good news 1959 (vol viii no 09) sep_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1959 (Vol VIII No 09) Sep_w

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VOL. VII I, NUMBER 9

International Magaztne ofTHE CHUR CH OF GOD

SEPTEMBER, 1959

What Is the Fathers NAME?Is "Jehovah" the Father's NAME? In whose NAME are we to pray?Must we use only Hebrew names-i-instead of English names ofGod? Here is the TRUTH on this misunderstood subject!

by Herman L. HoehTHERE is only one NAME "underheaven given among men, whereby we must be saved' (Acts 4: 12).'What is this NAME? Without it 'VUI!cannot be sewed! .The Apostle John was inspired towrite, "Whosoever denietb the Son, thesame hath not the Father (1 John 2: 23 ) .You are denying the Son if you reject

His NAME! It is vital that you know theNAME of the Son-your eternal salvat ion depends on it!The Son came in His Father's name.

If /hat is HiJ Father's name? UnlessYOU bear your heavenly Father's name,YOU cannot be His son! And you willnever be BORN AGAIN!

Modern ConfusionSome claim that "Jehovah" is theFather's name. They claim that we oughtto use the word "Jehovah" instead of"Lord." .Is "Jehovah" the Father' s name?Others claim that when we speak of

or pray to the heavenly Father and theSon, we should only use the Hebrewnames of deity. They claim that it is asin to use the words "God," "Lord,""Jesus," "Christ ," "Word," and "Christian." They insist that we should alwaysuse the Hebrew words for Deity. Theyclaim that it is a sin to pray "in rhr:name of Jesus." A sin to be called a"Christian"!Though they claim that "Jehovah"is not the name, they cannot agreeamong themselves as to what the Hebrew name should be! Some claim the

name should be pronounced "Yahvah,"others that it should be "Yahweh."They vehemently insist that it is a sinto translate the names of God intoEnglish! They contend that it is thesound. of the name, NOT ITS MEANING,that is important! Yet Paul was inspiredto write: "Except ye utter by the tonguewords easy to be understood, how shallit be known what is spoken?" In verse19 Paul continued, "Yet in the Church Ihad rather speak five words of my understanding, that by my voice I might teachothers, than ten thousand words in anunknown rongue"-to the Greeks, Hebrew was an unknown tongue (I Cor.14:9,19).In the Bible, names have meaning,Names are given for a purpose.

The first man was called in the Hebrew tongue Adam because he wasmade of " red earth." Adam in HebrewMEANS "red earth." Abram's name inHebrew was changed to Abraham because the promise was made to Abrahamthat he should become "a father of manynations" (Genesis 17: 5 ) . Abrahammeans "a father of many nations."Jacob's name in Hebrew was changedto Israel, The word Jacob in Hebrewmans "supplanter," but the word Israelmeans "prevailer with God." Jacob prevailed with God and obtained His blessmg.All these Biblical names conveymeaning. Not ice tha t these names areusually not greatly changed in anyforeign tongue because their meaningsare already given in the Bible. They do

not have to be translated!But other important Hebrew Biblicalnames mentioned in the New TestamentARE TRANSLATED from Hebrew into Greek! Notice Acts 9:36, "Nowthere was at Joppa a certa in disciplenamed Tabitha, which by interpretationis called Dorcas"-in Greek. Her namemeans "Doe" in English. Again in Acts13:8, the Aramaic name "Elyrnas'' istranslated as "Sorcerer" in English, oras "Mages" in the inspired Greek NewTestament. From these examples we Jeethat personal names are often tran.rlatedin the Bible:'THE NAMES OF THE CREATOR alsohave great meaning . Now let's noticehow He wants the English-speakingworld to understand the meaning ofHIS NAMES. Here they are!

Th e Meaning o f God's NAMESIn the Old Testament the Englishword "God" comes from the Hebrewword Elohim, meaning "mighty ones."

It is a uniplural word showing thatthere are NUMEROUS MEMBERS IN THEONE DIVINE FAMILY. Sometimes theEnglish word "God" comes from anotherword El. It signifies in Hebrew "amighty one."

Often the word El is combined withother Hebrew words to give new namesto the Creator. Thus "El-Shaddai"means the "Almighty God," as in Genesis 17: 1.Now turn to Exodus ,,: 13 and 14for another surpr isi ng NAME of theAlmighty. "And Moses said to God,


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Page 2behold, when I come unto the chi ldrenof Israel, and shall say unto them, TheGod of your fathers hath sent me untoyou; and they shall say unto me, Whatis His name? What shall I say untothem? And God said unto Moses, I AMTHAT I AM: and He said, Thus shaltthou say unto the children of Israel,I AM hath sent me unto you."

Notice! Here is one of the manynames of the Creator-"I AM THATI AM." There is real meaning to thisname! It may also be translated fromthe Hebrew as "I will be what I willbe." This name-I AM-means thatthere is no one under heaven superiorto, no one who exercises lordship over,the ONE who appeared to Moses. TheOne who appeared to Moses is above allcreation-Lord of all! That is what Hisname means. He is the One who is, theSelf-Existent One.

He Is "the ETERNAL"Now turn to Exodus 6: 1-3. Here theCreator reveals yet another name. "AndGod spake unto Moses, and said untohim, I am the Lord" (verse 2) . TheHebrew word which is here translated

"Ll>RU" is YHWH. This Hebrew nameYHWH-translated "LORD" in verse 2,and mistranslated "Jehovah" in verse 3-COInes from the Hebrew root wordmeaning"to be," or " to exist." The nameYHWH means "the Eternal," "the Everliving," and as the Creator of all andsuperior to all, this name signifies thatHe is eternally Ruler and LORD!Now notice especially verse 3. "And

I appeared unto Abraham, and Isaac,and unto Jacob, by rhe name of GodAlmighty, but by my name 'Jehovah'was I nor known unto them." The name"Jehovah" in the King James Versionis admittedly a woeful mistranslation. Itcomes from the Hebrew word YHWH.Notice that the One who was worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobappeared under the name "God Almighty"-in Hebrew El Shaddai. Hewas not known by the name YHWH.Not until the days of Moses was thisname revealed. For 2,500 long years ofhuman history this name-YHWH-wasnot revealed! When Moses compiledthe book of Genesis, he introduced thename, beginning with chapter 2 of thebook of Genesis, but the name itselfwas not known until the days of Moses.If one cannot be saved unless he pronounces YHWH in Hebrew, then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were lost forever

- for this name was not revealed tothem! How plain that the Creatorthought it more important to revealHis lY/ort! than even this nameYHWH-to Abraham. Notice Psalm138: 2." . . . for thou hast magnified thyuord aboue all thine name."

The GOOD NEWSBut what about the word "Jehovah"in Exodus 6: 3?"Jehovah" Is NOT the NameTens of thousands are being led todayto believe that the Creators name is"Jehovah." Where did the name "Jehovah" come from? Notice what theJewish Encyclopedia has to say:"'Jehovah' is generally held to havebeen the invention of Pope Leo X'sConfessor, Peter Galatin ... who wasfollowed in the use of this hybrid formby Fagius ... But it seems that evenbefore Galatin, the name 'Jehovah' hadbeen in common use ... It is found inRaymond Martin's 'Pugio Fidei,' writtenin 1270" (from Jewish Encyclopedia,article "Jehovah," volume VII, page88).The word "Jehovah" has come downto the modern world through the Catholic Church! Even the "Jehovah's Witnesses," in the preface to the ir transla

tion of the Bible, state: "While incliningto view the pronunciation 'Yahweh' asthe more correct way, we have retainedthe form 'Jehovah' because of people 'sfamiliarity wi th it since the 14th cenrury" (page 25)_"Jehovah" is not the name! I t 1S acorrupt mispronunciation.Since "Jehovah" is not the properpronunciation of the Hebrew wordYHWH, what then is its proper pronunciation? Some "Hebrew Name"sects say "Yahvah,' others say "Yahweh," still others believe it should beYehweh, etc.Why this confusion?The answer i s - the true pronunci-ation of the Hebrew word YHWH hasbeen lost!! Here is how it happened.The Hebrew language uses consonants and semi-consonants, not vowels.Moses was inspired to wri te this namefor the Creator with the four Hebrewletters YHWH. This Hebrew word,which the Israelites originally knewhow to pronounce, comes from anotherHebrew word HWH, an old form ofthe root HYH, which means "to be," or"to become."In the centuries since Jeremiah's day,the Jews became superstitious and madean idol out of this name! They treatedit with such superstitious reverence thatthey decided never to pronounce it ! Instead, whenever they found this wordin the Old Testament, they read Adonaiin its place. Adonai is a Hebrew wordmeaning "Lord" or "Master." Hence theproper pronunciation of YHWH became lost!True Pronunciation Prophesied

to Be Lost!The Bible even prophesied that thepronunc ia tion of this name should be

