THE JUBILEE

An understanding of the jubilee system which Jehovah inaugurated with Israel throws a great light upon the immediate future events. The Scriptures clearly show that Israel, while God dealt with them for more than eighteen centuries, was a typical people. Their law was typical, foreshadowing greater and better things to come. The Lord commanded Moses to institute the Sabbath system the year that Israel entered the land of Canaan, which was 1575 years before A. D. 1 (Leviticus 25:1-12), and that every fiftieth year should be unto them a year of jubilee. This was done on the tenth day of the seventh month, the day of atonement. "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you and ye shall return every man unto his possessions and ye shall return every man unto his family. Other Scriptures show that there were to be

seventy jubilees kept. (Jeremiah 25:11; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21) A simple calculation of these jubilees brings us to this important fact: Seventy jubilees of fifty years each would be a total of 3500 years. That period of time beginning 1575 before A. D. 1 of necessity would end in the fall of the year 1925, at which time the type ends and the great antitype must begin. What, then, should we expect to take place? In the type there must be a full restoration; therefore the great antitype must mark the beginning of restoration of all things. The chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these will have the first favor, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth.

Messiah's kingdom once established, Jesus and his glorified church constituting the great Messiah, shall minister the blessings to the people they have so long desired and hoped for and prayed might come. And when that time comes, there will be peace and not war, as the prophet beautifully states: "In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above

the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." —Micah 4:1-4.

EARTHLY RULERS

As we have heretofore stated, the great jubilee cycle is due to begin in 1925. At that time the earthly phase of the kingdom shall be recognized. The Apostle Paul in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews names a long list of faithful men who died before the crucifixion of the Lord and before the beginning of the selection of the church. These can never be a part of the heavenly class; they had no heavenly hopes; but God has in store something good for them. They are to be resurrected as perfect men and constitute the princes or rulers in the earth, according to his promise. (Psalm 45:16; Isaiah 32:1; Matthew 8:11) Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham,

Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews chapter eleven, to the condition of human perfection.

RECONSTRUCTION

All the statesmen of the world, all the political economists, all the thoughtful men and women, recognize the fact that the conditions existing prior to the war have passed away and that a new order of things must be put in vogue. All such recognize that this is a period now marking the beginning of reconstruction. The great difficulty is that these men are exercising only human wisdom and have ignored the divine arrangement. We are indeed at the time of reconstruction, the reconstruction not only of a few things, but of all things. The reconstruction will not consist of patching up old and broken down systems and forms and arrangements, but the establishment of a new and righteous one under the great ruler Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace. The Apostle Peter at Pentecost, speaking under divine inspiration, and referring to that time, said: "Times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began". —Acts 3:19-21.

Examination of the prophecies from Moses to John discloses the fact that every one of the prophets foretold the time coming for restitution blessings. Reconstruction and restitution mean the same thing—i.e., the restoration of mankind to the things which were lost. The reward of the church in heaven is not that which man originally had; but is given as a great reward for faithfulness to the Lord under trying conditions and circumstances. Restitution means the blessings that will be given to mankind in general through the divine arrangement and therefore restoring him to life, liberty and happiness on the earth, once enjoyed by the perfect man Adam and which was included in the promise made to Abraham. This blessing comes to the world through the seed, the exalted, elect class, the Messiah, the Christ.

The Scriptures clearly show that this great time of blessing is immediately preceded by a great time of trouble. This trouble is now on the world. The word Michael used in the following text means "who as God", or representing God—Christ Jesus, the great captain of our salvation. His second coming and the establishment of his kingdom has been the hope and desire of Christians for centuries past. In referring to this time, then, the prophet Daniel under inspiration wrote: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never

was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."—Daniel 12:1,2.

MILLIONS WILL NEVER DIE

Every part of the divine arrangement must be fulfilled; not one jot or tittle shall pass away unfulfilled. Every portion of the divine promise, therefore, is important. Answering the question as to the conditions prevailing at the end of the world, Jesus quoted the above prophetic statement from the Book of Daniel, or used words similar, saying: "Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21, 22) Thus he shows that the distress upon the earth will end with a time of tribulation such as the world has never known and that this will be the last. There will never be another. Then he adds that for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened; and much flesh shall be saved.

