W. E. Read

The last twelve months will long be remembered as months of crisis in world affairs. As the weeks and months have passed by, we have seen thrones totter and fall, countries overrun by the oppressor, and full play given…

The disciples, who had left all to follow the Master, were busy men. They la­bored earnestly for the people. Heavy demands were made upon their time and strength. They were kept so occupied that there was scarcely time…

Centuries ago the inspired apostle declared that "in the last days perilous times shall come." In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that "evil men . . . shall wax worse and worse." And the Saviour Him­self, looking forward…

We are living in a time of great changes. On every hand standards are giving way. The high ideals of democracy, freedom, and moral excellence are in many lands trailing in the dust. Civilization as we have known it, with…

The literature ministry is to be closely associated with the work of public evangelism. Really, it is a vital part of our appeal to those who are learning their way into the truth of God. That which the preacher declares from the plat­form…

From time to time questions arise in the minds of some concerning how often the ordinances of the Lord's house should be cele­brated. Should this be weekly, monthly, quar­terly, or yearly?

Some groups, such as the established churches…

Some months ago I read a book, the author of which set out with the express purpose of proving not only that Jesus did not rise from the dead, but that in fact He never existed. He maintained that the idea of Christ grew out of myth and legend.…

If there is one name sweeter than another in a believer's ear, it is the name of Jesus. Jesus! The life of all our joys. Jesus! It is the name which moves all the harps of heaven to melody. If there be one name more charming, more precious…

In this article we shall give consideration to Christ our Lord as the "firstborn." The expression "firstborn," or as we find it in the Greek, prototokos, is applied to Jesus of Nazareth seven times in the New Testament.

Two…

In this presentation, we shall give consideration to some vital and important as­pects of the sonship of our Lord. In doing this, however, it must ever be remembered that much we would like to know pertaining to this theme has not been revealed.…

One of the profound truths of divine revelation is that Jesus the Messiah is "The Word of God." He is so desig­nated in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

In the same apostle's…

In the Old Testament Scriptures there is a gradual unfolding of the Messianic concept, and this was God's plan in preparing His an­cient people for the Coming One, the Mashiach-Messiah, or the Anointed One. The idea of "anointing" is seen…

In our article last month we outlined the Biblical background of the gift of tongues. We saw that there was a definite purpose in this gift of the Spirit, and that purpose was the sal­vation of souls—souls who might not be reached perhaps…

The subject of the gift of tongues is one on which there are differing views, and one which has given a good deal of con­cern to religious groups through the dec­ades. The seeming revival during recent years in many quarters has brought the…

IN A WAY, one would have to answer Yes to the ques­tion "Do we owe a debt to the Jew?" But we must remember that "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). The apostle Paul regarded himself
as "debtor both to the Greeks, and to…

There are at least 90,000 former Seventh-day Adventists living within reach of our churches in North America. To be exact, during the past sixteen years 94,848 people have been dropped from our churches in this division, as having either…

Exploring the Word of God

W. E. READ, General Conference Field Secretary

 It is incumbent upon every minister of God that he search diligently the Divine Oracles. This means more than hastily glancing at the pages of Holy…

IT is a special duty as well as a unique privi­lege to study the Word of the living God. The intrepid apostle Paul, centuries ago gave this vital counsel: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15). However, few of the English…

IV. A Clean Universe

IN THE previous three articles we have consid­ered the Hebrew word tsadaq, and the reasons why it was rendered "cleansed" in the LXX and in several of the English translations. 

That the…

ON MORE than one oc­casion in this series of articles, we have em­phasized that the LXX translations give katha­rizo as the translation…

NOTE: This article, the second of four, was originally written for a committee studying certain problems of the book of Daniel. It was felt that the material was suitable for a dual purpose, aside from the committee records. First,…

NOTE: This article, the first of four, was originally written for a committee studying certain problems in the book of Daniel. It was felt that the material was suitable for a dual purpose, aside from the committee records. First, the…

From time to time questions arise con­cerning our position on the recognition of the day-for-a-year principle in the interpretation of the prophetic periods in symbolic prophecies. We are reminded that the two passages we have used through…

THROUGH the centuries, the question has been raised as to whether it was a serpent that deceived Eve, or whether it was Satan who spoke through and used the serpent as the medium of ap­proach.