September, 1959lost to us today! Notice Jeremiah 23:25-27:"I have heard what the prophets said,tha t prophesy lies in my name, saYlllg,1 have dreamed, I have dreamed ...which think to cause my people toforget my name by thei r dreams whichthey tell every man to his neighbor, asthe ir fathers have forgotten my namefor Baal."The Jews in Jeremiah's day knew howto pronounce the word YHWH. Butthrough the dreams of their false teachers they were mislead into believingthat the word YHWH should not bepronounced-that it is too holy a wordto be uttered! And so the true pronunciation of the word became lost!Noone knows absolutely today howit should be pronounced, This is exactly what Jeremiah prophesied in theseverses over 2500 years ago!Here is what Rothcrham says aboutthis name in his Emphasized Bible page25: "The t rue pronunc iat ion seems tohave been Yahwe . . . The accent shouldbe on the final syllable." The JewishEncyclopedia says of this name: ". . . theoriginal pronunciation must have beenYahweh, or Yahaweh" (Article "Namesof God," Volume IX, page 161).So the pronunciation YHWH is definitely not Jehovah. Nor do any meansroday exist of knowing exactly how it isto be pronounced-s-vrrr THE MEANING OF THIS NAME IS PRESERVED FORUS TODAY. It means the "Eternal," the"Everliving," the Eternal "LORD." Themeaning of the Almighty's name is far

more importan t than its mere sound.Now let us notice definite scripturalPROOF THAT IT IS PROPER TOTRANSLATE THE NAMES OF GODso that we may understand what theymean in the language we speak today!Part of Old Testament Not

Written in Hebrew!In the Old Testament the Englishword "God" is often translated from theHebrew words "El," "Eloah," and "E!-ohim." When Babylon conquered theKingdom of Judah, Hebrew gradual lyceased to be the language of common

speech of the Jews. Hebrew was replaced by Aramaic, spoken throughoutthe Babylonian Empire. Daniel wrotefive whole chapters of his propheticbook in Aramaic-- chap te rs 2 through6. And Ezra wrote four whole chaptersof his work in Aramaic-chapters 4through 7.When Danie l and Ezra referred tothe Creator in these chapters, did theyuse the Hebrew words, or Aramaictranslations?The surprising answer is th at Godinspired Daniel and Ezra to TRANSLATE the Hebrew words for God into


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September, 1959rhr- Arnrnaic word BLAH! In 78 different places in these 9 chapters, the Aramaic word ELAH is used to translate theHebrew word for "God!"

1 the Ahuighty intended that HisName should be pronounced only inHebrew, then Daniel and Ezra werefalse prophets! But Daniel and Ezrawere not false prophets! They were inspired men! God inspired them to trans-late the Hebrew word for God into theAramaic word mAH which meansGod! Every word-every letter-whichEzra and Daniel were inspired to wri tehas been preserved for us today! Jesussaid that not one jot or tittle-the leastletters or marks of the alphabet-in theOld Testament would be lost (Matthew5:18; Luke 16:17).Since God inspired His prophets totranslate the Hebrew word for Godinto the Aramaic ELAH, which means"God" in Aramaic, then it is fi tt ing andpt'oper that the Hebrew u.ord ELOHIMshould be translated "God" into the Eng-lish translations of the Old Testament!

"God" Is NOT a Pagan NameSome "Hebrew Name" sects contendthat it is a sin to use the word "God!"They reason that because the word Godwas used by our ancestors to refer totheir idols, it is improper to use it torefer to the Creator. But notice whatthe Bible reveals about this very question in Romans 1:21: "When they[ the Gentile nations} knew God, theyglorified HIm not as God, nei ther werethankful; but became vain in the ir im

aginations, and their foolish heart wasdarkened. Professing themselves to bewise, they became fools, and changedthe glory of the uncorrupt ible God intoan image made like to corruptible man,and to birds, and to four-footed beasts,and to creeping things." And noticeverse 28, ". . . they did not like to re ta inGod in their knowledge."The nations once knew God, butthey changed the glory of the uncorrupt-ible God into images-idols! Theyattached the name of their Creator totheir idols.Notice the astounding proof of thisin the Old Testament!In the inspired Hebrew of the OldTestament the Hebrew word ELOHIM-which means "the God Kingdom,"or "the God Family"-is used 240 timesto refer to PAGAN, HEATHEN "GODS!"In two places this word is also translated "goddess" in the Old Testament.Again, the Hehrew word FT. is oncetranslated "idol" and 15 rimes translated "god"-and refers to the hea thengods. The Hebrew word Eloah is fivetimes used in the Old Testament torefer to heathen "gods." In 16 differentplaces Ezra and Nehemiah were in-

The GOOD NEWSspired to use the Aramaic word ELL1Ilto refer to the heathen "gods" of theAramaic-speaking people!Thus if it is a sin to use the Englishword "God" to refer to the Creatormerely because our pagan ancestorsused it to refer to their idols-then it isalso a sin to use the Hebrew wordsElobim, Eloah, EI, or the Aramaic Elahto refer to the Creator because thesewords were also used by our pagan ancestors to refer to their pagan idols inOld Testament times!Since God did inspire His prophetsin the Old Testament to use the verywords also describing pagan idols forHis Name, then it is right and properfor us to use the English word "God"today when referring to the Creator!Now let us notice how God inspiredthe apostles to wri te His name in theinspired Greek New Testament.The Name in the New TestamentThe words of your Savior are givento us in the New Testament. Before Heascended to heaven, He promised Hisdisciples, "Heaven and earth shall passaway, but my ioord shall not pass away"(Matthew 24: 35).Heaven and earth have not passedaway! Neither have the words of theSavior! They are found inspired in theNew Testament today! How were thenames of Deity rendered in the NewTestament for the Greek-speaking converts? Notice!Paul was sent to the Gentiles-particularly the Greek-speaking Gentiles.

His ministry covered rhe whole Greekspeaking world. The Greeks did notknow Hebrew or Aramaic. They knewGreek. In I Corinthians 9: 20, Paul said,"To the Greek I became as a Greek."How did Paul explain to these Greekconverts who the Father and who theSon were? What names did he use forthe Greeks when referring to the Creator?The answer i s -he used the Greekwords for "God," "Lord," "Christ ," the"Word;' and "Jesus." God inspired himto translate the Hebrew word EI, meaning "God," into the Greek word Theos.God inspired Paul in the New Testanient to translate the Hebrew wordYHWH into the Greek word Kyrios,meaning "Lord."In 665 different places in the NewTestament the apostles were inspired totranslate the Hebrew word YHWH intothe Greek word Kyrios, meaning theeternal "Lord." And 1,345 times theapostles were inspired to translate theHebrew word for God into the Greekword Theos-which means "God" inthe Greek language! These two Greekwords-KyrioJ and Theos-meaning"Lord" or "God" in Greek, are found

Page 3hundreds of times in the gospels, in thevery words of Jesus Himself! AndJesus said His words would no t passaway-Matthew 24: 35. Either these arethe inspired words of Jesus, or He lied-and if He lied, you have no Savior!He did not lie. These are His words.He inspired His apostles to translate thenames of God from the Hebrew intothe Greek when writing to the Greekconverts; and He has seen to it tha t notone word has perished or been lost!There is not one New Testamentmanuscript with the names of Godwritten in Hebrew! There is not oneNew Testament manuscript which supports the idea that the apostles usedHebrew names for God when speakingto the Greek people.New Testament Inspired in GreekSome sects are unwilling to admitwhat the inspired New Testamentplainly says! They falsely claim that the

