BULLETIN

THE WORD OF TRUTH MINISTRY

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

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

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Volume 2, No. 33 Jane Sellers Hancock, Editor January 2004

Thoughts from the Editor

Jane S. Hancock

It's the beginning of a new year, 2004 AD, the Year of our Lord. Along with so many other people we pray, "Thy Kingdom come." But what we look for is not what others look for. We look for the Day of Christ, the time of the Kingdom, the time of Divine Government; not a time when Christ is on earth, but a time when God in Christ speaks from heaven and assumes sovereignty over the earth and all nations upon the earth. It is pre-advent; it precedes His coming.

As I think about this time "dominated by the fact that the glory of the Lord has been revealed and all flesh has seen it simultaneously" (O.Q.S.), I can't help but imagine what this will be like in the age of technology. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it (Isa. 40:5). "All flesh shall see it together"--- on television, through the Internet, via cell phones and text messaging. We will really see it together!

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We get letters. From Ohio: I remember. . .. Psalm 64 . . . That was when I first came to understand these truths regarding the Kingdom of God. All of these truths I learned are precious to me. May the wondrous Kingdom of God come soon.

From New Jersey: I appreciate all your effort and trouble you go through. . . I usually drop whatever else I'm doing and get right to it [the Bulletin and enclosures]. It is so wonderful how you are keeping things going. Otis would be very pleased to think he had so much support and willing soldiers to carry on the banner of God's truth. I have never met Jane, but she too is doing a wonderful job of keeping us all up-to-date on the progress of the study of God's Word. I am ninety years old now. . .

From Illinois: I received a new computer for my birthday. I'm just learning and will try to contact you by Internet. Not bad for 91?

From Michigan: Always enjoy reading the booklets and Seed & Bread articles.

From Oregon: I have enjoyed all the Seed & Bread articles and received much comfort from them. Just now am getting into John's [Ribbens] book and know will receive comfort from the truths it contains.

From New York: Thank you for the wonderful work you do in sharing the Word of God and enlightening us to the truth! I get such blessing and encouragement from studying all the materials you send out.

From Pennsylvania: As always I greatly appreciate your material and have learned so very much.

From Maryland: How thankful I am for the work you all do and what a blessing it is to feel at peace in these troubled times. The Seed & Bread leaflets and the booklets on current problems are wonderful. Awaiting the moment the Lord speaks and all evil people will be stopped in their tracks. I often think back to over 65 years of Mr. Sellers' Ministry, when I was a teenager, when we had meetings in a lodge building, when Jane was a tiny child in Illinois. It was the beginning for my faith in the Lord. Trust the Lord will bless all your efforts this year in your classes in new writings and my prayer is that more people will come to see the truth of Scripture. May the Lord bless you all.

From California:-Thanks so much for sending-Seed & Bread and your other materials. I do appreciate being kept on your mailing list.

From Tennessee: Thank you for sending the copies of the issues that we had requested and for the lovely notebook-a unique and treasured set of More Seed & Bread. We thank our Lord for you. . .

From Virginia: Wanted to let you know that you and the Ministry have been in my mind and in my heart. . Thanks for your continued efforts in bringing God's word to those who will listen.

From The Netherlands: With more than average interest I have read and studied all your Bible studies on your site, but I am very disappointed that I can't find more like these on the net. Nobody believes that there will be a long time between the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Millenium. Also your explanation of the most difficult words in the Bible, a/am and aion, is just great. What a grace, what a blessing, to know this and to understand this fact.

From Florida: "Awesome" is the only word that comes to mind in regards your website and the studies by Mr. Sellers contained therein.

From unknown address via the website: I have a number of Otis Q. Sellers' writings. There is much in them which provides food for thought. Although I do not agree with everything he has written, I have found his work to be helpful in my studies.

Questions? E-mail us at wordoftruth@earthlink.net!

