Newsletter 77, September 2004

Of interest to many is the time zone and sunset tables of Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem is 31° 45’ 00” North Latitude, and 35° 00’ 00” East Longitude. For a chart of Jerusalem sunsets, see our website, www.giveshare.org/HolyDay/jerusalem-sunset.html.

Your time versus our time (Gillette, Wyoming UTC/GMT -7):

Friday at 8 PM our time: Friday your time, Hawaii 5 PM, Alaska 6 PM, Seattle 7 PM, Dallas 9 PM, Washington, D.C. 10 PM. Saturday your time: London 3 AM, Lagos 4 AM, Helsinki and Johannesburg 5 AM, Nairobi 6 AM, New Delhi 8:30 AM, Perth 11 AM, Melbourne 1 PM, Auckland 3 PM.

Sunday 11 AM our time: Sunday your time, Hawaii 8 AM, Alaska 9 AM, Seattle 10 AM, Dallas 12 noon, Washington, D.C. 1 PM., London 6 PM, Lagos 7 PM, Helsinki and Johannesburg 8 PM, Nairobi 9 PM, New Delhi 11:30 PM, Monday your time: Perth 2 AM, Melbourne 4 AM, Auckland 6 AM.

Note: for those calculating your time versus our time in Wyoming, USA, note that from April-October, we use Daylight Savings Time (one hour later than standard time).

We are to keep the Sabbath when it comes to us. For a list of sunset tables, see http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html, or write us and we will send you sunset table for a major city near you for $2.00.

Review: A Thousand Shall Fall, by Susi Hasel Mundy. Review & Herald Publishing Association, 2001, Hagerstown, MD, 172 pp. $13.00 + $2 postage from Giving & Sharing, 3316 Alberta Drive, Gillette, WY 82718. B248.

On a recent Saturday, I devoured and relished a most inspirational book. This book is not about how to work up faith in God. It is a book about faith in action, a Sabbath-keeping family who dared to keep their faith in the chaos of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Each page demonstrates the miraculous acts of the Almighty on behalf of His faithful people.

Forty-year-old Franz Hasel, a Seventh-day Adventist leader, was drafted into the German army. At the recruitment center, Hasel announced that he was a Sabbath-keeping Christian, and a conscientious objector. He was assigned to the Pioneer company with the task of building bridges for Hitler’s armies to advance. Reporting for duty, he stated, “I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I worship God on Saturday as the Bible teaches us to do. I would like to be excused from reporting for duty on my Sabbath day. Also, I do not eat pork or anything else that comes from pigs. I respectfully request permission to receive a substitute whenever pork products are served.” The Nazi Lieutenant turned beet red, “You must be mad, private! This is the German army! This battalion’s going to war, and you want Saturday off?” Under his breath he spat out, “It’s just my luck to be saddled with a religious nut!” As preposterous as it sounds, Franz Hasel, with God’s help, kept the Sabbath for almost the entire war, and “coincidences” helped him avoid pork as well. At one time, he disobeyed orders and refused to work on the Sabbath. His officer promised a court martial after the war was over. Read the book, and you will see what our God can do!

Back at the home front, Franz’s wife Helene Hasel and their three children had harrowing episodes. She kept her children from taking Saturday examinations, and stoutly resisted immense pressure to join the Nazi Party. Joining would mean extra ration cards, vacations, and many privileges. Not joining would result in difficulty obtaining food, harassment, and possibly arrest. The trials the family faced were incredible. Seventh-day Adventist Church officials advised caving in to the Nazis, but Helene Hasel stoutly refused to do so. They had to move to the country to escape arrest. Difficulties ensued there as well.

Knowing he was an expert marksman and could be tempted to kill someone in self defense, Franz threw away his handgun, and crafted a wooden one in its place and placed it in his holster. If this had been discovered by his superiors, he would have been executed. As his Pioneer Corps advanced East, it was amazing how sometimes torrential rains came on Friday, forcing the unit to rest on the Sabbath lest they get bogged down in Polish mud. By accident, he discovered a group of Jews being executed by the SS. He tried to help save lives, but was rebuffed. Part of his job was to go into the next town and obtain food for the unit. He would warn all Jews to run for their lives before the German army got there. Discovery of his heroic deeds would mean instant execution.