New Testament was not written originally in Greek. They assume that theJewish Christians could not understandGreek. They would have us believe thatPaul wrote to the Greek converts inGreece, and Asia Minor, and Rome inAramaic instead of Greek! This is nottrue!Greek was the one universal languagewhich uni ted the common people in theRoman Empire in New Testamenttimes. The Jewish historian Josephushimself testified to Greek as the language which the Jews everywhereunderstood in New Testament days!Not only did the Jews who lived in theGreek world speak Greek, but even theJews who lived in Palestine, he declares,were well acquainted with Greek!Greek-speaking Jews were so prevalentin Palestine that synagogues for themhad to be built (Acts 6: 9) . Jewish lawfor Palestine permitted that the Scripture "may be read in a foreign tongueto them that speak a foreign tongue"(Megi llah 21) . And it was furtherpermitted "that the Books [of the Bible}may be written in any language," butthat at the time of Christ the Bookswere rronly permitted to be written inGreek" (Megillah 18). (From TheiYlishnab by Herbert Danby, OxfordUniversity Press.)Though the native-born Jews inPalestine in the days of the apostlesgenerally used Aramaic as their commonlanguage, yet Greek was the next in importance even to them.Josephus tell us why the Greek language, after Aramaic, was so commonwith the Jews in Palestine:"I have also taken a great deal ofpains to obtain the learning of theGreeks. and understand the elements of(Please con tinue on page 9)


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Page 4 The GOOD NEWS September, 1959

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

Marseille, [France},the 21 June 1959

He r Light Was Shining"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"We have been searching for the realtrue Church, and have prayed for Godto lead us. Thursday while at the beautyparlor, I asked my operator what denomination she belonged to . She saidnot any. I was so surprised because sheacted as if she were a Christian. Shewas so different from the other girls,that would talk of drinking parties, andbleached hair they had. This gir l woreno make-up and her hair was a naturalcolor. Besides she was and is just plainSWEET. I kept quizzing her and she toldme she took a Bible Course and wenttJ the Fresno Church of God on Saturday. I found she believed as we hadfound the Bible to read. Then sheasked me if I was really interested in thereal truth. I told her I really was butwe had been fooled twice and I hadalmost come to the conclusion thatChurch membership was a sin. Then shegave me her phone number and I,a lIpd her and went and visited her.What a wonder ful recept ion I got, andwe talked until almost midnight."

Woman from Porterville, California.Doctrine Cleared Up

"Dear Brethren:"I want to express my appreciationfor the article in the July GOOD NEWS,entitled "What You Should KnowAbout Tithing." I have been waiting along t ime for that article. Even thoughI had accepted the teaching of the second and thi rd t ithe from the beginning,because I know that God's ministerswere responsible to Him, this subjecthad never been proved to me from theBible."Member from Leesville, Texas.

God Answers Prayer"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"Give praises to God. My prayershave been answered again. This timethere is no doubt that it was a miracle.I arrived here Monday night at midnight, after leaving my wife and threechildren with relatives a hundred milesaway. Tuesday I started working on mynew job. I was told by everyone withwhom I talked that I would have a hardtime finding a home big enough for myfamily. Last n ight I got down on myknpps anr] asked God to give me shelterfor my family in Clarksburg. This morning, at approximately ten o'clock, I paidthe first month's rent on a very desirablethree-bedroom home in a very desirableresidential neighborhood with enoughground to plant a garden in the spring.I asked God for suitable shelter for myfamily. The blessing I received wasmany times what I asked for. . . ."

Man from Clarksburg, West Virginia.

you're translating it in French also. Iwould be very glad if you would sendit in French to the following two addresses: ..."Thank you also for the handkerchiefs you sent me with a letter express.I got everything you sent and I'm feeling much bet ter now. Please continueto pray for us."With thanks ..."Church Needed

"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"I must congratulate you on yourchoice of ministers. Messrs. Smith andMeredith are the most REAL CHRISTIANSI have ever met. Couldn't you pleasestart a church in New York City andallow Mr. Smith to be the minister? We[New Yorkers} need your Church DES-PERATELY. No one in this area is preaching THE TRUTH. Please see if this canbe arranged. I have prayed faithfullyfor a church since they arrived."Woman from Brooklyn, New York.Editor's comment: We are happy thatplans being made include a new churchin New York City, r ight after the Feastof Tabernacles.

Daughter Healed"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"One year ago my daughter wasafllicted with Saint Virus Dance. Wehave s tudied Scripture for years andhave received The PLAIN TRUTH andother help from you for about 3 years.We took our daughte r to a physician.First he pu t her on phenobarbi ta l forabout 3 months until her skin broke out- then switched her to a tranquilizer,plus medicine to undo the breaking outon her skin. For 4 months, no improvement except to keep her in a state ofgrogginess; of course her conditiondeepened and if you have ever seen aperson with this affliction you mustknow how pitiable their condition is."We l isten every night to you onWWVA and heard your explanationconcerning not calling a physician, butrather the elders of the Church. We arcsincere believers in God and JesusChri st and try to conform in every wayto thei r teaching thru the Holy Covenants, and your teaching. We threwaway all pills, did not return to doctors,but requested prayer of you, also ananointed handkerchief, and we sincerelyprayed and asked God to keep His promise to heal and He has. My daughterfrom that day on has steadily improvedand is now healed. Doctor and prescriptions had cost us $13.00 per week. Wethought you would like to know ofthis healing, and we thank God andpray for you and your family, alsothe success of the program."Man from Canton, Ohio.

NUMBER 9OL. VIJI

Address communications ro the Edi to r,Box I l l , Pasadena, California.Copy tight, September, 1959By the Rad io Chu rch of God

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorGarner Ted ArmstrongExecutive Editor

Herman L. HoehManaging EditorRoderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

"Dear Brethren,"We received your two tracts aboutthe holydays and you don 't know whata great joy it is for us to have foundat last the people who keep the Lord'sSabbath and His Feast Days. It's nowmore than 30 years that we are keepingthe feast days of the Lord and almost50 years that we are keeping the Sabbath. And we were always searchingsuch a people but we had not foundthem yet.We have also a few sisters inParis who were keeping them like us.But we did not know that we shouldeat unleavened bread for 7 days. Doyou have more booklets on this subject?"I should like to know also how youkeep the Sabbath Day. Because the Ad

ventists are cooking food on the SabbathDay but we don't see that it is right."I received also 'The British Commonwealth' and The PLAIN TRUTHmagazines you sent. Thank you verymuch for all, though there are lackingnumbers to read the whole story ofBrother Armstrong. But you say youdon't have them. I'm sorry."Please send me also The Key forRevelation.'"I should like LU enroll in the Ambassador College Bible CorrespondenceCourse in English. But I was told that

Be sure to notify us immediately ofchange of address.


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More BLESSINGSGod's Church

inLet ItS praise God for these blessings He is showering upon u s-

His human instruments!by Roderick C. Meredith

DAY AFTER DAY, God continuesto just simply SHOWER Hisblessings upon His Church!Here at God's headquarters in Pasadena,we are truly grateful and thankful forall the good things our Heavenly Fatherhas showered upon His work-and uponus,Even so, as a Church we all shouldbe more deeply THANKFUL t han we arefor the tremendous privilege God hasgranted us in having a direct part inHis work at this time. As human instruments, He is using us to warn thisentir e earth of what lies just aheadand to prepare to CHANGE the ent ireworld to God's way in "The WorldT omorrour,"

San Antonio CampaignAs I reported to you lasr month, wewere then in the midst of a local evangelistic campaign we were ho lding inSan Antonio, Texas, to build up ands trengthen God's Church in th3t area.

Now that campaign is completed.God greatly BLESSED this San An-tonio campaign!Hundreds of people attended the campaign in San Antonio during the firstweek. Af terward, a lthough everyonecould not attend every night-six nightsa week-the attendance averaged ahundred or more even for the rest ofthe campaign.

