September 2011 Letters
From Arizona: Brooks, the word “Overcomers” is used one time in the Bible (KJ), anyway, will you do an article on 1st fruits ….”
Dear Arizona: Something tells me you are reading the articles of a well known Christian writer, who has a different view on these two matters than we do. Anyway, unless my eyes are deceiving me and Strong’s Concordance is wrong, the word “overcomers” does not appear in the King James Version of the Bible. So, perhaps the question should be “What is an overcomer?” Now, I know there are those who assign this term to a special group of people God has designated to be in the Kingdom before the entire dead are resurrected, but the Apostle John defines “an overcomer” very clearly in John 5:1-5, recorded here for clarity:
Verse 1—Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Verse 2—By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
Verse 3—For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Verse 4—For whatsoever is born of God overcome the world: and this is the victory that overometh the world, even our faith.
Verse 5—Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Pretty clear, isn’t it? It seems to be that a great body of Christians is going to overcome. Besides, if, as some of those in our movement contend, that the resurrection is progressive, then the living in Christ will have to wait almost a 1,000 years before the translation. After all, 1 Thessalonians 4: 15-16 makes it crystal clear that the Living in Christ will not precede the dead in Christ, that the dead in Christ shall be raised first.
I’ll save the “first fruits” until the next issue.
From Ontario: Dear Sirs: Here are three questions. Can you help me here; I am seriously in thought a lot and need these simple initial answers.
1. The law keeping segments of BI (The Israel Truth) do not seem consistent re: Sabbath. Some say Lord’s Day (1st Day) is o.k. Others say 7th day. Yet Colossians says holidays, Sabbaths, etc. are a matter of individual conscience.
2. The whole Law thing drives me insane. Do I have to wear tassels on many shirts, blue ribbon on my pant cuffs, no mixed fabric in my clothes – No joke! The law is ONE bundle. Offend in one – offend in all. I think all the Law is ONLY two points: Love God/Love neighbor.
3. Ted Weiland’s booklet via the Internet, “Israel’s Identity – It Matters” – seems to say that the “Jews” of the State of Israel are not Jews – but Turko-Mongols – are we then to look for others. Is the present 1947 re-occupation of Israel land then “a false return” and will fail and not be a mark of prophecy ….”
Dear Ontario: Space doesn’t permit me to go into long, drawn-out replies to your questions but here are some thoughts from our Bible study group that might satisfy your enquiry.
Question 1—You’re right, we are not consistent and we do not try to insist that people keep Saturday or Sunday. I suppose we are just pleased that Christians are keeping one day holy. However, generally speaking, most in this movement keep Sunday. There is a very good booklet by Curtis and Charles Ewing entitled “Israel’s Calendar and the True Sabbath” that could be very interesting to the enquiring student. It is available from our bookstore.
Question 2—We understand there is the letter of the Law and the spirit of the Law and we also understand that all the ritual ordinances connected to sacrifice are fulfilled in Christ. We look at the Law as good advice from God which comes with His Creation and we recognize that some of the Law is national and can really be kept by the whole nation. Yet, much of it is personal and we should be making an attempt to intergrate it in our lives. And yes, none of us wear tassels on our clothing and don’t feel we have to.
Question 3—We think Mr. Wieland is a thoughtful and learned Bible scholar. However, we also think there are true Israelites in the State of Israel, yet, not a significant percentage. The historical promise of a return to that land in the Bible is described as Israel returning in humility, faith and obedience and we believe that this has to be in Jesus Christ. So, notwithstanding Churchdom’s interpretation of the 1947/48 event, we still await the fulfillment of this Promise.
From Washington State: Dear Brooks, I thought the front cover depiction on your August issue reflecting forty years since President Nixon cut the ties of gold and the dollar is more than interesting considering the debt crisis that seems to be spreading throughout the world. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Thanks Washington State: After we had designed and published our cover, we received a note from Michael Clark, President, BIWF, UK, mentioning the 40 years but he had interesting other numeric possibilities. Here are some of his thoughts.
In the Telegraph was a picture of Sampson pulling down the twin pillars of the Temple of Dagon.
When gold goes through $1600 [it since has] it will be the number of Divine judgment.
Silver at $39, one tenth of 390, which is the trouble number of Britain and the US.
Sampson’s super strength returned after the seven locks of his hair grew again is a type of the American superpower. The seven locks of hair represent the ‘Seven Times’ of 2520 (7 x 360) years from the punishment of ancient Israel until our times. These ‘Times’ are now fulfilled and the Temple of false pagan finance based on credit looks as if it is about to come crashing down. Sampson was blind when he did this and died in the destruction. The US is clearly blind now but the symbol of the young boy who led him to the pillars represents the new order that must arise when the US dies to the old order of corrupt finance.
The other pillar is the eurozone, which, when it collapses will set Britain (plus Ireland and Demark who joined the then EEC with us) free from bondage in the EU.
Oct 28 2011 will be 40 years since we made the fateful ‘decision in principle’ to subject ourselves to the Treaty of Rome on Oct 28 1971. [40 standing for a period of trial, testing and probation]
