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A
few days before Reverend Batzold closed his life in his 81st
year in 1960, he made a request that Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15
be read at the funeral service, beginning with “To everything
there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
I was intrigued to discover this because all my reading about
the Reverend suggested there was a great purpose to his life,
God had awakened him in 1920 to his identity while he was
pastoring a small church in the interior of British Columbia
and set him on a course of lifelong service. He chose well.
The individuality of man was never more apparent than in Charles
E. Batzold; he did not conform to type, there was nothing
stereotyped about him. He was an unusual man, a solitary figure,
as many great men are. He was a man with a mission.
“Charlie Batzold,” as he was fondly known among
the rank and file of Canada’s 72nd Seaforths Battalion,
with whom he served overseas in World War I, was respected
by the men in the line and out of it, as a man of sterling
character and great understanding of human nature. He identified
himself chiefly with those in the ranks and never concerned
himself with promotion. Even then, his entire nature was equipped
to serve his fellow man. A story is told of the battle at
Paaschendale, where the Seaforths took a severe beating, and
dead and wounded were strewn all around. How many a wounded
and dying Seaforth felt the firm, yet tender lift, of Reverend
Batzold’s strong arms and spoken words of comfort, as
he went about the battlefield tending to the immediate needs
of the casualties that lay about. I don’t know but I
suspect there was a great cheer when a military medal for
saving lives was pinned on Charlie’s tunic sometime
later.
Yet, not even Charlie Batzold could conceive what God had
in store for his future. Moving to Vancouver and coming into
contact with the fledging British Israel Association, he met
other great men, like Professor Edward Odlum, Reverend Wm.
Pascoe Goard and Reverend Merton Smith, men dedicated to taking
the Israel Truth to Israelites around the world. Beginning
in 1924, Rev. Batzold began sharing his time between his small
Congregationalist Church and the Movement. On any given Sunday
evening, he conducted the British Israel service, often to
overflowing crowds. As a spiritual trailblazer, he had few
equals. It was said that he could speak with all the passion
of John the Baptist as he would quote such things as, “Ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell.”
Yet, in the very next breath, his words could be tender and
sympathetic and bring a tear to the eye.
Yet, God had much more in store for Charlie Batzold. This
man was a crusader, a tireless leader, and a man with a purpose.
Indeed, no man of the cloth had any more resolute confidence
in his mission and its responsibilities than this man, Charles
E. Batzold. He jumped in with both feet and went everywhere
preaching the Israel message, at churches, service clubs and
any place where the desire to listen to the truth was evident.
As his name became known, huge crowds would be there to meet
and listen to him. He took on the leading role of Secretary-General
of the Movement and helped organize British-Israel associations,
conferences and youth groups across Canada with much success.
He went on to form his Reconciliation Ministry and “Excalibur,”
a magazine that discussed world events in light of Scripture
prophecy. It was sad that our friend and longtime member of
the Association, Leslie MacDonald, also recently closed his
life, but we have to thank Les for keeping Reverend Batzold’s
name prominently in front of us for all these years and for
preserving dozens of this prolific man’s writings. We
follow this article by an adaptation of an editorial written
in May 1941 by Reverend Batzold, which has great implications
for today, as our forces are embarked in a struggle in the
Mediterranean area.
I believe Charlie Batzold was God’s man. He is almost
a pattern for Psalms 37: 23, “the steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way.”
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