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"In My Father's House" There Lies a Hidden Truth By Mark Hammond

I have recently been exposed to multiple professions of faith from professed Christians who quoted Jesus' words, "In My Father's house there are many mansions" (John 14:2) and promptly applied this phrase to the destiny of deceased believers in Christ. In the first instance, a Baptist minister declared this verse to be the hope of every believer, upon death, to have a dwelling place for eternity in heaven. In a second instance, a funeral eulogist described the deceased as having attained spiritual maturity with Jesus firmly in the center of her heart and the topical passage from John's gospel was conveyed as comfort for the grieving family. Everything was "all right" since the dearly departed was now with Christ in heaven and was busy preparing her "mansion" in order to someday to entertain those who would die in Christ and follow her there.

At the funeral my prayers and condolences were with the family of the deceased in their time of loss. I was encouraged to hear that the dead matriarch was such a strong believer, for as such she set a positive example for others to follow. But in regard to her "mansion" in heaven, I was disappointed by the superficial treatment that Jesus' words had been given by these professed Christians. Wasn't it Jesus Himself who said, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but (except) He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is at the right of the Father" (John 3:13)? It seems to me that Jesus was refuting the erroneous belief, and yes, it was a common one even in his day, that those who died in the hope of Jehovah Messiah (Jesus Christ) would go to heaven and meet their Maker.

It is my conviction that the phrase quoted from John 14:2 has as its focus an entirely different truth and that this truth (surprisingly) has nothing at all to do with "dying and going to heaven." In support of this conclusion, I would offer for consideration four germane facts:

1) Dying and Going to Heaven

We must recognize the truth concerning the popular phrase "die and go to heaven." This phrase does not occur even one time in the entire Bible. With the aid of printed or online concordances (such as www .blueletterbible.org), a cursory search for the words "die" and "heaven" reveals that these terms occur only once together, and that is in Genesis 6: 17 which describes the great flood of Noah's day. I see no Christians being sent to heaven in view of that event! It is unconscionable that God would have intended for us to understand "dying and going to heaven" as His fundamental plan for salvation, especially since He overtly omitted this thought from the "textbook" we call the Bible!

2) My Father's House

The phrase "My Father's House" in John 14:2 refers to the temple of the God (Jehovah) in Jerusalem. It does not refer to heaven! This fact is readily apparent from its usage earlier in John 2:16 where we read, "And said (He) unto them that sold doves, 'Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise' " (King James Version). It is strange, and even disturbing, that the verse from John 14:2 could be twisted and "re-engineered" by Christian theologians to refer to the believer's destiny.

3) Mansions

The term "mansions" in John 14:2 is a stumbling block to many people's comprehension of this passage. A quick consultation of English-language concordances reveals the interesting fact that the word "mansions" only occurs once in the KJV, but the Greek word that has been translated here is monee, which occurs twice in the N.T. The second occurrence is found later in same monologue (John 14:23). If we consult our Greek lexicon, we will learn that the Greek word monee means "the place of dwelling, abiding, or residency." Now, in the ancient world, a man's residence was also his place of business, his "workplace" at which he performed his work or provided his service (such as Jesus, the carpenter, would likely have worked in a carpenter's shop attached to his parent's residence in Nazareth). Contemporary examples include shop owners with an apartment upstairs from their business or home-business owners with offices in their residences.

So the correct question to ask is, "What did Jesus mean when he said 'In Jehovah's temple there are many residences "'? What was the context of the statement and who was he talking to/directing the message to?

4) The Audience: The Twelve Disciples

The key to understanding this passage is to recognize the unique audience: Jesus' twelve disciples. In the verses preceding John 14:2, Jesus is telling them about their future role when God's government (rendered the "kingdom of God" in KN /Middle English) is a reality upon the earth. We must remember that these twelve disciples were the twelve most powerful men who have ever walked upon the earth. They were mediators between God and mankind, with the power to heal all manner of sickness and to cast out evil spirits. They were given the "keys" to God's government ("keys" being put as a symbol for authority). They were not a bunch of old "towel-heads" who ran around Palestine in "bathrobes and slippers" as they are depicted in many a Sunday school pageant. These men will hold exalted positions and be revered statesmen who rule over the twelve tribes of restored Israel in the future as described prophetically in Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:30. It is my belief that God will have to resurrect them in order to achieve this end, but he is quite up to the task. He will do this in conjunction with his future reign, with Israel reestablished, and his holy temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.

