"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE, MY PEOPLE"
Vol. 1 Timely Greetings Nos. 36, 37, 38
THE ONLY PEACE OF MIND
Volume 1
Numbers 36, 37, 38
Copyright, 1953 Reprint
All rights reserved
V.T. HOUTEFF
"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE,
MY PEOPLE"
THE END OF YOUR
LONG AND TRYING JOURNEY
IF NOT AWAKENED NOW, THEY
MAY SLEEP FOREVER
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 1
TEXT FOR PRAYER
The Narrow, Upward Road
I shall read from "The Mount of Blessing," beginning on page 198 with the second paragraph:
"The narrow, upward road leading to home and rest, furnished Jesus with an impressive figure
of the Christian way. The path which I have set before you, He said, is narrow; the gate is
difficult of entrance; for the golden rule excludes all pride and self-seeking. There is, indeed, a
wider road; but its end is destruction. If you would climb the path of spiritual life, you must
constantly ascend; for it is an upward way. You must go with the few; for the multitude will
choose the downward path.
"In the road to death the whole race may go, with all their worldliness, all their selfishness, all
their pride, dishonesty, and moral debasement. There is room for every man's opinions and
doctrines, space to follow his inclinations, to do whatever his self-love may dictate. In order to
go in the path that leads to destruction, there is no need of searching for the way; for the gate is
wide, and the way is broad, and the feet naturally turn into the path that ends in death."
We should pray for power to enable us to turn aside from the broad path, from following self --
the path in which we find ourselves from birth up. We should pray to choose the narrow path
with the few, to know for a certainty that only the narrow, upward way leads to home and to
peace.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 2
"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE, MY PEOPLE"
TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,
MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTS
SABBATH, APRIL 12, 1947
MT. CARMEL CHAPEL
WACO, TEXAS
Last week we finished studying the thirty-fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah. And now since, as
can be readily seen, chapters 36-39 inclusive, interrupt with historical data the theme of Isaiah's
prophecy, we shall continue where Inspiration picks up the thread of thought in chapter 40 with a
tender plea to God's message-bearing people:
Isa. 40:1, 2 -- "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for
she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
Verse 2 leaves no doubt that Inspiration is speaking to a people in the latter days, -- the days in
which the warfare, pilgrimage, and captivity of God's weary people are accomplished. Having
received double for their sin and rebellion, their iniquity is pardoned and are now soon to be
delivered. You cannot afford to overlook this comforting message. You must not neglect to
make ready, for that is the reason that it is now unsealed and freely delivered to you. Prepare to
meet thy God is its key note.
Isa. 40:3 -- "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God."
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 3
True, verse three found fulfillment in the work of John the Baptist; but the verses preceding and
also the verses following, definitely apply to the people in the latter days and only partially to the
people in John's day. Therefore the truth stands out boldly that the direct fulfillment of this
chapter is found in our time, thus making John's work an ensample of our work -- John's work the
type, ours the antitype.
The "wilderness" and the "desert" (Isa. 40:3) in contrast to the "vineyard," the house of Judah
literally and antitypically says: "The voice of him that crieth in the land of the Gentiles, that says,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the Gentile world a highway for our God."
Isa. 40:4 -- "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain."
To make this highway straight, "the voice" is, as it were, to raise up the valleys, cut through the
mountains and hills, and grind down the rough places; that is, every obstruction must and will be
removed, the saints must be gathered regardless where they live.
Isa. 40:5 -- "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."
This shall come to pass as soon as the highway is made ready.
Isa. 40:6-8 -- "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the
Spirit of the Lord
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 4
bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word
of our God shall stand for ever."
"The voice" proclaims that all are grass, that all the goodliness in men is as the flowers of the
field, but the Word of God stands forever. It must be, then, that men are blind to these realities,
else they would not need be reminded of them. It must be that they are depending upon flesh,
instead of upon the Word of God and His Spirit.
Isa. 40:9-11 -- "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O
Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say
unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand,
and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He
shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."
