PURPOSE
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THE SYMBOLIC CODE
Mt. Carmel Center Waco, Texas
3HOW IMPORTANT IS TIME
(The sermon which was selected for this issue of The Symbolic Code is the one Brother V.T. Houteff delivered May 27, 1944. It is especially timely now as we have already launched into a new year. And it may serve as a guiding thought to "the children of light" who are "not in darkness" as to the lateness and importance of the time in which we now live.)
PRAYER THOUGHT: "As something strange and new, these words fall upon the ears of the wondering multitude. Such teaching is contrary to all they have ever heard from priest or rabbi. They see in it nothing to flatter their pride or to feed their ambitious hopes. But there is about this new Teacher a power that holds them spellbound. The sweetness of divine love flows from His very presence, as the fragrance from a flower. His words fall like 'rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the earth.' All feel instinctively that here is One who reads the secrets of the soul, yet who comes near to them with tender compassion. Their hearts open to Him, and, as they listen, the Holy Spirit unfolds to them something of the meaning of that lesson which
humanity in all ages so needs to learn " -- Mount of Blessing 4 humanity in all ages so needs to learn. Mount of Blessing,
We see by this that everything strange is not always wrong to teach. The Jews in Christ's time had not learned the things humanity needed then to learn. Let us pray that this afternoon we may learn more about the things we need to learn.
Eccles. 9:10, 11 -- "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."
Whatever duty we are called upon to perform we must do it diligently with 100% of our might in order to get it done right and on time. All of you have heard it said many times that "if a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing right." Still even though it be done perfectly if it is done late it may never be of any value; and what we leave undone will be undone forever so far as we are concerned. 5 Eccles. 9:11 -- "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."
Everyone has time. Everyone has chance. The winner of the race is not victorious simply because he was born to be swift, but it is because of the meeting of time and chance in his life. No, it was not just natural for him to win the race. In order for him to win he first had to spend the necessary time to fit himself for the race, and then the chance to run came. The same principle holds true in every field of endeavor. One must first study to fit himself for duty while he has the time in which to do it and then comes his opportunity to demonstrate or use what he has learned. The successful man, then, makes good use of his time and then watches and avails himself of his opportunity to serve when it presents itself. For instance, Abraham Lincoln, in his spare time, learned to be President of this country, and so when his chance came he was ready to fill the office admirably. To make a success in anything one must start out by mastering the most elementary fundamentals and then keep on progressing in advancement step by step.
Honest men who gain wealth do not do it
because they naturally knew a great deal or were naturally 6 because they naturally knew a great deal or were naturally skillful. It was because they used well their time and their chance. They, too, had put forth the necessary effort to equip and train themselves to be successful when their chance came. Those who do not make profitable use of their time cannot possibly live successfully.
Nobody can tell just what electricity is. And what about time? What is time? -- Nobody here knows.
In the beginning, "the evening and the morning were the first day." Day is a measurement of time, and God created it. The day, as you know, is composed of twenty-four hours, an hour being merely a shorter measurement of time. Since the earth can measure but twenty-four hours each time it turns on its axis, Earth, then, has as its only means of time measurement its rotation on its axis and its circuit through its orbit. Do you realize that were it not for this we would be without time? Instead, it would be eternity. Therefore eternity has no time. Time is manufactured. Daniel refers to "Time, times, and half a time" which explains what time is. It is a span measured by the completion of a full round of the earth in its orbit. That is one time. The repetition of it makes times. Then what is eternity? It has no measurement, for it is never to repeat it- 7 self like the years do. Time is given us that we may know what part of eternity man has existed on this earth.
Which do you think is the more important: time or eternity? -- Time is everything, for without it there is no eternity; still eternity is not time because it cannot be measured. Time saved is even more important than money saved, for you can not save money if you do not save time.
If earth, through its constant movement and change of location in the universe, represents time, then everything might represent time. Plants represent time, for you can tell by its size how old a plant is. In another form human beings represent time. Trees represent time by their growth. The Bible represents time, for it took time for man to live the history It records, to write It, to print It, to manufacture the paper on which It is printed and the machinery that prints It, to grow and process the material for Its cover, -- it all represents time. The workman's wages represent time paid in money. Neither gold or diamonds are obtained without the representation of the time element being present both in the commodities themselves and again in the money that people give in exchange for them.