In summary, the truth contained in this passage is that Jesus was describing for his twelve disciples their future places of service in Jehovah's temple when God's future divine government has been established in the earth and the nation of Israel has been elevated to its rightful place. John 14:2 is a promise pertaining to God's future government/ monarchy/ kingdom; it is not a promise of disembodied "life after death" in heaven.

For Additional Study - - Read John's Gospel Chapter 14:1 to 31. Listen to audio tape TL-O39, available from the Word of Truth Ministry.

The big news from the Word of Truth Ministry is that we have completed the archiving (transferring onto permanent digital disks) The Word of Truth bound volumes, from Volume VI through Volume XVI, plus the first two sections of Volume XVII. This record of Otis Q. Sellers' many years of studying and publishing Bible study material started in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was stopped in Los Angeles, California, when he began to write and publish the four page leaflets titled Seed & Bread. Sellers explained the change in format by pointing out that people will more readily read a concise leaflet than an entire chapter of any subject.

The 198 Seed & Bread studies that Sellers was continually working on until his death in February of 1992 have been gathered into two-bound volumes that are two of the most-wanted items of the books available from the Word of Truth Ministry. And now all 198 issues of Seed & Bread have been digitally formatted and archived to preserve them for posterity, and made available on the Internet for viewing and down-loading for computer users who want their own printed copies. For more details, see Page 5. .

We realize that not everyone on our mailing list has access to a computer and we are not forgetting you. Our list of printed books, pamphlets and cassette tapes will give you everything the web site and the computers display. We have a good stock of all booklet and pamphlet titles, so write to us and we will be happy to supply your requests.

In this present Dispensation of Grace when the silence of God confuses some men who do not understand the reason for His being behind the scenes, they claim that "God is dead." Our God's present actions are never judgmental or punitive, but are only acts of gracious, undeserved favor. His actions are always untraceable in accord with true grace; thus His existence is questioned. However, someday the doubters and everyone else will know him as the judge of all the earth. His graciousness will turn into righteous judgment. Verses quoted are from the New King James Version.

This dispensation will suddenly end when God in Christ intervenes by bringing in His kingdom to assume His rightful authority over this earth and the nations and peoples upon it. This is the day that God speaks of when He said, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it (Isa. 40:5). At that moment, God's Spirit will enlighten the world as to who Jesus Christ is. This enlightenment will bring about the great honor and acclaim that is due Him. All men will bow the knee to Him because it is Christ Jesus' great victory over sin and death that has made possible a glorious future for this redeemed earth and a more abundant life for the redeemed of mankind living life upon it.

In both the Old and New Testaments, the glory of the Lord could be described as any event or condition that evokes praise and adoration to God, even The Lord Jesus Christ.

The following is a partial list of past events that have displayed His glory, and also some promises of coming events that will show forth the glory of the Lord.

When God gave the children of

Israel

the Manna Exod. 16: 7. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; . . . And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of

Israel

saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. (Exod. 16: 14-15).

The cloud by day and the fire by night that stayed with Israel until they entered the land

Exod. 16: 10. Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness and behold the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

Moses and Aaron could not enter the Tabernacle because of the presence of the glory of the Lord (Exod. 40:23).

The glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord so that the Priests could not stand to minister (1 Kings 8: 10-11).

He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face (Ezek. 44:4-5).

For the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2: 14).

The glory of the Lord will be seen in the many changes promised for the redeemed of the earth. His glory will be seen in the perfect health and bodies of those who will enjoy an inheritance in the kingdom of God. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15: 51, "We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." For those in the state of death: "As in Adam all are dying, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (in resurrection). But every man in his own order" (1 Cor. 15:22-23)

God's glory will be seen in the peace on earth that the Son of God brings: "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he bums the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psa. 46:9-10).

