2001 – Volume 12
Joseph’s Silver Cup
The story of Joseph is one of the longest in the Old Testament (14 chapters from Genesis 37 to 50). It is a soul-searching story mixed with villainy and great character. Both hatred and love drive the story while divine providence moves to fulfill God's purpose. In the end love wins out. The beautiful part of God's plan is that love triumphs in the [...]
Solomon’s Sanctuary
'Walk about Zion, go round her, count up her towers, review her ramparts, scan her citadels, that you may tell the age to come what a God our God is forevermore. ' (Psalms 48:12-14, Moffatt) According to 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17, David planned a stone sanctuary for the Lord. He was inhabiting his own house of cedar, and God gave him [...]
A Difference Between Bulls and Goats
While religious Jews the world over look forward to the Atonement Day, Christians view the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the beginning of that day. The purpose of that day is to make atonement with the LORD. On the annual Atonement Day of the Jewish Age, the high priest was to offer first a bullock {1} as a sin-offering to make atonement for himself [...]
Gog of the Land of Magog
The establishment of the Kingdom of God upon earth at the time of the Second Advent is preceded by a final and decisive conflict between the forces of good and evil. Those powers and institutions of this world which have been built upon human greed and injustice launch a concerted attack upon the new rulership which comes to bring peace to the nations, abolish [...]
The Seven Spirits
In Revelation 1:4 the Apostle John wrote greetings from three entities, including the seven spirits which are before the throne of 'him which is, and which was, and which is to come.' We believe this refers to Jehovah God's throne, a throne of judgment and authority. A little later John sees 'seven golden candlesticks' (luchnia, lampstand, compare Diaglott), and 'in the midst of the [...]
The Interrupted Vision
'The angel of the LORD answered and said, 0 LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words '. (Zechariah 1:12,13) Zechariah and Haggai were the two prophets [...]
Zechariah’s Horses
"I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. Then said I, 0 my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man [...]
The Cup That Passed
The following is a presentation of scripture evidence that the cup Jesus stated was 'the cup which my Father hath given me, ' and 'the cup that I drink of, ' representing experiences prophesied concerning him, was not the cup he asked if possible might pass, (John 18:11; Mr 10:38) but that the cup he asked might pass was the mental conflict and agony [...]
Farrar on Light
Note Canon Farrar's earnest words: 'My brethren, the love that sees goodness and beauty in all human nature, helps to make goodness and to make beauty in human nature. To those who love, even a common person is a human soul, who walks in the transfiguring glory of their affection. You think someone a dull person. Why? That is because you are dull. An [...]
The Dates of Christ’s Birth, Baptism, and Crucifixion
The Scriptures contain sufficient data to enable us to accurately determine the year when Jesus was born, and also the dates of his baptism and crucifixion. The present AD date, as fixed in the 6th century by Dionysius Exiguus for the beginning of the Christian Era, is now generally recognized to be in error by those who have given the matter careful study. Ussher's [...]
I Came to Him
I came to Him, so proud and so sure, Caught in the web of the world's allure. Needing no Savior, or so I had thought, Neither the love nor redemption He bought. Happy with life and feeling no pain, Basking in sunshine and warm in the rain. Yet something was missing - not really there, Wanting to search, but knowing not where. I heard [...]
At Home and a Stranger
'For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (3) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. (4) For we [...]
Spurious Words
'And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever Amen.]' (Matthew 6:13) The bracketed words above are generally recognized as spurious by most students of the Bible. They are not in the oldest Greek manuscripts, the Sinaitic and the Vatican. Some comments by Pastor Russell are: 'The Kingdom or [...]
Thy Watchmen Shall See Eye to Eye
'Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion'. (Isaiah 52:8) The immediate setting of this text is the promised return from captivity to Babylon. There would be symbolic watchers on the walls of Jerusalem and symbolic heralds hasting over the mountains to announce to [...]
Symbolisms of the Great Pyramid
Descending Passage = The downward course of 'This Present Evil World' to destruction. Subterranean Chamber, or Pit = Destruction or Gehenna, that state of death from which there will be no awakening. First Ascending Passage = The Israelitish Age; or the Law Dispensation during which the nation of Israel endeavored to gain life by the works of the Law. Well-Shaft = The Ransom-sacrifice of [...]
Little Ways of Doing Good
'As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the Household of Faith'. (Galatians 6:10) The Apostle's exhortation here is very comprehensive - to do good without limitation, whether it be in word or deed. Some can be more benefited by words than by any other service we could render them. One of the great [...]
World Population
The following tables compare the world population groups in 1999 with those of 1886 as reported in Volume One, page 16. We observe that while Muslims are the fastest growing group, Jews are the smallest and a diminishing percentage. God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. (1 Corinthians 1:27) Download PDF