Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #9 Restored names and Sacred Name Bibles

In the previous chapter we showed that in the 1980ies and 1990ies publishers looked for way to have some cheap material easily printed and reproduced. For them the Word of God or the Bible looked very handy to use, because when they changed here and there some words they could publish it freely without having to bother about copyrights. In those years lots of economical and political problems started showing up, the Gulf War and beginning pressure from Islamic terrorist groups, making that people went looking for alternatives and solutions for making their life better.

From the time that all sorts of translations were provided for different groups of people, like housewives, prisoners, blue-coloured workman, modern women and modern man – Good News for modern man New Testament in Today’s English Version

Many publishers knocking the ball around presented booklets, pocket editions but also hard-covers with fragments and with full texts of the Bible. Many wanted to bring out a ‘fresh’ or ‘up-to-date’ Bible translations which could draw on a particular group of people or could be favoured by a particular denomination. For some it did not matter so much when the words got twisted a little-bit or when the translation was so loosely done it went very far from the original Holy Writings.  The Good News Bible, which also presented a version for the ‘modern man’ is such a Bible translation were too much liberty is taken, but which manage to continue to exist until today.

Though for those thematic bibles, like the Poverty and justice Bible [2009; using the clear Contemporary English Version (CEV) text], the Street bible (2003) or The Word on the Street (2004), which was was one of the bestselling religious books for the next two years, Modern Man Bible, Women’s devotional Bible,the aim may well have been to help people to apply God’s Word to their everyday life, but too many do forget that all those notes are human additions. Lots of readers of such works take those human notes as part of the bible and start thinking that the bible is saying what those theologians say.

The full versions and study Bibles, like the The Full Life Study Bible (revised as the Life in the Spirit Study Bible) could find a long life, whilst the books which had only a selection of Bible texts have disappeared in obscurity.

The Liberator (2006) a retelling of the life of Jesus based on the gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke, could find perhaps a prolonged life because of the Lacey Theatre Company toured shows based on this book in 2007 and 2008, and extracts also being performed in “St David’s Praise” (31 May 2008, St David’s Hall in Cardiff).

Titlepage and dedication from a 1612-1613 King James Bible, printed by Robert Barker. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Coming closer to the 400th birthday of the publication of the Authorised King James version, several companies also started bringing new King James Versions, whilst others found it time to not only update the language but to restore the names and present the words like it would be linguistic right.

Some of the new King James versions around the turn of the century did not alter the language much, like the minor very conservative update of the King James Version, the 21st Century King James Version bible, which stays true to the Textus Receptus and does not delete Bible passages based on Alexandrian Greek manuscripts. Obsolete and certain archaic words are eliminated but further it preserves the traditional Biblical language, making it possible to have all those using a King James Bible to follow easily. The 21st Century King James Version has also been released in an edition with the Apocrypha and without the unusual formatting; this is known as the Third Millennium Bible.

Having taken 7 years to complete the New King James Version (NKJV) already commissioned in 1975, published by HarperCollins (a subsidiary of News Corp), conceived by Arthur Farstad with 130 biblical scholars, pastors, and theologians, alters the language more significantly from the 1611 King James Version, but still trying to retain the purity and stylistic beauty of the original.
The exceptionally rich and accurate translation of the Holy Scripture became first available in 1982 but got more in the picture around the 400th birthday of the original KJV, also receiving some new study edition.

The purpose of the New King James Version was to preserve the authority and accuracy, as well as the rhythm and beauty of the original King James while making it understandable to 21st century readers. The result is an even better King James, scrupulously faithful to the original, yet truly updated to enhance its clarity and readability. There are several other good modern Bible translations available, but none does a better job of presenting the accuracy, beauty, and clarity that Bible readers need than the New King James Version. The Second Edition includes more features according the editors to make it the best all-purpose study Bible which sold to date: more than 1.3 million and more than 60 million copies for the stand alone NKJV.

The NKJV claiming to be “more accurate” because it leaves untranslated words like “Gehenna,” “Hades” and “Sheol” is misleading the people and has the only reason not to bump some church-member’s head. They choose for security not to knock against those who keep insistently wrong teachings of having gehenna/hades/sheol being a place of doom, the hell, where so called sinners would be penalised for their sins, instead of an abode of the dead, the grave/tomb. For that reason also many present bibles are afraid to print the Divine Name of God (יהוה) where it stood in the original writings, because also there people would come clearly to see about whom is been spoken and soon would come to see the difference between Jehovah God and Jehovah God His only begotten beloved son, יהושׁע Jeshua, where all of those KJV’s print Jesus.

But some of the newer versions restored the names. By them avoiding, where most trinitarians loved to see “Lord“, having titles placed instead of the original names, using the names of the people makes it much clearer for the bible reader about whom is been spoken, and as such mistaking one person fro the other is avoided. This way the Restored Name Versions and the New European Version are King James versions which haven taken up the old way of presenting God’s Name like it was in the original King James version, to leave no doubt when is spoken about the God of gods or about the son of God.

For the English Bible translations God’s Divine Name was already in the William Tyndale Bible of  1530 and in the King James Version in 1611. The excuse of avoiding the risk of taking God’s name (יהוה/YHWH) in vain, according to devout Christians was not necessary any more, because Jeshua liberated us from the curse of sin and restored the relationship between God and man. After the sacrifice of God‘s only begotten son, man does not have to be afraid any more to come up to God and speak to Him using His Sacred Name. Being convinced of the restored relationship and feeling that we as children of God not only may use His Name but should spread His Name, several Sacred Name Bibles started seeing the light.

When we look at the original texts and see how frequent that Divine Name appears, and hear how God speaks about His Name, we should comprehend its importance. The Tetragrammaton occurs 6,828 times in the Hebrew text (BHK and BHS). This is confirmed by the Theologisches Handwörterbuch zum Alten Testament, Vol. I, edited by E. Jenni and C. Westermann, 3rd ed., Munich and Zurich, 1978, cols. 703, 704. The New World Translation renders the Tetragrammaton as “Jehovah” in all occurrences.

The knowledge of the correct pronunciation of God’s name was there at the time of Christ, as it was heard at least by the high priest until 70 CE  and respectively its utterance was common practice until at least the 1st century CE, but Hebrew speaking people can and do read the name in some groups as well as the majority of Messianic Jews who also accept that the relationship between God and man is restored by the Mashiah or Messiah.

The Jerusalem Bible: Reader’s Edition Hardcover – Abridged, February 15, 2000

Though throughout history there have been several versions which used God’s Name Jehovah or placed Yahweh for the Tetragrammaton, like The Jerusalem Bible (JB or TJB) (translated from the French La Bible de Jérusalem of 1956, revived and updated in 1973), first introduced to the English-speaking public at the time when the fear for the users of God’s Name (the Jehovah Witnesses started growing) in 1966 and published by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes the traditional 73 books found in most English translations until the mid 19th century: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonical books as the Old Testament, and the 27 books shared by all Christians as the New Testament. It also contains copious footnotes and introductions. It is the basis of the Lectionary for Mass used in Catholic worship throughout England, Wales, and the majority of the English-speaking world outside the United States and Canada, though the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has approved other translations for conditional liturgical use.

The New American Bible (With the Revised Book of Psalms and the Revised New Testament) New American Bible Revised ed. Edition by World Bible Publishing St

For the dioceses of the United States and the Philippines the New American Bible (NAB) Catholic Bible translation first published in 1970 is used, also being approved by the Episcopal Church in the United States. The spelling of proper names found in this edition departs from the ones found in older Catholic Bible versions, such as the Douay, and instead adopts those commonly found in Protestant Bibles.

The Revised New American Bible (RNAB) had the traditional phraseology — absent from the 1970 edition — restored to the New Testament, and having several non-traditional gender-neutral terms incorporated in its 1986 version. The New Testament was almost completely revised, and bears a much closer resemblance to the 1941 Confraternity version, as opposed to the much more periphrastic 1970 NAB NT. In 1991 the Book of Psalms was amended to introduce the use of extensive gender-neutral language. The last update is from 2011, including the newly revised Old Testament and re-revised Psalms, and the revised New Testament from the second edition.

Several English people did not like it that God’s Name was printed and would have preferred the Name of God be left unpronounced, or substituted with Lord or another title. In 1985, the English translation was completely updated. This new translation — known as the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) — was freshly translated from the original languages and not tied to any French translation any-more (except indirectly, as it maintained many of the stylistic and interpretive choices of the French Jerusalem Bible).

When the the Catholic Truth Society in 2007 published the CTS New Catholic Bible, consisting of the original 1966 Jerusalem Bible text, prepared by the faculty of the Dominican Biblical School in Jerusalem, on the basis of the Hebrew and Greek and revised to match its use in lectionaries throughout most English-speaking countries, in conformity with the directives of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the Pontifical Biblical Commission the name “Yahweh” was replaced by “the LORD” throughout the Old Testament, which frequently departs from the traditional Masoretic text, and the Psalms have been completely replaced by the 1963 Grail Psalter. The revised text is accompanied by new introductions, and textual and liturgical notes, supplemented as needed with material from the notes to the New Jerusalem Bible.

In the 1990s the ex-Jehovah Witness Mark Heber Miller started working at a contemporary American literal version with limited paraphrase translation with non-trinitarian notes. The Nazarene Friends, several Bible Students and the Belgian Christadelphians started using his work in progress. The Nazarene Friends and Belgian Christadelphians from the end of the 1990s started distributing a digital version in the Online Bible Biblical software program, with Larry Pierce, of his bible translation 21st Century Version of the Christian Scripture and of his Nazarene commentary.  After several Windows renovations and adaptations in the Online Bible program those modules did not work any more, and no computer technician could be found to rework the material. As such we and many others can not use it digitally, though brother Marcus Ampe is working at it and placing it again in an Online Bible module. The printed copies where offered to the public from 2007 onwards.

Concerning “the scriptures” we can think of any Religious texts (also known as scripture, or scriptures, from the Latin scriptura, meaning “a writing” ) having the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or central to their religious tradition.

Religious texts may be used to evoke a deeper connection with the divine, convey spiritual truths, promote mystical experience, foster communal identity, and to guide individual and communal spiritual practice. {Free encyclopedia Wikipedia on Religious text}

But we, like other Belgian Christadelphians, Messianic Jews and Messianic Christians (sic), use also a literal Bible translation with the name “The Scriptures“, which follows the order of books of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh, and restored the Name of the Most High, (יהוה) throughout. Where it had become fashion in the 1980ies and 1990ies to replace the tetragrammaton with the title Lord instead of putting the Divine Name where it should belong, in 1998 the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR) published “a literal translation of the Bible in English”. In the 2009 version they made it easier having the Hebrew names of Book Titles placed on the right hand pages with corresponding traditional English names on the left hand pages. They do not only use the divine Name (the tetragrammaton), יהוה, {Jehovah} but also restored original Hebrew personal names of people and places, such as “Yirmeyahu” for Jeremiah, “Yeshayahu”, for Isaiah and “Mosheh” for Moses and in the Messianic Scriptures, or New Testament, יהושׁע { Y’hoshua / Yeshua = Jeshua for Jesus his real name}, “Mattithyahu” for Matthew etc..

(Hebrew names are also used where possible for annual festival days, as well as being used, minimally, for ambiguous words).

Opposite to the Hebraic Roots Version Scriptures (HRV), which contains over 2000 footnotes giving important alternate readings from the Aramaic Peshitta Tanakh, Aramaic Targums, Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek Septuagint, and Samaritan Pentateuch, The Scriptures has no place given for doctrinal comments from footnotes, explanatory notes etc., (including deletion of prophecy hairlines) in favour of more useful notes – thus clearing away obstacles to your unbiased study of Scripture.

For many english people accustomed to the KJV order of books it may demand some adaptation to come used to the original order of the Tanakh (Old Covenant Scriptures) which is restored according to the order of the Hebrew Scriptures, i.e. Torah, Neviim, Kethuvim. In the newer versions the New Covenant Writings (Brit Chadasha / New Testament), its allusions to the Tanakh are printed in Bold, and cross referenced to the Tanakh (Old Covenant Scriptures).

Dr. Chris J. Koster, with the aid and support of other scholars and textual experts from both Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds in different parts of the world, was the original translator for the South African and English version. He formed the ISR so that it could continue the work, even after his death (+4 May 1995). At the ISR, which also publishes the Hebraic Roots Version Scriptures (HRV), the board of directors is now overseeing the on-going work of translation and revision. It was around the time of his death that brother Marcus Ampe got to know him and his work and asked if he could make a Dutch version of the work. He had requested the version in Afrikaans, but never got it. The text fragments from 1993/1995 he got and 1998 had some little differences with the 2009 and 2010 versions. (At the moment in the ecclesia we use the 1998 and 2010 version, next to the NWT and the Bible Students Reference bible.) Because of his daily work and Marcus Ampe writing for several websites the translation-work got very much slowed down, also by his work on the Christadelphian modules for the Online Bible program.

Don Esposito, Senior Elder of the Congregation of YHWH Jerusalem, for his Hebrew Roots Version used the original names of our Creator, but presented it from the Paleo Hebrew as YAHWEH (יהוה HWHY/YHWH), and for God’s Son, our Saviour he used Yahshua (יהושׁע Yeshua/Jeshua in modern spelling), throughout. Because there was no letter J at that time he kept to the Y.  Though than you also could say there did not exist a letter u and still should use the v or also for the w one still should, in that instance use, the vv. We do know also in the Catholic Imprimatur Bibles from the 1950ies there was written Yehowah, but in later prints this became modernised to Jehovah.  The “New Testament” portion is titled “The Ketuvim Netzarim” (“Writings of the Nazarenes”) and is also a Messianic Sacred Name Edition and is translated from the original Aramaic and Hebrew. The NT books are also in the original manuscript order (The Gospels; Acts; James, 1&2 Peter; 1,2,3 John, Jude; Pauline Epistles; Revelation) but the titles of the books are their Hebraic names. The HRV also divides the books into two sections The B’sorah (Goodnews) and The Sh’lukhim (Emissaries).

The HRV Complete Bible is by many considered to be the first complete Messianic Study Bible.