His glory will be seen in the reconciliation between God and His people Israel, "Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither" (Jer. 31 :8) . . . He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he" (J er. 31: lOll).

It will be seen in nature with all the curses removed: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11 :6-9).

To God's glory the thorns and thistles of Genesis 3: 18 will be gone (Isa. 53): "Then the earth shall yield her increase; and God even our own God shall bless us. God shall bless us and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him" (Psalm 67:6-7).

God's glory will be seen when the earth returns to the conditions of Eden. "I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together, that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it" (Isa. 41: 18-20).

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OUR REPRESENTATIVE IN ENGLAND

For materials, write to:

Mr. George Morris
67 Wood Lane, Sutter Cold Field
West Midlands, B74 3LS, United Kingdom

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BIBLE STUDY AUDIO TAPES By Otis Q. Sellers, Bible Teacher

The entire Tape Library (TL) Series, Numbers TL-l to TL-570, is available.

Order your tapes from:

The Word of Truth Ministry
Mrs. Gwen Staiger, Recorder
121 Wood Oak Dr.
Joshua, TX 76058

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Want to do some reading on the computer? Be sure to check out our website at www.seedandbread.org for the entire Seed & Bread leaflet collection written by our founder, Otis Q. Sellers! Also, check out the few booklets that have been placed there for your reading and studying pleasure, such as The Rich Man and Lazarus, by the late Otis Q. Sellers!

Much progress has been made since the last Bulletin in August. The conversion of the first one hundred of Otis Q. Sellers' Bible Study Messages (tape library (TL) ministry) has now been completed on digital MP3/CD format.. Efforts on the remaining 470 audio messages continue. Many thanks to our main volunteers, Louis Tonetti and Mark Hammond! Ruben Garcia, Sr., has also been coming up to speed and will be a significant component soon.

The entire Word of Truth set of hardbound books, from Volume VI (from May 1942) through Volume XVII (to March 1967), have now been archived in digital format. Rather than just leave them there, it is our plan to develop a master index to these volumes of wonderful revelation and then place them all onto one single CD, adding it then to our list of Bible study materials available. We are thrilled with this addition, as it now places Sellers' main works of 25 years onto a permanent storage medium for use by today' s and, most importantly, future generations.

Two drafts of labels for use on the CDs planned for this Ministry have been reviewed and a third is in-the-works by Ruben Garcia, Jr.

The website restructure effort has had to take a backseat to the other activities of this period but we are working on it. It will happen! We will keep you posted.

While Gwen Staiger continues to provide cassette tapes to anyone who desires to listen to Sellers' tape-recorded ministry, our digital-archiving efforts are also yielding results. Sellers made 570 of these individual messages (about 45 minutes each, an excellent resource to use in your own one-hour Bible study groups) will soon be available in MP3/ CD format for your "compact" usage. We have also noted an improvement in the audio quality. While we still have much work to finalize these disks (such as creating packaging and labels), we are now taking orders for the individual CDs.

As of this writing we have completed the first 10 CDs (l00 messages) and will be offering them for sale. Each CD holds ten messages (TL-l through TL-10, TL-11 through TL-20, etc.). We remain convinced that our mission is to get this word out. Therefore, you may order any single CD of ten Bible Study Messages for $15.00 per CD. (The TL-cassette titles and numbering remain the same for the CDs.) If you would like the entire first 10-messages CD collection (TL-l through TL-100), you may make a tax deductible donation to The Word of Truth Ministry, 228 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101-1675, in the amount of $150.00 (checks or money orders, US currency), asking for these ten Bible Study Messages disks, and they will be sent to you as soon as possible.

This is the "next generation" of CD. It allows us to "compact" much more data onto a single disk than ever before. Since Sellers' messages are 45 minutes each, this is an important element for us all. Within a year or so, everything that's coming out will be MP3 compatible. As of now, about 90 percent of "everything" is that way. Just make sure that if you buy equipment, the label should say "MP3" in its heading. If you really want to be sure, take along one of these new MP3/CDs, and listen to it in the store before you purchase it!

