to betemperate in all things and are you onehundred percent behind Gods calledand choscn ministers? Inother wurd5,ARE YOU EDIFYING A N D BUILDING U P

THE BODY OF JESUSCHRIST?Wha t about cleanliness of the f l e s h

and the spirit (I1 Cor.7:1). The worksof the flesh are listed forus in Gala-tians 5 : 1 9 - 2 1 and Paul concludes thesection by stating very dogmaticallythat . . they which do such thingsshall not inherit the Kingdomof God.Uncleanness is one of the things listedthere, yet when we ministers walk intothe homes of some who proclaim to beChristian, to be membersof the Body,we find that home dirty and unkempt.Many are not particular about the areain which they live, but will movei n t o

the slum and dirty areas of some of ourmajor cities.

Is Your Home Clean?

Let me put it to you in this way,Gods way of life laid down in theBible is the epitomy of perfection andthe way of life that He would havc allmen live. In fact, in a few short yearsWe-IF WE QUALIFY-are go in g t o he lpJesus Christ (Rev. 2 0 : 6 ) educate thisentire world to this way of life. Nowwith this in mind, ask yourselfHON-ESTLY-would you wa nt tosee the en-tirety of this society living in the sameway, in the same area in which y o nare now living?

What about your home? Would youwant everyones home to bej u s t likeyourr? What dops yn74r home LOOKlike? Is it clean, orderly, well kept-an example of a home that Jesus Christwould enjoy entering and possiblyevenl iv ing in?If it isnt, you need to makesome changes. Be an exampleor light

in your community that through yourgood works men might glorify God(Mat. 5:16).

Gods Church and ministers throughthe various media we use,The PLAINTRUTH, OODNEWS, roadcasts, ser-mons in church andso on, are teachingyou the way God would have you live.God lays a responsibility upon you totake these sermons and act on them.Be a doer of Gods Word and not ahearer only. This is one of the greatest

ways you can be a help to the ministersand all of Gods Church.

In summarizing it all, examine andlook at yourself. Christ wants you as apart of a glorious Church (Eph. : 2 7 ) .From the dictionary we find thatglorious means, sh ow ing qualitiesordoing acts that deserve glory, or re-nown; splendid, magnificent. Are youreally working on youlsellto become apart of a group that is to become thisway? Are you striving to do acts thatdeserve glory or renown?

Perfection Our Goal

This Church is finally to be pre-sented to Christ, the Creator of thisuniverse, not having spot or wrinkle.Look at your life in the light of theBible. Are you diligently striving to getrid of yozir spots and wrinkles? Are yousetting the example in your family andyour home that you hope to be teachingthe whole world in the future? Wou ldyou want the world to be like you?If you are honest, you will have toanswer that, No. Begin to do some-thing about it-CHANGE Developnot only the mind of Christ, but alsothe very character and habits of Christso that in the future you can help passthis way of life on to a miserable andunhappy world.

This Church is to becomeH O LY andwithout blemish It is not blasphemyto strive to become holy. God tellsusthrough the pen of Peter, But as hewhich hath called you is holy,so be yeHOLY in all manner of conversation[conduct); because it is written, Be yeholy; for I am holy I Pet. 1:15-16 .

How YOU Can Se rve -NOW

Do you see the point?Do you graspthe lesson?

Right NOW, in the example you set,

by the very WAY you live, YOU canserve in Gods Church You can helpEDIFY the very body of Jesus ChristYo u can help, inspire, and build upyour brethren by your personal conduc-your perso nal cleanliness and neat-ness-by th e way you take careo f yoi i rhome, the way you guide with wisdomyour family-in sho rt, by theWAY YOU

Radiant friendliness, hospitality, con-LIVE

(Continued on page 22)


16/24


PREPARE FOR FAMINE(Continued fYom page 6)

time of famine is mentioned in Acts11. And in these days came prophetsfrom Jerusalem unto Antioch. Andthere stood up one of them named

Agabus, and signified by the spirit thatthere should be a great deurth through-out all the world; which came to passin the days of Claudius Caesar (verses

Thi s drought was extensive in theregion around Jerusalem, Palestine.History records that it was during thisfamine, that the apostle Paul wrote thefirst book of Corinthians. In chapter16,he gave an order to the brethren atCorinth: Let every one of youlay byh i m i n s t o r e . .. and I will bring yourgift unto Jerusalem.