It was the 1993 Chris J. Koster version of the Scriptures which was also used for the HalleluYah Scriptures (HS). Designed for the Hebrew Roots of the Faith of the people of Israel with the Messianic restoration of the name of Elohim transliterated as YaHUaH from the tetragrammaton and God as YAH, Daniel W Merrick, PhD searched the Paleo Hebrew phonetic that show the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith which are embedded in many old testament prophesies and translated and transliterated the Hebrew Bible and Messianic writings.

Shalom and Max Weiss also known as Deborah (Debra) and Ken Allen or Deborah and Ken Wessel, from New Zealand, seem to be the sole “voice” of www.halleluyahscriptures.com/ www.halleluyahscripturesproject.com (which is Halleluyah Scriptures in print since 2009) having Alan Horvath (Alan J. Post) as their frontman. The direction of Halleluyah Scriptures has been carried out publicly by Debra and Ken Allen-Wessel. Alan Horvath (the Vice President) has been recently thrust to the forefront as a public voice for H.S. and all funds, mail, etc have been redirected from Fort Wayne to New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Further there where Ted Ramp, President of Halleluyah Scriptures Inc. (Incorporated Dec. 6, 2012) – Fort Wayne, IN, Robin Ramp, Secretary of Halleluyah Scriptures Inc. , Erik Klausner, Marilyn Nave and Nance Whitaker who seem to have broken with Deborah (Debra) and Ken Allen and their the Halleluyhah Scriptures.

The HalleluYah Scriptures wants to be the purest version and the closest to the Hebrew than any other version by far, and wants to take it very seriously the Torah Commands not to mention the names of false mighty ones especially when it pertains to the Father, His Son and His people…

This has taken years of research as it is not always obvious that English words are derived from pagan deities. Much diligent research has been done into assuring that there are no pagan words used to describe our wonderful Father and His Son and as such we also do not find the false name of the Messiah which was given in the 4th century to the rabbi, but which is now the common name, Jesus, coming from Issou or Hail Zeus. In this version all paganism and names of false gods that have traditionally been used in translation when pertaining to the the Father, His Son and His people have been avoided, and in many cases retain a Hebrew transliteration if the word is linked to paganism, though we do find some words which are still presented like a name, like Satan, though in the Name Meaning guidebook they print it right giving the reading the real English word ‘adversary’.  The reason they probably did not translate it this way in their translation is perhaps some of their translators do want to believe in a devilish figure, called ‘Satan‘ instead of heaving any adversary being called so.

Although the English language is replete with words derived from pagan deities, this translation has attempted to remove most, if not all of these words when attributed to the Almighty, His Son or His people. Problem for translators is that certain words or Hebrew terms have no comparison in English.

HalleluYah Scriptures chose to retain the Hebrew term “qodesh” for ‘holy’ or  ‘set-apart’ (for we are qodesh and not Set apart from Him), and removed all occurrences of the word “set” in obedience to the Word (Exodus 23:13, Josiah 23:7, Psalms 16:4). eg.

Underneath you may find on the left the HalleluYah Scriptures words and on the right the versions other restored Name Scriptures use:

qodesh vs set-apart*
Qadosh One vs Set-apart One*
qodeshi vs set-apart one*
qodeshim vs set-apart ones*
qodeshah vs set apartness*
put  vs set*
depart  vs set* out
lit vs set* (on fire)

Due to the fact that the term “spirit” in English carries so many confusing possibilities from ghosts to alcohol, HalleluYah Scriptures renders the Spirit of Yah in it’s Hebrew form Ruaḥ or Ruaḥ ha’Qodesh, like you may find Ruach also in “The Scriptures” and mark Heber Miller his 21st Century bible translation and the Nazarene Commentary.

In the HalleluYah Scriptures you may find Ruaḥ ha’Qodesh vs Set-apart Spirit, Ruaḥ vs Spirit and Ruaḥoth vs Spirits.

For the Messiah/Mashiah/Masschiah, to maintain the Hebrew origin of many words borrowed from the Greek texts, HalleluYah Scriptures used the Hebrew words in the following Mashiaḥ vs Messiah,  Mashiaḥiyim vs Messianic, talmidim vs taught ones, Gĕy-Hinnom vs Gehenna, Shabbath vs Sabbath and Shabbathoth vs Sabbat.

Because the title Master is linked etymologically with the goddess Maia through the common root word “Meg” the original Hebrew form of Adonai used in the Hebrew scrolls is used as the title for the Almighty. Some people teach that Adon is a pagan word based on the greek false god Adonis. But the Hebrew is the original form where as Adonis is just a copy used for wicked means. It does not mean the word Adonai is pagan.

To retain the Hebrew origin of the qodesh Moedim (Appointed Times/Festivals) HalleluYah Scriptures rendered these Festivals in Hebrew.

HalleluYah Scriptures uses the words on the left.

Pesaḥ vs Passover

Matstsoth vs Unleavened Bread

Shaḇuoth vs Weeks

Yom Teruah vs Trumpets

Yom Kippurim vs Atonement

Sukkoth vs Booths

Yoḇĕl vs Jubilee

LIFE vs. HAI

The translators and publisher’s idea is that adding footnotes etc. is in conflict with the Word of God. According to them nearly all translations (including all Restored Name versions) add italicized words to the text in the attempt to ‘clarify’ certain portions causing much confusion and damage with the addition of these italicized words and in many cases goes against Deuteronomy 4:2 not to add to the Word.

Although there are a few situations where the context or root word may be translated with an ‘added’ word, HalleluYah Scriptures chose to remove as many as physically possible while maintaining a coherent translation. Space does not permit the number of italicized words that were removed and/or reworded, but amounts to well over 80% from the total of added words.

In many cases this required re-writing an entire verse to conform with the original language and this was not an easy job taking many months. The HalleluYah Scriptures translation team are working on the other 20% of added words and will make the changes in following print runs when completed.

For over 2 years a translation team has worked on two special editions, the HalleluYah Scriptures and Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled with the Jews their own language, Hebrew. That special book contains around 300 prophecies of Ha’Mashiach (Jeshua the Messiah) in the first Covenant alongside all their fulfilments recorded in the Renewed Covenant.

This will aid many people who do not believe that our Saviour was the promised Redeemer of Yisrael/Israel. This book will prove without a shadow of a doubt that Jeshua (Jesus Christ) is the Saviour.

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You may visit the HalleluYah Scriptures web site and read more about this important project that has touched and changed thousands of lives forever. http://www.Halleluyahscriptures.com

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No Footnotes, No Explanatory References, No Doctrines of Man! Just the Word of YHWH…

HalleluYah Scriptures Paralell Hebrew Bible & Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled New Book

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An other version using the Paleo Hebrew for the Names of the Creator and The Messiah is the Besora of Yahushua (Besorah being the Hebrew word for “message” or “report” = The message of Jeshua). Sadly, this translation has a number of notes throughout, including 60-odd pages of man’s writings, pictures and poems, with misleading doctrines. They transliterated the Name of the Messiah as Yahusha.

The Christadelphians have also some projects where a restored name version is sent out to those who want to read the word of God, so that it can be as a lamp to man’s feet and a light to our path, Psalms 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19. They have “The Scriptures” with the tetragrammaton and God’s Name Jehovah in it, but also distribute two older King James versions (with Jehovah) and a new King James version with the (transcribed) name Yahweh in it.

New European Version of the Bible with commentary

The New European Version of the Bible is a remediation of the King James Version into modern English, correcting some glaring issues in translation here and there. The NEV Bible is published in hard copy with a brief commentary on a few verses from each chapter, printed at the bottom of each page. At the back of the volume, there is a reduced version of the book Bible Basics. There is also an online version provided which has a dedicated page for each chapter of the Bible. On each page there is the Bible text, basic commentaries and links to other resources relevant to that chapter. There is also a “Deeper commentary” tab on each chapter. This gives some deeper insights on some Old Testament chapters; and in the New Testament, this tab connects to the New European Commentary. This is an in-depth, verse by verse commentary on the entire New Testament.

Duncan Heaster

Duncan Heaster

The NEV is published by Carelinks Ministries who say to pray earnestly that this Bible and the distribution of it will play a part in the spreading of the Gospel worldwide before Christ returns. Though also for this editor we must give a warning.
They say they are Christadelphian, but out of experience we have found that they do not take on a Christian attitude, namely not willing to share brotherly love with each other. We do have the impression it is more a cult organisation around one ex-communicate Christadelphian preacher, Duncan Heaster who has written over 20 books and having edited “Gospel News” magazine for over 20 years, has a team of followers round him, who do a lot of great work, but once people get baptised in their organisation they do not want them to have contact with others. They do not want their members to share with other Christadelphians or Bible students. So please if you order a copy by them and would become interested in what they teach and want to get baptised, never forget those who brought you into contact with them.

We also want to make it clear that the New European Version isn’t a fresh translation. It is more a re-working into modern English of the Old and New Testament as found in the King James and American Standard Versions. In some difficult and controversial areas, the original Greek text has been retranslated in an attempt to provide dynamic equivalence in modern English, seeking to provide a text which is familiar to those who have been used to the traditional Bible versions, and yet which is sensitive to the needs of those for whom English is a second language. During the years 2010 – 2014, the project of sending Bibles to those who need them and supporting them in their Bible reading [or Bible studies] with other books and article, now being funded by Bibles Worldwide Trust has sent out over 50,000 Bibles. The largest numbers are to Russian speaking countries, to Africa and to many English speaking countries.

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Free Bible Distribution, New European Version Free Bible with commentary

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Find a.o.

1. The 21st Century King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJ21®)
2. KJ21-Bible on line
3. New King James Version on line
4. Compare Translations
5. The Jerusalem Bible
6. The Jerusalem Bible (Catholic)
7. Catholic Jerusalem Bible on line
8. The Jerusalem Bible in pdf
9. Daily Reading for Thursday, November 24th, 2016: Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen
10. Have any Christian denominations publicly raised concerns about the Catholic Jerusalem Bible?
11. NAB – Books of the Bible in Canonical Order
12. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) owning the copyright on the New American Bible, revised edition translation.
13. USCCB- Revised Edition of New American Bible
14. Articles on the New American Bible, revised edition (NABRE), the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) translation in 20 years
15. Vatican The New American Bible on line
16. New American Standard Bible NAS on line – 1971, widely regarded as one of the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations next to the New World Translation.
    
17. 21st Century Version of the Christian Scripture or Mark Heber Miller Bible
18. Friends of the Nazarene a spiritual community of Messianic Christians
19. 21st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures (NCMM)
20. Newspaper article on Mark Heber Miller
21. Download Nazarene Commentary 2000
22. ISR – The Scriptures
23. HRV Scriptures
24. Hebraic Roots Bible – pdf
25. HalleluYah Scriptures
26. If you are interested in what form and style the HalleluYah Scriptures will look like Read This.
27. HalleluYah Scriptures review
28. We’ve been duped! {Note: Marcus Ampe also had promoted the HalleluYah Scriptures in 2011 and later and got many complaints. This year he contacted that organisation again an could find a copy in his letterbox this October. We too are willing to give another chance to that organisation, and therefore would like to ask readers who order a copy to let us know how it goes and if they really get a copy for free or at reasonable price and how long after they ordered it.}
29. Entire New Testament commentary here (pdf) or by book at NEV info
30. The Holy Bible Old and New Testament New European Version (Word format)
31. For your hardopy Free New European Version Bible
32. NEV Bible with commentary for Windows Phone [.xap file]
33. NEV Bible and Commentary for E-Sword [.bblx file]
34. NEV Bible for MySword .bbl file
35. NEV Bible for theWord .ont file
36. NEV Bible with commentary for Android [.apk file]
37. About Carelinks Ministries
38. Audio Bible NEV (New European Version)

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Preceding articles:

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #1 Pre King James Bible

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #2 King James Bible versions

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #3 Women and versions

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #4 Steps to the women’s bibles

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #5 Further steps to women’s bibles

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #6 Revisions of revisions

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #7 Jewish versions

Old and newer King James Versions and other translations #8 Selective Bibles and selective people

Building up the spirit of the soul

A fact of History or just a fancy Story

++

Additional reading

1. Book of books and great masterpiece
2. Inspired Word
3. Appointed to be read
4. Another way looking at a language #3 Abraham
5. Another way looking at a language #5 Aramic, Hebrew and Greek
6. Sheol, Sheool, Sjeool, Hades, Hell, Grave, Tomb, Sepulchre
7. Grave, tomb, sepulchre – graf, begraafplaats, rustplaats, sepulcrum
8. Bible sayings on the situation and place for the dead
9. Departed Souls Await Judgment
10. Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
11. Mortal Soul and Mortal Psyche #4 Psyche, According to the Holy Scriptures
12. October month of witches and spirits
13. I Can’t Believe That (1) … God would send anyone to hell
14. Attributes to God
15. The Divine name of the Creator
16. Lord in place of the divine name
17. Hashem השם, Hebrew for “the Name”
18. God about His name “יהוה“
19. Jehovah in the BASF
20. English translations of the Masoretic and Samaritan versions
21. NWT and what other scholars have to say to its critics
22. New American Bible Revised Edition
23. Poverty and justice Bible
24. 2001 Translation an American English Bible
25. 21st Century Version of the Christian Scripture or Mark Heber Miller Bible
26. Contentment: The five senses
27. Religions and Mainliners
28. Free bible Software for Mac users
29. Online Bijbel Android app gratis Basis Pakket
30. Concordantie Statenvertaling – concordance to the Old Dutch Staten Translation
31. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
32. Accuracy, Word-for-Word Translation Preferred by most Bible Readers
33. Some Restored Name Versions
34. A non paragraphed Bible
35. The Bible4Life ­- a Multimedia Presentation
36. What English Bible do you use?
37. The Most Reliable English Bible
38. Anchor Yale Bible
39. iPod & Android Bibles
40. Codex Sinaiticus
41. Codex Sinaiticus available for perusal on the Web
42. Murdock or Murdoch Bible
43. The Edited Bible by John Van Seters
44. ESV Studiebijbel
45. Not words of any organisation should bind you, but the Word of God
46. No reconciliation possible between CBM and Duncan Heaster from Carelinks
47. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
48. No intention of Marcus Ampe to make false statements that could damage a person his reputation.
49. Marcus Ampe commented on a post on Blogger concerning accusations by Duncan Heaster
50. Picture Bible and other software also for you

