Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 05) May_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 05) May_w

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VOL. VI, NUMBER 5

International Magazine o fTH E CHURCH OF GOD

MAY, 1957

Is It a SIN to HaveINSURANCE?

What does the Bible say about insurance?Is it a lack of faith to have insurance?

by Herman L. Hoeh

I T WILL come as a surprise, but theBible does say something about in-St/rance!The problem of owning insurance hasperplexed many in the Church. It isoften reasoned by those who do nothave insurance that it would be showinga lack .of faith to be "protected" by insurance. Others have said that when theyhad insurance they did not feel theyneeded to trust God as much as before.I t seemed to destroy their faith, sincethey were "protected" by men.Is this kind of reasoning right? Exactly what DOES the Bible reveal aboutowning insurance-about saving for thefuture?

Is I t Wrong to Save?Before we can understand the right or

wrong of insurance, we must first askourselves the question: "Is it wrong tosave for the future?"Notice what the Bible says aboutlaying up for a "rainy day"!The prophet Agur, under inspiration,wrote: "There are four things whichare little upon the earth"-they are littlein size-"BUT THEY ARE EXCEEDINGWISE: the ants are a people not strong"- in comparison with the giganticweight that man lifts-"yet they pro-vide their food in the summer" (Proverbs 30: 1, 24-25).The ant SAVES. The ant gathers in

summer for the coming winter. Theants are wise creatures. They do nothave to beg for food.No wonder Solomon said: "Go to theant, thou sluggard; consider her ways,and be wise; which having no chief,overseer, or ruler"-to tell the ant whatto do-she "provideth her bread in thesummer, and gathereth her food in theharvest" (Pro. 6:6).The ant does not wait till the wintercomes to gather food. I t is too late bythat time. The wise thing to do is prepare for hard times.So the Bible counsels laying up fora rainy day.Notice again Proverbs 13:22: "AGOOD MAN leaveth an inheritance tohis children's children; and the wealthof the sinner is laid up for the righteous."The good, as well as the sinner, savefor the future. If a man is good inGod's sight, he will have saved enoughfur his grandchildren! Most Christiansare poor because they have been sinnersthroughout life-until they came to repentance. Life is too short after conversion for many to saveverymuch even fortheir children.God also saves for us-He saves upthe wealth of the sinner for the righteous!Then what did Jesus mean by saying:"Treasure not up for yosrseloes treas-

ures upon earth, where moth and rustconsume, and where thieves steal. Buttreasure up for yourselves treasures inheaven . . . for where thy treasure isthere will thy heart be also" (Mat. 6:19-21).Does this mean that Jesus frownedupon saving for the future? Not at all!Jesus sanctioned saving for all eternity-"treasure up for yourselves treasure inheaven." That saving Jesus will give usas a reward when He returns. But Jesuswarned not to treasure up "for yourselves" earthly savings. Don't save foryourselves-save for others! A goodman does not lay up for himself. Hesaves for his grandchildren! A wise mandoes not build up a bank account onlyfor himself, but for his family.

What Is Insurance?Now we are ready to understandwhat insurance really is.Insurance involves a program bywhich many individuals pay small premiums into a company, so that in caseofaccident, fire or death, the parry suffering the loss receives sufficient money ascompensation for the loss. It is a kindof pool in which people save and sharethe burdens of one another.Insurance, of course, does not prevent accident, fire or death; it merelycompensates you if you suffer such aloss so that you can regain your eco-


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Page 2 Tbe GOOD NEWS May, 1957

Address communications to the Editor,Box I l l , Pasadena, California.Copyright, May, 1957By the Radio Church of God

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExecutive EditorRoderick C. MeredithGarner Ted ArmstrongAssociate Editors

the poor or needy have not been able torepay the loan, then you are to releasethe brother from that obligation. Youare to count the loan as a gift. "At theend of every seven years thou shah makea release. And this is the manner of therelease: every creditor shall release thatwhich he hath lent unto his neighbor; heshall not exact it of his neighbor andhis brother . .. Of a foreigner"--onewho is not converted-"thou mayestexact it; but whatsoevet of thine is withthy brother thy hand shall release. Howbeit there shall be no needy among you-if only thou diligently hearken untothe voice of the Lord thy God, to ob-serve to do ALL this commandment"(Deut, 15:1-5).

The only reason many of us are poorand needy is that we have not observedall God's commandments in the past.We reap what we sow!I f we are needy, God expects us toborrow and also to pay back. Davidsaid: "I have been young, and now amold; yet have I not seen the righteousforsaken, nor his seed begging bread.All the day long he dealerh graciously,and LENDETH; and his seed is blessed"(Psalm 37: 25-26).The righteous do not beg. The righteous lend. Of course, God does expectus to give to beggars and the needy ofthis world if they ask us and we havethe means. Alms are for the blind andmaimed and crippled of this world.Jesus said: "Give alms."This aid for the poor is different fromthe third tithe which is God's insuranceprogram for His people.