Paul also had ordcrcd thc samc typecollection from the church in Galatia.This order instructed the brethren tolay in store for the famine strickensaints at Jerusalem. Paul urged them tohave it ready so he could pick it uplater that year and take it on to theheadquarters church.

In these examples from the Bible, wesee that it is wise to p v e p n v e for whatGod says is imminent in the very nextfew years.

27-28) .

T h e r e IS Someth ingYou C a n Do

The t ime has come for true believersand members of the body of the LivingJesus Christ to begin thinking aboutand preparing to save up to lay byhim in store. Jesus Christ commandsusto watch (Luke 2 1 : 3 6 ) the signs andeveizts that were prophesied to come.They are now happening before ourvery eyes. It is t ime for us to prepare

for the coming, lust , worldwide fam-ine. There are ways that all ofus canlay aside suppliesof food.

There are several commodities ofhigh nutritional value that can satis-factorily and economically be stored forlong periods of time. The Bible speaksof high-quality foods such as grain,honey, milk, the fatted calf, and others.The following are suggested basicstaples that you will want to considerin beginning your storehouse:

wheat (or other kinds of cereal grains),honey, cheese, smoked meat, cannedand frozen meats, fruits and vegetables.

Do NOT Become a Pharisee

Understand thoroughly, brethren, be-fore we go into the technical and physi-cal details that NO M A N N E R O R

YOU Only God ranIf you get to looking to the physical,

dedicating all your time, efforts andenergies to food storage to save yourphysical life-then you will be thegreatest loser of all time Read Luke9:24-25--For whosoever will savehis life [seek to selfishly maintain his

physical life at all costs) shall lose it:but whosoever will l w s r his life for mysake, the same shall save it. For what isa man advantaged, if he gain the wholeworld, and lose himself, 1 be ruJt

A M O U N T OF FOOD STORAGE CANSAVE

Ltwuy?Avoid the extremesDont be super and psctddo-spivitucrl

and declare that you are going to trustthe Lord and not d o anything for your-self. Remember Gods admonitiongiven throug h Solomon, G o to theant, thou sluggard; consider her ways,a n d he wise: Which having no guide,overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meatin the summer {the time of plenty]and gathereth her food in the harvest.(Proverbs 6:6-8.) W e have been warnedahead of time and should do every-thing within our power to prepare,A L LTHE TIME KNOWING ONLY G O D CANSAVE US T H R O U G H T H E S E E N D - T I M E

C ATA S T R O P H E S

And DONT become a food funaticDont look to the physical. Pray for

Godly B A L A N C E . In fact it would be agood idea for you to doJUST THATRIGHT NOW Before you continue withthis article, go to a private place,ordrop to your knees with your wholefamily and ask God to help you see thisinstruction in its proper balance, to seeit THROUGH H I S EYES

It may well be that many of you,being city and apartment dwellers, willnot be able to follow through on thisas much as you wish you could. But if

your attittide and sp i r i t r t d growth isright, God will supply your needswh en th e time comes-disectly, orthrough the other brethrenas those inthe provinces supplied the saints inJerusalem in their need.

N o w A b o ut W h e a t

Wheat ought to be the core of yourstorage program sincr it is the mostgenerally available grain in our Westerncountries. It is a well-known fact thathuman beings could survive in healthindefinitely on wheat and water alone.

Scientific and medical research showsthat wheat contains the properties tohelp: strengthen nerves, develop muscletone, promote a healthy heart condi-tion, improve circulation, build resis-tance to disease, increase the ability tolearn and remember, aid normal repro-duction, increase the power of a motheto nurse her babies.

Any wheat is better than none. W eshould select the best available whileit is available. In the selecting andstoring of wheat, the following pointsshould be kept in mind:

Kind or variety: Dark Hard WinterWheat (Turkey) Dark Hard Spr ing orMarquis Wheat .

Grade: Th e grade should beNo. 2 orbetter (Not less than 5 8 Ibs. perbushel) . Protein should be from11.50to 1 2.50 percentor more. Wheat shouldbe cleaned f or hum an consumption andfree from smut and foreign materialBe sure it has not been treated for useas seed.

