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Birth Of A Reformation,
Life
And Labors Of D. S.
Warner
Andrew
L. Byers
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Birth of A Reformation, Life And Labors Of D.
S. Warner is both a biography of the life of Daniel Sidney Warner and the
story of the beginnings of the Church of God Reformation Movement. Excerpts from
D. S. Warner's personal journals reveal his spiritual journey from his
conversion through the development of his understanding of the prophetic time in
which he lived and ministered. This book also chronicles the beginnings of The
Gospel Trumpet and the evangelistic travels of Brother Warner.
This book is essential
reading for all who claim the heritage of the Church of God and for all who seek
to understand the nature of salvation, the meaning of holiness and the reality
of the body of Christ, the church of the Living God.
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Bible Proofs of the Second Work of Grace
D.
S. Warner
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Bible Proofs of the Second Work of Grace is the keynote
work written by D. S. Warner and published in 1880. The Church of God
Reformation Movement dates its beginning from the publication of this book even
though Brother Warner did not "come out of Babylon" until 1881.
Chapters 24, 25, 26 (also reprinted by Brother Byers in Birth of a
Reformation) are the significant chapters that relate to the prophetic view
of the church and the Movement's interpretation of the Book of Revelation.
The writing is typical of the period
and the type of person Brother Warner was. He was a poet and an evangelist who
wrote articles and published a holiness paper. He was not a theologian and a
scholar.
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The
Cleansing of the Sanctuary
D.
S. Warner & H. M. Riggle
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This
book was started by D. S. Warner and completed by H. M. Riggle after
Brother Warner's death in 1895.
The
initial purpose of this book was to refute the Seventh Day Adventist
teaching on the title topic. It eventually became the basis for the
Church of God's Church Historic interpretation of the Book of
Revelation.
The
historical value of this work is significant in the greater Church of
God Movement as it is the seed for the later developments in its
eschatological teaching.
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Highways and Hedges
Grace G. Henry
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Highways and Hedges is the biography of
Etta Faith Stewart (1878 - 1958) who served God as a missionary in India and
Cuba. Born in Linton, Iowa, Faith Stewart was called to missionary work at the
age of 16. In her 21st year while on a trip to Colorado for her health, Faith
fell deathly ill and was ministered to by some humble saints of the church of
God. Miraculously, she was healed. She took a stand with the church of God on
the teachings of holiness of life and the Biblical church of God for which she
was disowned by her own father.
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Living Faith
Makes
God Real
E. Faith Stewart
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Living Faith Makes God Real was
written by Sister Faith Stewart to bear testimony to God's willingness to do
whatever must be done to promote the preaching of the Gospel of full-salvation.
Sister Stewart records many miraculous events and healings that happened in
response to prayer. Several incidents of healings God performed on Sister
Stewart are also included.
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Christ,
The Master of all Diseases
O.
L. Yerty
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Few
people have been used by God in the gifts of healing. Brother Yerty was
one of those people.
This
book was written by him in response to many requests for him to write a
book on divine healing. The eleven chapters are taken from sermons he
wrote on that subject.
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The
Christian Church
H.
M. Riggle
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Published
in 1912, this is Riggle's seminal work on the doctrine of the church.
Not only does he present the Biblical teaching on the church, he follows
the prophetic development of the doctrine of the church through the Old
Testament through types and shadows. He briefly deals with history of
the church since its founding and traces that history through the
prophecy of the Book of Revelation.
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Jesus
Is Coming Again!
H.
M. Riggle
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This
little book by Brother Riggle, published in 1943, is a clear and
exhaustive presentation of the Biblical teaching on the return of
Christ. Not only does he cover this topic, but topics related to it such
as resurrection and the kingdom of God as a present reality.
He
also discusses some of the teachings of millennialism that often get
confounded with the teachings of Christ's return. He clarifies some of
the basic teachings of the Book of Revelation and shows that they cannot
be teaching things commonly found in millennial teachings.
The
is a good foundational book for all to read.
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The
Kingdom of God and the One Thousand Year's Reign
H.
M. Riggle
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Riggle
addresses issues regarding the teachings of a millennium as contrasted
to the plain teachings of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments.