Example from HistoryWe have given you previously theillustration from Jewish history whichshows how the Jews understood the useof the tithes. Let us reconsider this example-from Tobit , chapter 1. (This isa historic, though uninspired record):"A tenth part [the first tithe} of allmy produce I would give to the sons ofLevi, who officiated at Jerusalem, andanother tenth [the second tithe} I wouldsell [because Tobit lived too far fromJerusalem to bring it there} and go andspend the proceeds in Jerusalem each

year [at the annual feasts}, AND A THIRDTENTH I WOULD GIVE TO THOSE TOWHOM IT WAS FITTING TO GIVE IT, asDeborah my grandmother had instructedme-FOR I WAS LEFT AN ORPHANBY MY FATHER."For whom was it fitting to give thethird tithe?-widows and orphans.Now that we, as God's ministers, havecome to recognize the full import of thiscommand, we must say that it is God'sinjunction that all of His people whohave an earned income should plan tosave the third tithe. Why should some of(Please continue on page 4)

In another instance a fire gut ted thehome of an elderly widow who hadrecently been baptized. She had litt lesavings. What should we, as God'speople, have done? She received helpfrom the THIRD TITHE.This is the unselfish thing to do. Insurance is the principle of saving tohelp others. God wants us to save thethird tithe once in three years as an insurance program for the Church, justas He wants us to save the FIRST TITHEfor the spread of the gospel. It is not alack of faith to save the first tithe forthe gospel. Neither is it a lack of faithto save for the fatherless and widows.

New Knowledge AddedIn our January Ministerial Conference we reopened the question of the

THIRD TITHE. The use of the THIRDTITHE had never before been as fullyrevealed to us as it now is.Heretofore we had assumed that itis to take care of the needs of the poor- tha t it is a kind of charity program.Let's re-examine the Scripture. Thethird tithe is for the "stranger, thefatherless, the widow."Notice who is eligible for aid-theperson who has been uprooted from hiscommunity and is a stranger in a newcommunity. As the years go by droughtand floods will cause many to be strangers in new communities. The third titheis a kind of flood and drought insur-ance, too. It is also a type of "life insurance," aiding the widows and the youngchildren if the head of the house diesunexpectedly. This can and does happen! 'Time and chance happen to all"(Ecclesiastes 9: 11) .But the thi rd t ithe does not ment ionthe poor! The poor are taken care ofin another way. We had not fullygrasped this before.Notice where the poor are mentioned.It is found in Deuteronomy 15:7-11:"If there be among you a needy man,one of thy brethren, within any of thygates . . . thou shalt not harden thyheart , not shut thy hand from thy needybrother; BUT THOU SHALT SURELYOPEN THY HAND UNTO HIM, ANDSHALT SURELY LEND HIM SUFFICIENTFOR HIS NEED IN THAT WHICH HEWANTETH."

When to GIVE to the PoorI f any man be called a brother, we areto LEND to him. It does not say "give."Too often in the past we have permittedthe poor to receive wh.en they were not'willing to work. Paul commands, "If anywill not work, let him not eat!" (I IThes. 3:10). Weare to loan to theneedy brother . But we are not to chargehim interest. We are not to be usurers,seeking a profit from a loan.If , after seven years have passed, and

NUMBER 5OL. VI

nomic feet. In case of death, insuranceprovides security for widows and cbil-dun.Does the Bible have anything to sayabout this kind of insurance?Turn with me to Deuteronomy 14:28-29. "At the end of every three years,even in the same year, thou shalt b ringforth all the t ithe of thine increase, andshalt lay it . up within thy gates." Forwhom is this laid up? For yourself?No!For "the strangers, and the fatherless,and the widow, that are within thy

gates [or cities}." Why? So that theymay "come and eat and be satisfied;that the Lord thy God may bless thee inall the work of thy hand which thoudoest.'This is INSURANCEI Here is God'sinsurance program to take care of widows and orphans in case of death ofthe husband and father. It often happensthat people will not have sufficient laidup for emergencies until later life. Godknew this might happen. To provide forthis He ordered the people to save 10%of their income once in three years-thatis, the thi rd and sixth year out of everyseven years.We commonly call this theTHIRD TITHE. The same command isrepeated in Deut, 26: 12.Such problems as this have alreadyfaced God's Church. Sometimes womenwho have young children are converted.Either the husbands have died or haveleft them without means of support.What shall the Church do? It is the responsibility of its members to save theTHIRD TITHE to take care of just suchemergencies. Such young women shouldnot be Out working, bu t ought to be athome taking care of their children, untilthey become old enough to work.


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Should Christians CelebrateBIRTHDAYS?

Why does the Bible omit mention of the birthdates of such menasAbraham,Moses and even1esusChrist? Where did thecustom of celebrating birthdays begin?by Kenneth C. Herrmann

SARCH your Bible! How many birthday celebrations do you find?That of a Pharaoh who celebrated his birthday by hanging his chiefbaker (Genesis 40). And a second,Herod's birthday celebration at whichJohn the Baptist was beheaded (Matt.14:6).Only two definite birthday celebra-tions in the entire Bible!Not a single mention is ever made ofthe exact date in terms of the monthand day upon which any individual wasborn! Isn't all this strange in the l ightof the popular modern practice? Birthdays seem to have little importance inGod's eyes!The sons of Job may also have beenobserving their birthdays, though thereis uncertainty as to whether these "days"(Job 1:4) they met on were reallybirthdays. Job actually cursed his birthdate! (Job 3:1).I t was to show His death that Christcommanded His disciples to continue

in the observance of the Passover. NoMENTION OF THE DATE OF JESUS'BIRTH AS A HUMAN BEING IS FOUND.Certainly your birth date is not as im-portant as His!Why did God the Father intend thatJesus' birthdare should be forgotten buttha t man should remember the date ofHis death? Is it hard to believe, "the dayof death . . . is better . . . than the day ofone's birth"?Attached to This World

