body2005'08'august color alt · you. draw nigh to god, and he will draw nigh to you....
TRANSCRIPT
Zion’s Advocate“And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day,
for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost….”
1 Nephi 3:187
VOLUME 82 INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI—AUGUST 2005 NUMBER 8
~In This Issue~
ARTICLE—Flee Youthful Lusts and Fornication -Elder Don Hitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
SERIES—The Great Apostasy and theRestoration, Part 8 - Harvey E. Seibel . . . . 138
REPORT—Africa to Date - Apostle BrianMcIndoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” Mark 16:15.
Today there is a large congregation in the town of Lubumbashi, Congo.
THE APOSTLES of the CHURCH OF CHRISTSmith N. Brickhouse, 5713 Logan Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64136; 816-356-9214; e-mail: [email protected]
Frank Fann, 3808 Queen Ridge, Independence, Missouri 64055; 816-373-4346; e-mail: [email protected]
Placido Koyoc Matu, 99h Calle 24 x 17y 19, Yobain, Yucatan, Mexico; #011-52-991-911-3125; e-mail: [email protected] Koyoc Yam, 99h Calle 24 x 17y 19, Yobain, Yucatan, Mexico; #011-52-911-911-3047
Mike McGhee, 18907 E. 6th Street N., Independence, Missouri 64056; 816-796-6255; e-mail: [email protected] McIndoo, 18824 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-1900; e-mail: [email protected] E. McIndoo, 18830 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050
Alvin J. Moser, 18829 N. 29th Place, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-2414; e-mail: [email protected] L. Sarratt, 15910 E. 36th Terrace, Independence, Missouri 64055; 816-373-6605; e-mail: [email protected]
William A. Sheldon, 1011 S. Cottage, Independence, Missouri 64050; 816-833-3914; e-mail: [email protected] Yates, 2924 E. Rockwood Drive, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-9296; e-mail: [email protected]
GENERAL CHURCH OFFICERS
SECRETARY, COUNCIL OF APOSTLESApostle Smith N. Brickhouse5713 Logan RoadKansas City, Missouri 64136
SECRETARY, GENERAL BISHOPRICElder Leslie P. Case8312 Lee’s Summit RoadKansas City, Missouri 64139
GENERAL CHURCH SECRETARYHarvey E. Seibel9800 E. 32nd Street S.Independence, Missouri 64052
BUSINESS MANAGERElder Alvin L. HarrisChurch of ChristP.O. Box 472
STATUS OF PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Articles published in this paper do not necessarily
reflect the teachings of the Church, nor the opinions of
the editorial staff. Declarations and notices authorized
by the General Conference reflect the practices and be-
liefs of the General Church.
ZION’S ADVOCATE IS…
To promote Jesus Christ as our only Saviour;
To promote His Teachings and His Church, the
Church of Christ;
To be a voice of warning to His people; to be Zion’s
advocate.
EDITORElder Gordon McCann18808 N. 30th StreetPhoenix, Arizona 85050E-mail: [email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITORSDan Lawrence8420 Lee’s Summit RoadKansas City, MO 64139
Marlene Oar19012 N. 29th StreetPhoenix, AZ 85050
PRODUCTION STAFFHarvey L. Seibel
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By Elder Don Hitt
If we repent, receive Christand are baptized we have the
power to overcome everything.Still, many of us have lust prob-lems. Some are even slaves tothem.
“Ye lust, and have not: yekill, and desire to have, andcannot obtain: ye fight andwar, yet ye have not, because yeask not. Ye ask, and receivenot, because ye ask amiss, thatye may consume it upon yourlusts. Ye adulterers and adul-teresses, know ye not that thefriendship of the world is en-mity with God? whosoevertherefore will be a friend of theworld is the enemy of God. Doye think that the scripturesaith in vain, The spirit thatdwelleth in us lusteth to envy?(NIV, envies intensely?) Buthe giveth more grace. Where-fore he saith, God resisteth theproud, but giveth grace untothe humble. Submit your-selves therefore to God. Resistthe devil, and he will flee fromyou. Draw nigh to God, andhe will draw nigh to you.Cleanse your hands, ye sin-ners; and purify your hearts,ye double minded (James4:2-8).
Things we are told to fleefrom that are with the body:
�Flee fornication (1 Cor 6:18)
�Flee also youthful lusts (1Tim 2:22)
Things we are told to fleefrom that are without the body:
�Flee from idolatry (1 Cor10:14)
�Depart from iniquity (2 Tim2:19)
�Hurtful lusts (1 Tim 6:9)
�Love of money (1 Tim 6:10)
�Doting about questions (tohanker after) (1 Tim 6:3-5)
�Strife, (1 Tim 6:3-5, 1 Tim6:3-5)
�Railings, (blasphemy, evilspeaking) (1 Tim 6:3-5)
�Evil surmising (a thought oridea based on scanty evi-dence, to imagine or infer onslight grounds) (1 Tim 6:3-5)
�Perverse disputings (of menof corrupt minds) (1 Tim6:3-5)
�Withdraw yourselves fromevery brother that walkethdisorderly (2 Tim 3:6)
Let’s look into the ones weare having the most troublewith, the ones that are donewith the body: fleeing forni-cation and youthful lusts.We are told in one place to flee tothe mountains. Well, when youget there you are away fromwhere you were, and it is behindyou. If we try to run away fromfornication and youthful lusts,when we get to the place we are
going they are still with us inour minds, and here are the rea-sons why:
“And God saw that thewickedness of man was greatin the earth, and that everyimagination of the thoughtsof his heart was only evil con-tinually” (Genesis 6:5).
“…For the imagination ofman’s heart is evil from hisyouth;” (Genesis 8:21).
“The heart is deceitfulabove all things, and desper-ately wicked: who can knowit?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
“But those things whichproceed out of the mouth comeforth from the heart; and theydefile the man. For out of theheart proceed evil thoughts,murders, adulteries, fornica-tions, thefts, false witness,blasphemies: These are thethings which defile a man…”(Matthew 15:18-20).
