Publication date
12/1/00
Volume
21
Number
23
The WatchTower
What Hope for the Innumerable Non-Elect?
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1900/23/1900-23-2.html
 
J 
1>:CJ>MBJ>R 
I, 
1900 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(357-358) 
and 
by 
no 
possibility 
could 
they 
have 
been 
amongst 
those 
('aIled 
to 
the 
election 
of 
this 
Gospel 
age. 
(0) 
It 
includes 
those 
who 
have 
heard 
of 
Christ 
as 
the 
Redeemer, 
and 
have 
appreciated 
him 
as 
such, 
and 
have 
ac­ 
cepted 
him 
as 
their 
Saviour; 
but 
who 
like 
the 
nine 
of 
the 
ten 
lepers 
cleansed 
by 
our 
Lord 
at 
his 
first 
advent, 
thought 
not 
to 
return 
to 
give 
glory 
to 
God-thought 
not 
to 
present 
their 
bodies 
living 
sacrifices 
in 
his 
service. 
These 
having 
reached 
the 
point 
of 
justification 
were, 
undoubtedly, 
amongst 
the 
ones 
called; 
but 
they 
failed 
to 
make 
their 
calling 
and 
election 
sure, 
not 
caring 
to 
respond 
to 
the 
call. 
Of 
this 
class, 
apparently, 
are 
the 
thousands, 
the 
masses 
of 
church 
members 
of 
the 
vari­ 
ous 
sects. 
They 
are 
glad 
for 
what 
they 
see, 
but 
not 
anxious 
to 
see 
any 
more, 
as, 
intuitively, 
they 
realize 
that 
further 
knowledge 
would 
bring 
greater 
responsibilities, 
which 
they 
de­ 
sire 
to 
avoid 
and 
not 
even 
to 
think 
much 
about. 
These 
last 
mentioned 
"receive 
the 
grace 
of 
God 
[the 
privi­ 
lege 
of 
justification 
1 
in 
vain." 
(2 
Cor. 
6: 
1) 
The 
intention 
of 
thi'l 
reckoned 
or 
faith 
justification 
of 
the 
present 
time 
is 
to 
enable 
the 
justified 
ones 
to 
present 
their 
"bodies 
living 
sacri­ 
fices, 
holy, 
and 
acceptable 
to 
God," 
their 
reasonable 
service; 
because 
they 
could 
not 
be 
acceptable 
to 
God 
as 
sacrifices, 
nor 
in 
any 
sense 
of 
the 
word 
come 
to 
his 
altar, 
while 
still 
they 
were 
sinners. 
Since 
to 
permit 
this 
sanctification 
and 
sacri­ 
fice 
is 
the 
only 
objl'ct 
of 
the 
giving 
of 
this 
grace 
in 
the 
present 
time, 
they 
have 
received 
it 
in 
vain, 
in 
that 
they 
have 
not 
used 
It 
as 
God 
designed 
it 
to 
be 
used 
by 
those 
who 
are 
appreciative. 
Amongst 
this 
second 
class 
of 
non-elect, 
we 
may 
say 
that 
t 
he 
vilest 
arc 
too 
good 
to 
be 
turned 
over 
to 
devils 
for 
an 
eternity 
of 
torment, 
either 
mental 
or 
physical, 
and 
God 
their 
Creator 
was 
too 
wi'le 
to 
have 
ever 
made 
them 
in 
such 
a 
con­ 
dition 
as 
to 
necessitate 
such 
an 
abominable 
result, 
so 
inhar­ 
monious 
with 
his 
character 
and 
with 
every 
sell'll' 
of 
right 
and 
justice, 
ancl 
necessitating 
the 
everlasting 
perpetuation 
of 
evil, 
upheld, 
and 
therefore 
sanctioned, 
by 
divine 
power. 
And 
God's 
Word 
rightlv 
understood, 
tl'aches 
no 
such 
thing. 