The song leading of Mr. Albe rt Portune, and the music and solos providedby Miss Ruth Myrick at the piano, mysister, Kathryn, on her violin, and Mr.Portune singing vocal solos-all combined to make these meetings memorable and enjoyable for all thosewho attended. The messages from God'sWord going through the propheciesand the vital doct rines of Chris tian lifeformed a chain of truth that certainlywas a compelling witness to any whoattended regularly.Now, as a result of the campaign, theSan Antonio Church has more thand onbled! And many interested peopleare yet to be contacted and perhapsbrought into the Church as a result ofthe personal contact with God's workthey experienced through these evangelistic meetings.I would like to ask, personally, and

for the entire evangelistic team, thatall of you brethren PRAY earnestly thatthe increase in the San Antonio Churchwill continue and that God's blessingwill continue to be with that Churchin every way in the crucial weeks thatlie ahead. Many new people there arejust beginning to really live theChr istian life. They will have trialsproblems-and persecutions. They willneed divine help to keep them fromgiving up and quitt ing! They need yourprayers!Splendid Baptismal Harvest

Did you know that God's Church issending out at least ten baptizing toursthis summer? Well , we are-and theyare reaping by far the greates t spi ri tualharvest of truly converted souls in themodern his tory of God's Church!As this article is being written, ourbaptizing tours and local ministers havealready baptized well over eight hundredpeople! By the time most of you readthis article, I am sure that over onetboessnd people will have been baptized this summer by God's Church!We think our work is still prettysmall sometimes, but when you considerthat these people are REALLY CONVERTED, then this is something to simplyrejoice and give God great THANKSfor making possible!In last month's column I told youabout the tours that were out. I won'trepeat those facts again, but would likeyou to know that as a result of the article on "False Conversion" we are sending out tWO additional baptizing toursfor those who wrote in late wanting tobe baptized.Mr. George Meeker and Mr. CarlO'Beirn are just starting a short tourthrough the Midwest as this is beingwritten. Mr. O'Beirn is another exampleof an older family man who moved toPasadena, has been attending Ambassador College, and is now beginning tobe used full time in God's work. Hewill accompany Mr. Meeker for abouttwo weeks, until college starts, and thenMr. Meeker will proceed on to Chicagowhere he will assist Mr. Dean Blackwell in the large Chicago-MilwaukeeChurch areas.

The othe r special tour will be led by

Mr. Carlton Smith. He has just returnedfrom a normal, full summer's baptizingtou r on which he was accompanied byMr. Bill McDowell. They baptized 142people throughout the northern UnitedStates and Canada, and talked to andhelped many scores of others.Now, Mr. Carlton Smith is at lastgetting married! His bride is Miss Beverly Cain, one of our dedicated andcompetent college women. They willalready be married and beginning thisspecial baptiz ing tou r by the time youread this article.Mr. Smith and his wife will be plann ing to reach those people in the Southwho have written in late for baptism.They will plan their itinerary so thattheir tour will wind up at Gladewaterfor the Feast of Tabernacles. Then, afterward, Mr. Smith may baptize a numberof others while going east from Texastoward New York to begin God's churchin New York City.Ano ther bapt iz ing tour we have notmentioned is that which was taken byMr. Raymond McNair and his wife,Leona, over in the British Isles recently.Mr. McNair is our pastor in the LondonChurch and has taken out time to goon a couple of shor ter baptiz ing toursthrough portions of the British Isles,counseling with new listeners and baptizing those who had written in andwere ready. He has already baptizedmore than a dozen on the short tripsout from London and will undoubtedlybaptize many more before summer'send.Although England may seem far awayto some of us, it is good to rememberthat these people are having their livestotally CHANGED by the same God whoopened our minds and hearts to Hisprecious truth! These are our brethrenin the body of Christ, so let us PRAYfor continued growth and blessings onthe work of God's Church as it gainsmomentum in the British Isles andthroughout other areas around thisearth!

New Church in Long BeachWe are happy to announce that anew local Church of God in LongBeach, California, began its first servicesSabbath, August 15! Mr. Herman


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Page 6Hoeh was there to conduct the lirstservice-assisted by Mr. Don Billingsley-and they report tha t the attendanceat the very first service was 94!As in the case of the church raisedup last year at Sherman Oaks, California, this church will be pastored byGod's ministers from headquarters herein Pasadena. It will be a blessingto those local members in the LongBeach area who have had to drive clearup to Pasadena to attend church servicesbefore. Also, it will give them morepersonal responsibility to grow and become the "backbone" of this newchurch. And, of course, many moreinterested people whom God is callingwill feel freer to a tt end church in tha tarea now that we have one there locally.So, let us give God thanks for thisnew local church, and remember topray for it and its members that theymay have the zeal and love they should,and take advantage of this oppor tuni tyfor personal Christian growth, service,and development.

San Diego Church PicnicMy wife and two children and I had

t he pleasure last Sabbath of once againbeing with God's Church in San DIego,Calitornia. We were there for the firsttime after our return from the campaignin San Antonio.It was wonderful to be back again,and we enjoyed the additional privilegeof be ing wi th the bre thren there at thechurch picnic which was held on Sunday, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Lelivierc near Potrero, California.What an experience it was!Even when I announced the locationof the picnic in the Sabbath services,I still did not realize how far out in themountains it would actually be. Potrerois a tiny mountain village about fortymiles southeast of San Diego, rightnear the Mexican border. The Leliviere's home, where we held the picnic,is a few miles north and further eastof Potrero and is completely secludedfrom the world. In driving down thewinding desert road to their home, oneis suddenly pleasantly surprised to comeupon a group of trees near a small hillJUSt behind their home. It is indeed anunusual location, but an ideal one fora private church picnic where the children could run, shout, and laugh totheir heart's content!

The entire church had a wonderfulafternoon and evening in fellowship,arid the main course of the picnic dinnerconsisted of absolutely delicious lambwhich had been cooked undergroundby the hot coals of a buried fire - amethod with which some of you brethren may be familiar. After being takenout of the fire pit, the lamb was as

The GOOD NEWStender and tasty and tantalizing as anymeat I have ever eaten in my hte! And,of course, the meal included many delicious side dishes of vegetables, fruitsand desserts which the women in thechurch prepared.After lunch, there was much visi tingand fellowship between the membersand their families, and many of thebrethren engaged in various recreationalactivities planned for the occasion. Someof the men pitched horseshoes, and anumber of both sexes and all sizes participated in a rousing softball game.Later in the afternoon, a Bible studywas held, and, as my family and I wereleaving, some square dancing was getting under way.It was a most enjoyable occasion,and brought the San Diego brethrencloser together and gave them an oppor tuni ty to express the Chris tian loveand fellowship which we all shouldfeel toward each other as brothers andsisters in Jesus Christ .New Church of God in AkronMr. Wayne Cole, our pastor of God'sChurch in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hasrecently raised up a new church inAkron, Ohio. So, God' s Church is nowestabl ished in another area-the stateof Ohio!Mr. Cole has been assisted in thisendeavor by Mr. Bob Hoops-a recentgraduate of Ambassador College, whocame to us as an older man, already aconverted membe r of God's Church.Mr. Hoops will continue to help Mr.Cole in the foreseeable future in thistwo-church area of Pittsburgh andAkron. He is a dedicated servant of God,and many of you brethren will get toknow him in the future.The Akron church has only beenholding services for a few weeks, butthere are fifty-five in attendance on theaverage now, and prospects are that itwill g row to be a much larger church inthe future. Mr. Cole reports that thenew group is very zealous and filledwith God's love. Rut, as all of us dowhen we are first coming into God'sChurch-or even a local fellowshipthey need your prayers! And as we pray,

let us give God juyful THANKS for thisnew church He has made possible forour brethren in this new area!Continued Growth in all the

Local ChurchesMr. Wayne Cole also reports on thecontinued growth of God's church inPittsburgh. The latest attendance therewas 171! With God's continued blessingand guidance, it seems destined tobecome a very large and strong church

-a "lighthouse" and witness to thatarea.

September, 1959Our churches in Texas are also growing. As mentioned before, the SanAntonio church has now more thandoubled as a result of the campaign heldthere recently and the attendance is nowmore than 80. Mr. Jon Hill reports thatattendance in the Dallas church is now

running about 160 and the Houstonchurch now has 190 in almost regularattendance!A recent phone call to Mr. DeanBlackwell revealed tha t our church inMilwaukee-formerly one of our newestand slowest churches-now has a regular attendance of about 55 and is stillgrowing. He also said that the Chicagochurch is still mushrooming in growth-wi th attendance there now runningabout 325 adults and children!From overseas, Mr. Raymond McNairreports that the small Bible study groupin Bristol, England, has now grown tocomprise about 20 persons. And he indicated tha t the Church of God in London now has about 60 or more inregular attendance. And it is constantlygrowing-slowly but steadily-as domost of God's local churches under theblessing and guidance of His HolySpirit.

Translations Into RussianNow BeginningThus far we have three VItalbookletsfor the Russian people translated in totheir own language-"Does God Exist?"

