Truth Magazine

By Ferrell Jenkins

The new road between Adana and Gaziantep was as good as any super highway one might find in the United States or Europe. Shortly before arriving at Gaziantep we reached an elevation of about 3600 feet above sea level, passing through beautiful mountains and valleys. Turkey is blessed with an abundance of grain fields in the valleys and on the hillsides which make up the country. We had to drive slower when we came to a stretch of the older two-lane road. Trucks, so vital to the movement of the produce of the country, seem to outnumber cars about 10 to 1 in eastern Turkey. This road was designated as a TIR road. Trucks with this tag are able to transport goods from Europe, across Turkey, to Syria, Iraq, Iran, and further east.

Carchemish: Where Neco Met His Match

Near Gaziantep we turned north toward Adiyaman. We would like to have continued east and south to visit the site of Carchemish, but we did not have the time and we might not have been allowed to make the visit. Carchemish is located on the west bank of the Euphrates along the border with Syria.

Carchemish is mentioned three times in the Old Testament. The city came under Assyrian control during the reign of Sargon II (717 B.C.), a fact noted in Isaiah 10:9. Pharaoh Neco of Egypt was on his way “to make war (against Babylon) at Carchemish on the Euphrates” when Josiah, king of Judah, went out to engage him at Megiddo (2 Chron. 35:20; 609 B.C.). Josiah was slain on the plain of Megiddo. Neco used Carchemish as a base from which, along with a remnant of Assyrian forces, to harass the Babylonians, but in 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar led the Neo-Babylonian army in a surprise attack in which the Egyptians were defeated. Details of the battle are given in the Babylonian Chronicle. See the biblical account in Jeremiah 46:1-26. Youngblood reminds us that “605 B.C. was a decisive year in ancient Near Eastern history” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia 1:617). Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, had fallen to the Babylonians and Medes in 612 B.C., but the government held out at Harran when the city fell to the Babylonians and Scythians. Wiseman says, “Assyria ceased to exist and her territory was taken over by the Babylonians” (New Bible Dictionary, 101).

Nemrut Dagi: Megalomania to the Extreme Occasionally in the region south of Adiyaman we saw boys herding beautiful black angora goats. Goats seemed to outnumber sheep in this region. We observed that when-ever we saw flocks of only sheep the shepherd would be an older man. It takes a lot of experience to be a good shepherd; we remembered Jesus (John 10:14). We made a number of pictures of shepherds with sheep throughout the trip. I find it impossible to describe the mountains and valleys because the scene changes every few miles. I can say that they are beautiful beyond description. Agriculture is in abundance.

By 4:00 p.m. we reached Adiyaman which has a population of about 100,000. After stopping at the Hotel Antiochus in Adiyaman we decided to continue to Katha and Mount Nemrut (or Nemrud). When one looks at the map of Turkey this appears to be a nice, little drive  a distance of about 60 miles. Looks can be deceiving, how-ever. At Katha we turned north and continued to climb the mountains toward Nemrut. We passed through an oil field and some streams which flow into the Euphrates below. At Karadut we were greeted by smiling children, some of whom ran along side the car as we drove slowly through the village. There are many springs and water flows beside the road and across it. Each of these contribute to the Euphrates river. We were amused at the understatement of the phrase in the British produced Turkey: The Rough Guide: “Above Karadut the road deteriorates noticeably.” For the last eight miles before Nemrut Dagi the road was paved with basalt stones. The severe winter weather had left the road in such bad condition that it was very difficult to negotiate the hill and avoid the potholes. It would have been a long drop if we had gone over the side; guard rails are a rarity in Turkey! The scenery was magnificent, but the climb was too much for our little Fiat. At one point we had to stop for a while and allow it to cool. Eventually Curtis and Kyle walked the last few hundred feet to the parking area and I backed the car to the top. Several mini-buses loaded with a dozen or so tourists each passed us on their way to the top in time for the sunset.