+++

Further reading

1. Translation Principles
2. Do Translations Matter?
3. Rationale for Catholics Reading the Old Testament
4. The Logic of Perfection
5. The Received Text
6. The Longsuffering of Old Bibles (NPM ’16-Day 20)
7. Which Bible Version can I Trust?
8. A New Bible Translation Classification System
9. It’s A Matter Of Life and Death!
10. Questioning what God has said. 
11. Make the Right Choice
12. Is the KJV superior to the originals?
13. New Version Errors
14. An answer to YouTuber WWUTT
15. Common criticisms against the KJV
16. Hungry? Don’t Read KJV!
17. Differences in KJV editions
18. What is wrong with the New King James Version (NKJV)?
19. Why I believe the King James Bible is God’s word preserved in the English language…
20. How I read the bible
21. Searchable bible website
22. Which is the best English Bible?
23. Body, Soul & Spirit
24. New Age Deism: Part Two
25. End Time Information
26. The Regard Of The Company We Stand In Suffices Us
27. Which Bible Should I Use?
28. Scribes
29. An Argument about Bible Versions with Christians
30. ‘Edgy’ Bible Translations Often Overlooked
31. Hijacked Christianity
32. The Majority Text Has Always Been The Text of the Church
33. Releasing God’s Word -copyrights help hurt Bible translation
34. The Divine Name and Greek Translation
35. Why Is God’s Name Missing From Many Bibles ?
36. ΠΙΠΙ and the Use of Hebrew in Greek Manuscripts
37. I AM…………………….The name of God and endless potential.
38. Call upon “Jehovah” and His Saviour 
39. Jehovah’s Decree – “Call My Son by His Rightful Name !”
40. God’s Own People will be judged first
41. Why did I just do that? Motives demystified 🙂
42. I Love You Jehovah
43. The Bible Simplified…..
44. Thy Will be Done…
45. Pull Your Head Out of Your…….
46. A Thought for you today….
47. Vatican Says No ‘Yahweh’ In Songs, Prayers At Catholic Masses
48. Beware of your family (Jer 12:6-12:6)
49. Christian Transformation
50. Catholic Study Bible – Second Edition Leather
51. Vatican is wrong, Jews need Jesus for Salvation, say Jewish Messianic Christians..
52. Trump Victory: To Begin Messianic Process: Rabbis – Breaking Israel News
53. The Jerusalem Debate: An excellent series on a challenging topic….
54. Living Lessons
55. Restoration
56. Are you Using Your Tools Properly
57. Joshua and Judges on the Importance of Living Torah
58. Parashas Bereishis – The Ancient Name
59. Judaism
60. Cling to the Word
61. The Churches calls us Heretics
62. Time to Realign!
63. Hippolytus Knows Better Than Messiahs Disciple’s? …so he thinks. 
64. If We Took Worship Songs Seriously …
65. Leftover Crumbs
66. Look to the book.
67. That ye may hear
68. The Bible’s Proper Place
69. In Very Word
70. Study the Word: The Lord’s Prayer
71. Hold fast unto it
72. Study, Practice and Apply
73. Are We Called To Be Of One Book?
74. The Scriptures Say….
75. British Library Publishes the First Century Hijra Quranic Manuscript Online
76. Has the Church of Scotland discarded the revelation of God?
77. Many Christadephians do not like duncan heaster
78. What Happened to it Being Easy?
79. I and thou
80. The Real Bible Version Issue Exposed! – YouTube #KJV : #Catholic-#Deceivers
81. The King James Version Controversy
82. Yea, Hath God Said?
83. Friday Five: The Bible!

+++

Related articles

• Rewriting the Biblical ‘Curse’ on Womankind
• Create Life With Your Words
• Bible Stories: Christmas Love Letters from God
• The public and private faith of Hillary Clinton
• The Bible declares – twice – that God is ‘deceptive’
• Woman Demeans Christian Assyrian-American As ‘Terrorist’ for Speaking Jesus’ Language
• Wycliffe Associates supporting underground Bible translators
• Written and translated by different men over thousands of years
• Looking at notes of Samuel Ward and previous Bible translation efforts in English
• What I believe about the Bible

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Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association

On Bijbelvorsers Webs, the closing site of the Bible–scholar association, we published on March 4, 2011 at 5:36 am:

Charles Taze Russell the year he died of a heart attack (1916, Oct. 31) – Charles Taze Russell het jaar dat hij stierf aan een hartaanval (1916, oktober 31)

Our articles series over Russell has been gotten of our websites (2014 note: from the MSN Groups + from Windows Live Spaces) for a time , but will be placed back over a few months.  Before it comes so far we want to get it clear that on the net there are some wrong accusations to the name of Charles T. Russell.
Particular sites give wrong information on Charles Taze Russell and write that he is the founder of the Witnesses of Jehovah or the group called Jehovah’s Witnesses.

One of the pivot figures in the movement of the Biblestudents, Russell was a man of open mind that also in his free thinking looked to other students of the Bible and did not mind taking over some of their ideas.  As he wanted to take over several thoughts of the followers of Doctor Thomas (the Thomasites or Christadelphians).  He was against each form of authority.  He did not believe in such sectarian organization as the Witnesses of Jehovah had later become, neither in its authoritarian hierarchy.  The true founder of the Jehovah Witnesses organization was Joseph Rutherford.

Russel himself was also conscious of that not a human organization would be able to decide if some one would be able to enter the Kingdom of God.  Differently than the Society of the Jehovah Witnesses he pushed never the idea that all holy Christians had to accept all his ideas and decisions.

About this you can read already the right reaction of Reslight in:  Who’s The Founder Or Jehovah Witnesses?  

+

Please do find additional information:

1. Dissolution of Bijbelvorsers (Bible scholars), Association for Bible study
2. A move in Spaces
3. Retrieving some older articles previously placed on Multiply
4. SOPA & PIPA More good things thrown away than bad things
5. Looking from different perspectives
6. Pleased to find Christadelphian World on the net
7. Around C.T.Russell
8. Charles Taze Russell and what he started
9. Russell himself never claimed to be a prophet.
10. Russell and his beliefs
11. Charles Taze Russell never claimed to have found a new religion, or a new church.
12. Biblestudents & T.C.Russell
13. A visible organisation on earth
14. Different approach in organisation of services #1
15. Different approach in organisation of services #2
16. Different approach in organisation of services #3
17. Change of name
18. Daily portion of heavenly food
19. Male domination and tyranny giving opportunities to defile the Name of God
20. Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
21. A man from the North wanting to have control in Belgium
22. Belonging to or being judged by
23. Words to push and pull
24. Religious Practices around the world
25. Suprising figures about Jehovah Witnesses
26. Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
27. Bringing Good News into the world
28. Looking on what is going on and not being of it
29. Not many coming out with their community name
30. Power in the life of certain
31. Concerning gospelfaith
32. Hallo World
33. Belgian Biblestudents – Belgische Bijbelstudenten
34. What are Brothers in Christ
35. Thomasites
36. Christadelphian people
37. Our (Christadelphian) way of life
38. My (Christadelphian) faith
39. Brief history
40. History of the Christadelphians
41. Who are the Christadelphians
42. Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith
43. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult

+++

Related articles

• Russian Court Declares Jehovah Witnesses’ Website Extremist (rferl.org)
  Prosecutors in Russia’s Tver region filed a claim last year saying that the ideas promoted by Jehovah’s Witnesses incite hatred and division.

  Three of the religious organization’s main books, “What Does The Bible Teach Us About,” “Get Closer To Jehovah,” and “Come And Follow Me” were also found by the court to be extremist.

• Court bars kids from Jehovah’s Witness activities (stuff.co.nz)
  In March, the Family Court declined to continue the interim guardianship order which had placed constraints on the children participating in Jehovah’s Witness faith.

  The parents subsequently sought guardianship directions from the High Court either constraining or permitting the children’s participation in the faith.

  Lawyers for the children resisted such an order being made, submitting that it would curtail the children’s freedom of religion.

• Judge stops children of Jehovah’s Witness from going to church (nzherald.co.nz)
  A judge has stopped the children of a Jehovah’s Witness from going to church and attending witness meetings and allowed them to attend birthday parties and Christmas celebrations.

  The High Court ruling, released publicly today, comes after the children’s separated parents appealed against Family Court orders regarding custody details.

  Justice Brendan Brown said his ruling would “dilute” the two young children’s exposure to their mother’s faith. However, he recognised the order was “at odds” with the children’s wishes.

• 10 Things You Never Knew About Jehovah’s Witnesses (listverse.com)
  The modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses (known most commonly for their door-to-door evangelizing work) have been around since the late 1800s. It was around that time that a Bible study group based in Pennsylvania began analyzing, comparing, and dissecting Biblical scripture only to arrive at conclusions not taught by the majority of mainstream Christian religions. This group used zealous proselytizing to spread their scriptural discoveries. They also used their hope for the future that they gathered from the Bible to spread their beliefs across the US. Eventually, they spread their message into many different countries. Though they are currently based in hundreds of lands around the globe, the general populace knows relatively little about this far-flung faith.
• Missionaries at the Door (guardianlv.com)

  Most everyone has had contact with missionaries of multiple faiths who come knocking at the door anxious to talk about God and religion. Many are keen to ask them to leave before getting their back history or any sort of personal information. While most have heard about Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, many are not aware of the theological basis for their proselytizing and the institutional expectations that drive them.

  One of the fastest growing denominations in the country with a current membership hovering around 1.1 million, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim special and unique insight into the Bible and God’s purposes and will for people today. Each member is expected to proselytize on a regular basis. One can find them going door-to-door and two-by-two in any given big city or small town in America and increasingly throughout the world. They bare what they believe is a special message from God.

• Jehovah’s Witness member dies after child delivery for refusing blood transfusion (dailypost.ng)
  According to London Evening Standard, Adeline, and her husband, Kweku Keh, had been looking for a child for many years. She reportedly endured years of failed fertility treatments, until finally; she was able to conceive naturally, only to die after giving birth to her son, Mawsi, through caesarean section at Homerton Hospital.

Different approach in organisation of services #3

Radio calls and booklets

Today the Jehovah Witnesses are the biggest known Bible Student Group in Belgium. At first they could find Bible Students groups associating with them and start growing from the previous preparations of those groups. But they too had to see members leaving them.

Français : Jumet (Charleroi – Belgique) – Chapelle Notre Dame de Heigne (XIIe siècle) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As result of the broadcastings in the mid 20° century, in French and sponsored by the Brethren of Dawn from the U.S; 3 Belgian families were interested in the Present Truth. It was Brother Armand Lechien who got in touch with Brother Félix Pilarski through the mail service of Radio Luxemburg: Brother Félix aimed him towards Jumet. These 3 families left the movement they were members of (the Jehovah Witnesses) because they thought the teachings they heard were not in harmony

with the Scriptures. The Polish-Belgian Brother and Sister Wlodarski had got French brethren and sisters in their circles and found more brethren from the French Association des étudiants de la Bible coming more and more frequently to serve the Word of God (brother François Wozniak, Kosmalski A. Liszka, T. Kubiak, J., Osorowski S.,TF et Ed. Pilarski, Speil, a few from Saint Etienne and many others …..); the family Kula, their younger daughter and one son attended the meetings, in the following years just like in France, pilgrim brethren came from the United States and later from Poland.

Courcelles coal mine ” 6 périer ” Souvret

The families – Armand et Louise Lechien – Ernest et Helena Duchateau –  Edmond et Jeanne Henrioule decided to have meetings during the week (on Wednesday and Thursday) to study the Figures of the Tabernacle. With their agreement, the families Wlodarski and Kula joined them. The studies were held in two languages with the help of a translator (2 languages were spoken French and Polish).

Brother Félix Pilarski and other brethren worked a lot for these meetings because they spoke French perfectly.

Brother Félix Pilarski made a handsome contribution to the development of the meeting of Courcelles with edifying biblical discourses and his visits. He was also personally active in the country of Liège and in Brussels where he had a deposit of booklets. Other brethren also paid many visits; among them we can mention Brother Joseph Wozniak, Adolphe Debski, and others.

After Brother Ernest Duchateau died suddenly, meetings continued for some time. When Brother Lechien died after a quite long disease, we could see a repetitive thing around the house churches, the ecclesia of Courcelles disappeared in the mid 70’s.

Former town hall of Jumet, where the film “Why did He come to earth?” of the Bible Students was given.

On October 24th 1987, the ecclesia of Jumet organised two projections of the film “Why did He come to earth?” in the community City Hall of Charleroi. Those shows were announced with advertising: posters in public places, advertising in the city with loudspeakers, spots on local newspapers radio and TV, display on electronic screens, distribution of leaflets.

More than hundred persons attended these film projections. Leaflets and tracts were given to the participants but only few asked for further information and other booklets.

Soothed to sleep with man’s talk

Very soon in history the majority in Christendom went running after the false teachers. The myths were more pleasing to the ear than the actual truth. They were soothed to sleep with it. Early on the Brothers, as true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, were in the minority. Their faith of the true gospel was of ‘origin’ pure, by the human impurities it was swung back and forth by the years gone.

In Belgium and the Netherlands remained Bible Faithful following Jesus’ command and continued preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
The first nor the second world war had kept them from it, even though many of them were anxiously looking forward to the action of the two warring camps, because they were against fighting, and because they adhered to a faith that was not liked by anyone.

That Jesus and his apostles spoke about the news that there would be established a Kingdom on earth, that would be ruled by Jesus Christ and in which the faithful of all ages would have a place alongside their Lord: i.e. as co-rulers, this sounded obviously not fine in the ears for them (the German Fuehrer wished to be the only ruler). But the cheerful message for humanity survived now the fight under people and brought unprecedented peace in some families.

The doctrine of Christ’s reign on earth was first treated as highly symbolic, gradually became labelled as a very questionable and useless thought and was ultimately rejected as an absurd invention of heresy and fanaticism.
God’s light happily extinguishes not; it is an eternal flame. The people of Israel in ancient times also reached detritus. They even served other gods. Nevertheless, there remain at this time believers in the One God and history now could repeat itself. Faithful to God those bible students wanted to share their findings and in spite the continuous opposition dared to go against the most popular doctrine of men.