"Why Were You Born?" and "TheProof of the Bible."For this translation, we have beenprivileged-through the efforts of Mr.Aparrian, our French professor-to acquire the services of Mr. VladimirNikouline, who was born in Russia andwho translates professionally for YaleUniversity. His family fled Russia aboutthe time of the Communist Revolution.Though not converted, Mr. Nikoulinehas treated us very courteously.Numerous people of Russian descentwho have fled the Soviet Union toSwitzerland and France are beginningto listen to "The World Tomorrow"over Radio Monte Carlo.Can we really REJOICE in this wonderful growth that God has given HisChurch? Ought we not be radiantlyhappy and joyful with all of the goodthings God is giving us as His humaninstruments in carrying His messageto the world?Let us be sure to have the deep GRATITUDE we should have for these thingsGod is g iv ing us! And let us study andpray and fast that our spiritual growth,and zeal, and YIELDEDNESS will keeppace with the lavish physical and spiritual blessings God continues to showerupon us. We are HIS instruments! Thisis His Church!


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SEVEN Proofs of ConversionFrom our minister in the Colorado-Kansas churchescomes this surprising message!

by Bryce G. Clark

CON VERSION means a "change." Itmeans to turn from our evilpas t conduct. It means to totallyforsake human tradition, to yield inunconditional surrender to the CreatorGod.Conversion is impossible to achievethrough human effort alone. I t can bedone only through the supernaturalpower of God.What Is Conversion?

Two factors must always be presentbefore a man can be converted: 1) hemust receive a divine calling from God,and 2) he must heed tha t calling, surrendering his self-will to God. Eitherone of these factors alone is not enough!Many hermits and people sour on society have realized what this world is.They are pessimistic, they have forsakensocial contact, yet they are not converted.Why? Because God has not called them.On the o ther hand, many other individuals have rejected the calling of God.Why? Because brigh t lights, associations, friends, and the pleasures of thisworld still mean too much to them.Therefore, to be converted, a man mustreceive a d ivine calling from God-acommand to meet God on His termsand he must yield himself to that summons! He must change in respect tohis past conduct. This change mus t bein God's direction. It means absolutesurrender to the laws and ways of Godways that bring happiness, joy, peaceof mind, and eternal life. Conversionis a living, dynamic change he hasexperienced.Conversion produces definite signs orfruits.No t only are they dis tinguishable tothe person himself , bur also to outsidersand spiritual brethren in the Church.These signs are the signal lights of a converted mind. There are seven of them.Each is an absolute, integral part ofconversion. A lack of anyone of themdenotes spiritual infancy, carnality, anddisobedience to God. Only those whohave these seven signs are fully the people of God!What are the seven basic signs ofconversion?1) Have You REPENTED?

Probably misunderstood more thanany other step to salvation is the meaning of repentance. The word "repentance" has been promiscuously tossed

about. Evangelists use it to promote the"sawdust trail" routine. Vast audiencessupposedly repent. This routine is oftenaccompanied by public sobbing, and themost embarrassing moment of all, whenthe candidate humiliates himself enoughto walk up before thousands to publiclyaccept Jesus. World-known evangelistsutilize every form of rhetoric at theirdisposal to "move" vast audiences torepent. Yet, amazing as it may seem,these evangelists themselves do notfully understand what is really involved.But the Bible is very clear on the subject,Read Acts 2: 38, "Repent and bebaptized everyone of you in the nameof Jesus Christ for the remission ofsins ami ye shall receive the gifc of theHoly Spirit."Repent. Repent of what?Sin!Repentance is a prerequisite for baptism. What is remitted as a result?Sin!Obviously then, we are required torepent of our sins before we can bebaptized.But what is the Bible definition ofsin? Read it with your own eyes: "Sinis the transgression of the law!" (IJohn 3:4.) Weare to repen t of breaking God's law as defined by the tencommandments! (James 2:8-10.) Theten commandments define the greatspiritual principles by which we mustconduct ourselves in relationship toGod and man. It is a law designed togive us abundant, full, exciting lives.Since we must repent of breakingGod's law, we now need to understandthoroughly what repentance really is.Notice Acts 2: 36, 37: "Therefore letall the house of Israel know assuredly,that God hath made that same Jesusiohom ye have crucified, both Lord andChrist. Now when they heard this they

were IJricked in their heart . . ." Petertold these Jews that they were themurderers of the Christ! They werepricked in their hearts-that is, movedwith remorse, deeply sorry, filled withregret. Yes, they had repented for murdering Christ. Brethren, we've all donethe same thing! We are Christ 's murderers as well!Why?Because Jesus died to pay the penaltyfor the sins of the whole world. He hadnever sinned, but He took the deathpenalty we have incurred and died in

our stead. The wages of sin is death(Rom. 6:23), and all have sinned andcome short of the glory of God (Rom.3: 23) . This is why we need to repent.We need to deeply and sincerely regretall our violations of God's law whichbrought the death penalty on us and pu tChrist on the cross.To repen t means not only to be sorrowful, but also to do something abouti t - to stop breaking the commandments. But we mus t do it sincerely, "Forgodly grief produces a repentance thatleads to salvation and brings no regretbut u.orldly grief produces death" (11Cor. 7: 10, R. S. V.). Yes, your repentance must mean business. I t must bethe most impor tant thing in your life .Ir involves a humbling of self, an emptying out of vanity, not "embarrassment"in accepting Christ. As Isaiah said, "Letthe wicked forsake his way, and theunrighteous man his thoughts: and lethim return unto the Lord .. ." (Isa.55: 7). This entails acknowledging ourworthlessness (Job 1) : 14-16 ) , realizingall of our good deeds are as filthy ragsbefore God (Isa. 64: 6). Perhaps wehaven't all committed murder, adultery,and theft, but we've all envied and coveted; we've all broken God's Sabbath.Whosoever shall keep the whole lawand yet offend in one point, he is guil tyof all (James 2: 10).Also real repentance is a life-longprocess. We may violate God's spirituallaw in our minds, or even commit transgressions which we do not realize fromtime to time (I John 1:8-9). It is forthese sins we must continue to repent(Rom. 7:23).Those who do these things have madethe first step to real conversion. Theyhave repented.

2) Are You Absolutely SURE?What would your reaction be if

tomorrow you received this special bulletin from Me. Armstrong: "The timehas come for God's Church to flee! Usewhatever means at your disposal toassemble with the brethren. Time: Twoweeks from date of this letter. Place:Tabernacle grounds, Gladewater, Texas.Church fleeing!"How many of you would be in Gladewater on that date?Do you realize that in the fu ture thisor a similar bulletin may be sent out?How sure will you be of God's Church?A converted mind is a sure mind. It


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Page 8is sure God exists. It knows the HolyBIble IS God's inspired Word. It knowsGod has a Church and that He is working through his true mimsters. It haslong ceased to doubt, to question, toscrutinize. It seems we all go through adoubting stage when cormng to conversion, but unfortunately some of ushaven't outgrown tlus step. Some arenot convinced we should keep all ofGod's law, and attend the annual festivals. Some doubt this is God's Church,and that His minis ters are God-called.Brethren, such an at tit ude displaysa carnal mind. True, we must prove allthings (I Thes. 5:21 ), but not in thelight of oti desires or likes. We mustprove all things according to God's\Xiord. The dangerous tendency of"proving" what we agree wi th , or whatwe want to prove, reveals an unwilling-ness to live by every word of God.The age in which we live is characterized by doubt. Many constantlyswitch churches, frequently change doctrines. Weare to be sure! We are notto doubt! james tdb us doubting is alack of faith (James 1:8), and "whatsoever is not of faith is of sin" (Rom.\4:23). Jesus said, "No man, havingput his hand to the plough, and lookingback, is fit for the kingdom of God"(Luke 9: 62), The one who doubtsactually d


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September, 1959'willingness to be taught!

5) Are You SEEKINGCORRECTION?