We live in a world today that isgeared to the Roman calendar. We remember the date of our birth, pay ourtaxes and have our tombstones engravedwith the day we die-all in accord withthis pagan Roman system of calculatingtime.Have we forgotten we are commanded to come Out of this world?In following these customs we areobliged to make use of this Roman system of time with its pagan designations:Sunday, Moonday, Tiusday, Wodenday,Thorsday, January, February, etc. Inmany business matters we must regardJanuary 1 as the beginning of a newyear. Think back. Doesn't January 1

completely overshadow in your mindthe date when the true new year reallybegins?Probably ONLY A HANDFUL OF YOUTOOK NOTE AT SUNSET ON THE EVE-NING OF APRIL 1 THIS YEAR that ANEW YEAR, AS GOD REVEALED IT, WASBEGINNING. April 2 was the anniversary of the date about which the Eternalspoke to the children of Israel, "Thismonth shall be unto you the beginningof months: it shall be the first monthof the year to you."Thirteen days after the first day ofGod's new year we are to rememberthe date of death of Jesus Christ. Is itstrange that His DEATHdate and notHis BIRTHdate should be remembered?

How hard Satan has worked to substitute his Roman calendar, his first dayof the week, his midnight beginning fora day, his emphasis on men's birthdatesso man might forget the day of deathof Christ, our Passover!How completely has Satan succeeded

in convincing men that Easter is theresurrection date, tha t Sunday is theSabbath!Consider the tactics of your enemy.Satan's work of deception extends intoevery field of endeavor, every practice,every custom, everything we deal within life. His efforts are continually directed to provide a counterfeit for everypractice that God has ordained, a perversion of every true way; a wrong waysuited to every whim of carnal humannature.What Is the Correct Atti tude?We are prone, like the world, to

overemphasize the date one is born intothis carnal life. When one repents, turnsto God's true way, receives God's Spiritand then death overtakes him beforeChrist comes-i-rsx'r THIS MAN'S DAY OFDEATH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEDAY OF HIS BIRTH? This man, thoughdead, has completed his time of trialand testing. Eternal life, a posi tion asruler, awaits him at the resurrection!Paul writes, upon nearing death, "Ihave fought a good fight, I have finishedmy course, I have kept the faith. Hence-forth there is laid up for me a crown

of righteousness, which the Lord, therighteous judge, shall give me at thatday: and not to me only, but unto allthem also that love his appearing."(I I Tim. 4:7,8).The day Paul began his carnal lifeas a baby could hardly be compared inimportance with the day he, at death,made certain his reward by enduring theproblems and trials of a Christian lifeto the end.A child's life does not begin withbirth. Rather, at b ir th he is about ninemonths old and about ready to begin histraining in the mastery of his emotions,his lusts and desires under the guidinghands of his parents.Japanese count a man's age from thetime of conception rather than birth.A single Greek word is translatedboth BORN and BEGOTTEN in our English translations of the Bible accordingthe context. No distinction is made ofthe moment of birth. The single wordfathered could have been used to carrythe intended meaning in English. Preserving one's genealogy was important,but the date on which one was bornwas considered of little account.

A New Birth DateOur present mortal existence is butone of dust kept alive by the breath oflife, the oxygen we breathe in andwhich our bloodstream carries to allpar ts of the body. The moment of conception and of the b ir th of this mortallife are of little importance compared toour new birth into God's kingdom.In sharp contrast to the completeabsence of any mortal man's birthdate

in the Bible, we do find the commandto commemorate the day which picturesthe first "harvest of souls"- the timewhen immortal Sons of God uJill beborn! This day pictures not only ourspiritual birthday but the day of conception as well!"Flesh and blood cannot inheri t thekingdom of God." "You must be bornagain." For Christians the moment ofconception of this new life is the timethey receive God's Spiri t as a begettalto eternal Spirit life. Now tu rn to Acts2. For many in 31 A.D., the time of


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Is INSURANCE Wrang?(Continued from page 2)

Page 4spiritual conception was the Day ofPentecost recorded in Acts 2.For some it was then three years aftertheir repentance and baptism; for othersonly months or days. I t is not ourbaptism day then that is to be remembered year by year, bu t the Day ofPentecost which is set aside as the me-morial of conception of all God's chil-dren, the moment of the beginning oftheir Spiritual life.But concept ion only begins our life.We must yet be born! Paul writes, "Mylittle children, of whom I travail inbirth until Christ be formed in you."(Gal. 4:19). We must grow from conception, from the moment God implants His Spirit in us.We must be bornimmortal. That moment, then , will bethe day of our new birth. This is the dayof birth Satan would like to cover upby emphasis on the day of your birthinto this physical life.

I t is the Feast of Pentecost-which

His people expect to reap the benefits ofothers, and do nothing themselves?And with regard to aiding the needy,God does not expect you to loan or giveto another if you do not have enoughyourself. As Paul said: "I do not meanthat others should be eased and youburdened, bu t t ha t as a mat te r of equality your abundance at the present t ime

should supply the ir want. So tha t the irabundance may supply your want [if thatbecomes necessary at a later time} thatthere may be equali ty" (I I Corinthians8: 13-14 ). Sometimes special offeringsare necessary to take care of people insevere affliction, or religious persecution.But God does not wan t us to give somuch that we, in turn, become a financialburden to the Church.Personal Savings Also

But charity or insurance is not meantto be a substitute for personal savingsfor our family. Don't forget the ant! Itis our duty as a body to take care ofone another in case of death, of flood orother natural causes.