It 
is 
only 
wher: 
the 
false 
thpory 
has 
corrupted 
and 
perverted 
the 
judg­ 
ment 
that 
it 
is 
able 
and 
willing 
to 
construe 
such 
a 
theory 
irom 
the 
p:nable'l, 
symbols 
and 
"dark 
saying'l" 
of 
our 
Saviour, 
mstead 
of 
understanding 
and 
construing 
them 
much 
more 
I!'asrnahlv 
and 
in 
full 
accord 
with 
the 
divine 
character 
of 
lustice, 
":isdom 
and 
love.* 
NO 
CONDEMNATION 
POSSIBLE 
UNTIL 
AFTER 
TRIAL 
If 
the 
worst 
class 
of 
non-elect 
do 
not 
deserve 
eternal 
tor­ 
ment, 
the 
less 
degraded 
certainly 
would 
not 
deserve 
it; 
and 
mdeed 
we 
are 
to 
remember 
that 
none 
of 
them 
can 
deserve 
any 
punishment 
until 
first 
of 
all 
thl'Y 
have 
had 
their 
trial. 
True, 
the 
whole 
race 
had 
a 
trial 
in 
father 
Adam, 
in 
Eden, 
and 
when 
he 
lost 
in 
that 
trial 
the 
whole 
race 
lost 
life 
and 
came 
under 
the 
sentence 
of 
death. 
But 
in 
harmony 
with 
the 
divine 
plan, 
our 
Lord 
.Tesus 
redeemed 
Adam 
and 
all 
his 
race 
by 
giving 
himself 
as 
the 
ransom-price 
for 
Adam 
and 
thus 
incidentally 
for 
all. 
'Ve 
are 
to 
remember 
that 
.Tesus 
was 
not 
only 
the 
Rede!'mer 
of 
the 
ehUl 
eh, 
but 
also 
the 
Redeemer 
of 
the 
world, 
as 
it 
is 
written: 
"He 
is 
a 
propitiation 
for 
our 
sins, 
and 
not 
ior 
OI1I'S 
[the 
church's] 
only. 
but 
aho 
for 
thl' 
8il/8 
of 
the' 
1r!to/l' 
!vorld."-l 
John 
2:2. 
* 
See 
What 
Say 
the 
Scriptures 
About 
Relit-Sample 
sent 
free 
nil 
-,Iostal 
card 
request 
If 
then 
all 
these 
non-elect 
hJ.ve 
been 
redeemed 
from 
the 
first 
trial 
and 
its 
seniPnce 
with 
the 
same 
precious 
blood 
which 
redeemed 
the 
elect 
church; 
and 
if 
the 
church, 
by 
the 
grace 
of 
God, 
has 
had 
her 
trial 
in 
advance 
of 
the 
world 
in 
general, 
and 
if 
the 
church's 
trial 
was 
the 
result 
of 
the 
redemption, 
and 
without 
that 
redemption 
she 
could 
have 
no 
further 
trial 
for 
eternal 
life, 
is 
it 
not 
manifest 
that 
the 
same 
redemption 
has 
provided 
a 
trial 
for 
the 
whole 
world 
of 
mankind, 
as 
well 
as 
for 
the 
church 
of 
this 
Gospel 
age? 
And 
what 
matter'l 
it 
that 
the 
trial 
of 
the 
world 
dId 
not 
take 
place 
at 
the 
same 
time 
as 
the 
trial 
of 
the 
church? 
Has 
not 
the 
great 
God, 
our 
Saviour, 
the 
full 
right 
to 
arrange 
this 
matt!'r 
of 
salvation 
ac­ 
cording 
to 
his 
own 
wisdom? 
Who 
amongst 
fallen 
men 
is 
com­ 
petent 
to 
direct 
him? 
And 
yet 
this 
is 
what 
Christian 
people 
have 
been 
doing; 
they 
have 
been 
attempting 
to 
aran,ge 
the 
divine 
plan, 
instead 
of 
hearkening 
to 
God's 
own 
revelation 
respecting 
thc 
same. 