Let’s see how much troublewe can get into if we DON’T tryto flee.
“He hath taken a bag ofmoney with him, and willcome home at the day ap-pointed. With her much fairspeech she caused him toyield, with the flattering ofher lips she forced him. Hegoeth after her straightway,as an ox goeth to the slaughter,or as a fool to the correction of
ARTICLE
Flee Youthful Lusts and FornicationFlee Youthful Lusts and Fornication
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the stocks; Till a dart strikethrough his liver; as a birdhasteth to the snare, andknoweth not that it is for hislife. Hearken unto me nowtherefore, O ye children, andattend to the words of mymouth. Let not thine heart de-cline to her ways, go notastray in her paths. For shehath cast down manywounded: yea, many strongmen have been slain by her.Her house is the way to hell,going down to the chambers ofdeath” (Proverbs 7:20-27).
Matthew Henry, verses 6-27:“Here is an affecting exampleof the danger of youthful lusts.It is a history or a parable of themost instructive kind. Will anyone dare to venture on tempta-tions that lead to impurity, af-ter Solomon has set before hiseyes in so lively and plain amanner, the danger of even go-ing near them? Then is he asthe man who would dance onthe edge of a lofty rock, whenhe has just seen another fallheadlong from the same place.The misery of self-ruined sin-ners began in disregard toGod’s blessed commands. Weought daily to pray that wemay be kept from running intotemptation, else we invite theenemies of our souls to spreadsnares for us. Ever avoid theneighborhood of vice. Bewareof sins which are said to bepleasant sins. They are themore dangerous, because theymost easily gain the heart, andclose it against repentance. Donothing till thou hast well con-sidered the end of it. Were aman to live as long as Methuse-lah, and to spend all his days in
the highest delights sin can of-fer, one hour of the anguishand tribulation that must fol-low, would far outweigh them.”
“For the commandment is alamp; and the law is light;and reproofs of instructionare the way of life: To keepthee from the evil woman,from the flattery of the tongueof a strange woman. Lust notafter her beauty in thineheart; neither let her take theewith her eyelids. For bymeans of a whorish woman aman is brought to a piece ofbread: and the adulteress willhunt for the precious life. Cana man take fire in his bosom,and his clothes not be burned?Can one go upon hot coals,and his feet not be burned? Sohe that goeth in to his neigh-bour’s wife; whosoevertoucheth her shall not be inno-cent. Men do not despise athief, if he steal to satisfy hissoul when he is hungry; But ifhe be found, he shall restoresevenfold; he shall give all thesubstance of his house. Butwhoso committeth adulterywith a woman lacketh under-standing: he that doeth itdestroyeth his own soul. Awound and dishonour shallhe get; and his reproach shallnot be wiped away. For jeal-ousy is the rage of a man:therefore he will not spare inthe day of vengeance. He willnot regard any ransom; nei-ther will he rest content,though thou givest manygifts” (Proverbs 6:23-35).
“For the lips of a strangewoman drop as an honey-
comb, and her mouth issmoother than oil: But herend is bitter as wormwood,sharp as a two-edged sword.Her feet go down to death; hersteps take hold on hell. Lestthou shouldest ponder thepath of life, her ways aremoveable, that thou canst notknow them. Hear me nowtherefore, O ye children, anddepart not from the words ofmy mouth. Remove thy wayfar from her, and come notnigh the door of her house:Lest thou give thine honourunto others, and thy yearsunto the cruel: Lest strangersbe filled with thy wealth; andthy labours be in the house of astranger; And thou mourn atthe last, when thy flesh andthy body are consumed…”(Proverbs 5:3-11).
“Stolen waters are sweet,and bread eaten in secret ispleasant. But he knoweth notthat the dead are there; andthat her guests are in thedepths of hell” (Proverbs9:17-18).
Where we make a mistakeis when we think that it will bewith the same peace and enjoy-ment that we have in marriage.
Here is how we shouldact:
“I will behave myself wiselyin a perfect way. O when wiltthou come unto me? I willwalk within my house with aperfect heart. I will set nowicked thing before mine eyes:(magazines and most televi-sion, dh) I hate the work ofthem that turn aside; it shall
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not cleave to me. A froward(distorted; hence false:—crooked, froward, perverse,dh) heart shall depart fromme: I will not know a wickedperson” (Psalms 101:2-4).
“What? know ye not that hewhich is joined to an harlot isone body? for two, saith he,shall be one flesh. But he thatis joined unto the Lord is onespirit” (1 Corinthians6:16-17).
“Flee fornication. Everysin that a man doeth is with-out the body; but he thatcommitteth fornicationsinneth against his own body.What? know ye not that yourbody is the temple of the HolyGhost which is in you, whichye have of God, and ye are notyour own? For ye are boughtwith a price: therefore glorifyGod in your body, and in yourspirit, which are God’s” (1Corinthians 6:18-20).
“And God hath both raisedup the Lord, and will alsoraise up us by his own power.Know ye not that your bodiesare the members of Christ?shall I then take the membersof Christ, and make them themembers of an harlot? Godforbid” (1 Corinthians6:14-15).
“…And, Let every one thatnameth the name of Christ de-part from iniquity. Flee alsoyouthful lusts: but followrighteousness, faith, charity,peace, with them that call onthe Lord out of a pure heart”(2 Timothy 2:19, 22).
“Wherefore let him thatthinketh he standeth takeheed lest he fall. There hathno temptation taken you butsuch as is common to man:but God is faithful, who willnot suffer you to be temptedabove that ye are able; but willwith the temptation also makea way to escape, that ye may beable to bear it. Wherefore, mydearly beloved, flee from idol-atry. I speak as to wise men;judge ye what I say” (1 Corin-thians 10:12-15).