That is the kind of insurance whichthe third ti the provides. This t ithe maybe handled locally, wherever there is acongregation; or at the headquarters inPasadena to which the scat tered members may send their th ird tithe.But this does not free each man whois the head of a family for the divinelyappointed responsibil ity of providingsavings for his children and even grandchildren. Without such savings, manypeople would not have been able in the

The GOOD NEWScommemorates the first harvest, thespring harvest-that commemorates inadvance the day on which Christians willbe reaped into the Kingdom of God andfreed from this mortal earthly bodyin which they have been developing andgrowing to be like God. For those Christians in their graves it will be a momentof awakening. They will come up out oftheir graves, children of the earth andchildren of God!The new birth is again emphasized bythe Feast of Trumpets which picturesthe Day of the Lord-and the return ofChrist at the "seventh trumpet" to raisethe "first fruits" of God's creation.

Why Birthdays?The basic purpose of observing birthdays is to keep track of one's age. Howimportan t are mere years? Is there notsomething MORE IMPORTANT than having achieved only another birthday?(Please continue on page 8)

past to help God's work as they did.They voluntarily gave to the work in aspecial crisis.Without savings, how are you goingto be able to aid someone who is reallyin need? How will you have money toloan a person who is in genuine need?God could not expect you to graciously loan to another , if you had not savedmoney in advance!When the Church is NOT ResponsibleNow let us consider a personal responsibility of each member in God'sChurch. Turn to I T imothy 5:3-4, 8, 16:"Honor widows that are widows indeed.But if any widow hath children orgrandchildren, let them learn first toshow piety towards their own house,and to requite the ir parents: for this isacceptable before God . . . But if anyprovideth not for his own, and especially his household, he hath denied thefaith, and is worse than an unbeliever!

. . . If any believer hath widows, letthat believer relieve them, and LET NOTTHECHURCH BEBURDENED; t ha t it mayrelieve the real widows"-those who areabsolutely alone in the world.Paul wro te this to Timothy. I t wasTimothy's duty to see that no one tookadvantage of the financial sacrifice ofGod's people. If you are able-and somethink they are not able when they areable-to support widows and orphansin your household, you are to do so.Thatis acceptable before God, Paul said.IT IS NOT THE CHURCH'S DUlY INSUCH CASES to use the thi rd tithe. God

May, 1957does not want spongers in His Kingdom!

Other InsuranceIt is, of course, up to each individualto provide for his own home. Some mayhave enough saved or invested and feelno need for special insurance.Consider, however, accident and liability insurance. Since most individuals

cannot save money on their own in anticipation of emergencies, then theyought to obtain auto insurance (andwhatever else may be necessary) to fittheir budget. We all become CARELESSor take unnecessary chances at times.Accidents can happen to YOU! The experience of our own Church membersproves it. God is not going to preventyou from reaping the consequences ofcarelessness. But He will deliver you-[just as I am writing this sentence I wasinterrupted by a member who injuredhis leg because he had failed to tightena set screw on a router. Yes, accidentsCAN and DO happen. But thanks toGod that we can always pray to behealed or to be protected from infectionin case of injury}.Continuing, many people Cannot saveunless they owe some insurance company a premium obligation. What ashame! But be careful. Do not acceptjust any insurance company agent thatcomes along. Some companies are notsound. Remember, tOO, that accident,fire and educational insurance whichprovide benefits in the nex t few years,are far more beneficial than life insurance-which will probably be of l it tlevalue 15 years hence anyway!

No insurance can replace faith. Otherwise God would not have provided lifeand disaster insurance for His people inHis own law.If you are one who believes tha t insurance replaces faith, that is merelyproof that you probably DID NOT HAVEANY ABIDING FAITH IN THE FIRSTPLACE.Insurance is never a substitute forfaith. Faith is tha t assurance tha t Godwill deliver you out of every difficultyyou may become involved in. Paul wasin several shipwrecks. God deliveredhim Out of each of them after theyhappened. Paul often lost his property.Time and circumstance happen to usall. God alone could deliver Paul fromdeath in such accidents. No insurancecould have! But savings in the form ofinsurance would compensate Paul forhis loss.

That is how God wants us to viewthe question of insurance.I t is time we open our minds to receive God's understanding and believeand act on this command of God's lawto save the THIRD TITHE. "If you knowthese things, happy are you if you dothem," said Jesus.


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Are You Cursing Your Land?Today we are having severe drought in some areas and floods inothers. I t has not always been this way. Why the change? Who isresponsible?

by J. W. RobinsonT ARGE port ions of the United States,L which were once productive, arenow drought stricken. Streamsand springs are drying up in many areas!Much of the topsoil in several states isblowing away. Tornadoes are sweepinginland farther, and with greater frequency than ever before!Why all this distress? Is it a nateral-ly caesed situation which can be explained away? OR IS IT PUNISHMENTFOR SIN?I f it is punishment, for whose sin areYOU being punished?