While millennial teaches came from different sources in Riggle's time,
the primary example he argues against is Charles Taze Russell. Many
proponents of millennialism in his time eventually grew into the modern
Seventh Day Adventist Church and Jehovah's Witnesses.
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Christ's
Kingdom and Reign
H.
M. Riggle
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This
book, published in 1918, is largely a polemic against dispensational
premillennialism. There are many points of contention between the church
historic and futurist interpretations of the Book of Revelation, but the
most critical difference is the determination of when the Kingdom of God
is to appear. Millennialists hold that the Kingdom appears during the
millennial reign of Christ on earth; Riggle most ably shows from the
Scripture that the Kingdom of God came with the first Advent of Christ
and continues to this day.
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What
the Bible Teaches
F.
G. Smith
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This
book was published in 1913 and is subtitled "Systematic
Presentation of the Fundamental Principles of Truth Contained in the
Holy Scriptures." While
the title and subtitle suggest this to be a theology book, it is not.
Smith does make a systematic presentation of Bible doctrines, he does
not do it in a way a Theology is written. There is a great deal of
Scripture presented under topics and significant commentary given to
explain what is taught by these scriptures. It is done in the manner of
homily rather than formal style as a theological writer would do. In a
sense, this is a working man's theology book. Smith
clearly articulates the doctrinal position of the Church of God
Reformation Movement at his time in history.
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Evolution
of Christianity
F.
G. Smith
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This
book was written in 1910 when Smith was but 30 years old. It appears to
be an attempt at a philosophical justification for the Church of God
Reformation Movement and its particular Church-Historic interpretation
of the book of Revelation--although it does not specifically say so. This
is not Smith's best work, but it is an important work which helps us to understand
his thinking and the effect he had on the Movement.
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The
Last Reformation
F.
G. Smith
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Written
in 1919, this work of Smith discusses the causes of apostasy that
undermined the Early Church and resulted in the development and
perpetuation of the sectarian system that dominates Christianity even
today. He
delves into prophetic symbolism and why it was used to record events in
the books of Daniel and Revelation. It may be that his interpretive
rules are somewhat strained and lead him and the Reformation Movement to
some conclusions that were not totally accurate in retrospect. The
Church of God Reformation Movement saw itself as the "Last
Reformation," and well it might be. However, the optimistic outlook
they held led to disappointments and a need to rethink some of the
traditional prophetic teaching of the Movement. We don't need "new
truth," just a deeper understanding of the truth that is there.
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Heart
Talks
C.
W. Naylor
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C.
W. Naylor was struck down by a crippling event that left him bedfast the
rest of his life. From this vantage point, he learned much about
patience and the set-backs in life. In one sense, there are no real
accidents but God is always there to work His will in spite of what we
think of as misfortunes. Naylor
presents in this book 59 "talks" on many issues we face in our
Christian lives. Written in 1922, it is as timely today as it could ever
be. Problems seem never to change and, consequently, the answers remain
the same. We should learn!
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The
Secret of the Singing Heart
C.
W. Naylor
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God
has determined that happiness is the natural state of man. Joy is more
powerful than sorrow and peace is more lasting than trouble.
Written
about 10 years after Heart Talks, this short book of 18 chapters
is similar in concept but it deals with meeting the difficulties of life
that most Christians think should not happen to them. The secret is to
confront our most secret selves so that we can face the future and build
a joy-filled life that the love of God makes possible for all people.
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God's
Will . . . and How To Know It
C.
W. Naylor
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God
does have a will, and that will includes all mankind, His church, and individual
Christians. It has always been a challenge for God's people to know and
comprehend God's will. Naylor discusses many things that stand in the
way of knowing the will of God--and at the same time he shows us many
things that will help us to know and comprehend God's will. The last
chapter is very important as Naylor show us how to pray according to
God's will.
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Holy
Spirit Baptism and The Second Cleansing
Russell
R. Byrum
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This
work by Byrum delineates the traditional Church of God Wesleyan-Holiness
perspective on the experience of sanctification. This perspective is
shared by most churches and denominations within the Holiness Movement.