As the war wound down to an ignominious German defeat, Franz’s unit retreated from the Caucasus back to Germany, in a mad dash to surrender to the Americans rather than the Russians. This was the one and only time during the war that Franz lost track of time, and probably missed Sabbath. His unit barely slid through the Russian lines and gratefully surrendered to the Americans. Whew!

The climax of the story occurred when Hasel was about to be released from the American prisoner of war camp. The American colonel interrogated Hasel, “I see in your service record a notation that you are to be court-martialed after the war.” “Yes, sir,” said Franz. “What did you do to earn this?” “I refused an order for religious reasons. I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I keep the Sabbath holy as the Bible asks us to do. Once, on my day of rest, there was an attack, and I refused to do duty because it was the Sabbath.” “You can’t be serious. All through the war you kept the Sabbath in the Nazi army, and you survived?” “Yes, sir. God protected me, even in the German army.” “That’s amazing,” said the colonel. “I’m a Jew myself, by the way. But even in the American army I don’t keep the Sabbath because it’s too difficult.” “Colonel,” Franz said boldly, “I recommend that you keep the Sabbath.”

Before leaving for the war, Franz had read in family worship, “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day . . . a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee . . . For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways,” Psalm 91:5-11. All but seven of his 1,200-man unit died in the war. Man does not keep the Sabbath — the Sabbath keeps him.

I am a natural “chicken.” The brave Hasel family gives me a glint of hope that with the Almighty’s help, I can go through whatever trials come my way.

Susi Hasel was born in 1943 to Franz and Helene Hasel. She recounts the story of her parents from taped recollections and the other members of her family. She is married and currently is the Registrar of Pacific Union College, Angwin, California. You may reach Susi Hasel Mundy at smundy@puc.edu.

— by Richard C. Nickels

Did Jesus Keep the Passover?

In spite of clear Biblical teaching on the matter, some still persist in the fanciful notion that Jesus’ Last Supper was not a Passover meal, and that He observed it twenty-four hours earlier than the proper time.

See Mark 14:12, “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the Passover, His disciples said unto Him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover?” This was Tuesday evening, the beginning of Nisan (Abib) 14. This was the proper time for killing the Passover lambs, which the Jews were doing at that very time, not at 3:00 in the afternoon of Nisan 14.

In John 18:28, it says that during the trial of Jesus, early, toward the morning of Nisan 14, the Jewish leaders “went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.” There are two possibilities here: the Jewish leaders kept the Passover a day later than Jesus did, or “eat the Passover” refers to the Passover haggagah, the sacrificial offerings of the Passover, eaten at the beginning of Nisan 15, mentioned in Deuteronomy 16. This latter is perhaps the best explanation of John 18:28.

There is no scriptural evidence that the Last Supper was anything but a legitimate Passover meal at the proper time. There is no scriptural evidence that Passover lambs were to be sacrificed in the afternoon. Matthew 26:17-21 makes it very clear, “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread [first of the unleaveneds] the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover? And He said . . . I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat . . . .” See also Mark 14:16-18; Luke 22:7-15. Luke 22:7, “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed.” Not at 3:00 P.M., but shortly after sunset. Note that in Luke 22:15, Jesus says, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Jesus was not a lawbreaker who kept the Passover too early.

Those who keep the New Testament Passover service with foot washing, unleavened bread, and wine, may wish to obtain enough cups for this service. For those who keep the Passover on the beginning of Nisan 14, using the Hebrew Calendar, Giving & Sharing offers free wine cups. These plastic cups may be washed and used year after year. Just write and ask us how many cups you want.