Moisture: Moirture contenti r mmtimportunt. It is recommended that themoisture content be 10 percent or less.(Some say 1 2 to 1 3 percent, but thedryer the better). This may pose aproblem necessitating your drying the

wheat artificially in areas-or times-of high humidity by means of heatedforced air. Insects are unable to reproduce in clean grain with a moisture onine percent or below. (A moisture testcan be made at most feed stores andgrain elevators.)

Containers: Containers should besuitable to hold weight of grain, protect it from rodents and insects, andshould be non-conductors of moistur(metal containers have been most satis


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17

Wide World PhotosU.S. wheat sent to aid Indias hungry s shown being unloaded into sacks at port in Madras. Am a s s i v e wheat clog i s developing in Indias old-fashioned ports and the nations bureaucracy s

unable to get the grain to vil lages in the interior.

factory). Also be sure the covers fittightly.

Quantity: Quantity will vary accord-ing to needs. An active person will re-quire more than an inactive one. As aguide, one years requirement will varyfrom 70 Ibs. for children to 100 Ibs.for adults. (This refers orily to bread,cereal, and other normal requirements.If circumstances cause wheat and wheatproducts to become the principal dict,the amount required per individualwould be proportionately increased.)

Storage: Wheat will keep indefinitelyi f properly stored in a cool, dry place

with moisture content under10

percent.Wheat stored for more than one yearshould be aerated by turning it at leasttwice a year. Wheat can be cleaned byscreening it over a hand sieve made ofscreen similar to wire door screen. Five-to ten-gallon metal containers are ahandy size to use for storage andaeration.

You may check with farmers in yourlocal area about acquir ing wheat.

H o n e yHoney is a natural, unrefined food

that can be stored for an indcfinitcperiod of time. It is safe and whole-some. Bacteria, which cause certain dis-eases in human beings, cannot liveinhoney because of its high sugar con-tent. Honey is available the year aroundand may be purchased in various forms.It is on the market in liquid, comb,chunk, cut comb, solid, sometimescalled granulatedor finely crystallized,and creamed honey. The various formsdo not change its food value. Here are

some points to keep in mind:To purcha se honey: Select the flavor

you desire. The flavor depends uponthe kind of flowers from which thebees gather nectar. Honey producersfrequ ently mix several honeys by heat-ing moderately and stirring to producea blend with a flavor that is mostsatisfactory.

To store honey: Keep liquid honeyi n a dry place. Freezing does not in-jure the color or flavor, but may hastengranulation. Avoid damp places forstorage because honey has thepropertyof absorbing and retaining moisture. Itis best not to put honey in the refrig-erator. Containers should be suitabletohold the weight of the honey (onegallon weighs 12 Ibs.), protect it fromrodents and insects, and shouldhe non-conductors of moisture.

To l iquify honey that has granu-lated or solidified: Place the containerin a bowl of warm water, not warmerthan the hand can bear, until all crystalsare melted. See that the honey con-tainer does not rest on the bottom ofthe water container. Getting it too hot

will injure its quality and food value.Dr ied Products

You are all familiar with canning(or bottling) as a mcans or preservingfruits and vegetables, but what aboutdryirzg? Drying, which used to be acommon method of preservation, hasbecome a lost art. Instructionsaye stillobtainable as stated at the end of thisarticle i f you care to try it. This is agood way to preserve fruits if youdont have much storage space, or if

you have an abundance beyond whatyou are able to can. Apples, apricots,cherries, peaches, pears, figs, grapes andeven berries may be dried at home witha minimum of equipment.

Unprocessed raisins may be boughtdirectly from vineyards at a price sub-stantially less than that of processedarid packaged raisins. The unwashedraisins keep better than washedones,too. They will stay in good conditiontwo years or longer if stoiecl iri tightlycovered metal containers.

Some vegetables may also be dried.These include corn (maize), greenlima beans, okra, peppers and greenpeas. In general, however, vegetablesare more palatable canned or frozenthan dried.