Through this discussion you can see that
time is vitally connected with material though it is invisible 8 time is vitally connected with material though it is invisible. It is far more important to save time, for time is priceless; it is just like salvation. But the sad fact is that but few people realize how valuable time is. In view of the great value of time what sin it must be to waste it! Yet to all are given time and chance.
In one hundred years there are about 36,500 days. In a general sense that amount in terms of dollars is not much, for today money is measured by billions of dollars. But a person's lifetime is in reality very short, and composed of three periods: childhood, prime, and old age. It is usually in his prime period of life that man is most productive, and since it is but a part of his lifetime, he should never waste a minute of that time.
We should see that we get 100% value out of every minute we live. To accomplish this we must conserve our energy by eliminating useless and unnecessary effort. In that way our endurance is lengthened and we can actually accomplish more. Since it does take time and effort to talk, for instance, we should avoid useless talk, and learn to make every word count for good only. Lost time can never be recovered regardless how we wasted it. It is gone for eternity. Therefore how valuable time is! 9 We should perhaps ask ourselves this question more often than any other: Am I doing something now that I may regret in eternity? And if we are we should at once set about to substitute worthy pursuits for the useless or worthless one. The Christian's great duty is to accomplish the things that God wants done. Doing that makes us rich in one way or another. Should a man then rob us, God will reimburse us. Really, no one can cheat us if we engage ourselves in doing the things God wants done, but the man who tends only his own interests never actually gets very far, especially when his accomplishments are evaluated in the light of eternity. And "there is no limit to the good a man can do if he does not care who gels the credit."
Chance is what brings us eternity. Therefore, if we make use of time and chance, we do not have to worry about eternity.
Are you personally aware that time and chance are given to each of us, and that if we would be successful now and in the hereafter we must as judiciously invest our time as we would our money? Are you a time "spendthrift" or a time wizard? Are you just existing, or are you preparing for your great "chance"? Each must answer this question for himself. Soon that great chance will come to every soul, and when it comes it will prove the faithfulness
or the unfaithfulness of our stewardship over the time that 10 or the unfaithfulness of our stewardship over the time that was given us to prepare for it. As you stand now, are you ready?
"Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory.... Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time.
"...We shall individually be held responsible for doing one jot less than we have ability to do. The Lord measures with exactness every possibility for service. The unused capabilities are as much brought into account as are those that are improved. For all that we might become through the right use of our talents God holds us responsible. We shall be judged according to what we ought to have done, but did not accomplish because we did not use our powers to glorify God. Even if we do not lose our souls, we shall realize in eternity the result of our unused talents. For all the knowledge and ability that we might have gained and did not, there will be an eternal loss.
"Whatever the line of work in which we engage, the word of God teaches us to be 'not 12 slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.' 'Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,' 'knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.'" -- Christ's Object
In the day that we must account for our stewardship WE WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT OF EVERY OTHER TALENT ENTRUSTED TO US IF WE CAN SHOW THAT WE HAVE MADE THE MOST PROFITABLE USE OF OUR TIME. That is how important time is. May God help each of us to be wise time investors. 13 fallen into the snare.
Jas 2:17-20 -- "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"
The only way we can show our faith to others is by our deeds, our works.
What does it mean to confess our faults one to another? -- We do that when we make our faults right with those whom we have wrongly influenced. But last night this is not what we heard in some of the testimonies that were spoken. The converted Christian always has a good report; he is a man of faith, courage, and works; he is a Davidian indeed.
Rev. 12:10, 11 -- "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; 14 the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
It is for us to go through with these who shall be given sure and complete victory over the Evil One. Let none, therefore, fall into the snare he has set for us. 17 their calling and election sure by setting their affections on things above. My goal, hope, and aspiration is to ‘study’ to shew [myself] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth.’ My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus, blood and righteousness. I desire to remain faithful and to continue to strive to enter in at the strait gate, and be among those who will stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion.”-A new student from Mississippi.