Why Climatic Rampage?Here is the answer-When God gave Israel the law inMount Sinai, He told them to cultivatethe land and harvest its fruit for sixyears (Ex. 23:10-11). But He also included this little-known, though vitallyimportant statute: "the seventh year yOllshall let it rest and l iertill . . In likemanner shall you deal with your vineyard and your oliveyard."God made this law a par t of His overall law of love. He knows that the landneeds a rest every seventh year.God did not say, "Do i r if you want

to." He made it a definite commandfor 0111 own good! Like the sabbath dayit involves spir itual as well as physicalprinciples and still should be observed!But why the increase in drought, infloods, in blowing topsoil and tornadoes? And why the coming war andcaptivity of this whole nation? Whathave the people done to merit suchdevastation?Let Leviticus 26: 34-35 tell us. "Then{in the near future} shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, AS LONG AS IT LIESDESOLATE, and Y01J be in y01l1 enemies'land; then shall the land rest, AND ENJOY HER SABBATHS. As long as it liesdesolate it shall rest; BECAUSE IT DIDNOT REST IN YOUR SABBATHS, WHENYOU DWELT UPON IT."

I t is all very clear. The land becomesdesolate because it has not been allowedto rest and keep its sabbaths!I have met at the Feast of Tabernacles farmers who claimed to havebeen in God's Church and obeyed Himfor seven and eight years. They shouldhave known tha t God requires them tokeep the sabbath year-bllt they hadneglected to do so! When I explainedto them their obligation and made it

very plain that they had disobeyed God,they turned and walked unconcernedlyaway. Did that show an attitude ofOBEDIENCE?No, it typifies the indifference of thismodern age! Don't think for a minutethat you are on a band wagon with aneasy ticket into the Kingdom of God.Y 011 must obey God! Otherwise youwill suffer when the nation pays for itssins.In the Scriptures God isn't speakingjust to your neighbor. HE is speakingto YOU!God's Conditional PromisesAre you occasionally plagued by disease among your Iivesrock, by insectpest, or by drought? I f so, you may havebeen neglecting to DESERVE God's promised blessings. God promises the obedient that He will ". . . satisfy your soulin drought . . . and you shall be like anirrigated garden, and like a spring ofwater, whose waters fail not" (lsa. 58:11).God commands us, in Leviticus 2,:35-36, "You shall serve the Eternalyour God and I will bless your breadand your water; and I will take sickness

away from the midst of you. None shallcast her young or be barren in yourland."Again, in II Chronicles 6: 1314 Godpromised us, "When I shut up theheavens that there is no rain, or cornmand the locust to devour the land, orsend pestilence among My people, ifMy people {Christians today} who arecalled by My name HUMBLE THEM-SELVES and PRAY and SEEK My face,and tllrn from tbeir wicked ways, thenI will hear from heaven, and will forgivethei r sin and HEAL their land."There it is! God's people must obeyGod-and that includes the keeping ofthe sabbath year. Now is the time weneed to learn to PRAY for one another,"Casting all your cares upon Him; forHe cares for you" (I Pet. 5:7) .

Punishment fo r DisobedienceNot ice what happened once beforewhen the people refused to obey this

NOTICE 1Booklets explaining the annual HolyDays are being set in type. As soon asthey are off the press they will be mailedto you.

law. We have a record of this in IIChronicles 36:20-21: "And them thathad escaped from the sword carr ied he[Nebuchadnezzar} away to Babylon;where they were servants of him and hissons until the reign of the kingdom ofPersia: to fulfill the Word of the Eternal by the mouth of Jeremiah, until theland had enjoyed her sabbaths: for aslong as she [the land} lay desolate shekept sabbath, to fulfill threescore andten years." Every sabbatical year unkeptmeant a year in captivity for Judah!God's corrective measures are sureIsrael, too, will be desolate and the landwill soon enjoy her sabbaths because thepeople refuse to turn to God and keepHis sabbatical years.God warned Israel in Leviticus 26:14-25 what would happen if tbey dis-obeyed this law. Israel was to receivesevere punishments in four progressively worsening stages unless the nat ionrepented. This prophecy was fully explained in the Apri l 1956 issue of ThePLAIN TRUTH.Some have thought this prophecy applies only to Israel's first punishment,and isn 't for us today. They quote verse22: "I will also send wild beasts amongyou, which shall rob you of your childten, and destroy your cattle, and makeyou FEW in number; and your ways{roads} shall be desolate."Those who are scoffers will say, "Thatis no concern of ours: there are notenough wild beasts in this nation to doany serious damage." Don't you believeit! We are already getting a foretaste ofthis condition. Peoria, Illinois was recently invaded by muskrats (rabbit-sizedmarsh dwellers) which were driven byhunger to leave the Illinois River. Theycame into the city and attacked severalpeople (from Pasadena Independent,news item).Another similar incident, of greaterdanger and longer duration, is happening on Vancouver Island, in BritishColumbia, at the southwestern corner ofCanada. The island's large cougar population is suffering from a shortage ofdeer and other natural prey. As a resultof their hunger, many cougars, especiallythe half-starved females, have gone intothe towns, even entering houses, to attack people, watchdogs, and housecats(Field and Stream magazine, December,1955, page 46, article, "Crazy Cougars"by Frank Dufresne).