Cheese

Cheese has Leer1 a popular food forthousands of years. An important pointto consider about cheese is the factthat it is a concentrated source of manyof the nutrients of milk. Finishedcheese contains a large proportion ofthe milk protein, the minerals, the fat(if it is a whole milk cheese), andthe fat-soluble nutrientsof milk. It isinteresting to note that the peoples ofthe world who exhibit the highest de-gree of national health, on the basis of

longevity and infant mortality rates, arealso the leading cheese eaters of theworld. Some points to consider are:

Types: There are only eighteendistinct types of cheese, of which thereare over 4 varieties. Despite the di-versity among cheese varieties, it is pos-sible to classify all cheeses under threemain division s-hard , semi-hard, andsoft. The relatively low moisture con-tent of hard and semi-hard cheeses per-mits their storage for long periods oftime, if conditions are favorable. Softcheeses, which contain a higher mois-ture content, are more perishable.

Pu rchas ing : Un i t ed S t a t e s andforeign cheeses have no difference infood value if they are of the samevariety. Cheese manufactured in theUnited States consists largely of hardcheeses (cheddar and swiss). Wiscon-sin and New York are the lead-ing cheese-producing states. In Wiscon-sin, most cheese is made from pas-teurized milk, while in New York, raw


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8 The GOOD NEWS April-May, l9GG

feel will best satisfy your needs. W haever your decision, begin now.

Physical Preparation Alone

Is NOT E n o u g h

Our Creator, a loving, benevolenGod, wanlJ us to . prosper and bin health (111 John 2 ) . Jesus Chrisforetold the signs and world conditiothat would appear just prior to Hsecond coming. Immediately followinHe gave those of understanding asolemn admonition, And when thethings begin to come to pass, then loup, and lift up your heads;for yourredemption draweth nigh (Luke21 :28) .

Remember, lack of obedience Gods laws is the reclsou the world isin its present condition. If we are n

prepared .rpirit?ially,our spiritual housbeing in clirnrder, all the physirapreparation in the world will avanothiug. W e need despe ra t e ly to keepclose to our Lord and Savior. Obediencto Him needs to become automatic.

The prophecy of w o i i d f u m i i i e ISbeing fulfilled before your very eyesGod may not intervene to help yoi f you, knozuiug famine is coming, dnot help yourselves-according to yoability to do so.

milk is used almost exclusively. Duringthe curing or aging period (60 -dayminimum), the cheese not only devel-ops a desirable flavor and texture, butthrough bacterial action all harmfulmicro-organisms are devitalized. Thelonger cheese is held or aged past theminimum 60-day period, the better theflavor and texture if proper tempera-ture is maintained.

Storag e: H ard a nd semi-hard cheesesare best for storing. Many varieties ofthese cheeses are cured foras much as1 2 to 16 months. The length of timeaged usually appears on the label ofboth New York and Wisconsin cheeses.Most cheeses purchased in a large lumpwill be coated with p ara ffin whichhelps to preserve it. In such cases,awedge of the cheese can be cut out and

wrapped in foil for immediate usewhile the larger remaining piece willkeep better i f the cut surfaces arespread with softened butter beforewrapping in aluminum foil. Cheesrshould be stored in a cool place, prefer-ably the refrigerator-or no warmerthan about 5 0 O F.

D i g e s t i b i l i t y : S o m e p e o p l e a r ereluctant to use cheese freely becauseof their mistaken notion that it is diffi-cult to digest. This idea is not sup-ported by research. Experimental evi-dence of the high digestibility of cheeseshows it to be 90-99 percent digestible.This range compares favorably withthat found for other foods normallyused in a mixed diet.

Preservat ion Methods

There are various methodsof pre-serving foods for storage. Those mostfrequently used are: canning, freezing,smoking, drying, pickling, brining, andmaking preserves or jellies of several

types. Each one of these methods hasmerits of its own, depending on thefood selected for preservation and thepleasure of the user. In each case, theproper selectionof the food, choice andcare of equipment, preparation of food,suitable applicationof heat, packaging,labeliiig, datiiig, and btuliiig a ~ rircea-sary if products of excellent qualityareto be your reward. Each method maybe checked to determine which wouldserve you best.

Instructions for the above methods

mentioned can easily be acquired bywriting for information from your localHome Demonstrationor County Agent.They usually maintain offices at theCounty Court House. Another excel-lent source of detailed information is,The United States Department of Agri-culture, Washington, D.C. This mater-ial is free for the asking.