They 
have 
said, 
but 
he 
has 
not 
said, 
that 
the 
prl''lent 
life 
is 
the 
onlv 
opportunity 
for 
trial, 
and 
that 
this 
trial-time 
will 
end 
with 
the 
end 
of 
the 
Gospel 
age. 
He, 
on 
the 
contrary, 
has 
foreseen 
their 
misrl'presentation'l 
of 
hi'l 
plan, 
ani! 
ha'l 
('au'led 
it 
to 
be 
written 
aforetime 
through 
the 
prophet: 
"Mv 
thoughts 
[plans] 
are 
not 
your 
thought'l 
[plam], 
nf'ither 
are 
yonr 
W~V'l 
my 
ways, 
saith 
the 
Lord; 
for 
as 
the 
heavens 
are 
highcr 
than 
the 
earth, 
so 
are 
my 
wavs 
lligher 
than 
your 
ways 
and 
my 
thoughts 
[plans] 
than 
your 
thoughts 
[plans] 
."-Isa. 
55 
:8, 
9. 
The 
Scriptures 
tell 
us 
'lpecificallv 
re'lpccting 
the 
l 
.. 
ord's 
plan 
for 
these 
non-elect. 
\Ve 
will 
give 
it 
fiffit 
in 
our 
own 
phraseology, 
and 
then 
we 
will 
give 
the 
Scriptural 
language. 
They 
tell 
us 
that 
the 
church 
is 
Ill'ing 
selpcted 
from 
the 
world 
in 
advancl', 
in 
ori!er 
that 
thi'l 
little 
flock, 
thoroughly 
trained 
in 
the 
school 
of 
e'Xperience, 
thoroughly 
polished 
and 
in 
full 
con­ 
formity 
to 
the 
Head, 
Chri'lt 
Je'lllS, 
i'l, 
with 
their 
Heai! 
and 
Lord, 
to 
con'ltitute 
the 
Royal 
Prie'lthood, 
whose 
work 
will 
only 
begin 
after 
its 
election 
has 
hepn 
rompleted 
and 
it 
has 
been 
receivl'd 
into 
glory; 
ani! 
that 
it'l 
work 
will 
be 
the 
judging 
of 
the 
world 
of 
mankind, 
not 
in 
the 
sense 
of 
pronouncing 
con­ 
demnation 
upon 
them, 
but 
in 
the 
'lense 
of 
granting 
to 
each 
member 
of 
tIle 
non-elect 
a 
trial 
(judgment) 
for 
eternnl 
life. 
That 
trial 
of 
the 
non-elect 
is 
guarnntpei!, 
based 
upon 
the 
grcat 
ransom-'lacrifice 
wherewith 
all 
mankind 
\\-ere 
purrhased 
from 
the 
denth-'lentence 
that 
came 
upon 
all 
throu!!h 
Adam 
And 
that 
thi'l 
trhl-time, 
or 
day 
of 
the 
world's 
judgment, 
will 
be 
the 
Milll'nnial 
day 
(a 
thousand 
years 
long), 
in 
the 
whil'h 
full 
opportunity 
shall 
come 
to 
all, 
full 
knowledge 
of 
the 
Lori! 
shall 
fill 
the 
whole 
earth, 
as 
the 
waters 
covpr 
the 
great 
deep, 
aTIlI 
a 
full 
hlps'ling 
of 
eternal 
life 
mnv 
he 
attained 
by 
whoever 
wills 
and 
obeys, 
of 
those 
then 
on 
tria 
I; 
and 
thnt 
the 
remainder 
(the 
unwilling 
and 
disobedient) 
will 
be 
destroyed 
in 
the 
second 
death. 
Among 
the 
many 
Scriptures 
supporting 
this 
presl'ntation 
we 
cite 
two 
which 
are 
very 
pointed 
and 
should 
be 
fully 
satis­ 
factory 
if 
there 
were 
no 
other'l, 
"God 
hath 
appointed 
a 
day 
in 
the 
which 
he 
will 
judge 
the 
world 
[future] 
in 
rightl'ous­ 
ness, 
by 
that 
man 
whom 
he 
hath 
ordained"-the 
Christ, 
Head 
and 
body.-Acts 
17: 
31. 