We ask, Why would the Lord carry through this time of trouble a large number of people, sparing them from death in the time of trouble, unless he intended to minister unto them some

particular blessing? And since God has promised a blessing of restitution to that which Adam lost, and since these promises point to a beginning of fulfillment immediately following this trouble, and since the promise clearly is that the elect, constituting the seed of Abraham, according to the promise. shall be the instruments through which the blessings shall flow, then this statement of Jesus clearly and conclusively proves that many peoples living on earth at the end of the trouble will be the first ones to be offered the blessings of restoration, which blessings will be offered through the elect, the Messiah. It follows as a matter of course that those accepting the offer as made and rendering themselves in obedience to it shall be restored to that which was lost in Adam, viz., life, liberty and happiness.

The prophet of God offers other testimony in corroboration of this: "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God." (Zechariah 13:8, 9) Here, then, is a clear statement to the effect that one part God will spare in this time of trouble and that these shall ultimately be his people and he will be their God.

Having in mind that it was an earthly borne, human life and attendant blessings, that Adam lost, and that these are the blessings God promises shall be restored to man, we can understand the words of the prophet David when he wrote: "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies." (Psalm 41:1, 2) Here he plainly states that those who deal righteously in this time of trouble shall be blessed upon the earth.

HOW TO LIVE FOREVER

The church systems would have the people believe that only those who become church members can be saved. The Bible never taught any such doctrine. The Lord never organized the nominal systems, and the true church is but a little flock, who shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, and the others of the world to not inherit it. To the church Jesus said: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". (Luke 12:32) Jesus died not only for those who will constitute the members of the church, but for all. St. John plainly stated: "He is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world".—l John 2:2.

The Apostle Paul, discussing the great Redeemer and his office, said: "We see Jesus, who

was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many Sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2:9, 10) Thus we see that Jesus died for every man, not only for a few. Again says the Apostle: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time". (1 Timothy 2:5, 6) By this Scripture it is clearly seen that in God's due time every creature must hear the testimony as to what Jesus has done for him and know of the plan of salvation. Again says the Apostle Paul: "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". (Romans 6:23) There can be no gift without both a giver and a receiver, and this could not operate without knowledge on the part of both. In other words, the giver must intelligently offer the gift to another, and the other must intelligently know of this fact before he can receive it. It would be impossible for the human race, therefore, to accept the gift of life everlasting before it is offered. It will be offered only in God's due time and the divine plan shows that his due time is after the seed of promise is developed, after the kingdom is set up; and then each one in his order will be brought to a knowledge of the fact

that a plan of redemption exists and that the way is open for him to accept the terms of it and live. Knowledge being essential, it precedes the reception of blessings from the Lord; and knowing this fact, it is easy to be seen why the adversary, the devil, and his agencies so diligently strive to prevent the people from knowing the truth. But when Messiah's kingdom is established we are definitely informed (Revelation 20:1-4) that Satan will be restrained of his power that he might deceive the nations no more; and then the people shall know the truth and nothing shall hinder them from knowing it.

POSITIVE PROMISE

The words of Jesus must be given full force and effect because he spake as never man spake. His speech was with absolute authority. And in God's due time his words must have a fulfillment, and they cannot have a fulfillment until that due time. Jesus plainly said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death". (John 8:51) As above stated, no one could keep the saying of Jesus until he hears it, until he has a knowledge of God's arrangement. Throughout the Gospel age none but Christians have had this knowledge and all who have kept this saying and keep it faithfully until the end will receive life everlasting on the divine plane. (Revelation 2:10) The remainder of mankind have not heard it; therefore could not keep it. They will hear, however,

in due time after the establishment of the kingdom. Then it shall come to pass that every one who will keep the saying of the Lord shall never see death. This promise would not have been made by Jesus if he did not intend to carry it into full force and effect in due time.