What is here and why had we come so far with such difficulty? Nemrut Dagi is the resting place of King Antiochus I Epiphanes. Don’t confuse this man with the infamous Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.), one of 14 Seleucid kings, most of them bearing the name Antiochus, who ruled Syria after the death of Alexander the Great. On coins he was designated “Theos Epiphanes” guish on the Jews and prompted the Maccabean revolt.

The king who was responsible for the monuments on Mount Nemrut was Antiochus I Epiphanes. He was one of the important rulers of Commagene from 64-38 B.C. It was part of the Seleucid kingdom, having gained independence following a revolt in the first century B.C. Commagene was a small, wealthy kingdom located between the Anti-Taurus range and the Euphrates River. The rulers of Commagene claimed to be descendants of the Persian emperor Darius I on their father’s side and of Alexander the Great on their mother’s side. In inscriptions found at the site, Antiochus claimed to be a friend of Rome and Greece. Commagene served as a buffer kingdom between Rome and the Parthians.

Antiochus left orders for a magnificent funerary monument to be built on the highest mountain in his territory. The mountain is about 6885 feet high. From the time we reached the parking area and the ticket booth, it took an additional 20 minutes of stop-and-go walking to reach the mountain top. At this level one can see the gigantic monuments erected to Antiochus and various “other” gods  Apollo, Tyche, Zeus, Hercules  and lions and eagles. These monuments reminded me of those left by Ramses II at Abu Simbel in Egypt. The heads of the monuments have all toppled from their bodies  the last one fell in 1964 when struck by lightning. The throne and statue of Antiochus weighs approximately 62 tons. The fallen head, which stands proudly looking over his kingdom, is more than seven feet high.

Above the monuments is an artificial tumulus made of smaller than fist size stones which reaches an elevation of 7049 feet. We reached the monument in time to see marvelous views of the Euphrates valley below. National Geographic once described the monument as “Throne Above the Euphrates” (March 1961).The Turkish government has built dams on the Euphrates so that the valley below is flooded. Some books say that one can see for a hundred miles on a clear day. We could see Nemrut Dagi clearly from the Adiyaman-Sanliurfa road (high-way 875) the next morning.

Some have described this monument as the eighth wonder of the world. UNESCO declared the place “an international legacy” in 1987. As the sun sank below the mountains to the west at about 7:45 p.m., I sat motionless snapping photos of the silhouetted Antiochus. Before I had thought of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Ramses II of Egypt as the greatest megalomaniacs, but now I had to admit that Antiochus excelled them. This monument which was built in the first half of the first century B.C. was only rediscovered in the winter of 1881-1882. We remember the beautiful hymn, “The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one, But the kingdom of heaven remains.”

It was windy and cold on Nemrut Dagi even on June 14, 1995. The Blue Guide: Turkey says, “Perhaps the best time of the year to visit Nemrut Dagi is early October, as then the loneliness and isolation of this bizarre funerary monument are very apparent. There are few visitors and the first flakes of snow on the summit herald blizzards that will soon isolate the mountain sanctuary completely. Abandoned by man, only the wild animals and birds that shelter among its ruined stones keep company with the spirit of Antiochus during the long, dark months of winter” (530).

By the time we started our descent it was dark, but we hurried to get ahead of the mini-vans in the event that we had trouble. We arrived back at Hotel Antiochus in Adiyaman about 10 p.m. to a late dinner and some welcomed rest.

The Adventure Continues: In the next parts we will tell you about the Euphrates River, Sanliurfa, Harran, Padan Aram, Mesopotamia, the Tigris River, Urartu (Ararat), and Mount Ararat.

Guardian of Truth XL: 6 p. 8-9
March 21, 1996

By Julia Eckhardt

This story is written in memory of Terry Eckhardt to encourage Christians to persevere in teaching alien sinners and praying for their repentance. Sometimes, teaching alien sinners can seem hopeless, and their repentance and conversion an impossibility. However, Jesus said, “… with God all things are possible” Matt. 19:26).