Getting a base in Holland

After attempts from the Netherlands were made to bring Truth to England (in the 16th Century) and having a flight of truth seekers to the New World in the 19th century, now letters of truth seekers from the New World could again send truth to Europe.

The teachings of Elias Smith and John Thomas now, the time was ripe, an opportunity was given to a ‘resurgence‘ of Bible Faithful. They also found their way across the ocean and in all English-speaking countries they could find a foothold.

Through the centuries, the Gospel of God’s Kingdom, which was preached by Jesus and the apostles, showed a dynamic force which has all the opposition of powerful religious groups defied and still serves as the sole basis of faith for those who want to search God.

Website of the Brothers in Christ or Christadelphians in the Netherlands – Website van de Nedrlandse Broeders in Christus

In 1956 in the Netherlands finally the group of Brothers in Christ could get solid and communities as “de Broeders in Christus“, arose in Den Haag (The Hague), Amersfoort, Ede and Groningen.

From 1957 officially recognised, seeing it as our duty to our Lord to make his name known among the people in our area, as well as among other nations, they made work of it to go around billing leaflets. They kept their focus on the Bible as the source of all knowledge and followed the guiding principle of the word of our Lord, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” They also began to spread the magazine “Met Open Bijbel” (With Open Bible) of which Rudolf Rijkeboer was the driving force.

Vanishing interest

It clearly appeared that after the ‘golden age’ with the children boom and citizens of Belgium having their life becoming better, the interest for the biblical message of Truth is vanishing with time passing on.

The Bible Students saw their number of members in ecclesiae decreasing.The visiting brethren and sisters from the Christadelphian Bible Mission (CBM) for 25 years made regular visits to put leaflets and pamphlets in the postboxes. Their short visits trying to get people on the street interested in the works of Christ and in the promises of God, did not work out. At the time (early 21° Century) they wanted to give it all up and several Christadelphians left Holland to return to England or to go to Australia.

At the end of the 20° Century some Bible Students with ex-Jehovah Witnesses formed the Vrije Christenen or Free Christians. In that movement was also the non-trinitarian Baptist Marcus Ampe very active. Even before he himself became a Christadelphian he had already brought others to the Christadelphian faith. In Flemish Brabant and in Hainaut, plus on the net, with him, again an effort was made to bring the Good News of the coming Kingdom.

The Belfry in Mons, one of the meeting places of the Free Belgian Christadelphians

Last year brother Marcus tried to get several Bible Student groups together, but failed because of their will to have a certain power and the will to keep everything in control themselves. Plus some, like our confrères which we ourselves could not get over the bend to join the other Christadelphians in Belgium, made it impossible to have the different bible Students exchanging ideas, meeting sessions and information about their where-about and working. For our Australian brothers, of the Australian Bible Students, the CBM members were not close enough in following the teachings of brother Dr. John Thomas and mixing with the too loose teachings would dilute the whole system (they thought).

The man from the North and his organisation, have most of the Bible Students (except the JW) living in Belgian. But they resisted in giving the addresses of their ecclesiae in Oostende, Gent, (Brussels) and Antwerp. this made that the few but very active Christadelphians from Brussels, Leuven and Mons, could not meet with more Christadelphians in Belgium.

We too had to face the difficulty of bringing people together in peace and where confronted with a loss in our ranks, but our invitation is still open to join as members of the Body of Christ, united in the love of Christ.

We are convinced that our preaching work is important and that even when we do not reach so many people in Belgium, we do hope we can reach some others far away from us. We do hope that our voice may also sound in the darkness and bring some light to people we do not know, but who we do hope to meet in the Kingdom of God. We look forward to meet many new faces, happy to be under the Guidance of the Lord and not bounded by single people, but constructed on the cornerstone Jesus Christ.

Though we may have a different approach in organisation of services we do believe we all should go for the same truth and for the unification under Christ, by which each group might have a different name, but is willing to be united in spirit, sharing to build up and construct positively working to help each other entering the gate of the coming Kingdom.

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Preceding articles:

Different approach in organisation of services #1

Different approach in organisation of services #2

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 3

++

Please do find out more about the Christadelphians and find further related articles:

1. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
2. Two new encyclopaedic articles
3. Who are the Christadelphians
4. What are Brothers in Christ
5. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
6. Christadelphian people
7. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
8. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
9. What Christadelphians teach
10. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
11. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
12. 19° Century London Christadelphians
13. Breathing and growing with no heir
14. Commitment to Christian unity
15.  Parts of the body of Christ
16. What part of the Body am I?
17. The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous
18. United people under Christ
19. Fellowship
20. The Ecclesia
21. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
22. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
23. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
24. Our ecclesia or Christadelphian-church
25. Intentions of an Ecclesia
26. An ecclesia in your neighbourhood
27. Communion and day of worship
28. Christadelphians today
29. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
30. Who Celebrates Easter as Religious Holiday
31. Eostre, Easter, White god, chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies and metaphorical resurrection
32. Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
33. Harvest in Belgium
34. Building up the spirit of the soul
35. No reconciliation possible between CBM and Duncan Heaster from Carelinks
36. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
37. Change of name
38. Quibbling siblings united or allied children of an organisation or a church
39. Small churches of the few Christadelphians

+++

Related articles

• Russia’s Supreme court rules Jehovah’s Witnesses from Samara extremist organization
• Lebanon: Situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including treatment by society and authorities; state protection available in cases of discrimination or mistreatment (2006-November 2013)
• Jehovah’s Witnesses under fire from former congregants who say child sex abuse was hushed
• U.S. Supreme Court rejects Michigan blood transfusion case
• Supreme Court rejects blood transfusion case

Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 3

Radio-oproepen en boekjes

Vandaag zijn de Jehovah Getuigen de grootste bekende Bijbel Studenten organisatie in België. Eerst konden ze Bijbelonderzoekers groepen vinden die met hen, ten tijde van Rutherford, wilden associëren. Diegenen die Charles Taze Russell eerst hadden gevold en nu verder wensten te gaan met Rutherford begonnen verder uit te groeien. Maar de interne onenigheden veroorzaakten ook breuken, die zelfs tot in België voelbaar waren.

Blazoen van Jumet (Charleroi België), ook wapenschild van de abdij van Lobbes. (Foto credit: Wikipedia)

Als gevolg van radio uitzendingen, in het Frans en gesponsord door de Broeders van Dawn uit de VS; waren 3 Belgische gezinnen geïnteresseerd in de tegenwoordige waarheid. Het was Broeder Lechien Armand, die in contact kwam met broeder Félix Pilarski via de mail service van Radio Luxemburg: Broeder Félix richte zich tot hem in Jumet. Deze 3 families werden ook eerst lid van de vereniging met de naam “Jehova Getuigen” of Getuigen van Jehovah. Toen zij merkten dat Rutherford met zijn Genootschap meer en meer afweek van de leerstellingen van Russell en vonden dat de leringen die zij hoorden niet in harmonie waren met de Schrift, verlieten zij de beweging. Maar zij bleven verder de Heilige Schrift onderzoeken.

Families die samen kamen in huizen of Huiskerken vormden

De Pools-Belgische broeder en zuster Wlodarski hadden Franse broeders en zusters in hun kennissenkring en vonden meer broeders van de Franse vereniging Association des étudiants de la Bible die ook vaker bij hen wilden komen om te het Woord van God te dienen. Zo konden zij een paar broeders van Saint Etienne treffen: François Wozniak, Kosmalski A. Liszka, T. Kubiak, J.Osorowski S., TF et Ed Pilarski, Speil, en vele anderen; de familie Kula, hun jongste dochter en een zoon woonden de vergaderingen bij. In de volgende jaren, net als in Frankrijk, kwamen pelgrim broeders uit de Verenigde Staten en later uit Polen hen bezoeken.

De families – Armand en Louise Lechien – Ernest en Helena Duchateau – Edmond en Jeanne Henrioule besloten bijeenkomsten tijdens de week (woensdag en donderdag) te houden waarbij zij een studie hielden over de Figuren van het Tabernakel. Met hun toestemming voegden zich de families Wlodarski en Kula bij hen. De studies werden gehouden in twee talen met de hulp van een vertaler (de 2 talen die werden gesproken waren Frans en Pools).
Broeder Félix Pilarski en andere broeders werkten veel voor het welslagen van deze bijeenkomsten, omdat ze perfect Frans spraken.

De Sint-Lambertuskerk in Courcelles.

Broeder Félix Pilarski maakte een fraaie bijdrage aan de ontwikkeling van de vergadering van Courcelles met stichtelijke Bijbelse discoursen en met zijn bezoeken. Hij was ook persoonlijk actief in het streek van Liège (Luik) en in Brussel, waar hij een voorraad van boekjes had. Andere broeders leverden ook vele bezoeken af, onder hen kunnen we onder andere broeder Joseph Wozniak, Adolphe Debski noemen.
Nadat  Broeder Ernest Duchateau plotseling overleed werden de bijeenkomsten nog  voortgezet voor bepaalde tijd. Toen broeder Lechien overleed na een heel lange ziekte konden we een repetitieve zaak zien rond de huis kerken. De ecclesia van Courcelles verdween in het midden van de jaren ’70.

Voormaling Gemeentehuis. Gebouwd in 1825-1827 door Jan Kuypers, waar de Bijbelstudenten film “Waarom kwam Hij naar de aarde?” werd vertoond.

Op 24 oktober 1987, organiseerde de ecclesia van Jumet twee uitsteeksels van de film “Waarom kwam Hij naar de aarde?” In het gemeenschapscentrum van het stadhuis van Charleroi. Die shows werden aangekondigd met reclame: affiches op openbare plaatsen, reclame in de stad met luidsprekers, advertenties in de lokale kranten, op radio en tv, weergave op elektronische schermen, distributie van folders.
Meer dan honderd personen woonden deze filmprojecties bij. Pamfletten en traktaten werden gegeven aan de deelnemers, maar slechts weinigen vroegen voor meer informatie en andere boekjes.

De leer van Christus ‘regering op aarde’

Al snel in de geschiedenis van het Christendom zag men de meerderheid valse leraren nalopen. De mythen waren meer een lust voor het oor dan de werkelijke waarheid. Ze werden tot rust gewiegd met hetgeen zij zelf graag wensten te horen. Wat was er niet fijner om die zaken te horen die je niet moesten doen veranderen van gewoonten en zeden.

Al vroeg in de geschiedenis geraakten de ware volgers van Jezus Christus in de verdrukking. In sommige streken moesten zij zelfs voor hun leven gaan vrezen. Die angst voor vervolging maakte dat zij eerder verdoken hun godsdienst beleden.

De Broeders hun geloof van het ware evangelie was van ‘oorsprong’ puur, maar door de menselijke onzuiverheden werd het ook heen en weer geschud doorheen de jaren. De verscheiden kleine groepjes die thuis de bijbel bestudeerden handelden verder in hun eigen kleine kring. Dit maakte ook dat er niet veel kennis naar buiten bloeide.

In België en Nederland bleven Bijbel Getrouwen naarstig de Bijbel bestuderen maar ook de opdracht van Jezus volgen, met het blijven prediken van het Evangelie van het Koninkrijk van God.
De eerste noch de tweede wereld oorlog had hen er van kunnen weerhouden, hoewel velen van hen angstvallig uitkeken naar de werking van de twee strijdende kampen, omdat ze tegen het vechten waren en omdat ze handelden op grond van een geloof dat helemaal niet graag gezien werd door iedereen .

Dat Jezus en zijn apostelen spraken over het nieuws dat er een koninkrijk op aarde zou worden opgericht dat zou worden geregeerd door Jezus Christus en dat daar de gelovigen van alle tijden een plaats zouden krijgen naast hun Heer: dwz als co–heersers, klonk natuurlijk niet fijn in de oren voor hen (die de Duitse Führer als de enige heerser wilde). Maar de blijde boodschap voor de mensheid overleefde nu de strijd onder de mensen en bracht een ongekende vrede in sommige families.

De leer van Christus’ regering op aarde werd eerst behandeld als zeer symbolisch, werd geleidelijk bestempeld als een zeer twijfelachtige en nutteloze gedachte en werd uiteindelijk als een absurde uitvinding van ketterij en fanatisme afgewezen.
Gods licht dooft gelukkig niet; het is een eeuwige vlam. Het volk van Israël in de oudheid bereikte ook detritus. Zij dienden ook andere goden. Toch blijven er op dit moment gelovigen in de Ene God die ook Hem Alleen als Allerhoogste willen dienen. Ook na de grote verschrikking van de wereldoorlogen kon de geschiedenis zich nu herhalen. Trouw aan God wilden die Bijbel studenten, niet zo maar één werelds man en zijn organisatie (Rutherford en de Getuigen van Jehovah) volgen. Naast het trouw blijven aan de hoeksteen Jezus, als het enige fundament voor Gods Kerk, bleven er getrouwen aan Dr.Thomas en aan de Bijbel hun bevindingen met anderen delen en ondanks de voortdurende tegenstand durfden zij in te gaan tegen de meest populaire leer van de meeste mensen.

Het krijgen van een basis in Holland

Na pogingen die vanuit Nederland werden gemaakt om de Waarheid naar Engeland te brengen (in de 16e eeuw) en de vlucht van de waarheidszoekers naar de Nieuwe Wereld in de 19e eeuw, konden nu brieven van waarheidszoekers uit de Nieuwe Wereld weer de waarheid naar Europa toe sturen.

De Europeanen konden nu vanuit de Nieuwe Wereld de andere denkwijze horen van mensen die veel tijd hadden gestoken in het onderzoeken van de Bijbel. Het onderricht van Elias Smith en John Thomas kon nu de tijd rijp was, een gelegenheid geven aan een ‘opleving’ van de Bijbel Getrouwen. Zij vonden ook hun weg over de oceaan en in alle Engels sprekende landen, waar ze een voet aan de grond kon vinden. Van daaruit druppelde het naar de Lage Landen.