“I would not dwell uponyour crimes, to harrow upyour soul, if it were not foryour good. But behold, ye cannot hide your crimes fromGod; and except ye repent,they will stand as a testimonyagainst you at the last day.Now, my son, I would that yeshould repent, and forsakeyour sins, and go no more af-ter the lusts of yours eyes, butcross yourself in all thesethings; for except ye do this, yecan in no wise inherit thekingdom of God. O remem-ber, and take it upon you, andcross yourself in these things”(Alma 19:11-14).
“Behold, it is written bythem of old time, that thoushalt not commit adultery;But I say unto you, that who-soever looketh on a woman tolust after her, hath committedadultery already in his heart.Behold, I give you a com-mandment, that ye suffernone of these things to en-ter into your heart; for it isbetter that ye should denyyourselves of these things,
wherein ye will take upyour cross, than that yeshould be cast into hell” (3Nephi 5:76-78).
When all is said and done, itlooks like we have to make upour minds not to sin. We are go-ing to have to do like it saysabout Job in chapter one, verseone of Job:
“There was a man in theland of Uz, whose name wasJob; and that man was perfectand upright, and one thatfeared God, and eschewed evil(BECAUSE IT WASWRONG).”
Cross yourself in all thesethings, flee from idolatry, de-part from iniquity, resist thedevil, walk within your housewith a perfect heart, set nowicked thing before mine eyes,go no more after the lusts ofyours eyes, and deny your-selves.
We can do all thingsthrough Christ, whichstrengthens us, and we havebeen given all things that per-tain to life and godliness. Yourproblem may be that you thinkyou can do it on your own.WELL, YOU CAN’T. Christsays that He is the vine and weare the branches and withoutHim we can’t do anything. Inthe Bible it speaks of sevenkinds of fools. One of them is aself-confident fool. Don’t be oneof them. Get Christ involved ineverything you do. He wants tohear more from you.
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By Harvey E. Seibel
THE BOOK OF MORMON
ISAIAH 29 - THE GREAT AND
MARVELOUS WORK, THE
SEALED BOOK AND THE
FORMER AND LATTER RAINS
“Stay yourselves, and won-der; cry ye out, and cry: they aredrunken, but not with wine; theystagger, but not with strongdrink. For the LORD hathpoured out upon you the spirit ofdeep sleep, and hath closed youreyes: the prophets and your rul-ers, the seers hath he covered.And the vision of all is becomeunto you as the words of ABOOK THAT IS SEALED,WHICH MEN DELIVER TOONE THAT IS LEARNED,SAYING, READ THIS, I PRAY
THEE: AND HE SAITH, ICANNOT; FOR IT IS SEALED:AND THE BOOK IS DELIV-ERED TO HIM THAT IS NOTLEARNED, SAYING, READTHIS, I PRAY THEE: AND HESAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED.Wherefore the Lord said, Foras-much as this people draw nearme with their mouth, and withtheir lips do honour me, but haveremoved their heart far from me,and their fear toward me istaught by the precept of men:THEREFORE, BEHOLD, IWILL PROCEED TO DO AMARVELOUS WORK,AMONG THIS PEOPLE,EVEN A MARVELOUS WORKAND A WONDER: for the wis-dom of their wise men shall per-ish, and the understanding oftheir prudent men shall behid…IS IT NOT YET A VERYLITTLE WHILE, AND LEBA-NON SHALL BE TURNEDINTO A FRUITFUL FIELD,AND THE FRUITFUL FIELD
SERIES - Part 8
THE GREAT APOSTASY
AND THE RESTORATIONATTENTION YOUNG PEOPLE
AND OTHER INQUIRERS AFTER THE TRUTHPertaining to the Church of Christ with headquarters in Independence, Missouri
The Only Church Established through the Ministry of Angels
Part 8
Have you ever wondered how the Church of Christ differs from other
churches? Or how our church is better than any other? Does it really
matter what church we join? If these or similar questions have come to
mind then the material presented in this series should be helpful.
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SHALL BE ESTEEMED AS AFOREST? AND IN THAT DAYSHALL THE DEAF HEARTHE WORDS OF THE BOOK,AND THE EYES OF THEBLIND SHALL SEE OUT OFOBSCURITY, AND OUT OFDARKNESS” (Isaiah 29:9-14,17-18).
THE SEALED BOOK
“In a New and CriticalTranslation of Isaiah by FranzDelitzsch, D.D., the followingrendition of Isaiah 29:11 is of-fered: ‘And the revelation of allthis will be to you like words ofa sealed writing which theygive to him who understandswriting, saying, Pray read this;but he says, I cannot, it issealed.’ - Prophetic Times, vol.10, p. 24” (A Marvelous Workand a Wonder, p. 228).
COMMENTARY
This prophecy commencedto be fulfilled with the comingforth of the church out of thewilderness in 1829/30. Thesealed book was the record fromwhich the Book of Mormon wastranslated. And as we have seenfrom the above, every particu-lar concerning the taking of thewords of this book to one that islearned and to one that is notlearned was literally fulfilled. Afurther witness was also pro-vided for He says, ‘Is it not yet avery little while, and Lebanonshall be turned into a fruitfulfield, and the fruitful field shallbe esteemed as a forest?’ Thiswas fulfilled in 1853, just 24years after the coming forth ofthe Book of Mormon. The for-mer and latter rains returned tothe land of Palestine after anabsence of 1800 years. Consider
the following testimony:
THE FORMER AND LATTER
RAINS
“Concerning Palestine,Louis Van Buren, visiting thatland in 1866, has this to say: ‘Iarrived in Palestine in the be-ginning of last December(1866), and remained there tillthe 20th of March. I found it tobe a very good land, with adelightsome climate; the fruit-fulness of it is truly wonderful;crop after crop can be raised,summer and winter, the for-mer and the latter rain, thedew also, being restored as inancient times; there is no lon-ger any difficulty in raisinggrain or any other product’Saints’ Herald, April, 1867”(ibid., pp. 172-173).