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Page 6Many unprovoked attacks have beenmade on humans by these hunger-maddened beasts. In 1954 nearly 300 of thecougars were killed on that island alonewithout making any discernible dent intheir number (page 87, same article).Wild animals are destined to becomeeven more destructive throughout thenation because we htWeruined the land.Wild animals are not the only sourceof danger. There are more than 20,000,000 dogs in the United States. Whenour national food supply diminishes tofamine proportions on a nationwidescale, we may expect many of thempossibly a majority-to be turned outto shift for themselves. Hungry dogsrun in packs like wolves. Past association with man will enable them to bemore stealthy and cunning than anyother beast.Under such conditions theywill multiply unrestrained-three orfour years' time could produce enoughwild dogs to outnumber the people.Marauding packs of dogs will do great

damage to flocks of sheep and poultryand herds of cattle. And, as Mr. Hoehbrought out in the April, 1956 issue ofThe PLAIN TRUTH, rabies-which israpidly increasing today-will run rampant.How to Keep the Sabbath YearWe know that "all scripture is givenby inspiration of God, and is profitablefor doctrine, for reproof, for correction,for instruction in RIGHTEOUSNESS" (I ITim. 3:16). We know also that we arecommanded to keep the sabbath yearand that "all (God's} commandments are

RIGHTEOUSNESS (Ps. 119:172)." Therefore let us look into the Scriptures forinstructions in the keeping of the sabbath year.God's instructions, in Leviticus 25:3-7, for the sabbath year are very thorough and complete and are easily understood. [I quote from the Moffatt translation here because it is more easilyunderstood than is the King JamesVersion. The meaning, however, is identical in both.]"For six years you may sow your field,for six years you may prune your vineyard, and gather in the produce; but theseventh year shall be a sabbath of entirerest for the land, a sabbath in honor ofthe Eternal, on which you must neithersow a field nor prune a vineyard, onwhich you must not even gather theaftergrowth of your harvest nor grapesfrom your undressed vines . . . it shallbe a year of enti re rest for the land. Thenatural produce of the land shall serveas food for you, for yourself and yourslaves, male and female, for your hiredservant and any outsiders staying withyou, furnishing food also for your cattleand livestock!"Read these verses again very care-

The GOOD NEWSfully. They are important. Notice verse5. It tells you that you must not gatheryour crops or fruit for commercial use inthat year. They must, in general, be allowed to return to the soil. Yet verse sixtells you that the natural produce of the

RADIO LOG"The WORLD TOMORROW"Herbert W. Armstrong analyzes today's news, with the prophecies ofThe WORLD TOMORROW!

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May, 1957land in the sabbatical year shall serveas food for you, your servants, andstrangers or guests tha t are with you.Some people are temporarily confusedwhen reading these two verses, thinkingthey contradict. But actually they do not.You must not harvest the produce of theland in order to sell it. Neither are youto store up on the sabbath year for future use. You may use the produce forday-to-day needs. God wants you to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables when theyare in season, even in the sabbath year.The natural produce of the land inthat year will also furnish food foryour cattle and other livestock whichmay graze on the land (verse 7). Thisclearly shows that it is permissible toallow cattle to graze the fields in addition to the pasture in the sabbath year.To take advantage of this liberty it ispermissible to allow your cattle herdto increase while they are grazing thewhole farm.One man, who did not study the scrip-tures on the matter, sold all of his cattleon the sabbath year, and had no foodexcept what he bought. To him and hisfamily the sabbath year became a yokeof bondage-a form of penance-because of his ignorance of God's law.Thesabbatical year should have been a timeof great joy and rejoicing.What about your shrubbery and flowers? How should you care for them onthe sabbath year? The answer is thatyou should keep the house and its surroundings neat with whatever lawn andhedge trimming may be necessary.Godwould not want you to let your homebecome run-down and dilapidated looking. The law of the sabbatical year involves only that land from which cropsare reaped and sold. It does not includeyour pasture or your flower gardenaround the home.How to Figure Your Sabbath Year

The sabbath year is counted fromone Feast of Tabernacles to the next,beginning and ending in the fall of theyear. In ancient Israel the sabbaticalyears were reckoned from creation butincluded the Jubilee every 50th year. TheJubilee is reckoned only when there is aGod-given permanent inheritance.After the Jews returned from captivityunder Ezra and Nehemiah they werenot given any permanent inheritance.Therefore they could keep only thesabbatical years every seventh year.After the Jews returned, they did notreckon from creation but from the timethey reuccupied th e land. Weare i1& asimilar situation today. We have nopermanent inheritance.

I t is apparent that God intends us touse a personal, and not a national, system. Your sabbath year would be theseventh year of your conversion, counted


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May, 1957from one Feast of Tabernacles to thenext. Count the year of your conversionas your first year. If you were convertedbefore the Feast of Tabernacles in 1954,your sabbath year will be 1960, starting after the Feast of Tabernacles in1959. I f your conversion occurred afterthe Feast of Tabernacles in 1954, yoursabbath year will be counted from theFeast of Tabernacles in 1960 till thefall of 1961.

Is This Your Problem?Someone is sure to ask, "Should renters, as well as landowners, keep the sabbath year?" The answer is an emphatic"yes."There may be land owners who willnot allow thei r renters to let the wholeland rest for a year. Renters do not havethe authority to force the issue in thiscase but must submit to the demands ofthe owner. In this case the renter shouldlet a portion rest each year until it hasall rested. Through this method the landwill at least have its recuperative rest.The exact year tha t the land rests isnot of primary importance becauseChristians do not all have the samesabbath year anyway. However, thisshould be only a temporary expediencyand should cease when a more satisfactory (in God's sight) arrangement canbe made.Renters should keep the sabbath yearof the land for the same spiritual reasonthat wage earners, for example, shouldkeep the sabbath day. Since renters donot own the land, they must not insistthat the owners obey God. Instead, they

may have to find work and a farm elsewhere.Actually, all land renters who areobeying God should aim to becomelandowners so tha t they will have fullauthori ty to farm according to God'sprinciples. (But don't buy a farm in adrought-stricken area!)I f you are obeying God, you should beas willing, as was Abraham, to leave thelocality in which your ancestors lived.But before you move into a new area,make sure you can make a living thQ1'8.God is not obligated to supply yourneeds if you move into a desolate,drought-stricken area, or if you grow up

in such an area and stay there. Youshould star t your farming venture in anarea that is not yet suffering.Then, after you have fulfilled yournormal obligations and are obeying andtrusting God to the best of your ability,God will supply all your needs!Land Left Fallow Every

