Skjulte Skatter

Skjulte Skatter

Skjulte Skatter has now been published for 70 years. It has been a great help to those who are upright, who have sought God in truth in order to come to a victorious life and be built up in the unity of the Spirit to serve each other as members of one body. It is a monthly publication, and it didn’t even cease publication during the war. The paper is an edifying publication that leads only to godliness. It does not contain entertaining articles or travelogues and photographs of men who like to appear important before people. Consequently it does not enjoy a mass circulation which has to satisfy the reading public.

It is significant what Br. Johan O. Smith wrote to his brother Aksel Smith on October 24, 1907: “If we do publish something, we must work for the furtherance of the truth and not for the furtherance of the publication; then God will take care of its progress. For the time being we can say much through a smaller paper. I am very interested in such a work, and I believe that God will use me to refute, convince, chasten, and exhort through such a publication. There are enough religious newsletters, so our paper would have to be sharp and focused.”

Here we can clearly see that Br. Smith did not think of starting something that was great in the eyes of man, but rather to fight for godliness. In due time it also became obvious that there was a need for such a publication—a light in the religious darkness of the times. In the beginning there were many subscribers, but as time went by it was revealed that only a few loved the truth, and the various ones who were looking for religious entertainment cancelled their subscriptions. Of course the paper met strong opposition among religious leaders, as is evidenced by the contents of the publication’s first few years. They could not bear this “refuting, chastening, and exhorting,” and of course their followers went with them. But the Bros. Smith stood before God’s face and were not influenced by people, whether they liked the paper or not. The paper became an instrument of God to refute false liberty, which at the same time as the outpouring of the Spirit had gained so much ground. Without this light it is quite certain that this false liberty for the flesh would have gained much more power. The rejoicing without the cross into which the people had come was thoroughly revealed for what it was, and thus many upright souls were saved from this liberty for the flesh which was so enticing and which many people believed was liberty in the Spirit.

Once all these enemies of the cross had cancelled their subscriptions, the subscription base became more stable, and one after another received light and subscribed to the paper. Since then there has been a very slow but sure growth in the number of subscriptions, and it is very rare that someone cancels his subscription.

In recent years, especially from about 1950 on, the light has also spread to many countries around the world. Skjulte Skatter is now being published in many languages. In German it is called Das Leben. The English edition is being published in Canada and in India under the name Hidden Treasures; in Dutch it is called de Weg, in French Ta Volonte. These publications contain many articles that have been translated directly from Norwegian. However, churches have also grown up, and the same life is lived which these truths proclaim, and as a result an increasing number of people in these countries write for these publications. Thanks be to God for the grace He has given to these seeking souls by means of these publications so that they don’t have to be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive. Eph. 4:14.

Johan O. Smith, together with his brother Aksel, were the editors from the beginning in 1912. When Aksel Smith died in 1919, Johan O. Smith took over the sole responsibility. He remained the editor until he passed on the paper to his son Aksel Johan Smith on January 1, 1943. Johan O. Smith died on the first of May in the same year.

When we look at religious publications, they have been changed, or as they say and do in the world, “modernized.” They are increasingly filled with entertainment content, travelogues, and announcements. If we look at Skjulte Skatter, we don’t see any change in appearance, and the content is still the same as in the beginning. We don’t see any noticeable change because of a change of editors. God will also give grace that the paper will remain like this until the end of the age as it has been in (the?) years past: a light for the upright in the darkness and deception of religious darkness, so that those who love the truth can gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 2:11-16.