The message which this chapter contains, we see, is not a message to be preached to the world,
but to the cities of antitypical Judah, the church. And those who proclaim it are citizens of
antitypical Zion and Jerusalem, members of the church. They are fearlessly to lift up their voices
with strength.
They are to explain that the people whom God uses to get His work done are "His arm"; that
they are to rule for Him; that His reward is with Him, and His work yet before Him; that He shall
feed His flock, and with His arm (with His church) He shall gather the lambs (the newly
converted) and carry them to His kingdom.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 5
Isa. 40:12-20 -- "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven
with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains
in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His
counsellor hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught
Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and shewed to Him the way of
understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust
of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient
to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as
nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken
God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? The workman melteth a graven image, and
the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. He that is so impoverished
that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman
to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved."
Those who are ignorant of God liken Him to something. But the great question is, to what are
we likening Him -- to something though there is no comparison of Him?
Isa. 40:21-26 -- "Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the
beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sitteth upon
the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the
heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to
nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they
shall not be
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 6
sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they
shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. To whom then will ye liken Me,
or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created
these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness
of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth."
O, how great a God our God is! And how slow we are to grasp His promises. How slow we
are to let Him take full charge of us just as He has charge of the stars.
Isa. 40:27 -- "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God?"
Obviously God's people are mistaken concerning His knowledge of their ways.
Isa. 40:28-31 -- "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His
understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
These verses explain that God's people need to know all these things before they earn the right
to
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 7
walk into His Holy Kingdom. And what a wonderful privilege is ours if we but wait on the Lord,
if we but remain true and faithful to His Word. Then He shall renew our strength like the eagles;
we shall run, and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint.
As the great and dreadful day of the Lord is fast approaching, and as we are already told what
to do to make ready, we need not be found wanting. "Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear
Him; that glory may dwell in our land.... Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness
shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall
yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps."
Ps. 85:9-12.
What a comforting message this is! Any wonder why the Almighty urgingly commands:
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people."
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 8
THE ONLY PEACE OF MIND
Volume 1
Numbers 36, 37, 38
Copyright, 1953 Reprint
All rights reserved
V.T. HOUTEFF
"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE,
MY PEOPLE"
THE END OF YOUR
LONG AND TRYING JOURNEY
IF NOT AWAKENED NOW, THEY
MAY SLEEP FOREVER
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 1
TEXT FOR PRAYER
The Narrow, Upward Road
I shall read from "The Mount of Blessing," beginning on page 198 with the second paragraph:
"The narrow, upward road leading to home and rest, furnished Jesus with an impressive figure
of the Christian way. The path which I have set before you, He said, is narrow; the gate is
difficult of entrance; for the golden rule excludes all pride and self-seeking. There is, indeed, a
wider road; but its end is destruction. If you would climb the path of spiritual life, you must
constantly ascend; for it is an upward way. You must go with the few; for the multitude will
choose the downward path.
"In the road to death the whole race may go, with all their worldliness, all their selfishness, all
their pride, dishonesty, and moral debasement. There is room for every man's opinions and
doctrines, space to follow his inclinations, to do whatever his self-love may dictate. In order to
go in the path that leads to destruction, there is no need of searching for the way; for the gate is
wide, and the way is broad, and the feet naturally turn into the path that ends in death."
We should pray for power to enable us to turn aside from the broad path, from following self --
the path in which we find ourselves from birth up. We should pray to choose the narrow path
with the few, to know for a certainty that only the narrow, upward way leads to home and to
peace.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 2
"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE, MY PEOPLE"
TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,
MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTS
SABBATH, APRIL 12, 1947
MT. CARMEL CHAPEL
WACO, TEXAS
Last week we finished studying the thirty-fifth chapter of the book of Isaiah. And now since, as
can be readily seen, chapters 36-39 inclusive, interrupt with historical data the theme of Isaiah's
prophecy, we shall continue where Inspiration picks up the thread of thought in chapter 40 with a
tender plea to God's message-bearing people:
Isa. 40:1, 2 -- "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for
she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
Verse 2 leaves no doubt that Inspiration is speaking to a people in the latter days, -- the days in
which the warfare, pilgrimage, and captivity of God's weary people are accomplished. Having
received double for their sin and rebellion, their iniquity is pardoned and are now soon to be
delivered. You cannot afford to overlook this comforting message. You must not neglect to
make ready, for that is the reason that it is now unsealed and freely delivered to you. Prepare to
meet thy God is its key note.