Some maintain that as the serpent was…

THE word Messiah is found but four times in the Bible (K.J.V.)—twice in the Old Testament (Dan. 9:25 and 26), and twice in the New Testament (John 1:41; 4:25). However, the Hebrew word Maschiach, rendered "Mes­siah" in Daniel,…

IN THE July issue of this journal we reviewed some of the Biblical evidences for a pre-Advent or investigative phase of God's great judg­ment work. In these presenta­tions we are setting forth scriptural reasons for our Adventist position…

This is the second of a series of articles discussing certain doctrinal differences be­tween those of Seventh-day Adventists and those presented in the recent book "The Truth About Seventh-day Adventism," by Walter R. Martin.…

III. The Relation of the Seventy Weeks to the 2300 Days

CONSIDER the contextual setting of Daniel 9:24-27! Our historical position has been that chapters 8 and 9 of the book of Daniel are intimately related, chapter 9 being a further…

THE title of this article has particular reference to one of the time prophecies in the book of Daniel. This is stated in our Bibles as "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people" (Dan. 9:24). This seems to be the only place the expression…

WE HAVE come now to the close of this series of articles, the section that deals with the mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God on the clay of Pentecost after the ascension of Christ.

What a remarkable experience came to that waiting…

IT IS interesting, and quite informative, to observe how the writers of the various books of the New Testament rendered into Greek the divine names when making reference to passages in the Sacred Oracles. There is very little evidence that…

THE expression "the Lord thy God" reminds us of the Saviour's words to Satan in the wilderness of temptation: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matt. 4:7).

As indicated near the close of the last article,…

IN OUR approach to this vital and important theme, it is well for us to pray for a well-balanced mind a mind that will not go to an extreme on a single text, but will give careful and thoughtful study to other and similar passages in Holy…

The sanctuary service of ancient days gave to the people of God an object lesson in the great plan of redemption. The sacrifices offered involved not only the shedding of blood but also the presenting of that blood by the high priest. The…

While a General Conference field secretary, Elder Read was chairman of the Biblical Research Committee and editor of The Israelite. He is now retired in Takoma Park. WE ALL recognize that John 1:1 highlights the deity of our Lord and Saviour…

Does the purchase and preparation of spices by the women, as recorded in Mark 16:1 and, Luke 23:56, refer to two separate occasions, or did both writers refer to the same act of purchase before the Sabbath?

It is quite evident…

"REPENT ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which be fore was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive…

Thus wrote the beloved apostle after he was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah promised by the ancient prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

For many years it has been commonly considered that John obtained this concept…

AN IMPRESSIVE and vital message of the "long ago" has a very pertinent and solemn appeal for us today. Many cen­turies have passed since David, in his ear­lier years, uttered a profound truth when he declared, "the king's business required…

BEGINNING with the next issue of THE MINISTRY a column entitled Messianic Mileposts will present some of the scriptures of the Old Testament that
point to the Messiah. One text will be singled out for study in each issue. The…

IN THE presentation last month did we not have an adequate back ground for an appraisal and understanding of the texts involved in Colossians and Ephesians? Were not the expressions Paul used familiar to those to whom he wrote? Did they not…

COLOSSIANS 2:14 is an important and vital pas sage of the Word of God. It appears in the general body of counsel in this chapter, and evidently is intended by the apostle Paul to be a blessing to the saints at Colosse and to solve some of…

In Isaiah 65:22

Declaring, through His prophet Isaiah, some of the wonderful conditions that will obtain in the new earth, the Lord God says in part: "As the days of a tree are the days of my people" (Isa. 65:22).…