Bible Believers' Bulletin
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BIBLE BELIEVERS’ BULLETIN August 2019 Page 1 Bible Believers’ Bulletin Vol. 43 No. 8 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17) August 2019 The Two Brides By Brian Donovan (showing the second coming con- The Lord repeatedly uses simili- nected to the Feast of Tabernacles tudes in the scriptures to prophesy in September-October). In that day, future events, as well as to teach the “glory of Lebanon” shall come us some details about those events. to Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:13), and we The Lord said that he has “spoken are told that any of the “sons also of by the prophets, and…multiplied them that afflicted thee shall come visions, and used similitudes, by bending unto thee” (verse 14). Some the ministry of the prophets” (Hosea years ago, the leader of Hamas in 12:10). The Bible believer searches Lebanon by the name of Nasrallah, the scriptures for these types and made a bold claim that “The Leba- finds that they yield hidden truths nese are capable of defeating Israel that are not found in any other man- and making it disappear...therefore, ner. When the Lord uses the words Hezbollah will not recognize Israel, “like” or “as”, the Bible student should not today, not tomorrow, NOT IN 1000 pay close attention and study the YEARS” (emphasis mine). All Mr. Nas- picture or similitude that is given. For rallah has to do to wipe out Israel is instance, the Lord says that the sun to stop the Sun and the moon in their is “as a bridegroom coming out of courses and prevent the day and night his chamber”, in which He has “set in their season (Jeremiah 33:19-20). a tabernacle” (Psalm 19:4-5). So if Then, and only then, will he be able the student begins to study the Sun, to break the covenant that the Lord he will find truths about the coming of made with David and stop his Son, the the Bridegroom. The sun comes up Lord Jesus Christ from sitting on the in the morning (Malachi 4, II Samuel throne in Jerusalem to be worshipped 23:4), in a time when “darkness shall by all of the Gentile world. The Lord cover the earth, and gross darkness uses many other similitudes to teach the people” (Isaiah 60:1-2), and the and prophesy events, and the histori- sun moves out of his “tabernacle” cal books of Ruth and Esther are two great examples. In This Bulletin In the only two books of the Bible The Two Brides ................................1 that are named after women (Ruth and Esther), we are given two exceptional, The Game of Life .............................2 prophetic similitudes of two future Joseph Smith: His Satanic Vision brides. The book of Ruth is the story And Moron Angel........................13 of a lost Gentile woman, without hope Faith From Hell ..............................24 Continued on 8 Page 2 August 2019 BIBLE BELIEVERS’ BULLETIN The Game of Life By Dr. Peter S. Ruckman never get back.” “For all our days are passed I’ve played baseball, but I never away in thy wrath: we spend our did really enjoy it. To me, there is too years as a tale that is told. The much “hot-dogging” (showing off) and days of our years are threescore talk. The biggest “thrill” I ever got out years and ten; and if by reason of of the game was twice as a kid when strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away . So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psa. 90:9–10, 12). The life of a man is likened to many things in the word of God. In the text before us, it is like “a tale that is told”: it is a story that is told and then it ends. In Psalm 39:5, it is likened to I was playing catcher: I got hit by the a “handbreadth.” James 4:14 likens batter as he swung. it to “a vapour, that appeareth for One of my boys sat through a game a little time, and then vanisheth once that went 23 innings. I can’t away.” In Job 9:25, it is likened to a imagine sitting nearly seven hours horse taking off from a post in a race, watching a baseball game. The lon- and in the next verse (Job 9:26), it is gest game ever played was at Paw- likened to an eagle diving to seize its tucket, Rhode Island on April 18–19, prey. 1981, between the Pawtucket Red It occurred to me in studying these Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. It similitudes that life is like a game. I started at 8:25 Saturday evening on have never been much on sports. I like April 18 and went for 33 innings, end- to play certain games, but just watch- ing at 4:07 Sunday morning (on Easter ing has never appealed to me. One Sunday) on April 19. It started out with of the few games that I like to play 1,740 fans in the stadium, and by the and watch is hockey, but I don’t really time it was over, there were only nine- care who wins if I am just watching the teen spectators left. People talk about game (as long as it isn’t Pittsburgh). us Bible believers being fanatics; to sit Now the game for Americans is for eight-and-a-half hours through the supposed to be baseball (although night and into the wee hours of the you would never know it around foot- morning watching a ball game: that’s ball season): it is called “the great fanaticism! American pastime.” You know, “Take When I was coming up, the big me out to the ball game, Take me out thing was baseball cards. These with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts were cards with pictures of all the and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I Continued on 3 BIBLE BELIEVERS’ BULLETIN August 2019 Page 3 The Game of Life Continued from 2 What’s right for one may not be right “big names” in the game: Babe Ruth, for another.” What would you think of Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe a game where every player was his Dimaggio, Willie Mays, et al. When own umpire or his own referee? Why, Major League Baseball started out in it would be chaos, man. No game on 1874, the highest-paid player received this earth is played without some set $2,800 for a season. When Ty Cobb of rules that are objective and not sub- played between 1914 and 1921, he ject to the whims of the players. started out at $15,000 and went up to “The rules” are what is known as $25,000. When “the Babe” was at the “absolute truth,” and that’s what this height of his career, he was getting bunch of socialistic, drunk, dope- $80,000. Nolan Ryan was the first to headed, sex-obsessed, neurotic make a million dollars in 1980, and college professors can’t stand. The ever since 1997, the top players are capital of Florida is not Dallas, Texas. earning ten million, twenty million, It doesn’t matter what you think about and thirty million just to hit, catch, it—it’s not. Certain things are so, and and throw a baseball. Isn’t that some- certain things are not so, and nobody’s thing? Over thirty million dollars just opinions or feelings mean anything for waving a stick around. Personally, about them one way or another. I think players’ salaries in any sport Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:5 that if a should be capped at two million a man doesn’t “strive lawfully” in life year. Brother, if you can’t live on two he won’t receive the crown for win- million a year, you need to be locked ning. So life has set rules, and they up where you can’t hurt yourself or are NOT relative. In the locker room anybody else. (Some whit said once, of the Washington Capitals hockey “A million dollars doesn’t go as far as team, there is a sign above the door it used to.”) as the players go out to the game: “If Now I want to talk to you about the you don’t win fair, you don’t win at all.” game of life. I am going to liken life In other words, if you cheat and break to a sports game; specifically, base- the rules, you haven’t really won the ball. The first thing I want to say is: game, no matter if you did get the all games have rules. You might find highest score. some minor game like “bloodball,” Second, in any game, the rules are made up by a bunch of guys who just defined in a book. There is an expres- get together to prove how tough they sion that says, “according to Hoyle”; are, that has no rules (although I had it means that in a dispute, the two to make the rule that a player couldn’t parties consult the standard authority lose his temper, and if he did, he was to settle the matter. Edmond Hoyle out of the game), but all professional was an English lawyer who lived from games like baseball have set rules. 1672–1769. He wrote a book on the Why would anyone think there rules for card games that is still con- were no rules for life? Well, if there sidered the final authority on them to are rules to life, what are they? Your this day.