In the early 1980s, Todd Eckhardt of Thermopolis, Wyoming was dating someone who told him he had to be baptized for forgiveness of sins. Having never heard of the Lord’s church, he began searching for answers to prove her wrong. He asked his mother what she thought; she said that she did not believe baptism was necessary. He called Billy Graham’s toll free number and was given the same answer.

Todd bought a Bible at the college where he attended and began reading. Not knowing anything about the Scriptures, he began to read in Genesis. He met with an elder in Cheyenne who studied with him for one and one-half days and answered all of his questions. Todd obeyed the gospel at this time as he realized there was no reason to wait. He began attending every service and absorbing as much knowledge of the Bible as he could. His repentance took some self discipline because Todd grew up, as many young American boys, sowing “wild oats.” He had participated in many sinful social activities, and now he was ridiculed for not doing so. He had attended a Methodist church with his family while very young, but they stopped going on a regular basis when he was nine. At-tending every service of the Lord’s church took some effort at first for a babe in Christ.

Nine months after Todd obeyed Christ, he moved to Austin, Texas to find work. After locating a job and an apartment, he moved his few things into his new place and went for a walk. On his walk, he found the Wonsley church building only 100 yards from his apartment complex. Since he had not learned the issues of the social gospel, he only knew he was looking for a “church of Christ” to attend. It was the providence of God that Todd found a sound work with which to place his membership.

Todd was joyous that he had found the truth; his life now made sense to him and he no longer felt empty. He had his goal in life now: “Fear God and keep his commandments.” But now, he wanted his biological family to join in his happiness by coming to the Lord. In the beginning, they were in-different to the Scriptures; they would politely decline attending services with Todd when he visited them in Wyoming. However, his mother would talk with him about the Bible and was open to discussion. Todd’s teaching seemed harsh to her because her own parents had been devout Methodists. He asked her, “Did your mother want you to follow God? If you learned God’s precepts differed from Methodist creed, would she not want you to still follow God?” This made sense to his mother and helped her change her thinking.

Todd continued to be an example to his family for several years. He tried to make his light always shine just as Paul told Timothy to do (1 Tim. 4:12). After seven years of prayer and Bible discussions with his mother, she obeyed the gospel. She began attending services regularly and continued Bible discussions with Todd whenever possible. Also, previous to her baptism, she had subscribed to the Guardian of Truth magazine. Through her own reading, she had already learned and accepted many Bible precepts.

Todd now yearned for his father to become a Christian. He always made it possible for Todd’s mother to attend services but would not go with her. Six months after Marial, Todd’s mother, obeyed Christ, Todd’s father was diagnosed with renal cancer. It had progressed to such an extent that the doctors did not think he would live longer than six months. While Terry, Todd’s father, was recovering from surgery in a Denver hospital, he had some hallucinating effects from his medications. He became very depressed, so Marial asked Jim Reingrover, preacher for the Westside congregation in Golden, to come to the hospital. Jim visited with Terry for two hours discussing the Scriptures and answering all of Terry’s questions. Jim baptized Terry the following day after Terry received a pass from the hospital. Although Terry’s body was quite weak from surgery, his heart was now rejuvenated and felt no fear for his soul. The Lord would now be with him through this cancer illness.

Although the outlook for Terry’s physical life looked grim, he now had the hope of eternal salvation. The Denver doctors sent him home to Thermopolis. Terry started interferon treatments with little hope of getting better. However, his mind was positive because he was focused on learning as much as he could about the Scriptures. Eight months after Terry’s diagnosis, he had another medical evaluation; these tests revealed no cancer in Terry’s body  none at all! The Lord’s providence was again at work! Terry was in remission for a year, but he continued to learn and read the Lord’s precepts. He once said that he was sorry that it took cancer to alert him to his soul’s condition. He wished he had obeyed the Lord without having the illness. His example shined as his worldly friends watched him change. He dropped out of his golf club meetings so he could attend Wednesday night Bible studies, and he stopped socializing at the Elks hall. He told his old friends that they needed to come to the Lord.