“‘It is a fact that the rain anddew are restored; recently, in1853, the former and latterrains were restored, to the as-tonishment of the natives’Saints Herald, April, 1867”(ibid., p. 173).
“‘I know not whether youare aware of the fact, but it isone that is fully authenticated,that the “latter rain” returnedlast year to Mount Zion - a rainthat had been withheld, so faras our information goes, eversince the dispersion of the peo-ple; and he who has broughtback the “latter rain” in itsseason, will also give the “for-mer rain” in its season’ Scot-tish Presbyterian Magazine,1853. Parsons’ Textbook, p.205” (ibid., p. 173).
“A correspondent writing tothe Sword of Truth from Jeru-
salem, in 1864, has this to say:‘During the five years of my so-journ in the land of our fathers,the early and latter rain camedown from heaven as regularlyas in the days of David and Sol-omon. Everything grew andblossomed almost visibly to thebeholder, and in three days oursacred soil outran the bestlands in Europe.’ Sword ofTruth, February 15, 1864”(ibid., p. 173).
“George J. Adams, writingfrom Palestine in 1865, says: ‘Iwill now explain in relation tothe wheat and millet and theother crops; also the rains, asthey now come since the resto-ration of the latter rain. Theformer or first rain commencesin the latter part of Octoberand closes in December…. Thelatter rain commences in Apriland continues about six weeks.It is this rain that ripens thewheat and barley. The wheatand barley is sown in Decem-ber and the first part of Janu-ary. They reap it in the firstpart of May. Immediately afterharvest, they sow the sameland with millet and reap it thelast of August. The land thenrests about two months, or un-til the first rain, when they sowturnips and peas, potatoes, andevery kind of vegetable. Theseripen in time to put the wheatcrop in for the next season,making three crops a year onthe same land. Where on earthcan such a land be found? No-where else but in Palestine.’Sword of Truth, November 1,1865 (ibid., p. 173).
“‘We believe that God hasfor ages permitted the land tolay waste and desolate, and
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withheld the latter rain andeven the dews of heaven in di-rect fulfillment of the testi-mony of all the prophets, andthat the time of that desolationand the withholding of the lat-ter rain has now run out, thatrain having been given in itsseason every successive yearsince 1853’ Sword of Truth,February 1, 1866” (ibid., p.174).
“Lebanon or Palestine lay abarren waste for many longcenturies. It is historicallystated that after the fall of Je-rusalem, in A.D. 70, the formerand the latter rains which hadmade Palestine so fertile, werewithheld. This reduced thecountry to a condition whichhad never before prevailedthere. In the year 1853, how-ever, the rain returned and theland is now fertile. A travelerto the Holy Land wrote thus ofthe country some years ago:
“‘I arrived in Indiana a fewdays since, from the EasternContinent. I stopped at Joppanearly the whole winter. Formy part I was well pleased withthe country. It is certainly aland of most wonderful fruit-fulness, with a delightsome cli-mate, producing everything, ifproperly cultivated, and fromtwo to three crops in a year.They have grain, fruit, andvegetables all the year round:in fact, I never was in such acountry before. I have seenmuch good country in Europeand America, but none to com-pare with Palestine; its fruit-fulness is uncommon and theclimate the most delightsome;even in winter I did not see theleast sign of frost, and vegeta-
bles of every sort were growingin perfection in the gardens. Itis a fact that the rain and deware restored; recently in 1853,the former and the latter rainwere restored, to the astonish-ment of the natives’ - Pages216, 217” (The Fall of Babylon,pp. 251-252).
“McClintock and Strong’sEncyclopaedia, in the articleon Palestine, states its condi-tion before the beginning of itsrestoration as follows:
“‘Eighteen centuries of war,ruin, and neglect, have passedover it. Its valleys have beencropped for ages without theleast attempt at fertilization.Its terraced walls have been al-lowed to crumble, and its soilhas washed down its ravines,leaving the hillsides rocky andsterile. Its trees have been cutdown and never replaced. Itsfields have been desolate. Itsstructures pillaged and all itsimprovements ruthlessly de-stroyed. A land of ruins with-out man or beast. Everywhereon plain or mountain, in rockydesert, or on beetling cliff, thespoiler’s hand has rested’”(ibid., p. 255).
THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE
GREAT AND MARVELOUS
WORK
Thus the great and marvel-ous work was begun, the littlestone kingdom was cut out ofthe mountain without hands,the kingdom of God set upwhich shall never be destroyednor be left to other people. TheAngel indeed has flown in themidst of heaven having the ev-erlasting gospel to preach to
them who dwell in the earth.Consider that this is true:
“And I saw another angelfly in the midst of heaven,having the everlasting gospelto preach unto them thatdwell on the earth, and to ev-ery nation, and kindred, andtongue, and people, Sayingwith a loud voice, Fear God,and give glory to him; for theHOUR OF HIS JUDGMENTIS COME: and worship himthat made heaven, and earth,and the sea, and the fountainsof waters” (Revelation14:6-7).
And what is to follow theflying of this angel?
“And there followed an-other angel, saying, Babylonis fallen, is fallen, that greatcity, because she made all na-tions drink of the wine of thewrath of her fornication”(Revelation 14:8).
Mystery Babylon (thegreat) was to rule until this an-gel flew in the midst of heaven.And this is in precise agreementwith what we read earlier inDaniel 7 where the prophet de-clares,
“I beheld, and the samehorn (Mystery Babylon) madewar with the saints, and pre-vailed against them; Until theAncient of days came, ANDJUDGMENT WAS GIVENTO THE SAINTS OF THEMOST HIGH; AND THETIME CAME THAT THESAINTS POSSESSED THEKINGDOM” (Daniel 7:21-22). Further “…He (the littlehorn or Mystery Babylon)
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shall speak great wordsagainst the most High, andshall wear out the saints of themost High, and think tochange times and laws: andthey shall be given into hishand until a time and timesand the dividing of time.BUT THE JUDGMENTSHALL SIT and they shalltake away his dominion, toconsume and to destroy itunto the end” (Daniel7:25-26).