2nd or 3rd YearThere may arise the question, "Whatshould be done with land that is alreadybe ing left idle every second, third, orfourth year? How should it be handled

The GOOD NEWSin order to conform to God's sabbathyear?"Two types of land are being managedin this manner. The first type to be consklered is good, productive land that isperiodically being left idle, usually beingseeded to a winter legume or other soilbuilder. Such a practice builds the soilup to a richer, more productive capacity and should in no way be discouraged. However, this should be in addi-tion to the sabbatical rest.Another grade of soil is occasionallyleft idle because it is too poor to produce crops any more often. Such soil isgradually wasting away and is so thinthat it should not be cultivated in thefirst place. Rather, it should be seededto a good pasture grass AND TURNEDINTO PERMANENT PASTURE.It is vitally important, however, thatyou do not overgraze your land! Onecause of the present distress in ourWestern states is that much of the landhas been overgrazed in the interest oftemporary higher profits;

I f tOO many cattle are on the landthey will n ibble the grass so short thatit will afford no protective covering forthe soil. The land will then dry u p -the grass will starve-the topsoil willbe blown away.Some land is also overgrazed evenunder the best grazing arrangement.Such land has already been worn outand should be left to nature so thatshrubs and trees may take over andproduce something for future generations. Do not think of present profitsonly! Think of future generations whowill reclaim this land after the captivity-af ter the land shall have kept itssabbaths.

God's Blessings PromisedSome are sure to say, "How can wemake a living in the sabbath year? Alittle fresh fruit and vegetables will notsuppor t my family. I need a cash crop.I think God wants us to use our mindsand learn to draw our own conclusions;and I think we should let one-seventhof the farm lie idle each year." Thislooks good to the natural reasoning ofsome people, but what does GOD sayabout it?God doeswant you to use your minds.And if you use them properly, you willcome to the conclusion that everyonemust learn God's point of view and liveby it. The only other recourse is tofollow human reasoning, independentof the Scriptures, which leads only toheartaches, sorrows, and wretchedness.Therefore, let us turn to God's Wordso that He will tell us how to keep thesabbath year.God tells us in Leviticus 25:20-22,"And if you shall say, 'What shall weeat the seventh year? Behold, we shall

Page 7not sow, nor gather in our increase.Then I will command my blessing uponyou in the sixth year; and it shall b ringforth produce for three years. And youshall sow the eighth year, and eat yetof old produce until the ninth year;until her produce comes in you shalleat of the old produce."There you see a definite commandtha t one particular year should be setaside in which the whole farm shouldrest by being uncultivated. Also you seea very distinct promise that God willSO abundantly bless you in the sixthyear that your produce will last unt ilthe fall crops are harvested in the endof the ninth year.You should be diligent in your work,but not overly concerned with such matters as your physical needs, because thereis very lit tle tha t you can do about it.Making your crops grow is one ofGOD'S jobs. Strive for greater spiritualgrowth and God will supply your needs."For your Father knows what things youhave need of, before you ask Him(Mat. 6:8)."Take no thought, saying, 'What shallwe eat? or, What shall we drink? or,With what shall we be clothed?'-foryour heavenly Father knows tha t youhave need of all these things. But seekfirst the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; aOlI all these things shall beadded to you" (Mat. 6:25-33).

What Work Should One Doin the Sabbath Year?Some will want to know, "Whatshould I do on the sabbath year? I know

I shouldn't become idle. Should I geta job in town?"Considering the purpose of the sabbath year, you should not get a jobuntil you have put your farm in goodrepair. The sabbath year does for yourland what the sabbath day does for yourphysical body. One rejuvenates the physical body; the other rejuvenates and improves the land. Surely you have buildings and fences that need repairing. Doyou need new fences? Then build them.Digg ing post holes will not be a violat ion of the principle of let ting the landrest. The sabbatical year is a sabbath forthe land.Possibly your home needs remodelingand painting. Take time to renovate itthoroughly in your seventh year. Thatwill be the best opportunity you willhave to make of it the kind of homeyou want. Overhaul or repair all of yourmachinery-make sure that everythingis in good condition before the beginning of the eighth year.After all this is accomplished, whynot take an educational vacation? Godsaid that the laborers should be releasedfrom work in the sabbatical year. Go tothe cities' libraries and museums to


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Page 8study and to broaden your understanding of the world around you. You mightalso visit some of the nation's beautiful parks or attend concerts that wouldbe inaccessible in the other six years.Have you seen some of the great mountains, plains, deserts, caverns, canyons,or the coastline? See all of these naturalwonders that you can. It will give youa better understanding of, and appreciation for, God's greatness and the beauties of His creation.When you have done all of thesethings that you want, or can afford, todo-i f you still want to get a job forthe remainder of the year, go ahead andget it. It is good to stay busy, and theextra money can certainly be useful.

