Dear Friends in Faith,
     A word from Dean: Have you ever contemplated how God’s Word becomes clearer and more cohesive once you accept the truth of universal reconciliation through the blood of Christ’s cross? The experience of evil, sin and failure, suffering and death, judgment and condemnation, can now be seen as part of God’s purpose toward the realization of His righteousness, wisdom and love. I have been meditating some on the books of Chronicles lately, and I noticed particularly how they end without an ending. By that I mean that they trace the line of descent from Adam (the first word of 1 Chronicles) to Noah, to Abraham, to Israel, to David, to Solomon and all the kings to the days of Jeconiah and the deportation to Babylon. But to what purpose? The line fades out and is not even mentioned when Cyrus makes the proclamation for the rebuilding of the temple and return to Jerusalem (2 Chron.36:22,23). The line is completed in Matthew 1, however, and culminates in the birth of Jesus Christ. Believing 1 Corinthians 15:22 enables us to see that Israel and all the other peoples whose lines are begun in the opening chapters of 1 Chronicles will be vivified in Christ, and God will eventually become All in all.

Further thoughts from Tony on Ransom: In the July newsletter I noted that one who is ransomed is one who is freed. However, some tried to make a point out of the fact that not all that were ransomed out of Egypt made it into the promised land.
     Yet it remains true that every animal and every human in the Old Testament that was ransomed was freed. And not only were all of those Israelites ransomed, the Bible says they were all redeemed (Exodus 15:13 etc.)! What about Moses and Aaron? They were redeemed. They were ransomed. They didn’t make it into the promised land either. Yet Moses was one who was seen in the vision when Christ was transfigured on the mountain.
     Can it be properly deduced that if all who were ransomed in the O.T. did not make it into the promised land that this shows that even though all mankind were ransomed by the Great Ransom, Christ, that they will not enter into that which God wills for them, namely His salvation? In the Old Testament, all who were ransomed were freed, be it animal or human. In the New Testament we see all mankind are slaves of sin and death and corruption. We see all mankind have been ransomed. Therefore the ONLY logical conclusion must be reached that all mankind will be freed from sin, death and corruption into that salvation which God wills for all mankind.
     As previously announced, the September 18th Fellowship will be held at the home of Diane and Lou Klinger, 10770 Plains Hwy., Eaton Rapids MI (phone: 517-663-1560).
     The schedule for the October Fellowship in Grand Rapids has been changed from the original announcement. As now corrected in our August newsletter, the meetings begin at 11:00 A.M. on October 2, ending about 4:00 and resume at 10:30 on Sunday, October 3, concluding at 11:30. The theme is “Eminent Truth from Ephesians.“
     We enjoyed the fellowship in Waterloo, Ontario on the weekend of August 13-15. Video tapes are available from Jean Douglas at Perfect Grace Ministries, P.O. Box 221, Oakwood GA 30566. We were sorry to hear of the illnesses of Fred Niemeyer and Leila Watts, longtime, staunch supporters of these meetings. We remember them especially in prayer.

Yours in God’s grace and peace,
Dean Hough and Tony Nungesser