With the coming of the an-gel the hour of His judgmenthad come, and this judgmentwas given to the saints (1820)and the time came that thesaints possessed the kingdom(1829-30) and with the sitting ofthis judgment, they shall takeaway the dominion of the littlehorn, or Mystery Babylon, toconsume and to destroy it untothe end (the time when Christwill return, at which time “thekingdom and dominion, and thegreatness of the kingdom underthe whole heaven, shall be givento the people of the saints of themost High”).
From the testimony whichwe read in church history welearn that both the Father andthe Son appeared to JosephSmith when he went to inquirewhich of all the churches wasright. Did he by thus sayinggive us a true witness? Con-sider again. This little horn wasto make war with the saints andto overcome them for a specificperiod of time or UNTIL THEANCIENT OF DAYS CAME.Who then is the Ancient ofdays? The evidence is that it isGod, and particularly the Fa-
ther, from the description givenin verses 9 and 10 of this sameprophecy.
“I beheld till the throneswere cast down, and the An-cient of days did sit, whosegarment was white as snow,and the hair of his head likethe pure wool: his throne waslike the fiery flame, and hiswheels as burning fire. A fierystream issued and came forthfrom before him: thousandthousands ministered untohim, and ten thousand timesten thousand stood beforehim: the judgment was set,and the books were opened.”Then the prophet saw“…and, behold, one like theSon of man came with theclouds of heaven, and came tothe Ancient of days, and theybrought him near before him.And there was given him do-minion, and glory, and akingdom, that all people, na-tions, and languages, shouldserve him: his dominion is aneverlasting dominion, whichshall not pass away, and hiskingdom that which shall notbe destroyed” (Daniel7:13-14).
This latter is the Lord Je-sus Christ coming to His Father,the Ancient of days, the Beingwho is without beginning ofdays or end of years.
Did the Ancient of dayscome at the conclusion of thereign of the little horn? The an-swer must be yes according tothe testimony we read when theFather and Son appeared to 14-year-old Joseph Smith thatmorning in the spring of 1820.
But what about the Son? DidHe also appear as He testifiedthat He did? Consider this wordin Acts 3:19-21:
“Repent ye therefore, and beconverted, that your sins maybe blotted out, when the timesof refreshing (dawning of anew day after the night ofdarkness, HES) shall comefrom the presence of the Lord;And he shall send JesusChrist, which before waspreached unto you: Whom theheaven must receive UNTILTHE TIMES OF RESTITU-TION (Restoration, HES) OFALL THINGS, which Godhath spoken by the mouth ofall his holy prophets since theworld began.”
EZEKIEL 37 -THE STICK OF
JUDAH AND THE STICK OF
JOSEPH
“The word of the Lord cameagain unto me, saying, More-over, thou son of man, takethee one stick, and write uponit, For Judah, and for the chil-dren of Israel his compan-ions: then take another stick,and write upon it, For Joseph,the stick of Ephraim and forall the house of Israel his com-panions: And join them one toanother into one stick; andthey shall become one in thinehand. And when the childrenof thy people shall speak untothee, saying, Wilt thou notshew us what thou meanest bythese? Say unto them, Thussaith the Lord God; Behold, Iwill take the stick of Joseph,which is in the hand of
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Ephraim, and the tribes of Is-rael his fellows, and will putthem with him, even with thestick of Judah, and makethem one stick, and they shallbe one in mine hand” (Ezekiel37:15-19).
“ROLL: A book in ancienttimes consisted of a single longstrip of paper or parchment,which was usually kept rolledupon a stick, and was unrolledwhen a person wished to readit. Smith’s Bible Dictionary,Peloubet edition, p. 566” (AMarvelous Work and a Wonder,p. 214).
“The king being impatientto know the contents, thescribe begins to read immedi-ately: and as the books of thetime were written upon longscrolls, and rolled upon a stick,the latter part of the bookwould come first. - History ofthe Holy Bible, John Kitto,D.D., F.S.A, p. 403” (ibid., p.214).
EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH
(Sons of Joseph)
We know, based on the tes-timony of the Book of Mormon,that the Indian of the Americasare of the seed of Manasseh, andthat they were brought over tothis land in the days of Lehi andNephi 600 years before Christ.We also know that they wroteand kept a record of all theirproceedings (the record of Jo-seph). Is there evidence for thismigration from the old world tothe new in the Bible, the recordof Judah?
THEY SHALL GO OVERTHE WALL! Did a seed of Jo-seph truly go over the wall (the
sea) and become separated fromhis brethren in the old world?
Consider the two followingprophecies:
“Joseph is a fruitful bough,even a fruitful bough by awell; WHOSE BRANCHESRUN OVER THE WALL….The blessings of thy fatherhave prevailed above theblessings of my progenitorsunto the utmost bound of theeverlasting hills: they shall beon the head of Joseph, ANDON THE CROWN OF THEHEAD OF HIM THAT WASSEPARATE FROM HISBRETHREN” (Genesis 49:22, 26).
“…Let the blessing comeupon the head of Joseph, ANDUPON THE TOP OF THEHEAD OF HIM THAT WASSEPARATED FROM HISBRETHREN” (Deuteron-omy 33:16).
This prophecy was fulfilledwhen a family of the tribe ofManasseh was taken out of Je-rusalem and brought over tothis country (America) throughthe command of the Lord in 600B. C. just before Nebuchad-nezzar took the Kingdom of Ju-dah into captivity. There theybecame a great nation, as prom-ised in Genesis 48:19 and 35:11.