While
his writing is strongly on the lines of the "second blessing"
he, like some Wesleyan theologians, does make some room for some limited
viewpoints that differ in some parts. Much of what appears in this small
book also appears in Byrum's Christian Theology.
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Shadows
of Good Things to Come
Russell
R. Byrum
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Byrum
presents a system of typology through which certain rituals and events
of the Old Testament were intended by God to depict certain truths of
the Gospel. So much of the Law of Moses was directed toward the sins of
Israel and the temporary deliverance they experience. The rituals of the
Law foreshadowed elements of the work of atonement through the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ.
This
is an excellent study on typology; a must read for all the people of God
in our day!
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St.
Paul and His Gospel
George
P. Tasker
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Written
in 1921, this book is actually a four lecture series on the background
of the Apostle Paul and the Book of Romans. Tasker explores Paul's
comprehension of the gospel as seen in the pages of this signature
writing of the Apostle.
Brother
Tasker was scholarly in his approach to his writing, which tended to put
him at odds with the Church of God Reformation Movement of his time.
These lectures were delivered at the Bible School and
are very profitable for the serious Bible student of today.
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Travels
and Experiences in Other Lands
E.
E. Byrum
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In
January 1904, Bro. E. E. Byrum, along with Bro. A. D. Khan of India, and
Bro. & Sis. G. W. Bailey and child set off on a trip around the
world. The specific intent was to visit the Holy Land and India.
Bro.
Byrum became editor of the Gospel Trumpet after the death of D. S.
Warner in 1895. This trip was essentially a research trip as most people
associated with the Church of God at this time had hardly ever traveled
outside their State let along around the world.
This
book is largely a travelogue of that trip. Byrum includes some
biographical information and quotations from other works with regard to
specific subjects he encountered on this trip. It is well worth the time
to read. It is interesting to read what the world was like more than 100
years ago, seen through the eyes of a man of God. It is also amazing how
much the world has not changed!
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The
Secret of Salvation
E.
E. Byrum
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Byrum
wrote this book in 1896, one year after the death of D. S. Warner and
his taking over the editorship of The Gospel Trumpet. The book is
essentially in two parts. The first part dealing with the practical
aspects of salvation and the second dealing with divine healing, casting
out devils, and other miracles. There are some inspirational testimonies
of God's wonder working recorded here.
Brother
Byrum was used in the gifts of healing and miracles seemed to follow
him. He never taught that trusting God for divine healing was a
condition for salvation, but there are times when his emphasis might
give that impression.
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Riches
of Grace
E.
E. Byrum
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This
is a very worthwhile book! It contains narrations of experiences of many
people who have endured the things encountered in the lives of any
number of people. The grace of God helped them to overcome sin, doubts, confusion,
persecution, spousal abuse, adultery, abortion, murder, false
accusations of the devil, and other trials the enemy of souls tried to
use to keep them away from salvation and the wonderful grace of
God. If
you have had a real spiritual battle in your life, you will find that
someone else has faced the same battle and come through by the Riches of
Grace.
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Startling
Incidents and Experiences In the Christian Life
E.
E. Byrum
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Startling
Incidents is an appropriate title for this book. Readers familiar with
the "old" Church of God books are acquainted with miracles of
healing and God working out "impossible" things for some of
the "old" saints. In reading those books one might think those
things were everyday occurrences in the lives of all Church of God
people of the time. They were not; like us, they all had to learn to
live by faith and pray in faith.
Byrum's
book contains some testimonies of healing and much more. God sends money
in the exact amount; God helps someone through nine years of
accusations; God uses a crippled boy to spread the gospel by dropping
Bible texts written on scrap paper out of his window; and there are even
testimonies of some people not directly associated with the Church of
God Movement of the time.
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Peter
The Fisherman Preacher
E.
E. Byrum
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Written
in 1931, this is probably one of the least known books written by E. E.
Byrum. It is essentially a narration of the facts of the life of Apostle
Peter with very little analysis.
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Divine
Healing
J.
Grant Anderson
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This
book, written in 1925, is a notable work by J. Grant Anderson. He
presents a theological justification for divine healing based on the
atonement. He provides scriptural examples of healing as is common in
most works on divine healing, but includes a chapter on "How to Be
Healed." There are numerous examples of present healing at the time
in history and he includes a chapter with practical advice on how to
stay healthy.