All the teaching in the world is of novalue Unless we are willing to be corrected. Developing God-nxc characterrequires a wunngness to be corrected.ThIS correction comes through God'sministers. But normally, we don't liketo be corrected.Why is it, for example, that the Bibleis the most argued-over book in theworld? Simply because the Bible cor-rects! There IS no disagreement aboutthe results of a scientific experiment oran electronic theory. These facets oflearning do not correct us personally.For example, there are over two hundreddifferent ideas and interpretat ions forGal. 3: 20 alone. This gives an idea ofhow most Americans regard the Bible.God describes this national a tt it ude inJet. 5: 3- " . . . they have refused toreceire correction: they have made theirfaces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. " And so we have inAmerica alone over 450 sects and denominations. "All we like sheep havegonf> ~ s t r a y ; we have turned everyoneto bis 0 ton way , , ,J } (Isa, 53:6) .The way to happiness, joy, and eternall ife-God 's way-means we must receive correc tion. Must uf us have livedthi rty , forty, or fifty years indulging inbad habits which are contrary to God.These habits, attitudes, and thoughtsmus t be changed. The Bible is God'sinstruction book. It tells us how to

change. "Al l Scrip ture is given by inspi ra tion of Gocl, ancl is profitab le fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in r ighteousness": (2 Tim.3: 16).Because as a nation we refuse to becorrected, God must bring a na tionalpunishment. Notice Jeremiah 30: 14, "Ihave wounded thee with the wound ofan enemy, with the chastisement of acruel one, for the multitude of thineiniquity, because thy sins ioere in-rreared." Dur ing Wor ld War II theNazis liquidated the Jews at the rateof 10,000 daily, a number insignificantby comparison to the carnage coming onAmerica (Isa. 1: 9) .Why?Because we won't receive correction!Brethren, let's be cor rected the easyway before it's too late. Let's copyDavid 's a tt itude: "Search me, 0 God,and know my heart: try me, and knowmy thoughts : And see if there be anywicked way in me" (Psa. 139: 23-24).Jeremiah cried our, "a Lord correc tme . . . " (Jer. 10:24). Correction is forour good, bu t remember, it comes fromGod's word through His ministers.W'ithour a willingness to be corrected,

The GOOD NEWSand 1110rc irnportaut, LU al l upon it, weare not converted!

6) Do You RESPECT God'sServams?

Jesus Christ said, "I will build mychurch; and the gates of hell (hades , orgrave) shall not prevail against it"(Mat. 16:18). Notice-Jesus saidChurch, not churches. Jesus kept Hisword! His Church has always existed.it is here today! Historically, it can betraced to the day of Pentecost in 31AD. If you have not read this amazingtruth, wr ite immediately for our freebooklet, "A True History of the TrueChurch."In the true Church, alone, Chr is t hasplaced His ministers. God's ministersrepresent Jesus. Notice their purpose:"And he [Christ ) gave some, apostles;and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting ofthe saints, for the work of the ministry,for the edifying of tbe body of Christ:Till we all come in the unity of thefaith, and of the knowledge of the Sonof God, unto a perfect man, unto themeasure of the stature of the fulness ofChris t" (Eph, 4:11-13).God's ministers are hereto leadGod's people to salvation. God has giventhem authori ty to bind and loose, and tomake decisions in His church (John20:23). God's ministers must be respected! When Abraham knew representatives from heaven were visitinghim, notice his conduct. He ran, hebowed himself to the ground, hebastened, he ran and fetcht a calf (Gen.1R 1-8) In this case, the God of theOld Testament, who later becameChrist, was present. Anyone who isreally converted will exemplify thissame conduct today, How you respectGod 's minis ters indicates your respectfor God. Notice what Paul said aboutthe manner in which the Corinthiansreceived Titus, a representat ive of God:"And his inward affection is moreabundant toward you, whilst he remembererh the obedience of you all, howwith fear and trembling ye recei vedbim" (I I Cor. 7: 15). Yes, God madesure this incident was recorded in Hisinspired Wont I t is an example for usto follow today.God 's true minis ters represent JesusChrist. Anyone who deliberately disrespects them is showing disrespect toward God. A lack of respect reveals wedo not fear God. Let us have respectfo!' the office in which God has placedHis ministers.

7) Do You FEAR GOD?Last then, and probably most important, we should fear God, To fearGod means to respect Him. It means

Page 9to r ight ly a tt ribute power and glory toHim. It means to show God reverenceand awe, guided by Love.No man can endure to the end serving God in Slavish fear. Our service toGod should be in love. Love means towant to obey God ( I John 5: 3 ) . Godis not a merciless tyrant. Every law,every injunction God has given is for

our good. God loves us. He wants us tobe happy. But He knows we cannot behappy unless we fear Him, for "Thefear of the Lord is the beginning ofwisdom: a good understandmg have allthey that do his commandment s: (Psa.I l l : 10). I f we acknowledge His asSupreme, we will be willing to live byevery word of God, Then all the previous characteristics mentioned-c-whrchmanifest conversion-will automaticallybecome a part of us.Solomon summarized the conclusionof man's being placed on the earth.Here it is: "Pear God, and keep Hiscommandments: for this is tbe ioboleman" (Ecc. 12:13, Jewish trans.).God is love, and God is just. Everyman will reap what he has sown (Gal.6: 7 ). Soon the nations are going tohave the shock of the ir lives. "... theyshall go into the holes of the rocks, andinto the caves of the earth, for fear ofthe Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to J b u k ~ t ~ r r i b l ythe earth" (Isa. 2: 19).Brethren, time is running our! God issoon going to begin talking to thisworld in the only language it will understand. God is going to chastise! Thesword is being dr awn from the sheathto begin with Israel. Soon to overtakesinning humanity is the "Great andterrible day of the Lord," "For the greatday of his wrath is come; and who shallbe able to stand"? (Rev. 6: 17) .You can stand!

You can escape the day of wrathupon America! You can be accountedworthy to stand be fore the Son of man.How?By be ing thoroughly converted. Itrakes a lifetime of striving to attainperfection. We don't have a lifetimeleft! Pray di ligent ly that God will giveyou the seven signs of true conversion.

What Is the Father'sNAME?

(Continued from page 3)the Greek language, a lthough I have solong accustomed myself to speak ourown tongue, that I cannot pronounceGreek with such an exacrness"-Josephus spoke Greek with an Aramaic ac-cent-"for our nat ion does not encourage those who learn the languages ofother nations, and so adorn their dis-


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Page 10courses with the smoothness of the irperiods; because they look upon this sortof accomplishment [learning Greek!]AS COMMON, no t only to all sorts off reemen, bHt to as mtlny of th e seruaru.sas pleased to learn them. But they givehim the testimony of being a wise manwho is fully acquainted with our laws,[which was rare among the Jews!] andis able to interpret their meaning"(Antiquit ies of the Jews, Book XX,chapter XI, Section 7).Notice that it was the rare Jewishscholar who learned Hebrew. It wascommon for the people-freeman andeven servants-e-tc learn Greek! I t wasmore difficult to learn the Hebrew!Now let us notice the testimony ofhistory as to the language in which thebooks of the New Testament were inspired. From the Church History ofEusebius, Book VI, chapter 14, we read:"... the epistle to the Hebrews is thework of Paul, and . . . it was written tothe Hebrews in the Hebrew language;hut . . . Luke TRANSLATED it carefullyand published it for the Greeks, andhence the same style of expression isfound in this epistle and in the Acts."Notice that to the Jews Paul "becamea jew." In order to gain the audience ofthe Jews, after being made a prisonerin 56 AD., Paul spoke "in the Hebrewtongue" (Act s 21: flO). Continuing withActs 22: 2: "And when they heard thathe spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them,THEY KEPT THE MORE SILENCE." Hebrew, in the days of the apostles, had become a language difficult to understandbecause Aramaic was the commontongue of the people and Greek wasnext most often spoken, followed byHebrew.So history tells us that, in order toinfluence the religiously sensitive Jews,Paul wrote his "Epist le to the Hebrews"in the Hebrew language. But notice, theletter to the Hebrews was inspired tobe translated by Luke and published forthe Greeks in the Greek language. It isLuke's inspired translation which Godintended to be preserved for us.Notice what the church historianEusebius, in chapter 25 of Book VI,tells us about the first gospel: "Amongthe four gospels, which are the onlydisputable ones in the Church of Godunder heaven," he wrote, " the first waspublished by Matthew, who was once apublican, but afterwards an apostle ofJesus Christ, and it was prepared for theconverts from Judaism, and publ ishedin the Hebrew language." Jerome tellsus, in his "Lives of Illustrious Men"chapter 3, that Matthew's gospel uiastranslated into th e Greek language fort he wh ol e Church. I t is Mat thew's inspired Greek gospel which God haspreserved.