"Know 
ye 
not 
that 
the 
saints 
shall 
judge 
the 
world?" 
-I 
Cor, 
6:2. 
THE 
ULTIMATE 
END 
OF 
THE 
COMMANDMENT 
IS 
LOVE 
FROM 
A 
PURE 
HEART 
AND 
A 
GOOD 
CONSCIENCE 
"Now 
the 
end 
[ultimate 
objeat] 
of 
the 
commandment 
is 
low; 
from 
a 
pure 
heart 
and 
a 
good 
conscience, 
and 
an 
UndlSSf'mbled 
faith 
--which 
some, 
having 
tailed 
[to 
discern] 
haL'(~ 
turned 
aside 
to 
foolish 
talking."-l 
Tim. 
I 
:5. 
Not 
only 
in 
the 
Apostle's 
day 
did 
many 
fail 
to 
get 
the 
true 
Idea 
of 
religion-the 
Lord's 
commandments 
to 
his 
people, 
etc. 
-but 
many, 
probably 
an 
increasing 
number, 
have 
since 
simi­ 
larly 
failed. 
We 
may 
suppose 
that 
the 
method 
of 
the 
great 
,ulver~ar" 
is 
to 
confu'le 
the 
minds 
of 
those 
who 
are 
fpelmg 
aftpr 
God 
and 
righteousness. 
It 
is 
thus, 
as 
the 
Scriptures 
declnre, 
that 
he 
deceives 
the 
whole 
world-putting 
forms, 
cer­ 
pmonips, 
theories 
and 
confessions 
in'ltead 
of 
heart 
religion. 
Those 
who 
teach 
the 
monstrous 
false 
doctrine 
that 
the 
pres­ 
ent 
life 
decides 
the 
fate 
of 
every 
human 
being, 
either 
for 
eter­ 
nal 
misery 
or 
for 
eternal 
jov, 
consider 
this 
doctrine 
the 
very 
bulwark 
of 
pure 
Christianity 
and 
of 
holiness, 
consequently 
many 
who 
really 
do 
not 
believe 
it 
tacitly 
give 
it 
their 
con­ 
~ent 
and 
approval, 
believing 
that 
in 
so 
doing 
they 
are 
for­ 
warding 
the 
rause 
of 
holinp'l'l. 
But 
this 
i'l 
a 
great 
misbke: 
this 
is 
one 
of 
the 
great 
adversary's 
delusions, 
by 
'Vhich 
he 
would 
make 
the 
piety 
of 
God's 
people 
serve 
his 
':lause, 
(1) 
be­ 
t'aUlle 
this 
doctrine 
dims 
the 
divine 
glory 
a'l 
re'lpects 
love 
and 
justire, 
and 
(2) 
because 
the 
doctrine, 
instead 
of 
cultivating 
or 
promoting 
holiness 
cultivates 
and 
promotes 
the 
reverse 
of 
this, 
as 
we 
shall 
show. 
The 
theory 
that 
the 
present 
life 
i'l 
merely 
to 
decide 
who 
are 
worthy 
of 
etRrnal 
joy. 
anll 
who 
:ll 
e 
worth 
v 
of 
ptprnal 
1m­ 
ml'nts, 
resolves 
itself 
finally 
III 
the 
general 
thought 
as 
signi­ 
fying 
that 
all 
fiendish 
charactl'fs 
may 
perhaps 
be 
worthy 
of 
some 
kind 
of 
ill-treatment 
to 
all 
eternity, 
provided 
they 
shall 
not 
breathe 
a 
prayer 
of 
penitence 
at 
some 
time 
before 
they 
expire; 
but 
that 
all 
half·" 
a 
V 
de('cut 
pt'ople 
arf' 
too 
resppeta 
ble 
or 
too 
good 
to 
justly 
mprit 
an 
eternity 
of 
torture, 
and 
hf'nce 
must 
bl' 
of 
the 
kind 
who 
will 
receive 
an 
eternity 
of 
hliss. 