Catholicism and Anti-Semitism

It has often been asserted that the anti-Semitism of the Catholic Church prepared the way for the Nazis. This study compares Catholic Canon Law and Nazi measures.

Canonical Law	Nazi Measure
Prohibition of intermarriage and of sexual intercourse between Christians and Jews, Synod of Elvira, A.D. 306.	Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor, September 15, 1935 (RGB1 I, 1146).
Jews and Christians not permitted to eat together, Synod of Elvira, 306.	Jews barred from dining cars (Transport Minister to Interior Minister, December 30, 1939, Document NG-3995).
Jews not allowed to hold public office, Synod of Clermont, 535.	Law for the Reestablishment of the Professional Civil Service, April 7, 1933 (RGB1 I, 175).
Jews not allowed to employ Christian servants or possess Christian slaves, third Synod of Orleans, 538.	Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor, September 15, 1935 (RGB1 I, 1146).
Jews not permitted to show themselves in the streets during Passion Week, third Synod of Orleans, 538.	Decree authorizing local authorities to bar Jews from the streets on certain days (i.e., Nazi holidays), December 3, 1933 (RGB1 I, 1676).
Burning of the Talmud and other books, 12th Synod of Toledo, 681.	Book burnings in Nazi Germany.
Christians not permitted to patronize Jewish doctors, Trulanic Synod, 692.	Decree of July 25, 1938 (RGB1, I, 969).
Christians not permitted to live in Jewish homes, Synod of Narbonne, 1050.	Directive by Göring providing for concentration of Jews in houses, December 28, 1938 (Bormann to Rosenberg, January 17, 1939, PS-69).
Jews obliged to pay taxes for support of church to the same extent as Christians, Synod of Gerona, 1078.	The “Sozialausgleichsabgabe” which provided that Jews pay a special income tax in lieu of donations for Party purposes imposed on Nazis, December 24, 1940 (RGB1 I, 1666).
Prohibition of Sunday work, Synod of Szabolcs, 1092.	N/A.
Jews not permitted to be plaintiffs, or witnesses against Christians in the courts, 3rd Lateran Council, 1179, Canon 26.	Proposal by the Party Chancellery that Jews not be permitted to institute civil suits, September 9, 1942 (Bormann to Justice Ministry, September 9, 1942, (NG-151).
Jews not permitted to withhold inheritance from descendants who accepted Christianity, 3rd Lateran Council, 1179, Canon 26.	Decree empowering the Justice Ministry to void wills offending the “sound judgment of the people,” July 31, 1938 (RGB1 I, 547).
The marking of Jewish clothes with a badge, 4th Lateran Council, 1215, Canon 68. (Copied from the legislation by Caliph Omar II [634-44], who had decreed that Christians wear blue belts and Jews, yellow belts.)	Decree of September 1, 1941 (RGB1 I, 547).
Construction of new synagogues prohibited, Council of Oxford, 1222.	Destruction of synagogues in entire Reich, November 10, 1938 (Heydrich to Göring, November 11, 1938, PS-3058).
Christians not permitted to attend Jewish ceremonies, Synod of Vienna, 1267.	Friendly relations with Jews prohibited, October 24, 1941 (Gestapo directive, L-15).
Jews not permitted to dispute with simple Christian people about the tenets of the Catholic religion, Synod of Vienna, 1267.	N/A.
Compulsory ghettoes, Synod of Breslau, 1267.	Order by Heydrich, September 21, 1939 (PS-3363).
Christians not permitted to sell or rent real estate to Jews, Synod of Ofen, 1279.	Decree providing for compulsory sale of Jewish real estate, December 3, 1938 (RGB1 I, 1709).
Adoption by a Christian of the Jewish religion or return by a baptized Jew to the Jewish religion defined as a heresy, Synod of Mainz, 1310.	Adoption by a Christian of the Jewish religion places him in jeopardy of being treated as a Jew. Decision by Oberlandesgericht Königsberg, 4th Zivilsenat, June 26, 1942 (Die Judenfrage [Vertrauliche Beilage], November 1, 1942, pp. 82-83).
Sale or transfer of church articles to Jews prohibited, Synod of Lavour, 1368.	N/A.
Jews not permitted to act as agents in the conclusion of contracts between Christians, especially marriage contracts, Council of Basel, 1434, Sessio XIX.	Decree of July 6, 1938, providing for liquidation of Jewish real estate agencies, brokerage agencies, and marriage agencies catering to non-Jews (RGB1 I, 823).
Jews not permitted to obtain academic degrees, Council of Basel, 1434, Sessio XIX.	Law against Overcrowding of German Schools and Universities, April 25, 1933 (RGB1 I, 225).

— From the book, Christian Anti-Semitism, A History of Hate, by William Nichols, pages 204-206, supplied by James Tabor. Today, anti-Semitism is growing, especially in Western Europe. The Church of God stands unalterably opposed to hatred against Jews, and continues to warn against a resurgence of neo-nazism.

What is the Minimum Age for Baptism?

Question: I know there is no minimum age for baptism in Scripture, although there are certain criteria. If you had to pick a minimum age, what would it be? We have an eleven-year-old girl who wants to be baptized at the Feast this year.

Answer: Believer’s baptism is clearly indicated in the scriptures, Acts 2:38, 8:12; Mark 16:15-16.

In the Nineteenth Century and earlier, kids matured and got married and raised families by the time they were sixteen to eighteen. Now, it takes longer for kids to mature, in western industrialized nations. Therefore, in today’s society, I would definitely not baptize someone eleven years old. I would consider a sixteen year old’s request, and examine evidence of maturity. Under sixteen, I would generally say no. It would have to be a very rare case where a person under sixteen would be old enough to make this mature adult decision. In other countries, it would be possible for children to mature to adulthood at an earlier age than in America. In America, it would be possible for a 25-year-old person not to be mature enough to be baptized. The decision must be an individual decision, not influenced by parents, spouses, and friends.

In the United States, you have to be fifteen or sixteen to drive a car, and eighteen years old to drink alcoholic beverages. Even our society recognizes that young people under these ages are not mature enough for even these rather limited responsibilities. Baptism is a whole lot more serious than driving a car.

One could ask, what is the harm in baptizing a very young person? Baptism is as serious as marriage. It is a commitment that must last for eternity. Both baptism and marriage are only for adults who are willing and able to comprehend a lifelong commitment. By entering into the eternal commitment of baptism too soon, shipwreck could result. That is why the Church of God shuns child baptism.

A very young person may be greatly enthused about following God and extremely desirous of baptism. We must not spoil their zeal, but kindly explain to them that baptism is an adult decision. They can still serve God now, before baptism, and we must encourage them to do so.

“Otweadu Ampong Kwame” — Great God Whose Day is Saturday

The Akan people, who form a greater part of the population of Ghana, worshipped God on Saturday for centuries before the Europeans arrived in West Africa. Ghana, whose history can be traced back farther than that of any other country in West Africa, was a highly organized and powerful nation. By about 300 AD more than 40 kings ruled in Ghana and the country was divided into provinces. While the Akan people did not have access to the Bible, they worshipped the God who provided them with life, rain, sunshine, and harvest.

In Ghana, God is still known today as Otweadu Ampong Kwame, “The Great God Whose Day is Saturday.” Most children born in Ghana have as their first name the name of the day on which they were born. For instance, a child born on Tuesday has that as his first name. A boy born on Saturday would have the first name Kwame. Since God was never born, His day, Saturday, is added to His name: Otweadu Ampong Kwame.

When the Europeans introduced Sunday as the day to worship God, the Ghanan people found it most unusual. The white man became known everywhere as Kwasi Buroni, or “White Man Whose Day is Sunday.” Even in many villages today the children call the white man Kwasi Buroni, because he introduced Sunday worship.

— from article by Thorvald Kristensen, Review and Herald, October 2, 1975, p. 17.

Annals of the World, by James Ussher

If you have a Bible with dates in the margins, you may see that the creation is dated as 4004 B.C. This dating is not actually part of the Bible, but the product of research of James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of Ireland, and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College in Dublin. He was highly regarded in his day as a churchman and as a scholar. Of his many works, his treatise on chronology, Annals of the World, is the most famous. Originally written in Latin, it is now available for the first time in English.

Based on an intricate correlation of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean histories and Holy writ, Ussher’s chronology was incorporated into an authorized version of the Bible printed in 1701, and thus came to be regarded with almost as much unquestioning reverence as the Bible itself. Having established the first day of creation as Sunday, October 23, 4004 B.C., Ussher calculated the dates of other Biblical events, concluding, for example, that Adam and Eve were driven from Paradise on Monday November 10, 4004 B.C., and that the ark touched down on Mt Ararat on May 5, 1491 B.C., on a Wednesday.

Some of the interesting things Ussher discusses in his book, are: Why was Julius Caesar kidnapped in 75 B.C.? Why did Alexander the Great burn his ships in 326 B.C.? What really happened when the sun “went backward” as a sign to Hezekiah? What does secular history say about the darkness at the Crucifixion?

In the years 1650-1654, James Ussher set out to write a history of the world from creation to A.D. 70. The result was published in 1658 as the literary classic, The Annals of the World. This famous comprehensive history of the world, originally published in Latin, offers a look at history rarely seen. Ussher traveled throughout Europe, gathering much information from historical documents. Many of these documents are no longer available, having been destroyed since the time of his research. Using the Bible as his timeline, Ussher began with the death of Nebuchadnezzar as a reliable date and worked backward through the genealogies of the Old Testament to arrive at the date of creation — 4004 B.C. Integrating Biblical history (around 15% of the text is from the Bible) with secular (around 85% of the material is from non-Biblical sources), Ussher compiled this masterpiece.

Considered not only a literary classic, but also an accurate reference, The Annals of the World was so highly regarded for its preciseness, that the timeline from it was included in the margins of many King James Version Bibles throughout the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth centuries, calling to mind the fact that the earth is only around 6,000 years old. The fact that Ussher’s chronology has been deleted from Bibles is evidence of the Church’s backsliding into the deceptive ideas of evolution.

The Annals of the World, 960 pages, $69.95 retail, is a great addition to any church library, pastor’s library, or any library — public or personal. The entire text has been updated from Seventeenth-century English to present-day vernacular in a five-year project commissioned by Master Books. Containing many human-interest stories from the original historical documents collected by Ussher, this is more than just a history book — it’s a work of history. This important literary work has been inaccessible in book form for over 300 years. Includes a CD of Ussher’s Chronology of the World — full of color charts, graphs, timelines, and much, much more. Translated into modern English for the first time, it traces world history from creation through A.D. 70. There are over 10,000 footnotes from the original text, which have been updated to references from works in the Loeb Classical Library by Harvard Press, over 2,500 citations from the Bible and the Apocrypha, and eight appendices. Ussher’s original citations have been checked against the latest textual scholarship.

The book is made of the highest quality material: Smyth sewn, gold-gilded edges, foil embossing on front, back, and spine. The cover is in the style of classic literary works, and the book is packaged in a beautiful box for display purposes and durability. Order your copy from Giving & Sharing for $65 (US) or $75 (outside North America).

The Day Jesus the Christ Died, by Fred R. Coulter

Mel Gibson’s epic movie, The Passion of the Christ, has shocked its audiences with stark realism and bloody brutality — a powerful emotional presentation! As gripping and controversial as it was, millions who experienced the movie did not realize that it was a combination of the Gospel accounts, tradition, mysticism, and artistic license — telling less than half of the story.

Completely absent from Gibson’s account was any mention of the name or meaning of the day Jesus was crucified. Yet, that Day of Destiny is the central theme and purpose of the entire Bible and of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. In fact, the day Jesus the Christ died was planned and predetermined before the world was created!