“Nor shall Judah alone berestored. God will save like-wise the house of Joseph,though he appears to have longentirely forgotten them. Hewill hiss for them and gatherthem. He will make them as itwere the seed of his millennialchurch and cause them to beinstrumental in spreading the
knowledge of his truth to theuttermost parts of the earth. -General and Connected View ofthe Prophecies, vol. 2, p. 271,Reverend G. S. Faber” (A Mar-velous Work and a Wonder, p.219).
“Doctor Lowth commentingon Jeremiah 48:32: ‘Thy plantsare gone over the sea, theyreach even to the sea of Jazar.’The words imply that the prin-cipal inhabitants are carriedaway and pass over the sea. -Horae Apocalypticae, vol. 3, p.72, E.B. Elliott, AM.” (ibid., p.221).
“The Totten Memorial Asso-ciation dedicated to the mem-ory of Professor Totten, Amer-ica’s foremost chronologistand ethnologist, observes:‘The vine of Sibmah was theappropriate emblem oftransjordanic Israel. It repre-sented Israel on the frontiers,Israel in close contact with theGentile and heathen world.The lords of the Gentiles brokedown its choice plants, ‘whichwandered into the wilderness:its shoots were spread abroad,they passed over the sea’ (Isa-iah 16:8). In spite of the break-ing down of the choicebranches of the Vine ofSibmah, its shoots were spreadabroad. These shoots weremen of lsrael. ‘They passedover the sea.’ Jeremiah uttersa similar oracle, saying: ‘Withmore than the weeping ofJazar will I weep for thee, OVine of Sibmah: thy branchespassed over the sea, theyreached even to the sea ofJazar: upon thy summer fruitsand upon thy vintage the de-stroyer is fallen’ (Jeremiah
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48:32). But in spite of the rav-ages of the destroyer of theGentiles, the outcasts of Israel,his fugitives from the de-stroyer (Isaiah 16:3,4) dweltfor a while in the dark shadowof Moab, and then passed intothe wilderness and passed overthe sea…Zechariah says, astranslated by Doctor RobertYoung: ‘He hath passed overthrough the sea, and hathpressed and smitten billows inthe sea’ (Zechariah 10: 11). Allthis was involved in the bless-ing in the racial covenant ofpromise, for God gave to Jo-seph ‘blessings of the deep thatcoucheth beneath.’ …Whencecame these ancient traditionsof a land beyond the sea? Afterdiligent investigation, I amconvinced that they came fromthe blessings pronounced onJoseph in the racial covenantof promise. The descriptionsgiven of his land by the Patri-arch Jacob and the Lawgiver,Moses, indicate a land beyondthe sea, beneath which thedeep coucheth, and that ex-tends ‘unto the utmost boundof the everlasting hills.’ Jacobwas in Egypt when he blessedJoseph. Now if we go fromEgypt to the utmost bound ofthe everlasting hills, and goeither east or west, we willcome to the United States ofAmerica, in the region of theRocky Mountains, the back-bone of the continent. The lan-guage, in its strict significanceand grammatical structure, in-dicates this. Do not explain itaway by calling it oriental ex-travagance. It means just whatit says.’ - Our Race Quarterly,September, 1910, pp. 89,91”(ibid., pp. 221-222).
IN THE HAND OF EPHRAIM
We learned above that thestick of Joseph was to be in thehand of Ephraim. You maywonder how that record whichcame forth from Manassehshould end up in the hands ofhis brother. For the sake ofbrevity and to summarize,when the ten tribes were car-ried captive in Assyria in 721B.C. they never again returnedto the land of Israel fromwhence they were taken. In-stead, some years later, they mi-grated out of the land of Assyriaand traveled to the northwestuntil they came to the lands ofnorthwestern Europe. Therethey mixed among the Gentilesuntil they lost their identity.When the discovery of the NewWorld was made the people ofthe British Isles and neighbor-ing nations came to Americaand established themselves onour east coast. It was to thisgroup of people that the churchwas restored and the commis-sion given to carry this gospel tothe nations. Ephraim wasmixed among these Gentilesand so when the Book of Mor-mon came forth, it came intotheir hands. This record, as youknow, did not come forth to theLamanites or the Indians, butrather to Ephraimite Gentileswho had come to this land. ThatIsrael is here in this land isshown by reference to Amos6:1-6.
“Woe to them that are atease in Zion, and trust in themountain of Samaria, whichare named chief of the na-tions, to whom the house of Is-rael came! Pass ye unto
Calneh, and see; and fromthence go ye to Hamath thegreat: then go down to Gath ofthe Philistines: be they betterthan these kingdoms? or theirborder greater than your bor-der? Ye that put far away theevil day, and cause the seat ofviolence to come near; That lieupon beds of ivory, and stretchthemselves upon theircouches, and eat the lambs outof the flock, and the calves outof the midst of the stall; Thatchant to the sound of the viol,and invent to themselves in-struments of musick, like Da-vid; That drink wine in bowls,and anoint themselves withthe chief ointments: but theyare not grieved for the afflic-tion of Joseph.”
It seems quite plain that weare at ease in Zion and that wedo trust in the Government ofour country. And are we notnamed chief of the nations, anddid not the house of Israel comehere when our country was set-tled by the northwestern Euro-peans? Our wealth is great sothat we do create all kinds of in-struments of music and liverichly on wine and meat, etc.And after all of this we (as a peo-ple or as a nation) are notgrieved for the affliction of Jo-seph, or the Indian in our land.
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EVERY TRIBE AND EVERY NATION
By Apostle Brian E. McIndoo
An hour outside of Kisii, Kenya,where the work in Africa be-
gan among the Kisii tribe, wedropped out of the highlands into agrassy valley near the town ofKilgoris, the land of the Maasai tribe.Turning off the pothole filled roadonto a dirt road, we passed betweendry fields of tomato plants and mazestocks. The wilted and thirsty thecrops wait for the seasonal rains tobegin. A half-mile down the dirtpath, Elders Andy Brown, MosesOhuru and I pulled our Toyota Hilluxinto a compound and parked infront of the humble home of PaulKayoki Ole Sayori and family.
