1994 – Volume 5
Saul, Jonathan, and David
“The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” - 1 Samuel 18:l Before Israel received its first king, the nation “did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 40 years” (judges 13:1). Saul, David and Solomon were Israel's first three kings and [...]
The Twenty-Four Elders
“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.” (Revelation 4:4, NIV). Various thoughts have been expressed about the meaning of these twenty-four elders. At first sight, we may believe that the elders represent the Church of Christ, because they were sitting on thrones and had crowns of gold on their heads. Moreover, this concept seems to be supported [...]
The Four Visions of God’s Glory (Ezekiel 1:1-3:14)
“Behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar, and Ifell on my face.”(Ezekiel 3.-23) PROLOGUE In each of us is a deeply-felt need to relate to God-the ultimate reality -through the same conscious senses that make the rest of our world real. God lives in a completely different dimensionality and “no man hath [...]
Jehoiada
Ahaziah of Israel, the son of Jehoram (son of good king Jehoshaphat of Judah) and Athaliah (Ahab and Jezebel's daughter), reigned only one year. But this was sufficient for the Bible to tell us in 2 Kings 8:27 that he “walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord.” This king was killed in battle [...]
Joshua, Jericho, and the Gospel Age
It was 1575 BC when Joshua led more than a million Israelites out of the wilderness to an encampment point a mile or so outside the high walls of Jericho. Archaeologists say those walls were approximately 20 feet high on three sides; a steep natural cliff dropping off toward the Jordan River protected its eastern side. This was the twentieth city to be constructed [...]
Two Kings
“Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. And both these kings hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table,- but it shall not prosper.-for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.” Daniel 11:26, 27 In Volume 3 of Scripture [...]
God’s Providence Since Israel’s Statehood
During the first twenty years since 1948, when Israel was recognized as an independent nation by the United Nations, their population was very small in proportion to the area of their possession. Being surrounded by numerous hostile armies, the Jews have urged their kinsmen all over the world to emigrate to the land of promise. Thus Ezekiel's prophecy is fulfilled: “I will increase them [...]
Two Secret Numbers
“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 The tools by which we understand the word and plan of God are the Holy Spirit combined with a careful inspection of the dictionary/concordance meaning of words and [...]
“Shout with a Great Shout”
When Joshua was near Jericho, the angelic “captain of the host of the Lord” said “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” (Joshua 6:2) And he gave Joshua a specific strategy. Joshua and his soldiers were to march around the city once each day, for six days, in company with priests who bore [...]
Locating the Jubilees
According to Leviticus 25, the Sabbath and Jubilee year system of counting toward years of rest and restoration began upon entering the land after the exodus from Egypt and the wilderness wandering for forty years. Simply stated, Israel was to engage in cultivating the land for six years and allow it to rest in the seventh. After a cycle of seven of these Sabbath [...]
The Seven Lamps and Seven Spirits
“There were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.” (Revelation 4:5) THE SEVEN LAMPS We might be inclined to believe that the seven lamps have the same meaning as the seven lampstands mentioned in the first chapter of Revelation and that, consequently, they symbolize the Church of Christ. However St. John does not use the same [...]
The Blood of Atonements (plural)
“And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin- offering of atonements: once in a year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.” (Exodus 30:10) In Hebrew the word rendered “atonements” in the King James Version is actually plural even though most translators, [...]
The Beasts of Job
When one wants to study prophetic beasts in the Bible, it is customary to turn to either the book of Daniel or Revelation. However, other books of the Bible also speak of beasts in a prophetic sense. In this article we want to address two beasts who figure prominently in the story of Job - behemoth and leviathan. OUTLINE OF JOB While the book [...]
Two Treatises Available
Two extensive Bible Student treatises have recently come to our attention that deal with history and prophecy. For our readers who want to explore these subjects further, these books can be obtained by writing to the authors. THE KEYS OF REVELATION, Over 700 pages. $20 each The following, excerpted from the Preface, presents the author's thinking. “No explanation of the prophetic and highly symbolic [...]
From our Readers
Dear Brethren, Just to let you know again how much I appreciate your providing me with Beauties of the Truth. It does indeed stimulate thoughtful consideration and unlimited horizons in study of our Lord's words to us through the blessed scriptures. I thoroughly enjoy each issue, and of course keep them for ready reference. Admittedly, we are all “leaky vessels” at times and your [...]
Five Wise Virgins Sue for Inheritance
“And Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons, but daughters, and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Malah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.” (Numbers 26:33) In Numbers 27:1-7, the daughters of Zelophehad, all five, came before Moses to plead a case for their inheritance. They were of the Tribe of Manasseh. Their argument was that their father had died in [...]
The Mouths of All God’s Holy Prophets (Acts 3:21, Revelation 4:4)
1. Enoch - Jude 14,15 2 . Jacob - Genesis 49:10 3. Moses - Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Genesis 22:15 4. Samuel - 1 Samuel 10:23-25, 2:6 5. Job - Job 33:19-30, Job 14:12-15 6. David - Psalms 90:3,4, 104:5, 45:16, 30:5, 37:10-11 7. Solomon - Proverbs 2:21, Ecclesiastes 1:4 8. Isaiah - Isaiah 33:24, 35:1-10, 40:4,5, 25:6-9, 9:6,7, 11:6-9, 45:18, 55:12,13 9. Jeremiah - Jeremiah [...]