Thu'l 
this 
hell-fire 
doctrine, 
instead 
of 
promoting 
holiness, 
purity 
of 
heart, 
promotes 
the 
reversl',~arelessness 
as 
rpspectB 
anything 
except 
out 
and 
out. 
murder 
anll. 
gcneral 
devilishness. 
On 
the 
contrary, 
the 
Scriptural 
i!oetrine 
makE'S 
no 
threat 
of 
etprnal 
torment, 
and 
promlRes 
'1 
full 
opportunity 
for 
every 
human 
cre9ture 
to 
come 
to 
a 
knowledge 
of 
the 
truth, 
either 
in 
[2733] 
DECEMBER 1, 1900 and by no possibility could they have been amongst those ealled to the election of this Gospel age. (c) It includes those who have heard of Christ as the Redeemer, and have appreciated him as such, and have accepted him as their Saviour; but who like the nine of the ten lepers cleansed by our Lord at his first advent, thought not to return to give glory to God—thought not to present their bodies living sacrifices in his service. These having reached the point of justification were, undoubtedly, amongst the ones called; but they failed to make their calling and election sure, not caring to respond to the call. Of this class, apparently, are the thousands, the masses of church members of the various sects. They are glad for what they see, but not anxious to see any more, as, intuitively, they realize that further knowledge would bring greater responsibilities, which they desire to avoid and not even to think much about. These last mentioned “receive the grace of God [the privilege of justification] in vain.” (2 Cor. 6:1) The intention of this reckoned or faith justification of the present time is to enable the justified ones to present their “bodies living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable to God,” their reasonable service; because they could not be acceptable to God as sacrifices, nor in any sense of the word come to his altar, while still they were sinners. Since to permit this sanctification and sacrifice is the only object of the giving of this grace in the present time, they have received it in vain, in that they have not used it as God designed it to be used by those who are appreciative. Amongst this second class of non-elect, we may say that the vilest are too good to be turned over to devils for an eternity of torment, either mental or physical, and God their Creator was too wise to have ever made them in such a condition ag to necessitate such an abominable result, so inharmonious with his character and with every sense of right and justice, and necessitating the everlasting perpetuation of evil, upheld, and therefore sanctioned, by divine power. And God's Word, rightly understood, teaches no such thing. It is only where the false theory has corrupted and perverted the judgment that it is able and willing to construe such a theory from the parables, symbols and “dark sayings” of our Saviour, instead of understanding and construing them much more 1eascnably and in full accord with the divine character of nustice, wisdom and love.* NO CONDEMNATION POSSIBLE UNTIL AFTER TRIAL If the worst class of non-elect do not deserve eternal torment, the less degraded certainly would not deserve it; and indeed we are to remember that none of them can deserve any punishment until first of all they have had their trial. True, the whole race had a trial in father Adam, in Eden, and when he lost in that trial the whole race lost life and came under the sentence of death. But in harmony with the divine plan, our Lord Jesus redeemed Adam and all his race by giving himself as the ransom-price for Adam and thus incidentally for all. We are to remember that Jesus was not only the Redeemer of the church, but also the Redeemer of the world, as it is written: ‘He is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours [the church's] only. but also for the sins of the whole world."—1 John 2:2. *See What Say the Scriptures About Hellf—Sample sent free on vostal card request ZION’S WATCH TOWER (357-358) If then all these non-elect have been redeemed from the first trial and its sentence with the same precious blood which redeemed the elect church; and if the church, by the grace of God, has had her trial in advance of the world in general, and if the church’s trial was the result of the redemption, and without that redemption she could have no further trial for eternal life, is it not manifest that the same redemption has provided a trial for the whole world of mankind, as well as for the church of this Gospel age? And what matters it that the trial of the world did not take place at the same time as the trial of the church? Has not the great God, our Saviour, the full right to arrange this matter of salvation according to his own wisdom? Who amongst fallen men is competent to direct him? And yet this is what Christian people have been doing; they have been attempting to arange the divine plan, instead of hearkening to God’s own revelation respecting the same. They have said, but he has not said, that the present life is the only opportunity for trial, and that this trial-time will end with the end of the Gospel age. He, on the contrary, has foreseen their misrepresentations of his plan, and has caused it to be written aforetime through the prophet: ‘Mv thoughts [plans] are not your thoughts [plans], neither are vour wavs my wavs, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than vour ways and my thoughts [plans] than your thoughts [plans].”