Under the sparse shade of a standof small trees on Paul’s property,
about twenty people met for apreaching service. Following theservice we embarked on a two-milewalk across a grassy savanna, arriv-ing at a small stream surrounded bya stand of tall trees. There we bap-tized Paul and eight others. Havingbeen laboring in Kenya for five yearsto the month, on April 27, 2005, thechurch had received for the firsttime members for the Maasai tribe.
We can see the hand of God in
Paul’s story, which brought us to thisday. Paul had been a member of achurch called The Church of Christ.However, several years ago they hadabandoned him and moved out ofKenya. The Church of Christ (Tem-ple Lot) had made a large enoughimpact on Kenya that the word hadreached Kilgoris of our existence.Assuming his church had returnedto Kenya, Paul headed to Kisii townto find it. At the time we did not have
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a congregation inside the Kisii Town-ship, so Paul began asking people ifthey knew anything about TheChurch of Christ. Eventually some-one told Paul there was an elder ofthe church named Michael wholived in Suneka and drove a greenLand Rover.
The people in Suneka directedPaul to Michael Otero’s home. Mi-chael was on a missionary trip toTanzania so Paul spent part of a daytalking with Michael’s wife Anna.Elder Moses Ohuru made a trip toKilgoris attempting to find Paul.With much effort, Moses locatedPaul’s home, but Paul was gone.Moses contacted Paul’s mother, whoquickly told him she had no need ofthe white man’s religion. She wastraditional Maasai and wanted noth-ing else. She would pass the word onto her son.
Paul and Moses finally came to-gether. Paul spent several days atMoses’ home to hear about theChurch of Christ. He remainedthere until the weekend in order toattend Sunday services at Kineni;fortunately, this same weekendElder Gordon McCann and I werescheduled to be there.
During the next several monthsMichael, Moses and several otherleaders from Kisii visited and taughtPaul and his family the gospel.Brother Smith and I also had oppor-tunity to go and teach. The day fi-nally came when we were able to doas Jesus commanded his Apostles“…Go ye into all the world, andpreach the gospel to every creature”Mark 16:15.
Paul had wasted no time to beginwitnessing the Gospel. Even beforehis baptism he had gone to tellfriends and family about the Churchof Christ. The day after the baptismservice, six of the nine new mem-bers took brother Brown and me tothe interior of the Maasai land.From Paul’s home in the savanna weheaded south into a jungle areawhere lion, elephant and zebraroam. With the 4WD vehicle we wereable to drive across the wildernessand through the jungle where noroads exist.
When we arrived at a traditionalMaasa i compound , an o ldbandy-legged Maasai man wearing atraditional red plaid tunic, sandalsand a battered straw hat stepped out
of his fortress to greet us we exitedour vehicle. As a way to protectthemselves from the animals, a tallfence of poles and shrubs sur-rounded his home. The only accessto the home was a small and easilyprotected opening through thefence. A verse of scripture immedi-ately came to my mind. “Becausestrait is the gate, and narrow is theway, which leadeth unto life, and fewthere be that find it” Mat 7:14.
Soon, more men clad in red tu-nics, sporting long knives lashed totheir waists, women wearing color-ful Maasai beaded jewelry and youngchildren joined us under the treeswhere we began teaching about theChurch of Christ. They appreciatedour visit and requested furtherteachings.
Inroads to the Maasai tribe was agreat blessing, but not the onlyblessing we have recently experi-enced. Where we once only had onecongregation in Tanzania locatedjust across the Kenya/Tanzania bor-der we now have seven, spanninghundred of miles. Some congrega-tions are in large towns while othersare in remote areas.
Only recently, Apostles SmithBrickhouse and Alvin Moser pur-sued an invitation to meet a group inthe Democratic Republic of theCongo. The Democratic Republic ofthe Congo having the reputation asbeing one of the most dangerouscountries in the world gave us someconcern about going, but putting ourfaith in God several trips have beenmade. Today there is a large congre-gation in the town of Lubumbashi.
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(See cover photo.)We love our members in the
Congo and they are a great blessing
to the Church of Christ. The workthroughout Africa continues to in-crease according to the dictates of
God; we feel very blessed to be a partof it.
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Collins, Missouri
I hope thisnewslet ter
finds you alldoing well and in good spiritualhealth. It has been a long time sinceI have written. We are still holding tothe faith here and enjoy getting tomeet together every Sunday (and afew of us meet on Wednesday eve-ning).
We all seem to have a “problem”or two in our lives. Our sister DoraAdams has had by-pass surgery andis doing very well and has borne wit-ness to God’s greatness.
Allen (Kauffman) lost his job oftwenty-nine years, but has a newone—requiring a lot more physical“attention.” He, however, is gettingalong well, with the exception of aback (disc) problem—and I knowhe would appreciate an interest inyour prayers concerning this.
Jack and Betty Martin are able,with great effort, to come to services.Marjory and R. C. Routh are faithfulto attend, as are Shawna, Aaron andSheala Herd. Curtis and MargariteYates have a lot of summer company(grand-children) so we miss seeingMargarite quite a bit of the time.Randy and Renee Livingston andtheir family attend as often as theycan, as do Donald and Bernice Mar-tin. Donald has severe allergies andis hampered from doing all thethings he would like to do. We are al-ways glad to see them when they areable to come.
Harvey and Betty Dunning havehad some rough times lately, asHarvey has had prostate cancer and
surgery. He is doing well now andbore testimony of God’s blessing tohim during this time of uncertainty.
Bob Eddy comes as often as hissummer schedule will allow. We al-ways “manage” when someone hasto be absent, but oh how grateful weare when they can return and taketheir place with us again! This is nota “social club” by any means, but itIS a soul strengthening time that weeach one need (to give and to re-ceive) to learn and to share, bothproblems and blessings.