Th e GOOD NEWSThese two are the ONLY books of the

New Testament which were ever asserted to have been wr it ten in Hebrewor Aramaic!The Aramaic version of the Biblewhich we have today is admittedly atranslation from th e Greek despite whatDr. Lamsa falsely claims.Proof That Aramaic Is NotOriginal

Open your Bibles to Mark 15:34. TheEnglish rendering of this verse reads:"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried witha loud voice, saying, 'Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani?' which is, being interpreted, 'My God, My God, why hastthou forsaken me?' "Notice this! The last half of verse 34proves that Mark was writing his gospelaccount, including these final words ofChris t, in a language di fferent from theone in which Jesus spoke! Jesus' ownwords are quoted from the Aramaic,but translated into Greek.Now consider the Aramaic Version.1 Aramaic were the original languageof the New Testament, there would beno reason to insert in the Aramaic Version the words "which is, being interpreted, 'My God, My God, why hastthou forsaken me?'" because everyAramean would have understood Jesus'words wit hou! translation. Yet theAramaic New Testament repeats theexact Greek original word-far-word!This proves Aramaic NOT to have beenthe original language of the New Testament, but merely a translation from theGreek.There are at least a dozen places in theNew Testament where Aramaic wordsare quoted and are translated into theGreek for the Greek-speaking peopleand in most cases the Aramaic NewTestament retranslates the originalGreek word-far-word!Another example is John 1:41: "He[Andrew] first findeth his own brotherSimon, and saith unto him, we havefound the Messias, which is, being in-terpreted, the Christ." The word Messiasis a Greek spelling of the Hebrew wordMessiah, which means "the Anointed."But the Greek-speaking people were notgenerally acquainted with the meaningof the word Messias; hence John translates it for them into the Greek wordChristos which means "the AnointedOne."Some sects today claim that we shouldLIse only the word "MESSIAH" and neverthe word "CHRIST." Their assumptionis that the word "Chr ist" comes fromthe name of the Hindu god Krishna!"Christ" does not come from the nameof the Hindu god Krishna! Cbristos isa common Greek word which means"to anoint."

September, 1959The New Testament was inspired toread that Jesus is "the Christ." Even theenemies of the early true Church calledthe disciples "Christians" (Acts 11:26).The disciples would not have beencalled "Christians" in the city of Antiochif they had not been followers of ChristiThey would have been called the "Messians!" Now turn to I Peter 4: 14: "If

ye be reproached for the name of Chris t[Christos in Greek] happy are ye." TheScripture does not use some unknownHebrew name; it uses the "name ofChrist." And now verse 16-"Yet if anyman suffer as a Christian, let him not beashamed, but let him glorify God onthis behalf." The disciples in the NewTest amen t Church could not have suffered as "Christ ians" unless they werethe followers of ChristlFalse Churches Use True NameNotice Jesus' s tar tling prophecy inMatthew 24:4-5: "And Jesus answeredand said unto them, take heed that no

mall deceive you. For many shall comein m y name [using H is N am e] , sayingI am Christ, and shall deceive many."In whose name are the many coming?Are they coming in some "Hebrewnames"? No! They are coming in thename of "ChriJt"-in the name of"[ess/s." And Jesus said these would beusing HIS NAME.Now turn to Acts 4: 10. What is theonly name given among men wherebywe may be saved? "Be it known untoyou all, and to all the people of Israel,

that by the name of JESUS CHRIST ofNazareth, whom ye crucified, whom Godraised from the dead, even by Himdoerh this man stand here before youwhole"-the man who had just beenhealed. Verse 12 : "Neither is theresa lvation in any other: for there is noneother name under heaven given amongmen, whereby we must be saved."Notice! According to the inspiredGreek New Testament, there is no othername given among men whereby wemust be saved than the name of l esusChrist!The English word "Jesus" is an anglicized spelling of the Greek word

lesous. The Greek word for "Jesus" isbut the common Greek name used tot ranslate the Hebrew name Joshua. Themeaning of the Hebrew word for"Joshua" is "the Eternal is the Savior."Over 910 places in the New TestamentGod inspired the New Testament writers to use the Greek word lesous as thepersonal name of Christ, the Messiah!EITHER YOU WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT THE NAME OF ]ESTIS ASYOUR SAVIOR-or you will have tothrowaway the entire Ne w 'Testament!But-reason these "Hebrew Name"


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Your questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to havediscussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's Church.

f2!jestionSeptember, 1959sects-doesn't the Greek word "Jesus"come from the pagan Greek god Zeus?This is absolutely untrue! In fact, theGreek word Zeus and the Roman wordJove arc both ultimately deriued. {romthe Hebrew YHWH-or JHVH, Butthe Greeks-and other heathen-didnot like to retain God in their knowledge. So they took the names of Godand attached them to their idols! Theancient Hebrew-speaking people didthe same thing by call ing their idols Elor Elobim, meaning "God" in Hebrew.So the name "Jesus" is actually derived from YHWH!Jesus said if any who would denyHim-which means deny His Namebefore men, "Him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven"(Matthew 10: 33). If you deny thename Jesus, He will deny your namebefore the Father in the Judgment!

What Is the Father's"Family Name"?

Notice Psalm 83: 18: "... that menmay know that Thou whose name aloneis YHWH, art the Most High over allthe earth." This verse does NOT say,as some assume, that the Creator hasonly one name-it plainly declares thatthe Creating Family alone of all whommen worship is YHWH or eternal.But did you know that the Father inHeaven has also a Family Name?In Ephesians 3: 14-15 we read: "Forthis cause 1 bow my knees unto theFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, ofuhom the whole family in heaven andearth is NAMED." Jesus Christ is theFather's Son. Every son bears his father'slast name.Jesus said in John 5 :43, "1 am comein my Father's name, and ye received menot." What was Jesus' last name?Notice the surprising answer in John10:36: ". . . say rye] of him, whom theFather hath sanctified, and sent intothe world, thou blasphernerh; because 1said, I am the SON OF GOD?" Jesusclaimed to be "GOD'S Son." We, too,may be called GOD'S Sons ( I John 3:1) . The Supreme, Divine, All-rulingFamily is the GOD Family! It is theFamily or Kingdom OF GOD! Jesus'Gospel- His entire Message - wasabout the Kingdom or Family of Godand how you may be born into it! Hiswhole Message was about the DIVINENAME-"GOD"!Jus t before Jesus was crucified, Heprayed that His Church would be kept"in the Father's Name." Notice John17:11-12, "And now 1 am no more inthe world, but these are in the world,and 1 come to thee. Holy Father, keepthrough Thine own Name those whomthou hast given me, that they may beone, as we are. While 1 was with them

The GOOD NEWS

Should Farmers Raise an d Sell Hogs?Here is a question often asked bythose beginning to be converted.The Bible plainly teaches that we areto OBEY God-to obey His command-ments (Mat. 19:16-18 and 1 John 3:4).Not only are we to obey the commandments, but Christ said that we are to"live by EVERY WORD that proceedethout of the mouth of God" (Mat. 4:4).The laws given in Lev. 11 and Deur.14 regarding what foods are good forus have in no way been changed orabolished. The nature of the animalsmentioned here have not Changed "sincethe cross."These laws concerning clean and unclean meats are to be obeyed by everytrue Christian. Swine are expressly for-bidden to be eaten (Lev. 11:7). God'speople are not to eat pork. But whatabout selling hogs to the unconvertedwho don't know better?The Bible nowhere directly says thatit is a sin to smoke. So there is also nodirect scripture in the Bible which says,"Thou shalt not raise and sell hogs."BUT-there are, however, principleswhich reveal to us God's Will. TheseBible principles tell us it is wrong tosmoke. Bible principles also reveal why

we should not raise hogs for the market.Notice the principle given by JesusChrist: "Thou shalt LOVE thy neighboras thyself" (Mat. 22: 39) . Knowing thatGod did not create swine to be eatenand knowing that pork is harmful to thebody-we cannot show love to ourin the world, I kept them in thy Name."What is the Father's NAME in whichthe New Testament Church is to bekept? The name of "God!" In 12passages in the New Testament, thename of the church is called "TheChurch of God." Paul wrote, "unto theChurch of God, which is at Corinth"(I Corinthians 1:2) . Paul wrote to theGentile Thessalonian converts: "For ye,brethren, became followers of theChurches of God which in Judea are inChrist Jesus" ( I Thessalonians 2:14) .E ither your ent ire New Testamentis a fraud and must be rejected or thetrue name of the true Church is "theChurch of God!" "God" is the "FamilyName" of the Divine Creative Kingdom.The Hebrew name YHWH-theGreek Kyrios, the "Eternal" or "Lord"in English-is bu t one of God the

Page 11

~ o xneighbor by selling him an animalwhich is detrimental to his good health?Is it love to be responsible for sicknessand sometimes death? Of course theydon 't know better! But WE DO! Just asancient Israel was to be a good exam-ple of clean living to the Gentile naiions, so should God's spiri tual Israeltoday-God's Church-be an exampleto the unconverted.Jesus Christ is certainly a shiningexample as to how we ought to live.He lived a PERFECT life! Christ did notdo one thing which was wrong. Yet,Christ permitted demons to enter aherd of swine, causing them to run vio

lently down a steep place into a lakewhere they were drowned (Luke 8:3234). Notice, Christ had a reason forthis action!The swine were UNCLEAN animals.Christ permitted UNCLEAN spirits (demons) to enter UNCLEAN animals.Christ did not permit unclean spirits toenter and defile CLEAN animals. Christallowed the demons to enter the swinebecause the swine were unfit for humanconsumption and ought not to havebeen sold as "good food" in the market.Jesus was indirectly solving the marketing problem of those Gadarene

farmers!The teaching of the Word of Godis clear.Unclean animals were created for apurpose, but NOT FOR FOOD! A farmershould not raise for food hogs, rabbits,or any other unclean animals.