Door de eeuwen heen, toonde het Evangelie van Gods Koninkrijk, zoals het voorheen gepredikt werd door Jezus en de apostelen, een dynamische kracht die alle tegenstand van de machtige religieuze groepen die het kon trotseren. Dat evangelie van Gods Koninkrijk dient nog steeds als de enige basis van het geloof voor hen die God willen zoeken. En de Engelsen die dat wisten en de Noordzee hadden overgestoken om te gaan verkondigen, konden in Nederland ook mensen vinden die dat Woord van God trouw wensten te blijven.

Website of the Brothers in Christ or Christadelphians in the Netherlands – Website van de Nedrlandse Broeders in Christus

In 1956 kon in Nederland eindelijk de groep van Broeders in Christus soliditeit krijgen en ontstonden gemeenschappen in Den Haag, Amersfoort, Ede en Groningen. In Nederland officieel erkend sinds 1957, bleven zij het als hun plicht tegenover onze Heer zien, om zijn Naam bekend te maken onder de mensen in hun omgeving, alsook onder andere volken. Daarbij ligt hun nadruk op de Bijbel als de bron van alle kennis, waarbij hun leidraad daarbij het woord van onze Heer is:

“Om niet hebt gij het ontvangen, geeft het om niet.”

De gemeenschap van Broeders in Christus begon ook het magazine “Met Open Bijbel” te verspreiden  waarvan Rudolf Rijkeboer de drijvende kracht was tot aan zijn dood vorig jaar.

Verdwijnende interesse

Het bleek duidelijk dat na de ‘gouden eeuw’ met de kinderboom en inwoners van België die hun leven steeds beter zagen worden, dat hiermee ook de belangstelling voor de Bijbelse boodschap van de Waarheid verminderde. De laatste jaren kan men spreken van totaal geen interesse meer voor Geloof, Bijbel of Kerk.

De Bijbel Studenten zagen hun leden aantal in Ecclesiae verminderen. De enige troost die zij konden hebben was dat ook in de algemeen reguliere kerk een neerwaarste spiraal op gang was gekomen. De bezoekende broeders en zusters van de Christadelphian Bijbel Missie [Christadelphian Bible Mission (CBM)] uit Groot-Brittannië, die voor 25 jaar regelmatige bezoeken maakten aan België om folders en pamfletten in de brievenbussen te steken, konden minder geestdrift vinden bij hun eigen leden, omdat het niets bleek uit te halen. Met hun korte bezoeken probeerden ze mensen op straat te bereiken en hoopten dat er op hun folders zou worden gereageerd. De Nederlandse Broeders die de algemene leiding toen nog hadden over het gehele gebied kregen echter verwaarloosbaar weinig reacties van het zuiden. Op het moment dat ze het allemaal wilden opgeven en verschillende Christadelphians Holland begonnen te verlaten om terug te keren naar hun geboorteland (Engeland of naar Australië), vond in België toch een kentering plaats in de wereld van Bijbelvorsers.

In de jaren ’90 vormden sommige Bijbel Studenten met ex–Jehovah Getuigen de Vrije Christenen. In die beweging was ook de niet-trinitarische Doopsgezinde Marcus Ampe. Nog voordat hij zelf werd opgenomen in de Christadelphian gemeenschap had hij als niet-trinitarisch Baptist al anderen tot het Christadelphian geloof gebracht. Met hem predikend in Vlaams-Brabant en in Henegouwen, plus op het net, werd wederom een poging gedaan om het goede nieuws van het komende Koninkrijk te brengen.

Verwoede pogingen

Vorig jaar deed hij een poging om de verschillende Bijbel Studenten groepen bij elkaar te krijgen. Hij hoopte zo dat de verscheidene splintergroepen meer tot een uitwisseling van ideeën en vergaderingen zouden komen. Spijtig genoeg, werden zijn verzoeningspogingen tussen onderling strijdende groepen niet gewaardeerd. Een man uit het hoge noorden met zijn organisatie die nochtans het linken van hulp in haar naam heeft, hield het tegen dat door hem en zijn organisatie gedoopte Christadelphians met de Christadelphians van de Vrije Christadelphians (toen nog gewoon genaamd: Christadelphians en onder bescherming van CBM) met als basis de regio Leuven en met de Bijbelstudenten Christadelphians samen zouden kunnen komen. Broeder Marcus zijn onderneming liep faliekant uit. In plaats van de Christadelphians verenigd onder één dak te krijgen werd de kleinste groep nog meer uitgedund door onenigheid omtrent unificatie. Bepaalde mensen wensten zelf alles onder controle te hebben en konden het niet verdragen dat iemand anders in hun boeken zou kunnen mee kijken. Vooral de man van het Noorden zorgde voor de grootste struikelsteen.

Een aantal van onze medebroeders konden wij zelf niet zo ver krijgen dat zij over hun meningsverschillen heen zouden kijken. Voor onze Australische broeders, van de Australische Bijbel Studenten werden de CBM-leden niet zuiver genoeg gevonden. Volgens hen zijn de CBM leden te ver afgeweken van de originele leer van broeder Dr. John Thomas. Voor hen zou een samengaan met een groep, die (volgens hen) te los omspringt met de leer, het hele systeem verzwakken. Hierdoor kregen wij het ook moeilijk te verduren om mensen in eigen rangen er toe te bewegen over de menselijke tekortkomingen heen te kijken, en waren wij dan ook slachtoffer van een leegloop.

Bijbelvorsers, Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie, opgericht door Marcus Ampe – Bijbelvorsers (Bible Scholars), association for Bible study, founded by Marcus Ampe

Onze uitnodiging om zich te verenigen als Broeders en zusters in Christus blijft open staan. Door al zijn tevergeefse inspanningen heeft broeder Marcus Ampe er ook genoeg van gekregen om de Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie verder te onderhouden en zal hij de website Bijbelvorsers in de nabije toekomst gaan afsluiten. Dit om zich meer te concentreren op de belangrijke opdracht die volgelingen van Jezus hebben gekregen, namelijk de verspreiding van het Goede Nieuws. Hij zal zich dan ook, met enkele doorzetters, verder het Goede Nieuws verkondigen. Broeder Marcus Ampe wil zich meer toeleggen op het prediken zelf in plaats van tijd en energie te verliezen aan het trachten mensen te verenigen, wanneer het er klaarblijkelijk geen tijd voor is om daarin te slagen.

We zijn ervan overtuigd dat ons prediking werk belangrijk is en dat zelfs als we niet zo veel mensen in België kunnen  bereiken, we toch ook hopen dat we enkelen hier kunnen bereiken, maar ook wat anderen die misschien wel ver weg van ons wonen. We hopen dat onze stem ook mag klinken in de duisternis en wat licht tot mensen zal mogen brengen die we niet kennen, maar die we hopen te ontmoeten in het Koninkrijk van God. We kijken ernaar uit om veel nieuwe gezichten, gelukkig te zien onder leiding van de Heer, niet begrensd door enkele mensen, maar gebouwd op de hoeksteen van Jezus Christus.

Hoewel we een andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten mogen hebben, geloven we dat we allemaal samen zouden moeten gaan voor dezelfde waarheid en voor de eenwording onder Christus, waarbij elke groep een andere naam zou kunnen hebben, maar bereid is om te worden verenigd in de geest, bereid te delen en samen te werken om positief op te bouwen, elkaar te helpen en constructief gemeenschappen onder Christus te vormen. Wij hopen dat er in de toekomst meer gegadigden kunnen gevonden worden die wel tezamen elkaar willen ondersteunen en er aan werken om nog meer mensen warm te maken om samen op weg te gaan en elkaar te helpen om door de nauwe poort het komende Koninkrijk binnen te kunnen gaan.

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Voorgaand:

Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 1

Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 2

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Aanvullende lectuur:

1. Welkomstwoord
2. Staat Europa voor vrijheid van godsdienst
3. Godsdienstvrijheid mensenrecht
4. EU wetsvoorstel banning levensbeschouwelijke symbolen
5. EU wil christenen het zwijgen opleggen
6. Werk maken van Godsdienstvrijheid
7. Christendom blijft van invloed
8. Politiek en macht eerste prioriteit #1
9. Wat betreft Waar Elke mens recht op heeft
10. Marx, het Volk, Religie, Christendom en verwrongen ideeën
11. Materialisme, “would be” leven en aspiraties #1
12. Materialisme, “would be” leven en aspiraties #3
13. Materialisme, “would be” leven en aspiraties #4
14. Materialisme, “would be” leven en aspiraties #5
15. De Dag is nabij #8 Overzicht
16. De nacht is ver gevorderd 2 Studie 1 Zijn het de laatste dagen? 1 Intro
17. De nacht is ver gevorderd 20 Studie 4 Nu actueel: Financiële Crisis
18. De nacht is ver gevorderd 22 Studie 4 Nu actueel: Nut van tekenen
19. Een kerk naar smaak en taal
20. De marketing van God een op maat gemaakt bedrijfsadvies
21. Oorlog in kerkenland
22. Manifest Gelovigen nemen het woord
23. Fragiliteit en actie #6 Juistheid van handelen
24. Fragiliteit en actie #7 Gebeurtenissen en Prioriteiten
25. Redding, vertrouwen en actie in Jezus #6 Samenhoren
26. Redding, vertrouwen en actie in Jezus #9 Omgang met anderen
27. In de hand #5 Niet bang zich te geven
28. Geloof heeft te maken met hoe je voelt
29. Wegen die tot God leiden
30. Broeders en Zusters in Christus door de eeuwen heen. #4 Volgelingen van Jezus
31. Opwekking begint in het gezin
32. Kerklidmaatschap belangrijk of niet
33. Kerk niet bepaald gebouw
34. Samen komen in huizen
35. Opbouw van een ecclesia
36. Schijnbaar onmogelijke opdracht
37. Hermeneutiek om uit te dragen #10 Verkondigen
38. Verkondigen
39. Opdracht tot getuigenis
40. Broeders en Zusters in Christus door de eeuwen heen #11 Vredelievende waarheidzoekers
41. Zoeken naar waarheid, studiemateriaal, Jehovah Getuigen, ex-Jehovah Getuigen en anderen
42. Wie, wat & hoe Christadelphians
43. Volharding en Bijbelstudenten
44. Overgang 2013-2014 en Met Open Bijbel
45. Duncan Heaster en Carelinks onverbiddelijke verhinderaars
46. Nieuwe naam een feit
47. Seizoen 2013-2014
48. Op weg naar 2014-2015
49. Een nieuw seizoen voor de deur
50. Een terugblik op Christadelphianisme en de Broeders in Christus in België
51. Denken aan het ontbinden van de Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie: Bijbelvorsers
52. Bij de opheffing van de Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie
53. Jehovah steile rots en vesting, bron van inzicht
54. Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
55. By the closing down of the Association for Biblestudy
56. Dissolution of Bijbelvorsers (Bible scholars), Association for Bible study

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• Review of the Christadelphians from some older articles
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• Two new encyclopaedic articles
• Amount of Muslims living in your country
• Russia’s Supreme court rules Jehovah’s Witnesses from Samara extremist organization
• Lebanon: Situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including treatment by society and authorities; state protection available in cases of discrimination or mistreatment (2006-November 2013)
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Different approach in organisation of services #2

Time of the gentiles ending

After the Germans had invaded Belgium the faithful Bible students continued their preaching work. Even when they had to walk 99 kilometres from Liège to Charleroi along the railroad tracks, these humble coalminers were zealous to attend meetings.

The families Tilmant and Verdière continued to spread the Good News of the Kingdom.

Joseph Franklin Rutherford

Following Russell’s death, October 31st 1916, a seventh volume—entitled The Finished Mystery—was published in 1917 and advertised as his “posthumous work”. This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the book of Book of Revelation, but also included interpretations of Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon. An advertisement for the book in Zion’s Watch Tower called it “the true interpretation”, and had it promoted as being “of the Lord—prepared under his guidance.” Immediate controversy surrounded both its publication and content. It was soon established that it was largely written and compiled by two of Russell’s associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Russell’s successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford.

The position and air which Rutherford took was not appreciated by many. The Russellites accused him for betraying Russell. In Belgium as in other countries where the Present Truth was established, a few problems came to light, some people intended to divide.

In the course of events, for what concerns Jumet and the district of Charleroi, the Tilmant family and other people joined Rutherford who was elected president of the Watchtower Society. The strong personality of Rutherford like the one of Robert Roberts made people choosing for other lesser dictatorial figures. Several core doctrines of the Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged from the teachings and ministries of Dr. John Thomas and Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell, got changed. Throughout the world thousands of members left congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society throughout the 1920s prompted in part by Rutherford’s failed predictions for the year 1925, increasing disillusionment with his on-going doctrinal and organizational changes, and his campaign for centralized control of the movement.

Followers in Belgium

Prolific writer and bible Student Paul Samuel Leo Johnson

The U.S.A. immigrant from Poland and a prominent Hebrew scholar, Paul Samuel Leo (formerly Levitsky) Johnson attracted many followers in Belgium and other places. In 1903 he had begun began fellowship with the Columbus Ecclesia of the Watch Tower Society and was appointed by Russell as a Pilgrim of the Bible Student movement in 1904. He eventually served as Russell’s personal secretary and in time became Russell’s most trusted friend and advisor. Though for him it became very difficult to cope with those Bible students who challenged the teachings of Pastor C.T. Russell on questions around his understanding of the new covenant and the ransom for all.

The illegal introduction of new by-laws for the Watch Tower Society gave the President Rutherford full control over the affairs of the Society. However, this was not Pastor Russell’s wish. In his last will and testament he had provided for a seven-man board of directors to succeed him. Four members of the Society’s Board of Directors, a majority of the Board, took strong exception to what they regarded as Rutherford’s high-handed behaviour and opposed him. Eventually tension between Rutherford and the directors grew and on July 17, 1917, Ruther­ford simply announced to the Bethel family in Brooklyn, New York, during meal time that he had replaced the four directors with his own appointees, using the legal jargon that the directors who had opposed him did not hold their positions legally under Pennsylvania law.

Ru­therford falsely claimed that the four directors and others with them were refusing to cooperate with the Society. Even today Jehovah’s Wit­nesses are told that the four directors who were expelled from the Watch Tower headquarters were wicked and self-serving.