In the fall of 1994 Terry began having severe pain again which required more surgery. After many medications and hospital stays, Terry never went back into remission. He spent his last six months at home in a hospital bed. Marial took care of him with the help of home health care nurses until December 4, 1995. He passed over the river in his sleep during the early morning hours.

Terry told one friend during his illness that he had no regrets of getting sick. He knew he had the hope of being with Jesus at the end of his earthly life. He told his physical therapist that he had a special son who had helped him find that truth.

Funeral services for Terry were December 8, 1995 in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Jim Everett and Jim Reingrover officiated using the opportunity to teach the gospel. These were Terry’s wishes.

Terry had one young man that he had been talking to about the Lord before he died. This man would not really listen to what Terry had to say. After he attended the funeral, the man’s wife told Marial, “Terry made him listen today.” Through Terry’s death, many seeds of life were planted.

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 6-7
March 7, 1996

By Steve Wallace, Kevin Campbell

In late August of this year, Doug Hill, of Pasadena, Texas, arrived in Kaunas the third week of August to start another effort to spread the gospel in Kaunas. Steve Wallace worked with him for a good portion of September; then Kevin Campbell arrived in mid-October to stay until they both left the first week of November. Ivan Valdes followed them in the work and Derek Chambers, who is still there as this report is written, followed Ivan.

Street Work

Almost everyday for three months a table full of literature in the Lithuanian language was set up on the busy Laisves Aleja. It is one of the main streets in town and limited to pedestrian traffic. Things were busy at the table and we had several days that were unlike anything I have seen since our early efforts in Lithuania with people crowded around the table asking questions and taking literature. On at least one day we ran out of some of the tracts. We had gotten three new tracts printed since our efforts there this spring, one of which is the first lesson of a Bible correspondence course by brother Campbell. Al-ways, we handed out invitations to our Sunday lectures to everyone who passed.

Lectures

The attendance at the Sunday lectures varied, which has been our general experience in working there. Ads were run in the paper advertising lecture topics, sometimes large ones with a paragraph telling of the need for learning about a given topic. We made overhead charts of our lessons which were handed out to all who came. Our high attendance was 11 visitors at one lecture. After Kevin arrived, an effort to spread the gospel in the city of Siauliai was started. Siauliai is a city about one and a half hours north of Kaunas. Jay Horsley, Doug Hill, and Kevin Campbell made several trips to Siauliai to hold Bible lectures. A school room was rented and several days were spent each week distributing literature and invitations to the lectures on the streets of Siauliai. Fourteen were in attendance at the first lecture and twenty-eight at the second a week later.

One precious soul has been baptized there and brethren hope that this is the beginning of a new congregation in Siauliai. Also, Doug and Steve held a lecture in the little town of Smalininkai on Wednesday evening, 27 September. Ten people were in attendance and interest was good.

The Church in Kaunas

Things are going well with church there. As the group is made up completely of women a lesson dealing with the role of women, making special application to the work there, was preached. It was well received. We are encouraged by the progress of the Christians there. Also, there are visitors at every service who have shown interest in the gospel.

Translation

We are moving into another stage in our translation of material into Lithuanian. Up to this point we have been translating and printing tracts. However, we now plan to start translating books of 50-100 pages in length. There is a complete dearth of reading material and Bible study books for these brethren, and books published by those in human denominations are starting to appear on the market there. Also, we believe that publishing religious debates will help truth seekers among the population to better study the Bible in an environment that offers increasingly more diversity in religious teaching. Beyond all this, Lithuania was previously a Russian republic, unlike most Eastern European nations which were merely satellites. Hence, many people know Russian. Once we are able to offer translators copies of a book in both English and Lithuanian it will not be difficult to produce a copy of the book in Russian. This will help the work of spreading the gospel in Russian speaking lands. We have come up with an economical way to print such books in limited quantities.

Can You Come to Kaunas in 1996?

Beginning in March 1996, a further effort to spread the gospel is being planned for Kaunas. It is planned to continue into December. Workers are needed. Can you come for a few weeks? Everyone who has worked in Kaunas believes in the need for further work to be done there and has found the work something they were able to do. Please contact one of us for information about working there.

