EXTEND THE VOLUNTEER WORK The brethren everywhere are remarkable for their loving zeal for the Lord, his truth and the brethren. In no wav is this better shown than in what we term the Volunteer Work— the voluntary distribution of the Society’s free literature. No other Society on earth ever manifested so much self-denying zeal in such a manner. We feel disinclined to advise any inerease along this line. Nevertheless, it is ours to offer suggestions and indicate possibilities and supply the free literature, and yours, dear brethren, to determine the extent of your reasonable and possible service for the King of kings. We do know that there are millions of people in our home land who have never yet had a taste of the spiritual food, “meat in due season,” which has so greatly refreshed and strengthened us. Hundreds of cities and towns and villages have received no volunteer attention, It is for you to decide, Vou. XXXVI J BROOKLYN _N. Y, MARCH 1, 1915 individually and as classes, what you can do for these. One of our very best free papers has been widely distributed except in such places as suggested. It contains a most interesting article on “The True Basis for Human Equality,” another on “Battering Down the Walls of Hell,” and another showing that neither Pastor Russell nor the I. B. 8. A. taught “The End of the World in 1914,” but on the contrary that “the earth abideth forever.” We have 400,000 of these on hand for use in such previously unserved places. We will be glad to hear from all who are able and willing to join in this volunteer work, State the quantity desired and give shipping particulars. All charges will be prepaid. Mention No. 61, BIBLE STUDENTS MONTHLY, No. 5 THE BLOOD OF SPRINKLING OF THE PASSOVER “When He seeth the blood the Lord will pass over the door and not suffer the destroyer to smite you.”—Exodus 12:23, The Passover season, as celebrated by the Jews, draws near—heyinning this year on the 30th day of March (the 15th day of Nisan actually starting at 6 p. m. Monday, March 29th). But the interest of Christians centers especially in the slaying of the lamb, which preceded this Passover Feast. The Passover lamb was slain on the 14th day of the month Nisan, which date this year begins at 6 p. m. Sunday, March 28th. The Memorial of the death of the antitypical Passover Lamb, our Lord Jesus, which is celebrated on the same date, will therefore be observed by us on the evening of Sunday, March 28. How much we regret that while millions of Christians and Jews will in some formal ceremonies and in a perfunctory manner celebrate this great event of history but few of either religion discern the real significance of the celebration! THE PASSOVER INSTITUTED Could the minds of all these be awakened thoroughly to its true significance a religious revival would be started such as the world has never yet known. But alas! as the Apostle declares the god of this world has blinded the minds of many; and even some whose eyes of understanding are partially opened St. Peter describes as being blind and unable to see afar off or holden and unable to see the deep things of God in respect to these ceremonies which have been celebrated in the world for now more than 3500 years, And by the way it must be admitted even by Higher Critics and agnostics in general that an event so prominently marked so widely observed for so long a time must have a foundation in fact. There must have been just such an occurrence in Egypt; the first-born of Egypt must have perished in that tenth plague and the first-born of Israel must have been preserved from it—all who observed the injunction to remain under the blood—else this widespread celebration of the event would be inexplicable. We need not remind you of the particulars connected with the institution except to say that the Israelites were held in a measure of serfdom by the Egyptians and that when the time in the Lord's providence arrived for their deliverance their masters sought selfishly to maintain their bondage and refused to let them go forth to the land of Canaan. One after another the Lord sent during the year nine different plagues upon the people of Egypt relieving them of one after another when their king craved mercy and made promises which he afterwards broke. Finally, the servant of the Lord, Moses, announced a great, crowning disaster—that the first-born in every family of Egypt would die in one night, and that in the home of the humblest peasants as well as in the home of the king there would be great mourning, as a result of which they would be glad finally to yield and let the [sraelites go—yea, urge them to go, and in haste—lest the Lord should ultimately bring death upon the entire people if their king continued to harden his heart and resist the divine mandate. The first three plagues were common to all in Egypt, ineluding the district in which the Israelites resided. The next six plagues affected only the district occupied by the Egyptians. The last, the tenth plague, it was declared, should be common to the entire land of Egypt, including the part apportioned to the Israelites, except as the latter should show faith anit obedience by providing a sacrificial lamb, whose blood was to be sprinkled upon the sides and the lintels of their doorways and whose flesh was to be eaten in the same night, with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, the eaters standing staff in hand and girded ready for the journey—with full expectancy that the Lord would smite the first-born of the (50-67) Egyptians with death and make them willing to let the Israclites go, and with full faith also that they would share in this calamity were it not for the blood upon their door-posts and lintels. THE ANTITYPICAL PASSOVER LAMB The Israelites were commanded to eclebrate this Passover as the first feature of the Jewish law and as one of their greatest memorials as a nation. As a matter of fact, we find that in some degree the Passover is celebrated by Jews in all parts of the world—even by those who claim to be agnostics and infidels. They have a measure of respect for it as an ancient custom. But is it not strange that, with the bright minds which many of them possess, our Jewish friends have never thought it worth while to inquire into the meaning of this celebration? Why was the lamb slain and eaten? Why was its blood sprinkled upon the door-posts and lintels? Because God so commanded, of course; but what reason, motive, object or lesson was there behind the divine command? Truly a reasonable God gives reasonable commands, and in due time will be willing that his faithful people should understand the significance of every requirement. Why are the Hebrews indifferent to this subject? Why does prejudice hold their minds? Although Christianity has the answer to this question we regret that the majority of Christians, because of carelessness, are unable to give a reason and ground for any hope in connection with this matter. If the Jew can realize that his Sabbath day is a type or foreshadowing of a coming Epoch of rest and blessing and release from toil, sorrow and death, why can he not see that similarly all the features of the Mosaic law institution were designed by the Lord to be foreshadowings of various blessings, to be bestowed in due time? Why ean it not be discerned by all that the Passover lamb typified, represented, the Lamb of God, that its death represented the death of Jesus, the Messiah? and that the sprinkling of its blood symbolizes, represents, the imputation of the merit of the death of Jesus to the entire household of faith, the passedover class? Blessed are those whose eyes of faith see that Jesus was indeed “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world”—that the cancelation of the world’s sin is effected by the payment of Adam’s penalty—that as the whole world lost the favor of God and came under the divine sentence of death, with its concomitants of sorrow and pain, it was necessary before this sentence or curse could be removed that a satisfaction of justice should be made; and that therefore, as the Apostle declares, Christ died for our sins—the just for the unjust, that he might bring us back to God. Thus he opened up “a new and living way”’—a way to life everlasting. ‘“‘A KIND OF FIRST-FRUITS’’ Those familiar with the Bible have noticed that therein the church of Christ is called “the church of the first-born,” and again “a kind of first-fruits unto God of his creatures.” (Heb. 12:23; Jas. 1:18; Rev. 14:4) This implies others ultimately of God’s family later born—the after-fruits. Christian people seem to have overlooked these Scriptures so far as making application of them is concerned, and have generally come to believe that only those who are of the first-fruits will ever be saved, that there will be no after-fruits. But let us look at this type of the Passover—let us notice that it was God’s purpose to save all Israelites, and that as a nation they represented all of mankind that will ever come into harmony with God and be granted eternal life in the Land of Promise. Let us notice also that there were two passovers. There was a great one, when the whole nation by divine power was [5640]
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