—Isa. 55:8, 9. The Seriptures tell us specifically respecting the Lord’s plan for these non-elect. We will give it first in our own phraseology, and then we will give the Scriptural language. Thev tell us that the church is being selected from the world in advance, in order that this little flock, thoroughly trained in the school of experience, thoroughly polished and in full conformity to the Head, Christ Jesus, is. with their Head and Lord, to constitute the Roval Priesthood, whose work will only begin after its election has heen completed and it has been received into glory; and that its work will be the judging of the world of mankind, not in the sense of pronouncing condemnation upon them, but in the sense of granting to each member of the non-elect a trial (judgment) for eternal life. That trial of the non-elect is guaranteed, based upon the great ransom-sacrifice wherewith al] mankind were purchased from the death-sentence that came upon al] through Adam — And that this trial-time, or day of the world’s judgment, will be the Millennial day (a thousand years long), in the which full opportunity shall come to all, full knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth, as the waters cover the great deep, and a full blessing of eternal life mav be attained by whoever wills and obeys, of those then on trial; and that the remainder (the unwilling and disobedient) will be destroyed in the second death. Among the many Scriptures supporting this presentation we cite two which are very pointed and should be fully satisfactory if there were no others. “God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world [future] in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained”—the Christ, Head and body.—Acts 17:31. “Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?” —I Cor. 6:2. THE ULTIMATE END OF THE COMMANDMENT IS LOVE FROM A PURE HEART AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE “Now the end [ultimate object] of the commandment is love from a pure heart and a good conscience, and an undissembled faith —which some, having failed [to discern] have turned aside to foolish talking.”—1l Tim. 1:5. Not only in the Apostle’s day did many fail to get the true idea of religion—the Lord’s commandments to his people, etc. ~—-but many, probably an increasing number, have since similarly failed. We may suppose that the method of the great adversary is to confuse the minds of those who are feeling after God and righteousness. It is thus, as the Scriptures declare, that he deceives the whole world—putting forms, ceremonies, theories and confessions instead of heart religion. Those who teach the monstrous false doctrine that the present life decides the fate of every human being, either for eternal misery or for eternal jov, consider this doctrine the very bulwark of pure Christianity and of holiness, consequently many who really do not believe it tacitly give it their consent and approval, believing that in so doing they are forwarding the cause of holiness. But this is a great mistake: this is one of the great adversary’s delusions, by which he would make the piety of God’s people serve his cause, (1) because this doctrine dims the divine glory as respects love and justice, and (2) because the doctrine, instead of cultivating or promoting holiness cultivates and promotes the reverse of this, as we shall show. The theory that the present life is merely to decide who are worthy of eternal joy, and who are worthy of eterna] torments, resolves itself finally m the general thought as signifying that all fiendish characters may perhaps be worthy of some kind of ill-treatment to all eternity, provided they shall not breathe a prayer of penitence at some time before they expire; but that alJl half-way decent people are too respectable or too good to justly merit an eternity of torture, and hence must be of the kind who will receive an eternity of bliss. Thus this hell-fire doctrine, instead of promoting holiness, purity of heart, promotes the reverse,—carelessness as respects anything except out and out murder and general devilishness. On the contrary, the Scriptural doctrine makes no threat of eternal torment, and promises a full opportunity for every human cresture to come to a knowledge of the truth, either in [2733]

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