“My impression of Mt. Carmel at the present is not exactly what when I lived here as a child. This is partly because I am older and more serious and partly because the work on Mt. Carmel has changed. I like the people of Mt. Carmel as a whole, very much. It is very encouraging and heart-lifting to e with people of one’s own faith. I believe that this is the Lord’s work and that the leadership is inspired of God. The training and building of character, I believe, is very good. The training one receives here if taken in the right way is worth more than all the money in the world.”- A student from Wyoming.
“While visiting here for the first time, one of the believers took my mother, two sisters, and myself out near the Mt. Carmel dam. On our way out there, she told us that a highway was being built to the Kingdom. All sorts of ideas came into my mind concerning this highway, but now I can understand more clearly what it all emant. Several weeks ago I received
from Mt Carmel stating when the ministerial class wouldi 18 from Mt. Carmel, stating when the ministerial class would begin and what the requirements were. Just then I made up my mind to enroll. Now I am here, and I firmly believe it is the Lord’s will. My greatest ambition is to take the course, make success of it, and go out and preach it to our Laodicean brethren—those who are seeking present Truth. My greatest hope is to gain many souls for God’s Kingdom and to help and power of the Lord.”-A new student from Texas.
“I am greatly impressed by the things I have seen and heard about the building up of Mt. Carmel in the early days and the progressive selling off of land tracts as its purpose is fulfilled. I am also impressed with the need of setting an example to all believers to do likewise, as the Lord shows the way. My interest was further aroused by the several sightly buildings, also by the huge amphitheater which seats thousands of people and which ca be made ready for use in a few days. The reason I was impressed more by these things than by anything else was that I did not expect to find them, but it has proven to be another vivid witness to me that the Lord’s hand is directing His work from this point.”- A new student from California.
Refreshing rains in early October have been quickly drunk up by the parched ground and have brought a slightly darker shade of color to trees and shrubs-at the same time to some degree settling the dust and freshening the general atmosphere. The drought has not dealt as harshly here as it has in some neighboring states, and Mount 19 Carmel is grateful the Lord has supplied our minimum water needs.
The Circulation Department reports that most encouraging to them this year was the large orders received from the Hunters for the different states and foreign countries and the ingathering of names, and that between the two they have been kept more than busy.
The file cabinets have swelled to overflowing, and Brother Berolinger has built two new card-file cabinets for the overflow and will soon make a new plate-file cabinet. The filing system has had to be expanded by two extra files this year.
The finishing touches are being placed on the new printing building, and before long it should be ready for occupancy, thus giving more needed office space in B-8, the central office building, which now houses the printing and publishing departments as well as the correspondence department.
The Hunting Campaign inaugurated two years ago has been steadily expanding. The states covered during the entire campaign to date are: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, parts of New York, all of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
States that are not yet completed but are still being worked by the Hunters, include: Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Those states which have been covered since last October 21 they are now going about confessing, after the Bible Scholl held in Mancas at the College here in Trinidad that they erred in the matter about the Jews. Elder G----- told the people in Sangre Grande that they had made a grave mistake about the Jews’ not going back to Palestine, but they have confessed their sins and are sure that God will forgive them.”
Thus again the fact is revealed that not forever will Laodicea be able to escape humiliation over cracking and crumbling of untempered mortar and the consequent gaping holes opening up in its theological walls.
Twelve truck-loads or approximately 700,000 pieces of literature were taken to the Hunters and disseminated by them during the past hunting season. And as names and addresses continue to flow in, more and more pieces of literature will continue to flow out until finally the saturation point will be reached and the work for the church will quickly wind up.
During this hunting season, nearly a half million miles were traveled by the Hunters in the States alone.