Missionaries

Lots of serious Bible students like the Thomasites, Russellites and several associated members of the Bible Student Movement opposed the way Rutherford wanted to have the Bible Students moving. The four directors formed an institute to continue the work of Pastor Russell independent of the Society. Others would form corporations of their own. Some Bible Students followed the lead of their favourite elder or teacher. Still others, leery of organization and societies, stayed independent of all others.

Brother Paul Johnson gave his movement the name “Interior Missionary Laity Movement” (one of the unincorporated names used by Pastor Russell and the early IBSA).  From that group the Herald of Christ’s Kingdom Bible Students gave their ideas to some Belgians. Some joined Alexander F.L. Freitag, also known as Freytag, who at the end of 1917, still was responsible manager of the Watchtower edited in French in Switzerland. Freitag founded the group Angel of the Lord (inspired by a verse of the Apocalypse), Angel of Jehovah Bible and Tract Society, then Church of the Kingdom of God or the Philanthropic Assembly of the  “Friends of Man”. A small group was living in the area of Charleroi. Some of them have not followed the 3 movements and have formed an Association of Bible Students. The Young Men’s Mutual Bible Study Associations of brother Robert Ashcroft could attract others. The talks of Frank George Jannaway and his work to protect those who did not want to fight in the World War got probably also some attention, but the different groups were very small and as such came in the danger of oblivion.

Pearls not seen

In 1915 worldwide 50 million Tracts were distributed by the Bible Students.

Belgium got through a period that pearls were not seen.

“47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous” (Matthew 13:47-49 NIV)

During World War I there were two small groups‘ Bible Researchers in the Netherlands, namely in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. In 1918 three trial issues of The Watchtower were issued, but there proved insufficient incentive to switch to regular edition.

20° century cries

Members of the Christadelphian Bible Mission (CBM)regularly came to the Low Countries (Holland, Belgium and North of France) or the Netherlands and some of them even found some base to stay in Holland where they started to from again some little groups of Bible Students.

Albert O. Hudson, founder of the Bible Fellowship Union

Bible Fellowship Union Web site in 2014 November The Bible Fellowship Union has published the ‘Bible Study Monthly’ and literature since 1945 continuing a magazine founded in 1924. Its objective is to promote Bible knowledge. – Bible Fellowship Union Web site in november 2014 – De Bijbel Fellowship Unie heeft sinds 1945 de ‘Bible Monthly’ en andere literatuur gepubliceerd in voortzetting van een tijdschrift opgericht in 1924, met als doel de Bijbel kennis te bevorderen.

Also from Great-Britain, where the Bible Fellowship Union was formed, they began publishing The Bible Students Monthly in 1924, later renamed The Bible Study Monthly so as not to be mistaken with the new Watch Tower which previously published a paper by that name. Albert O. Hudson became the general director and served in that capacity until his death at age 101 in 2000. Today it is run by an editorial committee.

But they too had to face a split, with William Crawford, an original member of the British Board of Directors, founding the Old Paths Publications and produced the monthly journal Old Paths. Countless booklets, books, and tracts were produced.

At the time of the split in 1917, the Forest Gate Church was the second largest Bible Student group in England. F. G. Guard, father-in-law of William Crawford, led the class in ­divorcing themselves from the Society. In 1939 they started publishing The Forest Gate Church Bible Monthly, along with booklets and tracts. This group disbanded in 1979.

Facing an other war

The Thomasites found too many where gone to far away from Dr. John Thomas his ideas. They and Australian Biblestudents who also found the Birmingham Christadelphians and CBM were not any more real followers of John Thomas got in contact with some Belgian Biblestudents who wanted to stay as close as possible to the Biblical Truth.

Freitag, former Branch manager of the Swiss Watch Tower Society since 1898, claimed he was the legitimate successor of Charles Taze Russell and sent to the Bible Students The Message of Laodicea (Le Message de Laodicée) and published two journals, the monthly The Monitor of the Reign of Justice (Le Moniteur du Règne de Justice) and the weekly Newspaper for All (Le Journal pour tous).

Freitag’s movement was later continued under the leadership of Édouard Rufener, then Marie Roulin, then Mr. Kohli and the main headquarters became based in Cartigny, Switzerland.

When Freitag died in 1947, one of his followers, Bernard Sayerce (1912–1963), a Roman Catholic schoolteacher, claimed he was his successor. Almost all of the 900 French and Belgian assemblies joined this new group which had a peak of 9,700 members between 1958 and 1962. In 1963, Lydie Sartre (1898–1972), who was named the “Dear Mom”, then Joseph Neyrand (1927–1981) in 1971, replaced Sayerce as leaders of the movement, named “Amis sans frontières” (Friends without borders) in 1984 which is still active today.

The Association of Bible Students and the Association of Bible Researchers (Associatie of Vereniging van Bijbelonderzoekers) got alls sorts of people, from all sorts of denominations, who wanted seriously to investigate what was written in the Holy Scriptures and how we had to interpret it.

Throughout the world many small independent bible student groups got to see how several who first followed Rutherford, also became dissatisfied of the way things where going. As the years went by, more and more of the brethren seeing a change of direction and attitude within the Society soon departed and thus the big exodus started. By 1930 the majority of the brethren who worked closely with Pastor Russell had left the Society — many had been forced out. By this time, all of Pastor Russell’s writings were discarded in favour of the writings of Ruther­ford, writings that contradicted each other. By 1929 over a hundred changes in doctrines had been made; the Society no longer resembled that which was established by Pastor Russell and his early associates. The Society had a new look and a new attitude. No longer was it simply a publishing house for the dissemination of Bible literature. Now it was “God’s Theocratic Organization.” To disagree with it was tantamount to treason against God himself.

Shortly after founding the “Goshen Fellowship” after he was disfellowshipped by N.H. Knorr in 1951 Jesse Hemery died. Jesse Hemery was appointed overseer of the Watch Tower Society’s British Isles branch office by Russell in 1901, holding that post until 1946. In Belgium this group became known under this name but from the 1960-70ies also under the name “Zion’s Herald” after their publication (which started in 1965), which was for years published under directorship of Frank Lewis Brown.

Pamphlets published by opposing sides during the dispute over Rutherford’s leadership, 1917. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although many of the original 19° century Bible Students have died, their grandchildren and faithful followers of the first hour group still carry on. Though even today there may be disputes between certain groups claiming that they and not the other one is following the original teaching of Dr. Thomas or Pastor Russell. The Christadelphians became the lesser group in the Bible Student Movement, whilst the International Bible Student Association (IBSA) may find it very difficult to have people to come to see that they are the true followers of Charles Taze Russell and not the Jehovah Witnesses who claim unjustified that Russell would have founded their organisation.

The Watchtower and Tract Society from Brooklyn has gone so far as to state that Bible Students no longer exist, that they have died out and none remain or they say they are the only bible Students.

Hopefully we can convince you that this is not the case and that all over the world several students of the Bible or Bible Students can be found who have nothing to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The American Association of followers of Charles Taze Russell his teachings: the International Bible Students Association (IBSA), not to be confused with the English IBSA of the Jehovah’s Witnesses – De Amerikaanse Vereniging van de volgelingen van Charles Taze Russell zijn leer: de International Bible Students Association (IBSA), niet te verwarren met het Engelse IBSA van de Jehovah’s Getuigen

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Preceding article: Different approach in organisation of services #1

To be continued: Different approach in organisation of services #3

Dutch version /Nederlandstalige versie:  Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 2

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Please do find out more about the Christadelphians:

1. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
2. Two new encyclopaedic articles
3. Who are the Christadelphians
4. What are Brothers in Christ
5. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
6. Christadelphian people
7. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
8. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
9. What Christadelphians teach
10. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
11. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
12. 19° Century London Christadelphians
13. Breathing and growing with no heir
14. Commitment to Christian unity
15.  Parts of the body of Christ
16. What part of the Body am I?
17. The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous
18. United people under Christ
19. Fellowship
20. The Ecclesia
21. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
22. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
23. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
24. Our ecclesia or Christadelphian-church
25. Intentions of an Ecclesia
26. An ecclesia in your neighbourhood
27. Communion and day of worship
28. Christadelphians today
29. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
30. Who Celebrates Easter as Religious Holiday
31. Eostre, Easter, White god, chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies and metaphorical resurrection
32. Harvest in Belgium

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Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 2

De eindigende tijd van de heidenen

Nadat de Duitsers België waren binnengevallen bleven de gelovige Bijbel studenten hun prediking voort zetten. Zelfs wanneer ze 99 kilometer langs de spoorlijn moesten lopen van Luik naar Charleroi, waren deze Waalse nederige mijnwerkers ijverig om vergaderingen bij te wonen.

De families Tilmant en Verdière bleven het Goede Nieuws van het Koninkrijk verspreiden.

Joseph Franklin Rutherford

Na de dood van Charles Taze Russell, op 31 oktober 1916, werd een zevende-volume getiteld “The Finished Mystery” gepubliceerd in 1917 en aangeprezen als zijn ‘postume werk “. Dit zevende volume was een gedetailleerde interpretatie van het boek Openbaring van Johannes, maar ook interpretaties van Ezechiël en het Hooglied van Salomon. Een reclame voor het boek in Zion’s Watch Tower noemde het “de ware interpretatie”, en promote het als “van de Heer – voorbereid onder zijn leiding.” Onmiddellijke controverse omgaven zowel haar bekendmaking en inhoud. Het werd al snel vastgesteld dat het grotendeels geschreven en samengesteld was door twee van Russell’s vennoten, Clayton J. Woodworth en George H. Fisher, en bewerkt werd door Russell’s opvolger, Joseph Franklin Rutherford.

De positie en de houding die Rutherford aannam werd door velen niet gewaardeerd. De Russellieten beschuldigde hem voor het verraden van Russell. In België als in andere landen waar de tegenwoordige waarheid werd opgericht, kwamen een paar problemen aan het licht, sommige mensen hadden de intentie om te verdelen.

In de loop van de gebeurtenissen, voor wat betreft Jumet en de wijk van Charleroi, sloten de familie Tilmant en andere mensen zich aan bij de groepering van Rutherford, die werd verkozen tot president van het Wachttorengenootschap. De sterke persoonlijkheid van Rutherford zoals die van Robert Roberts maakte dat mensen kozen voor andere, minder dictatoriale figuren. Een aantal essentiële leerstellingen van de millenniumgeneratie restauratieve christelijke beweging die zijn voortgekomen uit de leringen en de ministeries van Dr. John Thomas en Charles Taze Russell, ook wel bekend als Pastor Russell, werden veranderd. Over de hele wereld vertrokken duizenden leden congregaties van Bible Students of Bijbelonderzoekers in verband met de Watch Tower Society gedurende de jaren 1920 mede ingegeven door Rutherford‘s mislukte voorspellingen voor het jaar 1925, het verhogen van ontgoocheling met zijn voortdurende doctrinaire en organisatorische veranderingen, en zijn campagne voor gecentraliseerde controle van de beweging.

Volgers in België

Prolific writer and bible Student Paul Samuel Leo Johnson

De VS immigrant uit Polen en een prominente Hebreeuwse geleerde, Paul Samuel Leo (voorheen Levitsky) Johnson trok vele volgelingen aan in België en andere plaatsen. In 1903 had hij gemeenschap begonnen met de Columbus Ecclesia van de Watch Tower Society en werd benoemd door Russell als een pelgrim van de Bijbelstudenten (of Bijbelonderzoekers) in 1904. Hij diende uiteindelijk als persoonlijke secretaris en in de tijd werd hij de meest vertrouwde vriend en adviseur van Russell. Maar voor hem werd het heel moeilijk om om te gaan met die Bijbel studenten die de leer van Pastor C.T. Russell uitdaagden en bevroegen, vooral rond zijn begrip van het nieuwe verbond en de losprijs voor allen.

De illegale introductie van nieuwe statuten voor de Watch Tower Society gaf de president Rutherford volledige controle over de zaken van de Gemeenschap. Dit was echter niet Pastor Russell‘s wens. In zijn testament had hij een zeven–man’s raad van bestuur voorzien om hem op te volgen. Vier leden van de Raad van Bestuur van de Vereniging van Bestuur, een meerderheid van de raad, nam sterk bezwaar tegen wat zij beschouwden als Rutherford‘s verwerpelijk eigenhandig gedrag en verzetten zich tegen hem. Uiteindelijk bracht die groeiende spanning tussen Rutherford en de bestuurders er toe dat op 17 juli 1917, Rutherford gewoon tijdens de maaltijd, de ‘Bethel familie’ in Brooklyn, New York, aankondigde dat hij de vier bestuurders had vervangen met zijn eigen aangestelden. Dit deed hij met behulp van het juridische jargon dat de bestuurders die tegen hem waren, wettelijk hun posities niet konden houden onder de wet van Pennsylvania.
Rutherford beweerde ten onrechte dat de vier directeuren en anderen met hen, weigerden samen te werken met de Society. Zelfs vandaag wordt er door de Jehovah’s Getuigen verteld dat de vier bestuurders die werden verdreven uit het Watch Tower hoofdkwartier  boos waren en zich zelf dienden.

Missionarissen

IBSA’s “Missions Investigation Committee” in 1912 Gen. Hall is omcirkeld, Charles Taze Russell is gezeten (Foto credit: Wikipedia)

Veel ernstige Bijbelonderzoekers, zoals de Thomasiten, Russellieten en verschillende geassocieerde leden van de Bijbelonderzoekers verzette zich tegen de manier waarop Rutherford de Bijbel Studenten wilde bewegen. De vier directeuren vormden een instituut om het werk van Pastor Russell onafhankelijk van de Society voort te blijven zetten. Anderen gingen op hun beurt ook over om kleine eigen gemeenschappen te vormen of om andere corporaties op hun eigen op te richten. Sommige Bijbel studenten volgden het voorbeeld van hun favoriete ouderling of leraar. Weer anderen, enige organisatie en samenlevingen wantrouwend, bleven onafhankelijk van alle anderen.