Trust GodRemember that the sabbath year is atime for rejoicing, created for the benefit of man. If you obey God and trustHim, in faith, He will fully supply all

your needs. In Deuteronomy 11: 13-15God promises you that if you obey Him,He will send you rain at the right seasonso that your fields will produce abundant crops and your pastures plenty ofgrass ". . . that you may eat and be satisfied."Do you think it would be difficultfor God to punish the nation withoutinjuring you? Turn to Psalm 91:7-10and read God's answer to this question:"A thousand shall fall at your side, andten thousand at your right hand; but itshall not come near you. Only withyour eyesshall you see the reward of thewicked. Because you have made theEternal, who is my refuge, and the MostHigh, your habitation; there shall noevil befall you, neither shall any plaguecome near your dwelling."Turn to Amos 4:7, also, and read:"I caused it to rain upon one city, andcaused it not to rain upon another city:one piece was rained upon, and thepiece whereupon it rained not withered."This definitely proves that God cangive you rain while your neighborsuffers from drought. If you doubt thatthis refers to our day, read carefullyverses 6-12. The statement, "Prepare tomeet your God, 0 Israel" at the end ofverse 12 shows that this Scripture is forour day-just before the return ofChrist.Could you want stronger promises?What could be stronger than theseassurances taken directly from God'sinspired word? Do you believe God?If you do not, you have a very wretchedlife ahead of you! Anyone can see thatconditions are worsening the worldover. Human scheming certainly cannot save you. Are you going to continuedisobeying God and suffer for it? Orwill you OBEY Him so that He can heapHIS BLESSINGS upon you?

The GOOD NEWSBIRTHDAYS(Continued from page 4)

Consider the case of Job. He was amiddle-aged man, proud of his years,righteous in the eyes of all; even Satancould find no fault.God brought him down to repentanceby showing His great might comparedto Job's, by showing the contrast inwisdom, in understanding. But first Jobhad to receive wisdom from a comparative youth.Study Job, chapters 32 through 38.Before Job could have the personal interview with God that he demanded, hehad to have his sins laid bare by a youth.This young man, Elihu, had good manners. He "had waited till Job [and theothers] had spoken, because they wereolder than he. When Elihu saw thatthere was no answer in the mouth ofthese three men . . . [he] said, I amyoung, and ye are very old: whereforeI was afraid, and durst not shew youmine opinion. I said, 'Days should speak,and multitude of years should teach wis-dom:"Put yourself in Job's position. God wasbringing him down. A youth, strangelyenough, gives words of wisdom. A manof years listens.The speech of the Eternal out of thewhirlwind which follows contains norebuke for this young man. Job repented.His three friends offered sacrifices fortheir own folly.Isn't there a lesson here for those ofus who count our wisdom by our age?"The hoary head is a crown of glory, ifit be found in the way of righteousness."(Prov. 16:31). Here is a different attitude toward age. The multitude ofyears should teach wisdom, the agedshould understand judgment. We shouldbe better qualified to teach wisdom eachyear. But are we?Ought we not to look back year byyear with a feeling of regret rather thanpride? We have not learned the wisdomor acquired the knowledge and understanding that we might.If we had only applied ourselves morediligently. If we had only begun earlierin life to fear God, to keep His commandments, to recognize human naturefor what it is. Then our years could bea th ing to look back over with joy andwith a right kind of pride.What is this mortal life anyway? Ofwhat lasting significance is a birth date?None!

God's Calendar for Birthdays?A few moments spent consideringGod's Sacred Calendar should make itclear why the practice of birthday observance among God's people would beimpossible. Have you pitied the "un-

May, 1957fortunate" individual who was born onFebruary 29 and could receive giftsand congratulations only once everyfour years? Then consider that thelength of three months of the God'sSacred Calendar varies from year toyear, having 29 and 30 days after arather complicated pattern. Tbree timesas many individuals would be affected.A still greater deterrent to annualbirthday observance is the insertion of a13th month in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th,14th, 17th, and 19th years of the present19-year cycle. The single irregularity ofFebruary 29 of the Roman calendaraffects but one individual in 1461. Theirregularities of God's Calendar wouldaffect the birthday observance of oneperson in every eight.It is true that some Jewish peoplecontinue to observe birthdays and otheranniversaries with God's Calendar. Arather intricate set of carnal humanrules governs whether to move the cele

bration ahead or back one day, or backone month in the absence of the 13thmonth. Differing regulations are appliedand the practice is not uniformly followed by all. But Christians follow God,not Jews who have adopted pagan customs!The use of the God-given calendaractually deprives one person in eight ofthe pride and pleasure of having a regular day once a year on which to practiceidleness and overindulgence!Keeping God's Holydays

But, you might ask, doesn't this pattern in God's Calendar make His annual Holydays difficult to keep also?NOT AT ALL. Everyone of these Holy-days comes during the first seven monthsof the year. These first seven monthsnever change in length. The Ist, 3rd,5th, and 7th months always have 30days; the even numbered months coming between, but 29 days. Even the lastmonth of the year, whether it be atwelfth or thirteenth month, has alwaysa regular 29 day length.Thus an eight month section of God'sSacred Calendar is free of "regularitieseliminating any chance for confusion asto when the Holydays are to be kept!Here is the solution to our problem.We have no difficulty knowing whichday is the Sabbath. God's Holydays interms of the Roman calendar are published in The GOOD Nsws and in acalendar distributed to our Church members. The same dates for these Holydaysare also found in your Bible in terms ofGod's Calendar.But no scripture anywhere commandsus to observe any dates other than God'sSabbath and His Holydays. To celebratebirthdays is to add to the law-andwhoever does that will be added to thelake of Fire!

Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 05) May_w

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