In recent months the nation and the world listened in and looked via radio and television upon the phenomenal rise of six notorious sisters to terrifying prominence. But as carol, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gilda, and Hazel, the horrific hurricane sisters from the tropics, pillaged and plundered and ravaged their wanton way through
estern hemisphere taking their hea 22 the western hemisphere, taking their heavy toll of life and heavier toll of property, not one Davidian was injured by or suffered from their depreciations. Even more remarkable was the fact that though Carol, Edna, and Hazel wrought great havoc in areas where Hunters were at their task, not a one of them received so much as a bruise or a scratch. Brethern Bingham and Custer found themselves caught in Carol’s fury, with giant trees fallen before and behind them and with high voltage lines lacing the distance between. It was with the added strength, energy, and will of a slightly scared axman that Brother Custer cut their way out of the impass, while Brother Bingham lent his moral support and sage advice! But both praised the Lord for hours and days to come for deliverance from Carol’s crushing blows. Others of the Hunterswere also caught in clutches of some of the danger.
A last-minute report of the regional meetings held October 15 through 17 at Meadows of Dan, Virginia, was brought by those attending from Mt. Carmel.
The Davidian church at Meadows of Dan was crowded to more than capacity to accommodate the visitors who went from as far as new York and Pennsylvania. Others attended from South Carolina, Tennessee, and various parts of Virginia.
The major theme of the meetings centered about the prophetic Scriptural studies on the Kingdom. Emphasis was placed on the scarlet- 23 colored beast federation and the evidences in the world that its likeness is looming on the international horizon.
Brother Stoy Proctor was in charge of arrangements for the meetings, and the other speakers included Brother Oliver Hermanson, Brother Fred Campbell, Brother L.W. Nations, Brother O.O. Richardson, and Brother Wm. O. Cockran.
Sister Ida Rainey sang the Kingdom song- “Coming Soon”and Wickie Helm rendered accordion specials.
Those attending were pleased to have Mt. Carmel represented at the meetings and the Mt. Carmel group stated that Virginia southern hospitality was very much in evidence.
Since the Mt. Carmel youth comprise an important part of Mt. Carmel, and since the Davidian Youth Society plays a part in the lives of the Youth as well as of all others on the hill, the history of Carmel would not be complete without a report by the Society.
During the past year, two young people have served terms as President of the Davidian Youth Society. The first was John Campbell, and when he was transferred to Salem, South Carolina, to operate the Association’s rest Home there, all the youth were sorry to see him go. Faith LaHey was elected to take over the Presidency, and she has admirably filled her
For some time Friday night Young People’s meetings have 25 music leaders will be available for the religious meetings. Other projects meetings since this time last year the Davidian Youth Society as well as other Carmelites are especially proud; Wayne Golf returned to Carmel last December and attended the Ministerial for Class for several months. Now he is engaged in field work and is very happy to have a part in the upbuilding of the Kingdom. Jack Knipple, Jr. returned this September to resume his studies in the ministerial classes, and he is diligently studying and preparing to be a “Hunter.” Thara Ann Campbell returned last October, though she spends most of her time in Waco where she is taking a nurse’s training course in preparation for a place in the missionary work of administering to the physical needs of God’s children. Georgia Glynn has been living at her home in Oregon during the past year during which time she has completed her high school courses; her diploma was presented to her last June. Since then she has been working very hard so that she too an return to Carmel. She should be arriving here anytime now to fill the position which is awaiting her in the Office.
Now for this Day of days at Mt. Carmel Center have come visitors from nine states, with nine coming from California, seven from Wyoming, six from Texas and six from Arizona, three from South Dakota and one each from Florida, Loui-
Colorado and South Carolina totaling thirty five in all 26 Colorado, and South Carolina, totaling thirty-five in all. They have come to meet the family at Mt. Carmel and to see and to hear what God hath wrought. May the hopes and expectations of none be disappointed, and the determinations and resolves of all this day be realized by grace through faith in Christ.
And so ends the reading of the History for Davidians Octo-
27WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT?
I asked the guard above the watchman’s gate, tell me of the
night.” The watchman said, The hour is getting late; O’er in
the east I see the gleams of light. The ordered constellations
of the stars, Give certain proof the day is soon to break. But,
lo!! I se portentous signs of wars, The preparations that the
nations make.” The watchman paused, his eyes were filled
with pain, “The morning comes, “he said, “but also night.
The morning comes to bring to some great gain, But dark-
ness like a pall hangs o’er earth plight!” I thank you, watch-
man, for revealing fact; I’ll be a wise man who knows truth,
and acts.
-Adlai Esteb.
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