Broeder Paul Johnson gaf zijn beweging de naam “Interior Missionary Laity Movement”, duidelijk verwijzend naar het niet clerus gebonden kader van de vereniging waar leken de dienst uit maakten en niet onder zulk een gradatie vielen als bij de clerus. De gekozen naam voor de beweging was één van de niet opgenomen namen die werden gebruikt door Pastor Russell en de vroege Internationale Bijbel Studentent Associatie (IBSA) of de International Bible Students Association (IBSA) (Niet te verwarren met de latere organisatie uit Engeland met dezelfde naam, maar die wel de Jehovah’s Getuigen groepeert.). Uit die Russell ISBA groep ontstond de Heraut van het Koninkrijk van Christus Bijbel Studenten of the Herald of Christ’s Kingdom Bible Students welke hun ideeën aan een aantal Belgen gaven.

Sommigen traden Alexander F.L. Freitag tegemoet, ook wel bekend als Freytag, die aan het eind van 1917 nog verantwoordelijk manager was van de Wachttoren. Werkzaam in het Frans in Zwitserland richtte Freitag de groep Engel van de Heer  op (geïnspireerd door een vers van de Apocalyps), Engel van Jehovah Bijbel en Tract Society, dan Kerk van het Koninkrijk van God of de Filantropische Vergadering van de “Vrienden van de Mens” of “les Amis de l’homme”. Een kleine groep leefde in het gebied van Charleroi. Sommigen van hen hebben de 3 bewegingen niet gevolgd  en hebben een “Association of Bible Students”, “Association des Etudiants de la Bible” of “Vereniging van Bijbelonderzoekers” gevormd. The Young Men’s Mutual Bible Study Associations of de “les associations Mutuels Bible Étude de la Jeune homme” of de “Onderlinge Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie voor jonge mannen” van broeder Robert Ashcroft kon anderen aan te trekken. De gesprekken van Frank George Jannaway en zijn beschermings werk voor degenen die niet wilden gaan vechten in de Eerste Wereldoorlog kreeg waarschijnlijk ook enige aandacht, maar de verschillende groepen waren erg klein en als zodanig kwam de hele Bijbelstudentenvereniging in België in de gevarenzone van de vergetelheid.

Niet opgemerkte parels

In 1915 werden wereldwijd door de bijbelstudenten  50 millioen Tractaten verspreid.

België kreeg een periode waar de Parels niet werden gezien. Men zag dat het koninkrijk België in de steek gelaten werd, maar toch bleven er Bijbelgetrouwen in hun kleine hoekje naarstig verder werken om Gods Woord beter te begrijpen.

“47 Het is met het koninkrijk van de hemel ook als met een sleepnet dat in een meer werd geworpen en waarmee allerlei soorten vis werden gevangen. 48 Toen het net vol was, trok men het op de oever en ging men zitten om de goede vis in kuipen te doen; de slechte vis werd weggegooid. 49 Zo zal het gaan bij de voltooiing van deze wereld: de engelen zullen erop uittrekken en de kwaadwilligen van de rechtvaardigen scheiden,” (Mattheüs 13:47-49 NBV)

Tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog waren er twee kleine groepen Bijbel Onderzoekers in Nederland actief, namelijk in Rotterdam en Amsterdam. Zij probeerden ook Nederlandstalige publicaties op de markt te brengen. In 1918 werden drie proef nummers van The Watchtower  of “De Wachttoren” uitgegeven. Erg genoeg bleek er onvoldoende animo voor zulk een lectuur, om over te schakelen naar een normale regelmatige editie.

20 ° eeuw kreten

Leden van de Christadelphian Bijbel Mission (CBM) kwamen later regelmatig naar de Lage Landen (Nederland, België en Noord-Frankrijk) of de Nederlanden en een aantal van hen vond zelfs een basis voor een verblijf in Nederland waar ze begonnen om opnieuw een aantal kleine groepen van Bijbel studenten bijeen te krijgen of te stimuleren om regelmatig samen te komen.

Albert O. Hudson, founder of the Bible Fellowship Union – Stichter van de Bible Fellowship Union

Bible Fellowship Union Web site in november 2014 – De Bijbel Fellowship Unie heeft sinds 1945 de ‘Bible Monthly’ en andere literatuur gepubliceerd in voortzetting van een tijdschrift opgericht in 1924, met als doel de Bijbel kennis te bevorderen.

Ook uit Groot–Brittannië, waar de Bible Fellowship Union of Bijbel Broederschapsunie werd opgericht, begonnen ze in 1924 met het publiceren van The Bible Students Monthly een maandelijks Bijbel Studentenblad dat later omgedoopt werd tot The Bible Study om zo niet te verwarren met de nieuwe Watch Tower die eerder ook een paper publiceerde met die naam. Albert O. Hudson werd de algemeen directeur en diende in die hoedanigheid tot aan zijn dood op de leeftijd van 101 jaar in 2000. Vandaag de dag wordt het gerund door een redactiecommissie van de Bible Fellowship Union.

Maar ook zij moesten een splitsing onder ogen zien, met William Crawford, een origineel lid van de Britse Raad van Bestuur, die over ging op de oprichting van de Old Paths Publications (Oude Paden Publicaties) en de maandelijkse tijdschrift Old Paths (Oude Paden) produceerde . Talloze boekjes, boeken en traktaten werden geproduceerd.

Op het moment van de splitsing in 1917, was de Forest Gate Kerk de tweede grootste Bijbel Studenten groep in Engeland. F.G. Guard, schoonvader van William Crawford, leidde de klasse op om zich te scheiden van de Society. In 1939 begonnen ze The Forest Gate Church Bible Monthly te publiceren samen met boekjes en traktaten. Deze groep werd ontbonden in 1979.

Geconfronteerd met een andere oorlog

De Thomasites of Thomasiten vonden dat veel van de Bible Students veel te ver afgeweken waren van de originele leer van Dr. John Thomas en zijn eerste medestudenten hun ideeën. Zij en de Australische Bijbelstudenten die ook vonden dat de Birmingham Christadelphians en CBM niet meer echte volgelingen waren van John Thomas kregen contact met enkele Belgische Bijbelstudenten die zo dicht mogelijk bij de Bijbelse waarheid wilden blijven.

Freitag, voormalig Branch manager van de Zwitserse Watch Tower Society sinds 1898, beweerde dat hij de rechtmatige opvolger van Charles Taze Russell was, verzond naar de Bijbel Studenten De boodschap van Laodicea (Le Message de Laodicée) en publiceerde twee tijdschriften, de maandelijkse Le Moniteur du Règne de Justice (De Monitor van het Rijk van Justitie) en de wekelijkse krant voor iedereen: Le Journal pour tous.

Freitag‘s beweging werd later voortgezet onder leiding van Édouard Rufener, dan Marie Roulin, toen de heer Kohli en kreeg haar hoofdkwartier gevestigd in Cartigny, Zwitserland.

Toen Freitag overleed in 1947, beweerde een van zijn volgelingen, Bernard Sayerce (1912-1963), een rooms-katholieke schoolmeester, dat hij zijn opvolger was. Bijna alle van de 900 Franse en Belgische assemblees traden toe tot deze nieuwe groep, die een piek van 9.700 leden had tussen 1958 en 1962. In 1963 kreeg men Lydie Sartre (1898-1972), die werd uitgeroepen tot de “Beste moeder“, dan Joseph Neyrand (1927 -1981) in 1971, die Sayerce vervingen als leiders van de beweging, genaamd “Amis sans frontières” (Vrienden zonder grenzen) in 1984, die vandaag nog steeds actief is.

De Association of Bible Students of Vereniging van Bijbelstudenten en de Association of Bible Researchers of Vereniging van Bijbel Onderzoekers (Associatie of Vereniging van Bijbelonderzoekers) kreeg allerlei soorten mensen, uit allerlei denominaties, die serieus wilden onderzoeken wat in de Heilige Schrift staat geschreven en hoe we deze moeten interpreteren.

Over de hele wereld zijn er vele kleine onafhankelijke groepjes die de Bijbel trachten te bestuderen. Zij kregen te zien hoe doorheen de jaren de verschillende groepen die voorafgaandelijk Rutherford volgenden ook ontevreden werden over de manier waarop de dingen verder gingen. Naarmate de jaren vorderden, werden wijzigingen aangebracht die sommigen tegen de borst stootten of waarbij nieuwe leerstellingen werden opgenomen en diegenen die anders dachten werden verstoten. Eveneens brachten sommigen ideeën aan waar het Wachttoren Genootschap niet mee akkoord gingen en daarom die persoon uitsloten terwijl enkele jaren zij zelf die leerstelling als een nieuw licht presenteerden, maar de vroeger uitgeslotene niet terug in de rangen namen. Meer en meer van de broeders, die eerst Rutherford en zijn Getuigen van Jehovah gevolgd waren, zagen een verandering van richting en houding binnen de Society, waardoor zij snel besloten te vertrekken en dus begon “de grote uittocht”. In 1930 had de meerderheid van de broeders die nauw samenwerkte met Pastor Russell de Vereniging verlaten – velen werden gedwongen om er uit te treden. Tegen die tijd werden al Pastor Russell‘s geschriften in het voordeel van de geschriften van Rutherford veranderd en geschriften die elkaar tegengespraken weggegooid. In 1929 waren meer dan honderd veranderingen in leerstellingen gemaakt; de samenleving leek niet meer op diegene die werd opgericht door Pastor Russell en zijn vroege metgezellen. De Vereniging had een nieuwe look en een nieuwe houding. Niet langer was het gewoon een uitgeverij voor de verspreiding van de Bijbelse literatuur. Nu was het “Gods theocratische organisatie.” Om het niet eens met haar was gelijk aan verraad tegen God zelf.

Kort na de oprichting van de “Goshen Fellowship” nadat hij werd uitgesloten door NH Knorr in 1951 overleed Jesse Hemery. Jesse Hemery werd door Russell in 1901 benoemd tot opzichter van de Watch Tower Society’s British Isles branch office, het Wachttoren filiaal voor de Britse Eilanden, en beheerde die post tot 1946. In België werd deze groep  bekend onder deze naam, maar van de 1960-70ies ook onder de naam “Zion’s Herald” na hun publicatie (die begon in 1965), die jarenlang werd gepubliceerd onder leiding van Frank Lewis Brown.

Dr. John Thomas (1805-1871) grondlegger van de Christadelphian beweging, een herstellers van religie groepering met doctrines vergelijkbaar voor een deel met een aantal 16e-eeuwse Antitrinitarische Rationalistische Socinianen en de 16e-eeuwse Duits-Zwitserse pacifistische wederdopers of Anabaptisten.

Hoewel veel van de oorspronkelijke 19° eeuwse Bijbel Studenten zijn gestorven, kan men nu nog volgelingen aantreffen die voortgaan in de gedachtegang van de vorsers van het ‘eerste uur’.  Hun kleinkinderen en trouwe volgelingen van hen die de eerste groepjes oprichtten gaan nog steeds door. Hoewel zelfs vandaag de dag kunnen er geschillen blijven bestaan tussen bepaalde groepen door te beweren dat zij en niet de andere vasthouden aan de oorspronkelijke leer van Dr. Thomas of Pastor Russell. De Christadelphians werden de mindere groep in de Bijbelonderzoekers, terwijl de International Bible Student Association (IBSA) het erg moeilijk kan vinden om mensen te laten inzien dat zij de ware volgelingen van Charles Taze Russell zijn en niet de Jehovah Getuigen die ongerechtvaardigd beweren dat Russell hun organisatie zou hebben opgericht.

The Watchtower and Tract Society from Brooklyn of het Wachttoren en Traktaatgenootschap uit Brooklyn gaat zelfs zo ver om te stellen dat de Bijbel Studenten niet meer bestaan, dat ze zijn uitgestorven en niemand overblijft of ze zeggen dat ze de enige bijbel studenten zijn

Hopelijk kunnen wij u er van overtuigen dat dit niet zo is en dat er over de gehele wereld nog verscheidene Bijbelstudenten of Bible Students zijn die niets met de Getuigen van Jehovah te maken hebben.

The American Association of followers of Charles Taze Russell his teachings: the International Bible Students Association (IBSA), not to be confused with the English IBSA of the Jehovah’s Witnesses – De Amerikaanse Vereniging van de volgelingen van Charles Taze Russell zijn leer: de International Bible Students Association (IBSA), niet te verwarren met het Engelse IBSA van de Jehovah’s Getuigen

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Vorige aflevering: Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 1

Volgende: Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 3

Engelse versie / English version: Different approach in organisation of services #2

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Lees verder meer:

1. Bedenkingen: Gods eigen Volk
2. De Bijbel als Gids
3. Vele kerken
4. Volharding en Bijbelstudenten + Volharding en Bijbelstudenten
5. Doelstelling van Bijbelstudenten
6. Over de Belgische Bijbelstudenten
7. Wat de Belgische Bijbelstudenten geloven
8. Bijbelonderzoekers niet steeds Getuigen van Jehovah
9. Wie kan zich beroepen op C.T. Russell
10. Bijbelonderzoekers en Russelism
11. Christadelphians openen Tweede Ontmoetingsplaats in België
12. Seizoen 2013-2014

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Please do find out more about the Christadelphians:

1. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
2. Two new encyclopaedic articles
3. Who are the Christadelphians
4. What are Brothers in Christ
5. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
6. Christadelphian people
7. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
8. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
9. What Christadelphians teach
10. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
11. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
12. 19° Century London Christadelphians
13. Breathing and growing with no heir
14. Commitment to Christian unity
15.  Parts of the body of Christ
16. What part of the Body am I?
17. The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous
18. United people under Christ
19. Fellowship
20. The Ecclesia
21. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
22. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
23. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
24. Our ecclesia or Christadelphian-church
25. Intentions of an Ecclesia
26. An ecclesia in your neighbourhood
27. Communion and day of worship
28. Christadelphians today
29. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
30. Who Celebrates Easter as Religious Holiday
31. Eostre, Easter, White god, chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies and metaphorical resurrection
32. Harvest in Belgium

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Related articles

• Rose Guide To End-Times Prophecy – Timothy Paul Jones (2011) (baldreformer.wordpress.com)
  Rose-Guide to End-Times Prophecy by Timothy Paul Jones is a terrific overview of eschatology designed for beginning Bible students.  The author provides a fairly comprehensive look at the four major eschatological views – Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Dispensational Premillennialism, and Historical Premillennialism.
• Bible Students Are Getting Threatened with Deportation. So How Fair Is Obama’s Immigration Policy? (ijreview.com)
  Ohio’s Marietta Bible College doesn’t get much press. Their website is modest, and their goals are straightforward: they prepare international students from third world countries for work in churches or Christian schools in their homelands. The school is a ministry of Marietta Bible Center Church.
• High-school Students Told They Could No Longer Pray During School Free Time (lightfromtheright.com)
  Windebank enlisted the help of the ADF which wrote a letter to the school’s administration, including the assistant principal and his boss, stating that such a policy was on its face unconstitutional and invalid and needed to be changed to allow Windebank and his friends to continue doing what they had been doing without trouble for the last three years.Instead of acquiescing and mending their ways and changing the policy, the school instead pushed back. They stated, through the school’s attorney “that because of the separation of church and state and because they regarded the Seminar period as instructional time, they were banning students’ discussion of issues of the day from a religious perspective during the open time of Seminar period.”

