BULLETIN

228 NORTH EL MOLINO AVENUE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101-1675

Otis Q. Sellers, Founder       David R. Hettema, Director

Thoughts from the Editor

Jane S. Hancock

We like to sing songs of praise. On Sunday mornings our time is devoted to Bible study, so we come early and sing. We open up the song book at random and sing ten or fifteen songs before it is time to begin the meeting. Our book, Inspiring Hymns, published by Singspiration, Inc. and distributed by Zondervan Publishing House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the same one we have used for fifty years. Many of the songs have words that are so contrary to our beliefs, like "When We All Get to Heaven," that we cannot sing them. A hymn with a beautiful melody, "When the Shadows Flee Away" tells of the day when we shall be with "my Lord above." We can't sing it. Sometimes the words are not objectionable but they say nothing. "Work, for the night is coming." What does that mean?

So we are looking. "We're looking for new songs or old songs that speak truth. Some that I enjoy take words from the Bible and put them to music— like 'For God So Loved the World" and "I Know Whom I Have Believed."

Chorus: But "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I've committed Unto Him against that day."

Why don't you send us some hymns with great words. What are your favorites? Or how about writing new words to a familiar tune, words that teach the message of the Kingdom of God? Send them to us and we'll share them with our readers.

We get letters.

From Illinois. "God love you all for continuing Mr. Sellers' work. I still miss him and Mrs. Sellers. Thank you."

From Florida. Thank you for the copy of Israel in the Dispersion. Outstanding! Congratulations to John C. Ribbens."

From Texas. "May the Lord continue to bless your ministry in spreading His Word."

From Minnesota. "Thanks for keeping me on the mailing list. Sure appreciate the materials received."

From Arkansas. "I look forward to each mailing and the hope that is in each message. They are a joy to my heart.... I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know Mr. Sellers personally. I feel my life has been so blessed since someone who loved the Lord so much gave me what I needed to get through each day. I have the truth and the truth has set me free. Surely God is my strength and refuge."

From Maryland. "Enjoying Mr. Sellers' tapes and booklets from years back. So good to read and study and listen to since we don't attend church at our retirement village. Protestant service is very much modern and provides some entertainment~which it seems like the 'world' asks for today. Keep up the good work." And another one. "Great booklet on Matthew 24 by John Ribbens. Thanks to all there as you carry on the work of Truth. How clear it becomes."

From Kentucky. "Thank you for the recent arrival of Word of Truth literature. ... All of you who are working for the Word of Truth Ministry should be congratulated for carrying on the work Otis Q. Sellers began many years ago."

From Texas. "I am so thankful for the work Mitt, John and you (Dave) are doing. I'm always excited to get new literature. I am also enjoying my new L.A. Tapes. They deal with some contemporary issues that face Christians today."

From Indiana. '1 am very thankful to be on the Word of Truth Ministry mailing list. It is my main source of input on the fruits of progressive search for Biblical truth. I praise God for the diligent study and results-sharing ministry of yourself and your colleagues. The enclosed check is a modest contribution to your ministry.

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To Otis Q. Sellers
Again and again the things you say Ring true to the Truth in every way.
If Truth were a cymbal, bell or gong, Your words would resonate loud and long. Howard White January 24, 1945

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BIBLE STUDY BY EAR
LISTEN AND LEARN IN YOUR CAR OR AT HOME

570 STUDIES ON AUDIO CASSETTES BY OTIS Q. SELLERS
Still Only $2.00 Each Cassette, (Two Messages).
Order from
GWEN STAIGER
Recorder 121 Wood Oak Drive
Joshua, TX 76058-4709

From the Director

David R. Hettema

We are very happy to be sending along with this Bulletin five new issues of More Seed & Bread. Mike Walko of New York City who has contributed articles from time to time, has written on THE POETIC NATURE OF THE BIBLE. Our translations of the Scriptures hide much of the beauty of the original languages. When we sing that "New Song" in the kingdom of God, we will express our praise and our joy folly, even poetically without the present language barriers.

Milt Hammond has done a book review on one of Otis Q. Sellers' study booklets titled THE STUDY OF HUMAN DESTINY. Originally written in the 1940s and reprinted in 1955, it is just one of a group of books on the nature and destiny of man that everyone should read. We have a limited stock of this book and its companions. If you do not have these on your shelves, order while we can still supply you.