Isa. 40:3 -- "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God."
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 3
True, verse three found fulfillment in the work of John the Baptist; but the verses preceding and
also the verses following, definitely apply to the people in the latter days and only partially to the
people in John's day. Therefore the truth stands out boldly that the direct fulfillment of this
chapter is found in our time, thus making John's work an ensample of our work -- John's work the
type, ours the antitype.
The "wilderness" and the "desert" (Isa. 40:3) in contrast to the "vineyard," the house of Judah
literally and antitypically says: "The voice of him that crieth in the land of the Gentiles, that says,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the Gentile world a highway for our God."
Isa. 40:4 -- "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain."
To make this highway straight, "the voice" is, as it were, to raise up the valleys, cut through the
mountains and hills, and grind down the rough places; that is, every obstruction must and will be
removed, the saints must be gathered regardless where they live.
Isa. 40:5 -- "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."
This shall come to pass as soon as the highway is made ready.
Isa. 40:6-8 -- "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the
Spirit of the Lord
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 4
bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word
of our God shall stand for ever."
"The voice" proclaims that all are grass, that all the goodliness in men is as the flowers of the
field, but the Word of God stands forever. It must be, then, that men are blind to these realities,
else they would not need be reminded of them. It must be that they are depending upon flesh,
instead of upon the Word of God and His Spirit.
Isa. 40:9-11 -- "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O
Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say
unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand,
and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He
shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."
The message which this chapter contains, we see, is not a message to be preached to the world,
but to the cities of antitypical Judah, the church. And those who proclaim it are citizens of
antitypical Zion and Jerusalem, members of the church. They are fearlessly to lift up their voices
with strength.
They are to explain that the people whom God uses to get His work done are "His arm"; that
they are to rule for Him; that His reward is with Him, and His work yet before Him; that He shall
feed His flock, and with His arm (with His church) He shall gather the lambs (the newly
converted) and carry them to His kingdom.
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 5
Isa. 40:12-20 -- "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven
with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains
in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His
counsellor hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught
Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and shewed to Him the way of
understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust
of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient
to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as
nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken
God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? The workman melteth a graven image, and
the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. He that is so impoverished
that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman
to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved."
Those who are ignorant of God liken Him to something. But the great question is, to what are
we likening Him -- to something though there is no comparison of Him?
Isa. 40:21-26 -- "Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the
beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sitteth upon
the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the
heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to
nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they
shall not be
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 6
sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they
shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. To whom then will ye liken Me,
or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created
these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness
of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth."
O, how great a God our God is! And how slow we are to grasp His promises. How slow we
are to let Him take full charge of us just as He has charge of the stars.
Isa. 40:27 -- "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God?"
Obviously God's people are mistaken concerning His knowledge of their ways.
Isa. 40:28-31 -- "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His
understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
These verses explain that God's people need to know all these things before they earn the right
to
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 7
walk into His Holy Kingdom. And what a wonderful privilege is ours if we but wait on the Lord,
if we but remain true and faithful to His Word. Then He shall renew our strength like the eagles;
we shall run, and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint.
As the great and dreadful day of the Lord is fast approaching, and as we are already told what
to do to make ready, we need not be found wanting. "Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear
Him; that glory may dwell in our land.... Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness
shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall
yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps."
Ps. 85:9-12.
What a comforting message this is! Any wonder why the Almighty urgingly commands:
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people."
Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 36 8