If you believe Gibson’s portrayal of the suffering and crucifixion of Christ accurately represents the Scriptures, then you need to read the full account contained in this book.

The Day Jesus the Christ Died — the Biblical Truth About His Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection, by Fred R. Coulter, 160 pages, presents “the rest of the story” — the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

Without the true historical and Biblical facts, no one can fully understand the meaning of Jesus Christ’s horrific, humiliating and gruesome death by beating, scourging and crucifixion.

Gibson’s movie had lots of blood and gore, but did not explain the meaning of the shed blood of Jesus the Christ. Coulter explains the multi-faceted meaning of the blood of Christ. Jesus ratified the New Covenant with His blood. He redeems sinners, removes sins, justifies and sanctifies sinners, purifies the conscience, and brings peace with God, through His blood. Further, Christ’s blood gives us direct access to God the Father, builds His Church, delivers Christians from the devil, and perfects Christians through His blood. “For this is My blood, the blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins,” Matthew 26:28.

Fred R. Coulter, presents the full Biblical account in a most compelling way, affecting your mind, not your emotions as the Gibson movie does. As you will see, the truth is more astounding and profound than all of the ideas, superstitions, traditions and wrong beliefs of men! This 160-page book, $16.95 retail, is available from Giving & Sharing for $3.50 to cover postage and handling ($10 outside U.S.A.).

Franklin Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

When traveling, or just reading my Bible, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is often too big and cumbersome to take along. The paper version weighs over six pounds. Now, there is a light alternative, weighing only one ounce.

To quickly look up a verse when I know a few of its words, I use the Franklin Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, an electronic marvel. It fits in the back of my KJV Bible and is instantly ready to locate any scripture. The keyboard is paper thin, but very adequate for my fingers.

Note: this concordance does not have Strong’s Hebrew and Greek numbers, nor can it be used to look up scriptures by book, chapter, and verse like the Franklin Electronic Bible. The Franklin Concordance’s main purpose is to find a passage when you know one or more words of that scripture. Features include: Ultra thin, light and portable — clips onto any Bible or Book; two, three or four-line display and tilt screen for optimal viewing; phonetic spell correction — enter a word (or words) by how it sounds; Expand Search capability — finds other relevant and meaningful verses; time/date; calculator; databank; ribbon bookmark.

At $49.95 plus postage ($5 U.S.A., $12 International), the Franklin Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, EBC-530, ISBN 1-59074-244-3, may be ordered from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849, or from our website at: www.giveshare.org/library/franklin-concordance.html.

— by Richard C. Nickels

City	UTC
London, England; Dublin, Ireland; Accra, Ghana	0
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sao Paulo, Brazil	-3
St. John’s, Newfoundland	-3.5
Halifax, NS; Santiago, Chile; Caracas, Venezuela	-4
New York, Atlanta, Miami; Toronto, Canada; Bogota, Colombia; Lima, Peru	-5
Chicago, St. Louis, Houston; Winnipeg, Canada; Mexico City	-6
Denver, Phoenix, Gillette; Edmonton, Canada	-7
San Francisco, California; Vancouver, Canada	-8
Anchorage, Juneau, Alaska	-9
Honolulu, Hawaii	-10
Pago Pago, Samoa	-11
Wellington, New Zealand; Fiji	12
Sydney, Australia	10
Adelaide, Australia	9.5
Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea	9
Perth, Australia; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Manila, Philippines	8
Bangkok, Thailand	7
Rangoon, Mynamar	6.5
New Delhi, India	5.5
Kabul, Afghanistan	4.5
Teheran, Iran	3.5
Moscow, Russia; Nairobi, Kenya	3
Helsinki, Finland; Athens, Greece; Jerusalem, Israel; Cairo, Egypt; Johannesburg, South Africa	2
Paris; Berlin; Rome; Madrid; Vienna; Lagos, Nigeria	1