Again he said: "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die". (John 11:26) Do we believe the Masters statement? If so, when the time comes for the world to know, then they who believe and, of course, render themselves in obedience to the terms have the absolute and positive statement of Jesus that they shall never die.

Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die.

Of course, it does not mean that every one will live; for some will refuse to obey the divine law; but those who have been evil and turn again to righteousness and obey righteousness shall live and not die. Of this we have the positive statement of the Lord's prophet, as follows:

"When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die." —Ezekiel 18:27, 28.

RETURNING YOUTH

The Lord, in the exercise of his loving-kindness toward man, has graciously given many illustrations and pictures of the outworkings of his great plan. In the book of Job he gives us a picture of the perfection of man, of his fall, of the redemption by the great Ransomer, and then the subsequent restoration. When the times of restoration begin there will doubtless be many men on the earth who will be very old and almost ready for the tomb. But those who learn of the great ransom-sacrifice and who accept the Ransomer shall return to the days of their youth; they shall be restored to perfection of body and mind and live on the earth forever. We note the words of the prophet:

"He [Jehovah] keepeth back his [man's] soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. He [man] is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: so that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul

draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers."

Thus is given a vivid description of the dying human race, individually and collectively. Then the prophet shows how the message of truth will be brought to him and he will learn of the great ransom-sacrifice. Continuing, he says: "If there be a messenger [one who brings a message of glad tidings] with him [man], an interpreter [one who expounds and makes it clear], one among a thousand [the Lord will provide here and there teachers for the benefit of others], to show unto man his [the Lord's] uprightness: then be [the Lord] is gracious unto him [man], and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit [grave: and the man joyfully says:] I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth."—Job 33:18-25.

When God expelled Adam from Eden he said: "And now, lest he [Adam] put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, ...and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life". (Genesis 3:22-24) Thus the Word shows that had Adam remained in Eden, feeding upon the perfect food it afforded, he would have continued to live. The judgment was executed against him by causing him to feed upon imperfect food.

Perfect food, therefore, seems a necessary element to sustain human life everlastingly. When the kingdom of Messiah is inaugurated, the great Messiah will make provision for right food conditions.

Thus, when restoration begins, a man of seventy years of age will gradually be restored to a condition of physical health and mental balance. The Lord will teach him how to eat, what to eat, and other habits of life; and above all, the truth, and how to think and how to fix his mind upon holy things. And by the gradual process of restoration he will be lifted up by the great Mediator and restored to the days of his youth and live on the earth forever and never see death.

RESURRECTION

Not only will those living on the earth when restoration begins have the opportunity of life, but all the dead shall be awakened and brought back in their regular order and likewise be given an opportunity for life. It was the great Master who declared: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth". (John 5:28, 29) St. Paul plainly says: "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust". (Acts 24:15) In his clear, forceful and logical argument set out in 1 Corinthians 15, St. Paul conclusively proves that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a guarantee that every one of the dead shall be awakened

and brought to a knowledge of the truth. Then he says: "He [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31); thus showing that during the reign of the Messiah every one shall have one fair and impartial opportunity for the blessings of life, liberty and happiness.

The brave young men who went to war and died upon the battlefield have not gone to heaven, nor to eternal torture, as the creeds of Christendom would make their loved ones believe. They have not shed their bodies and gone floating about in space, as the spiritists would make men believe. They are dead, waiting for the resurrection; and in due time they shall be brought back to the condition of life and restored to their loved ones and be given a full opportunity to accept the terms of the new order of things and live forever.

Many a good mother has spent sleepless nights and wept tears of bitterness because of her loved one that died upon the battlefield. Many a sweetheart, many a father, many a child, has likewise been bowed down in sorrow because of the great suffering that the war, trouble and death entailed upon the people.