John Ribbens' contribution to the Seed &Bread library is titled CHRIST, THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. He sets forth that Jesus is the Christ that the Law and the Prophets promised, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the desired one of Israel and the nations; He is the true light, even our salvation.

Milt Hammond's study on REVELATION 20: JUDGMENT AND SATAN'S END deals with the end- time martyrs of the tribulation and the final end of Satan.

GOD'S FACE. I have enjoyed preparing a Bible study on the words "My Face" a term that God uses to describe His pleasure and blessing but also to show His displeasure and judgement. I hope that you will enjoy what God has to say. It principally is used concerning Israel, but I strongly feel it can apply to His children also.

David R, Hettema

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NOTICE

THE NEXT CONFERENCE TOUR WILL BE IN THE FALL WE ARE RELUCTANTLY POSTPONING FROM SPRING

The last several months have been somewhat difficult health-wise for Norma and me. We have visited more doctors and their people than you care to hear about. I am now coming back to a feeling of well being and want to get back into my regular schedule, but Norma is still undergoing some treatments and procedures that demand that I must continue to be alongside her. Norma's present situation is a return of a spine/nerve condition that was surgically corrected ten years ago. Now they are prescribing a series of spinal injections for her to be done in the next month or two. We are hopeful for good results. I tell you these things, not to talk about our lives, but so that you will understand why we have not planned a Spring Bible Conference. Postponing meeting for the next couple of months, gives us time to plan for late summer or the Fall. We are looking to that time when we can enjoy a series of Bible Conferences in late September or early October.
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Send for a list to our Pasadena address for
L.A.TAPES RECORDINGS OF THE PASADENA BIBLE CLASS
DO NOT A TTEMPT TO ORDER THESE FROM GWEN STAIGER AS THEY ARE RECORDED AND MAILED FROM OUR PASADENA LOCATION

WRITE TO: MILT HAMMOND
228 N. ElMolino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101- 1675

NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE
Just in case you may have missed the announcement, we want you to know about the new booklet publications that are available for you to order:

SHEOL, HADES AND DESTRUCTION by Otis Q Sellers Out of print for years, now reprinted .......... $3.00 ppd.

An eye opening word study with concordant list of every occurrence of SHEOL and HADES.

THE HOPE OF MANKIND IS GOD GOVERNING THIS EARTH.
(NOT THE RAPTURE)
by John C. Ribbens, a true testimony of what God is
going to do next for mankind. $2.50 ppd.

EARTH, NOT HEAVEN IS MAN'S FUTURE HOME AND DESTINY
by John C. Ribbens, a companion to The Hope of
Mankind, order them together. $2.50 ppd.

MATTHEW 24 AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE EON (With Charts)
by John C. Ribbens, the argument against Preterism, a
real tool to use to keep your thinking in tune to the
truth in scripture. $4.75 ppd

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NEED A COMPLETE LIST OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE?

We have lists of all of our publications and usually include these in every order. Send for these lists at no obligation. We are here to dispense all these items, to proclaim the truth as we know it, in season and out of season. Give someone you know a booklet or a 4-page study as a gift and your testimony of your faith.

NOTES FROM ANOTHER HAMMOND -

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ! My name is Bob Hammond, the younger Son of Milt Sr. and Anna Hammond. you hear from my Brother, Milt Jr. and his daughter Joanne on a regular basis, and I've just been the piano player at our Sunday Bible Studies. But, I've been thinking about the wonderful truth we've been permitted to have a glimpse of, and having a bit of time, decided to put something into writing, primarily for newer readers, but also as a refresher for some of our more-experienced ones, too.

As a-true non-denominational Bible study group^ we can (and do) hold more than one belief. However, there are some elements that our family of Believers all share -- this is what I'll attempt to address, starting with just one topic this time - "Do Miracles Occur Today?" I've got a list of additional topics and will write on them, too. Please realize that all I'm attempting to do is to encapsulate some fundamentals of this Ministry. If you are interested, please write for study materials. So, here goes:

DO MIRACLES OCCUR TODAY?