P l a n To Save

To be effective in your planning youwill need some definite goals. Few willbe able to lay up large quantities offood all at once. It would be wise tofirst take time to sit down and considerwhat you want to store, its availability,and the quantity you wish to purchase.It is helpful to schedulr your p l a n n i n gin the form of an outlineor chart.

At certain seasons of the year thereare usually special sales on various prod-ucts. If you make room in your budgetto begin saving a little from each pay-check, you will be able to take advan-tage of these sales when they becomeavailable.

Another method of saving that issimple, yet effective,is to set aside cer-tain portions of items each timeofmajor shopping. You should use amethod or combination of methods you

The KEY To The Crucifixion(Contimzied f r o m p a g e 10)

not the decree spoken of in Daniel 9.Ezra 6 :14-15 recapitulates the history

of the restoration of t he temple . Andthe elders of the Jews. . builded, andfinished it [the temple), according tothe commandment of theGod of Israel,and according to the commandment ofCyrzis t538-5291, andDariiis i the first ,521-4851, and Artaxe rxes [the first,

464-423) king of Persia.And this house was finished on

the third day of the month Adar, whichwas in the sixth year of the reign ofDarius [the first, 516-515) the king.

Temple Comple t ed

Tlir Jew5 Lxgaii tu build tlie triiipleduring the reign of Cyrus but accom-plished nothing until the beginning ofthe Jecoud yedr of Darius I {520-519);Four years later in his sixth yedr, in5 1 5 B.C.-the tem ple was finish ed.

Again, how miraculous that the tempwas restored exac t ly s even ty years fromthe final captivity in 585 until 5 1 5B.C.

Later, a f t e r the temple was completeArtaxerxes I (464-423) included apar t of his decree to rebuild Jerusalea clause to procure any further materinecessary to beazitify the temple (Ezr

7 : 1 6 ) .Now we must retrace our steps t

pick up the account of Ezra 4:6-2This gave the szimmury of problemthe Jews encountered.

W e saw that the temple-except ffinis hin g touches-was completed the 5 i X t h year uf Dar iua I .

Jerusalem Rebuilt

Now the account continues. It takus past the completion of the templeAnd in the reign of Ahasuerus, in th


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April-May, 1966

beginning of his reign, wrote they untohim an accusation against the inhabi-tants of Judah and Jerusalem (Ezra4:6 . This is the Ahasuerus of thebook of Esther. H e is generally re-garded as the Xerxes of Greek history

The narrative then continues: Andin the days of Artaxerxes [the first,464-4231 wrotc Bishlam, Mithredath,

Be it known unto the king, that theJews which came up from thee to usare come unto Jerusalem, BUILDING T H ER E B E L L I O U S A N D T H E B A D CITY, andhave set up the walls thereof, Thensent the king an anqwrr . Give ye nowcommandment to cause these men tocease, and that thisCITY be not builded,iintrl another commandment shall begiven from me (Ezra4:7, 12, 17, 21) .

This was probably near the beginningof the reign of Artaxerxes I. Noticethat this concerned the building ofthe city-Jerusalem Artaxerxe s com-manded that the city and wall shouldnot be built-until he sentanother com-mandment. How clear that this othercommandment he sent is the one weread about in Ezra 7-the one sent byArtaxerxes in his seventh year

How clear that the Artaxerxes ofEzra 7 is the one who reigned from

(485-464).

464-423 B.C.

Othe r Proofs

An important fact to remember:Daniel 9:25 is dated from thegoingf o r t h of the commandmentto restoreand to build Jerusalem It isnotdated from the t ime AC TU AL BUILDINGbegan nr terminated

The prophecy states that the wallwould be built in troublous times-during the 7 prophetic weeks (49 literalyears) before the 62 weeks. Althoughthe decree was issued by Artaxerxes in

his seventh year, apparently littleor nobuilding on the city took place. It wasnot until the twentieth year of Artaxer-xes- I (445-444) that Nehemiah tookaction concerning the construction(Nehemiah 2 : 1 ) .

This proves scholars are incorrect inplacing EzraAFTER Nehemiah. Ezra wasof the S AME GENERATION as Nehemiah.In the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8,verses 1-9-we see them working to-gether

The GOOD NEWS 19

junction) of the seventh month. Tishriis the seveirth month of the sacred year

But it is the FIRST MONTH-aS weshal l immediately see-of thecivil yearIn some ways, the United States hasthis dual system. The calendar yearbegins in January. But the business

year is determined from July to July.Below is a listing of the months in

Go ds calendar-according to sacredand civil designations. (The nameswere added by the Jews.)