Allen and I had opportunity to at-tend both the Houston Rally andSpringfield Rally. To say that we “en-joyed” these services would hardlydo justice to the blessings we re-ceived there. I’m always amazed atthe way the Spirit of God can touchand work in all of our hearts—indifferent ways. I feel sure that every-one that was able to attend these ser-vices felt a great gratitude to ourHeavenly Father.
I have a few sermon quotes I willleave with you to consider. May ourgreat God bless each of you in yourhomes , your work , yourlives—from day to day, giving youstrength and energy to serve Him toa greater extent.
� We need to guard our youngpeople from the evil of thisworld—it’s so easy to just driftoff.
� There’s a battle being fought andit’s in your own heart!
� You can’t make a “deal” with the
Lord.
� Do you have discernmentenough to know when you’rebeing deceived?
� What is it that Christ willrecognize in us as we meet faceto face?
� Handle life with faith, hope, andthe pure love of Christ.
� We, as a nation, have beenblessed with a commodity called“freedom”—Liberty.
� To be happy and prosperous inthis world, we need to applyGod’s plan.
� We are to become “one”—notjust among ourselves, but alsowith Christ.
� It’s not how strong you are—it’show humble you are!
� Don’t let our problems, illnesses,etc., cause our faith to get weak.
Your reporter,
Czerna Kauffman
NEWS
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CHURCH OF CHRISTCONFERENCES
The 2005 Ministers’ Conference(priesthood membership) of theChurch of Christ will be held Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday, August 1,2 and 3, at Independence, Missouri.
The 2006 Ministers’ Conference(general membership) for the Churchof Christ will commence Sunday, April2. The business sessions will start at9:00 A.M. Monday, April 3. A SolemnAssembly will be held prior to theconference, on March 31 and April 1.All services will be held on the TempleLot.
2005 CHURCH OF CHRISTREUNIONS
MAY
Scripture Theme Camp�May 13-15, Friday-Sunday�Camp Shawnee Camp Area at
Knob Noster State Park.�For information contact:
Mark Hill, Jesse Lawrence,Randy Sheldon, Dan Lawrence,Dan Malone.
JUNE
Idaho Reunion�June 3-5, Friday-Sunday�The Southwestern Idaho Senior
Citizen’s Recreation Association,Inc. (S.I.S.C.R.A.).
�For information contact:Roy Coon3995 County Line RoadEmmett, Idaho 83617(208) [email protected] [email protected]
Colorado Reunion�June 10-12, Friday-Sunday�The Orchard Mesa Local, 3233
B½ Road, Grand Junction,ColoradoFor information contact:Karen BellPO Box 1137Palisade, CO 81526(970) [email protected] Bell572 34 RoadClifton, CO 81520(970) [email protected] Downs515 28½ RoadGrand Junction, CO 81501(970) [email protected]
Michigan Reunion�June 25-26, Saturday-Sunday�Bradley Local, Michigan�For information, contact:
Duane Lee2053 Fawn Ave.Middleville, MI 49333(269) 795-7420Randy Lee2953 Wing Rd.Hastings, MI 49058-9537(269) 948-8971
Springfield Rally�June 26th, Sunday�2251 N. Golden; Springfield,
Missouri.�For information contact:
Elder Matt Case(417) [email protected] Martin Addie(417) [email protected]
JULY
Wake Up Camp 2005�July 1-3, Friday-Sunday�Bemidji Local Church, Bemidji,
Minnesota�For information contact:
Hannah Gould(218) 586-2774Sam Gould(218) 586-3759
New York Reunion�July 8-10, Friday-Sunday�Hogansburg, New York�For information contact:
In Canada:Wayne and Susan Miller868 Tollgate RoadCornwall, OntarioCanada K6H5R6(613) 933-5469In the United States:Eli and Gretchen TarbellPO Box 21600 State Route 37Hogansburg, New York 13655(518) [email protected] and Terry Waldruff429 Country Road 34Canton, New York 1 13617(315) [email protected]
Church of Christ Teen Camp�July 24-29, Sunday-Friday�Camp Far Westa, near
Stewartsville, Missouri�For kids ages 12-18�Camp Cost: $115.00�For information contact:
Michelle Oldham5811 DugglebyDavenport, IA 52807(563) [email protected]
Scripture Adventure Camp�July 28, Thursday�Independence, Missouri�For kids ages 5-11�For information contact:
Randy and Becky Sheldon(816) [email protected] Yates(602) [email protected]
Missouri Reunion�July 29-31, Friday-Sunday�Church of Christ headquarters
building located on the TempleLot in Independence, Missouri
�For information contact:Roland Sarratt15910 E. 36th Terr.Independence, MO 64055(816) [email protected]
Michael McGhee18907 E. 6th St. NorthIndependence, MO 64056(816) 796-6255
SEPTEMBER
Camp for All Ages�September 16-18, Friday-Sunday�The Pinnacles, about ten miles
north of Columbia, Missouri�For information contact:
Jesse [email protected]
Women’s Retreat�September 30-October 1,
Friday-Saturday�Lake Mauer Retreat Center in
Excelsior Springs, Missouri.�For women ages 18 and up�Cost: $45.00/person (includes
one night accommodation and 3meals)
�For information contact:Carrie Geier14609 E. PhelpsIndependence, MO 64055(816) [email protected] Adams2804 Westbrooke CircleBlue Springs, MO 64015(816) [email protected]
NOVEMBER
Phoenix Reunion�November 25-27, Friday-Sunday�Phoenix, Arizona�For information contact:
Pastor Bob Hedrick2908 E Rockwood DrPhoenix, AZ 85050(602) [email protected] Pastors:Duane Ely18814 N 30th StPhoenix, AZ [email protected] McCann18808 N 30th StPhoenix, AZ [email protected]
Church of ChristGENERAL HEADQUARTERS TEMPLE LOT200 S RIVER BLVD PO BOX 472INDEPENDENCE MO 64051-0472
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