The Book of the Bible called "The Acts of the Apostles" tells us about the Apostles and their Disciples, and the early days of the Outcalled Ones (translated "Church" in most Bibles). It also provides examples of healing and other signs before the people ~ MIRACLES — great wonders which would put any God-fearing man to his knees today as it did back then. For about 33 years, during the blade stage of the kingdom there were awe-inspiring demonstrations of what men would experience in the then expected next great stage of the full corn in the ear, our God's plan with this World - the DISPENSATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

But, then came Acts 28:28, which Mr. Sellers' studies showed to be a Dispensational change point and he wrote about this as regards the "Secret." As we learned, TWO things occurred at Acts 28:28, rather than just one: (1) the consequent opening of the salvation message going out to the nations (beyond Israel), and (2) the beginning of another Dispensation, but not the one everyone expected ~ this was the beginning of the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD, where He began dealing with mankind in absolute Grace. Both of these had never been prophesied. Unlocking this second part of the SECRET by Mr. Sellers was of immense proportion, for it then provided an understandable basis for answers to many puzzling questions in the Bible, including the differences between the miracles of the Acts period and subsequently, no manifest miracles, yes, even to this day — described by Sir Robert Anderson as "The Silence of God".

We now know that, in this present Dispensation, our God acts in total and complete Grace. Does that mean He performs NO miracles? Who among us could answer that? The only thing we know is that if He does perform them, they are not traceable back to Him, from an evidence standpoint (we may know in our hearts only). Many lay on hands" in today's world, believing they possess the powers of the Acts period Apostles. But if a man Today was known to Be lame from birth, and suddenly jumped up and danced, we would ALL know it, what with today's investigative reporting and immediate communications ~ especially true when we saw it repeated again and again on TV. However, we thank our Lord Jesus that we know this Dispensational truth, and that HE is the only Mediator today between God and ourselves. No man can make that claim today.

Miracles today? They may be ~ but we'll never be able to prove it today. We will, later.

ALL CASSETTE TAPES NOW $2.00

TWO MESSAGES ON EACH CASSETTE
Listen while you drive in your car. Learn, review and make some Spiritual progress everyday.

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WE WILL REPLACE IT.
For all Otis Q. Sellers TL LIBRARY cassettes Write to: Gwen Staiger, Recorder 121 Wood Oak Drive Joshua, TX 76058

The Difference Between Western and Biblical Poetry

By Joanne Johnson

Western and Biblical Poetry contain differences which are quite unique and valuable to the continuing study of Scripture.

Poetry is a wonderful combination of words that paint a colorful, imaginative picture of places or events, or describe almost all inexpressible feelings associated with those places or events. English literature contains volumes of exquisite poetry, from rhymed meter to unrhymed prose. Even the Bible incorporates some of the most absorbing and intriguing examples of unrhymed poetry containing repetitions of ideas or concepts in terse form.

Some fine examples of English metered and rhymed poetry include the following:

"Even such is Tune, which takes in trust Our youth, our joys, and all we have, And pays us but with age and dust; Who in the dark and silent grave, When we have wandered all our ways, Shuts up the story of our days: And from which earth, and grave, and dust, The Lord shall raise me up, I trust."

"Recessional" By Rudyard Kipling
"God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine-Lord God
of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget! ..."

Enclosed with this mailing is a More Seed & Bread titled, "The Poetic Nature of the Bible." The author, Mike Walko, gives us many worthy parallelisms found in the pages of God's Word. However, a few extra findings are covered here for a more in-depth observation. "The Hebrew poetic form is peculiar," says C.I. Scofield, in his 1917 edition of the Bible, "and demands a word of explanation. Rhythm is not achieved by repetition of similar sounds, as in rhymed verse; nor by rhythmic accent as in blank verse, but by repetition of ideas. This is called parallelism; e.g.

"Parallelism is called synonymous when the thought is identical, as in the above instance; antithetic when the primary and the secondary ideas are in contrast; e.g.

"And (is called) synthetic when the thought is developed or enriched by the parallel; e.g.

"And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; Yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety' (Job 11:18).

"Under this method the poetical books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations) are epic, lyric, and dramatic, and supply examples of literary expression unmatched in uninspired literature."

A less descriptive but interesting note in the introduction of the book of Job in the Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, New American Standard version says: "The Book of Job was an early part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. ... It is comprised mostly of poetic passages. Hebrew poetry did not have Western-style meter or rhyme. It was composed of parallel thoughts which were synonymous or contrasting." In that particular version, the poetic books (as found printed as such in the majority of the book) include the following: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.

May we derive great joy from reading God's Word more completely with enhanced enlightenment: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psa. 119:105); "Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart" (Psa. 119:2).