TWELVE-MONTH YEAR

SACRED CIVIL1. Niran Tishr i2. lyar3. Sivan Chisleu4. Tammuz Tebet5. Ab Shebet6. Elul A d a r7. Ti s h r i N i r a n0. Herhvan lyar9 Chisleu Sivan

Hsshvun

10. Tebet TammuzA b1. Shebet

12. A d a r Elul

Study the above chart carefully. It isvery important in proving the nextpoint.

In Nehemiah chapter one, verse oneNehemiah tells us he received certainnews concerning conditions in Jerusa-lem, In the month CHISLEU, n theTWENTIETH Y E A R . After this time,Nehemiah sends a petition to the king,In the month NISAN, n the TWEN-TIETH Y E A R of Artaxerxes the king.This is found in Nehemiah2 : 1 .

Notice Th e month Chisleu was re-garded as coming B E F O R E the monthNisan-in the S A M E year Look at thechart above. If the civil year began inthe spring-this is AN UTTER IMPOS-SIBILITY Nisan is the first month ofthe sacred year. It could not possiblycome AFTER Chisleu in the same year.

On the other hand, reckoning thefirst mon th in the fall-it is quite easyto see that ChisleuDOES C O M E B E F O R ENisan in the same year

This is the simple proof showingfrom the Bible that the Jews used afull-to-fall calendar for reckoning civilmonths during the Persian period in thedays of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Talmud Proves Fall- to-FallReckoning

The Talmud is also a witness to thisfact It helps to prove that the Jews

W e have historical and archaeologicalfindings which uphold the fact that theArtaxerxes mentioned in Ezra and Ne-hemiah is Artaxerxes I, who reignedfrom 464-423 B.C.

In the Elephantine papyri AP30and 31 we learn thatJohanan was highpriest in Jerusalem in 407 B.C. Thiswas during the reign of Artaxerxes11.He [Johanan] is mentioned in Nehe-miah 12:22-23 {also in Ezra 10:6} asa SON of a high priest Eliashib. Elia-shib held this officc UNDER N E I I E -M I A H (Neh. 3:l) (Horn Chron-ology of Ezra 7 . p. 9 0 ) .

Eliashib was of the .rume g e n c r d i o nas Nehemiah. But at the same time Elia-shib is the FATHER of this other priest-Johanan

Johanan was high priest around407

B.C.-which makes him of the samegeneration as ArtaxerxesI (404-358).The conclusion is inescapableThis puts Johanans father, Eliashib

with Nehemiah into the PREVIOUSGENERATION. So both must have livedduring the reign of ArtaxerxesI (464-423).

Again, the scholars areincorrect intrying to make Artaxerxes11, the onementioned in Ezra7 . Here is a diagramto make the simple relationship veryclear.

Artaxerxer I 464-423)-Eliashib-NehemiahD a r i u r II 423-404)

Johanan c. 407)Artaxerxer II 404-358)

Since we know which king issuedthe decree (ArtaxerxesI, 464-423 B.C.)-we begin the solution ofour prob-lem.

Fall-to-Fall Reckoning

Now, we can begin to determine thee m r f year in which ArtaxerxesI issuedhis decree. W e must now considerwhether the Jews counted a kings reign

beginning from springor fall. Other-wise, we could be as much asone yearwrong in our calculations.

Carefully note thisTh e Jews hadboth a civil and a sacred

year. When God revealed the Passoverto Israel, he said that it was in thebeginning of months: it shall be thefirst month of th e year to you (Exodus1 2 : 2 ) .

However, the calendar is pegged toand centers around-the molad (con-


20/24


months, Ezras trip lasted from Aprito late July 457 B.C.

The decree of Artaxerxes Iwent intoe f f e c t after Ezras arrival in Palestinein the early fall -or late su mm er- o457 B.C. This was the going forthof the decree recorded in Daniel 9:2526.