A unit I just bought is a "Memorex digital MP3" player. It includes a tape interface unit (which can play through a tape player) and costs around $80.

Another interface unit (which can be purchased for about $30 more), permits you to use any FM radio as your speaker(s). All one has to do is put the radio on a certain frequency, and out comes Sellers' voice!

We aren't endorsing these, but thought this information might be interesting to our readers. Many pieces of equipment are available.

If you have questions about ordering some of the MP3 disks that contain all the Bible study tapes or the written messages on disks by the late Otis Q. Sellers or have any suggestions on improving the disks, write to me, Bob Hammond, c/o The Word of Truth Ministry, at the same address previously mentioned on this page. Or, my e-mail address is roberthammond@earthlink.net.

One last thing. Would you please give us feedback on the Bible Study Messages CDs, especially if there are any problems? We need to know how to improve these disks, especially since we've still got 470 to go! Thank you!

This publication didn't make it on our Internet site as planned. Look for it next year.

In an old Word of Truth Magazine, 1941, Sellers referred to a booklet by Edward A Marshall, entitled Christ's Battles With The Pharisees. George Morris, our representative in England, asked if we had this copy. Alas, we don't. If you happen to come upon this pamphlet, please lend it to us and we'll "archive" it onto digital format and send it on to Morris.

Glimpses on the Subjects of Grace and Faith

By Joanne L.H. Johnson

The world seems to have so little faith in God these days and seems fraught with wrong choices-a population consisting of lies, lawlessness, violence and loose morals. Where are the good and righteous ones? Where are those who choose faith in God? Can they "believe" with just "faith" alone? Might they need God's "grace" also? Consequently, what glimpses of truth does the Bible reveal regarding the words "faith" and "grace"?

Let's start with the Scriptural definition of "faith" found in Hebrews 11: 1-3: "Now faith is the substance (basis or foundation) of things hoped for (a right to expect), the evidence (proof) of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report (a good witness obtained by the elders). Through faith we understand (perceive) that the worlds (eons) were framed (perfectly joined together) by the Word (declaration) of God, so that things which are seen (or appear) were not made of things which do appear." In verse 6, the thought continues: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Otis Q. Sellers often said, "Faith is taking God at His Word and acting upon it." Examples of this are found throughout the entire Word of God (see Seed & Bread No. 109). Sellers also had a simple definition for "grace": "It is a love and favor to the undeserving." And he quoted Ephesians 2:8-10, explaining that you needed both "faith" and God's "grace": "For by (in the) grace are ye (are being) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship (achievement), created in Christ Jesus unto good works (believing in God), which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." God's grace is passive and active. There is no proof today, unlike in Bible times, which way it is (see Seed & Bread No. 57). But without God's grace we would have no promise of life after death, as given to us in John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world (system), that He gave His only begotten Son (His expression), that whosoever believeth (had faith) in Him should not perish (be destroyed), but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son (expression) into the world (system) to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (have salvation)." This was a mighty act of grace on God's part. And God is gracious each and every day that we live on earth - something that cannot be proved today. But we take it on faith that He will provide for us each day and in the future Kingdom of God. It is found in Ephesians 3: 1619: "That He would grant (enable) you (to know), according to the riches (the strength) of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth (surpasses) knowledge, that ye might be filled (completed) with all the fullness (the compliment) of God." And add this in Jeremiah 9:23-24: "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in His wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I. am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."

Obedience to God is what God is really looking for. The Israelites of the Old Testament failed God with their constant "shows" of worship in offering up needless sacrifices and committing idol worship, making them "adulterers" in their relationship with God. However, to be obedient to God we must have faith in Him: "He hath showed thee, 0 man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly (to obey and have faith) with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).

The greatest way we can show obedience today is by placing our complete faith in Jesus Christ. To keep our faith in God, we must constantly strive to know God in Christ better through the pages of His Word. As it says in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study (use diligence) to show (present) thyself approved (tested and tried) unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." And our future hope and expectation is in God in Christ. In 2 Peter 3: 18 it declares: "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . ."