David Rice
Five Special Occasions
Two Ages of Redemption (Leviticus 23) “Speak unto the children of Israel ... concerning the feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts” (Leviticus 23:1). Leviticus chapter 23 provides a summary list of special occasions contained in the Law of Moses. Most of these are given in greater detail in other places, but in this chapter [...]
The Nazarite Vow
Particulars of the Nazarite vow are found in Numbers chapter six. This vow was taken voluntarily, either man or woman, in respect to their faith and devotion to Jehovah. For the period of their vow the Nazarite would (1) abstain from wine or any product of the vine, even down to seeds or leaves, (2) let his hair grow uncut, (3) avoid contact with [...]
The Law of the Offerings
"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meal offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the Peace offerings" (Leviticus 7:37). The book of Exodus closes with a record of building the Tabernacle, almost a year after the Israelites left Egypt. "In the first month, in the second year, [...]
Two Readings of the Law
"And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel" (Nehemiah 8:1). Ezra and Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and Persia respectively. Their object was the same: to revive the work of [...]
Balaam’s Talking Donkey
“And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28). Balaam’s ass is famous for refusing to carry Balaam forward as he wished, and then speaking to Balaam to defend himself against the beating that Balaam gave her. The verbal interchange between Balaam and his [...]
Three Doves
“At the end of forty days ... Noah ... sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground” (Genesis 8:8,9). This episode occurred late in the experience of the Flood. The [...]
Samson
Samson was one of the most colorful figures among the heroes of the Old Testament. Paul lists him in the company of such stalwarts as Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who “through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, [...]
The Setting of the Vision of Ezekiel’s Temple
The vision of Ezekiel's temple is the most prominent part of his prophecy. It covers the last nine chapters of the book and is the focal point of his entire message. This remarkable book covers a span of 20 years, from the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity (1:1, 2) to the vision of the temple in the fourteenth year after the fall of Jerusalem [...]
Joseph
The story of Joseph consumes most of the last 14 chapters of Genesis, from chapter 37 onward. Genesis 37:2 begins "These are the generations of Jacob;" or as in the NIV translation, "This is the account of Jacob." The phrase actually refers to the preceding narrative. It is a closing expression which ends the previous passage and for this reason modern translations show a [...]
The Song of Solomon
This book is unique among the books of holy writ. It is a story of love, in tender, romantic language, which Hebrews recognize as a story of love between God and Israel, and Christians recognize as a story of love between Christ and his Church. It is frequently read at Passover season by the Jews, in commemoration of God's loving favor at the Exodus, [...]
Council of Jerusalem, Acts 15
“My sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God” (Acts 15:19). The Council of Jerusalem addressed a foundational episode in Christian history where the church navigated complex theological and cultural challenges to embrace a universal mission. The resolution reached by the apostles and elders showed both the continuing importance of openness to divine guidance, and the [...]
Jesus’ Birth and Herod’s Death
Bible Students have long believed that Jesus was born in 2 BC (SS, Vol. 2, pp. 54-62 [B54-B62]). But many modern historians have dated his birth at from 4 to 7 BC. The reason for this is that Jesus was born before Herod died (Matt. 2:1), and it has been thought that Herod died in the spring of 4 BC, following an eclipse of [...]
Double Numbers
"Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men?" (Luke 13:4) EIGHTEEN IN SCRIPTURE One way to emphasize a point is by repetition. In Scripture, there are some conspicuous cases of the repetition of numbers that seem to indicate there is a spiritual point in them. One example occurs in Luke [...]
Top of the Mountains
"In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it" (Micah 4:1). This blessed promise, well known among Bible Students, speaks of re-established Israel as the center of God's Kingdom on Earth. This text [...]
Six Lambs
“And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish” (Ezekiel 46:4). This text is part of the nine chapters that constitute the vision of Ezekiel’s Temple (Ezekiel 40-48). The vision is about the Millennial Kingdom, and the blessings of life that will flow to the world as they approach God during [...]
Two Phases of Christ’s Return
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). When considering prophetic events post-1874, it is important to understand the time frame for the many scriptures referencing the Lord’s [...]
An Angel or An Eagle?
“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound” (Revelation 8:13, King James Version) This curious close to the record of the fourth trumpet is rendered differently in [...]
Seven Kings and Eight Princes
“And this shall be our Protection from Assyria: When he comes into our land, And treads upon our soil, Then we will mise up against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men,- And the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword,- And they shall rescue us from Assyria When he comes into our land, And treads upon our border.” (Micah 5.-5, 6, Smith-Goodspeed, [...]
Dan and Benjamin
In a previous article (May 1997) evidence was presented that Samson pictured the church. The narrative of his experiences appears in Judges chapters 13-16. Following this appear two other narratives which close this book. The first is about the tribe of Dan, explaining how a large portion of this tribe fell into a form of idolatry which continued “until the day of the captivity [...]
The Dragon of Revelation
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads” (Revelation 12:3). A dragon is referred to by name in twelve Revelation scriptures. Though interpretations of the dragon exist, it seems that the symbol’s definition is often changed to fit the preferred interpretation: one time it is religious pagan [...]
Two Pillars
“He cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about” (1 Kings 7:15). The Temple of Solomon evidently is a picture for us of the Church class, which, when completed and glorified, will be God’s agent for drawing mankind back to Himself. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of [...]
Twenty-One Days
"The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia" (Daniel 10:13). This text has captivated our interest from our earliest years. Gabriel, one of the highest of God's angelic host, evidently second only to Michael, was withstood on an [...]
Enoch and Elijah
These two Ancient Worthies both had a miraculous ending to their lives. Of Enoch it was written simply, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Of Elijah, "There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire ... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). Most brethren who express a thought on [...]
Jeremiah
"The word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign ... unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month" (Jeremiah 1:2, 3). Jeremiah was Jehovah's prophet to Israel, and to [...]
Three and a Half Years
"In the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease" (Daniel 9:27). Thus are the 3½ years of our Master's earthly ministry defined - half of the last, or seventieth week, of the prophecy. Probably all would agree that these are the most important 3½ years for the human race. During this time the very son of God himself [...]
Queen Esther (continued)
“Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her” (Esther 2:15) (Continued from the September, 2014 issue). The first part of this article suggested that Queen Esther, renowned for her beauty, is a picture of the Church class, which will be renown for beauty of character. That Xerxes, the king, was a picture of our Lord Jesus. That the 127 [...]
The Flinty Rock
“Out of the flinty rock” (Deuteronomy 32:13). Twice in the wandering of Israel through the wilderness, Moses provided water by striking a rock. The rock in each case is widely considered to be a picture of Jesus, and striking the rock a picture of his death. The first case was soon after the Israelites entered the wilderness, and the second case was near the [...]
Rocks in the Wilderness
“He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.” - Psalms 78:5 With great celebration the Israelites praised the Lord for the victory he wrought over Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea (Exodus 15). However they were soon to face the perils of a desert journey which would sorely test them. Under these tests [...]
David’s Mighty Men
“These be the names of the mighty men whom David had ... thirty and seven in all” (2 Samuel 23:8, 39). Saul, David, and Solomon, the first three kings of Israel, conspicuously each reigned the same number of years, 40 in each case. Forty is a symbol in Scriptures of trial or testing, and in this case reflects that the reigns of these three [...]
The Trespass Offering
“He shall bring for his trespass unto Jehovah a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done ... and shall add the fifth part thereto: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the [...]
Enoch
“And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:23, 24). Though Enoch lived for the remarkable length of 365 years, by the standards of his day his lifespan was relatively brief. His father Jared would live for 962 years, and Enoch’s son Methuselah would live [...]
Numbers
“Jehovah spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt” (Numbers 1:1). What Christians refer to as the Old Testament, Jewish believers refer to as the Tanakh — a word assembled from the letters TNK, signifying the [...]
Weights and Years
In the November, 1994 issue of Beauties of the Truth appeared an article titled “Two Secret Numbers.” One suggestion of the article was that the cryptic message of Babylon’s judgment, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,” carried a veiled testimony of the 2,520 years which would pass until Divine Judgment fell on the last of the four world empires. I think that suggestion is correct. The [...]
Double Elevens
"There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-Barnea" (Deuteronomy 1:2). In a previous issue of Beauties of the Truth appeared the article "Double Numbers" (May 2009). That article noted the repeated appearance of the number 18 in Luke chapter thirteen, which appears nowhere else in the New Testament - and an earlier conspicuous double reference to the number [...]
Elijah at Mount Horeb
“And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God” (1 Kings 19:8). Elijah the prophet lived during a time when Israel had strayed from the proper worship of Jehovah. Ever since the kingdom of Israel divided in the days of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the northern kingdom [...]
Foxes
In an article titled "Samson" (Beauties of the Truth, May, 1997), we observed that the 300 foxes Samson set running through the fields of the Philistines, tails ablaze with torches, represented God's burning judgments against the Roman power (compare Revelation 8:8) . This is consistent with Luke 13:32 which records Jesus' designation of Herod, the ruler appointed by Rome, as "that fox." Recently two [...]
The Faith of Habakkuk
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17,18). Habakkuk [...]
Historic Confirmation of Bible Student Chronology
Summary report of L.A. Times feature article, “Time Keepers,” by staff writer Thomas H. Maugh, II, August 29, 1996. Metro section, p. B-2. (See also NATURE, “The Exodus Enigma,” July 18, 1996, p. 213, a scientific report in more technical terms.) OVERVIEW In a breakthrough of historic proportions, researchers from Cornell University have developed the first tree-ring chronology from the Middle East, allowing precise [...]
Elisha’s Typical Experiences (Continued)
In the previous issue seven of the fourteen episodes of Elisha following his recrossing of the Jordan were examined, each picturing something about the Ancient Worthies in the Kingdom to be established at Israel. The fourteen episodes are found in 2 Kings. They are listed below, followed by an examination of the last seven to complete our discussion. (1) Waters (2 Kings 2:19-22) (2) [...]
Lamech
In our last issue appeared an article on Enoch and Elijah, suggesting that the quiet taking of Enoch represents the raising of the sleeping saints, whereas the climactic taking of Elijah represents the taking of the last members of the body of Christ amid the tumults closing the Harvest. We then noticed that Methuselah, the successor of Enoch, may represent the same class as [...]
832
The previous engaging article on Waldo draws to mind some thoughts about the Pergamos and Thyatira periods of the Church. Doctrinal corruption was formalized at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, a date which some consider began the Pergamos period. Political corruption in the Papal system was formalized in 539 AD, when Papacy entered upon their 1260 years of political influence. Peter Waldo, [...]
Enoch, Methu- selah, Lamech
Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech were the last patriarchs before Noah, in the genealogy of Genesis chapter five. Enoch is mentioned by the Apostle Jude as "Enoch ... the seventh from Adam," who prophesied of the judgment coming (Jude 1:14). That judgment was the flood, but Jude's mention of it shows that the judgment then also applies to something future from Jude's day. Also, Jesus [...]