The Prophecy Fulf i l led

W e can now determine the EXACTYEAR in which Christ-the PromisedMessiah-would come. According tDaniel 9:25-26, from the going fortof the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem (issued and put into effect in thlate summer or early fall of 457 B.C.there would be 69 prophetic weeks(7 +62) until Christ would come.

As we have seen before-sixty-nineprophetic weeks equalledfour hundredeighty-three years

And 483 years after 457 B.C. wouldbring us to the autumn of A.D. 27-

G A N H I S M I N I S T RY Three and ahalf years later, brings us to a 31 A.Dcrucifixion. Proof positive-completelydestroying the false theory that Christministry terminated in 33 A.D.

Study this article several times. Become thoroughly famil iar with thebooks of Ezra and Nehemiah-so tha

you really understand the chronologicalsequence of events Do nt assume onquick reading is enough. Be sure to gnotes in your Bible. Mark this articlKnow and know that you know

T H E Y E A R I N W H I C H C HR IS TBE-

began their civil year in the fdl .That the fifth century Jews actually

counted the regnal year of the Persiankings according to their own fd - to - fc r l lcalendar is attested not only by Nehe-miah, . later on (it is) traditionallyby the Talmud.

According to the explanation ofRosh Hashanah.. he first of Tishri(the seventh month) is the N E WY E A R FOR FOREIG N KINGS (Horn, The Chronology of Ezra 7 , p.73.)

Ther e you have it Th e Jews begannumbering a kings yearf rom the fd l -or the seventh month of the sacredcalendar

Artaxerxes Accession MonthK n o w n

Archaeologists have further con-firmed these facts.

The following tablets which havebeen unearthed determine and provethe exact period in which Artaxerxescame to the throne.

A cuneiform tablet found in theexcavation campaign of 1930-31 in Ur{concerns itself with), an agreementdated in the thirteenth year of Arta-xerxes I, but states that the originalarrangement was signed in the morithKISLIMU N THE TWENTY-FIRST Y E A ROF XERXES (Horn, Chronology ofEzrlr 7, p. 1 0 1 . )

In Babylonia, Kislimu began on De-cember 17, 465 B.C. (see Parker andDubberstein, Babylonian Chronology,p. 31) .

Xerxes twenty-first year correspondsto our year of 465-464 B.C. This docu-ment proves that Xerxes was alive inlate December 465 B.C. (since the tabletshows Xerxes was still alive in themonth Kislim u) Hence, his successor-Artaxerxes I-could not have taken thethrone until after thir date.

Precise Ti m e Absolutely Fixed

Another document, AP 6, fixes theexact time of the ascension of Arta-xerxes. This papyri bears the followingdateline: On the 18th of Kisleu whichis the (17th) day of Thoth, in year21, the beginn ing of the reign (acces-sion year) when King Artaxerxes sat onhis throne (Horn, The Chronology ofEzra 7 , p. 101-103).

The eighteenthof Kisleu of year 21was January 2/3, 464 B.C. (see, Parkerand Dubberstein,Babylonian Chronolo-

Therefore, on January2, 464 B.C. wesee that King Artaxerxes isA L R E A D YS I T T I N G ON T H E T H R O N E ButXerxes death, as we have seen, couldnot have occurred before December 17,465 B.C. Here is the only conclusionAr taxe rxes I came to the th ronebetween December17, 465 and January2, 464 B.C.

The Jews reckoning from a fall-to-fall basis counted th e time from Decem-ber/January to the fall of that year(464 B.C.) as Artaxerxes I accessionyear. Theref ore, Artaxerxes regnal yearsaccording to Jewish reckoning beganSIX MONTHS LATER than the Persian

cou nt-or in the fall of 464 B.C.This is the conclusion Th e accession

year of Artaxerxes I extended fromaround late December, 465 B.C. to thefall of 464 B.C. YEARO N E ofArtaxerxes I extended from thefall of464 to the fall of 4 6 3 B.C.

gy, P. 3 1 ) .

THE SEVENTH YEAR OF

A RTA X E R X E S I

T h e seventh year of Artaxerxes ex-tended from the fall of 458 to the fallof 457 B.C. It was inthi s year that thedecree of Artaxerxes was issued.

Ezras journey to Jerusalem began inNisan and ended in Abof 457 B.C.(Ezra 7:8-9)

Documents

Good News 1966 (Vol XV No 04-05) Apr-May