(Note: After this report arrived, brother Wallace sent me a note on Compuserve indicating that two had recently been baptized in Kaunas as a result of their efforts this fall.)

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 12-13
March 7, 1996

By Donnie V. Rader

In the first article of this series we saw that God demands self-denial. Jesus said that one must deny himself to be his follower (Mark 8:34). Part of the principle of self-denial is learning to put God’s will first.

In preaching to Felix, Paul taught about “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25). What does self-control have to do with becoming a Christian? The answer is everything. One will not and cannot be-come a child of God until he suppresses his own will and gives preference to the will of God.

Man Has His Own Way

Man has his own idea of how he ought to live and con-duct his life. What he thinks seems right to him (Prov. 14:12; 16:25). However, it differs greatly from the thinking of God. His ways are higher and greater than man’s (Isa. 55:9-10). Following his own plans, man is led to destruction (Prov. 16:25).

Examples can be found throughout the Bible of those who had their own ideas. When Naaman heard the instructions from the man of God to dip seven times in Jordan, he revealed his disappointment saying, “Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper” (2 Kings 5:11). In the days of the judges “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). Paul lived in good conscience while he was persecuting the church (Acts 23:1). The Jews were rejected by God because they ignored God’s will and went about to establish their own scheme for being righteous (Rom. 10:1-3).

God’s Will Is Revealed In His Word

The mind of God has been revealed by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets (1 Cor. 2:9-13; Eph. 3:3-5). We can now read and understand what God’s will is (Eph. 3:3-5; 5:17; John 8:32). The righteousness of God (God’s plan for righteousness) is revealed in the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17).

We Must Accept God’s Will And Put It First

If we are going to serve God, we must suppress our own will and submit to his. It is only those who do the will of the Father who enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21). Those in the church are those who are subject unto Christ in everything (Eph. 5:24).

The repentance that God demands of us in becoming his children (Acts 2:38; 17:30-31), involves a change of mind (cf. Matt. 21:28-29). This is a change from following our own will to submitting to the will of God. Then, it is no longer us, but Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20).

If we are truly converted to the Lord, we will put the Lord first (cf. “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts”  1 Pet. 3:15) in all things. Thus, it is not just a matter of submitting to the will of the Lord in becoming a Christian, but accepting it in “everything” (Eph. 5:24).

Reasons For Putting God’s Will First

 God is smarter than we are. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts (Isa. 55:9-10). Who among men is wise enough or smart enough to give God counsel, telling him that we have a better way (Rom. 11:34)?

 Our way leads to death. Though what we think seems right and feels good, it leads to separation from God and eternal damnation (Prov. 14:12; 16:25).

 God’s will is for our good. We do not always see how some command or restriction that God has laid upon us can be for our good. However, his commands are for our good always (Deut. 6:24).

 If we do not submit to God’s will, we are against God. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matt. 12:30).

 Man is not qualified to be his own guide. “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23).

Examples

Let’s consider some examples of those who put God’s will first in their lives.

 Abraham was so dedicated to doing God’s will that he was willing to sacrifice his own son because that’s what God told him to do (Gen. 22). Talk about someone who would have to really suppress his own will, Abraham surely had to do that. It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to kill a child they loved.

 Post-exile Israel had married the strangers from that Land in violation of God’s law. Ezra preached the will of God to them which said that they must separate from their wives (Ezra 10:9-10). Obviously, that wouldn’t be easy. Surely, they loved these women. After all, they had married them. Many of them had children by these wives (v. 44). And yet, as hard and a painful as it would be, they said to Ezra, “As you have said, so we must do” (v. 12).

 Jesus himself faced the pain and agony of the cross saying, “0 My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39, 42).

 The Corinthians had lived ungodly and immoral lives. Many of them had been fornicators, adulterers and homosexuals (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Yet, they had given all that up (no matter what pleasure was involved) to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hopefully these few points help us to see that if we are going to master self (deny self), we must give preference to God’s will and develop a desire for it.

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 22-23
March 7, 1996