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Personal
Experiences of S. O. Susag
S.
O. Susag
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This
is a fascinating book. Susag was a Norwegian immigrant who became a
Church of God minister early in the Reformation Movement. His life is
characterized by a unique relationship with God that made miracles and
divinely appointed situations almost an every day experience for him.
He
wrote as he spoke, and one can almost hear his Scandinavian accent while
reading theses short stories. A life like Susag's does not happen by
accident and it does not happen without an unwavering commitment to God
and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Pioneer
Evangelists of the Pacific Northwest
John
L. Green
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Brother
John Green is probably little known in our day. His story is most
interesting as it is the story of a young man and his wife who leave
home and security to take the Church of God message to the Pacific
Northwest, which, in his day, was rugged and filled with rugged people. Living
by faith, working at hard labor with his hands to meet the needs of his
family and at time the needs of the churches he helped to found, God
used this man to do a work that has lasted to the present time. This
book is not a autobiography as much as it is a collection of short remembrances
of situations and how God worked in those situations. Moderns no longer
believe in miracles, but Brother Green relates many incidents where God
answered prayers in unusual ways.
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A
Noble Life
Mary
C. Haskett
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This
little book was written in 1919 as a guide to young people through
adolescence to adulthood. It is still good advice today, not only for
young people, but for adults as well.
The
language is dated as are some of the topics. It isn't that those topics
are no longer valid, sad to say, our culture has deteriorated to where
much more could be addressed.
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How
To Live A Holy Life
C.
E. Orr
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The
mission of this little volume is to teach you how to live. The life
beyond depends on the life here. Let me emphasize what I have repeatedly
said before: to live as we should, we must live by every word of God. To
live by every word of God is not only to hear it but also to do it.--C.
E. Orr
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The
Gospel Day
C.
E. Orr
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This
book must be read with the knowledge of who Charles Orr was. Brother Orr
was controversial; his views were ascetic, or what we would call
legalistic today. While many of the things he espoused were held by the
early Church of God movement, when the Brethren began to re-think things
that were questionable, Bro. Orr held fast. While he wasn't necessarily
the cause of division, he was involved in one of the first major
divisions within the Church of God fellowship. This
book, written in 1904, is divided into three parts. The first part
considers "The Morning" of the Church. While most of what is
included in this part is Scriptural, Bro. Orr projected his legalistic
views onto the nature of the early Church. Part
2 is intended to demonstrate that the Apostolic prophesies of a coming apostasy
were fulfilled in the development and practice of the Roman Catholic
Church and the Churches of the Reformation. Part
3 is intended to show that Biblical prophecies showing a restoration are
fulfilled in the Church of God Reforamtion.
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Bible
Typology
O.
L. Johnson
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This
book is a collection of 11 sermons on the subject of Bible typology O.
L. Johnson, pastor of the Second Church of God, Springfield, Ohio
delivered between June 1961 and March 1963. The chapters are rendered in
preaching style rather than a formal writing style.
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The
Weight of the Word
Harold
Barber
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This
book is a collection of 20 short articles written by Brother Barber in
1948. Each article addresses a critical spiritual issue and applies the
word of God to how the Church and individual saints must deal with that
issue.
Of
particular interest is the article "Will Christianity Work?"
The information is dated and concerns the ecumenical movement active
during the time Bro. Barber was ministering. While the particular
players may not be so relevant today, the real issue still is--the
destruction of the true faith and the church by fallen social elements.
Today, we are plagued by liberation theology and spineless nominal
Christianity. The story is the same; it is just that the actors have
changed.
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The
Meaning of Salvation
Charles
Ewing Brown
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The
theme of this book is the exposition of the Christian and scriptural
doctrine of salvation as deliverance from the guilt of sin and the
necessity of daily sinning.
In
the present volume the writer seeks to prove that man is a contradiction
in himself, that he has capacities for misery above all other creatures,
and that he constantly torments himself and his kind. This misery arises
because he is a misfit in nature. He is out of adjustment with nature
because he is out of harmony with God, which is the meaning of sin. The
basis of restoring that harmony is the atonement of Christ, and this
atonement is brought to all men in some sense by the grace of God as a
free gift. If this gift is accepted the soul is saved from the guilt of
sin and endued with the principle of life. This life of the Spirit is
strong enough to enable the believer to live above sin.