  So Seminar time wasn’t open time after all but fell under the aegis and control of the administration to determine what constituted proper activities and behavior. A spokesman for the school district, Nanette Anderson, confirmed,

  Students were told that, according to state law and district policy, they could meet [only] during non-instructional time [now defined as] before or after school.

• Atonement and the race been bought (bijbelvorser.wordpress.com)
  In the previous articles we have seen how important it is to belong to a community which is under Christ, who was “raised again for our justification” (Romans 4: 25).
• Confessions of a Jehovah’s Witness (heraldsun.com.au)
  As someone who spent too long inside this stifling, doom-obsessed religion, I can tell you the answer lies in two powerful forces that control the lives of each of the world’s eight million Jehovah’s Witnesses: a conviction that God will soon destroy “wicked mankind” on a global and bloody scale, (sparing, naturally, just them) and also the unquestioning acceptance of the religion’s New York leadership.

  Those leaders require that all Witnesses, from children to the frail aged, devote their lives to proselytising in the hope of gathering millions more into their fold before the divine hammer blow of Armageddon.

• Confessions of a Jehovah’s Witness (adelaidenow.com.au)
  But the command is not only to “preach” (usually a forlorn offer of a magazine or leaflet); they must also hand in monthly reports detailing the hours they spent “in the field” and how many calls they made.

  The message at their meetings is relentless and laden with guilt and fear: keep on preaching or you, too, will die at Armageddon.

  Since the 1920s — when hard-headed Watch Tower Society president Joseph F. Rutherford whipped a once quaint Adventist religion into a regimented, tightly disciplined publishing and recruiting organisation — the church’s belief has always been that the best way to keep members from straying is to keep them busy.

Different approach in organisation of services #1

Based in a Catholic country

The Belgian Bible Students and the Belgian Free Christadelphians both started a new year like the Catholic Church in Belgium and the schools, universities and clubs started a new year.

For the Catholic Church and for us there is the promise to the young girl Miriam (Mary/Maria) which let us look at the beginning of a new era, the time of salvation at hand. We, in contrast with our brethren and sisters from the Central Fellowship, like the CBM and CIL Christadelphians, start already now with reading about the Glad Tidings and the beginnings of the New Testament. The members of the Belgian Free Christadelphians in their ecclesiae follow the Bible Reading Plan by Robert Roberts and start only on the 1st of January with Genesis 1 & 2 plus Matthew 1 & 2.

Because there are so many Catholics in this country we like to show them from their readings, their religious year readings, what the Bible really says. Because every year they choose an other Gospel author as their main writer which they will follow, we also do take that writer his writings to put in the spotlight. It is a matter of coming closer to them and to have a better play on the ball with their readings and their traditions.

Different traditions

About those traditions, the Bible Students and several Amended Christadelphians may have a different feeling, because some Central Christadelphians join the pagan Christian festival and celebrate Christmas and Boxing Day. For us the real birth of Christ,on the 17th of October 4BCE is an other good reason to start in September/October with the new ‘church year’. But we do have to abstain from the pagan based holidays, like Christmas and the Catholic and some Protestants their Easter. The Easter we do have to celebrate and which the Free Christadelphians in Belgium also keep to is the remembrance day installed by Jesus Christ before he was going to die, on the 14th of Nisan.
Like the Belgian Catholics we may find that there is a time of advent in the Autumn, a preparation time to receive and celebrate the Good News of the one who brought us the Kingdom of God. Last year we looked at Luke and this year we shall therefore have a closer look to the Book of Matthew, the 1st book of the New Testament. There are more allusions to the Old Testament in this Gospel than in the others. It was clearly written for Jewish Christians, the purpose being to prove that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament and therefore it is also a very good book to introduce to those who do not know Jesus or to those who have a wrong view of this Nazarene man.

This year the Free Christadelphians in Belgium, like us, looked back at the awful year they had, and showed their good spirit to stand up again and to go forwards through the breakers which dash against our coast. The ecclesia Brussel-Leuven also found it wise to give an idea how the Christadelphian movement came into being and how it developed.

In the Gospel of Matthew is written how the Lord Jesus himself announced the work of Harvest of the Gospel Age.

“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”” (Matthew 13:30 NIV)

Adolf Daens (1839–1907) Flemish priest from Aalst. Daens was a Jesuit from 1859 to 1871 but is especially known for his socio-political involvement after he joined the diocesan clergy. He created the Daensist movement from which originated in 1893 the Christene Volkspartij inspired by Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum. The Christene Volkspartij forced the radicalisation and democratisation of the Catholic party.

Sowing the seeds in the 19° century

Dr. John Thomas (1805–1871) founder of the Christadelphian movement, a Restorationist religion with doctrines similar in part to some 16th-century Antitrinitarian Rationalist Socinians and the 16th-century Swiss-German pacifist Anabaptists.

Brother John Thomas in the 19° century tried to sow the seeds. He found many listening ears. One of them was Brother Charles Taze Russell who visited Antwerp and Brussels in 1891. Already at that time the fresh new country seemed to struggle with the Gospel Faith. The Roman Catholic Church was a very strong bastion with her hand in the political system and favouring the rich instead of helping the poor, priest Adolf and his brother Pieter Daens, or Pie Donsj for those from Aalst, an exception.

Brother Charles met there a Christendom that was ignorant of biblical truth. The fear of the clergy and of the fire of hell, doctrine that has no foundation in the Scripture, kept people away from opening the Bible.  But the Catholic Church had taken care that the people would not come to see the truth, by forbidding them to read the Bible. Mass was done in Latin and the readings as such, in that language, did not say so much to the people, who had not studied enough to get to know Latin and Greek.

The Bible translations in Dutch, French or German were forbidden and blacklisted.

Walloon grocery and mining

Because there was so much French spoken Russell did find it a good idea to have a modest Swiss forestry worker named Adolphe Weber to proclaim “the good news of great joy” in the French speaking countries of Europe. Adolphe Weber began the translation in French of books of the “present truth” and published in Swiss, French and Belgian daily newspapers advertisements referring to the first volume of the studies in the Scriptures and some booklets.

Jumet is a section of the Belgian town of Charleroi within the Walloon region in the province of Hainaut. It was a commune of its own before the merger of the communes in 1977. – Location in the municipality of Charleroi

In 1901, a grocer named Jean-Baptiste Tilmant (father) working in Jumet-Gohissart, city located near Charleroi, answered one of these advertisements and asked for some literature. As a result, a small group of bible students started meetings at his house in 1902 and used material from Russell.

Urged by his desire to know more about the truth, Jean-Baptiste Tilmant wrote to the Swiss brother asking to receive more information. As an answer to his demand, Brother Weber came to Charleroi during his missionary tour, to strengthen the faith of this small group.

In 1903, the periodical “lighthouse of Zion Tower” was published in French for the first time. The light of truth began to

shine so brightly in this mining area. Indeed, each Sunday morning, a small group of Biblestudentsastheywerecalledat the time, were going “in the fields” to sow the seeds of truth contained in this eight pages periodical; they waited for instance at the exit of churches. That is how the two first editions of “Zion’s Watch Tower” were largely distributed.

Borderareas

The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut in Belgium

The small group of Jumet Gohissart pushed away the limits of its territory to the south in the French part of the country. Some time later, the truth of God’s Kingdom also expended among the Flemish population.

In the month of august 1904, ten years before the First World War, these brave messengers of the Good News went to Denain in France, to offer booklets to people getting out from a Baptist temple. In Belgium and France the non-trinitarian Baptists mostly were not openly known, because of the fear of persecution.
The results of their activity was that two years later, a congregation started near Denain in Haveluy.

Jean Baptiste Tilmant and his friends continued to bravely preach the biblical truth and other groups appeared to face this big growth, a deposit of books was opened at brother’s Tilmant house in Jumet Gohisart and in 1906 a bible student community was founded in Denain.

The “Lighthouse” of August 1904, page 64, mentions for the first time the name and books from “Dawn”; (It has to be Volume I of the Studies in the Scriptures); subscriptions to the “Lighthouse” and request for free booklets and papers.

In 1906 the leaflets “Do you Know?” and the “Wage of sin” two other booklets and Volume 1 were to be published in Dutch and delivered in Brussels.

In 1908 Heinrich Brinkhoff published the first edition of The Watchtower in Dutch: De Wachttoren. 

Throwing pearls to pigs

Around 1910, François Caré who had known the truth in France went to Liège to a protestant friend named Edouard Verdière. He could not help it speaking with him about the truth. He wanted to help him leaving the false religion. His friend was so opposed to the message of brother Caré that at the end he finished by telling him

“ I don’t want to argue with you any longer , I don’t want to throw pearls to pigs “

After these words, he went to bed , these words bothered Mr Verdière all night long. The next morning, he asked brother Caré to tell him what he meant. He told him that he will no longer speak about the truth to him because he did not appreciate the “pearls” he was offering him. After this explanation, his friend became more conciliating so that after his return to France brother Caré started to send him regularly periodicals. He also dispatched a few volumes of Studies in the Scriptures. It did not last long before Edouard Verdière accepted the Truth and even began to speak in public. In another district of Belgium, light began to break through the darkness.

From Catholicism to Protestantism to coming in the Truth

The Rosary (from Latin rosarium, meaning “Crown of Roses” or “garland of roses” , in its most commonly known format as the Dominican rosary, is a form of prayer used especially in the Catholic Church or a string of prayer beads used to count the component prayers

In the coalmine where he worked, Edouard Verdière had a colleague named Léonard Smets searching the truth. He was a sincere catholic; he diligently attended religious services with his family. He used to pray with a rosary. This man from Flemish origin lived in Heure-le Romain near Vivegnis (Liège). In 1900, a protestant offered him a Bible saying, “I have the Book of God”. Another day, at the confessional, Léonard Smets confessed to the priest that he was reading the Holy Scriptures. The priest said that if he still wanted to receive absolution for his sins he had to give back his Bible. From that day on, Léonard did not attend the service any-more. He thought,

“If they are sincere, they will come to meet me, because they have to come and catch back the lost sheep”.

However, the priest never came to see him. Léonard Smets began to attend the protestant temple.

A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church. – Traditional confessional in Saint-Thiébaut Church, Thann, France

Even on his working place, in the coalmine, Smets was reading the New Testament. One day, Vedière noticed it. He was curious to know which his religion was; he began to sing a protestant hymn. “I was protestant”, answered brother Verdière “but I have something better for you.” He offered him a copy of the “watchtower of Zion” and witnessed with all his strength of the truth. It happened in 1912. Léonard Smets did not keep this truth for himself; he shared it with a Flemish colleague named Joseph Poelmans, father of seven children. He was disillusioned by the teachings of  Catholicism and chose Protestantism. However when he read the periodical that Smets gave him, he recognised the accent of truth.

Later, the three coalminers Verdière, Smets and Poelmans questioned the protestant minister of religion of Herstal (Liège) about the doctrine of immortality, trinity and Hell. Instead of helping them, the pastor was very angry and threw them out. They realised he was not better than the catholic priest, so they decided to meet and to study the Scripture with the help of the books they received from France.

In 1908 5000 “watch Towers” were distributed in Belgium.

In 1911 Brother Russell could only stop for a few minutes in Liège where dear brethren Pétré and some others were waiting to greet him on the train: sister Miss Peerkings (an English sister living in Liège where she learned about the Truth) served as an translator. With the same train, Brother Russell arrived in Charleroi where he took the road to arrive in Denain in the evening.

Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869–1942), also known as “Judge” Rutherford, president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, who played a primary role in the organization and doctrinal development of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In 1912, there were seven municipalities: Haine-Saint-Paul, Flémalle-Haute, Engis, Amay, Ampsin, Liège and Jumet–Gohissart. Each of these groups was organizing monthly meetings and was welcoming Brother Weber from the Swiss office for periodical visits.

At Pentecost on June 26th and 27th 1912 there was a a general meeting or their first general assembly in Jumet Gohissart.

Brother Rutherford was in Jumet on Monday 22nd September for a private meeting.

The group also grew strongly in the most northern part of France and in 1913 more than 1,000 people attended a lecture by Joseph Franklin Rutherford when he visited Denain. On August 31, 1913 70 Belgian supporters visited a conference in Paris where Russell was present.

+

To be continued: Different approach in organisation of services #2

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Andere aanpak in de organisatie van de diensten # 1

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Please do find out more about the Christadelphians:

1. Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
2. Two new encyclopaedic articles
3. Who are the Christadelphians
4. What are Brothers in Christ
5. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
6. Christadelphian people
7. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
8. About the Belgian Free Christadelphians
9. What Christadelphians teach
10. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
11. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
12. 19° Century London Christadelphians
13. Breathing and growing with no heir
14. Commitment to Christian unity
15.  Parts of the body of Christ
16. What part of the Body am I?
17. The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous
18. United people under Christ
19. Fellowship
20. The Ecclesia
21. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
22. The ecclesia or Christadelphian church
23. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
24. Our ecclesia or Christadelphian-church
25. Intentions of an Ecclesia
26. An ecclesia in your neighbourhood
27. Communion and day of worship
28. Christadelphians today
29. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
30. Who Celebrates Easter as Religious Holiday
31. Eostre, Easter, White god, chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies and metaphorical resurrection
32. Harvest in Belgium
33. Biblestudents & T.C.Russell
34. About the Belgian Biblestudents
35. What the Belgian Biblestudents believe

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