Father's numerous given personal names.It is also one of the personal names ofthe Son, because both are eternal. Butthe whole message of Jesus Christ , theGospel, was the message about the Family NAME-the "GOD" Family. JesusChrist came in the name of God, HisFather. He called Himself the "Son ofGod" numerous times.Read John 9:35, "Dost thou believeon the Son of God?"See also Matthew 16: 16-17 and especially Mark 1: 1, "The beginning of thegospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"!Jesus came bearing His Father's name"God's Son"-the "Son of God."Jesus' whole message-which Hespoke "in the name of the Lord"-or"by His authority"-was to explain thatthe name "God"-the Hebrew Elobim- i s a family NAME! His Gospel, orgood news, is the message that we may


12/12

With the commencement of this college year, a new and enthusiasticstaff of Ambassador students is mak ing p lan s fo r the p ro duc tion o fth e exc it ingly new and different 1960 ENVOY. You can have a

part in it !

IMPORTANTANNOUNCEMENT

Page 12also bear t ha t name God- tha t we maybe cal led the sons of God and be "bornagain."Church Today Ha s T rue N ameNotice that even th e Church today

bears the Father's Name-God , TheChurch today-before which JesusChrisr is opening rhe doors of radioand the printing press to preach HiSGospel, His message, to all rhe wor ld this Church has "k ept my name," said[esus and has "not denied my name"'(Re;elation 3:8). God's Church todayis cal led the Radio Church of God-because it is God's Church scatteredwhereve r rad io waves reach .Th e origin o f th e "Heb rew Names"sects is recent. These splintering, divided sects sprang f rom the "Sa rd is Era"of the Churc h (R ev . 3: 1-6), In th e

mid-1930's two men-Andrew Duggerand C. O. Dodd-sought t o i nt roducehuman ideas of Church governmentamong the brethren. S ince the se newideas were mainl y Mr. Dugger's, theonly way for Mr. C. O. Dodd to createa f ol lowing for himself was to findsome new, different doctrine that wouldappea r a tt ract ive. He fell upon rhe'Hebrew Name" idea. Mr. Armstrongimmediately wrote to Mr. Dodd, pointine n l l l In him the bhcies of hi s newdoctrine as has been done in this article. Mr. Dodd refused to acknowledgethe error. He rejected t he NAME!

Jesus Called th e "Word"Th e tr ue Chu rc h is even p romi sed

to have forever the name of God (verse12) and Jesus' "new name." Jesus' newname is again ment ioned in Revelation19:12. "His eyes are as a flame of fire,and on his head were ma ny crowns;and he had a name written, that no m anknew, but he himself. And He wasclothed with a vesture dipped in blood;and His NAME was called th e WORD ofGod." Jesus no t only is going to receivea new name, but He even now-andfrom the beginning-is called "theWord of God." And, in v ers e 1 6, Hehas "on His thigh a name written, Kingof Kings, and Lord of Lords" (verseI () .In Amos 4: 13 and 5: 27 another on eof t he names of the Divine Family is

"the God of Hosts." Jeremiah 46 : 18and 48 : 15 call Him "the Lord of Hosts."Another of His names is "Zealous" inExodus 34: 14.Yes, "God" is the Father's familyName! And "Jesus" is th e n ame of HisSon! Bu t they both have many othernames! It is time we called on GODfor His mercy il l the name of JesusChri.rt! It is t ime we believe the Bib l e and come to recognize t ha t God IS God!

The GOOD NEWS

What Is the Envoy?MORE than just a college yearbook,the ENVOY provides varied andimportant services. I t is the solution tomany of your problems.Most of you are scattered-withouta local church to attend and without thefellowship of other brethren. Hundredsof you were newly baptized this summer. Naturally, you arent familiar withall of God's minis ters and His College.For the majority of you a visit to theHeadquarters of God's Work and a tourof the beautiful Ambassador campus isnot possible, And visitors from thecampus to your individual homes havealso been few. The ENVOY has beenplanned to meet these circumstances.Each year an alert, new staff is eagerto present, in a permanent, pictorialrecord of highest quality, a new viewand a true view of God's Work and HisCollege in action.The ENVOY provides you with aninsiBht into "life" at Ambas s ado r -apanoramic view of the campus, thesrudent residences, the office and itspersonnel. You will have a chance tobecome acquainted wirh the ministers,the instructors, and the students. Onceagain you will re-live the eight thrillingdays of the memorable Feast of Tabernacles and other Feast Days. You'llidentify many friends and acquaintancesin the clear, sharp pictures. The informative write-ups will provide manyhours of interesting reading.We'll pack as much information andinterest, quality and quanti ty into theENVOY as the subscript ion price willallow.

From Our Sat is fied SubscribersHere is whar some of you brethrenhave said about last year's ENVOY."I received the ENVOY; it was sointeresting. I rreasure it highly.""The copy of the ENVOY for '59,I appreciate very much. The picruresof you (Mr. Armstrong) and son, andyour wife-i t makes you seem morepersonal when 1 listen ro the broadcasts.

And it makes one realize how muchthey have missed in not being able toattend such a college.""Of course I want the ENVOY . . .it means more to us than words willexpress . . . worth its weighr in gold... what a blessing to open this beautiful book-understand how God'sWork is carried on-know which onesare God's rrue minis ters . . . we lookforward to seeing each one at theFeast."You, too, can have a visitor fromthe Ambassador Campus come inro yourhome year by year. You can have anopportunity to serve with us-the

September, 1959

ENVOY staff-as a subscriber. But nrst,let's take a peek into rhe 1960 plans.What's Ahead?Resembling the growth of The

PLAIN TRUTH and Good N eu/s magazines, rhe ENVOY likewise begansmall. The first book came out in 1951,contained 24 pages and enjoyed a circulation of 150 copies. Last year, 1959,the ENVOY grew to 128 pages with acirculation of 1,200 copies. But here isthe really BIG NEWS! This year theENVOY will increase to 144 pages andour minimum goal will be 1,500 copies- ten times the circulation of 1951.I f all you brethren do your part, thisgoal can go up to 2,000 copies. This isnot the only news!Last year you enjoyed the breathtaking beauty of rich duotone, theprinting process that through the addirion of a single color added life andrealism to the scenes depicted in yourENVOY. This year we plan more duot one w.it.h th e possibility u[ a slJH.:aJ illfull color. The expanding AmbassadorCampus, the new foreign branch ofAmbassador College, the Tabernacleaddition, the booth houses, new properties-these will be the settings for manynew pictures never before included. Onemember of the Church will be takingpictures at the Feast of Tabernacles inLondon, England, rhis year. Here willbe the oppor tun ity to acquaint yourselves with our brethren in Britain.

Your PartYes, you too, can have a pa rt in thisyear's ENVOY. Byadding your name toour growing family of subscribers, youallow us to add still more to the qualityof the ENVOY you will receive nextJune.In spite of its increased size andquality, in spite of increased postalrates, and labor costs, the price per copyof the 1%0 ENVOY is being held to$5.00 ... and that's the complete priceto you including postage, mailers andso forth.

At the FeastVisit our ENVOY Information Tableat the Feast of Tabernacles this year;browse rhrough some of the previousyear's books. Beautifully color-tolledpictures of campus scenes will be ondisplay to give you an idea of the tichduorone effect used in the ENVOY.Ask us questions about anything thatmay not be clear. We'll be happy toserve you and to take your early orderfor the 1960 ENVOY. (Remember,the ENVOY shouldn't be purchasedwith second tithe money.)Your early orders make possible abigger, better ENVOY.

good news 1959 (vol viii no 09) sep_w

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