CLERGY'S OPPORTUNITY

What a wonderful opportunity the clergy have

had and neglected during the past five years of distress! Instead of misleading the people into erroneous ways, where they have found sorrow reigning in the home because of the death of loved ones, because of the loss upon the battlefield of some dear one, what a splendid opportunity to call attention to the precious promises of the Scriptures! For instance, to say to the weeping mother: "Thus saith the Lord: ...Refrain they voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border." (Jeremiah 31:15-17) The land of the enemy is the land of death, because death is the great enemy; and the Lord will call back all who have gone into that condition, and during his reign he will destroy death.—1 Corintbians 15:25, 26.

APPEAL TO THE CLERGY

It is not my thought to hold up the clergy to ridicule, but rather would I appeal to them that they fulfill their duty and obligation to the people in this hour of distress. I would remind them that the commission given to all followers of Jesus is not to convert the world and bring them into some organized system. Their commission is not to collect money from the people to carry out these purposes. Their commission is not to persecute others. But their divinely

given commission is plainly set forth by the Lord in these words: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."-Isaiah 61:1-3.

Never was there such a time to bind up the brokenhearted; never such a time to comfort those that mourn, as now. Why not tell the people the beautiful, wonderful truths contained in the Bible and thereby enable them to look beyond the distress that afflicts mankind, to the new day that is coming in when life, liberty, happiness and blessings will be offered to all mankind!

GREAT JOY COMING

It was life, liberty and happiness that Adam possessed and lost. These things Jesus purchased by his own blood. In the time of his reign he will give liberty to all the prisoners in the prison-house of death and under the domination of the adversary, as beautifully declared by the prophet, thus establishing full liberty in the

earth: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth bread unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine band, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that alt in darkness out of the prison-house."—Isaiah 42:1-7.

We have heretofore set forth how the Lord will minister life everlasting to all the obedient ones under his glorious reign. And when these favors are returned it will indeed be a time of happiness—a happiness that will come to stay. God's prophet, looking down to that time, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote: "The ransomed of the Lord [the whole human race] shall return [from the condition of bondage to sin and death], and come to Zion [the Messiah] with

songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away". —Isaiah 35:10.

Then the prophet in beautiful phrase pictures how the earth itself shall become a fit habitation for man. The wilderness and the solitary place will blossom as the rose, and streams shall break forth in the desert; the earth will yield its increase, and everything in the earth give praise to God for the fulfillment of his wonderful promises.

This is the Golden Age of which the prophets prophesied and of which the Psalmist sang; and it is the privilege of the student of the divine Word today, by the eye of faith. to see that we are standing at the very portals of that blessed time! Let us look up and lift up our heads. Deliverance is at the door!

GLORIOUS CLIMAX

The Messiah, the Christ in glory, will constitute the new invisible ruling power; therefore designated in the Scriptures as the new heaven. The righteous government organized in the earth will constitute what the Scriptures symbolically speak of as the new earth-the earthly phase of the Lord's kingdom. St. Peter stated that the faithful ones, according to God's promise, look for such "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dweleth righteousness" —2 Peter 3:13.

When John the Revelator was serving his sentence on the isle of Patmos, our Lord showed

approval of him and visited him and graciously granted to him a marvelous vision, which is recorded as a part of the Holy Scriptures. With ecstasy that inspired witness of the Lord wrote: "And I saw a new heaven [invisible ruling power] and a new earth [organized society]: for the first heaven and the first earth [the old order] were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy City [the kingdom of Messiah], new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."—Revelation 21:1-5.

No one can gainsay this positive and conclusive promise that under the Messiah's reign death shall be destroyed, and sorrow, sighing and crying shall cease, and that all who are obedient shall be restored to life, liberty and happiness. And since the old order is passing away and the new is coming in, we can with confidence proclaim the glad message that millions

now living on the earth will be granted the opportunity for life everlasting and those who obey shall never die, but shall be restored and live in happiness, joy and peace upon the earth forever.

Reader, have you found the foregoing pages of interest? Would you like to have further detailed and corroborative proof establishing beyond a doubt that the war, profiteering, famine, pestilence, the falling away of the clergy and their union with the financial powers and professional politicians to oppress mankind, were long ago foretold in the Bible? If so, at once supply yourself with a copy of "The Finished Mystery".

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