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The
Meaning of Sanctification
Charles
Ewing Brown
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Dr.
Brown presents the typical Wesleyan-Holiness doctrinal approach to the
teaching of entire sanctification. This book was written at a time when
the major holiness denominations were battling the "country
bumpkin", uneducated impression that the main-line churches held
against them. This book appears to be an attempt to legitimize the
Church of God as a serious player in the theological world.
The
Appendix contains some very useful information, including the 30 Texts
of Wesley and Daniel Steele's discussion of the aorist tense in New
Testament Greek.
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Chart
Explanation of the Revelation
W.
S. Goodnight
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This
book is subtitled: With the Opening of the Last Seal. Written in 1933,
this book is a landmark in the history of the Church of God Reformation
Movement. From the time of D. S. Warner to this point in time, the
church saw itself in the Sixth Seal of the Revelation. Goodnight saw the
prophetic calendar change to the Seventh and last Seal in 1930. This is
his first explanation of the "new light."
In
time, the matter of the Seventh Seal became an issue that divided the
Movement. Goodnight's explanation was followed and then modified as
notable ministers, no longer associated with the Anderson group, wrote
in holiness papers (Notably, the Seventh Trumpet) and preached in camp
meetings and revivals.
This
book is presented for its historic significance.
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Parallel Lectures on the
Parables of the Kingdom and the Seven Churches of Asia
Emerson
Wilson
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Parallel
Lectures is a major work defining the Seventh Seal message. This
book is a transcription of messages preached by Emerson Wilson during
the 1960 camp meeting held at God's Acres, Newark, Ohio.
This work is
a practical, non-theoretical explanation of the complementary meanings
of the seven parables of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew and the Letters
to the Seven Churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation, chapters 2 and
3.
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The Revelation With Gospel and Prophecy
J. F.
Lawson, P. D.
Turnbow and
D. W.
Rogers
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This
work is a revision of one of the first major works of what is known as
the Seventh Seal. While based largely on the works of D. S. Warner and
F. G. Smith, Lawson, Turnbow, and Rogers see an entire application of
the Book of Revelation that was unknown to the older ministry of the
Church of God. It is not considered to be a "new message" but
more understanding of the same message preached by the Church of God.
Astute
readers will recognize the influence of F. G. Smith's Prophetic
Lectures on Daniel and Revelation in much of this work. At times the
text is difficult to follow as the authors were not trained in academic
writing, but a careful perusal of their message is worth the effort.
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The Sounding of the Seven Trumpets
Emerson
Wilson
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The
Sounding of the Seven Trumpets is a second major work concerning the
Seventh Seal message. This book is a very literal transcription of
messages preached by Emerson Wilson at a camp meeting held at God's
Acres, Newark, Ohio sometime in the 1960s.
Like Parallel
Lectures (above), this is a practical, non-theoretical explanation
of the seven trumpets of the Book of Revelation. The two books together
comprise a mature interpretation of what has been called the
"Seventh Seal" message.
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The
Double Cure
D.
O. Teasley
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Two
works of grace, or Second Blessing Theology, has been the hallmark of
the Church of God teaching on salvation. In this work, Teasley shows his
acquaintance with the theology of John Miley, not only in several
quotations, but in use of the term "native depravity" instead
of "inherited sin." In dealing with sanctification, Teasley
follows the normal second work of grace pattern.
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How
To Conduct A Sunday School
D.
O. Teasley
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Brother
Teasley wrote this little book in 1911 for the purpose of helping Church
of God congregations to implement Sunday schools. He recognized that
educating our children in the things of God is extremely important in
addition to a way of evangelizing our communities.
Some
may have thought this book was controversial at the time it was written
because he encourages a form of government for the Sunday school at a
time when most Church of God congregations were strongly opposed to any
form of government in the church.
Even
after 100 years, this little book can be of value to our congregations
today and help them to better manage an important work of the Church.
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